Toxic Animal-Based Medicinal Materials Can Be Effective in Treating Endometriosis: A Scoping Review.

Animal toxins and venoms have recently been developed as cancer treatments possessing tumor cell growth-inhibitory, antiangiogenesis, and proapoptotic effects. Endometriosis is a common benign gynecological disorder in reproductive-age women, and no definite treatment for this disorder is without severe side effects. As endometriosis and malignant tumors share similar characteristics (progressive, invasive, estrogen-dependent growth, and recurrence), animal toxins and venoms are thought to be effective against endometriosis. The objective of this study was to outline studies using toxic animal-based medicinal materials (TMM) as endometriosis treatment and to explore its clinical applicability. Preclinical and clinical studies using TMM were searched for in four databases from inception to October 2020. A total of 20 studies of TMM on endometriosis were included. In eight clinical studies, herbal medicines containing TMM were effective in relieving symptoms of endometriosis, with no side effects. In twelve experimental studies, the main therapeutic mechanisms of TMM against endometriosis were proapoptotic, antiangiogenesis, estrogen level-reducing, and possible anti-inflammatory effects. TMM are thus considered promising sources for the development of an effective treatment method for endometriosis. Further studies are needed to clarify the therapeutic mechanism of TMM against endometriosis and to provide sufficient grounds for clinical application.

Arrhythmogenic foods - A growing medical problem.

Arrhythmogenic ingredients in our diet such as mushrooms, licorice, toxic honey, liquid protein drinks, etc. have long been recognized as rare but important considerations in the differential diagnosis of arrhythmias. Anecdotal reports of torsades de pointes (TdP), arrhythmias and/or sudden death and small studies in normal subjects have suggested that simple ingredients such as grapefruit juice or ingredients in energy drinks marketed as dietary supplements could have direct arrhythmogenic actions, especially in patients with congenital long QT syndrome (cLQTS). Two recent studies that employed the industry-standard "thorough QT" trial design leave no doubt that grapefruit juice and some energy drinks can prolong the QTc interval and to exceed 500 msec. in some patients with cLQTS, a threshold known to signal imminent danger. These reports raise numerous clinically important questions such as which other patients may be at risk of arrhythmias. For example, patients with multiple clinical risk factors for TdP (hypokalemia, bradycardia, female sex, etc.) may be at risk from these and possibly other dietary ingredients ingested by millions of people each day. It is essential that further research evaluate the safety of these and similar food products and that vulnerable patients, especially those with cLQTS, be warned of this serious and emerging threat.

Protective effects of green tea and its main constituents against natural and chemical toxins: A comprehensive review.

Toxins are natural or chemical poisonous substances with severe side effects on health. Humans are generally exposed by widespread toxic contaminations via air, soil, water, food, fruits and vegetables. Determining a critical antidote agent with extensive effects on different toxins is an ultimate goal for all toxicologists. Traditional medicine is currently perceived as a safe and natural approach against toxins. In this regard, we focused on the protective effects of green tea (Camellia sinensis) and its main components such as catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin and epigallocatechin gallate as a principal source of antioxidants against both natural and chemical toxins. This literate review demonstrates that protective effects of green tea and its constituents were mainly attributed to their anti-oxidative, radical scavenging, chelating, anti-apoptotic properties and modulating inflammatory responses. Although, some studies reveal they have protective effects by increasing toxin metabolism and neutralizing PLA2, proteases, hyaluronidase and l-amino acid oxidase enzymes.

Homeopathic mistletoe adverse reaction mimics nodal involvement in 18F-FDG PET/CT performed for evaluation of response to chemotherapy in lymphoma.

Some patients use complementary medicine. We present a patient with Hodgkin's lymphoma, scanned with 18F-FDG PET/CT for evaluation of response after chemotherapy, who was self-administering mistletoe as a homeopathic medicine product. The careful review of the images of the entire scan and patient collaboration in anamnesis were crucial to avoid a false positive result. A review of the published scientific data on the effects of mistletoe is also presented.

