Treatment of Umbilical Granuloma in Infants With Topical Application of Common Salt: A Scoping Review

BackgroundCommon salt is a safe, effective and cheap home-made remedy for umbilical granuloma. The aim of this scoping review is to identify and summarize the available evidence and examine the research conducted on salt treatment for umbilical granuloma.MethodsA literature search was performed in the second week of September, 2022 using Google scholar, PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE databases using the keywords ‘umbilical granuloma’ and ‘salt treatment’ to identify all English articles pertaining to salt treatment for umbilical granuloma. Tables were made to summarize the methodological characteristics, results and the dosage regimens of salt used by different authors. The Cochrane Collaboration's tool was used for assessing risk of bias in RCTs. The indexing statuses of the journals publishing these studies were also noted. The overall efficacy with the use of common salt was calculated by adding the success rates mentioned in each study.ResultsTwenty-four articles (2 systematic reviews, 6 Randomized Controlled Trials, 11 prospective cohort studies, 1 case control study, 3 retrospective case series and 1 case report) were included. An overall 93.91% success rate (1033/1100) was seen with common salt application, without any reports of complications/recurrences.ConclusionTopical application of common salt for umbilical granulomas is simple, effective and inexpensive. This scoping review provides a broader outlook at the existing level of evidence and may help in planning interventional comparative studies, so that recommendations can be formulated. It also highlights a lack of properly designed randomized controlled trials on this topic.Level of EvidenceI.     

Phase 0 Study of Vandetanib-Eluting Radiopaque Embolics as a Preoperative Embolization Treatment in Patients with Resectable Liver Malignancies

PurposeTo assess the safety and tolerability of a vandetanib-eluting radiopaque embolic (BTG-002814) for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with resectable liver malignancies.Materials and MethodsThe VEROnA clinical trial was a first-in-human, phase 0, single-arm, window-of-opportunity study. Eligible patients were aged ≥18 years and had resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (Child-Pugh A) or metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Patients received 1 mL of BTG-002814 transarterially (containing 100 mg of vandetanib) 7–21 days prior to surgery. The primary objectives were to establish the safety and tolerability of BTG-002814 and determine the concentrations of vandetanib and the N-desmethyl vandetanib metabolite in the plasma and resected liver after treatment. Biomarker studies included circulating proangiogenic factors, perfusion computed tomography, and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.ResultsEight patients were enrolled: 2 with HCC and 6 with mCRC. There was 1 grade 3 adverse event (AE) before surgery and 18 after surgery; 6 AEs were deemed to be related to BTG-002814. Surgical resection was not delayed. Vandetanib was present in the plasma of all patients 12 days after treatment, with a mean maximum concentration of 24.3 ng/mL (standard deviation ± 13.94 ng/mL), and in resected liver tissue up to 32 days after treatment (441–404,000 ng/g). The median percentage of tumor necrosis was 92.5% (range, 5%–100%). There were no significant changes in perfusion imaging parameters after TACE.ConclusionsBTG-002814 has an acceptable safety profile in patients before surgery. The presence of vandetanib in the tumor specimens up to 32 days after treatment suggests sustained anticancer activity, while the low vandetanib levels in the plasma suggest minimal release into the systemic circulation. Further evaluation of this TACE combination is warranted in dose-finding and efficacy studies.     

Risk prediction of common bile duct stone recurrence based on new common bile duct morphological subtypes

Stones in the common bile duct (CBD) are reported worldwide, and this condition is majorly managed through endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). CBD stone recurrence is an important issue after endoscopic stone removal. Therefore, it is essential to identify its risk factors to determine the necessity of regular follow-up in patients who underwent endoscopic removal of CBD stones. The authors identified that the S and polyline morphological subtypes of CBD were associated with increased stone recurrence. New morphological subtypes of CBD presented by the authors can be important risk predictors of recurrence after endoscopic stone removal. Furthermore, the new morphological subtypes of CBD may predict the risk of residual CBD stones or technical difficulty in CBD stone removal. Further studies with a large sample size and longer follow-up durations are warranted to examine the usefulness of the newly identified morphological subtypes of CBD in predicting the outcomes of ERCP for CBD stone removal.     

