The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

Alendronate/Vitamin D for attenuating bone mineral density loss during antiretroviral initiation: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation is associated with decreases in bone mineral density (BMD). Objectives: To plan for a larger trial, we sought to obtain preliminary estimates for the difference in the change in BMD at 48 weeks achieved with 24 weeks of prophylactic alendronate/vitamin D during ART initiation compared to no intervention, the within-group standard deviation of this change, and intra-patient correlation coefficient for repeated BMDs. Secondary objectives included assessing enrollment feasibility, treatment acceptability, adherence and safety. Methods: We randomized treatment-naïve HIV-positive adults initiating tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine/elvitegravir/cobicistat or abacavir/lamivudine/dolutegravir 1:1:1 to immediate alendronate/vitamin D3 70 mg/5600 IU for 24 weeks (concomitant treatment arm, CTA), the same intervention starting 24 weeks after study entry (delayed treatment arm, DTA), or no bone anti-resorptive therapy (standard of care, SOC). We assessed BMD, acceptability, adverse events and drug adherence at baseline, week 24 and week 48. Results: Of 29 included participants, 72% initiated TDF/FTC/ELV/c and 28% initiated ABC/3TC/DTG. Median (IQR) CD4 count was 388 (303,525) cells/mm3 and median plasma HIV RNA was 4.45 (2.26, 4.84) log10 copies/mL. The mean (SD) percentage change in BMD for the CTA and DTA combined was 1.95% (2.53%), 0.38% (3.34%), and −0.57% (3.50%) at the lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip respectively at 48 weeks. The ICC among repeated measurements of BMD was 0.978, 0.964, and 0.967 at these sites, respectively. Enrollment feasibility, drug acceptability, adherence, and tolerability were good. Conclusions: Our findings inform the sample size for a larger trial of bone anti-resorptive therapy during ART initiation and support feasibility

Genome wide analysis for the identification and characterization of Superoxide-dismutase gene family in Rosa chinensis ascertains the role of salinity-responsive RcMSD1 protein and its interaction with peroxyl radical

Abiotic stresses e.g., cold, heat, and salinity affect the quality and yield of Rosa chinensis, a well-known ornamental and medicinal plant. Previously, several attempts have been made to identify the genes that confer resistance to oxidative stressors. Superoxide-dismutase (SOD) is a crucial member of the class metalloenzyme that responds to abiotic stresses and protects plants by countering the reactive-oxygen species (ROS). In this genome-wide association study, the SOD gene family has been investigated in R. chinensis. Seven SOD genes, including three Cu/ZnSODs, two MnSODs, and two FeSODs were identified. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that RcSODs are divided into three clades; (i) CSDs (Cu/ZnSODs) (ii) FSDs (FeSODs) and MSDs (MnSODs). Most of the RcSODs exhibited different exons/introns distribution patterns. Motifs 3 and 5 are conserved in all RcSODs genes. The RNA-seq data analysis and qRT-PCR-based expression profiling indicated that RcSODs exhibit diverse responses under salt stress conditions. The RcCSD1, RcCSD3, and RcFSD3 are significantly up-regulated under salt stress conditions in roots and down-regulated in leaves. This data provides valuable information for further application and function of SODs in R. chinensis under abiotic stresses

Consortium between Groundwater Quality and Lint Yield in Cotton Belt Areas

The agriculture sector of Pakistan mainly depends on freshwater from groundwater resources. Deterioration of these resources adversely affected crop yields due to climate change and human activities. A comprehensive study was conducted to evaluate the groundwater quality of varying boring depths and the possible effects on the crop yield of cotton in Tehsil Fort Abbas, District Bahawalnagar, Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 347 samples were collected from the investigated areas. Results revealed that 86% of samples were declared unfit for irrigation purposes, 6% of samples were fit, and 8% of samples were marginally fit for irrigation. The ranges for the electrical conductivity (EC), sodium absorption ratio (SAR), and residual sodium carbonate (RSC) were 0.61–10.49 dS m−1, 0.65 to 5.44 meq L−1, and 0.02 to 5.44 meq L−1, respectively. Regarding the EC of water samples, the southwestern side of the study area where the lower values were observed was in an acceptable range in terms of water quality. Differential response to metal contamination was observed in the study area. Lower contamination of metals was observed in the water samples collected from some regions on the eastern and western sides of the study area. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that by increasing the depth of the bore, the value of EC was also increased. Similarly, for the cotton lint yield maximum yield (1040 kg acre−1) was observed in the sampling point located in the southwestern part of the study area due to better quality of irrigation water, while the minimum cotton lint yield (520 kg acre−1) was noticed in sampling point located in the western side of the study area. Overall groundwater quality of Tehsil Fort Abbas was unfit for irrigation due to the high EC values and metal concentrations. The yield showed a negative correlation among all parameters of water. It was suggested that using the recommended dose of gypsum powder/stone and dilution of groundwater with canal water reduced the hazards of anions and cations of groundwater for the accumulation of salts in crops

