Vasoprotective Effects of Hyperoside against Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rats: Activation of Large-Conductance Ca2+-Activated K+ Channels.

Hyperoside (Hyp), a kind of Chinese herbal medicine, exerts multiple therapeutic effects on many diseases. However, the role and mechanisms of Hyp in vascular pathophysiology in ischemic stroke need to be further established. The study aimed to investigate the role of (large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+) BK channels on the vasoprotection of Hyp against cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. The concentration gradient of Hyp was pretreated in both the middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion model and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) model of primary vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in rats. A series of indicators were detected, including neurological deficit score, infarct volume, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), cerebral blood flow (CBF), cell viability, membrane potential, and BK channels α- and ß1-subunits expression. The results showed that Hyp significantly reduced infarct volume and ameliorated neurological dysfunction in I/R-injured rats. Besides, the effects of I/R-induced reduction of BK channels α- and ß1-subunits expression were significantly reversed by Hyp in endothelial-denudated cerebral basilar arteries. Furthermore, the protective effect against I/R-induced increases of MDA and reduction of SOD as well as CBF induced by Hyp was significantly reversed by iberiotoxin (IbTX). In OGD/R-injured VSMCs, downregulated cellular viability and BK channels ß1-subunits expression were remarkably reversed by Hyp. However, neither OGD/R nor Hyp affected BK channels α-subunits expression, and Hyp failed to induced hyperpolarization of VSMCs. Moreover, the protective effect against OGD/R-induced reduction of cell viability and SOD level and increases of MDA production induced by Hyp was significantly reversed by IbTX in VSMCs. The study indicates that Hyp has the therapeutic potential to improve vascular outcomes, and the mechanism is associated with suppressing oxidative stress and improving CBF through upregulating BK channels.

Clinical study of warming needle moxibustion of Jiaji and TCM fumigation combined for acute inflammatory period of lumbar disc herniation / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of lumbar spine warming needle moxibustion of Jiaji and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) fumigation combined with conventional western medicine therapy on patients with acute inflammatory period of lumbar disc herniation (LDH).Methods:Randomized controlled trial. A total of 140 patients with acute inflammation of LDH in our hospital from December 2019 to December 2021 were selected as observational objects, and the patients meeting the inclusion criteria were divided into 2 groups with 70 patients in each group by random number table method. The control group was treated with conventional western medicine therapy, and the observational group was treated with warming needle moxibustion of Jiaji combined with TCM fumigation on the basis of control group treatment. Both groups received continuous treatment for 1 month. TCM syndrome scores were performed before and after treatment, the degree of lumbar pain was assessed by VAS, the degree of lumbar dysfunction was assessed by Japanese Orthopaedic Association Evaluation Treatment (JOA score), and serum CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α levels were measured by ELISA.Results:The total effective rate was 95.71% (67/70) in the observation group and 82.86% (58/70) in the control group, and there was significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=6.05, P=0.014). After treatment, TCM syndrome score [(4.45±1.09) vs. (10.67±2.82), t=16.85], VAS score [(1.54±0.43) vs. (3.28±1.04), t=12.94] lower than those in the control group ( P<0.01), subjective feeling [(7.54±2.87) vs. (6.24±1.76), t=5.72], physical signs [(6.76±2.00) vs. (4.34±1.67), t=7.77], limited daily activities [(9.56±3.27) vs. (7.89±2.97), t=3.16], bladder function score [(2.88±0.84) vs. (2.63±0.64), t=2.89] and the total score [(25.04±7.44) vs. (20.35±6.87), t=4.63] were higher than those in the control group ( P<0.01). After treatment, serum IL-6 [(18.12±4.23) μg/L vs. (26.46±4.58) μg/L, t=11.19], CRP [(18.87±6.07) mg/L vs. (25.89±5.72) mg/L, t=7.04] and TNF-α levels [(24.42±5.37) ng/L vs. (29.45±5.44) ng/L, t=5.51] were lower than those in the control group ( P<0.01). Conclusion:The warming needle moxibustion of Jiaji and TCM fumigation combined with conventional western medicine therapy can improve the lumbar pain of LDH patients in acute inflammatory stage, reduce the level of inflammatory factors, improve clinical efficacy.

