Quantitative Assessment of Asbestos Fibers in Normal and Pathological Peritoneal Tissue-A Scoping Review.

Peritoneal tissue is the second most affected site by malignant mesothelioma linked to asbestos exposure. This scoping review aims to summarize the findings of the studies in which asbestos fibers in the peritoneum were quantified by electron microscopy, occasionally associated with spectroscopy, both in neoplastic and non-neoplastic tissue. The 9 studies selected comprised 62 cases, out of whom 100 samples were analyzed.

A simple, highly sensitive, and facile method to quantify ceramide at the plasma membrane.

The role of ceramide in biological functions is typically based on the elevation of cellular ceramide, measured by LC-MS in the total cell lysate. However, it has become increasingly appreciated that ceramide in different subcellular organelles regulates specific functions. In the plasma membrane, changes in ceramide levels might represent a small percentage of the total cellular ceramide, evading MS detection but playing a critical role in cell signaling.

A 15-year follow-up study of mortality in a pooled cohort of World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers.

Introduction: Hazardous exposures from the World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attacks have been linked to increased incidence of adverse health conditions, often associated with increased mortality. We assessed mortality in a pooled cohort of WTC rescue/recovery workers over 15 years of follow-up.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed mortality through 2016 in a pooled and deduplicated cohort of WTC rescue/recovery workers from three WTC-exposed cohorts (N = 60,631): the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY); the WTC Health Registry (WTCHR); and the General Responder Cohort (GRC).

Cancers Attributable to Modifiable Risk Factors: A Road Map for Prevention.

The implementation of primary and secondary preventive strategies is based on the evidence generated by cancer epidemiology, where the identification of risk factors and the description of their prevalence are fundamental to derive estimates on the burden of cancer from different etiologies, typically expressed as the population attributable fraction, which corresponds to the proportion of a cancer that may be prevented by controlling a given risk factor. However, even when cancer finds its etiology in modifiable factors, its prevention through the control of those factors is not always feasible, or it remains suboptimal despite the possibility of reducing the burden. We reviewed selected associations between modifiable risk factors and cancer, including tobacco smoking, occupational exposures, infections, air pollution, alcohol, and diet and obesity, and illustrated examples of both successes and failures in cancer control, underlying how current understanding of the avoidable causes of cancer is incomplete.

Arsenic may be a carcinogenic determinant of a subset of gallbladder cancer: A pilot study.

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is one of the deadliest malignancy and treatment options are deplorably limited. Better strategies of prevention are urgently needed but knowledge on risk factors remains scarce. Recent data suggested that arsenic (As) may be involved in GBC carcinogenesis but the question remains debated.

Effectiveness of prevention of SARS-CoV-2 transmission among unvaccinated Italian healthcare workers.

Background: We aimed to investigate the association between personal protective equipment (PPE) use and SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers (HCWs).

Methods: We analyzed occupational surveillance contact forms followed by a PCR test notified between March and September 2020 by Italian HCWs. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) for positive PCR based on HCWs and contacts characteristics were calculated through multivariable logistic regression models.

The role of chance in cancer causation.

In the last years, the discussion about the role of chance in the causation of cancer has generated much scientific and public debate. The concept that chance, or "bad luck", as responsible for a majority of the variation of cancer incidence, may be misleading, possibly causing an underestimation of the role played by known risk factors. In this commentary we discuss how host and external factors interact with chance in cancer causation in different ways, and provide examples of situations where chance appears to play only a minor role on cancer onset.

Association between dietary fat intake and colorectal cancer: A multicenter case-control study in Iran.

The evolving trends in colorectal cancer (CRC) as one of the most common malignancies worldwide, have likely been influenced by the implementation of screening programs and changes in lifestyle habits. Changing lifestyle, including the shift in diet composition with higher fat, sugar, and animal-source foods intake, led to an increasing burden of CRC in countries undergoing rapid socioeconomic improvement. Results for the link between specific fatty acids (FAs) and CRC are generally inconclusive and more limited in developing countries than elsewhere.

Dietary Ruminant and Industrial Trans-Fatty Acids Intake and Colorectal Cancer Risk.

As colorectal cancer (CRC) is largely due to modifiable lifestyle habits, the awareness on its risk factors is highly important. Dietary fatty acids have been linked to CRC risk. We explored the association between dietary trans fatty acids (TFAs) intake and CRC risk.

Global Association of COVID-19 Pandemic Measures with Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: The COVID-19 pandemic has put a serious strain on health services, including cancer treatment.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the changes in cancer treatment worldwide during the first phase of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.

Data Sources: Pubmed, Proquest, and Scopus databases were searched comprehensively for articles published between 1 January 2020 and 12 December 2021, in order to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis conducted following the PRISMA statement.

Lung cancer risk in relation to jobs held in a nationwide case-control study in Iran.

Background: Globally, lung cancer is the most frequent occupational cancer, but the risk associated with the occupations or occupational environment in Iran is not clear. We aimed to assess occupations with the risk of lung cancer.

Methods: We used the IROPICAN nationwide case-control study data including 658 incident lung cancer cases and 3477 controls.

