Defect-related luminescent nanostructured hydroxyapatite promotes mineralization through both intracellular and extracellular pathways

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is a widely used biomaterial for bone tissue substitution due to its chemical similarity with the natural bone. Defect-related luminescent HAP materials have the same chemical composition as normal HAP and excellent biocompatibility. However, only few works have focused on the defect-related luminescent HAP materials on bone regeneration. In this work, we systematically investigated the bone regeneration pathway induced by nanostructured particles using defect-related luminescent hydroxyapatite (S2) materials. We monitored the subcellular distribution and location of S2 during osteoblast differentiation with the property of defect-related luminescence. Nano-scale S2 could be internalized by osteoblasts (OBs) via caveolae-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis. S2 incorporated into the lysosomes dissolved and released calcium ions for the formation of mineralized nodules. Extracellular S2 also promoted bone regeneration as a nucleation site. Taken together, the physical properties of hydroxyapatite control the bone regeneration pathway in osteoblasts

A Randomized Phase I/II Trial to Compare Weekly Usage with Triple Weekly Usage of Paclitaxel in Concurrent Radiochemotherapy for Patients with Locally Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Background and objective Although the guidelines of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network of USA recommend that the standard therapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LANSCLC) is concurrent chemoradiotherapy. There is ongoing controversy about the treatment regimen which combines chemotherapy concurrently with radiotherapy. The aim of this study is to compare weekly usage with triple weekly usage of paclitaxel in concurrent radiochemotherapy for patients with LANSCLC, and to obtain the best paclitaxel regimen in the concurrent radiochemotherapy. Methods From April 2006 to April 2009, some LANSCLC patients in multicenter were randomly divided into weekly usage (45 mg/m2, 1 times/week, a total of 270 mg/m2 in six weeks) and triple weekly usage (15 mg/m2, 3 times/week, a total of 270 mg/m2 in six weeks) group of paclitaxel by a random number table. All patients were treated with 3D radiotherapy, and 95% planning target volume (PTV) received a prescription dose of (60-70) Gy/(30-35)times/(6-7)weeks, (1.8-2.0) Gy/fraction. Then the side effects, response and overall survival rate were compared between two groups of patients. Results Thirty-eight LANSCLC patients were enrolled. Weekly usage and triple weekly usage group were 20 and 18 patients, respectively. In the triple weekly usage group, the side effects were 12 patients had radiation esophagitis of I-II degree, 1 patient had radiation esophagitis of III degree, 2 patients had radiation pneumonitis of I degree, 1 patient had radiation pneumonitis of II degree, 1 patient had radiation pneumonitis of III degree and died of respiratory failure, 2 patients developed weight loss of I degree. In the weekly usage group, the side effects were 11 patients had radiation esophagitis of I-III degree, 6 patients had radiation pneumonitis of II-III degree, 2 patients developed weight loss of I degree, 6 patients developed leucopenia of III-IV degree. The response rate of two groups was 88.8% and 50.0%, respectively (P=0.026). 1-year survival rate of two groups was 79% and 67%, respectively (P=0.607). Conclusion Although the preliminary results did not show the merits of survival in triple weekly usage, but preliminary results show that triple weekly usage was more safe and effective than weekly usage of paclitaxel in concurrent radiochemotherapy for patients with LANSCLC

Clinical Study on the Prevention of Oxaliplatin-Induced Neurotoxicity with Guilongtongluofang: Results of a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Objective. Oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neurotoxicity continues to be a kind of frequent dose-limiting toxicity for many cancer patients. This study evaluated the preventive effects of Guilongtongluofang on peripheral neurotoxicity induced by oxaliplatin in patients with colorectal tumor. Patients and Methods. From May 2007 to May 2011, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 120 patients of colorectal cancer treated with adjuvant oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy were randomly enrolled into the trial group and the control group. The trial group received Guilongtongluofang (at a dose of 200 mL once a day) from 3 days prior to chemotherapy. The control group received a placebo from 3 days prior to chemotherapy. Every 2-week cycle, neurotoxicity was evaluated using numeric rating scale for pain intensity and experienced relief. The primary endpoint was efficacy measurement which included oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity and tumor response. The differences of side effects between the two groups were also analyzed. Results. The percentage of grades 1-2 neurotoxicity was significantly lower in the trial group than that in the control group (13.3% versus 20.0%; P0.05). Conclusion. This study provides evidence that Guilongtongluofang is a promising drug for the prevention of oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity in patients with colorectal cancer, and it does not reduce the efficacy of oxaliplatin

Analysis of clinical and dosimetric factors associated with severe acute radiation pneumonitis in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with concurrent chemotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To evaluate the association between the clinical, dosimetric factors and severe acute radiation pneumonitis (SARP) in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LANSCLC) treated with concurrent chemotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed 94 LANSCLC patients treated with concurrent chemotherapy and IMRT between May 2005 and September 2006. SARP was defined as greater than or equal 3 side effects and graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 3.0.</p> <p>The clinical and dosimetric factors were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between clinical, dosimetric factors and SARP.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Median follow-up was 10.5 months (range 6.5-24). Of 94 patients, 11 (11.7%) developed SARP. Univariate analyses showed that the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP), mean lung dose (MLD), relative volumes of lung receiving more than a threshold dose of 5-60 Gy at increments of 5 Gy (V5-V60), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1) were associated with SARP (<it>p </it>< 0.05). In multivariate analysis, NTCP value (<it>p </it>= 0.001) and V10 (<it>p </it>= 0.015) were the most significant factors associated with SARP. The incidences of SARP in the group with NTCP > 4.2% and NTCP ≤4.2% were 43.5% and 1.4%, respectively (<it>p </it>< 0.01). The incidences of SARP in the group with V10 ≤50% and V10 >50% were 5.7% and 29.2%, respectively (<it>p </it>< 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>NTCP value and V10 are the useful indicators for predicting SARP in NSCLC patients treated with concurrent chemotherapy and IMRT.</p

