Patterns in metabolite profile are associated with risk of more aggressive prostate cancer: A prospective study of 3,057 matched case–control sets from EPIC

Metabolomics may reveal novel insights into the etiology of prostate cancer, for which few risk factors are established. We investigated the association between patterns in baseline plasma metabolite profile and subsequent prostate cancer risk, using data from 3,057 matched case–control sets from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). We measured 119 metabolite concentrations in plasma samples, collected on average 9.4 years before diagnosis, by mass spectrometry (AbsoluteIDQ p180 Kit, Biocrates Life Sciences AG). Metabolite patterns were identified using treelet transform, a statistical method for identification of groups of correlated metabolites. Associations of metabolite patterns with prostate cancer risk (OR_1SD) were estimated by conditional logistic regression. Supplementary analyses were conducted for metabolite patterns derived using principal component analysis and for individual metabolites. Men with metabolite profiles characterized by higher concentrations of either phosphatidylcholines or hydroxysphingomyelins (OR_1SD = 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.66–0.89), acylcarnitines C18:1 and C18:2, glutamate, ornithine and taurine (OR_1SD = 0.72, 0.57–0.90), or lysophosphatidylcholines (OR_1SD = 0.81, 0.69–0.95) had lower risk of advanced stage prostate cancer at diagnosis, with no evidence of heterogeneity by follow-up time. Similar associations were observed for the two former patterns with aggressive disease risk (the more aggressive subset of advanced stage), while the latter pattern was inversely related to risk of prostate cancer death (OR_1SD = 0.77, 0.61–0.96). No associations were observed for prostate cancer overall or less aggressive tumor subtypes. In conclusion, metabolite patterns may be related to lower risk of more aggressive prostate tumors and prostate cancer death, and might be relevant to etiology of advanced stage prostate cancer.     

MDMX acts as a pervasive preleukemic-to-acute myeloid leukemia transition mechanism

1. Download : Download high-res image (233KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL): differential patterns depending on age

Quality of Life Research - The aims of this study were: (1) to analyze age differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between the young old (aged 65–84) and the oldest old (aged 85...     

Innovative Polymers for Next‐Generation Batteries

Lithium‐ion batteries are part of modern life, being present in daily‐used objects such as mobile phones, tablets, computers, watches, sport accessories, electric scooters, and cars. The next‐generation batteries require the development of innovative polymers that help to improve their performance in terms of power density, cyclability, raw materials' availability, low weight, printability, flexibility, sustainability, or security. This article highlights recent developments in the area of redox‐active, electronic/ionic conducting polymers. This includes the development of innovative binders for electrodes, polymer electrolytes, and redox polymers. All these new polymer developments are leading to new battery technologies such as metal–polymer batteries, organic batteries, polymer–air, and redox–flow batteries, which are expected to complement the current lithium‐ion technologies in the future.     

Diferencias epidemiológicas podrían explicar la mayor mortalidad infantil de Chile comparada con Cuba

IntroductionCuba has the lowest infant mortality rate in Latin America, while Chile has an infant mortality rate above the average of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.ObjectiveTo compare the epidemiology of infant mortality between Chile and Cuba in order to find characteristics that may explain the differences found.MethodComparative analysis between Chile and Cuba of infant mortality rate, causes of mortality, live birth weight, and maternal age, in 2015.ResultsCuba had a lower infant, neonatal, early and late mortality than Chile, with no differences in post-neonatal mortality. Chile had a higher infant mortality due to, alterations of the nervous system, urinary system, chromosomal alterations, respiratory distress syndrome, and disorders related to the short duration of gestation. Chile had a higher frequency of mothers ≥ 35 years old and live births weighing <2,500 g. The possible effects of health inequities could not be analyzed due to lack of data.ConclusionsIt is possible to attribute the lower infant mortality rate in Cuba to: selective abortion due to congenital malformations and chromosomal anomalies, lower epidemiological risk of the Cuban pregnant population, and lower frequency of live births with low birth weight.