Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Directed Antiemetic Treatment in Women With Breast Cancer Treated With Neo- or Adjuvant Chemotherapy: A Randomised Multicentre Phase II Study. (EudraCT: 2015-000658-39).

Background/aim: The role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the frequency and intensity of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in women with breast cancer (BC) is unclear. The primary purpose of this study was to compare/evaluate the effect of SNP-guided antiemetic treatment versus standard CINV treatment.

Patients And Methods: A randomised, factorial, phase II multicentre study design was used.

Opposing inflammatory biomarker responses to sleep disruption in cancer patients before and during oncological therapy.

Background: Sleep disruption is known to be highly prevalent in cancer patients, aggravated during oncological treatment and closely associated with reduced quality of life, therapeutic outcome and survival. Inflammatory factors are associated with sleep disruption in healthy individuals and cancer patients, but heterogeneity and robustness of inflammatory factors associated with sleep disruption and how these are affected by oncological therapy remain poorly understood. Furthermore, due to the complex crosstalk between sleep-, and therapy-associated factors, including inflammatory factors, there are currently no established biomarkers for predicting sleep disruption in patients undergoing oncological therapy.

Impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms and cigarette smoking on cancer risk and survival of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a disease involving genetic and lifestyle risk factors such as smoking or high-risk papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infections. This study analyzed 92 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with smoking and HPV on HNSCC cancer risk and survival among HNSCC patients. Eighty-six HNSCC patients (48 non-smoking and 38 smoking) were consecutively included.

Risk for relapse and death after adjuvant chemotherapy associated with SNPs in patients with breast cancer - A retrospective study.

Unlabelled: For the women breast cancer (BC) patients included in this retrospective study, the first line of systemic treatment in adjuvant modality for breast cancer (BC) after surgery was fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (FEC). The aim of our investigation was to analyze the prognostic biomarkers for relapse and death of patients eight to ten years after chemotherapy in association with nausea and vomiting.

Method: This retrospective study included 114 patients treated between 2010 and 2013.

A multidisciplinary perspective on the complex interactions between sleep, circadian, and metabolic disruption in cancer patients.

Sleep is a basic need that is frequently set aside in modern societies. This leads to profound but complex physiological maladaptations in the body commonly referred to as circadian disruption, which recently has been characterized as a carcinogenic factor and reason for poor treatment outcomes, shortened survival, and reduced quality of life in cancer patients. As sleep and circadian physiology in cancer patients spans several disciplines including nursing science, neurology, oncology, molecular biology and medical technology, there is a lack of comprehensive and integrated approaches to deal with this serious and growing issue and at best a fractionated understanding of only part of the problem among researchers within each of these segments.

Survival Time among Young and Old Breast Cancer Patients in Relation to Circulating Blood-Based Biomarkers, Acute Radiation Skin Reactions, and Tumour Recurrence.

Introduction: It has been suggested that age could influence the treatment-induced side effects and survival time of cancer patients. The influence of age on blood-based biomarkers, acute radiation skin reactions (ARSRs), and survival time of breast cancer patients was analysed.

Materials And Methods: Two hundred ninety-three individuals, 119 breast cancer patients, and 174 healthy blood donors were included.

Influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms among cigarette smoking and non-smoking patients with coronary artery disease, urinary bladder cancer and lung cancer.

Introduction: Cigarette smoke is suggested to be a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), urinary bladder cancer (UBCa) or lung cancer (LCa). However, not all heavy smokers develop these diseases and elevated cancer risk among first-degree relatives suggests an important role of genetic factor.

Methods: Three hundred and ten healthy blood donors (controls), 98 CAD, 74 UBCa and 38 LCa patients were included in this pilot study.

Economic evaluation of improvements in a waste-to-energy combined heat and power plant.

Improving the efficiency of waste-to-energy combined heat and power plants increases their production of both electricity and heat. Economic evaluation of such improvements enables adequate decisions to be made between the various alternatives with respect to economic viability of the plant. In this study, the cost and profitability of different modifications to improve efficiency in a waste-to-energy plant are considered: these include the re-arrangement of air heaters, the introduction of a reheater, flue gas condensation (FGC) and an integrated gasification-combustion process.

The Influence of Adjuvant Radiotherapy and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms on Circulating Immune Response Cell Numbers and Phenotypes of Patients With Breast Cancer.