Consortium between Groundwater Quality and Lint Yield in Cotton Belt Areas

The agriculture sector of Pakistan mainly depends on freshwater from groundwater resources. Deterioration of these resources adversely affected crop yields due to climate change and human activities. A comprehensive study was conducted to evaluate the groundwater quality of varying boring depths and the possible effects on the crop yield of cotton in Tehsil Fort Abbas, District Bahawalnagar, Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 347 samples were collected from the investigated areas. Results revealed that 86% of samples were declared unfit for irrigation purposes, 6% of samples were fit, and 8% of samples were marginally fit for irrigation. The ranges for the electrical conductivity (EC), sodium absorption ratio (SAR), and residual sodium carbonate (RSC) were 0.61–10.49 dS m−1, 0.65 to 5.44 meq L−1, and 0.02 to 5.44 meq L−1, respectively. Regarding the EC of water samples, the southwestern side of the study area where the lower values were observed was in an acceptable range in terms of water quality. Differential response to metal contamination was observed in the study area. Lower contamination of metals was observed in the water samples collected from some regions on the eastern and western sides of the study area. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that by increasing the depth of the bore, the value of EC was also increased. Similarly, for the cotton lint yield maximum yield (1040 kg acre−1) was observed in the sampling point located in the southwestern part of the study area due to better quality of irrigation water, while the minimum cotton lint yield (520 kg acre−1) was noticed in sampling point located in the western side of the study area. Overall groundwater quality of Tehsil Fort Abbas was unfit for irrigation due to the high EC values and metal concentrations. The yield showed a negative correlation among all parameters of water. It was suggested that using the recommended dose of gypsum powder/stone and dilution of groundwater with canal water reduced the hazards of anions and cations of groundwater for the accumulation of salts in crops

Sorghum Allelopathy: Alternative Weed Management Strategy and Its Impact on Mung Bean Productivity and Soil Rhizosphere Properties

The reduction of herbicide use and herbicide-resistant weeds through allelopathy can be a sustainable strategy to combat the concerns of environmental degradation. Allelopathic crop residues carry great potential both as weed suppressers and soil quality enhancers. The influence of sorghum crop residues and water extracts on the weed population, soil enzyme activities, the microbial community, and mung bean crop productivity was investigated in a two-year experiment at the Student Research Farm, University of Agriculture Faisalabad. The experimental treatments comprised two levels of sorghum water extract (10 and 20 L ha−1) and two residue application rates (4 and 6 t ha−1), and no sorghum water extract and residues were used as the control. The results indicated that the incorporation of sorghum water extract and residue resulted in significant changes in weed dynamics and the soil quality indices. Significant reduction in weed density (62%) and in the dry weight of weeds (65%) was observed in T5. After the harvest, better soil quality indices in terms of the microbial population (72–90%) and microbial activity (32–50%) were observed in the rhizosphere (0–15 cm) by the same treatment. After cropping, improved soil properties in terms of available potassium, available phosphorus soil organic matter, and total nitrogen were higher after the treatment of residue was incorporated, i.e., 52–65%, 29–45%, 62–84%, and 59–91%, respectively. In the case of soil enzymes, alkaline phosphatase and dehydrogenase levels in the soil were 35–41% and 52–77% higher, respectively. However, residue incorporation at 6 t ha−1 had the greatest effect in improving the soil quality indices, mung bean productivity, and reduction of weed density. In conclusion, the incorporation of 6 t ha−1 sorghum residues may be opted to improve soil quality indices, suppress weeds, harvest a better seed yield (37%), and achieve higher profitability (306 $ ha−1) by weed suppression, yield, and rhizospheric properties of spring-planted mung beans. This strategy can provide a probable substitute for instigating sustainable weed control and significant improvement of soil properties in the mung bean crop, which can be a part of eco-friendly and sustainable agriculture