Stimulatory versus suppressive effects of GM-CSF on tumor progression in multiple cancer types

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF, also called CSF-2) is best known for its critical role in immune modulation and hematopoiesis. A large body of experimental evidence indicates that GM-CSF, which is frequently upregulated in multiple types of human cancers, effectively marks cancer cells with a ‘danger flag' for the immune system. In this context, most studies have focused on its function as an immunomodulator, namely its ability to stimulate dendritic cell (DC) maturation and monocyte/macrophage activity. However, recent studies have suggested that GM-CSF also promotes immune-independent tumor progression by supporting tumor microenvironments and stimulating tumor growth and metastasis. Although some studies have suggested that GM-CSF has inhibitory effects on tumor growth and metastasis, an even greater number of studies show that GM-CSF exerts stimulatory effects on tumor progression. In this review, we summarize a number of findings to provide the currently available information regarding the anticancer immune response of GM-CSG. We then discuss the potential roles of GM-CSF in the progression of multiple types of cancer to provide insights into some of the complexities of its clinical applications.

Effect of Food Consumption Monitoring Using a Smartphone on Weight Changes in Obese Women

This study investigated the effect of food consumption monitoring and real-time communication-based weight control program using a smartphone on weight reduction and maintenance in obese women. This study consisted of two phases: an 8-week weight control program with food consumption monitoring and real-time communication using a smartphone and an 8-week follow-up. Sixteen obese female college students (>30% body fat) participated in this program, and we measured changes in body composition and dietary intake volume. Follow-up analysis focused on weight maintenance after 8 weeks of no contact. Total energy intake (P<0.01), body weight (P<0.001), percent body fat (P<0.001), body fat (P<0.05), and body mass index (P<0.001) decreased significantly after the 8-week weight control program. However, we could not observe total energy intake or body composition regain after the follow-up period. These results suggest that food consumption monitoring and real-time communication using a smartphone can be effective for weight control and maintenance.

The Effect of Nutrition Education and the Diet Rice Bowl on Weight Control

This study examined the effectiveness of nutrition education and program using the diet rice bowl during a four-week diet program. Thirty-eight female college students were randomly assigned to a nutrition education (NE) group or a nutrition education and diet rice bowl (ND) group. The mean energy intake of the NE and ND group during the program was 1,130.8 kcal and 1,287.4 kcal, respectively. The total energy intake of both groups were significantly decreased during the program. In addition, the change of body weight and fat in both groups significantly decreased during the program. The NE group lost 2.8 kg of body weight and 1.4% of body fat, while the ND group lost 2.5 kg of body weight and 1.2% of body fat. The changes in total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol in both groups also significantly decreased during the program. However, there were no significant differences in the changes of body weight, body fat mass, the total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol between the two groups. This study could not identify a weight reduction effect of the diet rice bowl, however, this may be due to subjects' infrequent use of the diet rice bowl by their frequent meal skipping and eating-out in our study. Therefore, further studies regarding the compliance to the diet rice bowl should be conducted to examine its effectiveness on weight control.

Effects of Food Consumption Monitoring Using a Camera-Phone on Body Weight and Serum Lipid Level in Obese Female College Students

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of food consumption monitoring using a camera-phone in a weight control program. Twenty-six female college students (>30% body fat) were randomly assigned to the camera-phone and diary (CD) group or diary (D) only group. During the 8-week weight control program, the CD group controlled their food consumption using a camera-phone, in which they took a food picture and uploaded it to the homepage. However, the D group used only a diary to record their food intake. The mean energy intake of the CD group during the program was 1451.9 kcal while that of the D group was 1524.3 kcal. The total energy intakes of both groups significantly decreased during the program. The CD group lost 5.2 kg of body weight and 3.1% body fat while the D group lost 2.2 kg of body weight and 1.1% body fat. The body weight and fat levels significantly decreased in the CD group compared to the D group. The triglyceride, total-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels of the CD group as well as the total-cholesterol level of the D group significantly decreased during the program. The total-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels both significantly decreased in the CD group compared to the D group. In this study, it was concluded that digital photography method using a camera-phone might influence weight control through trained consumption monitoring, which helps individuals reduce discrepancies between perceived and actual consumption levels.

Weight Control Program through the Fortification of Food Consumption Monitoring on Obese Female College Students: Using Smart-Phone with Real Time Communication Application / 대한지역사회영양학회지

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of real time communication digital photography method using Kakao Talk application in smart-phone for the fortification of food consumption monitoring and weight reduction. Thirty-four female college students were randomly assigned to the camera-phone (CP) group or smart-phone (SP) group. Each group participated in the weight control program for 8 weeks. The mean energy intake of CP group during program was 1353.5 kcal and the SP group consumed 1289.2 kcal. The total energy intake of both groups was significantly decreased during the program. The CP group lost 1.9 kg of body weight and 1.9% of body fat and the SP group lost 4.3 kg of body weight and 3.0% of body fat. The body weight was significantly decreased in the SP group compared to the CP group. The triglyceride and total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol level of SP group were significantly decreased during the program. However, there were no significant changes in CP group during the program. Also there were no significant changes in lipid profile between two groups. In this study, it is considered that real time communication digital photography method using Kakao Talk application in smart-phone might influence weight control through a trained consumption monitoring. Therefore, smart-phone can lead individuals to rely more heavily on easy-to-monitor visual cues.

