Heterogeneity of Outcomes Reporting in Trials Evaluating Traditional Chinese Medicine Breast Massage for Stasis Acute Mastitis: A Methodological Review.

Objective To systematically analyze the current status of outcomes reporting in clinical trials on treating stasis acute mastitis with Traditional Chinese Medicine breast massage.Methods We searched CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane library, JBI, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Clinical Trials Registry Platform portal, Clinical Trials Registry, Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, Center Watch Registry from inception to May 15, 2022 to find randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, case series and cohort studies which reported the outcomes of stasis acute mastitis managed with Traditional Chinese Medicine breast massage, with search terms of mastitis, acute mastitis, lactation mastitis, puerperal mastitis, breast problem, breast engorgement, milk stasis, blocked ducked, breast pain, breast massage, and acupoint massage. Outcomes and the measurement schemes (measurement methods, timing of assessing outcome, frequency of assessing outcome, measurers) were extracted from the included studies. We used the Management of Otitis Media with Effusion in Children with Cleft Palate (MOMENT) to assess the quality of each study, then categorized outcomes derived from the included studies into different domains according to the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Arthritis Clinic Trials (OMERACT) Filter 2.1 framework.Results We identified 85 clinical trials, in which 54 different outcomes were reported. A total of 81.2% (69/85) of studies were assessed as medium quality with a mean score of 2.6, and 18.8% (16/85) as low quality with a mean score of 0.9. These outcomes were organized in three core areas. Lump size (89.4%, 76/85) was the most frequently reported outcome, followed by breast pain (69.4%, 59/85) and milk excretion (68.2%, 58/85). Five methods were used to assess lump size and four methods to assess breast pain.Conclusions The outcomes reported in clinical trials regarding stasis acute mastitis treated by Traditional Chinese Medicine breast massage are heterogeneous. Developing a core outcome set to achieve consistent standards for reporting outcomes and modalities for validation of the outcomes is clearly warranted.

Dietary taurine supplementation counteracts deoxynivalenol-induced liver injury via alleviating oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, and inflammation in piglets.

Deoxynivalenol (DON), as a widespread Fusarium mycotoxin in cereals, food products, and animal feed, is detrimental to both human and animal health. The liver is not only the primary organ responsible for DON metabolism but also the principal organ affected by DON toxicity. Taurine is well known to display various physiological and pharmacological functions due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the information regarding taurine supplementation counteracting DON-induced liver injury in piglets is still unclear. In our work, twenty-four weaned piglets were subjected to four groups for a 24-day period, including the BD group (a basal diet), the DON group (3 mg/kg DON-contaminated diet), the DON+LT group (3 mg/kg DON-contaminated diet + 0.3% taurine), and the DON+HT group (3 mg/kg DON-contaminated diet + 0.6% taurine). Our findings indicated that taurine supplementation improved growth performance and alleviated DON-induced liver injury, as evidenced by the reduced pathological and serum biochemical changes (ALT, AST, ALP, and LDH), especially in the group with the 0.3% taurine. Taurine could counteract hepatic oxidative stress in piglets exposed to DON, as it reduced ROS, 8-OHdG, and MDA concentrations and improved the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Concurrently, taurine was observed to upregulate the expression of key factors involved in mitochondrial function and the Nrf2 signaling pathway. Furthermore, taurine treatment effectively attenuated DON-induced hepatocyte apoptosis, as verified through the decreased proportion of TUNEL-positive cells and regulation of the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway. Finally, the administration of taurine was able to reduce liver inflammation due to DON, by inactivating the NF-κB signaling pathway and declining the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In summary, our results implied that taurine effectively improved DON-induced liver injury. The underlying mechanism should be that taurine restored mitochondrial normal function and antagonized oxidative stress, thereby reducing apoptosis and inflammatory responses in the liver of weaned piglets.

