Efficacy and Safety of Sipjeondaebo-Tang for Anorexia in Patients with Cancer: A Pilot, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Background. Anorexia occurs in about half of cancer patients and is associated with high mortality rate. However, safe and long-term use of anorexia treatment is still an unmet need. Objective. The purpose of the present study was to examine the feasibility of Sipjeondaebo-tang (Juzen-taiho-to, Shi-Quan-Da-Bu-Tang) for cancer-related anorexia. Methods. A total of 32 participants with cancer anorexia were randomized to either Sipjeondaebo-tang group or placebo group. Participants were given 3 g of Sipjeondaebo-tang or placebo 3 times a day for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was a change in the Anorexia/Cachexia Subscale of Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy (FAACT). The secondary outcomes included Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of anorexia, FAACT scale, and laboratory tests. Results. Anorexia and quality of life measured by FAACT and VAS were improved after 4 weeks of Sipjeondaebo-tang treatment. However, there was no significant difference between changes of Sipjeondaebo-tang group and placebo group. Conclusions. Sipjeondaebo-tang appears to have potential benefit for anorexia management in patients with cancer. Further large-scale studies are needed to ensure the efficacy. Trial Registration. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02468141

A Competência em Informação (Coinfo) na perspectiva da educação inclusiva

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Ciência da Informação, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência da Informação, 2017.Discute os desafios da sociedade da informação no que tange à promoção e garantia de uma educação inclusiva a partir de uma agenda estabelecida em ambiências supranacionais, internacionais e multilaterais. Destaca a necessidade de formação de professores para lidar com necessidades informacionais emergentes da prática educativa, em especial quando aplicada a pessoas com deficiência. Neste contexto, situa nos aspectos interdisciplinares entre Ciência da Informação e Educação, contribuições relacionadas tanto à inclusão quanto à atuação de docentes da Educação Básica. Admite os pressupostos teóricos e práticos da temática Competência em Informação – termo adotado para o conceito de Information Literacy – como alternativa de formação de docentes da Educação Básica na perspectiva de uma educação inclusiva. Propõe a utilização de um percurso metodológico baseado nas contribuições de estudos sobre o Paradigma Indiciário de Ginzburg o qual é composto por uma fase exploratória e uma fase aplicada. Na fase exploratória utiliza a produção científica de Ciência da Informação, especialmente nos trabalhos divulgados no Encontro Nacional de Pesquisa e Pós graduação em Ciência da Informação para identificar tendências de pesquisa sobre Competência em Informação e possíveis relações com a inclusão. Discute estas tendências relacionando-as com a tridimensionalidade que o termo inclusão propõe, a saber, inclusão social, inclusão digital e inclusão relacionada a pessoas com deficiência. Realiza a aplicação de pré testes (denominados de Pré Testes Indiciais) em situações de formação de professores. Adicionalmente analisa 18 modelos de Competência em Informação desenvolvidos em contextos internacionais cuja síntese permitiu propor grade básica para elaboração de um modelo de Competência em Informação. Na fase aplicada admite a influência teórica de conceitos de mediação como norteador da prática. Adicionalmente utiliza como método de abordagem a problematização e como técnica o desenvolvimento de um curso de formação de professores com 22 professores de uma escola púbica do Distrito Federal. Utilizou recursos didáticos originais elaborados para esta pesquisa, combinados com procedimentos de utilização e avaliação do modelo pedagógico para formação de professores em Competência em Informação numa perspectiva inclusiva. Na fase aplicada analisa a utilização deste modelo nas atividades, objetivos e habilidades propostas nas três etapas em que se estrutura, nomeadamente, pré-busca, busca propriamente dita e pós-busca. As atividades foram desenvolvidas e analisadas principalmente nas duas etapas do modelo- pré-busca e busca. Atividades de pós-busca não foram realizadas, visto que exigiriam abordagem longitudinal. Os resultados das atividades mostraram que a proposta pedagógica desenvolvida e aplicada é útil para a formação de professores de Educação Básica, em Competência em Informação numa perspectiva inclusiva.This research discusses the challenges of the information society regarding the promotion and assurance of an inclusive education based on an agenda established in supranational, international and multilateral environments. It highlights the need for teacher training to deal with informational needs emerging from educational practice, especially when applied to people with disabilities. In this context, it focuses on the interdisciplinary aspects between Information Science and Education contributions related to the inclusion and also the performance of Basic Education teachers. It admits the theoretical and practical assumptions of the theme Information Competency - a term adopted to the Information Literacy concept - as an alternative to Basic Education teachers’ training from the perspective of an inclusive education. It offers the use of a methodological path based on the contributions from studies on the Ginzburg Evidential Paradigm which is composed by an exploratory phase and an applied phase. In the exploratory phase it uses the scientific production of Information Science, especially in the works published in the National Meeting of Research and Postgraduate in Information Science to identify research trends about Information Competency and its possible relation to inclusion. It discusses those trends by relating them to the tridimensionality proposed by the term inclusion, namely, social inclusion, digital inclusion and inclusion related to people with disabilities. It performs the application of pre-tests (called Evidential Pre-tests) in situations of teacher training. Additionally it analyzes 18 models of Information Competency developed in international contexts which synthesis allowed proposing a basic grade to elaborate an Information Competency model. In the applied phase, it admits the theoretical influence of mediation concepts as a guide to the practice. Additionally it uses the problematization as an approach method and as technique the development of a teacher training course with 22 teachers from a public school in the Federal District. It used original didactic resources elaborated for this research combined with use and evaluation procedures of the pedagogical model for teachers’ training in Information Competency through an inclusive perspective. In the applied phase, it analyzes the use of this model on the activities, goals and abilities proposed through the three stages in which it is structured, namely pre-search, search itself and post-search. The activities were developed and analyzed mainly in the model stages of pre-search and search. Post-search activities were not performed, as they would require a longitudinal approach. The results of the activities showed that the pedagogical proposal developed and applied is useful to Basic Education teachers’ training in Information Competency through an inclusive perspective

