Treatment of lung cancer by acupuncture combined with medicine based on pathophysiological mechanism: A review.

Lung cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in the world. There are an estimated 2.2 million new cases and 1.79 million deaths each year. Over the past 2 decades, our understanding of disease biology, the use of predictive biomarkers, and improvements in therapeutic approaches have made significant progress and transformed the outcomes of many patients. Treatment is determined by the subtype and stage of the cancer; however, the effect of personalized treatment remains unsatisfactory. The use of Chinese medicines has attracted increasing attention worldwide. Chinese medicine treatment of lung cancer has few side effects, which can effectively prolong the survival expectation of patients and improve their quality of life, and has attracted increasing attention. Based on the pathophysiological mechanism of lung cancer reported in modern medical research, this article explores the efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with medicine in the treatment of lung cancer.

Mitochondria-targeting Cu3VS4 nanostructure with high copper ionic mobility for photothermoelectric therapy.

Thermoelectric therapy has emerged as a promising treatment strategy for oncology, but it is still limited by the low thermoelectric catalytic efficiency at human body temperature and the inevitable tumor thermotolerance. We present a photothermoelectric therapy (PTET) strategy based on triphenylphosphine-functionalized Cu3VS4 nanoparticles (CVS NPs) with high copper ionic mobility at room temperature. Under near-infrared laser irradiation, CVS NPs not only generate hyperthermia to ablate tumor cells but also catalytically yield superoxide radicals and induce endogenous NADH oxidation through the Seebeck effect. Notably, CVS NPs can accumulate inside mitochondria and deplete NADH, reducing ATP synthesis by competitively inhibiting the function of complex I, thereby down-regulating the expression of heat shock proteins to relieve tumor thermotolerance. Both in vitro and in vivo results show notable tumor suppression efficacy, indicating that the concept of integrating PTET and mitochondrial metabolism modulation is highly feasible and offers a translational promise for realizing precise and efficient cancer treatment.

Traditional Chinese medicine as a novel therapy for colorectal cancer by modulating intestinal flora.

Colorectal cancer is a common clinical malignant tumor of the digestive tract, and intestinal flora has played an important role in the development of colorectal cancer. Bifidobacteria, as one of the main dominant florae in intestinal tract, can inhibit the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer through various mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine can regulate the abundance of bifidobacteria in intestinal tract and exhibit anti-tumor effects on colorectal cancer. Detailed investigations have revealed that the mechanisms of bifidobacteria in the treatment of colorectal cancer involve three aspects: the production of short-chain fatty acids, the regulation of the body's immunity, and the regulation of cell apoptosis and differentiation. In this review, we provide an updated summary of recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms by which traditional Chinese medicine regulate intestinal flora to inhibit colorectal cancer development and metastasis.

Effect of Different Doses of Butorphanol on Postoperative Shivering in Elderly Patients: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Purpose: This study was designed to investigate the effects of different doses of butorphanol on postoperative shivering and quality of recovery in elderly patients. Patients and Methods: A total of 147 elderly patients (aged 60 or older) scheduled for elective transurethral resection of the prostate were enrolled in the current study. Patients were randomly and evenly assigned into four groups: Group C (0.9% normal saline), Group B1 (butorphanol 0.01 mg/kg), Group B2 (butorphanol 0.02 mg/kg) and Group B3 (butorphanol 0.03 mg/kg). All drugs were diluted to 5mL and injected intravenously slowly 5 min before induction of anesthesia. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of postoperative shivering in the post-anesthesia care unit. Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) scores were assessed on postoperative day (POD) 1, 2 and 3. Perioperative core and skin temperature, extubation time and adverse events were also recorded. Results: Patients among the four groups had comparable baseline characteristics. Compared with Group C, the incidence of shivering was significantly lower in Group B2 and B3 (P = 0.006 and P = 0.005, respectively). The QoR-40 scores on POD1 were significantly higher in all butorphanol groups than that in Group C (P < 0.0083). In Group B2 and B3, patients experienced lower pain intensity (P < 0.001). In addition, the incidence of catheter-related bladder discomfort (CRBD) was lower in all butorphanol groups than in Group C (P < 0.0083). Conclusion: Butorphanol 0.02 or 0.03 mg/kg could effectively prevent the occurrence of postoperative shivering in elderly patients scheduled for transurethral resection of the prostate, provided effective postoperative recovery and postoperative analgesia.

"Electron Transport Chain Interference" Strategy of Amplified Mild-Photothermal Therapy and Defect-Engineered Multi-Enzymatic Activities for Synergistic Tumor-Personalized Suppression.

