Study on effect of astragali radix polysaccharides in improving learning and memory functions in aged rats and its mechanism / 中国中药杂志

To observe the effect of Astragali Radix polysaccharides (APS) on the learning and memory functions of aged rats, in order to explore its mechanism for improving the learning and memory functions. Natural aging female SD rats were selected in the animal model and randomly divided into the control group, the APS low-dose group (50 mg x kg(-1)), the APS high-dose group (150 mg x kg(-1)) and the piracetam-treated group (560 mg x kg(-1)). They were orally administered with the corresponding drugs for consecutively 60 days. Besides, a young control group was set. The learning and memory functions of the rats were tested by the open-field test and the Morris water maze task. The Western-blot method was used to observe the levels of relevant neural plasticity protein N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA receptor) in hippocampus, calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMK II), protein kinase (PKA), the phosphorylation level of CAMP response element binding protein (CREB) and the protein expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF). In this study, the authors found that the learning and memory functions and the hippocampus neural plasticity protein expression of the aged rat group were much lower than that of the young control group (P < 0.01). Compared with the aged rat group, the APS group showed the significant improvement in the impaired learning and memory functions of aged rats and the up-regulation in the hippocampus neural plasticity protein expression. The results showed that APS may improve the learning and memory functions of aged rats by increasing the expressions of relevant neural plasticity proteins.

Comparative study of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery vs thoracic tube drainage in synthetic therapy for malignant pleural effusion secondary to non-small cell lung cancer / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the value of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and identify its indications in synthetic therapy for malignant pleural effusion secondary to non-small cell lung cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A prospective randomized single-blinded controlled clinical trial was conducted. Fifty-three patients with moderate or large amount of ipsilateral malignant pleural effusion (MPE) secondary to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were randomly divided into VATS group and tube drainage group (TD group). All patients received chemotherapy with the regimen of paclitaxel combined with paraplatin, and the response rate of MPE after therapy, difference of Karnofsky performance status (KPS) grades before and after therapy and the survival rate of the patients were compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The response rate of MPE after therapy in VATS group and TD group was 92.3% and 59.3%, and the complete remission rate was 88.5% and 44.4% (P<0.05), respectively. The difference of KPS grades before and after therapy in VATS group and TD group were 30 and 20, with a mean of 33.5-/+11.3 and 24.07-/+10.5 (P<0.05), respectively. Till August of 2005 years, all patients were available for followed-up, whose median survival time was 20 months in VATS group and 15 months in TD group. The 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rate were 65.4%, 38.5% and 22.4% in VATS group and 59.3%, 25.9% and 14.8% in TD group (P>0.05), respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Video-assisted thoracoscopic pleurectomy can effectively control MPE and improve the quality of life for NSCLC patients with MPE, but failed to significantly improve the patients' survival rate in comparison with tube drainage. Except for grade IV, grades I, II and III according to CT findings all can be indications of VATS.</p>

Treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer with paraplatin given by two different dosage calculation methods / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the reasonable dosage for paraplatin according to different dosage calculations.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A prospective, randomized, single-blinded study on 54 patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with paraplatin was conducted. Patients were divided to 2 groups. In group A, paraplatin dosage was calculated according to patients' body surface, and in group B, it was calculated according to the area under the curve (AUS). Hematological toxicity, response rate and survival rate in the two groups of patients were compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Neutropenia in group A and group B was seen in 77.8% and 37.0% (P < 0.05), and thrombocytopenia in 18.5% and 3.7% (P > 0.05) of patients, respectively. Hemoglobin decrease was seen in 48.2% of patients in both groups. The average quantity of paraplatin given in one cycle of treatment was 535.93 +/- 106.71 mg and 398.52 +/- 71.72 mg (P < 0.01) respectively. The average time interval between treatment cycles was 27.04 +/- 5.30 d and 22.85 +/- 2.80 d (P < 0.05). The response rate and survival rate of patients in group A and B were 22.2% versus 48.2% (P < 0.05), and 40.7% versus 44.4% (P > 0.05) respectively, but the median survival time was identical (12 months) in the two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>NSCLC patients given paraplatin with dosages calculated on the basis of AUC have higher response rate and less severe hematological toxicity than those given paraplatin with dosages on the basis of body surface. However, the median survival time and survival rate have no statistical differences between the two groups of patients.</p>