Hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn: pregnant person's and fetal immune systems interaction.

There exists a need to research new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches that consider hemolytic disease of fetus and newborn (HDFN)'s physiopathology and focus not only on the pregnant person's immune system but also on the fetal immune system. This implies, in the final sense, to view the fetus as our patient. In spite of having found a safe and efficient method of prevention of HDFN more than 50 years ago, HDFN continues to be a relevant cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality, due to lack of access to immunoprophylaxis.

Can maternofetal transfusion provoke adverse outcomes akin to TA-GVHD?

During pregnancy, a bidirectional transfer of molecules and cells takes place through the placenta, which can be considered a transfusion. For decades, we have wondered whether said transfusion can lead to a true TA-GVHD. We propose several factors that may influence production of TA-GVHD during pregnancy.

Plasma concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and pancreatic cancer risk.

Background: Findings and limitations of previous studies on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and pancreatic cancer risk support conducting further research in prospective cohorts.

Methods: We conducted a prospective case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. Participants were 513 pancreatic cancer cases and 1020 matched controls.

Methodological issues in a prospective study on plasma concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and pancreatic cancer risk within the EPIC cohort.

Background: The use of biomarkers of environmental exposure to explore new risk factors for pancreatic cancer presents clinical, logistic, and methodological challenges that are also relevant in research on other complex diseases.

Objectives: First, to summarize the main design features of a prospective case-control study -nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort- on plasma concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and pancreatic cancer risk. And second, to assess the main methodological challenges posed by associations among characteristics and habits of study participants, fasting status, time from blood draw to cancer diagnosis, disease progression bias, basis of cancer diagnosis, and plasma concentrations of lipids and POPs.

Determination of oleanolic acid in human plasma and its association with olive oil intake in healthy Spanish adults within the EPIC Spain cohort study.

Scope: Oleanolic acid (OA) is an important triterpenic compound found in olive oil, however little is known about its concentrations in human plasma. We aimed to determine plasma OA levels in a healthy Spanish population and compare them with estimates of dietary olive oil intake.

Methods And Results: The final study sample included 141 individuals randomly selected from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Spanish cohort.

No association between fish consumption and risk of stroke in the Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Spain): a 13·8-year follow-up study.

Objective: To prospectively assess the associations between lean fish, fatty fish and total fish intakes and risk of stroke in the Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Spain).

Design: Fish intake was estimated from a validated dietary questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the association between the intakes of lean fish, fatty fish and total fish and stroke risk.

Genetic variants in the IL1A gene region contribute to intestinal-type gastric carcinoma susceptibility in European populations.

The most studied genetic susceptibility factors involved in gastric carcinoma (GC) risk are polymorphisms in the inflammation-linked genes interleukin 1 (IL1) B and IL1RN. Despite the evidence pointing to the IL1 region, definite functional variants reproducible across populations of different genetic background have not been discovered so far. A high density linkage disequilibrium (LD) map of the IL1 gene cluster was established using HapMap to identify haplotype tagSNPs.

Dietary intake of acrylamide and esophageal cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.

Purpose: The relation between dietary acrylamide intake and esophageal cancer (EC) risk, including esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), has not been consistent. We evaluated the association between dietary acrylamide intake and EAC, ESCC, and overall EC in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.

Methods: Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the HR and 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI).

Prospective seroepidemiologic study on the role of Human Papillomavirus and other infections in cervical carcinogenesis: evidence from the EPIC cohort.

To evaluate prospectively the association between serological markers of selected infections, including HPV, and risk of developing cervical cancer (CC) and precancer, we performed a nested case-control study within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study that included 184 cases of invasive CC (ICC), 425 cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 3 or carcinoma in situ (CIS), and 1,218 matched control women. At enrollment participants completed lifestyle questionnaires and provided sera. Subjects were followed-up for a median of 9 years.

Validity of self-reported prevalent cases of stroke and acute myocardial infarction in the Spanish cohort of the EPIC study.

Background: Information on the validity of self-reported cases of stroke and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is varied. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and agreement of self-reported prevalent cases of stroke and AMI in the Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Methods: At recruitment, 1992-1996, and in the follow-up (3 years after recruitment), each participant in the Spanish EPIC cohort (15,630 men and 25,808 women) was asked if a doctor had ever said that they had had a stroke or AMI, and the results were compared with information available in medical records.

Nitrosamine and related food intake and gastric and oesophageal cancer risk: a systematic review of the epidemiological evidence.

Aim: To study the association between nitrite and nitrosamine intake and gastric cancer (GC), between meat and processed meat intake, GC and oesophageal cancer (OC), and between preserved fish, vegetable and smoked food intake and GC.

Methods: In this article we reviewed all the published cohort and case-control studies from 1985-2005, and analyzed the relationship between nitrosamine and nitrite intake and the most important related food intake (meat and processed meat, preserved vegetables and fish, smoked foods and beer drinking) and GC or OC risk. Sixty-one studies, 11 cohorts and 50 case-control studies were included.

Body size and risk of colon and rectal cancer in the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Background: Body weight and body mass index (BMI) are positively related to risk of colon cancer in men, whereas weak or no associations exist in women. This discrepancy may be related to differences in fat distribution between sexes or to the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in women.

Methods: We used multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazards models to examine the association between anthropometric measures and risks of colon and rectal cancer among 368 277 men and women who were free of cancer at baseline from nine countries of the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition.

Genetic variation in the HSD17B1 gene and risk of prostate cancer.

Steroid hormones are believed to play an important role in prostate carcinogenesis, but epidemiological evidence linking prostate cancer and steroid hormone genes has been inconclusive, in part due to small sample sizes or incomplete characterization of genetic variation at the locus of interest. Here we report on the results of a comprehensive study of the association between HSD17B1 and prostate cancer by the Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium, a large collaborative study. HSD17B1 encodes 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1, an enzyme that converts dihydroepiandrosterone to the testosterone precursor Delta5-androsterone-3beta,17beta-diol and converts estrone to estradiol.

Body size and risk of renal cell carcinoma in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Previous studies suggest that obesity is related to increased risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC); however, only a few studies report on measures of central vs. peripheral adiposity. We examined the association between anthropometric measures, including waist and hip circumference and RCC risk among 348,550 men and women free of cancer at baseline from 8 countries of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Physical sports activity during leisure time and dietary intake of foods and nutrients in a large Spanish cohort.

This study evaluated the dietary pattern of foods and nutrients according to levels of vigorous leisure time physical activity (PA) assessed at recruitment within the Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation on Cancer (EPIC) study (37,287 healthy volunteers with complete information). We used a validated PA questionnaire (PAQ) to measure the weekly frequency and duration of different kinds of sport activities. For dietary assessment, we used a validated diet history questionnaire that included all items consumed with a frequency of at least twice a month.