ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Warfarin is a widely prescribed anticoagulant in the clinic. It has a more considerable individual variability, and many factors affect its variability. Mathematical models can quantify the quantitative impact of these factors on individual variability. PURPOSE: The aim is to comprehensively analyze the advanced warfarin dosing algorithm based on pharmacometrics and machine learning models of personalized warfarin dosage. METHODS: A bibliometric analysis of the literature retrieved from PubMed and Scopus was performed using VOSviewer. The relevant literature that reported the precise dosage of warfarin calculation was retrieved from the database. The multiple linear regression (MLR) algorithm was excluded because a recent systematic review that mainly reviewed this algorithm has been reported. The following terms of quantitative systems pharmacology, mechanistic model, physiologically based pharmacokinetic model, artificial intelligence, machine learning, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and warfarin were added as MeSH Terms or appearing in Title/Abstract into query box of PubMed, then humans and English as filter were added to retrieve the literature. RESULTS: Bibliometric analysis revealed important co-occuring MeShH and index keywords. Further, the United States, China, and the United Kingdom were among the top countries contributing in this domain. Some studies have established personalized warfarin dosage models using pharmacometrics and machine learning-based algorithms. There were 54 related studies, including 14 pharmacometric models, 31 artificial intelligence models, and 9 model evaluations. Each model has its advantages and disadvantages. The pharmacometric model contains biological or pharmacological mechanisms in structure. The process of pharmacometric model development is very time- and labor-intensive. Machine learning is a purely data-driven approach; its parameters are more mathematical and have less biological interpretation. However, it is faster, more efficient, and less time-consuming. Most published models of machine learning algorithms were established based on cross-sectional data sourced from the database. CONCLUSION: Future research on personalized warfarin medication should focus on combining the advantages of machine learning and pharmacometrics algorithms to establish a more robust warfarin dosage algorithm. Randomized controlled trials should be performed to evaluate the established algorithm of warfarin dosage. Moreover, a more user-friendly and accessible warfarin precision medicine platform should be developed.
Subject(s)
Anticoagulants , Machine Learning , Precision Medicine , Warfarin , Warfarin/pharmacokinetics , Warfarin/pharmacology , Anticoagulants/pharmacokinetics , Anticoagulants/pharmacology , Anticoagulants/administration & dosage , Humans , Precision Medicine/methods , Bibliometrics , AlgorithmsABSTRACT
Pulmonary infection is highly prevalent in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. However, the potential mechanism is not well characterized. Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) induces acute lung injury (ALI) related to pulmonary infection and inflammation. Recent studies have shown that pyroptosis mediates ALI in several human respiratory diseases. It is not known whether MIRI induces pyroptosis in the lungs. Furthermore, ticagrelor is a clinically approved anti-platelet drug that reduces ALI and inhibits the expression levels of several pyroptosis-associated proteins, but the effects of ticagrelor on MIRI-induced ALI have not been reported. Therefore, we investigated whether ticagrelor alleviated ALI in the rat MIRI model, and its effects on pyroptosis in the lungs. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: control, MIRI, MIRI plus low ticagrelor (30 mg/kg), and MIRI plus high ticagrelor (100 mg/kg). Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) staining was performed on the lung sections, and the HE scores were calculated to determine the extent of lung pathology. The wet-to-dry ratio of the lung tissues were also determined. The expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins such as NLRP3, ASC, and Cleaved caspase-1 were estimated in the lung tissues using the western blot. ELISA was used to estimate the IL-1ß levels in the lungs. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the levels of MPO-positive neutrophils as well as the total NLRP3-positive and Cleaved caspase-1-positive areas in the lung tissues. The lung tissues from the MIRI group rats showed significantly higher HE score, wet-to-dry ratio, and the MPO-positive area compared to the control group, but these effects were attenuated by pre-treatment with ticagrelor. Furthermore, lung tissues of the MIRI group rats showed significantly higher expression levels of pyroptosis-associated proteins, including NLRP3 (2.1-fold, P < 0.05), ASC (3.0-fold, P < 0.01), and Cleaved caspase-1 (9.0-fold, P < 0.01). Pre-treatment with the high-dose of ticagrelor suppressed MIRI-induced upregulation of NLRP3 (0.46-fold, P < 0.05), ASC (0.64-fold, P < 0.01), and Cleaved caspase-1 (0.80-fold, P < 0.01). Immunohistochemistry results also confirmed that pre-treatment with ticagrelor suppressed MIRI-induced upregulation of pyroptosis in the lungs. In summary, our data demonstrated that MIRI induced ALI and upregulated pyroptosis in the rat lung tissues. Pre-treatment with ticagrelor attenuated these effects.
