Objective To eompare the dose distribution of three-dimension conformal radiation therapy(3DCRT) and common radiation therapy (CRT) of the planning target volume(PTV) and organ at risk (OAR) in recurred cervical cancer treatment planning. Methods Thirteen patients,who had cervical cancer recurred in pelvis treated with 3DCRT in Shanxi Cancer Hospital from May to August 2007, were selected. After CT simulation, the CT images were transferred into Topslane treatment system. The same physicist designed 3DCRT plan and common radiation therapy plan for every patient,total dose 50 Gy, 90 % is dose covered PTV, then compared the dose distribution of PTV and OAR.Results At the same prescribed dose of 50Gy,there were no significant differences on OAR maximum dose between 3DCRT plans and common radiation therapy plans(P >0.05), however, there was significant differences on PTV maximum dose(P <0.01). The difference of PTV uniformity were significant between 3DCRT plans and common radiation therapy plans (P <0.001). Compared the high dose region of OAR(V40), the difference was significant (P <0.001). Between 3DCRT plans and common radiation therapy plans, they showed 53.31 ml (90.69 %), 124.00 ml (79.47 %), 655.16 m1(92.22 %) median reduction in the V40 of rectum, bladder, intestine, respectively. Conclusion At the same PTV coverage of the prescribed dose, 3DCRT plans showed worse dose uniformity, however, the radiation volume to organs at risk in 3DCRT plans were smaller than common radiation therapy plans. So patients with cervical cancer recurred in pelvis received 3DCRT may be potentially diminish the Normal Tissue Complications Probability(NTCP).

A phytochemical investigation on the aerial parts of a Tibetan medicine Meconopsis horridula, by solvent extraction, repeated chromatographies on silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and preparative TLC techniques, led to the isolation of 9 compounds. By spectroscopic analysis and comparison of its 1H and 13C-NMR data with those in literatures, their structures were identified as oleracein E(1), N-( trans-p-coumaroyl) tyramine (2), chrysoeriol (3), apigenin (4), hydnocarpin (5), p-coumaric acid glucosyl ester (6), stigmast-5-ene-3beta-ylformate (7), 3beta-hydroxy-7alpha-ethoxy-24beta-ethylcholest-5-ene (8), and beta-sitosterol (9), respectively, among which compounds 6-8 were isolated from the genus for the first time,and 1,3 were isolated from the species for the first time. A MTT method was applied to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of compounds 14 against the human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2), and compound 1 showed significant cytotoxicity against HepG2,with its inhibitory rate of 52.2% at 10 micromol x L(-1).
Medicine, Tibetan Traditional ; Molecular Structure ; Papaveraceae ; chemistry ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

International clinical trials register is one of the global measures to realize transparency in clinical trials and also one of a powerful measure to improve the quality of clinical trials. Many scholars studying the quality of TCM clinical trials find that they are poor in quality and lack transparency. Furthermore, they find that TCM clinical trial registry has many problems. We must base on the successful experiences of WHO and international clinical trial registry to establish technical specifications for registry of traditional Chinese medicine clinical study of their own. Then, it can effectively improve the overall level of TCM clinical studies. We have suggested some concrete and feasible measures to establish technical specifications for registry of traditional Chinese medicine clinical study of their own based on the problems of TCM clinical trial registry.
Biomedical Research ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; standards ; Registries

OBJECTIVETo study the influence of modified Shegan Mahuang Decoction (SGMH) on cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-13 in children suffered from cough and variant asthma (C&VA).

METHODSOne hundred and fifty-four children with C&VA were randomly assigned to two groups: 79 in the treatment group were medicated orally with SGMH one dose per day taking in twice; 75 in the control group were medicated with Montelukast once a day in dose of 4 mg for children aged from 2 to 5 years and 5 mg for those from 6 to 14 years, the medication for all was given 4 weeks. Serum contents of cytokines, including TNF-alpha, IL-10 and IL-13, in patients were measured before and after treatment. Besides, serum contents of these cytokines in 45 healthy children were measured for control.

RESULTSSerum levels of TNF-alpha and IL-3 in the treatment group were 2510 +/- 1500 ng/L and 60.76 +/- 23.67 ng/L, and in the control group, 2890 +/- 1410 ng/L and 61.56 +/- 20.37 ng/L, respectively, all were significantly higher than those of healthy (709 +/- 280 ng/L and 39.49 +/- 3.09 ng/L, P < 0.01); but level of IL-10 was significant lower in the two patient groups than that in control (1546 +/- 1434 ng/L and 1823 +/- 1314 ng/L vs 7123 +/- q2641 ng/L, P < 0.01). After treatment, the levels of TNF-alpha and IL-13 decreased and IL-10 increased significantly in the treatment group, and showed significant different to those in the control group respectively (960 +/- 420 ng/L, 43.67 +/- 12.37 ng/L and 6834 +/- 2216 ng/L vs 2610 +/- 1220 ng/L, 50.56 +/-19.56 ng/L and 2529 +/- 1223 ng/L, P < 0.01). Clinical efficacy between groups also showed that the total effective rate in the treatment group was significantly better (86.07% vs. 42.67%, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSGMH can regulate the serum levels of TNF-alpha, IL-10 and IL-13, and shows evident clinical effect in treating children's C&VA.

