Diabetes Risk Reduction Diet and Colorectal Cancer Risk.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes has been associated with colorectal cancer. We evaluated whether adherence to a diabetes risk reduction diet (DRRD) can favorably influence the risk of colorectal cancer. METHODS: Data came from a multicentric Italian case-control study including 1,953 histologically confirmed colorectal cancer cases and 4,154 hospital controls admitted for acute nonneoplastic diseases. Diet was assessed through a validated and reproducible food frequency questionnaire. The DRRD score was computed assigning higher values for higher consumption of cereal fiber, fruit, coffee, nuts and a higher polyunsaturated/saturated fats ratio and for lower glycemic index and lower consumption of red/processed meat and sweetened beverages and fruit juices. The ORs and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) of colorectal cancer according to the DRRD score were obtained using logistic regression models adjusting for total energy intake and other major confounders. RESULTS: The DRRD was inversely related to colorectal cancer risk. The ORs of colorectal cancer were 0.77 (95% CI, 0.67-0.89) for the third versus first score tertile (Ptrend < 0.001) and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.87-0.96) for a 3-point increment in the score. Inverse associations were observed for colon and rectal cancers and were consistent in strata of sex, age, and other major covariates. CONCLUSIONS: A higher adherence to a DRRD was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk. IMPACT: Given the high incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer, adherence to a DRRD can have relevant prevention and public health implications.

Dietary choline and sphingomyelin choline moiety intake and risk of colorectal cancer: a case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: Phospholipids are possible favorable agents for colorectal cancer (CRC). Choline has been inversely related to CRC risk but findings are inconsistent. We assessed the effect of dietary sphingomyelin (SM) choline moiety and total choline intake on risk of CRC. METHOD: This analysis is based on a multicenter case-control study conducted between 1992 and 1996 in Italy. A total of 6107 subjects were enrolled, including 1225 colon cancer cases, 728 rectal cancer cases and 4154 hospital-based controls. We applied data on the composition of foods in terms of SM choline moiety and choline intake on dietary information collected through a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Odds ratio (OR) for energy-adjusted tertiles of SM choline moiety and choline were estimated through logistic regression models adjusted for sex, age, center, education, alcohol consumption, body mass index, family history of CRC, and physical activity. RESULTS: Choline was inversely related to CRC risk (OR for the highest versus the lowest tertile: 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.73-0.99), with a significant trend in risk. The OR for an increment of one standard deviation of energy-adjusted choline intake was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.88-0.98). The association was consistent in colon and rectal cancer and also across colon subsites. SM choline moiety was not associated with CRC risk (OR for the highest versus the lowest tertile: 0.96, 95% CI 0.84-1.11). CONCLUSION: This study shows an inverse association between choline intake and CRC but not with SM choline moiety.

Dietary Choline and Betaine Intake and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in an Iranian Population.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasing in low- and middle-income countries, likely due to changing lifestyle habits, including diet. We aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary betaine, choline, and choline-containing compounds and CRC risk. METHODS: We analyzed data from a case-control study, including 865 CRC cases and 3206 controls from Iran. Detailed information was collected by trained interviewers using validated questionnaires. The intake of free choline, phosphocholine (Pcho), glycerophosphocholine (GPC), phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho), and sphingomyelin (SM), as well as of betaine was estimated from food frequency questionnaires and categorized into quartiles. The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of CRC for choline and betaine quartiles were calculated using multivariate logistic regression by adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: We observed excess risk of CRC in the highest versus lowest intake of total choline (OR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.13, 1.33), GPC (OR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.00, 1.27), and SM (OR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.01, 1.28). The intake of betaine exerted an inverse association with CRC risk (OR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.83, 0.99). There was no association between free choline, Pcho, PtdCho, and CRC. Analyses stratified by gender showed an elevated OR of CRC in men for SM intake OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.03, 1.40) and a significantly decreased CRC risk in women for betaine intake (OR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.73, 0.97). CONCLUSION: Dietary modifications leading to an increase in betaine sources and managing the use of animal products as references for SM or other choline types might contribute to decreasing the risk of CRC.

