Shenqi Fuzheng injection alleviates chemotherapy-induced cachexia by restoring glucocorticoid signaling in hypothalamus

Chemotherapy-induced cachexia(CIC)is a debilitating condition characterized by weight loss,muscle atrophy,and anorexia[1].While peripheral mechanisms of cachexia have been extensively studied,the involvement of the central nervous system(CNS)in CIC is often overlooked.Chemotherapeutic drugs cause stress responses and inflammation,which may impact the hypothalamus and disrupt systemic energy and neuroendocrine functions.Understanding hypothalamic roles in regulating these processes can provide insights into CIC's mechanisms and aid in developing novel therapies.

Tofacitinib combined with local low-dose ixekizumab injection benefits those with peripheral psoriatic arthritis

Dear Editor,Treating psoriatic arthritis(PsA)is always difficult.Systemic treatments can be administered either orally or through intramuscular and intra-articular injection,including conventional synthetics,biologics and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs[1].The alternatives,topical external therapies,are not effective on joint lesions due to drug permeability issues.Drugs injected into the articular cavity are also unsuitable for small peripheral joint lesions,the most common manifestations of PsA.The limited treatment options for PsA present a challenge.

A Cascade Analysis of Community Transmission Risks for HIV among People Who Inject Drugs Living with HIV in Iran

There are 22 times as many people living with HIV in the population of drug users as in the general population.This is because the injection and sexually risky behaviors prevalent in this population.Having multiple sexual partners and maintaining sexual networks with people who inject drugs (PWIDs),can increase the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection^([1]).More than 65%of all HIVrelated cases in Iran can be traced back to people who inject drugs (PWID),and the number is estimated to be between 200,000 and 230,000 in Iran overall.Effective prevention,resources allocation and monitoring require an accurate estimate of the population of people who use illicit drugs^([2]).

An intra-articular injectable phospholipids-based gel for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is a chronic inflammatory and destructive arthropathy with a high deformity rate.Despite numerous studies and clinical trials,no curative treatment is available for large weight-bearing joints.Intra-articular(IA)injections could deliver high concentrations of drug to the afflicted joint and improve the drug efficacy while reducing systemic toxicity.However,free drugs are rapidly cleared from synovial fluid and do not significantly halt the progression of joint disease.Herein,a phospholipids-based controlledrelease gel was prepared for sustained IA delivery of celastrol(CEL)and the therapeutic efficiencywas evaluated in a rheumatoid arthritis rabbitmodel.The CEL-loaded gel(CEL-gel)contained up to 70%phospholipids yetwas easy to inject.After injecting into the joint cavity,CEL-gel achieved sol to gel phase transition without special stimuli and gelling agent.In vitro release and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies evidenced the stable and sustained release action of CEL-gel.A single IA injection of CEL-gel could maintain therapeutic efficiency for about 25 d and showed much better anti-arthritic efficacy compared to repeated injections of free drug solution(CEL-sol).Furthermore,the IA injection of CEL-gel greatly reduced the systemic toxicity of CEL.With good biocompatibility and biodegradability,CEL-gel might be a promising IA drug delivery system.

