Postoperative Adjuvant Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy With FOLFOX in Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Microvascular Invasion: A Multicenter, Phase III, Randomized Study.

PURPOSE: To report the efficacy and safety of postoperative adjuvant hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) with 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with microvascular invasion (MVI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this randomized, open-label, multicenter trial, histologically confirmed HCC patients with MVI were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive adjuvant FOLFOX-HAIC (treatment group) or routine follow-up (control group). The primary end point was disease-free survival (DFS) by intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis while secondary end points were overall survival, recurrence rate, and safety. RESULTS: Between June 2016 and August 2021, a total of 315 patients (ITT population) at five centers were randomly assigned to the treatment group (n = 157) or the control group (n = 158). In the ITT population, the median DFS was 20.3 months (95% CI, 10.4 to 30.3) in the treatment group versus 10.0 months (95% CI, 6.8 to 13.2) in the control group (hazard ratio, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.81; P = .001). The overall survival rates at 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years were 93.8% (95% CI, 89.8 to 98.1), 86.4% (95% CI, 80.0 to 93.2), and 80.4% (95% CI, 71.9 to 89.9) for the treatment group and 92.0% (95% CI, 87.6 to 96.7), 86.0% (95% CI, 79.9 to 92.6), and 74.9% (95% CI, 65.5 to 85.7) for the control group (hazard ratio, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.36 to 1.14; P = .130), respectively. The recurrence rates were 40.1% (63/157) in the treatment group and 55.7% (88/158) in the control group. Majority of the adverse events were grade 0-1 (83.8%), with no treatment-related death in both groups. CONCLUSION: Postoperative adjuvant HAIC with FOLFOX significantly improved the DFS benefits with acceptable toxicities in HCC patients with MVI.

Safflor yellow treating angina pectoris: A pharmacoeconomic evaluation and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a cardiovascular disease caused by myocardial ischemia. In China, safflor yellow and artemisinin-based combination therapies have been extensively used to treat angina pectoris. METHODS: Efficacies were provided by a network meta-analysis following the PRISMA 2020 checklist. Cost-effectiveness analysis was based on patient perspectives. Two-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the study results. RESULTS: Conventional treatment combined with safflower is a better choice against angina pectoris. Sensitivity analysis showed that the model was sensitive to the treatment efficacy rather than the drug cost. CONCLUSION: Conventional treatment combined with safflower injection is suggested to treat angina pectoris. Low molecular weight heparin or compound Danshen-dropping pills can be used to increase the recovery rate of angina pectoris, according to conventional treatment combined with safflower injection.

Tanshinone IIA improves contextual fear- and anxiety-like behaviors in mice via the CREB/BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common psychiatric diseases, which is characterized by the typical symptoms such as re-experience, avoidance, and hyperarousal. However, there are few drugs for PTSD treatment. In this study, conditioned fear and single-prolonged stress were employed to establish PTSD mouse model, and we investigated the effects of Tanshinone IIA (TanIIA), a natural product isolated from traditional Chinese herbal Salvia miltiorrhiza, as well as the underlying mechanisms in mice. The results showed that the double stress exposure induced obvious PTSD-like symptoms, and TanIIA administration significantly decreased freezing time in contextual fear test and relieved anxiety-like behavior in open field and elevated plus maze tests. Moreover, TanIIA increased the spine density and upregulated synaptic plasticity-related proteins as well as activated CREB/BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway in the hippocampus. Blockage of CREB remarkably abolished the effects of TanIIA in PTSD model mice and reversed the upregulations of p-CREB, BDNF, TrkB, and synaptic plasticity-related protein induced by TanIIA. The molecular docking simulation indicated that TanIIA could interact with the CREB-binding protein. These findings indicate that TanIIA ameliorates PTSD-like behaviors in mice by activating the CREB/BDNF/TrkB pathway, which provides a basis for PTSD treatment.

Integrated phylogenomics and fossil data illuminate the evolution of beetles.

