Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Shenshi Jiangzhuo Formula(composed of Poria,Atractylodis Rhizoma,Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex,Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum,Aurantii Fructus Immaturus,Arecae Semen,Talcum,Tetrapanacis Medulla,Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma,Paeoniae Radix Rubra,Rubiae Radix et Rhizoma,Broussonetiae Fructus,etc.)in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)with phlegm blended with stasis syndrome.Methods A total of 76 NAFLD patients with phlegm blended with stasis syndrome from the Seventh School of Clinical Medicine,Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine(Shenzhen Bao'an Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital)were enrolled between February 2024 and December 2024.The patients were randomly assigned(via random number table)to either the trial group(n=38,treated with Silibinin Meglumine Tablets plus Shenshi Jiangzhuo Formula)or the control group(n=38,treated with Silibinin Meglumine Tablets alone)for 8 weeks.The changes in liver controlled attenuation parameter(CAP),liver function markers[alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),gamma-glutamyl transferase(GGT)],lipid profiles[triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)],and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores were observed before and after treatment.Clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated.Results(1)One case dropped out from each group during the study and 37 cases in each group were included for final statistics.(2)After 8 weeks of treatment,the overall response rate in the trial group was 94.59％(35/37),compared with 62.16％(23/37)in the control group.Intergroup comparison revealed that the trial group demonstrated significantly superior overall therapeutic efficacy(by rank-sum test)and overall response rate(by chi-square test)compared with the control group(P＜0.01).(3)Both groups showed improved CAP values after treatment,and the trial group demonstrated significantly greater improvement compared to the control group(P＜0.01).(4)Post-treatment improvements in alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),and gamma-glutamyl transferase(GGT)were improved in both groups(P＜0.01),with the trial group showing significantly superior improvements(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(5)Triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC),and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)were improved in both groups after treatment,and the trial group exhibited significantly better outcomes(P＜0.01).(6)Both groups presented reduced TCM syndrome scores after treatment,and the trial group showed greater reduction(P＜0.01).(7)No significant adverse recations were observed in both groups,showing high safety.Conclusion Integrative therapy with Shenshi Jiangzhuo Formula exerts certain effects in improving CAP values,liver function,lipid metabolism,and TCM symptoms in NAFLD patients with phlegm blended with stasis syndrome,demonstrating robust clinical value.

Background N-hexane has been a widely used solvent in industrial production, but it is volatile at room temperature and can be accumulated in the body, and its prolonged occupational exposure may lead to serious chronic diseases in workers. Objective To use four risk assessment models to evaluate the health risk levels of n-hexane-exposed workers, discuss the applicability of the four models in the health risk assessment of n-hexane exposure, and make an important supplement to the health risk assessment of n-hexane in China. Methods In 2022, a total of 167 jobs (1724 workers) exposed to n-hexane in 85 manufacturing enterprises in Jiangsu Province were selected, and a cross-sectional study was conducted and included questionnaire surveys and evaluation of on-site air n-hexane of each job. Subsequently, the China’s classification standards of occupational hazards at workplaces (China model), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) model, Singapore semi-quantitative risk assessment model (Singapore model), and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) model were applied to the quantitative, semi-quantitative, and qualitative assessments of the occupational health risk level of n-hexane-exposed workers. Results All job’s 8-h time-weighted average concentrations (C_TWA) of n-hexane were within the national occupational exposure limits (OELs). The results of the China model graded all jobs as relatively harmless. The Singapore model graded all jobs as low risk, except that two monitoring sites of adhesive jobs were assessed as medium risk. The ICMM quantitative model evaluated all jobs as intolerable for n-hexane airborne exposure, while the matrix method evaluated all jobs as low risk. The U.S. EPA model identified five sites involving painting, printing, and adhesive jobs as high risk and the other jobs as low risk. Conclusion Inconsistent grading results are observed by using the four models for the occupational health risk assessment of n-hexane exposure, that is, harmless for all jobs by China model, while medium and high risks by Singapore model and U.S. EPA model. Therefore, we recommend to combine the Singapore model and the U.S. EPA model with the China model to assess the occupational risk of n-hexane-exposed workers by considering actual concentrations of exposure.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of sequential consolidation thoracic radiotherapy after first-line chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC).Methods:A retrospective analysis of patients with extensive-stage SCLC admitted to Jiangsu Cancer Hospital from January 2019 to September 2022 was conducted. Patients who achieved effective chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy received sequential consolidation thoracic radiotherapy. The safety was evaluated according to the common terminology criteria for adverse events (CTCAE) 5.0 standard, and the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method.Results:A total of 33 patients were enrolled, with a median age of 66 years (range, 50-79 years). The median follow-up time was 20 months (range, 3-33 months). Fifteen patients (46%) had disease progression, and 12 patients (36%) died. The toxicities mainly included leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, radiation esophagitis, anorexia, and fatigue, etc. Six patients (18%) had grade 4 hematological toxicity, mainly leukopenia. One patient (3%) had grade 3 radiation pneumonitis, and 3 patients (9%) had grade 1-2 radiation pneumonitis. No grade 5 toxicity was observed in all patient groups. The median PFS was 12 months (95% CI=3.9-20.1). The 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year PFS rates were 78%, 49.6%, and 35.6%, respectively. The median OS was 23 months (95% CI=15.98-30.01). The 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year OS rates were 86.2%, 74.5%, and 47.2%, respectively. Conclusions:Sequential consolidation thoracic radiotherapy after first-line chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy is a safe protocol for extensive-stage SCLC. It brings survival benefits to patients by increasing PFS and OS rates.

