Qualitative analysis on a proposal for key specific medical treatment for aplastic anemia.

OBJECTIVE: By reviewing the medical treatments for aplastic anemia (AA, Suilao Disease), which is the important research interest of Collaborative Group, Key Department of Blood Disease, State Administration of Chinese medicine, the consensus on the diseases have been reached among the different units of the collaborative group. METHODS: Using qualitative analysis, we determined the characteristics, location and pathogenesis of Suilao disease. We discovered the ways of traditional Chinese medical treatment in curing Suilao disease. RESULTS: Acute AA (acute suilao) and chronic AA (chronic suilao) diseases require different treatment. Acute AA requires 3 phrases of treatments, which are "cold", "warm" and "hot". However, chronic AA requires a dialectic treatment, which involves reinforcement of the Shen (Kidney). Suitable Chinese medical treatments for curing Suilao disease were discussed and reached a consensus. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that a summarized therapy approved by many experts could be widely used.

Compound Zhebei granules combined with chemotherapy for the treatment of refractory acute leukemia: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of compound Zhebei granules (CZBG) with chemotherapy in the treatment of refractory acute leukemia. METHODS: In this multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, we used a central (online) randomization system to assign 235 patients to two treatment groups. A total of 118 patients received chemotherapy combined with CZBG (4 g, twice daily) and 117 patients received chemotherapy plus placebo. The clinical efficacy was evaluated at the end of one chemotherapeutic cycle. RESULTS: In the full analysis set, in which deaths due to disease progression were regarded as inefficacy, the rates of complete remission (CR) and partial remission (CR + PR) were 32.35% and 50.00% , respectively, for the chemotherapy combined with CZBG group, and 23.08% and 35.58%, respectively, for the chemotherapy plus placebo group. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups according to a χ2 test (P < 0.05). In the per protocol analysis set (PPS), the CR (33.67%), CR+PR (52.04%) response rates for the chemotherapy plus CZBG group were significantly different from the response rates of the control group (CR: 24.24% and CR+PR: 37.37%), respectively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: CZBG plus chemotherapy can improve the clinical remission rate of refractory acute leukemia after one just one therapeutic cycle.

[Progress on application of traditional Chinese medicine in hemopoietic stem cell transplantation].

The pertinent literature on application of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in hemopoietic stem cell transplantation was summarized, it indicated that the intervention of TCM could raise the mobilization effect, speed up the hemopoiesis and immunologic reconstruction after transplantation, decrease the incidence of complications, and prolong the life span of patients, showing a preliminary achievement.

Clinical study on effect of Astragalus Injection and its immuno-regulation action in treating chronic aplastic anemia.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of Astragalus Injection (, AI) and its immuno-regulatory action in treating chronic aplastic anemia (CAA). METHODS: Sixty patients with CAA were randomly assigned to two groups equally, both were treated with Stanozolol three times a day, 2 mg each time through oral intake, but AI was given additionally to the patients in the treated group once a day via intravenous dripping. All were treated for 15 days as one therapeutic course and the whole medication lasted for more than 4 months totally, with follow-up adopted. The clinical efficacy was estimated and the changes of T-lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood as well as the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) were observed. RESULTS: The total effective rate in the treated group was 83.3% (25/30), which was higher than that in the control group 66.7% (20/30), showing significant difference between them (P<0.05). Levels of hemoglobin, WBC, reticular cell and platelet were elevated in both groups after treatment, but the improvement was significantly better in the treated group than that in the control group with respect to the former three indexes (P<0.05). The level of CD4(+) increased and that of CD8(+) decreased significantly after treatment in the treated group (P<0.05), which showed significant difference as compared with those in the control group (P<0.05). Levels of serum TNF-alpha and IL-2 lowered after treatment in both groups, but significance only showed in the treated group (P<0.05). The degree of proliferation in bone marrow got raised significantly and the percentage of non-hemopoietic cells reduced significantly in the treated group after treatment, also showing significant difference to those in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: AI could promote the recovery of hemopoietic function, which might be through improving T-lymphocyte subsets and reducing the release of negative regulatory factors such as TNF-alpha and IL-2 to alleviate the inhibition on hemopoietic function.