Current Characteristics of Herbal Medicine Interventions for Cancer on Clinical Databases: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The utilization of herbal medicine has been noteworthy for treating cancer; however, there is not enough information regarding the characteristics of clinical trials of herbal medicine interventions. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristic of registered trials using herbal medicine interventions for cancer. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed via the website ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN registry, Chinese clinical trial registry, and international clinical trials registry platform to gather associated registered clinical trials using an advanced search with the developed keyword strategy as of March 26, 2023. All obtainable information from the trials was collected without any restrictions to conduct a comprehensive review. RESULTS: A total of 169 registered trials were included for evaluation. Of all trials, 102 trials were eligible for this study. Countries from Asia registered the most trials (62.75%), and hospitals sponsored most of the trials (42.16%). Randomized, Phase 2, interventional trials were dominant, and approximately 64.71% of the trials anticipated recruiting less than 100 participants. More than half of the trials were from 2016 to 2023 (53.92%). While 45 trials were completed, only 16 trials had results for further analysis. According to the completed results, the types of herbal medicines from the trials mainly focused on lung, breast, and colorectal cancer. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to explore the characteristics of clinical trials of herbal medicine for cancer registered in large clinical databases. The acquired trials had relatively informative data; however, better-designed trials may be needed for health professionals to consider herbal medicine as an option when treating cancer patients.

JI017 Induces Cell Autophagy and Apoptosis via Elevated Levels of Reactive Oxygen Species in Human Lung Cancer Cells.

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors and a leading cause of cancer-related death in the worldwide. Various anticancer drugs, such as cisplatin and pemetrexed, have been developed for lung cancer treatment but due their drug resistance and side effects, novel treatments need to be developed. In this study, the efficacy of the natural drug JI017, which is known to have few side effects, was tested in lung cancer cells. JI017 inhibited A549, H460, and H1299 cell proliferation. JI017 induced apoptosis, regulated apoptotic molecules, and inhibited colony formation. Additionally, JI017 increased intracellular ROS generation. JI017 downregulated PI3K, AKT, and mTOR expression. JI017 increased the cytosolic accumulation of LC3. We found that JI017 promoted apoptosis through ROS-induced autophagy. Additionally, the xenograft tumor size was smaller in JI017-treated mice. We found that JI017 treatment increased MDA concentrations, decreased Ki-67 protein levels, and increased cleaved caspase-3 and LC3 levels in vivo. JI017 decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis by inducing autophagy signaling in H460 and H1299 lung cancer cells. Targeting JI017 and autophagy signaling could be useful in lung cancer treatment.

Acupotomy treatment for finger joint contracture after immobilization: Case report.

INTRODUCTION: Contractures frequently occur in the finger joints after immobilization. This report describes the effect of acupotomy treatment in patients with joint contracture due to immobilization of the finger joints. PATIENT CONCERNS AND CLINICAL FINDINGS: Case 1 was of a 39-year-old male patient who had flexion limitation of the left thumb and difficulty in grasping. Case 2 was of a 41-year-old female patient who had flexion limitation of the right index finger and difficulty in typing. Stiffness occurred after tendon repair surgery and cast immobilization in both cases. In Case 1, the patient had limited flexion movement of the first metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints after 5 weeks of immobilization of the left thumb in a cast. In Case 2, the patient had limited flexion movement after 3 weeks of immobilization of the second proximal interphalangeal joint of the left hand in a cast. DIAGNOSIS, INTERVENTIONS, AND OUTCOMES: We diagnosed both patients with finger joint contracture due to immobilization. Conservative treatment for approximately 4 weeks did not lead to improvement in either patient. Acupotomy is the key treatment for improving movement in Korean Medicine. Therefore, acupotomy was performed, and joint stiffness markedly improved without adverse events. Both patients reported that the daily use of the damaged fingers became comfortable. CONCLUSION: We found that acupotomy may be effective for finger joint contracture due to improper immobilization. We suggest it as a simple and safe treatment for joint contracture.

