Awareness of hazards due to tobacco among people aged 15 years and older in Chongqing, China, in 2020: A cross-sectional analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco smoke contains a large number of harmful substances and carcinogens. Smoking and secondhand smoke cause a variety of cancers and diseases, seriously endangering human health. However, the status and characteristics of the awareness of hazards due to tobacco among people aged ≥15 years in Chongqing, China, are still unknown. METHODS: A multistage stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select ten districts and counties in Chongqing Municipality, China and a total of 6622 people were investigated between August and October 2020. The chi-squared test was used to analyze the awareness of hazards due to tobacco in various populations after the data had been cleaned and weighted. RESULTS: In 2020, the awareness rates of people aged ≥15 years in Chongqing, China, about a specific disease caused by smoking were lung cancer (77.1%), heart disease (45.1%), stroke (40.1%), and penile erectile dysfunction (24.2%). However, only 22.1% of the respondents knew that smoking could simultaneously lead to all four diseases mentioned above. Adult lung cancer was the disease with the highest awareness rating (72.5%), followed by children's lung disease (54.2%) and adult heart disease (46.1%). A total of 42.0% of respondents knew that secondhand smoke could cause the three diseases simultaneously. Only 22.0% of those correctly understood the harm of low-tar cigarettes. The logistic regression results showed that education level and occupation were risk factors for lack of awareness of hazards due to tobacco. In contrast, media campaigns on tobacco control were a protective factor. CONCLUSIONS: The awareness of hazards due to tobacco among people aged ≥15 years in Chongqing, China, still needs to be improved. More graphic health warning labels and mass media campaigns about the hazards of tobacco should be carried out to raise people's awareness and warn about the health risks of smoking.

c-Myc-driven glycolysis polarizes functional regulatory B cells that trigger pathogenic inflammatory responses.

B cells secreting IL-10 functionally are recognized as functional regulatory B (Breg) cells; however, direct evidence concerning the phenotype, regulation, and functional and clinical relevance of IL-10-secreting Breg cells in humans is still lacking. Here, we demonstrate that, although IL-10 itself is anti-inflammatory, IL-10+ functional Breg cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) display aggressive inflammatory features; these features shift their functions away from inducing CD8+ T cell tolerance and cause them to induce a pathogenic CD4+ T cell response. Functional Breg cells polarized by environmental factors (e.g., CPG-DNA) or directly isolated from patients with SLE mainly exhibit a CD24intCD27-CD38-CD69+/hi phenotype that is different from that of their precursors. Mechanistically, MAPK/ERK/P38-elicited sequential oncogenic c-Myc upregulation and enhanced glycolysis are necessary for the generation and functional maintenance of functional Breg cells. Consistently, strategies that abrogate the activity of ERK, P38, c-Myc, and/or cell glycolysis can efficiently eliminate the pathogenic effects triggered by functional Breg cells.

Low expression of PDK1 inhibits renal cell carcinoma cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial mesenchymal transition through inhibition of the PI3K-PDK1-Akt pathway.

As the most commonly occurring form of primary renal tumor, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a malignancy accompanied by a high mortality rate. 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1) has been established as a protein target and generated considerable interest in both the pharmaceutical and academia industry. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of si-PDK1 on the RCC cell apoptosis, proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in connection with the PI3K-PDK1-Akt pathway. Microarray analysis from the GEO database was adopted to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to RCC, after which the positive expression of the PDK1 protein in tissue was determined accordingly. The optimal silencing si-RNA was subsequently selected and RCC cell lines 786-O and A498 were selected and transfected with either a si-PDK1 or activator of the PI3K-PDK1-Akt pathway for grouping purposes. The mRNA and protein expressions of PDK1, the PI3K-PDK1-Akt pathway-, EMT- and apoptosis-related genes were then evaluated. The effect of si-PDK1 on cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and migration was then analyzed. Through microarray analysis of GSE6344, GSE53757, GSE14762 and GSE781, PDK1 was examined. PDK1 was determined to be highly expressed in RCC tissues. Si-PDK1 exhibited marked reductions in relation to the mRNA and protein expression of PDK1, PI3K, AKT as well as Vimentin while elevated mRNA and protein expressions of E-cadherin were detected, which ultimately suggested that cell migration, proliferation and invasion had been inhibited coupled with enhanced levels of cell apoptosis. While a notable observation was made highlighting that the PI3K-PDK1-Akt pathway antagonized the effect of PDK1 silencing. Taken together, the key observations of this study provide evidence suggesting that high expressions of PDK1 are found in RCC, while highlighting that silencing PDK1 could inhibit RCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT by repressing the PI3K-PDK1-Akt pathway.