High-Quality Nursing Combined with the Whole-Course Responsibility Nursing Intervention Reduces the Incidence of Complications in Severe Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Objective: The aim of this study is to study the influence of whole-course responsibility nursing combined with high-quality nursing intervention on the level of life and complications of severe aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients with postoperative coma. Methods: From December 2018 to December 2020, 90 severe aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients with postoperative coma were selected and were divided into two groups, the experimental group and the control group, with 45 cases in each group. The control group adopted conventional nursing care, and the experimental group received whole-course responsibility nursing combined with high-quality nursing intervention. The nursing effect, degree of coma, coma recovery, and incidence of complications between all groups were compared. Results: Compared with the control group, the experimental group yielded more favorable achievement in terms of the nursing effect (P < 0.05). Superior levels of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) score, GQOLI-74 score, and BI score of the experimental group were obtained and compared with the control group (all P < 0.05). The experimental group witnessed a lower complication rate, as compared to the other group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The whole-course responsibility nursing combined with high-quality nursing intervention is applied to severe aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients with postoperative coma, which can substantially optimize the nursing efficiency, improve the degree of coma, help recover consciousness, ameliorate the mental state and the quality of life, and reduce the incidence of complications, which is worthy of clinical application.

Dose-individualization Efficiently Maintains Sufficient Exposure to Methotrexate without Additional Toxicity in High-dose Methotrexate Regimens for Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

OBJECTIVE: Methotrexate (MTX) can be safely administered to most patients but may cause severe toxicity in others. This study aimed to summarize the characteristics of high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) chemotherapy and to evaluate whether the modified dose-adjustment program was able to improve the maintenance of sufficient MTX exposure levels while minimizing toxicities. METHODS: We evaluated 1172 cycles of high-dose MTX chemotherapy from 294 patients who were treated according to the CCCG-ALL-2015 protocol (clinical trial number: ChiCTR-IPR-14005706) and analyzed the data of actual MTX dosage, MTX concentration, toxicity, and prognosis. We compared data between the dose-adjustment Program 1 (fixed 20% reduction in dose) and the dose-adjustment Program 2 (dose-individualization based on reassessment of the creatine clearance rate and the MTX concentration-monitoring point at 16 h), which were applied if the MTX clearance was delayed in the previous cycle. RESULTS: The patients who used Program 2 had higher actual MTX infusion doses and infusion rates and were able to better maintain the MTX concentration at 44 h at the established target value than those on Program 1 (P<0.001). No significant differences in toxicities were found between these two programs except that abnormal serum potassium levels and prolonged myelosuppression in intermediate-risk/high-risk patients were more frequently observed in patients using Program 2 (P<0.001). No significant correlations were observed between the MTX dose, dose-adjustment programs, or MTX concentrations and relapse-free survival. CONCLUSION: Adjusting the MTX dose using Program 2 is more efficient for maintaining sufficient MTX exposure without significantly increasing the toxicity.

Care Bundles plus Detailed Nursing on Mortality and Nursing Satisfaction of Patients with Septic Shock in ICU.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of care bundles combined with detailed nursing on the mortality and nursing satisfaction of patients with septic shock in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: Ninety patients with septic shock in the ICU admitted to our hospital from April 2019 to April 2020 were recruited and assigned to an experimental group and a control group via the random table method, with 45 cases in each group. The control group adopted conventional nursing, and the experimental group received care bundles combined with detailed nursing. The nursing effect, satisfaction, and mortality of the two groups were compared. The "Glasgow Coma Scale" (GCS) was used to evaluate the coma of the patients, the "Coma Recovery Scale" (CRS-R) was used to assess the state of consciousness of the patients, and the "Hospital Anxiety and Depression" (HAD) scale was used to evaluate the patient's emotional status before and after the intervention. Results: The experimental group showed a significantly higher nursing efficiency and better nursing satisfaction than the control group (P < 0.05). Lower mortality was found in the experimental group in contrast to the control group (P < 0.05). The experimental group had higher GCS scores and CRS-R scores and lower HAD scores than the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Care bundles plus detailed nursing for patients with septic shock in the ICU improve the nursing effect and nursing satisfaction, reduce the mortality rate, and mitigate the clinical symptoms of patients, which shows great potential in clinical application and promotion.

