1.The effects of R59949 on inflammatory pain induced by complete Freund's adjuvant in rats
Bijing HOU ; Jie GAO ; Yangfan CUI ; Jianshan XIE ; Yu ZHANG ; Huilin CUI
Chinese Journal of Neuroanatomy 2024;40(3):313-319
Objective:To preliminarily explore the role and mechanism of diacylglycerol kinase(DGK)involved in the regulation of persistent inflammatory pain in rats.Methods:Complete Freund's adjuvant(CFA)was injected into the left soles of rats to establish the pain model,and the DGK inhibitor R59949 was given for intervention.The behav-ioral changes about pain were detected by the paw withdrawal thermal latency(PWTL)and paw withdrawal mechanical threshold(PWMT),the expressions of DGKα,DGKβ,DGKγ mRNA in the dorsal horn of spinal cord of rats were ana-lyzed by RT-qPCR,the expression changes of inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6 in the spinal cord of rats were examed by Western Blot,and the expression and cell localization of DGKα was observed by immunofluorescence stai-ning.Results:Compared with control group,the PWTL and PWMT of CFA-induced rats were decreased significantly(P<0.001),Notably,DGKα mRNA(P<0.001)and protein(P<0.05)expression levels were significantly elevat-ed in the spinal cord,as were the protein expressions of TNF-α and IL-6(all P<0.001).After the model rats were treated with DGK inhibitor R59949,PWTL and PWMT decreased significantly(both P<0.01).while the expressions of TNF-α and IL-6 in the spinal cord increased significantly(P<0.05,P<0.001).Immunofluorescence results showed that DGKα was expressed in spinal cord neurons of model rats.Conclusion:DGK inhibitor R59949 enhances the inflammatory pain and promotes the expression of TNF-α and IL-6 in the model rats,and DGKα is involved in the regulation of inflammatory pain.
2.Sorafenib combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization or not in treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C
Yangfan ZHANG ; Qiang LI ; Ti ZHANG ; Qiang WU ; Yunlong CUI ; Huikai LI ; Weiwei MA ; Shaohua REN ; Tianqiang SONG
Chinese Journal of Hepatobiliary Surgery 2020;26(7):526-529
Objective:To study the survival outcomes in patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with sorafenib combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) versus sorafenib alone.Methods:The data of 92 patients with BCLC stage C HCC at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute& Hospital from January 2008 to December 2015 were retrospectively studied. There were 82 males and 10 females. The average age was 56.3 years. Classified according to whether there were vascular invasion and/or distant metastasis, patients were divided into the vascular invasion group ( n=24), the metastasis group ( n=48), and the vascular invasion combined with metastasis group ( n=20). All patients were treated with sorafenib, but some patients received combined treatment with TACE. The survival data of these patients on follow-up was collected. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, and the survival rates were compared by the log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were used to determine the prognostic factors of patients’ survival. Results:There were no significant differences in the baseline clinical data among the three groups (all P>0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that pre-treatment alpha fetal protein >20 μg/L ( HR=1.90, 95% CI: 1.13-3.12), alkaline phosphatase >125 U/L ( HR=1.60, 95% CI: 1.03-2.49) and sorafenib alone ( HR=2.11, 95% CI: 1.23-3.54) were independent risk factors of survival for these patients. There were no significant differences in the cumulative survival rates among the three groups ( P>0.05). In the vascular invasion group, the cumulative survival rates of patients treated with combined sorafenib and TACE ( n=4) were significantly higher than those treated with sorafenib alone ( n=20) ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with sorafenib alone, sorafenib combined with TACE resulted in better prognosis for patients with BCLC stage C HCC. Subgroup analysis showed that patients with vascular invasion had significantly better survival treated with combined sorafenib and TACE than sorafenib alone.