Subject(s)
Acute Lung Injury , Myocardial Reperfusion Injury , Humans , Rats , Animals , Ticagrelor/pharmacology , NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein , Pyroptosis , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Acute Lung Injury/drug therapy , Caspase 1 , Eosine Yellowish-(YS) , LungABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To observe the effect of motion-style scalp acupuncture (MSSA) on H-reflex in rats with post-stroke spasticity (PSS), so as to explore the electrophysiological mechanisms of MSSA against spasticity. METHODS: A total of 36 male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation, model and MSSA groups, with 12 rats in each group. The stroke model was established by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. After modeling, rats in the MSSA group were treated by scalp acupuncture (manipulated every 15 min, 200 r/min) at ipsilesional "parietal and temporal anterior oblique line" (MS6) for a total of 30 min, the treadmill training (10 m/min) was applied during the needling retention, once daily for consecutive 7 days. The neurological deficits, muscle tone and motor function were assessed by Zea Longa score, modified modified Ashworth scale (MMAS) score and screen test score before and after treatment, respectively. The H-reflex of spastic muscle was recorded by electrophysiological recordings and the frequency dependent depression (FDD) of H-reflex was also recorded. The cerebral infarction volume was evaluated by TTC staining. RESULTS: Compared with the sham operation group, the Zea longa score, MMAS score, cerebral infarction volume, motion threshold, Hmax/Mmax ratio and FDD of H-reflex were significantly increased (P<0.01), while the screen test score was significantly decreased (P<0.01) in the model group. Intriguingly, compared with the model group, the above results were all reversed (P<0.01) in the MSSA group. CONCLUSIONS: MSSA could exert satisfactory anti-spastic effects in rats with PSS, the underlying mechanism may be related to the improvement of nerve function injury, the reduction of spastic muscle movement threshold, Hmax/Mmax ratio and H-reflex FDD.
Subject(s)
Acupuncture Therapy , Stroke , Rats , Male , Animals , Muscle Spasticity/etiology , Muscle Spasticity/therapy , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Scalp , Stroke/complications , Stroke/therapy , Cerebral InfarctionABSTRACT
IMPORTANCE: Dinoflagellates are the most common phytoplankton group and account for more than 75% of harmful algal blooms in coastal waters. In recent decades, dinoflagellates seem to prevail in phosphate-depleted waters. However, the underlying acclimation mechanisms and competitive strategies of dinoflagellates in response to phosphorus deficiency are poorly understood, especially in terms of intracellular phosphorus modulation and recycling. Here, we focused on the response of intracellular phosphorus metabolism to phosphorus deficiency in the model dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi. Our work reveals the strong capability of K. mikimotoi to efficiently regulate intracellular phosphorus resources, particularly through membrane phospholipid remodeling and miRNA regulation of energy metabolism. Our research improved the understanding of intracellular phosphorus metabolism in marine phytoplankton and underscored the advantageous strategies of dinoflagellates in the efficient modulation of internal phosphorus resources to maintain active physiological activity and growth under unsuitable phosphorus conditions, which help them outcompete other species in coastal phosphate-depleted environments.