Hepatotoxicity of cantharidin is associated with the altered bile acid metabolism

Cantharidin (CTD) is an effective antitumor agent. However, it exhibits significant hepatotoxicity, the mechanism of which remains unclear. In this study, biochemical and histopathological analyses complemented with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS)-based targeted metabolomic analysis of bile acids (BAs) were employed to investigate CTD-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Sixteen male and female Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: control and CTD (1.0 mg/kg) groups. Serum and liver samples were collected after 28 days of intervention. Biochemical, histopathological, and BA metabolomic analyses were performed for all samples. Further, the key biomarkers of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity were identified via multivariate and metabolic pathway analyses. In addition, metabolite–gene–enzyme network and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses were used to identify the signaling pathways related to CTD-induced hepatotoxicity. The results revealed significantly increased levels of biochemical indices (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bile acid). Histopathological analysis revealed that the hepatocytes were damaged. Further, 20 endogenous BAs were quantitated via UHPLC-MS/MS, and multivariate and metabolic pathway analyses of BAs revealed that hyocholic acid, cholic acid, and chenodeoxycholic acid were the key biomarkers of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity. Meanwhile, primary and secondary BA biosynthesis and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism were found to be associated with the mechanism by which CTD induced hepatotoxicity in rats. This study provides useful insights for research on the mechanism of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity.     

利胆软坚方降脂减肥作用及其对胆汁酸代谢轮廓谱的影响

目的:基于肥胖“从胆论治”的学术观点,研究利胆软坚方对高脂饮食诱导肥胖大鼠的降脂减肥作用及其对血清胆汁酸轮廓谱的影响,探讨其作用机制。方法:42只大鼠高脂饲料喂养9周建立肥胖大鼠模型,取24只造模成功大鼠随机分为模型组、利胆软坚方高、低剂量组(30,15 g·kg^-1),每组8只,另取8只正常大鼠作为正常组,模型组和正常组给予生理盐水,给药组给予相应剂量药物,灌胃4周。测定大鼠体质量、肝脏质量、脂肪质量等肥胖指标;胆管插管术引流监测2 h内胆汁流量;全自动生化仪测定血清总胆固醇(TC),甘油三酯(TG),高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL-C),低密度脂蛋白胆固醇(LDL-C)水平;超高效液相色谱-质谱联用(UPLC-MS/MS)法测定大鼠血清胆汁酸代谢轮廓谱中各胆汁酸的含量。结果:与正常组比较,模型组体质量、肝脏质量、脂肪质量均显著升高(P<0.01),血清TC,TG,LDL-C水平明显上升(P<0.05,P<0.01),2 h内胆汁总分泌量及各测试点胆汁流量均降低,初级胆汁酸占比明显下降(P<0.05),血清总胆汁酸含量显著降低(P<0.01),血清胆汁酸轮廓谱中胆酸(CA),脱氧胆酸(DCA),鹅去氧胆酸(CDCA),猪去氧胆酸(HDCA),牛磺胆酸(TCA),牛磺去氧胆酸(TDCA),牛磺鹅去氧胆酸(TCDCA),牛磺猪去氧胆酸(THDCA),甘氨去氧胆酸(GDCA)含量明显降低(P<0.05,P<0.01);与模型组比较,利胆软坚方高、低剂量组体质量、肝脏质量明显降低(P<0.05,P<0.01),利胆软坚方高剂量组血清TC,TG,LDL-C水平明显下降(P<0.05,P<0.01),低剂量组TG水平明显下降(P<0.05),高剂量组在给药后1~1.5 h胆汁流量明显增加(P<0.05),高、低剂量组初级胆汁酸占比明显升高(P<0.05),利胆软坚方高剂量组TCA,DCA,甘氨胆酸(GCA),GDCA水平明显升高(P<0.05,P<0.01),低剂量组仅TCA,TCDCA水平明显升高(P<0.05)。结论:利胆软坚方具有降脂减肥作用,其机制可能与其增加胆汁分泌量,增加初级胆汁酸合成及调节胆汁酸轮廓谱有关。