Application of mixture analysis methods in association between metals mixture exposure and DNA oxidative damage / 中华预防医学杂志

Objectives: To study the association between metals mixture exposure and DNA oxidative damage using mixture analysis methods, and to explore the most significant exposure factors that cause DNA oxidative damage. Methods: Workers from steel enterprises were recruited in Shandong Province. Urinary metals were measured by using the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method. The level of urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) was determined by using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), elastic net regression and quantile g-computation regression were used to analyze the association between urinary metals and urinary 8-OHdG. Results: A total of 768 subjects aged (36.15±7.40) years old were included in the study. BKMR, elastic net regression and quantile g-computation all revealed an overall positive association between the mixture concentration and increased urinary 8-OHdG. The quantile g-computation results showed that with a 25% increase in metal mixtures, the urinary 8-OHdG level increased by 77.60%. The elastic net regression showed that with a 25% increase in exposure risk score, the urinary 8-OHdG level increased by 26%. The BKMR summarized the contribution of individual exposures to the response, and selenium, zinc, and nickel were significant contributors to the urinary 8-OHdG elevation. Conclusion: Exposure to mixed metals causes elevated levels of DNA oxidative damage, and selenium, zinc, and nickel are significant exposure factors.

Effect of nasal swell body on nasal airflow and Artemisia pollen deposition / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective:The nasal swell body（NSB） consists of the nasal septal cartilage, nasal bone, and swollen soft tissue, all of which are visible during endoscopic and imaging examinations. Although the function of the NSB remains uncertain, there is evidence to suggest that it plays a vital role in regulating nasal airflow and filtering inhaled air. Based on anatomical and histological evidence, it is hypothesized that the NSB is indispensable in these processes. This study aims to investigate the impact of NSB on nasal aerodynamics and the deposition of allergen particles under physiological conditions. Methods:The three-dimensional （3D） nasal models were reconstructed from computed tomography （CT） scans of the paranasal sinus and nasal cavity in 30 healthy adult volunteers from Northwest China, providing basis for the construction of models without NSB following virtual NSB-removal surgery. To analyze the distribution of airflow in the nasal cavity, nasal resistance, heating and humidification efficiency, and pollen particle deposition rate at various anatomical sites, we employed the computed fluid dynamics（CFD） method for numerical simulation and quantitative analysis. In addition, we created fully transparent segmented nasal cavity models through 3D printing, which were used to conduct bionic experiments to measure nasal resistance and allergen particle deposition. Results:①The average width and length of the NSB in healthy adults in Northwest China were （12.85±1.74） mm and （28.30±1.92） mm, respectively. ②After NSB removal, there was no significant change in total nasal resistance, and cross-sectional airflow velocity remained essentially unaltered except for a decrease in topical airflow velocity in the NSB plane. ③There was no discernible difference in the nasal heating and humidification function following the removal of the NSB; ④After NSB removal, the deposition fraction（DF） of Artemisia pollen in the nasal septum decreased, and the DFs post-and pre-NSB removal were（22.79±6.61）% vs （30.70±12.27）%, respectively; the DF in the lower airway increased, and the DFs post-and pre-NSB removal were（24.12±6.59）% vs （17.00±5.57）%, respectively. Conclusion:This study is the first to explore the effects of NSB on nasal airflow, heating and humidification, and allergen particle deposition in a healthy population. After NSB removal from the healthy nasal cavities: ①nasal airflow distribution was mildly altered while nasal resistance showed no significantly changed; ②nasal heating and humidification were not significantly changed; ③the nasal septum's ability to filter out Artemisia pollen was diminished, which could lead to increased deposition of Artemisia pollen in the lower airway.

