Fragmentation reduces population sizes, increases isolation between habitats and can result in restricted dispersal of pollen and seeds. Given that diploid seed dispersal contributes more to shaping fine-scale spatial genetic structure (SGS) than haploid pollen flow, we tested whether fine-scale SGS can be sensitive to fragmentation even if extensive pollen dispersal is maintained. Castanopsis sclerophylla (Lindley & Paxton) Schottky (Fagaceae), a wind-pollinated and gravity seed-dispersed tree, was studied in an area of southeast China where its populations have been fragmented to varying extents by human activity. Using different age classes of trees in areas subject to varying extents of fragmentation, we found no significant difference in genetic diversity between prefragmentation vs. postfragmentation C. sclerophylla subpopulations. Genetic differentiation among postfragmentation subpopulations was also only slightly lower than among prefragmentation subpopulations. In the most fragmented habitat, selfing rates were significantly higher than zero in prefragmentation, but not postfragmentation, cohorts. These results suggest that fragmentation had not decreased gene flow among these populations and that pollen flow remains extensive. However, significantly greater fine-scale SGS was found in postfragmentation subpopulations in the most fragmented habitat, but not in less fragmented habitats. This alteration in SGS reflected more restricted seed dispersal, induced by changes in the physical environments and the prevention of secondary seed dispersal by rodents. An increase in SGS can therefore result from more restricted seed dispersal, even in the face of extensive pollen flow, making it a sensitive indicator of the negative consequences of population fragmentation.

Personal use of hair dye has been inconsistently linked to risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), perhaps because of small samples or a lack of detailed information on personal hair-dye use in previous studies. This study included 4,461 NHL cases and 5,799 controls from the International Lymphoma Epidemiology Consortium 1988-2003. Increased risk of NHL (odds ratio (OR) = 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1, 1.4) associated with hair-dye use was observed among women who began using hair dye before 1980. Analyses by NHL subtype showed increased risk for follicular lymphoma (FL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) but not for other NHL subtypes. The increased risks of FL (OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.9) and CLL/SLL (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.0) were mainly observed among women who started using hair dyes before 1980. For women who began using hair dye in 1980 or afterward, increased FL risk was limited to users of dark-colored dyes (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.0). These results indicate that personal hair-dye use may play a role in risks of FL and CLL/SLL in women who started use before 1980 and that increased risk of FL among women who started use during or after 1980 cannot be excluded.

The etiology of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is not well understood. The authors examined the relations of obesity and lifestyle factors to MDS in a cohort of 471,799 persons aged 50-71 years who were recruited into the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study, a large US prospective study, in 1995-1996. Incident MDS was diagnosed in 193 persons during 2001-2003. A significant positive association was observed between body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m)(2)) at baseline and MDS. Compared with persons with a BMI less than 25.0, the hazard ratios for persons with BMIs of 25.0-<30.0 and >or=30.0 were 1.15 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.81, 1.64) and 2.18 (95% CI: 1.51, 3.17; P for trend < 0.001), respectively. The association was not affected by physical activity, cigarette smoking, or alcohol intake. As reported in previous studies, the risk of MDS was elevated among former smokers (hazard ratio = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.17, 2.41) and current smokers (hazard ratio = 3.17, 95% CI: 2.02, 4.98) as compared with never smokers. Physical activity, alcohol consumption, meat intake, and fruit and vegetable intake did not appear to significantly influence the risk of MDS in this analysis. This prospective investigation of MDS implicates both obesity and smoking as modifiable risk factors.

The relation between diet, lifestyle, and acute myeloid leukemia was assessed in a US cohort of 491,163 persons from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study (1995-2003). A total of 338 incident cases of acute myeloid leukemia were ascertained. Multivariate Cox models were utilized to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Compared with those for never smokers, hazard ratios were 1.29 (95% confidence interval: 0.95, 1.75), 1.79 (95% confidence interval: 1.32, 2.42), 2.42 (95% confidence interval: 1.63, 3.57), and 2.29 (85% confidence interval: 1.38, 3.79) for former smokers who smoked < or =1 or >1 pack/day and for current smokers who smoked < or =1 or >1 pack/day, respectively. Higher meat intake was associated with an increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (hazard ratio = 1.45, 95% confidence interval: 1.02, 2.07 for the fifth vs. first quintile; P for trend = 0.06); however, there were no clear effects of meat-cooking method or doneness level. Individuals who did not drink coffee appeared to have a higher risk of acute myeloid leukemia than those who drank various quantities of coffee. Neither fruit nor vegetable intake was associated with acute myeloid leukemia. This large prospective study identified smoking and meat intake as risk factors for acute myeloid leukemia.

The hypomethylating agents (HMAs) azacitidine and decitabine have been the de facto standard of care for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are unfit for intensive therapy. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare linked database, we identified 2263 older adults (age ≥66 years) diagnosed with AML during 2005-2015 who received a first-line HMA; 1154 (51%) received azacitidine, and 1109 (49%) received decitabine. Median survival from diagnosis was 7.1 and 8.2 months (P &lt; .01) for azacitidine- and decitabine-treated patients, respectively. Mortality risk was higher with azacitidine vs decitabine (hazard ratio [HR], 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.21; P = .02). The findings were similar when evaluating only patients completing ≥4 cycles (42% of patients treated with either azacitidine or decitabine). These findings lost significance when evaluating those completing a standard 7-day schedule of azacitidine (34%) vs 5-day schedule for decitabine (66%) (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.83-1.08; P = .43). Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion independence (TI) was achieved in one-third of patients with no difference between the 2 HMAs. In conclusion, the majority of older AML patients did not receive the minimum of 4 cycles of HMA often needed to elicit clinical benefit. We observed no clinically meaningful differences between azacitidine- and decitabine-treated patients in their achievement of RBC TI or survival.