Bacillus coagulans (PROBACI) in treating constipation-dominant functional bowel disorders.

Bacillus coagulans (PROBACI) bacteria have been examined for efficacy against infectious or inflammatory bowel diseases. The aim of this observational and cross-sectional study was to evaluate the effects of PROBACI against various functional bowel symptoms.Thirty-eight enrolled patients (36.5 ±â€Š12.6 years) with functional bowel disorders in a gastrointestinal clinic were administered PROBACI (300-mg formulation containing 1 × 10 colony-forming units of B coagulans) twice/day over a 4-week period. Abdominal pain, abdominal distention, and global assessment were evaluated using a 5-point visual analog scale. The defecation characteristics, discomfort level, and effort required for defecation were recorded. The gut-microbiota composition in terms of the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was analyzed by 16S-ribosomal RNA gene sequencing with stool samples at days 0, 14, and 28 post-treatment.The 38 patients achieved significant improvements in abdominal pain (2.8 ±â€Š0.5 to 3.3 ±â€Š0.7, P = .0009), abdominal distention (2.5 ±â€Š0.7 to 3.2 ±â€Š0.8, P = .0002), and global assessment (2.7 ±â€Š0.6 to 3.6 ±â€Š0.7, P = .0001) from days 0 to 14. Compared with the diarrhea group, the constipation group achieved greater improvements in terms of discomfort during defecation (2.5 ±â€Š0.7 to 3.1 ±â€Š0.7, P = .02) and normalization of defecation style (50% vs 7.1%, P = .007) by day 28. A difference was observed in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio between the constipation-dominant group (118.0) and diarrhea-dominant group (319.2), but this difference was not significant.PROBACI provided control of abdominal pain, less discomfort during defecation, and a more normalized defecation style, especially in the constipation-dominant group.

Kinetics for the distribution of acrylamide in French fries, fried oil and vapour during frying of potatoes.

Kinetic analysis for the formation of acrylamide in heated foods has been typically performed using only measured data of acrylamide in foods; however, its possible loss caused by release from heated foods into fried oil and air has seldom been considered. The results obtained from the monitoring of acrylamide by frying French fries indicated that acrylamide is distributed in three phases: French fries, frying oil, and air. From the evolved gas analysis of acrylamide and the measured concentration profile of the total acrylamide amount present in these phases, the kinetic behaviour for acrylamide formation does not obey the commonly used model of two-step consecutive reactions during frying, while a lumped kinetic model was proposed for the total acrylamide amount. Moreover, a high acrylamide level in air was observed, implying that, apart from consumers of French fries, fast-food restaurant workers are potentially subject to occupational hazards from acrylamide inhalation.

Oral glutamine supplement inhibits ascites formation in peritoneal carcinomatosis mouse model.

Background. Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) accompanied with ascites formation causes several distressing symptoms, resulting in poor quality of life. Methods. Twenty BALB/c nude mice generated by direct orthotopic injection of human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells were randomized to receive either a stock laboratory diet or a stock diet supplemented with glutamine. Half of the mice were sacrificed at day 76 to measure the amount of ascitic fluid and pancreatic tumor volume. The remaining mice were subject to survival analysis. Serum albumin levels were estimated every 2 weeks. Results. At day 76, the average amount of ascitic fluid measured in the control group was 1.2 ± 0.3 mL compared to 0.5 ± 0.5 mL from the glutamine-supplemented mice (P = 0.045). The volume of pancreatic tumor was 2.60 ± 0.8 cm(3) in the control group and 1.98 ± 1.3 cm(3) in glutamine-supplemented mice (P = 0.39). The mean survival time of glutamine-supplemented mice was prolonged from 87 ± 4 to 101 ± 2 days (P = 0.0024). Mean serum albumin levels were higher in the glutamine-supplemented group. Conclusions. This preclinical study showed that oral supplementation of glutamine may provide ascites-reducing activity in pancreatic cancer patients with PC, via a cell-mediated immunity-independent mechanism.

Caffeic Acid phenethyl ester inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition of human pancreatic cancer cells.

Background. This study aimed to investigate the effect of propolis component caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of human pancreatic cancer cells and the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects. Methods. The transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß-) induced EMT in human pancreatic PANC-1 cancer cells was characterized by observation of morphology and the expression of E-cadherin and vimentin by western blotting. The migration potential was estimated with wound closure assay. The expression of transcriptional factors was measured by quantitative RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry staining. The orthotopic pancreatic cancer xenograft model was used for in vivo assessment. Results. The overexpression of vimentin was attenuated by CAPE, and the alteration in morphology from polygonal to spindle shape was partially reversed by CAPE. Furthermore, CAPE delayed the TGF-ß-stimulated migration potential. CAPE treatment did not reduce the expression levels of Smad 2/3, Snail 1, and Zeb 1 but inhibited the expression of transcriptional factor Twist 2. By using an orthotopic pancreatic cancer model, CAPE suppressed the expression of Twist 2 and growth of PANC-1 xenografts without significant toxicity. Conclusion. CAPE could inhibit the orthotopic growth and EMT of pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells accompanied by downregulation of vimentin and Twist 2 expression.

