The Impact of Spices on Vegetable Consumption: A Pilot Study

This pilot study was conducted to evaluate the impact of spices added to broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach on amount and rate of vegetable consumption. Twenty overweight subjects who routinely ate less than three daily servings of vegetables were recruited. On six occasions, subjects were assigned in random order to eat broccoli, cauliflower, or spinach with or without added spices. Dishes were placed on a modified Universal Eating Monitor (UEM) that recorded rate of eating (g/sec), duration of eating (min) and total amount consumed (g). Total intake and duration of eating were increased significantly for broccoli with spices compared to plain broccoli, but there was no significant difference for cauliflower or spinach. No significant differences were noted in any of the visual analog scale (VAS) responses. This study suggests that adding spices may increase vegetable intake, but more studies in greater numbers of subjects are needed.

An Analysis of the Potential Benefits of Metformin on Disease Recurrence in Oral and Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective: Diabetes mellitus type 2 has been associated with increased cancer risk and cancer related mortality. Metformin, one of the most widely used anti-diabetic medications, has been found to have important anticancer properties in addition to hypoglycemic effects. The effects of metformin on clinical outcomes in oral cavity (OC) and oropharyngeal (OP) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) have not been thoroughly analyzed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of metformin use on cancer recurrence in diabetic patients with oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Design: Retrospective review. Setting: Academic tertiary medical center. Patients: Seventy-seven patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 and oral cavity or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma were treated and followed at our tertiary academic institution and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System from 1998 to 2012. Main Outcome Measure: Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed to determine if metformin has an effect on disease recurrence after primary cancer treatment. Results: Metformin does not appear to have a significant effect on disease recurrence in patients with OC/OP SCC and diabetes mellitus type 2 (p = 0.53). Even when including only patients with stage I or II disease, metformin still did not decrease recurrence (p = 0.60). Conclusion: Herein, our data suggest that metformin use does not significantly impact time until recurrence for diabetic patients with OC/OP SCC.

Toward a biomarker panel measured in CNS-originating extracellular vesicles for improved differential diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and multiple system atrophy

Synucleinopathies are neurodegenerative diseases char-acterized by accumulation of misfoldedα-synuclein(α-syn)inclusions in neuronal and/or glial cells.Despite differences in the underlying pathophysiology,synucle-inopathies often are misdiagnosed,especially in early stages,due to the overlapping clinical symptoms[1].

Hepatitis C Screening: Barriers to Linkage to Care

Background andAims:Hepatitis C(HCV)is a medical and public health concern.Once infected individuals are identified,management includes not only education but also the use of antiviral therapy.Although screening for HCV is readily available,barriers exist which prevent assessment and treatment in individuals potentially infected with HCV.Methods:This is a retrospective study of patients screened for HCV within the University of California,Los Angeles Health Care System between February 22 and July 9,2018.We defined linkage to care as:1)confirmatory HCV RNA test after screening HCV antibody test found a positive result;and 2)follow-up appointment for treatment was established with a specialist.Demographic and baseline laboratory values were collected.Factors potentially associated with prohibiting linkage of care were evaluated.Results:During the study period,17,512 individuals were screened for HCV.A total of 238(1.35%)were found to have detectable HCV antibodies.Of the individuals with detectable HCV antibodies,48(20%)did not undergo confirmatory testing with viral levels.Of the 190 individuals who underwent further testing,70 patients were noted to be viremic.Among them,17 of the 70(24%)were not linked to a specialist for further care.Younger patients(p=0.02)and people who inject drugs(p=0.02)were less likely to be referred for specialty care.Conclusions:The results of our study highlight that younger patients and people who inject drugs are less likely to be referred to specialty care for HCV treatment.Efforts are needed to engage these populations.