Association of TP53 Codon 72 Arg>Pro Polymorphism with Breast and Lung Cancer Risk in the South Asian Population: A Meta-Analysis

Background: A transversion missense polymorphism of the TP53 tumor suppressor gene at the codon 72 codes proline instead of arginine causes an altered p53 protein expression and has been found to be associated with an elevated risk of various cancer; especially breast and lung cancer. As the previous case-control studies on the South Asian population have shown controversial results, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate a precise estimation of the relationship between the TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism with breast and lung cancer. Methods: A total of 12 related studies on the South Asian population have been included through comprehensive database searching. Six studies were selected for breast cancer meta-analysis involving 950 cases and 882 controls; the other six studies were for lung cancer meta-analysis including 975 cases and 1397 controls. The results have been determined by using the Review Manager (RevMan) 5.3. Additionally, the stability of our analysis was assessed by heterogeneity, publication bias analysis and sensitivity testing. Results: A significantly increased risk of breast cancer was found in Pro allele (Pro vs. Arg), co-dominant model 2 (Pro/Pro vs. Arg/Arg), dominant model (Pro/Pro + Arg/Pro vs. Arg/Arg). In case of lung cancer, significantly increased risk was found in the allele, co-dominant 1, co-dominant 2, co-dominant 3, dominant, and recessive models. No association with other genetic models with breast and lung cancer risk was found in the South Asian population. Conclusions: Our results indicate that TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism is a risk factor for the development of breast cancer and lung cancer in the South Asian population.     

Impact of Recurrent Floods on the Utilization of Maternal and Newborn Healthcare in Bangladesh

Maternal and Child Health Journal - Floods are one of the most common types of disasters in Bangladesh and lead to direct and indirect impacts on health. The aim of the study was to assess the...     

Sociodemographic determinants of Malaysian household’s use of and expenditure on alcohol: a regional comparison

Abstract

Aims: Alcohol consumption has become a serious public health concern. The objective of the present study is to investigate sociodemographic factors associated with alcohol consumption across regions of Malaysia.

Methods: Data are obtained from the Malaysian Household Expenditure Survey 2014, which contains 10,665 observations. Double-hurdle model is used to examine the consumption decision and amount decision of alcohol among households. Analyses are stratified by regions (Northern, East coast, Central and Southern).

Findings: Results show that age, household size, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education, employment status, location of residence and tobacco consumption are independently associated with alcohol consumption. Households headed by males and well-educated individuals are more likely to consume alcohol and also spend more compared with households headed by females and less-educated individuals. Being employed, non-Bumiputera and tobacco consumption seem to increase the likelihood of consuming alcohol. Household size is negatively associated with the amount spent on alcohol.

Conclusion: In conclusion, sociodemographic factors play an important role in determining alcohol consumption. It appears that factors associated with alcohol consumption vary across regions. Hence, policies that address regional differences in the sociodemographic factors associated with alcohol consumption are needed.     

Evaluation of NMU-Induced Breast Cancer Treated with Sirolimus and Sunitinib on Breast Cancer Growth

Objective: To analyze the effect of sirolimus and sunitinib in blocking the tumor growth and to evaluate the expressions of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2/neu) after treated with sirolimus and sunitinib. Methods: Thirty-two female Sprague Dawley rats at age 21-days old were administered intraperitoneally with N-Methyl-N-Nitroso Urea (NMU), dosed at 70mg/kg body weight. The rats were divided into 4 groups; Group 1 (Control, n=8), Group 2 (Sirolimus, n=8), Group 3 (Sunitinib, n=8) and Group 4 (Sirolimus+Sunitinib, n=8), being treated twice when the tumor reached the size of 14.5±0.5 mm and subsequently sacrificed after 5 days. The protein expressions of ER, PgR and HER2/neu of the tumor tissues were evaluated by using immunohistochemistry analysis. Results: Treatment with sirolimus alone lowered expressions of ER and PgR of breast cancer and reduced tumor size. There was no significant difference of ER and PgR expressions between control and sunitinib treated tumor. Sunitinib treated tumors reduce in diameter after the first treatment, however the diameter increases after the second treatment. Histologically, sunitinib treated tumor did not show any aggressive invasive carcinoma of no special type (NST) histological subtypes. In addition, all NMU-induced tumors are HER2/neu-negative scoring. Conclusion: Sirolimus is neither synergistic nor additive with sunitinib for breast cancer treatment.     

Use,Awareness, Knowledge and Beliefs of Medication During Pregnancy in Malaysia

ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess medication use in pregnant women in Malaysia by measuring use, knowledge, awareness, and beliefs about medications.MethodsThis was an observational, cross-sectional study involving a total of 447 pregnant women who attended the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic, Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL), Malaysia. A validated, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect participant data.ResultsMost of pregnant women had taken medication during pregnancy and more than half of them (52.8%) showed a poor level of knowledge about the medication use during pregnancy. Eighty-three percent had a poor level of awareness and 56.5% had negative beliefs. Age and education level were significantly associated with the level of knowledge regarding medication use during pregnancy. Multiparous pregnant women, and pregnant women from rural areas were observed to have a higher level of awareness compared with those who lived in urban areas. Use of medication during pregnancy was determined to be significantly associated with education level, and race.ConclusionAlthough there was prevalent use of medication among pregnant women, many had negative beliefs, and insufficient knowledge and awareness about the risks of taking medication during pregnancy. Several sociodemographic characteristics were significantly associated with the use (race and education level), level of knowledge (age and education level), awareness (parity and place of residence), and beliefs (race, education level, and occupation status) towards medication use during pregnancy.