Study on the molecular mechanism of nightshade in the treatment of colon cancer.

The present study attempts to explore the effective components, action targets, and potential mechanism of nightshade for colon cancer treatment. The relationship network diagram of 'traditional Chinese medicine - component - target - disease' was firstly constructed by employing network pharmacology. Experiments were conducted in vivo and in vitro to verify the influence of quercetin, the core effective component of nightshade, on colon cancer. Meanwhile, the regulatory effects of quercetin on core targets and main signaling pathways were determined. Based on the network diagram of 'traditional Chinese medicine - component - target - disease' and KEGG analysis, quercetin might exhibit certain effects on colon cancer treatment by regulating the biological behavior of core targets related to cell apoptosis in tumors including PIK3R1, PIK3CA, Akt1, and Akt2. Furthermore, quercetin has been demonstrated in vitro experiments to suppress the proliferation and migration of colon cancer cells whereas promote their apoptosis in a dose-dependent fashion. In vivo experiments indicate that quercetin had an antitumor effect on human colon cancer SW480 cells in nude mice bearing tumors. Furthermore, PIK3CA could bind to quercetin directly, which is validated by immunocoprecipitation. Therefore, the activation of PI3K/AKT phosphorylation was inhibited by quercetin and moreover the expressions of apoptotic proteins caspase-3 and Bcl2-Associated X protein (BAX) were up-regulated. In conclusion, the potential mechanism of nightshade lies in the activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway inhibited by quercetin, thus promoting apoptosis of colon cancer cells for colon cancer treatment.

Jug-PLGA-NPs, a New Form of Juglone with Enhanced Efficiency and Reduced Toxicity on Melanoma.

OBJECTIVE: To verrify the anti-tumor efficacy and toxicity between juglone (Jug) and Jug-loaded PLGA nanoparticles (Jug-PLGA-NPs). METHODS: Jug-PLGA-NPs were prepared by ultrasonic emulsification. The anti-tumor activity of Jug (2, 3, 4 µg/mL) and Jug-PLGA-NPs (Jug: 2, 3, 4 µg/mL) in vitro was measured by MTT assay and cell apoptosis analysis. The distribution, anti-tumor effect and biological safety in vivo was evaluated on A375 nude mice. RESULTS: With the advantage of good penetration and targeting properties, Jug-PLGA-NPs significantly inhibited proliferation and migration of melanoma cells both in vitro and in vivo (P<0.05 or P<0.01) with acceptable biocompatibility. CONCLUSIONS: Jug can inhibit the growth of melanoma but is highly toxic. With the advantage of sustained release, tumor targeting, anti-tumor activity and acceptable biological safety, Jug-PLGA-NPs provide a new pharmaceutical form for future application of Jug.

Exploring the effects of artesunate and fuzheng huayu decoction on mitochondria in the treatment of schistosomiasis liver fibrosis / 中华肝脏病杂志

