ANTI-NOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF AGRIMONIA EUPATORIA EXTRACT ON A CISPLATIN-INDUCED NEUROPATHIC MODEL

Background: Natural products including Agrimonia eupatoria are considered an incomparable source of molecular diversity that has led to the medicines, especially for pain treatment. To investigate the antinociception of Agrimonia eupatoria, we examined its activity in a rat model of cisplatin neuropathy. Materials and Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats received intraperitoneal (i.p.) cisplatin twice a week at a dose of 2 mg/kg (cumulative dose, 20 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. Before each injection, 2 ml of sterile saline solution was given subcutaneously to prevent renal damage via hyperhydration. The mice were treated with gabapetin as a positive control drug with a 100mg/kg intraperitoneal injection. A. eupatoria extract of 200mg/kg was solved in saline and then treated by oral administration. Results: The mice treated with A. eupatoria showed lower withdrawal duration in the pin-prick and plantar tests, and a higher withdrawal threshold in the paw-withdrawal threshold test as compared to control animals in a cisplatin-induced neuropathic model. In the case of cold-allodynia, A. eupatoria treatment increased paw-withdrawal duration in a chemical test. A. eupatoria showed a more outstanding effect than gabapentin in all used tests for preventing cisplatin-induced nerve injury for 4 weeks. Conclusions: Our results suggest that A. eupatoria extract showed an antinociceptive effect in the pin-prick test, plantar test, and paw-withdrawal threshold test using a cisplatin-induced neuropathic rat model

Phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity of some tropical edible plants

Objective To find biological functions such as antibacterial and antioxidant activities in several tropical plants and to investigate the possibility of antibiotic substitute agents to prevent and treat diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria. Methods Plants such as Poncirus trifoliata fruit (Makrut), Zingiber officinale Rosc (Khing), Areca catechu L. (Mak), Solanum melongena L. I (Makkhuayao), and Solanum melongena L. II (Makhurapro) were extracted by methanol, n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol and water. The free radical scavenging activities were measured using 2-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl photometric assay. Antibacterial activities with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were observed by agar diffusion assay against pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, Burkholderia sp., Haemopilus somnus, Haemopilus parasuis, Clostridium perfringens, and Pantoea agglomerans. Results Poncirus trifoliata fruit methanol extract showed antibacterial activities against gram-negative and gram-positive pathogens. Additionally, this showed the strongest antibacterial activity against Burkholderia sp. and Haemopilus somnus with MIC 131 μg/mL, respectively. Areca catechu L. water extract showed antibacterial activities against Burkholderia sp., Haemopilus somnus, and Haemopilus parasuis. The MIC value for Haemopilus parasuis was 105 μg/mL in this. Antioxidant activity of Zingiber officinale Rosc n-hexane extract showed 2.23 mg/mL effective concentration 50% (EC50) value was the highest activity among tropical plants extracts. Total polyphenol content in Zingiber officinale Rosc methanol extract was 48.4 μg/mL and flavonoid content was 22.1 μg/mL showed the highest values among tested plants extracts. Conclusion Taken together, these results suggest that tropical plants used in this study may have a potential benefit as an alternative antibiotics agent through their antibacterial and antioxidant activities

Afatinib versus erlotinib as second-line treatment of patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the lung: Final analysis of the randomised phase 3 LUX-Lung 8 trial

