ObjectiveTo investigate the finasteride application during the off-cycle of intermittent androgen blockade (IAB) in patients with advanced prostate cancer treated with IAB.MethodsEighty-seven patients with advanced prostate cancer were divided into two groups: forty-nine patients received IAB (group A), and thirty-eight patients underwent IAB and finasteride during the off-cycle of IAB (group B). The time of treatment cycle and the time to disease progression were compared between the two groups. ResultsThe patients in group A completed 89 treatment cycles and the mean cycle length was (12.8±5.4) months [treatment time and non-treatment time were (6.6±3.5) months and (7.1±4.8) months, respectively]. The patients in group B completed 85 cycles and the mean cycle length was (15.3±5.9) months [treatment time and non-treatment time were (6.9±3.2) months and (9.2v±3.9) months, respectively]. There was a significant difference between group A and B in the mean cycle length and the non-treatment time (P=0.0428,P=0.03).The 3-year progression rate was ( 34.8±3.5 )% in group A and ( 28.4±2.7)% in groups B ( P=0.035). ConclusionsThe application of finasteride during the off-cycle of IAB in patients with advanced prostate cancer treated with intermittent androgen blockade (IAB) can delay progression of advanced prostate cancer.

AIMTo search for compounds for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases through prodrug structural modifications of cyclovirobuxine D, a single efficient composition distilled from Box plant in China, which was used to treat angina and myocardial infarction.

METHODSAccording to prodrug design principle, a series of cyclovirobuxine D analogues were prepared, suc as succinate, phosphate and amino acid ester, and their biological activities were tested.

RESULTSSeven new compounds were obtained and confirmed with 1H NMR, MS, and element analysis.

CONCLUSIONIn pharmacology experiment, for treating arrhythmia induced by aconitine, succinate and amino acid ester of cyclovirobuxine D (I and VII) showed better activities than that of cyclovirobuxine D. The normal rhythm of the heart duration of I and VII were ( 11.53 +/- 7.62) min and (12.68 +/- 9.25) min, compared with 0.9% NaCl solution and cyclovirobuxine D, (2.36 +/- 1.68) min and (10.25 +/- 6.59) min (P < 0.01), respectively. Another pharmacology experiment, for treating arrhythmia induced by chloroform, the negative ratio of I and VII were 80% and 82%, compared with 0.9% NaCl solution and cyclovirobuxine D, 43% and 52% (P < 0.05), respectively. The difference between new compounds and cyclovirobuxine D was distinct.

Aconitine ; Animals ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; chemical synthesis ; pharmacology ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; Buxus ; chemistry ; Chloroform ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemical synthesis ; pharmacology ; Female ; Heart Rate ; drug effects ; Male ; Mice ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Prodrugs ; chemical synthesis ; pharmacology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic performance of MRI Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2018 in high-risk hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with intrahepatic parenchymal substantial lesions ≤3.0 cm.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted in hospitals between September 2014 to April 2020. 131 pathologically confirmed non-HCC cases with lesions ≤3.0 cm in diameter were randomly matched with 131 cases with lesions ≤3.0 cm in diameter and divided into benign (56 cases), other hepatic malignant tumor (OM, 75 cases), and HCC group (131 cases) in a 1:1 ratio. MRI features of the lesions were analyzed and classified according to LI-RADS v2018 criteria (tie-break rule was applied to lesions with both HCC and LR-M features). Taking the pathological results as the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of the LI-RADS v2018 classification criteria and the more stringent LR-5 criteria (with three main signs of HCC at the same time) were calculated for HCC, OM or benign lesions diagnosis. Mann -Whitney U test was used to compare the classification results. Results:The number of cases classified as LR-M, LR-1, LR-2, LR-3, LR-4, and LR-5 in HCC group after applying the tie-break rule were 14, 0, 0, 12, 28, and 77, respectively. There were 40, 0, 0, 4, 17, 14 and 8, 5, 1, 26, 13, 3 cases in benign and OM group, respectively. There were 41 (41/77), 4 (4/14) and 1 (1/3) lesion case in the HCC, OM and benign group, respectively, that met the more stringent LR-5 criteria. The sensitivity of LR-4 combined with LR-5 (LR-4/5) criteria, LR-5 criteria and more stringent LR-5 criteria for HCC diagnosis were 80.2% (105/131), 58.8% (77/131) and 31.3% (41/131), respectively, and the specificity were 64.1% (84/131), 87.0% (114/131) and 96.2% (126/131), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of LR-M were 53.3% (40/75) and 88.2% (165/187), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity using LR-1 combined with LR-2 (LR-1/2) criteria for the diagnosis of benign liver lesions were 10.7% (6/56) and 100% (206/206), respectively.Conclusions:LR-1/2, LR-5, and LR-M criteria have high diagnostic specificity for intrahepatic lesions with a diameter of ≤3.0 cm. Lesions classified as LR-3 are more likely to be benign. The specificity of LR-4/5 criteria is low, while the more stringent LR-5 criteria has a high specificity for HCC diagnosis.