Geospatial Distribution of Age-Adjusted Incidence of the Three Major Types of Pediatric Cancers and Waterborne Agrichemicals in Nebraska

Neutrality and impartiality in Midwestern U.S. newspapers: community-oriented newspaper journalists reporting of environmental water problems in agricultural and ranching states

BACKGROUND

U.S. journalists embedded in rural and agricultural communities could adversely affect the health of residents if they avoid alerting and engaging their readers - farmers, ranchers, and community members - on environmental and health issues. We expected reporters would maintain community status quo and inaction by framing local water pollution and quality issues neutrally deemphasizing threats and solutions to maintain their own credibility as unbiased informational sources.

METHOD

In a content analysis of local water quality newspaper articles from five farming and cattle ranching states in the west central U.S. Midwest, we employed seven variables to investigate whether journalists practiced neutral, detached forms of journalism (i.e. dissemination versus interpretative role enactment, government-frame) as well as whether they deemphasized water pollution as a concerning issue (i.e. problem, threat), water pollution solutions, and readers' efficaciousness.

RESULTS

The results showed these journalists relied heavily on government-driven narratives presenting water quality issues from an impartial, straight reporting lens in which they primarily followed the journalistic dissemination role enactment, while neglecting to provide readers with interpretative, threat, efficacy, or solution's information.

CONCLUSIONS

The study seeks to help communicators understand the information diet people living in this part of the country likely receive on environmental and health risks in the context of water pollution. Communicators seeking to reach and affect audiences in this region should understand local information practices to navigate how to craft culturally specific public health messages.

Molecular mechanisms of atrazine toxicity on H19-7 hippocampal neurons revealed by integrated miRNA and mRNA "omics"

Atrazine (ATR) is a widely applied herbicide in Asia and South America with slow natural degradation and documented deleterious effects on human and animal health, including hippocampal toxicity. However, relatively little is known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for ATR-induced hippocampal damage. Screening for differentially expressed mRNAs and microRNAs (miRNAs), and construction of potential miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks can reveal such mechanisms, so we analyzed the mRNA and miRNA expression profiles of rat hippocampus-derived H19-7 cells in response to ATR (500 μM) and conducted Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment (KEGG) analyses. Integration of miRNA sequencing (miRNA-seq) and mRNA sequencing (mRNA-seq) results identified 114 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMIs, 40 upregulated and 74 downregulated), and 510 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs, 177 upregulated and 333 downregulated) targeted by these DEMIs. The top 10 hub mRNAs (Fos, Prkcb, Ncf1, Vcam1, Atf3, Pak3, Pak1, Cacna1s, Junb, and Ccl2) and 19 related miRNAs (rno-miR-194-5p, rno-miR-24-3p, rno-miR-3074, rno-miR-1949, rno-miR-218a-1-3p, rno-miR-1843a-5p, rno-miR-1843b-5p, rno-miR-296-3p, rno-miR-320-3p, rno-miR-219a-1-3p, rno-miR-122-5p, rno-miR-1839-5p, rno-miR-1843a-3p, rno-miR-215, rno-miR-3583-3p, rno-miR-194-3p, rno-miR-128-1-5p, rno-miR-1956-5p, and rno-miR-466b-2-3p) were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. GO analysis indicated that these DEMs were enriched in genes associated with synaptic plasticity and antioxidant capacity, while KEGG analysis suggested that enriched DEMs were involved in calcium signaling, axon guidance, MAPK signaling, and glial carcinogenesis. The miRNA-mRNA regulatory network identified here may provide potential biomarkers and novel strategies for the treatment of hippocampal neurotoxicity induced by ATR.

Investigation of a Possible Relationship between Anthropogenic and Geogenic Water Contaminants and Birth Defects Occurrence in Rural Nebraska

Relatively high concentrations of anthropogenic (atrazine and nitrate) and geogenic (uranium and arsenic) water contaminants have been found in drinking water in rural Nebraska. This research assessed a potential association between birth defects occurrence and the contaminants mentioned above within selected Nebraska watershed boundaries. The prevalence of birth defects and the mean concentrations of the selected water contaminants were calculated. More than 80% of Nebraska watersheds had birth defect prevalences above the national average (5 cases per 100 live births). In the negative binomial regression analysis, a positive association was observed between higher levels of nitrate in drinking water and the prevalence of birth defects. Similarly, compared to watersheds with lower atrazine levels, watersheds with atrazine levels above 0.00 µg/L had a higher prevalence of birth defects. This study suggested that chronic exposure to the selected waterborne contaminants even below the legislated maximum contaminant levels may result in birth defects. It also highlighted the relationship between anthropogenic activities (agriculture practices), water contamination, and adverse health effects on children. An additional cohort study is recommended to support these findings so that regulations can be implemented in the form of continuous monitoring of water in private wells and improvements to agricultural practices.

Association Between Dietary Nitrite intake and Glioma Risk: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

Background

Nitrite and nitrate intake through food and water may be an important risk factor for many cancers, including glioma. However, the association of nitrite and nitrate with glioma is unclear.

Objective

This review aimed to quantitatively assess the effects of nitrite and nitrate on glioma by meta-analysis.

Methods

A literature search was conducted for available articles published in English using the databases of Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, Medline, and the Cochrane Library up to 24 March 2022. According to heterogeneity, the fixed-effects or random-effects model was selected to obtain the merger’s relative risk (RR). Based on the methods described by Greenland and Longnecker, we explored the dose-response relationship between nitrite/nitrate and the risk of glioma. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias tests were also used.

Results

This study reviewed 17 articles, including 812,107 participants and 4,574 cases. For glioma in adults, compared with the lowest intakes, the highest intakes of nitrite significantly increased the risk of glioma (RR=1.26, 95% confidence interval (95%CI):1.09-1.47). For brain tumors in children, compared with the lowest intakes, the highest intakes of nitrate significantly increased the risk of brain tumors (RR=1.27, 95%CI:1.06-1.52). The results of subgroup and sensitivity analyses remained unchanged. In the dose-response relationship, per 1 mg/day increase in nitrite intake increased the risk of glioma by 14% (RR=1.14, 95%CI:1.01-1.27).

Conclusions

Our analysis suggests that nitrite increases the risk of glioma in adults, while nitrate increases the risk of brain tumors in children. Therefore, the effects of nitrite and nitrate on glioma cannot be ignored.

Systematic Review Registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022320295.