Arming activatable mild-photothermal therapy (PTT) with the property of relieving tumor thermotolerance holds great promise for overcoming traditional mild PTT limitations such as thermoresistance, insufficient therapeutic effect, and off-target heating. Herein, a mitochondria-targeting, defect-engineered AFCT nanozyme with enhanced multi-enzymatic activity was elaborately designed as a tumor microenvironment (TME)-activatable phototheranostic agent to achieve remarkable anti-tumor therapy via "electron transport chain (ETC) interference and synergistic adjuvant therapy". Density functional theory calculations revealed that the synergistic effect among multi-enzyme active centers endows the AFCT nanozymes with excellent catalytic activity. In TME, open sources of H2O2 can be achieved by superoxide dismutase-mimicking AFCT nanozymes. In response to the dual stimuli of H2O2 and mild acidity, the peroxidase-mimicking activity of AFCT nanozymes not only catalyzes the accumulation of H2O2 to generate ·OH but also converts the loaded 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) into its oxidized form with strong near-infrared absorption, specifically unlocking its photothermal and photoacoustic imaging properties. Intriguingly, the undesired thermoresistance of tumor cells can be greatly alleviated owing to the reduced expression of heat shock proteins enabled by NADH POD-mimicking AFCT-mediated NADH depletion and consequent restriction of ATP supply. Meanwhile, the accumulated ·OH can facilitate both apoptosis and ferroptosis in tumor cells, resulting in synergistic therapeutic outcomes in combination with TME-activated mild PTT.

GSH-Depleted Nanozymes with Hyperthermia-Enhanced Dual Enzyme-Mimic Activities for Tumor Nanocatalytic Therapy.

Nanocatalytic therapy, using artificial nanoscale enzyme mimics (nanozymes), is an emerging technology for therapeutic treatment of various malignant tumors. However, the relatively deficient catalytic activity of nanozymes in the tumor microenvironment (TME) restrains their biomedical applications. Here, a versatile and bacteria-like PEG/Ce-Bi@DMSN nanozyme is developed by coating uniform Bi2 S3 nanorods (NRs) with dendritic mesoporous silica (Bi2 S3 @DMSN) and then decorating ultrasmall ceria nanozymes into the large mesopores of Bi2 S3 @DMSN. The nanozymes exhibit dual enzyme-mimic catalytic activities (peroxidase-mimic and catalase-mimic) under acidic conditions that can regulate the TME, that is, simultaneously elevate oxidative stress and relieve hypoxia. In addition, the nanozymes can effectively consume the overexpressed glutathione (GSH) through redox reaction. Photothermal therapy (PTT) is introduced to synergistically improve the dual enzyme-mimicking catalytic activities and depletion of the overexpressed GSH in the tumors by photonic hyperthermia. This is achieved by taking advantage of the desirable light absorbance in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window of the PEG/Ce-Bi@DMSN nanozymes. Subsequently the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated therapeutic efficiency is significantly improved. Therefore, this study provides a proof of concept of hyperthermia-augmented multi-enzymatic activities of nanozymes for tumor ablation.

Quad-Model Imaging-Guided High-Efficiency Phototherapy Based on Upconversion Nanoparticles and ZnFe2O4 Integrated Graphene Oxide.

The strategy of diagnosis-to-therapy to realize the integration of imaging and high antitumor efficiency has become the most promising method. Light-induced therapeutic technologies have drawn considerable interest. However, the limited penetration depth of UV/vis excitation and relatively low efficiency are the main obstacles for its further clinic application. For this concern, we presented a facile method to anchor ultrasmall ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles and upconversion luminescence nanoparticles (UCNPs) on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets (GO/ZnFe2O4/UCNPs, abbreviated as GZUC). To solve the penetration question, here we introduced Tm3+-doped UCNPs to convert the high-penetrated near-infrared (NIR) light into UV/vis photons to activate the photodynamic process. In this system, the dual phototherapy from GO and ZnFe2O4 has been realized upon NIR laser irradiation. Combined with the photodynamic therapy (PDT) based on Fenton reaction that ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles react with excessive H2O2 in tumor microenvironment to produce toxic hydroxyl radicals (·OH), an excellent anticancer efficiency has been achieved. Furthermore, 4-fold imaging including upconversion luminescence (UCL), computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and photoacoustic tomography (PAT) has been obtained due to its intrinsic properties, thereby successfully realizing diagnosis-monitored therapy. Our demonstration provided a feasible strategy to solve the main problems in current light-triggered theranostic.

Effects of Modified Sanzi Yangqin Decoction on Tyrosine Phosphorylation of IRS-1 in Skeletal Muscle of Type 2 Diabetic Rats.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Modified Sanzi Yangqin Decoction on tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) in skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic rats. The rat model of type 2 diabetes was induced by high-fat diet and multiple low-dose streptozotocin injections. Diabetic model rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: the model control group, the metformin group, and Modified Sanzi Yangqin Decoction groups of low, medium, and high doses. OGTT was conducted every two weeks during treatment period. At the end of the treatment, the fasting blood glucose (FBG) level and the fasting C-peptide level were measured to calculate insulin resistance index. The levels of IRS-1, p-IRS-1(Tyr895), and protein tyrosine phosphates 1B (PTP1B) in skeletal muscle were also measured. Modified Sanzi Yangqin Decoction significantly reduced the FBG level, increased the fasting C-peptide level, and lowered the insulin resistance index in type 2 diabetic rats. It also significantly increased the protein level of p-IRS-1(Tyr895) and reduced the PTP1B protein level in skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic rats. Modified Sanzi Yangqin Decoction increases tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1 in skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic rats, which results from the increase of p-IRS-1(Tyr895) protein and is related to the suppression of PTP1B protein.