Narrow Results

Globally, cervical cancer poses a substantial public health challenge, with low and middle-income countries bearing the highest burden [Rajkhowa, P., D.S. Patil, S.M. Dsouza, P. Narayanan and H. Brand. Evidence on factors influencing HPV vaccine implementation in South Asia: a scoping review. Glob. Public Health 18: 2288269, 2023]. The incidence rate ranks second highest among female malignant tumors in China, following only breast cancer. The prognosis of advanced cervical cancer is extremely poor, with a 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate of only 15%, and the treatment of advanced recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer remains a huge challenge. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can significantly enhance sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs, strengthen antitumor effects, and notably improve adverse reactions associated with cancer such as fatigue and bone marrow suppression. In recent years, the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of Chinese herbal medicines, such as the Guizhi-Fuling-decoction, the compound Yangshe granule, Huangqi, and Ginseng, herbal monomers (e.g., Ginsenoside Rh2, Tanshinone IIA, and Tetrandrine), and the related extracts and compound formulations, have received extensive attention for the treatment of cervical cancer. This paper reviews the research progress of TCM in cervical cancer. In addition, we reported a case of an advanced cervical cancer patient with multiple abdominal and pelvic metastasis who initially received chemotherapy, was then treated with TCM alone, and subsequently survived for 22 years. The model of whole-process management with TCM can enable more cancer patients to obtain longer survival periods.

Millipore's HEScGRO Medium Advances Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research.

A TCM Specialist — Beijing Tongrentang Co Ltd.

Diagnostics Firm Adaltis to Acquire Shanghai Hua Tai Biotechnology.

Organon Acquires Stake in HUYA to Develop Chinese Biopharmaceuticals.

Renhuang Pharmaceuticals Received Major Order from Anhui Huayuan Pharmaceutical.

Sinovac Biotech Ltd—A Leading Chinese Biotech Company.

Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical Signs Letter of Intent for Joint Scientific Research Project with TNI-Penta.

Boston Scientific's Reports on Major Adverse Events of TAXUS Stent Study in Diabetic Patients.

AsiaPharm Acquires Nanjing-based Pharmaceutical Group.

DSM Biologics and Crucell Announced Licensing Agreement with AbGenomics Corporation.

Grant Life Sciences Signs Collaboration Agreement with Taiwan's UCL for Diagnostic Products Validation.

ScinoPharm Launches More Cancer Treatment APIs.

Australian Research Discovers HPV Vaccine Could Prevent Breast Cancer.

Silencing Cancer with Magnetism and Nanotechnology.

New Zealand Scientists Developed Wireless Technology for Heart Pump.

We formulate an age-structured model based on a system of nonlinear partial differential equations to assist the early and catch up female vaccination programs for human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6 and 11. Since these HPV types do not induce permanent immunity, the model, which stratifies the population based on age and gender, has a susceptible-infectious-susceptible (SIS) structure. We calculate the effective reproduction number $R_v$ for the model and describe the local-asymptotic stability of the disease-free equilibrium using $R_v$. We prove the existence of an endemic equilibrium for $R_v>1$ for the no vaccine case. However, analysis of the model for the vaccine case reveals that it undergoes the phenomenon of backward bifurcation. To support our theoretical results, we estimate the age and time solution with the given data for Toronto population, when an early and catch up female vaccine program is adopted, and when there is no vaccine. We show that early and catch up female vaccine program eliminates the infection in both male and female populations over a period of 30 years. Finally, we introduce the optimal control to an age-dependent model based on ordinary differential equations and solve it numerically to obtain the most cost-effective method for introducing the catch up vaccine into the population.

A two-sex deterministic model for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that assesses the impact of treatment and vaccination on its transmission dynamics is designed and rigorously analyzed. The model is shown to exhibit the phenomenon of backward bifurcation, caused by the imperfect vaccine as well as the re-infection of individuals who recover from a previous infection, when the associated reproduction number is less than unity. Analysis of the reproduction number reveals that the impact of treatment on effective control of the disease is conditional, and depends on the sign of a certain threshold unlike when preventive measures are implemented (i.e. condom use and vaccination of both males and females). Numerical simulations of the model showed that, based on the parameter values used therein, a vaccine (with 75% efficacy) for male population with about 40% condom compliance by females will result in a significant reduction in the disease burden in the population. Also, the numerical simulations of the model reveal that with 70% condom compliance by the male population, administering female vaccine (with 45% efficacy) is sufficient for effective control of the disease.

We formulate a two-gender susceptible–infectious–susceptible (SIS) model to search for optimal childhood and catch-up vaccines over a 20-year period. The optimal vaccines should minimize the cost of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) disease in random logistically growing population. We find the basic reproduction number $R_0$ for the model and use it to describe the local-asymptotic stability of the disease-free equilibrium (DFE). We estimate the solution of the model to show the role of vaccine in reducing $R_0$ and controlling the disease. We formulate some optimal control problems to find the optimal vaccines needed to control HPV under limited resources. The optimal vaccines needed to keep $R_0\le 1$ are the catch-up vaccine rates of 0.004 and 0.005 for females and males, respectively; 100$\%$ is needed to reduce $R_0$ to its minimum value. To reduce the expenses for HPV disease and its vaccines, we need 100$\%$ childhood vaccines (both genders) for the first 13–14 years and then gradually reduce the vaccine to reach $0\%$ at year 20. For adults (both genders), we need maximum rates (one) for the first 9 years, then $0.2$ for the next 3–4 years before reducing gradually to zero rate at year 20. Although the childhood vaccines provide very early protection strategy against HPV, its time to control HPV is longer than that for adult vaccines. Thus, full adults’ only vaccines for enough period is a viable choice to control HPV at minimal cost and short time.

A co-infection model for human papillomavirus (HPV) and syphilis with cost-effectiveness optimal control analysis is developed and presented. The full co-infection model is shown to undergo the phenomenon of backward bifurcation when a certain condition is satisfied. The global asymptotic stability of the disease-free equilibrium of the full model is shown not to exist when the associated reproduction number is less than unity. The existence of endemic equilibrium of the syphilis-only sub-model is shown to exist and the global asymptotic stability of the disease-free and endemic equilibria of the syphilis-only sub-model was established, for a special case. Sensitivity analysis is also carried out on the parameters of the model. Using the syphilis associated reproduction number, ${{ℛ}}_{0s}$, as the response function, it is observed that the five-ranked parameters that drive the dynamics of the co-infection model are the demographic parameter $\mu$, the effective contact rate for syphilis transmission, ${\beta }_s$, the progression rate to late stage of syphilis ${\sigma }_2$, and syphilis treatment rates: ${\tau }_1$ and ${\tau }_2$ for co-infected individuals in compartments $H_i$ and $H_l$, respectively. Moreover, when the HPV associated reproduction number, ${{ℛ}}_{0h}$, is used as the response function, the five most dominant parameters that drive the dynamics of the model are the demographic parameter $\mu$, the effective contact rate for HPV transmission, ${\beta }_h$, the fraction of HPV infected who develop persistent HPV ${\rho }_1$, the fraction of individuals vaccinated against incident HPV infection $\varphi$ and the HPV vaccine efficacy ${\pi }_h$. Numerical simulations of the optimal control model showed that the optimal control strategy which implements syphilis treatment controls for singly infected individuals is the most cost-effective of all the control strategies in reducing the burden of HPV and syphilis co-infections.