Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention最新文献

Objective: Elevated levels of morphine have been shown to promote cell death by enhancing cytotoxicity, as well as the production of nitric oxide (NO), inflammatory cytokines, and Caspase-3 within the central nervous system (CNS). The objective of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of essential oil derived from Prunus amygdalus var. amara on morphine-induced cell death in neuron-like PC12 cells.

Material and methods: Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) was employed for the chemical characterization of the essential oil derived from Prunus amygdalus var. amara. The assessment of cell viability, proliferation, and cytotoxicity was conducted using Trypan blue and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays, respectively. DNA fragmentation was evaluated using the Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Nitric oxide production was quantified via the Griess reaction. The levels of inflammatory cytokines, specifically IL-1β, IL-6, INF-γ, and TNF-α, were measured using the Rat V-Plex Kit. Additionally, mitochondrial membrane potential was assessed with rhodamine-123, and Caspase-3 activity was determined using the Caspase-3 Colorimetric Assay Kit.

Results: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that benzaldehyde and benzoic acid are the predominant chemical constituents present in the essential oil of Prunus amygdalus var. amara. Treatments utilizing the essential oil from Prunus amygdalus var. amara demonstrated enhanced cell proliferation and viability, alongside reduced cytotoxicity and cell death indices when compared to cells treated with morphine. Furthermore, the presence of Prunus amygdalus var. amara essential oil resulted in a decrease in the production of nitric oxide, interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6, interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and Caspase-3, as well as a reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the essential oil derived from Prunus amygdalus var. amara effectively mitigates cell death induced by morphine in PC12 cells. This essential oil demonstrates the ability to inhibit nitric oxide (NO) production. Furthermore, it appears to impede apoptosis by inhibiting Caspase-3 activity, preventing DNA fragmentation, and disrupting the integrity of the mitochondrial membrane.

Background: This study retrospectively analyzed the incidence and risk factors associated with platinum-induced sensory peripheral neuropathy (PSPN).

Methods: Before each chemotherapy cycle, patients were routinely evaluated for the presence and severity of PSPN based on the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0 scale, which ranges from 0 to 4. Information from two years of evaluations was collected, and patient medical records were reviewed to obtain data on chemotherapy cycle, sex, age, body mass index, body surface area, primary tumor, chemotherapy protocol, history of head and neck radiotherapy, and overall survival. The X2 test, multinomial logistic regression, and Kaplan-Meier curves were used for statistical analysis (SPSS 20.0, p < 0.05).

Results: Among 3,140 patients, 16,878 events were evaluated, with 7,187 (42.58%), 5,514 (32.67%), and 4,177 (24.75%) patients treated with cisplatin, carboplatin, or oxaliplatin, respectively. The incidence of any event of PSPN was 98.85% and 1867 (11.16%) showed scores two or higher (PSNP interfering with activities of daily living (ADL). Carboplatin and oxaliplatin (p<0.001), ≥5 CT cycles (p<0.001), body mass index >25 (p=0.005), advanced T (p<0.001), N (p=0.025) and M (p=0.010) clinical stages as well as  association with capecitabine (p=0.021), paclitaxel (p=0.027) or vinorelbine (p=0.031) significantly increased risk of PSNP interfering in ADL. Over 48 months of evaluation, overall survival was 87.3% (n = 2741/3140), and PSNP interfering with ADLs significantly increased the risk of death by 1.52-fold (95% CI = 1.19-1.95, p = 0.001).

Conclusion: PCPN has a high incidence, and significant risk factors include BMI, age, number of CT cycles, advanced stages, and associations with capecitabine, paclitaxel, and vinorelbine, all of which are associated with lower overall survival.

Background: Colon cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in the world; some of its risk factors are controllable. A healthy lifestyle and early diagnosis significantly reduce colon cancer incidence and mortality. The aim of this study was to assess the most important risk factors for colon cancer in the Egyptian patients as well as the usefulness of miRNA-122 as diagnostic biomarker for colon cancer.

Methods: In this case control study, 102 colon cancer cases and equal number of controls were enrolled between April 2022 till June 2022 in two Egyptian centers. Both groups were assessed by a structured questionnaire, anthropometric measurements and serum levels of miRNA-122.

Results: Dietary factors, older age, obesity, rural residence, prolonged use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and cigarette smoking were significantly associated with colon cancer in our study subjects. miRNA-122 demonstrated significant sensitivity and specificity for colon cancer diagnosis, with a cutoff value of 0.946.

