Regular consumption of coffee and potentially black tea, but not green tea, is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes in Asian men and women in Singapore.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) task force that developed new Guidelines for the Clinical Translation of Stem Cells discusses core principles that should guide the responsible transition of basic stem cell research into appropriate clinical applications.

A case-control study was conducted among Singapore Chinese women, comprised of 200 histologically confirmed cases of breast cancer and 420 hospital controls. Subjects were interviewed on family history of breast cancer, social and demographic characteristics, reproductive history, and diet one year prior to interview. Differences in risk factors were observed according to menopausal status. In the premenopausal group, the most consistently significant nondietary effect was an increased risk with late age at first birth. In postmenopausal women, the most consistent nondietary effects were increased risks with nulliparity, tall stature, high educational status, and a family history of breast cancer. In premenopausal women, the strongest dietary effects were low risks with high intakes of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), beta-carotene, soya protein as a proportion of all protein, and a high risk with high red-meat intake. No dietary effects were observed in postmenopausal women. Examination of effects by 10-year age groups suggested that the differences in the effects of age at first birth, nulliparity, height, education, beta-carotene intake, and PUFA intake between premenopausal and postmenopausal women were at least partly attributable to age-related differences in the baseline distributions of these variables. The variation in the effects of red meat and soya protein appeared to be attributable mainly to menopausal status itself, which is consistent with the hypothesis that these factors operate on risk by way of hormonal mechanisms.

Vitamin D has been implicated as a protective agent against colorectal cancer. We hypothesized that a functional start codon polymorphism in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) influences the risk of colorectal carcinoma. We conducted a case-control study nested within a large cohort of Singapore Chinese. VDR genotypes, determined by FokI restriction endonuclease digestion of PCR-amplified DNA, were performed on 217 colorectal cancer cases and 890 controls. We found that compared with individuals carrying the FF genotype, those with Ff genotype had a 51% increase in risk of colorectal cancer and those with the ff genotype, an 84% increase in risk (P for trend = 0.01). The effect of the VDR genotype on risk appeared to be modified by both dietary calcium and fat. Among those with either low calcium or low fat intake (below the median values in controls), the risk for colorectal cancer increased in a gene-dose-dependent manner such that individuals possessing the ff genotype displayed an approximately 2.5-fold increased risk that was statistically significant. There was little evidence of a VDR genotype-colorectal cancer association among subjects with higher than median values of either dietary fat or calcium.

Smoking is the major risk factor for chronic respiratory symptoms, but dietary factors may also play a role. Most studies of diet and lung disease have been cross-sectional and conducted in populations with a Western-style diet. We analyzed the relation between dietary intake at baseline and new onset of cough with phlegm in a population-based cohort of 63,257 middle-aged Chinese men and women initiated in Singapore between 1993 and 1998. Beginning in 1999, we ascertained respiratory symptoms by telephone interview and have identified 571 incident cases of cough with phlegm among the 49,140 cohort members with completed follow-up. Nonstarch polysaccharides, a major component of dietary fiber, total fruit, and soy isoflavones had the strongest associations. Odds ratios comparing highest and lowest quartiles after adjustment for age, sex, dialect group, total energy intake, and smoking were 0.61 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.47, 0.78; p for trend < 0.001) for nonstarch polysaccharides, 0.67 (95% CI: 0.52, 0.87; p for trend = 0.006) for fruit, and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.86; p for trend = 0.001) for soy isoflavones. These data suggest that a diet high in fiber from fruit and, possibly, soyfoods may reduce the incidence of chronic respiratory symptoms. Associated nutrients, such as flavonoids, may contribute to this association.

A diet rich in meats, sodium, and refined carbohydrates may increase risk of developing cough with phlegm, independently of the apparent beneficial effects of a diet high in fiber in this Singapore Chinese cohort.

Occupational factors contribute to a significant fraction of respiratory disease and symptoms. The authors evaluated the role of occupational exposures in asthma, chronic bronchitis, and respiratory symptoms in the Singapore Chinese Health Study, a population-based cohort of adults aged 45-74 years at enrollment in 1993-1998. Information on occupations and occupational exposures was collected at enrollment for 52,325 subjects for whom respiratory outcomes were obtained via follow-up interviews in 1999-2004. Exposure to dusts from cotton, wood, metal, minerals, and/or asbestos was associated with nonchronic cough and/or phlegm (odds ratio (OR) = 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08, 1.30), chronic bronchitis (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.57), and adult-onset asthma (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.30). Cotton dust was the major contributor to respiratory symptoms. Vapor exposure from chemical solvents, dyes, cooling oils, paints, wood preservatives, and/or pesticides was associated with nonchronic cough or phlegm (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.27), chronic dry cough (OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.01), and adult-onset asthma (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.56). Chemical solvents, cooling oils, and pesticides were the major contributors to respiratory symptoms. These data support the role of occupational exposures in the etiology of respiratory illness in a population-based cohort in Singapore with a low prevalence of atopic illness.

The association between the consumption of preserved foods in infancy, childhood and adulthood and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma was investigated in a case-control study among Singapore Chinese: 200 cases (73% male) were compared with 406 hospital controls (71% male). Significantly increased risks were observed in association with frequent adult consumption of salted soy beans (OR 7.3 for consumption 4 or more times per week, compared with never), canned pickled vegetables (p = 0.01; OR 4.5 for 4 or more times per week), "sze chuan chye", a salted Chinese tuber, (OR 2.4 for 4 or more times per month) and "kiam chye", salted mustard greens (OR 2.7 for 4 or more times per week). A protective effect of high vitamin-E intake in adulthood was observed (OR 0.5 for the highest third of the control range, as compared with the lowest).