Asian Biomedicine最新文献

Background: In China, Xiao Ji decoction has been used to treat hematuria. However, pharmacological studies on its effects against bladder cancer (BC) remain limited.

Objective: This study aims to explore the potential mechanisms of Xiao Ji in treating BC using network pharmacology and molecular docking.

Methods: The active constituents of Xiao Ji and their corresponding molecular targets were identified through the utilization of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database. Genes associated with BC were screened by employing resources including the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) and GeneCards databases. Furthermore, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and networks illustrating the connections between ingredients and their ingredient-target (I-T) were established. The related genes underwent gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. Ultimately, molecular docking experiments were conducted to substantiate and reinforce the proposed hypotheses.

Results: Four compounds were identified, along with 82 target genes that exhibited associations with BC. In the I-T network, quercetin exhibited the highest degree of association with multiple targets. Within the PPI network, interleukin (IL)IL-6, hypoxia inducible factor 1 subunit alpha (HIF1A), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and myelocytomatosis oncogene (MYC) were discerned as pivotal genes. The enrichment analysis of the critical genes led to the identification of 92 GO terms and 105 pathways. Furthermore, the results of molecular docking analyses revealed that the active compounds, including acacetin, sitosterol, and stigmasterol, exhibited strong binding affinities with IL-6, EGFR, and MYC.

Conclusions: Xiao Ji acts on BC through multiple targets and pathways. This study elucidates the potential mechanisms of Xiao Ji in treating BC, providing new options for BC therapy.

Central precocious puberty (CPP) is characterized by early activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, which is apparent in the form of breast development in girls and testicular enlargement in boys prior to the typical physiological age ranges. Although intracranial pathology, exposure to high levels of sex steroids, or environmental risk factors can precipitate CPP, the majority of cases are idiopathic. Monogenic causes have also been identified. We provide a concise summary of the pathophysiology, risk factors, diagnosis, and management of CPP in this review. A referral to pediatric endocrinology should be initiated when there is concern for CPP. The diagnosis is confirmed through clinical, biochemical, radiological, and genetic testing. The primary objectives of administering a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog to patients with CPP are to increase adult height and postpone the development of secondary sexual characteristics until a later age that is more compatible with peer norms. Although the long-term results of treatment with GnRH analogs are encouraging, further research is required to investigate the psychological impact of CPP.

Background: With the increasing prevalence of metabolic disorders such as obesity and hyperlipidemia, there is a heightened tendency for inflammation in the hepatocytes, which can eventually progress to liver fibrosis. Despite its high incidence, no approved treatment currently exists for liver fibrosis.

Objectives: This study aims to identify potential herbal drugs with anti-fibrotic activity by targeting multiple pathways involved in liver fibrosis, particularly focusing on the Tumour growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) proteins.

Methods: We conducted in silico studies on 9 widely used herbal drugs to evaluate their binding affinities for TGF-β and TNF-α receptors. The herbal drugs analyzed included ginseng, danshen, silymarin, resveratrol, berberine, anthocyanin, ginger, curcumin, and tocopherol.

Results: Our results indicate that ginseng and danshen exhibit the strongest anti-fibrotic potential, with the most favorable binding energies for both TGF-β and TNF-α receptors. Silymarin, resveratrol, berberine, and anthocyanin also demonstrated comparable or superior activity to the reference drug and pirfenidone. Conversely, ginger, curcumin, and tocopherol showed relatively lower activity.

Conclusions: Herbal drugs such as ginseng and danshen present promising candidates for the treatment of liver fibrosis due to their strong binding affinity to key fibrosis-related proteins and their lower side effect profile compared with synthetic drugs. The appropriate selection and combination of these herbal drugs could offer a viable therapeutic approach for managing liver fibrosis.

Background: Previous trials have shown that the C-statistics of SAMe-TT₂R₂ score in the prediction of suboptimal time in therapeutic range (TTR) is very low.

Objectives: To propose the novel risk score model for predicting the poor anticoagulation control in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients compared with the SAMe-TT₂R₂ score.

