Background: While smoking and alcohol consumption, as hypothesized risk factors of colorectal

In the United States, colorectal cancer affecting both men and women ranks high as a fatal cancer in individuals older than 50 years old (Gould & Dyer, 2011, p. 426). It was estimated in 2011 that 135,260 people diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 51,783 deaths ("Statistics," 2014). With an improved preventive measure of an early detection of precancerous lesions such as polyps, the prevalence of colorectal

The subjects include 23, 248 Asian males, ages 16-26. The participants include a cohort of males who underwent a medical examination prior to enlistment in military services. Those with a CRAFFT score of >2 was considered cases. 4764 was identified as cases and matched against a random sample of 5011 non-cases. Statistical analysis was done using the Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 16.0. The study showed that CRAFFT tool had a 0.78 and 0.76 sensitivity and specificity for identifying alcohol-related disorders and 0.71 and 0.74 sensitivity and specificity for identifying drug related disorders. Therefore, the CRAFFT tool is valid and reliable for identifying drug and alcohol abuse in adolescents (Subramaniam, Cheok, Verma & Chong,

Cancer is the leading cause of death among Asians Americans, and rates vary with age, acculturation and location. The stated differences may represent the influence of environment, such as diet and health habits, and therefore may be modifiable. When it comes to liver and stomach cancer, Asian Americans are tree times more likely to develop liver cancer than non-Hispanic whites and twice as likely to develop liver cancer. In the Chinese, liver cancer is associated with Hepatitis B (precursor to liver disease and cancer) and in whites, liver cancer is primarily associated with alcohol. For colon cancer, it is suggested that diet is related, so is other environmental risk factors. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Chinese

Colon or colorectal cancer emerges when a malignant tumor arises on the inner walls of the large intestine or rectum. It is the third most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer deaths in over 50,000 patients. Colorectal cancer does not discriminate amongst race or gender, however it is most commonly found in individuals over the age of fifty, generally not in younger cases (What is Colon Cancer). It evolves in the tissues of the colon which is found in the lower portion of the gastrointestinal tract. The colon is an essential organ which absorbs nutrients and water and stores the rest as waste (Colorectal Cancer information). However when the DNA of healthy cells has any sort of malfunction or is damaged, the cells continue to divide

Description: I had the chance to work on multiple manuscripts pertaining to colorectal cancer in African Americans and Caucasians. My contribution included compiling the results from each experiment and inputting them into the corresponding manuscript, creation of all necessary tables and figures, as well as proofreading all sections to correct any mistakes.

Alcohol consumption is well entrenched in the social fabric of many adult populations across the world, virtually constituting a behavioral norm. It is cheap, legal and readily available. Regular and extensive alcohol consumption is a brain-centered addictive behavioral disorder that crosses all boundaries of gender, race, age, social class and, in many patients, might lead to alcoholic liver disease (ALD).1-3 Not only does heavy drinking significantly increases morbidity and mortality from infectious disease4, it also risks the development of brain, pancreatic, cardiovascular, oncological, cerebral and renal diseases.5

Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) attributable to alcohol use is relatively much higher than for many other conditions (1). In the Global Burden of Disease study from 2010 alcohol is estimated to account for 3.9% of life years lost globally, up from 3.0% in 1990. This makes alcohol the fifth leading risk factor globally for ill health and premature deaths (1). Impact of tobacco use and suicide is equally significant. Across the world five million people die every year due to tobacco smoking and 600,000 die due to second-hand smoke (2). One million die due to suicide every year (3).

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS:  There are geographic and ethnic modifications in the incidence of stomach cancer around the globe, as well as trends in each population over time. Moving from high-incidence to low-incidence countries frequently experience a diminished the risk of developing stomach carcinoma.

Another concern about past studies was about the comparison of the risk of coronary heart disease between a group of moderate alcohol drinkers and abstainers. One study observed that alcoholism may be a factor for increased risk of coronary heart disease among Japanese women (Ikehara et al. 2013). Some point out that there is an underrepresentation of alcoholics in the moderate group while the abstainers may include individuals recovering from this addiction. Abstainers may also

Cancer disease imposes a global threat to public health. Epidemiological data clearly show an increase of cancer diffusion over the world every year. Moreover to genetic factors that are crucial for cancer formation and development, environmental factors are important for its progression and advanced. These include lifestyle as tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity, industry and microbial factors as radiation, pollution, infection and diet

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 7.6 million deaths (around 13% of all deaths) in 2008; worldwide this figure is projected to rise to over 13.1 million in 2030. Lung (1.6 million, 12.7% of the total for men and women), breast (1.4 million, 10.9% of the total for women), colorectal (1.2 million, 9.7% of the total for men and women) and stomach cancers (1 million, 7.8% of the total for men and women) were the most common, accounting for more than 40% of all cases. About 70% of all cancer deaths are reported in low and middle-income countries [20, 21].

Dietary factors, second only to tobacco as a preventable cause of cancer, account for about 30% of all cancers in Western countries and approximately 20% in developing countries. Announcing findings in 2005 of its 20-year-long study tracking 150,000 Americans, the American Cancer Society found that men and women who ate the most amounts of red meat (as compared to those who ate more poultry, fish, and non-meats) had a 53% higher risk of distal colon cancer. Also in 2005, a study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health (USA), in which 1 million Koreans were tracked for 10 years, reported that high sugar consumption could be a risk factor in developing several types of cancer. These researchers suggest that glucose intolerance may be one way that obesity increases cancer risk and that rising obesity rates may increase future cancer

From 1998 to 2007, colorectal cancer death rates decreased from 25.6 per 100,000 population to 20.0 (2.8% per year) for men and from 18.0 per 100,000 to 14.2 (2.7% per year) for women (cdc, 2011).

The majority of study participants had consumed alcohol at least on one occasion during their lifetime, 178(80.9%). Participants who consumed alcohol within seven days prior to data collection were 96(43.6%). Participants who practiced risky alcohol consumption within seven days prior to data collection were 8(3.6%). Approximately, a quarter of study participants were pre-hypertensive, 53(24%). The majority of the study participants had also low physical activity, 186(84.5%), Table 2.

It helps to predict which individuals have an increase susceptibility to diseases such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes, which result from complex instructions between genes and the environment. “ When biologists compare the human genome with the ge