Is Following a Cancer-Protective Lifestyle Linked to Reduced Cancer Mortality Risk?

Spatio-Temporal Distribution Characteristics of Syphilis: on the Scale of Towns (Streets) in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, China

Objectives

To investigate the spatio-temporal distribution characteristics and changing trends of syphilis in Nantong city.

Methods

Joinpoint regression model, spatial autocorrelation and SaTScan spatio-temporal scanning were used to analyze the trend of syphilis reported incidence and spatio-temporal distribution characteristics in Nantong City.

Results

From 2013 to 2022, the reported incidence of syphilis in Nantong City increased at an average annual rate of 6.60%, of which the increase rate of latent syphilis was 13.45%. The high-high clustering areas were mainly distributed in 15 streets of Chongchuan District and all streets of Nantong Development Zone. SaTScan spatio-temporal scanning detected a total of two clustering areas, all from 2021 to 2022. The first cluster includes 24 streets with a radius of 16.27 km, and the second cluster includes 18 streets within a radius of 34.90 km.

Conclusion

The reported incidence of syphilis in Nantong City showed an increasing trend, mainly manifested as an increase in latent syphilis, and the reported incidence of syphilis in various towns (streets) showed obvious spatial clustering, and attention should be paid to key areas and targeted interventions should be formulated.

The future backbone of nutritional science: integrating public health priorities with system-oriented precision nutrition

Adopting policies that promote health for the entire biosphere (One Health) requires human societies to transition towards a more sustainable food supply as well as to deepen the understanding of the metabolic and health effects of evolving food habits. At the same time, life sciences are experiencing rapid and groundbreaking technological developments, in particular in laboratory analytics and biocomputing, placing nutrition research in an unprecedented position to produce knowledge that can be translated into practice in line with One Health policies. In this dynamic context, nutrition research needs to be strategically organised to respond to these societal expectations. One key element of this strategy is to integrate precision nutrition into epidemiological research. This position article therefore reviews the recent developments in nutrition research and proposes how they could be integrated into cohort studies, with a focus on the Swiss research landscape specifically.

Compliance with the WCRF/AICR Recommendations in Qualitative Adaptation and the Occurrence of Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study

PURPOSE

The aim of the study was twofold: (1) the qualitative adaptation of the 2018 WCRF/AICR (QAd-WCRF/AICR) score, and (2) the assessment of the association between the level of compliance with the WCRF/AICR recommendations and the occurrence of breast cancer in peri- and postmenopausal women.

METHODS

This case-control study involved 420 women, aged 40-79 years, from northeastern Poland, including 190 newly diagnosed breast cancer cases. Data related to the WCRF/AICR recommendations were collected in face-to-face interviews with 409 women, including 179 women with breast cancer. The frequency of food consumption data were collected using the FFQ-6® and KomPAN® questionnaires. Body weight, height, and waist circumference were measured. The QAd-WCRF/AICR score (range: 0-8 points) was calculated on the basis of eight components, including two components from to the WCRF/AICR recommendations: (1) body mass index (BMI), and (2) waist circumference, with six components expressed qualitatively: (3) overall physical activity, as well as the frequency of the consumption of (4) vegetables/fruits/whole grains/nuts/seeds/legumes, (5) highly processed foods, including fast foods/sweets/instant soups, (6) red/processed meat, (7) sweetened/energy drinks, and (8) alcohol. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the occurrence of breast cancer.

RESULTS

The moderate (4-5 points) and maximal (6-8 points) compliance with the qualitative adaptation of the WRCF/AICR recommendations reduced the odds of breast cancer by 54% and 72%, respectively, compared to the results noted for minimal compliance (≤3 points). Lower odds of breast cancer were associated with moderate or high physical activity, consumption of a minimum of four serving per day of vegetables/fruits/whole grains/nuts/seeds/legumes, and limiting the consumption of highly processed food/fast foods and red/processed meat to a maximum of 1-3 times/month. Higher odds of breast cancer were associated with a higher waist circumference and alcohol abstinence.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings may prove useful in establishing cancer prevention recommendations based on simple suggestions regarding the frequency of food consumption.