Relationships of sex hormone levels with leukocyte telomere length in Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander postmenopausal women.

Background: Sex hormones may play important roles in sex-specific biological aging. In the study, we specifically examined associations between circulating sex hormone concentrations and leukocyte telomere length (TL).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1124 Black, 444 Hispanic, and 289 Asian/Pacific Islander women in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Cohort.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, risk of type 2 diabetes, and diabetes-related metabolic traits: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Elevated blood or urinary concentrations of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may be related to increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aim of the present study was to assess the role of EDCs in affecting risk of T2D and related metabolic traits.

Methods: MEDLINE was searched for cross-sectional and prospective studies published before 8 March 2014 into the association between EDCs (dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyl [PCB], chlorinated pesticide, bisphenol A [BPA], phthalate) and T2D and related metabolic traits.

Interrelationship Between Alcohol Intake and Endogenous Sex-Steroid Hormones on Diabetes Risk in Postmenopausal Women.

Objective: We examined whether circulating concentrations of sex hormones, including estradiol, testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), were associated with alcohol intake or mediated the alcohol-type 2 diabetes (T2D) association.

Methods: Among women not using hormone replacement therapy and free of baseline cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes in the Women's Health Study, 359 incident cases of T2D and 359 matched controls were chosen during 10 years of follow-up.

Results: Frequent alcohol intake (≥1 drink/day) was positively and significantly associated with higher plasma estradiol concentrations in an age-adjusted model (β = 0.

Plasma folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine and cancers of the esophagus, stomach, and liver in a Chinese population.

Evidence is accumulating regarding a role of micronutrients in folate metabolism in cancer risk. We investigated the associations of plasma folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine with upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers in a population-based case-control study in Taixing City, China. With informed consent, we recruited cases with cancers of esophagus (n = 218), stomach (n = 206), and liver (n = 204), and one common healthy control group (n = 405).

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of one-carbon metabolism and cancers of the esophagus, stomach, and liver in a Chinese population.

One-carbon metabolism (folate metabolism) is considered important in carcinogenesis because of its involvement in DNA synthesis and biological methylation reactions. We investigated the associations of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in folate metabolic pathway and the risk of three GI cancers in a population-based case-control study in Taixing City, China, with 218 esophageal cancer cases, 206 stomach cancer cases, 204 liver cancer cases, and 415 healthy population controls. Study participants were interviewed with a standardized questionnaire, and blood samples were collected after the interviews.

Genetic variation at 8q24, family history of cancer, and upper gastrointestinal cancers in a Chinese population.

Genetic variation at 8q24 is associated with prostate, bladder, breast, colorectal, thyroid, lung, ovarian, UADT, liver and stomach cancers. However, a role for variation at 8q24 in familial clustering of upper gastrointestinal cancers has not been studied. In order to explore potential inherited susceptibility, we analyzed epidemiologic data from a population-based case-control study of upper gastrointestinal cancers from Taixing, China.

Intake of small-to-medium-chain saturated fatty acids is associated with peripheral leukocyte telomere length in postmenopausal women.

Dietary factors, including dietary fat, may affect the biological aging process, as reflected by the shortening of telomere length (TL), by affecting levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. We examined the direct relations of total and types of dietary fats and fat-rich foods to peripheral leukocyte TL. In 4029 apparently healthy postmenopausal women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative, intakes of total fat, individual fatty acids, and fat-rich foods were assessed by a questionnaire.

Common genetic variants in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARG) and type 2 diabetes risk among Women's Health Initiative postmenopausal women.

Context: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARG) plays a pivotal role in adipogenesis and glucose homeostasis.

Objective: We investigated whether PPARG gene variants were associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk in the multiethnic Women's Health Initiative (WHI).

Research Design And Methods: We assessed PPARG single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a case-control study nested in the prospective WHI observational study (WHI-OS) (1543 T2D cases and 2170 matched controls).

Sex hormone-binding globulin and risk of clinical diabetes in American black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander postmenopausal women.

