VOYAGER: an international consortium investigating the role of human papilloma virus and genetics in oral and oropharyngeal cancer risk and survival.

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the sixth most common cancer globally. Incidence and survival rates vary significantly across geographic regions and tumor subsites. This is partly due to differences in risk factor exposure, which includes tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, alongside detection and treatment strategies.

Performance of 8 Smoking Metrics for Modeling Survival in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Importance: Cigarette smoking is a strong risk factor for mortality in patients diagnosed with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, little evidence supports which smoking metric best models the association between smoking and survival in HNSCC.

Objective: To determine which smoking metric best models a linear association between smoking exposure and overall survival (OS) in patients with HNSCC.

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and colorectal cancer risk: a large case control study in the Moroccan population.

Objective: The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a dietary pattern associated with several health benefits, including reduction of risk for various cancers. We conducted a study to investigate associations between adherence to the MD and colorectal cancer (CRC) subtype risk among Moroccan adults.

Design: A matched case-control study.

Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Cardio-Renoprotective Pharmacological Interventions in Chronic Kidney Disease: An Umbrella Review of Network Meta-Analyses and a Multicriteria Decision Analysis.

Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1a), and non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (ns-MRA) are promising treatments for chronic kidney disease. This umbrella review of network meta-analyses evaluated their effects on cardiovascular outcomes, kidney disease progression, and adverse events, using the TOPSIS method to identify the optimal intervention based on P-scores. A total of 19 network meta-analyses and 44 randomized controlled trials involving 86,150 chronic kidney disease patients were included.

Trends in Breslow thickness of nodular and superficial spreading melanoma subtypes and associated factors: a twelve-year analysis from a tertiary referral center in Greece.

Background: Primary tumor thickness is important for prognosis of melanoma patients. To enhance prevention and quantify the true burden of melanoma, better understanding of thickness patterns and associated characteristics is crucial. Previous studies have been limited to report trends and address risk factors of thickness in specific melanoma subtypes in the Greek population.

Cross-ancestral GWAS identifies 29 novel variants across Head and Neck Cancer subsites.

In this multi-ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) and fine mapping study of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) subsites, we analysed 19,073 cases and 38,857 controls and identified 29 independent novel loci. We provide robust evidence that a 3' UTR variant in (rs78378222, T>G) confers a 40% reduction in odds of developing overall HNSCC. We further examine the gene-environment relationship of and variants demonstrating their effects act through both smoking and alcohol use.

Safety and Efficacy of Sodium-Glucose Transport Protein 2 Inhibitors and Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists in Diabetic Kidney Transplant Recipients: Synthesis of Evidence.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of novel antidiabetics, namely, sodium-glucose transport protein 2 inhibitors (SGLT2-i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA), in diabetic kidney transplant recipients. Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, CENTRAL, and Clinicaltrials.gov were systematically searched from inception until 25 August 2024.

Adherence to Mediterranean diet and asthma control. Results from a small study among asthmatic patients in Greece.

Objectives: Current variations in asthma prevalence and clinical characteristics suggest that lifestyle choices including dietary habits, may affect the pathogenesis and/or clinical expression of the disease. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between adherence to Mediterranean diet (MD) and asthma control, considering disease severity.

Methods: Adherence to MD was assessed through a questionnaire, the MD Adherence Screener (MEDAS), previously validated in Mediterranean populations.

Efficacy and safety of statin therapy in kidney transplant recipients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Dyslipidemia represents an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, although its optimal management after kidney transplantation remains unclear. The present meta-analysis aimed to shed light on the efficacy and safety of statins among kidney transplant recipients, evaluating their potential effects on the risk of cardiovascular events, mortality and graft survival.

Methods: Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, CENTRAL, Clinicaltrials.

Smoking and alcohol by HPV status in head and neck cancer: a Mendelian randomization study.

HPV-positive and HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are recognized as distinct entities. There remains uncertainty surrounding the causal effects of smoking and alcohol on the development of these two cancer types. Here we perform multivariable Mendelian randomization (MR) to evaluate the causal effects of smoking and alcohol on the risk of HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCC in 3431 cases and 3469 controls.

Relapses and serious adverse events during rituximab maintenance therapy in ANCA-associated vasculitis: a multicentre retrospective study.

