Epidemiology of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is currently the third deadliest cancer in the United States and will claim an estimated 49,190 U.S. lives in 2016. The purpose of this review is to summarize our current understanding of this disease, based on nationally published statistics and information presented in peer-reviewed journal articles. Specifically, this review will cover the following topics: descriptive epidemiology (including time and disease trends both in the United States and abroad), risk factors (environmental, genetic, and gene-environment interactions), screening, prevention and control, and treatment. Landmark discoveries in colorectal cancer risk factor research will also be presented. Based on the information reviewed for this report, we suggest that future U.S. public health efforts aim to increase colorectal cancer screening among African American communities, and that future worldwide colorectal cancer epidemiology studies should focus on researching nutrient-gene interactions towards the goal of improving personalized treatment and prevention strategies

Effect of a moderate alcohol dose on physiological responses during rest and prolonged cycling

Aim: We examined the acute effects of a moderate alcohol dose (48g) ingested before prolonged cycling on acute physiological responses in eight healthy males (mean ± SD; 23 ± 2 years; 1.77 ± 0.04m; 75.8 ± 4.1kg).Methods: In a randomised order, euhydrated participants completed two experimental sessions with the sequence of 150-minutes seated at rest, 90-minutes of cycling (50% V̇O2max), 120-minutes seated at rest. Participants drank 250mL of flavoured squash with or without alcohol (vodka; ~16g) at 10, 40 and 70 minutes of the initial resting phase, giving a cumulative fluid intake of 750ml with 48g of alcohol. Heart rate, blood glucose, breath alcohol concentration and respiratory gases were recorded throughout the entire trial with cumulative urine volume recorded during both rest phases.Results: Total carbohydrate (control = 115 ± 19g: alcohol = 119 ± 21g; P=0.303) and lipid (control = 17 ± 4g: alcohol = 20 ± 7g; P=0.169) oxidation was similar between conditions. Average heart rate was 7% higher in the alcohol condition (control = 111 ± 12bpm; alcohol = 119 ± 11bpm; P=0.003). Blood glucose concentrations were similar between conditions during (P=0.782) and after exercise (P=0.247). Urine output was initially increased between conditions following alcohol ingestion before diminishing (P<0.001) with no difference in total cumulative urine output (P=0.331).Conclusion: Consuming an alcoholic drink containing 48g of alcohol in the hour before moderate intensity sub-maximal aerobic exercise led to detectable increases in heart rate and rate of urine production with no effect on substrate use

Learning from Critical Social Art Practice: Disassembling and Reassembling the Social

The aim of the panel is to consider how (Critical) Social Art Practices (CSAP) can contribute to modes of cultural evaluation. Jordan, Hewitt and Treloar will discuss two projects in which they have collaborated; Making Tools Together: Exploring new ways to understand arts social value (MORE), and Mapping Kiosk for the Well Communities Research Consortium. Reflecting upon our art practice - which develops methods of opinion formation and aims to intervene within organizational structures - we identify the ways in which our practice can also be both a process of research as well as a method of evaluation

Weekly vitamin D₃ supplementation improves aerobic performance in combat sport athletes

Vitamin D3 supplementation can affect the strength and power of an athlete, however the effect on endurance performance remains unclear. Twenty-seven recreational male combat athletes with at least 12 months experience within combat sports were recruited (age: 24 ± 4 years, stature: 176 ± 6 cm, weight: 77 ± 14 kg). Participants completed baseline testing for blood haemoglobin and haematocrit, upper and lower body VO2peak and upper and lower body Wingate. Following testing participants were stratified to 50000IU (D1), 80000IU (D2) or 110000IU (D3) of vitamin D3 per week. They then completed a 6-week placebo period followed by a 6-week supplementation period. Retesting was carried out after the placebo and supplementation period. There was a significant effect for time for haemoglobin and haematocrit, upper and lower body VO2peak and upper body Wingate power (p<0.01) but no effect for dose of vitamin D given. Performance data was normalised to vitamin D intake and there was a moderate effect size between D1 and D2 for lower body VO2peak (d=0.6), upper body VO2peak (d=0.13) and upper body average power (d=0.75), with a large effect size between D1 and D2 for haemoglobin (d=1.19), haematocrit (d=0.93) and upper body peak power (d=0.95). There was a large effect size for D1 compared to D3 for all variables (d>0.8). Therefore, there is no additional benefit to increasing dose above 500000IU vitamin D per week. Given the endurance adaptations from vitamin D supplementation and the importance of endurance for combat performance, recreational combat athletes should supplement at 50000IU per week for six weeks

Mangrove and mudflat food webs are segregated across four trophic levels, yet connected by highly mobile top predators

