Hearing loss due to metastasis of gastric cancer to temporal bone: A case report.

Metastatic temporal bone tumors are rare, and tend to be asymptomatic. The clinical symptoms consist of aural discharge, bleeding, hearing loss and facial nerve paresis. The most common origin of the metastasis is breast cancer, and other sites of the primary tumor include the thyroid gland, brain, lungs, prostate and blood. Clinical reports of hearing loss due to gastric cancer metastatic to temporal bone are rare. In the present study, a case of gastric cancer metastasis to temporal bone without other organ involvement is described. The patient presented with the symptom of hearing loss, and the metastatic tumor was diagnosed by radiological imaging, including magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography and bone scan.

[Curative effect of 3D-CRT combined with gemcitabine concurrently with addition of Kanglaite Injection in treatment of locally advanced pancreatic].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy combined with Kanglaite Injection (KI) for locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma patients. METHODS: Totally 50 patients unsuitable for surgery were randomly assigned to the treatment group and the control group, 25 in each group. Patients in the control group were treated with gemcitabine and concurrent 3D-CRT, while those in the treatment group were also treated with intravenous injection of KI (at 100 mL/d) for 21 successive days, 28 days as one cycle, two cycles with one week interval. The short-term curative effect, the survival time, the improvement of symptoms, the tumor markers, and adverse reactions were respectively observed for two years. RESULTS: The short-term curative effective rate (CR + PR) was 52.17% (12/23), and the disease control rate (CR + PR + SD) was 95.65% (22/23) in the treatment group. The short-term curative effective rate (CR + PR) was 41.67% (10/24), and the disease control rate (CR + PR + SD) was 87.50% (21/24) in the control group. There was no statistical difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). The 2-year survival rate was 34.78% (8/23) in the treatment group, better than that in the control group (25.00%, 6/24). The median survival time was 17.2 months in the treatment group and 12.4 months in the control group with statistical difference (P < 0.05). The response rate of pain relief and weight gain were 75.00% and 82.61% in the treatment group respectively, and they were 50.00% and 54.67% in the control group respectively, showing statistical difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). After treatment, the levels of CA19-9 (U/mL) and CEA (ng/mL) were respectively reduced to 118. 00 +/- 78.89 and 7.41 +/- 2.37 respectively in the treatment group, showing statistical difference when compared with those of the control group (being 216.00 +/- 153.23 and 12.25 +/- 7.53 respectively, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The concurrent chemoradiotherapy com- bined with KI for locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma patients obtained better results.

Protective effects of salidroside on epirubicin-induced early left ventricular regional systolic dysfunction in patients with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Salidroside [2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl-ß-D-glucopyranoside], one of the most potent ingredients extracted from the plant Rhodiola rosea L., has been shown to have a cardiovascular protective effect as an antioxidant, and early treatment of epirubicin-induced cardiotoxicity has been the focus of clinical chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer. However, the cardioprotective effects of salidroside on epirubicin-induced cardiotoxicity, especially early left ventricular regional systolic dysfunction, have to date been sparsely investigated. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of salidroside in preventing early left ventricular regional systolic dysfunction induced by epirubicin. METHODS: Sixty patients with histologically confirmed breast cancer were enrolled. Eligible patients were randomized to receive salidroside (600 mg/day; n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) starting 1 week before chemotherapy. Patients were investigated by means of echocardiography and strain rate (SR) imaging. We also measured plasma concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS). All parameters were assessed at baseline and 7 days after each new epirubicin dose of 100 mg/m2. RESULTS: A decline of the SR peak was observed at an epirubicin dose of 200 mg/m2, with no significant differences between salidroside and placebo (1.35 ± 0.36 vs 1.42 ± 0.49/second). At growing cumulative doses of epirubicin, the SR normalized only with salidroside, showing a significant difference in comparison with placebo at epirubicin doses of 300 mg/m2 (1.67 ± 0.43 vs 1.32 ± 0.53/second, p < 0.05) and 400 mg/m2 (1.68 ± 0.29 vs 1.40 ± 0.23/second, p < 0.05). Moreover, a significant increase in plasma concentrations of ROS was found with placebo, but they remained unchanged with salidroside. CONCLUSION: Salidroside can provide a protective effect on epirubicin-induced early left ventricular regional systolic dysfunction in patients with breast cancer.

Quantitative assessment of the effect of MTHFR polymorphisms on the risk of lung carcinoma.

Published studies on the relationships between 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms and lung cancer risk have been conflicting. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, a meta-analysis was performed. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the association between MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and lung cancer risk. A total of 15 studies including 10,753 cases and 11,275 controls described C677T genotypes, among which 11 articles totalling 6,161 cases and 7,684 controls described A1298C genotypes, were also involved in this meta-analysis. Overall, no significantly elevated lung cancer risk was found in any genetic models when all studies were pooled. For C677T polymorphism: (TT vs. CC: OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.97-1.42; TC vs. CC: OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.94-1.20; dominant model: OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.96-1.24; and recessive model: OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.95-1.24); for A1298C polymorphism: (CC vs. AA: OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.91-1.19; AC vs. AA: OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.91-1.06; dominant model: OR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.92-1.06; and recessive model: OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.92-1.20). In the subgroup analyses, the results showed that 677T varients could decrease lung cancer risk in female (OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.41-0.95, P-value = 0.03, 677CC as reference). No evidence of any associations of MTHFR A1298C polymorphism with lung cancer was found in overall or subgroup analyses. Our meta-analysis supports that the common polymorphisms of C677T and A1298C in MTHFR gene are not susceptibility gene for lung cancer from currently available evidence.

