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Introduction: The aim of this study is to investigate how excess weight can influence cancer risk and the possible mechanisms involved. For this purpose, a bibliographic review was made of the studies published between 2000 and 2024 that analyze this relationship, as well as specific types of cancer associated with obesity. A significant association was found between overweight/obesity and increased cancer risk. Some specific cancers such as esophageal, stomach, colorectal, liver, and endometrial cancers, among others, are particularly sensitive to this relationship. Therefore, excess weight is confirmed as an important risk factor for the development of cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight and following healthy lifestyle recommendations are essential to prevent cancer and improve survival in cancer patients.

Introduction: Introduction: cancer remains one of the main causes of death worldwide, representing a major health issue. Mediterranean diet (MD) can have an important role in lowering cancer incidence. Objectives/Methods: we performed a bibliographic review searching for evidence demonstrating the protective role of MD against cancer, and herein discuss our main findings. Results: several studies show evidence on the protective effect of the Mediterranean diet against cancer development. As a lifestyle, MD includes healthy dietary and social habits, and is linked to frequent physical activity. All of this, when sustained over time, has a preventing role on the appearance of cancer. The antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects of certain products frequently found in the MD are responsible for this protection. Moreover, MD also prevents overweight and obesity, which are also directly related to the development of certain cancer types. Conclusion: there is scientific evidence on the protective role of the Mediterranean diet on cancer prevention.

Introduction: Introduction: the incidence and prevalence of cancer disease is growing in the last years, cancer is currently the second cause of death in Spain. For years nutrition has been linked with cancer as etiologic factor, but evidence levels are poorer than expected. With science advances, epigenetic have became a large field in nutrition to try to find solid relationships between nutrition and cancer development. Objectives: this paper reviews the scientific evidence and the possible links between cancer etiology and nutrition. Methods: bibliographic review and selection of the most relevant studies found. Results and discussion: there is a relationship between nutrition and epigenetic modifications that can cause or prevent different types of cancer, by knowing those alterations we will be able to perform some primary prevention strategies trying to reduce cancer incidence. There is evidence that folates, polyphenols, selenium, isothiocyanates and Vitamin D, among others, can be related with cancer development. With a growing knowledge on the relationship between cancer, nutrition and epigenetics we will have the opportunity to use it as an important protective factor for the general population.

The fine roots play an important role in the acquisition of water and minerals from the soil, the global carbon balance and mitigation of climate change. The dynamics (productivity and turnover) of fine roots is essential for nutrient cycling and carbon balance of forest ecosystems. The availability of soil water and nutrients has significantly determined the productivity and turnover of fine roots. It has been hypothesized that fine roots dynamics increases with the availability of soil resources in tropical forest ecosystems. To test this hypothesis in tropical rainforests of Chocó (ecosystems with the highest rainfall in the world), five one-ha permanent plots were established in the localities of Opogodó and Pacurita, where the productivity and turnover of fine roots were measured at 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm depth. The measurement of the fine root production was realized by the Ingrowth core method. The fine root turnover was measured like fine roots production divided mean annual biomass. In addition, soil fertility parameters (pH, nutrients, and texture) were measured and their association with productivity and turnover of fine roots was evaluated. It was found that the sites had nutrient-poor soils. The localities also differ in soil; Opogodó has sandy soils and flat topography, and Pacurita has clay soils, rich in aluminum and mountainous topography. In Opogodó fine root production was 6.50 ± 2.62 t/ha.yr (mean ± SD). In Pacurita, fine root production was 3.61 ± 0.88 t/ha.yr. Also in Opogodó, the fine root turnover was higher than in Pacurita (1.17 /y and 0.62 /y, respectively). Fine root turnover and production in the upper soil layers (10 cm upper soil) was considerably higher. Productivity and turnover of fine roots showed positive correlation with pH and contents of organic matter, total N, K, Mg, and sand; whereas correlations were negative with ECEC and contents of Al, silt, and clay. The percentage of sand was the parameter that best explained the variations of fine root production. The fine root turnover was negatively explained by soil Al availability. Results suggested the increase of fine root dynamics with soil fertility at a local scale, which also indicates that under the oligotrophic conditions of soils in tropical rainforests, fine roots tend to proliferate rapidly in small patches of soil rich in sand and nutrients.

Despite the wide acceptance that glycans are centrally implicated in immunity, exactly how they contribute to the tilt immune response remains poorly defined. In this study, we sought to evaluate the impact of the malignant phenotype-associated glycan, sialyl-Tn (STn) in the function of the key orchestrators of the immune response, the dendritic cells (DCs). In high grade bladder cancer tissue, the STn antigen is significantly overexpressed and correlated with the increased expression of ST6GALNAC1 sialyltransferase. Bladder cancer tissue presenting elevated expression of ST6GALNAC1 showed a correlation with increased expression of CD1a, a marker for bladder immature DCs and showed concomitant low levels of Th1-inducing cytokines IL-12 and TNF-α. In vitro, human DCs co-incubated with STn(+) bladder cancer cells, had an immature phenotype (MHC-II(low), CD80(low) and CD86(low)) and were unresponsive to further maturation stimuli. When contacting with STn(+) cancer cells, DCs expressed significantly less IL-12 and TNF-α. Consistent with a tolerogenic DC profile, T cells that were primed by DCs pulsed with antigens derived from STn(+) cancer cells were not activated and showed a FoxP3(high) IFN-γ(low) phenotype. Blockade of STn antigens and of STn(+) glycoprotein, CD44 and MUC1, in STn(+) cancer cells was able to lower the induction of tolerance and DCs become more mature. Overall, our data suggest that STn-expressing cancer cells impair DC maturation and endow DCs with a tolerogenic function, limiting their capacity to trigger protective anti-tumour T cell responses. STn antigens and, in particular, STn(+) glycoproteins are potential targets for circumventing tumour-induced tolerogenic mechanisms., (Copyright © 2014 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)