Pre-Diagnostic Plasma Metabolites are Associated with Incident Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Prospective Analysis.

Despite increasing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in vulnerable populations, accurate early detection tools are lacking. We aimed to investigate the associations between pre-diagnostic plasma metabolites and incident HCC in a diverse population. In a prospective, nested case-control study within the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS), we conducted pre-diagnostic liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomics profiling in 150 incident HCC cases (median time to diagnosis 7.

The Influence of Residential Segregation, Urbanicity, and Population Density on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Incidence among a Low Socioeconomic Population.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is becoming a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States, with notable disparities observed among racial and ethnic minorities. The objective of this study is to examine the association between social determinants of health (SDoH) and HCC incidence by race (White and Black individuals) using data from the Southern Community Cohort Study.

Methods: The Southern Community Cohort Study is a prospective cohort study with participants recruited from 2002 to 2009.

Association of cardiometabolic comorbidities with mortality among low-income Black and White Americans.

Methods: Investigated the association of multiple cardiometabolic comorbidities with total/major cause-specific mortality and evaluate if this association might be modified by race among predominantly low-income Black and White participants.

Methods: The Southern Community Cohort Study, prospective cohort study. Participants (40-79 years) recruited predominantly from community health centers across 12 states in southeastern United States.

Factors influencing intent to receive COVID-19 vaccination among Black and White adults in the southeastern United States, October - December 2020.

Vaccination intent is foundational for effective COVID-19 vaccine campaigns. To understand factors and attitudes influencing COVID-19 vaccination intent in Black and White adults in the US south, we conducted a mixed-methods cross-sectional survey of 4512 adults enrolled in the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS), an ongoing study of racial and economic health disparities. Vaccination intent was measured as "If a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 became available to you, how likely are you to choose to get the COVID-19 vaccination?" with options of "very unlikely," "somewhat unlikely," "neither unlikely nor likely," "somewhat likely," and "very likely.

Race- and Sex-related Differences in Nephrolithiasis Risk Among Blacks and Whites in the Southern Community Cohort Study.

Objective: To investigate race-sex associations with risk among whites and blacks in the southeastern United States. The relationship between race, sex, and kidney stone risk is poorly understood.

Methods: Participants were 42,136 black and white adults enrolled in the Southern Community Cohort Study between 2002 and 2009, with no history of kidney stones and receiving Medicare or Medicaid services.

The obesity epidemic and rising diabetes incidence in a low-income racially diverse southern US cohort.

Background: Obesity is known to be a major risk factor for diabetes, but the magnitude of risk and variation between blacks and whites are less well documented in populations heavily affected by obesity. Herein we assess rates and risks of incident diabetes in a diverse southern population where obesity is common.

Methods: A total of 24,000 black and 14,064 white adults aged 40-79 in the Southern Community Cohort Study with no self-reported diabetes at study enrollment during 2002-2009 was followed for up to 10 (median 4.

A prospective study of Trichomonas vaginalis and prostate cancer risk among African American men.

Background: African Americans (AA) have a higher prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis (Tv) infection and a higher prostate (PC) risk. Past studies suggest an association between Tv seropositivity and PC, and therefore we prospectively investigated this association among AA men.

Results: Incident PC cases were individually matched to controls in a nested case-control study within the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS).

Mammography use among women with and without diabetes: results from the Southern Community Cohort Study.

Studies have shown an increased risk of breast cancer associated with diabetes which may be due to differences in mammography use among women who have diabetes compared with women who do not have diabetes. Baseline data was used from the Southern Community Cohort Study - a prospective cohort study conducted primarily among low-income persons in the southeastern United States - to examine the association between diabetes and mammography use. In-person interviews collected information on diabetes and mammography use from 14,665 white and 30,846 black women aged 40-79years between 2002 and 2009.

Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and cause-specific mortality in black and white adults in the Southern Community Cohort Study.

There is limited evidence demonstrating the benefits of physical activity with regard to mortality risk or the harms associated with sedentary behavior in black adults, so we examined the relationships between these health behaviors and cause-specific mortality in a prospective study that had a large proportion of black adults. Participants (40-79 years of age) enrolled in the Southern Community Cohort Study between 2002 and 2009 (n = 63,308) were prospectively followed over 6.4 years, and 3,613 and 1,394 deaths occurred in blacks and whites, respectively.

Diabetes and prostate cancer screening in black and white men.

Purpose: Prior studies conducted primarily among white men find a reduced risk of prostate cancer associated with time since developing diabetes. While biologic explanations are plausible, the association may in part arise from more frequent prostate cancer screening among those with a diabetes diagnosis. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between diabetes and prostate cancer screening.

A prospective study of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d levels and mortality among African Americans and non-African Americans.

The beneficial biologic effects attributed to vitamin D suggest a potential to influence overall mortality. Evidence addressing this hypothesis is limited, especially for African Americans who have a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency. The authors conducted a nested case-control study within the prospective Southern Community Cohort Study to relate baseline serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) with subsequent mortality.

Novel loci for adiponectin levels and their influence on type 2 diabetes and metabolic traits: a multi-ethnic meta-analysis of 45,891 individuals.

Circulating levels of adiponectin, a hormone produced predominantly by adipocytes, are highly heritable and are inversely associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and other metabolic traits. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in 39,883 individuals of European ancestry to identify genes associated with metabolic disease. We identified 8 novel loci associated with adiponectin levels and confirmed 2 previously reported loci (P = 4.

A genome-wide association search for type 2 diabetes genes in African Americans.

African Americans are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes (T2DM) yet few studies have examined T2DM using genome-wide association approaches in this ethnicity. The aim of this study was to identify genes associated with T2DM in the African American population. We performed a Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) using the Affymetrix 6.

New genetic loci implicated in fasting glucose homeostasis and their impact on type 2 diabetes risk.

Levels of circulating glucose are tightly regulated. To identify new loci influencing glycemic traits, we performed meta-analyses of 21 genome-wide association studies informative for fasting glucose, fasting insulin and indices of beta-cell function (HOMA-B) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in up to 46,186 nondiabetic participants. Follow-up of 25 loci in up to 76,558 additional subjects identified 16 loci associated with fasting glucose and HOMA-B and two loci associated with fasting insulin and HOMA-IR.

Tethering by lamin A stabilizes and targets the ING1 tumour suppressor.

ING proteins interact with core histones through their plant homeodomains (PHDs) and with histone acetyltransferase (HAT) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) complexes to alter chromatin structure. Here we identify a lamin interaction domain (LID) found only in ING proteins, through which they bind to and colocalize with lamin A. Lamin knockout (LMNA(-/-)) cells show reduced levels of ING1 that mislocalize.

Chromatin modification and senescence: linkage by tumor suppressors?

Senescence was originally defined as a state associated with cell cycle arrest that occurs after cells have undergone an intrinsically limited number of divisions in vitro. Much evidence indicates that senescence occurs as a consequence of the internal stress signal generated from shortening telomeres on the ends of chromosomes. However, more recently, various forms of extrinsic stresses have been shown to induce a markedly similar senescent phenotype that includes changes in chromatin structure and gene expression.