ETIOLOGICAL FACTORS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF LUNG CANCER IN NON-SMOKERS: AN OVERVIEW

Lung cancer is the most frequent malignant tumour with the highest mortality rate around the world, leading to greater than a million deaths annually. The number of deaths due to lung cancer is expected to increase to ten million deaths per year in 2030. The major risk factor for the development of lung cancer is cigarette smoking but relatively high rates of lung cancer occur among non-smoking women and 10-25% of lung cancer observed in never smokers. The lung cancer deaths occur in never smokers have been estimated to be the 7th leading cause of cancer mortality. This article mainly discusses the important etiological factors of lung cancer in never smokers such as the environmental factors, occupational exposure, history of lung disease, family history and genetic factors, unbalanced diet and high consumption of saturated fat, radiation exposure, socioeconomic status, and infections. Gender, obesity and metabolic syndrome, race and ethnicity and interstitial lung diseases also have effects on the development of lung cancer in never smokers

SUPPLEMENTATION OF Α-LIPOIC ACID IN DIABETIC PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY: A PROSPECTIVE OPEN LABEL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Abstract Objective: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is the most common long term complications associated with reduced nerve conduction and blood flow. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of oral supplementation of α-lipoic acid (600 mg/day) on peripheral, sensory and motor nerve conduction and glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus with peripheral neuropathy. Methods: A total of 20 patients were enrolled in this study, then randomly allocated to two groups control (n=10) and intervention group (n=10). Patients in control group received only oral hypoglycaemic treatment and in intervention group received α-lipoic acid (600 mg/day) oral supplementation along with their oral hypoglycaemic treatment for a period of 3 months. Nerve conduction and glycaemic control were measured at the base line and at the end of 3 months by using specific methods. Results: In intervention group α-lipoic acid supplementation significantly improves 6 of 15 electrophysiological parameters of nerve conduction. Distal latency of peroneal (mean ± SD 5.13 ± 0.52 vs 4.92±0.55; p<0.02), median (mean ± SD 3.66 ± 0.76 vs 3.53±0.63; p<0.03) & ulnar motor nerves (mean ± SD 2.91 ± 0.32 vs 2.82±0.36; p<0.01), and Nerve Conduction Velocity of peroneal (mean ± SD 42.0 ± 3.07 vs 43.4±2.13; p<0.03), median (mean ± SD 51.4 ± 3.31 vs 52.2±3.59; p<0.01) & ulnar motor nerves (mean ± SD 51.0 ± 5.84 vs 52.1±5.46; p<0.03) shows significant improvement. Conclusion: Oral supplementation of α-lipoic acid was found to be effective in improving motor nerve conduction of upper and lower extremities in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy

CLINICAL OUTCOME OF CALCIUM, VITAMIN D3 & PHYSIOTHERAPY IN OSTEOPOROTIC POPULATION IN THE NILGIRIS DISTRICT

Objective: Osteoporosis and associated fractures are an important cause of mortality and morbidity. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effects of different treatment modalities calcium, calcium+VitD3 and calcium+physiotherapy and finds their effects on the quality of life in osteoporotic patients using International Osteoporosis Foundation Qualeffo-41Questionnaire and calculates the prevalence in the study sites.Methods: An open, randomized study comparing the effect of three treatment modalities was carried out in 100 patients (expecting 20%drop out) for six months between September 2013 and March 2014.Results: On the evaluation of 82 patients for 6 mo it showed that prevalence of osteoporosis is 4.82% in Nilgiris district, TamilNadu. Among the different domains of QUALEFFO-41questionnaire of osteoporotic international foundation (IOF), patients treated with calcium were effective in improving leisure, social activity (at P<0.01). Calcium &physiotherapy was found to be effective in improving mobility and pain (at P<0.0001). But Calcium & Vitamin D3 group proved to be effective in improving Physical function like activities of daily living (at P<0.001).Conclusion: Osteoporotic population taking calcium along with physiotherapy showed an improvement in the total quality of life.Keywords: Osteoporosis, QOL, Calcium, Vitamin D3, Physiotherapy, Nilgiris, QUALEFFO-41questionnair

A 32 kb Critical Region Excluding Y402H in CFH Mediates Risk for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Complement factor H shows very strong association with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), and recent data suggest that multiple causal variants are associated with disease. To refine the location of the disease associated variants, we characterized in detail the structural variation at CFH and its paralogs, including two copy number polymorphisms (CNP), CNP147 and CNP148, and several rare deletions and duplications. Examination of 34 AMD-enriched extended families (N = 293) and AMD cases (White N = 4210 Indian = 134; Malay = 140) and controls (White N = 3229; Indian = 117; Malay = 2390) demonstrated that deletion CNP148 was protective against AMD, independent of SNPs at CFH. Regression analysis of seven common haplotypes showed three haplotypes, H1, H6 and H7, as conferring risk for AMD development. Being the most common haplotype H1 confers the greatest risk by increasing the odds of AMD by 2.75-fold (95% CI = [2.51, 3.01]; p = 8.31×10−109); Caucasian (H6) and Indian-specific (H7) recombinant haplotypes increase the odds of AMD by 1.85-fold (p = 3.52×10−9) and by 15.57-fold (P = 0.007), respectively. We identified a 32-kb region downstream of Y402H (rs1061170), shared by all three risk haplotypes, suggesting that this region may be critical for AMD development. Further analysis showed that two SNPs within the 32 kb block, rs1329428 and rs203687, optimally explain disease association. rs1329428 resides in 20 kb unique sequence block, but rs203687 resides in a 12 kb block that is 89% similar to a noncoding region contained in ΔCNP148. We conclude that causal variation in this region potentially encompasses both regulatory effects at single markers and copy number

A 32 kb critical region excluding Y402H in CFH mediates risk for age-related macular degeneration.

Complement factor H shows very strong association with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), and recent data suggest that multiple causal variants are associated with disease. To refine the location of the disease associated variants, we characterized in detail the structural variation at CFH and its paralogs, including two copy number polymorphisms (CNP), CNP147 and CNP148, and several rare deletions and duplications. Examination of 34 AMD-enriched extended families (N = 293) and AMD cases (White N = 4210 Indian = 134; Malay = 140) and controls (White N = 3229; Indian = 117; Malay = 2390) demonstrated that deletion CNP148 was protective against AMD, independent of SNPs at CFH. Regression analysis of seven common haplotypes showed three haplotypes, H1, H6 and H7, as conferring risk for AMD development. Being the most common haplotype H1 confers the greatest risk by increasing the odds of AMD by 2.75-fold (95% CI = [2.51, 3.01]; p = 8.31×10(-109)); Caucasian (H6) and Indian-specific (H7) recombinant haplotypes increase the odds of AMD by 1.85-fold (p = 3.52×10(-9)) and by 15.57-fold (P = 0.007), respectively. We identified a 32-kb region downstream of Y402H (rs1061170), shared by all three risk haplotypes, suggesting that this region may be critical for AMD development. Further analysis showed that two SNPs within the 32 kb block, rs1329428 and rs203687, optimally explain disease association. rs1329428 resides in 20 kb unique sequence block, but rs203687 resides in a 12 kb block that is 89% similar to a noncoding region contained in ΔCNP148. We conclude that causal variation in this region potentially encompasses both regulatory effects at single markers and copy number

Correction: A 32 kb Critical Region Excluding Y402H in CFH Mediates Risk for Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025598.]