OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of bear bile powder (BBP) on acute lung injury (ALI) and the underlying mechanism. METHODS: The chemical constituents of BBP were analyzed by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). After 7 days of adaptive feeding, 50 mice were randomly divided into 5 groups by a random number table (n=10): normal control (NC), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), dexamethasone (Dex), low-, and high-dose BBP groups. The dosing cycle was 9 days. On the 12th and 14th days, 20 µL of Staphylococcus aureus solution (bacterial concentration of 1 × 10^-7 CFU/mL) was given by nasal drip after 1 h of intragastric administration, and the mice in the NC group was given the same dose of phosphated buffered saline (PBS) solution. On the 16th day, after 1 h intragastric administration, 100 µL of LPS solution (1 mg/mL) was given by tracheal intubation, and the same dose of PBS solution was given to the NC group. Lung tissue was obtained to measure the myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, the lung wet/dry weight ratio and expressions of CD14 and other related proteins. The lower lobe of the right lung was obtained for pathological examination. The concentrations of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-6, tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α ) and IL-1β in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and the number of neutrophils was counted. The colonic contents of the mice were analyzed by 16 sRNA technique and the contents of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were measured by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). RESULTS: UPLC-MS revealed that the chemical components of BBP samples were mainly tauroursodeoxycholic acid and taurochenodeoxycholic acid sodium salt. BBP reduced the activity of MPO, concentrations of inflammatory cytokines, and inhibited the expression of CD14 protein, thus suppressing the activation of NF-κB pathway (P<0.05). The lung histopathological results indicated that BBP significantly reduced the degree of neutrophil infiltration, cell shedding, necrosis, and alveolar cavity depression. Moreover, BBP effectively regulated the composition of the intestinal microflora and increased the production of SCFAs, which contributed to its treatment effect (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS BBP alleviates lung injury in ALI mouse through inhibiting activation of NF-κB pathway and decreasing expression of CD14 protein. BBP may promote recovery of ALI by improving the structure of intestinal flora and enhancing metabolic function of intestinal flora.
Animals ; Acute Lung Injury/pathology* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Ursidae ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Bile/chemistry* ; Lipopolysaccharide Receptors/metabolism* ; Powders ; Male ; Lung/drug effects* ; Mice ; Peroxidase/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Cytokines/metabolism*

Aim To explore the mechanism of the syn-ergistic effect of the ferroptosis inducer erastin com-bined with shikonin in promoting ferroptosis in human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts(HSFBs).Methods Hypertrophic scar tissues provided by the General Hos-pital of Ningxia Medical University were collected,and HSFBs were extracted.HSFBs were identified by HE staining and immunofluorescence.The inhibitory rates of Era and SHK on HSFBs at different concentrations were detected by CCK-8 assay,and the IC50 value was calculated.CompuSyn software was used to calculate the co-use index(CI).Control group,Erastin(Era)group,shikonin(SHK)group and Era+SHK group were set up,and the number and morphological chan-ges of cells were observed after 24 hours of interven-tion.The ability of cell migration and invasion was de-tected by scratch test and Transwell test.The changes of malondialdehyde(MDA),total iron ion and reactive oxygen species(ROS)were detected by corresponding biochemical kits.The expressions of collagen I,α-SMA and GOT1,SLC7A11,GPX4 and FTH1 were detected by Western blot.Results The IC50 value of Era and SHK of primary HSFBs was 2.22 μmol·L-1 and 3.94μmol·L-1 respectively,which was used as the single drug concentration for subsequent experiments.The CompuSyn software was employed to calculate the CI value when the two drugs were used in combination,and the concentrations corresponding to CI=0.39597(Era:1.2 μmol·L-1+SHK:1.5 μmol·L-1)were selected as subsequent combination concentrations(Because when CI was equal to 0.395 97,the concen-tration of each drug was lower than the concentration of single drug,and the inhibition rate of combined drug was greater than 50％).Compared with the monother-apy group,the number of HSFBs in the SHK+Era group was significantly reduced,cell membrane showed breakage and vesiculation,cell wrinkling became smal-ler,and cytoplasm was concentrated.The migration and invasion ability of HSFBs in the SHK+Era group were obviously weakened(P＜0.05),and the expres-sion of fibrosis-related proteins collagen Ⅰ and α-SMA was reduced(P＜0.05);the contents of MDA,total i-ron ions,and ROS in HSFBs of the SHK+Era group increased(P＜0.05),and the protein expression lev-els of SLC7A11,GOT1,GPX4,and FTH1 further de-creased(P＜0.05).Conclusions Erastin in combi-nation with shikonin can synergistically inhibit the pro-liferation,migration and fibrosis levels of HSFBs.The mechanism may be that erastin enhances the inhibition of shikotin on GOT1,increases the levels of cellular i-ron ions,ROS,and lipid peroxides,thereby promoting ferroptosis in HSFBs.

