Publications by authors named "Elom K Aglago"
Mycotoxins have been hypothesized to contribute to a diversity of adverse health effects in humans, even at low concentrations. Certain mycotoxins are established human carcinogens, whereas for others research suggests potential carcinogenic effects. The aim of this study was to determine the association between dietary exposure to mycotoxins and hepatobiliary cancers in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/objectives: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women globally, and it negatively impacts diet and quality of life, increasing the risk of recurrence. Adhering to World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) lifestyle guidelines, such as healthy eating habits and nutritional status, can help in primary and secondary cancer prevention. However, no questionnaire was found for self-assessment of these guidelines for the Brazilian population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExperimental research has uncovered lipocalin 2 (LCN2) as a novel biomarker implicated in the modulation of intestinal inflammation, metabolic homeostasis, and colon carcinogenesis. However, evidence from human research has been scant. We, therefore, explored the association of pre-diagnostic circulating LCN2 concentrations with incident colorectal cancer (CRC) in a nested case-control study within the in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdvanced glycation end-products (AGEs), formed endogenously or obtained exogenously from diet, may contribute to chronic inflammation, intracellular signaling alterations, and pathogenesis of several chronic diseases including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the role of AGEs in CRC survival is less known. The associations of pre-diagnostic circulating AGEs and their soluble receptor (sRAGE) with CRC-specific and overall mortality were estimated using multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression among 1369 CRC cases in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study.
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- Folate intake plays a crucial role in genetic and metabolic processes, and low levels are linked to higher cancer risk, specifically colorectal cancer (CRC).
- The study analyzed dietary and supplemental folate intake among participants with CRC, investigating how this intake relates to specific genetic mutations using advanced sequencing techniques.
- Results indicated that higher total folate intake generally reduced CRC risk, but the impact varied when considering mutation status in tumors, with a few specific gene mutations showing different associations with folate intake.
Article Synopsis
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) are linked to higher overall and cause-specific mortality risks, particularly cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- A study involving 15,784 participants found that a higher Fatty Liver Index (FLI), indicating more severe liver fat accumulation, correlated with increased mortality rates, especially for CVD.
- Individuals with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and metabolic syndrome show heightened mortality risks, suggesting the need for greater awareness and management of these conditions.
Importance: Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is one of the most common childhood cancers in sub-Saharan Africa and is etiologically linked to malaria. However, evidence for an effect of malaria interventions on BL is limited.
Objective: To investigate the potential population-level association between large-scale rollout of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) in sub-Saharan Africa in the 2000s and BL incidence.
Dicarbonyl compounds are highly reactive precursors of advanced glycation end products (AGE), produced endogenously, present in certain foods and formed during food processing. AGE contribute to the development of adverse metabolic outcomes, but health effects of dietary dicarbonyls are largely unexplored. We investigated associations between three dietary dicarbonyl compounds, methylglyoxal (MGO), glyoxal (GO) and 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), and body weight changes in European adults.
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- Obesity is linked to various types of colorectal cancer (CRC), but the strength and cause of these links are not fully understood.
- By using Mendelian randomization, researchers studied how body size traits like BMI, waist circumference, and body fat percentage affect risks for different CRC subtypes.
- Results showed that higher BMI and body fat significantly increased the risks for serrated and alternate CRC pathways (Jass types 1, 2, and 3), while associations with the traditional pathway (Jass type 4) were weaker.
Background: Traditional body-shape indices such as Waist Circumference (WC), Hip Circumference (HC), and Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) are associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but are correlated with Body Mass Index (BMI), and adjustment for BMI introduces a strong correlation with height. Thus, new allometric indices have been developed, namely A Body Shape Index (ABSI), Hip Index (HI), and Waist-to-Hip Index (WHI), which are uncorrelated with weight and height; these have also been associated with CRC risk in observational studies, but information from Mendelian randomization (MR) studies is missing.
Methods: We used two-sample MR to examine potential causal cancer site- and sex-specific associations of the genetically-predicted allometric body-shape indices with CRC risk, and compared them with BMI-adjusted traditional body-shape indices, and BMI.
