Current concepts from diagnosis to management in Gorham–Stout disease: a systematic narrative review of about 350 cases

Patients with Gorham–Stout disease (GSD) present progressive destruction and resorption of bone. Typical bone-related symptoms include swelling, pain and functional impairment in the region involved. The three aspects of GSD etiopathology are osteoclasts, angiogenesis/lymphangiogenesis and osteoblast function. Multi-targeted pharmacological approach includes innovative options and represent milestones of treatment, sometimes associated with radiotherapy. Surgery is mainly used to treat complications: pathologic/impending fractures, spinal instability or deformities and chylothorax. In this narrative review, we highlight current standards in diagnosis, clinical management and therapeutic strategies.

The Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in the Development and Metastasis of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive tumor mainly associated with asbestos exposure and is characterized by a very difficult pharmacological approach. One of the molecular mechanisms associated with cancer onset and invasiveness is the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), an event induced by different types of inducers, such as transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), the main inducer of EMT, and oxidative stress. MPM development and metastasis have been correlated to EMT; On one hand, EMT mediates the effects exerted by asbestos fibers in the mesothelium, particularly via increased oxidative stress and TGFβ levels evoked by asbestos exposure, thus promoting a malignant phenotype, and on the other hand, MPM acquires invasiveness via the EMT event, as shown by an upregulation of mesenchymal markers or, although indirectly, some miRNAs or non-coding RNAs, all demonstrated to be involved in cancer onset and metastasis. This review aims to better describe how EMT is involved in driving the development and invasiveness of MPM, in an attempt to open new scenarios that are useful in the identification of predictive markers and to improve the pharmacological approach against this aggressive cancer.

Effects and Components of Herb Pair Huanglian-Banxia on Diabetic Gastroparesis by Network Pharmacology

Diabetic gastroparesis (DGP) is a serious and chronic complication of long-standing diabetes mellitus, which brings a heavy burden to individuals and society. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is considered a complementary and alternative therapy for DGP patients. Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma, HL) and Banxia (Pinelliae Rhizoma, BX) combined as herb pair have been frequently used in TCM prescriptions, which can effectively treat DGP in China. In this article, a practical application of TCM network pharmacological approach was used for the research on herb pair HL-BX in the treatment of DGP. Firstly, twenty-seven potential active components of HL-BX were screened from the TCMSP database, and their potential targets were also retrieved. Then, the compound-target network and PPI network were constructed from predicted common targets, and several key targets were found based on the degree of the network. Next, GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were conducted to obtain several significantly enriched terms. Finally, the experimental verification was made. The results demonstrated that network pharmacological approach was a powerful means for identifying bioactive ingredients and mechanisms of action for TCM. Network pharmacology provided an effective strategy for TCM modern research.

THE APPLICATION OF WARM WATER COMPRESSES WITH GINGER AND LEMONGRASS ON PAIN INTENSITY IN PATIENTS WITH GOUT ARTHRITIS

Background: Arthritis Gout or Gout is also a category of chronic non-communicable disease (NCD). Gout is a metabolic disease caused by excess levels of uric compounds in the body. A Pharmacological approach that can be used is the administration of NSAID drugs. The non-pharmacological approach can be in the form of education, setting a low-purine diet and pain management guidelines using warm compresses to reduce pain gout sufferers and improve or maintain function and quality of life. Objective: To determine the effect of warm water compresses application with pieces of ginger and lemongrass on pain intensity in patients with gout arthritis. Methods: This was a pre-experimental study with one group using pre and post-test approach. The sample was patients with gout arthritis who experienced pain in the joints as many as 25 respondents were selected using simple random sampling. The data analysis was using Wilcoxon Statistical Test. Result: This study was using respondents precentage for pre and post-test, the average respondent experienced moderate pain and after the intervention, the pain intesity decreased to relax and comfortable. Statistical test results showed p-value = 0.000< =0.05, meaning that there was an effect of giving warm water compresses with pieces of ginger and lemongrass on the pain intensity of means that it had an impact on pain intensity in people with gout. Conclusion: This result showed that the application of warm water compresses with pieces of ginger and lemongrass could lowering the pain intensity in people with gout.