Immunostimulatory and anticancer effect of Reishi and Coriol extracts at the level of clinical studies and their implementation in practice.

Background: Mushrooms Reishi and Coriolus have been used for centuries in Asian countries to treat various diseases, mainly respiratory tract infections or pulmonary diseases, and more recently also cancers. Polysaccharides and triterpenes, which are found in these mushrooms, are their main bio-active components. Preclinical and clinical studies in humans presented their beneficial effects as immunomodulators; besides this, they possess a direct anticancer effect.

Partitioning of mesophyll conductance for CO into intercellular and cellular components using carbon isotope composition of cuticles from opposite leaf sides.

We suggest a new technique for estimating the relative drawdown of CO concentration (c) in the intercellular air space (IAS) across hypostomatous leaves (expressed as the ratio c/c, where the indexes d and b denote the adaxial and abaxial edges, respectively, of IAS), based on the carbon isotope composition (δC) of leaf cuticular membranes (CMs), cuticular waxes (WXs) or epicuticular waxes (EWXs) isolated from opposite leaf sides. The relative drawdown in the intracellular liquid phase (i.e.

Content of Selected Vitamins and Antioxidants in Colored and Nonpigmented Varieties of Quinoa, Barley, and Wheat Grains.

Unlabelled: The diversity in human diets that can be reached by proper use of different crops and varieties, including some underutilized ones, is a potentially powerful strategy to ensure food security and prevent serious health problems caused by current diets that are often not fulfilling nutritional requirements. In the framework of this research, the content of tocopherols and tocotrienols, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, and superoxide dismutase in nine varieties of quinoa, both colored and nonpigmented, obtained from 4 different countries, was investigated and compared to the content of the same vitamins and antioxidants in barley and wheat, both colored and nonpigmented, cultivated in the same experimental field. The aim of this work was to create a crop diversity strategy and encourage the consumption of underutilized crops to ensure that the human diet fulfills nutritional requirements.

[Coffee in Cancer Chemoprevention].

Coffee consumption is associated with a reduced risk of several diseases including cancer. Its chemopreventive effect has been studied in vitro, in animal models, and more recently in humans. Several modes of action have been proposed, namely, inhibition of oxidative stress and damage, activation of metabolizing liver enzymes involved in carcinogen detoxification processes, and anti-inflammatory effects.

[Can fish oil improve wound healing in surgery?].

Unlabelled: A surgical insult induces both local and systemic inflammatory responses which, if inappropriate, could impair wound healing. According to many studies ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from fish oil improve the process of wound healing by their immunomodulatory effect. In contrast to current anti-inflammatory drugs, which could alter immune defence and impair the resolution of inflammation, ω-3 fatty acids have a simultaneous anti-inflammatory pro-resolution effect which is not immunosuppressive.

[Anticancer Effect of Fish Oil - a Fable or the Truth?].

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil have several health benefits for cancer patients. Recent findings indicate that, besides their well-known anti-cachectic effect, they can act synergistically with chemotherapeutic agents and may enhance tumor radio-sensitivity. The mechanisms underlying their anti-tumor effects are complex.

[Importance of taste in maintaining homeostasis and pathological impact of orosensory reflexes distraction in relation to sweet taste after non-caloric sweeteners consumption].

Taste signals and their reflexes have important signalling function in nature. They protect organism against toxic substances in food with help of taste aversion, they help to cope nutrition deficiencies through taste preferences, on the other hand, they act in many postprandial reflexes to maintain energy homeostasis. It is well-known that sweet taste is important oro-sensory stimulus for mammals.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression and mutations in the EGFR signaling pathway in correlation with anti-EGFR therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

Unlabelled: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an important therapeutic target and a poor prognosis factor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The aim of the study was to analyze EGFR expression and KRAS and EGFR mutational status and to correlate it with treatment response to anti-EGFR therapy combined with radiotherapy in 29 patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC).EGFR gene expression normalized to GAPDH and EGFR variant type III (EGFRvIII) was detected in tumor tissue using real time reverse transcription -PCR.

Mutations in EGFR signal pathway in correlation with response to treatment of head and neck cancers.

Unlabelled: The prognostic and predictive value of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression and some genetic alterations in an EGFR signal pathway, such as the EGFR amplification, the EGFR activating tyrosine kinase domain mutations or the k-ras gene mutation were investigated in our study. The aim of the research was to evaluate the occurrence of the above-mentioned biomarkers in correlation with a therapeutic response and survival in patients with locoregionally advanced spinocellular head and neck cancers.

Keywords: Head and neck cancer, EGFR, predictive marker, k-ras, EGFR amplification, EGFR tyrosine kinase domain mutation.

[A growing problem--human papillomavirus and head and neck cancers].

High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) are implicated in the development of a subset of head and neck cancers, especially those arising from the lingual or palatine tonsils. HPV-associated cancer of the head and neck represent a different disease entity from those associated with the traditional risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use. There has been as increase in the annual incidence of HPV-related cancers in Europe and USA in the past years.