Participating institutions name and acronyms

Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP)

Research Center of INCAP for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (CIIPEC). 

Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University

CIIPEC Researchers

Manuel Ramírez-Zea, PhD, Principal investigator

Fernanda Kroker, PhD, Project lead

Alvaro Rivera, MD MPH, Field coordinator

Carlos Mendoza, PhD Co-investigator

Manolo Mazariegos, MD, PhD, Co-investigator

Other collaborating researchers

Researchers of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Eliseo Guallar, MD, DrPH, Principal Investigator

Johns Groopman, PhD

Mariana Lazo, PhD

Patricia Egner, PhD

Collaborators form the National Institue of Cancer (NCI)

Katherine McGlynn, MPH, PhD

Neal Freedman, MPH PhD

External collaborators:

Olga Torres, MsC (Diagnóstico Molecular, Guatemala)

Joaquín Barnoya, MD, MPH (INCAN, Guatemala). 

Eduardo Gharzouzi, MD (INCAN, Guatemala).

General objective

This research aims to establish the distribution of the levels of aflatoxins and other risk factors for liver cancer as well as to examine their association with liver cancer precursors such as fatty liver, liver fibrosis and diabetes. 

Methodology

This is a cross sectional epidemiological study of the association between aflatoxin exposure (measured as serum concentrations of aflatoxin-lysine albumin adducts) with the presence of fatty liver disease (aim 1), liver fibrosis (aim 2), and diabetes (aim 3). 

The study will be conducted in 250 men and 250 women of 40 years of age and older residing in five departments in Guatemala (Quiche, Solola, Suchitepequez, Escuintla and Guatemala City Metropolitan Area). 

The study includes the following procedures: 

Interviewer-administered questionnaires

Socio-demographic data

Reproductive history

Smoking and alcohol use.

Medical history (including medications).

Dietary intake

Physical activity.  

Physical exam

Anthropometry and fat percentage 

Blood pressure

Biological samples

Blood samples

Project duration

February 2016 to February 2018