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OBJECTIVE: To explore the functional role of the drug-dependent mesenchymal-epithelial transition (Met)-axiation "π" structural module of neurogenesis after processing by three components of Qingkailing injection in neurogenesis and angiogenesis in cerebral ischemia. METHODS: We used a Glutathione S-transferase (GST)-pull down assay, isothermal titration calorimetry assay, and other related methods to identify the relationships among Met, inositol polyphosphate phosphatase like 1 (Inppl1), and death associated protein kinase 3 (Dapk3) in this allosteric module. The biological effects of the modules of neurons generation composed of Met, Inppl1, and Dapk3 were measured through Western blot, apoptosis analysis, and double immunofluorescence labeling. RESULTS: The GST-pull down assay revealed that proline-serine-threonine rich domain of Met binds to the Src homology domain of Inppl1 to form a protein-protein complex; Dapk3 with a C-terminal domain interacts weakly with the protein kinase C domain of Met in the intracellular region. Thus, we obtained a "π" structuring module considered a neural regeneration module. The biological effects of angiogenesis and neurogenesis modules composed of Met, Inppl1, and Dapk3 were also verified. CONCLUSION: The study suggested that understanding the functional modules that contribute to pharmaceutics might provide novel signatures that can be used as endpoints to define disease processes under stroke or cerebral ischemia conditions.
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Brain Ischemia , Drugs, Chinese Herbal , Stroke , Humans , Angiogenesis , Neurogenesis/physiology , Brain Ischemia/drug therapy , Brain Ischemia/geneticsABSTRACT
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a frequently and commonly occurring disease in clinic. In recent decades, with the development in pathophysiology and drug researches, modern medicine has achieved remarkable progress and results in diagnosis and treatment. However, the treatments for non-erosive reflux disease, refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease, proton pump inhibitor resistance, overlap of disease symptoms, and extraesophageal symptoms are limited and ineffective. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was widely used in clinical practice, which has been proved effective in relieving symptoms and improving the quality of life. Sponsored by China Association of Chinese Medicine (CACM) and undertaken by the Spleen and Stomach Disease Branch of CACM, "the 12th Youth Salon of Clinical Predominance Disease Series (GERD)" invited 18 authoritative digestive experts of TCM and western medicine to discuss "the difficulties of clinical diagnosis and treatment of GERD and TCM advantages". The focus issues such as modern medical diagnosis and treatment achievements and contributions, improvement and maintenance of symptoms, response to overlapping disease symptoms, reduction and withdrawal of acid suppressors, and treatment of extra-esophageal symptoms were discussed in depth. TCM and western medicine exchanged and complemented each other's strengths, combing the difficulties of modern medical diagnosis and treatment, which clarified the positioning and advantages of TCM and provided guidance for clinical and scientific research.
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ObjectiveTo investigate the predictive indicators of early efficacy of Bushen Shengxue prescription combined with western medicine in the treatment of aplastic anemia, and provide prognosis indicators for the treatment of aplastic anemia (AA) with kidney-tonifying therapy in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combined with western medicine. MethodA total of 126 patients treated by Bushen Shengxue prescription combined with western medicine in 19 hospitals including Xiyuan Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from September 2018 to March 2021 were selected for a retrospective study. The therapy was proven to be effective after six months of treatment. According to the efficacy after 4 months of treatment, the patients were assigned into a 4-month effective group and a 4-month ineffective group. The age, sex, disease severity (including severe aplastic anemia and non-severe aplastic anemia), course of disease, degree of bone marrow nucleated cell proliferation, baseline hemogram levels [including white blood cell count (WBC), absolute neutrophil count (ANC), hemoglobin (HGB), platelets (PLT), and reticulocytes (RET)], T lymphocytes subsets, and the expression levels of T-box transcription factor (T-bet) and GATA-binding protein-3 (GATA-3) were compared between the two groups before treatment. ResultThe proportions of patients within the age ranges of [20, 40) and [60, 80) were higher in the 4-month effective group (P<0.05). The sex, disease severity, course of disease, and comorbidities had no significant differences between the two groups. The 4-month effective group had higher baseline levels of HGB, WBC, ANC, and PLT than the 4-month ineffective group (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the RET level between the two groups before treatment. Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that the PLT level before treatment was an independent factor affecting the onset time, while other indicators did not affect the onset time. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was established to analyze the value of PLT level before treatment for predicting the onset time, and the area under the curve was 0.691. With the critical value of 40.5×109/L, the sensitivity and specificity of the prediction that the therapy will take effect within 4 months were 0.569 and 0.893, respectively. The two groups of patients were graded according to age {(14, 20), [20, 40), [40, 60), and [60, 80)} and PLT level before treatment (PLT<40×109/L, PLT≥40×109/L). The proportion of the patients with PLT≥40×109/L before treatment in the 4-month effective group was significantly higher than that in the 4-month ineffective group (P<0.05). The degree of bone marrow nucleated cell proliferation before treatment had no significant difference between the two groups. The level of total T lymphocytes in the 4-month effective patients was lower than that in the 4-month ineffective patients before treatment (P<0.05). The levels of Th1 cells, Th2 cells, CD4+ T cells, and CD8+ T cells showed no significant differences between the two groups before treatment. The T-bet expression level in the 4-month effective group was higher than that in the 4-month ineffective group before treatment (P<0.05), while the expression level of GATA-3 showed no significant difference between the two groups before treatment. ConclusionBushen Shengxue prescription combined with western medicine will achieve faster effect for the patients within the age ranges of [20, 40) or [40, 60), with higher levels of HGB, WBC, ANC, and PLT (especially those with PLT≥40×109/L), lower level of total T lymphocytes, or higher T-bet expression level before treatment.