Comparison of intra-articular injection of parecoxib vs oral administration of celecoxib for the clinical efficacy in the treatment of early knee osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs)have played a crucial role in the treatment of osteoarthritis,especially in the early stages.However,the cardiovascular risk and adverse gastrointestinal reactions of oral NSAIDs in elderly people cannot be underestimated.Intra-articular injection of NSAIDs may be a new attempt for early knee osteoarthritis treatment.Parecoxib may be a suitable drug for intra-articular injection.AIM To observe the clinical efficacy of the intra-articular injection of parecoxib for early knee osteoarthritis.METHODS Early knee osteoarthritis patients(n=110)were retrospectively analyzed.These patients were divided into three groups:Basic treatment+oral glucosamine(group A,n=37),oral celecoxib+basic treatment+oral glucosamine(group B,n=37),and intra-articular injection of parecoxib+basic treatment+oral glucosamine(group C,n=36).Intra-articular injection of parecoxib was performed once every 2 wk at a dose of 40 mg each time,for three times total.The three groups were compared in terms of visual analogue scale(VAS)scores,Hospital for Special Surgery(HSS)scores and patient satisfaction before and after treatment.The levels of inflammatory cytokines in the synovial fluid were detected in the three groups before and after treatment.RESULTS All patients were followed up for an average of 15.5±2.7 mo.The clinical efficacy was estimated by VAS and HSS scores at 12 mo after treatment.Inflammatory cytokine levels in the synovial fluid were evaluated at 3 mo after treatment.VAS and HSS scores were significantly improved in each group compared with before(P<0.001).There were significant differences among the three groups in VAS and HSS scores(P<0.001).The clinical efficacy of group C was superior to that of groups A and B(P<0.001),while group B outperformed group A in this respect(P<0.001).The patient satisfaction was the highest in group C(P<0.001).After treatment,the levels of tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α)and interleukin(IL)-6 in the synovial fluid decreased in each group compared with before(P<0.001),while the levels of IL-10 increased(P<0.001).The three groups differed significantly in the levels of TNF-a,IL-6 and IL-10 in the synovial fluid after treatment(P<0.001).CONCLUSION For patients with early knee osteoarthritis,intra-articular injection of parecoxib could effectively improve clinical symptoms.This method may be a reliable alternative for early knee osteoarthritis.

Injection drug use and HIV/AIDS transmission in China

After nearly three decades of being virtually drug free, use of heroin and other illicit drugs has re-emerged in China as a major public health problem. One result is that drug abuse, particularly heroin injection, has come to play a predomi- nant role in fueling China’s AIDS epidemic. The first outbreak of HIV among China’s IDUs was reported in the border area of Yunnan province between China and Myanmar where drug trafficking is heavy. Since then drug-related HIV has spread to all 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. This paper provides an overview to HIV/AIDS transmission through injection drug use in China. It begins with a brief history of the illicit drug trade in China, followed by a discussion of the emergence of drug related AIDS, and a profile of drug users and their sexual partners who have contracted the virus or who are vulnerable to infection. It ends by summarizing three national strategies being used by China to address both drug use and AIDS as major health threats.

HIV-1 Transmission among Injecting Drug Users is Principally Derived from Local Circulating Strains in Guangxi, China

Objective The mode of human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) transmission via injection drug use(IDU)still exists, and the recent shift in IDU-related transmission of HIV infection is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to analyze the spatiotemporal sources and dynamics of HIV-1 transmission through IDU in Guangxi.Methods We performed a molecular epidemiological investigation of infections across Guangxi from2009 to 2019. Phylogenetic and Bayesian time-geographic analyses of HIV-1 sequences were performed to confirm the characteristics of transmission between IDUs in combination with epidemiological data.Results Among the 535 subjects, CRF08_BC(57.4%), CRF01_AE(28.4%), and CRF07_BC(10.7%) were the top 3 HIV strains;72.6% of infections were linked to other provinces in the transmission network;93.6% of sequence-transmitted strains were locally endemic, with the rest coming from other provinces,predominantly Guangdong and Yunnan;92.1% of the HIV transmission among people who inject drugs tended to be transmitted between HIV-positive IDUs.Conclusion HIV recombinants were high diversity, and circulating local strains were the transmission sources among IDUs in Guangxi. However, there were still cases of IDUs linked to other provinces.Coverage of traditional prevention strategies should be expanded, and inter-provincial collaboration between Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guangdong provinces should be strengthened.

