Search

Background: Allergies may either have a protective or a promoting effect on cancers. This study seeks to explore the relationship between various types of allergies and three specific cancer types: lung, breast, and colorectal cancer, thereby adding fresh insights to the existing scientific., Methods: Among the 556 patients, there were 115 cases of colorectal cancer, 305 cases of breast cancer, and 136 cases of lung cancer. The ratio of the case group to the control group was 1:1. We assessed the association between various variables, such as family history of allergy, allergies since the age of 10, pet allergies, seasonal flu, night and activity-related coughing, food allergies, itching or urticaria, childhood respiratory infections, and common colds, with the aforementioned cancers. The data were also analyzed using conditional logistic regression., Results: The results showed a protective association between itching or urticaria due to environmental factors and colorectal cancer (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.17-0.94), as well as lung cancer (AOR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.09-0.75). Additionally, a borderline association was observed between itching or urticaria and breast cancer (AOR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.28-1.03). Allergy to pets also exhibited an inverse borderline association with breast cancer (AOR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.18-1.05) and lung cancer (AOR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.06-1.14). Furthermore, night coughing and allergies since the age of 10 were found to increase the odds of developing breast cancer (AOR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.44-3.92; AOR: 5.10, 95% CI: 2.56-10.56, respectively) and lung cancer (AOR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.29-4.46; AOR: 8.71, 95% CI: 3.29-23.03, respectively)., Conclusion: allergies and cancer have a site-specific assciation . To confirm these findings and understand the reasons behind these associations, more investigation is required.

Introduction: Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is directly related to forming reactive oxygen species, endothelial cell injury, increased vascular permeability, and the activation of neutrophils and cytokines. Niosomes are nanocarriers and an essential part of drug delivery systems. We aimed to investigate the effects of myrtenol's inhaled and intraperitoneal niosomal form, compared to its simple form, on lung ischemia reperfusion injury (LIRI)., Material and Method: Wistar rats were divided into ten groups. Simple and niosomal forms of myrtenol were inhaled or intraperitoneally injected daily for one week prior to LIRI. We evaluated oxidative stress, apoptotic, and inflammatory indices, nitric oxide, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and histopathological indices., Results: Pretreatment with simple and niosomal forms of myrtenol significantly inhibited the indices of pulmonary edema, pro-inflammatory cytokines and proteins, oxidant agents, nitric oxide, iNOS, apoptotic proteins, congestion of capillaries, neutrophil infiltration, and bleeding in the alveoli. Furthermore, myrtenol increased anti-inflammatory cytokines, anti-oxidants agents, eNOS, anti-apoptotic proteins and the survival time of animals. The niosomal form of myrtenol showed a more ameliorative effect than its simple form., Conclusion: The results showed the superior protective effect of the inhalation of myrtenol niosomal form against LIRI compared to its simple form and systemic use., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 American Pharmacists Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Asthma is a common chronic allergic disease that affects a significant percentage of the world's population. Niosomes are nanoparticles consisting of non-ionic surfactants that can be used for drug delivery. This research was designed to investigate the impacts of inhalation of simple and niosomal forms of myrtenol against adverse consequences of asthma in rats. Asthma induction was performed via injection of ovalbumin, followed by its inhalation. Niosomes were created by a heating protocol, and their physicochemical features were evaluated. Forty-nine male Wistar rats were allotted into 7 groups (n=7 each): Control (CTL), vacant niosome (VN), Asthma, Asthma+VN, Asthma+SM (simple myrtenol), Asthma+NM (niosomal myrtenol), and Asthma+B (budesonide). Lung remodeling, serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), inflammatory  and cytokines, and antioxidant factors in the lung tissue and bronchoalveolar fluid (BALF), as well as), were evaluated. The results showed that myrtenol-loaded niosomes had appropriate encapsulation efficiency, kinetic release, size, and zeta potential. The thickness of the epithelial cell layer in the lungs, as well as cell infiltration, fibrosis, IgE, reactive oxygen species, interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor nuclear factor alpha (TNF-α) levels, decreased significantly. In contrast, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxide activity increased significantly in the serum and BALF of the treated groups. The niosomal form of myrtenol revealed a higher efficacy than simple myrtenol and was similar to budesonide in ameliorating asthma indices.  Inhalation of simple and niosomal forms of myrtenol improved the detrimental changes in the asthmatic lung. The niosomal form induced more prominent anti-asthmatic effects comparable to those of budesonide.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a main cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. Its complications are numerous and one of their most common extra-pulmonary ones is cognitive impairment which is directly related to its mortality and morbidity. A decrease in cerebral perfusion in these patients had been seen in previous studies considering the role of VEGF on angiogenesis and its role in the pathogenesis of COPD. This study was done to evaluate the relation of cognitive impairment with serum VEGF and the number of COPD exacerbations., Materials and Methods: In the present study, 87 patients whom the pulmonologist confirmed their COPD disease based on spirometry testing were enrolled. The blood sample was received for serum VEGF level measurement and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) questionnaire was completed to assess the cognitive function. The number of exacerbations was also recorded. The blood sample was received from 87 other age and sex-matched persons without a history of pulmonary disease, CVA, or MI. Their VEGF level was also measured. The data was analyzed by SPSS version 20 software., Results: In the COPD group, 42 (48.28%) had no cognitive impairment, 39 (44.83%) had mild, and 6(6.89%) had moderate cognitive impairment. In this group, there was a significant relation between the score of the MMSE questionnaire and the number of COPD exacerbations during the past year. However, there was no significant relation between VEGF and cognitive impairment., Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, there was no significant relation between cognitive impairment and VEGF level. There was a significant relation between cognitive impairment and the number of COPD exacerbations. Also, there was a significant difference between the serum level of VEGF among COPD patients and the control group., (Copyright© 2023 National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.)

Background: Lung cancer remains a serious public health problem and is the first cause of cancer-related death worldwide. There is some evidence suggests that bile acid micro-aspiration may contribute to the development of lung diseases. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of micro-aspiration of bile acids in patients with primary lung cancer., Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 52 patients with primary lung cancer referred to a teaching hospital affiliated with Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran were enrolled. Patients with pathology-confirmed lung cancer who did not receive specific treatment were included in the present study. All patients underwent bronchoscopy and the levels of bile acid was assessed in their Broncho-Alveolar Lavage (BAL) samples., Results: According to the results, 53.85% of patients were in the age group of 40 to 59 years. Of the participants, 88.46% were male, 82.69% were smokers, and 69.23% were opium addicted. The most common presenting clinical symptoms of patients were heartburn (61.55%), hoarseness (17.31%), and epigastric pain (9.61%), respectively. Ninety-two point thirty-two percent of patients had endobronchial lesions in bronchoscopy. Squamous cell carcinoma, small-cell lung carcinoma and adenocarcinoma accounts for 48.08%, 34.61% and 17.31% of all cases of lung cancer, respectively. Bile acids were found in the BAL sample of all patients with primary lung cancer. The mean Bile acids levels in patients were 63.42 (SD=7.03) µmol/Lit., Conclusion: According to the results of present study, there was a micro-aspiration of bile acids in all patients with primary lung cancer that may participate in shaping early events in the etiology of primary lung cancer. It seems that developing clinical strategies preventing the micro-aspiration of bile acids into the lungs could remove a key potential trigger in this process., (© 2022 Hashemi-Bajgani SM,. et al.)