Frontiers in Pharmacology

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood and arises from neural crest cells of the developing sympathetic nervous system. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ) has been identified as a key pro-inflammatory mediator of the tumor microenvironment (TME) that promotes neuroblastoma progression. We report that the interaction between the microRNA miR-574-5p and CUG-binding protein 1 (CUGBP1) induces the expression of microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase 1 (mPGES-1) in neuroblastoma cells, which contributes to PGE2 biosynthesis...

Background: The Pilot Plan of National Centralized Volume-Based Procurement (NCVBP) was adopted to cope with the rapid increase in drug expenditures. This research aimed to quantitatively evaluate the impact of the NCVBP on antiviral medications for the hepatitis B virus. Methods: Data on nucleoside analogs (NAs) medications of hepatitis B virus monthly procurement records in the pilot cities from January 2018 to December 2019 were extracted from the China Drug Supply Information Platform (CDSIP). The impacts of the NCVBP on purchased volumes, expenditures, and pre-defined daily dose costs were evaluated by interrupted time-series (ITS) analysis using Stata 16...

Tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) are commonly downregulated in colon cancer and play a negative role in tumorigenesis and cancer progression by affecting genomic integrity, the cell cycle, and cell proliferation. Curcumin (CUR), a Chinese herb-derived phytochemical, exerts antitumor effects on colon cancer. However, it remains unclear whether CUR exerts its antitumor effects by reactivating TSGs in colon cancer. Here, we demonstrated that CUR inhibited HT29 and HCT116 proliferation and migration by cell-counting kit-8, colony-formation, and wound-healing assays...

Background: Inferring drug-related side effects is beneficial for reducing drug development cost and time. Current computational prediction methods have concentrated on graph reasoning over heterogeneous graphs comprising the drug and side effect nodes. However, the various topologies and node attributes within multiple drug-side effect heterogeneous graphs have not been completely exploited. Methods: We proposed a new drug-side effect association prediction method, GGSC, to deeply integrate the diverse topologies and attributes from multiple heterogeneous graphs and the self-calibration attributes of each drug-side effect node pair...

Aims: To summarize and clarify the current research status and indicate possible future directions in the field of autophagy in ischemic stroke, we performed a comprehensive and multidimensional bibliometric analysis of the literature in this field published from 2011 to 2022. Methods: We retrieved articles on the field of autophagy in ischemic stroke published between 2011 and 2022 from Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC). VOSviewer (version 1.6.19) and CiteSpace (version 6.2.R2 Basic) were used to identify the leading topics as well as generate visual maps of Countries/regions, organizations, authors, journals, and keyword networks in the related field...

Background: Systemic chemotherapy (SC) remains the only first-line treatment for unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) has been recently proven to be effective in managing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hence, our study aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of HAIC in treating unresectable iCCA patients. Methods: We reviewed 146 patients with unresectable iCCA who had received HAIC or SC between March 2016 and March 2022 in a retrospective manner...

Non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) skin infections have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, presenting a unique challenge in clinical management. This review explored the complexities of NTM infections localized to the superficial tissues and provided valuable insights into the optimal therapeutic strategies. The antibiotic selection should base on NTM species and their susceptibility profiles. It is recommended to adopt a comprehensive approach that considers the unique characteristics of superficial tissues to improve treatment effectiveness and reduce the incidence of adverse reactions, infection recurrence, and treatment failure...

Introduction: Among skin cancers, melanoma has a high mortality rate. Recent advances in immunotherapy, particularly through immune checkpoint modulation, have improved the clinical treatment of melanoma. Maltol has various bioactivities, including anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but the anti-melanoma property of maltol remains underexplored. The aim of this work is to explore the anti-melanoma potential of maltol through regulating immune checkpoints. Methods: The immune checkpoint PD-L1 was analyzed using qPCR, immunoblots, and immunofluorescence...

Pulmonary arterial hypertension has characteristic changes to the mechanical environment, extracellular matrix, and cellular proliferation. In order to develop a culture system to investigate extracellular matrix (ECM) compositional-dependent changes in pulmonary arterial hypertension, we decellularized and characterized protein and lipid profiles from healthy and Sugen-Chronic Hypoxia rat lungs. Significant changes in lipid profiles were observed in intact Sugen-Hypoxia lungs compared with healthy controls...

Introduction: Amisulpride is primarily eliminated via the kidneys. Given the clear influence of renal clearance on plasma concentration, we aimed to explicitly examine the impact of renal function on amisulpride pharmacokinetics (PK) via population PK modelling and Monte Carlo simulations. Method: Plasma concentrations from 921 patients (776 in development and 145 in validation) were utilized. Results: Amisulpride PK could be described by a one-compartment model with linear elimination where estimated glomerular filtration rate, eGFR, had a significant influence on clearance...