Hepatitis C virus control among persons who inject drugs requires overcoming barriers to care

Despite a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection,the vast majority of persons who inject drugs(PWID)have not engaged in HCV care due to a large number of obstacles.Education about the infection among both PWID and providers remains an important challenge as does discrimination faced by PWID in conventional health care settings.Many providers also remain hesitant to prescribe antiviral therapy due to concerns about adherence and relapse to drug use resulting in reinfection.Presently,however,as a result of improvements in treatment efficacy combined with professional society and government endorsement of HCV treatment for PWID,a pressing need exists to develop strategies to engage these individuals into HCV care.In this article,we propose several strategies that can be pursued in an attempt to engage PWID into HCV management.We advocate that multidisciplinary approaches that utilize health care practitioners from a wide range of specialties,as well as co-localization of medical services,are strategies likely to result in increased numbers of PWID entering into HCV management.Pursuit of HCV therapy after stabilization through drug treatment is an additional strategy likely to increase PWID engagement into HCV care.The full impact of direct acting antivirals for HCV will only be realized if innovative approaches are pursued to engage all HCV infected individuals into treatment.

Eligibility of persons who inject drugs for treatment of hepatitis C virus infection

In this decade, an increase is expected in end-stageliver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma, most commonly caused by hepatitis C virus(HCV) infection.Although people who inject drugs(PWID) are the ma-jor source for HCV infection, they were excluded fromantiviral treatments until recently. Nowadays there isincontrovertible evidence in favor of treating these patients, and substitution therapy and active substanceuse are no longer contraindications for antiviral treatment. The viral clearance in PWID after HCV antiviraltreatment with interferon or pegylated interferon combined with ribavirin is comparable to the viral clearancein non-substance users. Furthermore, multidisciplinary approaches to delivering treatment to PWID are advised, and their treatment should be considered on anindividualized basis. To prevent the spread of HCV inthe PWID community, recent active PWID are eligiblefor treatment in combination with needle exchange programs and substitution therapy. As the rate of HCV reinfection is low after HCV antiviral treatment, there is no need to withhold HCV treatment due to concerns about reinfection alone. Despite the advances in treatment efficacies and data supporting their success, HCV assessment of PWID and initiation of antiviral treatment remains low. However, the proportion of PWID assessed and treated for HCV is increasing, which can be further enhanced by understanding the barriers to and facilitators of HCV care. Removing stigmatization and implementing peer support and group treatment strategies, in conjunction with greater involvement by nurse educators/practitioners, will promote greater treatment seeking and adherence by PWID. Moreover, screening can be facilitated by noninvasive methods for detecting HCV antibodies and assessing liver fibrosis stages. Recently, HCV clearance has become a major endpoint in the war against drugs for the Global Commission on Drug Policy. This review highlights the most recent evidence concerning HCV infection and treatment strategies in PWID.

A mimic of soft tissue infection: intra-arterial injection drug use producing hand swelling and digital ischemia

BACKGROUND: Inadvertent intra-arterial injection of illicit substances is a known complication of injection drug use and can lead to severe complications, including infection, ischemia and compartment syndrome. Identifying complications of intra-arterial injection can be difficult, as clinical manifestations overlap with other more common conditions such as cellulitis and soft tissue infection, and a history of injection drug use is frequently not disclosed.METHODS: A 37-year-old male patient presented with 24 hours of right hand pain, erythema and swelling. Despite classic "track marks", he denied a history of injection drug use, and vascular insults were not initially considered. After failing to respond to three days of aggressive treatment for suspected deep-space infection, an arteriogram demonstrated findings consistent with digital ischemia of embolic etiology.RESULTS: As a result of the delay in diagnosis, the lesion was not amenable to reperfusion and the patient required amputation of the distal digit.CONCLUSION: Practitioners should be alert to the possibility of intra-arterial injection and resulting complications when evaluating unusual extremity infections or unexplained ischemic symptoms, even in the absence of a definite history of injection drug use.

