Night shift work,chronotype and prostate cancer risk in the MCC‐Spain case‐control study

Night shift work has been classified as a probable human carcinogen based on experimental studies and limited human evidence on breast cancer. Evidence on other common cancers, such as prostate cancer, is scarce. Chronotype is an individual characteristic that may relate to night work adaptation. We evaluated night shift work with relation to prostate cancer, taking into account chronotype and disease severity in a population based case‐control study in Spain. We included 1,095 prostate cancer cases and 1,388 randomly selected population controls. We collected detailed information on shift schedules (permanent vs. rotating, time schedules, duration, frequency), using lifetime occupational history. Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were assessed by face‐to‐face interviews and chronotype through a validated questionnaire. We used unconditional logistic regression analysis adjusting for potential confounders. Subjects who had worked at least for one year in night shift work had a slightly higher prostate cancer risk [Odds Ratio (OR) 1.14; 95%CI 0.94, 1.37] compared with never night workers; this risk increased with longer duration of exposure (≥28 years: OR 1.37; 95%CI 1.05, 1.81; p‐trend = 0.047). Risks were more pronounced for high risk tumors [D'Amico classification, Relative Risk Ratio (RRR) 1.40; 95%CI 1.05, 1.86], particularly among subjects with longer duration of exposure (≥28 years: RRR 1.63; 95%CI 1.08, 2.45; p‐trend = 0.027). Overall risk was higher among subjects with an evening chronotype, but also increased in morning chronotypes after long‐term night work. In this large population based study, we found an association between night shift work and prostate cancer particularly for tumors with worse prognosis.     

Differential effects of respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus on mononuclear cell cytokine responses

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and adenovirus (Advs) serotype 3 (Adv3) and 7h (Adv7h) are associated with mild to severe respiratory infection and are indistinguishable during the acute phases of the illnesses. However, outcome and long-term prognosis are different with both infections. RSV infection is associated with later development of asthma, and Adv, mainly Adv7h, with severe lung damage, bronchiectasis, and hyperlucent lung. We hypothesized that this difference could be partly due to different immune responses induced by these viruses. To test this hypothesis we quantified TCD4+, TCD8+, and BCD19+ expressing the interleukin-2 receptor-alpha chain (CD25) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin (IL)-10, and IL-4 in the supernatant of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from school children infected in vitro with and without RSV, Adv7h, and Adv3 and after phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation in the presence or absence of these viruses at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 1. PBMC from every child produced more IL-10 (p 相似文献   

Disaster triage after the Haitian earthquake

In the aftermath of the devastating Haitian earthquake, we became the primary relief service for a large group of severely injured earthquake victims. Finding ourselves virtually isolated with extremely limited facilities and a group of critically injured patients whose needs vastly outstripped the available resources we employed a disaster triage system to organize their clinical care. This report describes the specific injury profile of this group of patients, their clinical course, and the management philosophy that we employed. It provides useful lessons for similar situations in the future.     

Zinc supplementation impairs monocyte function

Zinc has been shown to be involved in many functions of the immune system. This study was conducted to examine the effect of zinc supplementation on phagocytic, fungicidal and metabolic activity of blood monocytes of marasmic infants during nutritional rehabilitation. A controlled, double-blind design was used in which 19 infants fed a zinc-fortified formula were compared with 20 infants fed the same, unfortified formula. Evaluation of phagocytic-fungicidal capacity, growth, zinc, copper and iron status was performed in both groups on admission and after 60 and 105 days of nutritional rehabilitation. Although energy, copper and iron intakes were similar in the two groups, a decrease in the number of infants able to phagocytose one or more Candida buds was observed after 60 days of zinc supplementation compared to admission (p<0.03). No change in phagocytic ability was detected between admission and 60 days in the control group. The number of infants with depressed fungicidal activity increased significantly after 105 days of nutritional rehabilitation in the zinc-fortified group as compared to controls (p<0.04). The number and duration of impetigo episodes was significantly greater in the group fed the zinc-fortified formula. These results suggest that zinc supplements at the RDA level may impair monocyte function.     

Purification and properties of human cataractous lens glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase has been shown to occur in three different forms in the human adult cataractous lens: a membrane bound form (M) and at least two cytosolic isozymes: I1 and I2. Similar Km's for substrate, cofactor and HAsO4 were established for each form and all three forms, to differing degree, require a reduced sulfhydryl group for maximum activity. A variety of phosphonucleosides (ATP, ADP, AMP and 3' 5' cyclic AMP) as well as NADH inhibit enzyme activity. Inhibition by ATP is non-competitive whereas cyclic AMP and NADH compete for the cofactor binding site. Chloride ion stimulates and inhibits enzyme activity at low and high concentrations respectively.