Loading…

Aflatoxin and viral hepatitis exposures in Guatemala: Molecular biomarkers reveal a unique profile of risk factors in a region of high liver cancer incidence

Liver cancer is an emerging global health issue, with rising incidence in both the United States and the economically developing world. Although Guatemala experiences the highest rates of this disease in the Western hemisphere and a unique 1:1 distribution in men and women, few studies have focused...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2017-12, Vol.12 (12), p.e0189255-e0189255
Main Authors: Smith, Joshua W, Kroker-Lobos, Maria F, Lazo, Mariana, Rivera-Andrade, Alvaro, Egner, Patricia A, Wedemeyer, Heiner, Torres, Olga, Freedman, Neal D, McGlynn, Katherine A, Guallar, Eliseo, Groopman, John D, Ramirez-Zea, Manuel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Liver cancer is an emerging global health issue, with rising incidence in both the United States and the economically developing world. Although Guatemala experiences the highest rates of this disease in the Western hemisphere and a unique 1:1 distribution in men and women, few studies have focused on this population. Thus, we determined the prevalence and correlates of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) exposure and hepatitis virus infection in Guatemalan adults. Healthy men and women aged ≥40 years (n = 461), residing in five departments of Guatemala, were enrolled in a cross-sectional study from May-October of 2016. Serum AFB1-albumin adducts were quantified using isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess relationships between AFB1-albumin adduct levels and demographic factors. Biomarkers of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection were assessed by immunoassay and analyzed by Fisher's exact test. AFB1-albumin adducts were detected in 100% of participants, with a median of 8.4 pg/mg albumin (range, 0.2-814.8). Exposure was significantly higher (p
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0189255