Effect of Pistacia Terebinthus (terebinth) resin extract on aggressive breast cancer cells.

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer causing high mortality rates among women worldwide. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of Pistacia terebinthus (terebinth) resin extract (TRE) on the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. In the study, the cytotoxic dose of the resin extract in MDA-MB-231 cells was evaluated by MTS analysis. The effect of TRE on apoptosis was examined by Hoechst staining. Caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 protein expressions were determined by western blot analysis. Based on the outcomes of our MTS analysis, the IC50 dose of TRE was calculated at 56.54 µg/mL during a 24-h application period. With Hoechst staining analysis, an increase was observed in cells that underwent apoptotic change at 10 and 100 µg/ml TRE concentrations compared to the control. At 25 and 50 µg/mL TRE concentrations, no apoptotic change was found in comparison to the control; however, a significant drop in the number of viable cells was observed because 200, 300, and 500 µg/mL TRE concentrations were above the toxic dose. The caspase-3 protein expression level was significantly higher in cells treated with 100 µg/ml TRE compared to the control group, while there was no significant change in cleaved caspase-3 protein expression. It was thought that P. terebinthus resin might cause cell death in MDA-MB-231 cells via caspase-independent apoptosis pathway or other cell death pathways, and it was concluded that it could be a supportive treatment for breast cancer treatment.

Evaluation of Nutritional Status with Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2010) of Syrian Refugees Living Outside the Refugee Camps.

Nutrition is a public health issue. Amongst populations of refugees, unmet nutritional needs have been identified. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional status of Syrian refugees living outside the refugee camps in Kayseri, Turkey. Socio-demographic data and anthropometric measurements of the refugees were collected. The relationship between diet quality, which was assessed through the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2010), and factors (including the duration of time spent outside the refugee camp, income, obesity, and waist circumference) were measured. Four hundred refugees participated in this study. The majority of refugees (77.8%) reported a 'poor' diet, with the remaining filling into the 'needs improvement' based on HEI-2010 scores. The average consumption of fruits in the study group was 101.9 g per day (g/day), while the average consumption of vegetables was 142.2 g/day. When the relationships were examined between BMI, HEI-2010 score, the time spent as a refugee, and waist circumference, statistically significant relationships were found (p < 0.001). In the linear regression analysis based on these relationships, when the results were adjusted for age and gender factors, it was observed that for every year spent as a refugee, BMI score increased by 0.17 units, and waist circumference increased by 1.14 units (p < 0.05). As a result, this study showed that refugees have low-income-related nutritional risks. In conclusion, ensuring that refugees have access to adequate nutrient-rich food is essential; therefore, analyzing and improving nutritional standards for refugees are suggested to be part of the strategies of the public and primary health care systems.

Relationship Between Dairy Consumption and Abdominal Obesity.

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study aimed to demonstrate the relationship between dairy consumption and abdominal obesity in adolescents. METHOD: In total, 700 adolescents participated in this cross-sectional study. Sociodemographic characteristics, consumption of dairy, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist/height (W/H) ratio were evaluated. The participants were divided into two groups as to whether their dairy consumptions were below or above 3 portions/d, according to the Turkey Dietary Guideline recommendations. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 15.84 ± 1.23 years. The rate of girls (65.2%) who participated in this study was significantly higher than that of the boys (34.8%; p < 0.001). No statistically significant difference was found between the participants whose dairy consumption was below and above the specified limits in terms of BMI, WC, or W/H measurements. Energy intake (p < 0.05) and milk and cheese consumption (p < 0.001) were higher in boys than in girls. There was a significant negative correlation between dairy consumption and WC (r = -0.121), W/H ratio (r = -0.105), and BMI (r = -0.103) in girls (p < 0.05). It was found that a 1-unit increase in milk consumption can cause a 1.98-, 0.11-, and 0.552-fold decrease in WC, W/H ratio, and BMI in girls, respectively (p < 0.05; 95% confidence interval [-3.502, -0.471], [-0.020, -0.001], [-1.042, -0.062], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate milk consumption was related to increasing WC and WC may be one of the factors of abdominal obesity in girls. Therefore, it is of importance to raise awareness about milk and dairy consumption in adolescents.

Nutrient Intake of Crohn's Patients: Is There Consistency between Crohn's Disease Activity Index, Subjective Global Assessment and Body Mass Index?

Background: We aimed to determine the nutrient intake of Crohn's patients and to expose its relationship with Crohn's Activity Index (CDAI), Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) and Body Mass Index (BMI). Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on patients enrolled in the Gastroenterology Polyclinic of a University Medical Faculty Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey in 2017. Two groups were included in this study: Crohn's Group (n = 100) and Control (n = 89). Crohn's Disease Activity Index was used to detect disease activity. Malnutrition risk was determined by the SGA and daily energy and nutrient intakes were calculated. Results: There was a significant relationship between SGA and both CDAI and BMI (P<0.001, P=0.008, respectively). Daily energy, carbohydrate, monosaccharide, starch, sucrose, fructose, poly-unsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, vitamin E and C, thiamine, niacin, pyridoxine, Mg, P, Fe, Cu, Zn intakes were significantly lower in Crohn's Group than in Control Group. While more than 50% of the patients did not consume enough, B6, C, thiamine, niacin, folic acid, Mg, Ca and fiber, intakes of vitamin E, riboflavin, Fe, P, and Zn were adequate. Energy and nutrient (vitamin E, thiamine, vitamin B6, mono and poly unsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, Mg, Ca, P, Zn, n-3 fatty acids and starch) intakes were negatively correlated with CDAI, but there was no relationship between these intakes and SGA. Conclusion: There was a relationship between CDAI, SGD and BMI used to determine nutritional status in patients with Crohn's.