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Background: In asthma, obesity status is associated with poor control and high exacerbation rates. The primary objective was to determine the effect of bariatric surgery (BS) on asthma control and exacerbations., Methods: Retrospective study with a 3-year cohort of obese patients before and after BS: a baseline period (P0) covering the 12 months before BS and P1 and P2 periods covering the first and second years after BS, respectively. Asthma control was assessed from the use of relievers, and severe exacerbation rates, i.e. use of oral corticosteroids and asthma-related hospitalizations (ARHs). P1 and P2 measures were compared with those of P0. Patients were matched with non-obese patients and compared over P0 using a generalized linear mixed model with random effects., Results: 2601 asthma patients undergoing BS were included. Of these, 2556 patients were matched with 2556 nonobese asthma patients. After BS, the risk of poor control decreased [OR = 0.26 (95 % CI: 0.21-0.32)] together with the mean exacerbation rate, with IRRs of 0.54 (95 % CI: 0.51-0.58) and 0.60 (95 % CI: 0.56-0.64) for P1 and P2, respectively, compared with P0. The incidence risk ratios (IRRs) were of 1.19 (95 % CI: 1.04-1.35) and 1.28 (95 % CI: 1.20-1.37) for poor control and severe exacerbation rates, respectively, in obese vs. nonobese asthma patients., Conclusion: In patients with asthma, obesity is a major risk factor for poor control and increased exacerbation rates, with both outcomes highly reversible for at least two years following BS., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Nothing to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although the genetic and hormonal risk factors of breast cancer are well identified, they cannot fully explain the occurrence of all cases. Epidemiological and experimental studies have suggested that exposure to environmental pollutants, especially those with potential estrogenic properties, as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) may have a role in breast cancer development. Being the most abundantly detected in human tissues and in the environment, congener 153 (PCB153) is widely used in epidemiological studies as indicator for total PCBs exposure., Objectives: We aimed to estimate the association between cumulative atmospheric exposure to PCB153 and breast cancer risk., Methods: We conducted a case-control study of 5222 cases and 5222 matched controls nested within the French E3N cohort from 1990 to 2011. Annual atmospheric PCB153 concentrations were simulated with the deterministic chemistry-transport model (CHIMERE) and were assigned to women using their geocoded residential history. Their cumulative PCB153 exposure was calculated for each woman from their cohort inclusion to their index date. Breast cancer odds ratios (ORs) associated with cumulative PCB153 exposure and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated using multivariate conditional logistic regression models., Results: Overall, our results showed a statistically significant linear increase in breast cancer risk related to cumulative atmospheric exposure to PCB153 as a continuous variable (adjusted OR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.08-1.31, for an increment of one standard deviation among controls (55 pg/m 3 )). Among women who became postmenopausal during follow-up, the association remained statistically significant (adjusted OR = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.09-1.39). In analyses by hormone receptors status, the positive association remained significant only for ER-positive breast cancer (adjusted OR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.05-1.33)., Discussion: This study is the first to have estimated the impact of atmospheric exposure to PCB153 on breast cancer risk. Our results showed a statistically significant increase in breast cancer risk, which may be limited to ER-positive breast cancer. These results warrant confirmation in further independent studies but raise the possibility that exposure to PCB153 increase breast cancer risk., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)