Polyphenols for Cancer Treatment or Prevention

Polyphenols are commonly found in fruits and vegetables, and have been suggested to have protective effects against chronic diseases, such as cancers. They are a diverse group of molecules, many of which possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, epigenetic, drug sensitization, and/or modulation of xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme properties. However, there is mixed evidence regarding their protective effects with respect to various cancers. Some of this controversy may be due to the combination of polyphenols administered, synergistic effects of accompanying compounds, bio-accessibility, bioavailability, effect of gut microbiota, and the type of cancer investigated. The purpose of this Special Issue is to present the recent evidence for the effect of polyphenol intake on cancer, as well as mechanisms of action. This Special Issue, entitled "Polyphenols for Cancer Treatment or Prevention", welcomes manuscript submissions of original research, meta-analyses, or reviews of the scientific literature. Authors should focus their manuscripts on polyphenol bioactives or dietary patterns naturally rich in polyphenols that have been identified and used for the prevention and or treatment of cancer

Challenges and opportunities for conducting a vaccine trial during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented challenges for healthcare systems worldwide. It has also stimulated research in a wide range of areas including rapid diagnostics, novel therapeutics, use of technology to track patients and vaccine development. Here, we describe our experience of rapidly setting up and delivering a novel COVID-19 vaccine trial, using clinical and research staff and facilities in three National Health Service Trusts in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom. We encountered and overcame a number of challenges including differences in organisational structures, research facilities available, staff experience and skills, information technology and communications infrastructure, and research training and assessment procedures. We overcame these by setting up a project team that included key members from all three organisations that met at least daily by teleconference. This group together worked to identify the best practices and procedures and to harmonise and cascade these to the wider trial team. This enabled us to set up the trial within 25 days and to recruit and vaccinate the participants within a further 23 days. The lessons learned from our experiences could be used to inform the conduct of clinical trials during a future infectious disease pandemic or public health emergency

Adipocytes Under Environmental Assault: Targets for Obesity?

Abstract In the recent years, there has been a tremendous concern over the possible health threat posed by endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). These are mostly synthetic chemicals found in various materials such as organo-chlorinated pesticides, industrial chemicals, plastics and plasticizers, fuels, heavy metals, additives or contaminants in food, and personal care products. These chemicals are present in the environment and are with widespread use. Human exposure to EDCs occurs via ingestion of food, dust and water, via inhalation of gases and particles in the air, and through the skin. Data from several animal models, human clinical observations, and epidemiological studies converge to implicate their association with altered reproductive function in males and females, increased incidence of breast cancer, abnormal growth patterns and neuro-developmental delays in children, disruption of adipocyte function, as well as changes in immune function. The EDCs exert their insulting effects by interfering with hormone biosynthesis, metabolism, or action resulting in a deviation from normal homeostatic control or reproduction. The mechanisms of EDCs involve divergent pathways including (but not limited to) estrogenic, anti-androgenic, thyroid, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor c, retinoid, and actions through other nuclear receptors; steroidogenic enzymes; neurotransmitter receptors and systems; and many other pathways that are highly conserved in wildlife and humans. Emerging data from in vitro as well as in vivo models suggest new targets (i.e. adipocyte differentiation and mechanisms involved in weight homeostasis) of abnormal programming by EDCs, and provide strong evidence to support the scientific term ‘obesogen’. The emerging idea of a link between EDCs and obesity expands the focus on obesity from intervention and treatment to include prevention and avoidance of these chemical modifiers. Because expansion of the adipocyte pool is critical for safely storing excess lipid, an understanding how these signaling axes can be altered by EDCs is critical in appreciating how environmental contaminants might contribute to the development of metabolic diseases

Multiple loci on 8q24 associated with prostate cancer susceptibility

Previous studies have identified multiple loci on 8q24 associated with prostate cancer risk. We performed a comprehensive analysis of SNP associations across 8q24 by genotyping tag SNPs in 5,504 prostate cancer cases and 5,834 controls. We confirmed associations at three previously reported loci and identified additional loci in two other linkage disequilibrium blocks (rs1006908: per-allele OR = 0.87, P = 7.9 x 10(-8); rs620861: OR = 0.90, P = 4.8 x 10(-8)). Eight SNPs in five linkage disequilibrium blocks were independently associated with prostate cancer susceptibility

Genomic reconstruction of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in England

AbstractThe evolution of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus leads to new variants that warrant timely epidemiological characterization. Here we use the dense genomic surveillance data generated by the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium to reconstruct the dynamics of 71 different lineages in each of 315 English local authorities between September 2020 and June 2021. This analysis reveals a series of subepidemics that peaked in early autumn 2020, followed by a jump in transmissibility of the B.1.1.7/Alpha lineage. The Alpha variant grew when other lineages declined during the second national lockdown and regionally tiered restrictions between November and December 2020. A third more stringent national lockdown suppressed the Alpha variant and eliminated nearly all other lineages in early 2021. Yet a series of variants (most of which contained the spike E484K mutation) defied these trends and persisted at moderately increasing proportions. However, by accounting for sustained introductions, we found that the transmissibility of these variants is unlikely to have exceeded the transmissibility of the Alpha variant. Finally, B.1.617.2/Delta was repeatedly introduced in England and grew rapidly in early summer 2021, constituting approximately 98% of sampled SARS-CoV-2 genomes on 26 June 2021.</jats:p