Objective: To compare the effects of artesunate (Art) and fuzheng huayu decoction on mitochondrial autophagy in the treatment of schistosomiasis liver fibrosis. Methods: Eighty C57BL/6 female mice were randomly divided into healthy control group, infection group, Art treatment group and Fuzheng Huayu Decoction treatment group, with 20 mice in each group. Mice in the infection group and treatment group were infected with 16 Schistosoma japonicum cercariae. After 6 weeks, praziquantel (300 mg/kg) was used for 2 days to kill the worms. The Art treatment group was treated with intraperitoneal injection of 100 mg/kg/day, while the Fuzheng Huayu Decoction treatment group was fed 16g of fuzheng huayu decoction per 1kg per day. After 6 weeks, fresh liver tissues of the four groups were collected. Masson staining and Western blot were used to observe the succinate dehydrogenase subunit A (SDHA) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH2), citrate synthase (CS), ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (OGDH), and target of rapamycin 1 (mTORC1) pathway involved in mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid cycle in liver tissues. The relative expression levels of adenylate activated protein kinase (AMPK) and mitochondrial autophagy pathway kinase (PINK1) were detected. Liver tissue samples were extracted from each group to detect the mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate. Two-way ANOVA was used to compare the significance and difference between two sets of samples. Results: Masson staining showed that the infection group mice had significantly higher liver fibrosis area than the healthy control group, while the Art treatment group and Fuzheng Huayu Decoction treatment group mice had lower liver fibrosis area than the infection group. Western blot analysis showed that the infection group (0.82 ± 0.05) had significantly lower relative expression of SDHA protein than the healthy control group (1.00 ± 0.05) (t = 11.23, P = 0.0035), while the Art treatment group (0.73 ± 0.05) had significantly higher relative expression of SDHA protein than the infection group (t = 10.79, P = 0.0073). However, there was no significant change in Fuzheng Huayu Decoction treatment group (0.98±0.05) (t = 1.925, P = 0.1266). The relative expression of p-AMPK protein was significantly higher in the infection group (1.15 ±0.05) than in the healthy control group (0.98 ± 0.07, t = 12.18, P = 0.0029), and the expression of p-AMPK in the Art treatment group (0.50 ± 0.05) was significantly lower than the infection group (t = 11.78, P = 0.0032). The relative protein expression of AMPK was significantly lower in the infection group (0.80 ± 0.05) than in the healthy control group (1.00 ± 0.05, t = 10.53, P = 0.0046). The expression of AMPK was significantly lower in the Art treatment group (0.54 ± 0.05) than in the infection group (T = 13.98, P = 0.0036). The relative expression of p-mTORC1 protein (0.93 ± 0.08) was not significantly different in the infection group than in the healthy control group (t = 2.28, P = 0.065), while the Art treatment group (0.63 ± 0.05) had significantly lower relative expression of p-mTORC1 protein than the infection group (t = 10.58, P = 0.029). The expression of p-mTORC1/ m-TORC1 was not significantly different in the infection group (0.98 ± 0.03) than in the healthy control group (0.97 ± 0.03, t = 0.98, P = 0.085), while the Art treatment group (0.63 ± 0.05) had significantly lower relative expression of p-mTORC1/ m-TORC1 than the infection group (t = 14.58, P = 0. 009). The relative protein expression of PINK1 was significantly lower in the infection group (0.55 ± 0.05) than in the healthy control group (1.00 ± 0.03, t = 13.49, P = 0.0011), while the Art treatment group (1.21 ± 0.05, t = 9.98, P = 0.0046) and Fuzheng Huayu Decoction treatment group (1.31 ±0.35, t = 6.98, P = 0.027) had significantly higher relative protein expression of PINK1 than the infection group. Mitochondrial function tests showed that after adding substrate complex II, the oxygen consumption of the infection group was lower than the healthy control group, while the Art treatment group and the Fuzheng Huayu Decoction treatment group had higher oxygen consumption than the infection group. The oxygen consumption was significantly lower after adding the substrate complex III in the infection group than the healthy control group, while the Art treatment group and Fuzheng Huayu Decoction treatment group had higher oxygen consumption than the infection group. Conclusion: Art can alleviate schistosomiasis liver fibrosis by inhibiting AMPK/mTORC1 signaling pathway activity and enhancing mitochondrial oxygen consumption, autophagy and SDHA expression.

