Eight Trigrams Boxing Combined with Wenyang Huoxue Recipe Improves Cardiopulmonary Motor Function and the Quality of Life of Patients with Coronary Heart Disease.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effects of Eight Trigrams Boxing combined with a Wenyang Huoxue recipe on the cardiopulmonary motor function and quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease after an interventional operation (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI]); further, to provide new clinical evidence and ideas for integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in cardiac rehabilitation. METHODS: Sixty patients were selected and successfully underwent PCI in designated hospitals after four weeks, from June 2018 to September 2020. The patients were randomly divided into a treatment group and control group, and both groups were given standard pharmaceuticals after PCI and the Wenyang Huoxue recipe. The treatment group was additionally treated with the Eight Trigrams Boxing Method. The control group was provided with aerobic rehabilitation exercise. The maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max), metabolic equivalent (MET), the results of a 6-min walking test, the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) score, SF-36 score, and other indicators were evaluated before and after treatment. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by comparison between the groups and within the groups. RESULTS: The VO2max, MET, 6-min walking distance, SAQ score, and SF-36 score in both groups improved after treatment compared with before treatment. There was no difference between the two groups before treatment. However, after treatment, the VO2max, MET, 6 min walking distance, SAQ score, and SF-36 score in the treatment group were higher compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: A traditional Chinese medicine cardiac rehabilitation program of Eight Trigrams Boxing combined with a Wenyang Huoxue recipe can improve the cardiopulmonary function and quality of life of patients. The therapeutic effect was clear and is worthy of further investigation.

Effect of Prescription Tongxin on Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Peripheral Blood.

CONTEXT: Coronary heart disease (CHD) refers to a disease where coronary atherosclerosis induces stenosis or obstruction of the blood vessels. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) function to protect and repair the vascular endothelium, and their functional activity state reflects the ability of the body to repair vascular damage. In the peripheral blood of patients with CHD, the density of EPCs decreases, and the function of EPCs is low. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA)-approved prescription medicine, Tongxin, on the density and function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in peripheral blood. DESIGN: In this study, a randomized, single blind, parallel controlled clinical trial was used. The single blind subjects were subjects. SETTING: The study took place in the Cardiology and Emergency Departments at Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Shanghai, China. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 48 patients with coronary heart disease at the hospital. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 24 each): a control group and an intervention group. Both groups received routine drug treatments, such as platelet inhibitors, nitrates, ß-receptor blockers, statins, angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor antagonists (ARBs), and calcium blockers. The control group was treated with the Shexiang Baoxin Pill, while the intervention group was treated with prescription Tongxin. The course of treatment was 3 months for both groups. OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in the density and function of EPCs in the peripheral blood of the 2 groups were measured at baseline and postintervention, and the clinical efficacy of the 2 treatments was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The density of EPCs was significantly higher in both groups after 3 months of treatment, compared to the densities at baseline (P < .05). The change in density between baseline and postintervention was significantly greater for the intervention group than for the control group (P < .05). For the control group, the proliferative vitality [optical density (OD)] value of the EPCs was significantly higher than that at baseline from the fourth day of treatment (P < .05). In the intervention group, the OD value was significantly higher than that at baseline from the first day of treatment (P < .05). Furthermore, the intervention group's cells began to enter the logarithmic growth phase of increase from the fifth day of treatment, and the group's increase as significantly higher than the control group's from the fifth to the seventh dayof treatment (P < .05 for all 3 days). Moreover, the total effective rate was higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Prescription Tongxin can stimulate the release of EPCs from the bone marrow to the peripheral blood of patients with CHD, can significantly increase the proliferation of EPCs in the peripheral blood, and can improve the clinical symptoms of patients. Its curative effect was greater than that of the control treatment.

[Repression of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Release from Lakeshore Sediment by Five Littoral-zone Plants].

