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Nowadays, heavy metal toxicity is becoming a serious public health concern, and it requires an appropriate preventive and treatment strategy. In human population, long-term arsenic metal exposure aggravates the development of cancer and skin diseases. As per the Food and Drug Administration, the allowed level of arsenic content in food and pharmaceutical products is "closer to zero." Several researchers have significantly correlated the level of arsenic in human tissues to the severity of many diseases, including drug-resistant infections, COVID-19, diabetes mellitus, and disorders of brain, respiratory, reproductive, cardiovascular, and renal systems. Looking at curative approaches, phytoconstituents are known to mitigate arsenic toxicity through multiple mechanisms. Thus, phytochemical investigation against arsenic toxicity has become an important area of health research. The reported cellular mechanisms related to signaling pathway for attenuating arsenic toxicity are very impressive. Accordingly, this review presents the reported mechanisms of arsenic-induced toxicity and its mitigation by various phytoconstituents from in vitro, pre-clinical, and clinical studies. Therefore, this review will provide an optimistic way for researchers to design research on phytopharmaceuticals as attenuators of arsenic-induced toxicity in human population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of E-cadherin expression levels in colorectal cancer tissues and explore the relationship between E-cadherin expression and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage. The goal was to establish a more accurate prognostic prediction for colorectal cancer patients by analyzing E-cadherin expression levels alongside TNM staging. Methods: The study examined colorectal cancer patients by dividing them into groups based on E-cadherin expression levels. It then assessed their 5-year event-free survival (EFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) hazard ratios (HRs). Additionally, the prognosis of patients was analyzed by combining E-cadherin expression levels with TNM staging, particularly focusing on patients in stages III and IV. Results: The E-cadherinLow group had significantly worse outcomes, with HRs of 2.30 for EFS and 2.76 for DSS compared to the E-cadherinHigh group. When combined with TNM stage III/IV, patients with E-cadherinLow expression showed a poor prognosis, with HRs of 1.93 for EFS and 2.35 for DSS compared to those with E-cadherinHigh expression at the same TNM stage. Conclusions: Low levels of E-cadherin expression are associated with a poor prognosis and decreased survival in colorectal cancer patients. Combining E-cadherin expression levels with TNM staging provides a more precise prediction of patient prognosis and survival, potentially guiding personalized treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) transforming to small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is one of the mechanisms of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Cases of NSCLC transforming into SCLC have been discovered. However, we lack concentrated data on the characteristics of this population and the transformed SCLC to aid our insight of the biology and clinical value of NSCLC transforming with positive. Methods: We systematically reviewed the published literatures and summarized the pathological and clinical characteristics, and the prognosis, of published cases. Results: 140 patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) were included in this study, with a median age of 56.8 years. The median time from the first diagnosis of LUAD transforming to SCLC (ttSCLC) was 20.0 months. The median overall survival (mOS) after the diagnosis of SCLC was 11.0 months (95% CI, 7.41 to 14.59 months). In the univariate analysis, ever smoking (either former or current) was a promising predictor of a shorter ttSCLC (HR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.14 to 2.62; P = 0.010). TKIs therapy administered as a second line and beyond treatment was related to a significant delay in SCLC onset compared to first-line therapy (HR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.96; P = 0.031). The median progression-free survival (mPFS) on first-line platinum plus etoposide after the conversion to SCLC was 3.0 months. Female appeared to be related to worse outcomes after transformation of SCLC. Conclusion: Transformed SCLC exhibited poor response to primary SCLC classic chemotherapy and immunotherapy. It carries a worse prognosis. Exploring novel therapeutic strategies for transformed SCLC is imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of hydraulic engineering such as harbor, channel and reclamation, more and more natural tidal flat turn into the semi-natural tidal flat (SNTF). How to evaluate ecosystem of semi-natural tidal flat is a scientific problem that has not been fully solved. The study tries to assess ecosystem health change of SNTF adjoining Hengsha East Shoal training dike in the Yangtze estuary. The study found SNTF area > 0m isobaths increased from 30.33 km2 in 2010–2014 to 46.66 km2 in 2014–2017 and to 56.84 km2 in 2017–2020, and the Hengsha Shoal region.0m, -2m and -5m isobaths increased from 174.78 km2, 303.82 km2, and 556.77 km2 in 2010–2014 to 233.34 km2, 365.59 km2, and 596.83 km2 in 2014–2017 and to 243.81 km2, 363.27 km2 and 567.45 km2 in 2017–2020. Using database of 3 pressure indicators, 16 state indicators and 3 response indicators, the study combined pressure-state-response (PSR) model and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE), constructed a systematic evaluation method of ecosystem health of semi-natural tidal flat. The evaluation result found the ecosystem health of SNTF of Hengsha East Shoal was rated as "Fair" level during 2010–2020, and the summation of comprehensive evaluation index (CEI) increased from 0.4009 in 2010–2014 to 0.4703 in 2014–2017 due to the rapid expansion of tidal flat vegetation, and then decreased to 0.4450 in 2017–2020 due to a reduction in vegetation area caused by erosion. The area of salt marsh vegetation plays an important role in the health of wetland ecosystems. The Hengsha East Shoal ecosystem is undergoing a quickly dynamic evolution processes, long-term series monitoring and further research for this area are necessary to guide its future development according to the tidal flat utilization patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) was the most common noncutaneous cancer among Nigerian men in 2020. Despite this high incidence, documented rates may be an underestimation. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the hospital incidence rate, trends, and characterise the clinicopathologic features, and treatment outcomes of patients with PCa in our institution. Materials and Methods: A 5-year retrospective review of patients managed for PCa at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja (FTHL), Nigeria, from 2016 to 2020. Medical abstraction was done on clinicopathologic features, treatment received, serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) at diagnosis, 3, and 7 months of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Data obtained were analysed using SPSS 25, and trends analysis of the annual incidence rate and number of patients with PCa in the period was done using joinpoint regression modelling. Results: Of 89 patients, 83 had complete medical records. The average annual hospital incidence rate was 174/100,000, and the mean age at diagnosis was 70.4 years. Locally advanced disease was found in 81.9% of patients, and tumours were ISUP grade groups 4 and 5 in 54.2% of patients. ADT was done in 62.6% of the patients, while 28.9% of the patients defaulted after diagnosis. The mean serum PSA was 71.9 ng/mL (7.7–156) at diagnosis and was 11.1 ng/mL (0.1–102) and 15.3 ng/mL at 3 and 7 months of ADT, respectively. Only 40.6% of the treated patients had a serum PSA ≤ 4 ng/mL at 7 months of ADT. Conclusions: Patients with PCa in FTHL, Nigeria, have mostly locally advanced disease at diagnosis. Over half have a high-grade pattern and fail to achieve a serum PSA ≤ 4 ng/mL after 7 months of ADT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]