Comment on “Association between Residential Proximity to Viticultural Areas and Childhood Acute Leukemia Risk in Mainland France: GEOCAP Case–Control Study, 2006–2013”

Fungi play major roles in ecosystem processes, but the determinants of fungal diversity and biogeographic patterns remain poorly understood. Using DNA metabarcoding data from hundreds of globally distributed soil samples, we demonstrate that fungal richness is decoupled from plant diversity. The plant-to-fungus richness ratio declines exponentially toward the poles. Climatic factors, followed by edaphic and spatial variables, constitute the best predictors of fungal richness and community composition at the global scale. Fungi show similar latitudinal diversity gradients to other organisms, with several notable exceptions. These findings advance our understanding of global fungal diversity patterns and permit integration of fungi into a general macroecological framework.

Simple Summary Acute leukemias are some of the most common cancers affecting all age groups. Despite a significant improvement made in the treatment of acute leukemias, their cause remains unknown. A number of genetic and environmental factors for the development of acute leukemias have been proposed, but none have been proven. Undoubtedly, genetics have a major role in the development of these diseases. The effects of a variety of environmental factors, occupations and hobbies have been explored. A recent “two-hit” theory” for the development of acute lymphoblastic leukemia has been proposed. This combines genetic factors and exposure to infections for the development of this disease. Several genetic factors are suggested. Most recently, for the infection portion, exposure to a virus containing Aspergillus Flavus has been proposed. This review summarizes what is currently known about the factors that are proposed for the development of acute leukemias. Abstract Acute leukemias constitute some of the most common malignant disorders. Despite significant progress made in the treatment of these disorders, their etiology remains unknown. A large and diverse group of genetic and environmental variables have been proposed. The role of a variety of factors, including pre-existing and acquired genetic mutations, exposure to radiation and various chemicals during preconception, pregnancy and throughout life, have been explored. The effects of inherited genetic variations and disorders, pre-existing diseases, infectious agents, hobbies, occupations, prior treatments, and a host of other factors have been proposed, but none is universally applicable to all cases. Variation in the incidence and prognosis based on the age, sex, race, type of the disease, geographic area of residence and other factors are intriguing but remain unexplained. Advances in genomic profiling, including genome-wide gene expression, DNA copy number and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype, may shed some light on the role of genetics in these disparities. Separate two-hit hypotheses for the development of acute myeloblastic and lymphoblastic leukemia have been proposed. The latter combines genetics and infection factors resulting in leukemogenesis. A number of pre- and post-natal environmental conditions and exposure to infections, including a mycovirus infected Aspergillus flavus , have been suggested. The exact nature, timing, sequence of the events and mechanisms resulting in the occurrence of leukemia requires further investigations. This review summarizes some of the above factors in acute lymphoblastic and myeloblastic leukemias and the direction for future research on the etiology of these disorders.

Background The prevalence of allergies and the incidence of cancer are both increasing worldwide. It has been hypothesized that atopy may affect the risk of some cancers. Methods In this study, 1525 patients (754 women and 771 men with a mean age of 52.7 ± 11.9 years) with different types of cancer were examined for the presence of allergies. Allergies were confirmed based on retrospective analysis of allergy diagnostic procedures in patients previously diagnosed with cancer. All patients were also analyzed for bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis according to relevant guidelines. A control group of patients without cancer diagnoses was used for comparison. Results Patients with cancer had significantly fewer IgE-mediated allergic diseases than the control population. For the oncological group compared to the non-cancer patients, the odds ratios (ORs) for allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and bronchial asthma were 0.67 (95 % CI 0.52–0.81), 0.89 (95 % CI 0.78–0.99), and 1.03 (95 % CI 0.91–1.13), respectively. The mean serum concentrations of total IgE were significantly lower in the study population of patients with cancer than in the patients in the control group (45.98 ± 14.9 vs. 83.2 ± 40.1 IU/l; p < 0.05). There were no significant correlations between the type of cancer diagnosed and the form of allergy. Conclusion Our results indicate that the overall incidence of allergies, particularly allergic rhinitis, was lower in patients with some types of cancer. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.