Treatment of 25 cases of obstruction of Qi in the chest by Tuina

应用一指禅手法为主治疗25例胸痹患者,结果显示推拿对胸痹患者的各种临床症状均有缓解作用,治愈10例,好转14例,无效1例.     

Treatment of Acute Lumbar Sprain with Single Acupoint： A RCT

目的:评价单一穴位治疗急性腰扭伤的治疗效果.方法:根据统一的诊断标准,在多个临床中心进行随机对照研究.全部病例320例经随机数字表法分为针刺后溪穴观察组和针刺腰痛点对照组.对患者的疼痛程度分别由医师和患者进行评分.结果:治疗2个疗程后,观察组和对照组近期有效率分别为89.4%和82.5%,远期有效率分别为95.6%和93.5%.经Ridit分析,近期疗效差异有统计意义(P<0.05),远期疗效差异无统计意义(P>0.05).结论:针刺单一穴位治疗急性腰扭伤疗效确切,取穴简便,后溪穴疗效好于腰痛点.     

Schedule-dependent cytotoxic interaction between epidoxorubicin and gemcitabine in human bladder cancer cells in vitro.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the activity of epidoxorubicin (EPI) and gemcitabine (GEM) and to define the most effective schedule in human bladder cancer cells. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The study was performed on HT1376 and MCR cell lines. Cells were exposed for 1 and 24 h to drugs used in different schemes. Cytotoxic activity was evaluated by the sulforhodamine B assay, potential clinical activity was estimated by relative antitumor activity, and the type of drug interaction was assessed using the method of Chou and Talalay. Cell cycle perturbations and apoptosis were assessed by flow cytometry; BAX, BCL-2, and P53 expression was evaluated by Western blot; and DNA damage was assessed using the alkaline Comet assay. RESULTS: EPI and GEM produced a cytotoxic effect in both cell lines, with 50% inhibitory concentration and relative antitumor activity values suggestive of a high clinical activity. Simultaneous treatment with EPI and GEM and the sequence GEM-->EPI caused an antagonistic interaction (combination index > 1) after both 1- and 24-h treatments. Conversely, the inverse sequence, EPI-->GEM, produced a synergistic interaction that was more pronounced in MCR cells than in HT1376 cells. The increase in DNA-damaged cells from 10% to 20% after single-drug exposure to 40-60% at the end of EPI-->GEM treatment may explain the synergistic interaction produced by the anthracycline-antimetabolite sequence. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that the efficacy of the EPI and GEM combination is highly schedule dependent and indicate that the most active scheme is EPI followed by GEM, which is currently being validated in an ongoing intravesical Phase I-II clinical protocol.     

Pegylated arginine deiminase treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: results from phase I/II studies.

PURPOSE: Recently, we reported that a large number of human hepatocellular cancer (HCC) cell lines were auxotrophic for arginine. Here we report the results obtained with the amino acid-degrading enzyme arginine deiminase (ADI) conjugated to polyethylene glycol (ADI-SS PEG 20,000 mw) as a means of lowering plasma arginine to treat HCC. The study was a cohort dose-escalation phase I/II study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Pharmacodynamic studies indicated an ADI-SS PEG 20,000 mw dose level of 160 U/m(2) was sufficient to lower plasma arginine from a resting level of approximately 130 micromol/L to below the level of detection (< 2 micromol/L) for more than 7 days, a dose later defined as the optimal biologic dose. All patients were to receive three cycles at the optimum biologic dose. RESULTS: This therapy was well tolerated, even in patients who had no detectable plasma arginine for 3 continuous months of therapy. Of the 19 patients enrolled, two had a complete response, seven had a partial response, seven had stable disease, and three had progressive disease. The median survival for the 19 patients enrolled on this study was 410 days, with four patients still alive at present (> 680 days). CONCLUSION: Elimination of all detectable plasma arginine in patients with HCC was well tolerated and seemed to be effective in the treatment of some patients with HCC. Further testing of ADI-SS PEG 20,000 mw in a larger population of individuals with HCC as well as other human tumors auxotrophic for arginine is warranted.     

Trastuzumab down-regulates Bcl-2 expression and potentiates apoptosis induction by Bcl-2/Bcl-XL bispecific antisense oligonucleotides in HER-2 gene--amplified breast cancer cells.