Occupational exposure to arsenic, mercury and UV radiation and risk of melanoma: a case-control study from Italy.

Background: Melanoma is mainly caused by sunlight radiation, but other environmental risk factors are not well known. We investigated the association between cutaneous melanoma and occupational exposure to arsenic, mercury and UV radiation.

Methods: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted in the inpatient wards of IDI-San Carlo Rome, Italy, including 304 incident cases of cutaneous melanoma and 305 frequency-matched controls.

Vaccination Confidence among Healthcare Workers: Results from Two Anamnestic Questionnaires Adopted in the COVID-19 and Influenza Campaign.

Background: Following the announcement of the development of COVID-19 vaccines, hesitancy about the safety of vaccinations and their side effects have spread, despite having the approval of international drug agencies. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that concern about side effects may have led people to fill out the COVID-19 anamnestic vaccine questionnaire with greater attention compared to the similar instrument used for the influenza vaccination.

Methods: We analyzed vaccination questionnaires of 218 healthcare workers (HCWs) who underwent both COVID-19 and influenza vaccines in 2020/2021.

Advancements on the Multifaceted Roles of Sphingolipids in Hematological Malignancies.

Dysregulation of sphingolipid metabolism plays a complex role in hematological malignancies, beginning with the first historical link between sphingolipids and apoptosis discovered in HL-60 leukemic cells. Numerous manuscripts have reviewed the field including the early discoveries that jumpstarted the studies. Many studies discussed here support a role for sphingolipids, such as ceramide, in combinatorial therapeutic regimens to enhance anti-leukemic effects and reduce resistance to standard therapies.

Second Primary Cancers following Colorectal Cancer in Sicily, Italy.

Background: Cancer survivors are at risk of developing second primary cancers (SPC). We investigated the risk of SPC in colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors in Sicily, Southern Italy.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Eastern Sicily cancer registry covering 2.

Mortality patterns of soft-tissue sarcomas worldwide up to 2018, with predictions for 2025.

Objective: The epidemiological evidence on soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) mortality is inconsistent in geographic and time coverage. This study provides mortality trends for STSs in selected countries worldwide over the last 2 decades, together with predicted figures for 2025.

Methods: We extracted official numbers of certified deaths coded as C47 (i.

A Multicenter Phase 1 Trial Evaluating Nanoliposomal Irinotecan for Heated Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy Combined with Cytoreductive Surgery for Patients with Peritoneal Surface Disease.

Background: Nanoliposomal irinotecan (nal-IRI) is a promising novel hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) agent given its enhanced efficacy against gastrointestinal tumors, safety profile, thermo-synergy, and heat stability. This report describes the first in-human phase 1 clinical trial of nal-IRI during cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and HIPEC.

Methods: Patients with peritoneal surface disease (PSD) from appendiceal and colorectal neoplasms were enrolled in a 3 + 3 dose-escalation trial using nal-IRI (70-280 mg/m) during HIPEC for 30 min at 41 ± 1 °C.

Systematic review of the scientific evidence of the pulmonary carcinogenicity of talc.

We conducted a systematic review to assess the potential pulmonary carcinogenicity of inhaled talc in humans. Our systematic review methods adhere to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and incorporated aspects from the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) and several United States (US) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) frameworks for systematic reviews. A comprehensive literature search was conducted.

Risk of Mortality from Respiratory Malignant and Non-Malignant Diseases among Talc Miners and Millers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

There is contrasting data on the association between talc exposure and lung and pleural cancer. Given the potential importance of this aspect, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the association between working in the talc extractive industry and mortality from malignant and non-malignant respiratory diseases. We followed PRISMA guidelines to systematically search for pertinent articles in three relevant electronic databases: Pubmed, Scopus, and WebOfScience, from their inception to 30 November 2021.

Modifying dietary amino acids in cancer patients.

Limiting nutrient utilization by cancer cells in order to disrupt their metabolism and suppress their growth represents a promising approach for anti-cancer therapy. Recently, studies demonstrating the anti-neoplastic effects of lowering amino acid (AA) availability have opened up an exciting and quickly growing field of study. Although intracellular synthesis can often provide the AAs necessary to support cancer cells, diet and the tumor microenvironment can also be important sources.

Targeting acid ceramidase ameliorates fibrosis in mouse models of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common cause of liver disease worldwide, and is characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an advanced form of NAFLD, is a leading cause of liver transplantation. Fibrosis is the histologic feature most associated with liver-related morbidity and mortality in patients with NASH, and treatment options remain limited.

Determinants of anti-S immune response at 6 months after COVID-19 vaccination in a multicentric European cohort of healthcare workers - ORCHESTRA project.

Background: The duration of immune response to COVID-19 vaccination is of major interest. Our aim was to analyze the determinants of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titer at 6 months after 2-dose vaccination in an international cohort of vaccinated healthcare workers (HCWs).

Methods: We analyzed data on levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike antibodies and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of 6,327 vaccinated HCWs from 8 centers from Germany, Italy, Romania and Slovakia.