Chinese herbal medicine compound of flavonoids adjunctive treatment for oral cancer.

Oral cancer is a prevalent global issue, with oral squamous cell carcinoma constituting the majority of cases. Standard treatments like surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are available but may have adverse effects. Molecular gene therapy, focusing on genetic mutations linked to oral cancer, presents a promising alternative.In this study, we evaluated 27 chemotherapeutic drugs and 63 Chinese herbal medicines for their effectiveness, categorized them by their cellular mechanisms, and identified potential adjuvant therapy candidates for oral cancer. Our findings highlight the impact of natural flavonoids on oral cancer cells, inducing apoptosis, and confirming their potential in molecular genetic analysis. In conclusion, the natural compounds present in Chinese herbal medicine, particularly flavonoids, offer a promising avenue to target specific genetic mutations in oral cancer cells. This approach may reduce the risks associated with oral cancer treatment and pave the way for innovative adjuvant therapies.

Association between clinical use of nifedipine and the risk of osteoporosis: a nationwide retrospective cohort study.

Nifedipine is one of the common calcium channel blockers (CCBs) for hypertension that induce peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1-α, which is envisioned as a potential therapeutic target in bone disease. The findings of this retrospective cohort study suggest that patients who receive nifedipine may have a potential protective effect on osteoporosis in comparison to other CCBs. INTRODUCTION: Nifedipine was one L-type dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (CCB) that can improve bone loss. However, epidemiological studies on the association between the use of nifedipine and osteoporosis risk are limited. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the association between the clinical use of nifedipine and the risk of osteoporosis. METHODS: This retrospective cohort was conducted using the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan from 2000 to 2013. The study includes 1225 patients receiving nifedipine (the exposed cohort) and 4900 patients receiving other CCBs (the comparison cohort). The primary outcome was the diagnosis of osteoporosis. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the association between the use of nifedipine and the risk of osteoporosis. RESULTS: Patients receiving nifedipine treatment had a reduced risk of osteoporosis as compared with those undergoing other CCB treatments (adjusted HR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.37-0.53). Moreover, this inverse association is evident in both sexes and various age groups. CONCLUSIONS: This population-based cohort study demonstrated that nifedipine may have potential protective effect on osteoporosis compared with other CCBs. The clinical implications of the present study need further investigation.

The efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in improving the quality of life in patients with problem wounds.

The unpredictable course followed by severe, chronic, non-healing wounds not only restricts the daily activities of affected patients, but also impairs their quality of life (QOL). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) treatment for such wounds elevates tissue oxygen content, increases cellular repair functions and the probability of wound healing, and improves the patient's QOL. This was a longitudinal, prospective study, and used a purposive sampling method. A total of 15 patients receiving HBOT at a medical center were enrolled. Data were collected by questionnaire before and after HBOT. The questionnaire included basic patient characteristics, self-perceived wound severity, wound physiological indices, and a QOL scale. The overall QOL score of the subjects after HBOT was higher than before HBOT. After HBOT, there was a positive correlation between the QOL of patients with problem wounds and the scoring of the Strauss wound classification system. After HBOT, there was a negative correlation between the QOL of patients with problem wounds and their self-perceived severity of the wound. The results were then used to provide suggestions for nursing care and additional research directions in order to effectively assist patients with problem wounds receiving HBOT, with the goal of achieving an optimal QOL.