ABSTRACT
Objective:To observe the effect of Zishen-Jianpi-Shengjin Decoction on salivary secretion and quality of life in patients with xerostomia after radiotherapy for head and neck malignant tumors. Methods:A total of 60 patients with xerostomia after radiotherapy for head and neck malignant tumors were randomly divided into two groups, with 30 in each group. The control group was treated by 0.9% sodium chloride injection, while the observation group was given Zishen-Jianpi-Shengjin Decoction on the first day of radiotherapy on the basis of the control group. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks. The main symptom scores (fatigue, dry throat and mouth, spontaneous sweating and night sweating), salivary secretion function (basic salivary flow rate, salivary pH value) and Karnofsky (KPS) scale scores were recorded before and after treatment. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared. Results:The total effective rate was 93.3% (28/30) in the observation group, while 66.7% (20/30) in the control group, and the difference between the two groups was significant ( χ2=7.504, P=0.023). After treatment, the scores of fatigue, dry throat and mouth, sweating and night sweating, pain and swelling in oral mucosa in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( t values was 4.873, 4.572, 4.419, 4.754, respectively, all Ps<0.05). After treatment, the basic salivary flow rate (0.66 ± 0.06 ml/min vs. 0.53 ± 0.07 ml/min, t=4.532), salivary pH value (6.45 ± 0.25 vs. 5.51 ± 0.23, t=4.382) in the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group ( P<0.05); The KPS score of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group ( t=6.552, P<0.01); The total improvement rate of the observation group was 83.3% (25/30) and that of the control group was 63.3% (19/30), with significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=6.955, P=0.031). Conclusions:The Zishen-Jianpi-Shengjin Decoction can improve salivary secretion function, relieve clinical symptoms and improve the quality of life of patients with xerostomia after radiotherapy for head and neck malignant tumors.
ABSTRACT
Objective Articular cartilage injury is one of the most common orthopedic diseases with high morbidity and morbidity,especially in the elderly. Articular cartilage injury causes degenerative changes of articular cartilage, such as osteoarthritis, which can lead to disability, pain during joint movement and deformation of bone and joint. The prevalence of osteoarthritis accounts for 10% ～12% of the total population in the world. It is a common disease. The prevalence of osteoarthritis has increased to 49. 7% for the elderly aged over 65 years old ( Statistics of the World Health Organization ( who) in 2010 show that with the development of social aging and obesity and other adverse factors,these figures will continue to rise. It is known that osteoarthritis is related to aging,trauma,genetic susceptibility,obesity and inflammation,but the specific cause of osteoarthritis has not been fully identified, which leads to many obstacles in clinical treatment of osteoarthritis. At present,most of the clinical and research work in this field is focused on the restoration of cartilage trauma. In this review, we summarize and discuss the methods of cartilage defect repair,as well as the hot spots and directions of future research work.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>A new treatment strategy is to target specific areas of the skeletal system that are prone to clinically significant osteoporotic fractures. We term this strategy as the "local treatment of osteoporosis". The study was performed to investigate the effect of alendronate-loaded calcium phosphate cement (CPC) as a novel drug delivery system for local treatment of osteoorosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>An in vitro study was performed using CPC fabricated with different concentrations of alendronate (ALE, 0, 2, 5, 10 weight percent (wt%)). The microstructure, setting time, infrared spectrum, biomechanics, drug release, and biocompatibility of the composite were measured in order to detect changes when mixing CPC with ALE. An in vivo study was also performed using 30 Sprague-Dawley rats randomly divided into six groups: normal, Sham (ovariectomized (OVX) + Sham), CPC with 2% ALE, 5%ALE, and 10% ALE groups. At 4 months after the implantation of the composite, animals were sacrificed and the caudal vertebrae (levels 4-7) were harvested for micro-CT examination and biomechanical testing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The setting time and strength of CPC was significantly faster and greater than the other groups. The ALE release was sustained over 21 days, and the composite showed good biocompatibility. In micro-CT analysis, compared with the Sham group, there was a significant increase with regard to volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) and trabecular number (Tb.N) in the treated groups (P < 0.05). Trabecular spacing (Tb.Sp) showed a significant increase in the Sham group compared to other groups (P < 0.01). However, trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) showed no significant difference among the groups. In biomechanical testing, the maximum compression strength and stiffness of trabecular bone in the Sham group were lower than those in the experimental groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The ALE-loaded CPC displayed satisfactory properties in vitro, which can reverse the OVX rat vertebral trabecular bone microarchitecture and biomechanical properties in vivo.</p>