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This study aimed to assess attitudes and potential barriers towards treatment in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, comparing those with and without HIV coinfection. A cross-sectional survey of 82 HCV-infected adults with and without HIV was conducted in greater Los Angeles between November 2013 and July 2015. Overall, there were 53 (64.6%) with HIV coinfection, 20 (25.0%) with self-reported cirrhosis, and 22 (26.8%) with a history of prior HCV treatment. Of all, 93.2% wanted HCV treatment, but 45.9% were unwilling/unable to spend anything out of pocket, 29.4% were waiting for new therapies, and 23.5% were recommended to defer HCV treatment. HIV/HCV-coinfected patients were more likely to want treatment within one year (90.2% versus 68.2%, p = 0.02), more willing to join a clinical trial (74.5% versus 8.0%, p < 0.01), more willing to take medications twice daily (86.3% versus 61.5%, p = 0.01), and more likely to prefer hepatitis C treatment by an infectious diseases/HIV physician (36.7% versus 4.0%, p < 0.01). Of all, 77.1% of coinfected patients were willing to change antiretroviral therapy if necessary to treat HCV, but only 48.0% of patients were willing to take a medication if it had not been studied in HIV-positive patients. Treatment preferences differ between HIV/HCV-coinfected and HCV-monoinfected patients. Despite a strong willingness among the study cohort to start HCV treatment, other factors such as cost, access to medications, and provider reluctance may be delaying treatment initiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Consumption of a high-fat diet has been demonstrated to promote endothelial dysfunction, possibly through an increase in lipid peroxidation and decrease in serum nitric oxide. The present study was designed to investigate whether consumption of a hamburger cooked with a polyphenol-rich spice mixture will reduce postprandial lipid oxidation and endothelial dysfunction in men with Type 2 diabetes. Methods Twenty-two subjects consumed burgers cooked with salt only (control burger) or with salt and spice mix (spice burger) in randomized order. The postprandial concentration of urinary malondialdehyde and nitrate/nitrite as well as the peripheral arterial tonometry score were determined. Results Eighteen subjects completed the study. Postprandial serum glucose, insulin and triglyceride concentrations were similar in all subjects after control burger or spice burger consumption. Urine malondialdehyde excretion in mmol/g creatinine was reduced by 31% ( P < 0.001) after consuming the spice burger compared with the control burger. Two hours after consumption of the burgers, the peripheral arterial tonometry score was significantly different between control burger consumption (−9.7 ± 21.5%) and spice burger consumption (+18.0 ± 42.4%) ( P = 0.025). Mean urinary nitrate/nitrite concentrations in urine collected during the 6 h after consumption of the control burger was 9.09 ± 5.7 mmol/g creatinine, but 12.37 ± 7.00 mmol/g creatinine after the spice burger ( P = 0.053). Conclusion Adding a spice mix to hamburger meat prior to cooking resulted in a reduction in urinary malondialdehyde, an increase in urinary nitrate/nitrite and improvement of postprandial endothelial dysfunction in men with Type 2 diabetes. Therefore, cooking a hamburger with a polyphenol-rich spice mixture may lead to potential cardiovascular benefits in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Although the contribution of air pollution to lung cancer risk is well characterized, few studies have been conducted in racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse populations. Objectives: To examine the association between traffic-related air pollution and risk of lung cancer in a racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse cohort. Methods: Among 97,288 California participants of the Multiethnic Cohort Study, we used Cox proportional hazards regression to examine associations between time-varying traffic-related air pollutants (gaseous and particulate matter pollutants and regional benzene) and lung cancer risk ( n  = 2,796 cases; average follow-up = 17 yr), adjusting for demographics, lifetime smoking, occupation, neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES), and lifestyle factors. Subgroup analyses were conducted for race, ethnicity, nSES, and other factors. Measurements and Main Results: Among all participants, lung cancer risk was positively associated with nitrogen oxide (hazard ratio [HR], 1.15 per 50 ppb; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99-1.33), nitrogen dioxide (HR, 1.12 per 20 ppb; 95% CI, 0.95-1.32), fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm (HR, 1.20 per 10 μg/m 3 ; 95% CI, 1.01-1.43), carbon monoxide (HR, 1.29 per 1,000 ppb; 95% CI, 0.99-1.67), and regional benzene (HR, 1.17 per 1 ppb; 95% CI, 1.02-1.34) exposures. These patterns of associations were driven by associations among African American and Latino American groups. There was no formal evidence for heterogeneity of effects by nSES ( P heterogeneity > 0.21), although participants residing in low-SES neighborhoods had increased lung cancer risk associated with nitrogen oxides, and no association was observed among those in high-SES neighborhoods. Conclusions: These findings in a large multiethnic population reflect an association between lung cancer and the mixture of traffic-related air pollution and not a particular individual pollutant. They are consistent with the adverse effects of air pollution that have been described in less racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse populations. Our results also suggest an increased risk of lung cancer among those residing in low-SES neighborhoods.

