Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy on the Trend in CD4+ T-Cell Counts among Patients with HIV/AIDS Treated with Antiretroviral Therapy: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Immunomodulatory Function of Pien Tze Huang in T Cell-Mediated Anti-tumor Activity against B16-F10, MC38 and Hep1-6 Tumor Models

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the anti-tumor effects of Pien Tze Huang (PZH) in mouse models of B16-F10 melanoma, MC38 colorectal cancer, Hep1-6 hepatocellular carcinoma and chemically induced hepatocellular carcinoma model.

METHODS

Various tumor models, including B16-F10, MC38 and Hep1-6 tumor hypodermic inoculation models, B16-F10 and Hep1-6 pulmonary metastasis models, Hep1-6 orthotopic implantation model, and chemically induced hepatocellular carcinoma model, were utilized to evaluate the anti-tumor function of PZH. Tumor growth was assessed by measuring tumor size and weight of solid tumors isolated from C57BL/6 mice. For cell proliferation and death of tumor cells in vitro, as well as T cell activation markers, cytokine production and immune checkpoints analysis, single-cell suspensions were prepared from mouse spleen, lymph nodes, and tumors after PZH treatment.

RESULTS

PZH demonstrated significant therapeutic efficacy in inhibiting tumor growth (P<0.01). Treatment with PZH resulted in a reduction in tumor size in subcutaneous MC38 colon adenocarcinoma and B16-F10 melanoma models, and decreased pulmonary metastasis of B16-F10 melanoma and Hep1-6 hepatoma (P<0.01). However, in vitro experiments showed that PZH only had slight impact on the cell proliferation and survival of tumor cells (P>0.05). Nevertheless, PZH exhibited a remarkable ability to enhance T cell activation and the production of interferon gamma, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin 2 in CD4+ T cells in vitro (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Importantly, PZH substantially inhibited T cell exhaustion and boosted cytokine production by tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells (P<0.01 or P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study has confirmed a novel immunomodulatory function of PZH in T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity, indicating that PZH holds promise as a potential therapeutic agent for cancer treatment.

Effects of Chinese Medicine on the Survival of AIDS Patients Administered Second-Line ART in Rural Areas of China: A Retrospective Cohort Study Based on Real-World Data

Objectives

Chinese medicine (CM) improves the symptoms of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and prolongs their survival. This real-world study aimed to evaluate the effects of CM on the survival of AIDS patients administered second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of the medical records of patients with AIDS who switched to second-line ART between January 2009 and December 2014. Patients were divided into ART and CM + ART groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to correct for biases between groups. Kaplan–Meier analysis and the log-rank test were used to compare survival rates, and Cox regression models were employed to identify factors significantly associated with survival.

Results

The study population (n = 4180) was comprised of the CM + ART group (n = 855) and the ART group (n = 3325). After 1 : 2 PSM, 855 patients in the CM + ART group and 1699 in the ART group were selected for analysis. Patients in the CM + ART group were followed for 4246.8 person-years, and the mortality rate was 2.12/100 person-years. Patients in the ART group were followed for 8381.2 person-years, and the mortality rate was 2.91/100 person-years. Cox regression model analysis revealed that patients in the CM + ART group survived significantly longer than those in the ART group (hazard ratio: 0.73 and 95% confidence interval: 0.57–0.93). Gender, age, symptoms, CD4 cell counts, and viral loads were independently associated with the survival of AIDS patients treated with second-line ART.

Conclusions

CM significantly improved the survival rate of AIDS patients treated with second-line ART.

Treating older patients with AIDS using Traditional Chinese Medicine Combined with Conventional Western Medicine in China

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic and incurable disease. People with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) require lifelong care. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has played an important role in AIDS treatment since the year 2004. TCM offers many advantages including a rich resource of Chinese herbs, lower cost and fewer side effects. In addition to the widespread use of antiviral therapy, TCM offers unique humanistic care and holistic adjustment of the body system. To date, more and more patients are benefiting from TCM not only in China. In this article, we describe the feasibility of treating AIDS with TCM.