A pilot study to evaluate the effect of Taeumjowi-tang on obesity in Korean adults: study protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Obesity, which is described as excessive or abnormal body fat, increases the risk of diet-related diseases. In Korea and around the world, the prevalence of obesity has grown annually from 1998 to 2008. This growth has continued despite various therapeutic efforts. The discovery of new and alternative treatments for obesity should be considered an important priority. Taeumjowi-tang (TJ001), a traditional Korean medicinal extract consisting of eight herbs, is a widely used herbal remedy for obesity in Korea. However, the efficacy and safety of TJ001 have not been fully investigated in a clinical trial. The purpose of this pilot study is to estimate obesity-related parameters and to assess the efficacy and safety of TJ001.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Our study is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre clinical trial of Taeumjowi-tang (TJ001). For this study, we will recruit obese Korean patients of both sexes, ages 18 to 65 years, from four university hospitals. A total of 104 subjects will be recruited. The participants will receive either 7 g of TJ001 or a placebo three times daily for 12 weeks. The primary end point will be the rate of subjects who lose at least 5% of their baseline body weight. The secondary end points will be changes in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist/hip circumference ratio, lipid profiles, body fat composition, blood pressure, fasting glucose concentration, C-reactive protein and questionnaires related to the quality of life. The outcomes will be measured every 4 weeks. The study period will be 12 weeks and will include a total of five visits with each subject (at screening and at 0, 4, 8 and 12 weeks).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results of our study will inform various estimates of TJ001 and will serve as the basis for a larger-scale trial. This study will assess the efficacy and safety of TJ001 as an alternative herbal remedy for obesity.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN87153759">ISRCTN87153759</a></p

The Effect of Ginger and Its Sub-Components on Pain

Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ginger) has long been used as an herbal medicine to treat various diseases, and its main sub-components, [6]-gingerol and [6]-shogaol, were also reported to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-tumor effects. However, their effects on various types of pain and their underlying mechanisms of action have not been clearly analyzed and understood yet. Thus, in this review, by analyzing 16 studies that used Z. officinale, [6]-gingerol, and [6]-shogaol on mechanical, spontaneous and thermal pain, their effects and mechanisms of action have been analyzed. Pain was induced by either nerve injury or chemical injections in rodents. Nine studies analyzed the analgesic effect of Z. officinale, and four and three studies focused on [6]-gingerol and [6]-shogaol, respectively. Seven papers have demonstrated the underlying mechanism of action of their analgesic effects. Studies have focused on the spinal cord and one on the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Involvement and change in the function of serotonergic receptors (5-HT1A, B, D, and 5A), transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (pERK1/2), histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1), voltage-gated sodium channel 1.8 (Nav1.8), substance P (SP), and sciatic nerve’s morphology have been observed

