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  • Cochran posted an update 9 months ago

    Chemoprevention with NSAIDs, including aspirin, and anti-platelet therapy (APT), has been suggested to reduce the incidence and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

    To determine by meta-analysis whether NSAIDs and APT use affected HCC incidence, HCC recurrence and liver-related mortality in at-risk populations with chronic liver disease.

    Electronic databases including Pubmed, Scopus, Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library were searched (from inception to 31 May 2021) for eligible studies evaluating the impacts of NSAID or APT use on HCC incidence, recurrence and mortality. Data on HCC incidence, recurrence, liver-related mortality or bleeding complications had to be available. Studies were included if they evaluated adults with hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis that were administered at least one NSAID or APT for a defined period of time and were followed for at least 6months. The primary outcome was HCC incidencedence of HCC and liver-related mortality. HCC recurrence following treatment was lower with NSAID treatment.

    The study supports the use of aspirin in at-risk individuals to reduce the incidence of HCC and liver-related mortality. HCC recurrence following treatment was lower with NSAID treatment.Music listening provides one of the most significant abstract rewards for humans because hearing music activates the dopaminergic mesolimbic system. Given the strong link between reward, dopamine, and memory, we aimed here to investigate the hypothesis that dopamine-dependent musical reward can drive memory improvements. Twenty-nine healthy participants of both sexes provided reward ratings of unfamiliar musical excerpts that had to be remembered following a consolidation period under three separate conditions after the ingestion of a dopaminergic antagonist, a dopaminergic precursor, or a placebo. Linear mixed modeling of the intervention data showed that the effect of reward on memory-i.e., the greater the reward experienced while listening to the musical excerpts, the better the memory recollection performance-was modulated by both dopaminergic signaling and individual differences in reward processing. Greater pleasure was consistently associated with better memory outcomes in participants with high sensitivity to musical reward, but this effect was lost when dopaminergic signaling was disrupted in participants with average or low musical hedonia. Our work highlights the flexibility of the human dopaminergic system, which can enhance memory formation not only through explicit and/or primary reinforcers but also via abstract and aesthetic rewards such as music.Exposure to spray cleaning products constitutes a potential risk for asthma induction. We set out to review whether substances in such products are potential inducers of asthma. We identified 101 spray cleaning products for professional use. Twenty-eight of their chemical substances were selected. We based the selection on (a) positive prediction for respiratory sensitisation in humans based on quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) in the Danish (Q)SAR Database, (b) positive QSAR prediction for severe skin irritation in rabbits and (c) knowledge on the substances’ physico-chemical characteristics and toxicity. EUK 134 Combining the findings in the literature and QSAR predictions, we could group substances into four classes (1) some indication in humans for asthma induction chloramine, benzalkonium chloride; (2) some indication in animals for asthma induction ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), citric acid; (3) equivocal data hypochlorite; (4) few or lacking data nitriloacetic acid, monoethanolamine, 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol, 2-diethylaminoethanol, alkyldimethylamin oxide, 1-aminopropan-2-ol, methylisothiazolinone, benzisothiazolinone and chlormethylisothiazolinone; three specific sulphonates and sulfamic acid, salicylic acid and its analogue sodium benzoate, propane-1,2-diol, glycerol, propylidynetrimethanol, lactic acid, disodium malate, morpholine, bronopol and benzyl alcohol. In conclusion, we identified an asthma induction potential for some of the substances. In addition, we identified major knowledge gaps for most substances. Thus, more data are needed to feed into a strategy of safe-by-design, where substances with potential for induction of asthma are avoided in future (spray) cleaning products. Moreover, we suggest that QSAR predictions can serve to prioritise substances that need further testing in various areas of toxicology.Spermatozoa are vulnerable to oxidative stress because of their inherent reduced antioxidant defence and DNA repair mechanisms. Polyunsaturated fatty acids in sperm plasma membrane break down to cytotoxic lipid aldehyde, 4-Hydroxynonenal, whereas 3-Nitrotyrosine is generated by peroxynitrite induced tyrosine nitration. Both oxidative stress markers contribute to altered sperm function and infertility. Vitamin D, a membrane antioxidant, has a potential scavenger capacity. We compared oxidative stress markers and vitamin D in male subjects with normal and altered sperm parameters and explored association of these markers 4-Hydroxynonenal and 3-Nitrotyrosine with Vitamin D. Higher 4-Hydroxynonenal levels in altered sperm parameter group and a negative correlation with sperm count, motility and morphology (p less then 0.001) was observed. Vitamin D serum concentration in altered sperm parameters was less (p = 0.016) showing a significant positive correlation with sperm count and morphology. 4-Hydroxynonenal was significantly higher in altered sperm parameters showing negative correlation with vitamin D. Highest serum concentrations of 4-Hydroxynonenal were observed in vitamin D-deficient subjects. Significantly higher concentration of 4-Hydroxynonenal was estimated in altered sperm parameters of vitamin D sufficient group (p less then 0.001). This suggests 4-Hydroxynonenal as an oxidative stress marker leading to altered sperm function and infertility with some association with vitamin D; needs to be explored.Major sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) are the most important phenomena of the wintertime boreal stratospheric variability. During SSWs, the polar temperature increases abruptly, and easterlies prevail in the stratosphere. Their effects extend farther from the polar stratosphere, affecting near-surface circulation. According to observations, SSWs are not equally distributed in time, with decades experiencing very few events, while others experiencing SSWs almost every winter. Some sources of this SSW multidecadal variability can be traced back to sea surface temperature changes. Here, we investigate the effects of Pacific decadal variability (PDV) and Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV) on SSWs. We use for the first time a large ensemble of historical experiments to examine the modulation of the frequency, tropospheric precursors, and impact of SSWs by the PDV and AMV. We find a strong impact of the PDV on the occurrence of SSWs, with a higher SSW frequency for the positive phase of the PDV. This PDV influence is mediated by constructive interference of PDV anomalies with tropospheric stationary waves.

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