Beetles constitute the most biodiverse animal order with over 380 000 described species and possibly several million more yet unnamed. Recent phylogenomic studies have arrived at considerably incongruent topologies and widely varying estimates of divergence dates for major beetle clades. Here, we use a dataset of 68 single-copy nuclear protein-coding (NPC) genes sampling 129 out of the 193 recognized extant families as well as the first comprehensive set of fully justified fossil calibrations to recover a refined timescale of beetle evolution. Using phylogenetic methods that counter the effects of compositional and rate heterogeneity, we recover a topology congruent with morphological studies, which we use, combined with other recent phylogenomic studies, to propose several formal changes in the classification of Coleoptera: Scirtiformia and Scirtoidea sensu nov., Clambiformia ser. nov. and Clamboidea sensu nov., Rhinorhipiformia ser. nov., Byrrhoidea sensu nov., Dryopoidea stat. res., Nosodendriformia ser. nov. and Staphyliniformia sensu nov., and Erotyloidea stat. nov., Nitiduloidea stat. nov. and Cucujoidea sensu nov., alongside changes below the superfamily level. Our divergence time analyses recovered a late Carboniferous origin of Coleoptera, a late Palaeozoic origin of all modern beetle suborders and a Triassic-Jurassic origin of most extant families, while fundamental divergences within beetle phylogeny did not coincide with the hypothesis of a Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution.

Impacts of tai chi exercise on functional fitness in community-dwelling older adults with mild degenerative knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Degenerative osteoarthritis (OA) often leads to pain and stiffness of the affected joints, which may affect the physical performance and decrease the quality of life of people with degenerative knee OA. Compared to traditional exercise, tai chi is a safe exercise with slow movements which can facilitate physical functioning and psychological well being, and might be suitable for improving the physical activities of older adults with knee OA. Therefore, this study investigated the impacts of tai chi exercise on the functional fitness of community-dwelling older adults with degenerative knee OA. METHODS: Sixty-eight community-dwelling older adults with knee OA were recruited from the local community to participate in this randomized controlled clinical trial. All subjects were randomly assigned to either an TCE group that practiced tai chi exercise (TCE) (n = 36) or a control group (CON) (n = 32) that received regular health education programs twice per week for 12 weeks. Outcome measurements were determined using functional fitness tests before and after the intervention, including a 30-s chair stand (number of repeats), 30-s arm-curl (number of repeats), 2-min step (number of steps), chair sit-and-reach (reaching distance, cm), back-scratch flexibility (distance between hands, cm), single-leg stand (time, s), functional reach (reaching distance, cm), 8-foot up-and-go (time, s), and 10-m walk tests (time, s). Pre-post comparisons of functional fitness were analyzed using the ANCOVA test with SPSS software version 18.0. RESULTS: Results revealed that participants' functional fitness in the TCE group had significantly higher adjusted mean post-tests scores than that in the CON group after the intervention, including the 8-foot up-and-go (s) (mean difference [MD]=-2.92 [-3.93, -1.91], p = 2.39*10- 7), 30-s arm curl (MD = 4.75 (2.76, 6.73), p = 1.11*10- 5), 2-min step (MD = 36.94 [23.53, 50.36], p = 7.08*10- 7), 30-s chair stand (MD = 4.66 [2.97, 6.36], p = 6.96*10- 7), functional-reach (MD = 5.86 [3.52, 8.20], p = 4.72*10- 6), single-leg stand with eyes closed (MD = 3.44 [1.92, 4.97], p = 2.74*10- 5), chair sit-and-reach (MD = 3.93 [1.72, 6.15], p = 0.001), and single-leg stand with eyes opened (MD = 17.07 [6.29, 27.85], p = 0.002), with large effect sizes (η²=0.14 ~ 0.34). CONCLUSIONS: Community-dwelling older adults with knee OA in the TCE group had better functional fitness performances after the 12-week tai chi intervention than those receiving only health education.