Jiangu granule ameliorated OVX rats bone loss by modulating gut microbiota-SCFAs-Treg/Th17 axis.

BACKGROUND: Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) is a common disease that has decreased bone strength as its main symptom after menopause. Effective treatment for PMOP remains lacking, but traditional Chinese medicine has some advantages in delaying bone loss. Jiangu granule is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription commonly used to treat PMOP. Previous studies have demonstrated its efficacy, but the mechanism of action remains uncharacterized. PURPOSE: This study aims to observe and discuss the mechanism of Jiangu granule to ameliorate bone loss in OVX rats by regulating the gut microbiota (GM)-short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)- Treg/Th17 axis. METHODS: Female SD rats were divided into the sham operation (S), Jiangu granule (J), and model group (M). Bilateral ovaries were surgically removed from the rats in the J and M groups. After 6 and 12 weeks, rats were sacrificed, and femur, tibia, vertebrae, serum, spleen, colon, and feces samples were collected. We detected the strength of bones, gut microbiota structure, and SCFAs in feces, the Treg and Th17 cell levels in the spleen, and cytokine levels in the serum. RESULT: Jiangu granule restored the abundance of gut microbiota, increased the content of SCFAs, reduced the permeability of colon epithelium, increased the proportion of Treg cells in the spleen, changed the osteoimmunomodulation-related cytokines, effectively prevented bone loss, and enhanced bone strength. CONCLUSION: Jiangu granule can effectively improve bone loss in OVX rats, possibly by regulating the "GM-SCFAs-Treg/Th17″ axis.

Evidence based practice competence of future traditional Chinese medicine nurses: A cross-sectional online study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies demonstrated the low evidence-based practice competence of nurses in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. University education may enhance nursing students' evidence-based practice competence. Few studies have investigated traditional Chinese Nursing Bachelor students' evidence-based practice competence. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the evidence-based practice competence of traditional Chinese Nursing Bachelor students across all grades and their influencing factors. DESIGN: A cross-sectional online study. SETTINGS: A traditional Chinese medicine university offering an evidence-based nursing curriculum in Beijing, China. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 601 traditional Chinese Nursing Bachelor students were recruited, with a response rate of 70.05%. The junior and senior groups consisted of first- and second-year students, and third- and fourth-year students, respectively. METHODS: An online survey was conducted in 2019 using a self-administered questionnaire encompassing attitude, knowledge, and skill. A t-test, non-parametric test, and correlation analysis were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Evidence-based practice attitude mean scores were the highest in both groups (3.87 ± 0.48 junior; 3.97 ± 0.45 senior), followed by skill (3.33 ± 0.46 junior; 3.48 ± 0.46 senior) and knowledge (3.21 ± 0.55 junior; 3.52 ± 0.47 senior). In the senior group, attitude decreased (from 4.02 to 3.86). The two groups reported the same items with the lowest scores in all three dimensions. The influencing factors were 1) scientific research experience (Z = -2.87) and a medical literature retrieval course (t = -3.40) for the junior group, 2) completion of the evidence-based nursing course (Z = -2.59) for the senior group, and 3) student admission level (Zjunior = -2.55, Zsenior = -3.85) and English language proficiency (chi-squarejunior = 2.80, chi-squaresenior = 16.37) for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Deficiencies in evidence implementation and decreasing evidence-based practice attitudes among fourth-year students warrant attention. Evidence-based nursing courses could be optimised, and research and English activities enriched to improve evidence-based practice competence.

