Comparison of bleomycin polidocanol foam vs electrochemotherapy combined with polidocanol foam for treatment of venous malformations.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the difference in safety and efficacy between two treatments for venous malformations (VMs), electrochemotherapy combined with polidocanol foam (ECP) and bleomycin polidocanol foam (BPF), providing alternative therapies for VMs. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of 152 patients with VMs treated with ECP and BPF. Pre- and post-treatment magnetic resonance images (MRIs) were collected, and clinical follow-up assessments were performed. Imaging results were used to calculate lesion volume changes. Clinical outcomes included changes in pain and improvements in perceived swelling. Patients were followed up at 1 week and 6 months after surgery. All emerging complications were documented in detail. RESULTS: Of the 152 patients, 87 (57.2%) received BPF treatment, and 65 (42.8%) received ECP treatment. The most common location of VMs was the lower extremities (92/152; 60.2%), and the most common symptom was pain (108/152; 71.1%). Forty-three patients had previously undergone therapy in the BPF group (43/87; 49.4%), whereas 30 patients had received prior treatment in the ECP group (30/65; 46.2%). The study found that the percentage of lesion volume reduction in the BPF group was not significantly different from that in the ECP group (75.00% ± 17.85% vs 74.69% ± 8.48%; P = .899). ECP was more effective when the initial lesion volume was greater than 30 mL (67.66% ± 12.34% vs 73.47% ± 8.00%; P = .048). Patients treated with BPF had significantly less posttreatment pain than those treated with ECP, in different baseline lesion size. In the overall sample, pain relief was significantly higher in the BPF group than in the ECP group (4.21 ± 1.19 vs 3.57 ± 0.76; P = .002). However, there was no difference in pain relief between the two groups for the treatment of initially large VMs (4.20 ± 0.94 vs 3.70 ± 0.87; P = .113). The ECP group was significantly more likely to develop hyperpigmentation (5/87; 5.75% vs 11/65; 16.92%; P = .026) and swelling (9/87; 10.34% vs 16/65; 24.62%; P = .019) 1 week after surgery than the BPF group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that both BPF and ECP are effective treatments for VMs, with BPF being a safer option. ECP is a better choice for patients with the initial lesion volume greater than 30 mL, but it is more likely to lead to early swelling and hyperpigmentation.

Targeting Keap1 with Inulae Herba activated the Nrf2 receptor to alleviate LPS-mediated acute lung injury.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Inulae Herba (IH) is known as Jinfeicao recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia with effects of lowering qi and eliminating phlegm, and used for the treatment of pulmonary diseases. However, its protective mechanism on pulmonary diseases, especially acute lung injury (ALI), is still undefined. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to explore anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation effects of IH and its underlying mechanism for treating ALI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We constructed a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-ALI mouse model to reveal the therapeutical effect of IH. Western blot, real-time quantitative PCR, flow cytometry, small RNA interference, immunohistochemical staining, and the dual-luciferase experiment were performed to study the mechanism of IH for treating ALI. RESULTS: IH attenuated LPS-mediated pathological changes (e.g. pneumonedema and pulmonary congestion) through inactivation of macrophages in an ALI mouse model. The result of flow cytometry demonstrated that IH regulated the homeostasis of M1 (CD80+CD206-) and M2 (CD80+CD206+) phenotype macrophages. Furthermore, IH suppressed mRNA expressions of M1 phenotype markers, such as iNOS and IL-6, whereas promoted mRNA expressions of M2 phenotype markers, such as ARG1 and RETNLA in LPS-mediated mice. Notably, IH targeted Keap1 to activate the Nrf2 receptor, exerting its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation effects proved by using immunohistochemical staining, dual-luciferase, and Keap1 knockdown technologies. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that targeting Keap1 with IH alleviated LPS-mediated ALI, and it could serve as a herbal agent for developing anti-ALI drugs.

