Examination of Combined Treatment of Ginsenoside Rg3 and 5-Fluorouracil in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells.

Chemotherapy is a commonly used strategy for advanced lung cancer patients. However, its clinical application is restrained due to its toxicity and drug resistance. Ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3) has a strong anticancer influence on colon cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, and other malignant tumors. However, it is still unclear whether Rg3 can cooperate with 5-FU to inhibit the tumor growth and angiogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). This study examined the combined treatment of Rg3 and 5-FU in LUAD. It was revealed that the combined treatment could notably enhance the suppression on proliferative, invasive, and migratory abilities and angiogenesis in LUAD cells A549 and SPC-A-1. On the other hand, we also discovered that Rg3 or 5-FU could suppress the activity of the NF-κB signaling pathway and downregulate VEGFA expression in LUAD cells. Collectively, this study suggested that Rg3 combined chemotherapy may perform a more powerful drug efficiency in LUAD cells.

The association between serum vitamin D and inflammatory bowel disease.

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency and this may impact upon the disease activity. This study explored the association between serum vitamin D levels and inflammatory bowel disease in a Chinese population.Sixty-five patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 50 with Crohn's disease (CD) were investigated between January 2015 and December 2016 at the Kunshan Second People's Hospital, China. A control group of 120 healthy volunteers was also selected. Serum vitamin D levels were detected and compared between groups and among patients with different disease activity.The serum vitamin D levels in the UC (10.27 ±â€Š4.05 ng/mL) and CD (11.13 ±â€Š3.96 ng/mL) groups were lower than in the control group (12.96 ±â€Š5.18 ng/mL) (P < .05). In the UC group, during the moderate (9.21 ±â€Š3.26 ng/mL) and severe (7.58 ±â€Š3.81 ng/mL) periods, serum vitamin D levels were significantly lower compared with during remission (12.18 ±â€Š3.69 ng/mL) and the mild period (11.35 ±â€Š4.08 ng/mL) (P < .05). In the CD group, serum vitamin D levels were significantly lower during the moderate (10.28 ±â€Š3.57 ng/mL) and severe (8.52 ±â€Š3.72 ng/mL) periods compared with remission (13.97 ±â€Š5.61 ng/mL) (P < .05).Patients with UC and CD are both prone to vitamin D deficiency. Serum vitamin D was significantly lower with aggravating disease status. Therefore, vitamin D may be involved in the development of inflammatory bowel disease in a Chinese population.