Dose-finding design using mixed-effect proportional odds model for longitudinal graded toxicity data in phase I oncology clinical trials.

Phase I oncology clinical trials are designed to identify the optimal dose that will be recommended for phase II trials. This dose is typically defined as the dose associated with a certain probability of severe toxicity during the first cycle of treatment, although toxicity is repeatedly measured over cycles on an ordinal scale. We propose a new adaptive dose-finding design using longitudinal measurements of ordinal toxic adverse events, with proportional odds mixed-effect models. Likelihood-based inference is implemented. The optimal dose is then the dose producing a target rate of severe toxicity per cycle. This model can also be used to identify cumulative or late toxicities. The performances of this approach were compared with those of the continual reassessment method in a simulation study. Operating characteristics were evaluated in terms of correct identification of the target dose, distribution of the doses allocated and power to detect trends in the risk of toxicities over time. This approach was also used to reanalyse data from a phase I oncology trial. Use of a proportional odds mixed-effect model appears to be feasible in phase I dose-finding trials, increases the ability of selecting the correct dose and provides a tool to detect cumulative effects.

Inhibition of lysenin-induced hemolysis by all-E-lutein derived from the plant Dalbergia latifolia.

Lysenin is a pore-forming toxin derived from coelomic fluid of the earthworm Eisenia foetida. The model of lysenin-induced hemolysis includes the specific binding of lysenin to sphingomyelin, oligomerization of the pore proteins, and pore formation. Although the mechanism of lysenin-induced hemolysis is unique, its precise mechanism of action and its inhibitors are poorly understood. In the present study, we screened for inhibitors of lysenin-induced hemolysis by using an optimized screening system and found a methanolic extract of Dalbergia latifolia leaves to be a potential candidate. After isolation and identification, all-E-lutein was identified as the hemolysis inhibitor with an effective dose of 0.025-2.5 ng/mL without any toxicity. The inhibition by all-E-lutein is likely to occur during the receptor binding and/or pore-forming protein oligomerization.

Diagnosis and management of environmental thoracic emergencies.

Physiologic sequelae from increasing ambient pressure in underwater activities, decreasing ambient pressure while at altitude, or the consequences of drowning present a unique set of challenges to emergency physicians. In addition, several environmental toxins cause significant respiratory morbidity, whether they be pulmonary irritants, simple asphyxiants, or systemic toxins. It is important for emergency physicians to understand the pathophysiology of these illnesses as well as to apply this knowledge to the clinical arena either in the prehospital setting or in the emergency department. Current treatment paradigms and controversies within these regimens are discussed.

Clinical significance of inflammation factors in acute coronary syndrome from pathogenic toxin.

The inflammation factors and roles of them in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were explored. The similarity between the theory of pathogenic toxin in Chinese Medicine and the inflammation response theory in ACS was discussed. The exploration of new inflammatory factors may be helpful for Chinese Medicine in the research of ACS.

The effects of infrared low-level laser therapy on healing of partial osteotomy of tibia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVE: The effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on a bone defect model in streptozotocin-induced diabetic (STZ-D) rats was examined. BACKGROUND DATA: LLLT accelerates bone fracture repair in healthy animals, but its effect in diabetic animals is unclear. METHODS: Twenty-eight rats were divided into five groups: 1 (diabetes, no LLLT), 2 (diabetes, LLLT high dose), 3 (diabetes, LLLT low dose), 4 (no diabetes, no LLLT), and 5 (no diabetes, LLLT low dose) Diabetes was induced by a single injection of STZ in rats of groups 1, 2, and 3. A bone defect was made in the right tibia of rats in all groups. The defect in groups 2, 3, and 5 was treated with LLLT (890 nm, 70 W, 3000 Hz, circular beam shape, and 1 cm(2) spot size). Doses of 23.3 J/cm(2) (530 s) for group 2 and 11.6 J/cm(2) (265 s) for groups 3 and 5 were applied three times a week. The right tibias were collected 42 days after surgery and subjected to three-point bending test on a material testing machine (MTM) until fracture occurred. Data was automatically recorded on the MTM formed the load-deformation curve. RESULTS: Mann-Whitney test showed that LLLT with 11.6 J/cm(2) significantly increased bending stiffness and maximum force in diabetic rats compared with group 1 (both p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: LLLT in an experimental diabetic model enhanced bone repair with a higher bending stiffness and maximum force compared to the control group.

