Prevalent diabetes and risk of total,colorectal, prostate and breast cancers in an ageing population: meta-analysis of individual participant data from cohorts of the CHANCES consortium

Background We investigated whether associations between prevalent diabetes and cancer risk are pertinent to older adults and whether associations differ across subgroups of age, body weight status or levels of physical activity.Methods We harmonised data from seven prospective cohort studies of older individuals in Europe and the United States participating in the CHANCES consortium. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate the associations of prevalent diabetes with cancer risk (all cancers combined, and for colorectum, prostate and breast). We calculated summary risk estimates across cohorts using pooled analysis and random-effects meta-analysis.Results A total of 667,916 individuals were included with an overall median (P25–P75) age at recruitment of 62.3 (57–67) years. During a median follow-up time of 10.5 years, 114,404 total cancer cases were ascertained. Diabetes was not associated with the risk of all cancers combined (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.94; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.86–1.04; I² = 63.3%). Diabetes was positively associated with colorectal cancer risk in men (HR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.08–1.26; I² = 0%) and a similar HR in women (1.13; 95% CI: 0.82–1.56; I² = 46%), but with a confidence interval including the null. Diabetes was inversely associated with prostate cancer risk (HR = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.77–0.85; I² = 0%), but not with postmenopausal breast cancer (HR = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.89–1.03; I² = 0%). In exploratory subgroup analyses, diabetes was inversely associated with prostate cancer risk only in men with overweight or obesity.Conclusions Prevalent diabetes was positively associated with colorectal cancer risk and inversely associated with prostate cancer risk in older Europeans and Americans.Subject terms: Risk factors, Cancer epidemiology     

Genetic variation associated with chromosomal aberration frequency: A genome-wide association study

Chromosomal aberrations (CAs) in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) measured with the conventional cytogenetic assay have been used for human biomonitoring of genotoxic exposure for decades. CA frequency in peripheral blood is a marker of cancer susceptibility. Previous studies have shown associations between genetic variants in metabolic pathway, DNA repair and major mitotic checkpoint genes and CAs. We conducted a genome-wide association study on 576 individuals from the Czech Republic and Slovakia followed by a replication in two different sample sets of 482 (replication 1) and 1288 (replication 2) samples. To have a broad look at the genetic susceptibility associated with CA frequency, the sample sets composed of individuals either differentially exposed to smoking, occupational/environmental hazards, or they were untreated cancer patients. Phenotypes were divided into chromosome- and chromatid-type aberrations (CSAs and CTAs, respectively) and total chromosomal aberrations (CAtot). The arbitrary cutoff point between individuals with high and low CA frequency was 2% for CAtot and 1% for CSA and CTA. The data were analyzed using age, sex, occupation/cancer and smoking history as covariates. Altogether 11 loci reached the P-value of 10⁻⁵ in the GWAS. Replication 1 supported the association of rs1383997 (8q13.3) and rs2824215 (21q21.1) in CAtot and rs983889 (5p15.1) in CTA analysis. These loci were found to be associated with genes involved in mitosis, response to environmental and chemical factors and genes involved in syndromes linked to chromosomal abnormalities. Identification of new genetic variants for the frequency of CAs offers prediction tools for cancer risk in future. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 60:17–28, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Junges Forum der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Thorax-, Herz- und Gefäßchirurgie e. V.

The Young Forum of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (GSTCVS) was founded during the 41st annual meeting of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery in Freiburg in 2012. The idea was to establish a stronger representation of the needs and problems of young colleagues within the GSTCVS and to improve the communication between residents, students and representatives of the GSTCVS. The aims are to improve residency programs in Germany in general and in particular, to improve the clinical and scientific exchange of residents in Germany, Europe and foreign countries. Attempts will also be made to find solutions that could lead to a better work-life balance in cardiothoracic surgery and therefore make this field more attractive for young physicians.     

Oscillatory vagal maneuvers produce ventricular entrainment in patients with atrial fibrillation

Background  

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained dysrhythmia and appears to be an independent predictor of sudden cardiac death. The irregular ventricular rhythm contains both linear and non-linear patterns; however, it remains unclear whether vagally mediated effects are present within these patterns.     

Non-systemic fungal endophytes in Festuca rubra plants infected by Epichloë festucae in subarctic habitats

Epichloë festucae is an endophytic fungus that infects systemically the aerial tissues of the host grass Festuca rubra. This fungus is transmitted vertically from the mother plant to seeds. Hypothetically, the presence of E. festucae could affect the infection of a plant by other fungal species. This could occur if E. festucae metabolites produced in planta interfere negatively with other fungal infections; or alternatively, if the modulation of plant defenses by the endophyte favour further fungal infections. We have analyzed the presence of culturable non-systemic endophytes in plants of F. rubra infected (E+) and not infected (E?) by E. festucae in two subarctic habitats, meadows and riverbanks in Northern Finland. The observed non-systemic endophyte infection frequencies were similar among E+ and E? plants from riverbanks, and E+ plants from meadows. In contrast to these, the infection frequency was significantly lower in E? plants from meadows. This result suggests that the presence of E. festucae is not a main factor determining the presence of non-systemic endophytes in plants. Instead, plant genetic characteristics related to compatibility with E. festucae and other endophytes in the more stable meadow populations might play a role in these fungus–fungus–plant interactions. As a result of the survey, 18 different taxa of non-systemic endophytes were identified in plants of F. rubra. All were ascomycetes except for one basidiomycete. Three endophytic taxa could not be ascribed to a genus, but sequence data indicated that they were conspecific with other unidentified endophytes that have been isolated in cold biomes at different locations.     

Complications attributable to rotavirus-induced diarrhoea in a Swedish paediatric population: report from an 11-year surveillance

The aim of this retrospective observational study was to evaluate age, length of hospital stay and development of complications in children hospitalized with community- or nosocomially- acquired rotavirus gastroenteritis (RV GE). In total, medical records of 984 children with RV GE were analysed retrospectively. The median age was 13.8 months (3 weeks to 99 months) in children with community acquired RV GE (n=723) and 9.0 months (range 3 weeks to 82 months) in children with nosocomially acquired RV GE (n=261). During this 11-y surveillance, only 2 children were admitted twice for a RV GE, suggesting development of subsequent protective immunity against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis after the first episode. Complications occurred in 16.5% of the children with community acquired RV GE and only in 1.9% of the nosocomially acquired RV GE. Identified complications in children with community acquired RV GE were: severe dehydration resulting in intensive care (1.7%), death (0.1%), hypertonic dehydration (9.1%), seizures (4.0%) and encephalitis with abnormal EEG (1.7%). The median age of children in need of intensive care was 9.1 months and in those developing hypertonic dehydration 10.8 months, both significantly lower than in children with no complications (p<0.05). Interestingly, the age of children developing seizures and signs of encephalitis was significantly higher than in children with no complications (p<0.01).