Discrimination of quality markers of Shujin Huoxue Capsules based on five principles coupled with cobweb model / 中国中药杂志

The quality markers(Q-markers) of Shujin Huoxue Capsules were comprehensively discriminated based on the five principles of transfer and traceability, specificity, compatibility, effectiveness and measurability. The compounds that could be transferred from the original medicinal materials to the preparation were selected with the principle of transfer and traceability. The specific components in the prescription were screened by reviewing literature with the principle of specificity. According to the principle of compatibility, the attributes of compounds were evaluated by the sovereign, minister, assistant and guide combination rules of the original medicinal materials in the prescription. According to the principle of measurability, the measurable components were summarized by reference to the pharmacopoeia and literature combined with the content. The mechanism of Shujin Huoxue Capsules in the treatment of osteoporosis was studied through network pharmacology based on the principle of effectiveness, which was the evaluation index of effectiveness. The chemical components screened out above were regarded as candidate Q-markers, and the cobweb model was plotted to obtain the comprehensive score of Q-markers. Hydroxysafflor yellow A, trachelosid, eleutheroside B, α-cyperone, protocatechuic acid, protocatechualdehyde and 4-methoxy salicylaldehyde were discriminated as the Q-markers of Shujin Huoxue Capsules based on the five principles combined with cobweb model.

Clinical Study on Modified Guipitang Combined with Xuefu Zhuyutang in Treating Mild Cognitive Impairment After Cerebral Infarction / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effect of modified Guipitang combined with Xuefu Zhuyutang in the treatment of mild cognitive impairment （MCI） after cerebral infarction with syndromes of heart and spleen deficiency and blood stasis blocking collateral. MethodA total of 114 eligible patients were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group，with 57 cases in each group. Patients in the control group were given red deer ginseng tablets （po），4 tablets/time，2 times/day. Patients in the observation group were given modified Guipitang combined with Xuefu Zhuyutang （po，1 dose/day）for continuous 8 weeks. This study compared the scores of montreal cognitive assessment （MoCA） scale，Rivermead behavioral memory test （RBMT），activities of daily living （ADL），trail making test B （TMT-B），neuropsychiatric inventory questionnaire （NPI） and scores of traditional Chinese medcine（TCM） syndrome with syndromes of heart and spleen deficiency and blood stasis blocking collateral before and after treatment. Then we further detected the levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine （8-OHDG），malondialdehyde （MDA），oxidized low density lipoprotein （ox-LDL），superoxide dismutase （SOD），homocysteine （Hcy），interleukin-8 （IL-8），C-reactive protein （CRP） and fibrinogen （FIB） levels before and after treatment. ResultThe total effective rate for the treatment of cognitive function impairment in the observation group was 92.98% （53/57），which was higher than 78.95% （45/57） in the control group （χ2＝4.653，P<0.05）. The recovery rate of cognitive function in the observation group was 54.39% （31/57），which was higher than 33.33% （19/57） in the control group （χ2＝5.130，P<0.05）. The MoCA，RBMT and ADL scores of the observation group were higher than those of the control group （P<0.01），and the TMT-B time of the former was shorter than that of the latter （P<0.01）. In addition， the observation group showed lower scores of TCM syndrome，NPI-1 and NPI-2 scores than the control group （P<0.01）. The SOD level of the observation group was higher than that of the control group （P<0.01），and the levels of 8-OHDG，ox-LDL，MDA，Hcy，IL-8，CRP and FIB were lower than those of the control group （P<0.01）. ConclusionModified Guipitang combined with Xuefu Zhuyutang can improve cognitive function in MCI patients after cerebral infarction with syndromes of heart and spleen deficiency and blood stasis blocking collateral， with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effect， and yield superior efficacy than red deer ginseng tablets.

