Effects of combined soy isoflavone extract and docetaxel treatment on murine 4T1 breast tumor model

Emergence of drug resistance has brought major problems in chemotherapy. Using nutrients in combination with chemotherapy could be beneficial for improvement of sensitivity of tumors to drug resistance. Soybean-derived isoflavones have been suggested as chemopreventive agents for certain types of cancer, particularly breast cancer. In this study, the synergistic effects of soy isoflavone extract in combination with docetaxel in murine 4T1 breast tumor model were investigated. In this study, mice were divided into 4 groups [15 mice per group] of control, the dietary Soy Isoflavone Extract [SIE, 100 mg/kg diet], the Docetaxel [DOCE, 10 mg/kg] injection and the combination of dietary soy isoflavone extract and intravenous docetaxel injection [DOCE+SIE]. After 3 injections of docetaxel [once a week], 7 mice were sacrificed to analyze MKI67 gene and protein expressions and the rest were monitored for diet consumption, tumor growth and survival rates. In DOCE+SIE group, diet consumption was significantly higher than DOCE group. While lifespan showed a trend towards improvement in DOCE+SIE group, no significant difference was observed among the 4 studied groups. Tumor volume was not significantly affected in treated groups. A lower but not significant MKI67 protein expression was detected in western blot in DOCE+SIE group. The mRNA expression was not significantly different among groups. The results suggest that the combination of soy isoflavone as an adjunct to docetaxel chemotherapy can be effective in improving diet consumption in breast cancer

Assessment of birth weight and its related factors among infants born in the hospitals of Ahwaz Jondishapour University

Background: Given the importance of birth weight and the effects of anthropometric indices and socioeconomic status on it, this study was conducted to assess birth weight and its related factors among infants born in the hospitals of Ahwaz Jondishapour University

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 269 newly born babies and their mothers in hospitals of Ahwaz Jondishapour University during 2009. Neonate anthropometric measures were obtained from hospital reports. The mothers were asked about their weight before pregnancy, their weight gain and demographic and socioeconomic data. SPSS software version16 was used to analyze the data. Relationships among infants and mothers' anthropometric indices were assessed using bivariate correlation

Results: 86.8% of the infants were normal as to weight, 8.7% were underweight, and 4.5% overweight. Mothers' weight gain during pregnancy and BMI before pregnancy were 12.18 +/- 5.18[kg] and 24.75 +/- 4.78[kg/m[2]], respectively. There was a significant correlation between infant's birth weight and mother's weight, height and weight gain during pregnancy

Discussion: Results of this study showed that mothers' weight before pregnancy and their pregnancy weight gain have a key role in infant birth weight, so controlling the mother's weight gain according to recommendation has a great effect on infant's health

[Soy, soy isoflavones and breast cancer risk]

In recent years there has been considerable investigation about the potentials of soyfoods to reduce the risk of cancer, particularly breast cancer. Isoflavones are compounds with a chemical structure similar to estrogen and can bind to estrogen receptor. The relationship between soyfoods and breast cancer has become a controversial issue because of concerns-based mostly on some in vitro and rodent data-that isoflavones may stimulate the growth of existing estrogen-sensitive breast tumors. However; some have indicated that soy isoflavones have antitumor and antiproliferative effects. The epidemiologic data are generally consistent with the animal studies, showing no increased risk. In limited clinical studies there is no evidence that isoflavone intake increases tumor growth or proliferation of carcinoma cells. Also, epidemiological studies on breast cancer survival showed that soy isoflavones decrease recurrence and mortality of disease. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that in healthy women the pharmacologic dose of estrogen has very low if any risk for breast cancer. Because of the increasing popularity of soyfoods and the commercial availability of isoflavone supplements and existing concern regarding the estrogen-like effects of isoflavones in the breast, more clinical research seems to be necessary