Effects of development on indigenous dietary pattern: A Nigerian case study

The traditional foods of indigenous people in Nigeria are known for their cultural symbolism and agricultural biodiversity which contributes to their daily healthy and rich diet. In the early 90s, rapid development of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was noted and the resettlement of indigenes to other parts of the region was reported. These changes have facilitated the modification of indigenous diets, as indigenous groups rapidly embraced modern foods and also adopted the food culture of migrant ethnic groups. This has led to a gradual erosion of indigenous diets and traditional food systems in the FCT. This study explored the impact of development on traditional food systems and determined indigenes perception of the modification to their food culture as a result of the development of their land within the FCT. Field survey was carried out in four indigenous communities in the FCT (30 indigenes from each of the four areas) using structured questionnaires, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews. Person Chi Square analysis of indigenes socio-economic characteristics revealed significant relationships between gender of indigenes and farm size, Age and farm size, Educational level and farm/herd size. Qualitative analysis of FGDs revealed indigenes opinion on the socio-cultural changes in behaviour and food systems as a result of development. The study also identified indigenous youths as being most influenced by development especially through education, white collar jobs and social interactions with migrant ethnic groups in the FCT. The study recommended that indigenes should be provided with more secure land tenure and “back-to-farm” initiatives should be put in place by the Nigerian government to encourage indigenous youth to engaged more in agriculture

Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a massive global health crisis. Because the crisis requires large-scale behaviour change and places significant psychological burdens on individuals, insights from the social and behavioural sciences can be used to help align human behavior with the recommendations of epidemiologists and public health experts. Here we discuss evidence from a selection of research topics relevant to pandemics, including work on navigating threats, social and cultural influences on behaviour, science communication, moral decision-making, leadership, and stress and coping. In each section, we note the nature and quality of prior research, including uncertainty and unsettled issues. We identify several insights for effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and also highlight important gaps researchers should move quickly to fill in the coming weeks and months

Differential accumulation of hypericin in spheroids composed of T-24 transitional cell carcinoma cells expressing different levels of E-cadherin

Purpose: To obtain unambiguous evidence for the putative role of E-cadherin in the selective accumulation of hypericin after intravesical instillation in humans we investigated the accumulation of hypericin in spheroids from 3 clones of the human bladder carcinoma cell line T-24 that express different levels of E-cadherin, as determined by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Materials and Methods: Clones of T-24 cells transfected with the E-cadherin gene were analyzed for E-cadherin expression and 3 cell lines with different expression levels were selected. Spheroids of these cell lines were incubated with 10 mu M hypericin in cell culture medium supplemented or not with fetal calf serum for 2 hours. After the incubation period centrally cut sections were examined by fluorescence microscopy. An imaging software system was used to measure average fluorescence in concentric layers from rim to center. Results: Data showed that in the presence of serum the accumulation of hypericin in spheroids was inversely associated with the level of E-cadherin expressed by the T-24 transfectants used, whereas in the absence of serum differential accumulation of the compound was completely abolished. Conclusions: Spheroids composed of cancer cell lines expressing variable levels of E-cadherin represent an excellent model in which to study the role of intercellular adhesion in bladder cancer. The outcome of this study strongly suggests that E-cadherin is the key mediator in the selective accumulation of hypericin in superficial bladder cancer after intravesical instillation in humans

Genetic factors associated with prostate cancer conversion from active surveillance to treatment

Men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer (PC) are increasingly electing active surveillance (AS) as their initial management strategy. While this may reduce the side effects of treatment for PC, many men on AS eventually convert to active treatment. PC is one of the most heritable cancers, and genetic factors that predispose to aggressive tumors may help distinguish men who are more likely to discontinue AS. To investigate this, we undertook a multi-institutional genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 5,222 PC patients and 1,139 other patients from replication cohorts, all of whom initially elected AS and were followed over time for the potential outcome of conversion from AS to active treatment. In the GWAS we detected 18 variants associated with conversion, 15 of which were not previously associated with PC risk. With a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS), we found two genes associated with conversion (MAST3, p = 6.9 × 10−7 and GAB2, p = 2.0 × 10−6). Moreover, increasing values of a previously validated 269-variant genetic risk score (GRS) for PC was positively associated with conversion (e.g., comparing the highest to the two middle deciles gave a hazard ratio [HR] = 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.94–1.36); whereas decreasing values of a 36-variant GRS for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were positively associated with conversion (e.g., comparing the lowest to the two middle deciles gave a HR = 1.25; 95% CI, 1.04–1.50). These results suggest that germline genetics may help inform and individualize the decision of AS—or the intensity of monitoring on AS—versus treatment for the initial management of patients with low-risk PC