Traditional Chinese medicine: An important source for discovering candidate agents against hepatic fibrosis.

Hepatic fibrosis (HF) refers to the pathophysiological process of connective tissue dysplasia in the liver caused by various pathogenic factors. Nowadays, HF is becoming a severe threat to the health of human being. However, the drugs available for treating HF are limited. Currently, increasing natural agents derived from traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have been found to be beneficial for HF. A systemic literature search was conducted from PubMed, GeenMedical, Sci-Hub, CNKI, Google Scholar and Baidu Scholar, with the keywords of "traditional Chinese medicine," "herbal medicine," "natural agents," "liver diseases," and "hepatic fibrosis." So far, more than 76 natural monomers have been isolated and identified from the TCMs with inhibitory effect on HF, including alkaloids, flavones, quinones, terpenoids, saponins, phenylpropanoids, and polysaccharides, etc. The anti-hepatic fibrosis effects of these compounds include hepatoprotection, inhibition of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) activation, regulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis & secretion, regulation of autophagy, and antioxidant & anti-inflammation, etc. Natural compounds and extracts from TCMs are promising agents for the prevention and treatment of HF, and this review would be of great significance to development of novel drugs for treating HF.

S-1 plus gemcitabine chemotherapy followed by concurrent radiotherapy and maintenance therapy with S-1 for unresectable pancreatic cancer.

AIM: To investigate the feasibility and efficacy of the combination of S-1 with gemcitabine followed by oral S-1 with concurrent radiotherapy (intensity modulated radiotherapy, IMRT) and maintenance therapy with S-1 for locally advanced pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Subjects selected in the study were patients who had unresectable and locally advanced pancreatic cancer without distant metastases, adequate organ and marrow functions, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-1 and no prior anticancer therapy. Initially the subjects received two cycles of chemotherapy, oral administration of S-1 40 mg/m(2) twice daily from day 1 to day 14 of a 21-d cycle, with 30-min intravenous infusions of gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2) on day 1 and day 8. Two weeks after the completion of chemotherapy, S-1 was administered orally with concurrent IMRT. Oral S-1 was administered at a dose of 80 mg/m(2) per day twice daily from day 1 to day 14 and from day 22 to day 35. Radiation was concurrently delivered at a dose of 50.4 Gy (1.8 Gy/d, 5 times per week, 28 fractions). One month after the completion of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, S-1 was administered orally at a dose of 80 mg/m(2) per day twice daily for 14 d, followed by a 14-d rest period. This cycle was repeated as maintenance therapy, until unacceptable toxicity occurred or the disease worsened. Thirty-two patients were involved in this study. The median follow-up was 15.6 mo (range: 8.6-32.3 mo). RESULTS: Thirty-two patients completed the scheduled course of chemotherapy, while 30 patients (93.8%) received chemoradiotherapy with two patients ceasing to continue with radiotherapy. The major toxic effects were nausea and leukopenia. There was no grade 4 toxicity or treatment-related death. According to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria, the objective tumor response was partial response in 17 (53.1%) patients, stable disease in 9 (28.1%), and progressive disease in 6 (18.8%). The median overall survival and median progression-free survival were 15.2 mo and 9.3 mo, respectively. The survival rates at 1 year and 2 years were 75% and 34.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The combination of S-1 with gemcitabine followed by oral S-1 with IMRT and maintenance therapy with S-1 alone in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer may be considered a well-tolerated, promising treatment regimen.