Investigation on Compatibility Characteristics and Mechanism of Baimai Ointment in Intervening "White Vein" by Integrating Bioinformatics Analysis and Prescription Rule Discovery / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the mechanism and compatibility characteristics of Baimai ointment （BMO） in the treatment of white vein disease from the network perspective based on system theory， so as to provide biological basis for its clinical application. Method:The chemical components and the corresponding candidate target spectra of BMO were obtained from The Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine （ETCM） and Integrative Pharmacology-based Research Platform of Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCMIP）. According to the clinicopathological characteristics of white vein disease， focusing on four diseases/symptoms including neuropathic pain， inflammatory pain， chronic pain and lumbar disc herniation root neuralgia， the gene sets related to white vein disease were collected in Human Phenotype Ontology （HPO）， DisGeNET and other databases， then the interaction network of the targets of active components in BMO-gene sets related to white vein disease was constructed. On this basis， the hub network nodes were selected and enriched for exploring the mechanism of four functional groups of BMO in the treatment of white vein disease such as Huoxue Tongluo group （Curcumae Longae Rhizoma， Moschus， Tronae）， Xingqi Zhitong group （Myristicae Semen， Nardostachyos Radix et Rhizoma， Acori Calami Rhizoma）， Wenjing Sanhan Tongluo group （Zingiberis Rhizoma， Zanthoxyli Pericarpium， Caraway） and Jianpi Wenshen Qianggu group （Actinolite， Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma）. Result:The enriched pathways of the four functional groups in BMO were mainly distributed in three modules of nervous system function， inflammation-immune system regulation and body energy metabolism， and each module was connected by common target genes especially had its own focus. Among them， the regulation of nervous system function in Huoxue Tongluo group and Xingqi Zhitong group could be summarized as Huoxue Buqi and Xingshen Kaiqiao. Xingqi Zhitong group and Jianpi Wenshen Qianggu group were mainly used to promote the operation of Qi， promote blood metaplasia， enhance immunity and maintain the regulation of inflammation-immune system. Jianpi Wenshen Qianggu group and Wenjing Sanhan Tongluo group mainly regulated body energy metabolism by invigorating the spleen and supplementing Qi as well as warm-heat medicine. The whole formula focused on the multi-dimensional and multi-level mechanism of BMO in the intervention of white vein disease. Each functional group emphasized its respective characteristics in nervous system function， inflammation-immune regulation， and body energy metabolism. Two types of networks analysis models complemented and verified each other. Conclusion:BMO plays a role in the treatment of white vein disease mainly by regulating the function of nervous system， maintaining the balance of inflammation-immune system and interfering with energy metabolism. The relevant research results can provide reference for the in-depth exploration of the mechanism of BMO， and help to guide the clinical rational use of this preparation.

Fire needling stripping after local anesthesia for verruca vulgaris: a multi-center randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the clinical therapeutic effect of fire needling stripping after local anesthesia, simple fire needling and liquid nitrogen cryotherapy on verruca vulgaris.@*METHODS@#A total of 900 patients with verruca vulgaris were randomized into a fire needling stripping group (300 cases, 2 cases dropped off), a fire needling group (300 cases, 4 cases dropped off) and a liquid nitrogen cryotherapy group (300 cases, 5 cases dropped off). After local anesthesia of compound lidocaine cream, fire needling therapy was adopted, and the necrotic tissue of verruca was stripped in the fire needling stripping group. Simple fire needling therapy was adopted in the fire needling group, without local anesthesia and stripping. Liquid nitrogen cryotherapy was adopted in the liquid nitrogen cryotherapy group. The treatment was given once a week, and totally 3 weeks were required in the 3 groups. The skin lesion scores of number, area, thickness, color, pruritus, isomorphism and the level of T lymphocyte (CD@*RESULTS@#Compared before treatment, the skin lesion scores were decreased (@*CONCLUSION@#Fire needling stripping after local anesthesia can effectively treat the verruca vulgaris, improve the skin lesion and immunity, its therapeutic effect is superior to simple fire needling and liquid nitrogen cryotherapy.

Analysis and Identification of Sesquiterpenes in Alpinia oxzphylla Miq Based on UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS / 中草药

Objective: To establish a rapid and accurate analytical method for the identification of complex system of traditional Chinese medicine, and to systematically clarify the chemical composition of sesquiterpenes in Alpinia oxyphylla. Method: On the basis of optimizing the extraction process of sesquiterpenes, the accurate molecular weight and secondary fragment ions information of unknown compounds were captured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS). Compared with the relative retention time and mass spectrometry data of the reference substance, combined with relevant references and databases, the sesquiterpene unknown compounds in the fruits of A. oxyphylla were accurately and rapidly characterized. Results: A total of 24 sesquiterpenes were identified and classified into four categories according to their skeleton structure, including nine eudesmane-type, six cadinane-type, eight eremophilane-type, and one oplopanone-type. Conclusion: In this study, the established analytical method was used to realize the rapid and accurate identification of sesquiterpenes in the fruits of A. oxyphylla, which provided a theoretical basis for the research on the pharmacodynamic substance basis and quality control of the fruits of A. oxyphylla.

