A s the most common cancer among women worldwide, breast cancer poses a great challenge to public health on a global scale (1). Identification of the presence of lymph node metastasis is pivotal for the pathologic staging, prognosis, and guidance of treatment in patients with breast cancer (2). Although several histopathologic findings, such as vascular and lymphatic invasion, epithelial hyperplasia, and necrosis, are associated with a higher risk for lymph node metastasis, they are available only postoperatively (3). The preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis can provide valuable information for determining adjuvant therapy and developing surgical plans, thereby facilitating pretreatment decisions.Preoperative imaging assessment is of great value because of its convenient, comprehensive, and noninvasive properties. US plays a crucial role in detecting breast cancer and predicting lymph node metastasis (4). Most patients with early stage breast cancer who have clinically negative lymph nodes have no suspicious signs at either physical examination or imaging. Although radiologists often cannot find any signs of metastasis on US images of clinically negative lymph nodes, axillary lymph node metastasis is detected with sentinel lymph node biopsy in 15%-20% of patients (5). Several studies have found that numerous breast US characteristics are associated with lymph node metastasis. The distance

This secondary analysis of survey data examined mediating-moderating effects of allostatic load score (calculated using the Rodriquez method) on the association between nutrient-based Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score (Mellen Index) and the all-cause and cause-specific mortality risks among 11,630 adults ≥ 30 years of age from the 2001–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys with no history of cardiovascular disease or cancer at baseline, and who were followed-up for ~9.35 years. Multivariable models were adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and health characteristics. All-cause, cardiovascular disease, and cancer-specific mortality rates were estimated at 6.5%, 1.1%, and 1.9%, respectively. The median DASH total score was 3.0 (range: 1–8) (with 78.3% scoring < 4.5), whereas the median allostatic load score was 3 (range: 0–9). The DASH diet, fiber, and magnesium were negatively correlated with allostatic load, whereas allostatic load predicted higher all-cause mortality, irrespective of the DASH diet. Whereas protein was protective, potassium increased all-cause mortality risk, irrespective of allostatic load. Potassium was protective against cardiovascular disease-specific mortality but was a risk factor for cancer-specific mortality. Although no moderating effects were observed, mediation by the allostatic load on cardiovascular disease-specific mortality was observed for DASH total score and selected component scores. Direct (but not indirect) effects of DASH through the allostatic load were observed for all-cause mortality, and no direct or indirect effects were observed for cancer-specific mortality. From a public health standpoint, the allostatic load may be a surrogate for the preventive effects of the DASH diet and its components on cardiovascular disease-specific mortality risk.

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Nicotine and alcohol are two of the most commonly used and abused recreational drugs, are often used simultaneously, and have been linked to significant health hazards. Furthermore, patients diagnosed with dependence on one drug are highly likely to be dependent on the other. Several studies have shown the effects of each drug independently on gene expression within many brain regions, including the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Dopaminergic (DA) neurons of the dopamine reward pathway originate from the VTA, which is believed to be central to the mechanism of addiction and drug reinforcement. Using a well-established rat model for both nicotine and alcohol perinatal exposure, we investigated miRNA and mRNA expression of dopaminergic (DA) neurons of the VTA in rat pups following perinatal alcohol and joint nicotine–alcohol exposure. Microarray analysis was then used to profile the differential expression of both miRNAs and mRNAs from DA neurons of each treatment group to further explore the altered genes and related biological pathways modulated. Predicted and validated miRNA-gene target pairs were analyzed to further understand the roles of miRNAs within these networks following each treatment, along with their post transcription regulation points affecting gene expression throughout development. This study suggested that glutamatergic synapse and axon guidance pathways were specifically enriched and many miRNAs and genes were significantly altered following alcohol or nicotine–alcohol perinatal exposure when compared to saline control. These results provide more detailed insight into the cell proliferation, neuronal migration, neuronal axon guidance during the infancy in rats in response to perinatal alcohol/ or nicotine–alcohol exposure.