Background and Aim: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most fatal cancers. Cytotoxic chemotherapy remains the mainstream treatment for unresectable pancreatic cancer. This systematic review evaluated and compared the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) outcomes obtained from recent phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of pancreatic cancer chemotherapy. Materials and methods: Thirty-two studies were included and compared based on chemotherapy agents or combinations used. Additionally, outcomes of first-line versus second-line chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer were compared. Results: In studies that investigated the treatments in adjuvant settings, the highest OS reported was for S-1 in patients, who received prior surgical resection (46.5 months). In neoadjuvant settings, the combination of gemcitabine, docetaxel, and capecitabine prior to the surgical resection had promising outcomes (OS of 32.5 months). In non-adjuvant settings, the highest OS reported was for the combination of temsirolimus plus bevacizumab (34.0 months). Amongst studies that investigated second-line treatment, the highest OS reported was for the combination of gemcitabine plus cisplatin (35.5 months), then temsirolimus plus bevacizumab (34.0 months). Conclusions: There is a need to develop further strategies besides chemotherapy to improve the outcomes in pancreatic cancer treatment. Future studies should consider surgical interventions, combination chemotherapy, and individualized second-line treatment based on the prior chemotherapy.

Background and aim: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the major causes of blindness and it has risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, smoking, or genetic characteristics. There is no certain cure for AMD till now, so it is very important to design new therapeutic agents or strategies for treatment of AMD. This literature review assessed the effects of different plants or herbal extracts on the retinal diseases such as AMD either for treatment or prevention of disease. Materials and methods: Fifteen studies were included in this literature review and assessed possible herbal treatments or preventions of AMD or its related diseases and risk factors. Results: From a wide range of medicinal plants, Artemisia annua contained artemisinin, Lycium barbarum, Fructus barbarum rich in carotenoids like zeaxanthin, Scutellaria baicalensis contained wogonin, saffron, rosemary contained carnosic acid, and Melissa officinalis are of the most important and beneficial medicinal plants that can be used for production and design of new drugs and therapeutics for AMD. They act via different mechanisms such as anti-oxidation, anti-VEGF, or anti-inflammatory actions. There are several other important herbal effective compounds for AMD, such as fisetin and luteolin that are polyphenols. Also, there are other herbal compounds such as HESA-A, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Guibi-tang (GBT), Samul-tang (SMT), and Sipjeondaebo-tang (SDT) that are contained in several different beneficial medicinal plants and their extracts for AMD. Conclusion: There is a need for more investigations on these medicinal plants and their benefits on AMD, but they can be beneficial in lowering the risk of AMD or several other retinal diseases and prevention of them. For each mechanism included in AMD pathogenesis, one or more medicinal plant is introduced in this review.