BlueBerry Isolate, Pterostilbene, Functions as a Potential Anticancer Stem Cell Agent in Suppressing Irradiation-Mediated Enrichment of Hepatoma Stem Cells

For many malignancies, radiation therapy remains the second option only to surgery in terms of its curative potential. However, radiation-induced tumor cell death is limited by a number of factors, including the adverse response of the tumor microenvironment to the treatment and either intrinsic or acquired mechanisms of evasive resistance, and the existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). In this study, we demonstrated that using different doses of irradiation led to the enrichment of CD133+ Mahlavu cells using flow cytometric method. Subsequently, CD133+ Mahlavu cells enriched by irradiation were characterized for their stemness gene expression, self-renewal, migration/invasion abilities, and radiation resistance. Having established irradiation-enriched CD133+ Mahlavu cells with CSC properties, we evaluated a phytochemical, pterostilbene (PT), found abundantly in blueberries, against irradiation-enriched CSCs. It was shown that PT treatment dose-dependently reduced the enrichment of CD133+ Mahlavu cells upon irradiation; PT treatment also prevented tumor sphere formation, reduced stemness gene expression, and suppressed invasion and migration abilities as well as increasing apoptosis of CD133+ Mahlavu CSCs. Based on our experimental data, pterostilbene could be used to prevent the enrichment of CD133+ hepatoma CSCs and should be considered for future clinical testing as a combined agent for HCC patients

Women with endometriosis have higher comorbidities: Analysis of domestic data in Taiwan

AbstractEndometriosis, defined by the presence of viable extrauterine endometrial glands and stroma, can grow or bleed cyclically, and possesses characteristics including a destructive, invasive, and metastatic nature. Since endometriosis may result in pelvic inflammation, adhesion, chronic pain, and infertility, and can progress to biologically malignant tumors, it is a long-term major health issue in women of reproductive age. In this review, we analyze the Taiwan domestic research addressing associations between endometriosis and other diseases. Concerning malignant tumors, we identified four studies on the links between endometriosis and ovarian cancer, one on breast cancer, two on endometrial cancer, one on colorectal cancer, and one on other malignancies, as well as one on associations between endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome, one on links with migraine headache, three on links with pelvic inflammatory diseases, four on links with infertility, four on links with obesity, four on links with chronic liver disease, four on links with rheumatoid arthritis, four on links with chronic renal disease, five on links with diabetes mellitus, and five on links with cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.). The data available to date support that women with endometriosis might be at risk of some chronic illnesses and certain malignancies, although we consider the evidence for some comorbidities to be of low quality, for example, the association between colon cancer and adenomyosis/endometriosis. We still believe that the risk of comorbidity might be higher in women with endometriosis than that we supposed before. More research is needed to determine whether women with endometriosis are really at risk of these comorbidities

Validation of the Taiwanese version of the Athens insomnia scale and assessment of insomnia in Taiwanese cancer patients

Context: It is well known that insomnia is highly prevalent in cancer patients. Although various studies have used the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) for insomnia assessment, it has never been applied to cancer patients with insomnia. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to establish the reliability and validity of the Taiwanese AIS version (AIS-T) and evaluate the severity of insomnia among cancer patients in Taiwan. Methods: Using a cross-sectional research design, 195 cancer patients (n = 195) were recruited from outpatient oncology clinics. Results: Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency was 0.83, and the test-retest reliability was 0.94 over an interval of three days, based on a sample of 30 patients. Moreover, concurrent validity could be evaluated by significant correlations of the AIS-T with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-Taiwan form (PSQI-T) (r = 0.82, P < 0.001) and sleep efficiency measured by Actiwatch parameters (r = -0.54, P < 0.001). Construct validity could be established by the Brief Fatigue Inventory-Taiwan form (r = 0.56, P < 0.001) and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36-Taiwanese version (physical component summary: r = -0.52, P < 0.001; mental component summary: r = -0.53, P < 0.001). The AIS-T could detect significant known-group validity from sleep quality (PSQI-T ≥5 or <5, respectively). The Actiwatch parameters are consistent with the results of the AIS-T, and both data sets indicate that patients experienced sleep disturbances. The prevalence of insomnia, as defined by the criteria of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed., was 22.56%; 49.2% subjects had significant insomnia at the score ≥6 at AIS-T. Conclusion: This study concludes that the AIS-T is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing insomnia among cancer patients in Taiwan. © 2011 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Hepatic Reirradiation for Patients with Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma

For treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), local therapies and surgery, including liver transplant, are the first line treatment options; however, several contraindications limit their clinical use. The improvement of radiotherapy (RT) established RT in treating HCC contraindicated against local therapies, including transarterial chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation. For HCC that recurs after RT and still contradicts against local therapies, there is a need to investigate the use of reirradiation. This study recruited patients receiving two courses of RT for recurrent HCC between January 2007 and December 2019. The result suggested that patients who experienced tumor regression after reirradiation had better survival over those with a stable form of the disease, with the mean overall survival (OS) as 30.0 and 4.0 months, respectively (p p = 0.017 and p = 0.028, respectively. Our findings suggested that reirradiation could be the choice for treating recurrent HCC

Recent Advances in Gold Nanomaterials for Photothermal Therapy

Gold nanoparticle (AuNPs)-mediated photothermal therapy (PTT) has attracted increasing attention both in laboratory research and clinical applications. Due to its easily-tuned properties of irradiation light and inside-out hyperthermia ability, it has demonstrated clear advantages in cancer therapy over conventional thermal ablation. Despite this great advancement, the therapeutic efficacy of AuNPs mediated PTT in tumor treatment remains compromised by several obstacles, including low photothermal conversion efficiency, tissue penetration limitation of excitation light, and inherent non-specificity. In view of the rapid development of AuNPs mediated PTT, we present an in-depth review of major breakthroughs in the advanced development of gold nanomaterials for PTT, with emphasis on those from 2010 to date. In particular, the current state of knowledge for AuNPs based photothermal agents within a paradigm of key structure-optical property relationships is presented in order to provide guidance for the design of novel AuNP based photothermal agents to meet necessary functional requirements in specific applications. Furthermore, potential challenges and future development of AuNP mediated PTT are also elucidated for clinical translation. It is expected that AuNP mediated PTT will soon constitute a markedly promising avenue in the treatment of cancer

Is the Blood Donated by Habitual Nut Quid Chewers Suitable for Use in Transfusion?

Betel quid (BQ) chewing is a popular oral masticatory activity, and there are approximately 600 million BQ chewers worldwide. Although chewing BQ has been linked to the patho-genesis of oral cancer, leukoplakia, and oral submucous fibrosis. The question whether the mixed constituents present in areca nut, which may exert cytotoxic effects on red blood cells (RBCs), has never been addressed. Methods: Heparinized blood specimens were obtained with informed consent from healthy laboratory personnel. RBCs were separated with the standard procedure and adjusted to 10% hematocrit with PBS. Various concentrations of areca nut extract (ANE; 100–800 μg/mL) were added to these RBC preparations and incubated at 37°C for 4 hours. Two portions (0.4 mL each) of the incubated RBCs were then used for measuring osmotic deformability index and for observing RBC morphology with scanning electron microscopy. The remaining RBCs were used for determining membrane sulfhydryl groups and protein profiles by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Results: Blood incubated with various concentrations of ANE showed concentration-dependent decreases in osmotic deformability index and membrane sulfhydryl groups. Membrane protein profiles revealed a significant loss of the band 3 fraction, with the concomitant appearance of several new protein bands in the electropheretogram. Finally, drastic morphological changes of ANE-treated RBCs were observed. Conclusion: We suggest that to assure the quality of transfusion, the blood donated by a habitual BQ chewer should be used with caution because of its possible contamination with areca nut ingredients that may be cytotoxic to RBCs

Recent Advances in Gold Nanomaterials for Photothermal Therapy

Gold nanoparticle (AuNPs)-mediated photothermal therapy (PTT) has attracted increasing attention both in laboratory research and clinical applications. Due to its easily-tuned properties of irradiation light and inside-out hyperthermia ability, it has demonstrated clear advantages in cancer therapy over conventional thermal ablation. Despite this great advancement, the therapeutic efficacy of AuNPs mediated PTT in tumor treatment remains compromised by several obstacles, including low photothermal conversion efficiency, tissue penetration limitation of excitation light, and inherent non-specificity. In view of the rapid development of AuNPs mediated PTT, we present an in-depth review of major breakthroughs in the advanced development of gold nanomaterials for PTT, with emphasis on those from 2010 to date. In particular, the current state of knowledge for AuNPs based photothermal agents within a paradigm of key structure-optical property relationships is presented in order to provide guidance for the design of novel AuNP based photothermal agents to meet necessary functional requirements in specific applications. Furthermore, potential challenges and future development of AuNP mediated PTT are also elucidated for clinical translation. It is expected that AuNP mediated PTT will soon constitute a markedly promising avenue in the treatment of cancer