Subject(s)
Dinoflagellida , Phosphorus , Harmful Algal Bloom , Phytoplankton , PhosphatesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To observe the anti-tumor effect of moxibustion with seed-sized moxa cones on Hepa1-6 liver cancer bearing (HLCB) mice and its regulatory mechanism on cell apoptosis. METHODS: A total of 40 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control, moxibustion, cyclophosphamide (CTX) and moxibustion+CTX groups, with 10 mice in each group. The HLCB model was established by subcutaneous inoculation of Hepa1-6 cancer cells into the right armpit. Mice of the CTX and moxibustion+CTX groups were given intraperitoneal injection of CTX (30 mg/kg), once daily for 3 days. Moxibustion with seed-sized moxa cones were applied to "Dazhui" (GV14), bilateral"Zusanli" (ST36) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP6), with 5 moxa cones for each acupoint, once daily for 10 consecutive days. The survival status scores and body weight of HLCB mice were observed, and the tumor weight and tumor inhibition rate were detected. HE staining was used to observe the morphological changes of tumor tissue. ELISA was used to detect the levels of serum interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Western blot and fluorescent quantitative real-time PCR were used to detect the protein and mRNA expressions of cysteine aspartate protease (Caspase) -3 and Caspase-9 in tumor tissues, separately. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the survival status scores, body weight, serum IL-2 and TNF-α levels were significantly increased (P<0.05, P<0.01), the tumor weight and serum IL-4 levels were significantly decreased (P<0.05) in the moxibustion groupï¼while the survival status, body weight, tumor weight, serum IL-2 and IL-4 levels were significantly decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), the content of TNF-α was significantly increased (P<0.01) in the CTX group. The protein and mRNA expressions of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in the 3 trentment groups were significantly increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). In comparison with the moxibustion group, the survival status scores, body weight and tumor weight, serum content of IL-2 were significantly decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05). In contrast to the CTX group, the survival status scores, body weight, serum IL-2 and TNF-α content, and the expressions of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in tumor tissue were significantly increased (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the tumor weight and serum IL-4 content were significantly decreased (P<0.05) in the moxibustion+CTX group. Results of HE staining showed that the tumor cells in the control group had clear nuclear membranes and nucleoli, with more dividing cellsï¼ while less nuclear division and an increase in tumor necrosis areas were found in the 3 treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Moxibustion with seed-size moxa cone can enhance the anti-tumor effect of CTX and improve the quality of life of HLCB mice, which may be related with its effect in activating the expressions of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in tumor tissue.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular , Liver Neoplasms , Moxibustion , Male , Animals , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Cysteine , Interleukin-2 , Caspase 3 , Caspase 9 , Interleukin-4 , Quality of Life , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics , Apoptosis , Cyclophosphamide , Aspartic Acid , Body Weight , RNA, MessengerABSTRACT
Purpose: To conduct a real-world evaluation of the efficacy and safety of combined Chinese and Western medicine in treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods: A multicenter, prospective cohort study design was employed, enrolling 450 KOA patients (Kellgren-Lawrence score of 3 or less). The patients were divided into a Western medicine treatment group (WM group) and a combined Western and traditional Chinese medicine treatment group (WM-CM group). A 6-week treatment plan was administered, and follow-up visits occurred at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks after initiating treatment. The primary outcome indicator was the total Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) score after 6 weeks of treatment. Secondary outcome indicators included WOMAC subscales for pain, stiffness, and joint function, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, physical component summary (PCS), mental component summary (MCS), and clinical effectiveness. The incidence of drug-related adverse events was used as a safety evaluation indicator. Results: A total of 419 patients were included in the final analysis: 98 in the WM group and 321 in the WM-CM group. The baseline characteristics of the two groups were comparable, except for the incidence of stiffness symptoms and stiffness scores. After 6 weeks of treatment, the WM-CM group exhibited superior results to the WM group in improving the total WOMAC score (24.71 ± 1.38 vs. 16.36 ± 0.62, p < 0.001). The WM-CM group also outperformed the WM group in WOMAC pain and joint function scores, VAS score, PCS score, MCS score, and clinical effectiveness (p < 0.05), which was consistent with the findings of the main evaluation index. Subgroup analysis indicated that the combined Chinese and Western medicine treatment showed more pronounced benefits in patients under 65 years of age and in those with a Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) classification of 0-I. Throughout the study, no adverse effects were observed in either group. Conclusion: The combination of Chinese and Western medicine demonstrated superiority over Western medicine alone in relieving knee pain symptoms, improving knee function, and enhancing the quality of life for KOA patients with a K-L score of 3 or less. Moreover, the treatment exhibited a good safety profile. Clinical Trial Registration: (https://www.chictr.org.cn/), identifier (ChiCTR1900027175).