A novel treatment strategy using indocyanine green for transarterial chemoembolization in BCLC stage C hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE: The aim of our study was to propose a strategy based on indocyanine green (ICG) (SBI) to provide better clinical guidelines for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) treatments for Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) stage C hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From October 2005 to December 2012, 112 BCLC stage C HCC patients initially treated with TACE were investigated, randomly divided into a training cohort (n = 79) and validation cohort (n = 33). In training group, the patients were grouped based on their 15 minutes ICG retention rate (ICG R15), different chemo drugs and dose of lipidol in TACE. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed in subgroups. Strategy based on ICG was built and verified in validation group. RESULTS: For those patients with ICG R15 values >10%, the lipiodol ≤10 mL group showed better survival than the lipiodol >10 mL group. For those patients with ICG R15 values ≤10%, the group that received triple-drug chemotherapy treatments with lipiodol diameter ratio values between 1 and 3 showed better survival than the other group. Patients who conformed with the SBI had better survival times than those who did not conform with the SBI, in both the training cohort (median OS 10.3 vs 5.1 months; P < .001; median PFS, 3.3 vs 2.1 months; P = .006) and the validation cohort (median OS 8.9 vs 7.1 months; P = .087; median PFS, 6.6 vs 2.3 months; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The SBI is suitable and may provide survival benefits for TACE treatments in BCLC stage C HCC patients.

Predictive role of clinical features in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 for severe disease / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it has spread rapidly in China and many other countries. The rapid increase in the number of cases has caused widespread panic among people and has become the main public health problem in the world. Severe patients often have difficult breathing and/or hypoxemia after 1 week of onset. A few critically ill patients may not only rapidly develop into acute respiratory distress syndrome, but also may cause coagulopathy, as well as multiple organs failure (such as heart, liver and kidney) or even death. This article is to analyze the predictive role of clinical features in patients with COVID-19 for severe disease, so as to help doctor monitor the severity-related features, restrain the disease progress, and provide a reference for improvement of medical treatment.@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 208 patients with COVID-19 who were isolated and treated in Changsha Public Health Treatment Center from January 17, 2020 to March 14, 2020 were collected. All patients were the mild and ordinary adult patients on admission, including 105 males and 103 females from 19 to 84 (median age 44) years old. According to the "Program for the diagnosis and treatment of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infected pneumonia (Trial version 7)" issued by the General Office of National Health Committee and Office of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine as the diagnostic and typing criteria. According to progression from mild to severe disease during hospitalization, the patients were divided into a mild group (=183) and a severe transformation group (=25). The clinical features such as age, underlying disease, blood routine, coagulation function, blood biochemistry, oxygenation index, and so on were analyzed. Among them, laboratory tests included white blood cell (WBC), lymphocytes (LYM), neutrophil (NEU), hemoglobin (Hb), platelet (PLT), prothrombin time (PT), plasma fibrinogen (Fib), activated partial prothrombin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), -dimer, total bilirubin (TBIL), albumin (ALB), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Cr), creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), and oxygen partial pressure in arterial blood. Partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood/fractional concentration of inspiratory oxygen (PaO/FiO) was calculated. The variables with statistical significance were analyzed by logistic regression analysis.@*RESULTS@#Patients in the severe transformation group had more combined underlying diseases than those in the mild group (<0.05). From the perspective of disease distribution, patients in the severe transformation group had more combined hypertension (<0.05). In the severe transformation group, PT was significantly longer, the levels of Fib, ALT, AST, CK, LDH, and CRP were significantly higher than those in the mild group (<0.05 or <0.001), while LYM, ALB, and PaO/FiO were significantly lower than those in the mild group (<0.05 or <0.001). Logistic regression analysis was performed on clinical features with statistically significant differences. Combined with hypertension, LYM, PT, Fib, ALB, ALT, AST, CK, LDH, and CRP as independent variables, and having severe disease or not was the dependent variable. The results show that combined hypertension, decreased LYM, longer PT, and increased CK level were independent risk factors that affected the severity of COVID-19 (<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The patients with mild COVID-19 who are apt to develop severe diseases may be related to combined hypertension, decreased LYM, and longer PT, and increased CK level. For the mild patients with these clinical features, early intervention may effectively prevent the progression to severe diseases.

