Can Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Microvessel Density Be Used as Prognostic Biomarkers for Colorectal Cancer? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and microvessel density (MVD) are associated with greater incidence of metastases and decreased survival. Whether they can be used as prognostic indicators of colorectal cancer (CRC) is still controversial. Methods. The authors performed a meta-analysis using the results of a literature search of databases of PubMed and EMBASE, and the references of articles included in the analysis. Meta-analysis was performed using random effects model and hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as effect measures. Results. Twenty studies contributed to the analysis of VEGF, of which 16 were used for overall survival (OS) and 9 for disease-free survival (DFS). High VEGF levels has a relationship with unfavorable survival (OS: HR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.30–3.02; DFS: HR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.26–3.49) and a 4.22-fold increase in the rate of distant metastases. Analysis was performed on 18 studies for MVD; the results showed that patients with high MVD expression in tumors appeared to have poorer overall survival (HR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.22–1.58) and were at a greater risk of having unfavorable clinical characteristics related to prognosis. Corresponding results were obtained from quantitative and/or qualitative analysis of clinicopathological. Conclusions. The meta-analysis demonstrates that VEGF and MVD can be used as prognostic biomarkers for CRC patients

Progress and challenge of food microbiological risk assessment in China

In the recent 10 years, China has carried out the construction of food safety risk assessment system including microbiological risk assessment (MRA) in accordance with the Food Safety Law, and has made significant progress in the work system and technical system of MRA, which has become an important basis for the risk assessment of foodborne pathogens in China. With the change of food supply chain in the global post epidemic era and the rapid development of new technologies as well as the increasing demand for the modernization of food safety management in China, it will become the main challenge for the construction of food MRA to build assessment model based on China’s dietary consumption behavior, improve the implementation ability and quality of risk assessment, and realize the application of modern technologies in risk assessment

The burden of mild intellectual disability attributed to prenatal exposure to methylmercury in China, 2017

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a neurodevelopmental toxicant that is widespread in the environment and food. Considering the presence of multiple sources of MeHg exposure in the environment, the burden attributable to different exposure sources needs to be determined. This study aimed to estimate the burden of mild intellectual disability (MID) caused by in-utero exposure to MeHg and identify the attributable burden related to MeHg exposure from different sources in China. We applied the hair mercury concentrations from studies to evaluate the burden of MID associated with maternal MeHg exposure and quantify it by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The DALYs attributable to MeHg exposure sources were calculated by combining the total DALYs and the contribution rates of various sources of MeHg exposure. The maternal MeHg exposure resulted in 6504 MID cases and a loss of 63,354 DALYs in China in 2017. The contribution rates of aquatic products and rice were 52.2% and 27.1%, respectively, leading to health losses of 28,115 and 18,011 DALYs. The burden of MeHg-induced MID associated with aquatic products was high in coastal areas. Several sites such as Zhejiang, Hunan, and Guangxi had high DALYs caused by rice MeHg exposure. Regions with high DALYs of MID related to MeHg exposure require more attention. Local governments should establish targeted measures to reduce MeHg exposure, thus preventing health loss

Dietary Exposure Assessment of Rare Earth Elements in the Chinese Population

Rare earth elements (REEs) are widely found in foods. A high intake of REEs may have associations with adverse effects on human health. This study aimed to investigate the concentrations of REEs in foods in China and to assess the risk of dietary REEs exposure in the Chinese population. The mean concentrations of the total REEs in 27,457 food samples from 11 food categories ranged from 0.04 to 1.41 mg/kg. The daily mean dietary exposure of the total REEs was 1.62 μg/kg BW in the general Chinese population and ranged from 1.61 to 2.80 μg/kg BW in different sex–age groups. The high consumer exposure (95th percentile, P95) was 4.83 μg/kg BW, 9.38% of the temporary ADI (tADI) of REEs (51.5 μg/kg BW). None of the P95 exposure exceeded the tADI in all of the sub-groups. Lanthanum, cerium, and yttrium accounted for approximately 63% of the total exposure of the 16 REEs. The hazard index of 16 REEs was far below 1. Therefore, the health risk of dietary REEs exposure in the general Chinese population was low. No cumulative risk was found for the 16 REEs in China. The results indicate there was no need to stipulate the limits of REEs in foods