[Heat-sensitive moxibustion of different suspension moxibustion methods and imitation moxibustion apparatus on moxibustion sensation and clinical efficacy in knee osteoarthritis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the moxibustion sensation and the clinical therapeutic effect of heat-sensitive moxibustion of two different suspension moxibustion methods and imitation moxibustion apparatus on mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and compare the therapeutic effect of different moxibustion methods. METHODS: A total of 90 patients with mild to moderate KOA were randomized into a hand-held group (30 cases, 1 case dropped off), an imitation moxibustion apparatus group (30 cases) and a moxibustion shelf group (30 cases, 1 case dropped off). Ashi point, Dubi (ST 35), Neixiyan (EX-LE 4), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Yinlingquan (SP 9), Liangqiu (ST 34) and Xuehai (SP 10) were selected as the frequent acupoint areas to explore and determine the heat-sensitive acupoints, after that, hand-held suspension moxibustion, suspension moxibustion with imitation moxibustion apparatus and suspension moxibustion with moxibustion shelf were adopted in the 3 groups respectively. The treatment was given once every 2 days, and totally 10-time treatment was required in the 3 groups. The moxibustion sensation (composition of moxibustion sensation, number of moxibustion sensation types in individuals and moxibustion sensation intensity) after each treatment, the visual analogue scale (VAS) score, the Lysholms knee function score and the depth of effusion and thickness of synovial hyperplasia of affected knee joint before and after treatment were observed, and the clinical therapeutic efficacy was compared in the 3 groups. RESULTS: The compositions of moxibustion sensation and numbers of moxibustion sensation types in individuals in the hand-held group and the moxibustion shelf group were richer, the moxibustion sensation intensity was higher than that in the imitation moxibustion apparatus group (P<0.01, P<0.05). After treatment, the VAS scores were decreased, the Lysholms knee function scores were increased compared before treatment in the 3 groups (P<0.01); the VAS score in the hand-held group was lower than the imitation moxibustion apparatus group (P<0.05), the Lysholms knee function scores in the hand-held group and the moxibustion shelf group were higher than the imitation moxibustion apparatus group (P<0.05). After treatment, the depth of effusion and thickness of synovial hyperplasia of affected knee joint were decreased compared before treatment in the 3 groups (P<0.01), and those in the hand-held group and the moxibustion shelf group were lower than the imitation moxibustion apparatus group (P<0.05). The cured and markedly effective rate in the hand-held group was 79.3% (23/29), which was better than 36.7% (11/30) in the imitation moxibuation apparatus group and 58.6% (17/29) in the moxibustion shelf group (P<0.01, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Heat-sensitive moxibustion can effectively treat knee osteoarthritis, while the different suspension moxibustion methods have an influence on clinical therapeutic effect, hand-held suspension moxibustion has the best efficacy.

Proteome profile analysis of boron-induced alleviation of aluminum-toxicity in Citrus grandis roots.

Aluminum (Al)-toxicity and boron (B)-deficiency are two major factors limiting crop production in tropical and subtropical areas. Elevating B supply can alleviate the Al-induced inhibition of growth in Citrus grandis. Seedlings of C. grandis were irrigated for 18 weeks with nutrient solutions containing two B levels (2.5 and 20 µM H3BO3) and two Al levels (0 and 1.2 mM AlCl3·6H2O). By using 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) based MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS method, this study successfully identified and quantified sixty-one differentially abundant proteins in Citrus roots in response to B-Al interactions. The mechanisms underlying the B-induced alleviation of Al-toxicity unveiled by 2-DE technique could be summarized as follows: a) remodeling of cell wall by reducing the synthesis of lignin (sugar ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) transporter ATPase and cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase) and increasing the modification of cell wall (UDP-forming); b) enhancing the abundances of proteasomes and turnover of dysfunctional proteins (proteasome or protease); c) increasing the abundance of stress response proteins, such as alcohol dehydrogenase, S-adenosylmethionine synthetase (SAMS) and glycosyl hydrolase; d) reinforcing cellular biological regulation and signal transduction (calreticulin-1). For the first time, some proteins, such as cell division protein 48 (CDC48), calreticulin and phospholipase, which might be involved in the downstream signaling of Al in Citrus plants, were successfully identified.

Effects of sulfated polysaccharide from Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) pollen on the proliferation and cell cycle of HepG2 cells.

AIM: To explore the inhibitory effect of sulfated polysaccharide from Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) pollen (SPPM60) on G2/M phase of human liver cancer HepG2 cells and its mechanism. METHODS: The proliferation rate of HepG2 cells was evaluated by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) colorimetric assay. The cycles of HepG2 cells were measured by flow cytometry when 200µg/ml concentration of SPPM60 was adopted, the expression of the genes related to cell cycle was detected by real-time PCR. RESULTS: SPPM60 inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells and the inhibition rate was elevated with increase of SPPM60 concentration. After treatment with 200µg/ml of SPPM60, the percentage of S phase cells was decreased, but that of G2/M phase was significantly increased (72h vs control: 32.96±0.33% vs 18.59±0.04%, 3.44±0.05% vs 18.30±0.08%, P<0.01). The results of real-time PCR showed that SPPM60 could down-regulate the mRNA levels of CDK1 and CyclinB (P<0.01), and up-regulate the expression of p53 and p21 (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: SPPM60 causes arrest of HepG2 cells at G2/M phase, and the mechanism is related to the down-regulation of CDK1 and CyclinB and up-regulation of p53 and p21 expression.