Dietary carbohydrate promotes cell survival in cancer via the up-regulation of fat mass and obesity-associated gene expression level

Cancer cells are mainly dependent on glycolysis for their growth and survival. Dietary carbohydrates play a critical role in the growth and proliferation of cancer and a low-carbohydrate diet may help slow down the growth of tumours. However, the exact mechanisms behind this effect are unclear. This review study aimed to investigate the effect of fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene in the association between dietary carbohydrates and cancer. This study was carried out using keywords such as polymorphism and/or cancer and/or dietary carbohydrate and/or FTO gene. PubMed and Science Direct databases were used to collect all related articles published from 1990 to 2018. Recent studies showed that the level of FTO gene expression in cancer cells is dramatically increased and may play a role in the growth of these cells through the regulation of the cellular metabolic pathways, including the phosphoinositide 3-kinases/protein kinaseB (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway. Dietary carbohydrate may influence the FTO gene expression by eliminating the inhibitory effect of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) on the FTO gene expression. This review summarised what has been recently discovered about the effects of dietary carbohydrate on cancer cells and tried to determine the mediating role of the FTO gene in these effects. © Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia

Review on the Oncology Practice in the Midst of COVID-19 Crisis: The Challenges and Solutions

As of late 2019, the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that started in China has rapidly afflicted all over the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged health-care facilities to provide optimal care. In this context, cancer care requires special attention because of its peculiar status by including patients who are commonly immunocompromised and treatments that are often highly toxic. In this review article, we have classified the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on oncology practices followed by their solutions into ten categories, including impacts on (1) health care providers, (2) medical equipment, (3) access to medications, (4) treatment approaches, (5) patients� referral, (6) patients� accommodation, (7) patients� psychological health, (8) cancer research, (9) tumor board meetings, and (10) economic income of cancer centers. The effective identification and management of all these challenges will improve the standards of cancer care over the viral pandemic and can be a practical paradigm for possible future crises. © 2021. All rights reserved

An overview of oncology researches in Iran: A scientometric approach (1974 - February 2019)

Background: With the growing rate of tumors, cancer has become one of the most important health concerns in Iran. The urgency with which Iranian researchers and health professionals address this challenge leads to a load of scientific materials. Methods: To reveal gaps in produced knowledge and suggest future research directions, applying well-validated scientometric tools, we assessed the trends of Iranian published scientific articles and citations in the field of oncology. The inclusion criteria consisted of all oncology-related articles that were data-based, and peer-reviewed; with at least an abstract published in English; and authored by at least one researcher affiliated with Iranian institutions. Results: Amongst 5 063 525 oncology research records indexed in at least one of PubMed, Scopus, or Web of Science Core Collection (WoS) from the start to February 2019, Iranian researches accounted for about 24 867 (0.49). Published articles on all cancers by Iranian researchers had a sharp continuously ascending trend, with the same pattern for citations received. Some important topics such as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies have been missing and some such as diagnostic and pharmaceutical innovations have been less investigated. The most collaborative country was the United States, while no close collaboration was observed with China that was introduced as the most productive country in the field of oncology over the past decades. Conclusion: Despite the progressive trend in most oncology fields, some significant practical topics are still missing. Systematic reviews of produced theoretical innovations and translating them to functional knowledge can be of importance to fulfill the mentioned gaps. © 2020 The Author(s)