Asthma, a major non‐communicable disease, affects both adults and children and is associated with high morbidity compared with other chronic diseases. The glycolysis‐associated activation of type ...2 helper T (Th2) cells is the critical immunopathological mechanism involved in asthma deterioration. Long‐term use of steroids as a medical treatment for asthma induces side effects and resistance. Pterostilbene (PS), a stilbenoid compound found in blueberry and vines, exhibits antihyperglycemic and anti‐inflammatory properties. Thus, we hypothesized that the modulation of T cell immunity by PS may be an applicable intervention to treat asthma. Airway hyperresponsiveness, interleukin (IL)‐4 and IL‐13 levels, IgE, IgG, pulmonary infiltrated monocytes and eosinophils, and mucosubstances were measured in house dust mite (HDM)‐induced asthmatic mice under PS treatment. Bioenergetic metabolism, PI3K‐mTOR signalling, GATA3 expression and histone acetylation in PS‐treated Th2 cells were investigated. PS improved HDM‐induced pulmonary allergic airway inflammation by inhibiting Th2 cell and eosinophil accumulation in HDM asthmatic mice both in the preventive and therapeutic models. Targeting glycolysis resulted in IL‐4 inhibition via the downregulation of mTOR, GATA3 and histone acetylation in PS‐treated Th2 cells. Glucose supplementation reversed the inhibitory effect of PS on Th2 cells in vitro. Adoptive transfer with glucose‐treated Th2 cells enhanced Th2 activation and eosinophilic accumulation in PS‐treated asthmatic mice. Furthermore, PS significantly inhibited IL‐4 production of CD4+ T cells from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with asthma. PS attenuates HDM‐induced asthma via the inhibition of the Glut1/mTOR/GATA3 axis in Th2 cells, which supports the potential pharmaceutical application of PS treatment for asthma.
The inhibition of glycolysis by blocking glucose transportation is involved in pterostilbene's anti‐Th2 and anti‐eosinophil immune responses, which relieve bronchoconstriction. The downregulation of the mTOR‐GATA3 axis contributed to epigenetic changes through histone deacetylation in pterostilbene‐treated Th2 cells and ultimately led to a decrease in IL‐4 and IL‐13.
Background. Many patients with cancer seek complementary and alternative medicine treatments. We investigated the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) by adult cancer patients in Taiwan. ...Methods. We reviewed the Registry for Catastrophic Illness Patients Database of Taiwan, and included all adult patients diagnosed cancer, based on the International Classification of Diseases (ninth revision), from 2001 to 2009 and followed until 2011. This database allowed categorization of patients as TCM users (n = 74 620) or non-TCM users (n = 508 179). All demographic and clinical claims data were analyzed. Results. Compared with non-TCM users, TCM users were younger and more likely to be female, white-collar workers, and reside in highly urbanized areas. The average interval between cancer diagnosis and TCM consultation was 15.3 months. The most common cancer type was breast cancer in TCM users (19.4%), and intrahepatic bile duct cancer in non-TCM users (13.6%). The major condition for which TCM users visited clinics were endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, and immunity disorders (23.2%). A total of 33.1% of TCM users visited TCM clinics more than 9 times per year and their time from diagnosis to first TCM consultation was 5.14 months. The most common TCM treatment was Chinese herbal medicine. The common diseases for which cancer patients sought TCM treatment were insomnia, malaise and fatigue, dizziness and headache, gastrointestinal disorders, myalgia and fasciitis, anxiety, and depression. Overall, TCM users had a lower adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for mortality (aHR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.68-0.70) after adjustment for age, sex, urbanization of residence, occupation, annual medical center visits, and annual non–medical center visits. Conclusions. This study provides an overview of TCM usage among adult cancer patients in Taiwan. TCM use varied among patients with different types of cancer. Physicians caring for cancer patients should pay more attention to their patients’ use of complementary TCM.
Background: Pancreatic cancer is a difficult-to-treat cancer with a late presentation and poor prognosis. Some patients seek traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) consultation. We aimed to investigate ...the benefits of complementary Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) among patients with pancreatic cancer in Taiwan. Methods: We included all patients with pancreatic cancer who were registered in the Taiwanese Registry for Catastrophic Illness Patients Database between 1997 and 2010. We used 1:1 frequency matching by age, sex, the initial diagnostic year of pancreatic cancer, and index year to enroll 386 CHM users and 386 non-CHM users. A Cox regression model was used to compare the hazard ratios (HRs) of the risk of mortality. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to compare the difference in survival time. Results: According to the Cox hazard ratio model mutually adjusted for CHM use, age, sex, urbanization level, comorbidity, and treatments, we found that CHM users had a lower hazard ratio of mortality risk (adjusted HR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.56-0.79). Those who received CHM therapy for more than 90 days had significantly lower hazard ratios of mortality risk than non-CHM users (90- to 180-day group: adjusted HR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.42-0.75; >180-day group: HR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.24-0.45). The survival probability was higher for patients in the CHM group. Bai-hua-she-she-cao (Herba Oldenlandiae; Hedyotis diffusa Spreng) and Xiang-sha-liu-jun-zi-tang (Costus and Chinese Amomum Combination) were the most commonly used single herb and Chinese herbal formula, respectively. Conclusions: Complementary Chinese herbal therapy might be associated with reduced mortality among patients with pancreatic cancer. Further prospective clinical trial is warranted.