Comparison of Calorie Intake and Satiety Rate by Different Energy Density Level of Kimbab

We attempted to determine whether energy density would influence calorie intake via cognitive cues, as reflected by satiety. This experiment was designed using two different energy density levels of Kimbab: normal Kimbab (1.6 kcal/g) vs low-density Kimbab (1.0 kcal/g). 26 female college students participated in this study. The subjects ate Kimbab in the lab once a week for 2 weeks. Each week at noon, they were served 24 units of either normal or low-density Kimbab, and we determined the units, grams, and calories of the real & cognitive intake of Kimbab, and also analyzed the satiety rate after eating Kimbab. Our results demonstrated that the real calorie intake from the low-density Kimbab was significantly lower than that of the normal Kimbab (290.3 kcal vs 474.4 kcal, p<0.001), but we noted no significant differences in the units and grams of real and cognitive intake between the normal and low-density Kimbab. However, despite consuming 39% lower caloric intake, the subjects reported similar levels of satiety rates with the two different density levels of Kimbab, as they did not perceive themselves to have eaten more normal Kimbab than low-density Kimbab. Thus, this study provides evidence that the energy density of food is a crucial determinant of caloric intake, and supports the notion that the consumption of low energy-dense foods may result in a reduction of caloric intake without altering satiety.

The Effect of the Consumption Monitoring Inaccuracy by Vision on Kimbab Intake and Satiety Rate / 대한지역사회영양학회지

It was examined whether altering vision would influence food intake through consumption monitoring and whether this would be reflected in consumption estimate and satiety. The experiment was designed in two visibility levels: 1) an accurate visual cue (bowl covered with wrap) vs 2) a biased visual cue (bowl covered with foil). Thirty three female college students participated in this study. The subjects ate Kimbab in the lab once a week for 2 weeks. They were served 24 pieces of Kimbab in a bowl covered either with wrap or foil. The results showed that the actual Kimbab intake from the bowl covered with foil was significantly lower than the test using wrap (13.4 +/- 3.3 pieces vs 15.0 +/- 3.8 pieces, p < 0.05). And there were no significant differences from the cognitive Kimbab intake between the tests with foil and wrap. However, the satiety rate of Kimbab in a bowl covered with foil was significantly higher than that with wrap at 1 hour and 2 hour after the Kimbab eaten (p < 0.05). Less consumed cases were recognized by subjects due to the inaccuracy during the consumption monitoring process. This result revealed that vision influences not only eating behavior but also subjective feelings of satiety after meal. In conclusion, the consumption monitoring by visual cues can play an important role in food intake and satiety rate.

The Effect of the Reduced Portion Size by Using a Diet Rice Bowl on Food Consumption and Satiety Rate / 대한지역사회영양학회지

Using the diet rice bowl, this study examined whether visual cues related to portion size can influence intake volume without altering satiation. 24 subjects ate lunch and subsequent dinner meal in the lab once a week for 2 weeks. Each week at noon , they were served one of two different sizes of a rice (150 g of rice by the diet rice bowl and 210 g of rice by the general rice bowl) but recognized the same volume of which they could eat as much as they wanted of side dishes. Subjects returned to the lab five hours later for a standard dinner, which was consumed ad libitum. Results showed that the subjects who were eating from the diet rice bowl ate less rice (222.4 Kcal vs 306.5 Kcal, p < 0.001) and total energy intake (412.5 Kcal vs 499.2 Kcal, p < 0.001) than those eating from a general rice bowl at lunch. However, despite consuming 21% less energy intake at lunch, the rates of satiety were not significantly different after eating from the diet rice bowl and from the general diet bowl. And there were no significant difference in rice intake and energy intake at dinner between the diet rice bowl and the general rice bowl. These results suggest decreasing the portion size by the diet rice bowl with biased visual cues leads to decreased rice intake and energy intake without altering the satiation. This is, the decreased amount of rice in a diet rice bowl may implicitly suggest what might be construed as an appropriate amount to consume and eventually it suggests smaller consumption norms.

Alteration of Gene Expressions in Human Endometrial Stromal Cells by Exogeneous FSH Treatments / 대한불임학회지

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of recombinant FSH (rFSH) and urinary FSH (uFSH) on the gene expressions of human endometrial stromal cells in vitro. METHODS: Endometrial tissue was obtained from a pre-menopausal women undergoing hysterectomy. Primary endometrial stromal cells were isolated and in vitro cultured with FBS-free DMEM/F-12 containing 0, 10, 100, and 1,000 mIU/ml of rFSH and uFSH for 48 hours, respectively. Total RNA was extracted from the cultured cells and subjected to real time RT-PCR for the quantitative analysis of progesterone receptor (PR), estrogen receptor alpha/beta (ER-alpha/beta), cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox-2), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), homeobox A10-1 and -2 (HoxA10-1/-2). RESULTS: Both hormone treatments slightly increased (< 3 folds) the expressions of PR, ER-beta and HoxA10-1/-2 gene. However, ER-alpha expression was increased up to five folds by treatments of both FSH for 48 hours. The LIF expression by the 10 mIU/ml of uFSH for 12 hours was significantly higher than that of rFSH (p<0.01). After 24 hours treatment of two kinds of hormones, the expression patterns of LIF were similar. The 100 and 1,000 mIU/ml of rFSH induced significantly higher amount of Cox-2 expression than those of uFSH, respectively (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: This study represents no adversely effect of exogeneous gonadotropins, rFSH and uFSH, on the expression of implantation related genes. We suggest that rFSH is applicable for the assisted reproductive technology without any concern on the endometrial receptivity.

Endometrial Cell Culture: Isolation, Characterization, and Immortalization / 대한불임학회지

No abstract available.