Risk factors for cancer mortality in the general population

Cancer is a complex disease with many possible causes and is currently a major public health problem in the world. Cancer can occur in individuals of all ages; however the risk of cancer increases with age. It has been estimated that 90-95% of all types of cancer can be attributed to environmental and lifestyle risk factors, and hereditary cancers account for approximately 5-10% of all cancer cases. This thesis describes several potential risk factors for mortality due to most common types of cancer, i.e. lung, colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer in the general population

Assay of Bacteriorhodopsin Activity and Structure on Polycarbonate Surface by Spin Coating Method and Photochemical Activity Analysis

Introduction: Protein-based memory is a novel technology that employs proteins ability to participate in electronic processes. Bacteriorhodopsin (BR) is a membranous proton pump that it’s applications in bio-molecular electronic devices has been widely studied. The results of this research show that BR bounded to modified polycarbonate surface has higher activity for spin coating method.Materials and Methods: In an in-vitro study, BR-containing polymer matrix of polyvinyl alcohol and gelatin with different w/v ratios was prepared. Spectroscopic and enzyme activity analysis was performed and the optimized concentration for BR-containing films was determined to be 3.2 mg/ml. BR-polymer was then immobilized on the polycarbonate surface with spin coating method and AFM microscopy was used to characterize BR-coated polycarbonate.Results: Based on the obtained results we conclude that polymer concentrations below 1% significantly reduced BR activity levels. A280/A570 of 3.64 for 3.2 mg/ml BR solution and 4.97 for BR in 1% polymer confirmed the quality prepared film. AFM study of BR-coated polycarbonate surface revealed the overall thickness of 25nm, indicating that we were able to prepare a surface with suitable thickness for nano electronic devicesConclusion: The results of this research show that BR bounded to modified polycarbonate surface has higher activity for spin coating method. 

Effect of WiFi waves (2.45 GHz) on aminotransaminases(ALP, ALT and AST) in liver of rat

Different disorders and diseases are associated with liver thus liver enzymes are commonly evaluated. Amino transaminases are among the most important enzymes in the liver, which their serum levels can indicate liver’s health or abnormality. Environmental stimuli including electromagnetic field affect different cells and organs in the body including the liver. WiFi networks are among the most common inducers of electromagnetic field. In the present study, serum levels of three liver aminotransaminases including Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) are assessed and histopathological evaluations are performed for four weeks in six groups of mice following WiFi2.45GHz exposure. Then, we have analyzed the data (t-test and one-way ANOVA; P<0.05). Our results show that amino transaminase levels are changed following WiFi2.45GHz exposure compared to control group and that these changes are increased with time. Respectively, AST, ALT and ALP levels showed 11.38%, 18.63%, and 4.85% increase on average, during these four weeks of the experiment. ALT and AST sustain more changes compared to the ALP in the liver. Electromagnetic induction is related to AST, ALP and ALT catabolism. The WiFi exposure time is an important factor that affects the maximum amount of absorbed electromagnetic energy in a specific period

Lifetime Smoking History and Cause-Specific Mortality in a Cohort Study with 43 Years of Follow-Up

BACKGROUND:In general, smoking increases the risk of mortality. However, it is less clear how the relative risk varies by cause of death. The exact impact of changes in smoking habits throughout life on different mortality risks is less studied. METHODS:We studied the impact of baseline and lifetime smoking habits, and duration of smoking on the risk of all-cause mortality, mortality of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), any cancer and of the four most common types of cancer (lung, colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer) in a cohort study (Vlagtwedde-Vlaardingen 1965-1990, with a follow-up on mortality status until 2009, n = 8,645). We used Cox regression models adjusted for age, BMI, sex, and place of residence. Since previous studies suggested a potential effect modification of sex, we additionally stratified by sex and tested for interactions. In addition, to determine which cause of death carried the highest risk we performed competing-risk analyses on mortality due to CVD, cancer, COPD and other causes. RESULTS:Current smoking (light, moderate, and heavy cigarette smoking) and lifetime persistent smoking were associated with an increased risk of all-cause, CVD, COPD, any cancer, and lung cancer mortality. Higher numbers of pack years at baseline were associated with an increased risk of all-cause, CVD, COPD, any cancer, lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer mortality. Males who were lifetime persistent pipe/cigar smokers had a higher risk of lung cancer [HR (95% CI) = 7.72 (1.72-34.75)] as well as all-cause and any cancer mortality. A longer duration of smoking was associated with a higher risk of COPD, any and lung cancer [HR (95% CI) = 1.06 (1.00-1.12), 1.03 (1.00-1.06) and 1.10 (1.03-1.17) respectively], but not with other mortality causes. The competing risk analyses showed that ex- and current smokers had a higher risk of cancer, CVD, and COPD mortality compared to all other mortality causes. In addition, heavy smokers had a higher risk for COPD mortality compared to cancer, and CVD mortality. CONCLUSION:Our study indicates that lifetime numbers of cigarettes smoked and the duration of smoking have different impacts for different causes of mortality. Moreover, our findings emphasize the importance of smoking-related competing risks when studying the smoking-related cancer mortality in a general population and that smoking cessation immediately effectively reduces the risk of all-cause and any cancer mortality