Effect and Safety of CX-DZ-II Intelligent Electroacupuncture Therapeutic Instrument for Neck Pain Caused by Cervical Spondylos: Study Protocol for A Randomized Controlled Trial / 中国结合医学杂志

BACKGROUND@#Neck pain caused by cervical spondylosis (CS) is a chronic pain condition, with an increasingly high incidence in the general population. Electroacupuncture is a common analgesic modality that has been widely applied in neck pain treatment. However, current electroacupuncture instruments used in the clinic have low intelligence levels and obscure parameter standards. We here designed this study for assessing the effect and safety of a new, intelligent electroacupuncture instrument, the CX-DZ-II, in treating neck pain.@*METHODS@#The present study is a prospective, two-center, randomized, controlled, open-label, non-inferiority trial for CX-DZ-II on treating neck pain caused by CS. Totally 160 eligible patients will be included in this trial and randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group in a 1:1 ratio. A semi-standard acupoint selection strategy will be employed. In the experimental group, selected acupoints will be stimulated by CX-DZ-II. Electroacupuncture treatment will be accomplished by a pre-existing electroacupuncture instrument in the control group. The duration of treatment will be 2 weeks. The primary outcome is the change of Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score after one course of treatment. The secondary outcomes include the VAS scores after each treatment, the responder rate, drug-usage rate of non-steroidal antipyretic analgesics, the rate of adverse events occurrence, and the performance of instrument.@*DISCUSSION@#This study will evaluate the effect and safety of the CX-DZ-II intelligent electroacupuncture therapeutic instrument in comparison with a pre-existing non-intelligent instrument in the treatment of neck pain caused by CS. The results will hopefully demonstrate a more optimal electroacupuncture instrument for the treatment of neck pain. (Trial registration No. gov NCT03005301).

Efficacy of the herbal cake-separated moxibustion with new-type moxibustion device on urinary retention after spinal cord injury / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the clinical effect of the herbal cake-separated moxibustion with new-type moxibustion device combined with bladder function exercise and simple bladder function exercise on improving urinary retention after spinal cord injury.@*METHODS@#Sixty-eight patients were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, 34 cases in each group. The bladder function exercise was given in the control group. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, herbal cake-separated moxibustion with new-type moxibustion decice was applied at Shenque (CV 8), Guanyuan (CV 4), Qihai (CV 6), Zhongji (CV 3) for 30 min, once a day in the observation group. The two groups were treated for 4 weeks as a course, 2 courses of treatment were needed. Bladder maximum volume, bladder residual urine volume and urinary tract infection before and after treatment were compared, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated in the two groups.@*RESULTS@#The total effective rate in the observation group was 88.2% (30/34), which was better than 64.7% (22/34) in the control group (<0.05). The increase of bladder maximum volume and decrease of bladder residual urine volume in the observation group were significantly better than those in the control group (<0.01). At the 4th, 6th and 8th weeks for treatment, the improvement of urinary tract infection in the observation group was better than that in the control group (<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#At the same time of bladder function training, herbal cake-separated moxibustion with new-type moxibustion device could improve urinary retention after spinal cord injury.

The sensitization phenomena and regularity of Hegu (LI 4) based on bibliometrics / 中国针灸

The sensitization phenomena and regularities of Hegu (LI 4) were preliminarily explored. The relevant literature regarding Hegu (LI 4) sensitization were collected by computer retrieval at Cochrane Library, Pubmed, Embase (OvidSP), China Journal Full Text Database (CNKI), China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), VIP and Wanfang (WF) databases as well as manual searching, and a modern literature database of Hegu (LI 4) sensitization was established. The information of disease type, sensitization type, detection method and index were collected. Frequency statistics method was used for analysis. As a result, 47 literatures were included, of which heat sensitivity was the most common type of sensitization, and diseases of liver and gallbladder, limb meridians, lung system, and spleen-stomach system were the most common types of diseases. The detection method of sensitization was various, among them, potassium ion introduction method and hot-water tail-flick method were mainly used for pain sensitivity, while acupoint resistance measuring instrument was mainly used for electric sensitivity, while thermal infrared imager was mainly used for heat sensitivity, while infrared spectrometric analyzer was mainly used for light sensitivity, while pressing pain measuring instrument was used for pressing sensitivity. Detection index was different, pain sensitivity detected pain threshold, electric sensitivity mainly detected acupoint resistance, heat sensitivity mainly detected temperature, light sensitivity detected average sharpness and average energy of infrared radiation, pressing sensitivity detected pressing-pain threshold. In conclusion, the regularities of sensitization of Hegu (LI 4) were preliminarily summarized, which involved five sensitization types: heat sensitivity, electric sensitivity, pain sensitivity, pressing sensitivity and light sensitivity. The sensitization of Hegu (LI 4) was commonly seen in facial paralysis, bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, tinnitus, ulcerative colitis. The temperature, pain threshold, pressing-pain threshold, average sharpness and average energy of infrared radiation of Hegu (LI 4) in pathological condition were lower than those in healthy subjects, and the resistance value was higher than that of healthy subjects.

