Efficacy and safety of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy for the treatment of ulcerative squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Photodynamic therapy is a nonsurgical alternative to conventional tumor excision for squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, photodynamic therapy has many advantages in improving wound healing, especially for diabetic foot lesions and infected ulcers. However, the effect of photodynamic therapy on ulcerative squamous cell carcinoma is not yet clear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy in treating squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS: A total of six cases of ulcerative squamous cell carcinoma were included in our study. Each ulcer region was irradiated with 120 J/cm2 using a 635-nm red light-emitting diode after application of 5-aminolevulinic acid solution at 1-week intervals. The number of treatment sessions depended on the healing of the lesions. RESULTS: The ulcerative lesions showed complete clinical remission with an average 3.7 photodynamic therapy sessions. There was no recurrence during a follow-up of 8.5 months (range, 3 months to 1 year). The patients were able to complete the treatment protocol with good cosmetic results and no significant complications. In addition, most patients reported significant improvement in their quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Photodynamic therapy is a promising method for treating ulcerative squamous cell carcinoma. However, its effects need to be validated in larger patient samples in clinical trials.

Establishment of thrombin affinity column (TAC)-HPLC-MS/MS method for screening direct thrombin inhibitors from Radix Salviae Miltiorrhiae.

In order to develop an affinity HPLC method for screening direct thrombin inhibitors from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), thrombin was immobilized on the glutaraldehyde-modified amino silica gel and was used as thrombin stationary phase. A thrombin affinity column (TAC) was made by packing the thrombin stationary phase into a bare column (2.0 * 1.0 mm, i.d.). The direct thrombin inhibitors could be screened through this TAC column. For the purpose of improvement of the discovery efficiency, a TAC-HPLC-MS/MS system was used to screen thrombin inhibitors from Radix Salviae Miltiorrhiae (RSM), a famous traditional Chinese medicine. After optimization of all the conditions, cryptotanshinone (Cry), dihydrotanshinone I (Dih-I) and tanshinone IIA (Tan-IIA) were screened out and identified as potential active components. The anticoagulant effects of these three compounds were tested by anticoagulant experiments in vitro. Furthermore, the interaction of three compounds with thrombin was studied by molecular docking. The result shows they have the potential to be used as preventive drugs. In short, this method can be used to screen anticoagulant drugs from traditional Chinese medicine, which provides convenience for screening anticoagulant drugs.

Ecological stoichiometry of nitrogen and phosphorus in Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) during the explosive growth period of new emergent shoots.

The ecological stoichiometry of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) during the "explosive growth period" (EGP) remains unknown. In a previous study, we showed that the carbon (C) required by shoots during the EGP is derived from attached mature bamboos. In this study, we attempted to answer the following two questions: (1) Is the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) required by shoots during the EGP also derived from attached mature bamboos? (2) Is the ecological stoichiometry of Moso bamboo during the EGP consistent with the growth rate hypothesis (GRH)? We simultaneously investigated changes in the N and P concentrations and N:P ratios of shoots (young bamboos) and attached mature bamboo over an 11-month period. During the EGP of Moso bamboo shoots (April 15-May 29), N and P concentrations in the shoots declined markedly because of the dilution of biomass and the transport to the germinated leaves and branches, and the N:P ratio remained at a low level. The significant correlations between relative height and biomass growth rates and the concentrations of N and P and N:P ratios during the EGP were consistent with the GRH. To meet the needs of "explosive growth," N was presumed to be transferred from the branches and rhizomes of attached mature bamboos to the shoots via underground rhizomes, while P likely came from mature bamboo leaves and branches. After the emergence of the branches and leaves of young bamboo: (1) the N concentration of the new leaves initially decreased and then increased, (2) P concentration exhibited a marked decrease, (3) and N:P ratio gradually increased. Our findings regarding the N:P ratio of shoots (young bamboos) during the EGP are consistent with the GRH, and we surmise that mature bamboo supplies N and P to attached young shoots via underground rhizomes.

Development and evaluation of in murine model, of an improved live-vaccine candidate against brucellosis from to Brucella melitensis vjbR deletion mutant.

Brucellosis is an infectious disease that brings enormous economic burdens for developing countries. The Brucella melitensis (B. melitensis) M5-90 vaccine strain (M5-90) has been used on a large scale in China, but may cause abortions if given to pregnant goats or sheep subcutaneously during the late stages of gestation. Moreover, the vaccine M5-90 cannot differentiate natural from vaccinated infection. Therefore, a safer and more potent M5-90 vaccine is required. In this study, a vjbR mutant of M5-90 (M5-90ΔvjbR) was constructed and overcame these drawbacks. M5-90ΔvjbR strain showed reduced survival capability in murine macrophages (RAW 264.7) and BALB/c mice and induced high protective immunity in mice. In addition, M5-90ΔvjbR induced an anti-Brucella-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) response and stimulated the expression of gamma interferon (INF-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in vaccinated mice. Furthermore, M5-90ΔvjbR induced IgG response and stimulated the secretion of IFN-γ and IL-4 in immunized sheep. Moreover, the VjbR antigen allowed serological differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals. These results suggest that M5-90ΔvjbR is an ideal live attenuated and efficacious live vaccine candidate against B. melitensis 16 M infection.

Development of Amino Acid-Based Radiopharmaceuticals for Tumor Imaging.

Amino acids (AAs) are important nutrients for proliferating tumor cells, and amino acid transport is generally increased in many malignant tumor cells. So far, as a complementary category to 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([18F]FDG), radiolabeled amino acids that target the upregulated level of amino acid transport have been successfully employed for tumor imaging for decades, thanks to their better differentiation between tumor lesions and inflammation. This review summarizes the development of various radiolabeled amino acid analogues for tumor imaging with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) and introduces the basic data related to this area, such as the biological basis, chemical structure, radiolabeling, preclinical evaluation and clinical application. In addition, current status and future prospects of this class of imaging agents are discussed in this review.

Tubomanometry value as an associated factor for medication outcomes in adult acute otitis media with effusion.

Tubomanometry (TMM) is a relatively novel method for testing the eustachian tube (ET) function, which is speculated to be closely related to otitis media with effusion (OME). The purpose of this study is to explore the predictive power of TMM value for medication outcomes in adult acute OME. A cohort of 41 adult acute OME patients with 53 affected ears was studied retrospectively. All these patients completed a 2-week treatment including oral Myrtol Standardized Enteric capsules, nasal steroid, and oral antihistamine. The results showed that the response rate was 41.5% (22/53). The ratio of tympanometry C and TMM value differed significantly between responders and non-responders (P < 0.05), and the TMM value is the only predictive variable for treatment outcomes (P < 0.001, odds ratio 1.873). A ROC analysis of the TMM value for the treatment outcome showed that the area under the curve could achieve 0.773 (P < 0.001), while the optimal cutoff value calculated by Youden index was 1.5, with 72.7% sensitivity and 74.2% specificity. The response rate of ears with 2-6 TMM values could reach 66.7% (16/24), which was significantly higher than that of ears with TMM values 0-1, 20.7% (6/29) (P < 0.001). These findings showed that acute OME patients with a high TMM value and tympanometry C of the affected ear could potentially benefit from medication. The TMM value was an independent predictive factor of the treatment outcomes that could guide treatment decisions.