Garlic intake is an independent predictor of endothelial function in patients with ischemic stroke.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of garlic on endothelial function in patients with ischemic stroke (ISS). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: 125 Chinese patients with prior ISS due to athero-thrombotic disease were recruited from the outpatient clinics during July 2005 to December 2006. MEASUREMENTS: Daily allium vegetable intake (including garlic, onions, Chinese chives and shallots) was ascertained by means of a validated food frequency questionnaire for Chinese and brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) was measured using high-resolution ultrasound in all subjects. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 65.9±11.1 years and 69% were males. Mean allium vegetable intake and garlic intake of the study population was 7.5±12.7g/day and 2.9±8.8g/day respectively. Their mean FMD was 2.6±2.3%. Daily intake of total allium vegetable (r=0.36, P<0.01) and garlic (r=0.34, P<0.01) significantly correlated with FMD. Using the median daily allium intake as cut-off (3.37g/day), patients with a low allium intake <3.37g/day was noted to have a lower FMD compared to those with a normal allium intake (2.1±2.1% versus 3.0±2.4%, P<0.05). After adjusting for confounding factors, multi-variate analysis identified that daily allium vegetable (B=0.05, 95% confidence interval: 0.02, 0.09, P<0.01) and garlic (B=0.07, 95% confidence interval: 0.02, 0.12, P<0.01) intake, but not onions, Chinese chives and shallots were independent predictors for changes in FMD in patients with ISS. CONCLUSIONS: Daily garlic intake is an independent predictor of endothelial function in patients with ISS and may play a role in the secondary prevention of atherosclerotic events.

Establishment and characterization of a cell line (HCDB-1) derived from a hamster buccal pouch carcinoma induced by DMBA and Taiwanese betel quid extract.

This study identified that the carcinogenesis of hamster buccal pouch (HBP) induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) was greatly enhanced (18 folds) by a combination treatment with Taiwanese betel quid (BQ) extract. A new cell line, HCDB-1, has been established from induced carcinomas. The cultured monolayer cells were epithelioid in shape with irregular nuclei. They demonstrated abundant cytokeratin and tonofilaments; however, ultrastructural well-organized desmosomes were lacking. The HCDB-1 cell exhibited population doubling in 19 h and was highly tumorigenic in nude mice. A C-->T transition at codon 141 (Ala to Val) of the p53 gene was detected in this cell. This mutation is equivalent to a specific temperature-sensitive mouse p53Ala135Val mutant that causes transformation by shifting to 37.5 degrees C. HCDB-1 is the first cell line established from the HBP model of oral carcinogenesis induced by DMBA/Taiwanese BQ extract. It might be valuable for exploring the molecular pathogenesis of oral cancer.

Alterations of p16/MTS1 gene in oral squamous cell carcinomas from Taiwanese.

To determine the alterations of the p16/MTS1 gene in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), we examined in Taiwanese patients the mutation, deletion and methylation of p16/MTS1 in primary OSCCs associated mostly with betel quid (BQ)/tobacco use. Among 110 tumors undergoing mutational analyses, seven (6%) showed mutations in exon 2 or the intron 1/exon 2 splice site. All but one mutation disrupted the encoded proteins. Base transitions represented the vast majority (6/7) of the mutations identified in BQ/tobacco consuming subjects. It was noted that 15/56 (27%) tumors examined by restriction fragment methylation analysis revealed a significant level of methylation in different loci of exon 1 as compared with the respective non-cancerous tissue. Mutation of p16/MTS1 was exclusively identified in carcinomas of buccal mucosa, whereas methylation of the p16/MTS1 promoter region occurred preferentially in carcinomas of the tongue (54%) rather than at other sites (22%). Homozygous deletion was not found in 56 paired samples examined, nor was hemizygous deletion indicated in 12 informative cases. The results indicated aberrant methylation and mutation as the molecular abnormality of p16/MTS1 in the OSCC from Taiwanese.

p53 alterations in betel quid- and tobacco-associated oral squamous cell carcinomas from Taiwan.

Alterations of p53 have been explored in Taiwanese oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) consisting of a betel quid (BQ)/tobacco-related subgroup of 36 subjects and a tobacco-related subgroup of 13 subjects. Mutations in conserved exons were found in 12 tumors. Seven mutations were clustered in a hot-spot region mapped to a region between codons 273-282 in exon 8. The incidence of p53 mutation in BQ/tobacco tumors was 22% (8/36). The frequency of p53 allelic loss (21%, 3/14) in BQ/tobacco tumors approximates to the incidence of mutation. This is the first study demonstrating allelic deletion of p53 in such malignancies. Twenty-four of 43 samples showed positive p53 immunostaining. All tumors harboring mis-sense mutations of p53 in conserved exons exhibited nuclear protein accumulation. The incidence of mutation in conserved exons in BQ/tobacco-associated Asian OSCCs (15%) is significantly different from worldwide OSCCs (46%) related primarily to tobacco consumption (P=0.00001).

[In vitro cytotoxicity of Ganoderma lucidum on oral cancer cells].

The extract from the mycelium of Ganoderma lucidum was diluted into serial concentrations and added into in vitro cultured oral cancer and normal cell lines. After incubation for 24 hours, the survival fraction was determined by MTT colorimetric assay. The result revealed that the ID50 was about 3mg/ml and the total lethal dosage was beyond 4 mg/ml. This toxic effect was the same in both cancer and normal cells. Not only was there no difference between cancer and normal cells, but also the high dosage required in toxicity leads to the conclusion that the GL has no direct cytotoxic effect in cancer treatment.