Regional lymph node density-based nomogram predicts prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients without distant metastases.

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a relatively common type of cancer in Southern China, with local recurrence or distant metastases even after radical treatment; consequently, it is critical to identify the patients at higher risk for these events beforehand. This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of regional lymph node density (RLND) associated nomograms in NPC and to evaluate the utility of nomograms in risk stratification. METHODS: A total of 610 NPC patients without distant metastases (425 in the training and 185 in the validation cohort) were enrolled. The MRI-identified nodal features and clinical characteristics were documented, and the RLND was calculated. Cox analyses were conducted to identify prognostic-associated factors. Nomograms were generated based on the multivariate analysis results. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of the nomogram models were determined using the concordance index (C-index), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and calibration curve; the results were compared with those of the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) classification. Decision curve analysis (DCA) and C-index were used to assess the prognostic effect and added discriminative ability of RLND. We also estimated the optimal RLND-based nomogram score cut-off values for survival prediction. RESULTS: RLND was an independent predictor of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), with hazard ratios of 1.36 and 1.30, respectively. RLND was utilized in the construction of nomograms, alongside other independent prognostic factors. The RLND-based nomogram models presented a more effective discriminative ability than the TNM classification for predicting OS (C-index, 0.711 vs. 0.680) and DFS (C-index, 0.681 vs. 0.669), with favorable calibration and consistency. The comparison of C-index values between the nomogram models with and without RLND provided substantiation of the crucial role RLND plays in these models. DCA confirmed the satisfactory clinical practicability of RLND. Moreover, the nomograms were used to categorize the patients into three groups (high-, middle-, and low-risk), and the Kaplan-Meier curves showed significant differences in prognosis between them (p < 0.05). These results were verified in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: RLND stands as a robust prognostic factor in NPC. The RLND-based nomograms excel in predicting survival, surpassing the TNM classification.

[Anti-asthmatic effect of agarwood alcohol extract in mice and its mechanism].

As recorded, agarwood has the function of improving qi reception and relieving asthma, but the underlying mechanism is unclear and rarely reported. Therefore, this study explored the anti-asthmatic effect of the alcohol extract of agarwood produced by the whole-tree agarwood-inducing technique(Agar-Wit) in the asthma mouse model induced by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin(OVA) + Al(OH)_3 combined with intranasal administration of OVA and the mechanism, and compared the anti-asthmatic effects of agarwood induced with different methods. Firstly, the anti-inflammatory and anti-asthmatic effects of Agar-Wit agarwood in mice were evaluated based on the asthma frequency, lung tissue injury, and peripheral inflammatory white blood cell(WBC) count and eosinophil count. Then, the levels of interleukin-1ß(IL-1ß), IL-17, and IL-10 in serum of mice were detected by enzyme-linked immunoassay(ELISA) and the expression of inflammation-and apoptosis-related genes in tissues was measured by reverse transcription polyme-rase chain reaction(RT-PCR) so as to preliminarily explore the anti-asthmatic mechanism. RESULTS:: showed that the alcohol extract of Agar-Wit agarwood significantly reduced asthma frequency, relieved pathological injury, improved peripheral WBC count and eosinophil count, decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1ß and IL-17, elevated the level of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, and down-regulated the mRNA expression of IL-1 R, tumor necrosis factor receptor R(TNFR), nuclear transcription factor-kappa B(NF-κB), Bax, and caspase 3, but had no significant influence on the expression of high-mobility group box 1(HMGB1) protein, caspase 8, and Bcl-2. The effect of Agar-Wit agarwood alcohol extract was better than that of wild agarwood alcohol extract and alcohol extract of agarwood induced with the burning-chisel-drilling method at the same dose. In conclusion, Agar-Wit agarwood can significantly alleviate inflammation and asthma, which is related to its anti-inflammation and anti-apoptosis activity.

Two New Chromone Glycosides from the Roots of Saposhnikovia divaricata.

Five chromone glycosides were isolated from the water-soluble portions of 70% EtOH extract of the roots of Saposhnikovia divaricata, including two new chromone glycosides 1 and 2. The structures of the chromone glycosides were identified as (3'S)-3'-O-ß-d-apiofuranosyl-(1 → 6)-ß-d-glucopyranosylhamaudol (1), (2'S)-4'-O-ß-d-apiofuranosyl-(1 → 6)-ß-d-glucopyranosylvisamminol (2), 3'-O-glucopyranosylhamaudol (3), 4'-O-ß-d-glucopyranosylvisamminol (4), and 4'-O-ß-d-glucopyranosyl-5-O-methylvisamminol (5) on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods, and the absolute configurations of the new compounds were elucidated by the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation and acid hydrolysis. The cytotoxic activities of the glycosides 1 - 5 against three human cancer cell lines (PC-3, SK-OV-3, and H460) were evaluated. The result showed that compounds 1 - 5 had weak cytotoxic activities against the human cancer cell lines with IC50 values in the range of 48.54 ± 0.80 - 94.25 ± 1.45 µm.

The protective effect of polysaccharide extracted from Portulaca oleracea L. against Pb-induced learning and memory impairments in rats.

This paper studied the extraction of polysaccharide from Portulaca oleracea L. (POP) by hot water extraction and ethanol precipitation. Structural properties of the extracted polymers were determined. POP was composed of rhamnose, arabinose and galactose in ratios of 1: 2.34: 3.07 with a molecular weight of 1.55 × 107 Da. The neuroprotective effect of POP on Pb-induced neuronal toxicity was then evaluated in vitro and in vivo test. Treatment with POP markedly increased the survival of PC12 cells and repressed the generation of reactive oxygen species following Pb exposure. In Morris water maze analysis, Pb exposure led to an increase in escape latency and a decrease in platform crossing times of rats in the probe test, which could be attenuated by POP treatment. Additionally, the Pb-induced loss of dendritic spine was recovered after feeding rats with POP at 600 mg/kg/day. These results indicated that Pb-induced cognitive impairments could be inhibited by POP.