Glutamine Supplementation on Burn Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

To evaluate the effect of glutamine supplement on patients with burns, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis via synthesizing up-to-date studies. Databases including PubMed, Cochrane Central Register, EMBASE, Google scholar, Wanfang data, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched up to October 2023 to find randomized trials evaluating glutamine supplement on patients with burns. The main outcomes included hospital stay, in-hospital mortality, infection, and wound healing. Twenty-two trials that randomized a total of 2170 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled the length of hospital stay was shortened by glutamine supplement (weighted mean differences [WMD] = -7.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] -10.53 to -5.36, I2 = 67.9%, 16 trials). Both pooled wound healing rates (WMD = 9.15, 95% CI 6.30 to 12.01, I2 = 82.7%, 6 studies) and wound healing times (WMD = -5.84, 95% CI -7.42 to -4.27, I2 = 45.7%, 7 studies) were improved by glutamine supplement. Moreover, glutamine supplement reduced wound infection (risk ratios [RR] = 0.38, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.69, I2 = 0%, 3 trials), but not nonwound infection (RR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.05, I2 = 39.6%, 9 trials). Neither in-hospital mortality (RR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.22, I2 = 36.0%, 8 trials) nor the length of intensive care unit stay (WMD = 1.85, 95% CI -7.24 to 10.93, I2 = 78.2%, 5 studies) was improved by glutamine supplement. Subgroup analysis showed positive effects were either influenced by or based on small-scale, single-center studies. Based on the current available data, we do not recommend the routine use of glutamine supplement for burn patients in hospital. Future large-scale randomized trials are still needed to give a conclusion about the effect of glutamine supplement on burn patients.

Analysis on the medication rules of Pu Ji Fang for treating acne externally based on data mining / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective:To analyze the medication rules in the ancient book Pu Ji Fang for the external treatment of acne based on data mining method. Methods:By screening out the methods of treating acne externally in Pu Ji Fang and establishing a standardized medical record database, this paper adopted the web version of Ancient and Modern Medical Record Cloud Platform to calculate the frequency, properties, flavors, and meridians of those medicines, and conduct cluster analysis by using IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0 software to analyze the association rules. Results:A total of 87 prescriptions were selected, including 164 kinds of Chinese materia medica, among which. Radix Angelicae, Ligusticum Wallichii, Rhizoma Typhoni and lead powder are frequently appeared. The properties of those medicines are mainly warm, cold and mild; the flavors of those medicines are mainly spicy, acrid, sweet and bitter, and the meridians mainly belongs to lung, spleen, stomach and liver meridians. The medical pair and group with the strongest associationion are Ligusticum Wallichii- Radix Angelicae and Rhizoma Typhonii- Radix Angelicae- Ligusticum Wallichii. Those freuently appeared medicines could be grouped into three categories. The paste dosage that was frequently appeared has strong correlation with tallow, mercury and lead powder, while the powder dosage that was frequenctly appeared has strong correlation with Angelica Dahurica, Radix Saponicae, Gleditsia sinensis, Radices Ligustici Sinensis and Ligusticum Wallichii. Conclusions:The application of data mining method could preliminarily reveal the medication rules of Pu Ji Fang for the external treatment of acne. The main treatment method is XinSanFaYue. The three categories of Chinese materia medica are used to treat the syndrome of asthenic habitus attacked by exogenous pathogenic factors, exterior attacked by wind heat and hot blood stasis respectively, showing the rules of treating acne externally before Ming Dynasty and providing references for the clinical treatment of acne.

Literature Survey on Edible Medicinal Plants in Lancang-Mekong Countries / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Lancang-Mekong countries refer to the six countries that the Lancang-Mekong River flows through， including China， Laos， Myanmar， Thailand， Cambodia， and Vietnam. These countries are geographically adjacent with similar cultures and have long history of traditional medicine and high plant diversity. Since ancient times， medicinal plants have been introduced into China from the countries along the river， including a variety of medicinal plants with edible and healthcare values， which is an important way for the transnational circulation of medicinal resources. This paper briefly described the history and application of edible medicinal plants in the six Lancang-Mekong countries and summarized more than 150 edible medicinal plants from the other five countries except China. These 150 medicinal plants belong to 66 families such as Labiatae， and 12 species of them are used as edible medicinal plants in all the six countries. Further， we collected the information of these edible medicinal plants， including the origins， efficacy， indications， medicinal edible parts， edible values， and the traditional application of these plants in China. Some valuable edible medicinal plants in the other five countries are considered to have a promising prospect of application in China and may be introduced to China as new medicinal resources. These efforts will be conducive to the cooperation in traditional medicine among Lancang-Mekong countries.

