BackgroundCancer patients receiving radiotherapy often experience fatigue and impaired quality of life (QOL). Many side effects of radiotherapy are believed to be associated with increased oxidative stress and inflammation due to the generation of reactive oxygen species during radiotherapy. Hydrogen can be administered as a therapeutic medical gas, has antioxidant properties, and reduces inflammation in tissues. This study examined whether hydrogen treatment, in the form of hydrogen-supplemented water, improved QOL in patients receiving radiotherapy.MethodsA randomized, placebo-controlled study was performed to evaluate the effects of drinking hydrogen-rich water on 49 patients receiving radiotherapy for malignant liver tumors. Hydrogen-rich water was produced by placing a metallic magnesium stick into drinking water (final hydrogen concentration; 0.55~0.65 mM). The Korean version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer's QLQ-C30 instrument was used to evaluate global health status and QOL. The concentration of derivatives of reactive oxidative metabolites and biological antioxidant power in the peripheral blood were assessed.ResultsThe consumption of hydrogen-rich water for 6 weeks reduced reactive oxygen metabolites in the blood and maintained blood oxidation potential. QOL scores during radiotherapy were significantly improved in patients treated with hydrogen-rich water compared to patients receiving placebo water. There was no difference in tumor response to radiotherapy between the two groups.ConclusionsDaily consumption of hydrogen-rich water is a potentially novel, therapeutic strategy for improving QOL after radiation exposure. Consumption of hydrogen-rich water reduces the biological reaction to radiation-induced oxidative stress without compromising anti-tumor effects.

No abstract

Caffeic acid phenyl ester (CAPE), a biologically active ingredient of propolis, has several interesting biological properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, immunostimulatory, anti-angiogenic, anti-invasive, anti-metastatic and carcinostatic activities. Recently, several groups have reported that CAPE is cytotoxic to tumor cells but not to normal cells. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of CAPE-induced apoptosis in human myeloid leukemia U937 cells. Treatment of U937 cells with CAPE decreased cell viability in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. DNA fragmentation assay revealed the typical ladder profile of oligonucleosomal fragments in CAPE-treated U937 cells. In addition, as evidenced by the nuclear DAPI staining experiment, we observed that the nuclear condensation, a typical phenotype of apoptosis, was found in U937 cells treated with 5 microg/ml of CAPE. Therefore, it was suggested that CAPE is a potent agent inducing apoptosis in U937 cells. Apoptotic action of the CAPE was accompanied by release of cytochrome C, reduction of Bcl-2 expression, increase of Bax expression, activation/cleavage of caspase-3 and activation/cleavage of PARP in U937 cells, but not by Fas protein, an initial mediator in the death signaling, or by phospho-eIF2 alpha and CHOP, crucial mediators in ER-mediated apoptosis. From the results, it was concluded that CAPE induces the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis but not death receptors- or ER-mediated apoptosis in U937 cells.

No abstract

BACKGROUND:Microwave ablation has recently been developed as a safe and effective treatment for a variety of tumors. The authors evaluated the safety and efficacy of computed tomography (CT)‐guided percutaneous microwave ablation of adrenal malignant tumors.METHODS:Nine patients between 41 and 83 years of age (average age, 54 years) with adrenal carcinoma (a total of 10 lesions) received CT‐guided percutaneous water‐cooled microwave ablation. The 9 cases included 1 primary adrenocortical carcinoma and 8 metastatic carcinomas (4 from lung cancer, 2 from hepatocellular carcinoma, 1 from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and 1 from left tibial osteosarcoma). Of the 8 metastatic cases, 7 were unilateral, and 1 was bilateral. All cases were pathologically confirmed by aspiration biopsy or postsurgical biopsy. The tumor diameters ranged from 2.1 cm to 6.1 cm (average, 3.8 cm). The average number of ablation sites was 1.5 sites (1‐3 sites), and the average accumulated ablation time was 7.7 minutes (4‐15 minutes). The procedures were performed using a cooled‐shaft antenna.RESULTS:The patients were followed for 3‐37 months, with an average of 11.3 months. Nine of 10 lesions were completely necrotized after first treatment. The other lesion was completely necrotized after 2 treatments. One of the patients experienced hypertensive crisis during treatment. No patient experienced recurrent tumor at the treated site, and this lack of recurrence indicated effective local control. All patients had progression of metastatic disease at extra‐adrenal sites.CONCLUSIONS:CT‐guided percutaneous water‐cooled microwave ablation is a minimally invasive and effective method for the treatment of adrenal carcinoma. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.

