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Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common head and neck malignant tumors in China. Radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy is the first treatment option. The local recurrence rate of NPC after radiotherapy ranged from 10% to 40%. Re-irradiation could cause many serious complications for local recurrent or residual NPC after radiotherapy. Therefore, traditional open approach surgery and endoscopic surgery are becoming important alternative treatment options for locally recurrent NPC, especially the latter has such advantages as operating under direct vision, clear field of view, minimal invasion, short hospitalization and not affecting facial appearance. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2019.04.003

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the therapeutic effect of Jianpi decoctions in Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) combined with chemotherapy on the postoperative treatment of colorectal cancer. Methods: Literatures were obtained from Wanfang database, CNKI, PubMed, Cqvip, MEDLINE, Cochrane, CBM, and Springer LINK as well as other conference papers and theses. The search included all documents in English or Chinese published before September 2018. We selected randomized controlled trials based on specific criteria and the most important criteria were that Jianpi decoction should be applied in combination with chemotherapy on the postoperative treatment of colorectal cancer. Results: Publications in eight electronic databases were extensively searched and 20 trials were included for analysis eventually. A total of 1652 patients in total were enrolled in these studies. Among them, 879 patients received CHM and Western medicine combination therapy and another 773 participants only got Western medicine therapy. Compared with those patients receiving Western medicine alone, the survival rate of 1-year (odds ratio [OR] = 2.35, 95% confidence limit [Cl] = 1.30–4.28,P < 0.05), 3-year (OR = 2.02, 95% Cl = 1.49–2.73,P < 0.001), and 5-year survival rate (OR = 2.32, 95% Cl = 1.56–3.45,P < 0.001) of patients in the group of Jianpi decoctions in CHM and chemotherapy combination has significantly increased. Moreover, results also showed positive effects on immunoregulation such as CD3+ (OR = 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.52–0.85,P < 0.0001), CD4+/CD8+ (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.29–1.26,P < 0.05). Side effects caused by chemotherapy such as nausea (OR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.25–0.50,P < 0.0001) and vomiting (OR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.22–0.46,P < 0.0001), diarrhea (OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.30–0.60,P < 0.0001), as well as metastasis and recurrence (OR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.24–0.61,P < 0.001) were remarkably reduced. The quality of life (OR = 4.40, 95% Cl = 2.86–6.77,P < 0.0001) has been improved. Moreover, there was no statistically significant bias in the overall studies. Conclusion: This systematic review suggests that Jianpi decoction in CHM can reduce the chemotherapy toxicity, enhance the patient's immunity, prolong their survival rate, improve their quality of life as well as prevent metastasis, and recurrence for patients in postoperative treatment of colorectal cancer.

Objective: The objective of the study is to explore the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome distribution in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its correlation with treatment methods and clinical laboratory indicators. Materials and Methods: Using the CRC cases report form of TCM, 760 CRC patients with TCM four diagnosis information, western medicine treatment information and clinical laboratory indicators were collected, and TCM syndromes distribution in CRC were summarized. The correlation between TCM syndrome type and western medicine treatments, clinical laboratory indicators such as liver and kidney function, immune function, and tumor biomarkers was analyzed. Results: In 760 cases of CRC, Spleen deficiency syndrome (SDS, 25%), liver and kidney Yin deficiency syndrome (LKYDS, 13%), LKYDS-SDS, 12%, spleen deficient Qi stagnation syndrome (SDQSS, 10%), and damp heat syndrome (DHS, 9%) were more common TCM syndrome types. LKYDS, SDS, LKYDS-SDS, and SDQSS were significantly distributed under different treatment methods (P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the distribution of immune function and cytokine among the five TCM syndromes (P > 0.05), but there was statistically significant difference in the distribution of blood routine, liver and kidney function, and tumor biomarkers (P < 0.05). Conclusion: LKYDS, SDS, LKYDS-SDS, SDQSS, and DHS were the first five TCM syndromes in CRC. There were the significant correlations between the distribution of TCM syndrome and the clinical laboratory indicators, and the distribution of TCM syndromes was affected by surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.