Non-drug-induced nephrotoxicity.

Several drugs and other compounds can induce acute and/or chronic nephrotoxicity. The goal of this study was to review clinical features of nephrotoxicity induced by 'atypical' or 'unconventional' agents, such as environmental agents (metals, minerals, animals), food agents (mushrooms, aristolochic acid, medicinal traditional herbals, dietary supplements, melamine), drugs, and other products (ethylene glycol). Nephrotoxicity varies according to local background, dependent on different food and cultural customs, as well as to differences in local fauna and flora. The incidence of such a phenomenon is not well known. Many different pathophysiological pathways are involved, and the spectrum of renal lesions is rather wide. 'Epidemic nephrotoxicity' may occur, as recently illustrated by the melamine epidemics in Chinese infants receiving powdered milk formulas; a rapid reaction to unusual increased frequency of acute kidney injury and nephrolithiasis in young children has led to a rapid analysis from international experts, with subsequent recommendations for diagnosis and care. Nephrotoxicity should be considered when there is any unexplained renal impairment, especially in children.

Phase I trial of r viscumin (INN: aviscumine) given subcutaneously in patients with advanced cancer: a study of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC protocol number 13001).

Safety of aviscumine by subcutaneous route was assessed in patients with advanced cancer refractory to chemotherapy. Patients with progressive disease received escalating doses twice weekly. Treatment of the accrued 26 patients (10 colorectal cancer (CRC), 6 soft tissue sarcoma (STS), 5 melanoma (MM), 5 others) was well tolerated without substance-related grade 3 or 4 toxicities. Grade 1/2 toxicities were predominantly injection site reactions. Aviscumine lacked dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) up to a maximal dose of 10 ng/kg. An increase of interleukin-1 beta and interferon-gamma from baseline was seen in the patient's plasma between the 1st and 11th injection. Highest release of both cytokines was in the dose range of 4-5.9 ng/kg. Interferon-gamma was not detected after doses higher than 6 ng/kg. Eight patients (5 CRC, 1 MM, 1 STS, 1 RCC) had disease stabilisation for 79-250 days (median122 days) associated with an increase of interleukin (IL)-1 beta and interferon (IFN)-gamma. Aviscumine was well tolerated and appeared to possess clinical activity at a biologically active dose between 4 and 6 ng/kg.

Using the continual reassessment method: lessons learned from an EORTC phase I dose finding study.

Many clinicians often do not feel comfortable with the Continual Reassessment Method (CRM). This article reviews its implementation, showing the characteristics, advantages and limitations of this method in Phase I studies as an alternative to the classical 'Fibonacci' escalation schema. A two center, dose escalation phase I study of rViscumin was carried out. Thirty-seven patients were included at 14 different dose-levels (10 to 6400 ng/kg). The complete clinical results are presented elsewhere. A 2-step CRM design enables one to speed-up the study and most importantly to obtain an accurate estimate of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). Different management issues related to a multicenter study are illustrated and we show how the method can go wrong when severe toxicity, or dose limiting toxicity (DLT), is not considered by the clinician as being sufficient to limit dose escalation (here a grade 3 asthenia related to the drug). This would have affected any dose finding methods. We believe that CRM is a good alternative to the standard method from both a statistical and a practical point of view but further methodological research is necessary to address the issues related to the composite nature of the endpoint.

[Influence of ML-1 standardized mistletoe extract on the quality of life in head and neck cancer patients]. / Einfluss eines ML-1-normierten Mistelextraktes auf die Lebensqualität bei Patienten mit Kopf-Hals-Karzinomen.

