Recently, the occurrence of candidiasis has increased dramatically, especially in immunocompromised patients. Additionally, their treatment is often ineffective due to the resistance of yeasts to antimycotics. Therefore, there is a need to search for new antifungals. A series of nine newly synthesized thiazole derivatives containing the cyclopropane system, showing promising activity against Candida spp., has been further investigated. We decided to verify their antifungal activity towards clinical Candida albicans isolated from the oral cavity of patients with hematological malignancies and investigate the mode of action on fungal cell, the effect of combination with the selected antimycotics, toxicity to erythrocytes, and lipophilicity. These studies were performed by the broth microdilution method, test with sorbitol and ergosterol, checkerboard technique, erythrocyte lysis assay, and reversed phase thin-layer chromatography, respectively. All derivatives showed very strong activity (similar and even higher than nystatin) against all C. albicans isolates with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 0.008–7.81 µg/mL Their mechanism of action may be related to action within the fungal cell wall structure and/or within the cell membrane. The interactions between the derivatives and the selected antimycotics (nystatin, chlorhexidine, and thymol) showed additive effect only in the case of combination some of them and thymol. The erythrocyte lysis assay confirmed the low cytotoxicity of these compounds as compared to nystatin. The high lipophilicity of the derivatives was related with their high antifungal activity. The present studies confirm that the studied thiazole derivatives containing the cyclopropane system appear to be a very promising group of compounds in treatment of infections caused by C. albicans. However, this requires further studies in vivo. Key points: • The newly thiazoles showed high antifungal activity and some of them — additive effect in combination with thymol. • Their mode of action may be related with the influence on the structure of the fungal cell wall and/or the cell membrane. • The low cytotoxicity against erythrocytes and high lipophilicity of these derivatives are their additional good properties. Graphical

Despite numerous studies evaluating the risk of breast cancer among oral contraception users, the effect of oral contraceptive on developing breast cancer remains inconclusive. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of literature with meta-analysis in order to quantitative estimate this association. The bibliographic database MEDLINE and EMBASE, and reference lists of identified articles were searched, with no language restrictions, from the start of publication to August 2010. We performed a reanalysis and overall estimate of 79 case-control studies conducted between 1960–2010, including a total of 72,030 incidents, histologically confirmed cases of breast cancer and 123,650 population/hospital controls. A decrease was observed in cancer risk in OC users before age 25 years (0.91, 0.83–1.00). However, the use of OCs before the first full-term pregnancy had a significant increased risk of breast cancer (OR, 1.14, 1.01–1.28, p = 0.04), as did OC use longer than 5 years (1.09, 1.01–1.18, p = 0.02). Pooled crude odds ratios of breast cancer in ever-users of oral contraceptives was 1.01 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.95–1.07], compared with never-users. There was no significant increase in risk among premenopausal women (1.06, 0.92–1.22), postmenopausal women (0.99, 0.89–1.10), or nulliparous women (1.02, 0.82–1.26). Oral contraceptives do not appear to increase the risk of breast cancer among users. However, OC use before a first full-term pregnancy or using them longer than 5 years can modify the development of the breast cancer.

To perform a meta-analysis of case-control studies that addressed the association between oral contraceptive pills (OC) use and breast cancer (BrCa), PubMED (MEDLINE), Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched to identify case-control studies of OC and BrCa published between 2009 and 2020. We used the DerSimonian–Laird method to compute pooled odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs), and the Mantel–Haenszel test to assess the association between OC use and cancer. Forty-two studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria and we included a total of 110,580 women (30,778 into the BrCa group and 79,802 into the control group, of which 15,722 and 38,334 were using OC, respectively). The conducted meta-analysis showed that the use of OC was associated with a significantly increased risk of BrCa in general, OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.31, p = 0.0358. Regarding other risk factors for BrCa, we found that increased risk was associated significantly with early menarche, nulliparous, non-breastfeeding, older age at first parity, postmenopause, obesity, smoking, and family history of BrCa. Despite our conclusion that birth control pills increase the cancer risk being supported by extensive previous studies and meta-analyzes, further confirmation is required.

The aim of the report was to investigate the impact of soy protein and isoflavones on glucose homeostasis and lipid profile in type 2 diabetes. The studies used in this report were identified by searching through the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases (up to 2020). Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were performed to explore the influence of covariates on net glycemic control and lipid changes. Weighted mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by using random-effect models. Changes in the lipid profile showed statistically significant decreases in total cholesterol and LDL-C concentrations: ‒0.21 mmol/L; 95% CI, ‒0.33 to ‒0.09; p = 0.0008 and ‒0.20 mmol/L; 95% CI, ‒0.28 to ‒0.12; p < 0.0001, respectively, as well as in HDL-C (−0.02 mmol/L; 95% CI, −0.05 to 0.01; p = 0.2008 and triacylglycerols (−0.19 mmol/L; 95% CI, −0.48 to 0.09; p = 0.1884). At the same time, a meta-analysis of the included studies revealed statistically insignificant reduction in fasting glucose, insulin, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR (changes in glucose metabolism) after consumption of soy isoflavones. The observed ability of both extracted isoflavone and soy protein with isoflavones to modulate the lipid profile suggests benefits in preventing cardiovascular events in diabetic subjects. Further multicenter studies based on larger and longer duration studies are necessary to determine their beneficial effect on glucose and lipid metabolism.

Recent reports have pointed to the link between persistent inflammation, oxidative stress, and carcinogenesis; however most of the studies concerning the role of viruses in head and neck cancer (HNC) are focused mainly on one type of virus. Our present study aimed to study the relationship between Epstein–Barr virus/human papilloma virus (EBV/HPV) coinfection and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) level in oropharyngeal cancer. Fresh-frozen tumor tissue samples were collected from 128 patients with oropharyngeal cancer infected with EBV or HPV or with EBV/HPV coinfection. After DNA extraction, EBV and HPV DNA was detected using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. GPx and SOD activity was determined in homogenates of cancer tissue using diagnostic kits produced by Randox Laboratories. Both GPx and SOD activity was statistically lower in patients with EBV/HPV coinfection than in a single EBV or HPV infection. Analysis of GPx and SOD activity in relation to histological grading and tumor, node (TN) classification revealed that in poorly-differentiated tumors, the level of antioxidant enzymes was lower compared with well-differentiated lesions and in cases with greater tumor dimensions and lymph-node involvement, both GPx and SOD activity was decreased. Further studies are necessary to clarify the influence of interplay between EBV, HPV, and oxidative stress on malignant transformation of upper aerodigestive tract epithelial cells.

Hope is of great importance for patients diagnosed with cancer, especially those that are terminally ill. The diagnosis often puts an end to the realization of personal, social, and professional goals. The aim of this study was to characterize the hope of hospitalized patients diagnosed with cancer in the terminal phase of the disease. The research tool used in the study was Block’s hope test (NCN-36; NCN- Nadzieja Chorych Nowotworowych—Hope of Cancer Patients), designed for patients with life-threatening diseases. The results showed that the patients were characterized by a moderate level of global hope. The highest levels of hope were noted in the spiritual-religious area and the lowest levels of hope concerned curing the disease. Patients exhibited varied levels of hope and varied internal structures of hope. They presented four different types of hope: optimistic, moderate, religious, and weak. Optimistic hope was found most frequently in patients diagnosed with a terminal phase of cancer, while weak hope was represented by the smallest group of these patients.