Summary Background High body-mass index (BMI; defined as 25 kg/m 2 or greater) is associated with increased risk of cancer. To inform public health policy and future research, we estimated the global burden of cancer attributable to high BMI in 2012. Methods In this population-based study, we derived population attributable fractions (PAFs) using relative risks and BMI estimates in adults by age, sex, and country. Assuming a 10-year lag-period between high BMI and cancer occurrence, we calculated PAFs using BMI estimates from 2002 and used GLOBOCAN2012 data to estimate numbers of new cancer cases attributable to high BMI. We also calculated the proportion of cancers that were potentially avoidable had populations maintained their mean BMIs recorded in 1982. We did secondary analyses to test the model and to estimate the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use and smoking. Findings Worldwide, we estimate that 481 000 or 3·6% of all new cancer cases in adults (aged 30 years and older after the 10-year lag period) in 2012 were attributable to high BMI. PAFs were greater in women than in men (5·4% vs 1·9%). The burden of attributable cases was higher in countries with very high and high human development indices (HDIs; PAF 5·3% and 4·8%, respectively) than in those with moderate (1·6%) and low HDIs (1·0%). Corpus uteri, postmenopausal breast, and colon cancers accounted for 63·6% of cancers attributable to high BMI. A quarter (about 118 000) of the cancer cases related to high BMI in 2012 could be attributed to the increase in BMI since 1982. Interpretation These findings emphasise the need for a global effort to abate the increasing numbers of people with high BMI. Assuming that the association between high BMI and cancer is causal, the continuation of current patterns of population weight gain will lead to continuing increases in the future burden of cancer. Funding World Cancer Research Fund International, European Commission (Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship), Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, and US National Institutes of Health.

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanonc/PIIS1470-2045(14)71123-4.pdf

Global burden of cancer attributable to high body-mass index in 2012: a population-based study

The incidence and/or prevalence of health problems associated with endocrine-disruption have increased. Many chemicals have endocrine-disrupting properties, including bisphenol A, some organochlorines, polybrominated flame retardants, perfluorinated substances, alkylphenols, phthalates, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, alkylphenols, solvents, and some household products including some cleaning products, air fresheners, hair dyes, cosmetics, and sunscreens. Even some metals were shown to have endocrine-disrupting properties. Many observations suggesting that endocrine disruptors do contribute to cancer, diabetes, obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and infertility are listed in this paper. An overview is presented of mechanisms contributing to endocrine disruption. Endocrine disruptors can act through classical nuclear receptors, but also through estrogen-related receptors, membrane-bound estrogen-receptors, and interaction with targets in the cytosol resulting in activation of the Src/Ras/Erk pathway or modulation of nitric oxide. In addition, changes in metabolism of endogenous hormones, cross-talk between genomic and nongenomic pathways, cross talk with estrogen receptors after binding on other receptors, interference with feedback regulation and neuroendocrine cells, changes in DNA methylation or histone modifications, and genomic instability by interference with the spindle figure can play a role. Also it was found that effects of receptor activation can differ in function of the ligand.

/pdf/endocrine-disrupting-chemicals-associated-disorders-and-1vjjsaavh0.pdf

Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Associated Disorders and Mechanisms of Action

The Asia-Pacific region is home to nearly half of the world’s population. The region has seen a recent rapid increase in the prevalence of obesity, type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The present systematic review summarizes the recent prevalence and trends of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) among adults in countries of the Asia-Pacific Region. Data on MetS in Asia-Pacific countries were obtained using a stepwise process by searching the online Medline database using MeSH terms ‘Metabolic Syndrome X’ and ‘Epidemiology/EP’. For the purpose of describing prevalence data for the individual countries, studies that were most recent, nationally representative or with the largest sample size were included. When evaluating secular trends in prevalence in a country we only considered studies that evaluated the temporal change in prevalence between similar populations, prospective studies based on the same population or National surveys conducted during different time periods. This literature search yielded a total of 757 articles, and five additional article were identified by screening of reference lists. From this total, 18 studies were eligible to be included in the final analysis. Of the 51 Asia-Pacific countries (WHO) we only located data for 15. There was wide between country variation in prevalence of MetS. A national survey from Philippines conducted in 2003 revealed the lowest reported prevalence of 11.9% according to NCEP ATP III criteria. In contrast, the highest recorded prevalence in the region (49.0%) came from a study conducted in urban Pakistan (Karachchi, 2004). Most studies reported a higher prevalence of MetS in females and urban residents. Data on secular trends were available for China, South Korea and Taiwan. An increase in the prevalence of MetS was observed in all three countries. Despite differences in methodology, diagnostic criteria and age of subjects studied, the Asia-Pacific region is facing a significant epidemic of MetS. In most countries nearly 1/5th of the adult population or more were affected by MetS with a secular increase in prevalence. Strategies aimed at primary prevention are required to ameliorate a further increase in the epidemic and for the reduction of the morbidity and mortality associated with MetS.

