Low-Frequency Ultrasound Enhances Paclitaxel Efficacy in EMT6 Subcutaneous Tumors in Balb/c Mice.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to explore the effects of 30 kHz ultrasound on the efficacy of paclitaxel in subcutaneous breast tumors in Balb/c mice in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 40 Balb/c female mice were divided into 5 groups: model control group, paclitaxel intraperitoneal (ip) group (20 mg/kg, ip, at 3 day intervals for a total of 3 doses (q3d×3)), paclitaxel intratumoral (it) group (20 mg/kg, it, q3d×3), paclitaxel intraperitoneal (20 mg/kg, ip, q3d×3) combined with low-frequency ultrasound (LFU) group, and paclitaxel intratumoral (20 mg/kg, it, q3d×3) combined with LFU group. Ultrasound parameters were 30 kHz, 200 MW intensity, 15 min, q3d×3. The antitumoral effect was determined by examining the tumor weight in subcutaneously inoculated EMT6 breast carcinoma models in Balb/c mice. All subcutaneous tumors were examined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) upon completion of the experiments. Drug concentrations in the subcutaneous tumors were also analyzed using HPLC. Finally, paraffin sections of the subcutaneous tumors were made, and after hematoxylin and eosin staining, the tumor morphology was examined under a light microscope. RESULTS: LFU combined with paclitaxel significantly restrained tumor growth in transplanted subcutaneous EMT6 tumors in Balb/c mice, and this effect correlated with increased local concentrations of paclitaxel in the tumors. Body weight measurement did not reveal significant adverse effects on the Balb/c mice during the study. CONCLUSION: LFU combined with paclitaxel has a significant synergistic effect in the treatment of breast cancer.

Assessment on the Efficacy and Safety of Aidi Injection Combined with Vinorelbine and Cisplatin for Treatment of Advanced Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of vinorelbine and cisplatin (NP chemotherapy) alone or in combination with Aidi injection for the treatment of advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Pertinent publications were identified in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CNKI, CQVIP, and Wanfang databases, up to December 8, 2015. After quality assessment of all included randomized controlled trials evaluating Aidi injection combined with NP chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced NSCLC, a meta-analysis was performed by Review Manager 5.2 and STATA 12.0 for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Twelve studies including 509 and 503 cases in the experimental and control groups, respectively, were finally analyzed. The meta-analysis revealed that when cisplatin dose ranging from 20 to 40 mg/m 2 , combination of Aidi injection and NP chemotherapy was statistically different compared with NP chemotherapy alone in enhancing efficiency (relative risk [RR] = 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.05-1.47], P = 0.010) and reducing the incidence of Grade II or above nausea and vomiting (RR = 0.49, 95% CI [0.30-0.80], P = 0.005). Meanwhile, with cisplatin ranging from 80 to 120 mg/m 2 , no significant differences in efficiency (RR = 1.11, 95% CI [0.87-1.42], P = 0.390) and Grade II or above nausea and vomiting (RR = 0.88, 95% CI [0.71-1.10], P = 0.260) were obtained. In addition, Aidi injection combined with NP chemotherapy was superior to NP chemotherapy alone in improving the quality of life, alleviating Grade II or above leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. CONCLUSIONS: Aidi injection combined with NP chemotherapy can enhance efficiency, improve the quality of life, and decrease adverse effects in patients with advanced NSCLC.

[Brief introduction of research methods of commodity specification and grade of Chinese medicinal materials].

The commodity specification and grade of Chinese medicinal materials is a measure of the quality of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), which directly impacts on the safety and effectiveness of clinical medicines. It is an urgent problem to establish a set of standards which can both interpret the scientific connotation of the commodity specification and grade of Chinese medicinal materials and play a significant role on clinical medicines as well as markets. This paper reviews the research methods of the commodity specification and grade of Chinese medicinal materials such as sensory evaluation, chemical assessment, biological evaluation, and cited the applications of various methods for the classification of TCMs. It provides technical support for establishing standards of the commodity specification and grade of Chinese medicinal materials, and also constructs scientific basis for clinical rational drug use.