New paste for severe stomatitis in patients undergoing head-and-neck cancer radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy with oral appliance

Hinokitiol Protects Cardiomyocyte from Oxidative Damage by Inhibiting GSK3β-Mediated Autophagy

More and more attention has been paid to the use of traditional phytochemicals. Here, we first verified the therapeutic potential of a natural bioactive compound called Hinokitiol in myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury. Hinokitiol exerts cardioprotective effect through inhibition of GSK-3β and subsequent elimination of excessive autophagy, tuning autophagic activity in moderate extent for remedial profit in acute myocardial infarction and myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury. Overall, our study establishes Hinokitiol as a novel available interventional treatment for myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury.

Efficacy and safety of two artificial saliva-based polymers containing 0.1% pilocarpine for treatment of xerostomia: A randomized clinical pilot trial

Background

Topical agents are the mainstay in the treatment of xerostomia, a common complaint most frequently associated with salivary dysfunction. This study aimed to compared the efficacy and safety for xerostomia treatment of 2 artificial saliva preparations containing 0.1% pilocarpine, and, either sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC), or, sodium polyacrylate (SPA).

Material and Methods

Thirty-one xerostomia patients were randomly allocated into either a SCMC-treated group (15 patients), or, a SPA-treated group (16 patients). The formulations were taken 0.5 ml, 4 times daily for 6 weeks and double-blinded assessed before and after treatments using Xerostomia Inventory (XI) and Clinical Oral Dryness Score (CODs). Unstimulated and stimulated whole salivary flow rates were measured.

Results

After treatment, the SCMC-treated group had significantly lower CODs and higher unstimulated and stimulated whole salivary flow rates (p<0.001, p=0.035, and p=0.013, respectively), while the SPA-treated group showed significantly lower CODs only (p=0.004). In contrast, SCMC-treated and SPA-treated groups at the 6th week after treatments showed non-significant differences in all assessments (p>0.05, all). Some adverse events (AEs) were reported, e.g., burning tongue, dizziness and watery eyes, but no severe AEs.

Conclusions

This randomized controlled pilot trial demonstrated superior efficacy of SCMC-formula over a SPA-formula after 6 weeks of xerostomia treatment. These formulations with topical pilocarpine proved safe in clinical use with minimal reported AE.

Key words:Xerostomia, artificial saliva, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, sodium polyacrylate, pilocarpine.

Anti-Cancer and Protective Effects of Royal Jelly for Therapy-Induced Toxicities in Malignancies

Royal jelly (RJ) is a glandular secretion produced by worker honeybees and is a special food for the queen honeybee. It results in a significant prolongation of the lifespan of the queen honeybee compared with the worker honeybees through anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activities. Consequently, RJ is used as cosmetic and dietary supplement throughout the world. In addition, in vitro studies and animal experiments have demonstrated that RJ inhibits cell proliferation and stimulates apoptosis in various types of malignant cells and affects the production of various chemokines, anti-oxidants and growth factors and the expression of cancer-related molecules in patients with malignancies, especially in patients treated with anti-cancer agents. Therefore, RJ is thought to exert anti-cancer effects on tumor growth and exhibit protective functions against drug-induced toxicities. RJ has also been demonstrated to be useful for suppression of adverse events, the maintenance of the quality of life during treatment and the improvement of prognosis in animal models and patients with malignancies. To understand the mechanisms of the beneficial effects of RJ, knowledge of the changes induced at the molecular level by RJ with respect to cell survival, inflammation, oxidative stress and other cancer-related factors is essential. In addition, the effects of combination therapies of RJ and other anti-cancer agents or natural compounds are important to determine the future direction of RJ-based treatment strategies. Therefore, in this review, we have covered the following five issues: (1) the anti-cancer effects of RJ and its main component, 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid; (2) the protective effects of RJ against anti-cancer agent-induced toxicities; (3) the molecular mechanisms of such beneficial effects of RJ; (4) the safety and toxicity of RJ; and (5) the future directions of RJ-based treatment strategies, with a discussion on the limitations of the study of the biological activities of RJ.