Cancer protective genes from Churchill to Elephants

. 2024 Jan 18;15(1):118. doi: 10.3390/genes15010118

From Churchill to Elephants: The Role of Protective Genes against Cancer

Annalisa Gazzellone 1, Eugenio Sangiorgi 1,*

Editor: Peixin Dong1

Abstract

Richard Peto’s paradox, first described in 1975 from an epidemiological perspective, established an inverse correlation between the probability of developing cancer in multicellular organisms and the number of cells. 

Larger animals exhibit fewer tumors compared to smaller ones, though exceptions exist.

 Mice are more susceptible to cancer than humans, while elephants and whales demonstrate significantly lower cancer prevalence rates than humans. 

How nature and evolution have addressed the issue of cancer in the animal kingdom remains largely unexplored. In the field of medicine, much attention has been

 devoted to cancer-predisposing genes, as they offer avenues for intervention, including blocking, downregulating, early diagnosis, and targeted treatment.

 Predisposing genes also tend to manifest clinically earlier and more aggressively, making them easier to identify. 

 However, despite significant strides in modern medicine, the role of protective genes lags behind. 

Identifying genes with a mild predisposing effect poses a significant challenge.

 Consequently, comprehending the protective function conferred by genes becomes even more elusive, and their very existence is subject to questioning. While the role of variable expressivity and penetrance defects of the same variant in a family is well-documented for many hereditary cancer syndromes, attempts to delineate the function of protective/modifier alleles have been restricted to a few instances.

 In this review, we endeavor to elucidate the role of protective genes observed in the animal kingdom, within certain genetic syndromes that appear to act as cancer-resistant/repressor alleles. 

Additionally, we explore the role of protective alleles in conditions predisposing to cancer. 

The ultimate goal is to discern why individuals, like Winston Churchill, managed to live up to 91 years of age, despite engaging in minimal physical activity, consuming large quantities of alcohol daily, and not abstaining from smoking.

आपुली पावले काय सांगतात

 हो आजार पणात आजून विकनेस  आहे पण त्याला काही 

अंदाज मापं 

हो आपण किती   पाऊले रोज चालतो 

समाजा आपण बरे आहोत आणि रोज 1000 स्टेप्स चालत असू  

आणि प्रकृती साथ देत नसेल 50 पाऊले चालू शकतो या वरून आपण वीक झालो

आणि हळू हळू आपण 500 पाऊले चालतो तर खुरप प्रगती झाली 

हा अंदाज येईल.

लक्षात घ्या वय  रोजचे चालणे वेगळे असू शकते.

कोणती घाई करू नये न थकता चालावे 

कृपया डॉक्टरी सल्या शिवाय एक ही

 पाऊल चालू नये 

 

एन्व्हायर्न मॉनिट असेस

. २०२६ मार्च २४; १९८(४):३४७. doi: १०.१००७/s१०६६१-०२६-१५२२१-४

व्हीओसी (VOC) आणि कण उत्सर्जनाचे निर्धारक घटक म्हणून लाकडी कोळसा आणि मांसाचे प्रकार यांच्यातील आंतरक्रिया

अलेसियो मेनकारेली १,✉, रोझा ग्रेको १, स्टेफानो ग्रिगोलाटो १

कोळशावर ग्रिलिंग आणि प्रदूषक उत्सर्जन

सारांश

कोळशावर ग्रिलिंग ही एक व्यापक स्वयंपाक पद्धत आहे, जी प्रदूषक उत्सर्जनात लक्षणीय योगदान देते.

या अभ्यासात लंप चारकोल (मोठ्या कोळशाचा तुकडा) आणि ब्रिकेट्स (विटा) वापरून बीफ स्टेक, चिकन ब्रेस्ट आणि पोर्क बेली ग्रिल करताना एकूण बाष्पशील सेंद्रिय संयुगे (TVOCs) आणि एकूण निलंबित कण (TSP) यांच्या उत्सर्जनाची तपासणी करण्यात आली.

उत्सर्जन घटक (EFs) निश्चित करण्यात आले, आणि इंधन व मांसाचा प्रकार, मांसाची रचना, आणि कार्यप्रणालीच्या मापदंडांचा प्रभाव लिनियर मिक्स्ड-इफेक्ट्स मॉडेल्स (LMMs) द्वारे तपासण्यात आला. ब्रिकेट्समधून लंप चारकोलपेक्षा जास्त उत्सर्जन झाले, ज्यात TVOC आणि TSP सुमारे एक-तृतीयांश जास्त होते.

LMMs ने पुष्टी केली की इंधनाच्या प्रकाराचा TVOC उत्सर्जनावर लक्षणीय परिणाम होतो (p = 0.010), तर शिजवण्याचा कालावधी (p = 0.001), एकूण ग्रिलिंग वेळ (p = 0.001), आणि वजनातील घट (p < 0.001) हे TSP चे मुख्य भविष्यसूचक घटक होते.

मांसाच्या प्रकाराचा देखील उत्सर्जनावर प्रभाव पडला.

बीफ स्टेक आणि चिकन ब्रेस्टमध्ये चरबीचे प्रमाण कमी असूनही, जास्त वेळ शिजवल्यामुळे पोर्क बेलीपेक्षा लक्षणीयरीत्या जास्त TVOC निर्माण झाले (p < 0.05).

