Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research
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BACKGROUND Traditional Chinese medicine has widely used Bolbostemma paniculatum to treat diseases, including cancer, but its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The present study aimed to elucidate the potential pharmacological mechanisms of "Tu Bei Mu" (TBM), the Chinese name for Bolbostemmatis Rhizoma, the dry tuber of B. paniculatum, for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIAL AND METHODS The active components and putative therapeutic targets of TBM were explored using SwissTargetPrediction, Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), and Search Tool for Interactions of Chemicals (STITCH). ⋯ Through construction of an HCC-related target database and a protein-protein interaction network of the common targets, TBM was predicted to be effective in treating HCC mainly through the PI3K-Akt, HIF-1, p53, and PPAR signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS The PI3K/Akt, HIF1, p53, and PPAR pathways may play vital roles in TBM treatment of HCC. Also, the potential anti-cancer effect of TBM on HCC appears to stem from the synergetic effect of multiple targets and mechanisms.
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BACKGROUND Immunosuppression is regarded as the main cause of death induced by sepsis. Anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) therapy is promising in reversing sepsis-induced immunosuppression but no evidence is available on use of commercially available anti-PD-L1 medications for this indication. The present preclinical study was performed to investigate the therapeutic effect of an anti-PD-L1 nanobody (KN035) in sepsis. ⋯ The histopathological tests showed that KN035 alleviated sepsis-induced injury in the lungs and liver. KN035 reduced the number of apoptotic cells in the spleen and almost eliminated bacterial colonies in the peritoneal lavage fluid from the CLP mice. CONCLUSIONS KN035, an anti-PD-L1 antibody, can improve the rate of survival in CLP mice and alleviate sepsis-induced apoptosis in the spleen.
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BACKGROUND This retrospective study aimed to investigate co-infections with common respiratory pathogens and SARS-CoV-2 and laboratory biochemistry findings in patients with COVID-19 in the Zhuzhou area of China, in order to provide a reference for the disease assessment and clinical treatment of COVID-19. MATERIAL AND METHODS The clinical data of COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital of Zhuzhou City from January 28 to March 15, 2020, as well as laboratory test results for respiratory pathogens and biochemical indicators, were collected to conduct correlation analyses. All patients were diagnosed based on fluorescence-based PCR assay for SARS-CoV-2. ⋯ Compared with mono-infected COVID-19 patients, patients with co-infections had significantly higher levels of procalcitonin (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS The findings showed that Mycoplasma pneumonia and respiratory syncytial virus were the most common co-infections in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Increased levels of PCT in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia were associated with co-infection.