IGF‐IIR activation regulates cardiac remodeling leading to apoptosis. Here, we identified the novel IGF‐IIRα (150 KDa), a truncated IGF‐IIR transcript enhances cardiac apoptosis under high‐salt ...uptake in transgenic rat model. Echocardiographic analysis revealed decline in ejection fraction and fractional shortening percentage in IGF‐IIRα (TG) rats. We found that IGF‐IIRα TG rats developed severe apoptosis and fibrosis as identified through TUNEL assay and Masson's trichrome staining. Importantly, the heart functioning, apoptosis, and fibrosis were significantly affected under high‐salt conditions in IGF‐IIRα (TG) rats. Significant upregulation of apoptosis was evident from decreased Bcl‐2, p‐AKT, and p‐PI3K expressions with concomitant increase in Bad, cytochrome C, cleaved caspase 3 levels. We found that, IGF‐IIRα highly induced tissue fibrosis through collagen accumulation (col I, col III) and up regulated various fibrotic markers such as tPA, uPA, TGF‐β, and vimentin expressions. The observed upregulation of fibrosis were significantly regulated under high‐salt conditions and their over regulation under IGF‐IIRα over expressions shows the key role of IGF‐IIRα in promoting high‐salt induced fibrosis. During IGF‐IIRα over expression induced cardiotoxicity, under high salt condition, and it destroys the interaction between CHIP and HSF1, which promotes the degradation of HSF1 and results in upregulation of IGF‐IIR/IGF‐IIRα expressions. Altogether, the study unveils novel IGF‐IIRα in the regulation of cardiac apoptosis and fibrosis under high‐salt diet.
Hypertension‐stimulated cardiac hypertrophy and apoptosis play critical roles in the progression of heart failure. Our previous study suggested that hypertensive angiotensin II (Ang II) enhanced ...insulin‐like growth factor receptor II (IGF‐IIR) expression and cardiomyocyte apoptosis, which are involved JNK activation, sirtuin1 (SIRT1) degradation, and heat‐shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) acetylation. Moreover, previous studies have implied that short‐term hypoxia (STH) might exert cardioprotective effects. However, the effects of STH on Ang II‐induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis remain unknown. In this study, we found that STH reduced myocardial apoptosis caused by Ang II via upregulation of the Mas receptor (MasR) to inhibit the AT1R signaling pathway. STH activates MasR to counteract the Ang II pro‐apoptotic signaling cascade by inhibiting IGF‐IIR expression via downregulation of JNK activation and reduction of SIRT1 degradation. Hence, HSF could remain deacetylated, and repress IGF‐IIR expression. These effects decrease the activation of downstream pro‐apoptotic and hypertrophic cascades and protect cardiomyocytes from Ang II‐induced injury. In addition, we also found that silencing MasR expression enhanced Ang II‐induced cardiac hypertrophy and the apoptosis signaling pathway. These findings suggest a critical role for MasR in cardiomyocyte survival. Altogether, our findings indicate that STH protects cardiomyocytes from Ang II‐stimulated apoptosis. The protective effects of STH are associated with the upregulation of MasR to inhibit AT1R signaling. STH could be a potential therapeutic strategy for cardiac diseases in hypertensive patients.
The proposed mechanism of STH‐mediated MasR to repress the AT1R signaling pathway and attenuate Ang II‐induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis.