Hepatitis C virus/human T lymphotropic virus 1/2 coinfection:Regional burden and virological outcomes in people who inject drugs

This review analyses current data concerning co-infection with hepatitis C virus(HCV) and human T lymphotropic virus(HTLV)-1/2 in people who inject drugs(PWID), with a particular focus on disease burden and global implications for virological outcome. In addition, the available treatment options for HTLV-1/2 are summarized and the on-going and likely future research challenges are discussed. The data in this review was obtained from 34 articles on HCV/HTLV-1/2 co-infection in PWID retrieved from the Pub Med literature database and published between 1997 and 2015. Despite unavailable estimates of the burden of HCV/HTLV-1/2 co-infection in general, the epidemiologic constellation of HTLV-1/2 shows high incidence in PWID with history of migration, incarceration, and other blood-borne infectious diseases such as HCV or human immunodeficiency virus. The most recent research data strongly suggest that HTLV-1 co-infection can influence HCV viral load, HCV sustained virological response to α-interferon treatment, and HCV-related liver disease progression. In short, outcome of HCV infection is worse in the context of HTLV-1 co-infection, yet more studies are needed to gain accurate estimations of the burden of HCV/HTLV-1/2 co-infections. Moreover, in the current era of new direct-acting antiviral treatments for HCV and proven HTLV-1/2 treatment options, prospective clinical and treatment studies should be carried out, with particular focus on the PWID patient population, with the aim of improving virological outcomes.

What Mice Can Teach Us about How to Stop Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis:Correct Chemotherapy Regimen and Patient Compliance are the Key

Despite well-known limitations,mice remain useful as model animals to study tuberculosis(TB)pathogenesis,the basic immune response,the extent of lung pathology as well as efficacy of new drugs against Mycobacterium tuberculosis[1,2].There are four routes of tuberculosis infection in mice:aerosol generation and exposition,intravenous injection,intranasal administration,and subcutaneous administration[3].

Comparason of Peri-Articular Multimodal Drug Injection with Femoral and Sciatic Nerve Block after Total Knee Arthroplasty

Good perioperative analgesia following total knee arthroplasty facilitates rehabilitation and may reduce hospital stay. We present the patient analgesic requirements and rehabilitation of a prospective single surgeon series after the introduction of a multimodal drug injection during his total knee arthroplasty. Basic epidemiological data as well as analgesic, antiemetic requirements and time to straight leg raised was collected on 27 consecutive patients (group 1) whom received the multimodal drug injection, consisting of levobupivacaine, ketorolac and adrenaline at the time of their total knee arthroplasty under spinal anaesthesia. Their rehabilitation was compared to a retrospective review of patients who were case matched by age and sex (group 2n = 26), whom had received the unit standard of spinal anaesthetic and a femoral and sciatic block at the time of their operation. Patients in group 1 had significantly lower analgesic and antiemetic requirements than group 2. Group 1 also had a significantly shorter hospital stay. We have demonstrated that periarticular multimodal drug injection can improve perioperative analgesia and mobilisation following total knee arthroplasty as well as reducing opioid requirements and side effects.

Analysis and Management of Adverse Drug Reactions after Injection of Amphotericin B in AIDS Patients with Fungal Infection

Objective: To understand the condition of adverse drug reactions and the treatment procedures of amphotericin B for injection in patients with AIDS complicated with fungal infection. Methods: For the research object, a retrospective analysis of adverse reactions of amphotericin B injection in 121 patients of AIDS complicated with fungal infection was reported in our hospital from October 2017 to June 2021 to observe the adverse drug reactions of patients after treatment with amphotericin B for injection, 87 cases with general degree (regarded as the general group) and 34 cases with serious degree (regarded as the serious group), and analyze the general data, medication and course of disease of the two groups for symptomatic treatment. Results: Adverse reactions such as hypokalemia, abnormal liver function, renal impairment, leucopenia and drug fever were more common in the two groups, and there were also many adverse reactions such as bone marrow suppression, rash, anemia, thrombocytopenia, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, pruritus, angina pectoris, vertigo, abdominal pain and diarrhea. The rates of leukopenia and drug fever in general group were significantly lower than those in severe group (P < 0.05);in the dose of amphotericin B used, the rate of using 25 mg and more than 25 mg in the general group was significantly lower than that in the severe group (P < 0.05). After symptomatic treat-ment, most patients have improved, and a few are unknown or have not improved. Con-clusion: Amphotericin B for injection has great side effects and will cause different degrees of adverse drug reactions. The dose of amphotericin B for clinical treatment should be ad-justed and disposed according to the adverse reactions to avoid serious consequences.

