Blood pressure and risk of cancer incidence and mortality in the Metabolic Syndrome and Cancer Project

Observational studies have shown inconsistent results for the association between blood pressure and cancer risk. We investigated the association in 7 cohorts from Norway, Austria, and Sweden. In total, 577799 adults with a mean age of 44 years were followed for, on average, 12 years. Incident cancers were 22184 in men and 14744 in women, and cancer deaths were 8724 and 4525, respectively. Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios of cancer per 10-mmHg increments of midblood pressure, which corresponded with 0.7 SDs and, for example, an increment of systolic/diastolic blood pressure of 130/80 to 142/88 mmHg. All of the models used age as the time scale and were adjusted for possible confounders, including body mass index and smoking status. In men, midblood pressure was positively related to total incident cancer (hazard ratio per 10 mmHg increment: 1.07 [95% CI: 1.04-1.09]) and to cancer of the oropharynx, colon, rectum, lung, bladder, kidney, malignant melanoma, and nonmelanoma skin cancer. In women, midblood pressure was not related to total incident cancer but was positively related to cancer of the liver, pancreas, cervix, uterine corpus, and malignant melanoma. A positive association was also found for cancer mortality, with HRs per 10-mmHg increment of 1.12 (95% CI: 1.08-1.15) for men and 1.06 (95% CI: 1.02-1.11) for women. These results suggest a small increased cancer risk overall in men with elevated blood pressure level and a higher risk for cancer death in men and women.     

Exploiting PI3K/mTOR signaling to accelerate epithelial wound healing

The molecular circuitries controlling the process of skin wound healing have gained new significant insights in recent years. This knowledge is built on landmark studies on skin embryogenesis, maturation, and differentiation. Furthermore, the identification, characterization, and elucidation of the biological roles of adult skin epithelial stem cells and their influence in tissue homeostasis have provided the foundation for the overall understanding of the process of skin wound healing and tissue repair. Among numerous signaling pathways associated with epithelial functions, the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling route has gained substantial attention with the generation of animal models capable of dissecting individual components of the pathway, thereby providing a novel insight into the molecular framework underlying skin homeostasis and tissue regeneration. In this review, we focus on recent findings regarding the mechanisms involved in wound healing associated with the upregulation of the activity of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR circuitry. This review highlights critical findings on the molecular mechanisms controlling the activation of mTOR, a downstream component of the PI3K–PTEN pathway, which is directly involved in epithelial migration and proliferation. We discuss how this emerging information can be exploited for the development of novel pharmacological intervention strategies to accelerate the healing of critical size wounds.     

Protective effects of Mentha piperita Linn on benzo[a]pyrene-induced lung carcinogenicity and mutagenicity in Swiss albino mice

The Editor-in-Chief has retracted the published paper "ProtectiveEffects of     

Generation of normal human red cell volume, hemoglobin content, and membrane area distributions by "birth" or regulation?

Using flow cytometry and osmotic lysis measurements, we document here the means and coefficients of variation of the following red cell (RBC) properties: hemoglobin (Hb) content, volume, Hb concentration, and relative lytic tonicity distributions in populations of normal human RBCs, before and after density fractionation. The distributions showed a pattern characterized by much larger coefficients of variation of the Hb content and volume distributions than of the Hb concentration and relative lytic tonicity distributions. From analysis of the factors that determine those RBC properties, the patterns were interpreted as reflecting previously unrecognized statistical proportionalities between cell osmolyte content, Hb content, and membrane area. The possible origin of these statistical links was analyzed by considering alternative models with and without the participation of regulatory processes during cell maturation. A model was shown to be feasible in which mature RBC variability with proportional volume, area, and Hb content arises solely from cell size variability at the last erythroid cell division.