Ozone therapy for high-grade glioma: an overview.

High-grade gliomas (grades III and IV) are highly malignant and aggressive brain tumors that present significant treatment challenges. Despite advances in surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, the prognosis for patients with glioma remains poor, with a median overall survival (mOS) range of 9-12 months. Therefore, exploring new and effective therapeutic strategies to improve glioma prognosis is of utmost importance and ozone therapy is a viable option. Ozone therapy has been used in various cancers, such as colon, breast, and lung, yielding significant results in preclinical studies and clinical trials. Only a few studies have been conducted on gliomas. Furthermore, since the metabolism of brain cells involves aerobic glycolysis, ozone therapy may improve the oxygen condition and enhance glioma radiation treatment. However, understanding the correct ozone dosage and optimal time of administration remains challenging. Herein, we hypothesize that ozone therapy should be more effective in gliomas compared with other tumors. This study provides an overview of the use of ozone therapy in high-grade glioma, including mechanisms of action, preclinical data, and clinical evidence.

Progress of research on effect and mechanism of Scutellariae Radix on preventing liver diseases / 中国中药杂志

Scutellariae Radix is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, which has the functions of heat-clearing and damp-drying, purging fire and detoxifying, hemostasis and miscarriage prevention. Modern pharmacological studies show that Scutellariae Radix has various effects, such as anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory, liver protection and antiviral microorganisms. By searching the documents in the past ten years, the author has found that Scutellariae Radix and its active components play an important role in protecting the liver. It can prevent and cure liver injuries caused by different reasons, including acute or chronic hepatitis, liver fibrosis and liver cancer. Among all kinds(chemical, immunological, alcoholic, nonalcoholic, viral, ischemia-reperfusion, etc.) of acute or chronic hepatitis, most studies are on CCl_4 induced chemical liver injury. Scutellariae Radix and its active components can significantly reduce the serum transaminase level in hepatitis animals, and reduce the degree of liver pathological damage. The mechanisms include antioxidant stress, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis, inhibition of immunity, anti-virus and regulation of lipid metabolism, etc. Scutellariae Radix and its active components can significantly inhibit the activation of hepatic stellate cells and reduce extracellular matrix, and its anti-fibrosis mechanism involves antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, inducing apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells and so on. Whether in vivo or in vitro, Scutellariae Radix and its active components show a good anti-hepatocarcinoma effect, especially on hepatocarcinoma. Its prevention and treatment mechanisms for hepatocarcinoma mainly include blocking cancer cell cycle, inhibiting cancer cell metastasis, promoting cancer cell apoptosis and inducing autophagy. It can be seen that Scutellariae Radix has multiple functions and mechanisms in liver protection, and has a great development potential. Therefore, this paper reviews the prevention and treatment effects and mechanism of Scutellariae Radix and its components on different liver diseases, in order to provide reference for in-depth study, development and clinical application in the prevention and treatment of liver disease.

Clinical observation on the treatment of post-cesarean hypogalactia by auricular points sticking-pressing / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of auricular points sticking-pressing (APSP) in treating post-cesarean hypogalactia (PCH).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A randomized, controlled, single-blinded clinical trial on 116 patients with PCH was carried out. They were equally assigned to the treatment group and the control group. The treatment group received APSP, with the pellets pressed for 4 times daily, while the control group was only asked to do lactation to meet infant demand. The therapeutic efficacy and the changes in scores of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome, volume of milk secretion, supplementary feeding and serum level of prolactin (PRL) in the two groups were estimated and compared after the patients had been treated for 5 days.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The cured and markedly effective rate in the treatment group was 89.7%, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (27.6%, P<0.05), 95% CI (0.1543, 0.2527). The improvement of TCM syndrome, elevation of milking volume, decrease of the supplementary feeding and increase of PRL level revealed in the treatment group were all superior to those in the control group, showing statistical significance (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>APSP shows an apparent efficacy in treating PCH and is worthy of application in clinical practice.</p>

