Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists for ovarian protection during breast cancer chemotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

IMPORTANCE: The increasing trend of delaying childbirth means that more women are being diagnosed with breast cancer before having given birth to their desired number of children. Although chemotherapy can significantly improve the prognosis of this population, it also causes ovarian damage, including premature ovarian insufficiency and infertility. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) have shown promising fertility protective activity in premenopausal women, but their clinical usage remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: Here, we conducted a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of GnRHa when administered concurrently with chemotherapy that included cyclophosphamide in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced ovarian damage in premenopausal women. EVIDENCE REVIEW: An extensive literature search was performed using the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined. FINDINGS: Eleven randomized controlled trials with a total of 1,219 participants were included in the analyses. A significantly higher number of women treated with GnRHa experienced the resumption of ovarian function after chemotherapy than those who did not receive this treatment (OR, 3.04; 95% CI, 1.87-4.94; P < 0.001). Regarding spontaneous pregnancy, a statistically significant difference was observed only in hormone receptor-negative participants (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.03-4.11; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: When treating premenopausal women with breast cancer, the administration of GnRHa concurrently with chemotherapy appeared to improve the resumption rate of ovarian function; however, the spontaneous pregnancy rate only improved in hormone receptor-negative patients. Thus, the use of GnRHa during chemotherapy may represent a feasible strategy for preserving ovarian function in women with breast cancer.

Effect of Fufang Huangbai Fluid Paint on Virulence and Biofilm of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo study the virulence and biofilm inhibition effect of Fufang Huangbai Fluid Paint （FFHBFP） on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus （MRSA）， and to explore the antibacterial effect of FFHBFP on MRSA， which provides a theoretical basis and reference for clinical medication. MethodFirstly， the microdilution method and time–growth curve were used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration （MIC） of FFHBFP and vancomycin （VAN） against MRSA and the effect on bacterial growth. The effects of FFHBFP and VAN on the inhibition of MRSA virulence factor lipase and restoration of hydrogen peroxide （H2O2） sensitivity were detected under sub-minimum inhibitory concentration （sub-MIC）. The inhibitory effect of FFHBFP and VAN on MRSA biofilm formation and maturation was detected by the microplate method. The morphological changes of mature biofilms before and after administration were observed under a scanning electron microscope （SEM）. Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was utilized to detect the effect of 50.600 g·L-1 concentration of FFHBFP on the expression of MRSA virulence gene crtM and biofilm-forming genes fnbA and icaA. Finally， molecular docking technology was used to predict the mechanism of potential antibacterial active ingredients of FFHBFP in inhibiting the virulence and biofilm of MRSA. ResultThe MIC of VAN was 2 mg·L-1， and VAN below 1 mg·L-1 exerted no effect on MRSA growth. The MIC of FFHBFP was not determined， while the 101.200-202.400 g·L-1 original solution inhibited MRSA growth. Compared with the blank group and the VAN group， sub-MIC （25.300-50.600 g·L-1 original solution） inhibited lipase and recovered MRSA sensitivity to H2O2 （P<0.01）. The results of the microplate method showed that FFHBFP （25.300-202.400 g·L-1 original solution） inhibited biofilm formation and maturation （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The SEM exhibited that FFHBFP made the structure of biofilm loose and the size of the bacteria varied. FFHBFP at 50.600 g·L-1 concentration can inhibit the expression of related virulence genes and biofilm-forming genes （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and molecular docking results also showed that the main antibacterial active ingredients in FFHBFP have good binding ability to the target. ConclusionFFHBFP that cannot directly kill MRSA exerts clinical efficacy by impairing virulence expression， biofilm formation， and other pathogenic properties.

[Periphytic Algae Community Structure and Its Relation to Environment Factors in the Main Stream of the Songhua River from 2014 to 2019].

Periphytic algae are often used as an indicator to evaluate water quality. Here, the community structure of periphytic algae and its relationship with environment factors were analyzed in the main stream of the Songhua River during the summers of 2014 to 2019. The status and trends in ecological water quality were also evaluated based on bioassessments. Phytoplankton species belonging to 4 phyla and 58 genera were recorded, including 28 Bacillariophyta genera, 17 Chlorophyta genera, 10 Cyanophyta genera, and 3 Euglenophyta genera; Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta, and Cyanophyta accounted for 48.28%, 29.31%, and 17.24% of the community, respectively. Cell densities varied between 1.29×104 and 8.42×104 ind·cm-3, with an average of 4.35×104 ind·cm-3. The dominant genera were Cyclotella, Melosira, Asterionella, Cymbella, Synedra, Pinnularia, Navicula, and Scenedesmus. The physicochemical water quality showed notable changes during the past six-year monitoring period. Specifically, the dissolved oxygen content increased year on year; ammonia nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total nitrogen first increased and then decreased; and, overall, water quality significantly improved in 2019. Relationship between periphytic algae and environmental factors was further examined using redundancy analysis (RDA), which showed that time was the main factor driving the succession of algal community structure. Dissolved oxygen (DO), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were also important environmental variables affecting algal community structure.

