Effect of Chinese Medicines combined with transarterial chemoembolization on primary hepatic carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To systematically evaluate the survival rate and postoperative adverse reactions of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with traditional Chinese medicine combined with TACE by meta-analysis. METHODS: Four major literature databases (Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science) were retrieved to collect published English articles since 2009. After determining the random effect model or fixed utility model based on a heterogeneity test, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included 8 prospective studies published between 2009 and 2019. Due to moderate heterogeneity (P < .05, I2 = 54.8%), Therefore, the random effect model is used to analyze the data, so as to explore the relationship between CMs combined with TACE treatment and survival rate and postoperative adverse reactions. All the comprehensive test results show that there is a statistical significance between CMs combined with TACE treatment and survival rate. (OR = 1.88, 95% CI 1.34-2.64, P = .03). Then subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were carried out. The results indicated that the overall results ranged from 1.12(95% CI = 1.03-1.11) to 1.21(95% CI = 1.22-1.33). CONCLUSIONS: The 1-year survival rate of patients treated with traditional Chinese medicine TACE is a protective factor, and the quality score included in the study affects the evaluation of the effective dose. At the same time, traditional Chinese medicine combined with TACE has nothing to do with the reduction of postoperative complications.

Synergetic therapy of glioma mediated by a dual delivery system loading α-mangostin and doxorubicin through cell cycle arrest and apoptotic pathways.

Two of the biggest hurdles in the deployment of chemotherapeutics against glioma is a poor drug concentration at the tumor site and serious side effects to normal tissues. Nanocarriers delivering different drugs are considered to be one of the most promising alternatives. In this study, a dual delivery system (methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (MPEG-PCL)) loaded with α-mangostin (α-m) and doxorubicin (Dox) was decorated and constructed by self-assembly to determine its ability to treat glioma. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that MPEG-PCL could provide ideal interaction positions for both α-m and Dox, indicating that the two drugs could be loaded into MPEG-PCL. Based on the in vitro results, MPEG-PCL loaded with α-m and Dox (α-m-Dox/M) with a size of 25.68 nm and a potential of -1.51 mV was demonstrated to significantly inhibit the growth and promote apoptosis in Gl261, C6 and U87 cells, and the effects of the combination were better than each compound alone. The mechanisms involved in the suppression of glioma cell growth were blockage of the cell cycle in S phase by inhibition of CDK2/cyclin E1 and promotion of apoptosis through the Bcl-2/Bax pathway. The synergetic effects of α-m-Dox/M effectively inhibited tumor growth and prolonged survival time without toxicity in mouse glioma models by inducing glioma apoptosis, inhibiting glioma proliferation and limiting tumor angiogenesis. In conclusion, a codelivery system was synthesized to deliver α-m and Dox to the glioma, thereby suppressing the development of glioma by the mechanisms of cell cycle arrest and cellular apoptosis, which demonstrated the potential of this system to improve the chemotherapy response of glioma.

Spectral tuning of a locally bent microfiber taper interferometer with a nanosized liquid crystal overlay.

In this paper, the tuning characteristics of locally bent microfiber taper covered with a nanosized high-refractive-index liquid crystal (LC) layer under different temperatures and electric field intensities have been theoretically analyzed and experimentally investigated. A locally bent microfiber taper interferometer with a waist diameter of ∼3.72 µm is fabricated by using the flame brushing technique, followed by bending the transition region of the taper to form a modal interferometer and later by placing a ∼200 nm LC layer over the uniform taper waist region. Experimental results indicate that a high-efficiency thermal or electric tuning of an LC-coated locally bent microfiber taper interferometer could be achieved. This suggests a potential application of this device as tunable all-fiber photonic devices, such as filters, modulators, and sensing elements.

Design and analysis of a highly efficient coupler between a micro/nano optical fiber and an SOI waveguide.

A compact coupling structure is proposed for highly efficient coupling between a micro/nano fiber and a silicon-on-insulator waveguide. The proposed structure is characterized by high coupling efficiency, wavelength insensitivity, large misalignment tolerance, and easy fabrication. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulation results show that coupling efficiency of >90% can be achieved with a taper length of ∼4.5 µm.

Design and analysis of a phase modulator based on a metal-polymer-silicon hybrid plasmonic waveguide.

A plasmonic-hybrid-waveguide-based optical phase modulator is proposed and analyzed. The field enhancement in the low-index high-nonlinear polymer layer provides nanoscale optical confinement and a fast optical modulation speed. At 2.5 V drive voltage, a π phase shift can be obtained for a 13-µm-long plasmonic waveguide. Because of its small capacitance and parasitic resistance, the modulation bandwidth can reach up to 100 GHz with a low power consumption of ∼9 fJ/bit. The plasmonic waveguide is connected to a silicon wire waveguide via an adiabatic taper with a coupling efficiency of ∼91%. The phase modulator can find potential applications in optical telecommunication and interconnects.

Coupling characteristics between two conical micro/nano fibers: simulation and experiment.

The coupling characteristics of conical micro/nano fibers (CMNFs) are investigated using numerical simulations and experiments. Distinct from uniform micro/nano fibers (UMNFs), the coupling efficiency not only depends on the overlapping length between two CMNFs but also the tapering angle of the CMNFs. With the increase of overlapping length, the coupling efficiency gradually converges to a stable value, with its convergence speed determined by the angle of the CMNFs. Experimental result shows the convergent coupling efficiency can be >90%. The spectral response of the coupler shows a "box-shape" profile with a 3-dB bandwidth of 2 nm, resembling a flat-top bandpass filter. And experimental results also show the coupling characteristics of CMNFs are overlapping length and taper angle dependent, which verify the simulation conclusions.