1. Why do men face a higher risk of most types of cancer than women?Rates of most types of cancer are higher in men than in women for reasons that are still unclear. Results from a recent study published in CANCER journal suggest that the cause may be underlying biological sex differences rather than behavioral differences related to smoking, alcohol use, diet,...
To investigate further, the researchers assessed differences in cancer risk among 171,274 male and 122,826 female adults aged 50–71 years. Incidence was lower in men than women only for thyroid and gallbladder cancers, and risks were higher in men than women at other anatomic sites. The greatest increased risks in men were seen for esophageal cancer, larynx, gastric cardia, and bladder cancer.
Reference:
"Sex disparities in the incidence of 21 cancer types: quantification of the contribution of risk factors." Sarah S. Jackson, Morgan A. Marks, Hormuzd A. Katki, Michael B. Cook, Noorie Hyun, Neal D. Freedman, Lisa L. Kahle, Philip E. Castle, Barry I. Graubard, and Anil K. Chaturvedi. CANCER; Published Online: August 8, 2022 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.34390).
2. Artificial intelligence tools to speed critical information on drug overdose deaths
According to a new UCLA research, an automated process based on computer algorithms that can read text from medical examiners' death certificates can substantially speed up data collection of overdose deaths – which in turn can ensure a more rapid public health response time than the system currently used.
The analysis published in the JAMA Network Open, used tools from artificial intelligence to rapidly identify substances that caused overdose deaths.
As it now stands, overdose data recording involves several steps, beginning with medical examiners and coroners, who determine a cause of death and record suspected drug overdoses on death certificates, including the drugs that caused the death. The certificates are then sent to local jurisdictions or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which code them. This coding process is time consuming as it may be done manually. As a result, there is a substantial lag time between the date of death and the reporting of those deaths, which slows the release of surveillance data. This in turn slows the public health response.
Reference:
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.25593
3. Aldosterone increases risk of chronic kidney disease progression
A steroid hormone called aldosterone is linked to an increased risk of kidney failure in patients with chronic kidney disease. This is in accordance to a study published in the European Heart Journal.
The findings are important because they suggest that aldosterone plays a role in the progression not only of CKD but also heart and blood vessel problems, and that an existing drug that targets the action of aldosterone may help to prevent CKD getting worse.
investigated the associations between aldosterone concentrations in the blood and kidney disease progression among 3680 participants in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort study. They focused on CKD progression, which was defined as a 50% decline in the ability of the kidneys to filter blood through the glomerular blood vessels. They followed the patients for an average of nearly ten years. During this time CKD progression occurred in 38% of the participants
Reference:
Ashish Verma et al. Aldosterone in chronic kidney disease and renal outcomes, European Heart Journal. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehac352.
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