ABSTRACT
Poria(Fu Ling) is a bulk traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)with a long history and complex varieties. The royal medical records of the Qing Dynasty include multiple medicinal materials of Fu Ling, such as Bai Fu Ling(white Poria), Chi Fu Ling(rubra Poria), and Zhu Fu Ling(Poria processed with cinnabaris). The Palace Museum preserves 6 kinds of specimens including Fu Ling Ge(dried Poria), Bai Fu Ling, Chi Fu Ling, Zhu Fu Ling, Bai Fu Shen(white Poria cum Radix Pini), and Fu Shen Mu(Poria cum Radix Pini). After trait identification and textual research, we found that Fu Ling Ge was an intact sclerotium, which was processed into Fu Ling Pi(Poriae Cutis), Bai Fu Ling and other medicinal materials in the Palace. The Fu Ling in the Qing Dynasty Pa-lace was mainly from the tribute paid of the officials in Yunnan-Guizhou region. The tribute situation was stable in the whole Qing Dynasty, and changed in the late Qing Dynasty. The cultural relics of Fu Ling in the Qing Dynasty Palace confirm with the archival documents such as the royal medical records and herbal medicine books, providing precious historical materials for understanding Fu Ling in the Qing Dynasty and a basis for the restoration of the processing of the Fu Ling in the Qing Dynasty Palace.
Subject(s)
Coleoptera , Poria , Wolfiporia , Animals , China , Books , Medical RecordsABSTRACT
Enhancers, which are key tumorigenic factors with wide applications for subtyping, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, are attracting increasing attention in the cancer research. However, systematic analysis of cancer enhancers poses a challenge due to the lack of integrative data resources, especially those from tumor primary tissues. To provide a comprehensive enhancer profile across cancer types, we developed a cancer enhancer database CenhANCER by curating public resources including all the public H3K27ac ChIP-Seq data from 805 primary tissue samples and 671 cell line samples across 41 cancer types. In total, 57 029 408 typical enhancers, 978 411 super-enhancers and 226 726 enriched transcription factors were identified. We annotated the super-enhancers with chromatin accessibility regions, cancer expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs), genotype-tissue expression eQTLs and genome-wide association study risk single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for further functional analysis. The identified enhancers were highly consistent with accessible chromatin regions in the corresponding cancer types, and all the 10 super-enhancer regions identified from one colorectal cancer study were recapitulated in our CenhANCER, both of which testified the high quality of our data. CenhANCER with high-quality cancer enhancer candidates and transcription factors that are potential therapeutic targets across multiple cancer types provides a credible resource for single cancer analysis and for comparative studies of various cancer types. Database URL http://cenhancer.chenzxlab.cn/.