Anxiolytic effects of Formononetin in an inflammatory pain mouse model.

Chronic pain is commonly accompanied with anxiety disorder, which complicates treatment. In this study, we investigated the analgesic and anxiolytic effects of Formononetin (FMNT), an active component of traditional Chinese medicine red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) that is capable of protecting neurons from N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-evoked excitotoxic injury, on mice suffering from complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced chronic inflammatory pain. The results show that FMNT administration significantly reduces anxiety-like behavior but does not affect the nociceptive threshold in CFA-injected mice. The treatment reverses the upregulation of NMDA, GluA1, and GABAA receptors, as well as PSD95 and CREB in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). The effects of FMNT on NMDA receptors and CREB binding protein (CBP) were further confirmed by the potential structure combination between these compounds, which was analyzed by in silico docking technology. FMNT also inhibits the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway and microglia in the BLA of mice suffering from chronic inflammatory pain. Therefore, the anxiolytic effects of FMNT are partially due to the attenuation of inflammation and neuronal hyperexcitability through the inhibition of NMDA receptor and CBP in the BLA.

[Effect of NOx--N Recycling Ratio on Denitrifying Phosphorus Removal Efficiency in the ABR-MBR Combined Process].

Based on the coupling of the ABR process and the MBR process, a novel combined ABR-MBR process, including biophase separation, liquid circulation, and functional linkage, was developed to achieve simultaneous carbon, nutrient, and phosphorus removal when treating domestic wastewater with low carbon/nitrogen ratio and to obtain the best combination of ABR, providing a quality carbon source, and MBR, achieving shortcut nitrification by optimizing hydraulic retention time (HRT). The influence of NOx--N recycling ratio on nitrogen and phosphorus removal was investigated at NOx--N recycling ratios of 100%, 200%, 300%, and 400%, respectively. The experimental results under different conditions showed that the efficiency of denitrifying phosphorus removal in the ABR was found to increase with increasing NOx--N recycling ratio from 100% to 300% but decreased when the NOx--N recycling ratio was 400%. Shortcut nitrification was achieved by controlling the low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration ranges from 0.3 to 1.0 mg·L-1 with the short HRT of 3 h in the MBR reactor. The nitrite accumulation ratio was above 60%, when the NOx--N recycling ratio was 300%. Meanwhile, shortcut denitrifying phosphorus removal (where NO2--N mainly acted as the electron acceptor for denitrifying phosphorus removal) was achieved and played the dominant role in phosphorus removal.

[Effect of Volume Loading Rate (VLR) on Denitrifying Phosphorus Removal by the ABR-MBR Process].

The effect of volume loading rate (VLR) on denitrifying phosphorus removal was investigated in a continuous-flow ABR-MBR combined process treating domestic wastewater to arrive at optimum process parameters. In the experiment, the VLR of the ABR was set at 0.76, 1.01, 1.51, and 2.27 kg·(m3·d)-1. The removal of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the system and the effect of the VLR in the MBR on nitrification performance were observed for each VLR of the ABR. The results showed that under the condition when the VLR of the ABR was 1.51 kg·(m3·d)-1, the amount of COD removal in the A2 chamber was the largest, and shortcut nitrification was achieved in the MBR when the VLR of the MBR was 1.51 kg·(m3·d)-1. Meanwhile, the removal efficiency of NH4+-N and TN reached more than 90% and 72%, respectively, the anaerobic P-release and anoxic P-uptake were 7.41 mg·L-1and 15.42 mg·L-1, respectively, and the concentration of PO43--P in effluent was lower than 0.5 mg·L-1, which indicated that the shortcut nitrification was more conducive to strengthening the performance of denitrifying phosphorus removal in the ABR-MBR system.

Rh(iii)-Catalyzed ortho-C-H alkynylation of N-phenoxyacetamides with hypervalent iodine-alkyne reagents at room temperature.

