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Obesity is highly prevalent in breast cancer (BC) survivors. Adipose tissue promotes inflammation, affecting recurrence, morbidity, and quality of life. This study aimed to determine the relationship of body composition parameters with the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in female BC survivors. Additionally, we evaluated the association of log-transformed serum concentrations of CRP and IL-6 with the appendicular skeletal lean mass index (ASMI). The results showed that CRP was positively associated with body fat percentage (BFP; β adjusted =.08, 95% CI:.02–.14) in all participants, and with fat mass index (FMI; β =.24, 95% CI:.08–.40) only in premenopausal women. IL-6 was positively associated with FMI (β adjusted =.16, 95% CI:.03–.29), while ASMI decreased as CRP levels increased (β adjusted = −.30, 95% CI: −.53 to −.06). Interventions to improve body composition in BC survivors should also consider the role of inflammatory markers in changes in body composition to avoid sarcopenic obesity (SO) and the risk of BC recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the results of the evaluation of an instrument on gender institutional culture are analyzed using the principal components method. The structure and parameters of its validity and reliability, as well as the differences obtained by sex, are described. The sample consisted of 1,144 individuals from the educational, health, and research sectors in northwestern Mexico. The results showed four components: administrative processes, employment equity, benefits, working environment, and authoritarianism, which explain 40.90 of variance with a Cronbachs alpha of .88. With these obtained values, the instrument is considered valid and reliable to evaluate institutional culture and identify gender bias. Methodology can be replicated to adapt the instrument to other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoestrogens have generated interest in human health in view of their potential effect to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases. Serum levels of phytoestrogens have been proposed as an alternative to measure the exposure of phytoestrogens. We evaluated the use of serum as a biomarker of phytoestrogen’s intake in healthy women. Phytoestrogens in serum (luteolin, kaempferol, equol, biochanin A, formononetin, quercetin, naringenin, coumestrol, secoisolariciresinol, genistein, matairesinol, enterolactone, enterodiol, daidzein, glycitein and resveratrol) were analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS. Subjects were asked to recall all foods and beverages consumed the previous 24 h. Association of dietary intake and serum concentrations was performed by Spearman correlation. Correlations were found for naringenin (r = 0.47,p < 0.001), luteolin (r = 0.4p < 0.001), genistein (r = 0.32,p < 0.01) enterolactone (r = 0.35,p = 0.0553), coumestrol (r = 0.26,p = 0.0835) and resveratrol (r = 0.29,p = 0.0517). Serum levels as biomarkers of intake along with a 24-h recall would be useful in order to investigate the relationship between phytoestrogens and health. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Breast cancer (BC) is considered a global public health problem, and is the most frequently type diagnosed in Mexican women. Therefore, it is important to study the risk factors associated to this neoplasia in order to establish prevention strategies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hormonal contraceptives and hormone therapy (HT) use and period of use, breastfeeding practice, abdominal obesity and weight gain in adulthood, on the risk of BC in adult women from Northwest Mexico. This was a case-control study that included 162 women (81 cases and 81 controls). A sociodemographic and health questionnaire, and a survey history of body weight were applied to participants. Measurements of body weight, height and waist circumference were performed. To assess the association between BC risk and exposing factors, a multivariate logistic regression model was used. Average age of cases and controls were 51.8 ± 11.7 and 51.4 ± 11.3 years, respectively. No significant association was found between the use and period of use of hormonal contraceptives and HT with the risk of BC. The practice of breastfeeding (OR=0.34, 95% Cl: 0.12- 0.92) and the time of exclusive breastfeeding (OR=0.64, 95%CI: 0.42-0.97; crude) were protective against the risk of BC. Abdominal obesity (OR=0.93, 95%CI: 0.90-0.97) and weight gain in early adulthood (OR=0.90, 95%CI: 0.85-0.95) were inversely associated to the risk of BC. In conclusion, the practice of breastfeeding may help prevent BC in Mexican women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]