Associations of chronic liver disease and liver cancer with glyphosate and its metabolites in Thailand.

Glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine], a systemic herbicide, is used globally (825 million kg/year) in 750+ formulations. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen (Group 2A), but epidemiological studies have been lacking for its association with liver cancer and chronic liver disease. We analyzed urine specimens from 591 patients with newly diagnosed liver cancer, chronic liver disease (CLD), and healthy individuals from five different medical centers between 2011 to 2016 in Thailand.

West African Genetic Ancestry, Neighborhood Deprivation, and Prostate Cancer.

Importance: Racial disparities in prostate cancer are likely the result of complex relationships between both socioeconomic and environmental factors captured by the neighborhood environment and genetic factors, including West African genetic ancestry. However, few studies have examined the combined role of neighborhood environment and genetic ancestry in developing lethal prostate cancer.

Objective: To examine the interactions between West African genetic ancestry and neighborhood deprivation in modifying prostate cancer risk and mortality.

The landscape of etiological patterns of hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in Thailand.

Thailand is among countries with the highest global incidence and mortality rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). While viral hepatitis and liver fluke infections have been associated with HCC and iCCA, respectively, other environmental risk factors, overall risk factor commonality and combinatorial roles, and effects on survival have not been systematically examined. We conducted a TIGER-LC consortium-based population study covering all high-incidence areas of both malignancies across Thailand: 837 HCC, 1474 iCCA, and 1112 controls (2011-2019) were comprehensively queried on lifelong environmental exposures, lifestyle, and medical history.

Transcriptomic Analysis of Alzheimer's Disease Pathways in a Pakistani Population.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder that is most prevalent in elderly individuals, especially in developed countries, and its prevalence is now increasing in developing countries like Pakistan.

Objective: Our goal was to characterize key genes and their levels of expression and related molecular transcriptome networks associated with AD pathogenesis in a pilot case-control study in a Pakistani population.

Methods: To obtain the spectrum of molecular networks associated with pathogenesis in AD patients in Pakistan (comparing cases and controls), we used high-throughput qRT-PCR (TaqMan Low-Density Array;  = 33 subjects) coupled with Affymetrix Arrays ( = 8) and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to identify signature genes associated with Amyloid processing and disease pathways.

Association of neighborhood gentrification with prostate cancer and immune markers in African American and European American men.

Background: Prior studies showed that neighborhood deprivation increases the risk of lethal prostate cancer. However, the role of neighborhood gentrification in prostate cancer development and outcome remains poorly understood. We examined the relationships of gentrification with prostate cancer and serum proteome-defined inflammation and immune function in a diverse cohort.

Transcriptomics of MASLD Pathobiology in African American Patients in the Washington DC Area .

Metabolic-dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is becoming the most common chronic liver disease worldwide and is of concern among African Americans (AA) in the United States. This pilot study evaluated the differential gene expressions and identified the signature genes in the disease pathways of AA individuals with MASLD. Blood samples were obtained from MASLD patients ( = 23) and non-MASLD controls ( = 24) along with their sociodemographic and medical details.

Diabetes-associated breast cancer is molecularly distinct and shows a DNA damage repair deficiency.

Diabetes commonly affects patients with cancer. We investigated the influence of diabetes on breast cancer biology using a 3-pronged approach that included analysis of orthotopic human tumor xenografts, patient tumors, and breast cancer cells exposed to diabetes/hyperglycemia-like conditions. We aimed to identify shared phenotypes and molecular signatures by investigating the metabolome, transcriptome, and tumor mutational burden.

Circulating trans fatty acids are associated with prostate cancer in Ghanaian and American men.

The association between fatty acids and prostate cancer remains poorly explored in African-descent populations. Here, we analyze 24 circulating fatty acids in 2934 men, including 1431 prostate cancer cases and 1503 population controls from Ghana and the United States, using CLIA-certified mass spectrometry-based assays. We investigate their associations with population groups (Ghanaian, African American, European American men), lifestyle factors, the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) genetic locus, and prostate cancer.

Gut dysbiosis in Thai intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Primary liver cancer (PLC), which includes intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has the highest incidence of all cancer types in Thailand. Known etiological factors, such as viral hepatitis and chronic liver disease do not fully account for the country's unusually high incidence. However, the gut-liver axis, which contributes to carcinogenesis and disease progression, is influenced by the gut microbiome.

Immunohistochemical Analysis of Lung Adenocarcinoma in Russian Mayak Nuclear Workers.

Specimens of lung adenocarcinoma (AdCa) from Russian nuclear workers ( = 54) exposed to alpha particles and gamma rays and from individuals non-exposed to radiation ( = 21) were examined using immunohistochemistry. Estimated significant associations with alpha dose were negative for Ki-67 and collagen IV in AdCa. Associations with gamma-ray dose were negative for tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase 2 and caspase 3 and positive for matrix metalloproteinase 2 and leukemia inhibiting factor in AdCa.

Systemic Inflammation Indices and Association with Prostate Cancer Survival in a Diverse Patient Cohort.

There is a lack of investigations assessing the performance of systemic inflammation indices as outcome predictive tools in African Americans with prostate cancer. This study aims to assess the relationships between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune-inflammation (SII), and systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) with survival outcomes among 680 diverse men with prostate cancer. Routine blood results were collected from self-identified African American and European American patients.

Association of Neighborhood Deprivation With Prostate Cancer and Immune Markers in African American and European American Men.

Importance: Neighborhood variables may be factors in the excessive burden of prostate cancer among African American men.

Objective: To examine associations between neighborhood deprivation, circulating immune-oncology markers, and prostate cancer among African American and European American men.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A case-control study was conducted between January 1, 2005, and January 1, 2016.