याउलट, पोर्क बेलीमधून चरबीच्या थेंबांमुळे जास्त TSP निर्माण झाले.  दोन्ही प्रदूषकांमध्ये, वजन घट (p < 0.001) आणि वजन घटण्याचा दर (p < 0.001) हे प्रदूषक उत्सर्जनाचे विश्वसनीय निर्देशक होते. मांसातील ओलावा, प्रथिने आणि राखेचे प्रमाण हे TVOC आणि TSP या दोन्हींशी संबंधित होते (p < 0.001), जे ग्रिलिंग उत्सर्जनाच्या बहुघटकीय उगमावर जोर देते. एकंदरीत, हे परिणाम दर्शवतात की प्रदूषक निर्मितीचे स्पष्टीकरण केवळ इंधन किंवा मांसामधील श्रेणीबद्ध फरकांवरून देता येत नाही. त्याऐवजी, अंदाजित रचना आणि कार्यप्रणालीचे मापदंड हे सर्वात माहितीपूर्ण भविष्यसूचक ठरतात, जे ग्रिलिंग उत्सर्जनाचे मूल्यांकन करण्यासाठी एक यांत्रिक चौकट प्रदान करतात आणि मानवी संपर्क कमी करण्याच्या धोरणांना समर्थन देतात.

Ref

Ref 2026 Mar 24;198(4):347. doi: 10.1007/s10661-026-15221-4

Interactions between wood charcoal and meat types as determining factors of VOC and particle emissions

Alessio Mencarelli 1,✉, Rosa Greco 1, Stefano Grigolato 1

Charcoal grilling and pollutannt emissions

 

. 2026 Mar 24;198(4):347. doi: 10.1007/s10661-026-15221-4

Interactions between wood charcoal and meat types as determining factors of VOC and particle emissions

Alessio Mencarelli 1,✉, Rosa Greco 1, Stefano Grigolato 1

Charcoal grilling and pollutannt emissions

Abstract

Charcoal grilling is a widespread cooking method that contributes significantly to 

pollutant emissions.

 This study investigated the release of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) and total suspended particulates (TSP) during the grilling of beef steak, chicken breast, and pork belly using lump charcoal and briquettes. 

Emission factors (EFs) were determined, and the influence of fuel and meat type, meat composition, and operational parameters was assessed through linear mixed-effects models (LMMs). Briquettes produced higher emissions than lump charcoal, with TVOC and TSP about one-third higher.

 LMMs confirmed that fuel type significantly affects TVOC emissions (p = 0.010), while cooking duration (p = 0.001), total grilling time (p = 0.001), and weight loss (p < 0.001) were the main predictors of TSP.

 Meat type also influenced emissions.

 Beef steak and chicken breast, despite having a lower fat content, generated significantly more TVOC than pork belly (p < 0.05) due to

 longer cooking times.

 In contrast, pork belly produced higher TSP 

through fat dripping. Across both pollutants, weight loss (p < 0.001) and the weight loss rate (p < 0.001) were robust indicators of pollutant emission. Meat moisture, protein, and ash content were associated with both TVOC and TSP (p < 0.001), underscoring the multifactorial origin of grilling emissions. Overall, the results demonstrate that pollutant formation cannot be explained solely by categorical distinctions between fuels or meats. Instead, proximate composition and operational parameters provide the most informative predictors, offering a mechanistic framework for evaluating grilling emissions and supporting strategies to mitigate human exposure.

Food using Barbeque fuels on beach sands (Summary)

 Ref

Sci Rep. 2023 Oct 17;13:17621. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-45023-4

Effects of thermal treatment of food using barbecue fuels on ambient air and beach sands within recreation facilities

Sebastian Kuś 1, Iwona Jelonek 1, Zbigniew Jelonek 1,✉

Food using Barbeque fuels on beach sands

Summary

The use of the beach and the preparation of food by means of heat treatment of food products using barbecue equipment result in the generation of contaminants both in the beach sands and in the air. 

Analysis of the sands did not reveal, apart from cadmium (Cd), high concentrations of carcinogenic elements when measurements were taken near the barbecues and at a distance from the barbecues. However, a difference was found between the element content of sands located directly next to the barbecue sites (higher element concentration) and sands further away from these sites. 

Similar differences between the contamination of beach sands were shown by testing for solid elements such as rust, metals, plastics, polymers, charcoal, biomass, slags, fossil coals, and glass. 

Immediately adjacent to the grills, the accumulation of solid contaminants clearly increased up to 0.6% in the case of polymers and slags. 

The greatest adverse impact on the comfort and health of people using beaches located next to leisure centres was found in the case of air pollution from exhaust fumes emitted from barbecues. PM10 and PM2.5 particles contained in the fumes emitted by the barbecues often exceeded the permissible concentrations not only at the devices themselves but even within a radius of several metres from them. Increased concentrations within a radius of a few metres from the grills were also recorded for measurements taken for CO, RI, HCHO, and NH3. It should be emphasised that in the case of this type of exposure to fumes within a radius of a few to several metres from the emitter, not only the users of the grills themselves but also other members of the public using recreational facilities are exposed to their inhalation.