Seascape connectivity is crucial for healthy, resilient ecosystems and fisheries. Yet, our understanding of connectivity in turbid mangrove-lined estuaries—some of the world’s most productive ecosystems—is limited to macrotidal systems, and rarely incorporates highly mobile top predators. We analysed δ13C and δ15N isotope values of 7 primary producers, 24 invertebrate taxa, 13 fishes, 4 birds and 1 reptile to reveal trophic interactions within and between a mangrove and adjacent mudflat in a microtidal system of the Gulf of Paria, Orinoco River estuary. Primary producers, invertebrates and fishes collected within the mangrove were significantly depleted in 13C and 15N compared to those collected on the mudflat. Stable isotope mixing models showed that mangrove-derived carbon was predominantly assimilated by invertebrates (78 ± 5% SE) and fishes (88 ± 11%) sampled in the mangrove. In contrast, invertebrates and fishes sampled in the mudflat derived <21% of their carbon from mangrove sources. Instead, microphytobenthos and phytoplankton underpinned the mudflat food web. Scarlet ibis Eudocimus ruber and yellow-crowned night heron Nyctanassa violacea were also highly associated with mangrove carbon sources. However, osprey Pandion haliaetus, snowy egret Egretta thula and spectacled caiman Caiman crocodilus obtained carbon from both mangrove and mudflat sources, effectively integrating the food webs. The present study demonstrates simultaneous aspects of food web segregation and connectivity, as well as the importance of surveying the entire food web across a range of tidal systems when investigating seascape connectivity

Mangrove or mudflat: Prioritising fish habitat for conservation in a turbid tropical estuary

Mangrove habitats are typically the focus of conservation efforts in tropical estuaries because their structural complexity is thought to support greater biodiversity and nursery function than unvegetated habitats. However, evidence for this paradigm has been equivocal in turbid tropical estuaries where unvegetated mudflats are also highly productive. The present study compared the community composition, biodiversity, nursery-role and commercial fish biomass in two mangrove habitats and one mudflat habitat in the Gulf of Paria, Trinidad. A total of 12 705 fishes, comprising 63 species from 26 families, were sampled in mangrove creeks, seaward mangrove fringe and the subtidal margin of an intertidal mudflat from June 2014 to June 2015. The composition of the creek and mudflat communities were distinct, while the community of the mangrove fringe more closely resembled the mudflat than the mangrove creeks. Mean species richness (MSR), total species richness (TSR) extrapolated from species accumulation curves, and juvenile species richness (JSR) were significantly greater in the mudflat (MSR = 11.4 ± 1.0; TSR = 75 ± 14; JSR = 9.1 ± 0.8) than mangrove creeks (MSR = 9.0 ± 0.5; TSR = 49 ± 3; JSR = 6.1 ± 0.4) and the seaward mangrove fringe (MSR = 6.4 ± 0.7; TSR = 58 ± 14; JSR = 5.2 ± 0.4). Meanwhile, Shannon Weiner diversity, juvenile fish abundance and commercial fish biomass were comparable between habitats. These findings caution against the generalisation that mangroves are the most important habitat for fishes in turbid tropical estuaries. There is now a growing body of evidence that mudflats warrant consideration as important repositories of biodiversity and nursery function for juvenile fishes

The First Spectrum of the Coldest Brown Dwarf

The recently discovered brown dwarf WISE 0855 presents our first opportunity to directly study an object outside the Solar System that is nearly as cold as our own gas giant planets. However the traditional methodology for characterizing brown dwarfs---near infrared spectroscopy---is not currently feasible as WISE 0855 is too cold and faint. To characterize this frozen extrasolar world we obtained a 4.5-5.2 $\mu$m spectrum, the same bandpass long used to study Jupiter's deep thermal emission. Our spectrum reveals the presence of atmospheric water vapor and clouds, with an absorption profile that is strikingly similar to Jupiter. The spectrum is high enough quality to allow the investigation of dynamical and chemical processes that have long been studied in Jupiter's atmosphere, but now on an extrasolar world.Comment: submitted to ApJ

The Association Between Citrus Consumption and Skin Cancer: An Analysis of Risk and Nutrient-Gene Interaction

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Purpose. In the US, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) rates have increased substantially in recent decades. While many skin cancer risk factors have been established, the impact of dietary citrus, which is naturally abundant in photocarcinogenic psoralens, remains enigmatic. The purpose of this research was to investigate associations between citrus consumption and risks of melanoma and NMSC, and to conduct a genome-wide study to identify genetic variants that may modify this association. Methods. Participants from the UK Biobank were leveraged for these analyses. Citrus consumption was collected via five rounds of 24-hour recall questionnaires, with complete citrus data available for n=210,126 participants. Ascertainment of melanoma and NMSC cases were identified by international classification of disease codes via linkage with national registries. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the associations between citrus consumption and skin cancer outcomes. Individual citrus products were assessed for independent associations with skin cancer risk, and established skin cancer risk factors were tested for interaction. Joint 2-degree-of-freedom (df) and 1-df tests were used to assess interaction between total citrus consumption and genetic variants. Results. After controlling for covariates, high total citrus consumption was significantly associated with increased melanoma risk, an association primarily driven by orange and orange juice consumption. Skin color was found to be a significant effect modifier for the association between total citrus consumption and melanoma risk, but only before adjusting for multiple comparisons. No significant associations were observed for high total citrus consumption or consumption of any individual citrus products and NMSC risk. Significant associations for half a serving of citrus consumption and NMSC risk were likely due to chance or confounding. Index SNPs on chromosomes 3, 9, and 16 were significant according to the joint 2-df test, and 7 SNPs on chromosome 16 displayed evidence of a citrus-gene interaction. Conclusion. My analyses provide evidence in support of high citrus consumption significantly increasing risk of melanoma, but not NMSC. I also identified SNPs on AFG3L1P that may modify this association. Future research should further explore these associations, particularly for NMSC and to confirm my genetic findings