Simpsonarildsen6572

Flor·Essence (FE), a natural food grade herbal formula product manufactured by Flora Manufacturing & Distributing Ltd., has been used by patients with cancer in North America to stimulate immune cells in order to attenuate or reverse immune damage. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the effects of FE on the immune system, spleen lymphocyte proliferation was analyzed by an MTT assay, and the phagocytic capacity of macrophages was measured via the neutral red phagocytosis method. The cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells towards K562 cells was assessed via a CytoTox 96 assay. The production of the cytokines interleukin (IL)-12 and interferon (IFN)-γ in the peripheral blood was determined via ELISA and PCR analysis. The expression levels of caveolin-1 and NF-κB were measured via western blotting. In addition, cyclophosphamide was used to establish a mouse model of immunosuppression. It was found that the proliferation of splenocytes, the phagocytic capacity of macrophages and the cytotoxicity of NK cells against K562 cells were increased after oral administration of FE to mice. FE augmented the production of IL-12 and IFN-γ in the peripheral blood of mice. FE significantly increased the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and caveolin-1, and decreased NF-κB expression. Finally, FE enhanced the viability of immune cells from cyclophosphamide-treated immunosuppressed mice. The results indicated that FE could activate immune responses and enhance natural immunity, suggesting that oral administration of FE can activate the body's immune response and resist damage caused by cyclophosphamide chemotherapy. Copyright © 2020, Spandidos Publications.Perianal Paget's disease is a rare condition, which is not usually accompanied by cancer. Here, a case of anal canal carcinoma with pagetoid spread and inguinal lymph node metastasis, which exhibited a significant response to preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT), is presented. A 58-year-old woman was admitted to The University of Tokyo Hospital with a complaint of discomfort around the anus. Physical examination revealed an erythematous inflamed skin lesion in the perianal region and a tumor of 15 mm in diameter detected on palpation in the left inguinal region, which was diagnosed as metastatic adenocarcinoma by excisional biopsy. Colonoscopy revealed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of 15 mm in diameter in the anal canal. Skin biopsy of the perianal region revealed an infiltration of pagetoid cells, which were positive for cytokeratin 7, and negative for cytokeratin 20 and gross cystic disease fluid protein 15. Based on these results, the patient was diagnosed as having anal canal adenocarcinoma with pagetoid spread. The patient received preoperative CRT including the bilateral inguinal region. After CRT, robotic-assisted laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection was performed. The macroscopic findings of the surgical specimen confirmed the formation of a scar as a result of the preoperative CRT. Microscopic examination of the anal tumor revealed no residual carcinoma or lymph node metastasis. In conclusion, this case may suggest the potential applicability of preoperative CRT for the local control of anal canal carcinoma with pagetoid spread. Copyright © 2019, Spandidos Publications.The misdiagnosis of retroperitoneal teratoma as a gastric stromal tumor is rarely reported. There are numerous abdominal organs, and retroperitoneal tumors are easily concealed by organs situated more anteriorly on the abdomen; therefore, retroperitoneal tumors are easily misdiagnosed as human digestive system tumors by abdominal surgeons. We herein present the case of a 39-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with a gastric stromal tumor (GST) on preoperative examination, whereas the postoperative diagnosis was retroperitoneal mature cystic teratoma. Such cases are clinically rare. In the present case, the tumor was located in the retroperitoneum, near the lesser gastric curvature, without an obvious gap. The anterior surface of the tumor was concealed by the lesser gastric curvature and did not move significantly with breathing and changes in posture. In such cases, a preoperative misdiagnosis is very likely. The aim of the present study was to improve our understanding of the presentation of retroperitoneal teratomas, thereby gaining more clinical experience and hopefully reducing the rate of misdiagnosis. Copyright © 2020, Spandidos Publications.Lymph node (LN) retrieval is a critical procedure to determine the pathological stage and adjuvant therapy for colorectal cancer. The present study aimed to recommend a novel method by using sodium hypochlorite to improve colorectal surgical specimen LN harvest. Dissolving time of mesenteric LNs and fat tissue was firstly investigated in different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite. In the sodium hypochlorite group, 65 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent curative surgery were included. After standard manual gross dissection, the mesenteric tissue was subsequently immersed in 1% sodium hypochlorite for ~30 min, and then manual dissection was again applied for additional LN harvest. In the manual method group, 68 patients with colorectal cancer were selected and only manual dissection method was applied for LN harvest. Gossypol supplier The number of LNs in both groups were recorded for each case. Sodium hypochlorite could dissolve fat tissue significantly faster than LNs and the low concentration sodium hypochlorite had the maximum dissolving time difference between fat tissue and LNs (P less then 0.001). After sodium hypochlorite treatment, more LNs were identified when compared with the manual dissection method (28.2±12.1 vs. 16.5±8.7; P=0.010), whereas the number of positive LNs had no significant statistical difference between the two groups (P=0.181). After sodium hypochlorite immersion, 818 additional LNs (12.5±4.8 per case) were identified and LNs ≤2 mm were 58.4% (478/818). Moreover, 16 additional metastatic LNs were found in 10 patients. A total of 7 of them were upstaged, including 2 initially N0 cases. Using