The Relationship between Qi Deficiency, Cancer-related Fatigue and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients

AbstractBackgroundQi (氣 qì) refers to the vital energy of the body in Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). Qi deficiency (氣虛 qì xū) is the most common symptom in cancer patients according to the concept of TCM. We hypothesized that cancer patients with Qi deficiency suffer from poor quality of life (QOL) and fatigue.MethodAmong the 256 registered cancer patients screened at our outpatient clinic, a total of 198 were enrolled. The inclusion criteria were (1) age between 18 and 70years, (2) cancer diagnosis confirmed by the professional physician, (3) being Chinese, and (4) Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status rating (PSR)≤3. The major outcome is the difference in QOL score in cancer patients with and without Qi deficiency.ResultsThe initial results showed statistically significant differences in WHO-QOL scores in physical, psychological, and social domains between the groups with and without Qi deficiency as well as the groups with and without cancerrelated fatigue (CRF). All patients with CRF present were also diagnosed as Qi deficient. In addition, among the patients with no CRF, 39.9% (69/173) were diagnosed as suffering from Qi deficiency, which led to poor QOL.ConclusionsThe present study showed statistically significant difference in WHO-QOL scores in physical, psychological, and social domains between the groups with and without Qi deficiency as well as the groups with and without CRF. Cancer patients diagnosed with Qi deficiency or CRF have poor QOL. The concept of Qi deficiency in TCM might be applied to cancer health care

An expert consensus for the management of chronic hepatitis B in Asian Americans.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is common with major clinical consequences. In Asian Americans, the HBsAg carrier rate ranges from 2% to 16% which approximates the rates from their countries of origin. Similarly, HBV is the most important cause of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver related deaths in HBsAg positive Asians worldwide. AIM: To generate recommendations for the management of Asian Americans infected with HBV. METHODS: These guidelines are based on relevant data derived from medical reports on HBV from Asian countries as well as from studies in the HBsAg positive Asian Americans. The guidelines herein differ from other recommendations in the treatment of both HBeAg positive and negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB), in the approach to HCC surveillance, and in the management of HBV in pregnant women. RESULTS: Asian American patients, HBeAg positive or negative, with HBV DNA levels \u3e2000 IU/mL (\u3e10 CONCLUSIONS: Application of the recommendations made based on a review of the relevant literature and the opinion of a panel of Asian American physicians with expertise in HBV treatment will inform physicians and improve patient outcomes

The Predicted Proteomic Network Associated with the Antiarthritic Action of Qingfu Guanjieshu in Collagen-II-Induced Arthritis in Rats

Qingfu Guanjieshu (QFGJS) is an herbal preparation for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Previous studies revealed that QFGJS significantly inhibited experimental arthritis and acute inflammation, accompanied by reduction of proinflammatory cytokines and elevation of anti-inflammatory cytokines. This study aims to identify the targeted proteins and predict the proteomic network associated with the drug action of QFGJS by using 2D gel and MALDI-TOF-MS/MS techniques. Thirty female Wistar rats were evenly grouped as normal and vehicle- and QFGJS-treated CIA rats. The antiarthritic effect of QFGJS was examined with a 19-day treatment course, and the knee synovial tissues of animals from each group were obtained for 2D gel and MALDI-TOF-MS/MS analysis. Results showed that QFGJS significantly ameliorated collagen II-induced arthritis when administrated at 2.8 g/kg body weight for 19 days. 2D gel image analysis revealed 89 differentially expressed proteins in the synovial tissues among the normal and vehicle- and QFGJS-treated CIA rats from over 1000 proteins of which 63 proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS/MS analysis, and 32 proteins were included for classification of functions using Gene Ontology (GO) method. Finally, 14 proteins were analyzed using bioinformatics, and a predicted proteomic network related to the anti-arthritic effect of QFGJS was established, and Pgk1 plays a central role

Current Antiviral Therapy of Chronic Hepatitis B: Efficacy and Safety

The treatment of chronic hepatitis B is in constant evolution. Interferon, the first agent licensed for chronic hepatitis B treatment, has been superseded by the growing popularity of nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NA). However, resistance to these agents is a major challenge. Newer NAs, such as entecavir and tenofovir dipivoxil fumarate, have very low resistance rates and favorable safety profiles. Long-term use of these agents can effectively suppress hepatitis B virus DNA, leading to decrease in incidence of hepatitic flares, as well as in the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The efficacy and safety of various antiviral agents is discussed in this review

