Coffee drinking influences plasma antioxidant capacity in humans.

Coffee and tea are widely consumed beverages, but only tea has been studied for its antioxidant capacity (AC) in vivo. The aim of this study was to compare the capacities of coffee and tea to affect plasma redox homeostasis in humans. The AC of plasma before and after supplementation with 200 mL of beverages (0, 1, and 2 h) was measured by the TRAP and crocin tests. The crocin test detected an increase in plasma AC only in subjects supplemented with coffee (+7% at peak time), whereas the TRAP method showed an increase in plasma AC after consumption of both coffee and tea (+6 and +4%, respectively, at peak time). Both beverages induced a significant increase in plasma uric acid (+5 and +7%, respectively). Uric acid strongly affects the results obtained by the TRAP test and does not affect those obtained by the crocin test. We can thus argue that uric acid is the main component responsible for the plasma AC increase after tea drinking, whereas molecules other than uric acid (probably phenolic compounds) are likely to be responsible for the increase in plasma AC after coffee drinking.

Axillary radiotherapy instead of axillary dissection: a randomized trial. Italian Oncological Senology Group.

BACKGROUND: Surgical dissection of the axilla is a standard part of the treatment of breast cancer but, by itself, does not improve prognosis; furthermore, most patients with small-sized breast cancer and a clinically uninvolved axilla never develop axillary metastases. We evaluated disease-free and overall survival in patients with early breast cancer treated by breast-conservation surgery without dissection of axillary lymph nodes, receiving or not receiving axillary radiotherapy (RT). METHODS: From 1995 to 1998, 435 patients older than 45 years with breast cancer up to 1.2 cm were randomized, 214 to breast conservation without axillary treatment and 221 to breast conservation plus axillary RT. RESULTS: After a follow-up of 28 to 68 months (median, 42 months), two women (1%) in the no axillary treatment group and one (.5%) in the axillary RT group developed axillary metastases. Rates of distant metastases and local treatment failure were also very low, and 5-year overall survival was 99%. CONCLUSIONS: After a mean of 46 months of follow-up, our results indicate that axillary dissection can be safely avoided in patients with very small invasive carcinomas and a clinically negative axilla. Whether axillary RT should be added can be assessed only by longer follow-up.