Characteristics of regulatory T-cell function in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C coinfection.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) affect the pathogenesis and disease progression of chronic viral hepatitis. This study evaluated the frequency and function of Tregs in patients with chronic HBV/HCV coinfection. Seventy-four untreated HBV/HCV co-infected patients were enrolled in this study. These subjects were divided into four subgroups: HBV-active/HCV-active (BACA), HBV-inactive/HCV-active (BICA), HBV-active/HCV-inactive (BACI) and HBV-inactive/HCV-inactive (BICI). Treg frequency was calculated as the fraction of CD4+ Foxp3+ T cells among CD4+ T cells. Treg-mediated inhibition was measured as percent of inhibition of T-cell proliferation. The expression of interferon (IFN)-γ, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-10 with/without Treg inhibition was also studied. Among the patients, there were 8 cases of BACA (10.8%), 38 of BICA (51.4%), 14 of BACI (18.9%) and 14 of BICI (18.9%). The frequency of CD4+ Foxp3+ T cells was comparable between the four groups. The inhibitory function of Tregs among the patients in the BACA and BICA was higher than that in the BICI (BACA vs BICI, P = .0210; BICA vs BICI, P = .0301). Patients in the BACA and BICA had higher fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) scores and serum ALT levels and lower serum albumin levels than those of the other groups. ALT abnormality was significantly and independently associated with a higher Treg immunosuppressive ability. The IFN-γ expression of the effector T cells in the BACA was higher than that of the other groups. In conclusion, the inhibitory function of Tregs is higher among the HBV/HCV co-infected patients with active HCV infection. ALT abnormality plays a dominant role in Treg function.

Regulatory T Cell Function Modulated After Successful Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis C Patients.

BACKGROUNDS: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) affect the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection. AIMS: This study evaluated the function of Tregs in CHC patients receiving the standard direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA) treatment. METHODS: CHC patients (n = 20) who received DAA treatment, clinical data, and function of Tregs were checked at baseline, Week 4, end of treatment (EOT), and 12 weeks after EOT (SVR 12). Treg-mediated inhibition was measured. The cytokine expression and fold change of interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-10, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß with/without Treg inhibition were also detected. RESULTS: The cohort included 14 females with a mean age of 59.8 ± 11.5 years. Nineteen had HCV genotype 1. The HCV RNA level was 6.17 ± 0.70 log IU/mL. All patients reached the sustained virologic response. The frequency of CD4+Foxp3+T cells decreased from baseline to EOT and returned at SVR 12. The inhibitory function of Tregs decreased during treatment and then restored (baseline vs. EOT, P = 0.0393; EOT vs. SVR 12, P = 0.0052). The cytokine expression and fold change of IFN-γ and TNF-α were highest at EOT and then decreased at SVR 12. The fold change of IL-10 was lowest at EOT and then increased at SVR 12. The fold change of TGF-ß was significantly increased at Week 4 and SVR 12 compared to baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency and inhibitory function of Tregs declined gradually from baseline to EOT and then increased from EOT to SVR 12 in CHC patients receiving DAA therapy. The expression of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, and TGF-ß parallelled Treg function.

Treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis With a Bushen-Qiangdu-Zhilv Decoction: A Case Report With a 3-year Follow-up.

