D-allose: Molecular Pathways and Therapeutic Capacity in Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Despite the implementation of various cancer therapies, adequate therapeutic efficacy has not been achieved. A growing number of studies have been dedicated to the discovery of new molecules to combat refractory cancer cells efficiently. Recently, the use of a rare type of sugar, D-allose, has attracted the attention of research communities. In combination with the first-line treatment of cancers, including different types of radiotherapies and chemotherapies, D-allose has been detected with favorable complementary effects. Understanding the mechanism of therapeutic target molecules will enable us to develop new strategies for cancer patients that do not currently respond to the present therapies. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to provide a review of the effects of D-allose in cancer treatment, its mechanisms of action, and gaps in this field that require more investigations. DISCUSSION: With rare exceptions, in many cancer types, including head and neck, lung, liver, bladder, blood, and breast, D-allose consistently has exhibited anticancer activity in vitro and/or in vivo. Most of the D-allose functions are mediated through thioredoxin-interacting protein molecules. D-allose exerts its effects via reactive oxygen species regulation, cell cycle arrest, metabolic reprogramming, autophagy, apoptosis induction, and sensitizing tumors to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: D-allose has shown great promise for combating tumor cells with no side effects, especially in combination with first-line drugs; however, its potential for cancer therapy has not been comprehensively investigated in vitro or in vivo.

Peer-Led Focus Groups Identify Barriers to Healthy Lifestyle in African American Adolescents from Baltimore City.

Objectives: Black youth are disproportionately affected by the US obesity epidemic. Early-age obesity often continues into adulthood and is associated with a higher risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. Few studies have incorporated community-based participatory research (CBPR) facilitated by youth to provide frank discussions among teens living in inner cities about challenges and facilitators in maintaining a healthy weight and to design teen-identified interventions. Design: Black youth (n=10) were recruited from a Baltimore City high school during the 2019 to 2020 academic year and were trained by seasoned investigators and mentored by graduate and undergraduate students on qualitative methods using CBPR. These youth then implemented focus groups with their peers aged 15 to 18 years (10 focus groups of 10 teens each). Topics included healthy lifestyle knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, and suggested interventions. Content analyses were conducted using dual-rater techniques. Results: Focus group themes yielded strengths and challenges of weight maintenance for Black youth at various levels, including in their personal lives, families, school, and community. Themes also suggested several technology-based possibilities using social media to reach Black youth about healthy living practices. Conclusions: Engagement of Black youth in CBPR projects can yield valuable data to design more culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate interventions. Youth are competent collectors of information to identify needed changes in their schools/communities and about the use of technology/social media to facilitate improved health practices among their peers and should be involved early in the process of developing targeted obesity prevention interventions and/or programs.

Late effect of the food consumption on colorectal cancer rate.

Studies have suggested that higher meat intake may increase colorectal cancer (CRC) risk while higher vegetable intake may reduce this risk. There is a substantial lag between the time of exposure to a risk factor (or protective factor) and incidence of cancer. For CRC, in particular, the time from formation of adenoma to occurrence of CRC takes from 10 to 15 years, or even more. This study correlates food disappearance data per capita for vegetable and meat with future age-adjusted CRC rates in USA. The lag weights, with a high confidence, showed that there is a positive correlation between the red meat availability and CRC age-adjusted incidence rates with a lag of at least 17 years and an Almon polynomial degree of 2. Conversely, there was a negative correlation between vegetables availability and future age-adjusted incidence rates of CRC.