/pdf/prevalence-and-trends-of-metabolic-syndrome-among-adults-in-4bgey640z1.pdf

Prevalence and trends of metabolic syndrome among adults in the asia-pacific region: a systematic review.

https://www.who.int/choice/publications/Chronic_diseaseIndia.pdf

Chronic diseases and injuries in India

Many forms of developmental plasticity have been observed and these are usually beneficial to the organism The Predictive Adaptive Response (PAR) hypothesis refers to a form of developmental plasticity in which cues received in early life influence the development of a phenotype that is normally adapted to the environmental conditions of later life When the predicted and actual environments differ, the mismatch between the individual's phenotype and the conditions in which it finds itself can have adverse consequences for Darwinian fitness and, later, for health Numerous examples exist of the long-term effects of cues indicating a threatening environment affecting the subsequent phenotype of the individual organism Other examples consist of the long-term effects of variations in environment within a normal range, particularly in the individual's nutritional environment In mammals the cues to developing offspring are often provided by the mother's plane of nutrition, her body composition or stress levels This hypothetical effect in humans is thought to be important by some scientists and controversial by others In resolving the conflict, distinctions should be drawn between PARs induced by normative variations in the developmental environment and the ill effects on development of extremes in environment such as a very poor or very rich nutritional environment Tests to distinguish between different developmental processes impacting on adult characteristics are proposed Many of the mechanisms underlying developmental plasticity involve molecular epigenetic processes, and their elucidation in the context of PARs and more widely has implications for the revision of classical evolutionary theory

/pdf/the-biology-of-developmental-plasticity-and-the-predictive-e5ckxg1j77.pdf

The biology of developmental plasticity and the Predictive Adaptive Response hypothesis

Background: Migration from rural areas of India contributes to urbanisation and may increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. We tested the hypotheses that rural-to-urban migrants have a higher prevalence of obesity and diabetes than rural nonmigrants, that migrants would have an intermediate prevalence of obesity and diabetes compared with life-long urban and rural dwellers, and that longer time since migration would be associated with a higher prevalence of obesity and of diabetes. Methods and Findings: The place of origin of people working in factories in north, central, and south India was identified. Migrants of rural origin, their rural dwelling sibs, and those of urban origin together with their urban dwelling sibs were assessed by interview, examination, and fasting blood samples. Obesity, diabetes, and other cardiovascular risk factors were compared. A total of 6,510 participants (42% women) were recruited. Among urban, migrant, and rural men the age- and factory-adjusted percentages classified as obese (body mass index [BMI] .25 kg/m 2 ) were 41.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 39.1–44.7), 37.8% (95% CI 35.0–40.6), and 19.0% (95% CI 17.0–21.0), respectively, and as diabetic were 13.5% (95% CI 11.6–15.4), 14.3% (95% CI 12.2–16.4), and 6.2% (95% CI 5.0–7.4), respectively. Findings for women showed similar patterns. Rural men had lower blood pressure, lipids, and fasting blood glucose than urban and migrant men, whereas no differences were seen in women. Among migrant men, but not women, there was weak evidence for a lower prevalence of both diabetes and obesity among more recent (#10 y) migrants. Conclusions: Migration into urban areas is associated with increases in obesity, which drive other risk factor changes. Migrants have adopted modes of life that put them at similar risk to the urban population. Gender differences in some risk factors by place of origin are unexpected and require further exploration. Please see later in the article for the Editors’ Summary.

/pdf/the-effect-of-rural-to-urban-migration-on-obesity-and-2n0wv8r19l.pdf

The Effect of Rural-to-Urban Migration on Obesity and Diabetes in India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Anemia is a condition that affects more than a billion people globally, with the highest prevalence noticed among women and children. In large parts of the world anemia is detected by using invasive laboratory techniques that require blood draw by trained doctors, nurses or laboratory staff. A low cost and easy to use noninvasive device that can be used at the doorstep or bedside of a patient has the potential to create a significant impact in anemia screening. In this paper, we present the architecture and development of such a device. Using a specific arrangement of light emitting diodes and fiber optics, we have created a novel multiwavelength spectrophotometry sensing platform to detect anemia. A mechanical lever operated fiber optics based sensor eliminates the problems associated with conventional noninvasive finger probe, aiding in the detection of hemoglobin levels as low as 1.6 g/dL. This study also proposes a method wherein incident light intensity can be measured along with attenuated light intensity to support hemoglobin estimation. The device could detect the light signals as low as 0.001% of the incident light intensity. Performance of the proposed platform was validated in conjunction with an algorithm to estimate hemoglobin. The device was able to estimate hemoglobin with an RMSE of 1.47 ± 0.042 g/Dl and a correlation of 0.79 ± 0.03 between the predicted and actual value of Hb.

A Novel Noninvasive Hemoglobin Sensing Device for Anemia Screening

[This corrects the article on p. e1000268 in vol. 7.].

The Academic Editor's name and institution were erroneously omitted from the metadata of the PDF and HTML versions of this article. The Academic Editor providing expert input on this paper was Peter Byass, Umea Centre for Global Health Research, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umea University, Sweden. For more information about the role of the Academic Editor in PLoS Medicine's editorial process, see our Author Guidelines: http://www.plosmedicine.org/static/guidelines.action#overview.

Correction: The Effect of Rural-to-Urban Migration on Obesity and Diabetes in India: A Cross-Sectional Study

The bioanalyte monitoring device (10) comprises a movable block (12) slidably positioned on a fixed block (14). The device (10) comprises a profile (15) having a seat (16) and a cover (18), wherein the seat (16) is fitted on the fixed block (14) and the cover (18) fitted to a bottom portion of the movable block (12). The seat (16) and the cover (18) forms a slot (20) in the device (10) to accommodate a body appendage (22) of a living being. The seat (16) comprises multiple cut-outs (24) of different dimensions to accommodate different sizes of the body appendage (22). The user can analyze and detect at least one parameter of the human body without much hassle. Since there is no probe is used for connecting the detecting portion (where body appendage (22) is placed) and the analyzing portion (the seat (16)), the efficiency of the analysis is increased.

Murali Mohan

Papers

The Effect of Rural-to-Urban Migration on Obesity and Diabetes in India: A Cross-Sectional Study

A Novel Noninvasive Hemoglobin Sensing Device for Anemia Screening

Correction: The Effect of Rural-to-Urban Migration on Obesity and Diabetes in India: A Cross-Sectional Study

A bioanalyte monitoring device