Natural Products as New Approaches for Treating Bladder Cancer: From Traditional Medicine to Novel Drug Discovery

Bladder cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease that a tumor develops in the bladder lining and in some cases, the bladder muscle. Chemotherapy and immunotherapy are commonly used to treat bladder cancer. However, chemotherapy can cause burning and irritation in the bladder while BCG immunotherapy, which is the main type of intravesical immunotherapy for bladder cancer, can also cause burning in the bladder and flu-like symptoms. Thus, drugs originating from natural products have attracted much attention due to the reports that they have anti-cancer properties with low adverse effects. In this study, eighty-seven papers that dealt with natural products preventing or treating bladder cancer were reviewed. The studies were classified into the following mechanism: 71 papers on cell death, 5 papers on anti-metastasis, 3 papers on anti-angiogenesis, 1 paper on anti-resistance, and 7 papers on clinical trials. Most of the natural products that induced apoptosis up-regulated proteins such as caspase-3 and caspase-9. Regarding anti-metastasis, MMP-2 and MMP-9 are regulated frequently. Regarding anti-angiogenesis, HIF-1α and VEGF-A are down-regulated frequently. Nevertheless, the number of papers regarding anti-resistance and clinical trial are too few, so more studies are needed. In conclusion, this database will be useful for future in vivo studies of the anti-bladder cancer effect of natural products, in the process of selecting materials used for the experiment

Natural Products for Liver Cancer Treatment: From Traditional Medicine to Modern Drug Discovery

Primary liver cancer was the seventh most diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death with about 906,000 cases and 830,000 deaths, respectively, in 2020. Conventional treatment for liver cancer, such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or sorafenib, has limitations in that there is the recurrence of cancer, drug inefficacy, and adverse effects. Traditional medicine and natural products of several regions including Korea, China, Europe, North America, India, and the Middle East have attracted a lot of attention since they have been reported to have anticancer effects with low adverse effects. In this review, several in vivo studies on the effects of natural compounds on liver cancer and clinical trials approving their therapeutic benefits were selected and discussed. As a result of the analysis of these studies, the effects of natural compounds were classified into a few mechanisms: apoptosis, anti-metastasis, and antiangiogenesis. In addition, medications including natural products in clinical trials were observed to exhibit improvements in various liver cancer symptoms and patients&rsquo; survival rates. This study presents findings suggestive of the anticancer potential of natural products and their properties in relieving related symptoms

Investigation of Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Sensitivity to the Anti-Cancer Activity of Costunolide in Breast Cancer Cells

Costunolide (CTL), an active compound isolated from Saussurea lappa Clarke and Laurus nobilis L, has been shown to induce apoptosis via reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in various types of cancer cells. However, details of molecular mechanisms underlying the difference in sensitivity of cancer cells to CTL are still largely unknown. Here, we tested the effect of CTL on the viability of breast cancer cells and found that CTL had a more efficient cytotoxic effect against SK-BR-3 cells than MCF-7 cells. Mechanically, ROS levels were significantly increased upon CTL treatment only in SK-BR-3 cells, which leads to lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) and cathepsin D release, and subsequent activation of the mitochondrial-dependent intrinsic apoptotic pathway by inducing mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP). In contrast, treatment of MCF-7 cells with CTL activated PINK1/Parkin-dependent mitophagy to remove damaged mitochondria, which prevented the elevation of ROS levels, thereby contributing to their reduced sensitivity to CTL. These results suggest that CTL is a potent anti-cancer agent, and its combination with the inhibition of mitophagy could be an effective method for treating breast cancer cells that are less sensitive to CTL