The article researched the effect of Iris pseudacorus L.,Paspalum distichum L.,Leersia hexandra Swartz,Ludwigia peploides and Hydrocotyle vulgaris on the nitrogen and phosphorus repression in sandy soil from lower reaches of Yangtze River and clay from stored littoral zone. The result indicated that plants had a significant inhibitory effect on total phosphorus release from sediment, with concentration in overlaying water below 0.02 mg·L-1 in Paspalum distichum L., Hydrocotyle vulgaris, Iris pseudacorus group, below 0.03 mg·L-1 in Leersia hexandra Swartz, Ludwigia peploides group; with release rate below 0.1 d-1 in Leersia hexandra Swartz and Ludwigia peploides group, below 0.05 d-1 in Paspalum distichum L., Hydrocotyle vulgaris, Iris pseudacorus group. While the plants were proved to aggravate total nitrogen release by accumulating in sediment, with concentration in overlaying water below 0.4 mg·L-1 in Paspalum distichum and Iris pseudacorus L. group; with release rate below 0.02 mg·L-1. Root weight density, root length density, root surface area density were major factors, which increased the proportion of particles in sediment with diameter of below 50 µm, therefore decreased sediment resuspension against hydraulic disturbance; the root system also enriched total nitrogen in sediment and absorbed phosphorus from sediment. These five kinds of plants in terrestrial-aquatic transverse actually repressed nitrogen and phosphorus release from sediment in two ways mentioned above, Paspalum distichum L. and Iris pseudacorus L. possessed the best effect due to their developed root system, followed by Leersia hexandra Swartz and Hydrocotyle vulgaris, and Ludwigia peploides had the least effect.

[Pollution Characteristics and Evaluation of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Organic Matter in Sediments of Shanmei Reservoir in Fujian, China].

In order to illuminate pollutants distribution characteristics in sediment of Shanmei Reservoir, sediment samples at 47 sampling stations were collected (include 8 column samples), and concentrations of total nitrogen, total phosphorus and organic matter in the sediment of each station were measured. C/N and the correlation of TN, TP and OM were also analyzed. Finally, pollution assessment for contaminated layer sediments was conducted. The results showed that the average contents of TN, TP and OM (mass fraction) were 1,180 mg · kg⁻¹, 642 mg · kg⁻¹ and 3.30% in the contaminated layer of sediments. Concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were low and stable at the depth of the normal layer. C/N of the contaminated layer of sediments was much higher than those in normal lakes, which showed that large part of OM came from natural land-based sources. Besides, a small part of OM came from phytoplankton, zooplankton and algae. Any two of TN,TP and OM were significantly correlated. This result showed that most of the nitrogen and phosphorus were in the organic form, and they came from similar sources. Evaluation results showed that both organic index and organic nitrogen belonged to the clean category. TP was at a moderate pollution level but not far from the category of heavy pollution.

[Response of Inflow Water Quality to Land Use Pattern in Northern Watershed of Lake Erhai].

The inherent relationship between land use pattern and inflow water quality is essential for nonpoint source pollution study. Response of inflow river quality to land use pattern in Northern part of Lake Erhai Watershed was analyzed in aspects of land use composition and configuration using spatial analysis and statistical analysis methods. The results indicated that as land use composition indexes, average slope and vegetation area percentage had significant relationship with TN and TP of inflow rivers. As land use configuration indexes, patch density, patch density of agriculture land and landscape shape index of water had significant relationship with TP and NH4+-N of inflow rivers. Response of inflow river quality to land use pattern was better at class level than at landscape level. Water quality response indicators were TP in rainy season and NH4+-N in dry season, of which regression adjustment coefficient R2 was 0.761 and 0.978, respectively. Response of inflow river quality to land use pattern was better in dry season than in rainy season, and the water quality response indicators were TN, TP and NH4+-N. Improving vegetation coverage and agriculture land intensive degree and avoiding human disturb to natural water area especially in dry season were suggested in nonpoint source pollution control of northern watershed of Lake Erhai Watershed. Later research on relationship between land use configuration and inflow river quality should better be at class level.

Influence of phosphorus on Microcystis growth and the changes of other environmental factors.

The growth processes of Microcystis aeruginosa (FACHB-41) in simulated Taihu Lake water with different phosphorus concentrations were investigated using laboratory microcosms. The algal biomass increased with the increase of phosphorus concentration when it was lower than 0.445 mg/L, while the dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH increased, dissolved inorganic nitrogen(DIN) and light intensity underwater (I) decreased. Responding to the changes of the "environmental factors", the cellular carbohydrate and its ratio to cellular protein decreased generally as phosphorus increased. However, when phosphorus concentration was higher than 1.645 mg/L, the biomass, the "environmental factors", the cellular carbohydrate and its ratio to cellular protein did not change likewise. Since the environmental factors and the physiological and biochemical responses are important factors, the change of environmental factors and cell physiology and biochemistry induced by phosphorus may become the key factors that steer the growth and dominance of Microcystis under certain conditions. To sum up, phosphorus not only stimulate the growth of Microcystis directly by supplying nutrient element, but also has complex interactions with other "environmental factors" and play important roles in the growth processes of Microcystis.