Research Advances in Protective Effects of Ursolic Acid and Oleanolic Acid Against Gastrointestinal Diseases.

The intestinal tract plays an essential role in protecting tissues from the invasion of external harmful substances due to impaired barrier function. Furthermore, it participates in immunomodulation by intestinal microorganisms, which is important in health. When the intestinal tract is destroyed, it can lose its protective function, resulting in multiple systemic complications. In severe cases, it may lead to systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Thus far, there are no curative therapies for intestinal mucosal barrier injury, other than a few drugs that can relieve symptoms. Thus, the development of novel curative agents for gastrointestinal diseases remains a challenge. Ursolic acid (UA) and its isomer, Oleanolic acid (OA), are pentacyclic triterpene acid compounds. Both their aglycone and glycoside forms have anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, antibacterial, antiviral, antihypertensive, anti-obesity, anticancer, antidiabetic, cardio protective, hepatoprotective, and anti-neurodegenerative properties in living organisms. In recent years, several studies have shown that UA and OA can reduce the risk of intestinal pathological injury, alleviate intestinal dysfunction, and restore intestinal barrier function. The present study evaluated the beneficial effects of UA and OA on intestinal damage and diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC).

Effects of adjuvant chemotherapy in T1N0M0 triple-negative breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with T1N0M0 breast cancers are considered to have an excellent prognosis, even in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which is often associated with diminished recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival. Chemotherapy remains the only adjuvant treatment for TNBC, but evidence that adjuvant chemotherapy is beneficial for stage T1N0M0 TNBC patients is limited. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy and the benefit of taxanes in T1N0M0 TNBC patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cohort of 354 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed T1N0M0 TNBC between January 2008 and December 2015 were included from the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were performed to compare patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy with/without taxane addition. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 45 months. Chemotherapy was used in 92.4% of patients. The 5-year estimated RFS rates of patients with and without adjuvant chemotherapy were 94.5% and 83.6%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, adjuvant chemotherapy and a lack of lymphovascular invasion were associated with a significant benefit for RFS. A significant RFS benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy was observed in T1c (hazard ratio, HR = 0.24, 95% CI [0.08-0.76], P = 0.014) but not in T1b (HR = 0.32, 95% CI [0.03-3.18], P = 0.330) subgroups. Addition of taxane to an anthracycline-based regimen was not significantly associated with improved RFS in T1N0M0 TNBC patients. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant chemotherapy improves recurrence-free survival in T1c TNBC patients but not in T1b. Anthracycline-based taxane-free regimens might be sufficient to achieve RFS benefits in T1N0M0 TNBC patients.