Synthesis of BiOI-TiO 2

This study was conducted to synthesize a series of nanosized BiOI-TiO2 catalysts to photodegrade Bisphenol A solution. The BiOI-TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized in the reverse microemulsions, consisting of cyclohexane, Triton X-100, n-hexanol, and aqueous salt solutions. The synthesized particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface analyzer, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible light (UV-Vis) absorption spectra and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The photodegradation of Bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous suspension under visible light irradiation was investigated to explore the feasibility of using the photocatalytic method to treat BPA wastewater. The effects of different molar ratios of BiOI to TiO2 on the photocatalytic activity were discussed. The experimental results revealed that the photocatalytic effect of the BiOI-TiO2 particles was superior to the commercial P25 TiO2. The BPA degradation could be approached by a pseudo-first-order rate expression. The observed reaction rate constant (kobs) was related to nanoparticles dosage and initial solution pH

Inhibition of HIV-1 entry by extracts derived from traditional Chinese medicinal herbal plants

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is the current HIV/AIDS treatment modality. Despite the fact that HAART is very effective in suppressing HIV-1 replication and reducing the mortality of HIV/AIDS patients, it has become increasingly clear that HAART does not offer an ultimate cure to HIV/AIDS. The high cost of the HAART regimen has impeded its delivery to over 90% of the HIV/AIDS population in the world. This reality has urgently called for the need to develop inexpensive alternative anti-HIV/AIDS therapy. This need has further manifested by recent clinical trial failures in anti-HIV-1 vaccines and microbicides. In the current study, we characterized a panel of extracts of traditional Chinese medicinal herbal plants for their activities against HIV-1 replication.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Crude and fractionated extracts were prepared from various parts of nine traditional Chinese medicinal herbal plants in Hainan Island, China. These extracts were first screened for their anti-HIV activity and cytotoxicity in human CD4+ Jurkat cells. Then, a single-round pseudotyped HIV-luciferase reporter virus system (HIV-Luc) was used to identify potential anti-HIV mechanisms of these extracts.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two extracts, one from <it>Euphorbiaceae</it>, <it>Trigonostema xyphophylloides </it>(TXE) and one from <it>Dipterocarpaceae</it>, <it>Vatica astrotricha </it>(VAD) inhibited HIV-1 replication and syncytia formation in CD4+ Jurkat cells, and had little adverse effects on host cell proliferation and survival. TXE and VAD did not show any direct inhibitory effects on the HIV-1 RT enzymatic activity. Treatment of these two extracts during the infection significantly blocked infection of the reporter virus. However, pre-treatment of the reporter virus with the extracts and treatment of the extracts post-infection had little effects on the infectivity or gene expression of the reporter virus.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results demonstrate that TXE and VAD inhibit HIV-1 replication likely by blocking HIV-1 interaction with target cells, i.e., the interaction between gp120 and CD4/CCR5 or gp120 and CD4/CXCR4 and point to the potential of developing these two extracts to be HIV-1 entry inhibitors.</p

Clinical Developments for the EGFR-TKI Combined with Radiotherapy in Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumor in the world, severely threatening human life. Recently, targeted therapy such as the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) made huge progress in treatment of lung cancer. EGFR-TKIs, with its high selectivity and low toxicity, is the first choice for EGFR-mutated patients in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, secondary drug resistance becomes a clinical problem to be urgently resolved. In recent years, a series of preclinical studies showed that EGFR-TKI can enhance the antitumor activity of ionizing radiation. Therefore, EGFR-TKI combined with radiation is extremely promising therapy pattern for advanced NSCLC. This review will discuss the research status in EGFR-TKI and radiotherapy for advanced NSCLC

Current Status of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) for Early-stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

High level evidence from randomized studies comparing stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) to surgery is lacking. Although the results of pooled analysis of two randomized trials for STARS and ROSEL showed that SABR is better tolerated and might lead to better overall survival than surgery for operable clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), SABR, however, is only recommended as a preferred treatment option for early stage NSCLC patients who cannot or will not undergo surgery. We, therefore, are waiting for the results of the ongoing randomized studies [Veterans affairs lung cancer surgery or stereotactic radiotherapy in the US (VALOR) and the SABRTooth study in the United Kingdom (SABRTooths)]. Many retrospective and case control studies showed that SABR is safe and effective (local control rate higher than 90%, 5 years survival rate reached 70%), but there are considerable variations in the definitions and staging of lung cancer, operability determination, and surgical approaches to operable lung cancer (open vs video-assisted). Therefore, it is difficult to compare the superiority of radiotherapy and surgery in the treatment of early staged lung cancer. Most studies demonstrated that the efficacy of the two modalities for early staged lung cancer is equivalent; however, due to the limited data, the conclusions from those studies are difficult to be evidence based. Therefore, the controversies will be focusing on the safety and invasiveness of the two treatment modalities. This article will review the ongoing debate in light of these goals