• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.8
• /
• pp.4769-4774
• /
• 2013

This paper is the first to present the incidence and overall survival of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) from the extreme northern part of the Philippines. We retrospectively retrieved the records of patients with histologically-confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, from 2003 to 2012 and analysed prognostic factors associated with survival. Of the 150 cases, only 80 (53.3%) were still living when the study was terminated. Median age at initial diagnosis was 61.5 years and the male to female ratio was 7:3. The majority of the cases had tumours in the oral cavity (50.7%), followed by the larynx (36.7%). Sex (log rank=1.94, p value/${\alpha}$=0.16), tumor site (log rank=0.02, p value/${\alpha}$=0.90), tumor grade (log rank=1.74, p value/${\alpha}$=0.42), and node stage (log rank=0.07, p value/${\alpha}$=0.80) were not shown to be associated with the survival of our cases. Only 45 (30.0%) had no regional lymph node involvement (N0) at presentation and 12 (8.0%) had already developed distant metastases. Among the 150 patients, 71 (47.3%) were not able to receive treatment of any kind. Oddly, treatment (log rank=1.65, p value/${\alpha}$=0.20) was also shown to be not associated with survival. The survival rate of those who underwent surgery, radiotherapy, or both was not statistically different from those who did not receive any treatment. Only the tumor stage (log rank=4.51, p value/${\alpha}$=0.03) was associated with patient survival. The overall mean survival was 49.3 months, with survival rate diminishing from 88.3% during the 1st year to 1.80% by end of the study. This relatively low survival rate of our cases only reflects their poor access to quality diagnostic and treatment facilities.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.837-846
• /
• 2012

Breast cancer (BCa) is the leading type of cancer in Mexican women. Genetic factors, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of P450 system, have been reported in BCa. In this report, and for the first time in the literature, we analyzed the rs3735684 (7021 G>A), rs11553651 (15016 G>T) and rs56195291 (60020 C>G) polymorphisms in the CYP2W1, 4F11 and 8A1 genes in patients with BCa and in healthy Mexican women to identify a potential association between these polymorphisms and BCa risk. Patients and controls were used for polymorphism analysis using an allelic discrimination assay with TaqMan probes and confirmed by DNA sequencing. Links with clinic-pathological characteristics were also analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using the standard ${\chi}^2$ or Fisher exact test statistic. No significant differences were observed in the distributions of CYP2W1 (OR 8.6, 95%CI 0.43-172.5 P>0.05; OR 2.0, 95%CI 0.76-5.4, P>0.05) and CYP4F11 (OR 0.3, 95%CI 0.01-8.4 P>0.05) genotypes between the patients and controls. Only the CYP8A1 CC genotype was detected in patients with BCa and the controls. All polymorphism frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) in the controls (P>0.05). We found a significant association between BCa risk and smoking, use of oral contraceptives or hormonal replacement therapy (HRT), obesity, hyperglycemia, chronic diseases, family history of cancer and menopausal status in the population studied (P<0.05). Tobacco, oral contraceptive or HRT, chronic diseases and obesity or overweight were strongly associated with almost eight, thirty-five, nine and five-fold increased risk for BCa. Tobaco, obesity and hyperglycemia significantly increased the risk of BCa in the patients carrying variant genotypes of CYP2W1 (P<0.05). These results indicate that the CYP2W1 rs3735684, CYP4F11 rs11553651 and CYP8A1 rs56195291 SNPs are not a key risk factor for BCa in Mexican women. This study did not detect an association between the CYP2W1, 4F11 and 8A1 genes polymorphisms and BCa risk in a Mexican population. However, some clinico-pathological risk factors interact with CYP2W1 genotypes and modifies susceptibility to BCa.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.14
• /
• pp.5709-5714
• /
• 2014

