Effectiveness of Zhenqi Buxue Oral Liquid Combined with Progesterone for Treatment of Oligomenorrhea and Hypomenorrhea with Qi-Blood and Kidney (Shen) Essence Deficiency: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Zhenqi Buxue Oral Liquid (ZQ), progesterone capsules, and their combination in treating oligomenorrhea and hypomenorrhea with qi-blood and Kidney (Shen) essence deficiency. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, multi-center controlled trial between June 2022 to December 2022. Ninety-six oligomenorrhea and hypomenorrhea patients with qi-blood and Shen essence deficiency were randomly assigned to receive ZQ (ZQ group, 29 cases), progesterone capsules (PG group, 32 cases), or the combined Chinese and Western medicine (COM group, 31 cases) at a ratio of 1:1:1. Patients in the ZQ or PG group took daily 10 mL twice a day of ZQ or 200 mg once a day of progesterone capsules for 10 consecutive days on day 15 of the menstrual cycle respectively, and patients in the COM group received the same ZQ combined with progesterone capsules. The treatment course lasted for 3 months and follow-up was performed at 1 and 3 months after the end of treatment. Primary endpoint was the menstrual Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Scale (TCMSS) scores. Secondary endpoints included pictorial blood loss assessment chart (PBAC) scores, clinical efficacy rate, 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores, sex hormones and thickness of endometrium. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded. RESULTS: TCMSS scores after 1- and 3-month treatment in all groups were significantly lower than those at baseline (P<0.05). Only TCMSS scores after 3-month treatment in the ZQ and COM groups continuously decreased compared with those after 1-month treatment in the same group (P<0.01). TCMSS scores after 3-month treatment in the ZQ and COM groups were significantly lower than those in the PG group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with baseline, PBAC scores in the ZQ and COM groups after 3 months of treatment were also significantly higher (both P<0.01). The total effective rates of TCM syndrome of 3-month treatment were significantly improved in all groups compared with that after 1 month of treatment (P<0.05). The total effective rate of the COM group was the highest in the 3rd month of treatment and significantly higher than that of PG group alone (P<0.05). Compared with baseline, only the SF-36 scores of COM group were significantly improved after 3 months of treatment (P<0.05). No serious adverse reactions were observed after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of ZQ and PG, or ZQ only had better effects on reducing TCMSS scores compared with PG, and COM showed the higher total effective rate compared with monotherapy. Besides, COM could effectively improve menstrual blood loss and quality of life. ZQ combined with PG may be an effective and safe option for oligomenorrhea and hypomenorrhea patients with qi-blood and Shen essence deficiency.

Biocompatibility of Mn0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4 Magnetic Nanoparticles and Their Thermotherapy on VX2-Carcinoma-Induced Liver Tumors.

Malignant tumors are the most serious threat to human health. Much research has focused on revealing the characteristics of this disease and developing methods of treatment. Because tumor cells are more sensitive to heat than normal cells, thermotherapy for the treatment of tumors has attracted much attention. In this paper, we presented functional Mn-Zn ferrite nanoparticles with the molecular composition of Mn0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4 as the magnetic response material for the thermotherapy. The suggested Mn-Zn ferrite nanoparticles were with a self-regulation temperature of 43 degrees C which was ideal for tumor thermotherapy. The biocompatibility and anti-tumor effect of this material were well investigated. It was found that the Mn0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4 nanoparticles have no hemolysis activity, no genotoxic effects and cytotoxicity. Its Median Lethal Dose (LD50) arrived at 6.026 g/kg and it did not induce any abnormal clinical signs in laboratory animals. Moreover, the suggested nanoparticles can increase the inhibitory ratio of weight and volume of tumors, cause tumor tissues necrosis and show the therapeutic effect on the xenograft live cancers in vivo. Based on these results, we could envision the valuable application of the Mn0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4 nanoparticles for the practical thermotherapy.