Alterations within the tryptophan-kynurenine metabolic pathway have been linked to the etiology of colorectal cancer (CRC), but the relevance of this pathway for prognostic outcomes in CRC patients needs further elucidation. Therefore, we investigated associations between circulating concentrations of tryptophan-kynurenine pathway metabolites and all-cause mortality among CRC patients. This study utilizes data from 2102 stage I-III CRC patients participating in six prospective cohorts involved in the international FOCUS Consortium.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: The aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate dietary and lifestyle inflammation scores and their interaction in relation to risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) recurrence and all-cause mortality.
Methods: Data of two prospective cohort studies among CRC survivors was used. Information about diet and/or lifestyle was available for 2739 individuals for at least one of the following time points: at diagnosis, six months after diagnosis and two years after diagnosis.
Background: Evaluations of continuing professional development programs typically focus on short-term knowledge and skill acquisition. There is a need for more comprehensive program evaluation methods that assess a broader range of impacts and can elicit how and why these outcomes occurred. We conducted a qualitative study to investigate the impacts of a multidisciplinary, online health professional postgraduate degree and to gain insights into the factors that led to these impacts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe previously demonstrated that intake of low-fat dairy, but not high-fat dairy, was associated with a decreased colorectal cancer (CRC) recurrence risk. These risks, however, may differ by sex, primary tumour location, and disease stage. Combining data from two similar prospective cohort studies of people with stage I-III CRC enabled these subgroup analyses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) cancer patients report unmet informational and emotional needs when receiving radiotherapy (RT). This feasibility study aimed to evaluate the clinical use of an instant translation device (ITD) to facilitate communication between Mandarin-speaking patients and radiation therapists (RTTs) within the Australian public RT setting. The primary aim was to assess the ability to convey information relating to daily patient care and build rapport using the device.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis suggest early-life environment impacts health outcomes throughout the life course. In particular, epigenetic marks, including DNA methylation, are thought to be key mechanisms through which environmental exposures programme later-life health. Adequate maternal folate status before and during pregnancy is essential in the protection against neural tube defects, but data are emerging that suggest early-life folate exposures may also influence neurocognitive outcomes in childhood and, potentially, thereafter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoffee consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). However, it is not clear whether coffee consumption is related to CRC progression. Hence, we assessed the association of coffee consumption with CRC recurrence and all-cause mortality using data from a prospective cohort study of 1719 stage I-III CRC patients in the Netherlands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a frequent symptom in colorectal cancer survivors. It is unknown to what extent anemia may contribute to CRF in colorectal cancer survivors. This study aimed to investigate the association between hematocrit, as marker for anemia, and CRF among colorectal cancer survivors from diagnosis until two years thereafter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Physical activity (PA) is associated with higher quality of life and probably better prognosis among colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. This study focuses on determinants of PA among CRC patients from diagnosis until 5 yr postdiagnosis.
Methods: Sociodemographic and disease-related factors of participants of two large CRC cohort studies were combined.
Background: Capecitabine is an oral chemotherapeutic drug showing antitumor activity through inhibition of thymidylate synthase, an enzyme involved in folate metabolism. There are concerns about the high intake of certain vitamins, and specifically folate, during chemotherapy with capecitabine. Whether folate or folic acid, the synthetic variant of the vitamin, impact treatment toxicity remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmerican foulbrood (AFB) is a devastating disease of the European honey bee () and is found throughout the world. AFB is caused by the bacterium () Treatment with antibiotics is strictly forbidden in many regions, including New Zealand. Safe and natural prophylactic solutions to protect honey bees from AFB are needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The American College of Sports Medicine provided guidelines for exercise prescriptions in cancer survivors for specific cancer- and treatment-related health outcomes. However, there was insufficient evidence to generate exercise prescriptions for 10 health outcomes of cancer treatment. We sought to update the state of evidence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The tryptophan-kynurenine pathway is increasingly recognized to play a role in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after cancer. Because tryptophan is an essential amino acid, and vitamins and minerals act as enzymatic cofactors in the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway, a link between diet and kynurenines is plausible.
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal associations of macronutrient and micronutrient intake with metabolites of the kynurenine pathway in colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors up to 12 mo posttreatment.
Introduction: Autoimmune neurological diseases (ANDs) are a specific type of autoimmune disease that affect cells within the central and peripheral nervous system. ANDs trigger various physical/neuropsychiatric symptoms. However, language impairments in people with ANDs are not well characterized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Improving oncology-specific knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals is critical for improving the outcomes of people with cancer. Many current postgraduate education offerings may be inaccessible to busy professionals, contain minimal consumer input or do not focus on the multidisciplinary nature of cancer care. In response to these needs, a Master of Cancer Sciences degree was developed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFColorectal cancer (CRC) is increasingly recognized as a heterogeneous disease. No studies have prospectively examined associations of blood metabolite concentrations with all-cause mortality in patients with colon and rectal cancer separately. Targeted metabolomics (Biocrates Absolute p180) and pathway analyses (MetaboAnalyst 4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Higher dairy consumption is associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), but no studies thus far have investigated its relation with recurrence in CRC. Few studies have investigated total dairy in relation to mortality in CRC, and yielded inconsistent results.
Methods: In this prospective cohort study, people newly diagnosed with stage I-III CRC filled out a food frequency questionnaire at diagnosis (n = 1812) and six months after diagnosis (n = 1672).
Folate metabolism is a target for various chemotherapeutic drugs. Folate and its synthetic variant folic acid are B-vitamins. To what extent these vitamins impact treatment tolerance in patients with cancer remains unclear.
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