[Detection rate of Helicobacter pylori and its clinical significance in children with Meckel's diverticulum].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the detection rate of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) in children with Meckel's diverticulum (MD) and its clinical significance among children with MD. METHODS: Eighty-one children with MD were divided into two groups according to the presence (n=45) or absence (n=36) of digestive hemorrhage. The detection rates of Hp in MD tissues and stomach tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry. The detection rates of Hp were compared between the two groups and between the MD tissues with different clinical features in the hemorrhage group. RESULTS: The detection rate of Hp in MD tissues for the hemorrhage group was 76% (34/45), which was significantly higher than that for the non-hemorrhage group (47%, 17/36) (P<0.05). The detection rate of Hp in stomach tissues for the hemorrhage group (87%, 39/45) was insignificantly higher than that for the non-hemorrhage group (67%, 24/36) (P>0.05). Among patients in the bleeding group, the detection rate of Hp in MD tissues showed no relationship with age, sex, preoperative hemorrhage frequency, amount of hemorrhage, length of MD, basal diameter of MD, and pathological type (P>0.05), but was related to location of MD, presence or absence of ulcer, and depth of ulcer (P<0.05). For the hemorrhage group, a significant positive correlation was found between the detection rates of Hp in MD tissues and stomach tissues (P<0.05), as shown by the Spearman correlation analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The detection rate of Hp in MD tissues is increased in children with MD complicated by digestive hemorrhage. Hp infection may play some role in the hemorrhage process among children with MD.

Early efficacy of Endostar combined with chemoradiotherapy for advanced cervical cancers.

The aim of this study was to investigate the early outcome of Endostar combined with chemoradiotherapy for advanced cervical cancer. Fifty-two cases (FIGO IIb to IVa) were divided randomly into two groups, receiving chemoradiotherapy alone (CRT group) and Endostar combined with chemoradiotherapy (CRT+E group). For the patients in the CRT+E group, Endostar was administered daily with the dosage of 7.5 mg/m2, and cisplatin was administered weekly with the dosage of 20 mg/m2 during the radiation. The regimens lasted for 4 weeks with no difference in chemoradiotherapy between the two groups. The early outcome complete remission rate was 73.1%, partial remission rate was 23.1% and the total response rate was 96.2% in CRT+E group, a significnat improvement on the 34.6%, 42.3% and 76.9%, respectively, in the CRT group. One year survive rates were 100% and 84.6% in the CRT+E group and CRT groups, the difference being significant. Endostar combined with chemoradiotherapy can improve the early outcome of the advanced cervical cancer, and adverse effects were not encountered.

Early efficacy of taxotere and cisplatin chemo-radiotherapy for advanced cervical cancer.

The aim of this study was to investigate the early outcome of the taxotere and cisplatin chemoradiotherapy to the advanced cervical cancer. Fifty-six cases with cervical cancer (FIGO II b to IVa) were divided randomly into two groups: radiotherapy alone (28 cases) and radiation plus chemotherapy (TP) group. There was no difference of radiotherapy between the two groups. The RT+C cases who received TP regimen during the radiation, and DDP once weekly injection of vain, according to 20 mg/m2 and taxotere once weekly i.v. according to 35 mg/m2.These regimen were given for 4~5 weeks, and some medicine for vomiting was given to the RT+C cases. Two groups were received an oral medicine MA 160 mg every day during the treatment. The early outcome: the complete remission rate was 64.3% and partial remission rate was 35.7% in RT+C. the complete remission rate was 32.1% and partial remission rate was 39.3% in RT. The total response rate and complete remission of RT+C group was higher than that of the RT group. There was significant difference between the two groups. The taxotere and cisplatin chemoradiotherapy can improve the early outcome of the advanced cervical cancer, the adverse effects being endurable.

[Analysis of the initial efficacy of nedaplatin combined with megestrol in concurrent chemoradiotherapy for advanced cervical cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the early efficacy of nedaplatin combined with megestrol in concurrent chemoradiotherapy for advanced cervical cancer. METHODS: Forty-two cases of cervical cancer (FIGO IIb to IVa) were divided randomly into two groups: radiotherapy alone (21 cases) and radiation plus chemotherapy (Nedaplatin) group. The same radiotherapy was given to the two groups. Patients of the RT + C group received nedaplatin 30 mg/m2 in intravenous drip infusion once weekly on day 1, for 4 to 5 weeks, and megestrol 160 mg orally every day during the radiation therapy. RESULTS: The early outcome: the complete remission rate was 81.0% and partial remission rate was 19.0% in the RT + C group, significantly better than the CR (38.1%) and PR (42.9%) in the RT group. The 1-year survival rates in the two groups were 100% (21/21) and 81.0% (17/21), respectively, with a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of nedaplatin and megestrol with concurrent chemoradiotherapy can improve the early outcome of advanced cervical cancer, with somewhat increased but tolerable adverse effects.