Context • Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a refractory rheumatic disease, characterized by sacroiliitis and structural damage, and over decades, it can lead to joint fusion, frequently followed by significant spinal deformity and disability. However, to date, no method has been found to be effective in relieving or blocking structural damage to joints. Objective • The study intended to show that a decoction of Bushen-Qiangdu-Zhilv (BQZ), a therapy used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), can provide an alternative treatment for AS patients. Design • The research team performed a case study. Setting • The study was conducted at Guangdong Provincial Hospital of TCM in Guangzhou, China. Participant • The case study involved a 33-y-old male patient with active AS who visited the research team's clinic. Intervention • The patient took the BQZ orally 2 ×/d at 30 min after breakfast and 30 min after dinner. The patient returned to the clinic for consultation monthly. The patient took 2 servings/d for 10 mo and then received continuous BQZ treatment of the maintenance dosage for a period of approximately 3 y until December 2013. The maintenance dosage of BQZ was 3 or 4 decoctions per wk. Outcome Measures • The study used a number of measurements to evaluate the outcomes of treatment: (1) disease activity-the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI); (2) functional condition-the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI); (3) inflammation-ratings of morning stiffness and night pain, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration measured by means of particle-enhanced immunonephelometry, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) value as detected using the Westergren method; (4) spinal mobility-the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI); and (5) global assessments by patient and physician. Results • The participant showed improvements in inflammatory symptoms and recovery from structural damage after receiving the TCM therapy for 3 y. Conclusions • The study has shown that the long-term use of BQZ not only can lead to an improvement in inflammatory symptoms and quality of life but also can help to restore function after structural damage in AS patients.

Traditional Chinese medicine versus western medicine as used in China in the management of rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized, single-blind, 24-week study.

This study is designed to compare the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with western medicine (WM) in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This is a 24-week, randomized, multicenter, single-blind study comparing TCM with WM (as used in China) carried out between June 2002 and December 2004 in nine research centers in China, involving 489 patients. Patients were randomized to receive TCM (n = 247), MTX and SSZ (n = 242). MTX was started at a dose of 5 mg to a final dose of 7.5-15 mg weekly. The maintenance dose was 2.5-7.5 mg weekly. The starting dose of SSZ was 0.25 g bid, increasing by 0.25 g a day once a week to a final dose of 0.5-1 g qid. The maintenance dose was 0.5 g tid to qid. Primary end point was the proportion of patients with response according to the American College of Rheumatology 20 % improvement criteria (ACR20) at weeks 24. At 24 weeks, ACR20 responses were 53.0 % in TCM group and 66.5 % in WM group, (P < 0.001) at 24 weeks. ACR 50 responses were 31.6 % of TCM group and 42.6 % in WM group, (P = 0.01). ACR70 responses were 12.6 % in TCM group and 17.4 % in WM group, (P = 0.14). Side effects were observed more frequently in WM group. In this study, ACR20, ACR50 responses at 24 weeks were significantly better in the WM treated group, by intention to treat (ITT) and per protocol analysis. The ACR 70 response showed no significant difference between the two groups. TCM, while effective in treating RA, appears to be less effective than WM in controlling symptoms, but TCM is associated with fewer side effects.

Anti-inflammatory activity of extracts of Bushen-Qiangdu-Zhilv decoction, a Chinese medicinal formula, in M1-polarized RAW264.7.

BACKGROUND: Bushen-Qiangdu-Zhilv Decoction (BQZ) is one of famous traditional Chinese medical formula for treating ankylosing spondylitis (AS). However, the mechanisms underlying effects of BQZ remains unknown. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1, play an important role in AS. We therefore evaluated if BQZ could affect the expression of these cytokines. METHODS: Crude extracts were prepared and fractioned with petroleum ether (PE), ethyl acetate (EA), n-butanol (BU) and finally water (ACE). The stability of the extracts was confirmed by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. M1-polarized RAW264.7 was induced and subsequently treated with BQZ extracts. Quantitative real-time PCR experiments were performed to measure mRNA expression of TNF-α and IL-1. RESULTS: It was found that TNF-α could be significantly suppressed by ACE extracts, whereas IL-1 was dramatically inhibited by BU extracts, which was further confirmed by dose-dependent experiments. Importantly, MTS assays showed that both ACE and BU extracts had a low cytotoxicity. CONCLUSION: Altogether, our study indicates that BQZ decoction exerts anti-AS effects via its anti-inflammatory activity and may have a low side-effect. Further analysis of the extracts of BQZ decoction could lead to a discovery of some novel drugs adding to therapeutic strategy for AS patients.

