Glycyrrhizin and the Related Preparations: An Inspiring Resource for the Treatment of Liver Diseases.

Liver diseases and their related complications endanger the health of millions of people worldwide. The prevention and treatment of liver diseases are still serious challenges both in China and globally. With the improvement of living standards, the prevalence of metabolic liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and alcoholic liver disease, has increased at an alarming rate, resulting in more cases of end-stage liver disease. Therefore, the discovery of novel therapeutic drugs for the treatment of liver diseases is urgently needed. Glycyrrhizin (GL), a triterpene glycoside from the roots of licorice plants, possesses a wide range of pharmacological and biological activities. Currently, GL preparations (GLPs) have certain advantages in the treatment of liver diseases, with good clinical effects and fewer adverse reactions, and have shown broad application prospects through multitargeting therapeutic mechanisms, including antisteatotic, anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, antifibrotic, anticancer, and drug interaction activities. This review summarizes the currently known biological activities of GLPs and their medical applications in the treatment of liver diseases, and highlights the potential of these preparations as promising therapeutic options and their alluring prospects for the treatment of liver diseases.

A Preliminary Study on Warm Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Treating Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with Abdominal Distension.

Most patients with COPD have a combination of abdominal distension, which has been shown to adversely affect pulmonary symptoms, frequency of acute exacerbations, and quality of life in patients with COPD. Warm acupuncture and moxibustion have been shown to be effective in relieving symptoms in patients with COPD combined with abdominal distention. Warm acupuncture and moxibustion are highly effective, easy to perform, and inexpensive forms of traditional Chinese medicine treatments. The standardized practice of warm acupuncture and moxibustion is very important for the treatment of COPD combined with abdominal distension. The specific steps include selecting the appropriate acupoints for needling through syndrome differentiation treatment and selecting moxa sticks of appropriate length for moxibustion for about 30 min after the De-qi. The course of treatment lasts for one week. The following indicators are specifically assessed: the score of the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and the abdominal distension visual analog scale (VAS). This article will clearly illustrate how to standardize the manipulation of warm acupuncture and moxibustion to relieve COPD combined with abdominal distention.

Influence of Baduanjin on lung function, exercise capacity, and quality of life in patients with mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an illness characterized by progressive aggravation of airflow limitation, which seriously affects patients' quality of life, and even life-threatening. The lung function of COPD patients is chronically and progressively deteriorated. Among them, the lung function of early COPD patients deteriorates rapidly, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) declines faster than other stages. If diagnosed early and effectively treated in time, it can greatly affect the prognosis. As a traditional exercise regimen, Baduanjin can improve lung function, exercise capacity, and quality of life of COPD patients. However, high-quality evidence-based medical evidence is so far be lacking to confirm the effectiveness of Baduanjin in reducing or preventing mild COPD lung function decline. METHODS: This study is a randomized controlled trial, 192 patients with mild COPD were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. Both of them will receive basic treatment (health education and Tiotropium bromide), the experimental group will receive Baduanjin exercise training, and the control group will be told to maintain the original lifestyle and control the exercise. The Baduanjin exercise will last for 24 weeks and will be followed up for 72 weeks. The primary outcome is the change in lung function, including FEV1, FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1/predicted. The secondary results included COPD assessment test, 6-minute walk test, St. George Respiratory Questionnaire, and Dyspnea Scale. Safety will also serve as assessing during the test. DISCUSSION: The results of this trial will provide that traditional Baduanjin exercises can prevent COPD lung function deterioration, and provide a simple, inexpensive, and daily pulmonary rehabilitation measure for the patients with mild COPD.