Analysis of Trends on Spatial Agglomeration of Pharmaceutical Industry of China from 2011 to 2015 / 医药导报

Improving the spatial agglomeration level of regional pharmaceutical industry is an important measure to promote the competitive ability of national industry.We used three evaluation indicators,Spatial Gini Coefficient,Location Concentration Ratio and Agglomeration Index,was to calculate the degree and speed of regional agglomeration of pharmaceutical industry from 2011 to Oct 2015.At present,China's pharmaceutical industry has formed spatial concentration,particularly concentrates in Shandong,Jiangsu and Guangdong.And the chemical pharmaceutical industry mainly concentrates in Shandong, Jiangsu,Guangdong and Beijing;Chinese traditional medicine industry concentrates in Shandong,Sichuan,Jilin and Jiangxi;biopharmaceutical industry concentrates in Shandong,Jiangsu,Henan.From the point of view of development speed,the agglomeration speeds of bio-pharmaceutical and traditional medicine industry are accelerating compared with the shrink of chemical pharmaceutical industry.Three provinces of the greatest growing speed of agglomeration for chemical,traditional medicine and bio-pharmaceutical industry are Jilin,Tibet and Jiangxi, respectively.Agglomeration growth of biopharmaceutical industry in western region is prominent.This paper suggests that the national government should play a leading role in the development of regional cluster for pharmaceutical industry.Some effective measures should be taken which include formulating the supporting policies of enterprise cluster,establishing the incentive system of drug innovation and optimizing the industrial portfolio in order to promote the formation of regional sustainable competitive advantage through agglomeration effect.

Observation on effects of moxibustion at abdominal acupoints for slow transit constipation due to yang deficiency of the spleen and kidney / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To observe the clinical effects of moxibustion at abdominal acupoints for slow transit constipation (STC) due to yang deficiency of the spleen and kidney. Methods: A total of 52 cases with slow transit constipation in conformity with the inclusion criteria were selected and divided into a control group and an observation group according to their visit order and random digital table, 26 cases in each group. Patients in the control group received routine nursing guide. Besides the same routine nursing guide, patients in the observation group received moxibustion at the abdominal acupoints, once every day. The course of the treatment was 4 weeks in the two groups, and the 3-month follow-up was given after the course was finished, for comparing the clinical symptoms, results of colon transit tests, scores of depression/anxiety scale and nursing satisfaction. Results: The total effective rate was 92.3% in the observation group and 69.2% in the control group, with a significant difference between the two groups. After the treatment and during the follow-up checks, the scores of Chinese medical symptoms in the two groups were remarkably decreased than those before the treatment (all P<0.01); the scores of the observation group were obviously lower than those in the control group (all P<0.01). The discharge rates of the markers in the two groups were remarkably increased than those at the same time period before the treatment; moreover, the discharge rates of the markers at various time periods were remarkably better in the observation group than those in the control group (P<0.01). SDS and SAS scores were remarkably decreased after the treatment in the two groups (P<0.01). In comparison of SDS score between the two groups after the treatment, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). In comparison of SAS score between the two groups after the treatment, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The nursing satisfaction was 96.2% in the observation group after the treatment, obviously better than that in the control group (73.1%). The recurrence rate was 8.3% in the observation group, remarkably lower than that in the control group (33.3%). Conclusion: Moxibustion at the abdominal acupoints plus routine nursing can remarkably improve the colon transit functions and anxious and depressive emotion in patients with STC, and the therapeutic effects are remarkable. Not only the clinical satisfaction is higher, but the recurrence rate is obviously lower than that of routine nursing.