Body composition and metabolic syndrome in patients with type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome in type 1 diabetes (T1DM) patients has gradually increased. Insulin resistance in T1DM deserves attention. It is necessary to clarify the relationship between body composition, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance in T1DM to guide clinical treatment and intervention. AIM: To assess body composition (BC) in T1DM patients and evaluate the relationship between BC, metabolic syndrome (MS), and insulin resistance in these indi-viduals. METHODS: A total of 101 subjects with T1DM, aged 10 years or older, and with a disease duration of over 1 year were included. Bioelectrical impedance analysis using the Tsinghua-Tongfang BC Analyzer BCA-1B was employed to measure various BC parameters. Clinical and laboratory data were collected, and insulin resistance was calculated using the estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR). RESULTS: MS was diagnosed in 16/101 patients (15.84%), overweight in 16/101 patients (15.84%), obesity in 4/101 (3.96%), hypertension in 34/101 (33.66%%) and dyslipidemia in 16/101 patients (15.84%). Visceral fat index (VFI) and trunk fat mass were significantly and negatively correlated with eGDR (both P < 0.001). Female patients exhibited higher body fat percentage and visceral fat ratio compared to male patients. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that significant factors for MS included eGDR [P = 0.017, odds ratio (OR) = 0.109], VFI (P = 0.030, OR = 3.529), and a family history of diabetes (P = 0.004, OR = 0.228). Significant factors for hypertension included eGDR (P < 0.001, OR = 0.488) and skeletal muscle mass (P = 0.003, OR = 1.111). Significant factors for dyslipidemia included trunk fat mass (P = 0.033, OR = 1.202) and eGDR (P = 0.037, OR = 0.708). CONCLUSION: Visceral fat was found to be a superior predictor of MS compared to conventional measures such as body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio in Chinese individuals with T1DM. BC analysis, specifically identifying visceral fat (trunk fat), may play an important role in identifying the increased risk of MS in non-obese patients with T1DM.

[The relationship between hyperuricemia and contrast-induced nephropathy in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between hyperuricemia and contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: A total of 446 consecutive patients with CKD undergoing PCI in Guangdong general hospital were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into hyperuricemic group (n = 205) and normouricemic group (n = 241).Hyperuricemia was defined as serum uric acid > 420 µmol/L for male, > 357 µmol/L for female. CIN was defined as ≥ 44.2 µmol/L or ≥ 25% increase from baseline Serum creatinine within 48-72 hours after contrast medium exposure, and that was not attributable to other causes.In hospital incidences of CIN and the major adverse cardiac events were compared between the two groups. The relationship between the incidence of CIN and hyperuricemia was evaluated by multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: CIN occurred in 16.6% (74/446) of patients, and incidence of CIN was significantly higher in the hyperuricemic group than in the normouricemic group [23.9% (49/446) vs. 10.4% (25/446) , P = 0.000]. Patients who developed CIN had higher in hospital mortality [14.9% (11/74) vs. 1.3% (5/372), P = 0.000]. Need for renal replacement therapy, acute heart failure, intra-aortic balloon pump use and the hypotension after PCI were significantly higher in the hyperuricemic group compared with normouricemic group (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) . Multivariate analysis indicates that hyperuricemia (OR = 1.9, 95%CI:1.1-3.5, P = 0.037), age > 75 years (OR = 3.2, 95%CI:1.8-5.7, P = 0.000) , emergent PCI (OR = 2.9, 95%CI:1.6-5.1, P = 0.000) and anemia (OR = 2.1, 95%CI:1.2-3.8, P = 0.012) were predictors of CIN in patients with CKD. CONCLUSION: Hyperuricemia is the independent risk predictor of CIN in patients with CKD undergoing PCI.