BACKGROUND: ML-1 standardized mistletoe extracts have been recommended for increasing the health-related quality of life in cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The EORTC questionnaire QLQ-C30((V2)) was given to a randomly chosen subgroup of 399 patients of a prospective, randomized, open, multi-center trial. A total of 200 patients from this trial were randomized for ML-1 treatment (1 ng/kg body weight ML-1 was injected subcutaneously twice weekly over a 60-week period. Treatment cycles of 12 weeks were followed by a break of 4 weeks (between weeks 12-16, 28-32, and 44-48)). The remaining 199 patients formed the control group. RESULTS: Patients completed questionnaires before the start of their treatments at week 0 and continued until week 156. The compliance rate was high: 3611 questionnaires were available, which equals a median of nine longitudinal measurements per patient between weeks 0 and 156. Analysis did not indicate any improvement in the quality of life for either group. A significant decrease in quality of life, however, was seen in patients undergoing radiotherapy. In these patients, the global state of health was reduced and four symptom scales were significantly worse. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated no improvement in the quality of life in head and neck cancer patients when treated with ML-1 extract.

Suppression of growth of tumour cell lines in vitro and tumours in vivo by mistletoe lectins.

A variety of studies have shown that incubation of different tumour cell lines with mistletoe lectins (MLs) in vitro has a marked cytotoxic effect. In the concentration range of low cytotoxicity cell death induced by ML-I is quantitatively due to apoptotic processes. The first events observed being membrane perforation and protusions. Simultaneous treatment of certain tumour cells with MLs rendered them more sensitive to induction of apoptosis by TNFalpha. The immunomodulatory activity of ML-I was investigated by measuring cytokine release and the results confirmed that cytokine induction by the lectin is regulated at the transcriptional level. ML-I has been shown to potentiate the effect of chemotherapeutic drugs. In addition to an in vitro effect a number of workers have demonstrated that MLs suppress tumour growth in vivo. Mistletoe lectins have been administered to animals locally to the tumour, systemic, subcutaneously or by the oral route via the diet. In many cases apoptosis was observed in the tumour and instances where complete tumour ablation has occurred have been reported. It has been hypothesized that the anticancer efficacy of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) is potentiated by MLs isolated from both European and Korean mistletoe. There is accumulating evidence that both types of MLs are able to induce an anti-angiogenic response in the host suggesting that the anti-metastatic effect observed on a series of tumour cell lines in mice is in part due to an inhibition of tumour-induced angiogenesis and in part due to an induction of apoptosis.

Weekly 24 h infusion of aviscumine (rViscumin): a phase I study in patients with solid tumours.

Aviscumine is a ribosome-inactivating protein with potent antitumour activity in vitro and in vivo and is an Escherichia coli-derived recombinant counterpart of natural mistletoe lectin-I. The current study was performed to determine the safety profile, dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of a prolonged infusion of aviscumine in cancer patients. Aviscumine was given once weekly as a 24 h central intravenous infusion in patients with advanced, refractory progressive solid malignant tumours. Fourteen fully eligible patients (11 male, 3 female) with a median age 58 yrs (range 41-77) were enrolled. They had histologically verified disease, were 18 yrs old, had an ECOG PS 2 and adequate bone marrow, liver and renal function. DLT was defined as any non-haematological grade 3-4 toxicity (Common Toxicity Criteria [CTC] version 2.0), neutrophil count <500/ microl for 7 days, febrile neutropenia or thrombocytopenia grade 4. The MTD was defined as the dose level below the dose at which 2 patients per dose level experienced a DLT during the first treatment cycle. Colorectal cancer, soft tissue sarcoma and pancreatic cancer were the most common tumour types. Dose levels of aviscumine ranged from 4 to 6 microg/kg. The median number of cycles was 2.8 (range, 2-8). Common side effects in cycle 1 were fatigue, fever, nocturia, urticaria, erythema and pruritus. DLTs occurred in 2/3 patients on the 6 microg/kg dose level and consisted of increases in ASAT grade 3, ALAT grade 3, gammaGT grade 3/4, hypokalemia grade 3 and fatigue grade 3. No DLTs were observed on dose levels 4 and 5 microg/kg. The best response (RECIST) was stable disease in 4 pts, lasting for 4-8 cycles. Pharmacokinetics indicated that potentially active plasma levels of the compound were maintained during the entire infusion. We conclude that the recommended dose for weekly 24 h infusions of Aviscumine should be 5 microg/kg.