Clinical observation on integrative Chinese and Western medicine in treating nontumorous vulval intraepithelial lesion / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the clinical effect of integrative Chinese and Western medicine in treating nontumorous vulval intraepithelial lesion (NIEL).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred patients of NIEL, with their diagnosis confirmed by pathologic examination, were equally assigned to two groups randomly, the treatment group and the control group. The treatment group was treated by Chinese recipe consisting of herbs for nourishing Gan-Shen, it was decocted for 3 times, the foregoing two decoctions for oral intake, and the latter one (500 mL) for hip bathing 5-10 min every night before sleep. Besides, the self-formulated preparation Jingan oil (composed of aureomycin and glycerine, etc. ), was locally applied twice every day. The control group was treated only by local applying of Jingan oil and a 5-10 min hip bathing with warm water every night. The course for both groups was 2 months. Efficacy of the treatment was assessed at the end of the therapeutic course and after a 2-month follow-up, depending on the changes of local lesion degree, vulval symptoms as pain and itching, estrogen and progestin receptors in the lesion, and the scores of symptoms.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total clinical effective rate was 94% (47/50) in the treatment group and 66% (33/50) in the control group. The severity of local lesion degree, symptoms of pain and itching and the scores of symptoms were significantly improved in both groups, as compared with those before treatment (all P <0.01). However, comparison between groups showed that the improvement was better in the treatment group. The positive rates of estrogen and progestin receptors in the local lesions of the two groups showed insignificantly statistical difference.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The integrative medical treatment can effectively alleviate the NIEL and improve the relevant clinical symptoms.</p>

Changes in plasticity of rat hypothalamic neurons and astrocytes in humid and hot environment / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the changes in the plasticity of the neurons and astrocytes in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON) of the hypothalamus of rats exposed to a humid and hot environment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The rats were subjected to stimulation with a humid and hot environment for 120 min in a climate chamber (dry bulb temperature of 40.0-/+0.5 degrees C with relative humidity of 60-/+5%). During the exposure, the behavioral responses of the rats were observed, and the changes in the expressions of Fos and GFAP in the PVN and SON in response to the exposure evaluated using immunohistochemical ABC methods.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Exposure to a humid and hot environment caused restlessness and agitation in the rats, which showed increased respiratory frequency and scratching of the face with the forelimbs. Two rats died after the 120-min exposure. Significantly increased expressions of Fos and GFAP were detected in the PVN and SON following the exposure as compared with the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The neurons and astrocytes in the PVN and SON both participate in the regulation of responses to exposure to a humid and hot environment.</p>

Hypertonic stimulation induces synthesis and release of glutamate in cultured rat hypothalamic astrocytes and C6 cells / 神经科学通报·英文版

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate whether hypertonic saline (HS) can induce the synthesis and release of glutamate in cultured hypothalamic astrocytes or C6 cell line.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Astrocytes were isolated, cultured, purified and identified from the hypothalamus of newborn rat (1 day). The astrocytes were randomly divided into five groups: isotonic (IS) and HS groups, astrocytes were incubated by IS and HS (320 mosM NaCl) medium, respectively, for 1, 3, 5, 10 or 15 min; carbenoxolone (CBX)+IS and CBX+HS groups, astrocytes were pre-treated with CBX (100 mmol/L) for 1 h at 37 degrees C in a 5% CO(2) / 95% atmosphere, then removed to IS and HS medium, respectively, for 1, 3, 5, 10 or 15 min; Ca(2+)+HS group, astrocytes were pre-incubated with Ca Ca(2+) (1,000 micromol/L) for 1 h at 37 degrees C in a 5% CO(2) / 95% atmosphere, followed by a wash with isotonic FBS/DMEM, and then removed to hypertonic saline for 1, 3, 5, 10 or 15 min. The media of five groups were collected to analyze the medium glutamate concentration with high performance liquid chromatography. The astrocytes were fixed and double immunofluorescent stained with anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and anti-glutamate. The C6 cells were divided into four groups: IS, HS, CBX+IS and CBX+HS groups, and used for quantitative measurement of glutamate in cells by flow cytometry (FCM).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) Anti-GFAP immunofluorescent signal revealed no significant difference among various time points in each group, or among the five groups. (2) The anti-glutamate immunofluorescent signal was increased in HS group and peaked at 5 min, and decreased and returned to the level of IS group at 15 min (P < 0.01 vs the 5 min of HS group). In CBX+HS group, the glutamate intensity was higher than that in CBX+IS and HS groups. (3) The medium glutamate concentration had no change after treatment with HS for 1 and 3 min, while increased markedly after treatment for 5 min to 15 min (P< 0.01 vs 1 min and 3 min). On the contrary, the medium glutamate concentrations in the CBX+HS or Ca(2+)+HS group were significant lower than that in the HS group (P < 0.01). (4) FCM showed HS and CBX+HS induced glutamate increase in C6 cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HS induced cultured rat hypothalamic astrocytes or C6 cells to synthesize and release glutamate; CBX could block glutamate release, but could not disrupt glutamate synthesis.</p>