Does alcohol consumption modify the risk of endometrial cancer? A dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have provided controversial evidence of an association between alcohol intake and endometrial cancer (EC) risk. The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research classifies alcohol as having a "limited-no conclusion" grade of evidence in the Endometrial Cancer 2013 Report (the latest version). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this meta-analysis is to systematically analyze the effect of alcohol intake on EC risk. METHODS: We conducted a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies identified from the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and China Biological Medicine databases. Categorical and dose-response meta-analyses were conducted to estimate the effects of alcohol on EC risk. RESULTS: A total of 10 studies involving 9766 cases and 1,612,798 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, the relative risk(RR) for alcohol intake on EC was 1.04 (95% CI 0.88-1.22). The RRs for alcohol intake from wine, beer, and liquor were 1.10 (95% CI 0.80-1.51), 0.94 (95% CI 0.72-1.22), and 1.04 (95% CI 0.86-1.27), respectively). When alcohol consumption was stratified by drinking level, the RRs for moderate and heavy alcohol intake were 0.95 (95% CI 0.89-1.01) and 1.00 (95% CI 0.88-1.13), respectively. In the subgroup analyses, this association was not modified by other lifestyle factors or the characteristics of the study design and population. No significant associations were detected in the dose-response meta-analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol intake is not associated with EC regardless of the beverage choice and alcohol consumption level. More studies are warranted in other populations, such as Asians and Africans.

Identification of volatiles in leaves of Alpinia zerumbet 'Variegata' using headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Alpinia zerumbet 'Variegata' is an aromatic medicinal plant, its foliage producing an intense, unique fragrant odor. This study identified 46 volatile compounds in the leaf tissue of this plant using headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). The major compounds included 1, 8-cineole (43.5%), p-cymene (14.7%), humulene (5.5%), camphor (5.3%), linalool (4.7%), (E)-methyl cinnamate (3.8%), gamma-cadinene (3.3%), humulene oxide II (2.1%) and a-terpineol (1.5%). The majority of the volatiles were terpenoids of which oxygenated monoterpenes were the most abundant, accounting for 57.2% of the total volatiles. Alcohols made up the largest (52.8%) and aldehydes the smallest (0.2%) portions of the volatiles. Many bioactive compounds were present in the volatiles.

A randomized clinical trial comparing prophylactic upper versus whole-neck irradiation in the treatment of patients with node-negative nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: This study sought to compare the clinical outcomes of upper versus whole-neck prophylactic irradiation in the treatment of patients with node-negative nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: Between November 2005 and June 2012, 301 patients with node-negative NPC were randomly assigned to receive primary plus prophylactic upper neck irradiation (UNI, 153 patients) or primary plus whole-neck irradiation (WNI, 148 patients). Patients in both groups received irradiation to the primary tumor and the upper neck nodal regions, and patients in the WNI group also received irradiation to the lower neck. The main endpoint of the study was to compare the lower neck control rate between the 2 groups. RESULTS: With a median follow-up period of 39 months (range, 6-84 months), no patient in either group had a cervical node relapse. The overall survival at 3 years was 89.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 84.1%-95.0%) in the UNI group and 87.4% (95% CI = 81.4%-93.5%) in the WNI group (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.866, 95% CI = 0.41-1.82; P = .70). The 3-year relapse-free survival rate was 89.8% and 89.3% (95% CI = 84.2%-95.3% and 83.7%-94.8%, HR = 0.914, 95% CI = 0.42-2.00; P = .82), and the 3-year metastasis-free survival rate was 91.7% and 90.9% (95% CI = 87.0%-96.5% and 85.7%-96.1%) for the UNI and WNI groups, respectively (HR = 1.007, 95% CI = 0.44-2.32; P = .99). CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic upper neck irradiation is sufficient for patients with node-negative NPC.

Expression patterns of ER, HER2, and NM23-H1 in breast cancer patients with different menopausal status: correlations with metastasis.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to analyze expression patterns of estrogen receptor (ER), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2/ERBB2), and nonmetastatic protein 23 (NM23-H1/NME1) proteins in patients with invasive ductal carcinoma and different menopausal status to identify their relationships with axillary lymph node metastasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 213 pre-menopausal and 177 post-menopausal women diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma were evaluated for ER, HER2, and NM23-H1 protein expression by immunohistochemistry. When HER2 immunoreactivity was equivocal (category 2+), specimens were confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization. RESULTS: ER expression showed no correlation with menopausal status or lymph node metastasis (each p > 0.05). However, expression of ER was associated with negative expression of HER2 (r = -0.214, p < 0.05) and positive expression of NM23-H1 (r = 0.137, p < 0.05) in the pre-menopausal group. Over-expression of HER2 was correlated with menopausal status (r = -0.107, p < 0.05) and lymph node metastasis in the ER-negative post-menopausal group (r = 0.222, p < 0.05). NM23-H1 was associated with less lymph node metastasis in the ER-positive pre-menopausal group (r = -0.237, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that expression patterns of ER, NM23-H1, and HER2 in primary breast cancer lesions warn that cells might have metastatic potential, which could assist clinicians to provide a more accurate prognosis and tailor therapeutic management for individual patients.