Background: An association between alcohol/tobacco use and risk of metastasis in breast cancer has been clearly shown. Materials and Methods: The present study explored, in 48 samples of tissue from mammary ductal carcinoma (taken from Mexican women with an average age of $58.2{\pm}10.9$ years), the association of risk of metastasis with the status of hormonal receptors and the c-erbB2 protein (by immunohistochemistry) as well as clinical, histopathological and sociodemographic factors. Results: Of 48 patients, 41.6% (20/48) presented with metastasis, 43.8% were positive for the estrogen receptor (RE+), 31.3% for the progesterone receptor (RP+) and 47.7% for c-erbB2 (c-erbB2+). The following combinations were found: RE+/RP+/c-erbB2+ 8.3%, RE+/RP+ 22.9%, RE+/RP- 20.8%, RE-/RP+ 8.3%, RE-/RP-/c-erbB2- 22.9% and RE-/RP- 47.8%. There were 12 patients who used alcohol/tobacco, of which 91.6% did not present metastasis and 81.9% were RE-/RP-. Compared to the RE-/RP-/c-erbB2+, the RE+/RP+/c-erbB2+ group had a 15-fold greater risk for metastasis (95%CI, 0.9-228.8, p=0.05). The carriers of the double negative hormonal receptors had a 4.7 fold greater probability of being (or having been) smokers or drinkers (95%CI, 1.0-20.4, p = 0.03). Conclusions: There was a clear protective effect of using alcohol and/or tobacco, in the cases included in the present study of mammary ductal carcinoma, associated with double negative hormonal receptors. However, this association could be due to a protective factor not measured (Neyman bias) or to a bias inherent in the rate of hospitalization (Berkson fallacy). This question should be explored in a broad prospective longitudinal study.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.77.1-77.14
• /
• 2020

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the main microorganisms that causes bovine mastitis, and its well-known virulence characteristics and interactions with the environment are used to aid the design of more efficient therapies. Objectives: To determine whether the virulence traits, such as antibiotic resistance and biofilm-forming and internalization abilities, of S. aureus isolated from bovine mastitis are related to dairy production system types. Methods: The study was performed in the Mexican states of Guanajuato and Michoacan. Semi-intensive dairy farms (SIDFs) and family dairy farms (FDFs) (454 and 363 cows, respectively) were included. The 194 milk samples from mastitis affected quarters were collected and 92 strains of S. aureus were isolated and identified by biochemical and molecular tests. Antibiotic resistance, biofilm and internalization assays were performed on 30 randomly selected isolated strains to determine virulence traits, and these strains were equally allocated to the 2 dairy production systems. Results: All 30 selected strains displayed a high degree of resistance (50%-91.7%) to the antibiotics tested, but no significant difference was found between SIDF and FDF isolates. S. aureus strains from SIDFs had an average biofilm forming capacity of up to 36% (18.9%-53.1%), while S. aureus strains from FDFs registered an average of up to 53% (31.5%-77.8%) (p > 0.05). Internalization assays revealed a higher frequency of internalization capacity for strains isolated from FDFs (33.3%) than for those isolated from SIDFs (6.7%) (p > 0.05). fnbpA gen was detected in 46.6% of FDF strains and 33.3% of SIDF strains, and this difference was significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our findings show that the virulence traits of S. aureus isolates analyzed in this study, depend significantly on several factors, such as phenotype, genotype, and environmental conditions, which are significantly related to dairy production system type and daily management practices.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.39.1-39.23
• /
• 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of different topical/systemic agents in reducing the damage caused by bleaching gel to pulp tissue or cells. Materials and Methods: Electronic searches were performed in July 2023. In vivo and in vitro studies evaluating the effects of different topical or systemic agents on pulp inflammation or cytotoxicity after exposure to bleaching agents were included. The risk of bias was assessed. Results: Out of 1,112 articles, 27 were included. Nine animal studies evaluated remineralizing/anti-inflammatories agents in rat molars subjected to bleaching with 35%-38% hydrogen peroxide (HP). Five of these studies demonstrated a significant reduction in inflammation caused by HP when combined with bioglass or MI Paste Plus (GC America), or following KF-desensitizing or Otosporin treatment (n = 3). However, orally administered drugs did not reduce pulp inflammation (n = 4). Cytotoxicity (n = 17) was primarily assessed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay on human dental pulp cells and mouse dental papilla Cell-23 cells. Certain substances, including sodium ascorbate, butein, manganese chloride, and peroxidase, were found to reduce cytotoxicity, particularly when applied prior to bleaching. The risk of bias was high in animal studies and low in laboratory studies. Conclusions: Few in vivo studies have evaluated agents to reduce the damage caused by bleaching gel to pulp tissue. Within the limitations of these studies, it was found that topical agents were effective in reducing pulp inflammation in animals and cytotoxicity. Further analyses with human pulp are required to substantiate these findings.