Garlic consumption in relation to colorectal cancer risk and to alterations of blood bacterial DNA.

PURPOSE: Garlic consumption has been inversely associated to intestinal adenoma (IA) and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, although evidence is not consistent. Gut microbiota has been implied in CRC pathogenesis and is also influenced by garlic consumption. We analyzed whether dietary garlic influence CRC risk and bacterial DNA in blood. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study in Italy involving 100 incident CRC cases, 100 IA and 100 healthy controls matched by center, sex and age. We used a validated food frequency questionnaire to assess dietary habits and garlic consumption. Blood bacterial DNA profile was estimated using qPCR and16S rRNA gene profiling. We derived odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of IA and CRC according to garlic consumption from multiple conditional logistic regression. We used Mann-Whitney and chi-square tests to evaluate taxa differences in abundance and prevalence. RESULTS: The OR of CRC for medium/high versus low/null garlic consumption was 0.27 (95% CI = 0.11-0.66). Differences in garlic consumption were found for selected blood bacterial taxa. Medium/high garlic consumption was associated to an increase of Corynebacteriales order, Nocardiaceae family and Rhodococcus genus, and to a decrease of Family XI and Finegoldia genus. CONCLUSIONS: The study adds data on the protective effect of dietary garlic on CRC risk. Moreover, it supports evidence of a translocation of bacterial material to bloodstream and corroborates the hypothesis of a diet-microbiota axis as a mechanism behind the role of garlic in CRC prevention.

Impact of the First and Second Lockdown for COVID-19 Pandemic on Preterm Birth, Low Birth Weight, Stillbirth, Mode of Labor, and of Delivery in Lombardy, Italy.

We investigated the effect of lockdown measures implemented in Lombardy on selected obstetric and perinatal outcomes. Births that occurred during the two lockdowns imposed (i.e., the first from 16 March to 2 June 2020 and the second from 3 November 2020 to 5 April 2021) and the comparison periods (i.e., the first from 16 March to 2 June 2018 and the second from 3 November 2018 to 5 April 2019) were identified using regional healthcare databases. The distribution of births according to the selected outcomes was computed and the Chi-square test was used for testing differences in the periods compared. During the two lockdowns, we observed a lower proportion of low birth weight, from 6.8% in the comparison period to 6.1% in the first lockdown (p = 0.019), and from 6.5% to 6.1% in the second one (p = 0.109). The proportion of preterm births decreased from 6.8% to 6.3% in the first lockdown (p = 0.097), and from 6.2% to 6.0% in the second one (p = 0.172). No differences in stillbirth rate emerged for both lockdowns. Induction of labor was more frequent during both lockdowns, from 28.6% to 32.7% in the first (p < 0.0001), and from 29.9% to 33.2% in the second one (p < 0.0001). Cesarean section was less frequent during the second lockdown.

Association of prebiotic fiber intake with colorectal cancer risk: the PrebiotiCa study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between the intake of specific fibers with prebiotic activity, namely inulin-type fructans (ITFs), fructooligosaccharides (FOSs) and galactooligosaccharides (GOSs), and colorectal cancer risk. METHODS: Within the PrebiotiCa study, we used data from a multicentric case-control study conducted in Italy and including 1953 incident, histologically confirmed, colorectal cancer patients and 4154 hospital controls. The amount of six prebiotic molecules [ITFs, nystose (FOS), kestose (FOS), 1F-ß-fructofuranosylnystose (FOS), raffinose (GOS) and stachyose (GOS)] in a variety of foods was quantified via laboratory analyses. Subjects' prebiotic fiber intake was estimated by multiplying food frequency questionnaire intake by the prebiotic content of each food item. The odds ratios (OR) of colorectal cancer for quintiles of intakes were derived from logistic regression models including terms for major confounders and total energy intake. RESULTS: GOSs intake was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk. The OR for the highest versus the lowest quintile of intake were 0.73 (95% confidence interval, CI 0.58-0.92) for raffinose and 0.64 (95% CI 0.53-0.77) for stachyose, with significant inverse trends across quintiles. No association was found with total ITFs and FOSs. The association with stachyose was stronger for colon (continuous OR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.66-0.83) than rectal cancer (OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.79-1.02). CONCLUSION: Colorectal cancer risk was inversely associated with the intake of dietary GOSs, but not ITFs and FOSs.