Scientific Analysis of Processing of Pinelliae Rhizoma by Ancient Hot Water Washing Method / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the scientificity and feasibility of processing of Pinelliae Rhizoma by hot water washing （Tangxi）， and to provide reference for the development of related famous classical formulas. Method:Processing method of Pinelliae Rhizoma washed by hot water was established based on ancient Tangxi processing method， and the process conditions were optimized by single factor tests. The weight， moisture， ash， extract， total acid （calculated by succinic acid） contents and high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） fingerprint of Pinelliae Rhizoma were compared before and after processing. In addition， the rabbit eye irritation test was conducted to evaluate the toxicity changes. Result:The processing method of Pinelliae Rhizoma washed by hot water was as following：washed by 4 times the amount of hot water at 80 ℃ for 10 times until clear water， transfused cross-section after incision， no or slight numbness in the mouth. The average moisture， ash， extract contents of Pinelliae Rhizoma washed by hot water were 9.34%， 1.71% and 4.22%， respectively. After being processed， the decline rates of weight and total acid content of Pinelliae Rhizoma were 7.49% and 43.31%. The HPLC fingerprint of Pinelliae Rhizoma before and after washing showed a decrease in all components， but there was no new chromatographic peak， and peak 9 （adenosine） reduced significantly. The results of rabbit eye irritation test showed that there was no obvious eye conjunctival irritation after washing， indicating that the toxicity of Pinelliae Rhizoma decreased obviously after washing. Conclusion:The established method of Pinelliae Rhizoma by Tangxi processing is stable and feasible， the aqueous extract of Pinelliae Rhizoma has no obvious eye conjunctival irritation after washing.

Feasibility Analysis of Removal of Alkaloids from Processing Wastewater of Aconiti Radix by Flocculation / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To investigate the removal effect of 5 kinds of common flocculants on 6 kinds of toxic alkaloids in processing wastewater of Aconiti Radix. Method: HPLC was employed to determine contents of 6 kinds of alkaloids in the processing wastewater of Aconiti Radix before and after flocculation.The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile-tetrahydrofuran(25:15)-0.1 mol·L-1 ammonium acetate solution(each 1 L contains 0.5 mL of glacial acetic acid) for gradient elution, volume flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1, detection wavelength was 235 nm.The removal characteristics and effects of five common flocculants of ferric chloride, aluminum sulfate, polymeric ferric sulfate, polyaluminum chloride/polyacrylamide(PAC/PAM) and sodium polyacrylate were compared and preliminarily optimized. Result: The 5 kinds of flocculants had certain selectivity for different types of alkaloids, and the removal of 6 kinds of alkaloids showed obvious differences.Among them, the PAC/PAM attenuated relative superiority, when the pH 6, adding amount of 0.25 g·L-1 and PAC-PAM dosing ratio of 30:1, comprehensive removal effect was relatively good, removal rates of mesaconitine and hypaconitine was 85.4%and 58.3%, respectively. Conclusion: The flocculation method can be used as a pretreatment process to reduce the toxicity of processing wastewater of Aconiti Radix.

Research Progress of Gardeniae Fructus in Treatment of Cerebral Ischemia / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Ischemic stroke is one of the diseases that seriously threaten human health. It is characterized by the high morbidity, disability rate and mortality, and has been lacking effective treatment. Its occurrence is related to metabolic disorder, calcium overload, free radical injury, inflammatory reaction, etc. Gardeniae Fructus not only has antipyretic, analgesic, hepatoprotective and cholagogic effects, but also has protective effects against ischemic brain injury. At present, there are more studies about the main components of Gardeniae Fructus against ischemic brain injury, but the mechanism is unclear. In this paper, the mechanism of the main active ingredients from Gardeniae Fructus in the treatment of cerebral ischemia injury in recent years was reviewed, and the effective component monomer and the whole were analyzed, so as to provide a basis for the prevention and treatment of ischemic brain injury of Gardeniae Fructus decoction pieces, and provide a reference for further research and application of this decoction pieces.

Assessing the environmental impact of phenanthrene in different types of land use based on the binding characteristics with dissolved organic matter.

The binding characteristics of phenanthrene with dissolved organic matter (DOM) were studied by the excitation emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy with parallel factor analysis in four types of land use which derived from forest (F), meadow (M), cropland (C), and greenhouse (G). The results showed that the humification degree and binding characteristics of phenanthrene with DOM were distinct differences in the four soils. The binding capacities of humic-like components with phenanthrene were stronger than those of protein-like components. The log K derived from the Stern-Volmer equation significantly correlated with the humification degree of DOM (p < 0.05) in different types of land use. Besides, correlation analysis demonstrated that the potential binding index (Fk) obtained from the modified Stern-Volmer model was a more accurate parameter to describe the combination degree of DOM with phenanthrene than log K, which presented a decrease order of C > F > M > G. Therefore, the environmental impact of phenanthrene in different types of land use could be assessed deeply based on the Fk and DOM concentration.

Polymorphisms in the telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter are associated with risk of breast cancer: A meta-analysis.