Multiorder coherent Raman scattering of a quantum probe field

We study the multiorder coherent Raman scattering of a quantum probe field in a far-off-resonance medium with a prepared coherence. Under the conditions of negligible dispersion and limited bandwidth, we derive a Bessel-function solution for the sideband field operators. We analytically and numerically calculate various quantum statistical characteristics of the sideband fields. We show that the multiorder coherent Raman process can replicate the statistical properties of a single-mode quantum probe field into a broad comb of generated Raman sidebands. We also study the mixing and modulation of photon statistical properties in the case of two-mode input. We show that the prepared Raman coherence and the medium length can be used as control parameters to switch a sideband field from one type of photon statistics to another type, or from a non-squeezed state to a squeezed state and vice versa.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.

An examination of cancer-related fatigue through proposed diagnostic criteria in a sample of cancer patients in Taiwan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Fatigue among cancer patients has often been reported in the literature; however, great variations have been documented, ranging from 15% to 90%, probably due to the lack of a widely accepted definition and established diagnostic criteria for cancer-related fatigue. The objective of this study was to evaluate the proposed International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (10^threvision) (ICD-10) criteria in a sample of cancer patients from a medical center and a regional teaching hospital in northern Taiwan. More accurate prevalence estimates of CRF may result in improved diagnoses and management of one of the most common symptoms associated with cancer and its treatment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Since self-reporting from patients is the most effective and efficient method to measure fatigue, the ICD-10 criteria for fatigue were used. The ICD-10 criteria questionnaire was translated into Chinese and was approved by experts. Patients were recruited from outpatient palliative and oncology clinics and from palliative and oncology inpatient units.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 265 cancer patients that were interviewed between 21 October 2008 and 28 October 2009, 228 (86%) reported having at least 2 weeks of fatigue in the past month, and further evaluation with the ICD-10 criteria showed that 132 (49.8%) had cancer-related fatigue. Internal consistency was very good, which was indicated by a Cronbach alpha of 0.843.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The prevalence of diagnosable CRF in the patients in this sample, of whom most were under palliative treatment, was 49.8%, which was probably somewhat lower than in some of the previous reports that have used less-strict criteria. In addition, among the various criteria of the proposed diagnostic criteria, the most frequently reported symptoms in our sample populations were regarding sleep disturbance and physical factors. Although they will require further replication in other samples, these formal diagnostic criteria can serve as a step toward a common language and a better understanding of the severity range of CRF.</p

Antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B viral infection in adults: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137745/1/hep28280-sup-0001-suppinfo01.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137745/2/hep28280.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137745/3/hep28280_am.pd

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV

The G1613A Mutation in the HBV Genome Affects HBeAg Expression and Viral Replication through Altered Core Promoter Activity

Infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes acute and chronic hepatitis and is closely associated with the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Previously, we demonstrated that the G1613A mutation in the HBV negative regulatory element (NRE) is a hotspot mutation in HCC patients. In this study, we further investigated the functional consequences of this mutation in the context of the full length HBV genome and its replication. We showed that the G1613A mutation significantly suppresses the secretion of e antigen (HBeAg) and enhances the synthesis of viral DNA, which is in consistence to our clinical result that the G1613A mutation associates with high viral load in chronic HBV carriers. To further investigate the molecular mechanism of the mutation, we performed the electrophoretic mobility shift assay with the recombinant RFX1 protein, a trans-activator that was shown to interact with the NRE of HBV. Intriguingly, RFX1 binds to the G1613A mutant with higher affinity than the wild-type sequence, indicating that the mutation possesses the trans-activating effect to the core promoter via NRE. The trans-activating effect was further validated by the enhancement of the core promoter activity after overexpression of RFX1 in liver cell line. In summary, our results suggest the functional consequences of the hotspot G1613A mutation found in HBV. We also provide a possible molecular mechanism of this hotspot mutation to the increased viral load of HBV carriers, which increases the risk to HCC