Quality of life and survival analyses of breast cancer cases treated with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine

BACKGROUND Breast cancer(BC)is the second leading cause of tumor-related mortality after lung cancer.Chemotherapy resistance remains a major challenge to progress in BC treatment,warranting further exploration of feasible and effective alternative therapies.AIM To analyzed the quality of life(QoL)and survival of patients with BC treated with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine(TCM-WM).METHODS This study included 226 patients with BC admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between February 2018 and February 2023,including 100 who received conventional Western medicine treatment(control group)and 126 who received TCM-WM treatment(research group).The total effective rate,side effects(alopecia,nausea and vomiting,hepatorenal toxicity,and myelosuppression),QoL assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire(EORTC QLQ-C30),1-year overall survival(OS),recurrence and metastasis rates,and serum inflammatory factors[interleukin(IL)-6,IL-10,and tumor necrosis factor alpha]were comparatively analyzed.RESULTS The research group showed statistically better overall efficacy,EORTC QoL-C30 scores,and 1-year OS than the control group,with markedly lower side effects and 1-year recurrence and metastasis rates.Moreover,the posttreatment levels of serum inflammatory in the research group were significantly lower than the baseline and those in the control group.CONCLUSION Overall,TCM-WM demonstrated significantly improved therapeutic efficacy while ensuring drug safety in BC,which not only improved patients’QoL and prolonged survival,but also significantly inhibited the inflammatory response.

Cloning and analysis of a new 4CL-like gene in Populus tomentosa

The phenylpropanoid enzyme 4-coumarate： coenzyme A ligase （4CL）, plays a key role in general phenylpropanoid metabolism. Our investigation involves a new 4CL-like gene cloned from Populus tomentosa. This new 4CL- like gene is 1,692 bp and encodes a protein of 552 aa. After analysis of its domain, we found a highly conserved region of a 4CL gene family in this 4CL-like gene. Based on our results, we believe that this gene belongs to the family of 4CL. A recombinant vector, referred to as pET30a-4CL-like, was constructed by connecting this 4CL-like gene fragment to pET30a. After inducing it with IPTG for 3 h, the 4CL-like protein was purified by a Ni-NTA method. This 4CL-like protein has a calculated molecular weight of 60 kDa by SDS-PAGE.

Highly flexible,mechanically strengthened metallic glass-based composite electrode with enhanced capacitance and cyclic stability

The design of flexible composite electrodes has become the top priority in energy storage devices for the development of future wearable intelligent electronics.However,searching for fully integrated,ultrathin flexible composite electrodes with satisfying electrochemical performance is still a major challenge.Herein,we introduce a nanoporous gold metallic glass(MG) ribbon-based composite electrode with excellent electric conductivity,mechanical flexibility,and extra capacitance by integrating polypyrrole(PPy) into wrinkled nanoporous ribbon(NPG@MG).The freestanding,ultrathin,highly conductive and flexible" nature of the composite electrode prevents the conducting polymer from structural instability resulting from the volume swell and shrink during the charging/discharging circulation,and the packed PPy provides protection for the wrinkled topology on the surface of the MG ribbon.The capacitance of pure NPG@MG-PPy composite electrode reached 393 mF·cm^(-2).The ultra-thin all-solid-state flexible supercapacitor demonstrates an excellent capacitance of 172 mF·cM^(-2)(14.8 F·cm^(-3)),accompanied by a superior cycling capability after 8000 charge/discharge cycles attributed to mechanical flexibility.The areal energy density also reached 0.74 mWh·cm^(-3)(9μWh·cm^(-2)) at a power density of 1 μW·cm^(-2).This work provides valuable concepts on the design of PPy-based hybrid materials for flexible energy storage systems with greatly enhanced electrochemical performances.

Multi-dimensional skin imaging evaluation of eccrine hidrocystoma

Eccrine hidrocystoma(EH)is a benign tumor derived from the cystic dilatation of the eccrine sweat ducts caused by the retention of eccrine secretions.EH is rare and is found most often in middle-aged women,especially those who work or stay for a long duration in hot and humid environments.The lesions usually involve periocular and malar areas,manifesting as multiple translucent skin-colored to bluish cysts.The sizes and numbers of the lesions can fluctuate according to the season,with exacerbation in warm weather and alleviation in cold weather.EH is histopathologically characterized by unilocular dermal cysts lined by two layers of cuboidal to flattened epithelial cells.

Dermoscopic features of morphea and extragenital lichen sclerosus in Chinese patients

Morphea and extragenital lichen sclerosus(ELS)are chronic inflammatory dermatoses that can be clinically similar.Morphea is typically characterized by successive development of erythematous patches,central hypopigmented sclerosis,and atrophic plaques.ELS manifests as blue-whitish papules,coalescing or enlarging into shiny,sclerotic,scar-like plaques.The differentiation between morphea and ELS can be difficult,especially in an early stage or in atypical cases.Moreover,coexistence of these two conditions can be observed,and biopsy is often necessary to distinguish them.Dermoscopy,as a non-invasive technology,is effective in assisting the diagnosis of cutaneous tumors and non-neoplastic dermatoses.Studies reporting the use of dermoscopy for the diagnosis of morphea and ELS in Caucasian patients have been published in succession.[1,2,3,4,5]We designed this prospective study to analyze and compare the dermoscopic features of morphea and ELS in Chinese patients.