Associations between urinary concentrations of benzothiazole, benzotriazole, and their derivatives and lung cancer: A nested case-control study.

Benzothiazole (BTH), benzotriazole (BTR), and their respective derivatives (BTHs and BTRs) are emerging environmental pollutants with widespread human exposure and oncogenic potential. Studies have demonstrated adverse effects of exposure to certain BTHs and BTRs on the respiratory system. However, no study has examined the associations between exposure to BTHs and BTRs and lung cancer risk. We aimed to examine the associations between urinary concentrations of BTHs and BTRs and the risk of lung cancer in the general population from Quzhou, China. We conducted a nested case-control study in an ongoing prospective Quzhou Environmental Exposure and Human Health (QEEHH) cohort, involving 20, 694 participants who provided urine samples during April 2019-July 2020. With monthly follow-up until November 2022, 212 lung cancer cases were recruited and 1:1 matched with healthy controls based on age and sex. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of lung cancer risk associated with urinary BTHs and BTRs concentrations using conditional logistic regression models after controlling for potential covariates. We also examined effect modification by several covariates, including sex, socioeconomic status, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and dietary habit. Creatinine-corrected urinary BTH and 2-hydroxy-benzothiazole (2-OH-BTH) levels were significantly associated with the risk of lung cancer, after adjusting for a variety of covariates. Participants in the highest quartile of BTH had a 95% higher risk of lung cancer, compared with those in the lowest quartile (adjusted OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.08-3.49; p for trend = 0.01). Participants with higher levels of urinary 2-OH-BTH had an 83% higher risk of lung cancer than those with lower levels (adjusted OR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.16-2.88; p for trend = 0.01). Exposure to elevated levels of BTH and 2-OH-BTH may be associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. These associations were not modified by socio-demographic characteristics.

Per-/polyfluoroalkyl substance concentrations in human serum and their associations with immune markers of rheumatoid arthritis.

Per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are ubiquitous in the environment and have been proved to be immunotoxic to humans. However, it remains unclear whether exposure to PFASs affects the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study, nine PFASs were determined in human serum collected from 280 health populations and 294 RA patients in a cohort enrolled between 2018 and 2020 in Hangzhou, China, and were examined their correlations with immune marker levels. Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (6:2 Cl-PFESA) were the predominant PFASs in human serum, with median (mean) concentrations of 5.4 (7.6), 2.8 (3.5), and 1.9 (2.5) ng/mL, respectively. Serum PFOA and 6:2 Cl-PFESA concentrations were positively correlated with anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA) (ßPFOA = 0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.37, 0.81; ß6:2 Cl-PFESA = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.29, 0.66), immunoglobulin G (ßPFOA = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.29; ß6:2 Cl-PFESA = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.19) as well as rheumatoid factors (RF) (ßPFOA = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.80; ß6:2 Cl-PFESA = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.36, 0.72). The correlations between serum PFOS levels and RF (ß = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.28, 0.77), ACPA (ß = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.73), as well as immunoglobulin M (ß = -0.24, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.15) respectively were statistically stronger. We also found PFOA concentrations in serum were associated with the level of C-reactive protein (ß = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.65). To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting significant associations between several PFASs and change of specific immune marker levels, suggesting that PFAS exposure may increase the risk of RA in adults.

Per-/polyfluoroalkyl substance concentrations in human serum and their associations with liver cancer.

Per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are widespread in global human blood, and have some toxic effects on liver. However, effects of PFAS exposure on human liver cancer (LC) risk are still not known. In this study, 203 LC patients and 203 controls were recruited, and their serum samples were collected between 2019 and 2021. We determined the residues of 12 PFASs in serum from all participants and quantified their association with LC incidence and tumor markers. PFOS (9.8 ng/mL) had the highest mean concentration in human serum, followed by PFOA (8.3 ng/mL) and 6:2 Cl-PFESA (3.9 ng/mL). We found that concentrations of PFOS and 6:2 Cl-PFESA in human serum were significantly correlated with the levels of alpha fetoprotein (AFP) (ßPFOS = 0.13, 95% confidence interval (CIPFOS): 0.088, 0.17; ß6:2 Cl-PFESA = 0.070, CI6:2 Cl-PFESA: 0.036, 0.10). A positive association of PFOS and 6:2 Cl-PFESA with odds ratios (OR) of LC (ORPFOS = 0.609, CIPFOS: 1.179, 4.029, P = 0.001; OR6:2 Cl-PFESA = 1.844, CI6:2 Cl-PFESA: 1.176, 2.512, P = 0.02) were found, after adjusting for different covariates. Moreover, serum PFOA concentrations were associated with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), but their correlation with the LC incidence was not statistically significant. This new finding supports the evidence for the positive associations among PFAS exposure, change of specific tumor marker, and LC risks.