Phase I trial of intravenous aviscumine (rViscumin) in patients with solid tumors: a study of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer New Drug Development Group.

BACKGROUND: Aviscumine is an Escherichia coli-derived recombinant type II ribosome-inactivating protein with potent antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. It is the recombinant counterpart of natural mistletoe lectin-I. The current study was performed to determine the safety profile, dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of the intravenous (i.v.) administration of aviscumine in cancer patients. Translational research included the evaluation of pharmacokinetics and monitoring of plasma cytokine and anti-aviscumine antibody induction after administration of the drug. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Aviscumine was given twice weekly as a 1 h central i.v. infusion in patients with advanced, refractory progressive, solid malignant tumors who had not been previously exposed to natural mistletoe preparations. They had histologically or cytologically verified disease, were > or =18 years old, had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status < or =2 and adequate bone marrow, liver and renal function. DLT was defined as any non-hematological grade 3-4 toxicity (National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria version 2.0), neutrophil count <500/microl for > or =7 days, febrile neutropenia or thrombocytopenia grade 4. The MTD was defined as the dose at which >20% of patients experienced DLT during the first treatment cycle. The Continual Reassessment Method was used to determine the number of patients required per dose level. RESULTS: Forty-one fully eligible patients (19 male, 22 female) with a median age of 56 years (range 37-74) were enrolled. Colorectal, ovarian, renal cell and breast cancer were the most common tumor types. Dose levels of aviscumine ranged from 10 to 6400 ng/kg. The median number of cycles was two (range one to eight). Common clinical toxicities in cycle 1 were fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting and allergic reactions. Fatigue grade 3 was dose limiting in one of six patients at 4000 ng/kg and reversible grade 3 liver toxicity (elevation in alkaline phosphatase, transaminases and/or gamma-glutamyltransferase) occurred in one of 10 patients at 4800 ng/kg and in two of five patients at 6400 ng/kg. The best response (RECIST criteria) was stable disease in 11 patients, lasting for two to eight cycles. The pharmacokinetic evaluation revealed a short alpha half-life of 13 min and linear kinetics on dose levels > or =1600 ng/kg. Aviscumine stimulated the immune system with a release of cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6 and interferon-gamma, and induced immunoglobulin (Ig) G- and/or IgM-anti-aviscumine antibodies of uncertain clinical relevance. CONCLUSIONS: The recommended dose for further clinical trials is 5600 ng/kg twice weekly. Based on the short half-life of the recombinant protein observed in this trial, the exploration of prolonged infusion schedules of aviscumine is warranted.

Cellular immunomodulation and safety of standardized aqueous mistletoe extract PS76A2 in tumor patients treated for 48 weeks.

Non-selected tumor patients (n=12) with various solid carcinomas were treated continuously twice weekly over 48 weeks with the aqueous mistletoe extract PS76A2, standardized to active mistletoe lectin. The preparation was applied subcutaneously at a concentration of 15 ng mistletoe lectin per 0.5 ml. Cellular immune response and safety were determined at various times during and after the therapy. In the course of treatment, virtually all the investigated immunoparameters were raised compared to the baseline values at the start of treatment. The statistically significant rises in the cell count of total lymphocytes, monocytes and natural killer (NK) cells was noteworthy. The differences in comparison with the baseline values at the various measuring times during treatment were up to 35%. In the first weeks of treatment at least, the raised cell count of NK cells correlated with the significantly increased cytotoxic activity versus tumor cells ex vivo. The NK factor (product of NK cells and ex vivo activity) was determined to assess the total NK activity more accurately, which rose up to 50% compared to the baseline value. Other lymphatic subpopulations, for instance CD3+, CD8+, CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ cells, also revealed distinct rises in cell count in the course of treatment. Within 6 weeks after completion of treatment, the overall values dropped again; but for a series of immunoparameters--in particular for the NK cells--they were still raised in comparison to the baseline values. The extensive laboratory diagnostics (haematology, clinical chemistry) showed that treatment with the standardized mistletoe extract PS76A2 was well tolerated by all patients. In single cases, local reactions at the injection sites were of a minor nature and reversible within two days. Summarizing, it can be stated that the standardized mistletoe extract PS76A2 significantly improved the immune status of tumor patients and was administered safely over a long period.