Insights on the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes as revealed by signature genomic classifiers in an African American population in the Washington, DC area.

Aims: African Americans (AA) in the United States have a high risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and suffer from disparities in the prevalence, mortality, and comorbidities of the disease compared to other Americans. The present study aimed to shed light on the molecular mechanisms of disease pathogenesis of T2DM among AA in the Washington, DC region.

Methods: We performed TaqMan Low Density Arrays (TLDA) on 24 genes of interest that belong to three categories: metabolic disease and disorders, cancer-related genes, and neurobehavioural disorders genes.

Correlates and Covariates of Type 2 Diabetes in an African American Population in the Washington DC Area.

In the United States, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) disproportionately affects the African American (AA) community, which has not been systematically included in molecular studies of underlying mechanisms. As part of a gene expression study, we recruited cases with T2DM and matched, unaffected controls at an urban hospital in Washington, DC, with a majority AA population. Here we describe the profile of socio-demographic, behavioral, and health-related associations of the study population.

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-α () Expression in a Clinical Population of Pakistani Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Dyslipidemia.

Poor glycemic control and dyslipidemia are hallmarks of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which predispose to cardiovascular diseases. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α () has been associated with atherosclerosis, but its role in T2DM is less clear. Previously, we studied PPARα expression levels in diabetics with and without dyslipidemia (DD).

Gene expression signatures in PCB-exposed Slovak children in relation to their environmental exposures and socio-physical characteristics.

Our previous gene expression studies in a PCB-exposed cohort of young children in Slovakia revealed that early-life exposures to PCBs and other organochlorine compounds were associated with significant alterations across several pathogenetic pathways. The present study was undertaken to further explore the high-throughput qRT-PCR-based gene expression effects by using TaqMan low-density array (TLDA) for selected genes in a sample of 55 children from the cohort. We analyzed the transcriptional changes of 11 genes in relation to PCB and organochlorine pesticide exposure levels (including DDT, DDE, HCH, and HCB), and to BMI and ethnicity in this cohort.

Urinary PGE-M in Men with Prostate Cancer.

Urinary PGE-M is a stable metabolite of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). PGE2 is a product of the inflammatory COX signaling pathway and has been associated with cancer incidence and metastasis. Its synthesis can be inhibited by aspirin.

Adherence to clinical follow-up recommendations for liver function tests: A cross-sectional study of patients with HCV and their associated risk behaviors.

This study examined whether patients with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection adhered to their physicians' recommendation and HCV clinical guidelines for obtaining a regular liver function test (LFT), and whether high-risk behaviors are associated with behavioral adherence. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 101 eligible patients with HCV who were recruited from health centers in New Jersey and Washington, DC. Adherence outcomes were defined as the patients' self-report of two consecutive receipts of LFTs in accordance with their physicians' recommended interval or the clinical guidelines for a LFT within 3-6 months.

Urinary Thromboxane B2 and Lethal Prostate Cancer in African American Men.

Background: Thromboxane A2 (TXA2) is a platelet- and cyclooxygenase-derived eicosanoid that has been linked to metastasis. We investigated the role of TXA2 in the development of lethal prostate cancer in African American (AA) and European American (EA) men.

Methods: We measured urinary 11-dehydrothromboxane B2 (TXB2), a stable metabolite of TXA2, with mass spectrometry.

An evaluation of DNA double strand break formation and excreted guanine species post whole body PET/CT procedure.

Ionizing radiation-induced oxidation and formation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) double strand breaks (DSBs) are considered the exemplar of genetic lesions. Guanine bases are most prone to be oxidized when DNA and Ribonucleic acid (RNA) are damaged. The repair processes that are initiated to correct this damage release multiple oxidized guanine species into the urine.

Biomarkers of metabolic disorders and neurobehavioral diseases in a PCB- exposed population: What we learned and the implications for future research.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are one of the original twelve classes of toxic chemicals covered by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP), an international environmental treaty signed in 2001. PCBs are present in the environment as mixtures of multiple isomers at different degree of chlorination. These compounds are manmade and possess useful industrial properties including extreme longevity under harsh conditions, heat absorbance, and the ability to form an oily liquid at room temperature that is useful for electrical utilities and in other industrial applications.

Transcriptional Profiling and Biological Pathway(s) Analysis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a Pakistani Population.

The epidemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an important global health concern. Our earlier epidemiological investigation in Pakistan prompted us to conduct a molecular investigation to decipher the differential genetic pathways of this health condition in relation to non-diabetic controls. Our microarray studies of global gene expression were conducted on the Affymetrix platform using Human Genome U133 Plus 2.

Circumstances of Substance Use by Street Youth in Egypt Support the Case for Intervening to Prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences.

Background: Egyptian street youth use substances including tobacco, illicit drugs, and pharmaceutical drugs. To understand the circumstances, including adverse childhood experiences, that place adolescents at risk for engaging in substance use, we conducted in-depth interviews among a sample of Egyptian street children.

Methods: From youth residing at or attending Caritas, a non-profit organization, which provides shelter and education to street youth, seven girls and twelve boys, aged 12 to 18 years, participated in open-ended, in-depth interviews.

Somatic mutation signatures in primary liver tumors of workers exposed to ionizing radiation.

Liver cancer is associated with genetic mutations caused by environmental exposures, including occupational exposure to alpha radiation emitted by plutonium. We used whole exome sequencing (WES) to characterize somatic mutations in 3 histologically distinct primary liver tumors (angiosarcoma of the liver (ASL), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)) from Mayak worker subjects occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation (IR) to investigate the contribution of IR to the mutational landscape of liver cancer. DNA sequence analysis revealed these tumors harbor an excess of deletions, with a deletions:substitutions ratio similar to that previously reported in radiation-associated tumors.