Flavonoid Intake in Relation to Colorectal Cancer Risk and Blood Bacterial DNA.

Flavonoids have been inversely associated to colorectal cancer (CRC) and are plausible intermediaries for the relation among gut microbiome, intestinal permeability and CRC. We analyzed the relation of flavonoid intake with CRC and blood bacterial DNA. We conducted a case-control study in Italy involving 100 incident CRC cases and 200 controls. A valid and reproducible food-frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary habits and to estimate six flavonoid subclass intakes. We applied qPCR and 16S rRNA gene profiling to assess blood bacterial DNA. We used multiple logistic regression to derive odds ratios (ORs) of CRC and Mann-Whitney and chi--square tests to evaluate abundance and prevalence of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) according to flavonoid intakes. Inverse associations with CRC were found for anthocyanidins (OR for the highest versus the lowest tertile = 0.24, 95% confidence interval, CI = 0.11-0.52) and flavanones (OR = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.08-0.42). We found different abundance and prevalence according to anthocyanidin and flavanone intake for OTUs referring to Oligoflexales order, Diplorickettsiaceae family, Staphylococcus, Brevundimonas, Pelomonas and Escherischia-Shigella genera, and Flavobacterium and Legionella species. The study provides evidence to a protective effect of dietary anthocyanidins and flavanones on CRC and suggests an influence of flavonoids on blood bacterial DNA, possibly through intestinal permeability changes.

Hybrid retrieval of crop traits from multi-temporal PRISMA hyperspectral imagery.

The recently launched and upcoming hyperspectral satellite missions, featuring contiguous visible-to-shortwave infrared spectral information, are opening unprecedented opportunities for the retrieval of a broad set of vegetation traits with enhanced accuracy through novel retrieval schemes. In this framework, we exploited hyperspectral data cubes collected by the new-generation PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa (PRISMA) satellite of the Italian Space Agency to develop and test a hybrid retrieval workflow for crop trait mapping. Crop traits were mapped over an agricultural area in north-east Italy (Jolanda di Savoia, FE) using PRISMA images collected during the 2020 and 2021 vegetative seasons. Leaf chlorophyll content, leaf nitrogen content, leaf water content and the corresponding canopy level traits scaled through leaf area index were estimated using a hybrid retrieval scheme based on PROSAIL-PRO radiative transfer simulations coupled with a Gaussian processes regression algorithm. Active learning algorithms were used to optimise the initial set of simulated data by extracting only the most informative samples. The accuracy of the proposed retrieval scheme was evaluated against a broad ground dataset collected in 2020 in correspondence of three PRISMA overpasses. The results obtained were positive for all the investigated variables. At the leaf level, the highest accuracy was obtained for leaf nitrogen content (LNC: r2=0.87, nRMSE=7.5%), while slightly worse results were achieved for leaf chlorophyll content (LCC: r2=0.67, nRMSE=11.7%) and leaf water content (LWC: r2=0.63, nRMSE=17.1%). At the canopy level, a significantly higher accuracy was observed for nitrogen content (CNC: r2=0.92, nRMSE=5.5%) and chlorophyll content (CCC: r2=0.82, nRMSE=10.2%), whereas comparable results were obtained for water content (CWC: r2=0.61, nRMSE=16%). The developed models were additionally tested against an independent dataset collected in 2021 to evaluate their robustness and exportability. The results obtained (i. e., LCC: r2=0.62, nRMSE=27.9%; LNC: r2=0.35, nRMSE=28.4%; LWC: r2=0.74, nRMSE=20.4%; LAI: r2=0.84, nRMSE=14.5%; CCC: r2=0.79, nRMSE=18.5%; CNC: r2=0.62, nRMSE=23.7%; CWC: r2=0.92, nRMSE=16.6%) evidence the transferability of the hybrid approach optimised through active learning for most of the investigated traits. The developed models were then used to map the spatial and temporal variability of the crop traits from the PRISMA images. The high accuracy and consistency of the results demonstrates the potential of spaceborne imaging spectroscopy for crop monitoring, paving the path towards routine retrievals of multiple crop traits over large areas that could drive more effective and sustainable agricultural practices worldwide.

A Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-Biochar Reactor for the Adsorption and Biodegradation of Trichloroethylene: Design and Startup Phase.

In this work, polyhydroxy butyrate (PHB) and biochar from pine wood (PWB) are used in a mini-pilot scale biological reactor (11.3 L of geometric volume) for trichloroethylene (TCE) removal (80 mgTCE/day and 6 L/day of flow rate). The PHB-biochar reactor was realized with two sequential reactive areas to simulate a multi-reactive permeable barrier. The PHB acts as an electron donor source in the first "fermentative" area. First, the thermogravimetric (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses were performed. The PHB-powder and pellets have different purity (96% and 93% w/w) and thermal properties. These characteristics may affect the biodegradability of the biopolymer. In the second reactive zone, the PWB works as a Dehalococcoides support and adsorption material since its affinity for chlorinated compounds and the positive effect of the "coupled adsorption and biodegradation" process has been already verified. A specific dechlorinating enriched culture has been inoculated in the PWB zone to realize a coupled adsorption and biodegradation process. Organic acids were revealed since the beginning of the test, and during the monitoring period the reductive dichlorination anaerobic pathway was observed in the first zone; no chlorinated compounds were detected in the effluent thanks to the PWB adsorption capacity.

Cognitive profile and neuropsychiatric disorders in Becker muscular dystrophy: A systematic review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Brain co-morbidities in DMD are well-documented, less is known about the cognitive, behavioral and psychosocial functioning of patients with BMD. METHODS: The systematic review was carried out on two databases (Pubmed and Scopus) according to the PRISMA guidelines. We included all research articles specific to BMD written after 1995. RESULTS: Studies examining neuropsychological and neurobehavioral functioning in BMD are few and have several methods limitations. BMD population is characterized by high rates of cognitive impairment, with specific involvement of different cognitive areas. Unlike DMD, verbal skills are better preserved. Neurodevelopmental and emotional/behavioral disorders have great importance in BMD, due to their high prevalence. Lack of Dp140 or Dp71 can cause intellectual disability, these isoforms are probably responsible for the other brain-related comorbidities as well. DISCUSSION: The results suggest that cognitive and neuropsychiatric comorbid symptoms may affect a significant proportion of BMD patients therefore it is important to mental health and neuropsychological screening. Finding tools for an adequate assessment is a priority in order to include brain outcome measures in clinical trials.

Dietary intake of branched-chain amino acids and pancreatic cancer risk in a case-control study from Italy.

Circulating branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), a subgroup of the nine essential amino acids, have been associated to pancreatic cancer risk. The aim of this study is to estimate the relation between BCAA intake from diet and pancreatic cancer risk.We analysed data from a multicentric Italian case-control study, including 326 pancreatic cancer cases and 652 controls, matched to cases by study centre, sex and age. A validated food-frequency questionnaire was used to collect the participants' usual diet before cancer diagnosis (or hospital admission for controls) and to compute dietary intakes of various nutrients, including BCAAs. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding confidence intervals (CIs) were computed through logistic regression models conditioned on the matching variables and adjusted for major confounding factors, including total energy intake.We found a positive association between the BCAA intake and pancreatic cancer risk (OR for the third quartile=1.88, 95% CI=1.08-3.26; OR for the fourth quartile =2.17, 95% CI=1.17-4.06), with a significant trend in risk. The association persisted after excluding subjects with diabetes and family history of pancreatic cancer, and across strata of selected covariates.These data support and quantify the association between dietary BCAAs and pancreatic cancer, previously suggested by studies on circulating BCAAs.

