Multidisciplinary Cancer Investigation
Volume:6 Issue: 3, Jul 2022

Probiotics are live microorganisms that are applied as drugs or food supplements and help to maintain healthy beneficial microbial balance in the digestive tract of a human or another host. Probiotics may help strengthen homeostasis and thus reduce side effects; associated with cancer treatment. Experimental evidence suggests that probiotics might have a beneficial effect on the toxicity of anticancer therapy.

In this study, the double-blind clinical trial was used to collect information and data. Eligible participants were randomly divided into two experimental groups (probiotic) and a control group (placebo). At the start of the study, during a meeting for all participants in the study, the benefits and importance of integrity and their collaboration were described. Subjects received one gram of probiotic or placebo for 60 days, along with information on the time and how to use it. Also, all participants avoided the use of yogurt and any supplementary probiotic products during the study period to avoid any inaccuracy in evaluating the involved factors. At the end of 60 days, the blood samples of the subjects were examined. The number of white blood cells (WBCs), blood hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) were measured and analyzed. People who did not follow the instructions for any reason were excluded from the study.

The effect of probiotics on reducing the complications of chemotherapy in patients with gastrointestinal cancer was studied. The statistical results did not show much difference in the increase of these factors before and after the administration of the drug but clinical examination of these factors showed that probiotics can increase blood factors. Probiotics may have a positive effect on the increase in blood factor levels (MCH, MCV, HCT, HGB, WBC) by increasing the duration of receiving probiotics.

In this research, the effects of probiotics on the increase of blood factors were investigated for the first time. Although statistical analysis of the results showed that probiotics did not affect the increase of these factors, clinical examination of the results showed that probiotics can increase blood factors. Therefore, by changing the appropriate dose, time, and diet, the duration of probiotics may positively affect the level of blood factors (MCH, MCV, HCT, HGB, and WBC) and improve the living conditions in these patients.

Spiritual care by nurses is often linked to palliative and terminal care. It is hardly known whether SC is also considered vital among nurses who care for patients who are treated with curative intent. Therefore, we have explored the level of and the experiences with spiritual care by nurses in curative cancer care.

In this mixed-method study, nurses were recruited in eight hospitals in the Netherlands. A spirituality scale, a spiritual care competence scale and five questions on spiritual care were completed by 57 participants. Afterwards, the scores were quantitatively analyzed. Because of data saturation, qualitative analysis was limited to 31 semi-structured interviews, using content analysis.

The great majority of nurses indicated on the questionnaire that they frequently provide spiritual care. However, in interviews, the nurses described few examples of spiritual care. Nurses also indicated that they had not learned so much in providing spiritual care in their educational program; rather, they had learned it in clinical practice.

As the questionnaire could be liable to socially desirable responding, we based our conclusions on the qualitative data, and concluded that spiritual care was rather modest among the nurses providing curative care in this study.

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are considered among the most important causes of mortality and morbidity. Helicobacter pylori infection has been proven to be highly associated with the development of a variety of gastric diseases such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease (PUD), mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), and gastric cancer (GC). To date, the exact role of the virulence factors in gastric diseases and other diseases remains elusive and controversial.

The present study is a classic systematic review (expert opinion), in which articles published in English and Persian languages derived from Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Iranian databases, including Magiran, IranMede, and scientific information database (SID) without any time limitation were explored using standardized keywords of H. pylori, virulence factors, gastric cancer, a combination of the above words, and other synonymous keywords. Finally, the information and obtained results were collected and interpreted.

In total, 14 of the 172 articles reviewed had inclusion criteria with the approval of the responsible author. According to the results, the development of chronic bacterial inflammation due to pathogenic mechanisms and factors, especially the role of cagA and vacA genes in gastric cancer, remains an important medical problem.

Each of the H. pylori virulence factors can have a role in cancer development, and it appears that on-time H. pylori treatment is one of the best methods to prevent gastric cancer. Therefore, targeting Pathogenic factors of H. pylori to induce apoptosis and stimulate the immune system will be a promising, attractive, and helpful method for cancer prevention.

According to studies conducted on Viola odorata, many medical properties, including antimicrobial, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, etc. have been mentioned. Recent results have shown the strong cytotoxic effects of Viola odorata cycloidal compounds on different cancerous cell lines and bacteria. In addition, pathogen resistance has necessitated the study of new antimicrobial compounds. This study attempted to evaluate the antimicrobial and anticancer effects of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Viola odorata.

Aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Viola were prepared using maceration method. After culturing Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli, the minimum lethal concentration was measured by Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) method, and the minimum inhibitory concentration of different treatments was measured by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. To evaluate the cytotoxicity, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed on human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) and A549 cells. The obtained data were statistically analyzed, and the results were considered significant with a P<0.05.

The results showed antimicrobial effects of Viola extract against tested bacteria, MIC 25mg/ml and MBC 50mg/ml in Escherichia coli, and MIC 50mg/ml and MBC 100mg/ml in Staphylococcus aureus were obtained. MTT test results showed that the cytotoxicity of ethanolic extract in both cell lines was higher than the aqueous extract. Moreover, the concentration of ethanolic extracts at 1000 and 1500mg/ml in A549 and HFF cell lines reduced the viability to 50%.

Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Viola have an inhibitory effect on Gram-negative and positive bacteria and cancer cell proliferation. The lower side effects of Viola aqueous extract (VOA)/Viola ethanolic extract(VOE) on normal cells (HFF) have indicated that it can be considered as candidate for further studies in the field of new drug production.