Clinical Observation of Moxibustion at He-Sea and Front-Mu Points for Chronic Atrophic Gastritis / 上海针灸杂志

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of moxibustion at He-Sea plus Front-Mu points in treating chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) due to deficient cold in spleen-stomach, and its effect on serum pepsinogen (PG) and gastrin. Method Sixty-three eligible patients with CAG due to deficient cold in spleen-stomach were divided into a control group (31 cases) and a treatment group (32 cases) by using random number table. The control group was intervened by Wei Fu Chun tablets, while the treatment group received moxibustion at He-Sea plus Front-Mu points, 12 weeks as a treatment course. Clinical efficacy, symptoms score of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), serum PGⅠ, PG Ⅱ and gastrin levels were evaluated. Result The total effective rate was 93.8% in the treatment group, significantly better than that in the control group (P<0.05); the TCM symptoms scores dropped significantly in both groups after the treatment and in the follow-up study (P<0.01), and the treatment group was markedly superior to the control group (P<0.01); the levels of PG Ⅰ, PG Ⅰ/Ⅱ ratio (PGR) and gastrin-17 (G-17) increased significantly in the treatment group after the intervention (P<0.01), and PG Ⅱ dropped significantly (P<0.05); after the treatment, thelevels of PG I, PGR and G-17 increased significantly in the control group (P<0.05); after the intervention, the treatment group was significantly better than the control group in comparing the levels of PG Ⅰ, PGR and G-17 (P<0.01), and there was a significant difference in comparing the level of PG Ⅱ between the two groups after the intervention (P<0.05). The follow-up showed that the HP positive rate was 3.1% in the treatment group, significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Moxibustion at He-Sea plus Front-Mu points can significantly improve CAG symptoms, enhance HT clearance and lower the relapse; its action mechanism is possibly through up-regulating PGⅠ, PGR and G-17 and down-regulating PG Ⅱ.

Expression of bitter taste of Chinese materia medica and its application in clinical compatibility / 中草药

The connotation of traditional Chinese medicine, source, and medicinal parts of bitter-taste Chinese materia medica (CMM) were summarized. And authors analyzed the relationship between bitter taste and four properties, meridian entry and other herb property theory as well as chemical ingredients. Then, authors described the use of electronic tongue of modern bionic technology in material characterization of bitter taste, and proposed the idea to split and characterize bitter-taste CMM which is based on systematic chemical separation analysis method. Finally, authors explored the clinical applications of compatibility methods of bitter-taste CMM, which will provide the references to guide clinical applications of the theory of bitter-taste CMM better.

Expression of sweet-taste of Chinese materia medica and its application in clinical compatibility / 中草药

The connotation of traditional Chinese medicine and base resource of sweet-taste herbs were summarized. At the same time, the distribution between sweet-taste herbs and four properties, meridian entry, and other herb property theory was analyzed. Then, the gustatory receptor, taste representation, and research on material basis of sweet-taste herbs were elaborated. Finally, the clinical applications of compatibility methods of sweet herbs were described, which will provide the references to guide clinical applications of the theory of bitter-taste herbs better.

Expression of salt-taste herbs and their applications in clinical compatibility / 中草药

Authors summarized the connotation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory on the salty in five flavors of TCM and the distribution of base resource of salt-taste herbs. At the same time, the correlation between salt-taste and four properties, meridian, and other herb property theory was analyzed. Then, the authors elaborated the gustatory receptor, taste representation, and research of material basis of salt-taste. Finally, the authors described the clinical applications of compatibility methods of salt-taste herbs, which will provide the references to guide the clinical applications of the theory on salt-taste herbs better.

