A multicentric hospital-based case-control study was simultaneously performed in a high-risk and a low-risk area for stomach cancer in Germany, 143 patients with incident stomach cancer and 579 controls completing a retrospective interview about life style aspects. Periods of non-centralized water supply or well water as the only source compared to life-long central water supply, and preservation of meat by smoking it with spruce compared to no home smoking of meat, were significantly associated with an increased stomach cancer risk. use of a refrigerator at home for 30 and more years compared to 24 years or less showed an inverse relationship, whereas salt intake estimated by questionnaire showed no relationship to stomach cancer risk. Tobacco smoking was negatively associated with risk for current smokers of cigarettes compared to non-smokers but was presumably not causally related. After adjustment for other food constituents, only increased vitamin C consumption showed an inverse relation to risk. For food groups, increased consumption of fruit, citrus fruit, cheese and whole-meal bread were associated with decreased risk. A similar effect was also seen for increased consumption of raw vegetables. Total vegetable consumption was not particularly associated with risk. Increased consumption of processed meat and of beer showed a positive association with risk whereas increased wine and liquor consumption showed a significant negative association. The association of alcoholic beverages with stomach cancer risk may reflect a particular life style rather than being causally related to risk.

The n-3 to n-6 fatty acid ratio determined the immunoregulatory potential of intravenous fat emulsions in vivo. Both n-3 and n-6 fatty acids were immunosuppressive when applied as the main polyunsaturated fatty acid sources. PBMC cytokine release was significantly reduced in these groups. The more balanced the n-3 to n-6 ratios, the less immunosuppressive the fat emulsion. There was no immunosuppressive effect at an n-3 to n-6 ratio of 1:2.1.

No abstract

To determine the optimal concentration time factors for the fluoropyrimidines 5-fluorouracil (FU), 5-fluorouridine (FUR), and 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (FUdR) in regional chemotherapy, we tested these drugs against the colorectal carcinoma cell line HT 29 at various dosages and exposure times. The measure of cytotoxicity used was the degree of inhibition of colony formation in soft agar after drug treatment compared with untreated control cells. Colonies were visible after 6 days of growth in soft agar, so the initial evaluation of toxicity was done at this time. Additional colonies were found 10 and 16 days after the first evaluation, so the dishes containing the treated cells were also evaluated for this delayed growth phenomenon ("regrowth"), which we considered to be due to a cell growth inhibition effect of the drugs rather than a cytocidal effect. Exposure times of the cells to the drugs ranged from 5 min to 24 h and the doses, between 0.01 and 1000 micrograms/ml. The toxicity of FUdR was concentration-dependent, but its time dependence ceased after a relatively short exposure time. There was a cell population that was not susceptible to FUdR regardless of dose and exposure time; consequently, FUdR treatment was always accompanied by substantial regrowth of colonies. With FU and FUR, conditions could be achieved that resulted in complete cell death (no regrowth), but high concentrations and long exposure times were required with FU. With FUR, on the other hand, both cytostasis and cytotoxicity could be achieved with substantially lower doses and shorter exposure times than with FU. These results indicate that FUR has the potential to be an effective drug in chemotherapy protocols not involving systemic administration.