A statistical regression model for the estimation of acrylamide concentrations in French fries for excess lifetime cancer risk assessment.

Human exposure to acrylamide (AA) through consumption of French fries and other foods has been recognized as a potential health concern. Here, we used a statistical non-linear regression model, based on the two most influential factors, cooking temperature and time, to estimate AA concentrations in French fries. The R(2) of the predictive model is 0.83, suggesting the developed model was significant and valid. Based on French fry intake survey data conducted in this study and eight frying temperature-time schemes which can produce tasty and visually appealing French fries, the Monte Carlo simulation results showed that if AA concentration is higher than 168 ppb, the estimated cancer risk for adolescents aged 13-18 years in Taichung City would be already higher than the target excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR), and that by taking into account this limited life span only. In order to reduce the cancer risk associated with AA intake, the AA levels in French fries might have to be reduced even further if the epidemiological observations are valid. Our mathematical model can serve as basis for further investigations on ELCR including different life stages and behavior and population groups.

Anti-proliferative effects of evodiamine on human prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and PC3.

Prostate carcinoma is one of the most common malignant tumors and has become a more common cancer in men. Previous studies demonstrated that evodiamine (EVO) exhibited anti-tumor activities on several cancers, but its effects on androgen-independent prostate cancer are unclear. In the present study, the action mechanisms of EVO on the growth of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells (DU145 and PC3 cells) were explored. EVO dramatically inhibited the growth and elevated cytotoxicity of DU145 and PC3 cells. The flow cytometric analysis of EVO-treated cells indicated a block of G2/M phase and an elevated level of DNA fragmentation. The G2/M arrest was accompanied by elevated Cdc2 kinase activity, an increase in expression of cyclin B1 and phosphorylated Cdc2 (Thr 161), and a decrease in expression of phosphorylated Cdc2 (Tyr 15), Myt-1, and interphase Cdc25C. TUNEL examination showed that EVO-induced apoptosis was observed at 72 h. EVO elevated the activities of caspase 3, 8, and 9 in DU145 cells, while in PC3 cells only the activities of caspase 3 and 9 were elevated. EVO also triggered the processing of caspase 3 and 9 in both DU145 and PC3 cells. We demonstrate that roscovitine treatment result in the reversion of G2/M arrest in response to EVO in both DU145 and PC3. However, inhibitory effect of roscovitine on EVO-induced apoptosis could only be observed in DU145 rather than PC3. In DU145, G2/M arrest might be a signal for initiation of EVO-triggered apoptosis. Whereas EVO-triggered PC3 apoptosis might be independent of G2/M arrest. These results suggested that EVO inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cell lines, DU145 and PC3, through an accumulation at G2/M phase and an induction of apoptosis.

Esophagectomy for locally advanced esophageal cancer, followed by chemoradiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy.

AIM: To compare the efficacy and toxicity of a three-step combination therapy with post-operative radiation alone for locally advanced esophageal cancer. METHODS: Patients with T3-4 and N0-1 esophageal carcinoma from a number of institutions were non-randomly, prospectively enrolled in the study. All patients underwent single-stage curative en bloc esophagectomy. The patients were then assigned into one of two treatment groups based on treatment consisting of either post-operative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with weekly cisplatin 30 mg/m2 followed by systemic adjuvant chemotherapy (four monthly cycles of cisplatin 20 mg/m2 and 5-fluorouracil 1 000 mg/m2 for five consecutive days), or, post-operative radiation alone. The radiotherapy dose was 55-60 Gy for all patients. Primary end-point of this study was to assess the per-protocol patients' improvement of overall survival benefit. Secondary end-point was designed to evaluate both the per-protocol and intent-to-treat patients' outcome of survival. RESULTS: A total of 60 patients (n = 30 per group) were enrolled in this study. The two groups were generally comparable for demographic characteristics and hematological and non-hematological toxicities. The CCRT with weekly cisplatin was well tolerated, with significantly better overall survival (30.9 mo vs 20.7 mo; 95% CI, 27.5-36.4 vs 15.2-26.1) and 3-year survival (70.0% vs 33.7%; P = 0.003). Low histological grade of tumor (P<0.001) was associated with favorable survival in these locally advanced patients. CONCLUSION: For locally advanced esophageal cancer, the combination of esophagectomy, post-operative CCRT with weekly cisplatin and systemic adjuvant chemotherapy is well tolerated and effective. A large-scale, prospective randomized trial of this regimen is in progress.