Methods: We prospectively recruited AF patients from 27 hospitals between 2014 and 2017 in the COOL AF Thailand registry. The poor anticoagulation control was defined as TTR <65%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for the prediction of poor anticoagulation control. The novel risk score model was then generated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to calculate the C-statistics and to compare between the novel risk score model and the SAMe-TT₂R₂ score. Net Reclassification Index (NRI) and Integrated Discrimination Index (IDI) were performed.

Results: Of 3,461 patients, 2,233 patients taking warfarin having available TTR data were retrieved. There were 1,432 patients having poor anticoagulation control (TTR < 65%) and 801 patients having good anticoagulation control (TTR ≥ 65%). Symptomatic AF, diabetes, heart failure, and a history of bleeding were associated with increased risk while obesity, AF duration, and paroxysmal AF were associated with decreased risk of poor anticoagulation control. SHOB-D₂AF score was created. The C-statistics of SHOB-D₂AF score was greater than the SAMe-TT₂R₂ score (0.584 vs 0.506, P < 0.001). NRI of the SHOB-D₂AF score was 17.82% compared with the SAMe-TT₂R₂ score.

Conclusions: SHOB-D₂AF score was the novel risk score which was better than the SAMe-TT₂R₂ score in predicting poor anticoagulation control.

Background: High mortality and poor prognosis are seen in gastric adenocarcinomas (GAs). Therefore, investigation of the factors related to GA prognosis is important.

Objective: To investigate the association between clinicopathological parameters and DNA mismatch repair (MMR) proteins as well as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in GAs.

Methods: Expression of MMR proteins and EBV positivity of 77 patients diagnosed with GA were evaluated using immunohistochemistry. Survival data of the patients were also considered.

Results: Significant correlations were found between EBV positivity and gender, perineural invasion (PNI), and histological type. PNI was less common in EBV-positive patients, and EBV positivity was highly correlated with lymphoid stromal adenocarcinoma. Tumor budding was significantly correlated with histological type and grade, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), PNI, lymph node metastasis, and post-diagnosis survival time. Moreover, tumor-stroma ratio was correlated with tumor stage. Additionally, tumor location, histological grade, tumor budding, PNI, and pathological stage were associated with survival. Also, EBV positivity was significantly associated with histological type, PNI, tumor location, and gender. However, MMR and EBV positivity were not significantly correlated to tumor microenvironment and prognosis. It was noteworthy that the mortality rate was much higher in patients with PNI compared with those without PNI.

Conclusion: Our findings support that the tumor microenvironment is significantly associated with GA prognosis.

Background: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection is the major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Objective: To develop machine-learning models for predicting an individual risk of HCC development in CHB-infected patients.

Methods: Machine learning models were constructed using features from follow-up visits of CHB patients to predict the diagnosis of HCC development within 6 months after each index follow-up. We developed 4 model variants using all features, with alpha fetoprotein (AFP) (AF ^A ) and without AFP (AF^N ); and selected features, with AFP (SF ^A ) and without AFP (SF^N ). Performance was evaluated using 10-fold cross-validation on a derivation cohort and further validated on an independent cohort.

Results: In the derivation cohort of 2,382 patients, of whom 117 developed HCC, AF^A achieved higher sensitivity (0.634, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.559-0.708) and specificity (0.836; 0.830-0.842) than AF ^N (sensitivity 0.553; 0.476-0.630 and specificity 0.786; 0.779-0.792). SF^A also achieved higher sensitivity (0.683; 0.611-0.755 vs. 0.658; 0.585-0.732) and specificity (0.756; 0.749-0.763 vs. 0.744; 0.737-0.751) than SF^N . Performance of SF^A and SF^N were tested in another cohort of 162 patients in which 57 patients developed HCC. SF^A achieved sensitivity and specificity of 0.634 (0.522-0.746) and 0.657 (0.615-0.699), while sensitivity and specificity of SF^N were 0.690 (0.583-0.798) and 0.651 (0.609-0.693), respectively.

Conclusion: The machine learning models demonstrate good performance for predicting short-term risk for HCC development and may potentially be used for tailoring surveillance interval for CHB patients.

