Research progress of Shegan Mahuang Decoction and predictive analysis on its Q-markers / 中国中药杂志

Shegan Mahuang Decoction has been used in clinical practice for thousands of years, and is a classical formula for treating asthma and other respiratory diseases, with the effects of ventilating lung, dispersing cold, and relieving cough and asthma. This paper summarized the history, clinical application and mechanism of Shegan Mahuang Decoction, and predicted its quality markers(Q-markers) based on the "five principles" of Q-markers. The results suggested that irisflorentin, tectoridin, tectorigenin, irigenin, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, asarinin, methyleugenol, shionone, epifriedelanol, tussilagone, 6-gingerol, trigonelline, cavidine, schizandrin, and schizandrin B could be used as Q-markers of Shegan Mahuang Decoction, which provided a basis for the quality control and subsequent research and development of Shegan Mahuang Decoction.

Mechanism of Combination of Pungent Dispersing Bitter Evacuant in Treatment of Asthma Based on Theory of Five Flavor Compatibility / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Bronchial asthma， a chronic inflammatory airway disease， belongs to the category of wheezing disease in the system of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. The wheezing symptom of this disease is mainly caused by the imbalance of lung Qi. According to the theory of five flavor compatibility， the Chinese medicinal materials with five different flavors （pungent， bitter， sour， sweet， and salty） can be combined to produce new functions. The pungent medicinal materials have dispersing effect and the bitter medicinal materials have discharging effect， which are important components in the theory of five flavor compatibility. Pungent herbs and bitter herbs can relieve the adverse lung Qi， occupying an important position in the current medication for the treatment of asthma. However， there is still a lack of in-depth analysis of the TCM theory and mechanism of the compatibility of pungent herbs and bitter herbs in the treatment of asthma. The molecular mechanisms of action of pungent herbs and bitter herbs are closely related to transient receptor potential （TRP） channels and bitter taste receptors （TAS2Rs）， respectively. Ca2+ signaling has been recognized in the process of asthma and is involved in the development of multiple symptoms of asthma. The TRP channels and TAS2Rs located on the cell membrane have been proved to directly regulate the intracellular Ca2+ signal and play a role in the treatment of asthma. Therefore， the dispersing effect of pungent herbs and the discharging effect of bitter herbs may be realized through the Ca2+ signaling pathway mediated by TRPs/TAS2Rs. We summarized the theoretical understanding and modern studies of pungent herbs dispersing lung Qi and bitter herbs discharging lung Qi， aiming to explain the internal relationship and mechanism of the compatibility of pungent herbs and bitter herbs in the treatment of asthma from the perspective of TCM theory and modern medicine. The compatibility of pungent herbs and bitter herbs based on the theory of five flavor compatibility for the treatment of asthma has a solid theoretical basis of TCM， and its mechanism can be verified by modern research. Therefore， it may be a main research direction in the treatment of asthma by Chinese medicinal herbs in the future.

Mindfulness Meditation for Primary Headache Pain: A Meta-Analysis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>Background</b>Several studies have reported that mindfulness meditation has a potential effect in controlling headaches, such as migraine and tension-type headache; however, its role remains controversial. This review assessed the evidence regarding the effects of mindfulness meditation for primary headache pain.</p><p><b>Methods</b>Only English databases (PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials [the Cochrane Library], PsycINFO, Psychology and behavioral science collection, PsyArticles, Web of Science, and Scopus) were searched from their inception to November 2016 with the keywords ("meditation" or "mindfulness" or "vipassana" or "dzogchen" or "zen" or "integrative body-mind training" or "IBMT" or "mindfulness-based stress reduction" or "MBSR" or "mindfulness-based cognitive therapy" or "MBCT" and "Headache" or "Head pain" or "Cephalodynia" or "Cephalalgia" or "Hemicrania" or "Migraine"). Titles, abstracts, and full-text articles were screened against study inclusion criteria: controlled trials of structured meditation programs for adult patients with primary headache pain. The quality of studies included in the meta-analysis was assessed with the Yates Quality Rating Scale. The meta-analysis was conducted with Revman 5.3.</p><p><b>Results</b>Ten randomized controlled trials and one controlled clinical trial with a combined study population of 315 patients were included in the study. When compared to control group data, mindfulness meditation induced significant improvement in pain intensity (standardized mean difference, -0.89; 95% confidence interval, -1.63 to -0.15; P = 0.02) and headache frequency (-0.67; -1.24 to -0.10; P = 0.02). In a subgroup analysis of different meditation forms, mindfulness-based stress reduction displayed a significant positive influence on pain intensity (P < 0.000). Moreover, 8-week intervention had a significant positive effect (P < 0.000).</p><p><b>Conclusions</b>Mindfulness meditation may reduce pain intensity and is a promising treatment option for patients. Clinicians may consider mindfulness meditation as a viable complementary and alternative medical option for primary headache.</p>

Effect of pingchuan mixture on eosinophil cation protein and interleukin-5 in experimental guinea pigs with asthma / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of Pingchuan Mixture (PCM) on plasma eosinophil cation protein (ECP), interleukin-5 in bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and inflammatory cell count in experimental guinea pigs with asthma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The eosinophil, neutrophil, lymphocyte count were conducted by conventional method, IL-5 was detected by ELISA and ECP determined by RIA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Levels of eosinophil, neutrophil, lymphocyte, ECP and IL-5 after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment, the difference between groups treated respectively by PCM, aminophylline, dexamethasone and Dingchuan Zhike Tablet was insignificant.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>PCM could treat asthma by reducing the inflammatory cell count, ECP and IL-5.</p>