[Association between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and contrast-induced nephropathy after primary percutaneous coronary intervention].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) . METHODS: A total of 220 STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI from Guangdong general hospital were recruited. Patients were divided into four groups according to the quartile of hs-CRP (Q1 group:hs-CRP < 6.26 mg/L,Q2 group:6.26-14.44 mg/L, Q3 group:14.45-33.08 mg/L, Q4 group:hs-CRP > 33.08 mg/L) . Baseline data, CIN incidence and other in-hospital outcomes were compared among groups. CIN was defined as an increase in serum creatinine of more than 5 mg/L from baseline within 48-72 hours after contrast media exposure. Receiver operator characteristics (ROC) curves and multivariate logistic regression were used to assessed the correlation between hs-CRP and CIN. RESULTS: CIN occurred in 21 (9.8%) patients. CIN incidence of hs-CRP quartitles were 1.8%(1/55), 1.8% (1/55), 14.5% (8/55) and 20.0% (11/55) (P-trend < 0.01), respectively. In-hospital death (P-trend > 0.05) , required renal replace therapy (P-trend > 0.05) were similar among groups. ROC analysis revealed that the optimal cutoff value of hs-CRP to predict the onset of CIN was 16.85 mg/L (sensitivity: 81.0%, specificity: 61.8%, AUC: 0.748). Univariate logistic analysis showed that hs-CRP was strongly related with CIN incidence (OR = 6.88,95%CI:2.23-21.21, P < 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting other traditional risk factors including female gender, anemia, ACEI/ARB use, IABP support, LVEF < 40%, age > 75 years, baseline eGFR and diabetes, hs-CRP > 16.85 mg/L was still a significant independent predictor of CIN in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI. Additionally, age > 75 years (OR = 7.27,95%CI:1.85-28.63, P < 0.01), eGFR (OR = 6.38,95% CI:1.48-27.41, P < 0.05) were also independent risk factors of CIN. CONCLUSIONS: hs-CRP is positively correlated with CIN incidence. STEMI patients with higher hs-CRP level post PCI is at higher risk of developing CIN.

A population-based characterization study of anti-mitochondrial M2 antibodies and its consistency with anti-mitochondrial antibodies.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of anti-mitochondrial antibody subtype M2 (AMA-M2) and assess its consistency with AMA in a general population. METHODS: A total of 8954 volunteers were included to screen AMA-M2 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Sera with AMA-M2 >50 RU/mL were further tested for AMA using an indirect immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: The population frequency of AMA-M2 positivity was 9.67%, of which 48.04% were males and 51.96% were females. The AMA-M2 positivity in males had a peak and valley value of 7.81% and 16.88% in those aged 40 to 49 and ≥70 years, respectively, whereas it showed a balanced age distribution in females. Transferrin and immunoglobulin M were the risk factors for AMA-M2 positivity and exercise was the only protective factor. Of 155 cases with AMA-M2 >50 RU/mL, 25 cases were AMA-positive, with a female-to-male ratio of 5.25:1. Only 2 people, with very high AMA-M2 of 760 and >800 RU/mL, met the diagnostic criteria of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), making the prevalence of PBC 223.36 per million in southern China. CONCLUSION: We found that AMA-M2 has a low coincidence rate with AMA in the general population. A new decision-making point for AMA-M2 is needed to improve consistency with AMA and diagnostic accuracy.

The extraarticular symptoms influence ACR response in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with biomedicine: a single-blind, randomized, controlled, multicenter trial in 194 patients.