Air pollution exposure has become an international health issue that poses many risks to life and health. The bidirectional regulatory network, known as the oral-gut-brain axis connects the oral cavity, intestine, and central nervous system, as well as its influence on health outcomes from exposure to air pollution is receiving increased attention. This article systematically details the epidemiological evidence linking air pollutants to diseases affecting the oral, respiratory, intestinal, and nervous systems, while also explaining the route of air pollutants via the oral-gut-brain axis. The oral-gut-brain axis anomalies resulting from air pollution and their underlying molecular processes are also covered. The study provides a fresh viewpoint on how exposure to air pollution affects health and investigates cutting-edge preventative and therapeutic techniques.

Background: Management of blood flow in arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is a critical clinical issue for hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Objectives: To determine the effect of microcirculation of AVF in HD patients with photobiomodulation (PBM).

Methods: Twenty HD patients were enrolled in this study. PBM was used to radiate the palm of HD patients at a total dose of 126 J, and the microcirculatory analysis in AVF was investigated.

Results: Among the patients <65 years old, there is an increase of 2.31% and 1.37% in the average velocity and flux in AVF, respectively. This increase is higher than those observed in patients aged >65 years old. Additionally, the cumulative effect of the 830 nm laser was observed for at least 10 min, resulting in continuous increases of 3.16% in velocity and 1.59% in flux for HD patients <65 years old. On the contrary, the average velocity and flux in AVF increased in patients who had undergone HD for <6 years.

Conclusions: In this study, the age and the duration of HD treatment are the two factors that influence microcirculation in HD patients with PBM. The results suggest that PBM could be used to improve the average velocity and flux in AVF, particularly for younger patients with shorter HD treatment durations.

Background: 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is a broad-spectrum drug that has a wide range of side effects. Patients may experience severe comorbidities as a result of these toxic side effects, making it impossible for them to continue chemotherapy. Despite the fact that various molecules have been experimented, there is no literature data on the efficacy of dexpanthenol (DXP) for mitigating the toxic effects of 5-FU.

Objective: To investigate the protective effects of DXP on nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and intestinal toxicity induced by 5-FU in rats.

Methods: Twenty-eight male Wistar-Albino rats aged 16 weeks were randomly assigned to four groups. We created a rat model of intestinal mucositis, nephrotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity through intraperitoneal 5-FU (35 mg/kg for 4 d) injection. 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg of DXP were administered to the treatment groups. The effects of dexpanthenol were evaluated clinically, biochemically, histopathologically, and immunohistochemically (inducible nitric oxide synthase [iNOS], cyclooxygenase-2 [COX-2], 8-hydroxyguanosine [8-OHdG], and nuclear factor kappa B [NF-κB]).

Results: 5-FU caused a decrease in body weight and food intake, and an increase in diarrhea scores in rats. 5-FU led to significant disruptions in the hepatic biochemical markers (aspartate transaminase [AST], alanine transaminase [ALT], alkaline phosphatase [ALP], total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, and lactate dehydrogenase [LDH]), renal biochemical markers (blood urea nitrogen [BUN], creatinine, and uric acid), and protein and albumin, which are markers of both hepatic and renal functions. Severe pyknosis and mononuclear cell infiltrations were observed in the liver, and mononuclear cell infiltration and tubular degeneration in the kidneys. Jejunum and colon showed villous hyperemia and hemorrhage, respectively, along with mononuclear cell infiltration. Furthermore, 5-FU increased the immunohistochemical expressions of iNOS, COX-2, 8-OHdG, and NF-κB in the examined tissues. The administration of DXP at doses of 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg demonstrated significant mitigation of the toxic effects induced by 5-FU on the liver, kidney, jejunum, and colon.

Conclusion: DXP showed protective effects against nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and intestinal toxicity caused by 5-FU. These findings suggest that DXP may serve as a potential therapeutic agent to alleviate the severe side effects of 5-FU chemotherapy, thereby improving patient tolerance and quality of life. Further clinical studies are warranted to validate these results and explore the translational potential of DXP in human cancer therapy.