METHODS: This hospital based case control study conducted in the Western part of Nepal covered a total of 93 cancer patients with or without alcohol intake and smoking habits, along with 94 age, sex and habit-matched individuals serving as controls. Plasma thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS), total antioxidant activity (TAA), vitamin C, α-tocopherol and erythrocyte reduced glutathione (GSH) were estimated and compared.
RESULTS: The TBARS level was found to be significantly higher (p≤0.001) in all types of cancer patients when compared to controls, being aggravated in alcoholics with a smoking habit. No statistical significance (p≥0.05) was observed in the level of vitamin C and α-tocopherol. GSH and TAA level were significantly decreased (p≤0.001) in all the groups except those who consumed both branded as well as homemade alcohol and non-alcoholics without smoking habit.
CONCLUSION: Alcohol, irrespective of its commercial brand, increases oxidative stress in all types of cancer patients. This is even higher when alcohol intake is combined with a smoking habit. Decreased TAA and GSH are major risk factors for cancer development.
METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted on three groups: individuals with alcohol use disorders (n=30), social drinkers (n=54) and alcohol-naive controls (n=60). 1H NMR-based metabolomics was used to obtain the metabolic profiles of plasma samples. Data were processed by multivariate principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) followed by univariate and multivariate logistic regressions to produce the best fit-model for discrimination between groups.
RESULTS: The OPLS-DA model was able to distinguish between the AUD group and the other groups with high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 64.29%, 98.17% and 91.24% respectively. The logistic regression model identified two biomarkers in plasma (propionic acid and acetic acid) as being significantly associated with alcohol use disorders. The reproducibility of all biomarkers was excellent (0.81-1.0).
CONCLUSIONS: The applied plasma metabolomics technique was able to differentiate the metabolites between AUD and the other groups. These metabolites are potential novel biomarkers for diagnosis of alcohol use disorders.
OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated PHYLLPRO™, a standardized ethanol extract of P. amarus leaves for protection against oxidative stress and recovery from hangover symptoms.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten days daily oral supplementation of 750 mg/day followed by intoxication was evaluated in a randomized placebo-controlled (containing only excipient), crossover study in 15 subjects (21-50 years old), for oxidative stress, liver damage, alleviating hangover symptoms (Hangover Severity Score: HSS) and mood improvement (Profile-of-Mood-Scores: POMS).
RESULTS: PHYLLPRO™ was able to remove blood alcohol in the active group while the placebo group still had 0.05% at 12 h post-intoxication (p 0.05) from baseline to hour 22 was reported in the placebo group using POMS. Significant anti-inflammatory group effect favouring the active group, by the upregulation of cytokines IL-8 (p = 0.0014) and IL-10 (p = 0.0492) and immunomodulatory effects via IL-12p70 (p = 0.0304) were observed. The incidence of adverse events was similar between groups indicating the safety of PHYLLPRO™.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Preliminary findings of PHYLLPRO™ in managing hangover, inflammation and liver functions following intoxication, is demonstrated. Future studies on PHYLLPRO™ in protecting against oxidative stress and hangover in larger populations is warranted.