PURPOSE: To investigate the possible existence of an antiapoptotic cross-talk between HER-2 and antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL expression and apoptosis induction were analyzed in HER-2 gene-amplified (BT474) and nonamplified (ZR 75-1) breast cancer cell lines exposed to trastuzumab, alone or in combination with either Bcl-2/Bcl-XL bispecific antisense oligonucleotides (AS-4625) or the small-molecule Bcl-2 antagonist HA14-1. RESULTS: In addition to HER-2 and epidermal growth factor receptor, trastuzumab down-regulated Bcl-2, but not Bcl-XL, protein, and mRNA expression in BT474 cells. Interestingly, trastuzumab-induced down-regulation of HER-2 and Bcl-2 was also observed in three of five and two of three breast cancer patients undergoing trastuzumab treatment, respectively. Despite Bcl-2 down-regulation, however, trastuzumab only marginally increased the rate of apoptosis (7.3 +/- 3.5%). We therefore investigated whether a combination of AS-4625 and trastuzumab might increase proapoptotic efficiency. AS-4625 treatment of BT474 cells decreased both Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL expression, resulting in a 21 +/- 7% net apoptosis induction; the combination of AS-4625 followed by trastuzumab resulted in a significantly stronger induction of apoptosis (37 +/- 6%, P <0.01) that was not observed with the reverse treatment sequence (trastuzumab followed by AS-4625). Similar results were obtained with the Bcl-2 antagonist HA14-1; indeed, exposure of BT474 cells to HA14-1 followed by trastuzumab resulted in a striking proapoptotic synergism (combination index=0.58 +/- 0.18), as assessed by isobologram analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether our findings suggest that combined targeting of HER-2 and Bcl-2 may represent a novel, rational approach to more effective breast cancer therapy.     

卵巢癌高频转移细胞模型中nm23-H1基因表达的相关性研究

目的 筛选高频转移卵巢恶性肿瘤细胞，研究不同转移潜能的细胞和nm23的相关性。方法 通过反复动物接种和体外培养，观察动物肺转移状况，筛选高频转移细胞株，比较原发肿瘤和转移肿瘤的特征，并应用Northera-blot方法测定各类肿瘤细胞nm23 mRNA表达水平。结果 8株卵巢恶性肿瘤细胞中4株有较高转移潜能。多次培养接种可筛选出高频转移细胞亚群。测定各类细胞nm23 mRNA表达水平与肿瘤转移特性呈负相关。结论 由基因分子水平决定的肿瘤转移趋势在不同肿瘤种类及细胞亚群中有明显差异；卵巢癌中nm23 mRNA和蛋白的表达与其转移能力的降低有密切关系，可作为判定卵巢癌预后的敏感指标。     

人前列腺癌细胞PC-3M亚系u-PAR基因表达的分析

目的 为研究与人前列腺癌细胞(PC-3M)侵袭能力相关的靶分子。方法 采用有限稀释法分离单克隆细胞株，并应用单层细胞侵袭等实验鉴定各亚系的体外侵袭能力；借助RT-PCR和免疫组化的方法，分别在转录和翻译水平检测5株侵袭能力不同的PC-3M亚系尿激酶型纤溶酶原激活物受体(u-PAR)的表达。结果 高侵袭亚系u-PAR基因mRNA的表达和蛋白质水平均明显高于低侵袭亚系。结论 PC-3M亚系u-PAR的高表达与其较强的侵袭能力密切相关，而u-PAR可能是抑制高侵袭亚系侵袭效应的一个重要靶分子。     

Continuous care in the cancer patient: palliative care in the 21<Superscript>st</Superscript> century

Continuous care for the cancer patient is an open concept that is not only applicable only to the terminal stage. Such a simplification could generate inequities of therapy and discrimination. Historically, oncology services have been structured as networks dispensing chemotherapy and radiotherapy rather than services dedicated to the integrated care of the cancer patient. This situation has changed in a continuous and progressive manner over the past few years, as reflected in the latest Spanish Libro Blanco de Oncología. We are still far from reaching the optimum level of integrated care, possibly because we have not, as yet, achieved services that are structured and appropriate for the care-needs of the patient and, perhaps, to the lack of the necessary personnel. We must always make sure that cancer patients receive the best possible treatment, irrespective of whet-her the disease is in relapse. Oncologists must not “give up”, indicating that, in addition to using the most effective anticancer treatments available, they should deploy their best knowledge and experience to control the symptoms of cancer while providing psycho-social help to the patient and family. This is best conducted with a communication that is adjusted to the changing needs of the patient over the longterm clinical process, and should be provided by a multidisciplinary team, according to the needs of the patient and the family. Within a program of integrated care, it is possible to coordinate the existing care structures without creating parallel health networks so as to cover the needs of the greatest number of cancer patients in advanced stage of the disease.     

Nuclear Pedigree Criteria for the Identification of Individuals Suspected to Be at Risk of an Inherited Predisposition to Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed malignancy worldwide and therefore represents a significant healthcare burden. Environmental and genetic factors are involved in the development of gastric cancer. To date only one clear genetic predisposition has been identified involving mutations in the E-cadherin gene. The disease phenotype in patients harbouring E-cadherin mutations appears to be specifically related to diffuse gastric cancer. Little is known genetically about the other forms of gastric cancer. Since there is a growing awareness about the necessity of early intervention criteria have been developed that aid the identification of hereditary forms of gastric cancer. The aim of the current study was to identify minimal inclusion criteria so that nuclear pedigree families can be provided with risk assessment and/or genetic testing.The results reveal that inclusion features described herein such as (a) gastric cancer diagnosed before 46 years of age; (b) two gastric cancers among first degree relatives diagnosed over the age of 50 are useful in identifying suspected hereditary gastric cancer patients.