Immunostimulatory and anticancer effect of Reishi and Coriol extracts at the level of clinical studies and their implementation in practice.

BACKGROUND: Mushrooms Reishi and Coriolus have been used for centuries in Asian countries to treat various diseases, mainly respiratory tract infections or pulmonary diseases, and more recently also cancers. Polysaccharides and triterpenes, which are found in these mushrooms, are their main bio-active components. Preclinical and clinical studies in humans presented their beneficial effects as immunomodulators; besides this, they possess a direct anticancer effect. In Asia, they are used after cancer treatment as single agents or in combination with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Extracts from Coriolus have been approved for more than 30 years as an effective adjuvant addition to standard cancer treatment in Japan and China without obvious toxicity. PURPOSE: In this review, clinical studies with Reishi and Coriolus in cancer patients and their meta-analyses are briefly summarized. CONCLUSION: Both extracts from Reishi and Coriolus, if used in combination with standard therapy or as an adjuvant single agent, have shown benefits at immune function measures, tumor-related symptoms and performance status of cancer patients. Moreover, they have prolonged their disease-free interval and overall survival. They are well tolerated even in advanced cancer diseases and could be safely used continuously for long periods of time. Because of clinically approved efficacy and safety, they are applied mainly in some countries as a complementary therapy for various types of cancers.

Content of Selected Vitamins and Antioxidants in Colored and Nonpigmented Varieties of Quinoa, Barley, and Wheat Grains.

The diversity in human diets that can be reached by proper use of different crops and varieties, including some underutilized ones, is a potentially powerful strategy to ensure food security and prevent serious health problems caused by current diets that are often not fulfilling nutritional requirements. In the framework of this research, the content of tocopherols and tocotrienols, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, and superoxide dismutase in nine varieties of quinoa, both colored and nonpigmented, obtained from 4 different countries, was investigated and compared to the content of the same vitamins and antioxidants in barley and wheat, both colored and nonpigmented, cultivated in the same experimental field. The aim of this work was to create a crop diversity strategy and encourage the consumption of underutilized crops to ensure that the human diet fulfills nutritional requirements. The contents of vitamin B1, B2, B6, tocopherol, and tocotrienol isomers and superoxide dismutase were determined via HPLC; imaging techniques were used to evaluate the seed color. Quinoa grains had the greatest concentration of tocopherol isomers and activity, represented mainly by α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol. Wheat and barley seeds had substantial concentrations of tocopherols and tocotrienols. The concentration of riboflavin was greater in barley and wheat than in quinoa, the concentrations of pyridoxine and thiamine were variety-dependent in all grains. Quinoa grains had greater concentration of superoxide dismutase compared to wheat and barley. The richness of each variety and crop should be recognized and used integrally to improve the diet quality. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Nutritional potential of crops was evaluated from the viewpoint of selected vitamins and antioxidants to create a well-balanced diet. Combined use of both traditional (wheat, barley) and underutilized crops (quinoa) is recommended. HPLC methods and image analysis were successfully used as viable tools for food quality determination.

[Can fish oil improve wound healing in surgery?]. / Dokáze rybí olej zlepsit hojení ran v chirurgii?

UNLABELLED: A surgical insult induces both local and systemic inflammatory responses which, if inappropriate, could impair wound healing. According to many studies ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from fish oil improve the process of wound healing by their immunomodulatory effect. In contrast to current anti-inflammatory drugs, which could alter immune defence and impair the resolution of inflammation, ω-3 fatty acids have a simultaneous anti-inflammatory pro-resolution effect which is not immunosuppressive. Besides that they improve cicatrix quality. With regard to this effect they prevent excessive or prolonged inflammation and wound complications. KEY WORDS: anti-inflammatory agent - cicatrix - fish oil - macrophage - ω-3 fatty acid - resolution of inflammation - Toll-like receptor - wound healing.

[Importance of taste in maintaining homeostasis and pathological impact of orosensory reflexes distraction in relation to sweet taste after non-caloric sweeteners consumption]. / Význam chuti v udrzení homeostázy organizmu a patologický dopad vyrusení orocefalických reflexu ve vazbe na sladkou chut v následku konzumace nekalorických sladidel.

Taste signals and their reflexes have important signalling function in nature. They protect organism against toxic substances in food with help of taste aversion, they help to cope nutrition deficiencies through taste preferences, on the other hand, they act in many postprandial reflexes to maintain energy homeostasis. It is well-known that sweet taste is important oro-sensory stimulus for mammals. It acts as predictor of caloric food intake even before its entry into stomach and circulation. Taste and other oro-sensory signals from oral cavity affect not only the intake regulation, but also influence hormonal, neural and metabolic pathways to maintain homeostasis. The aim is to utilize effectively food energy and prevent energy instability of organism. Oro-sensory reflexes mediated by taste cells develop naturally from the first contact with sweet breast milk in infancy. It has been proven that the attenuation of reflexes due to the use of artificial sweeteners that don´t bring any caloric value to human body leads to hormonal and energetic dysregulation of organism and may contribute to metabolic syndrome.