Background/aim: Adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) damages multiple layers of skin, muscle, blood vessels and blood cells that are included within the RT area. Indirect, bystander systemic effects could also develop in cells not directly hit by radiation.

Materials And Methods: Ninety-three female patients recovering from breast cancer surgery and 82 female healthy blood donors were analyzed.

Impact of Cigarette Smoking and Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma on Circulating Inflammatory Biomarkers.

Introduction: Smoking induces inflammation and an immune response. A cancer-related inflammatory response has been seen in smoking and nonsmoking head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the possible separated effects of smoking or HNSCC on 18 inflammatory or immune regulatory biomarkers.

The Influence of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Adjuvant Radiotherapy on Systemic Inflammatory Proteins, Chemokines and Cytokines of Patients With Breast Cancer.

Unlabelled: Independently of tumour and treatment modulation, the host immune response status plays an important role in the clinical outcome of patients with cancer. The influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) on the systemic immune response status of patients with breast cancer was investigated.

Materials And Methods: Eighty-six female patients recovering from breast cancer surgery were investigated.

Individual Genetic Variation Might Predict Acute Skin Reactions in Women Undergoing Adjuvant Breast Cancer Radiotherapy.

Unlabelled: Adverse skin reactions during radiotherapy (RT) are common. The aim of this study was to explore whether genetic variation might be linked to acute radiation skin reactions (ARSR).

Materials And Methods: One hundred and nineteen women undergoing adjuvant RT for breast cancer were included.

Cigarette smoking affects microRNAs and inflammatory biomarkers in healthy individuals and an association to single nucleotide polymorphisms is indicated.

Background: Cigarette smoke induces inflammation and remodels immune response. Genetic and epigenetic alterations might be involved in the pathogenesis of smoking related diseases. In this study, we investigated the effect of smoking on systemic inflammation biomarkers and epigenetic changes at microRNA (miRNA) expression level.

Interaction among smoking status, single nucleotide polymorphisms and markers of systemic inflammation in healthy individuals.

Cigarette smoke contains toxic and carcinogenic substances that contribute to the development of cancer and various diseases. Genetic variation might be important, because not all smokers develop smoking-related disease. The current study addressed the possible interactions among selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes related to systemic inflammation, smoking status, the levels of circulating immune response cells and plasma biomarkers of systemic inflammation.

The use of rapid and cost-effective blood-based biomarkers in combination with tumour TNM stage for individual head and neck cancer patient treatment selection.

Head and neck (H&N) cancer is an aggressive disease and the incidence has increased in younger population worldwide. Tumour TNM staging is the main basis for treatment decision despite significant variation in clinical outcome. Survival time of these patients has marginally improved during the last 30 years.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms might influence chemotherapy induced nausea in women with breast cancer.

Background: Women receiving FEC (5 fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide) chemotherapy (CT) for breast cancer (BC) often experience side effects such as nausea and vomiting. Individual variations of side effects occur in patients despite similar cancer therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate a possible genetic background as a predictor for individual variations in nausea induced by CT.

Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Cancer Risk, Tumor Recurrence, or Survival of Head and Neck Cancer Patients.

Objective: This paper aims at studying the influence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on cancer risk, tumor recurrence, and survival in head and neck (H&N) cancer patients.

Methods: A total of 45 SNPs in 41 genes were investigated. A total of 174 Caucasian H&N cancer patients and 245 healthy blood donors were enrolled in the study.

Plasma tumor necrosis factor-α and C-reactive protein as biomarker for survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Purpose: Tumor TNM staging is the main basis for prognosis and treatment decision for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) despite significant heterogeneity in terms of outcome among patients with the same clinical stage. In this study, a possible role of plasma interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as biomarkers for survival of HNSCC patients was investigated.

Methods: In this prospective study, plasma levels of IL-2, IL-6, GM-CSF, TNF-α and CRP in patients (n = 100) and controls (n = 48) were analyzed.

Report: waste refinery in the municipality of Borås.

This paper briefly describes waste treatment trends in Sweden and describes an example of state-of-the-art treatment in a local integrated waste treatment system (Borås). The focus is on treatment of household waste, to illustrate what can be done to establish a sustainable waste treatment system with high recovery of materials and energy. The various processes have resulted in a low amount of landfilled household waste, and high proportions of recovered energy and materials.