Precise application of Beichaihu and Nanchaihu in classical formulas / 中国中药杂志

To maintain the precision and stability of the efficacy of classical formulas, this study compared the origins and specifications of Bupleuri Radix and revealed the precise application regularity of Bupleurum chinense(Beichaihu) and Bupleurum scorzonerifolium(Nanchaihu) in classical formulas. The efficacy and indications of formulas with Bupleuri Radix as the sovereign drug in the Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases(Shang Han Za Bing Lun) were investigated. The difference in the efficacy of Bupleuri Radix as well as the differences in the chemical composition, and liver-protecting and lipid-lowering effects of the decoctions of Beichaihu and Nanchaihu were analyzed with LC-MS technology based on the CCl_4-induced liver injury model in mice and sodium oleate-induced HepG2 hyperlipidemia cell model. The results showed that seven classical formulas with Bupleuri Radix as the sovereign drug in the Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases were mainly used in the treatment of digestive, metabolic, immune, circulatory, and other diseases. Bupleuri Radix mainly played the functions of protecting the liver, benefiting the gallbladder, and lowering the lipid, and had different focuses in different formulas. There were 14 differential components in the decoctions of Beichaihu and Nanchaihu, and the chemical structures of 11 components were identified, including 10 saponins and one flavonoid. The results of the liver-protecting efficacy experiment showed that compared with the Nanchaihu decoction, Beichaihu decoction could reduce the serum aspartate aminotransferase(AST) activity in liver injury model mice(P<0.01). The results of the lipid-lowering efficacy experiment proved that Beichaihu and Nanchaihu decoctions both showed highly significant differences in lowering the total cholesterol(TC) and triglyceride(TG) content in HepG2 cells(P<0.01), and Nanchaihu decoction was superior to Beichaihu decoction in lowering the lipid. The results of this study preliminarily proved that there were differences in chemical composition, and liver-protecting and lipid-lowering effects of Beichaihu and Nanchaihu decoctions, indicating that it was necessary to determine the precise origin of Bupleuri Radix in the clinical formulation of traditional Chinese medicine. The study provides a scientific basis for both precise clinical medication and purpose-based accurate quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine in clinical application.

Correlation Between Crohn's Disease Activity and Serum Selenium Concentration.

PURPOSE: Accurate and reliable evaluation of Crohn's disease (CD) activity is crucial for monitoring and treating the disease; however, it is challenging. There is a high demand for new, reliable, and noninvasive biomarkers for estimating CD activity. Selenium deficiency is common in patients with CD; however, its correlation with disease severity remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of using serum selenium concentration as an additional biomarker for determining the severity of CD. METHODS: This retrospective study included consecutive Asian patients aged 18 to 60 years and hospitalized for CD between May 2020 and December 2020 at the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center (Hangzhou, China). Patients with a history of extensive small intestinal surgery and/or short bowel syndrome were excluded from analysis. Serum selenium concentration was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Disease severity was evaluated based on inflammatory markers (simple endoscopic score for CD, CD activity index, Harvey-Bradshaw index, serum C-reactive protein level, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and platelet count) and markers of nutrition status (body mass index; blood hemoglobin and hematocrit; as well as serum levels of albumin, folic acid, and vitamin D). The correlations between serum selenium level and disease severity-related parameters were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. FINDINGS: The study included 94 men and 41 women. Serum selenium level was significantly and inversely associated with all tested disease activity-related parameters by univariate analysis (all, P < 0.05). Further multivariate analysis showed that the simple endoscopic score for CD and serum levels of albumin and folic acid were significantly and independently correlated with serum selenium level (all, P < 0.05). IMPLICATIONS: Serum selenium concentration was inversely correlated with endoscopic disease severity in these Asian patients with CD. It is feasible to use serum selenium level as an additional biomarker for assessing and monitoring disease activity. The present results might have been influenced by geographic region, sample size, and/or dietary factors. Serum selenium level and other indicators of CD activity measured before and after treatment may provide more useful clinical information.

Perspectives of East Asian patients and physicians on complementary and alternative medicine use for inflammatory bowel disease: results of a cross-sectional, multinational study

Background/Aims@#Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is prevalent in East Asia. However, information on CAM in East Asian patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is scarce. We aimed to profile the prevalence and pattern of CAM use among East Asian IBD patients and to identify factors associated with CAM use. We also compared physicians’ perspectives on CAM. @*Methods@#Patients with IBD from China, Japan, and South Korea were invited to complete questionnaires on CAM use. Patient demographic and clinical data were collected. Logistic regression analysis was applied for predictors of CAM use. Physicians from each country were asked about their opinion on CAM services or products. @*Results@#Overall, 905 patients with IBD participated in this study (China 232, Japan 255, and South Korea 418). Approximately 8.6% of patients with IBD used CAM services for their disease, while 29.7% of patients sought at least 1 kind of CAM product. Current active disease and Chinese or South Korean nationality over Japanese were independent predictors of CAM use. Chinese doctors were more likely to consider CAM helpful for patients with IBD than were Japanese and South Korean doctors. @*Conclusions@#In 8.6% and 29.7% of East Asian patients with IBD used CAM services and products, respectively, which does not differ from the prevalence in their Western counterparts. There is a significant gap regarding CAM usage among different Asian countries, not only from the patients’ perspective but also from the physicians’ point of view.

