Browsing by Author "Calaf, Gloria M."

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    Epstein–Barr Virus Infection in Lung Cancer: Insights and Perspectives
    (MDPI, 2022) Osorio, Julio C.; Blanco, Rancés; Corvalan, Alejandro H.; Muñoz, Juan P.; Calaf, Gloria M.; Aguayo, Francisco
    © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Tobacco smoke is the most frequent risk factor etiologically associated with LC, although exposures to other environmental factors such as arsenic, radon or asbestos are also involved. Additionally, the involvement of some viral infections such as high-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPVs), Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), Jaagsiekte Sheep Retrovirus (JSRV), John Cunningham Virus (JCV), and Epstein– Barr virus (EBV) has been suggested in LC, though an etiological relationship has not yet been established. EBV is a ubiquitous gamma herpesvirus causing persistent infections and some lymphoid and epithelial tumors. Since EBV is heterogeneously detected in LCs from different parts of the world, in this review we address the epidemiological and experimental evidence of a potential role of EBV. Considering this evidence, we propose mechanisms potentially involved in EBV-associated lung carcinogenesis. Additional studies are warranted to dissect the role of EBV in this very frequent malignancy.
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    Health Effects of Pesticide Exposure in Latin American and the Caribbean Populations: A Scoping Review
    (Public Health Services, US Dept of Health and Human Services, 2022) Zúñiga-Venegas, Liliana A.; Jara, Juan P. Gutiérrez; Hyland, Carly; Cardenas, Andrés; Smith, Anna; Mora, Ana M.; Muñoz-Quezada, María Teresa; Lucero, Boris; Quirós-Alcalá, Lesliam; Butinof, Mariana; Buralli, Rafael; Fernandez, Ricardo A.; Foerster, Claudia; Gouveia, Nelson; Muñoz, María Pía; Ramírez-Santana, Muriel; Tirado, Noemi; Joode, Berna van Wendel; Calaf, Gloria M.; Handal, Alexis J.; Silva, Agnes Soares; Cortés Arancibia, Sandra Isabel
    © 2022, Public Health Services, US Dept of Health and Human Services. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND: Multiple epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to pesticides is associated with adverse health outcomes. However, the literature on pesticide-related health effects in the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) region, an area of intensive agricultural and residential pesticide use, is sparse. We conducted a scoping review to describe the current state of research on the health effects of pesticide exposure in LAC populations with the goal of identifying knowledge gaps and research capacity building needs. METHODS: We searched PubMed and SciELO for epidemiological studies on pesticide exposure and human health in LAC populations published between January 2007 and December 2021. We identified 233 publications from 16 countries that met our inclusion criteria and grouped them by health outcome (genotoxicity, neurobehavioral outcomes, placental outcomes and teratogenicity, cancer, thyroid function, reproductive outcomes, birth outcomes and child growth, and others). RESULTS: Most published studies were conducted in Brazil (37%, n = 88) and Mexico (20%, n = 46), were cross-sectional in design (72%, n = 167), and focused on farmworkers (45%, n = 105) or children (21%, n = 48). The most frequently studied health effects included genotoxicity (24%, n = 62) and neurobehavioral outcomes (21%, n = 54), and organophosphate (OP) pesticides were the most frequently examined (26%, n = 81). Forty-seven percent (n = 112) of the studies relied only on indirect pesticide exposure assessment methods. Exposure to OP pesticides, carbamates, or to multiple pesticide classes was consistently associated with markers of genotoxicity and adverse neurobehavioral outcomes, particularly among children and farmworkers. DISCUSSION: Our scoping review provides some evidence that exposure to pesticides may adversely impact the health of LAC populations, but methodological limitations and inconsistencies undermine the strength of the conclusions. It is critical to increase capacity building, integrate research initiatives, and conduct more rigorous epidemiological studies in the region to address these limitations, better inform public health surveillance systems, and maximize the impact of research on public policies.
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    Interplay between Epstein-Barr virus infection and environmental xenobiotic exposure in cancer
    (2021) Aguayo González, Francisco; Boccardo, Enrique; Corvalán R., Alejandro; Calaf, Gloria M.; Blanco, Rancés
    Abstract Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a herpesvirus associated with lymphoid and epithelial malignancies. Both B cells and epithelial cells are susceptible and permissive to EBV infection. However, considering that 90% of the human population is persistently EBV-infected, with a minority of them developing cancer, additional factors are necessary for tumor development. Xenobiotics such as tobacco smoke (TS) components, pollutants, pesticides, and food chemicals have been suggested as cofactors involved in EBV-associated cancers. In this review, the suggested mechanisms by which xenobiotics cooperate with EBV for carcinogenesis are discussed. Additionally, a model is proposed in which xenobiotics, which promote oxidative stress (OS) and DNA damage, regulate EBV replication, promoting either the maintenance of viral genomes or lytic activation, ultimately leading to cancer. Interactions between EBV and xenobiotics represent an opportunity to identify mechanisms by which this virus is involved in carcinogenesis and may, in turn, suggest both prevention and control strategies for EBV-associated cancers.
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    Upregulation of PIR gene expression induced by human papillomavirus E6 and E7 in epithelial oral and cervical cells
    (2017) Carrillo, Diego; Muñoz, Juan P.; Huerta, Hernán; Leal, Gabriel; Corvalán R., Alejandro; León, Oscar; Calaf, Gloria M.; Urzúa, Ulises; Boccardo, Enrique; Aguayo González, Francisco