"2019 is finally here. It feels like you have been celebrating the holidays for the last three months. In fact, you have. Your favorite jeans are now leaving unsightly red welts in unmentionable places and your previously contained gut is rolling over your waist band in an unholy cascade. Maybe adding egnog to your cereal every morning wasn't such a good idea after all."

"You've seen all the advertisements and have made up your mind; it is time to get serious and get this weight under control."

"Oral cancer include malignancy of the oral cavity and oropharynx, 90% of which are squamous cell carcinoma.  Oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCCP) is a very aggressive neoplasm and is often diagnosed late in the disease.  Extensive research has demonstrated a relationship between chronic inflammation and a variety of cancer types, including OSCC."

"A significant amount of research indicates that the cyclooxygenase/prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) pathway of inflammation contributes to the development and progression of a variety of cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cacity and oropharynx (OSCC). Although there have been promising results from studies examining the utility of anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of toxicities, this strategy has been met with only variable success and may make them inappropriate for some OSCC patients.  Improved inflammation-targeting therapies require continued study of the mechanisms linking inflammation and progression of OSCC.  In this review, a synopsis of OSCC biology will be provided, and recent insights into inflammation related mechanisms of OSCC pathobiology will be discussed  The roles of prostaglandin E2 and cluster of differentiation factor 147 (CD147) will be presented, and evidence for their interactions in OSCC will be explored.  Through continued investigation into the protumourigenic pathways of OSCC, more treatment modalities targeting inflammation-related pathways can be designed with the hope of slowing tumour progression and improving patient prognosis in patients with this aggressive form of cancer."

"There are two common diseases affecting the periodotium.  The first is gingivitis, which is defined as inflammation of the gingiva in which the connective tissue attachment to the tooth remains at its original level.  The disease is limited to the soft-tissue compartment of the gingival epithelium and connective tissue.  The second is periodontitis, which is an inflammation of the supporting tissues of the teeth with progressive attachment loss and bone destruction.  Both diseases and their symptoms are very common in populations worldwide.  In the USA, adolescents have gingivitis and signs of gingival bleeding, whereas 54% of the adult population in the USA exhibits gingival bleeding.  Thirty-seven per cent of the adult population in the USA suffers from severe periodontitis.  In both cases, the disease is associated with the accumulation of bacteria at the dento-gingival margin, while the causal relationship of specific organisms is not fully clear.  The host responds to microbial challenge by generating an inflammatory cell infiltrate in the tissue sub adjacent to the periodontal pocket."

"The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis.  Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CHI) causes atherosclerosis in the occurrence of a pre-existing hyperlipidemia.  A new pathway, in animal models has been demonstrated that CIH significantly increased atherosclerotic lesion sizes, mRNA levels of Cox-1 and thromboxane synthase (TXBS).  Lesion size is correlated to COX-1 and TXBS mRNA levels.  COX-1 inhibition reduced lesion progression in intermittent hypoxia mice.  This study demonstrated for the first time, that the activation of the COX pathway exposed to CIH is associated with increased atherosclerotic lesions in mice, highlighting early atherosclerosis markers in OSA patients."

"Patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) exhibit an early vascular remodelling and alterations of acid arachidonic pathway 2.  Thromboxane A₂ (TXA2) is a cycloxygenase (COX)-derived metabolite of AA involved in vascular remodelling."

"Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the activation of some components of the cyclooxygenase pathway.  OSA is associated with activation of the thromboxane A₂ (TXA2)-pathway, in which obesity seems to be a major confounding factor." 

"Urinary excretion of 11-dTXB₂ did not differ between OSA patients free of cardiovascular complications and healthy volunteers but increased in OSA patients with cormobidities compared to OSA patients without 694.0 (425.9-1235.6) versus 616.0 (354.3-838.2) pg/mg creatinine respectively; p=0.007). Finally, urinary 11-dTXB2 was increased by 30% in OSA Patients with cartoid hypertrophy (IMT>compared to OSA patients without carotid hypertrophy (783.0 (582.8-938.0) versus 592.9 (278.9-782.5) pg/mg creatinine, respect p=0.02)."

"Adding spice- in the form of curcumin supplements - to the daily diets of people with risk factors for heart disease may lower inflammation, a new study suggests."

"Inflammation is implicated in a wide range of illnesses, from heart disease to cancer and joint pain.  In the eight week trial, researchers found significant reductions in signs of inflammation, such as C-Reactive protein and other blood markers."

"Curcumin is the active ingredient of the famous spice turmeric and has a long history of culinary and medicinal use in the Asian countries," said the study's senior author Amirhossein Sahebkar."

"Urinary 11-dehydro-thromboxane B₂ levels are associated with vascular inflammation and prognosis in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease."

"Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide despite recent advances in its management and treatment. Inflammation is a key driver of the pathogenesis and progression of ASCVD in preclinical models and humans." 

“Recently published secondary analyses of cardiovascular trials provide the first randomized evidence that daily aspirin use may also reduce the incidence of all cancers combined, even at low doses (75-100 mg daily)”

“10% reduction in overall cancer incidence beginning during the first 10 years of treatment could tip the balance of benefits and risks favourably in average-risk populations.”

"This Review considers the general mechanism of action that defines aspirin and other non-steroidal anti inflammtory drugs (NSAIDs) as a class, the specific advantages of aspirin over other NSAIDs for prophylactic use, the current evidence concerning the main health outcomes affected by aspirin use, and the hypothesis that inhibition of platelet activiation may mediate both the cardioprotective and cancer preventive effects of low-dose aspirin."

“Enhanced platelet activation occurs in colorectal cancer patients. Permanent inactivation of platelet COX-1 by low dose aspirin might restore anti tumor reactivity.”

"Thus we aimed to address whether enhanced platelet activation, as assessed by the measurement of the urinary excretion of 11-dehydro-TXB(2) (a major enzymatic metabolite of TXB(2), occurs in patients with colorectal cancer.  In 10 patients with colorectal cancer, the urinary excretion of 11-dehydro-TXB(2) was significantly higher than in 10 controls, matched for sex, age and cardiovascular risk factors"

“The results of clinical studies have shown that the antiplatelet drug aspirin reduces the incidence of vascular events and colorectal cancer.”

“Low-dose aspirin treatment (which is associated with a preferential inhibition of platelet COX-1) causes a 70-80% reduction of urinary 11-dehydro-TXB₂  and 2,3-din-or-TXB₂ excretion.”

"Moreover, the results of clinical studies have shown that the antiplatelet drug aspirin reduces the incidence of vascular events and colorectal cancer.  All these pieces of evidence support the notion that colorectal cancer and atherothrombosis may share a common mechanism of disease, that is, platelet activation in response to epithelial (in tumourigensis) and endothelial (in tumourgenesis and atherothrombosis) injury."