Rapid chemome profiling of Cistanche salsa using DI-MS/MS~(ALL) / 中国中药杂志

The current study aims to rapidly and comprehensively profile the chemical composition of Cistanche salsa using direct infusion coupled with MS/MS~(ALL)(DI-MS/MS~(ALL)). The C. salsa extract was directly imported into electrospray ionization(ESI) source of quadrupole time-of-flight(Q-TOF) mass spectrometer with an infusion pump at a flow rate of 10 μL·min~(-1). Acquisition program was applied under negative ionization polarity to collect one MS~1 spectrum(m/z 50-1 200), followed by 1 150 MS~2 spectra with precursor isolation window(m/z 1) amongst mass range m/z 50-1 200. After each MS~2 spectrum was matched to its precursor ion, putative identification was conducted through matching mass spectral data with literature and database. A total of 31 components were identified from C. salsa, including 9 phenylethanoid glycosides, 2 iridoids, 4 saccharides, 9 organic acids, and 7 other compounds, similar to those from C. tubulosa and C. deserticola. In conclusion, DI-MS/MS~(ALL), a facile and reliable analytical tool, can be employed for qualitative analysis of chemical constituents in C. salsa. The research offers a promising strategy to achieve rapid chemome profiling of herbal medicine and provides an alternative source of Cistanches Herba.

Effect of milkvetch injection on immune function of children with tetralogy of Fallot after radical operation / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effect of milkvetch injection (MI) on immune function of children with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) after radical operation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-children with TOF were divided into two groups, the 20 in the control group treated with conventional treatment alone and the 20 in the treated group treated with conventional treatment plus 15 ml of MI every 12 hrs for 14 days. Changes of immunoglobulin, complements, lymphocyte phenotypes and cytokines were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the treated group, the abnormally increased levels of IgG, IgM, C3, C4, CD8+ and CD19+ began to lower at lst-2nd week after treatment, and basically restored to the levels of normal at 3rd-4th week; while the decreased levels of IgA, CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, CD3+/HLA-DR+ and CD3+/CD16+ -CD56+ raised gradually from the 1st week and restored to normal range at 2nd-3rd week. The IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels in the plasma and supernatant, produced in vitro by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) decreased gradually at 1st week and restored to the normal level at 3rd-4th weeks. The different value before and after treatment of the above-mentioned indexes in the treated group were superior to those in the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>MI could significantly improve the immune function of children with TOF after radical operation.</p>

Prevention and treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis in rats with isinglass / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effect of isinglass on the prevention and treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis in rats.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Animal model of SD rats with CAG was established in accordance with the previous experience of combined administration of 60% ethanol, 20 mmol x L(-1) sodium deoxycholate and 0.1% ammonia water. In prevention groups, sucralfate and isinglass were used as preventive therapy while we were establishing CAG rat model. In the reverse groups, sucralfate and isinglass were used to treat rats after establishment of CAG rat model. Finally all the rats were executed and pathologic changes of the gastric mucosa were studied by gross appearance and microscopy.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>In isinglass prevention groups and reverse groups, inflammation grades of gastric antrum were less than these in model control group (P < 0.01) while the means of ratios of the thickness of gastric mucosal gland and muscularis mucos (L1/L2), the number of gastric glands in 1-mm lengths of mucosal layer were much better than those in model control group (P < 0.01). They were very close to normal control group (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Isinglass can prevent the gastric mucosal atrophy in the CAG model and can improve and cure the gastric mucosal atrophy of the SD rats with GAG.</p>

Mechanism of isinglass in prevention and treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis in rats / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the mechanism of isinglass in the prevention and treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) in rats.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Animal models of SD rats with CAG were made in accordance with the previous experience of combined administration of 60% ethanol, 20 mmol x L(-1) sodium deoxycholate and 0.1% ammonia water. In prevention groups, sucralfate and isinglass were used as preventive therapy while CAG rat model was being made. In the reverse groups, sucralfate and isinglass were used to treat rats after establishment of CAG rat model. Finally all the rats were executed. Then the length of the proliferation zone of the gastric mucosa and serum epidermal growth factors (EGF) and growth hormones (GH)level were studied.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>In isinglass prevention groups and high dose isinglass reverse group, the length of the proliferation zone of the gastric mucosa was very close to that in normal control group (P > 0.05), much better than model control group (P < 0.01). In low dose isinglass reverse group, it was lower than that in normal control group (P < 0.01), but much better than model control group (P < 0.01). In both prevention and reverse groups, serum EGF level was higher than that in normal (P < 0.01) and model control group (P < 0.05). Serum GH level was the same in every group (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The mechanism of isinglass in the prevention and treatment of CAG rats lies in revitalizing and proliferating gastric mucosal cells by stimulating endogenous EGF secretion.</p>

Effect of Milkvetch Injection on cardiac function and hemodynamics in children with tetralogy of Fallot after radical operation / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effect of Milkvetch Injection (MI) on cardiac function and hemodynamics in children with tetralogy of Fallot after radical operation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-two children with tetralogy of Fallot were divided into two groups, the 20 patients in the control group treated with conventional treatment and the 12 patients in the treated group treated with 15 ml of MI every 12 hrs for 7 days. The cardiac function and hemodynamic parameters were determined by echocardiography and thermodilution catheter inserted in pulmonary artery.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Patients' cardiac function and hemodynamic parameters were improved significantly 1 hr after administering 15 ml of MI Injection, but restored to the level before medication in 2-4 hrs. Administering MI injection for successive 7 days could gradually improve patients' cardiac function and hemodynamic parameters after operation, and the improvement became more evident with the prolonging time of medication. The intubation time, intensive care unit duration and the time of intravenously administration of inotropic drugs in the treated group were significantly shorter than those in the control group (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>MI could significantly improve the hemodynamics and cardiac function, and shorten the recovery time in children with tetralogy of Fallot after radical operation.</p>