OBJECTIVE: The extraarticular symptoms are important in the pattern differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and the present study is designed in an attempt to find the associations between the extraarticular symptoms and American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Response in 194 cases of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with biomedicine. METHODS: The data were obtained from a randomized clinical trial. One hundred ninety-four RA patients were treated with the biomedical therapy (diclofenec, methotrexate and sulfasalazine). ACR20 response in 24 weeks was used for the efficacy evaluation. Eighteen symptoms (including 13 extraarticular symptoms) that TCM practitioners focus on were collected for exploration on the association between the symptoms and the efficacy of the biomedical therapy with association rules method. RESULTS: After 24 weeks, a total of 135 patients receiving biomedicine had achieved an ACR20 response. The association rules analysis on each symptom showed that soreness in the waist was more associated with ACR20 response, but with lower support (selected sample size based, 20.10% and 14.95% respectively); cold intolerance and cold joint were found to be associated with ACR20 response with higher support (48.97% and 53.61% respectively), and the confidences (predicted effective rate) were 73.08% and 71.23% respectively. The associations between combination of symptoms (among them, there was at least one extraarticular symptom) and ACR20 response indicated that cold intolerance or cold joint with higher confidence and support were the most important extraarticular symptoms. CONCLUSION: The RA patients with "cold intolerance" and "cold joints", which are the extraarticular symptoms that TCM practitioners focus on, may show higher ACR20 response when treated with the biomedical approach.

Administrative and Claims Data Help Predict Patient Mortality in Intensive Care Units by Logistic Regression: A Nationwide Database Study.

BACKGROUND: Increasing attention has been paid to the predictive power of different prognostic scoring systems for decades. In this study, we compared the abilities of three commonly used scoring systems to predict short-term and long-term mortalities, with the intention of building a better prediction model for critically ill patients. We used the data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan, which included information on patient age, comorbidities, and presence of organ failure to build a new prediction model for short-term and long-term mortalities. METHODS: We retrospectively collected the medical records of patients in the intensive care unit of a regional hospital in 2012 and linked them to the claims data from the NHIRD. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI), and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) were compared for their predictive abilities. Multiple logistic regression tests were performed, and the results were presented as receiver operating characteristic curves and C-statistic. RESULTS: The APACHE II score has the best predictive power for inhospital mortality (0.79; C - statistic = 0.77 - 0.83) and 1-year mortality (0.77; C - statistic = 0.74 - 0.79). The ECI and CCI alone have poorer predictive power and need to be combined with other variables to be comparable to the APACHE II score, as predictive tools. Using CCI together with age, sex, and whether or not the patient required mechanical ventilation is estimated to have a C-statistic of 0.773 (95% CI 0.744-0.803) for inhospital mortality, 0.782 (95% CI 0.76-0.81) for 30-day mortality, and 0.78 (95% CI 0.75-0.80) for 1-year mortality. CONCLUSIONS: We present a new prognostic model that combines CCI with age, sex, and mechanical ventilation status and can predict mortality, comparable to the APACHE II score.

Metagenome-wide association study of the alterations in the intestinal microbiome composition of ankylosing spondylitis patients and the effect of traditional and herbal treatment.

Introduction. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a systemic progressive disease with an unknown etiology that may be related to the gut microbiome. Therefore, a more thorough understanding of its pathogenesis is necessary for directing future therapy.Aim. We aimed to determine the differences in intestinal microbial composition between healthy individuals and patients with AS who received and who did not receive treatment interventions. In parallel, the pathology of AS in each patient was analysed to better understand the link between AS treatment and the intestinal microbiota of the patients.Methodology. Sixty-six faecal DNA samples, including 37 from healthy controls (HCs), 11 from patients with untreated AS (NM), 7 from patients treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. celecoxib; WM) and 11 from patients treated with Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), such as the Bushen-Qiangdu-Zhilv decoction, were collected and used in the drug effect analysis. All samples were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq 4000 and the microbial composition was determined.Results. Four species were enriched in the patients with AS: Flavonifractor plautii, Oscillibacter, Parabacteroides distasonis and Bacteroides nordii (HC vs. NM, P<0.05); only F. plautii was found to be significantly changed in the NM-HC comparison. No additional species were found in the HC vs. CHM analysis, which indicated a beneficial effect of CHM in removing the other three strains. F. plautii was found to be significantly increased in the comparison between the HC and WM groups, along with four other species (Clostridium bolteae, Clostridiales bacterium 1_7_47FAA, C. asparagiforme and C. hathewayi). The patients with AS harboured more bacterial species associated with carbohydrate metabolism and glycan biosynthesis in their faeces. They also had bacterial profiles less able to biodegrade xenobiotics or synthesize and transport vitamins.Conclusion. The gut microbiota of the patients with AS varied from that of the HCs, and the treatment had an impact on this divergence. Our data provide insight that could guide improvements in AS treatment.