Hydrogen has been reported to have neuron protective effects due to its antioxidant properties, but the effects of hydrogen on cognitive impairment due to senescence-related brain alterations and the underlying mechanisms have not been characterized. In this study, we investigated the efficacies of drinking hydrogen water for prevention of spatial memory decline and age-related brain alterations using senescence-accelerated prone mouse 8 (SAMP8), which exhibits early aging syndromes including declining learning ability and memory. However, treatment with hydrogen water for 30 days prevented age-related declines in cognitive ability seen in SAMP8 as assessed by a water maze test and was associated with increased brain serotonin levels and elevated serum antioxidant activity. In addition, drinking hydrogen water for 18 weeks inhibited neurodegeneration in hippocampus, while marked loss of neurons was noted in control, aged brains of mice receiving regular water. On the basis of our results, hydrogen water merits further investigation for possible therapeutic/preventative use for age-related cognitive disorders.

ABSTRACT. The effects of two Peruvian folk medicines, Lepidium meyenii Walp and Jatropha macrantha, on mouse sex steroid hormones and embryo implantation were investigated. Progesterone levels increased significantly in mice that received L. meyenii Walp, while testosterone levels increased significantly in mice that received L. meyenii Walp as well as in those that received both L. meyenii Walp and J. macrantha. However, there were no marked changes in blood levels of estradiol-17β or the rate of embryo implantation. KEY WORDS: Jatropha macrantha, Lepidium meyenii Walp, mouse.J. Vet. Med. Sci. 65(10): 1145-1146, 2003 L. meyenii Walp is a root vegetable that only grows in the Peruvian Andes at elevations higher than 4,000 m [2, 4-7, 9-13, 16, 17, 19], while J. macrantha is sap collected from trees that grow naturally in the Peruvian Andes [3,8,18]. Because they are crude drugs, there are slight differences in components and compositions depending on where they are grown and when they are harvested. Both crude drugs have been widely used as folk medicines in Peru and have been administered to treat impotence, climacteric disorders and infertility in Europe and America [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][16][17][18][19]. However, no reports have investigated administration of these natural substances to animals or determined changes in sex steroid hormone levels and rates of embryo implantation. Therefore, we conducted the present study to investigate whether these crude drugs are also effective in animals.The level of estradiol-17β and progesterone measured in female mice, and the level of testosterone was measured in male mice. Three week-old ICR mice were divided into the following four groups: Control group, L group (only L. meyenii Walp was administered), J group (only J. macrantha was administered) and LJ group (both L. meyenii Walp and J. macrantha were administered). Each group consisted of ten mice, and prior to the study, mice were acclimatized for seven days in the same cage (room temperature: 22 ± 3°C, humidity: 60%, light: 14 hr, darkness: 10 hr). The crude drugs were administered for 30 days.Three-week-old mice were used in the present study because although mice are not sexually mature at the age of 3 weeks, by the end of the study, mice were able to breed. The design of the present study also allowed the female mice to have similar estrous cycles, thus minimizing individual differences. Furthermore, a vaginal smear test was conducted on every female mouse, and a blood sample was collected in estrus.Crude drugs were administered as follows: In the control group, 100 ml of plain water was poured into a 100 ml water bottle; in the L group, 5.0 g of L. meyenii Walp powder was dissolved in 100 ml of water; in the J group, 5.0 g of J. macrantha powder was dissolved in 100 ml of water; and in the LJ group, 2.5 g of L. meyenii Walp powder and 2.5 g of J. macrantha powder were dissolved in 100 ml of water. In all groups, mice had free access to drinking water.At the end of the administration period, e...

Ovarian preservation may be safe in patients with early-stage endometrial cancer, and it could be cautiously considered in treating young and premenopausal women because it is not associated with an adverse impact on the patients' survival. Given the inherent limitations of the included studies, further well-designed randomized controlled trial are needed to confirm and update this analysis.