Network pharmacology-based evaluation of natural compounds with paclitaxel for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

Metastatic breast cancer is a prevalent life-threatening disease. Paclitaxel (PTX) is widely used in metastatic breast cancer therapy, but the side effects limit its chemotherapeutic application. Multidrug strategies have recently been used to maximize potency and decrease the toxicity of a particular drug by reducing its dosage.

Cardiotonic steroids as potential Na/K-ATPase inhibitors - a computational study.

Cardiotonic steroids (CTS) are steroidal drugs, processed from the seeds and dried leaves of the genus Digitalis as well as from the skin and parotid gland of amphibians. The most commonly known CTS are ouabain, digoxin, digoxigenin and bufalin. CTS can be used for safer medication of congestive heart failure and other related conditions due to promising pharmacological and medicinal properties.

An integrated computational approach to identify GC minor groove binders using various molecular docking scoring functions, dynamics simulations and binding free energy calculations.

Understanding the DNA-ligand interaction mechanism is of utmost importance to design selective inhibitors targeting the GC- and AT-rich DNA. This forms a primary strategy to block the association of transcription factors to promoters and subsequently, reduce the expression of genes. We present here an integrated approach combining various docking scoring functions, selective ligand-based pharmacophore models, molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy calculations to prioritize natural compounds specific to GC minor groove binding.

Comparison of nodal positivity between SLNM vs conventional surgery in colon cancer patients with <12 and ≥12 lymph nodes harvested.

Background: Examination of ≥12 lymph nodes (LNs) ensures accurate staging in colon cancer. The aim of this study was to compare nodal positivity between sentinel LN mapping (SLNM) and conventional surgery in patients with <12 and ≥12 LNs harvested.

Methods: From 1993 to 2008, 407 and 380 patients with colon cancer underwent SLNM and conventional surgery, respectively.

A prospective trial comparing 1% lymphazurin vs 1% methylene blue in sentinel lymph node mapping of gastrointestinal tumors.

Background: Methylene blue (M), as a dye in sentinel lymph node mapping (SLNM), has been introduced as an alternative to lymphazurin (L) after the recent shortage of L. M has been evaluated in breast cancer in multiple studies with favorable results. Our study compares L with M in the SLNM of gastrointestinal (GI) tumors.

Comparative analysis of bone marrow micrometastases with sentinel lymph node status in early-stage breast cancer.

Bone marrow micrometastases (BMM) and sentinel lymph node (SLN) status are both prognostic factors in breast cancer (BRCa) patients (pts). A definitive relationship between the two has not yet been proven and the data available is controversial. Thus, a retrospective study was conducted to determine the relationship of BM status and SLN status in pts with early BRCa (T1/T2).

Metaanalysis of the correlation between radiographic tumor response and patient-reported outcomes.

Background: The primary aim of the current study was to determine whether radiographic tumor response is associated with patient-reported outcomes such as symptom response or health-related quality of life.

Methods: A metaanalysis was conducted of 21 available studies from 1995-2003 that provided data sufficient for examining the association between tumor response and patient-reported outcomes, including symptom response and health-related quality of life. A second aim was to examine the influence of possible moderating study variables on effect size variation.

The validity and clinical utility of symptom monitoring in advanced lung cancer: a literature review.

Symptom monitoring and quality-of-life (QOL) evaluation in lung cancer patients might improve care. Brief, valid, and responsive tools are available to measure symptoms and their effect on QOL. Instruments available for use in lung cancer patients can be classified into 3 categories: generic, cancer-specific, and lung cancer symptom-specific.

Quality of life and symptom measures in oncology: an overview.

Improving quality of life (QOL) in oncology patients is an important therapeutic goal, and most treatment decisions are heavily influenced by their effect on QOL. Although measuring QOL has been a significant challenge because of a lack of consensus on the definition of QOL, research in this field has advanced rapidly. Numerous instruments now exist for measuring QOL and symptom burden, ranging from general health status measures to considerably more focused symptom measures.