Facing Muscular Dystrophy During Covid-19 Pandemic: The Role of Support Associations and Spirituality.

Several researches in scientific literature analyze the theme of Muscular Dystrophy (MD), As well as many others focus on the theme of the Covid-19 pandemic; however, there is a rather limited number of studies that analyse how the pandemic has affected the life of people suffering from MD, especially during the time of the first lockdown in the spring of 2020. The present study has applied a qualitative research design with the aim to investigate how patients with MD have lived the social restrictions imposed for the contagion containment and whether the assistance of associations for their support has contributed to make the participants feel closer or more distant from the spiritual dimension. The analysis involved 12 participants, and they were presented with a semi-structured interview. The data obtained from the interviews have been analysed through a thematic analysis from which 4 thematic areas have emerged: (1) the impact of the pandemic on an emotional level; (2) the illness management and the role of family; (3) the role of the associations; (4) aspects related to spirituality. The crucial role that the closeness of family and the activities promoted remotely by the associations for patients' support has emerged, since they have allowed the participants to feel united by something beyond, to discover new aspects of themselves, to give more value to Life and to move closer to their spiritual dimension.

Evaluation of the Bioelectrochemical Approach and Different Electron Donors for Biological Trichloroethylene Reductive Dechlorination.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) and more in general chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) can be removed from a contaminated matrix thanks to microorganisms able to perform the reductive dechlorination reaction (RD). Due to the lack of electron donors in the contaminated matrix, CAHs' reductive dechlorination can be stimulated by fermentable organic substrates, which slowly release molecular hydrogen through their fermentation. In this paper, three different electron donors constituted by lactate, hydrogen, and a biocathode of a bioelectrochemical cell have been studied in TCE dechlorination batch experiments. The batch reactors evaluated in terms of reductive dechlorination rate and utilization efficiency of the electron donor reported that the bio-electrochemical system (BES) showed a lower RD rate with respect of lactate reactor (51 ± 9 µeq/d compared to 98 ± 4 µeq/d), while the direct utilization of molecular hydrogen gave a significantly lower RD rate (19 ± 8 µeq/d), due to hydrogen low solubility in liquid media. The study also gives a comparative evaluation of the different electron donors showing the capability of the bioelectrochemical system to reach comparable efficiencies with a fermentable substrate without the use of other chemicals, 10.7 ± 3.3% for BES with respect of 3.5 ± 0.2% for the lactate-fed batch reactor. This study shows the BES capability of being an alternative at classic remediation approaches.

Coupled Adsorption and Biodegradation of Trichloroethylene on Biochar from Pine Wood Wastes: A Combined Approach for a Sustainable Bioremediation Strategy.

Towards chlorinated solvents, the effectiveness of the remediation strategy can be improved by combining a biological approach (e.g., anaerobic reductive dechlorination) with chemical/physical treatments (e.g., adsorption). A coupled adsorption and biodegradation (CAB) process for trichloroethylene (TCE) removal is proposed in a biofilm-biochar reactor (BBR) to assess whether biochar from pine wood (PWB) can support a dechlorinating biofilm by combining the TCE (100 µM) adsorption. The BBR operated for eight months in parallel with a biofilm reactor (BR)-no PWB (biological process alone), and with an abiotic biochar reactor (ABR)-no dechlorinating biofilm (only an adsorption mechanism). Two flow rates were investigated. Compared to the BR, which resulted in a TCE removal of 86.9 ± 11.9% and 78.73 ± 19.79%, the BBR demonstrated that PWB effectively adsorbs TCE and slows down the release of its intermediates. The elimination of TCE was quantitative, with 99.61 ± 0.79% and 99.87 ± 0.51% TCE removal. Interestingly, the biomarker of the reductive dechlorination process, Dehalococcoides mccartyi, was found in the BRR (9.2 × 105 16S rRNA gene copies/g), together with the specific genes tceA, bvcA, and vcrA (8.16 × 106, 1.28 × 105, and 8.01 × 103 gene copies/g, respectively). This study suggests the feasibility of biochar to support the reductive dechlorination of D. mccartyi, opening new frontiers for field-scale applications.

