Artesunate (ART) is the derivative of artemisinin isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine qinghao. Although several studies reported the efficiency of artesunate in the treatment of malaria, inhibiting fibroblasts and collagen synthesis, the association between artesunate and scar formation is unclear. The research was designed to study the significance of artesunate (ART) on the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF-β1) and small mother against decapentaplegic (SMAD3) in rabbit's ear hypertrophic scar model. Twenty-four New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into six groups: control group, matrix group, low-concentration artesunate group (0.48%), medium-concentration artesunate group (0.96%), high-concentration artesunate group (1.92%) and silicone gel group. Punched defects were established on each rabbit’s ear which resulted in a hypertrophic scar. On the 28th day, topical artesunate creams were applied twice a day except on the control group. On the 56th day, scar samples were collected for histopathology and immunoassay. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, Van Gieson staining, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis were done. Amongst the six groups, findings showed that the medium-concentration artesunate group (0.92%) efficiently decreased hypertrophic scar formation and significantly reduced fibroblasts and collagen synthesis. The results had also shown a decrease in the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF-β1) and declined small signal mother against decapentaplegic (Smad3). The overall study shows efficacy and mechanism of artesunate. It concluded that the medium concentration of artesunate (0.92%) could be an effective therapeutic agent for hypertrophic scars.

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Background: Numerous studies have investigated the association between pretreatment serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but conclusions remain controversial. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to assess systematically the relationship between ALP and prognosis in HCC. Methods: We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases for eligible studies up to October. A combined hazard ratio (HR) was determined to describe the correlation between pretreatment serum ALP level and prognosis in HCC patients. Overall survival (OS) was calculated from the date of treatment either to the end point of the follow-up period or to the date of death by any cause. Disease-free survival (DFS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were defined as the period from the date of treatment to the date of last follow-up or to the date of recurrence. OS was regarded as the major outcome. Results: Altogether, 21 studies about OS and 6 studies about DFS/RFS were included in this meta-analysis. Our combined results showed that there was an inverse association of pretreatment serum ALP level with OS (HR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.12–1.19) and RFS (HR=1.78, 95% CI: 1.37–2.31). Conclusion: There was a close association between high pretreatment ALP level and poor survival in HCC patients, indicating that ALP may be used as a biomarker for prognosis. More high-quality studies are required to validate our findings further, considering the limitations of our meta-analysis.

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HIV-1 prevalence in Guangxi, China, has been growing since 1996, when the first case was reported. Over half of HIV-1 positive patients in Guangxi Province were injecting drug users (IDUs), possibly because of the province’s location near drug-trafficking routes. Since a phase II HIV vaccine trial is ongoing there, a current characterization of the subtypes of HIV-1 among IDUs in Guangxi would provide critical information for future HIV vaccine trials, as well as further control and prevention of HIV-1 transmission. Thus, we conducted a molecular epidemiological investigation of HIV-1 samples from 2008–2010 among IDUs in multiple cities in Guangxi Province. Our results, based on the gag/pol fragment, indicated a very high proportion (78.47%) of HIV-1 CRF08_BC recombinants, some CRF01_AE (15.38%) recombinants, and a low proportion of CRF07_BC (6.15%) recombinants among the IDUs. The high proportion of CRF08 HIV-1 strains among recent IDUs matches the vaccine candidate constructs. However, future vaccine development should also incorporate CRF01-targeted vaccine candidates. Distinct Env sequence evolution patterns were observed for CRF08_BC and CRF01_AE, indicating that different local selection pressures have been exerted on these two HIV-1 subtypes. Unique drug-resistant mutations were also detected, and our data indicate that HIV treatment programs should consider pre-existing drug-resistant mutations.

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