Otolaryngologia polska. The Polish otolaryngology
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In the diversity of the flavor world only five basic tastes have been described. The newest one, umami, has been identified about one hundred years ago by Kikunae Ikeda but widely accepted just in the second half of the twentieth century by international scientific world. There are three umami substances: monosodium glutamate (MSG), inosine-5'-monophosphate (IMP), guanylo-5'-monophosphate (GMP). ⋯ They are desirable to improve the quality of diet. Moreover, the association between umami substances and the suppression of obesity has been found. Studies suggest that umami is engaged in metabolism but also increases satiety and reduces the post-ingestive recovery of hunger.
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Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of proteolytic enzymes implicated in the invasion and metastasis of many kinds of cancer because of their ability to degrade components of extracellular matrix. Specific tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs) regulate their activity. MMPs and TIMPs were identified in many neoplasm, including cancers of head and neck, lung, breast and colon cancer. In most researches a strong relation between MMPs and TIMPs expression and a clinical course of disease was observed, although there were many discrepancies between the authors. The aim of this research was to evaluate the expression of MMP1, MMP2, MMP9 and TIMP1, TIMP2, TIMP3 in head and neck cancer and to investigate the prognostic impact of these factors in patients with these tumors. ⋯ Our data suggest the conclusion that imbalance between matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors play the important role in progression of head and neck cancer and patients' prognosis.