Huaier extract enhances the treatment efficacy of imatinib in Ik6+ Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) is considered as a high risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are tailored drug for Ph+ ALL, but Ik6 is associated with TKI resistance and poor outcome of Ph+ ALL. In the present study, we investigated the potential benefit of combination therapy with imatinib and Huaier extract, a traditional Chinese medicine, in Ik6+ Ph+ ALL. The Ik6+ Ph+ -ALL cell lines Sup-B15 or BV173 were treated with Huaier extract, imatinib or the combination of the two. Analysis of cell proliferation showed that the combined treatment of imatinib and Huaier extract exhibited a greater effect on cell inhibition. Using flow cytometry and Western blot, enhanced effects on the induction of cell apoptosis were observed. The combination of the two drugs also exhibited a significant effect in decreasing the protein and enzymatic activity levels of BCR-ABL. The molecular mechanisms may be involved in BCR-ABL related pathways, including the inactivation of p-AKT, p-STAT5, p-mTOR and p-Lyn. Consistent with the in vitro results, the combination of Huaier extract and imatinib inhibit the growth and infiltration of xenografted tumors. Taken together, our findings show that Huaier extract enhances the anticancer efficacy of imatinib in Ik6+ Ph+ ALL Further, it also provides a potential clinical application in the treatment of refractory Ph+ ALL.

Sanfu acupoint herbal patching for stable asthma: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Sanfu acupoint herbal patching (SAHP) is extensively used in people with stable asthma in China. However, the evidence available is scarce. This systematic review aims to evaluate the preventive and therapeutic effect and safety of SAHP in people with stable asthma. METHODS: We searched seven electronic databases for randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The Cochrane risk of bias tool was utilised to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies and RevMan 5.3 and GRADEpro 3.6.1 were applied to perform data analyses. RESULTS: A total of 34 RCTs involving 3313 participants were included. The overall methodological quality of the trials was of high risk of bias. SAHP plus conventional therapy (CT) decreased the mean frequency (times per year) of asthma exacerbations compared with CT alone (MD: -1.42; 95% CI: -2.19 to -0.65; 7 RCTs), and similar effect was found for SAHP versus sham SAHP (MD: 0.42; 95%CI: 0.26-0.69; 1 RCT). For lung function (including PEF%, FEV1% and FEV1/FVC), SAHP plus CT showed better effect than CT alone, and so did SAHP versus sham SAHP on PEF and PEF%. Adverse effects in the SAHP groups were reported to be mild and well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: SAHP alone or combined with CT appears to be more effective than sham SAHP or CT on reduction of asthma exacerbations, improving lung function, and SAHP seems to be safe. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due to limitations in trial quality. Further, rigorously designed, large-scale trials are warranted for robust evidence.

Who are the users of a traditional Chinese sanfu acupoint herbal patching therapy in China?: A cross-sectional survey.

Sanfu acupoint herbal patching (SAHP) is a unique traditional Chinese medicine therapy, which has become popular for preventing acute attack of respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in many regions of mainland China. However, the knowledge about its users is lacking, especially the characteristics of the users and their experience and perspectives.To investigate the demographics of users, conditions for its use and the previous experience of SAHP, as well as users' perspectives to provide baseline information for its practice.A cross-sectional consecutive-sample survey was conducted at outpatient departments from 3 traditional Chinese medicine hospitals in northern China. Each participant completed a questionnaire, after informed consent. Data description and analyses were done using SPSS 20.0.Among 949 SAHP users from 3 hospitals, female was predominant (n = 592; 62.4%), aged from 2 to 96 years (median = 52 years). 64.7% (380/587) of regular users have applied consecutively for 3 years or over, and the self-perceived satisfaction rates of respiratory diseases were from 45.9% to 77.7%. Positive attitude toward traditional Chinese medicine was the top reason for choosing SAHP. 42.4% of users held a motivation of being cured by SAHP and with great outcome expectancy on SAHP (70.8%).SAHP users were mainly female adults or elderly population; more than half were regular users, who predominantly used SAHP for various chronic respiratory diseases during their stable stage. The majority of users expressed satisfaction to previous SAHP for their respiratory diseases. 42.4% of users held a motivation of being cured by SAHP and with great outcome expectancy on SAHP (70.8%). The findings from this survey deserve further clinical trials for their clinical effectiveness.

Attitude, Knowledge, and Practice on Evidence-Based Nursing among Registered Nurses in Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals: A Multiple Center Cross-Sectional Survey in China.