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ObjectiveTo explore the clinical effect of kidney-tonifying and blood-generating method and qi-promoting and blood-nourishing method combined with western medicine on the treatment of aplastic anemia and the characteristics of blood routine recovery, and to explore a new phased treatment model for aplastic anemia. MethodThis study was based on a prospective, multicenter, double-blind, and randomized controlled clinical trial. Patients with aplastic anemia from 19 centers were analyzed and divided into a kidney-tonifying and blood-generating group and a Qi-promoting and blood-nourishing group, which were treated with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combined with western medicine. The clinical effect and the changes in blood routine in each group during treatment were evaluated. ResultDuring the observation period, 375 cases of aplastic anemia were included in two groups, and TCM syndrome differentiation conformed these cases as Qi-deficiency type and both Qi and blood-deficiency type. These cases were randomly divided into two groups, including 184 in the kidney-tonifying and blood-generating group and 191 in the Qi-promoting and blood-nourishing group, being treated by kidney-tonifying and blood-generating granules and Qi-promoting and blood-nourishing granules, respectively, and combined oral androgen and ciclosporin soft capsules. The treatment lasted for six months and was divided into three stages. Visits were conducted from the beginning of the treatment to the end of the first, fourth, and sixth months. The curative effect was evaluated six months later. The total effective rate of the kidney-tonifying and blood-generating group was 86.4% (159/184), which was significantly better than that of the Qi-promoting and blood-nourishing group [68.6% (131/191), P<0.01)]. The results of the percentage quartile of blood cell growth in each stage of the 2 groups were analyzed. The hemoglobin concentration and platelet count of the patients in the kidney-invigorating blood group continued to increase after treatment, and significantly increased in the second and third stages compared with the first stage (P<0.05). The increase of reticulocyte count was most significant in the first stage of treatment (P<0.05). The reticulocyte count in supplementing Qi and nourishing blood group increased significantly in the first and second stages of treatment (P<0.05). The other observation indicators increased at each stage, but there was no statistical difference in the growth rate. The effects of the two groups were compared by stages. In the second stage of treatment, the increase of hemoglobin concentration in the kidney-invigorating blood group was better than that in the supplementing Qi-nourishing blood group (P<0.05). The increase of platelet count and red blood cell count in supplementing Qi and nourishing blood group was greater (P<0.05). In the third stage of treatment, the increase of hemoglobin concentration in the bushen Shengxue group was more significant (P<0.05). ConclusionThe overall effective rate of the kidney-tonifying and blood-generating method in the treatment of aplastic anemia is better than that of the Qi-promoting and blood-nourishing method, with significant effects and safety. This study has proposed a three-stage early treatment mode for aplastic anemia. The first and third stages (0-1, 5-6 months) were mainly treated by invigorating kidney and generating blood. In the second stage of treatment (2-4 months), invigorating kidney and generating blood combined with invigorating Qi and nourishing blood were adopted. It may be closer to the actual clinical treatment response and objective rule changes of aplastic anemia.