Subject(s)
Genome-Wide Association Study , Neoplasms , Humans , Enhancer Elements, Genetic/genetics , Transcription Factors/genetics , Transcription Factors/metabolism , Cell Line , Chromatin , Neoplasms/geneticsABSTRACT
In this study, the underlying mechanism of Qiwei Guibao Granules(QWGB) in the treatment of premature ovarian fai-lure(POF) was explored by the proteomics technique. Firstly, the POF model was induced in mice by intragastric administration of Tripterygium wilfordii glycosides solution at 50 mg·kg~(-1) for 14 days. Ten days prior to the end of the modeling, the estrous cycle of mice was observed every day to evaluate the success of modeling. From the 1st day after modeling, the POF model mice were treated with QWGB by gavage every day and the treatment lasted four weeks. On the 2nd day after the end of the experiment, blood was collected from the eyeballs and the serum was separated by centrifugation. The ovaries and uterus were collected and the adipose tissues were carefully stripped. The organ indexes of the ovaries and uterus of each group were calculated. The serum estrogen(E_2) level of mice in each group was detected by ELISA. Protein samples were extracted from ovarian tissues of mice, and the differential proteins before and after QWGB intervention and before and after modeling were analyzed by quantitative proteomics using tandem mass tags(TMT). As revealed by the analysis of differential proteins, QWGB could regulate 26 differentially expressed proteins related to the POF model induced by T. wilfordii glycosides, including S100A4, STAR, adrenodoxin oxidoreductase, XAF1, and PBXIP1. GO enrichment results showed that the 26 differential proteins were mainly enriched in biological processes and cellular components. The results of KEGG enrichment showed that those differential proteins were involved in signaling pathways such as completion and coalescence cascades, focal adhesion, arginine biosynthesis, and terpenoid backbone biosynthesis. The complement and coalescence cascades signaling pathway was presumably the target pathway of QWGB in the treatment of POF. In this study, the proteomics technique was used to screen the differential proteins of QWGB in the treatment of POF in mice induced by T. wilfordii glycosides, and they were mainly involved in immune regulation, apoptosis regulation, complement and coagulation cascade reactions, cholesterol metabolism, and steroid hormone production, which may be the main mechanisms of QWGB in the treatment of POF.
Subject(s)
Primary Ovarian Insufficiency , Female , Humans , Mice , Animals , Primary Ovarian Insufficiency/drug therapy , Primary Ovarian Insufficiency/chemically induced , Proteomics , Signal Transduction , Glycosides/adverse effectsABSTRACT
Poria(Fu Ling) is a bulk traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)with a long history and complex varieties. The royal medical records of the Qing Dynasty include multiple medicinal materials of Fu Ling, such as Bai Fu Ling(white Poria), Chi Fu Ling(rubra Poria), and Zhu Fu Ling(Poria processed with cinnabaris). The Palace Museum preserves 6 kinds of specimens including Fu Ling Ge(dried Poria), Bai Fu Ling, Chi Fu Ling, Zhu Fu Ling, Bai Fu Shen(white Poria cum Radix Pini), and Fu Shen Mu(Poria cum Radix Pini). After trait identification and textual research, we found that Fu Ling Ge was an intact sclerotium, which was processed into Fu Ling Pi(Poriae Cutis), Bai Fu Ling and other medicinal materials in the Palace. The Fu Ling in the Qing Dynasty Pa-lace was mainly from the tribute paid of the officials in Yunnan-Guizhou region. The tribute situation was stable in the whole Qing Dynasty, and changed in the late Qing Dynasty. The cultural relics of Fu Ling in the Qing Dynasty Palace confirm with the archival documents such as the royal medical records and herbal medicine books, providing precious historical materials for understanding Fu Ling in the Qing Dynasty and a basis for the restoration of the processing of the Fu Ling in the Qing Dynasty Palace.