Abstract Yinchenhao decoction (YCHD), comprising Yinchenhao (Artemisiae Scopariae Herba), Zhizi (Gardeniae Fructus) and Dahuang (Radix Rhei et Rhizoma), is widely used for treating various diseases. We aimed to investigate the bile acid metabolic mechanism of YCHD in dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced liver fibrosis model. Rats received DMN (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) for four successive weeks for liver fibrosis induction and were treated with YCHD for the last 2 weeks. Histopathological analysis showed that YCHD prevented DMN-induced histopathological changes in liver tissues. Serum liver function in YCHD group improved. Ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that YCHD significantly restored both free and conjugated bile acid levels increased by DMN, to normal levels. RT-qPCR results showed that YCHD treatment upregulated the expression of genes related to bile acid synthesis, reabsorption, and excretion. Western blotting analysis showed that YCHD downregulated α-SMA, TGF-β1, p-Smad3, and p-ERK1/2 expression in chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA)-activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). The viability of CDCA-activated HSCs significantly increased after treatment with YCHD and PD98059 (an ERK inhibitor) compared to YCHD treatment alone. Our findings suggest that YCHD alleviated DMN-induced liver fibrosis by regulating enzymes responsible for bile acid metabolism. Additionally, it inhibits CDCA-induced HSC proliferation and activation via TGF-β1/Smad/ERK signalling pathway.

In order to achieve high strength and toughness in bainite steel, the authors carried out a study on their self-developed CB10 steel. The CB10 steel was heat-treated at different tempering temperatures to control its microstructure and mechanical capabilities, and, further, changes in its structure were explored. The results showed that bainite, ferrite, and M/A islands could be engendered when CB10 steel was tempered at 250°C, 450°C, 600°C, and 670°C, respectively. With an increase in tempering temperature, lath-type bainite began to merge and coarsen obviously, and polygonal ferrite appeared. When the tempering temperature was above 600°C, recovery and recrystallization occurred in some regions. In particular, the mechanical properties of CB10 steel were best at a 450°C tempering temperature; among them, its tensile strength was 632 MPa, its yield strength was 487 MPa, elongation was 25%, and the Charpy absorbed energy was >140 J. Furthermore, the anti-hydrogen-induced cracking performance and weldability of CB10 steel were tested. The results indicated that there were no cracks on the surface of the sample, indicating that it has excellent anti-hydrogen-induced cracking performance and weldability. Moreover, the maximum hardness of the heat-affected zone was 231 Hv, the maximum Charpy absorbed energy was 285.0 J, and the fracture morphology was in all cases ductile fracture when the impact temperature was above −60°C.

Background/Aims: PIK3R3 is a regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) which plays an essential role in the metastasis of several types of cancer. However, whether PIK3R3 can promote the metastasis of pancreatic cancer (PC) is still unclear. In this study, we characterized the role of PIK3R3 in metastasis of PC and underlying potential mechanisms. Methods: RT-PCR, western blot, immunofluorescence (IF) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were applied to investigate the expression of genes and proteins in different cell lines and tissues. To assess the function of PIK3R3 and related mechanisms, the cells with RNAi-mediated knockdown or overexpression were used to perform a series of in vitro and in vivo assays. Results: PIK3R3 was significantly overexpressed in pancreatic cancer tissues, especially in metastatic cancer tissues, as well as in pancreatic cancer cells. Functional assays suggested that overexpression or knockdown of PIK3R3 could respectively promote or suppress the migration and invasion of PC cells in vitro and in vivo. Further mechanism related studies demonstrated that ERK1/2-ZEB1 pathway-triggered epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) might be responsible for the PIK3R3-induced PC cell migration and invasion. Conclusion: PIK3R3 could promote the metastasis of PC by facilitating ZEB1 induced EMT, and could act as a potential therapeutic target to limit PC metastasis.