A Rh(iii)-catalyzed C-H alkynylation of substituted N-phenoxyacetamides has been developed with the aid of hypervalent iodine-alkyne reagents. Complementary to the Sonogashira coupling reaction, this protocol provides an efficient and straightforward method to access aryl alkynes at room temperature. The multifunctional directing group is preserved which can be further employed for ortho-directed functionalizations to obtain additional new complex products.

[Effects of Influent C/N Ratios on Denitrifying Phosphorus Removal Performance Based on ABR-MBR Combined Process].

An ABR-MBR integrated reactor based on a combination of the anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) with the microbial phase separation and membrane bioreactor (MBR) with high-effect entrapment was constructed and the circulation and interactivity of the combined process were examined by adding nitrate recycling and sludge reflux. By increasing the influent COD to adjust the COD/TN ratio, the influence of the mechanism on the denitrifying phosphorus removal performance under the condition of continuous-flow was investigated. The results showed that the average effluent concentration of soluble phosphorus under different influent C/N conditions were 0.22, 0.34, 0.39, 0.42, and 2.45 mg·L-1 and the low influent C/N ratio was beneficial to phosphate removal. When the influent C/N was 4.8-6.0, the average removal rates of COD, TN, and soluble PO43--P were more than 87%, 76%, and 93%. In addition, when the influent C/N ratio was 3.6-6.0, the removal of TN was proportional to the anoxic phosphorus uptake of ABR and conducive to the removal of TN after increasing the influent COD concentration. Higher C/N ratios of the influent improved the removal of TN at this stage. Finally, the C/N ratio of 6 was suggested to achieve the simultaneous removal of nitrogen and phosphorus.

[Optimization of Denitrifying Phosphorus Removal Performance Based on ABR-MBR Combined Process].

An integrated process based on combination of the anaerobic baffled reactor(ABR)-membrane bioreactor(MBR) was adopted to treat domestic sewage with low C/N ratio. In order to realize the function of highly efficient denitrifying phosphorus removal, nitrate recycling ratio and sludge recycle ratio were optimized in this study. The results indicated that the optimized denitrifying phosphorus removal efficiency was achieved under the conditions of organic loading rate of 2.0 kg·(m3·d)-1 in ABR, total hydraulic retention time (HRT) of ABR-MBR at 9 h, the SRT at 15 d, sludge reflux ratio of 100%, and nitrate recycling ratios set to 300%. The average removal rates of TN and soluble PO43--P were 84% and 94%, the amount of phosphorus removed by denitrifying accounted for 87% of the total phosphorus removed, and the average effluent concentration for TN and soluble phosphorus were 12.98 mg·L-1 and 0.43 mg·L-1 respectively.

Therapeutic effect of Cryptotanshinone on collagen-induced arthritis in rats via inhibiting nuclear factor kappa B signaling pathway.

The discovery of new therapeutic drugs with the ability of preventing inflammation and joint destruction with less adverse effects is extremely urgent for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Cryptotanshinone (CTS), an active component isolated from the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, has been reported to have antibacterial and antitumor effects. However, its effects on RA have not been clearly elucidated. Here, we investigated the therapeutic effect of CTS on type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in rats and explored the underlying mechanisms. Our results revealed that CTS treatment efficaciously ameliorated inflammation and joint destruction of rats with CIA. Both in vivo and in vitro studies showed that CTS suppressed the production of proinflammatory cytokines including interleukin 1ß, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin 17α production and downregulated the production and activity of matrix metalloproteinase 9. By receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) ligand-induced bone marrow macrophages, we observed that CTS could inhibit osteoclast differentiation, which is critic for joint destruction. Further studies on inflammatory signaling revealed that CTS could inhibit the degradation of inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB) α in vivo and in vitro, prevent the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 induced by lipopolysaccharide in a time- and dose-dependent manner. By electrophoretic mobility shift assay and luciferase reporter assay, we found that CTS distinctively inhibited the NF-κB DNA binding activity and NF-κB-dependent luciferase activity. These results indicate that the therapeutic effect of CTS on CIA is accomplished mainly through the inhibition of NF-κB signaling. Our findings provide the evidence to develop CTS as a potential therapeutic agent for patients with RA.

