Suppression of Helicobacter pylori infection by daily cranberry intake: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Dietary strategies that contribute to reducing incidence of Helicobacter pylori infection without negative side effects are highly desirable owing to worldwide bacterial prevalence and carcinogenesis potential. The aim of this study was to determine dosage effect of daily cranberry consumption on H. pylori suppression over time in infected adults to assess the potential of this complementary management strategy in a region with high gastric cancer risk and high prevalence of H. pylori infection. METHODS: This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial on 522 H. pylori-positive adults evaluated dose-response effects of proanthocyanidin-standardized cranberry juice, cranberry powder, or their placebos on suppression of H. pylori at 2 and 8 weeks by 13 C-urea breath testing and eradication at 45 days post-intervention. RESULTS: H. pylori-negative rates in placebo, low-proanthocyanidin, medium-proanthocyanidin, and high-proanthocyanidin cranberry juice groups at week 2 were 13.24%, 7.58%, 1.49%, and 13.85% and at week 8 were 7.35%, 7.58%, 4.48%, and 20.00%, respectively. Consumption of high-proanthocyanidin juice twice daily (44 mg proanthocyanidin/240-mL serving) for 8 weeks resulted in decreased H. pylori infection rate by 20% as compared with other dosages and placebo (P < 0.05). Percentage of H. pylori-negative participants increased from 2 to 8 weeks in subjects who consumed 44 mg proanthocyanidin/day juice once or twice daily, showing a statistically significant positive trend over time. Encapsulated cranberry powder doses were not significantly effective at either time point. Overall trial compliance was 94.25%. Cranberry juice and powder were well-tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Twice-daily consumption of proanthocyanidin-standardized cranberry juice may help potentiate suppression of H. pylori infection. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR1800017522, per WHO ICTRP.

[TCM societies in Shanghai during the first half of the 20(th) century].

In the first half of the 20(th) century, with the introduction of western academic thought and the assemblage of TCM doctors of different factions, the variety of cultures provided an ideological and academic background for TCM societies in Shanghai in modern times. Under the pressure of banning and exclusion, protective measures taken by the TCM circles promoted the establishment of TCM societies. The establishment and development of TCM societies in Shanghai in modern times included four stages - the embryonic stage (1903 - 1911), the development stage (1912 - 1926), the struggling stage (1927 - 1937) and the recovery stage (1938 - 1949). Aiming at academic studies, TCM societies in the early time could be divided into a national society and local societies and both were composed of scholars with the same academic viewpoints. Societies in the later stages aimed at maintaining status and fighting for rights. Activities held by these societies included starting publications, compiling textbooks, publishing, establishing hospitals and schools, prevention and control of infectious disease and innovation of TCM dosage forms. In the first half of the 20(th) century, the influence of TCM societies helped Shanghai become the TCM center in modern times.

[Study on the mechanism of acupoint sticking therapy with Chuan fuling for treatment of asthma model rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of the acupoint sticking therapy with Chuanfuling for preventing and treating asthma. METHODS: Thirty male SD rats were randomly divided into a control group (normal saline, p.i. +no acupoint sticking+ normal saline, spray inhalation), model group (normal saline with ovalbumin, p.i. +no acupoint sticking+ normal saline with ovalbumin, spray inhalation), and acupoint sticking group (normal saline with ovalbumin, p.i. +acupoint sticking with Chuan fuling+normal saline with ovalbumin, spray inhalation), 10 rats in each group. The incubation period of nodding breath, symptom of asthmatic attack, expression level of interleukin-4 mRNA (IL-4 mRNA) and interferon-gamma mRNA (IF-gamma mRNA), as well as pathological changes on the middle leaf of right lung, were observed in each group. RESULTS: (1) Comparing with the control group, the model group was showed that the expression level of IL-4 mRNA in the peripheral blood cells (PBMC) was increased, while hyperemia, edema and eosinocyte (EOS) invasion of lung tissue was more serious (P < 0.01). (2) Comparing with the model group, the acupoint sticking group was showed that the expression level of IL-4 mRNA in PBMC was decreased, the incubation period of nodding breath was prolonged for induced asthma on the fifth and seventh time with lower frequency, while in the lung tissue EOS invasion was reduced (P < 0.05), but there were no significant changes on the hyperemia and edema (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupoint sticking for treating asthma of model rats with Chuanfuling can inhibit the expression level of IL-4 mRNA in PBMC, and the release of the inflammatory mediator and cytokine from the EOS to the air passage, in order to reduce the injury of epithelial layer and high reaction on the air passage.

[Clinical study on effect of acupoint sticking of chuanfuling in dog-days in preventing and treating children asthma in remission stage].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect and mechanism of acupoint sticking of Chuanfuling (CFL) in dog-days (the hottest periods of the year) in preventing and treating children asthma in remission stage. METHODS: Ninety patients were divided into three groups, 30 in each. Patients in the CFL group were treated with CFL sticking, in the Western medicine (WM) group treated with Pulmicort inhalation, and in the control group was untreated. The clinical effect and indexes of humoral immunity (IgE, IgA, IgG) and cellular immunity (Eos, IL-4, IFN-gamma) before and after treatment were observed. RESULTS: After treatment in the CFL group all the immune parameters were significantly improved (P<0.05 or P<0.01), all were better than those in the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and the effect on IgA and IgG was better than that in the WM group. In the WM group after treatment, improvement was shown on the IgE and cellular immune parameters with signifian difference (P<0.05 or P<0.01), better than those in the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Besides, significant difference was shown in comparing IL-4 level between the WM group and the CFL group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: CFL sticking in dog-days could significantly improve the immune function in children with asthma to alleviate and control the attack.