AIMS: Recently, the relationship between telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) polymorphisms and breast cancer risk has been investigated in several publications. However, the results were inconclusive. In this study, we examined the association between TERT polymorphisms and breast cancer risk by meta-analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were searched independently by two investigators to retrieve relevant studies published to March 21, 2015. The strength of the association was calculated with the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). All statistical tests were used by the RevMan 5.1 software (Nordic Cochrane Center, Copenhagen, Denmark). RESULTS: We observed a statistically significant association between rs2736109 polymorphism and breast cancer risk (OR = 1.13; 95% CI: 1.00-1.28; P = 0.04). In addition, rs2736109 polymorphism was associated with breast cancer risk in Caucasian population (OR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.00-1.38; P = 0.04). We also found rs2853669 and rs2736098 polymorphisms were significantly associated with breast cancer risk (OR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.63-0.90; P = 0.002 and OR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.72-0.87; P < 0.00001), respectively. Furthermore, rs10069690 polymorphism was showed to be associated with breast cancer risk (OR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.11-1.22; P < 0.00001). In the subgroup analysis, this polymorphism might be associated with estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer risk (OR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.12-1.21; P < 0.00001) and breast cancer risk in Caucasian population (OR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.14-1.23; P < 0.00001). One single nucleotide polymorphism, rs2735940, was not significantly associated with breast cancer risk (OR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.66-1.11; P = 0.24). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggested that TERT rs2736109, rs2853669, rs2736098, and rs10069690 polymorphisms were associated with increased risk of developing breast cancer.

Study on application of bioassay method in drug-release evaluation in vitro of Salvia miltiorrhiza hydrophilic gel matrix tablets / 中国中药杂志

To investigate the feasible application of the bioassay method in the evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine sustained-release preparations, develop a rapid drug-release evaluation method in vitro for multi-component preparations, and replace the biological activity determination method characterizing the overall behavior with the existing drug-release evaluation method for single component, in order to give better instruction for sustained-release preparations. HPLC was adopted to determine dissolution media, drug releasing rates, and accumulative releasing of active ingredients (salvianolic acid B, protocatechuic aldehyde and rosmarinic acid) of Salvia Miltiorrhiza hydrophilic gel matrix tablets. The ultraviolet spectroscopy was adopted to determine the antioxidant activity of release media, and evaluate the correlation between the drug-time curve of various drug components and the drug-time curve of the total antioxidant activity. The correlation coefficient between the drug-release curve of various components and the drug-time curve of the total antioxidant activity was higher than the critical value r 0.898 (P < 0.001). This indicated that the drug-release curve of the three phenolic acids and the drug-time curve of the total antioxidant activity had a good correlation in different conditions, such as dissolution media, release rates and component ratios. The bioassay method for determination was feasible, simple and convenient for preparation quality evaluation and prescription design in the place of in vitro dissolution.

Experimental study on effect of different chromatographic conditions on QAMS relative correlation factors and relative retention values / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of different chromatographic conditions on QAMS relative correlation factors (RCF) and relative retention values (RT(R)).</p><p><b>METHOD</b>C18 columns were used with methyl alcohol-0.4% phosphoric acid water (85: 15) as the mobile phase. The detection wavelength was 254 nm, the column temperature was 30 degrees C, and the flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1). The five anthraquinones in Rhei Radix et Rhizoma were selected to be the objects of study. The RCF and RT(R) among aloe-emodin, rhein, chrysophanol, physcion and emodin were determined under different chromatographic conditions.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Their RCFs showed no significant difference.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The RCFs among anthraquinones established by QAMS can be used as a constant in content determination of traditional Chinese medicines/patent traditional Chinese medicines.</p>

[The surgical timing and effects for vitreous hemorrhage caused by ocular blunt trauma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the surgical timing and effects for vitreous hemorrhage caused by blunt ocular trauma. METHOD: 116 eyes of vitreous hemorrhage caused by ocular blunt trauma were divided into two groups, non-vitrectomy group (46 eyes) and vitrectomy group (70 eyes). The treating results and follow-up results were compared. RESULTS: 50 of 70 eyes (71.4%) in vitrectomy group and 10 of 46 eyes (21.7%) in non-vitrectomy group achieved a visual acuity of 0.1 or better over a follow-up period of 1 month, which indicated a significant difference between two groups. In the non-vitrectomy group, visual acuity of 10 eyes were better than 0.1, 7 eyes (70.0%) of them improved within 2 weeks of injury. In surgery group, 27.1% underwent only vitrectomy and 70.9% needed combining with other manipulations. In vitrectomy group the retina detachment was found in 3 eyes (4.3%) post-operatively and were cured by second operation. In non-vitrectomy group, the retinal detachment was found in 14 eyes (30.4%) during the follow-up period, and 8 eyes (72.7%) of 11 eyes received operation were cured. CONCLUSION: Early vitreous surgery can improve curative effect for vitreous hemorrhage caused by blunt ocular trauma when no improvement was observed after applied drugs 2 - 3 weeks.