Efficacy and Safety Aiming at the Combined-Modality Therapy of External Beam Radiotherapy (40Gy) and Iodine-125 Seed Implantation for Locally Advanced NSCLC in the Elderly.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combined-modality therapy for elderly patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) invading the chest wall. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 21 elderly patients (aged ≥60 years) with locally advanced NSCLC invading the chest wall. For external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) of the primary tumor, 40Gy was applied and supplemented with iodine-125 seed implantation while 60Gy was applied to the lymph nodes of the mediastinum. Follow-up was conducted every 3 months postoperatively. The related analytic parameters were change in tumor size, the objective response rate (ORR), the disease control rate (DCR), the degree of pain relief, the improvement of physical status, and toxicity. RESULTS: The combined-modality therapy significantly inhibited local growth of the tumor (from 7.84±1.20 to 4.69±1.90 cm) (P <0.0001), with 71.4% ORR and 90.5% DCR at 1 year. The cancer-related pain was significantly relieved (P <0.05) and physical status was significantly improved (P <0.05). No procedure-associated death or grade > 2 irradiation-related adverse effects were reported in this study. CONCLUSION: The combined-modality therapy of EBRT with 40Gy and permanent iodine-125 seed implantation is an efficacious and safe treatment option for elderly patients with locally advanced NSCLC invading the chest wall.

Network Pharmacology Strategy to Investigate the Pharmacological Mechanism of HuangQiXiXin Decoction on Cough Variant Asthma and Evidence-Based Medicine Approach Validation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pharmacological mechanism of HuangQiXiXin decoction (HQXXD) on cough variant asthma (CVA) and validate the clinical curative effect. METHODS: The active compounds and target genes of HQXXD were searched using TCMSP. CVA-related target genes were obtained using the GeneCards database. The active target genes of HQXXD were compared with the CVA-related target genes to identify candidate target genes of HQXXD acting on CVA. A medicine-compound-target network was constructed using Cytoscape 3.6.0 software, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the STRING database. Gene ontology (GO) function enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed using RGUI3.6.1 and Cytoscape 3.6.0. We searched the main database for randomized controlled trials of HQXXD for CVA. We assessed the quality of the included studies using the Cochrane Reviewers' Handbook. A meta-analysis of the clinical curative effect of HQXXD for CVA was conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration's RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: We screened out 48 active compounds and 217 active target genes of HQXXD from TCMSP. The 217 active target genes of HQXXD were compared with the 1481 CVA-related target genes, and 132 candidate target genes for HQXXD acting on CVA were identified. The medicine-compound-target network and PPI network were constructed, and the key compounds and key targets were selected. GO function enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed. Meta-analysis showed that the total effective rate of the clinical curative effect was significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group. CONCLUSION: The pharmacological mechanism of HQXXD acting on CVA has been further determined, and the clinical curative effect of HQXXD on CVA is remarkable.

Engineering Trienoic Fatty Acids into Cottonseed Oil Improves Low-Temperature Seed Germination, Plant Photosynthesis and Cotton Fiber Quality.

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3Δ9,12,15) and γ-linolenic acid \ (GLA, 18:3Δ6,9,12) are important trienoic fatty acids, which are beneficial for human health in their own right, or as precursors for the biosynthesis of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. ALA and GLA in seed oil are synthesized from linoleic acid (LA, 18:2Δ9,12) by the microsomal ω-3 fatty acid desaturase (FAD3) and Δ6 desaturase (D6D), respectively. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seed oil composition was modified by transforming with an FAD3 gene from Brassica napus and a D6D gene from Echium plantagineum, resulting in approximately 30% ALA and 20% GLA, respectively. The total oil content in transgenic seeds remained unaltered relative to parental seeds. Despite the use of a seed-specific promoter for transgene expression, low levels of GLA and increased levels of ALA were found in non-seed cotton tissues. At low temperature, the germinating cottonseeds containing the linolenic acid isomers elongated faster than the untransformed controls. ALA-producing lines also showed higher photosynthetic rates at cooler temperature and better fiber quality compared to both untransformed controls and GLA-producing lines. The oxidative stability of the novel cottonseed oils was assessed, providing guidance for potential food, pharmaceutical and industrial applications of these oils.

