Glycyrrhiza glabra, a family of licorice and a traditional Chinese medicine with sweet taste and favorable smell, has anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and immunomodulatory functions. We developed a licorice extract (LE) by using glycyrrhiza glabra and administered it through nasal irrigation to treat allergic rhinitis (AR). LE was prepared into extract powder, and the anti-inflammatory effect of the LE was evaluated by calcium ionophore-induced activated mast cell model (in vitro). Then, local passive anaphylaxis assays were applied to investigate the anti-IgE-mediated allergic reaction of the LE in mice (in vivo). A developed LE was administered through nasal irrigation to treat AR in clinic settings. A total of 60 participants diagnosed with AR were included in this clinical trial; they were randomly assigned to three interventions: licorice nasal irrigation (LNI), corticosteroid nasal irrigation (CNI), and saline nasal irrigation (SNI). They performed nasal irrigation once a day for 1 month. Both subjective questionnaires (22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test [SNOT-22] and visual analog scale [VAS]) and objective examinations (acoustic rhinometry and nasal endoscopy) were used for effectiveness assessments. All three interventions could improve SNOT-22 scores, but the effects of LNI and CNI were more significant. According to VAS scores for nasal blockage, rhinorrhea, sneezing, nasal pruritus, postnasal discharge, and olfactory disturbance, the effect of LNI was superior to those of CNI and SNI. The results of rhinometry revealed that LNI significantly improved nasal resistance. Endoscopic analysis showed that both LNI and CNI, but not SNI, could significantly improve turbinate hypertrophy. Moreover, the best procedural comfort was found for LNI, which had no side effects or complications during the trial. LNI is a natural, safe, and innovative therapy that can effectively treat AR. Its effect is superior to those of CNI and SNI, and it has greatly improved procedural comfort.

Background. Gastric cancer remains a major cancer globally. More than half of patients with gastric cancer undergo surgery in Taiwan; however, few large nationwide studies have investigated the effects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on gastric cancer management after surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of TCM on patients with gastric cancer following surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy in Taiwan and its prescription trends. Methods and Materials. The cohort sampling data set was obtained from the Registry of Catastrophic Illness Patient Database, a research database of patients with severe illnesses from the National Health Insurance Research Database, Taiwan. Patients who had received a new diagnosis of gastric cancer and had undergone surgery were enrolled. We matched TCM users and nonusers at a ratio of 1:3 based on the propensity score, and TCM users were also grouped into short-term and long-term users. Results. The number of TCM users and nonusers was 1701 and 5103 after applying the propensity score at a ratio of 1:3. Short-term users and long-term TCM users were independently associated with a decreased risk of death with HRs of 0.59 (95 confidence interval (CI), 0.550.65) and 0.41 (95 CI, 0.360.47), respectively, compared with TCM nonusers. We also obtained similar results when we adjusted for covariates in the main model, as well as each of the additional listed covariates. We also observed similar HR trends in short-term users and long-term TCM users among men and women aged <65years and 65 years. The most commonly prescribed single herb and herbal formula in our cohort were Hwang-Chyi (Radix Hedysari; 11.8) and Xiang-Sha-Liu-Jun-Zi-Tang (15.5), respectively. Conclusion. TCM use was associated with higher survival in patients with gastric cancer after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. TCM could be used as a complementary and alternative therapy in patients with gastric cancer after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy.

