Postoperative pain in root canal treatment with ultrasonic versus conventional irrigation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Clinical Oral Investigations - The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis (SRM) was to answer the question whether the use of ultrasonic irrigation (UI) results in less postoperative...     

American Cancer Society nutrition and physical activity guideline for cancer survivors

The overall 5-year relative survival rate for all cancers combined is now 68%, and there are over 16.9 million survivors in the United States. Evidence from laboratory and observational studies suggests that factors such as diet, physical activity, and obesity may affect risk for recurrence and overall survival after a cancer diagnosis. The purpose of this American Cancer Society guideline is to provide evidence-based, cancer-specific recommendations for anthropometric parameters, physical activity, diet, and alcohol intake for reducing recurrence and cancer-specific and overall mortality. The audiences for this guideline are health care providers caring for cancer survivors as well as cancer survivors and their families. The guideline is intended to serve as a resource for informing American Cancer Society programs, health policy, and the media. Sources of evidence that form the basis of this guideline are systematic literature reviews, meta-analyses, pooled analyses of cohort studies, and large randomized clinical trials published since 2012. Recommendations for nutrition and physical activity during cancer treatment, informed by current practice, large cancer care organizations, and reviews of other expert bodies, are also presented. To provide additional context for the guidelines, the authors also include information on the relationship between health-related behaviors and comorbidities, long-term sequelae and patient-reported outcomes, and health disparities, with attention to enabling survivors' ability to adhere to recommendations. Approaches to meet survivors' needs are addressed as well as clinical care coordination and resources for nutrition and physical activity counseling after a cancer diagnosis.     

Glutathione S-transferase Polymorphisms in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated with Chemotherapy and/or Radiotherapy

Background/Aim: The Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are important carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes. Polymorphisms involved in these enzymes can modulate the development and treatment of head and neck cancer. To investigate the association of GSTs polymorphisms with head and neck cancer and risk factors, clinical-pathological features, and survival time of the patients treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Methods: The GST gene polymorphisms were evaluated in 197 cases and 514 controls by PCR-RFLP-Polymerase Chain Reaction Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism. Results: The GSTP-313 was associated with a decreased risk for HNSCC (p=0.050). The GSTP1 haplotype analysis revealed a higher frequency of the AC and AT haplotypes in the case group than in the control group (p=0.013 and p=0.019, respectively), and the opposite for G-C haplotype (p = 0.015). Yet, the different combinations between the genotypes were associated with an increased risk of cancer. The study showed no association between the polymorphisms and primary tumor site, clinical-pathological characteristics, treatment (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy) and survival time of the patients. Conclusion: The GST polymorphisms combination showed an increased risk for carcinogenesis, and studies with larger casuistry can contribute to the clarification of the role in individual patient differences for the response to chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy and identify biomarkers of susceptibility.     

Rosmarinus plants: Key farm concepts towards food applications

Rosmarinus species are aromatic plants that mainly grow in the Mediterranean region. They are widely used in folk medicine, food, and flavor industries and represent a valuable source of biologically active compounds (e.g., terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids). The extraction of rosemary essential oil is being done using three main methods: carbon dioxide supercritical extraction, steam distillation, and hydrodistillation. Furthermore, interesting antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antileishmanial, anthelmintic, anticancer, anti‐inflammatory, antidepressant, and antiamnesic effects have also been broadly recognized for rosemary plant extracts. Thus the present review summarized data on economically important Rosmarinus officinalis species, including isolation, extraction techniques, chemical composition, pharmaceutical, and food applications.     

Emerging and Traditional Organic Markers in Areas with Multiple Anthropogenic Activities: Development of an Analytical Protocol and Its Application in Environmental Assessment Studies

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - This work describes the development of an analytical protocol combining cleanup by liquid–solid extraction and GC–MS for the...     

Iron intake,oxidative stress-related genes and breast cancer risk

Iron has been suggested to contribute to breast cancer development through oxidative stress generation. Our study investigated associations between iron intake and breast cancer risk, overall and by menopausal and estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) status, and modification by oxidative stress-related genetic polymorphisms (MnSOD, GSTM1 and GSTT1). A population-based case–control study (3,030 cases and 3,402 controls) was conducted in Ontario, Canada. Iron intake (total, dietary, supplemental, heme, nonheme) was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated from multivariable logistic regression models. Interactions between iron intake and genotypes were assessed among 1,696 cases and 1,761 controls providing DNA. Overall, no associations were observed between iron intake and breast cancer risk. Among premenopausal women, total, dietary and dietary nonheme iron were positively associated with ER–/PR– breast cancer risk (all p_trend < 0.05). Among postmenopausal women, supplemental iron was associated with reduced breast cancer risk (OR_{>18 vs. 0 mg/day} = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.51–0.91), and dietary heme iron was associated with an increased risk, particularly the ER–/PR– subtype (OR_{highest vs. lowest quintile} = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.16–2.47; p_trend = 0.02). Furthermore, GSTT1 and combined GSTM1/GSTT1 polymorphisms modified some of the associations. For example, higher dietary iron was most strongly associated with increased breast cancer risk among women with GSTT1 deletion or GSTM1/GSTT1 double deletions (p_interaction < 0.05). Findings suggest that iron intake may have different effects on breast cancer risk according to menopausal and hormone receptor status, as well as genotypes affecting antioxidant capacity.