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Aims Alcohol intake has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer. However, the dose-response analysis of different alcoholic beverages (spirits, wine and beer) is not clear. Our meta-analysis aims to provide a dose-response estimation between different alcohols and breast cancer risk. Methods Search of PubMed and Web of Science and manual searches were conducted up to 1 December 2018, and summary relative risks (RRs) and attributable risk percentage (ARP) for alcohol intake on the development of breast cancer were calculated. Dose-response meta-analysis modeled relationships between drinking type and breast cancer risk. Sources of heterogeneity were explored, and sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the robustness of findings. Results In total, 22 cohort studies and 45,350 breast cancer cases were included. Current drinkers for ER+ had an increased risk compared with never drinkers. In dose-response analysis, there was a statistically significant linear trend with breast cancer risk increasing gradually by total alcohol and wine dose: when adding 10 g per day, the risk increased by 10.5% (RR = 1.10, 95%CI = 1.08–1.13) in total alcohol and 8.9% (RR = 1.08, 95%CI = 1.04–1.14) in wine. For postmenopausal women, the risk increases by 11.1% (RR = 1.11, 95%CI = 1.09–1.13) with every 10 g of total alcohol increase. Furthermore, the breast cancer alcohol-attributed percentage is higher in Europe than in North America and Asia. Conclusions The effect of drinking on the incidence of breast cancer is mainly manifested in ER+ breast cancer. Quantitative analysis showed total drinking had a significant risk for breast cancer, especially for postmenopausal women. However, for different alcohols, just wine intake has the similar results.

Diabetes is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease via contributing and/or triggering significant cellular signaling and metabolic and structural alterations at the level of the heart and the whole body. The main cause of mortality and morbidity in diabetic patients is cardiovascular disease including diabetic cardiomyopathy. Therefore, understanding how diabetes increases the incidence of diabetic cardiomyopathy and how it mediates the major perturbations in cell signaling and energy metabolism should help in the development of therapeutics to prevent these perturbations. One of the significant metabolic alterations in diabetes is a marked increase in cardiac fatty acid oxidation rates and the domination of fatty acids as the major energy source in the heart. This increased reliance of the heart on fatty acids in the diabetic has a negative impact on cardiac function and structure through a number of mechanisms. It also has a detrimental effect on cardiac efficiency and worsens the energy status in diabetes, mainly through inhibiting cardiac glucose oxidation. Furthermore, accelerated cardiac fatty acid oxidation rates in diabetes also make the heart more vulnerable to ischemic injury. In this review, we discuss how cardiac energy metabolism is altered in diabetic cardiomyopathy and the impact of cardiac insulin resistance on the contribution of glucose and fatty acid to overall cardiac ATP production and cardiac efficiency. Furthermore, how diabetes influences the susceptibility of the myocardium to ischemia/reperfusion injury and the role of the changes in glucose and fatty acid oxidation in mediating these effects are also discussed.

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Southern corn rust (SCR) caused by Puccinia polysora Underw is one of the most devastating maize diseases, resulting in substantial yield losses worldwide. The pathogen is an obligate biotrophic parasite that is difficult to culture on artificial media. In recent years, the disease has become prevalent—both globally and in China—and increasing difficult to control because of its wide distribution, long-distance migration, multiple physiological races and fast evolution, all of which have contributed to a considerable increase in the risks of associated epidemics. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of P. polysora, with emphasis on its global distribution (particularly in China), life and disease cycle, population genetics, migration, physiological races, resistance genes in maize and management. Understanding the underlying factors and processes in SCR epidemics should facilitate management of the disease and breeding for resistant maize varieties.