Percutaneous needle decompression in treatment of malignant small bowel obstruction

AIM:To investigate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous needle decompression in the treatment ofmalignant small bowel obstruction(MSBO).METHODS:A prospective analysis of the clinical data of 52 MSBO patients undergoing percutaneous needle decompression was performed.RESULTS:Percutaneous needle decompression was successful in all 52 patients.Statistically significant differences were observed in symptoms such as vomiting,abdominal distension and abdominal pain before and after treatment(81.6%vs 26.5%,100%vs 8.2%,and 85.7%vs 46.9%,respectively;all P<0.05).The overall significantly improved rate was 19.2%(11/52)and the response rate was 94.2%(49/52)using decompression combined with nasal tube placement,local arterial infusion of chemotherapy and nutritional support.During the one-month follow-up period,puncture-related complications were acceptable.CONCLUSION:Percutaneous needle intestinal decompression is a safe and effective palliative treatment for MSBO.

Combination of Evodiamine with Berberine Reveals a Regulatory Effect on the Phenotypic Transition of Colon Epithelial Cells Induced by CCD-18Co

Objective Transdifferentiation exists between stromal cells or between stromal cells and cancer cells.Evodiamine and berberine are predominant pharmacological components of Zuojin pill,a prescription of Traditional Chinese Medicine,playing crucial functions in remolding of tumor microenvironment.This study aimed to explore the effect of combination of evodiamine with berberine(cBerEvo)on the phenotypic transition of colon epithelial cells induced by tumor-associated fibroblasts,as well as the involved mechanisms.Methods Human normal colon epithelial cell line HCoEpiC cells were treated with the prepared conditioned medium of CCD-18 Co,a human colon myofibroblast line,to induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition.Phase contrast microscope was used to observe the morphological changes.Epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers including E-cadherin,vimentin and alpha-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)were observed with immunofluorescence microscopy.Migration was assessed by wound healing assay.Western blotting was used to detect the expressions of E-cadherin,vimentin,α-SMA,Snail,ZEB1 and Smads.Results In contrast to the control,the tumor-associated fibroblasts-like CCD-18 Co cells induced downregulation of E-cadherin and up-regulation of vimentin,α-SMA,Snail and ZEB1(P<0.05),and promoted migration of HCoEpiCs(P<0.05),with over expression of Smads including Smad2,p-Smad2,Smad3,p-Smad3 and Smad4(P<0.05),which were abolished by a transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β)receptor inhibitor LY364947 and by cBerEvo in a concentration dependent manner.In addition,cBerEvo-inhibited ratios of p-Smad2/Smad2 and p-Smad3/Smad3 were also dose dependent.Conclusion The above results suggest that cBerEvo can regulate the differentiation of colon epithelial cells induced by CCD-18 Co through suppressing activity of TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway.