Effects of Bushen Jianpi Prescription on Tumor Growth in Subcutaneous Colorectal Cancer Xenografts in Mice and Expressions of VEGF and MMP-7 / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of Bushen Jianpi Prescription on tumor growth in subcutaneous colorectal cancer xenografts in mice and expressions of VEGF and MMP-7; To discuss its mechanism of anti-colon cancer. Methods Nude mice were inoculated subcutaneously into human colon cancer cells to establish human colon cancer xenograft models. Nude mouse models of subcutaneous colorectal cancer xenografts were randomly divided into model group, 5-FU group, Bushen Jianpi low-, medium-, and high-dose groups. Each medication group was given relevant medicine for three weeks. Six tumor-bearing mice in each group were sacrificed. Tumor mass was measured, and the relative inhibition rate was calculated. The serum levels of VEGF and MMP-7 were measured by ELISA. The remaining tumor-bearing mice were used to observe the survival time. Results Compared with model group, the weight of tumor were reduced and the median survival time of mice were prolonged in Bushen Jianpi groups, as well as the expression levels of VEGF and MMP-7 significantly decreased Bushen Jianpi groups. Conclusion Bushen Jianpi Prescription can inhibit the growth of human colon cancer xenografts in nude mice and prolong the survival time of tumor-bearing mice, which may be related to the down-regulation of the expressions of VEGF and MMP-7.

Effect of integrated Chinese medical treatment (as maintenance therapy) on the survival time of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a clinical study / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe clinical effect of integrated Chinese medical (CM) treatment (as maintenance therapy) on the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after first-line chemotherapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The study was a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Totally 69 non-progressive advanced NSCLC patients treated with first-line chemotherapy were randomly assigned to the test group (34 cases) and the control group (35 cases). Patients in the control group were treated with one Western drug chemotherapy (Gemcitabine or Alimta or docetaxel). Those in the test group were treated with integrated CM treatment (CM decoction, CM Intravenous preparation, and point application). Each cycle consisted of 21 days. Treatment lasted till the disease progressed, or intolerable toxic/adverse reactions occurred, or patients refused to continue the treatment. Patients' life spans were regularly followed-up.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) The median cycle of maintenance therapy was 2 cycles for two groups with no statistical difference (P =0.274). The median PFS was 12.43 weeks in the test group and 10.00 weeks in the control group, showing statistical difference (P =0.025). The middle survival time (MST) was 18.8 months in the test group and 16.73 months in the control group, showing no statistical difference (P =0.437).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CM treatment (as maintenance therapy) showed quail effect to one Western drug chemotherapy in prolonging patients' life span.</p>

Chemotherapy in conjunction with traditional Chinese medicine for survival of elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: protocol for a randomized double-blind controlled trial / 中西医结合学报

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is considered an important complementary therapy with beneficial effects for cancer patients. Elderly patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are a complex patient group with increasing co-morbidity and shrinking physiological reserve, and may derive substantial benefit from the supportive aspects of TCM. Researchers from Shanghai Longhua Hospital found that qi and yin deficiency is a common syndrome in patients with stage III or IV lung cancer. This project was designed to study the combination of single-agent chemotherapy with TCM methods of benefiting qi and yin in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC.</p><p><b>METHODS AND DESIGN</b>This is a double-blind controlled, multi-center, and prospective study with randomly selected participants from elderly NSCLC patients in China. Seventy-six patients who meet the inclusion criteria will be allocated into two groups, which will receive treatments of 3-week single-agent chemotherapy with TCM or placebo for four cycles. Progression-free survival (PFS) is the primary end point, and the secondary end points are overall survival, objective response rate, time-to-progression, and quality of life (EORTC QLQ-LC43, and TCM syndrome score). Meanwhile, other end points such as toxicity, side effects and safety of the treatments will be assessed.</p><p><b>DISCUSSION</b>Results from this study may provide evidence on the effectiveness, and parameters for the usage of single-agent chemotherapy combined with or without TCM on PFS of elderly patients with NSCLC.</p><p><b>TRIAL REGISTRATION</b>ClinicalTrials.gov. (Identifier: NCT01780181).</p>

Effects of Erlong Zuoci pill and its disassembled prescriptions on gentamicin-induced ototoxicity model in vitro / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of Erlong Zuoci Pill (, ELZCP) and its disassembled: prescriptions on gentamicin (GM)-induced ototoxicity model in vitro.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>After the spiral organ of cochleae: of newborn mice (postnatal days: 2-3) cultured for 24 h, GM alone or combined with water extracting-alcohol precipitating solution of ELZCP or with its disassembled prescriptions was added. Hair cells were observed under a fluorescence microscope after TRITC-phalloidin staining, and the cochlear hair cell loss rate was calculated by counting the whole cochlear hair cells and analyzed by whole cochlear hair cells analyzing software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>GM induced cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs) and inner hair cells (IHCs) injuries in a dose-dependent manner, and they were significantly different as compared with those in the normal control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). ELZCP at the concentration of 0.003-3 mg/mL could decrease the hair cells loss induced by the 0.3 mmol/L GM (P<0.05, P<0.01), the effects was in a dose-dependent manner, and the concentration of 0.3 mg/mL showed the optimal protective effect. For the ELZCP disassembled prescriptions, Liuwei-Dihuang could decrease OHC loss rate than that in the 0.3 mmol/L GM model group (P<0.05), but the OHC loss rate was still higher than that in the ELZCP group (P<0.01), which indicated that the protective effect of hair cells by Liuwei-Dihuang was not better than that of ELZCP. Poria decreased OHC loss rate from 72.1 % +/-3.7 % to 58.8 %+/- 8.2 % (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>ELZCP could play a role in antagonizing the injury of cochlear hair cells induced by GM ototoxicity,: and its disassembled prescriptions, Liuwei-Dihuang was the main component to protect the cochlear hair cells from GM-induced ototoxicity, and Magnetitum combined with Radix Bupleurui could strengthen the action of the whole prescription; Poria could reduce GM-induced OHC loss.</p>