Dietary Exposure to Glutamates of 2- to 5-Year-Old Toddlers in China Using the Duplicate Diet Method

A duplicate diet collection method was used to estimate dietary exposure to glutamates in children aged 2–5 years in selected provinces of China. Daily duplicate diet samples were collected from 86 healthy toddlers over three consecutive days. Glutamates were analyzed using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography–MS/MS (UHPLC–MS/MS). Results showed that the highest glutamates content was found in mixed meals, at 5.12 mg/kg, followed by powdered formula (3.89 mg/kg), and milk and dairy products (2.29 mg/kg). The total mean daily dietary exposure for subjects was 0.20 mg/kg BW, and P95 daily dietary exposure was 0.44 mg/kg BW, both below the acceptable daily intake (ADI) (120 mg/kg BW) recommended by the Joint (FAO/WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the ADI (30 mg/kg BW) set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Hence it can be considered that glutamates exposure would cause low risk in this group

The pooled frequency of <i>MLH1</i> promoter methylation in CRC.

<p>The pooled frequency of <i>MLH1</i> promoter methylation in CRC.</p

Pooled frequency of <i>MLH1</i> promoter methylation in colorectal cancer patients with different molecular features.

<p>Abbreviations: CRC, colorectal cancer; LS, lynch syndrome; MMR, mismatch repair; SCRC, sporadic colorectal cancer; MSI, Microsatellite instability; MSS, microsatellite stability; MSI-L, lower-level microsatellite instability; MSI-H, high-level microsatellite instability.</p>*<p>Random effect estimate.</p

Flow diagram of study selection.

<p>Flow diagram of study selection.</p

Optimal Cut-Off Points of Fasting Plasma Glucose for Two-Step Strategy in Estimating Prevalence and Screening Undiagnosed Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes in Harbin, China

<div><p>To identify optimal cut-off points of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) for two-step strategy in screening abnormal glucose metabolism and estimating prevalence in general Chinese population. A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 7913 people aged 20 to 74 years in Harbin. Diabetes and pre-diabetes were determined by fasting and 2 hour post-load glucose from the oral glucose tolerance test in all participants. Screening potential of FPG, cost per case identified by two-step strategy, and optimal FPG cut-off points were described. The prevalence of diabetes was 12.7%, of which 65.2% was undiagnosed. Twelve percent or 9.0% of participants were diagnosed with pre-diabetes using 2003 ADA criteria or 1999 WHO criteria, respectively. The optimal FPG cut-off points for two-step strategy were 5.6 mmol/l for previously undiagnosed diabetes (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of FPG 0.93; sensitivity 82.0%; cost per case identified by two-step strategy ¥261), 5.3 mmol/l for both diabetes and pre-diabetes or pre-diabetes alone using 2003 ADA criteria (0.89 or 0.85; 72.4% or 62.9%; ¥110 or ¥258), 5.0 mmol/l for pre-diabetes using 1999 WHO criteria (0.78; 66.8%; ¥399), and 4.9 mmol/l for IGT alone (0.74; 62.2%; ¥502). Using the two-step strategy, the underestimates of prevalence reduced to nearly 38% for pre-diabetes or 18.7% for undiagnosed diabetes, respectively. Approximately a quarter of the general population in Harbin was in hyperglycemic condition. Using optimal FPG cut-off points for two-step strategy in Chinese population may be more effective and less costly for reducing the missed diagnosis of hyperglycemic condition.</p></div

The total cost per case identified by two-step strategy at different FPG cut-points for further OGTT test.

<p>In Fig.1A, further OGTT was not conducted for subjects with FPG ≥5.6 mmol/l (≥6.1mmol/l) in the case of screening for both diabetes and pre-diabetes using ADA criteria (WHO criteria). In Fig.1B and 1C, further OGTT was not conducted for subjects with FPG ≥7.0 mmol/l in the case of screening for undiagnosed diabetes or both diabetes and pre-diabetes or pre-diabetes alone or IGT.</p