Research on the effect of formononetin on photodynamic therapy in K562 cells.

At the present time, many cancer patients combine some forms of complementary and alternative medicine therapies with their conventional therapies. The most common choice of these therapies is the use of antioxidants. Formononetin is presented in different foods. It has a variety of biological activities including antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. On account of its antioxidant activity, formononetin might protect cancer cells from free radical damage in photodynamic therapy (PDT) during which reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was stimulated leading to irreversible tumor cell injury. In this study, the influence of formononetin on K562 cells in PDT was demonstrated. The results showed that formononetin supplementation alone did not affect the lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and apoptosis in K562 cells. It increases the lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and apoptosis in K562 cells induced by PDT. The singlet oxygen quencher sodium azide suppresses the apoptosis induced by PDT with formononetin. In conclusion, formononetin consumption during PDT increases the effectiveness of cancer therapy on malignant cells. The effect of antioxidants on PDT maybe was determined by its sensitization ability to singlet oxygen.

Duration of viral shedding of influenza A (H1N1) virus infection treated with oseltamivir and/or traditional Chinese medicine in China: a retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: H1N1 was a new and potentially serious infectious disease, in human, the severity of influenza can vary from mild to severe, thus to find an effective and safety way to control the influenza pandemic is of crucial importance. This retrospective study describes the duration of viral shedding in H1N1 patients that were hospitalized and treated in China. METHODS: Clinical data were collected from May to July, 2009 in China for 963 patients with influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. Patients were treated based on the guidelines issued by the Chinese Ministry of Health. The primary outcome was duration of viral shedding and statistical comparisons were performed. RESULTS: In the patients with body temperature greater than 38.0 degrees C, there were no differences in virus shedding duration among the patients taking oseltamivir within two days, patients undergoing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapy or those receiving no drug therapy. In patients with body temperature > or =38.1 degrees C, TCM therapy reduced the viral shedding duration (P < 0.05, vs. oseltamivir therapy). Furthermore, taking oseltamivir two days after onset of symptoms might prolong the virus shedding duration (P < 0.05, vs. taking oseltamivir less than 2 days of onset). CONCLUSION: TCM therapy is effective for reducing the length of virus shedding in patients with body temperature > or =38.0 degrees C. Oseltamivir used for reducing virus shedding duration should be taken within two days of onset.