The study was aimed at identifying the diversity of tick species in selected areas of Qinghai,to analyze the genetic differentiation characteristics of tick-borne spotted fever group rickettsiae(SFGR),and to provide the theoretical basis for SFGR prevention and control in the region.The 16S rRNA gene was used for molecular biological identification of 446 collected tick samples,and the infection characteristics of SFGR in tick samples were determined according to the SFGR outer membrane protein A(ompA)gene.Haplotype analysis,phylogenetic tree construction,and estimation of differentiation times for SFGR were conducted in DNASP v6,IQ-tree v2.2.0,and BEAST v2.7.4 software.The obtained 446 tick samples belonged to three categories:(1)Haemaphy-salis spp.,including Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis(n=192)and H.danieli(n=37);(2)Dermacentor spp.,including Dermacentor ever-estianus(n=121),D.nuttalli(n=55),and D.silvarum(n=36);and(3)Hyalomma marginatum(n=5).Rickettsia raoultii was de-tected in D.everestianus,D.silvarum,D.nuttalli,H.qinghaiensis,and H.danieli,with infection rates of 95.9%,80.6%,69.1%,4.1%,and 2.7%,respectively.R.sibirica subsp.sibirica BJ-90 was found only in D.silvarum and D.nuttalli,with infection rates of 5.6%and 1.8%,respectively.The Candidatus R.gannanii F107 was found in H.danieli and H.qinghaiensis,with infection rates of 16.2%and 7.8%,respectively.Ca.R.hongyuanensis was detected only in H.qinghaiensis,with a prevalence of 16.3%.The prevalence of R.aeschlimannii was 20%and 2.7%in Hy.marginatum and H.danieli,respectively.Haplotype and nucleotide polymorphism analy-ses revealed 13 haplotypes in R.raoultii,with haplotype H13 as the dominant haplotype(42/192);seven haplotypes in Ca.R.ganna-nii F107,with haplotype H4 as the dominant haplotype(4/18);and three haplotypes in Ca.R.hongyuanensis,with haplotype H1 as the dominant haplotype(11/13).The phylogenetic tree indicated that the sequences of R.raoultii in selected areas of Qinghai and R.rhipicephali clustered into one branch;Ca.R.hongyuanensis and Ca.R.gannanii F107 clustered into one branch;and R.sibirica subsp.sibirica BJ-90 clustered into one branch with R.sibirica.Estimates of differentiation time revealed that the mean differentiation time for the six Rickettsia was approximately 2 000 Mya(95%CI:1 999.08-2 001.02 Mya).The tick species distributed in selected ar-eas of Qinghai are diverse,and this study provides the first report of Hy.marginatum in Qinghai Province.SFGR significantly varied in prevalence among tick species and showed high genetic diversity.