pH-Responsive Semi-Interpenetrated Polymer Networks of pHEMA/PAA for the Capture of Copper Ions and Corrosion Removal.

Bronze artifacts constitute a fundamental portion of Cultural Heritage, but effective methodologies for the removal of corrosion layers, such as those produced by the "bronze disease", are currently missing. We propose the formulation and application of novel poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) networks semi-interpenetrated (SIPN) with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) to achieve enhanced capture of copper ions and removal of corrosion products. The pHEMA/PAA SIPNs were designed to improve previous pHEMA/poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) networks, taking advantage of the chelating ability of pH-responsive carboxylic groups in PAA. Increasing the pH ionizes carboxyls, increases the porosity in pHEMA/PAA, and leads to the co-presence of enol and enolate forms of vinylpyrrolidone (VP), changing the macroporosity and decreasing the mesh size in pHEMA/PVP. The ion-matrix interaction is stronger in pHEMA/PAA, where the process occurs through an initial diffusion-limited step followed by diffusion in smaller pores or adsorption by less available sites. In pHEMA/PVP, the uptake is probably controlled by adsorption as expected, considering the porogen role of PVP in the network. Upon application of the SIPNs loaded with tetraethylenpentamine (TEPA) onto corroded bronze, copper oxychlorides dissolve and migrate inside the gels, where Cu(II) ions form ternary complexes with TEPA and carboxylates in PAA or carbonyls in PVP. The removal of oxychlorides is more effective and faster for pHEMA/PAA than its /PVP counterpart. The selective action of the gels preserved the cuprite layers that are needed to passivate bronze against corrosion, and the pH-responsive behavior of pHEMA/PAA allows full control of the uptake and release of the Cu(II)-TEPA complex, making these systems appealing in several fields even beyond Cultural Heritage conservation (e.g., drug delivery, wastewater treatment, agricultural industry, and food chemistry).

Diabetes risk reduction diet and the risk of breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes and insulin levels may increase the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. In the present investigation, we aimed at evaluating whether adherence to a diabetes risk reduction diet (DRRD) lowers the risk of breast cancer. METHODS: We used data from an Italian, multicentric case-control study (1991-1994) including 2569 incident histologically-confirmed breast cancer cases and 2588 hospital controls. A food frequency questionnaire collected subjects' usual diet. We derived a DRRD score on the basis of eight items: intake of cereal fiber, total fruit, coffee, polyunsaturated to saturated fats ratio and nuts (higher scores for higher intakes), and dietary glycemic index, red/processed meat and sugar-sweetened beverages/fruit juices (higher scores for lower intakes). The score theoretically ranged 8-37, with higher values indicating greater DRRD adherence. Odds ratios (ORs) of breast cancer according to the DRRD score were estimated using multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS: The DRRD score was inversely related to the risk of breast cancer. The ORs were 0.93 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.89-0.98] for a three-point score increment and 0.76 (95% CI, 0.64-0.89) for the highest versus the lowest quartile (P for trend 0.001). Inverse associations were observed in subgroups of covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Higher DRRD adherence may decrease the risk of breast cancer.