A review on the Pharmacology and Adverse Drug Reaction of Chaihu Herbal Injection

The Chaihu herbal injection was the first herbal injection to be developed and used in China,which has been used in clinic for more than 70 years.This injection is widely used to treat fever caused by influenza or common cold and malaria.However,there is an ongoing debate about the safety of the clinical use of Chaihu herbal injection in view of the large number of adverse drug reaction reports and literature in China.On May 29,2018,the China Food and Drug Administration issued a notice requiring to revise the instruction manual of Chaihu herbal injection,list"prohibit for children"under the taboo item,and add the warning"adverse reactions of this product include anaphylactic shock".The purpose of this review is to provide updated,comprehensive information on the pharmacology and adverse drug reaction of Chaihu herbal injection based on scientific literatures in the past few decades.

Random Forest Analysis the Influencing Factors on Adverse Drug Reactions of Qingkailing Injection

Objective:To investigate the influencing factors of adverse drug reaction(ADR)in Qingkailing injection.Methods:Based on the hospitals centralized monitoring data of multicenter and prospective,the patients who used Qingkailing injection from January 2013 to March 2016 were monitored in 48 medical institutions in China.The nesting case-control study was used and the random forest was used for analysis.The main contents of the analysis are as follows:past history,past allergy history and ADR history,clinical diagnosis,dosage,interval drug,solvent type,combined drug use,etc.Results:A total of 30842 cases with Qingkailing injection were included,with 92 cases of adverse reactions and the incidence of adverse reactions was 3‰.According to the nested case-control study design,the influencing factors of 92 patients with ADR and 276 non-drug-related adverse reactions were displayed on the basis of statistical description(significance level P≤0.2 and clinical information)using Random forest analysis shows that the factors affecting the ADR of the Qingkailing injection according to the MeandecaseGini are from high to low in the first 15 positions:Vitamin supplements,tumors,gastrointestinal diseases,traditional Chinese medicine,previous allergic history,cerebral insufficiency,rash,urinary tract infection,vascular and lymphovascular diseases,pioglitazone,metabolic and endocrine system drugs,past ADR history,respiratory and mediastinal diseases,dioxpromazide,pneumonia.Conclusion:The incidence of adverse reactions in Qingkailing injection hospital is 3%.The factors closely related to the occurrence of ADR are previous tumors,gastrointestinal diseases,history of adverse reactions of rash,urinary tract infection,insufficient cerebral blood supply,respiratory system and other diseases,pioglitazone and other combined drugs.

Effect of intramuscular calcitonin injection combined with intra-articular ozone injection on the expression of the IL family and MMPs family of knee osteoarthritis

Objective: To study the effect of intramuscular calcitonin injection combined with intra-articular ozone injection on the expression of the IL family and MMPs family of knee osteoarthritis. Methods: A total of 128 patients with knee osteoarthritis who were treated in the hospital between January 2015 and January 2017 were collected and divided into control group and observation group by random number table, each with 64 cases. Control group received intra-articular ozone injection therapy, and observation group received intramascular calcitonin injection combined with intra-articular ozone injection therapy. The differences in serum levels of IL family members and MMPs family members were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Results: Before treatment, the differences in serum levels of IL family members and MMPs family members were not statistically significant between the two groups. 1 week after treatment, serum levels of IL family members IL-1β, IL-15, IL-17 and IL-18 as well as MMPs family members MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3 and MMP-13 of both groups of patients were significantly lower than those before treatment, and serum IL-1β, IL-15, IL-17, IL-18, MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3 and MMP-13 levels of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group. Conclusion: Intramuscular calcitonin injection combined with intra-articular ozone injection therapy can effectively inhibit the expression of IL family and MMPs family in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Preparation of Thermosensitive Chitosan Formulations Containing 5-Fluorouracil/Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate Microparticles Used as Injectable Drug Delivery System