Conclusion: The most important risk factor for colon cancer in the Egyptian patients were smoking, obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia and excessive processed meat intake with low vegetables consuption. Our study suggests miRNA-122 as a potential non-invasive diagnostic biomarker for colon cancer.

Background: In Indonesia, nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is highly prevalent and is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. Lower overall survival (OS), compared to neighboring countries, is associated with a prolonged waiting time (WT) and overall radiotherapy (RT) treatment time (OTT). In 2018, the RT department of the Dr. Sardjito Hospital in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, increased the number of treatment machines and clinical staff. This may have led to an improvements in WT and OTT. Therefore, we analyzed a recent cohort of NPC patients to evaluate the outcomes in light of these changes.

Materials and methods: A retrospective cohort of 229 NPC patients underwent chemoradiotherapy with curative intent between January 2018 and December 2021. The majority had locally advanced NPC. The turning point was in 2018, marking a pivotal year. Consequently, the years 2019-2021 were compared with 2018. Endpoints included WT, OTT, OS, as well as locoregional control (LRC) and disease-free survival (DFS).

Results: The mean follow-up time was 16.9 months. For all patients, the median WT and OTT were 110 days and 50 days. Comparing 2018 with 2019-2021, the WT differed significantly with 190 versus 97 days (p<0.001) while the OTT, 53 versus 50 days, was borderline different (p=0.049). The 2-year OS significantly improved from 42.6% in 2018 to 60.5% among patients treated between 2019-2021 (p=0.042).

Conclusion: In conclusion, this study analyzed the impact of WT and OTT on outcomes for NPC patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy at Dr. Sardjito Hospital. A significant decrease in WT of 97 days was observed when compared to 2018. However, the limited availability of advanced imaging likely resulted in an underestimation of distant metastases, leading to a 2-yr OS of 60.5%. Better staging methods, as well as improved awareness of NPC, are crucial for better treatment decisions and improving future patient outcomes.

Objective: The aim of this study is to compare and evaluate peripheral dose (PD) distributions from Apex and Agility multileaf collimators (MLCs) in a linear accelerator at varying beam energies, field sizes, and depths for the optimization of radiotherapy safety and precision.

Methods: PD values were determined with Semiflex and PinPoint ionization chambers at depths of 2, 4, 8, and 10 cm in a water phantom. Doses were measured at distances of 1 - 5 cm from the field edge, for photon beams of 6 FF, 6 FFF, 10 FF, and 15 FF MV, with field sizes of 5 × 5 cm² and 10 × 10 cm². The measurements were normalized to the central-axis dose.

Results: The PD varied with depth and beam energy but decreased with increasing distance from the edge of the field. The PinPoint chamber consistently reported lower doses near the field edge (maximum of 63.6% and 66.4%) in Apex and Agility compared to the Semiflex chamber (89.7% and 87.9%) respectively. Agility MLC tended to deliver higher peripheral doses than apex, reaching as high as 87.9% at 10 cm depth and 1 cm distance whereas with Agility, the value was 65.9% under the same conditions.

Conclusion: The PD depends on the design of the MLC, photon energy, depth and beam size. The consistent reduction in peripheral dose with Apex and FFF beams is an encouraging finding that supports their continued use in advanced radiotherapy techniques and clinical decision-making.

Background: Crocodile blood is a rich and valuable source of bioactive compounds derived from natural products. Crocodile blood powder (CP) has garnered significant attention for its potential applications in human health treatment.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of CP on the invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells.

Methods: We analyzed the protein content of CP using MS/MS techniques. The effects of CP on cell proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and invasion were assessed using immunofluorescence, a wound healing assay, a transwell invasion assay, and Western blot analysis, respectively.

Result: The findings indicated that CP could inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 cell lines. Additionally, CP increased caspase-3 expression, inducing apoptosis in HepG2 cells. CP treatment also reduced metastasis and invasion of HepG2 cells. Immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses revealed that CP upregulated E-cadherin expression, while downregulating MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression.

Conclusion: Overall, this study demonstrated that CP inhibits HepG2 cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis. Furthermore, CP suppresses metastasis and invasion by increasing E-cadherin expression and downregulating MMP-2 and MMP-9. Thus, CP may serve as a promising candidate for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy.

