[Association between cured meat consumption and risk of colorectal cancer in people with different dietary habits and lifestyles]

Sleep quality and mental health of medical workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

The purpose of this study is to assess the sleep quality, mental health status, and associated factors among medical workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted and medical workers in Ningbo, China were recruited. Sleep quality was evaluated by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Mental health status was evaluated by Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90). Logistic regression and generalized multi-factor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) analysis were utilized to explore the risk factors and their interactions on sleep quality and mental health status. 207 participants were surveyed, and 34.30% were found with poor sleep quality (total PSQI score > 10), mainly manifested as sleep disturbance (92.75%). 27.05% were found with mental symptoms (Global severity index > 1.50), mainly manifested as obsessive–compulsive (25.60%). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that male (OR 3.89, 95% CI 1.06–14.24, P = 0.04), working years > 15 years (OR 4.51, 95% CI 1.56–13.00, P = 0.01), nurse (OR 5.64, 95% CI 1.35–23.63, P = 0.02), more night shifts (OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.31–7.34, P = 0.01), and supporting Wuhan (OR 3.41, 95% CI 1.12–10.40, P = 0.03) were associated with poor sleep quality. GMDR analysis showed that there was a two-factor interaction between working years and working shifts (P = 0.01). No significant factors and interactions were found associated with mental symptoms. In conclusions, about one-third of medical workers suffered from sleep and mental problems during the COVID-19 pandemic in the current study. Interventions for sleep and mental problems among medical workers were needed based on related factors.

Behavioral, Nutritional, and Genetic Risk Factors of Colorectal Cancers in Morocco: Protocol for a Multicenter Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has been reported as the third most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide and is currently considered as a major public health concern. A peak increase in incidence has been noted in economically transitioning countries like Morocco where industrialization started shifting from a traditional lifestyle and diet toward a more westernized diet and lifestyle.

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to present the protocol of a large-scale Moroccan case-control study that aims at investigating associations of diet, other lifestyle factors, and genetic traits with CRC risk in Morocco.

METHODS

A case-control study was conducted between 2009 and 2017, including 3032 case-control pairs (1516 cases and 1516 controls) matched on sex, age, and center in 5 major public health hospitals in Morocco. Questionnaires on sociodemographic data, lifestyle, family history of CRC, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were completed by trained investigators during face-to-face interviews. In addition, participants completed a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire, developed to assess food intake in the Moroccan population. Information regarding genetic factors was recorded for cases, and paraffin blocks (with embedded tumor tissues) are available in 3 collaborating hospitals. Conditional logistic regression analysis is planned to assess associations between diet and CRC risk. Binary logistic regression is considered to predict associations between mutations and nutritional risk factors including only CRC case series.

RESULTS

Altogether, 2966 cases-control pairs (1483 cases and 1483 controls) were considered eligible and included in this study. Both cases and controls did not differ significantly with respect to age (P=.36), sex (P=.51), center (P>.99), marital status (P=.30), and NSAID use (P=.08). However, participants in the control group were significantly more likely to have a high income level and live in urban areas and to have a high level of education than cases.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study investigating potential risk factors of CRC such as lifestyle, diet, and genetic factors, originating from a southern Mediterranean country with low but increasing CRC prevalence. Identified risk factors allow the establishment of evidence-based preventive actions regarding nutrition and other lifestyle habits adapted to the Moroccan context. In brief, this study will promote cancer research and prevention in Morocco.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR1-10.2196/13998.

The consumption of chili peppers and the risk of colorectal cancer: a matched case-control study

Background

Chili peppers have properties that plausibly could either increase or decrease a person’s risk of developing colorectal cancer, but their consumption in relation to disease risk has not been well studied. We sought to explore the association between chili peppers intake and the risk of colorectal cancer.

Methods

Eight hundred subjects (400 cases with colorectal cancer and 400 controls) were enrolled in this study. Cases were primarily colorectal cancer patients diagnosed by histopathology at the Department of Intestinal Surgery, Sichuan Cancer Hospital from July 2010 to May 2012. Controls were people receiving routine medical examinations from the Zhonghe Community Health Service Center during the same period of time. An in-person interview was used to collect demographic characteristics, lifestyle, and dietary habits of the subjects in reference to the 10 years prior to disease diagnosis. Conditional logistic regression was conducted to examine the possible association between the risk of colorectal cancer and chili peppers consumption.

Results

Compared with persons who consumed chili peppers ≤ 2 times per week, those who consumed chili peppers 3–7 times per week (OR = 1.2, 95% CI 0.75–2.0, P = 0.413) and > 7 times per week (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 0.84–2.2, P = 0.205) were not at an increased risk of colorectal cancer.

Conclusions

The results suggest that the consumption of chili peppers does not increase or decrease the risk of colorectal cancer. This question warrants being re-addressed in a study in which there is prospective ascertainment of dietary characteristics.

Association between Paraoxonase 1 polymorphisms and risk of esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma: a case-control study involving 2,740 subjects

Esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma (EGJA) is a serious public health problem with high mortality in China. In this study, we assessed the association between Paraoxonase 1 (PON-1) rs662 C>T, rs854560 A>T polymorphisms and EGJA risk. This case-control study enrolled 2,740 participants of Asians origin from the Eastern Chinese Han populations. SNPscanTM genotyping assay was harnessed to determine the genotyping of PON1 polymorphisms. The PON-1 rs854560 A>T and rs662 C>T genotypes distribution accorded with Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. We found that there was no difference in the frequency of PON-1 rs662 C>T, rs854560 A>T genotypes between the overall EGJA cases and controls. In the subgroup analyses, the results indicated that PON-1 rs662 C>T polymorphism might be associated with a significantly decreased risk of EGJA in ever smoking group (TT vs. CC/CT: adjusted OR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.35–0.95, P = 0.029). In conclusion, our study highlights PON-1 rs662 C>T polymorphism may decrease the risk of EGJA, which interacts with the tobacco using. In the future, a fine-mapping case-control study with detailed gene-environmental data is needed to further assess these potential relationship.