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ObjectiveTo carry out the clinical comprehensive evaluation of Biantong capsules and Biantong tablets in the treatment of constipation guided by the clinical value of drugs, and to provide a scientific basis for the rational pricing, rational use, and cataloging of Biantong capsules/tablets. MethodThe available evidence and survey data were used for the clinical comprehensive evaluation of Biantong capsules/tablets and three control drugs in the treatment of constipation in terms of the six dimensions including effectiveness, safety, economics, innovation, suitability, and accessibility. ResultIn terms of effectiveness, Biantong capsules/tablets can improve the response rate, with clear pharmacological mechanism. In terms of safety, the absence of toxic reaction, the mild adverse reactions, and the favorable prognosis indicate high safety. In terms of economics, the average daily cost of Biantong capsules/tablets is the lowest among the tested drugs, which indicates a cost-effectiveness advantage. In terms of innovation, Biantong capsules/tablets have been authorized patents in China and listed as members in the third category of new drugs of traditional Chinese medicine/ninth new drugs of traditional Chinese medicine. In terms of suitability, Biantong capsules/tablets are convenient to store and take and have good suitability in terms of drug technical characteristics and drug usage. In terms of accessibility, Biantong capsules/tablets have a wide coverage in hospitals, sufficient capacity, low patient burden, extensive drug catalogue coverage, and no major environmental risk for long-term application. The comprehensive values of the tested drugs follow a descending order of control drug B (84.27 score), Biantong capsules/tablets (82.47 score), control drug A (70.47 score), and control drug C (59.46 score). The recommendations of the expert panel are Class A (18/18), which can be directly converted into decision-making. ConclusionBiantong capsules/tablets demonstrate a high clinical comprehensive value in the treatment of constipation, providing a reference for the rational pricing, rational use, and cataloging of drugs.
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This paper was aimed to discuss the feasibility and attentions of application of instrumental variable (IV) methods in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) outcome research. First, the application of IV was introduced, which included the basic principles and hypothesis, statistical model, estimator of IV and weak IV. Then, an example was given to illustrate the evaluation criteria and attentions of IV. The resultsshowed that IV method was proposed as a potential approach to the problems of confounding in statistics. But using IV methods should be based on a series of statistical hypotheses. It was concluded that the IV analysis was a method controlling confounding bias, but generally it was not chosen as the preferred analytical method. The issue of searching for valid and plausible IV seemed to be the biggest obstacle in the outcome of TCM researches.
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Progress of guidelines for quantifying iron overload in the 56th American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meetings was reviewed.This article reviewed the use of historical data,serological measures,and MRI to estimate somatic iron burden.Before chelation therapy utilization,transfusional volume was an accurate method for estimating liver iron burden,whereas transferrin saturation reflected the risk of extrahepatic iron deposition.Liver biopsy was invasive and plagued by sampling variability.In the current study,we recommended annual liver iron concentration to be measured by MRI for all patients on chronic transfusion therapy.And it was important to measure cardiac T2* by MRI every 6-24 months depending on the clinical risk of cardiac iron deposition.Recent validation data for pancreas and pituitary iron assessments was also presented,while the further confirmatory data was suggested before these techniques could be recommended for routine clinical use.
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Powder is a powdery medicine dispensed in the form of a pulverized medicine from one or multiple Chinese herbal medicines, which has been recorded in theHuang Di Nei Jing (Huangdi’s Canon of Medicine),the earliest Chinese medical classic. TCM powder is widely used in various subjects by clinical TCM practitioners, especially in digestive system diseases. This article overviewed the clinical researches on the application of TCM powder in digestive system diseases, which could provide comprehensive references for further studies of TCM powder in the treatment of digestive system diseases and perfect its application in clinical studies.
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According to the common standard of ethic review for clinical research , it is equal to each kind of research program whether western medicine or Traditional Chinese Medicine .It should be reviewed the ethic and scientific issues in the same time .However, on account of the two majority characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine , it would be concerned more evidence , such as the safety data before clinic , the syndrome differentiation and treatment of target disease , drug combination , dosage and course of treatment , the methods of outcome meas-urement, admixture of the drug, the selection of control drug including placebo and so on .
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The STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials Of Moxibustion (STRICTOM), in the form of a checklist and descriptions of checklist items, were designed to improve reporting of moxibustion trials, and thereby facilitating their interpretation and replication. The STRICTOM checklist included 7 items and 16 sub-items. These set out reporting guidelines for the moxibustion rationale, details of moxibustion, treatment regimen, other components of treatment, treatment provider background, control and comparator interventions, and precaution measures. In addition, there were descriptions of each item and examples of good reporting. It is intended that the STRICTOM can be used in conjunction with the main CONSORT Statement, extensions for nonpharmacologic treatment and pragmatic trials, and thereby raise the quality of reporting of clinical trials of moxibustion. Further comments will be solicited from the experts of the CONSORT Group, the STRICTA Group, acupuncture and moxibustion societies, and clinical trial authors for optimizing the STRICTOM.