Background: s/Aims: The status of portal lymph nodes is a critical factor in determining eligibility for hepatic artery infusion pump (HAIP) therapy. However, methods for detecting occult positive nodes and understanding their clinical implications remain inadequately defined. Methods: We conducted a retrospective evaluation of a cohort of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who underwent HAIP.An independent, blinded radiologist reviewed pre-operative imaging to identify predictors for nodal positivity. We performed Kaplan-Meier survival analyses to explore the relationship between hepatic nodal staging and patient survival. Results: The study comprised 33 patients, with a median follow-up of 23.5 months (range 2–56 months). The imaging review did not accurately identify patients with hepatic nodal disease. Patients without hepatic nodal metastases (n = 23) had a significantly longer median overall survival (OS) of 27 months compared to those with hepatic nodal metastases, who had a median OS of 11 months (hazard ratio = 4.8, p ≤ 0.01). Hepatic nodal positivity (hLN+) was associated with primary nodal positivity (pLN+, p = 0.036), and all patients with hLN+ were also pLN+. Conclusions Hepatic nodal metastases are a predictor of survival in patients receiving HAIP therapy for colorectal liver metastases.Primary nodal positivity may aid in the selection of HAIP candidates by increasing the suspicion of hepatic nodal positivity.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of mustard green leaf decoction as an adjunct to drug treatment in controlling blood glucose among Filipinos with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to receive mustard green decoction or a placebo solution for eight weeks on top of their oral anti-hyperglycemic medication. Fasting blood sugar and complete blood counts were determined at baseline, Week 4 and Week 8, and compared within and across the two groups. RESULTS: There was a decreasing trend in the blood sugar level in the mustard green group while the opposite was noted in the placebo group. The mean FBS levels of the mustard green group were significantly lower than that of the placebo group at the Week 8 determination (6.10 vs 8.69 mmol/ L, p = 0.004). The decrease in blood sugar level on the eighth week in the mustard green group was significant compared with the baseline level (p = 0.008). CONCLUSION This study has demonstrated that the intake of Brassica juncea decoction can significantly decrease blood sugar levels among type 2 diabetics compared to metformin alone.

Introduction This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of mustard green leaf decoction as an adjunct to drug treatment in controlling blood glucose among Filipinos with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods Participants were randomly assigned to receive mustard decoction or a placebo solution for eight weeks on top of their oral anti-hyperglycemic medication. Fasting blood sugar and complete blood counts were determined at baseline, Week 4 and Week 8, and compared within and across the two groups. 

Results There was a decreasing trend in the blood sugar in the mustard green group while the opposite was noted in the placebo group. The mean FBS levels of the mustard green group were significantly lower than that of the placebo group at the Week 8 determination (6.10 vs 8.69 mmol/L, p=0.0004). The decrease in blood sugar level on the eight week in the mustard green group was significant compared with the baseline level (p=0.008).

Conclusion This study had demonstrated that the intake of Brassica juncea decoction can significantly decrease blood sugar level among type 2 diabetics compared to metformin alone. 

Objectives: The highly polymorphic nature of the CYP2D6 gene and its central role in the metabolism of commonly used drugs make it an ideal candidate for pharmacogenetic screening. This study aims to determine the prevalence of CYP2D6 polymorphisms among Filipinos and their association to lung cancer. Method: Forty seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the CYP2D6 gene were genotyped from DNA samples of 115 cases with lung cancer and age- and sex-matched 115 controls. Results: Results show that 18 out of 47 polymorphisms have significant genotypic variability (>1% for at least 2 genotypes). No variant is associated with lung cancer. However, rs1135840, rs16947 and rs28360521, were found to be highly variable among Filipinos. Conclusion This study demonstrated that CYP2D6 polymorphisms are present among Filipinos, which, although not found to be associated with lung cancer, can be useful biomarkers for future pharmacogenetic studies. The SNP rs16947 is found to be associated with cancer and timolol-induced bradycardia; the SNP rs1135840, on the other hand, is only shown to be linked with cancer. The genetic variant rs28360521 is known to be associated with low-dose aspirin-induced lower gastrointestinal bleeding.
Pharmacogenetics ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6 ; Lung Neoplasms ; Biomarkers