Association of use of Chinese herbal medicines and the risk of fracture in patients with osteoporosis: a population-based cohort study.

After utilizing a large population-based claims database and the application of propensity score match approach to reduce the confounding effects, we found that the use of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) was related to the lower risk of sequent osteoporotic fracture by 27% among the individuals with osteoporosis. The predominant effect was observed in those receiving CHMs for more than two years. INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis (OS) is a highly disabling condition that can lead to fragility fracture, thus posing greater burdens of functional limitations for the affected individuals. It is unclear if the use of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) could reduce the risk of fracture due to OS. This study aimed to investigate the association of CHMs and the subsequent osteoporotic fracture risk among OS patients. METHODS: This longitudinal cohort study used the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database to identify 250,699 newly diagnosed OS patients aged 20 years or older between 1998 and 2010. We recruited 103,325 CHM users following the onset of OS (CHM users) and randomly selected 103,325 subjects without CHM usage as controls (non-CHM users) by propensity score matching according to the demographic characteristics and comorbidities at enrollment. All enrollees were followed until the end of 2012 to record the incidence of osteoporotic fracture. We applied the Cox proportional hazard regression model to compute the hazard ratio (HR) of the risk of osteoporotic fracture. RESULTS: During the 15-year follow-up period, 7208 CHM users and 11,453 non-CHM users sustained osteoporotic fracture, with an incidence rate of 9.26 and 12.96, respectively, per 1000 person-years. We found that CHM users had a significantly reduced risk of osteoporotic fracture compared to non-CHM users (adjusted HR 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.70-0.75). Those treated with CHMs for longer than 730 days had a lower fracture risk by 54%. Some commonly used CHMs, such as Yan hu suo (Rhizoma Corydalis), Huang Qin (Scutellaria Baicale), Jie Geng (Platycodon grandifloras), Xiang Fu (Cyperus rotundus), Hai Piao Xiao (Cuttlebone Sepium), Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San, Ge-Gen-Tang, Shao-Yao-Gan-Cao-Tang, and Du-Huo-Ji-Sheng-Tang, are related to the lower risk of fracture. CONCLUSIONS: The use of CHMs was associated with lower risk of osteoporotic fracture for OS patients, suggesting that it could be integrated into conventional therapy to prevent subsequent bone fracture.

Danggui shaoyao san improve colchichine-induced learning acquisition impairment in rats.

AIM: To investigate the effects of the water extracts of Danggui Shaoyao San (DGSYS) in rats used the passive avoidance task. METHODS: Impairment in learning acquisition in rats was induced by colchicines, and the level of superoxide dismutase in the brain and the effects of DGSYS on the locomotor activity and pain threshold induced by colchicines were detected. RESULTS: DGSYS (0.1-1.0 g/kg) attenuated the impairment of learning acquisition induced by colchicine (15 microg) and DGSYS (0.5 and 1.0 g/kg) increased the level of SOD (141 +/- 3 and 135.4 +/- 2.0) in the brain. However, DGSYS (0.1 - 1.0 g/kg) did not affect the locomotor activity and pain threshold in the rats treated with colchicines. CONCLUSION: DGSYS can improve the learning acquisition deficit induced by colchicine in rats. The action mechanism of DGSYS may be involved in the increase in the level of superoxide dismutase.

Effects of Jen-San-Yaung-Jung-Tang on scopolamine-induced amnesia in rats.

The effect of Jen-San-Yaung-Jung-Tang (YJT) on scopolamine (SCOP)-induced amnesia was investigated in a step-through passive avoidance task in rats. It was observed that YJT (0.5 and 1.0 g/kg) significantly improved SCOP-induced amnesia and did not change the horizontal activity and pain threshold. YJT at 0.5 and 1.0 g/kg also did not change SCOP-treated horizontal activity and pain threshold. Furthermore, the antiamnesic effect of YJT at 1.0 g/kg on the SCOP-induced amnesia was augmented by physostigmine, but was not altered by neostigmine or scopolamine N-methylbromide. These results suggest that the antiamnesic effect of YJT could only be related to the memory-related process, and to an increase in central cholinergic neuronal activity.

Studies on the sedative effect of Cistanche deserticola.

In this study, we investigated the sedative effect of Cistanche deserticola Ma. (CD) on hexobarbital-induced sleeping time in mice and spontaneous motor activity by using automated activity meter in rats. It was found that crude extract of CD could prolong the hexobarbital-induced sleeping time and reduce spontaneous motor activity, including horizontal activity, ambulatory time and total distance. Then the water fraction of CD extract could prolong the hexobarbital-induced sleeping time and reduce the spontaneous motor activity more than that of the other fraction of CD extract in rats. These results suggest that CD ethanol extract and its water fraction possessed the sedative effect.