Effects of Lycopene in Intestinal Ischemia Reperfusion Injury via Intestinal Immunoglobulin A.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal ischemia causes an inflammatory response that may become intense by reperfusion and result in bacterial translocation. Intestinal immunoglobulin A is known to be a barrier against bacterial translocation. Lycopene is a compound with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. We hypothesized that lycopene has positive effects in ischemia-reperfusion of the intestine through the intestinal IgA. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-eight Wistar albino rats were separated into four groups: sham, control, lycopene-administered-before-ischemia (L-pre), and lycopene-administered-after-reperfusion groups. Histopathologic changes, intestinal immunoglobulin A levels, and bacterial translocation were evaluated after the ischemia-reperfusion period of 0.5-12 h. RESULTS: Histopathologic changes, intestinal immunoglobulin A, and bacterial translocation levels in the L-pre group were similar to those in the sham group. Administration of the lycopene after reperfusion showed just a slight protective effect. However, the L-pre group had significantly fewer histopathologic changes when compared with changes in the control (P = 0.011). Intestinal immunoglobulin A level in the L-pre group was found to be higher than that in the control group (P = 0.014). Bacterial translocation levels in the blood and mesenteric lymph nodes, in the L-pre group, were lower than those in the control group (P = 0.0027 and P = 0.0097, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Lycopene limited intestinal damage, reduced loss of intestinal immunoglobulin A and decreased bacterial translocation when administered before the ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Second primary cancers in patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: The risk of developing a second primary tumour in patients with gastric carcinoma is higher than among the general population. The aim was to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of the second primary cancers in patients with gastric cancer in this study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the retrospective study, patients with gastric cancers were evaluated between 1995 and 2005 for primary tumours according to Warren and Gates' criteria related with the second primary cancers. RESULTS: Nine of the 112 patients with gastric cancer had second primary cancers. Seven of the patients were males and two females. Six patients with gastric cancers had synchronous, and three had metachronous tumours. The age of the patients ranged from 53 to 78 years, and the mean age was 61 ± 8.3 years. The most frequent site of occurrence of the second tumours was the colo-rectum (33%) followed by the upper respiratory system (22%), and the urogenital system (22%) in descending order of frequency. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of the second primary cancer in gastric cancer patients was 8% in the current report. It is recommended that careful preoperative and postoperative examinations for other primary cancers, as well as for the extent of the primary gastric carcinoma, are carried out. Because colorectal cancer was the most common carcinoma combined with gastric carcinoma, the surveillance for this carcinoma (e.g., colonoscopy, abdominopelvic CT) would be appropriate after the diagnosis of gastric carcinoma.