1. Effects of hormone treatment on hemostasis variables
C Kluft Climacteric. 2007 Oct;10 Suppl 2:32-7.doi: 10.1080/13697130701598548.
A survey was made of the changes in hemostasis and related inflammatory biomarkers for hormone treatments (HT) of women. Treatments included were oral and non-oral estrogens combined or not with progestogens, raloxifene, tamoxifene, tibolone and ethinylestradiol in oral contraceptives with non-androgenic progestogens. Special attention was given to dosages lower than the present standard dose and we explored how treatment variants approached a situation of minimal changes in biomarkers. For oral unopposed estrogens, dose reduction effectively reduced the changes in some hemostasis markers, but not in a specific set of anticoagulant variables (antithrombin, protein S, tissue factor pathway inhibitor, and the endogenous thrombin potential assay for resistance to activated protein C). Inflammation markers from the liver showed a dose-dependent reduction but effects were not nullified at the lowest dose tested. It was concluded that adequate reduction of estrogen dose for these effects will coincide with the dose-range of efficacy. Androgenic progestogens may be suitable for further reducing the impact of estrogens on some of the anticoagulant variables; reductions of estrogen-induced C-reactive protein increases appear possible with specific progestogens (medroxyprogesterone actate, nomegestrol acetate). For non-oral unopposed estrogens, all variables except inflammation biomarkers from the vascular wall showed minimal changes. Reduction in vascular inflammatory biomarkers, considered to mark anti-inflammatory effects, is augmented by medroxyprogesterone actate or norethisterone acetate. It was concluded that unopposed, non-oral estrogen treatment is the present best available option approaching minimal effects of treatment on biomarkers. Progestogen selection requires more data. We postulated that minimal effects on all cardiovascular biomarkers should define the HT with maximal safety for venous and arterial vascular events. The survey has identified specific biomarkers sensitive to low-dose unopposed and opposed estrogen which can be used to characterize future preparations for HT.
2. Methotrexate for chronic non-necrotizing anterior scleritis in Chinese patients
Jun-Yan Xiao, An-Yi Liang, Fei Gao, Chan Zhao, Mei-Fen Zhang Int J Ophthalmol. 2022 Aug 18;15(8):1261-1265.doi: 10.18240/ijo.2022.08.06.eCollection 2022.
Aim:To evaluate the effectiveness and corticosteroid-sparing capabilities of methotrexate (MTX) in the treatment of chronic non-necrotizing anterior scleritis in Chinese patients. Methods:A retrospective chart review of all patients with active anterior scleritis between January 2015 and June 2019 was conducted. All patients received 10 to 15 mg/wk MTX orally, and corticosteroids (10 to 40 mg/d prednisolone or equivalent methylprednisolone) with slow tapering. Topical corticosteroid eye drops (1% prednisolone actate, 0.1% dexmathosone or 0.1% fluoromethalone) were applied to control comorbid anterior uveitis at presentation or during follow up. The main outcomes were inflammation control and corticosteroid-sparing success, and secondary outcomes were reduction of immunosuppression load and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Results:Thirty-two eyes (22 patients) were included. The proportion of patients who achieved corticosteroid-sparing success was 50.0% at 3mo and 77.3% at 12mo [8 (36.4%) patients discontinued corticosteroid]. The proportion of eyes that achieved inflammation control was 59.4% at 3mo and 78.1% at 12mo. The immunosuppression load was 5.14±0.87 at presentation and 2.76±2.34 at 12mo (P<0.01). BCVA maintained unchanged or improved in 29 (90.6%) of all affected eyes. One patient discontinued MTX treatment because of an abnormal liver function test, and no other serious adverse effects were observed.Conclusion:According to this pilot study, low dose MTX appear to be a well-tolerated and effective treatment for chronic non-necrotizing anterior scleritis patients in the Chinese population.
3. Chemical constituents of Euphorbia tangutica
Ben-Yin Zhang, Huan Wang, Xiao-Dong Luo, Zhi-Zhi Du, Hai-Feng Wu, Jian-Wei Shen, Xiao-feng Zhang Nat Prod Res. 2012;26(24):2309-15.doi: 10.1080/14786419.2012.668686.Epub 2012 Mar 16.
Sixteen known compounds isolated from the whole plants of Euphorbia tangutica, including phorbol-13-actate (1) previously synthesised and obtained from a natural source for the first time, were evaluated in vitro against a panel of human cancer cell lines using the MTT method. Among them, ergosterol (6) exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against HL-60 cell line with an IC(50) value of 3.3 µM, and 3β,5α-dihydroxy-15β-cinnamoyloxy-14-oxolathyra-6 Z,12 E-diene (7) also displayed moderate activity.
