Numerous studies have reported that spending time in nature is associated with the improvement of various health outcomes and well-being. This review evaluated the physical and psychological benefits of a specific type of exposure to nature, forest therapy. A literature search was carried out using MEDLINE, PubMed, ScienceDirect, EMBASE, and ProQuest databases and manual searches from inception up to December 2016. Key words: “Forest” or “Shinrin -Yoku” or “Forest bath” AND “Health” or “Wellbeing”. The methodological quality of each randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was assessed according to the Cochrane risk of bias (ROB) tool. Six RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Participants’ ages ranged from 20 to 79 years. Sample size ranged from 18 to 99. Populations studied varied from young healthy university students to elderly people with chronic disease. Studies reported the positive impact of forest therapy on hypertension (n = 2), cardiac and pulmonary function (n = 1), immune function (n = 2), inflammation (n = 3), oxidative stress (n = 1), stress (n = 1), stress hormone (n = 1), anxiety (n = 1), depression (n = 2), and emotional response (n = 3). The quality of all studies included in this review had a high ROB. Forest therapy may play an important role in health promotion and disease prevention. However, the lack of high-quality studies limits the strength of results, rendering the evidence insufficient to establish clinical practice guidelines for its use. More robust RCTs are warranted.

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiota influences the clinical response to immunotherapy. This review of clinical studies examines the relationship between gut microbiota and immunotherapy outcomes. Method: A literature search was conducted in electronic databases Medline, PubMed and ScienceDirect, with searches for “cancer” and “immunotherapy/immune checkpoint inhibitor” and “microbiome/microbiota” and/or “fecal microbiome transplant FMT”. The relevant literature was selected for this article. Results: Ten studies examined patients diagnosed with advanced metastatic melanoma (n = 6), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (n = 2), non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) (n = 1) and one study examined combination both NSCLC and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (n = 1). These studies consistently reported that the gut microbiome profile prior to administering immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) was related to clinical response as measured by progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Two studies reported that a low abundance of Bacteroidetes was associated with colitis. Two studies showed that patients with anti-PD-1 refractory metastatic melanoma experienced improved response rates and no added toxicity when receiving fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) from patients with anti-PD-1 responsive disease. Conclusions: Overall, significant differences in the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome were identified in ICIs responders and non-responders. Our findings provide new insights into the value of assessing the gut microbiome in immunotherapy. Further robust randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the modulatory effects of the gut microbiome and FMT on ICIs in patients not responding to immunotherapy are warranted.

Background: Effective preventative health interventions are essential to maintain well-being among healthcare professionals and the public, especially during times of health crises. Several studies have suggested that Tai Chi and Qigong (TQ) have positive impacts on the immune system and its response to inflammation. The aim of this review is to evaluate the current evidence of the effects of TQ on these parameters. Methods: Electronic searches were conducted on databases (Medline, PubMed, Embase and ScienceDirect). Searches were performed using the following keywords: “Tai Chi or Qigong” and “immune system, immune function, immunity, Immun*, inflammation and cytokines”. Studies published as full-text randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in English were included. Estimates of change in the levels of immune cells and inflammatory biomarkers were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis where randomised comparisons were available for TQ versus active controls and TQ versus non-active controls. Results: Nineteen RCTs were selected for review with a total of 1686 participants and a range of 32 to 252 participants within the studies. Overall, a random-effects meta-analysis found that, compared with control conditions, TQ has a significant small effect of increasing the levels of immune cells (SMD, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.43, p = 0.00), I² = 45%, but not a significant effect on reducing the levels of inflammation (SMD, −0.15; 95% CI, −0.39 to 0.09, p = 0.21), I² = 85%, as measured by the systemic inflammation biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP) and cell mediated biomarker cytokines. This difference in results is due to the bidirectional regulation of cytokines. An overall risk of bias assessment found three RCTs with a low risk of bias, six RCTs with some concerns of bias, and ten RCTs with a high risk of bias. Conclusions: Current evidence indicates that practising TQ has a physiologic impact on immune system functioning and inflammatory responses. Rigorous studies are needed to guide clinical guidelines and harness the power of TQ to promote health and wellbeing.

Genomic alterations of CDKN2A and CDKN2B in astrocytomas have been an evolving area of study for decades. Most recently, there has been considerable interest in the effect of CDKN2A and/or CDKN2B (CDKN2A/B) homozygous deletions (HD) on the prognosis of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant astrocytomas. This is highlighted by the adoption of CDKN2A/B HD as an essential criterion for astrocytoma and IDH-mutant central nervous system (CNS) WHO grade 4 in the fifth edition of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Classification of Central Nervous System Tumours (2021). The CDKN2A and CDKN2B genes are located on the short arm of chromosome 9. CDKN2A encodes for two proteins, p14 and p16, and CDKN2B encodes for p15. These proteins regulate cell growth and angiogenesis. Interpreting the impact of CDKN2A/B alterations on astrocytoma prognosis is complicated by recent changes in tumour classification and a lack of uniform standards for testing CDKN2A/B. While the prognostic impact of CDKN2A/B HD is established, the role of different CDKN2A/B alterations—heterozygous deletions (HeD), point mutations, and promoter methylation—is less clear. Consequently, how these alternations should be incorporated into patient management remains controversial. To this end, we reviewed the literature on different CDKN2A/B alterations in IDH-mutant astrocytomas and their impact on diagnosis and management. We also provided a historical review of the changing impact of CDKN2A/B alterations as glioma classification has evolved over time. Through this historical context, we demonstrate that CDKN2A/B HD is an important negative prognostic marker in IDH-mutant astrocytomas; however, the historical data is challenging to interpret given changes in tumour classification over time, variation in the quality of evidence, and variations in the techniques used to identify CDKN2A/B deletions. Therefore, future prospective studies using uniform classification and detection techniques are required to improve the clinical interpretation of this molecular marker.

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities are common adverse effects of pelvic radiotherapy (RT). Several recent studies revealed that toxicity of RT is associated with dysbiosis of the gut microbiome. Method: A literature search was conducted in electronic databases Medline, PubMed, and ScienceDirect, with search terms “microbiome and/or microbiota” and “radiotherapy (RT) and/or chemoradiation therapy (CRT)” and “cancer”, and the relevant literature were selected for use in this article. Results: Eight prospective cohort studies were selected for review with a total of 311 participants with a range of 15–134 participants within these studies. The selected studies were conducted in patients with gynaecological (n = 3), rectal (n = 2), or prostate cancers (n = 1), or patients with various types of malignancies (n = 2). Three studies reported that cancer patients had significantly lower alpha diversity compared with healthy controls. Seven studies found that lower alpha diversity and modulated gut microbiome were associated with GI toxicities during and after pelvic RT (n = 5) and CRT (n = 2), whereas one study found that beta diversity was related to a complete response following CRT. Two further studies reported that fatigue was associated with dysbiosis of the gut microbiome and low alpha diversity during and after RT, and with dysbiosis of the gut microbiome and diarrhoea, respectively. Conclusion: Gut microbiome profiles are associated with GI toxicities and have the potential to predict RT/CRT-induced toxicities and quality of life (QoL) in patients undergoing those treatments. Further robust randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are required to elucidate the effect of gut microbiome profiles on RT-related adverse effects and responses to RT.