Article Synopsis
- The genotoxin colibactin is linked to a specific mutation signature in colorectal cancer (SBS88), affecting tumor characteristics and possibly influencing risk and survival outcomes.
- A study involving over 4,300 tumors found that higher fruit intake lowers the risk of SBS88-positive colorectal cancer, and some epidemiological factors like BMI and alcohol consumption show different associations based on the presence of SBS88.
- While most risk and survival factors were similar regardless of SBS88 status, higher BMI might lead to worse survival outcomes for those with SBS88, suggesting a need for further research with more comprehensive genetic data.
Factors Associated With Delayed Pre-Hospital Times During Trauma-Related Mass Casualty Incidents: A Systematic Review.
Disaster Med Public Health Prep
November 2023
Article Synopsis
Purpose: Previously reported associations of protein-rich foods with stroke subtypes have prompted interest in the assessment of individual amino acids. We examined the associations of dietary amino acids with risks of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke in the EPIC study.
Methods: We analysed data from 356,142 participants from seven European countries.
Background: The aim of this study is to determine the correlations between dietary fatty acid (FA) intakes and plasma phospholipid (PL) FA levels in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.
Methods: The dietary intake of 60 individual FAs was estimated using centre-specific validated dietary questionnaires. Plasma PL FA concentrations of these FAs were measured in non-fasting venous plasma samples in nested case-control studies within the EPIC cohort ( = 4923, using only non-cases).
Existing epidemiological evidence regarding the potential role of (poly)phenol intake in prostate cancer (PCa) risk is scarce and, in the case of flavonoids, it has been suggested that their intake may increase PCa risk. We investigated the associations between the intake of the total and individual classes and subclasses of (poly)phenols and the risk of PCa, including clinically relevant subtypes. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort included 131,425 adult men from seven European countries.
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- Diabetes is linked to a higher risk of colorectal cancer, but the mechanisms behind this link and the influence of genetic variants need further exploration.!* -
- Researchers conducted a genome-wide analysis using data from over 31,000 colorectal cancer cases and nearly 41,500 controls to investigate gene-environment interactions involving genetics and diabetes.!* -
- Findings revealed that specific genes on chromosomes 8q24.11 (SLC30A8) and 13q14.13 (LRCH1) may affect how diabetes increases colorectal cancer risk, highlighting potential biological pathways related to insulin signaling and immune functions.!*
Background: Associations of body shape with breast cancer risk, independent of body size, are unclear because waist and hip circumferences are correlated strongly positively with body mass index (BMI).
Methods: We evaluated body shape with the allometric "a body shape index" (ABSI) and hip index (HI), which compare waist and hip circumferences, correspondingly, among individuals with the same weight and height. We examined associations of ABSI, HI, and BMI (per one standard deviation increment) with breast cancer overall, and according to menopausal status at baseline, age at diagnosis, and oestrogen and progesterone receptor status (ER+/-PR+/-) in multivariable Cox proportional hazards models using data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the role of a specific mutational signature (SBS88) in colorectal cancer (CRC), which is linked to a bacteria that produces a genotoxin called colibactin.
- About 7.5% of the CRC cases studied were found to be SBS88-positive, with a notable prevalence in the distal colon and rectum, and demonstrated distinct somatic mutations associated with colibactin-induced DNA damage.
- SBS88-positive CRCs were linked to better survival rates compared to negative cases, suggesting this mutational signature could help identify a unique subtype of CRC that may influence treatment and prevention approaches.
Background: Higher dietary calcium consumption is associated with lower colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. However, little data are available on the association between circulating calcium concentrations and CRC risk.
Objectives: To explore the association between circulating calcium concentrations and CRC risk using data from 2 large European prospective cohort studies.
Background: Iron is an essential micronutrient with differing intake patterns and metabolism between men and women. Epidemiologic evidence on the association of dietary iron and its heme and non-heme components with colorectal cancer (CRC) development is inconclusive.
Methods: We examined baseline dietary questionnaire-assessed intakes of total, heme, and non-heme iron and CRC risk in the EPIC cohort.