Background: Recent prospective studies have shown a strong inverse association between sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations and risk of clinical diabetes in white individuals. However, it remains unclear whether this relationship extends to other racial/ethnic populations.

Methods: We evaluated the association between baseline concentrations of SHBG and clinical diabetes risk in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study.

A prospective study of leukocyte telomere length and risk of type 2 diabetes in postmenopausal women.

Telomere length (TL) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related disorders. However, there are no prospective studies directly investigating the role of TL and relevant genes in diabetes development. In the multiethnic Women's Health Initiative, we identified 1,675 incident diabetes case participants in 6 years of follow-up and 2,382 control participants matched by age, ethnicity, clinical center, time of blood draw, and follow-up duration.

Green tea consumption, inflammation and the risk of primary hepatocellular carcinoma in a Chinese population.

Objective: Green tea has been found to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-carcinogenic properties. The present study examines the association between green tea drinking and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its interactions with other risk or protective factors and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of inflammation and oxidative stress related genes.

Methods: A population-based case-control study with 204 primary HCC cases and 415 healthy controls was conducted in Taixing, China.

Common variations in the genes encoding C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6, and the risk of clinical diabetes in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study.

Background: Circulating concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) have been associated with an increased risk of diabetes.

Methods: To examine the roles of genetic variation in the genes encoding CRP, TNF- α, and IL-6 in the development of diabetes, we conducted a prospective case-control study nested within the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. We followed 82 069 postmenopausal women (50-79 years of age) with no history of diabetes for incident diabetes for a mean follow-up of 5.

Prevalence and clustering of metabolic risk factors for type 2 diabetes among Chinese adults in Shanghai, China.

Background: Type 2 diabetes is becoming an epidemic in China. To evaluate the prevalence, clustering of metabolic risk factors and their impact on type 2 diabetes, we conducted a population-based study in Shanghai, China's largest metropolitan area.

Methods: From 2006 to 2007, 2,113 type 2 diabetes cases and 2,458 comparable controls of adults aged 40 to 79 years were enrolled.

Associations between NBS1 polymorphisms, haplotypes and smoking-related cancers.

Constituents of tobacco smoke can cause DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), leading to tumorigenesis. The NBS1 gene product is a vital component in DSB detection and repair, thus genetic variations may influence cancer development. We examined the associations between NBS1 polymorphisms and haplotypes and newly incident smoking-related cancers in three case-control studies (Los Angeles: 611 lung and 601 upper aero-digestive tract (UADT) cancer cases and 1040 controls; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: 227 bladder cancer cases and 211 controls and Taixing, China: 218 esophagus, 206 stomach, 204 liver cancer cases and 415 controls).

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of 8 inflammation-related genes and their associations with smoking-related cancers.

Tobacco smoke and its metabolites are carcinogens that increase tissue oxidative stress and induce target tissue inflammation. We hypothesized that genetic variation of inflammatory pathway genes plays a role in tobacco-related carcinogenesis and is modified by tobacco smoking. We evaluated the association of 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms of 8 inflammation-related genes with tobacco-related cancers (lung, oropharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, liver, bladder, and kidney) using 3 case-control studies from: Los Angeles (population-based; 611 lung and 553 upper aero-digestive tract cancer cases and 1,040 controls), Taixing, China (population-based; 218 esophagus, 206 stomach, 204 liver cancer cases, and 415 controls), and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (hospital-based; 227 bladder cancer cases and 211 controls).

Common genetic variants in fatty acid-binding protein-4 (FABP4) and clinical diabetes risk in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study.

Adipocypte fatty acid-binding protein-4 (FABP4/adipocyte P2) may play a central role in energy metabolism and inflammation. In animal models, defects of the aP2 gene (aP2(-/-)) partially protected against the development of obesity-related insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis. However, it is unclear whether common genetic variation in FABP4 gene contributes to risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) or diabetes-related metabolic traits in humans.

Genetic variation in immune regulation and DNA repair pathways and stomach cancer in China.