sodium hypochlorite at low concentrations may be the most simple, rapid, cost-saving, nontoxic and effective technique to improve LN harvest in colorectal carcinoma specimens so far. This method should be used routinely regardless of whether the number of LNs is less then 12 or not. Copyright © 2020, Spandidos Publications.Alcohol consumption is an established risk factor for cancer, but little is known regarding the effect of genetic polymorphisms in alcohol metabolism genes on alcohol-related cancer risk in the Japanese population. Associations between the ADH1B gene (alcohol dehydrogenase 1B), single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1229984 and cancer have been extensively studied yet evidence is inconsistent. This population-based case-control study primarily aimed to clarify any association between SNP rs1229984 in both overall and specific cancer risk in a Japanese population. The functional non-synonymous SNP rs1229984 (Arg48His) was genotyped using DNA samples from 1,359 consecutive autopsy cases registered in The Japanese Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms for Geriatric Research database. Medical and pathological record data from this database were used to categorise cases and controls. Results included 1,359 participants, 816 cases and 543 controls. Multinomial logistic regression analyses showed no significant association between rs1229984 presence and overall cancer risk in both dominant and recessive genetic inheritance models [Arg/Arg+Arg/His vs. His/His Adjusted odds ratio (OR)=0.66 (95% CI=0.39-1.13; P=0.129), Arg/Arg vs. Arg/His+His/His OR=0.95 (95% CI=0.75-1.20; P=0.657)]. However, results showed those homozygous for rs1229984 (genotype His/His) were at significantly decreased odds of lung cancer than other genotypes [recessive model OR=0.64 (95% CI=0.44-0.93; P=0.020]. In conclusion, there was no significant association between rs1229984 and odds of overall or specific cancers except in lung cancer where His/His genotype decreased odds. To the best of our knowledge, the association between His/His and decreased odds of lung cancer is a novel finding. These findings require further validation in larger studies. Copyright © Govind et al.Background Weaning is known to result in barrier dysfunction and villus atrophy in the immediate post-weaning phase, and the magnitude of these responses is hypothesized to correlate with changes in the glutathione (GSH) redox system. Therefore, these parameters were simultaneously measured throughout the weaning phase, in piglets differing in birth weight category and weaning age, as these pre-weaning factors are important determinants for the weaning transition. Low birth weight (LBW) and normal birth weight (NBW) littermates were assigned to one of three weaning treatments; i.e. weaning at 3 weeks of age (3w), weaning at 4 weeks of age (4w) and removal from the sow at 3 d of age and fed a milk replacer until weaning at 3 weeks of age (3d3w). For each of these treatments, six LBW and six NBW piglets were euthanized at 0, 2, 5, 12 or 28 d post-weaning piglets, adding up 180 piglets. Results Weaning increased the glutathione peroxidase activity on d 5 post-weaning in plasma, and duodenal and jejunal mucosa. Sned piglets and was therefore not associated with weaning induced villus atrophy. Conversely, 3d3w weaned piglets demonstrated GSH redox imbalance in the small intestinal mucosa, and this co-occurred with a temporal malfunction of their intestinal barrier function. © The Author(s) 2020.Ongoing challenges in the swine industry, such as reduced access to antibiotics and virus outbreaks (e.g., porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, African swine fever virus), have prompted calls for innovative feed additives to support pig production. Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) and monoglycerides have emerged as a potential option due to key molecular features and versatile functions, including inhibitory activity against viral and bacterial pathogens. In this review, we summarize recent studies examining the potential of MCFAs and monoglycerides as feed additives to improve pig gut health and to mitigate feed pathogens. The molecular properties and biological functions of MCFAs and monoglycerides are first introduced along with an overview of intervention needs at different stages of pig production. The latest progress in testing MCFAs and monoglycerides as feed additives in pig diets is then presented, and their effects on a wide range of production issues, such as growth performance, pathogenic infections, and gut health, are covered. The utilization of MCFAs and monoglycerides together with other feed additives such as organic acids and probiotics is also described, along with advances in molecular encapsulation and delivery strategies. Finally, we discuss how MCFAs and monoglycerides demonstrate potential for feed pathogen mitigation to curb disease transmission. Looking forward, we envision that MCFAs and monoglycerides may become an important class of feed additives in pig production for gut health improvement and feed pathogen mitigation. © The Author(s) 2020.Background Reproductive performance of livestock is an economically important aspect of global food production. The Chinese Meishan pig is a prolific breed, with an average of three to five more piglets per litter than European breeds; however, the genetic basis for this difference is not well understood. Results In this study, we investigated copy number variations (CNVs) of 32 Meishan pigs and 29 Duroc pigs by next-generation sequencing. A genome-wide analysis of 61 pigs revealed 12,668 copy number variable regions (CNVRs) that were further divided into three categories based on copy number (CN) of the whole population, i.e., gain (n = 7,638), and loss (n = 5,030) CNVRs. We then compared Meishan and Duroc pigs and identified 17.17 Mb of 6,387 CNVRs that only existing in Meishan pigs CNVRs that overlapped the reproduction-related gene encoding the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) gene. We found that normal AHR CN was more frequent than CN loss in four different pig breeds. An association analysis showed that AHR CN had a positive effect on litter size (P  less then  0.