Abstract Tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) is the most-prevalent leg disorder in fast-growing chickens; it is intractable and characterized by abnormal endochondral bone formation of proximal tibial growth-plates (TGPs). Previous studies have shown that bone is a highly vascularized tissue dependent on the coordinated coupling between angiogenesis and osteogenesis, but the underlying mechanisms of bone formation and bone remodeling are poorly defined in TD chickens. Here, we observed that inhibition of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis remarkably impaired vascular invasion in the hypertrophic chondrocyte zone of the TGPs, resulting in the massive death of chondrocytes due to a shortage of blood vessels and nutrients. Moreover, the balance of the OPG (osteoprotegerin)/RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand) system is also severely disrupted during the osteogenesis process while coupling with angiogenesis, both of which eventually lead to abnormal endochondral bone formation in TD chickens. Thus, the process of vascular formation in endochondral bone appears to initiate the pathological changes in TD, and improvement of this process during coupling with osteogenesis may be a potential therapeutic approach to treat this intractable disease.

Objective: The aim of this study was to predict the active compounds, therapy targets, and diseases of Bu-Shen-Jian-Pi formula (BSJPF) through the system pharmacology-based approach. Methods: Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) and TCM Database@Taiwan Databases were used to obtain Chinese herbal medicine compounds. Oral bioavailability (OB) and drug-likeness (DL) based on the TCMSP database were used to screen the active compounds of BSJPF and related diseases. Therapy targets were defined according to the DrugBank database. The compounds-targets-disease network was constructed by Cytoscape and function and signaling pathways were also analyzed. Results: A total of 143 of 2106 compounds in BSJPF were screened out (OB ≥30%, DL index ≥0.18). Two hundred and sixty-five targets were found and 334 diseases were enriched. The diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, inflammation, and asthma were most closely correlated with the formula. BSJPF, Liu-Wei-Di-Huang decoction (LWDHD), and Si-Jun-Zi decoction (SJZD) could regulate cell proliferation and apoptosis; LWDHD also regulated biological processes and cellular processes and regulated stress on chemical stimuli and SJZD focused on the regulation of anabolic reaction. All had enriched the signaling pathways in cancer, nonsmall cell lung cancer, and thyroid cancer pathways. There were more pathways in both BSJPF and LWDHD, mainly including cancer, colorectal cancer pathways, toll-like receptors, T-cell receptors and P53 signaling pathways, and apoptosis. LWDHD was also involved in Wnt, natural killer cell cytotoxicity, and lymphocyte migration signaling pathways. SJZD had no separate pathways. In the tumor-related pathways, targets were more concentrated in the PI3K/Akt pathway and the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. Conclusions: BSJPF owns multiple targets and pathways to treat various diseases under the guidance of “treating different diseases with the same method.”

Based on van der Waals corrected density functional theory, we show that Na atoms acting as decoration metals are not inclined to form clusters due to a large binding energy of 3.31 eV, indicating a promising good reversible hydrogen storage. Both the polarization mechanism and the orbital hybridizations contribute to the adsorption of hydrogen molecules (storage capacity of 4.4 wt%) with optimal adsorption energy of 0.25 eV/H2. Additionally, the dimerization of these isolated B36 does not remarkably affect the number of adsorbed H2 per Na atom. Our results may serve as a guide in the design of new hydrogen storage materials based on low-dimension boron clusters.

In order to improve the crystal quality of HATO and promote its safety performance in the application of explosives, the solubilities of HATO in four pure solvents and three mixed solvents were measured by the equilibrium method, and the recrystallization solvent system of HATO was optimized. By using cooling recrystallization method, high-quality HATO crystal was prepared by controlling the type of solvent, cooling rate, and stirring rate. The Materials Studio software was used to simulate the binding ability of HATO with several common adhesive materials, and the materials with strong binding ability with HATO were selected for further coating. The mechanical sensitivities of HATO before and after coating were also tested. The results show that HATO has a higher solubility in the water-formic acid system, but the water-ethanol system is more favorable to the sphericity of HATO. The density of HATO crystal obtained by cooling recrystallization is 1.87g/cm3, the 5s bursting point is 286.12°C, the detonation velocity is 9550m/s, the impact sensitivity and friction sensitivity are 24% and 16%, respectively. The above performances are better than those of raw material HATO. The cohesion energy density of fluorine-containing materials and HATO is higher than that of non-fluorine-containing materials, proved that fluorine-containing materials has a stronger adhesion effect on HATO. The coated HATO has no crystal face exposed, and the mechanical sensitivity is significantly reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]