Usage of Chinese Herbs in Cancer Patients in Southern China: A Survey / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the use of Chinese medicine (CM) in cancer patients in southern China.@*METHODS@#A total of 1,950 cancer patients finished questionnaires in four provinces in southern China. The survey included socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of participants, dosage forms, efficacy, and side effects.@*RESULTS@#The study results showed that cancer patients with higher education (>12 years) were more likely to accept the treatment of Chinese herbs. There were 54.61% (1,065 cases) of patients chose Chinese herbs for the initial treatment and 14.46% (282 cases) chose Chinese herbs as monotherapy. Most patients (54.51%, 1,063 cases) continuously used CM for more than 6 months, and a few of them (212 cases) used CM for up to 3 years. All kinds of dosage forms of CM had been used, including CM decoction, CM patent prescription and CM injection. Concerning the efficacy in the view of patients, 40.31% (786 cases) believed that it would be effective to take Chinese herbs before they starting the anti-cancer treatment, and the percentage increased to 81.08% after 1-month CM treatment. The effect of Chinese herbs was mainly demonstrated by symptom relief and improvement of quality of life, and 8.31% (162 cases) of patients experienced control of tumor growth and decreased tumor markers. Furthermore, only 14.31% (279 cases) participants reported that they experienced side effects during CM treatment.@*CONCLUSION@#This large scale investigation reflects the current situation of domestic CM usage objectively and comprehensively, which might provide new ways for cancer treatment.

Mechanism of chemotherapy⁃induced tumor metastasis / 医学研究生学报

Chemotherapy is one of the main treatments for malignant tumors, aiming to kill tumor cells and improve patient survival. However, the new study have found that chemotherapy also promotes distant metastasis of tumors while treating tumor, and the article will give further new meaning to "chemotherapy side effects." On the other hand, tumor metastasis is the main cause of short-term survival of patients. Inhibition of tumor metastasis caused by chemotherapy is a hot topic that should be widely concerned. Modern research suggests that chemotherapeutic drugs promote tumor metastasis by inducing changes in the biological characteristics of tumors and causing a series of "host reactions". The article summarizes the mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced tumor metastasis in combination with the seed and soil theory related to tumor metastasis.

Expression of prolyl 4-hydroxylase beta-polypeptide in non-small cell lung cancer treated with Chinese medicines / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To investigate the role of prolyl 4-hydroxylase beta polypeptide (P4HB) expressed in lung carcinoma and the intervention effect of Yiqi Chutan Formula (, YQCTF).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Lung carcinoma model was established by subcutaneously inoculating LEWIS lung carcinoma cells in C57BL/6J mice. The differential expression of P4HB protein between the YQCTF (3.0 g/kg, gavage, once daily, 21 days) group and the control group was acquired by a 2 fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE), verified by Western blotting and identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS). The expression of P4HB and P4HB mRNA in cultured A549 cells from cisplatin (DDP) 1.5 µg/mL group and 15% serum combined with DDP 1.5 µg/mL group were detected by cellular immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The proteomics research discovered that one-third of differential proteins including P4HB were decreased in the YQCTF group (P<0.01). Clinical pathology and tissue microarray studies showed that P4HB expression in lung cancer tissue was stronger than adjacent tissues and normal lung epithelial (P<0.01). In the YQCTF and DDP combined groups, the expression of P4HB and P4HB mRNA in A549 cell were decreased significantly (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>YQCTF could inhibit the LEWIS lung carcinoma's growth, decrease the expression of P4HB in LEWIS lung carcinoma and A549 cells. YQCTF might take effect through regulating P4HB in endoplasmic reticulum to inhibit the incidence and growth process of lung carcinoma.</p>

Apoptosis inducing effect of Hechanpian on human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the apoptosis inducing effects of Hechanpian (HCP) on human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HCP containing rat serum was prepared and applied on A549 cells. The cell growth inhibition rate was tested by MTT assay; the effect of HCP on cell apoptosis was observed with Propidium iodide (PI) staining and flow cytometry analysis; the mRNA expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was detected through RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The growth of A549 cells was obviously inhibited after being treated by HCP containing serum, and the cells presented an apoptotic change. The cell apoptosis rate after treated by serum containing 10% and 20% HCP was 20.5% and 33.2%, respectively, significantly higher than that in the control (6.1% in cells didn't treated with HCP, P < 0.05). Compared with control, EGFR mRNA expression in HCP treated cells was significantly lower (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HCP has apoptosis inducing effect on A549 cell, and its molecular mechanism is probably correlated with the inhibition of EGFR gene transcription.</p>

Bioinformatics analysis and function prediction of the novel gene AY358935 / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To obtain the functional information of AY358935 gene.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The properties, subcellular location, and structure of AY358935 protein, and the expression profile of AY358935 gene were analyzed by bioinformatics software and the biological functions of the gene were predicted. AY358935 expression was detected by Western blot analysis in early virus infection.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>AY358935 was evolutionally conserved. The human AY358935 protein had an amino acid similarity of 74%, 60%, 38% and 33% with its counterpart in horses, mice, zebrafish and Xenopus laevis, respectively. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that AY358935 protein was located likely in the mitochondria. There was a N-terminal signal peptide and single transmembrane structure in AY358935 protein, which contained several phosphorylation sites. The secondary structure mainly comprised of alpha helices and random coils. AY358935 was ubiquitously expressed in normal tissues and carcinomas and regulated by the expression of double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase. AY358935 protein expression was obviously upregulated in cells 2 h after infection by vesicular stomatitis virus.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>As a predicted secretary protein with a small molecular weight, AY358935 might have important functions in cellular proliferation and anti-viral innate immune regulation.</p>

Proteomics in Chinese medicine researches: current status, problems and strategies / 中国中西医结合杂志

Proteomics plays important roles in Chinese medicine research at post-genomics era. Its research idea and methods are beneficial for elucidating some elemental features of Chinese medicine. At present, Chinese medicine proteomic studies are mainly focusing on the syndromatology and medical herbal pharmacology. However, there are still some problems, the most important matter was that most of the results were merely the superficial delineations. Further research should put emphasize on the unremitting and penetrating study of proteomics, molecular biology and bioinformatics integrally for illuminating Chinese medicine theory deeply to promote the modernization of Chinese medicine research.