Mesenchymal stem cell-released oncolytic virus: an innovative strategy for cancer treatment.

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) infect, multiply, and finally remove tumor cells selectively, causing no damage to normal cells in the process. Because of their specific features, such as, the ability to induce immunogenic cell death and to contain curative transgenes in their genomes, OVs have attracted attention as candidates to be utilized in cooperation with immunotherapies for cancer treatment. This treatment takes advantage of most tumor cells' inherent tendency to be infected by certain OVs and both innate and adaptive immune responses are elicited by OV infection and oncolysis. OVs can also modulate tumor microenvironment and boost anti-tumor immune responses. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are gathering interest as promising anti-cancer treatments with the ability to address a wide range of cancers. MSCs exhibit tumor-trophic migration characteristics, allowing them to be used as delivery vehicles for successful, targeted treatment of isolated tumors and metastatic malignancies. Preclinical and clinical research were reviewed in this study to discuss using MSC-released OVs as a novel method for the treatment of cancer. Video Abstract.

Effects of almond intake on oxidative stress parameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown that almonds can improve oxidative stress indices, but the results are controversial. Therefore, the goal of this research was to carry out a systematic review and meta-analysis of all RCTs that evaluated the effect of almonds on selected oxidative stress indices. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted up to April 2022 on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. We have selected the studies that investigated the effects of almonds on malondialdehyde (MDA), and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) levels in adults. Data were pooled by using the random-effects model. The risk of bias in individual studies was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. RESULTS: Seven RCTs involving 424 participants were analyzed. The results indicated that almond intake led to a significant decrease in MDA levels (WMD: - 6.63 nmol/ml; 95 % CI: - 8.72 to - 4.54; P < 0.001). However, no significant effect was observed on Ox-LDL (Hedges' g: - 0.12; 95 % CI: - 0.34 to 0.10; P = 0.28). Sensitivity analysis showed that overall estimates were not affected by the elimination of any study. We did not observe any evidence regarding publication bias. CONCLUSION: The present meta-analysis suggests that almond intake can improve MDA levels and might play a beneficial role in the reinforcement of the antioxidant defense system and amelioration of oxidative stress in adults. There is a need for more studies with larger groups to better estimate this effect.