Olive leaf tea may have hematological health benefit over green tea.

Olive leaf extracts are rich in several polyphenols having potential health benefits. We conducted the current parallel-group randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of long-term consumption of olive leaf tea (OLT) and green tea (GT) on hematological parameters in 31 female volunteers aged between 40 and 70 years of old. We found that RBC count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were increased significantly in the OLT group than those of in the GT group at 6 and 12 weeks of intervention. Within-group comparison showed that hematocrit was significantly increased in the OLT group at 6 weeks of intervention, whereas RBC count and serum iron was significantly decreased in the GT group at 12 weeks of intervention. This is the first clinical study reporting the beneficial effects of continuous intake of OLT on hematological parameters. This observation is supported by our previous in vitro study reporting the differentiation-inducing effect of certain olive leaf components on human hematopoietic stem cells. However, further investigations in larger cohorts with a careful consideration of target population are required to confirm the preventive effect of OLT against anemia and other red cell disorders.

Inhibitory effect of various Tunisian olive oils on chemical mediator release and cytokine production by basophilic cells.

Tunisian olive oils have been traditionally used as a medicinal food for chronic inflammation. To investigate the antiallergic effect of virgin olive oil samples from five principal olive varieties grown in various regions of Tunisia, we used the type I allergy reaction model using rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells and different dilutions of olive oil samples to determine beta-hexosaminidase release inhibition at two different response stages. Results showed that the Sayali olive oil significantly inhibited beta-hexosaminidase release by the IgE antibody-sensitized, BSA antigen-stimulated RBL-2H3 cells at the antibody-antigen binding stage. The result of our experiment shows that the anti-allergic effect of olive oil at this binding stage may be dependent on their flavone content. The Zarrazi olive oil significantly inhibited beta-hexosaminidase release at the antigen-receptor binding stage. Moreover, we investigated the effect of olive oil samples on histamine release and production of cytokines by activated human basophilic (KU812) cells. Different dilutions of Sayali olive oil dose-dependently inhibited the production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-4 (IL-4), and different dilutions of Zarrazi olive oil dose-dependently inhibited histamine release and IL-4 production by calcium ionophore A23187 plus phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-stimulated KU812 cells.

Dynamic computed tomography predicts tumor temperature and response to thermoradiotherapy in superficial and subsurface tumors.

BACKGROUND: Dynamic computed tomography (CT) was performed on patients undergoing thermoradiotherapy for superficial or subsurface tumors, and the correlation between tumor enhancement and tumor temperature during hyperthermia was evaluated. The authors further investigated whether tumor enhancement by dynamic CT is predictive of tumor response to thermoradiotherapy. METHODS: Thermoradiotherapy was given to 26 patients. Radiotherapy consisted of 40-70 gray. Hyperthermia was conducted over 3-5 sessions, and tumor temperature was measured at each session. Dynamic CT was performed prehyperthermia (within 1 week before the initiation of hyperthermia) and midtherapy (within 1 week after 2 sessions of hyperthermia). RESULTS: A complete response (CR) was obtained in 11 patients (42%) and either a partial response or no response (non-CR) in 15 (58%). There was no correlation between tumor enhancement obtained by prehyperthermia CT and tumor temperature parameters or response. However, the deltaCTmax (maximum increased enhancement) by prehyperthermia and midtherapy CT was 39.0 +/- 18.9 HU and 26.1 +/- 14.2 HU, respectively, in CR patients, and 46.4 +/- 21.1 HU and 49.6 +/- 19.1 HU, respectively, in non-CR patients. This change in deltaCTmax at midtherapy was significantly different between groups (P < 0.01). The deltaCTmax ratio for prehyperthermia and midtherapy CT studies correlated with the average tumor temperature (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Tumor enhancement by prehyperthermia and midtherapy dynamic CT predicted tumor temperature during hyperthermia and response to thermoradiotherapy for superficial or subsurface malignancies.

Relevance of a new impedance matching, or subtrap, method for the reduction of pain during hyperthermia.

Capacitive heating is widely used in hyperthermic treatment of human malignancies. However, the pain on the body surface or thermoesthesia in the subcutaneous fatty layer may prevent an elevation of temperature in the tumors. Impedance matching is improved by a subtrap method entailing the application of two copper plates (10 x 850 x 0.06 mm) as a subtrap circuit to each of two capacitive electrodes. In a clinical trial the Tmax, Tave, Tmin for the subtrap method were all higher in comparison with those for the conventional technique (42.5 +/- 0.7 degrees C, 41.9 +/- 1.0 degrees C, 41.3 +/- 1.1 degrees C vs. 41.1 +/- 1.5 degrees C, 40.6 +/- 1.3 degrees C, 40.0 +/- 1.3 degrees C). Although the maximal radiofrequency (RF) power applied to patients was higher with the subtrap method (875 +/- 189 W vs. 763 +/- 200 W), the incidence of surface pain was reduced dramatically. It is concluded that the subtrap method substantially improves the RF capacitive heating of deep-seated tumors.

Enhancement of thermoradiotherapy by glucose administration for superficial malignant tumours.

The effect of hyperglycemia on the thermoradiotherapy of superficial malignant tumours was investigated. Glucose administration alone (500 ml of 10% glucose by intravenous drip infusion) reduced the tumour blood flow, when measured by laser Doppler flowmetry, to 66.1% of the baseline level at 30 minutes after the beginning of glucose infusion. Forty patients received glucose in tandem during the hyperthermia and radiotherapy (group A), and 38 patients received thermoradiotherapy alone (group B). The mean Tave (the average temperature of all intratumoural sensors) in group A was 43.4 +/- 1.1 degrees C while that in group B was 42.5 +/- 1.2 degrees C, i.e., glucose administrations significantly increased the tumour temperature (p < 0.01). In group A, complete tumour response (CR) was observed in 12 patients (30.0%), partial response (PR) in 25 patients (62.5%) and no response (NR) in three patients (7.5%). In group B, seven (18.4%), 20 (52.7%) and 11 (28.9%) patients showed CR, PR and NR, respectively. The tumour response rates were significantly different between two treatment groups (p < 0.05). The frequency of side effects of hyperthermia in groups A and B were 22.5 and 21.1%, respectively. This study suggests that hyperglycemia enhances the effectiveness of thermoradiotherapy.