Impact of complementary mistletoe extract treatment on quality of life in breast, ovarian and non-small cell lung cancer patients. A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial.

Standardized aqueous mistletoe extracts have been applied to cancer patients for several decades as complementary medicine. A multicentric, randomized, open, prospective clinical trial was conducted in three oncological centers in the People's Republic of China in Bejing, Shenyang and Tianjin. Following the guidelines of "Good Clinical Practice" (GCP) this study was performed to get information on efficacy safety and side-effects of the standardized mistletoe extract (sME). Two hundred and thirty-three patients with breast (n=68), ovarian (n=71) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC; n=94) were enrolled into this study. Two hundred and twenty-four patients fulfilled the requirements for final analysis (n=115 treated with sME HELIXOR A; n=109 comprising the control group being treated with the approved immunomodulating phytopharmacon Lentinan). All patients were provided with standard tumor-destructive treatment schedules and complementarily treated with sME or Lentinan during chemotherapy according to treatment protocol. Biometrically, the patients of the control and sME treatment group were comparable regarding distribution, clinical classification (WHO) and treatment protocols. Analysis was performed according to the "Intention to treat principle". Quality of life (QoL) was significantly (p<0.05) improved for patients who were complementarily treated with sME, as determined by the questionnaires FLIC (Functional Living Index-Cancer), TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine Index) and the KPI (Karnofsky Performance Index) in comparison to the control group. Additionally, the occurrence of adverse events (AEs) was less frequent in the sME than in the control group (total number of AEs 52 versus 90 and number of serious AEs 5 versus 10 in study and control group, most of them due to chemotherapy). Only one serious AE was allocated to complementary treatment in each group (1 angioedema in sME group). All other side-effects of the sME (7 harmless local inflammatory reactions at subcutaneous injection site, 4 cases with fever) were self-limiting and did not demand therapeutic intervention. This study showed that complementary treatment with sME can beneficially reduce the side-effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients and thus improve quality of life.

Mistletoe lectin induces apoptosis and telomerase inhibition in human A253 cancer cells through dephosphorylation of Akt.

Mistletoe lectin has been reported to induce apoptosis in different cancer cell lines in vitro and to show antitumor activity against a variety of tumors in animal models. We previously demonstrated the Korean mistletoe lectin (Viscum album var. coloratum, VCA)-induced apoptosis by down-regulation of Bcl-2 and telomerase activity and by up-regulation of Bax through p53- and p21-independent pathway in hepatoma cells. In the present study, we observed the induction of apoptotic cell death through activation of caspase-3 and the inhibition of telomerase activity through transcriptional down-regulation of hTERT in the VCA-treated A253 cells. We also observed the inhibition of telomerase activity and induction of apoptosis resulted from dephosphorylation of Akt in the survival signaling pathways. In addition, combining VCA with the inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) upstream of Akt, wortmannin and LY294002 showed an additive inhibitory effect of telomerase activity. In contrast, the inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), okadaic acid inhibited VCA-induced dephosphorylation of Akt and inhibition of telomerase activity. Taken together, VCA induces apoptotic cell death through Akt signaling pathway in correlated with the inhibition of telomerase activity and the activation of caspase-3. From these results, together with our previous studies, we suggest that VCA triggers molecular changes that resulting in the inhibition of cell growth and the induction of apoptotic cell death of cancer cells, which suggest that VCA may be useful as chemotherapeutic agent for cancer cells.