Zanubrutinib is a Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor used in B cell malignancy treatment and is generally well tolerated in most patients. Zanubrutinib-induced aseptic meningitis is currently not reported. Herein, we present the first case of zanubrutinib-induced aseptic meningitis. A 33-year-old woman was diagnosed with relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma and subsequently developed aseptic meningitis after receiving zanubrutinib treatment. We reviewed the literature and uncovered the lack of current reports on zanubrutinib or other BTK inhibitor-induced aseptic meningitis...

Introduction: Generic pharmaceuticals account for the majority of the $359 billion US pharmaceutical market, including for cardiology drugs. Amidst a lack of price transparency and administrative inefficiencies, generic drug prices are high, causing an undue burden on patients. Methods: We identified the 50 most used generic cardiology drugs by volume per the 2020 Medicare Part D spending data. We extracted cost per dose of each drug from the Marc Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company (MCCPDC) website and estimated the aggregate cost savings if MCCPDC were employed on a national scale by calculating the difference between this cost and Medicare spending...

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Platinum-based chemotherapy is standard-of-care but has limitations including toxicity and resistance. Metal complexes of gold, ruthenium, and other metals have emerged as promising alternatives. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of metallodrugs for NSCLC. Bibliometric analysis reveals growing interest in elucidating mechanisms, developing targeted therapies, and synergistic combinations. Classification of metallodrugs highlights platinum, gold, and ruthenium compounds, as well as emerging metals...

Purpose : This study aimed to determine the efficacy of the dexamethasone (DEX) intravitreal implant for the regression of macular edema and the improvement of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) after the removal of idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM). Methods : This prospective randomized controlled trial recruited 81 patients with idiopathic ERM. These patients all underwent 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy combined with ERM and internal limiting membrane peeling surgery. Among them, 41 eyes in the DEX group received additional DEX implants and 40 in the non-DEX group did not...

Delphinium roylei Munz is an indigenous medicinal plant to India where its activity against cancer has not been previously investigated, and its specific interactions of bioactive compounds with vulnerable breast cancer drug targets remain largely unknown. Therefore, in the current study, we aimed to evaluate the anti-breast cancer activity of different extracts of D. roylei against breast cancer and deciphering the molecular mechanism by Network Pharmacology combined with Molecular Docking and in vitro verification...

Aims: To synthesize and evaluate the available scientific evidence on the efficacy of antihypertensive drugs on arterial stiffness in patients with hypertension by using a network meta-analysis approach. Methods: A systematic search of the MEDLINE (via PubMed), Scopus, and Web of Science databases was conducted to identify experimental studies addressing the effect of different antihypertensive drugs on arterial stiffness parameters (pulse wave velocity [PWV] and augmentation index [AIx]) in adults with hypertension...

Background: Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) has emerged as a stroke prevention strategy in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), and these patients were required to receive antithrombotic therapy post-procedure. However, the optimal antithrombotic strategy after LAAO remains controversial. This study explored the safety and efficacy of different antithrombotic strategies after LAAO through a network comparison method. Methods: We systematically searched the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases for studies that reported the interested efficacy and safety outcomes (stroke, device-related thrombus (DRT), and major bleeding) of different antithrombotic strategies [DAPT (dual antiplatelet therapy), DOACs (direct oral anticoagulants), and VKA (vitamin k antagonist)] in patients who had experienced LAAO...

Copaíba oil-resin is extracted from the trunk of the Copaíba tree and has medicinal, cosmetic, and industrial properties. As a result, widespread knowledge about the use of Copaíba oil-resin has evolved, attracting the scientific community's attention. This paper aims to map the global knowledge production regarding the biological activities of Copaíba ( Copaifera spp.). Bibliometric methodological instruments were used to conduct a search of the Web of Science-Core Collection database. The search resulted in 822 references...

Objective: To comprehensively evaluate the effect of acupuncture on gut microbiota, identify specific microbes closely related to the clinical efficacy of acupuncture, and explored the role of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Methods: A randomized placebo-controlled trial was conducted with 80 FC patients and 28 healthy controls (HCs). FC patients randomly received 16 acupuncture ( n = 40) or sham acupuncture ( n = 40) sessions over 4 weeks; HCs received no treatment. The change in the proportion of patients with mean weekly complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBMs) was considered as the primary outcome measure...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1178421.].