Background: Numerous studies have revealed that statins have antitumor effects in vivo and in vitro. However, few studies have explored the relationship between statin use and the mortality of gastric cancer (GC) patients after treatments. This study examines the relationship between statin use and the overall survival (OS) of GC patients after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy, using data from the nationwide cohort database of Taiwan. Methods: All patients newly diagnosed with GC from 1999 to 2008 in Taiwan were identified from the Registry of Catastrophic Illness Patients Database. Through propensity score matching, statin users were matched to statin non-users at a 1:4 ratio. The relationship between statin use and the OS of patients with GC was estimated through Cox regression models. Results: The study cohort included 1835 patients with GC who had received therapies during the study period. The death numbers among statin users (defined as those who used more than 28 cumulative defined daily doses (cDDDs)) and statin non-users were 138 and 895, respectively. A dose–response association was noted between statin use and the OS of patients with GC after treatments. The adjusted hazard ratios were 0.62 (95% confidence intervals (CI), 0.50–0.78) and 0.34 (95% CI, 0.26–0.45) for statin users administered 28–167 cDDDs and >168 cDDDs, respectively, compared with no statin use (<28 cDDDs). Conclusions: This study highlights that statin use may dose-dependently improve the OS of patients with GC after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy in Taiwan. Additional studies are required to confirm the efficacy and safety of statin use.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is correlated with diseases including allergic laryngitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The unified airway model suggests that inflammation can spread in both lower and upper respiratory tracts. Moreover, some voice problems—laryngeal edema, dysphonia, and vocal nodules—have been associated with AR. We examined the association between AR and laryngeal pathology. We investigated 51,618 patients with AR between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2013, along with 206,472 patients without AR matched based on age, gender, urbanization level, and socioeconomic status at a 1:4 ratio. We followed patients up to the end of 2013 or their death. The occurrence of laryngeal pathology was the primary outcome. Individuals with AR had a 2.43 times higher risk of laryngeal pathology than the comparison cohort group (adjusted HR: 2.43, 95% CI: 2.36–2.50, p < 0.001). Patients diagnosed as having AR exhibited higher comorbidity rates, including of asthma, COPD, CRS, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and nasal septum deviation, than those of the comparison cohort. Our results strongly indicate that AR is an independent risk factor for laryngeal pathology. Therefore, when treating AR and voice problems, physicians should be attuned to possible laryngeal pathology.

Background: To date, treating nasal polyps (NPs) is still a medical challenge. However, we have developed an innovative therapy using licorice extract (LE: Glycyrrhiza glabra) to treat rhinitis and sinusitis via nasal irrigation and have discovered that it significantly affects treatment of NPs. Hypothesis/purpose: This study investigated the mechanism of LE on NPs. Study design: NPs were collected from three patients using tissue biopsies before and 2 weeks after nasal irrigation with licorice for histopathological analysis. Additionally, NPs from two patients were collected, and nasal polyp-derived fibroblasts (NPDF) were isolated and cultured. Methods: The TGF-β1-stimulated NPDF model was used to examine the effect of LE on fibroblast differentiation (biomarker: α-SMA), the consequent production of extracellular matrix (ECM; biomarkers: fibronectin, FBN), and the functional signaling pathway. Results: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) revealed that the number of eosinophils and the expression of α-SMA and interstitial collagen of polyps after licorice treatment significantly decreased. Additionally, RT-PCR, western blotting, and immunofluorescence (IF) showed that α-SMA and FBN expressions were significantly increased in the NPDF, which was stimulated by TGF-β1, and LE dose-dependently could effectively reduce this effect. Furthermore, western blotting showed that LE could attenuate α-SMA and FBN expressions by preventing the signaling pathway of MAPK/ERK-1/2, which IHC and IF further confirmed. In addition, LE effectively suppressed the cell migration of NPDF, which is related to polyp expansion. Conclusion: LE is clinically used to treat sinusitis with NPs through nasal irrigation, which significantly reduces the size of NPs. This effect could attenuate fibroblast differentiation, ECM production and cell migration, and one of the functional mechanisms may be through inhibition of the MAPK/ERK-1/2 signaling pathway. Trial registration: ISRCTN (No. 51425529) registered on 17/04/2020 (retrospectively registered) - http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN51425529

(1) Background: Sleep apnea may be a risk factor for deep neck infection (DNI). The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of sleep apnea on DNI. (2) Methods: In this first nationwide retrospective cohort study on the sleep apnea–DNI correlation, we obtained data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005, a subset of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients who were newly diagnosed with sleep apnea between 1997 and 2012 were identified, and patients without sleep apnea were matched at a 1:4 ratio in age, sex, socioeconomic status, and urbanization level. The primary outcome of this study was DNI occurrence. The treatment modalities for sleep apnea and the comorbidities that occurred during the study period were also analyzed. (3) Results: Our sleep apnea and comparison (non-sleep apnea) cohorts comprised 6114 and 24,456 patients, respectively. We compared the cumulative incidence of DNI between these cohorts and found a greater incidence of DNI in the sleep apnea cohort (p < 0.001). A strong sleep apnea–DNI association was found following analysis via the adjusted Cox proportional-hazards model (full model hazard ratio, 1.71; 95% confidence interval, 1.28–2.28; p < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis, sleep apnea increased DNI risk in men, in those aged < 50 years, and in those without diabetes mellitus, end-stage renal disease, liver cirrhosis, autoimmune disease, obesity, tonsillectomy, or adenotonsillectomy. (4) Conclusions: Our results confirmed sleep apnea to be an independent risk factor for DNI. Physicians should be aware of the potential occurrence of DNI in patients with sleep apnea.