Automated tongue diagnosis on the smartphone and its applications.

Tongue features are important objective basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment in both western medicine and Chinese medicine. The need for continuous monitoring of health conditions inspires us to develop an automatic tongue diagnosis system based on built-in sensors of smartphones. However, tongue images taken by smartphone are quite different in color due to various lighting conditions, and it consequently affects the diagnosis especially when we use the appearance of tongue fur to infer health conditions. In this paper, we captured paired tongue images with and without flash, and the color difference between the paired images is used to estimate the lighting condition based on the Support Vector Machine (SVM). The color correction matrices for three kinds of common lights (i.e., fluorescent, halogen and incandescent) are pre-trained by using a ColorChecker-based method, and the corresponding pre-trained matrix for the estimated lighting is then applied to eliminate the effect of color distortion. We further use tongue fur detection as an example to discuss the effect of different model parameters and ColorCheckers for training the tongue color correction matrix under different lighting conditions. Finally, in order to demonstrate the potential use of our proposed system, we recruited 246 patients over a period of 2.5 years from a local hospital in Taiwan and examined the correlations between the captured tongue features and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST), which are important bio-markers for liver diseases. We found that some tongue features have strong correlation with AST or ALT, which suggests the possible use of these tongue features captured on a smartphone to provide an early warning of liver diseases.

[Principal factor analysis of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and their correlations with efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlations between symptom-based principal factors of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the effect of traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine on RA after factor analysis of RA symptoms. METHODS: Four hundred and thirteen RA patients from 9 clinical centers were included in the clinical trial. They were randomly divided into Western medicine (WM) treated group with 204 cases and traditional Chinese medicine (CM) treated group with 209 cases. A complete physical examination and 18 common clinical manifestations were recorded before the randomization and after the treatment. The WM therapy included voltaren extended action tablet, methotrexate and sulfasalazine. The CM therapy included glucosidorum Tripterygll totorum tablet and Yishen Juanbi Tablet. The American College of Rheumatology 20 (ACR20) was used for efficacy evaluation. All data were analyzed on SAS 8.2 statistical package. Eighteen symptoms in the RA patients were analyzed by factor analysis and the relationships between the factors and effects were analyzed with Chi-Square test. RESULTS: Four principal factors were obtained from the analysis results of the 18 symptoms. The factors could represent the symptoms related to joints, cold-syndrome, deficiency syndrome and heat-syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), respectively. The effect of WM therapy was better than CM therapy. After 12 weeks of treatment, the effect of CM on patients without deficiency-syndrome was better than the patients with deficiency-syndrome. After 24 weeks of treatment, WM therapy showed better effect on patients with cold syndrome than patients without cold syndrome. CONCLUSION: The results based on the factor analysis of RA symptoms are similar to the results of syndrome differentiation of TCM, and the factor-related different categories of symptoms are associated with the curative effect, thus further research on the symptoms is necessary.

[Comparative study on characteristics of Chinese and Western medicine for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis regarding cartilage erosion related blood biochemical and immunological factors].

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the cartilage erosion related blood biochemical and immune factors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to explore the special influences of Chinese medicine (CM) and Western medicine (WM) on these factors. METHODS: Three hundred and ninety-seven patients, with confirmed diagnosis of active RA, were randomly assigned to the WM group (194 patients) and the CM group (203 patients). The WM applied covered non-steroid anti-inflammatory agents and slow acting medicine; and the CM given included basic remedy and syndrome differentiating medication. Related blood biochemical and immunological indexes were determined before and after treatment to screen out the cartilage erosion related factors and to compare the influence of CM and WM on them. RESULTS: Patients' peripheral red blood cell (RBC) and platelet (PLT) count were changed closely along with their degree of cartilage erosion. RBC count increased in the CM group and PLT count lowered in the WM group after treatment, all showed statistical significance; comparison of the two indexes between the two groups showed that statistical difference presented in RBC but not in PLT count. CONCLUSION: Both WM and CM can ameliorate the cartilage erosive factor in RA, but they are acting in different ways.