Utilization of traditional Chinese medicine services and its influencing factors among home-based elderly care population in Zhejiang Province / 中华健康管理学杂志

Objective:To analyze the utilization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services and its influencing factors among home-based elderly care population in Zhejiang Province.Methods:A multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was used to enroll 2 300 home-based elderly care population aged 65 years and over and lived in the local area for 6 months and above in Zhejiang Province. The basic characteristics, health status and behavior, TCM cultural literacy, TCM cognitive beliefs and TCM service usage of the subjects were collected by face-to-face questionnaires from July 15 to August 15, 2021, and 2 123 valid questionnaires were recovered. Unconditional logistic regression was applied to analyze the influencing factors of TCM service usage among home-based elderly care population.Results:The overall utilization rate of TCM services among home-based elderly care population in Zhejiang Province was 36.46% (774/2 123). The utilization rates of the 6 types of TCM from high to low was oral administration of traditional Chinese medicine (22.00%), external treatment with traditional Chinese medicine (15.12%), acupuncture treatment (11.96%), medicated diet conditioning (7.44%), constitution identification (7.40%) and exercise conditioning (4.57%). Home-based elderly care population lived in urban areas, had never been to school, with education of primary school or high school and above, suffered from chronic diseases, moderate activities or physical exercise, believed in TCM and had attended lectures on TCM knowledge were more inclined to use TCM services (all P<0.05); agricultural laborers, production and transportation workers and family laborers before retirement were less inclined to use TCM services (all P<0.05); women, those with medical insurance, those drinking alcohol and those with better TCM cultural literacy were more inclined to use 2 and more kinds of TCM services (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The utilization rate of TCM services among home-based elderly care population in Zhejiang Province is relatively high; gender, place of residence, education level, occupation before retirement, medical insurance, belief in TCM, and participation in TCM knowledge lectures are the main influencing factors of the use of TCM services among home-based elderly care population.

Validation of efficacy and mechanism of Sanwei-Tanxiang powder in improving myocardial ischemia reperfusion injuries.

Sanwei-Tanxiang powder (SWTX), a traditional Mongolian and Tibetan medicine containing a cocktail of active molecules, relieves angina pectoris and improves recovery in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). The pharmacological effect of SWTX on CHD was analyzed at a systemic point of view in our previous studies. The bioinformatics prediction showed that the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway was one of important pathways of SWTX on treatment of coronary heart disease. Based on it, the aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits of SWTX in acute myocardial ischemic-reperfused (MIR) rat in vivo and H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells under oxidative stress induced by H2O2 in vitro, and further investigate the involvement of PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway in these processes. Ex vivo, under physiological conditions, SWTX did not show any modification in the heart rate and contraction amplitude. However, against a MIR injury, SWTX pretreatment provided significant protection, including reduced ST-segment elevation, pathological changes and myocardial infarct size in vivo, meanwhile, some monomers of SWTX showed antioxidant capacity and inhibited cardiomyocytic apoptosis in vitro. The effect was correlated with the activation of the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a signaling pathway downstream and the regulation of downstream pro-apoptotic Bim of FoxO3a experimental verified by qRT-PCR, Western blot and immunofluorescent assay. In vitro, blocking Akt and p-FoxO3a activation with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 effectively suppressed the protective effects of several active monomers (including quercetin, macelignan,methyleugenol and Santol) of SWTX against H2O2-induced injury. Collectively, these results suggest that SWTX decreases I/R injury, and the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway takes part in protection during this process, gallogen (G3) and quercetin (G8) of GZ, methyleugenol (R2) and macelignan (R7) of RDK, santol (T1) of TX are responsible at least in part for SWTX's cardioprotection effect.

Simultaneous determination of five alkaloids from Rauvolfia vomitoria in rat plasma by LC-MS/MS: Application to a comparative pharmacokinetic study in normal and type 2 diabetic rats.