Background: Within the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC), we examined the association between air pollution and mortality among African American, European American, Japanese American, and Latina American women diagnosed with breast cancer., Methods: We used a land use regression (LUR) model and kriging interpolation to estimate nitrogen oxides (NO x , NO 2 ) and particulate matter (PM 2.5 , PM 10 ) exposures for 3,089 breast cancer cases in the MEC, who were diagnosed from 1993 through 2013 and resided largely in Los Angeles County, California. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the association of time-varying air pollutants with all-cause, breast cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and non-breast cancer/non-CVD mortality, accounting for key covariates., Results: We identified 1,125 deaths from all causes (474 breast cancer, 272 CVD, 379 non-breast cancer/non-CVD deaths) among the 3,089 breast cancer cases with 8.1 years of average follow-up. LUR and kriged NO X (per 50 ppb) and NO 2 (per 20 ppb), PM 2.5 (per 10 µg/m 3 ), and PM 10 (per 10 µg/m 3 ) were positively associated with risks of all-cause (Hazard Ratio (HR) range = 1.13-1.25), breast cancer (HR range = 1.19-1.45), and CVD mortality (HR range = 1.37-1.60). Associations were statistically significant for LUR NO X and CVD mortality (HR = 1.60; 95% CI: 1.08-2.37) and kriged NO 2 and breast cancer mortality (HR = 1.45; 95% CI 1.02-2.07). Gaseous and PM pollutants were positively associated with breast cancer mortality across racial/ethnic group., Conclusion: In this study, air pollutants have a harmful impact on breast cancer survival. Additional studies should evaluate potential confounding by socioeconomic factors. These data support maintaining clean air laws to improve survival for women with breast cancer., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Previous studies using different exposure methods to assess air pollution and breast cancer risk among primarily whites have been inconclusive. Air pollutant exposures of particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen were estimated by kriging (NO x , NO 2 , PM 10 , PM 2.5 ), land use regression (LUR, NO x , NO 2 ) and California Line Source Dispersion model (CALINE4, NO x , PM 2.5 ) for 57,589 females from the Multiethnic Cohort, residing largely in Los Angeles County from recruitment (1993-1996) through 2010. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the associations between time-varying air pollution and breast cancer incidence adjusting for confounding factors. Stratified analyses were conducted by race/ethnicity and distance to major roads. Among all women, breast cancer risk was positively but not significantly associated with NO x (per 50 parts per billion [ppb]) and NO 2 (per 20 ppb) determined by kriging and LUR and with PM 2.5 and PM 10 (per 10 μg/m 3 ) determined by kriging. However, among women who lived within 500 m of major roads, significantly increased risks were observed with NO x (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.35, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.02-1.79), NO 2 (HR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.04-1.99), PM 10 (HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.07-1.55) and PM 2.5 (HR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.15-2.99) determined by kriging and NO x (HR = 1.21, 95% CI:1.01-1.45) and NO 2 (HR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.00-1.59) determined by LUR. No overall associations were observed with exposures assessed by CALINE4. Subgroup analyses suggested stronger associations of NO x and NO 2 among African Americans and Japanese Americans. Further studies of multiethnic populations to confirm the effects of air pollution, particularly near-roadway exposures, on the risk of breast cancer is warranted., (© 2019 UICC.)

There are little epidemiological data on the impact of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and endocrine disruptors on mammographic density (MD), a strong predictor of breast cancer. We assessed MD in 116 non-Hispanic white post-menopausal women for whom serum concentrations of 23 commonly detected chemicals including 3 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 8 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), and 12 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) had been measured. Linear regression analyses adjusting for potential confounders were used to examine the associations between the levels of the chemical compounds, modeled as continuous and dichotomized (above/below median) variables, and square-root-transformed MD. None of the associations were statistically significant after correcting for multiple testing. Prior to correction for multiple testing, all chemicals with un-corrected p- values < 0.05 had regression coefficients less than zero, suggesting inverse associations between increased levels and MD, if any. The smallest p- value was observed for PCB-153 (regression coefficient for above-median vs. below-median levels: -0.87, un-corrected p = 0.008). Neither parity nor body mass index modified the associations. Our results do not support an association between higher MD and serum levels of PBDEs, PCBs, or PFASs commonly detected in postmenopausal women., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.