The study was aimed at identifying the diversity of tick species in selected areas of Qinghai,to analyze the genetic differentiation characteristics of tick-borne spotted fever group rickettsiae(SFGR),and to provide the theoretical basis for SFGR prevention and control in the region.The 16S rRNA gene was used for molecular biological identification of 446 collected tick samples,and the infection characteristics of SFGR in tick samples were determined according to the SFGR outer membrane protein A(ompA)gene.Haplotype analysis,phylogenetic tree construction,and estimation of differentiation times for SFGR were conducted in DNASP v6,IQ-tree v2.2.0,and BEAST v2.7.4 software.The obtained 446 tick samples belonged to three categories:(1)Haemaphy-salis spp.,including Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis(n=192)and H.danieli(n=37);(2)Dermacentor spp.,including Dermacentor ever-estianus(n=121),D.nuttalli(n=55),and D.silvarum(n=36);and(3)Hyalomma marginatum(n=5).Rickettsia raoultii was de-tected in D.everestianus,D.silvarum,D.nuttalli,H.qinghaiensis,and H.danieli,with infection rates of 95.9%,80.6%,69.1%,4.1%,and 2.7%,respectively.R.sibirica subsp.sibirica BJ-90 was found only in D.silvarum and D.nuttalli,with infection rates of 5.6%and 1.8%,respectively.The Candidatus R.gannanii F107 was found in H.danieli and H.qinghaiensis,with infection rates of 16.2%and 7.8%,respectively.Ca.R.hongyuanensis was detected only in H.qinghaiensis,with a prevalence of 16.3%.The prevalence of R.aeschlimannii was 20%and 2.7%in Hy.marginatum and H.danieli,respectively.Haplotype and nucleotide polymorphism analy-ses revealed 13 haplotypes in R.raoultii,with haplotype H13 as the dominant haplotype(42/192);seven haplotypes in Ca.R.ganna-nii F107,with haplotype H4 as the dominant haplotype(4/18);and three haplotypes in Ca.R.hongyuanensis,with haplotype H1 as the dominant haplotype(11/13).The phylogenetic tree indicated that the sequences of R.raoultii in selected areas of Qinghai and R.rhipicephali clustered into one branch;Ca.R.hongyuanensis and Ca.R.gannanii F107 clustered into one branch;and R.sibirica subsp.sibirica BJ-90 clustered into one branch with R.sibirica.Estimates of differentiation time revealed that the mean differentiation time for the six Rickettsia was approximately 2 000 Mya(95%CI:1 999.08-2 001.02 Mya).The tick species distributed in selected ar-eas of Qinghai are diverse,and this study provides the first report of Hy.marginatum in Qinghai Province.SFGR significantly varied in prevalence among tick species and showed high genetic diversity.

Aim To explore the mechanism of the syn-ergistic effect of the ferroptosis inducer erastin com-bined with shikonin in promoting ferroptosis in human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts(HSFBs).Methods Hypertrophic scar tissues provided by the General Hos-pital of Ningxia Medical University were collected,and HSFBs were extracted.HSFBs were identified by HE staining and immunofluorescence.The inhibitory rates of Era and SHK on HSFBs at different concentrations were detected by CCK-8 assay,and the IC50 value was calculated.CompuSyn software was used to calculate the co-use index(CI).Control group,Erastin(Era)group,shikonin(SHK)group and Era+SHK group were set up,and the number and morphological chan-ges of cells were observed after 24 hours of interven-tion.The ability of cell migration and invasion was de-tected by scratch test and Transwell test.The changes of malondialdehyde(MDA),total iron ion and reactive oxygen species(ROS)were detected by corresponding biochemical kits.The expressions of collagen I,α-SMA and GOT1,SLC7A11,GPX4 and FTH1 were detected by Western blot.Results The IC50 value of Era and SHK of primary HSFBs was 2.22 μmol·L-1 and 3.94μmol·L-1 respectively,which was used as the single drug concentration for subsequent experiments.The CompuSyn software was employed to calculate the CI value when the two drugs were used in combination,and the concentrations corresponding to CI=0.39597(Era:1.2 μmol·L-1+SHK:1.5 μmol·L-1)were selected as subsequent combination concentrations(Because when CI was equal to 0.395 97,the concen-tration of each drug was lower than the concentration of single drug,and the inhibition rate of combined drug was greater than 50％).Compared with the monother-apy group,the number of HSFBs in the SHK+Era group was significantly reduced,cell membrane showed breakage and vesiculation,cell wrinkling became smal-ler,and cytoplasm was concentrated.The migration and invasion ability of HSFBs in the SHK+Era group were obviously weakened(P＜0.05),and the expres-sion of fibrosis-related proteins collagen Ⅰ and α-SMA was reduced(P＜0.05);the contents of MDA,total i-ron ions,and ROS in HSFBs of the SHK+Era group increased(P＜0.05),and the protein expression lev-els of SLC7A11,GOT1,GPX4,and FTH1 further de-creased(P＜0.05).Conclusions Erastin in combi-nation with shikonin can synergistically inhibit the pro-liferation,migration and fibrosis levels of HSFBs.The mechanism may be that erastin enhances the inhibition of shikotin on GOT1,increases the levels of cellular i-ron ions,ROS,and lipid peroxides,thereby promoting ferroptosis in HSFBs.