Adolescent ; Asthma ; blood ; drug therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cough ; blood ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Ephedra sinica ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Interleukin-10 ; blood ; Interleukin-13 ; blood ; Interleukin-3 ; blood ; Male ; Phytotherapy ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood

The paper reviews the speciation, process in vivo and biological effects of inorganic elements in Chinese medicine (CM) in the aspect of biopharmaceutics. We also summarize some factors influenced the biopharmceutical characteristics of drugs, including physical and chemical properties, formulation development, body's biological states and different actions. It is significant to safety, rationality of using of CM and modernization, internationalization of CM.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Inorganic Chemicals ; analysis ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

The leading cause of drug withdrawal from market and clinical trials failure is drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Varying clinical, histological and laboratory features of DILI, as well as undefined underlying mechanisms, hinder patients to be diagnosed in the early-stage of the disease and receive effective treatments. Conventional indicators, like serum transaminases and bilirubin, have inevitable limitations referring to sensitive prediction and specific detection of DILI. In order to reduce the occurrence of DILI, researchers have attempted to discover potential biomarkers with higher specificity and sensitivity from blood and urine in recent years. This article aims to review recent advances in biomarkers of DILI.
Biomarkers ; blood ; urine ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Drug Resistance ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Humans ; Ticlopidine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology

In recent 10 years, clinical trials of Chinese medicine and pharmacy (cMP) at clinicalTrials.gov.(USA) are gradually increasing. In order to analyze features of CMP clinical register, ClinicalTrials.gov register database were comprehensively retrieved in this study. Included clinical trials were input one item after another using EXCEL. A final of 348 CMP clinical trials were included. Results showed that China occupied the first place in CMP clinical register, followed by USA. CMP clinical trials, sponsored mainly by colleges/universities and hospitals, mostly covered interventional studies on evaluating safety/effectiveness of CMP. The proportions of studies, sponsored by mainland China and companies, recruitment trials and multi-center clinical trials in interventional trials were increasing. The proportions of studies sponsored by Hong Kong and Taiwan, research completed trials, unclear research status, phase III clinical trials, and published research trials in interventional trials were decreasing. Published ratios of CMP clinical trials were quite low. There were more missing types and higher proportions in trial register information.
Biomedical Research ; China ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Databases, Factual ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; United States

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of different acoustic power of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in treating human pancreatic xenograft models. Methods Human pancreatic cancer cells (YY-1) were implanted subcutaneously in nude mice to establish animal models. The tumor bearing mice were divided into low-power HIFU treatment group (200 W,n=10), high-power HIFU treatment group (300 W,n=10) and blank control group (n=10). The change of tumor volume, the tumor growth rate and side effects were recorded. The apoptosis rate of tumor cells of each group was determined by TUNEL method. Results The tumor volume and the tumor growth rate of the low-power group and the high-power group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.05), while no statistically significant differences in the tumor volume and the tumor growth rate existed between the low-power group and the high-power group (P>0.05). Compared with the low-power group, the incidence of side effects in the high-power group was significantly higher (P<0.05), including mainly skin burn (60%) and acoustic channel injury (20%). At the 7th and 14th day after the treatment, the apoptosis rates of tumor cells in both the low-power group and the high-power group were significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05), but the difference in the apoptosis rates of tumor cells was not statistically significant between the low-power group and the high-power group (P>0.05). Conclusion For the treatment of human pancreatic xenograft tumor in nude mice models, HIFU with low power is effective and safer.

Objective:This study aimed to analyze the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of cryoablation in treating pain caused by malignant paravertebral and mesenchymal tumor. Methods:Cryoablation was performed in 31 patients with unresectable and painful malignant paravertebral and mesenchymal tumors whose pain was poorly controlled by conventional treatment methods. Tumors ranged in size from 3 cm to 20 cm. Pain experienced by the patient was assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) at 0, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months post-cryoablation. Results:BPI scores were divided into two categories, i.e., the influence and the se-verity of pain. Both categories showed downward trend after cryoablation. Pain severity score significantly decreased (P=0.001, t=3.862;P=0.031, t=2.261) 1 day and 1 month after cryoablation. Pain influence score also significantly decreased (P=0.016, t=2.566;P=0.036, t=2.195) 1 day and 1 week after cryoablation. Two patients (6.45%) had mild complications, and no serious complication was ob-served. Conclusion:Cryoablation is a low-risk and well-tolerated topical treatment for pain caused by unresectable malignant paraverte-bral and mesenchymal tumors.