1.
Mycotoxin-Linked Mutations and Cancer Risk: A Global Health Issue.
Ekwomadu, T, Mwanza, M, Musekiwa, A
International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022;19(13)
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Mycotoxins are toxic substances produced by fungi, which can be found in common foods like maize, wheat, nuts, and foods containing them. Mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, ochratoxin, fumonisins, zearalenone, and some Penicillium toxins can alter genetic material. According to previous studies, they can damage genetic material and affect cell growth. Usage of chemicals such as fertilizers and fungicides is a common practice in the agricultural industry to protect plants from fungus and to feed them. However, fungicides can accelerate mycotoxin production. 16 studies were included in this Systematic Review and 11 in Meta-Analysis. This research looked at the harmful effects of mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxin, T2, zearalenone, and some Penicillium toxins in causing cancers. The researchers evaluated the link between aflatoxin exposure and liver cancer, fumonisin B1 exposure and liver cancer, zearalenone exposure and breast cancer, zearalenone exposure and cervical cancer, citrinine and patulin exposure and colorectal cancer, and NEO, HT-2, and T-2 exposure and Oesophageal cancer. This research did not show significant associations between various mycotoxins and cancer risk. As currently, most studies are primarily focused on aflatoxin; more robust studies are needed to assess the cancer risk associated with different mycotoxin exposure. Using the results of this study, healthcare professionals can gain a better understanding of how mycotoxins affect our bodies.
Abstract
Humans continue to be constantly exposed to mycotoxins, mainly through oral exposure (dietary), inhalation, or dermal contact. Recently, it has been of increasing interest to investigate mycotoxin-linked carcinogenicity. This systematic review was conducted to synthesize evidence of the association between mycotoxin-linked mutations and the risk of cancer, to provide an overview of the data linking exposure to different mycotoxins with human cancer risk, and to provide an update on current research on the risk of cancer associated with human exposure to mycotoxins. PRISMA guidelines were used when conducting the systematic review. PubMed, MEDLINE, and CINAHL electronic databases were comprehensively searched to extract the relevant studies published from inception to May 2022. A total of sixteen relevant studies (4907 participants) were identified and included in this review. Of these, twelve studies were from Asia, while four of the studies were conducted in Africa. The overall meta-analysis result found no significant association, although some of the studies confirmed an association between mycotoxin-linked mutations and primary liver cancer risk. Mainly, the experimental studies have shown associations between mycotoxin-linked mutations and cancer risk, and there is a need for researchers to confirm these links in epidemiological studies in order to guide public health policies and interventions.
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Prenatal exposure to phthalate and decreased body mass index of children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Lee, DW, Lim, HM, Lee, JY, Min, KB, Shin, CH, Lee, YA, Hong, YC
Scientific reports. 2022;12(1):8961
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Phthalates are widely used chemicals to improve the utility of plastics and personal care products. Phthalates can be classified as high-molecular-weight phthalates and low-molecular-weight phthalates. The aim of this study was to clarify whether prenatal and postnatal exposures to phthalates are associated with physical growth as measured by body composition indices in children. This study is a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of 39 studies about the association of phthalates with body composition indices among children. Results showed that prenatal exposure to phthalates is significantly associated with low body mass index in children, but not with body fat mass. In addition, prenatal phthalate exposure may affect the disturbance of normal growth of children rather than act as an obesogen. Authors conclude that it is necessary to administer stricter and broader regulations on phthalates in living environments.
Abstract
Phthalates are well-known endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Many detrimental health effects of phthalates were investigated, but studies on the association of phthalates with obesity in children showed inconsistent results. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to clarify whether prenatal and postnatal exposures to phthalates are associated with physical growth disturbances in children. We performed the systematic review and meta-analysis following the PRISMA 2020 statement guidelines, and found 39 studies that met our inclusion criteria, including 22 longitudinal and 17 cross-sectional studies. We observed a significant negative association between the prenatal exposure to DEHP and the body mass index (BMI) z-score of the offspring (β = - 0.05; 95% CI: - 0.10, - 0.001) in the meta-analysis, while no significant association between the prenatal exposure to DEHP and the body fat percentage of the offspring was observed (β = 0.01; 95% CI: - 0.41, 0.44). In the systematic review, studies on the association between phthalates exposure in childhood and obesity were inconsistent. Prenatal exposure to phthalates was found to be associated with decreased BMI z-score in children, but not associated with body fat percentage. Our findings suggest that phthalates disturb the normal muscle growth of children, rather than induce obesity, as previous studies have hypothesized.