Diabetes risk reduction diet and the risk of pancreatic cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of a diabetes risk reduction diet (DRRD) on pancreatic cancer risk. METHODS: We used data from a hospital-based case-control study conducted in Italy between 1991 and 2008; the study included 326 incident pancreatic cancer cases and 652 controls matched by age, gender and study center. Subjects' usual diet was collected through a valid and reproducible food frequency questionnaire. A DRRD score was derived from 8 dietary components: cereal fiber, total fruit, coffee, polyunsaturated to saturated fats ratio and nuts (higher score for higher intake), and dietary glycemic index, red/processed meat and sugar-sweetened beverages/fruit juices (higher score for lower intake). The score ranged 8-37, with higher values indicating greater DRRD adherence. Odds ratios (ORs) of pancreatic cancer according to the DRRD score were estimated using multiple conditional logistic regression models. RESULTS: After allowance for confounding factors, the DRRD score was inversely related to pancreatic cancer risk, with ORs of 0.55 (95% confidence interval, CI 0.38-0.80) for the highest versus the lowest score tertile (p for trend across tertiles = 0.002) and 0.84 (95% CI 0.75-0.95) for a 3-point score increment. The exclusion of diabetic subjects and additional adjustment for vegetable intake did not change the results. Inverse associations were observed in subgroups defined by age, gender, education, body mass index, smoking and total energy intake. CONCLUSION: Study findings suggest a protective role of high adherence to a DRRD on pancreatic cancer risk.

Blood Bacterial DNA Load and Profiling Differ in Colorectal Cancer Patients Compared to Tumor-Free Controls.

Inflammation and immunity are linked to intestinal adenoma (IA) and colorectal cancer (CRC) development. The gut microbiota is associated with CRC risk. Epithelial barrier dysfunction can occur, possibly leading to increased intestinal permeability in CRC patients. We conducted a case-control study including 100 incident histologically confirmed CRC cases, and 100 IA and 100 healthy subjects, matched to cases by center, sex and age. We performed 16S rRNA gene analysis of blood and applied conditional logistic regression. Further analyses were based on negative binomial distribution normalization and Random Forest algorithm. We found an overrepresentation of blood 16S rRNA gene copies in colon cancer as compared to tumor-free controls. For high levels of gene copies, community diversity was higher in colon cancer cases than controls. Bacterial taxa and operational taxonomic unit abundances were different between groups and were able to predict CRC with an accuracy of 0.70. Our data support the hypothesis of a higher passage of bacteria from gastrointestinal tract to bloodstream in colon cancer. This result can be applied on non-invasive diagnostic tests for colon cancer control.

Combined Strategies to Prompt the Biological Reduction of Chlorinated Aliphatic Hydrocarbons: New Sustainable Options for Bioremediation Application.

Groundwater remediation is one of the main objectives to minimize environmental impacts and health risks. Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons contamination is prevalent and presents particularly challenging scenarios to manage with a single strategy. Different technologies can manage contamination sources and plumes, although they are usually energy-intensive processes. Interesting alternatives involve in-situ bioremediation strategies, which allow the chlorinated contaminant to be converted into non-toxic compounds by indigenous microbial activity. Despite several advantages offered by the bioremediation approaches, some limitations, like the relatively low reaction rates and the difficulty in the management and control of the microbial activity, can affect the effectiveness of a bioremediation approach. However, those issues can be addressed through coupling different strategies to increase the efficiency of the bioremediation strategy. This mini review describes different strategies to induce the reduction dechlorination reaction by the utilization of innovative strategies, which include the increase or the reduction of contaminant mobility as well as the use of innovative strategies of the reductive power supply. Subsequently, three future approaches for a greener and more sustainable intervention are proposed. In particular, two bio-based materials from renewable resources are intended as alternative, long-lasting electron-donor sources (e.g., polyhydroxyalkanoates from mixed microbial cultures) and a low-cost adsorbent (e.g., biochar from bio-waste). Finally, attention is drawn to novel bio-electrochemical systems that use electric current to stimulate biological reactions.