[Exploration on relationship between platelet count and efficacy of Chinese medicine and Western medicine in treating rheumatoid arthritis patients].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlationship between platelet count and efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) or Western medicine (WM) in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS: A total of 356 patients with confirmed diagnosis of active RA from 9 clinical centers were randomly assigned to the TCM group (184 cases) and the WM group (172 cases). The TCM group was treated with basic therapy (administration of glucosidorum tripterygll totorum and Yishen Juanbi Pill) and TCM syndrome differentiation dependent treatment, while the WM group was treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and slow-acting anti-rheumatic drugs. The therapeutic efficacy was assessed with ACR20, the joint damage degree of both hands was evaluated by X-ray. RESULTS: The platelet count was positively correlated to the X- ray grading of joint damage, namely, patients with a more severe joint damage often presented a higher platelet count. After treatment, in patients with joint damage of X-ray grade II or III and effectively treated with TCM, also in patients with joint damage of grade III and effectively treated with WM, the platelet count was lower than that in those treated ineffectively. CONCLUSION: Platelet count is closely correlated to the efficacy of drug therapy, therefore, it may be taken as an important index for judging the curative effect of therapeutic approach in treating RA patients.

[Predictive role of diagnostic information in treatment efficacy of rheumatoid arthritis based on neural network model analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the indications of the therapies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with neural network model analysis. METHODS: Three hundred and ninety-seven patients were included in the clinical trial from 9 clinical centers. They were randomly divided into Western medicine (WM) treated group, 194 cases; and traditional Chinese herbal medicine (CM) treated group, 203 cases. A complete physical examination and 18 common clinical manifestations were prepared before the randomization and after the treatment. The WM therapy included voltaren extended action tablet, methotrexate and sulfasalazine. The CM therapy included Glucosidorum Tripterygii Totorum Tablet and syndrome differentiation treatment. The American College of Rheumatology 20 (ACR20) was taken as efficacy evaluation. All data were analyzed on SAS 8.2 statistical package. The relationships between each variable and efficacy were analyzed, and the variables with P<0.2 were included for the data mining analysis with neural network model. All data were classified into training set (75%) and verification set (25%) for further verification on the data-mining model. RESULTS: Eighteen variables in CM and 24 variables in WM were included in the data-mining model. In CM, morning stiffness, swollen joint number, peripheral immunoglobulin M (IgM) level, tenderness joint number, tenderness, rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP) and joint pain were positively related to the efficacy, and disease duration and more urination at night negatively related to the efficacy. In WM, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), weak waist, white fur in tongue, joint pain, joint stiffness and swollen joint were positively related to the efficacy, and yellow fur in tongue, red tongue, white blood negatively related to the efficacy. In the analysis with the neural network model in the patients of verification set, the predictive response rates of 20% patients would be 100% and 90% in the treatment with CM and WM, respectively. CONCLUSION: Neural network model analysis, based on the full clinical trial data with collection of both traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine diagnostic information, shows a good predictive role for the information in the efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis.