Objective To observe the therapeutic efficacy and mechanism of Gushi Zaizao Pills for steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head(SONFH).Methods Male SD rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,Xianling Gubao Capsules group and Gushi Zaizao Pills group.Except for the normal group,the rats in all other groups were replicated the SONFH model.After successful modeling,the continuous drug administration was carried out for six weeks.The thymus and spleen of the rats were taken to calculate the immune organ indices,the contents of interleukin 1β(IL-1β)and tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α)in rat synovial fluid were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),the percentage of empty lacunae and area ratio of trabecular bone was detected by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining,and the femoral head parameters[reduction of bone volume fraction(BV/TV),trabecular number(Tb.N),trabecular thickness(Tb.Th)and trabecular separation(Tb.Sp)]were analyzed by Micro-CT,and bone strength of femoral head was detected by small animal bone strength tester.Results Compared with the normal group,the spleen and thymus indicators were significantly decreased in the model group,the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in rat synovial fluid were significantly increased,the percentage of empty lacunae was increased,the area ratio of trabecular bone was decreased,the BV/TV,Tb.N and Tb.Th were decreased,the Tb.Sp was increased,the bone strength of femoral head was significantly decreased,the differences being all statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,the spleen and thymus indicators were significantly increased in Xianling Gubao Capsules group and Gushi Zaizao Pills group,the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in rat synovial fluid were decreased,the percentage of empty lacunae was significantly decreased,the area ratio of trabecular bone was significantly increased,the BV/TV,Tb.N and Tb.Th were increased,the Tb.Sp was decreased,and the bone strength of femoral head was significantly increased,the differences being all statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Conclusion Gushi Zaizao Pills can effectively prevent the further development of SONFH by regulating cellular immunity and reducing the secretion of inflammatory factors,thereby reducing the pathological damage of the femoral head and enhancing the bone strength.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between urinary metals copper (Cu), arsenic (As), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), iron (Fe), lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn) and grip strength. Methods We used linear regression models, quantile g-computation and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to assess the relationship between metals and grip strength.Results In the multimetal linear regression, Cu (β=-2.119), As (β=-1.318), Sr (β=-2.480), Ba (β=0.781), Fe (β= 1.130) and Mn (β=-0.404) were significantly correlated with grip strength (P < 0.05). The results of the quantile g-computation showed that the risk of occurrence of grip strength reduction was -1.007 (95％ confidence interval:-1.362, -0.652; P < 0.001) when each quartile of the mixture of the seven metals was increased. Bayesian kernel function regression model analysis showed that mixtures of the seven metals had a negative overall effect on grip strength, with Cu, As and Sr being negatively associated with grip strength levels. In the total population, potential interactions were observed between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn (Pinteractions of 0.003 and 0.018, respectively).Conclusion In summary, this study suggests that combined exposure to metal mixtures is negatively associated with grip strength. Cu, Sr and As were negatively correlated with grip strength levels, and there were potential interactions between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn.

AIM To establish an HPLC method for the simultaneous content determination of gallic acid,protocatechuic acid,morroniside,loganin,sweroside,paeoniflorin,hypericin,astragalin,salvianolic acid B,salvianolic acid A,epimedin C and icariin in Bushen Huoxue Sanjie Capsules.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 30℃thermostatic Agilent 5 TC-C18 column(250 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile-0.1%phosphoric acid flowing at 1.0 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and the detection wavelength was set at 240 nm.RESULTS Twelve constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r≥0.999 8),whose average recoveries were 97.11%-101.14%with the RSDs of 0.60%-2.65%.CONCLUSION This simple,accurate and reproducible method can be used for the quality control of Bushen Huoxue Sanjie Capsules.

