Clinical evaluation of high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation combined with mifepristone and levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system to treat symptomatic adenomyosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of the combination of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), mifepristone, and levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) in adenomyosis treatment. METHODS: HIFU treatment was performed in 123 patients with symptomatic adenomyosis who had refused treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) at Anyang Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital. In the control group, 34 patients were treated with HIFU alone, 29 patients with HIFU combined with mifepristone, 10 patients with HIFU combined with LNG-IUS. In the study group, 50 patients were treated with HIFU combined with mifepristone and LNG-IUS. RESULTS: Uterine volume, dysmenorrhea pain score, menstruation volume score, and serum CA125 level were significantly lower after treatment with HIFU combined with mifepristone and LNG-IUS than before treatment (p < .05). Moreover, hemoglobin level was significantly higher than that before treatment (p < .05). After 24 months, the efficacy of HIFU combined with mifepristone and LNG-IUS was significantly higher than that of HIFU alone, HIFU combined with mifepristone or HIFU with LNG-IUS (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Combination therapy of HIFU, mifepristone, and LNG-IUS is an effective, safe, and inexpensive treatment for patients with symptomatic adenomyosis. This combination therapy demonstrates superior efficacy to treatment with HIFU alone, HIFU combined with mifepristone, and HIFU combined with LNG-IUS.

Loading necrostatin-1 composite bone cement inhibits necroptosis of bone tissue in rabbit.

Bone necrosis after injecting of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement will lead to re-fracture of bone tissue. As a new type of necrosis, there is little research related to the necroptosis of surrounding bone tissue near the bone cement. The purpose of our study was to (i) investigate the presence of necroptosis in vivo and, (ii) established as a new type of bone cement containing PMMA, calcium phosphate cement (CPC) and Necrostatin-1 (Nec-1) to inhibit necroptosis of bone tissue. A total of 12 Japanese rabbits were used to establish the animal model and randomly divided into 4 groups signed as a control group, PMMA group, PMMA-CPC group and PMMA-CPC-Nec-1 group, respectively. We used scanning electron microscope to observe the structure of the samples, used HE staining to detect the necrosis, and used western blotting as well as ELISA test to examine the iconic molecule receptor interacting protein kinase-3 (RIP 3) protein and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). After analyzing the results of our study, we found that the structure in both PMMA bone cement group and composite bone cement group was damaged and there was an evidence of necrosis, but it was absent in control group. Through molecule detection, the RIP 3 protein expression was decreased in PMMA-CPC-Nec-1 (P < 0.05). TNF-α expression was increased in bone cement groups with and without CPC (P < 0.05), but was inhibited in PMMA-CPC-Nec-1 group. We have concluded that the necroptosis could be confirmed in bone tissue necrosis induced by TNF-α after bone cement injection and also could be inhibited by composite bone cement with Nec-1.

Effects of the ultra-high pressure on structure and α-glucosidase inhibition of polysaccharide from Astragalus.

A novel homogeneous polysaccharide fraction (APS) was extracted from Astragalus by hot water and purified by Sephadex G-100 and G-75 column. Its molecular weight was 693kDa. APS and APS with ultra-high pressure treatment exhibited significant inhibitory abilities on a-glucosidase, inhibition rate from high to low in order was 400MPa-APS, 300MPa-APS, 500MPa-APS and APS. The inhibition ​percentage of 400MPa-APS (1.5mg/mL) was 49% (max.). This suggested that the inhibitory activity of APS on a-glucosidase was improved by ultra-high pressure treatment. FT-IR, SEM, CD spectra, atomic force microscope and Congo red test analysis of APS and 400MPa-APS showed ultra-high pressure treatment didn't change the preliminary structure but had an effect on its advanced structure.

Effect of ultrasonic treatment on structure and antitumor activity of mycelial polysaccharides from Cordyceps gunnii.

Taking mycelial polysaccharides from Cordyceps gunnii (C. gunnii) as the study subject, the effect of ultrasonic power, time and concentration of polysaccharides on antitumor activity of the polysaccharides was investigated. The ultrasonic processing condition of the polysaccharides was optimized by using orthogonal test design, and determined to be 400 W, 15 min and 1g/L. The change of structures of polysaccharides before and after ultrasonic treatment was also studied. Results show that ultrasonic treatment did not change the characteristic attribute of polysaccharides from C. gunnii. The composition of monosaccharide residues and the category of glycosidic bond have not been changed. But the molecular weight and intrinsic viscosity was reduced, and the alpha-helicity was enhanced after ultrasonic treatment. It was possible that ultrasonic treatment is an effective way for enhancing antitumor activity of polysaccharides.

Sulfated modification of the polysaccharide from Cordyceps_gunnii mycelia and its biological activities.

A chemically new sulfated polysaccharide (SPS50) was prepared from the water soluble polysaccharide (PS50), isolated from Cordyceps_gunnii mycelia, by concentrated sulfuric acid method. The yield of crude SPS50 was 62.34% and its specific rotation was [α](D)(20)=-36.75°. The structural characteristics of this chemically sulfated polysaccharide were determined based on the infrared analysis (IR), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electropheresis (SDS-PAGE). Its biological properties including anti-oxidant and anti-tumor activities were also investigated. The results showed that the anti-oxidant capacity of SPS50 was not as good as SP50 and the anti-tumor activity of SPS50 was much better than PS50. SPS50 showed evident growth inhibition on K562 cells. The tumor inhibition ratio of SPS50 against K562 cells was 69.92%.