Metabolic Signatures: Pioneering the Frontier of Rectal Cancer Diagnosis and Response to Neoadjuvant Treatment with Biomarkers-A Systematic Review

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most aggressive, heterogenous, and fatal types of human cancer for which screening, and more effective therapeutic drugs are urgently needed. Early-stage detection and treatment greatly improve the 5-year survival rate. In the era of targeted therapies for all types of cancer, a complete metabolomic profile is mandatory before neoadjuvant therapy to assign the correct drugs and check the response to the treatment given. The aim of this study is to discover specific metabolic biomarkers or a sequence of metabolomic indicators that possess precise diagnostic capabilities in predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy. After searching the keywords, a total of 108 articles were identified during a timeframe of 10 years (2013-2023). Within this set, one article was excluded due to the use of non-English language. Six scientific papers were qualified for this investigation after eliminating all duplicates, publications not referring to the subject matter, open access restriction papers, and those not applicable to humans. Biomolecular analysis found a correlation between metabolomic analysis of colorectal cancer samples and poor progression-free survival rates. Biomarkers are instrumental in predicting a patient's response to specific treatments, guiding the selection of targeted therapies, and indicating resistance to certain drugs.

Diabetic Foot Complications: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Diabetes mellitus is a highly prevalent disease globally and contributes to significant morbidity and mortality. As a consequence of multiple pathophysiologic changes which are associated with diabetes, these patients frequently suffer from foot-related disorders: infections, ulcerations, and gangrene. Approximately half of all amputations occur in diabetic individuals, usually as a complication of diabetic foot ulcers. In this retrospective study, we analyzed and characterized a cohort of 69 patients and their diabetes-related foot complications. The main characteristics of our cohort were as follows: older age at diagnosis (mean age 66); higher incidence of diabetes in males; predominantly urban patient population. The most frequent complications of the lower extremity were ulcerations and gangrene. Moreover, in our study, 35% of patients required surgical reintervention, and 27% suffered from complications, while 13% required ICU admission. However, diabetic foot lesions are preventable via simple interventions which pointedly reduce foot amputations. Early identification and the appropriate medical and surgical treatment of the complications associated with diabetic foot disease are important because they still remain common, complex and costly.

Interleukin-6 serum level and -597 A/G gene polymorphism in moderate and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Inflammation is a major pathogenic pathway in pulmonary chronic obstructive disease (COPD). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) mediates the local and systemic immune response. The aim consisted in investigating the relationship between IL-6 serum levels and IL-6 -597A/G gene polymorphism (rs1800797) with COPD. Serum levels of IL-6 were determined using an enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay, in 120 participants (60 COPD patients and 60 healthy subjects), from Transylvanian region. The IL-6 -597A/G gene polymorphism was investigated by high molecular weight genomic DNA extracted from the peripheral blood leukocytes, and subsequently analyzed by the Polymerase Chain Reaction Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique. Smoking history, the severity of the disease, expressed by the GOLD stages, and arterial blood partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) levels were also investigated. COPD patients had significantly elevated blood levels of IL-6 when compared to the control group ( p < 0.05). The frequencies of AA, AG, and GG genotypes were 61.6%, 26.6%, and 11.6% in the COPD cases and 70%, 23.3%, and 6.7% in healthy subjects, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in IL-6 rs1800797 genotypes and allele frequencies between cases and controls ( χ2 = 0.54, OR = 1.29 and χ2 = 0.21, OR = 1.48, respectively). Higher serum levels of IL-6 were found in the GG genotype subgroup in COPD patients. IL 6 levels are higher in COPD patients, where positively correlate with pack-year index, but not with clinical features. Although COPD patients did not have statistically different rs1800797 allele distribution compared to healthy subjects, the GG genotype is associated with higher IL6 serum levels.