Disparities of birth cohort effects on pancreatic cancer incidence between the United States and urban China.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer has been associated with lifestyle factors, but few comparative studies were conducted among countries of different culture and lifestyle habits. This study compared the trends of pancreatic cancer incidence and birth cohort effects in the United States and urban China and explored the potential discrepancies of risk patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) were calculated using data from national or regional cancer registries of the United States and two large cities of China (Shanghai, Hong Kong). The temporal trends of incidence were assessed by joinpoint regression. The effects of birth cohort and calendar period were identified through age-period-cohort modeling. RESULTS: The ASIR in the United States from 1976 to 2015 was 8.26/100 000, which was higher than that in Hong Kong (4.29/100 000) and Shanghai of China (6.63/100 000). Shanghai had lower incidence (4.41/100 000) in 1976-1980 but increased annually by 1.38% in males and 1.67% in females, with a sharper upward trend than the United States and Hong Kong. Males had higher risks than females, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.34, 1.44, and 1.37 in the United States, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, respectively. A significant and prominent increase in incidence rate was observed among successive generations in China particularly for Shanghai, but such a pattern was not apparent in the United States. CONCLUSIONS: The differences in pancreatic cancer incidence by sex may be multi-factorial involving known risk factors like tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption. The significant birth cohort effects among recent and early generations in the Shanghai population were in line with a society in socioeconomic transition and adoption of Western lifestyle mainly including consumption of calorie-rich foods and physical inactivity. Differences in these risk patterns will have implications on health care efforts and policies for cancer control.

Oncogenic activation of JAK3-STAT signaling confers clinical sensitivity to PRN371, a novel selective and potent JAK3 inhibitor, in natural killer/T-cell lymphoma.

Aberrant activation of the JAK3-STAT signaling pathway is a characteristic feature of many hematological malignancies. In particular, hyperactivity of this cascade has been observed in natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL) cases. Although the first-in-class JAK3 inhibitor tofacitinib blocks JAK3 activity in NKTL both in vitro and in vivo, its clinical utilization in cancer therapy has been limited by the pan-JAK inhibition activity. To improve the therapeutic efficacy of JAK3 inhibition in NKTL, we have developed a highly selective and durable JAK3 inhibitor PRN371 that potently inhibits JAK3 activity over the other JAK family members JAK1, JAK2, and TYK2. PRN371 effectively suppresses NKTL cell proliferation and induces apoptosis through abrogation of the JAK3-STAT signaling. Moreover, the activity of PRN371 has a more durable inhibition on JAK3 compared to tofacitinib in vitro, leading to significant tumor growth inhibition in a NKTL xenograft model harboring JAK3 activating mutation. These findings provide a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of NKTL.

Why are East Asians more susceptible to several infection-associated cancers (carcinomas of the nasopharynx, stomach, liver, adenocarcinoma of the lung, nasal NK/T-cell lymphomas)?

There are at least five cancers with uniquely high incidence amongst East and Southeast Asian ethnic groups - namely nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); gastric carcinoma; hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); adeno-carcinoma of the lung in female non-smokers and nasal NK/T-cell lymphomas. They all appear to be related to an infective cause (Epstein Barr Virus, Helicobacter pylori, hepatitis B virus). We hypothesize that a genetic bottleneck 30,000years ago at the Last Glacial Maximum could have resulted in unique genetic polymorphisms in Toll-like receptor 8, making East Asians more vulnerable to these infective associated cancers. This bottleneck could have been caused by the presence of malaria in the southern Himalayan conduit between central and East Asia; and only those with an attenuated innate immune response to the malarial parasite (perhaps reflected by the TLR8 polymorphism) were spared the ravages of cerebral malaria; allowing these people to cross into east Asia, but then rendering them susceptible to later endemic infections and their associated cancers.

Internet chemotherapy information: impact on patients and health professionals.

BACKGROUND: Reliable information can improve patients' knowledge of chemotherapy. As internet chemotherapy information (ICI) is increasingly viewed as a valuable patient education tool, we investigated the impact of ICI on patient care and analysed health professionals' (HPs') attitudes towards ICI. METHODS: The following questionnaires were distributed: (1) self-administered questionnaire randomly given to 261 patients receiving chemotherapy (80% returned); and (2) separate questionnaire given to 58 HPs at the same UK Oncology Centre (83% returned). RESULTS: Just over half of the patient respondents accessed the internet regularly. They were younger, with higher incomes and qualifications. Key search topics included chemotherapy modes of action, symptom management and treatment success, and most considered ICI useful. More than half wanted to discuss ICI with HPs but most did not get the opportunity. Although the majority of HP respondents supported the need for patients to retrieve ICI, most questioned the accuracy of ICI and did not routinely recommend its use. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that ICI is generally perceived by patients to be a valuable information resource. Given the potential impact of ICI, the following should be addressed in future studies: (1) inequalities in accessing ICI; (2) maintaining the quality of ICI (with clear guidance on recommended websites); (3) bridging the gap between the perception of ICI by patients and HPs; (4) integration of ICI with traditional consultation models.

Poly(sodium acrylamidoalkanoates) in water treatment.

Poly(sodium 6-acrylamidocaproate), poly(sodium 11-acrylamidoundecanoate), poly(sodium 11-N-methylacrylamidoundecanoate) and poly(sodium 11-N-ethylacrylamidoundecanoate) have been synthesized. The performance of these anionic polyelectrolytes as coagulant aids in water treatment was assessed by the jar test. The effects of polymer dosage and pH on their performances were investigated in order to establish the optimum flocculation conditions. The effectiveness of these polyelectrolytes as well as a commercially available cationic polyamine organic coagulant aid was compared in terms of floc size, settling rate and the quality of treated water. Poly(sodium 6-acrylamidocaproate) and poly(sodium 11-acrylamidoundecanoate) were superior to poly(sodium 11-N-methylacrylamidoundecanoate) and poly(sodium 11-N-ethylacrylamidoundecanoate), and they are as effective as the commercial cationic coagulant aid.