The protective effects of ambroxol on radiation lung injury and influence on production of transforming growth factor beta1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha.

The aim of this article was to investigate the effect of ambroxol on radiation lung injury and the expression of transforming growth factor beta(1) (TGF-beta(1)), as well as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in plasma. Totally, 120 patients with locally advanced lung cancer in radiotherapy were randomized into treatment and control groups. Patients in the treatment group took ambroxol orally at a dosage of 90 mg, three times per day for 3 months from the beginning of radiotherapy. The expression of TGF-beta(1) and TNF-alpha in plasma was analyzed. The clinical symptoms and lung diffusing capacity were monitored using high resolving power computed tomography. The level of TGF-beta(1) in the control group was increased (11.8 +/- 5.5 ng/ml), whereas in ambroxol-treated patients, the increase was not significant (5.6 +/- 2.6 ng/ml, P < 0.001). Radiotherapy-induced elevation of TNF-alpha levels, seen in control patients, was also abolished after treatment with ambroxol (5.1 +/- 1.0 vs. 2.4 +/- 0.8 ng/ml, P < 0.001). In the treatment group, carbon monoxide diffusion capacity was not significantly decreased at 6, 12, and 18 months post-radiotherapy, compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Ambroxol decreased the expression of TGF-beta(1) and TNF-alpha, and minimized the diminishment of lung diffusion capacity after radiotherapy.

[Effect of rhodiola on serum troponin 1, cardiac integral backscatter and left ventricle ejective fraction of patients who received epirubicin-contained chemotherapy].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the myocardial protective effect of Rhodiola on patients who received epidoxorubicin (EPI) treatment. METHODS: Forty-two patients with myocardial damage who received 3 courses of EPI-contained chemotherapy were randomly and equally assigned to two groups, the Rhodiola treated group and the control group. After 1-month treatment, the changes in serum troponin I (cTnI) level, cardiac integral backscatter (IBS), and left ventricle ejective fraction (LVEF) in patients were observed and compared between groups. RESULTS: Levels of cTnI in the treated group and control group were (0.54 +/- 0.05) mg/L and (0.98 +/- 0.03) mg/L respectively, IBS were 55.23 +/- 5.72 scores and 61.23 +/- 5.96 scores, and LVEF (%) were 68 +/- 3 and 57 +/- 2 respectively, all showed significant differences between groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Rhodiola can improve cardiac function, and suppress the increase of serum cTnI level and IBS in patients who received EPI treatment.

[The clinical study on chronic hepatitis B treated by the four-step therapeutics of Traditional Chinese Medicine].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical curative effect of chronic hepatitis B treated by the four-step therapeutics of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). METHODS: 120 patients with mild or moderate Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) were randomly divided into two groups: 80 patients in treatment group and 40 in control group. All enrolled cases accorded with the enroll standard. In treatment group, the patients were divided into mild moderate and severe degree of immune intervention based on the ALT level and treated with four-step therapeutics according to the dialectical theory. In control group, all patients were administered 100mg Lamivudine orally daily for two years. RESULTS: The loss rates of HBeAg, HBV-DNA, precore mutation were 58.9%, 78.9% in treatment group respectively, and 33.3%, 38.9% in control group. There were significant defferences between them. The total effectiveness ratio of two groups has no significant difference. After the treatment, the value of HA, PCIII, IV. C,LN decreased dramatically in treatment group and the antihepatic fibrosis results of treatment group were superior to those of control group. The four-step therapeutics of TCM could improve the ALT value and the ALT value declined to normal after the virus indexes' loss. The response rate in treatment group of ALT-elevating patients was higher than those of no ALT- elevating patients. CONCLUSION: The four-step therapeutics of TCM is effective in treating the CHB patients.

Two-year observation of the clinical efficacy in treating chronic hepatitis B Patients with Ganxian recipe and lamivudine.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Ganxian recipe (GXR) and lamivudine (LVD) in a two-year treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: One hundred and twenty patients with CHB were randomly divided into the combinedly treated group (combined group) of 40 CHB patients who were treated with GXR combined with LVD. Another 40 CHB patients were treated with LVD alone (WM group), and still another 40 CHB patients were treated with GXR alone (TCM group). All these cases were randomly controlled and observed for two years. RESULTS: Comprehensive efficacy: Total effective rate of the combined group (complete response and partial response) was 92.5%, while that of the WM group was 67.5% and TCM group 57.5%, respectively, with the difference between them was significant (P < 0.01); after treatment, the hepatic functions (AST, ALT, SB) of the three groups were all reduced, and the reduction in the combined group was particularly significant in comparison with the WM group or TCM group, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01 respectively, suggesting that the effect in the combined group was better than that in the other two groups; the rate of tyrosine-methionine-aspartate-aspartate (YMDD) virus mutation: it was 7.5% in the combined group, 40.0% in the WM group, and 5.0% in the TCM group; liver fibrosis improvement parameter: after treatment, the results in the combined group got better than those in the other two groups. CONCLUSION: GXR could inhibit the appearance of YMDD after long-term application of LVD, and combined use has marked synergism.