1.
Could Aspirin and Diets High in Fiber Act Synergistically to Reduce the Risk of Colon Cancer in Humans?
Pan, P, Huang, YW, Oshima, K, Yearsley, M, Zhang, J, Yu, J, Arnold, M, Wang, LS
International journal of molecular sciences. 2018;(1)
Abstract
Early inhibition of inflammation suppresses the carcinogenic process. Aspirin is the most commonly used non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and it irreversibly inhibits cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 (COX1, COX2). Multiple randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that aspirin offers substantial protection from colon cancer mortality. The lower aspirin doses causing only minimal gastrointestinal disturbance, ideal for long-term use, can achieve only partial and transitory inhibition of COX2. Aspirin's principal metabolite, salicylic acid, is also found in fruits and vegetables that inhibit COX2. Other phytochemicals such as curcumin, resveratrol, and anthocyanins also inhibit COX2. Such dietary components are good candidates for combination with aspirin because they have little or no toxicity. However, obstacles to using phytochemicals for chemoprevention, including bioavailability and translational potential, must be resolved. The bell/U-shaped dose-response curves seen with vitamin D and resveratrol might apply to other phytochemicals, shedding doubt on 'more is better'. Solutions include: (1) using special delivery systems (e.g., nanoparticles) to retain phytochemicals; (2) developing robust pharmacodynamic biomarkers to determine efficacy in humans; and (3) selecting pharmacokinetic doses relevant to humans when performing preclinical experiments. The combination of aspirin and phytochemicals is an attractive low-cost and low-toxicity approach to colon cancer prevention that warrants testing, particularly in high-risk individuals.
2.
[The efficacy and safety of testa triticum tricum purif in treatment of functional constipation in the late middle-aged and elderly patients: a multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial].
Fang, XC, Zhang, J, Liu, S, Xin, HW, Wang, J, Ba, Y, Fan, WJ, Han, SM, Wang, ZF, Xie, XP, et al
Zhonghua nei ke za zhi. 2017;(8):577-582
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of testa triticum tricum purif for the treatment of functional constipation(FC) in the late middle-aged and elderly patients. Methods: This study was designed as a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Patients who met Rome Ⅲ diagnostic criteria of FC were enrolled, with age between 55-85 years old. Those with organic diseases were excluded. The patients were randomly allocated to receive testa triticum tricum purif (3.5 g bid) or polyethylene glycol 4000 powder (PEG4000, 10g bid) for 8 weeks, followed by single dose of maintenance therapy for 4 weeks. Follow-up visits were at 4 and 12 weeks after treatment discontinuation. The independent investigators in each center evaluated the constipation symptoms scores. The primary endpoints included rates of significant improvement, improvement and overall improvement at the end of 2, 4 and 8 weeks of therapy, which were calculated by the reduction of symptom scores ≥75%, 50%-74%, ≥25% respectively. Results: A total of 127 FC subjects were enrolled from 3 centers, and 122 cases valid for final analysis. The mean age was (69.4±6.9) years old, including 62 cases in testa triticum tricum purif group and 60 cases in PEG4000 group. The demographic data, constipated symptoms scores and proportion of FC subtypes at baseline were comparable. The rates of significant improvement, improvement and overall improvement in testa triticum tricum purif and PEG4000 groups at the end of 2, 4 and 8 weeks were 37.70% (23/61) vs 59.32% (35/59) (P=0.018), 57.38% (35/61) vs 74.14% (43/58) (P=0.054), and 64.41% (38/59) vs 79.31% (46/58) (P=0.073) respectively. Testa triticum tricum purif therapy significantly improved the proportion of spontaneous bowel movement(SBM) ≥3 times/week from 43.55% (27/62) to 80.33% (49/61), 83.61% (51/61) and 93.22% (55/59) at 2, 4, and 8 weeks respectively (all P<0.01), which were comparable with PEG4000 group (all P>0.05). The proportion of normalized stool forms in study group was significant higher than that of control group at the end of 8 weeks [86.44% (51/59) vs 67.24% (39/58), P=0.014]. Only one patient complained mild abdominal distension during testa triticum tricum purif therapy. Conclusions: The efficacy of testa triticum tricum purif for the treatment of FC in late middle-aged and older patients is comparable with osmotic laxatives PEG4000, which has significant effect on normalization of fecal forms and reliable safety.
3.
Sugarcane bagasse dietary fiber as an adjuvant therapy for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a four-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Liu, M, Zheng, F, Ni, L, Sun, Y, Wu, R, Zhang, T, Zhang, J, Zhong, X, Li, Y
Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan. 2016;(4):418-26
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of sugarcane bagasse dietary fiber as an adjuvant therapy for improving quality of life in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. A total of 196 participants were randomized into a trial group (treated with 6 g/day sugarcane bagasse plus conventional treatment, n = 98) and a control group (treated with placebo plus conventional treatment, n = 98). All efficacy analyses were performed according to the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle. A per-protocol analysis set (PPS) was used to analyze the cases that completed the clinical trial with good compliance. The trial period was 30 days, with a 6-month follow-up. Pre- and post-treatment pulmonary symptom scores (cough, sputum, wheezing, and dyspnea) were recorded for both groups. The St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale were assessed before treatment and at the end of the 6-month follow- up. RESULTS The ITT population was 178 and the PPS population was 166. Post-treatment pulmonary clinical symptoms and severity of dyspnea (mMRC and SGRQ evaluation) were significantly improved in both the trial group and the control group (ITT and PPS: P < 0.05). However, there was no statistical difference between the two groups in post-treatment pulmonary symptoms and mMRC. There was a greater reduction in the SGRQ subscales of activity, effect and total score in the trial group compared with the control group (ITT and PPS: P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in pre- and post-treatment safety variables in either group. CONCLUSION Sugarcane bagasse combined with conventional treatment improved quality of life in patients with stable COPD. Sugarcane bagasse appears to be a safe herbal medicine with potential for treating patients with stable COPD when taken orally as an adjuvant therapy.