Subject(s)
Animals , Poria , China , Books , Coleoptera , Medical Records , WolfiporiaABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Pregnant women with recurrent miscarriage have high rates of anxiety and depression. Mindfulness-based interventions have shown benefits in improving mental health in diverse populations; however, few studies have explored their efficacy in pregnant women with recurrent miscarriage, which was investigated in the present study. DESIGN: A nonrandomized controlled study was carried out from August 2019 to November 2020. SETTING: The study was conducted at a regional teaching hospital in Guangzhou, China that provides leading care for recurrent miscarriage. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 158 pregnant women with recurrent miscarriage were recruited and allocated to the intervention group (n = 79) or the control group (n = 79); 131 women completed the study. INTERVENTION: The mindfulness-based intervention consisted of a 1-h education session and daily mindfulness exercises guided by audio recordings during hospitalization. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: Study outcomes included perceived stress measured with the Perceived Stress Scale; symptoms of anxiety and depression measured with the Self-rating Anxiety Scale and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, respectively; and positive and negative affect measured with the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale - Revised, respectively. Compared to the control group, participants in the intervention group showed significant decreases in perceived stress, depression symptoms, and negative affect and an increase in positive affect after the intervention. Anxiety increased significantly in the control group during the study but remained unchanged in the intervention group. KEY CONCLUSIONS: A mindfulness-based intervention can reduce psychological symptoms and improve mental health in pregnant women with recurrent miscarriage. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: A mindfulness-based intervention should be incorporated into routine care to help improve the mental health of pregnant women with recurrent miscarriage.
Subject(s)
Abortion, Habitual , Mindfulness , Abortion, Habitual/prevention & control , Anxiety/prevention & control , China , Depression/therapy , Female , Humans , Pregnancy , Pregnant Women , Stress, Psychological/prevention & controlABSTRACT
Strengthening the compliance is conductive to the quality improvement of clinical trial of acupuncture and moxibustion. In terms to planning behavior and influencing factors of loyalty, the questionnaire was conducted among 200 participants on the compliance of clinical trial on knee osteoarthritis treated with acupuncture. The results showed that the subjective norms and perceptual behavior control of subjects affected their compliance in the trial. Medical service compensation became the primary factor of the subjects' loyalty, which further affected their compliance in the trial. It is suggested that the compliance should be managed according to the characteristics of different clinical researches, and the feasible medical service compensation scheme should be designed in advance by actively focusing on the subjects' features.
Subject(s)
Acupuncture Therapy , Moxibustion , Osteoarthritis, Knee , Humans , Osteoarthritis, Knee/therapy , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The study aims to investigate the effect of the compatibility of paeonol and paeoniflorin(hereinafter referred to as the compatibility) on the expression of myocardial proteins in rats with myocardial ischemia injury and explore the underlying mechanism of the compatibility against myocardial ischemia injury. First, the acute myocardial infarction rat model was established by ligation of the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery. The model rats were given(ig) paeonol and paeoniflorin. Then protein samples were collected from rat cardiac tissue and quantified by tandem mass tags(TMT) to explore the differential proteins after drug intervention. The experimental results showed that differential proteins mainly involved phagocytosis engulfment, extracellular space, and antigen binding, as well as Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG) pathways of complement and coagulation cascades, syste-mic lupus erythematosus, and ribosome. In this study, the target proteins and related signaling pathways identified by differential proteomics may be the biological basis of the compatibility against myocardial ischemia injury in rats.
Subject(s)
Myocardial Ischemia , Myocardial Reperfusion Injury , Acetophenones , Animals , Glucosides , Monoterpenes , Myocardial Ischemia/drug therapy , Myocardial Ischemia/genetics , Proteomics , Rats , Rats, Sprague-DawleyABSTRACT
In order to promote the standardization of traditional medicines in Laos, China and Laos jointly formed a census team to conduct resource survey, market survey, species identification and others of medicinal plants in Laos. According to the principles of nationality, tradition, effectiveness and commonness, 160 medicinal materials and 40 prescriptions were selected and collected into Lao Herbal Pharmacopoeia after recommendation, examination of experts and review by the established expert committee. Moreover, quality standards of traditional medicine and scientific and clear translation methods were formulated in line with the national conditions of Laos, and the contents were finally compiled according to the 2010 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The promulgation and implementation of Lao Herbal Pharmacopoeia is a successful example of cooperation in the field of health care between China and Laos, which is conducive to promoting mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries in the field of traditional medicine, and making traditional medicine play a greater role in the medical and health services of ASEAN countries.