Acupotomy for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is caused by neural compression due to narrowing of the lumbar spinal canal or neural foramen. Surgical intervention is a standard treatment for LSS; however, the steep increase in the surgical rate, post-operative complications, and comparatively low long-term satisfaction are considered to be limitations of this surgical approach. Conversely, acupotomy is a minimally invasive technique that combines the effects of conventional acupuncture with micro-incision, which may offer an alternative to surgery for the treatment of LSS. This review was conducted to investigate and critically review the current evidence on the efficacy and safety of acupotomy for LSS. METHODS: Eleven databases were searched from their respective inception dates to December 28, 2018. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing acupotomy and wait-list, sham treatment, or active controls were included. The quality of the included studies was assessed using risk-of-bias tool. RESULTS: Seven RCTs were included in this review and meta-analysis. The methodological quality of the included studies was generally poor. The acupotomy treatment group was associated with significantly lower visual analogue scale scores (range 0∼10) (5 RCTs; mean difference [MD] -1.55, 95% confidence interval [CIs] -2.60 to -0.50; I = 94%) and higher Japanese Orthopedic Association Score (3 RCTs; MD 4.70, 95% CI 3.73 to 5.68; I = 0%) compared to the active control group. In subgroup analysis based on the type of active controls, acupotomy retained significant benefits over lumbar traction and acupuncture, as well as over lumbar traction, spinal decompression, and acupuncture. Safety data were reported in only 1 study, and no adverse events occurred in either the acupotomy or the acupuncture control group. CONCLUSION: According to current evidence, acupotomy might be beneficial for treating LSS. Acupotomy showed consistent superiority over lumbar traction, but the results were mixed in comparisons with other interventions, such as spinal decompression and acupuncture. However, the findings should be interpreted cautiously, given the poor methodological quality of the included studies, and potential small-study effects. Further larger, high-quality, rigorous RCTs should be conducted on this topic and rigorous reporting of acupotomy procedures and safety data should be encouraged.

Efficacy and safety of gyejigachulbutang (Gui-Zhi-Jia-Shu-Fu-Tang, Keishikajutsubuto, TJ-18) for knee pain in patients with degenerative knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, placebo-controlled, patient and assessor blinded clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Degenerative knee osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability in the elderly. If patients do not respond to pharmacological or nonpharmacological intervention, total knee replacement surgery is recommended. However, owing to the contraindications and adverse effects of surgery, the need for a new treatment strategy is emerging. Traditional herbal medicine is a widely used intervention in east Asia to treat knee osteoarthritis. Gyejigachulbutang is one of the frequently prescribed herbal formulae. The aim of our study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of gyejigachulbutang for knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: This study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, patient and assessor blinded, superiority clinical trial. A total of 80 patients with knee osteoarthritis will be enrolled. The participants will be randomly assigned to the gyejigachulbutang or placebo group in a 1:1 ratio in two Korean medical hospitals. Every participant will take gyejigachulbutang or placebo at a dose of 2.5 g three times a day for 4 weeks. Additional follow-up will be conducted 4 weeks after treatment completion. Any concomitant treatment to relive knee pain will not be allowed except for rescue medicine (acetaminophen). The primary outcome will be a comparison of the change in the visual analogue scale score for knee pain from baseline to visit 3 (week 4) for both the treatment and placebo groups. Secondary outcomes include clinical relevance, minimal clinically important difference, disability, quality of life, and safety. DISCUSSION: This protocol presents a research methodology for clinical trials of gyejigachulbutang for knee osteoarthritis. Various secondary outcomes make this trial more informative. Our trial will provide fundamental evidence for knee osteoarthritis management via herbal medicine treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS), KCT0003024 . Registered on 25 July 2018.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the cranial vault with retrobulbar metastasis mimicking a subacute subdural hematoma: case report.

Primary skeletal non-Hodgkin lymphoma is rare. The authors report a case of a small lymphocytic B-cell lymphoma of the skull occurring in a 53-year-old man who presented with right-hand apraxia. Initial computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a hematoma-mimicking lesion in the left frontoparietal subdural area. A frontotemporoparietal craniectomy and biopsy procedure yielded a diagnosis of small lymphocytic B-cell lymphoma, with a metastatic nodule in the retrobulbar area. Three years after undergoing radiation therapy and surgery, the patient has shown neurological improvement without systemic dissemination of the malignancy. The lesion in this case was misdiagnosed as a subdural hematoma, and shows the importance of including lymphoma in the differential diagnosis of subdural mass lesions.