Objective. This study was to describe RNs' attitude, knowledge, and practice on evidence-based practice (EBP) in traditional Chinese nursing field and to estimate the related sociodemographic and professional factors. Methods. A multiple institutional cross-sectional survey design with self-reported EBP Questionnaire (EBPQ) and self-designed questionnaires were used. Results. The average scores of the total EBPQ were with a mean of 4.24 (SD = 0.79). The score of attitude was the highest one, followed by the knowledge score, and the lowest one is practice. RNs with longer experience reported stronger EBP knowledge (H = 6.64, P < 0.05). And RNs under higher working pressure reported less positive attitudes (ρ = 0.17, P < 0.001), whereas RNs holding negative professional attitude reported lower scores (Spearman's ρ: 0.12 to 0.15, P < 0.001). Significant statistics were found between RNs with research experience and without in attitude (t = -2.40, P < 0.05) and knowledge (t = -2.43, P < 0.05). Conclusions. Respondents generally viewed EBP positively and their attitudes towards EBP tended to be more positive than knowledge and practice of EBP. Data also showed that longer working experience, having administrative position, research experience, lighter working load, and better professional attitude might facilitate EBP.

Huang Qi Huai Granules Induce Apoptosis in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cells through the Akt/FoxO1 Pathway.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In recent years, a traditional Chinese medicine named Huang Qi Huai (HQH) has been frequently used in China for solid tumor therapy. However, the role of HQH on leukemia cells and its underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the effect of HQH on the proliferation and apoptosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell lines. METHODS: Sup-B15 and Nalm-6 cells were treated with gradient doses of HQH for 24, 48 or 72 h. Cell viability was measured using a CCK8 assay and cell cycle distribution and apoptosis levels were analyzed using flow cytometry. Western blotting was used to assess the levels of proteins associated with the apoptotic pathway. RESULTS: The results revealed that cell survival decreased significantly with increasing concentrations of HQH. HQH induced G2 cell-cycle arrest and cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. HQH inhibited phosphorylated-Akt, phosphorylated- FoxO1 and Bcl2 expression and upregulated Bim, cleaved-caspase-3 and Bax expression in a dose-dependent manner, which suggests that HQH induces the apoptosis of ALL cells via the Akt/FoxO1 pathway. CONCLUSION: HQH is a potential complementary agent for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Barriers to Research Utilization among Registered Nurses in Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Survey in China.

Background. As there might be relevant differences with regard to research utilization in the general hospitals, we aimed to study research utilization among registered nurses working in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. Methods. A total of 648 registered nurses from 4 tertiary-level hospitals in China were recruited for participation. A modified BARRIERS Scale and self-designed questionnaires were used for data collection. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-tests, and one-way ANOVAs and Spearman correlation analysis. Results. Overall, items which belong to the subscale "Research" were identified as the most important barriers. Among the individual items, the lack of time on the job was ranked as the top barrier, followed by the lack of knowledgeable colleagues and by overwhelming research publications. Clinical experience, working pressure, job satisfaction, and research experience could be identified as associated factors for barriers to research utilization. Conclusions. Registered nurses in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals felt high barriers to research utilization. Reducing registered nurses' working pressure, promoting their positive attitude to nursing, and improving research training might be helpful for increasing research utilization. Close cooperation between clinical and nursing schools or academic research centres might facilitate the necessary change in nursing education and routine.

Characteristics of clinical studies of summer acupoint herbal patching: a bibliometric analysis.

