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Context: Rice bran arabinoxylan compound (RBAC) is a natural immunomodulator with anticancer properties. Objective: This study critically evaluates the available evidence on the biological pathways of RBAC and its effects on cancer treatment. Methods: This secondary analysis of a scoping review includes studies evaluating the mechanisms of RBAC on healthy or malignant cells, animal models, or humans for cancer prevention or treatment. Data from randomized controlled trials on survival and quality of life outcomes were subjectd to meta analysis. Results: The evidence synthesis was based on 38 articles. RBAC exhibited antitumor properties by promoting apoptosis and restoring immune function in cancer patients to enhance inflammatory and cytotoxic responses to block tumorigenesis. RBAC works synergistically with chemotherapeutic agents by upregulating drug transport. In a clinical trial, combining RBAC with chemoembolization in treating liver cancer showed improved response, reduced recurrence rates, and prolonged survival. RBAC also augments the endogenous antioxidant system to prevent oxidative stress and protect against radiation side effects. In addition, RBAC has chemoprotective effects. Animals and humans have exhibited reduced toxicity and side effects from chemotherapy. Meta analysis indicates that RBAC treatment increases the survival odds by 4.02-times (95% CI: 1.67, 9.69) in the first year and 2.89-times (95% CI: 1.56, 5.35) in the second year. Conclusion: RBAC is a natural product with immense potential in cancer treatment. Additional research is needed to characterize, quantify, and standardize the active ingredients in RBAC responsible for the anticancer effects. More well-designed, large-scale clinical trials are required to substantiate the treatment efficacies further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Rice bran arabinoxylan compound (RBAC) is a natural immunomodulator with anticancer properties.Objective This study critically evaluates the available evidence on the biological pathways of RBAC and its effects on cancer treatment.Methods This secondary analysis of a scoping review includes studies evaluating the mechanisms of RBAC on healthy or malignant cells, animal models, or humans for cancer prevention or treatment. Data from randomized controlled trials on survival and quality of life outcomes were subjectd to meta analysis.Results The evidence synthesis was based on 38 articles. RBAC exhibited antitumor properties by promoting apoptosis and restoring immune function in cancer patients to enhance inflammatory and cytotoxic responses to block tumorigenesis. RBAC works synergistically with chemotherapeutic agents by upregulating drug transport. In a clinical trial, combining RBAC with chemoembolization in treating liver cancer showed improved response, reduced recurrence rates, and prolonged survival. RBAC also augments the endogenous antioxidant system to prevent oxidative stress and protect against radiation side effects. In addition, RBAC has chemoprotective effects. Animals and humans have exhibited reduced toxicity and side effects from chemotherapy. Meta analysis indicates that RBAC treatment increases the survival odds by 4.02-times (95% CI: 1.67, 9.69) in the first year and 2.89-times (95% CI: 1.56, 5.35) in the second year.Conclusion RBAC is a natural product with immense potential in cancer treatment. Additional research is needed to characterize, quantify, and standardize the active ingredients in RBAC responsible for the anticancer effects. More well-designed, large-scale clinical trials are required to substantiate the treatment efficacies further.

The etiology and mechanisms of autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not yet fully understood. There is currently no treatment for ASD for providing significant improvement in core symptoms. Recent studies suggest, however, that ASD is associated with gut dysbiosis, indicating that modulation of gut microbiota in children with ASD may thus reduce the manifestation of ASD symptoms. The aim of this pilot study (prospective randomized, double-blinded, placebocontrolled) was to evaluate efficacy of the biological response modifier Juvenil in modulating the microbiome of children with ASD and, in particular, whether Juvenil is able to alleviate the symptoms of ASD. In total, 20 children with ASD and 12 neurotypical children were included in our study. Supplementation of ASD children lasted for three months. To confirm Juvenil’s impact on the gut microbiome, stool samples were collected from all children and the microbiome’s composition was analyzed. This pilot study demonstrated that the gut microbiome of ASD children differed significantly from that of healthy controls and was converted by Juvenil supplementation toward a more neurotypical microbiome that positively modulated children’s autism symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-glucans, the class of biological response modifier has unceasing attention, not only for its immune stimulating but also for its role as prebiotics, modulator of physiological events etc. and is widely used in the treatment of cancer, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular diseases etc. However, β-glucan with different physiochemical properties is found to have discrete clinical functions and thus careful selection of the types of β-glucan plays pivotal role in providing significant and expected clinical outcome. Herein this review, we presented the factors responsible for diverse functional properties of β-glucan, their distinct mode of actions in regulating human health etc. Further, clinical aspects of different β-glucans toward the management of wound care, metabolic dysbiosis, fatty liver disorders and endurance training associated energy metabolism were compiled and exhibited in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The effect of rice bran arabinoxylan compound (RBAC), a plant-based immunomodulator, on the quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients and underlying physiological pathways remains unclear. Trial design The RBAC-QoL study, a double-blind, randomised, controlled pilot feasibility study, aimed to determine RBAC's effects on QoL and the associated action mechanisms. Primary outcomes were the EORTC QLQ-C30 functional, symptom, and global QoL scores with inflammatory, nutritional, and cytokine parameters as secondary and exploratory outcomes. Methods Participants were adults diagnosed with solid organ tumours (≥ stage II) undergoing active treatment in several outpatient centres in New South Wales, Australia. Interventions were RBAC or matched placebo at 3g/day for 24 weeks allocated through stratified randomisation with participants, oncologists, and data collectors blinded. Data was collected from five study visits six weeks apart. The trial remained ongoing as of December 2023. An interim intention-to-treat analysis was performed using repeated measure ANOVA with pairwise comparisons where statistical significance was observed and adjusted with covariates. Results Global QoL scores from currently available data (n = 16; RBAC = 7, placebo = 9) were statistically different between groups (F 1,8  = 8.6, p = 0.019, eta 2 [g] = 0.267). Pairwise comparisons found significant differences at Week 6 (p = 0.032, Cohen's d = 1.454) and marginally at Week 12 (p = 0.069, d = 1.427). Age-adjusted analysis showed a continuous upward trend in QoL improvement over time with RBAC, while the placebo group did not deviate from baseline QoL. Significant elevations of serum white blood cell count (Week 18) and total protein (Weeks 12 and 18) were detected in the RBAC group compared to placebo. The total protein levels correlated highly with white blood cell count (Pearson's r = 0.539, p < 0.001) and moderately with the global QoL scores (r = 0.338, p = 0.01). No intervention-related adverse events were reported in both groups.  Conclusions RBAC improves QoL beyond placebo during active cancer treatment, possibly through the immuno-nutritional pathway - these findings, though preliminary, are valuable for future research. Funding and registration: Daiwa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Japan; BioMedica Nutraceuticals Pty Ltd., Australia. ANZCTR Reg No: ACTRN12619000562178p., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Ooi et al.)