ABSTRACT
This paper collects information on the species resources of medicinal plants in Laos through various methods such as literature collation and analysis, sample line survey, visits and surveys, and initially obtains the medicinal plant resources in Laos, the use of folk herbs, and traditional medicine knowledge archives. It is found that Laos is rich with wild medicinal plant resources. There are 2 165 species (including varieties) belonging to 1 014 genera of 214 families, including 57 species belonging to 40 genera of 29 families of ferns, 32 species belonging to 17 genera of 8 families of gymnosperms, and 2 076 species belonging to 957 genera of 177 families of angiosperms. And, there are 108 kinds of medicinal materials currently circulatingin the market. Herbal resources is widely used in Laos, and many fresh herbs in the market have the special effects of relieving cough and promoting salivation, eliminating dampness, dispelling summer heat, nourishing yin and cooling blood.The medicinal materials for alleviating rheumatism and strengthening waist and knees in the market are with good prospects for development and utilization, so the development and management should be strengthened. China and Laos can conduct in-depth research and strengthen experience exchanges on traditional medicine experience.
ABSTRACT
Strengthening the compliance is conductive to the quality improvement of clinical trial of acupuncture and moxibustion. In terms to planning behavior and influencing factors of loyalty, the questionnaire was conducted among 200 participants on the compliance of clinical trial on knee osteoarthritis treated with acupuncture. The results showed that the subjective norms and perceptual behavior control of subjects affected their compliance in the trial. Medical service compensation became the primary factor of the subjects' loyalty, which further affected their compliance in the trial. It is suggested that the compliance should be managed according to the characteristics of different clinical researches, and the feasible medical service compensation scheme should be designed in advance by actively focusing on the subjects' features.
Subject(s)
Humans , Acupuncture Therapy , Moxibustion , Osteoarthritis, Knee/therapy , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of Huoxin Pill (, HXP) on cardiac fibrosis and heart failure (HF) in isoproterenol (ISO)-induced HF rats. METHODS: Thirty Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups including control, HF, isosorbide mononitrate (ISMN), HXP low (HXP-L), and HXP high (HXP-H) groups (n=6 for each group) according to the complete randomization method. Rats were pretreated with ISMN (5 mg/kg daily), low concentration of HXP (10 mg/kg daily) or high concentration of HXP (30 mg/kg daily) or equal volume of saline by intragastric administration for 1 week, followed by intraperitoneal injection of ISO (10 mg/kg, 14 days), and continually intragastric administrated with above medicines or saline for additional 6 weeks. The effects of HXP treatment on the cardiac function, heart weight index (HWI), pathological changes, and collagen content were further assessed. Moreover, the role of HXP on activation of transforming growth factor- ß 1 (TGF-ß 1)/Smads pathway was further explored using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western-blot assay. RESULTS: HXP treatment significantly alleviated the decrease of ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS), while decreased the elevation of left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) in ISO-induced HF rats (P<0.05). Moreover, HXP treatment obviously attenuated the increase of HWI and serum level of creatine kinase MB (CK-MB, P<0.05), as well as pathological changes in ISO-induced HF rats. Further determination indicated that HXP treatment alleviated the elevation of collagen I and collagen III protein expression in cardiac tissues of ISO-induced HF rats. Furthermore, HXP treatment significantly down-regulated the increase of TGF-ß 1 and p-Smad2/3 protein expression in cardiac tissues of HF rats (P<0.05), while did not affect the expression of total Smad2/3. CONCLUSIONS: HXP attenuated heart failure and cardiac fibrosis in ISO-induced HF rats by suppression of TGF-ß 1/Smad2/3 pathway.