BACKGROUND: Summer acupoint herbal patching (SAHP) has been widely used in China for thousands of years. This bibliometric analysis aims to provide a comprehensive review of the characteristics of clinical studies on SAHP for any condition. METHODS: We included clinical studies such as randomized clinical trials (RCTs), controlled clinical studies (CCTs), case series (CSs), case reports (CRs), and cross-sectional studies on SAHP for any condition. Six databases were searched from date of inception to March 2015. Bibliometric information and study details such as study type, characteristics of participants, details of the intervention and comparison, and outcome were extracted and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 937 clinical studies were identified and which were published between 1977 and 2015. This included 404 RCTs, 52 CCTs, 458 CSs, 19 CRs and 4 cross-sectional studies and involved 232,138 participants aged 2 to 90 years from two countries. Almost all studies were from China (936, 99.89%). The five conditions most commonly treated by SAHP were asthma (401, 42.80%), chronic bronchitis (146, 15.58%), allergic rhinitis (117, 12.49%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (73, 7.79%), and recurrent respiratory tract infection (42, 4.48%). Among 502 controlled studies, the majority compared SAHP alone with different controls (16 categories, 275 comparisons). The most commonly used controls were western medicine, placebo, traditional Chinese medicine, no treatment and non-pharmaceutical traditional Chinese therapies. Composite outcome measures were the most frequently reported outcome (512, 69.19%). CONCLUSION: A substantial amount of research on SAHP has been published in China and which predominantly focuses on respiratory conditions. The findings from this study can be used to inform further research by highlighting areas of greatest impact for SAHP.

Effects of soil type and genotype on cadmium accumulation by rootstalk crops: implications for phytomanagement.

The variations of Cd accumulation in three rootstalk crop species (radish, carrot and potato) were investigated by using twelve cultivars grown in acidic Ferralsols and neutral Cambisols under two Cd treatments (0.3 and 0.6 mg kg(-1)) in a pot experiment The result showed that the total Cd uptake was significantly affected by genotype, soil type and interaction between them, suggesting the importance of selecting proper cultivars for phytoextraction in a given soil type. Among the cultivars tested, potato cultivar Luyin No.1 in Ferralsols and radish cultivar Zhedachang in Cambisols exhibited the highest Cd phytoextraction efficiency in aerial parts (4.45% and 0.59%, respectively) under 0.6 mg kg-1 Cd treatment. Furthermore, the Cd concentrations in their edible parts were below the National Food Hygiene Standard of China (0.1 mg kg(-1), fresh weight). Therefore, phytomanagement of slightly Cd-contaminated soils using rootstalk crops for safe food production combined with long-term phytoextraction was feasible, and potato cultivar Luyin No.1 for Ferralsols and radish cultivar Zhedachang for Cambisols were promising candidates for this approach.

Chinese herbal medicine in treatment of polyhydramnios:a meta-analysis and systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine (therapy A) or Chinese herbal medicine plus indomethacin (therapy B) with that of indomethacin alone (therapy C) in treating polyhydramnios. METHODS: Literatures published up to April 2012 were retrieved from PubMed, Embase and Cochrane library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Scientific and Technological Periodical Database (VIP), Wangfang, and Traditional Chinese Medicine online. Two researchers collected data independently. The assessment of methodological quality was based on Cochrane handbook and the materials were analyzed with software RevMan 5.1.2. The outcome measure index was relative risk or difference of mean value (95% confidence interval). The following outcomes were evaluated (1) general clinical improvement rate; (2) maximum vertical pocket depth; (3) amniotic fluid index (AFI) value; (4) rate of fetal ductus arteriosus constriction; (5) incidence of adverse events. RESULTS: Based on the search strategy, 5 trails involving 1017 patients were finally included. Compared with therapy C, therapy A decreased the rate of fetal ductus arteriosus constriction (P<0.01). Therapy B was more effective than therapy C in general clinical improvement and decrease of AFI for polyhydramnios (P<0.01). No serious adverse events were reported in therapy A and therapy B. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with therapy C, therapy A and therapy B may appear to be more effective for polyhydramnios. However, the exact effect needs to be confirmed with well-designed large-scale clinical trials.