Objective allergy markers and risk of cancer mortality and hospitalization in a large population-based cohort

PURPOSE: There are indications that a history of allergy may offer some protection against cancer. We studied the relation of three objectively determined allergy markers with cancer mortality and hospitalization risk. METHODS: Associations between three allergy markers (number of peripheral blood eosinophil counts, skin test positivity, and serum total IgE) with mortality and hospitalization from any type and four common types of cancer (lung, colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer) were assessed in the Vlagtwedde-Vlaardingen cohort (1965-1990), with follow-up of mortality until 31 December 2008. Hospitalization data were available since 1 January 1995. RESULTS: There were no significant associations between objective allergy markers and cancer mortality or hospitalization. We found several associations in specific subgroups. A higher number of eosinophils was associated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer mortality in ever smokers HR (95 % CI) = 0.61 (0.45-0.83) and in males 0.59 (0.42-0.83); however, no overall association was observed 0.84 (0.64-1.09). Skin test positivity was associated with a decreased risk of any cancer mortality only among females 0.59 (0.38-0.91) and showed no overall association 0.83 (0.67-1.04). Serum total IgE levels were associated with an increased risk of lung cancer mortality among females 4.64 (1.04-20.70), but with a decreased risk of cancer hospitalization in ever smokers 0.77 (0.61-0.97) and males 0.72 (0.55-0.93); however, no overall associations were observed [mortality 0.99 (0.79-1.25), and hospitalization 0.86 (0.71-1.04)]. CONCLUSIONS: We found no associations between objective allergy markers and cancer in the total population. However, skin test positivity and a high number of eosinophils were associated with a reduced risk to die of cancer in specific subgroups. Hence, it seems important to study specific subgroups defined by gender and smoking habits in order to identify allergy markers of predictive value for cancer mortality

BMI and Lifetime Changes in BMI and Cancer Mortality Risk

Body Mass Index (BMI) is known to be associated with cancer mortality, but little is known about the link between lifetime changes in BMI and cancer mortality in both males and females. We studied the association of BMI measurements (at baseline, highest and lowest BMI during the study-period) and lifetime changes in BMI (calculated over different time periods (i.e. short time period: annual change in BMI between successive surveys, long time period: annual change in BMI over the entire study period) with mortality from any cancer, and lung, colorectal, prostate and breast cancer in a large cohort study (n=8,645. Vlagtwedde-Vlaardingen, 1965-1990) with a follow-up on mortality status on December 31st 2008. We used multivariate Cox regression models with adjustments for age, smoking, sex, and place of residence. Being overweight at baseline was associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer mortality (hazard ratio (HR) =2.22; 95% CI 1.19-4.17). Obesity at baseline was associated with a higher risk of any cancer mortality [all subjects (1.23 (1.01-1.50)), and females (1.40 (1.07-1.84))]. Chronically obese females (females who were obese during the entire study-period) had a higher risk of mortality from any cancer (2.16 (1.47-3.18), lung (3.22 (1.06-9.76)), colorectal (4.32 (1.53-12.20)), and breast cancer (2.52 (1.15-5.54)). We found no significant association between long-term annual change in BMI and cancer mortality risk. Both short-term annual increase and decrease in BMI were associated with a lower mortality risk from any cancer [all subjects: (0.67 (0.47-0.94)) and (0.73 (0.55-0.97)), respectively]. In conclusion, a higher BMI is associated with a higher cancer mortality risk. This study is the first to show that short-term annual changes in BMI were associated with lower mortality from any type of cancer

Development and analysis of the Soil Water Infiltration Global database

In this paper, we present and analyze a novel global database of soil infiltration measurements, the Soil Water Infiltration Global (SWIG) database. In total, 5023 infiltration curves were collected across all continents in the SWIG database. These data were either provided and quality checked by the scientists who performed the experiments or they were digitized from published articles. Data from 54 different countries were included in the database with major contributions from Iran, China, and the USA. In addition to its extensive geographical coverage, the collected infiltration curves cover research from 1976 to late 2017. Basic information on measurement location and method, soil properties, and land use was gathered along with the infiltration data, making the database valuable for the development of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for estimating soil hydraulic properties, for the evaluation of infiltration measurement methods, and for developing and validating infiltration models. Soil textural information (clay, silt, and sand content) is available for 3842 out of 5023 infiltration measurements ( ∼ 76%) covering nearly all soil USDA textural classes except for the sandy clay and silt classes. Information on land use is available for 76% of the experimental sites with agricultural land use as the dominant type ( ∼ 40%). We are convinced that the SWIG database will allow for a better parameterization of the infiltration process in land surface models and for testing infiltration models. All collected data and related soil characteristics are provided online in *.xlsx and *.csv formats for reference, and we add a disclaimer that the database is for public domain use only and can be copied freely by referencing it. Supplementary data are available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.885492 (Rahmati et al., 2018). Data quality assessment is strongly advised prior to any use of this database. Finally, we would like to encourage scientists to extend and update the SWIG database by uploading new data to it