The incidence of stomach cancer is high in certain parts of the world, particularly in China. Chronic Helicobacter pylori infection is the main risk factor, yet the vast majority of infected individuals remain unaffected with cancer, suggesting an important role of other risk factors. We conducted a population-based case-control study including 196 incident stomach cancer cases and 397 matched controls to test the hypothesis that adverse single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes and haplotypes within genes of the DNA repair and immune regulatory pathways are associated with increased stomach cancer risk.

Relation of genetic variation in the gene coding for C-reactive protein with its plasma protein concentrations: findings from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Cohort.

Background: Although common genetic variants of the CRP gene (C-reactive protein, pentraxin related) have been associated with plasma concentrations of high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) in several cohorts of European Americans, relatively few studies have comprehensively assessed this association in well-characterized multiethnic populations.

Methods: In a case-control study of diabetes nested in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Cohort, we comprehensively evaluated the association of genetic variation in CRP with plasma hsCRP concentrations. Thirteen haplotype-tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) were identified and subsequently genotyped in 3782 postmenopausal women.

Associations between variants of the 8q24 chromosome and nine smoking-related cancer sites.

Recent genome-wide association studies identified key single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 8q24 region to be associated with prostate cancer. 8q24 SNPs have also been associated with colorectal cancer, suggesting that this region may not be specifically associated to just prostate cancer. To date, the association between these polymorphisms and tobacco smoking-related cancer sites remains unknown.

FTO polymorphisms are associated with obesity but not diabetes risk in postmenopausal women.

The FTO gene was recently identified as a susceptibility locus for both obesity and type 2 diabetes by whole-genome association analyses of several European populations. We tested for an association between FTO risk alleles and obesity and diabetes in a well-characterized multiethnic cohort of postmenopausal women in the United States. We genotyped two most significantly associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs9939609 and rs8050136) in intron 1 of FTO gene in a nested case-control study of 1,517 diabetes cases and 2,123 controls from the Women's Health Initiative-Observational Study (WHI-OS).

A case-control study of the association of the polymorphisms and haplotypes of DNA ligase I with lung and upper-aerodigestive-tract cancers.

Tobacco smoking is a major risk factor for lung and upper-aerodigestive-tract (UADT) cancers. One possible mechanism for the associations may be through DNA damage pathways. DNA Ligase I (LIG1) is a DNA repair gene involved in both the nucleotide excision repair (NER) and the base excision repair (BER) pathways.

Common genetic variation in calpain-10 gene (CAPN10) and diabetes risk in a multi-ethnic cohort of American postmenopausal women.

Calpain-10 (CAPN10) protein may play a role in glucose metabolisms, pancreatic beta-cell insulin secretion and thermogenesis. Emerging evidence has implicated a role of CAPN10 genetic variants in the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Previous association studies, however, have focussed only on several variants initially reported and provided inconsistent results.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and the risk of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a Chinese population.

Objectives: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), which is expressed in the liver, may be involved in both DNA methylation and DNA synthesis. It is also indicated as a potential risk factor of liver cancer in patients with chronic liver disease. To date, no study has been conducted on MTHFR and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using a population-based design.

Dietary selenium intake, aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 and X-ray repair cross-complementing 1 genetic polymorphisms, and the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: To the authors' knowledge, few studies have been conducted to date regarding dietary selenium and the potential gene-nutrient interactions with single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in different pathways on the risk of esophageal cancer.

Methods: The authors investigated the role of dietary selenium intake and its interplay with SNPs of the ALDH2 (glutamic acid [Glu] 487 lysine [Lys]) and the X-ray repair cross-complementing 1 (XRCC1) (arginine [Arg] 399 glutamine [Gln]) genes on the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in a population-based, case-control study in China. In total, 218 patients with ESCC and 415 healthy population control participants were interviewed.

Dietary selenium intake and genetic polymorphisms of the GSTP1 and p53 genes on the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Few studies have assessed potential effect modifications by polymorphisms of susceptibility genes on the association between selenium intake and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We studied the joint effects of dietary selenium and the GSTP1 and p53 polymorphisms on ESCC risk in a population-based case-control study with 218 ESCC cases and 415 controls in Taixing City, China. Dietary selenium intake was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire with 97 food items.