Objective:To explore the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant immunotherapy combined chemotherapy after radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) with high recurrence risk (pT 2 with positive lymph nodes, and pT 3-4a with or without positive lymph nodes). Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of 217 patients with bladder cancer admitted to Tianjin Medical University Second Hospital from August 2016 to January 2022. Among them, 183 were male (84.3%) and 34 were female (15.7%), with an average age of (67.3±8.6) years old. All 217 patients underwent radical cystectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection. Based on postoperative adjuvant treatment, the patients were divided into an observation group (147 cases, 67.7%) and a treatment group (70 cases, 32.3%). The observation group and treatment group had similar demographic and pathological characteristics. The age of the observation group and treatment group was (67.4±9.0) years and (66.3±7.6) years, respectively ( P=0.14). The postoperative pathological stages T 2 with lymph node positivity were observed in 8 cases (5.4%) in the observation group and 6 cases (8.6%) in the treatment group. For stages T 3-4awith lymph node positivity, there were 34 cases (23.1%) in the observation group and 18 cases (25.7%) in the treatment group. And there were 105 cases (71.5%) in the observation group and 46 cases (65.7%) in the treatment group of stages T 3-4a without lymph node positivity, respectively( P>0.05). Tumor diameter ≥3 cm was found in 118 cases (80.3%) in the observation group and 54 cases (77.1%) in the treatment group ( P>0.05), while tumor diameter <3 cm was observed in 29 cases (19.7%) in the observation group and 16 cases (22.9%) in the treatment group ( P>0.05).In the treatment group, 36 patients (16.6%) received postoperative chemotherapy with gemcitabine (1 000 mg/m 2, days 1 and 8) and cisplatin (75 mg/m 2, days 2 to 4) (chemotherapy group), while 34 patients (15.7%) received postoperative immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors (intravenous infusion of sintilimab 200 mg, terlizumab 200 mg, or toripalimab 240 mg on day 1) in combination with albumin-bound paclitaxel (200 mg on day 2)(immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group). The age of the chemotherapy group and immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group was (66.8±8.4) years and (65.8±6.8) years, respectively ( P>0.05). Postoperative pathological stages T 2 with lymph node positivity were observed in 3 cases (8.3%) in the chemotherapy group and 3 cases (8.8%) in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group ( P>0.05). For stages T 3-4awith lymph node positivity, there were 6 cases (16.7%) in the chemotherapy group and 12 cases (35.3%) in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group. And there were 27 cases (75.0%) in the observation group and 19 cases (55.9%) in the treatment group of stages T 3-4a without lymph node positivity, respectively( P>0.05). Lymph node involvement was seen in 9 cases (25.0%) in the chemotherapy group and 15 cases (44.1%) in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group ( P>0.05). Tumor diameter ≥3 cm was found in 30 cases (83.3%) in the chemotherapy group and 10 cases (29.4%) in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group ( P>0.05), while tumor diameter <3 cm was observed in 6 cases (16.7%) in the chemotherapy group and 24 cases (70.6%) in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group ( P>0.05). Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox regression test were used to analyze the overall survival (OS) at 1 and 3 years in the observation group and treatment group, as well as the disease-free survival (DFS) at 1 and 3 years in the chemotherapy group and immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group. Additionally, common adverse events were evaluated and compared between the chemotherapy group and immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group based on the criteria published by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Results:The median follow-up time in this study was 18.4 (8.2, 34.7) months. The median follow-up time in the observation group and treatment group was 19.0 (8.3, 35.2) months and 17.5 (7.9, 33.2) months, respectively. The 1-year survival rate was significantly higher in the treatment group compared to the observation group (90.0% vs. 76.2%, χ2=6.92, P=0.009). Similarly, the 3-year survival rate was significantly higher in the treatment group compared to the observation group (82.9% vs. 57.8%, χ2=13.22, P<0.01). The median OS was 35.9 months in the observation group and was not reached in the treatment group, with a statistically significant difference ( HR=2.51, 95% CI 1.36-4.65, P=0.003).In the chemotherapy group and immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group, the median follow-up time was 10.7 (7.4, 22.1) months and 14.4 (6.3, 40.7) months, respectively. The 1-year disease-free survival rate was significantly higher