Afatinib; Segunda linea; Carcinoma de pulmón de células escamosasAfatinib; Segona línia; Carcinoma de pulmó de cèl·lules escamosesAfatinib; Second-line; Squamous cell lung carcinomaBackground LUX-Lung 8 was a randomised, controlled, phase 3 study comparing afatinib and erlotinib as second-line treatment of patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung. We report the final overall survival (OS) and safety analyses of LUX-Lung 8 and investigate the characteristics of patients who achieved long-term benefit (≥12 months’ treatment). Methods LUX-Lung 8 (NCT01523587) enroled patients between March 2012 and January 2014 and this final analysis had a data cut-off of March 2018. Eligible patients had stage IIIB or IV lung SCC and had progressed after at least four cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive afatinib (40 mg per day) or erlotinib (150 mg per day) until disease progression. Endpoints included OS and safety; a post-hoc analysis of patients with long-term benefit (≥12 months on treatment) was also conducted. Findings 795 eligible patients were randomly assigned (398 to afatinib, 397 to erlotinib). OS was significantly prolonged with afatinib compared with erlotinib (median 7·8 months vs 6·8 months; hazard ratio 0·84; 95% CI 0·73–0·97; p = 0·0193). These findings were consistent with those of the primary analysis and were consistent across subgroups. Adverse events (AEs) were manageable with dose interruption and reduction, with similar AEs being experienced between both groups. Twenty-one (5·3%) patients receiving afatinib and 13 (3·3%) patients receiving erlotinib achieved long-term benefit; median OS was 34·6 months and 20·1 months, respectively. Amongst 132 afatinib-treated patients who underwent tumour genetic analysis, ERBB family mutations were more common in patients with long-term benefit than in the overall population (50% vs 21%). Interpretation Afatinib is a treatment option for patients with SCC of the lung progressing on chemotherapy who are ineligible for immunotherapy, particularly those with ERBB family genetic aberrations. Afatinib has a predictable and manageable tolerability profile, and long-term treatment may be well tolerated.Boehringer Ingelheim

Percutaneous Biportal Endoscopic Surgery for Lumbar Degenerative Diseases

Objective Percutaneous uniportal endoscopic surgery is comparable to conventional open surgery and maintains the surrounding structures, but it has restrictive indications and technical difficulties in sufficient decompression. Percutaneous biportal endoscopic surgery (PBES) can compensate the shortcomings and provide sufficient decompression safely. The purpose of this study is to introduce PBES technique and to report clinical outcome. Methods Seventeen consecutive patients who underwent PBES for spinal stenosis or disc herniation were enrolled for this study. The technique was based on two routes; endoscopic view portal and working portal. Clinical outcomes were assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS) and modified Macnab’s criteria. Results There were 7 female and 10 male patients whose age ranged from 33 to 80 years old (mean 53 years). A total of 10 patients underwent decompression and discectomy for herniated intervertebral disc (HIVD), and 7 patients underwent laminectomy and foraminotomy for lumbar spinal stenosis. The mean follow up period was 8.3 months (6-12 months). The mean VAS scores for back pain preoperatively and postoperatively at the 1 month and 6 month follow-ups were 6.6±1.8, 2.8±2.0, and 2.5±2.0, respectively. The mean VAS scores for leg pain preoperatively and at 1 month and 6 month follow-ups were 7.6±1.9, 1.7±1.3 and 1.8±1.1, respectively. The outcome of the procedure was excellent in 8 patients and good in 9 patients according to the modified Macnab’s criteria. Conclusion PBES can achieve effective decompression and show comparable results with conventional open surgery

Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Female Urethra

We report here on a rare case of primary malignant melanoma of the female urethra. A 69-year-old female presented at our hospital with a several month history of dysuria, poor stream, gross hematuria, intermittent blood spots, and a painful mass at the external urethral meatus. The physical examination revealed a soft, small, chestnut-sized lesion through the urethral orifice. The mass was tan colored, ulcerated, covered with necrotic tissue, and protruded from the external urethral meatus. The mass was removed by wide local excision under spinal anesthesia. The pathological diagnosis was malignant melanoma of the urethra. Computed tomography of the abdomen as well as a whole-body bone scan showed no evidence of metastasis. The patient has been free of disease for 6 months postoperatively. We discuss the clinicopathologic features and treatment of this tumor

Charge-spin correlation in van der Waals antiferromagenet NiPS3

Strong charge-spin coupling is found in a layered transition-metal trichalcogenide NiPS3, a van derWaals antiferromagnet, from our study of the electronic structure using several experimental and theoretical tools: spectroscopic ellipsometry, x-ray absorption and photoemission spectroscopy, and density-functional calculations. NiPS3 displays an anomalous shift in the optical spectral weight at the magnetic ordering temperature, reflecting a strong coupling between the electronic and magnetic structures. X-ray absorption, photoemission and optical spectra support a self-doped ground state in NiPS3. Our work demonstrates that layered transition-metal trichalcogenide magnets are a useful candidate for the study of correlated-electron physics in two-dimensional magnetic material.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figur