The auto-gelling and drug release properties of the thermosensitive chitosan-β-glycerophosphate formulation were investigated. According to rheological study, gelation lag time of chitosan/β-glycerophosphate （GP） solutions varied from 2 to 60min with different deacetylation degree of chitosan, pH, gelation temperature, and the particles in the sol. The gelation properties were also found to influence the release profilles of a hydrophilic drug, 5-fluorouracil （5-FU）. Morphological examination by scanning electron microphotography demonstrated that large ＂pores＂ occurred during the gel-forming process, which created hydrophilic environment and led to the rapid initial release of the drug （85% in f＇LrSt 8h）. Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate （PHB）, a biodegradable material, was applied here as scaffold to capture 5-FU into microparticles with high encapsulation efficiency by solvent-nonsolvent method. Combination of these microparticles into the chitosan-β-GP formulation could drop the rapid initial release from 85% down to 29% in the optimized PHB content （75%, by mass）. The release could sustain for about 10 months. Tiffs study provided an understanding of the potential of injectable implant using thermosensitive chitosan-β-GP formulation containing PHB based particles for the water soluble drugs that need the property of long-term delivery.

Therapeutic effect of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and percutaneous injection of acetic acids on primary liver cancer

BACKGROUND: The resection rate of primary liver tumor in China is only about 20%. A lot of patients with moderate and advanced liver tumor may lose the chance of opera- tion. The objective of present research was to study the ef- ficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with percutaneous injection of chemical agents and acetic acids in the treatment of patients with primary liver cancer (PLC). METHODS: Thirty-three patients with middle and ad- vanced stage of PLC were divided into two groups: percu- taneous injection of chemical agents and acetic acids (15 patients, group A) and TACE (18 patients, group B). RESULTS: Tumor diameter and serum AFP level reduced to 86.6% and 83.3% in group A, and 55.5% and 40% in group B, respectively. There was significant difference be- tween the two groups ( P < 0 . 0 1 ) . The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-year survival rates of group A were 96.7%, 86.6%, 51.3%, 33.3%, respectively and in group B were 66.7%, 44.4%, 16.7%, 0%, respectively (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: TACE combined with percutaneous injec- tion of chemical agents and acetic acids is efficacious to in- crease the survival rate of patients with PLC.

Postaurical injection is a systemic delivery supported by symmetric distribution of Gd-DOTA in both the ipsilateral and contralateral ears

Postaurical injection of therapeutics was recently applied in clinical practice to treat inner ear diseases based on supposed existence of a direct channel from the postaurical area to the inner ear. Doubting on the associated reports and aiming to provide evidence on the inner ear uptake mechanism, the present study tracked the dynamic distribution of gadolinium-tetra-azacyclo-dodecane-tetra-acetic acid (Gd-DOTA) in rat inner ears after postaurical injection using MRI. A targeted tympanic medial wall delivery was utilized as control. The results showed that, at the early time points after postaurical injection, Gd-DOTA distributed mainly in tissues surrounding the bulla, temporal bone and skull and neck space. In the inner ear, there was gradual uptake of Gd-DOTA on both the ipsilateral and contralateral sides with equal signal intensities. There was no sign of direct channel carrying the agent from the postaurical area to the inner ear. Targeted tympanic medial wall delivery induced significantly greater uptake of Gd-DOTA in the inner ear than did postaurical injection. At 30 min post-administration, targeted tympanic medial wall delivery yielded 4.6-folds higher signal intensity than did postaurical injection. The total dose of Gd-DOTA delivered by the targeted tympanic medial wall approach was only 0.1% of that delivered by postaurical injection. In conclusion, postaurical injection is a systemic administration, which is similar to hypodermic injection, rather than a focal delivery method. By contraries, targeted tympanic medial wall delivery induces fast and abundant uptake of Gd-DOTA in the ipsilateral inner ear without significant distribution in unwanted areas.