Stress-induced cardiac hypertrophy leads to heart failure. Our previous studies demonstrate that insulin-like growth factor-II receptor (IGF-IIR) signaling is pivotal to hypertrophy regulation. In ...this study, we show a novel IGF-IIR alternative spliced transcript, IGF-IIRα (150 kDa) play a key role in high-salt induced hypertrophy mechanisms. Cardiac overexpression of IGF-IIRα and high-salt diet influenced cardiac dysfunction by increasing pathophysiological changes with up-regulation of hypertrophy markers, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). We found that, cardiac hypertrophy under high-salt conditions were amplified in the presence of IGF-IIRα overexpression. Importantly, high-salt induced angiotensin II type I receptor (AT1R) up regulation mediated IGF-IIR expressions via upstream mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK)/silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 (SIRT1)/heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) pathway. Further, G-coupled receptors (Gαq) activated calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 3 (NFATc3)/protein kinase C (PKC) signaling was significantly up regulated under high-salt conditions. All these effects were observed to be dramatically over-regulated in IGF-IIRα transgenic rats fed with a high-salt diet. Altogether, from the findings, we demonstrate that IGF-IIRα plays a crucial role during high-salt conditions leading to synergistic cardiac hypertrophy.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The pharmacological properties of velvet antler, a well-known animal-derived traditional Chinese medicine material and functional food, are extensively acknowledged globally. However, there are ...significant restrictions on the quality standard and control system of velvet antler. The four quality grades of velvet antler slices taken from Cervus nippon Temminck and Cervus elaphus Linnaeus were evaluated in this study using delayed luminescence (DL) and chemical analysis of protein and amino acid content. Our results demonstrated a significant degree of consistency in the assessment impacts of the measurements for identifying velvet antler slices of different quality grades from Cervus nippon Temminck and Cervus elaphus Linnaeus. Additionally, it is possible to distinguish velvet antler slices of Rangifer tarandus from those of other deer species by exploiting DL parameters (i.e., I0, Beta, Tau, and T). Moreover, there is a strong correlation between the DL parameters and particular amino acids detected in velvet antler slices. As an innovative, quick, and systematic methodology, DL enables the examination of the overall property of various grades of velvet antler slices. The integrated assessment using DL and chemical components can give a novel method for determining the quality of animal-derived herbs and functional foods.
•Traditional Chinese medicine combined with antibiotics offers a viable treatment for elderly patients, specifically beneficial for those with multiple underlying diseases.•Traditional Chinese herbal ...medicines possessing anti-inflammatory properties are advantageous in controlling infection within the appendicitis condition.•Additionally, they contribute to the enhancement of the local gastrointestinal environment.•This approach is effective even for cases with a high HAS-BLED score or prolonged prothrombin time.
Treating older patients with acute appendicitis with multiple underlying diseases is a challenging situation in the clinical setting. Throughout the history of East Asian medicine, many texts have noted the use of herbal decoctions to successfully treat symptoms associated with appendicitis, thereby providing an alternative management strategy for treating frail patients with acute appendicitis.
This report presents the case of a 93-year-old male diagnosed with acute appendicitis with appendicolith who was unsuitable for surgical intervention due to poor lung condition and prolonged prothrombin time caused by Apixaban. By receiving complementary therapy consisting of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and antibiotics, he recovered successfully.
In the early stage of acute appendicitis, infection control and gastrointestinal mobility are the most important factors to consider. Scientific research has demonstrated that many herbs used in TCM formulas possess anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and immune attenuation effects. For many patients who are unsuitable for surgical intervention due to unfavorable conditions, such as the prolonged prothrombin time presented in this case, complementary treatment with TCM offers adjuvant therapeutical effects associated with infection control, and improvement of the gastrointestinal environment and function of elderly patients.
Introduction: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has become a well-established treatment for hematologic disorders including acute leukemia. However, long-term survival rates following this ...procedure are still extremely low, due to posttransplantation relapse, infections, and graft-versus-host disease. We propose that adjunctive Chinese herbal medicine may benefit posttransplantation patients. In preparation for a randomized clinical trial, we conducted a pilot trial. Methods and Analysis: Between September 2015 and June 2017, 18 patients were consecutively enrolled at China Medical University Hospital and followed for up to 1 year. Fresh blood samples were obtained on a monthly basis, and immune reconstitution was analyzed. In addition to the standard-care treatment administered by their oncologist, a number of patients also received a Chinese herbal formula (Sheng-Yu-Tang) for up to 6 months. Results were used to improve on study protocol and estimate required sample size for a future randomized trial. Ethics and Dissemination: Study protocol was approved by the institutional review board of China Medical University Hospital (DMR-105-005), and all participants provided informed consent.
Patients with type 2 diabetes are at a higher risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma than the general population. In addition, emerging evidence suggests that traditional ...Chinese medicine (TCM) might be beneficial for patients with type 2 diabetes. We investigated whether TCM use was associated with a reduced risk of respiratory hospitalizations in patients with type 2 diabetes. Conducting a retrospective cohort study, we used data retrieved from the NDCMP database. Among 56,035 patients, 5226 were classified as TCM users; 50,809 were classified as TCM nonusers. Both groups were analyzed until the end of 2011 to examine the incidence of respiratory hospitalizations by using a Cox proportional hazards model to evaluate effects of TCM use on respiratory hospitalizations. During the 6-year study follow-up period, the incidence density rates of COPD- and asthma-related hospitalization were estimated to be 13.03 and 4.47 per 10,000 patient-years for TCM nonusers and 10.08 and 3.28 per 10,000 patient-years for TCM users, respectively. The HR of COPD-related hospitalization in TCM users was 0.88 (95% CI = 0.79-0.99); and the HR of asthma-related hospitalization in TCM users was 0.81 (95% CI = 0.66-1.00). Stratified analyses revealed that effects of TCM use were stronger among individuals who had diabetes for <3 years. As a part of Integrative Medicine, our study results demonstrate that TCM use was associated with a significant reduced risk of respiratory hospitalizations, especially in patients with diabetes for <3 years.
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