Cryptotanshinone inhibits human glioma cell proliferation by suppressing STAT3 signaling.

Malignant gliomas (MGs) are among the most aggressive types of cancers in the human brain. Frequent tumor recurrence caused by a lack of effective therapeutic approaches results in a poor prognosis. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), an oncogenic protein, is constitutively activated in MGs and predicts a poor clinical outcome. STAT3 therefore is considered to be a promising target for the treatment of MGs. Cryptotanshinone (CTS), the main bioactive compound from the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, has been reported to have various pharmacological effects. However, little is known about its function in MG cells. In this study, we evaluated the effect of CTS on the proliferation of human glioma cell lines (T98G and U87). Our results revealed that CTS significantly suppresses glioma cell proliferation. The phosphorylation of STAT3 Tyr705, but not Ser727, was inhibited by CTS, and STAT3 nuclear translocation was attenuated. Overexpression of constitutively active mutant STAT3C reversed the inhibitory effect of CTS, while knockdown STAT3 showed a similar inhibitory effect as CTS treatment. Following the downregulation of STAT3-regulated proteins cyclinD1 and survivin, cell cycle progression significantly arrested in G1/G0 phase. These results indicate that CTS may be a potential antiproliferation agent for the treatment of MGs and that its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of STAT3 signaling.

Effect of Chinese herbal compound on liver fibrosis in rabbits with schistosomiasis by B-ultrasound

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the value of B-ultrasound on the evaluation of the effects of traditional Chinese medicine compound of Radix astragali, Salvia miltiorrhiza and Angelica sinensis, and TCM + praziquantel on liver fibrosis in rabbits with schistosomiasis.@*METHODS@#The hepatic fibrosis model in rabbits with schistosomiasis was established. The experimental animals (24 rabbits) were randomly divided into four groups (group A, B, C and D, n=6). Group A (control group) was only treated by praziquantel; Group B was treated by mixture of Radix astragali and Salvia miltiorrhiza + praziquantel; Group C was treated by mixture of Radix astragali and Angelica sinensis + praziquantel; Group D was treated by mixture of Radix astragali, Salvia miltiorrhiza and Angelica sinensis + praziquantel. Then B-ultrasonogram was used to evaluate the effects.@*RESULTS@#Each group showed certain curative effect on liver fibrosis in rabbits with schistosomiasis. The efficacy of group B, C and D was better than group A, and that of group D was the best. The differences in long diameter, thickness diameter, transverse diameter and portal vein inner diameter of liver before and after treatment were statistically significant (P<0.05). The liver function indexes and liver fibrosis indexes were significantly improved after treatment (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The mixture of Radix astragali, Salvia miltiorrhiza and Angelica sinensis combined with Western medicine treatment can obviously improve the efficacy on liver fibrosis of schistosomiasis.

Enhancing effect of compound Kusheng injection in combination with chemotherapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the enhancing effect of compound Kusheg injection in chemotherapy for patients with stage III and IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 286 patients with advanced NSCLC were enrolled in this study. The patients were treated with either compound Kusheng injection in combination with NP (NVB + CBP) chemotherapy (vinorelbine and carboplatin, n = 144), or with NP (NVB + CBP) chemotherapy alone (n = 142). The chemotherapy was performed for 4 cycles of 3 weeks, and the therapeutic efficacy was evaluated every 2 weeks. The following indicators were observed: levels of Hb, WBC, PLT and T cell subpopulations in blood, serum IgG level, short-term efficacy, adverse effects and quality of life.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The gastrointestinal reactions and the myelosuppression in the combination chemotherapy group were alleviated as compared with the chemotherapy alone group, showing a significant difference (P < 0.05). CD(8)(+) cells were markedly declined in the combination chemotherapy group, and the CD(4)(+)/CD(8)(+) ratio showed an elevation trend in the chemotherapy alone group. The KPS scores and serum IgM and IgG levels were higher in the combination chemotherapy group than those in the chemotherapy alone group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05). The serum lgA levels were not significantly different in the two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The compound Kusheng injection plus NP chemotherapy regimen shows better therapeutic effect, reduces adverse effects of chemotherapy and improves the quality of life in patients with stage III and IV NSCLC.</p>

[Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization with high-dose iodized oil for hepatic VX2 tumor in rabbits].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with high-dose iodized oil on hepatic tumor growth and metastasis in rabbits. METHODS: Forty-eight rabbits with implanted VX2 tumor were randomly divided into control group, routine dose iodized oil TACE group and high-dose iodized oil TACE group to receive perfusion through the hepatic artery with 0.9% saline, 5 mg adriamycin with routine-dose iodized oil, and 5 mg adriamycin with high-dose iodized oil, respectively. The tumor volume, tumor necrosis, intrahepatic and lung metastasis were examined 2 weeks after TACE. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in the tumor volume between the 3 groups before TACE (P>0.05). The rabbits receiving TACE with iodized oil, especially at the high dose, showed significantly reduced tumor volume as compared with the control group (P<0.01). TACE with high-dose iodized oil resulted in significantly increased tumor necrosis rate in comparison with the control group and TACE with a routine dose of iodized oil (P<0.05); high-dose iodized oil TACE was also associated with reduced intrahepatic and lung metastasis as compared routine dose iodized oil TACE (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: TACE with high-dose iodized oil can obviously inhibit the growth and intrahepatic and lung metastasis of transplanted VX2 liver tumor in rabbits .

A reformed SBR technology integrated with two-step feeding and low-intensity aeration for swine wastewater treatment.

Wastewater from animal farms in China is threatening the quality and security of the local water environment. A traditional sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and a reformed SBR integrated with two-step feeding and low-intensity aeration at laboratory scale were investigated in this study for biological removal of nutrients and organic matter from swine wastewater. A low efficiency and poor stability were found under the traditional SBR, and the reduction of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) reached 89.1, 86.0 and 93.9%, respectively. When the wastewater was treated with the reformed SBR under the running cycle of anaerobic/anoxic-anaerobic/anoxic process, the reductions in TN, TP, and BOD5 reached a maximum of 94.0, 99.3 and 99.9%, respectively. The curves of oxidation reduction potential (ORP) and nutrients over time during operation of the reformed SBR could reflect the activity of denitrifying phosphorus-accumulating organisms (DNPAOs).

Efficacy and safety of tarcrolimus cream 0.1% in the treatment of vitiligo.

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is an acquired, pigmentary skin disorder which is disfiguring and difficult to treat. Phototherapy and application of topical corticosteroids are most commonly prescribed. However, these therapies are often not effective and use of corticosteroids on the face may lead to cutaneous atrophy, telangiectasia, and ocular complications. OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess the efficacy of topical tacrolimus ointment in the treatment of vitiligo. METHODS: A prospective pilot study was performed of 30 patients with vitiligo. Patients were treated with tacrolimus ointment for at least 4 months. Clinical responses were documented during clinic visits, and by pretacrolimus and post-tacrolimus photography. RESULTS: Twenty-five (83.3%) patients showed some repigmentation at the end of 4 months. Patients with vitiligo for more than 5 years also responded well to tacrolimus ointment. Repigmentation in active vitiligo was superior to that in stable vitiligo. 80% of patients with segmental vitiligo of the head and neck showed some response to tacrolimus, but there was no statistical significance between segmental and vulgaris vitiligo. The mean percentage of repigmentation on the head and neck was greater than that on the trunk and extremities. Four patients initially experienced burning on application. CONCLUSIONS: Topical tacrolimus ointment is an effective and well-tolerated alternative therapy for vitiligo especially involving the head and neck.