Study on the efficacy of early treatment with pirfenidone on the lung function of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF)is classified under fibrotic interstitial pneumonia,characterized by a chronic and progressive course.The predominant clinical features of IPF include dyspnea and pulmonary dysfunction.AIM To assess the effects of pirfenidone in the early treatment of IPF on lung function in patients.METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed on 113 patients with IPF who were treated in our hospital from November 2017 to January 2023.These patients were divided into two groups:control group(n=53)and observation group(n=60).In the control group,patients received routine therapy in combination with methylprednisolone tablets,while those in the observation group received routine therapy together with pirfenidone.After applying these distinct treatment approaches to the two groups,we assessed several parameters,including the overall effectiveness of clinical therapy,the occurrence of adverse reactions(e.g.,nausea,vomiting,and anorexia),symptom severity scores,pulmonary function index levels,inflammatory marker levels,and the 6-min walk distance before and after treatment in both groups.RESULTS The observation group exhibited significantly higher rates than the control group after therapy,with a clear distinction(P<0.05).After treatment,the observation group experienced significantly fewer adverse reactions than the control group,with a noticeable difference(P<0.05).When analyzing the symptom severity scores between the two groups of patients after treatment,the observation group had significantly lower scores than the control group,with a distinct difference(P<0.05).When comparing the pulmonary function index levels between the two groups of patients after therapy,the observation group displayed significantly higher levels than the control group,with a noticeable difference(P<0.05).Evaluating the inflammatory marker data(C-reactive protein,interleukin-2[IL-2],and IL-8)between the two groups of patients after therapy,the observation group exhibited significantly lower levels than the control group,with significant disparities(P<0.05).Comparison of the 6-min walking distance data between the two groups of patients after treatment showed that the observation group achieved significantly greater distances than the control group,with a marked difference(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Prompt initiation of pirfenidone treatment in individuals diagnosed with IPF can enhance pulmonary function,elevate inflammatory factor levels,and increase the distance covered in the 6-min walk test.This intervention is conducive to effectively decreasing the occurrence of adverse reactions in patients.

Identification of a nine-gene prognostic signature for gastric carcinoma using integrated bioinformatics analyses

BACKGROUND Gastric carcinoma(GC)is one of the most aggressive primary digestive cancers.It has unsatisfactory therapeutic outcomes and is difficult to diagnose early.AIM To identify prognostic biomarkers for GC patients using comprehensive bioinformatics analyses.METHODS Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were screened using gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases for GC.Overlapping DEGs were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses.A risk score model was then constructed and its prognostic value was validated utilizing an independent Gene Expression Omnibus dataset(GSE15459).Multiple databases were used to analyze each gene in the risk score model.High-risk score-associated pathways and therapeutic small molecule drugs were analyzed and predicted,respectively.RESULTS A total of 95 overlapping DEGs were found and a nine-gene signature(COL8A1,CTHRC1,COL5A2,AADAC,MAMDC2,SERPINE1,MAOA,COL1A2,and FNDC1)was constructed for the GC prognosis prediction.Receiver operating characteristic curve performance in the training dataset(The Cancer Genome Atlas-stomach adenocarcinoma)and validation dataset(GSE15459)demonstrated a robust prognostic value of the risk score model.Multiple database analyses for each gene provided evidence to further understand the nine-gene signature.Gene set enrichment analysis showed that the high-risk group was enriched in multiple cancer-related pathways.Moreover,several new small molecule drugs for potential treatment of GC were identified.CONCLUSION The nine-gene signature-derived risk score allows to predict GC prognosis and might prove useful for guiding therapeutic strategies for GC patients.

Tetrandrine citrate eliminates imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo by inhibiting Bcr-Abl/β-catenin axis

Objective:To evaluate the effects of tetrandrine citrate, a novel tetrandrine salt with high water solubility, on the growth of imatinib (IM)-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in vitro and in vivo, and reveal action molecular mechanisms. Methods:Cell viability in vitro was measured using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. CML cell growth in vivo was assessed using a xenograft model in nude mice. Bcr-Abl and β-catenin protein levels were determined using Western blotting. Bcr-Abl messenger RNA (mRNA) was measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Flow cytometry (FCM) was used to determine cell cycle status. Results:Tetrandrine citrate inhibited the growth of IM-resistant K562 cells, primary leukemia cells, and primitive CD34 + leukemia cells, and their inhibition concentration that inhibited 50% of target cells (IC 50 ) ranged from 1.20 to 2.97 μg/ml. In contrast, tetrandrine citrate did not affect normal blood cells under the same conditions, and IC 50 values were about 10.12-13.11 μg/ml. Oral administration of tetrandrine citrate caused complete regression of IM-resistant K562 xeno-grafts in nude mice without overt toxicity. Western blot results revealed that treatment of IM-resistant K562 cells with tetrandrine citrate resulted in a significant decrease of both p210 Bcr-Abl and β-catenin proteins, but IM did not affect the Bcr-Abl protein levels. Proteasome inhibitor, MG132, did not prevent tetrandrine-mediated decrease of the p210 Bcr-Abl protein. RT-PCR results showed that tetrandrine treatment caused a decrease of Bcr-Abl mRNA. FCM analysis indicated that tetrandrine induced gap 1 (G 1 ) arrest in CML cells. Conclusions:Tetrandrine citrate is a novel orally active tetrandrine salt with potent anti-tumor activity against IM-resistant K562 cells and CML cells. Tetrandrine citrate-induced growth inhibition of leukemia cells may be involved in the depletion of p210 Bcr-Abl mRNA and β-catenin protein.