The objective of this study is to determine the therapeutic efficacy of allicin against Candida albicans (C. albicans) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), the common etiological agents for denture stomatitis (DS). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs), minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFCs) of allicin were determined by the broth microdilution method followed by checkerboard microdilution method for a synergistic interaction between allicin + nystatin and allicin + CHX. The potential of allicin to eradicate C. albicans and S. aureus biofilms was assessed by treating biofilm formed on self- polymerized acrylic resin with allicin at a sub-MIC concentration for 5 min. The commercial denture cleanser (brand X) was used as a positive control. A Kruskal-Wallis test followed by the post-hoc Mann-Whitney U test was applied (SPSS 20.0), and the level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Allicin exhibited antimicrobial activity against C. albicans (MIC:8 µg/ml and MFC:16 µg/ml) and S. aureus (MIC:8 µg/ml and MBC:8 µg/ml). A synergistic interaction was observed between allicin + nystatin and allicin + CHX (FICI ≤ 0.5). Allicin exhibited significant biofilm eradication against C. albicans and S. aureus biofilms with percentages of 50.0% and 52.6%, respectively. The results of this study suggest a possible application of allicin in treating C. albicans and S. aureus infection in DS.

Tamoxifen is an effective treatment for estrogen receptor alpha positive (ERa+)-breast cancer, however patients who received the treatment for five years have greater mortality risk compared to those who did not receive tamoxifen. Furthermore, patients treated with tamoxifen developed resistance to the drug which mediated through p53 and PTEN. Therefore, the study is undertaken to determine the potential adjuvant properties of flavonoids, apigenin and rutin to promote the anticancer activity induced by tamoxifen using ERa+-breast cancer MCF-7 cell lines. MCF-7 and non-transformed breast MCF-10A cells were treated separately with apigenin, rutin, tamoxifen or the combination of each flavonoids with tamoxifen. Anti-proliferative activity and respective IC50 concentrations were determined using MTT assay. The respective IC50 concentrations obtained were used in the subsequent experiments. The anti-proliferative mechanism was determined using Annexin V-FITC morphological staining and DNA fragmentation assays. The effect on tumor suppressor (p53 and PTEN) and cell cycle related genes (p21, CDK1 and Cyclin B1) were determined by QuantiGene Plex assay. Our results showed that MCF-7 cells were more sensitive to both apigenin and rutin compared to MCF-10A cells. Both cells were sensitive to tamoxifen. Apigenin and rutin synergistically enhanced tamoxifen anti-proliferative effect in MCF-7. Meanwhile rutin protects MCF-10A against the toxicity of tamoxifen. Our results indicate that the anti-proliferative mechanism of apigenin and rutin is mediated by apoptosis signals. In MCF-7 cells, both tumor suppressor (p53 and PTEN) and cell cycle related genes (p21 and CDK1) were up regulated by apigenin and rutin, contrary to tamoxifen. Apigenin and rutin induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in MCF-7 cells through p53-dependent pathway. Both flavonoids are suggested as potential adjuvant agents to enhance tamoxifen efficacy in ERa+-breast cancer treatment.

Recent studies have indicated that the pretreatment lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)-to-albumin ratio (LAR) serves as a comprehensive prognostic biomarker. However, no comprehensive meta-analysis that assesses its prognostic role in various malignancies has been conducted. This study aimed to summarize the current evidence on the prognostic value of the LAR in patients with malignancies. A systematic literature search was conducted before 1 October 2024 in six databases. Quantitative analysis with random-effect meta-analysis was employed for generating the pooled estimates of survival outcomes (overall, progression-free, disease-free, and relapse-free survivals [OS, PFS, DFS, and RFS, respectively]). A meta-analysis of 19 retrospective studies encompassing 11,088 patients with cancer demonstrated the significant association between a high LAR and poorer OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.67 [1.37-2.05], I² = 84%). Patients with solid tumors exhibited a significantly higher risk of poorer OS and PFS (HR = 1.73 [1.44-2.06], I² = 84%; HR = 1.43 [1.11-1.84], I² = 75%). Subgroup analysis revealed that digestive system tumors were associated with an increased risk of poor OS (HR = 2.15), including oral cancer (HR = 5.14), esophageal carcinoma (HR = 1.85), hepatocellular carcinoma (HR = 1.90), and colorectal cancer (HR = 2.12). Furthermore, nasopharyngeal carcinoma was associated with poorer OS and PFS (HR = 1.62 [1.36-1.92]; HR = 1.60 [1.20-2.14], I² < 50%). This study demonstrated the significant association between an elevated pretreatment LAR and poorer survival outcomes in malignancies, particularly in solid and digestive system tumors. These findings support the LAR as a potential prognostic biomarker, warranting further validation in diverse populations with standardized cutoff values.

Background Automated insulin delivery (AID) in young children (<7 years) with type 1 diabetes has not yet been systematically evaluated. Materials and Methods Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to December 9, 2025. Studies reporting glycemic outcomes in children younger than 7 years were included in this meta-analysis. Studies not published in English were excluded. The primary outcome was the change in time-in-range (TIR; 70–180 mg/dL). Pooled estimates were calculated using random-effects models and expressed as mean changes (MCs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results This study included 30 studies (9 randomized controlled trials, 7 single-arm studies, and 14 cohort studies) involving 1,155 young children. AID systems were associated with a significant increase in TIR (MC, 9.88% [95% CI 9.14 to 10.62], I² = 8%, p < 0.0001, moderate certainty), equivalent to 2.37 h/day. Favorable improvement was also observed during the daytime (MC, 6.88% [95% CI 5.70 to 8.07]) and overnight (MC, 16.85% [95% CI 13.48 to 20.22]). TIR improvements were comparable across devices: MiniMed 670G (9.65%), MiniMed 780G (10.04%), CamAPS FX (10.58%), Control-IQ (9.51%), Omnipod 5 (10.25%), and Open Source (6.77%). AID use was also associated with reduced hyperglycemia exposure and modest reductions in glycated hemoglobin, without significant changes in hypoglycemia exposure. Episodes of severe hypoglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis were infrequent. Conclusion This systematic review with meta-analysis revealed that AID systems have greater benefits for improving glycemic outcomes and have good safety profiles in young children with type 1 diabetes.