Rauvolfia vomitoria is widely distributed in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia, and has been used in traditional folk medicine in China. Indole alkaloids were found to be major bioactive components, while the effects of diabetes mellitus on the pharmacokinetic parameters of the components have not been reflected in vivo. In this study, an efficient and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of five ingredients of R. vomitoria in rats. Detection was implemented in multiple-reaction-monitoring mode with an electrospray positive-ionization source. Validation parameters were all in accordance with the current criterion. The established method was effectively employed to compare the pharmacokinetic behaviors of five alkaloids (reserpine, yohimbine, ajmaline, ajmalicine, and serpentine) between normal and type 2 diabetic rats. The single-dose pharmacokinetic parameters of the five alkaloids were determined in normal and diabetic rats after oral administration of 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight. The results indicated that diabetes mellitus significantly altered the pharmacokinetic characteristics of yohimbine, ajmaline, and ajmalicine after oral administration in rats. This is an attempt to provide some evidence for clinicians that may serve as a guide for the use of antidiabetic medicine in clinical practice.

Current situation and problems of national standards for Chinese medicinal materials / 中国中药杂志

To learn the current situation and strengthen the management of national standards for Chinese medicinal materials, we sorted out the relevant national standards. According to incomplete statistics, there are 1 185 kinds of Chinese medicinal materials, including 1 024 kinds of plant medicines, 106 kinds of animal medicines, and 54 kinds of mineral medicines, in addition to ethnic medicinal materials with different functions. The relevant standards include 819 Pharmacopoeia standards, 342 standards issued by the Ministry of Health or National Medicinal Products Administration, 7 standards for new medicinal materials, and 17 standards for imported medicinal materials. In this paper, the sources of standards as well as the distribution of families and genera and the distribution of medicinal parts of medicinal materials are analyzed. The suggestions are as follows:(1)to improve the coordination among different national standards of Chinese medicinal materials;(2)to improve the standardization and controllability of relevant standards;(3)to revise the issued standards for Chinese medicinal materials(including Tibetan, Uygur, and Mongolian medicinal materials).

One New Phenolic Compound from Castanea mollissima Shells and its Suppression of HepatomaCell Proliferation and Inflammation by Inhibiting NF-κB Pathway.

Shells of Castanea mollissima (CMS), an agricultural remain and often considered waste from chestnut processing industry, have been proven a resource for traditional Chinese medicine. One new phenol, named castanolB(1), andsix known phenolic compounds (2⁻7) were isolated froma water-soluble extract of CMS. Their chemical structures were determined using preparative HPLC and various spectral analyses, and then were compared to literatures, which indicated the first identification of the seven compounds from C. mollissima. The physicochemical property of compound (2) was also reported for the first time. After antiproliferative screening of compounds (1⁻7) on LPS-induced SMMC-7721 and HepG2 hepatoma cells, castanolB (1) showed the best suppression. CastanolB(1) also significantly induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, castanolB (1) decreasedsecretion of TNF-α and IL-6. Mechanistically, TLR4⁻NF-κB pathway was inhibited bycastanolB (1) with downregulation of TLR4, IKKß, and NF-κB p65. This study presents a new phenol and shows its profiles of anticancer and anti-inflammation via inhibiting the TLR4⁻NF-κB pathway.

Standardization of preparation of rice fried Codonopsis Radix based on correlation analysis of functional component and shape index / 中国中药杂志

The quality standard of Chinese herbal medicine is the key in quality control, and the establishment of rice processing technology standard of rice fried Codonopsis Radix has important significance for the overall quality control. In this study, the color brightness (L*), red-green chromaticity coordinate (a*), yellow-blue chromaticity coordinate (b*) and total color value（E*ab）were determined by colorimeter and used as the shape indexes. Ethanol extractives, polysaccharide, lobetyolin and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural contents were determined by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultraviolet (UV), and used as chemical indexes in the analysis by normalization distance method. The two index methods were adopted to optimize the processing technology of rice fried Codonopsis Radix by taking processing temperature, processing time, rice types and rice dosage as factors. The correlation analysis between the two index methods was carried out by SAS 9.40 and JMP 11 software. The results showed that all the four factors had significant differences, and the best processing technology was as follows: polished round-grained rice as raw material, processing temperature at 140 °C, processing time of 10min, and the ratio of Codonopsis pilosula and rice is 100:30. Chemical indexes showed significant positive correlations with shape indexes, providing basis for the quality evaluation of rice fried Codonopsis Radix in processing.