in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group compared to the chemotherapy group (91.2% vs. 67.6%, χ2=4.60, P=0.032). The 3-year disease-free survival rate was significantly higher in the chemotherapy group compared to the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group (88.2% vs. 55.6%, χ2=8.37, P=0.004). The median DFS was 27.7 months in the chemotherapy group and was not reached in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group, with a statistically significant difference ( HR=3.39, 95% CI 1.46-7.89, P=0.016).The treatment group had complications classified as follows: 140 cases of grade 1, 39 cases of grade 2, 8 cases of grade 3, 2 cases of grade 4, and 0 case of grade 5 adverse reactions. In the chemotherapy group and the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group, there were both 5 cases with adverse reactions of grade 3 or higher. Specifically, in the chemotherapy group, there were 2 cases of anemia, 2 cases of decreased platelet count, and 1 case of decreased neutrophil count. In the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group, there was 1 case of anemia, 1 case of decreased platelet count, and 2 cases of decreased neutrophil count. Additionally, there was 1 case with elevated gamma-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group. The incidence of adverse events of grade 3 or higher in the chemotherapy group and immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group was 13.9% and 14.7%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference( χ2=0.01, P=0.922). Conclusions:Adjuvant therapy significantly prolongs the overall survival in high risk of recurrence for MIBC patients after radical cystectomy. For patients intolerant to platinum-based chemotherapy or refusing platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy, immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors combined with albumin-bound paclitaxel can be considered as an effective and well-tolerated adjuvant treatment after radical cystectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the combination of chemotherapy with staged Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) therapy could enhance health-related quality of life (QoL) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and prolong the time before deterioration of lung cancer symptoms, in comparison to chemotherapy alone. METHODS: A prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted from December 14, 2017 to August 28, 2020. A total of 180 patients with stage I B-IIIA NSCLC from 5 hospitals in Shanghai were randomly divided into chemotherapy combined with CHM (chemo+CHM) group (120 cases) or chemotherapy combined with placebo (chemo+placebo) group (60 cases) using stratified blocking randomization. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life-Core 30 Scale (QLQ-C30) was used to evaluate the patient-reported outcomes (PROs) during postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early-stage NSCLC. Adverse events (AEs) were assessed in the safety analysis. RESULTS: Out of the total 180 patients, 173 patients (116 in the chemo+CHM group and 57 in the chemo+placebo group) were included in the PRO analyses. The initial mean QLQ-C30 Global Health Status (GHS)/QoL scores at baseline were 57.16 ± 1.64 and 57.67 ± 2.25 for the two respective groups (P>0.05). Compared with baseline, the chemo+CHM group had an improvement in EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS/QoL score at week 18 [least squares mean (LSM) change 17.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 14.29 to 21.38]. Conversely, the chemo+placebo group had a decrease in the score (LSM change -13.67, 95% CI -22.70 to -4.63). A significant between-group difference in the LSM GHS/QoL score was observed, amounting to 31.63 points (95% CI 25.61 to 37.64, P<0.001). The similar trends were observed in physical functioning, fatigue and appetite loss. At week 18, patients in the chemo+CHM group had a higher proportion of improvement or stabilization in GHS/QoL functional and symptom scores compared to chemo+placebo group (P<0.001). The median time to deterioration was longer in the chemo+CHM group for GHS/QoL score [hazard ratio (HR)=0.33, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.48, P<0.0010], physical functioning (HR=0.43, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.75, P=0.0005), fatigue (HR=0.47, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.72, P<0.0001) and appetite loss (HR=0.65, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.00, P=0.0215). The incidence of AEs was lower in the chemo+CHM group than in the chemo+placebo group (9.83% vs. 15.79%, P=0.52). CONCLUSION The staged CHM therapy could help improve the PROs of postoperative patients with early-stage NSCLC during adjuvant chemotherapy, which is worthy of further clinical research. (Registry No. NCT03372694).
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/surgery* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Patient Reported Outcome Measures ; Quality of Life ; Aged ; Postoperative Period ; Prospective Studies