Objectives: There are limited real-life data regarding the efficacy and safety of rituximab (RTX) as a remission-maintenance agent in microscopic-polyangiitis (ΜPA) and granulomatosis-with-polyangiitis (GPA). We aimed to estimate the incidence and risk factors for relapses, as well serious-adverse-events (SAEs) in MPA/GPA patients during RTX-maintenance.

Methods: Retrospective cohort of newly-diagnosed/relapsing GPA/MPA patients who received RTX-maintenance (≥1 RTX-cycle, ≥6 months follow-up) following complete-remission (Birmingham-Vasculitis-Activity-Score-version-3 = 0 plus prednisolone ≤7.

Development and external validation of a head and neck cancer risk prediction model.

Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) incidence is on the rise, often diagnosed at late stage and associated with poor prognoses. Risk prediction tools have a potential role in prevention and early detection.

Methods: The IARC-ARCAGE European case-control study was used as the model development dataset.

Galectin-3 in chronic kidney disease.

Background And Aims: High serum galectin-3 has been associated with adverse outcomes among dialysis patients, although its prognostic role remains unclear among individuals with earlier-stage chronic kidney disease. The present systematic review aims to evaluate the association of serum galectin-3 with survival, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease progression among non-dialysis chronic kidney disease patients.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CENTRAL and Google Scholar were systematically searched till November 10, 2023.

The Complexity of Tobacco Smoke-Induced Mutagenesis in Head and Neck Cancer.

Tobacco smoke, alone or combined with alcohol, is the predominant cause of head and neck cancer (HNC). Here, we further explore how tobacco exposure contributes to cancer development by mutational signature analysis of 265 whole-genome sequenced HNC from eight countries. Six tobacco-associated mutational signatures were detected, including some not previously reported.

Association of soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 with mortality and adverse outcomes in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Early risk stratification is necessary to prevent chronic kidney disease progression and complications. This systematic review aims to evaluate the association of soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2), a member of the interleukin-1 receptor family, with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease and renal function deterioration among chronic kidney disease patients.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CENTRAL and Google Scholar were systematically searched from inception to December 20, 2023.

Epstein-Barr Virus DNA Is Associated With Conjunctival Squamous Cell Carcinomas: A Case-Control Study From Zimbabwe.

Incidence of conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) in Zimbabwe is >30-fold higher than the global average. cSCC risk is notably higher among people with human immunodeficiency virus, implicating impaired immune response and a yet unknown infectious etiology. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks from Zimbabwe, comprising conjunctival precancer (n = 78), invasive cSCC cases (n = 148) and nonmalignant eye lesions (n = 119), were tested for multiple DNA viruses using Luminex bead-based technology.

Association of serum galectin-3 levels with mortality and cardiovascular disease outcomes in hemodialysis patients: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

Background: Galectin-3 has been proposed as a candidate marker for cardiovascular risk stratification, although its role in kidney failure is unclear. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the association of serum galectin-3 levels with overall survival and cardiovascular outcomes among hemodialysis patients.

Methods: Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and CENTRAL were systematically searched from inception till Aug 20, 2023.

Dietary intake of vitamin C and gastric cancer: a pooled analysis within the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project.

Background: Previous studies suggest that dietary vitamin C is inversely associated with gastric cancer (GC), but most of them did not consider intake of fruit and vegetables. Thus, we aimed to evaluate this association within the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project, a consortium of epidemiological studies on GC.

Methods: Fourteen case-control studies were included in the analysis (5362 cases, 11,497 controls).

The Mutographs biorepository: A unique genomic resource to study cancer around the world.

Large-scale biorepositories and databases are essential to generate equitable, effective, and sustainable advances in cancer prevention, early detection, cancer therapy, cancer care, and surveillance. The Mutographs project has created a large genomic dataset and biorepository of over 7,800 cancer cases from 30 countries across five continents with extensive demographic, lifestyle, environmental, and clinical information. Whole-genome sequencing is being finalized for over 4,000 cases, with the primary goal of understanding the causes of cancer at eight anatomic sites.

Aspirin for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: An Updated Meta-analysis.

Aim: Chronic kidney disease is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of aspirin administered for primary prevention of CVD in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CENTRAL and Clinicaltrials.