Addition and Subtraction Theory of TCM Using Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction and Naturopathy in Predicting Survival Outcomes of Primary Liver Cancer Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study.

To investigate the therapeutic effect of combined Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction and naturopathic medicine therapy on survival outcomes of patients' PLC. In XCHD group (n = 76), patients were treated with Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction in accordance with the addition and subtraction theory of TCM; in NM group (n = 89), patients were managed by naturopathic medicine; in combined group (n = 70), the same volume of Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction combined with naturopathic medicine procedures was applied. There were no evident statistical differences of age, gender, KPS score, body weight, smoking status, AFP levels, HbsAg status, TBIL levels, tumor diameters, and numbers among different groups, showing comparability among groups. No significant difference was found regarding the total remission rate and stability rate of tumors in patients treated by Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction and naturopathic medicine, except the combined therapy. KPS scores were significantly improved after treatment among groups. After treatment, 52.8% cases maintained a stable or slight increase in weight, of which 42.1%, 48.3%, and 70.0% cases maintained weight stably in the XCHD group, NM group, and combined treatment group, respectively. Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction associated with naturopathy may predict improved prognostic outcomes in PLC patients, along with improved remission and stability rates, increased KPS scores, and stable weight maintenance.

Effects of Tussilago farfara by Grinding Dispersion Treatment on the Dispersion Stability of Xiao’er Feike Granules in Water / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To improve the dispersion stability in water of Tussilago farfara powder,and to improve compliance of Xiao’er feike granules. METHODS:The effects of 4 kinds of dispersion stabilizer (sodium hexametaphosphate, dextrin, PEG4000 and lecithin) on dispersion stability of suspension in water were investigated during the grinding of T. farfara using rate of absorbance change(β)and Zeta potential as index;IR spectrum of samples were characterized. Using original formulation with-out dispersion stabilizer as control,the dispersion stability of new formulation granules in water were analyzed comparatively after adding dispersion stabilizer. RESULTS:Among 4 kinds of dispersion stabilizer,β of sample prepared by sodium hexametaphos-phate was the lowest,while Zeta potential of it was the highest;compared with original T. farfara,β of T. farfara grinded with 2.5% sodium hexametaphosphate decreased by 16.8%,and Zeta potential absolute value increased by 29.4%;no new peak was found in IR spectrum. Compared with control granules,granules suspension prepared by new formulation had lower β and higher Zeta potential absolute value (P<0.01);particle size was 30 μm and no large particle aggregation was found;β was less than 5.0% within 20 s sedimentation. CONCLUSIONS:During the preparation of Xiao’er feike granules,the application of sodium hexametaphosphate in the grinding of T. farfara powder can improve the dispersion stability of granules in water and the compliance of the preparation.

Animal drugs quality status and reason analysis / 中国中药杂志

In order to reaction the quality present situation, problems on the current quality of animal sources of drugs are summed up by using test data analysis, literature search and marketing research. This paper can also help the improvement of the quality management, the revision of the relevant department policy system and the improvement of standards.

Effect of curcumin in inducing apoptosis of MDA-MB-213 cells by activating endoplasmic reticulum stress / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the possible mechanism of curcumin in inducing the apoptosis of breast cancer cell MDA-MB-231.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Curcumin of different concentrations at 0, 10 25, 50, 100, 150, 200 micromol x L(-1) were used to intervene breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 for 24 hours. MTT was used to observe its effect on the proliferation of breast cancer cells. The flow cytometry was used to detect its effect on the cell apoptosis. The real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot was used to assess the expression levels of GRP78 and CHOP in breast cancer cells.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Curcumin could inhibit the proliferative ability of breast cancer cells by inducing them in a concentration-dependent manner. Curcumin could significantly increase the expression levels of GRP78 and CHOP in breast cancer cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Curcumin could induce the apoptosis of breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 by activating endoplasmic reticulum stress.</p>