Radix Astragali and Radix Angelicae Sinensis in the Treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: There are many clinical studies in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with herbal medicine including Astragalus mongholicus Bunge, Radix Astragali (RA) and Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, Radix Angelicae Sinensis (RAS). These have obtained good curative effect. There is no systematic evaluation on the clinical efficacy of RA and RAS in patients with IPF. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to critically evaluate the current evidence of efficacy and safety of RA and RAS in IPF. METHODS: We searched the primary database for randomized controlled trial (RCT) of RA and RAS treating IPF. We assessed the quality of included studies using the Jadad rating scale and referred to the Cochrane Reviewer's Handbook for guidelines to assess the risk of bias. We extracted the main outcomes of included RCTs and a meta-analysis was conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration's RevMan5.3 software. RESULTS: Seventeen eligible RCTs were identified and made a systematic review and meta-analysis. Risk of bias and quality of included RCTs were carried out. The results of meta-analysis showed that total effective rate and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome effective rate were statistically significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group, main pulmonary function index, six minute walking distance and Borg scale questionnaire score were statistically significantly better in the experimental group than the control group and incidence of adverse reactions was statistically significantly lower in the experimental group than the control group. CONCLUSION: RA and RAS are effective and safe in the treatment of IPF, which is beneficial to pulmonary function and exercise tolerance of these patients.

Bushen Kangshuai tablet inhibits progression of atherosclerosis by intervening in macrophage autophagy and polarization.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of Bushen Kangshuai (BS-KS) tablet on autophagy and polarization in mouse macrophage RAW 264.7. MEYHODS: Macrophage autophagy was induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (100 µg/mL). To detect the levels of autophagy, macrophage were transfected with double fluorescence LC3 autophagy adenovirus, then the numbers of autophagosomes and autophagic lysosomes were asessed by confocal microscopy. The autophagy related proteins expression of PI3K, Akt, phospho-mAkt (p-Akt) and mTOR, phospho-mTOR ([p-TOR), p62, microtubule-associated protein 1 (LC3-Ⅱ)were determined by western blotting. The macrophage polarization model was induced by lipopolysaccharide (1 µg/mL). The mRNA levels of iNOS, CD86 (M1 macrophages marker molecules), and CD206, Arg-1 (M2 macrophages marker molecules) were detected by real-time quantitative PCR. The concentration of cytokines TNF-α and IL-10 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The protein expression of nuclear proteins PPAR-γ, NF-κB, and cytoplasmic protein IKB α was determined by western blotting. RESULTS: The expression of the autophagy-related protein LC3-Ⅱ was increased and the expression of p62 was decreased in the BS-KS intervention group. The protein expression of PI3K, p-Akt, and p-mTOR was also reduced. BS-KS also inhibited the mRNA expression of iNOS and CD86 on M2 macrophage, but promoted the expression of CD206 and Arg-1 on M2 macrophage. With respect to the regulation of inflammatory factors, BS-KS could inhibit the secretion of pro-inflammatory TNF-α and promote the secretion of anti-inflammatory IL-10. It also inhibited the protein expression of IKB-α and NF-κB, and promoted the expression of nuclear protein PPAR-γ. CONCLUSION: We believe that BS-KS promotes macrophage autophagy by increasing the level of autophagy protein and inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Furthermore, BS-KS seems to inhibit macrophage M1 polarization and promote M2 polarization via the PPAR gamma /NF-κB signaling pathway, thus playing an inhibitory role in atherosclerosis.

Synthesis and characterization of pectin-chitosan conjugate for biomedical application.

BACKGROUND: Polysaccharides are extensively used in drug delivery systems due to their ability to undergo a broad range of chemical and enzymatic reactions, forming new molecules. Among these, chitosan (CS) and pectin (PEC) are widely used for designing new conjugates and biopolymers. METHODS: In this study, we synthesized pectin-chitosan conjugate (PEC-CS) by using carbodiimide crosslinking chemistry. Pectin-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester, formed in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide under anhydrous conditions, was conjugated with chitosan by linking the free carboxyl group of PEC with the primary amino group of chitosan. RESULTS: Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the formation of the PEC-CS conjugate. X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed that the PEC-CS conjugate is amorphous in nature, has high thermostability than those of native polymers, and has no cytotoxicity. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that PEC-CS conjugate can be further developed for use in drug delivery systems.