BACKGROUNDThe prognostic values of interim and post-therapy fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/computed tomography (CT) scanning have been confirmed in several subtypes of lymphoma. However, its prognostic value in Burkitt's lymphoma has not been clearly defined. The aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic value of PET/CT scanning during different treatment processes of Burkitt's lymphoma.

METHODSA total of 29 adult patients with newly diagnosed Burkitt's lymphoma were retrospectively involved in this study; of them, 23 patients underwent baseline PET/CT, 15 patients underwent mid-therapy PET/CT after 1-4 cycles of chemotherapy, and 17 patients underwent post-therapy PET/CT after all planned first-line chemotherapy cycles. Mid-therapy and post-therapy PET/CT results (positive vs. negative) were visually interpreted according to the criteria of the International Harmonization Project. The reduction in the maximum standardizes uptake values (∆SUVmax) of 25%, 50%, and 75% were regarded as cutoff points. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were regarded as the major endpoints.

RESULTSThe median OS and PFS were 27.6 months (range 6.5-78.3 months) and 27.2 months (range 3.0-78.3 months), respectively. The median SUVmax of the baseline PET/CT was 18.3 (range 1.6-35.9), whereas the median SUVmax of the mid-therapy and post-therapy PET/CT decreased to 4.0 (range 0-17.6) and 3.0 (range 0-14.5), respectively. The patients' Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scores (<2 vs. ≥2) were significantly associated with the baseline PET/CT SUVmax. The mid-therapy and post-therapy PET/CT results (positive vs. negative) showed no significant association with OS or PFS. The optimal cutoff ∆SUVmax from the baseline to the post-therapy PET/CT that could predict a change in OS in patients with Burkitt's lymphoma was 50% (P = 0.019).

CONCLUSIONS(18)F-FDG uptake was intense in Burkitt's lymphoma, and there was a significant reduction in SUVmax during the interim and post-therapy PET/CT procedures. A ∆SUVmax of greater than 50% was a favorable cutoff point to predict the OS of Burkitt's lymphoma patients.

Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Burkitt Lymphoma ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography ; methods ; Prognosis ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: Evidence exists that inhibition of matrix metanoproteinase-2(MMP-2) secretion in the proliferating hernangioma tissue by transfection of adenovirus-active MMP-2(Ad-aMMP-2) cDNA would become an important means for treatment of proliferating hemangioma.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influences of Ad-aMMP-2 cDNA transfection on human proliferating hemangioma growth in nude mice.DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: A randomized, grouping, and controlled observation was performed in West China Hospital of Sichuan University between August 2003 and September 2004.MATERIALS: Eighteen BALB/c-nu/nu nude mice, weighing approximately 20 g, were included. Cavernous hemangioma specimen pathologically confirmed as proliferating hemangioma was resected from one 52-day-old female child patient.METHODS: The freshly reseoted human proliferating hemangioma specimen was sliced into small pieces with a size of 5 mm×4 mm×3 mm and subcutaneously implanted into the back of 18 nude mice within 1 hour to develop mouse models of hemangioma.Forty-five days after hemangioma implantation, 15 successful hemangioma nude mice were treated by intratumoral administration of adenovirus green fluorescent protein (Ad-GFP1 n = 51 Ad-GFP group), adenovirus-active MMP-2 (n = 5, Ad-aMMP-2 group), or the same amount of phosphate buffered saline (PBS1 n = 51 control group). Intratumoral administration was performed once every other day, for a total of 4 times.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Observation of tumor volume and compadson of tumor necrosis area among 3 groups; detection of GFP expression in nude mouse; gross, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and transmission etectron microscope observation of tumor tissue morphology; determination of MMP-2 cDNA expression and microvascular density by immunohistochemistry; and detection of growth cycle and apoptosis of tumor cells by flow cytometry.RESULTS:①Ad-aMMP-2 could inhibit hemangioma growth in vivo, without marked adverse reactions. Tumor necrosis of different degrees was found in each group, and tumor necrosis area was significantly greater in the Ad-aMMP-2 group than in the control and Ad-GFP groups (P < 0.01). ②Histological sections displayed GFP gene expression in the Ad-GFP group. ③Gross observation results revealed relatively large tumor tissue in the control and Ad-GFP groups and relatively small tumor tissue in the Ad-aMMP-2 group. Hernatoxylin-eosin staining results showed that in the control and Ad-GFP groups, endothelial cells aggregated together in strip-shaped or lump-shaped appearance, and in the Ad-aMMP-2 group, there were many necrotic loci arranging in lamellar-shape appearance. Transmission electron microscope results revealed vascular endothelial cells with normal morphology in the control group and tumor cells with apparent nucleoli in the Ad-GFP group, while in the Ad-aMMP-2 group, some vascular endothelial cells exhibited chromatin pycnosis in the nucleus, forming apoptotic bodies.④ MMP-2 expression and microvascular density were significantly reduced in the Ad-aMMP-2 group than in the Ad-GFP and control groups (P < 0.05). ⑤The percentage of tumor cells in G0/G1 phase was significantly higher (P < 0.05), while the proliferating index was significantly decreased, in the Ad-aMMP-2 group than in the Ad-GFP and control groups. The Ad-aMMP-2 group exhibited higher apoptosis rate of tumor cells (P < 0.05), as well as more markedly increasing apoptosis index, than the control and Ad-GFP groups.CONCLUSION: It is feasible to block human proliferating hemangioma growth by transfeotion of Ad-aMMP-2 cDNA. The included mechanisms are to inhibit vascular endothelial cells to secrete MMP-21 thereby leading to local ischemia.