Wuling capsule played an assistant role in primary prevention of post-stroke depression: a clinical research / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the primary prevention role of Wuling Capsule (WC) on poststroke depression (PSD) patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Acute stroke patients were recruited and randomized into 2 groups by stratification, 55 in each group. All patients received same routine treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Patients in the experimental group additionally took WC (0.33 g each pill), 3 pills per day, three times per day; while those in the control group additionally took placebos, 3 pills per day, three times per day. Two weeks consisted of one therapeutic course. The diagnosis of PSD was performed once every other week. Those in accordance with PSD diagnosis discontinued any drug therapy. Those not in accordance with PSD diagnosis continued the drug therapy for 1-12 therapeutic course(s) (in total of 6 months). If they were still not in accordance with PSD diagnosis, then they discontinued the drug therapy. The morbidity of PSD, the average time of depression occurrence, Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD) score, and adverse reactions were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The 1-, 3-, and 6-month morbidity of PSD was 8%, 16%, and 34% in the experimental group, while they were 19.6%, 29.4%, and 54.9% in the control group. The occurrence rate was lower in the experimental group than in the control group. Besides, there was statistical difference in the 6-month occurrence rate between the two groups (chi2 = 4.465, P < 0.05). The average time of PSD occurrence was longer in the experimental group than in the control group (14.96 +/- 8.31 weeks vs. 9.36 +/- 6.06 weeks; t=6.762, P < 0.05). The HAMD score at the PSD occurrence was 11.96 +/- 2.14 in the experimental group, lower than that of the control group (14.57 +/- 4.24), showing statistical difference (t=5.641, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>WC was superior to the placebos in lowering the incidence of PSD, delaying the occurrence time of PSD, attenuating the depression degree of PSD, and had certain preventive effect on the incidence of PSD.</p>

Intervention effects of qingre jiangya capsule on brain hippocampus of spontaneously hypertensive rats based on metabonomic research / 中国中药杂志

Thirty SHRs were obtained randomly to hypertension, model group, captopril group and Qingre jiangya capsule group. Ten Wistar rats were used as control group. The hippocampus tissue was removed to explore the damage of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and the protective effect of Qingre jiangya capsule after continuously administered for 14 days. And then the data were processed by principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The research results revealed captopril group was significantly different from the other three groups. The classification of other three groups is also very clear after captopril group removed. This suggested that Qingre jiangya capsule could improve the overall metabolism compared with captopril. Four metabolites were identified: dimethylglycine, glycerophosphocholine, aldosterone and noradrenaline. Hypertension hippocampus damage may mainly be expressed in tyrosine metabolism, aldosterone-regulated sodium, vascular smooth muscle contraction reabsorption, and Qingre jiangya capsule could reverse the hippocampus tissue damage of SHR.

Anthocyanins extracted from Chinese blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum L.) and its anticancer effects on DLD-1 and COLO205 cells / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Vaccinium uliginosum L. is a type of blueberry found in the Chinese Changbai Mountains. We extracted Vaccinium uliginosum Anthocyanins (A(V.uli)) to investigate its bioactivity on suppressing cancer cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A(V.uli) was extracted under different conditions of temperature (10°C - 35°C), pH 1.0 - 3.0, and diatomaceous earth (1.0 g - 3.0 g), followed by a HPLC analysis for the determination of the ingredients. Its anticancer bioactivities on human colon and colorectal cancer cells (DLD-1 and COLO205) were compared with those on Lonicera caerulea Anthocyanins (A(L.cae)) and Vaccinium myrtillus Anthocyanins (A(V.myr)), using cell viability assays, DNA electrophoresis and nuclear morphology assays.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The optimum process of A(V.uli) extraction involved conditions of temperature 20°C, pH 2.0, and diatomaceous earth 1.0 g/50 g of fruit weight. A(V.uli) contained 5 main components: delphinidin (40.70 ± 1.72)%, cyanidin (3.40 ± 0.68)%, petunidin (17.70 ± 0.54)%, peonidin (2.90 ± 0.63)% and malvidin (35.50 ± 1.11)%. The malvidin percentage was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than it in A(V.myr). A(V.uli) complied with a dose-dependent repression of cancer cell proliferation with an IC(50) (50% inhibitory concentration) value of 50 µg/ml, and showed greater anticancer efficiency than A(L.cae) and A(V.myr) under the same cell treatment conditions. These observations were further supported by the results of nuclear assays.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The extraction protocol and conditions we used were effective for anthocyanin extraction. A(V.uli) could be a feasible practical research tool and a promising therapeutic source to suppress human colon or colorectal cancers.</p>