Effects of xihuangwan in assistant treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer / 中国中药杂志

In order to explore the possibility of Xihuangwan (XHW)'s application in assistant therapy in patients with breast cancer, short- and long-term clinical efficacy were assessed in this study. Eighty and four patients with advanced breast cancer were selected in this study. They were divided into control group and treatment group randomly and evenly. All patients received surgical treatment followed by chemotherapy regimen composed of PTX + EPI + CTX (TEC regimen). Treatment group received additional assistant treatment of XHW. Short-term clinical efficacy was assessed by KPS, lesion stabilizing rate and side effects in 3-month follow-up study. Long-term clinical efficacy was assessed by overall survival (OS) and free-progression survival (FPS). KPS increased significantly after treatment in all patients (P < 0.05), more significantly in treatment group than in control group after treatment (P < 0.05); lesion stabilizing rate in treatment group increased significantly in treatment group than in control group (92.86% vs. 85.71%, P < 0.05); there was no significant difference between control group and treatment group in occurrence of side effects. Compared with control group, OS and FPS increased significantly in treatment group. Data in this study showed that XHW was suitable in treatment of advanced breast cancer due to its satisfactory short-term and long-term therapeutic effects.

Stratified analysis of the relationship between traditional Chinese medicine constitutional types and health status in the general population based on data of 8 448 cases / 中西医结合学报

Objective: To examine the relationship between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitutional types and health status among groups of different age or gender in the general population of China. Methods: Data of 8 448 cases were randomly sampled from a database of 21 948 cases of a cross-sectional survey on the TCM constitutional types and health status which was carried out in 9 provinces or municipalities of China (Jiangsu, Anhui, Gansu, Qinghai, Fujian, Beijing, Jilin, Jiangxi and Henan) according to gender and age structure of the Chinese population in 2005. Scores of health-related quality of life scale--the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (MOS SF-36)--were analyzed by Nemenyi test to compare the health status of individuals with different constitutional types. Results: Compared with the gentleness type, the MOS SF-36 scores of the 8 types of pathological constitution were significantly low (P<0.05) among groups of different age or gender. The MOS SF-36 score was the lowest in men of the qi-deficiency, qi-depression and blood-stasis types, while it was the lowest in women of the phlegm-dampness, qi-depression and qi-deficiency types. For the age group of 15 to 34, the special diathesis, qi-depression and blood-stasis types had the lowest MOS SF-36 scores; for the age group of 35 to 59, the qi-deficiency, qi-depression and blood-stasis types had the lowest MOS SF-36 scores; for the age group of over 60, the qi-deficiency, qi-depression and phlegm-dampness types had the lowest MOS SF-36 scores. Conclusion: In groups of different gender or age, the MOS SF-36 scores of the 8 types of pathological constitution were significantly lower than that of the gentleness type, indicating a deficient health status. The health status of different types of constitution showed different characteristics in groups of different gender or age.

Influence of acupuncture on isoprostane in patients with Alzheimer's disease / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture on Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty patients with Alzheimer's disease were treated by acupuncture with reinforcing kidney and activating blood method for 12 weeks and Baihui (GV 20), Shenshu (BL 23), Xuehai (SP 10) and Geshu (BL 17) were selected. The clinical therapeutic effect were assessed by comparing the scores of Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Section (ADAS-Cog) and 8-IPF2alpha concentration in cerebrospinal fluid, blood and urine before and after treatment were detected by using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After treatment, the effective rate was 90.0%. The score of ADAS-Cog was 35. 70 +/- 14. 70 before treatment and 31. 45 +/- 4. 08 after treatment, with a significant difference (P<0. 001). The concentration of 8-IPF2alpha in cerebrospinal fluid, blood and urine were all significantly decreased after treatment (all P<0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Acupuncture can improve the cognitive ability of AD patients and its possible mechanism may be relative to the decrease in lipid peroxidation in AD patients' brain.</p>