Subject(s)
Heart Failure , Animals , Drugs, Chinese Herbal , Fibrosis , Heart Failure/drug therapy , Isoproterenol , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Signal Transduction , Smad2 Protein , Smad3 Protein , Transforming Growth Factor beta1 , Transforming Growth FactorsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate recovering consciousness effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on patients after traumatic brain injury (TBI) surgery. METHODS: A total of 100 patients with traumatic coma were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 50 cases in each group. The control group was mainly treated with awakening drugs and neurotrophic drugs; on the basis of treatment in the control group, the observation group was treated with EA at Neiguan (PC 6) and Shuigou (GV 26) with disperse-dense wave, 2 Hz/100 Hz in frequency, 0.1-5 mA in intensity. After 30 min of EA, the needles were stayed 60 min. The treatment was performed once a day for 14 consecutive days. The changes in Glasgow coma score (GCS) was observed in the two groups before treatment and after 7, 14 days of treatment; and the two groups were followed up for 3 months after treatment to evaluate the Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) and Barthel index (BI) scores. RESULTS: After 7, 14 days of treatment, the GCS scores of the two groups were higher than those before treatment (P<0.05), and the increase degree in the observation group was significantly larger than that in the control group (P<0.05). At 3 months of follow-up, the GOS and BI scores of the observation group were better than those of the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Early electroacupuncture intervention can effectively promote the recovery of consciousness after traumatic brain injury surgery, and has a curative long-term effect.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries, Traumatic/surgery , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/therapy , Consciousness , Electroacupuncture , Acupuncture Points , HumansABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate recovering consciousness effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on patients after traumatic brain injury (TBI) surgery.@*METHODS@#A total of 100 patients with traumatic coma were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 50 cases in each group. The control group was mainly treated with awakening drugs and neurotrophic drugs; on the basis of treatment in the control group, the observation group was treated with EA at Neiguan (PC 6) and Shuigou (GV 26) with disperse-dense wave, 2 Hz/100 Hz in frequency, 0.1-5 mA in intensity. After 30 min of EA, the needles were stayed 60 min. The treatment was performed once a day for 14 consecutive days. The changes in Glasgow coma score (GCS) was observed in the two groups before treatment and after 7, 14 days of treatment; and the two groups were followed up for 3 months after treatment to evaluate the Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) and Barthel index (BI) scores.@*RESULTS@#After 7, 14 days of treatment, the GCS scores of the two groups were higher than those before treatment (<0.05), and the increase degree in the observation group was significantly larger than that in the control group (<0.05). At 3 months of follow-up, the GOS and BI scores of the observation group were better than those of the control group (<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Early electroacupuncture intervention can effectively promote the recovery of consciousness after traumatic brain injury surgery, and has a curative long-term effect.
Subject(s)
Humans , Acupuncture Points , Brain Injuries, Traumatic , General Surgery , Therapeutics , Consciousness , ElectroacupunctureABSTRACT
The prediction of daily stable warfarin dosage for a specific patient is difficult. To improve the predictive accuracy and to build a highly accurate predictive model, we developed an ensemble learning method, called evolutionary fuzzy c-mean (EFCM) clustering algorithm with support vector regression (SVR). A dataset of 517 Han Chinese patients was collected from the data of The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University and dataset of International Warfarin Pharmacogenetics Consortium for training and testing. In EFCM+SVR, we adopted SVR to build a generalized base model (SVR model). To achieve an accurate prediction on patients with large dosage, we proposed an EFCM clustering algorithm that can be used to cluster the training set and designed a clustering model on clusters and centroids. The SVR and clustering models were integrated into an ensemble model by stepwise functions. In the experiment, three artificial neural networks, SVR, two ensemble models, and three regression models were used as comparators to the EFCM+SVR model, which obtained the smallest mean absolute error (0.67 mg/d) in warfarin dose prediction and the largest R-squared (43.9%). The model achieved satisfactory prediction in terms of the percentage of patients whose predicted dose of warfarin was within 15% and 20% of the actual stable therapeutic dose (15%-p of 36% and 20%-p of 46.6%).