By 2016, obesity had been known to be associated with at least 13 types of cancer. In 2010, the American Cancer Society and American Diabetes Association issued a joint consensus report on diabetes and cancer. It stated that “type 2 diabetes and cancer share many risk factors, but potential biologic links between the two diseases are incompletely understood.” How might obesity-diabetes affect cancer risk? Today, I am going to present an outline of my experimental evidence that indicates the existence of a novel signaling transduction pathway that integrates other existing hypotheses as well.

   It is summarized in one sentence:

“Expression of p27Kip1, a Cell Cycle Repressor Protein, in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Is Inversely Associated with Potential Carcinogenic Risk in Obese Type 2 Diabetic Individuals Relative to Lean Normal Controls”.

   You could observe the decrease in the expression of p27Kip1 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the cancer-free obese type 2 diabetic individuals. The decrease in the expression of p27Kip1 could be an earliest indicator of the increase in the cancer risk in obese type 2 diabetic individuals.

   Unlike any other cell cycle regulatory proteins, p27Kip1 has two unusual molecular biological properties:

   First, a relatively large number of nutritional and chemopreventive anti-cancer agents specifically up-regulate and several pro-cancer agents (including glucose, insulin and other growth factors), specifically down-regulate expression of p27Kip1 without directly affecting the expression of any other G1-to-S phase cell cycle regulatory proteins including p21(Cip1Waf1).

   Second, expression of p27Kip1 is regulated primarily at the level of translation, not transcription. At least 4 different upstream signal transduction pathways have been identified so far that either down or up-regulate the translation of p27Kip1; hence the cancer risk in obese type 2 diabetic individuals.

HYPERTENSION  Of 12 moon walkers, James Irwin on day after return from Apollo 15 mission, showed extraordinary bicycle ( B) stress test (ST) hypertension ( 275/125) after 3 minutes exercise; supervising > 5000  maximum treadmill  ST, author never witnessed ST- blood pressure approaching this level.  Symptom-limited maximum B stress test showed “cyanotic fingernails”; possibly venous blood trapped peripherally, supporting author’s “Apollo 15 Space Syndrome,” postulating that severe fingertip pain during space walks, triggered by plasma fluid, trapped distally;  mechanism could be related to endothelial dysfunction, providing “silent ischemia” warning.  Neil Armstrong returned to Earth with severe diastolic hypertension  ( 160/135), consistent with ischemic left ventricular dysfunction; 50 mm increase in comparison with resting  BP 110/85. With inhalation of lunar dust, brought into habitat on space suit, with high lunar iron (I) this dust inhalation, along with reduced (R) space flight- transferrin, R antioxidant, calcium  (Ca) blocker -  magnesium, conducive to severe oxidative stress, Ca overload  with potential endothelial injuries. Using moon walker studies as example, my recent editorials show that I dust, released from brakes, with over 90% of brakes made of I, is a major hypertension factor and may  also contribute to myocardial infarctions.

A greenhouse is essentially an enclosed structure, which traps the short wavelength solar radiation and stores the long wavelength thermal radiation to create a favourable microclimate for higher productivity. The sun’s radiation incident on the greenhouse has two parts: direct radiation and an associated diffuse sky radiation. The diffuse part is not focused by the lenses and goes right through Frensel lenses onto the surface of the absorbers. This energy is absorbed and transformed into heat, which is then transported via the liquid medium in copper pipes to the water (heat) storage tanks or, if used, open fish tanks. In this way, an optimal temperature for both plant cultivation and fish production can be maintained. Stable plant growth conditions are light, temperature and air humidity. Light for the photosynthesis of plants comes from the diffuse radiation, which is without substantial fluctuations and variation throughout most of the day. The air temperature inside the greenhouse is one of the factors that have an influence on the precocity of production. The selective collector acts in a more perceptible way on extreme air temperatures inside the greenhouse. Hence, the system makes it possible to avoid the excessive deviation of the temperature inside the greenhouse and provides a favourable microclimate for the precocity of the culture. Sediment and some associated water from the sediment traps are used as organic fertiliser for the plant cultivation. The present trend in greenhouse cultivation is to extend the crop production season in order to maximise use of the equipment and increase annual productivity and profitability. However, in many Mediterranean greenhouses, such practices are limited because the improper cooling methods (mainly natural or forced ventilation) used do not provide the desired micro-climatic condition during the summer of a composite climate. Also, some of these greenhouses have been built where the meteorological conditions require some heating during the winter, particularly at night. The worst scenario is during the winter months when relatively large difference in temperature between day and night occurs. However, overheating of the greenhouse during the day is common, even in winter, requiring ventilation of the structure. Hence, several techniques have been proposed for the storage of the solar energy received by the greenhouse during the day and its use to heat the structure at night. Reviews of such techniques are presented in this chapter. Air or water can be used for heat transport. The circulating water is heated during the day via two processes. The water absorbs part of the infrared radiation of the solar spectrum. Since the water is transparent in the visible region, they do not compete with the plants that need it. Alternatively, the water exchanges heat with the greenhouse air through the walls. At night, if the greenhouse temperature goes down below a specified value, the water begins to circulate acting as heat transfer surfaces heating the air in the greenhouse. This chapter describes various designs of low energy greenhouses. It also, outlines the effect of dense urban building nature on energy consumption, and its contribution to climate change. Measures, which would help to save energy in greenhouses, are also presented. It also enabled the minimisation of temperature variation and, hence avoided the hazard of any sudden climatic change inside the greenhouse.