[Effects of rhubarb aglycone on matrix metalloproteinase in cerebral ischemic tissue in rats with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of rhubarb aglycone on pathological changes and activity of matrix metalloproteinase in cerebral ischemic tissue in rats with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation, and to explore the action mechanisms of rhubarb aglycone in protecting against brain micrangium injury in rats. METHODS: The BMSCs were purified and amplified by methods of adherence and selection in vitro. One hundred and ninety rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group, untreated group, rhubarb aglycone group, BMSC transplantation group (abbreviated as transplantation group) and BMSCs combined with rhubarb aglycone group (abbreviated as combination group). Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was duplicated with nylon thread. Rats of transplantation and combination group were transplanted with BMSCs via carotid artery after 24-hour reperfusion. Rhubarb aglycone was used by intragastric administration in the rhubarb aglycone group and the combination group. The brain samples were taken at 7, 14 and 28 days after transplantation. Brain micrangium pathological changes were observed by light microscope, and immunohistochemical method was used to determine the expressions of immunoglobulin G (IgG), type IV collagen (Col IV), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1). RESULTS: Comparison with the normal control group revealed that brain micrangium in rats in the untreated group was obviously mutilated and damaged, the expression of IgG and MMP-9 increased, and showed a progressively enhanced tendency following the prolongation of reperfusion, while the expressions of Col IV and TIMP-1 were decreased, and TIMP-1 showed a attenuated tendency following the prolongation of reperfusion. Comparing with the untreated group, the improvements of brain micrangium structure in the rhubarb aglycone group (7 days after transplantation), the transplantation group (14 and 28 days after transplantation) and the combination group were significant; expression of IgG and activity of MMP-9 were decreased, while expressions of Col IV and TIMP-1 were increased in the rhubarb aglycone group and the combination group at each time point. The brain micrangium was integral and the expression of Col IV was enhanced in combination group (7 days after transplantation) as compared with those in transplantation group. MMP-9 activity in combination group (14 days after transplantation) was lower than that in the rhubarb aglycone group (14 days after transplantation), while expression of TIMP-1 in combination group also increased significantly as compared with that in transplantation group (28 days after transplantation). CONCLUSION: Rhubarb aglycone can decrease the degradation of basal lamina Col IV and the permeability of brain micrangium in cerebral ischemic rats with BMSC transplantation, and its mechanisms may be related to regulating the balance of MMP-9, especially by increasing the expression of TIMP-1.

[The clinical study on chronic hepatitis B treated by the four-step therapeutics of Traditional Chinese Medicine].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical curative effect of chronic hepatitis B treated by the four-step therapeutics of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). METHODS: 120 patients with mild or moderate Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) were randomly divided into two groups: 80 patients in treatment group and 40 in control group. All enrolled cases accorded with the enroll standard. In treatment group, the patients were divided into mild moderate and severe degree of immune intervention based on the ALT level and treated with four-step therapeutics according to the dialectical theory. In control group, all patients were administered 100mg Lamivudine orally daily for two years. RESULTS: The loss rates of HBeAg, HBV-DNA, precore mutation were 58.9%, 78.9% in treatment group respectively, and 33.3%, 38.9% in control group. There were significant defferences between them. The total effectiveness ratio of two groups has no significant difference. After the treatment, the value of HA, PCIII, IV. C,LN decreased dramatically in treatment group and the antihepatic fibrosis results of treatment group were superior to those of control group. The four-step therapeutics of TCM could improve the ALT value and the ALT value declined to normal after the virus indexes' loss. The response rate in treatment group of ALT-elevating patients was higher than those of no ALT- elevating patients. CONCLUSION: The four-step therapeutics of TCM is effective in treating the CHB patients.