Metabolic syndrome attenuates ulcerative colitis: Correlation with interleukin-10 and galectin-3 expression

BACKGROUND Ulcerative colitis(UC)is a chronic disease characterized by inflammation of intestinal epithelium,primarily of the colon.An increasing prevalence of metabolic syndrome(MetS)in patients with UC has been documented recently.Still,there is no evidence that MetS alters the course of the UC.AIM To test the influence of the MetS on the severity of UC and the local and systemic immune status.METHODS Eighty nine patients with de novo histologically confirmed UC were divided in two groups,according to ATP III criteria:Group without MetS(no MetS)and group with MetS.RESULTS Clinically and histologically milder disease with higher serum level of immunosuppressive cytokine interleukin-10(IL-10)and fecal content of Galectin-3(Gal-3)was observed in subjects with UC and MetS,compared to subjects suffering from UC only.This was accompanied with predomination of IL-10 over pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α),interleukin-6(IL-6),and interleukin-17(IL-17)in the sera as well as Gal-3 over TNF-αand IL-17 in feces of UC patients with MetS.Further,the patients with both conditions(UC and MetS)had higher percentage of IL-10 producing and Gal-3 expressing innate and acquired immune cells in lamina propria.CONCLUSION Local dominance of Gal-3 and IL-10 over pro-inflammatory mediators in patients with MetS may present a mechanism for limiting the inflammatory process and subsequent tissue damage in UC.

Complementary and alternative medicine applications in cancer medicine

Besides conventional medicine,many patients with cancer seek complementary and alternative medicine(CAM)as an additional treatment option.Since the early 1970s,the use of CAM in cancer treatment has expanded worldwide.CAM,as a tempting option,was used by patients with cancer mainly due to easy accessibility.Patients with cancer used CAM to achieve better quality of life or to find a cure.As physicians are mainly unaware of CAM use by patients,doctor-patient communication about CAM use should be brought to a higher level.To identify circumstances in which CAM are preferred,further investigations are needed especially in biologically based therapies.Clinical-based evidence for mind-body therapies have been established,so this type of CAM can be recommended for patients with cancer during chemotherapy.Future studies are necessary to fill the gaps so that CAM users,as well as medical experts,are in position to clearly determine all the benefits and disadvantages of the mentioned therapy.