Objective: This study aimed to validate a low-cost whole slide imaging (WSI) system, the MoticEasyScan Pro 6 (Motic, Hong Kong), combined with consumer-grade laptops, for the evaluation of gastric ulcer biopsies by pathology residents.

Methods: Sixty-six gastric biopsy slides were scanned at 40× magnification and reviewed by nine pathology residents across three training levels. Each resident interpreted both digital and glass slides for malignancy, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), and intestinal metaplasia (IM) subtypes, with a one-month washout period between formats. Diagnostic agreement was assessed using percentage agreement and kappa statistics, while paired t-tests were used to compare diagnostic times.

Results: Diagnostic agreement between digital and glass slides was highest for malignancy (93.8%, almost perfect), followed by IM (82.6%, substantial) and H. pylori (67.8%, fair). Agreement for incomplete IM was significantly lower than for complete IM (70.6% vs. 82.4%, p = 0.02). Discordant diagnoses most frequently involved mild H. pylori infection and incomplete IM. Six of nine residents required more time to evaluate digital slides compared to glass slides (138 vs. 90 seconds, p < 0.01), though diagnostic accuracy and time taken were not correlated with training level. Factors contributing to low diagnostic agreement included subtle histologic features, misinterpretation of pseudogoblet cells, overlooked small foci of IM, and inconspicuous microorganisms.

Conclusion: Low-cost WSI systems are feasible for resident training in gastric ulcer biopsy interpretation, especially for distinguishing malignancy. However, lower agreement for H. pylori and incomplete IM highlights the challenges of recognizing subtle histologic features on digital slides. Incorporating structured digital pathology training and increasing exposure to WSI during residency may improve diagnostic performance.

Objective: This study presents a methodology employing virtual screening to identify curcumin derivatives with selective affinity for the HER2 mutations L755S, T798I, and T798M.

Methods: Curcumin derivatives were retrieved from the ChEMBL database and filtered using KNIME. HER2 mutations were modeled in silico using MOE software with PDB ID 3RCD. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations were conducted to screen high-affinity compounds and evaluate binding interactions.

Result: From 505 curcumin derivatives, the RDKit module implemented in KNIME successfully filtered 317 compounds. Subsequent molecular docking against wild-type HER2 identified 100 curcumin derivatives with low docking scores, among which the top 20 compounds exhibited better binding affinities than Lapatinib. Further molecular docking screening against the three HER2 mutations identified five lead compounds with the lowest docking scores. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation revealed critical binding interactions with residues essential for kinase domain stability. Chemical structural analysis revealed key modifications, such as geranyl and tripeptide modifications. CHEMBL3758656 and CHEMBL3827366, two curcumin derivatives, demonstrated consistent binding across HER2 mutations and a favorable ADMET profile.

Conclusion: This study successfully identified CHEMBL3758656 and CHEMBL3827366 as promising HER2 inhibitors through comprehensive virtual screening. Their high binding affinity against L755S, T798I, and T798M mutations and favorable ADME and toxicity properties underscore their potential as alternative therapeutics for HER2-positive breast cancer.

Introduction: Cervical cancer is a serious public health issue worldwide, with screening playing a critical role in the prevention and early diagnosis of the disease. Despite its proven effectiveness, women's participation rates in screening remain insufficient.

Purpose: This systematic review aims to investigate the degree of compliance among women with cervical cancer screening and the factors associated with these attitudes. It also aims to examine the association between life satisfaction and general attitudes towards life with women's compliance with this screening.

Methodology: The PRISMA 2020 methodology was followed. The PICO framework was used to identify relevant studies in the PubMed and Scopus databases. The search was performed in November 2024. Five studies with quantitative design met the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale adapted for cross-sectional studies. Data were synthesized narratively presented in summary tables.

Results: Life satisfaction emerged as a positive predictor of participation in cervical cancer screening. In addition, factors such as high educational level, active employment status, and religiosity were associated with positive attitudes towards screening. Conversely, smoking habits, low health literacy, and fatalism beliefs about cancer were associated with reduced participation in screening. The small number of included studies (n=5), sample and variable heterogeneity, and the inability to do a meta-analysis, however, constituted important limitations of the review. In addition, restricting the search to English-language published studies may have excluded relevant evidence.

Conclusions: Life satisfaction is an important predictor of preventive health behaviors. Interventions that aim to enhance life satisfaction and psychological well-being in general may improve compliance with cervical cancer screening and, by extension, prevent the disease.