[Correlations between diagnostic information and therapeutic efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis analyzed with decision tree model].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlations between diagnostic information and therapeutic efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with decision tree model analysis. METHODS: Three hundred and ninety seven patients came from 9 clinical centers were randomly divided into the Western medicine (WM) group (n=194) treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and slow-acting antirheumatic drug and the Chinese medicine (CM) group (n=203) with basic therapy and syndrome-differentiation dependant TCM treatment. TCM and WM diagnostic information were collected. The ACR 20 was used for efficacy evaluation and the information of patients before treatment was analyzed by SAS 8.2 statistical package. Through single-factor exploratory analysis, odds ratio of efficacy and variable was calculated taken P < 0.2 as the including criteria for data mining analysis with decision tree model. All data were classified into the training set (75%) and verifying set (25%) with efficacy as the variable for layering to make further verification of the data-mining analysis. RESULTS: Twenty variables were included in the CM group and 26 in the WM group in the data-mining model. In the former, 9 variables were positively correlated to the efficacy, including degree of arthralgia, tenderness and morning stiffness, number of swollen joint, and joint with tenderness, levels of IgM, rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), and total assessment from doctor; and disease duration and degree of nocturnal polyuria were negatively correlated to that. While in the latter, 8 were positively correlated to the efficacy, including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), sour and weak waist and knees, white fur in tongue, joint ache and stiffness, swollen joint, and total assessment from doctor and patient, and red tongue with yellow fur and leucocyte count negatively correlated to it. Data mining with decision tree analysis revealed that different combinations of morning stiffness, slight red tongue, joint tenderness and nocturnal polyuria in the CM group, and those of white fur in tongue, CRP level, leucocyte count and morning stiffness in the WM group showed different efficacy, which were also verified in the randomly chosen verifying set. CONCLUSION: To analyze the correlations between diagnostic information and therapeutic efficacy with decision tree analysis is conformed to the theory of TCM in applying treatment according to syndrome differentiation individually, thus it would contribute to elevate the accuracy of therapy.

Role of gut microbiome in ankylosing spondylitis: an analysis of studies in literature.

OBJECTIVE: Gut microbiome is considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). We conducted a comprehensive literature review in this area to facilitate future research. METHODS: We searched all literature in the PubMed database from inception to July 2016. Relevant articles were chosen and analyzed by three independent investigators. RESULTS: The composition of gut microbiome in patients with AS has been identified to be different from healthy populations; however, specific profiles of gut microbiome are not yet clearly known. Through the host-bacteria dynamic interactions in general, intestinal dysbiosis impairs the gut mucosal barrier and leads to the disorder of intestinal mucosal immunity, resulting in increased pro-inflammatory cytokines and subsequent chronic inflammatory phenotype of AS. Moreover, colonization with specific AS gut microbiome could induce effective animal models, which will aid studies of pathogenesis of AS. CONCLUSION: This analysis underscores the role of gut microbiome in chronic inflammation of AS and its possible underlying mechanisms. Intestinal dysbiosis is undoubtedly involved in the disease progression of AS, and the discovery of a specific profile of gut microbiome in AS will help reveal new therapeutic targets and diagnosis markers.

Bushen-Qiangdu-Zhilv decoction inhibits osteogenic differentiation of rat fibroblasts by regulating connexin 43.

Bushen-Qiangdu-Zhilv (BQZ) decoction is a traditional Chinese medicinal compound widely used for treating ankylosing spondylitis (AS). However, the mechanisms underlying effects of BQZ remain largely unknown. Osteoblast differentiation of fibroblasts plays an important role in heterotopic ossification (HO) of AS, and connexin 43 (Cx43) is crucially involved in the osteoblast differentiation of fibroblasts. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of BQZ on the osteogenic differentiation of fibroblasts by regulating Cx43. Rat fibroblasts were treated with freeze-dried powder of BQZ, in the presence or absence of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2). MTS assays were performed to examine the inhibitory effects of BQZ on fibroblast proliferation. Western blot assays were conducted to detect the protein expression of core-binding factor alpha 1 (Cbfα1), Cx43 and phosphorylated Cx43 (pCx43). BQZ appeared to inhibit fibroblast proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the expression of Cbfα1 and Cx43/pCx43 was significantly suppressed by BQZ, with or without rhBMP-2 stimulation. Therefore, the present results indicate that BQZ may exert an anti-AS effect by suppressing the osteogenic differentiation of fibroblasts via Cx43 regulation.