A Comparative Study of Antifatigue Effects of Taurine and Vitamin C on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Vitamin C and taurine (TR) are well known as active components for fatigue recovery. However, the mechanism of the anti-fatigue effects of vitamin C and TR is still unclear. Our study was designed to evaluate the anti-fatigue activities of vitamin C and TR in an animal test for fatigue and to compare the activities between vitamin C and TR. Materials and Methods: Vitamin C, TR or their combination were orally administrated to mice once daily for 15 days, and then metabolic activities such as blood glucose, triglyceride (TG), lactate, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as well as antioxidant activities such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined (evaluated) after forced swimming test (FST). Results: Compared with the control group, C100, C200, and T50 showed a tendency to decrease mobility in FST. Moreover, TG (C100, C200, T200), LDH (C200), lactic acid (C100) and MDA (C50, C100, C200) levels were inhibited by vitamin C and TR. Conclusions: These results suggest that vitamin C and TR have anti-fatigue activities in mice, with vitamin C providing a stronger effect.

Optimal Noninvasive Colon Cancer Screening Modality in Patients Not Receiving Colonoscopy

Colon cancer is the third most common among cancer deaths in the US for both men and women. The incidence of colonoscopy has been soaring in younger patients, which led to changes in recent United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines to reduce the age for screening from 50 years to 45 years. Demand for colonoscopy services is surging due to increased incidences of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the both aging and younger population. Increased referrals have led to an insufficient workforce in hospitals and long waiting lists. Further, results from colonoscopy reveal a low percentage of CRC or another severe bowel disease (SBD). Therefore, colon cancer screening is a growing concern, particularly in patients who otherwise have a very long-life expectancy, and who are most likely to benefit from screening. Another reason to boost CRC screening is to minimize the load on hospitals by reducing the patients that undergo colonoscopy unnecessarily because only a low percentage of CRC occurrence is observed in individuals undergoing colonoscopy. In recent years, there are a variety of screening options available for CRC. Noninvasive alternatives include fecal immunochemical test (FIT), multitarget stool DNA testing (MT-sDNA, available under the brand name Cologuard), computed tomography (CT) colonography (previously called virtual colonoscopy), guaiac-based fecal occult blood testing (gFOBT), and capsule colonoscopy (CC). These tests have varied the degree of evidence supporting their use. This study focuses on the most recent survey and efficacy of noninvasive methods to prevent and detect colorectal cancer (CRC).