Creating a Sustainable Clean Green Planet (SGP) by generating Solar Bio-Energy using wastewater and waste and storing it in the form of oxygen rich healthy vegetation, soil, bio-mineral fertilizer, water, oxygen and life, is a new, tried tested invention and goal of the author.

Excreta are wonderful natural products. One person’s excreta, if properly used, as in SGP, can help produce food of at least 4 persons! Implying there will be no food shortage. Moreover the surplus can help to make us self reliant and the planet greener. The solar energy conversion and storage efficiency is about 100% in plants versus about 20% conversion efficiency and 0% storage efficiency in solar cells.

Waste is unused material or energy. Wastewater and waste are grave problems today, even though they are very useful. Sewage is 99% clean flush water and 1% valuable nutrients (organic and inorganics) including about 40% healthy bacteria that make up the entire living ecosystem.  Our current sanitation methods e.g. Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) decompose valuable organics in waste and wastewater to GHGs, foul effluents and gases, acids and sludge that degrade air, land and water. They also breed pathogens, mosquitoes and pests. They are unsafe for workers, require skilled staff and immense electricity. They lead to major problems such as air and water pollution, water scarcity, loss of soil fertility, global warming, climate change, poor economy, poor health and loss of life.

SGP solves these problems. In SGP, solid and liquid waste, both organic and inorganic including excreta, food, several chemicals, sewage, industrial wastewater, raw water, stormwater and polluted water bodies are completely recomposed not decomposed in highly aerobic conditions, using stabilization, photosynthesis, gravity and bio-filtration in a bioreactor with a media of inorganic waste. There are no leftovers. SGP functions even in the absence of sunlight. It can function wherever plants can grow, which is observed even in snow.

SGP has been operated successfully at a large lab and 200-people field scale. The SGP effluent quality is far superior to STPs. SGP units can be made on a family scale to a large municipal or industrial scale. SGP requires only about 25% land, 1% electricity, 40% capital and 15% O&M cost compared to STPs. SGP can thus, efficiently help create a Sustainable Clean Green Healthy Planet. Being new, SGP needs awareness.

Cervical cancer is the most frequent cancer among women in Senegal. However, there are few data concerning the HPV types inducing neoplasia and cervical cancers and their prevalence, in the general population of Senegal

.AIMS:

The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of HPV infection in Senegalese women aged from 18 years and older.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

A study was performed on 498 cervix samples collected from healthy women aged 18 and older in Dakar. 438 other samples were collected from three other regions, Thiès, Saint Louis and Louga. The samples were screened for 21 HPV genotypes using an HPV type-specific E7 PCR bead-based multiplex genotyping assay (TS-MPG) which is a laboratory-developed method for the detection of HPV.

RESULTS:

The prevalence for pHR/HR-HPV in the region of Dakar was 20.68%. HPV 52 (3.21%) was the most prevalent HPV type, followed by HPV 16 (3.01%) and HPV 31 (3.01%). In the regions of Thiès, Louga and Saint Louis, the prevalence for pHR/HR-HPV was 29.19%, 23.15% and 20%, respectively

CONCLUSION:

The study revealed the specificity of the HR-HPV prevalence in Dakar and other regions of Senegal. The patterns differs from the one observed in the other regions of the world and rise the issue of the development of vaccination program in the country. Such a program should take into account the real HPV prevalence for an effective protection of HPV-associated diseases.