[Protection effect of Wenxin Keli on isoproterenol induced heart failure in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the treatment effect of Wenxin Keli on isoproterenol (ISO) induced heart failure in rats. METHOD: Sixty six-week old male Wistar rats were randomized into six groups. The rats in control group were only receive distilled water every day. The rats in ISO group also received two subcutaneous injections (85 mg x kg(-1)) of ISO, which were separated by a 24 hour interval and began to receive distilled water 2 weeks later every day. The rats in Wenxin Keli and control group were receive Wenxin Keli (9 mg x kg(-1)) every day. The rats in Wenxin Keli and ISO group received two subcutaneous injections (85 mg x kg(-1)) of ISO, which were separated by a 24 hour interval and began to receive Wenxin Keli (9 mg x kg(-1)) 2 weeks later every day. The rats in valsartan and control group were receive valsartan every day. The rats in valsartan and ISO group received two subcutaneous injections (85 mg x kg(-1)) of ISO, which were separated by a 24 hour interval and began to receive valsartan 30 mg x kg(-1) 2 weeks later every day. Echocardiogram measurement in rats were carried out after 4 weeks and 10 weeks feeding medince of hemodynamic measurement and aconitine induced arrhythmia in rats were carried out after 10 weeks. RESULT: Echocardiogram indicated that left ventricular internal diameter at diastolic phase (LVIDd), left ventricular internal diameter at systolic phase (LVIDs), LV percent fractional shortening (FS) and LV ejection fraction (EF) were decreased in the ISO group. Treatment with valsartan 4 weeks later, FS and EF were increased compared with the ISO group and 10 weeks later, LVIDd, LVIDs, FS, EF were increased. However, treatment with Wenxin Keli 10 weeks later, LVIDs, FS, EF were not changed obviously. Hemodynamic measurement showed that left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP), left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), and dp/dt(max) were improved after 10 weeks of treatment with valsartan. The LVEDP was decreased and dp/dt(max), was increased after 10 weeks of treatment with Wenxin Keli. Aconitine induced arrhythmia in rats in Wenxin Keli and control group were less serious than those in control group, aconitine induced arrhythmia in rats in Wenxin Keli and ISO group were less serious than those in ISO group. CONCLUSION: Wenxin Keli could greatly improve the ISO induced cardiac dysfunction and protect the aconitine-induced arrhythmia in rats.

[Effects of Rukuaixiao decoction on hyperplasia of mammary gland in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of Rukuaixiao decoction (RKX) on hyperplasia of mammary gland in rats. METHOD: 60 SD female rats were radomly divided into blank control group, model group, tamoxifen group and different dose of RKX groups. Injection of estradiol and progesterone were given to establish rat models of mammary gland hyperplasia and RKX was given at the same time. Changes of breast diameter, mammilla height were measured; serum sex hormones levels, blood rheology, SOD activity and MDA content were estimated. Pathologic changes of mammary gland in rats were also observed under light microscope. RESULT: RKX could decrease the increased breast diameter, mammilla height, reduce the numbers of mammary gland lobules and relieve the pathologic changes of mammary gland. It could also decrease estradiol, prolactin levels and MDA content in serum, increase the serum progesterone level and inhibit the decrease of the coefficient of thymus. CONCLUSION: Rukuaixiao decoction has the function of treatment on hyperplasia of mammary gland.

Decreased hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury by manganese-porphyrin complexes.

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species have been implicated in ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Metalloporphyrins (MP) are stable catalytic antioxidants that can scavenge superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrite and lipid peroxyl radicals. Studies were conducted with three manganese-porphyrin (MnP) complexes with varying superoxide dimutase (SOD) and catalase catalytic activity to determine if the MnP attenuates I/R injury in isolated perfused mouse livers. The release of the hepatocellular enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was maximal at 1 min reperfusion, decreased rapidly and increased gradually by 90 min. Manganese tetrakis-(N-ethyl-2 pyridyl) porphyrin (MnTE-2-PyP) decreased ALT, AST, LDH at 1-90 min reperfusion, while manganese tetrakis-(N-methyl-2 pyridyl) porphyrin (MnTM-2-PyP) and manganese tetrakis-(ethoxycarbonyl) porphyrin (MnTECP) decreased ALT and LDH from 5 to 90 min reperfusion. The release of thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances (TBARS) was diminished by MnTE-2-PyP and MnTM-2-PyP at 90 min. The extent of protein nitration (nitrotyrosine, NT) was decreased in all three MnPs treated livers. These results demonstrate that MnP complexes can attenuate hepatic I/R injury and may have therapeutic implications in disease states involving oxidants.