Effect of astragaloside IV on the immunoregulatory function of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells from patients with psoriasis vulgaris.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the phenotype and adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation capacities of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AMSCs) isolated from patients with psoriasis vulgaris and healthy donors, and to explore the effects of astragaloside IV, a Traditional Chinese Medicine, on the immunoregulatory function of AMSCs. METHODS: AMSCs were isolated from human adipose tissue and cultured for three generations in vitro. Cell phenotype and cell cycle analysis were performed by flow cytometry. Adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of AMSCs was examined by lipid (oil red O) and alkaline phosphatase staining, respectively. Expression of inflammatory mediators was examined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, and proliferation was quantified using the cell counting kit-8 assay. RESULTS: Expression of CD29, CD44, and CD73 was higher in AMSCs from healthy donors than psoriasis patients, while the reverse was true for expression of CD45, CD31, and HLA-DR. AMSCs from psoriasis patients had a greater ability to undergo adipogenic differentiation than cells from healthy donors, whereas there was no significant difference in osteogenic differentiation between AMSCs from the two sources. Compared with AMSCs from healthy donors, psoriasis patient-derived AMSCs expressed lower levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-10 and trans-forming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) and the immune checkpoint ligand programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) (P < 0.05) and higher levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Incubation of AMSCs from psoriasis patients with astragaloside IV had no significant effect on pro-liferation but increased the expression of TGF-ß and PD-L1 and decreased the expression of IFN-γ and TNF-α. CONCLUSION: AMSCs from patients with psoriasis vulgaris display abnormal proliferation and adipogenesis and an enhanced pro-inflammatory phenotype. These defects were normalized by treatment with astragaloside IV, suggesting that this Traditional Chinese Medicine may be useful for restoring the immunoregulatory function of AMSCs and immune homeostasis in patients with psoriasis vulgaris.

A comparative study of the mechanisms of Opening Xuanfu therapy and Qingre Liangxue therapy in the treatment of psoriasis based on network pharmacology / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective:To explore the similarities and differences between Opening Xuanfu therapy and Qingreliangxue therapy in the treatment of psoriasis based on the Network Pharmacology.Methods:The active ingredients and protein targets of the representative Traditional Chinese Medicine contained in drugs Qingreliangxue therapy and Opening Xuanfu therapy were screened out by Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ETCM) and Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database (TCMID). The Targets of psoriasis were collected by GeneCards and OMIM databases. The intersections of component targets and disease targets were obtained by Venny 2.1.0, and then the protein-protein interaction (PPI) was constructed by String Platform and Cytoscape 3.9.0 to screen out the key targets in the two therapies that could treat psoriasis. GO functional enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed via the Metascape platform. The potential advantages of opening Xuanfu therapy in the treatment of psoriasis comorbidities are found out by using Venny and Cytoscape to compare the differences and visually analyze the above results.Results:8 ingredients are with the same effect and 73 ingredients are different in these two therapies. There are 43 identical and 15 different potential targets in these two therapies..10 representative key targets in each of the two therapies were obtained by PPI network analysis, including 7 identical key targets, namely HIF1A, MYC, CCND1, FOS, IL6, PPARG, NFKBIA, and 6 different targets. Go enrichment results show that there are 10 same biological processes in the first 20 articles of the two the therapies, including the response to external stimuli, the regulation of cell adhesion, the response to steroid hormone, the response to injury, the negative regulation of cell differentiation, the response to growth factors and metabolism of reactive oxygen species. KEGG enrichment results of the first 20 pathways in the two therapies show that there are 8 same pathways, including cancer-related pathways, fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis, MAPK signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, transcriptional imbalance in cancer and cholinergic synapse.Conclusion:Qingreliangxue therapy in the treatment of psoriasis mainly plays the role of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative and immune-regulating effects. The Opening Xuanfu therapy in the treatment of psoriasis mainly plays the role of regulating lipid metabolism, anti-inflammatory, regulating cell apoptosis, anti-oxidation, anti-proliferation, regulating angiogenesis and abnormal morphology.

Research progress and prospects for the use of plant metabolomics in quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicinal materials / 药学学报

The quality of traditional Chinese medicine has a direct impact on the effectiveness and safety of its use, and is the premise necessary to ensure the healthy development of the traditional Chinese medicine industry. Comprehensive and accurate control and evaluation of the quality of medicinal materials is of great significance to the traditional Chinese medicine industry, but the complexity and dynamics of the chemical composition of medicinal materials makes their quality evaluation a challenge. Plant metabolomics provides an integrated and comprehensive analysis that is consistent with the holistic approach of traditional Chinese medicine. Chemical information therein promotes the establishment of a traceable system and provides new ideas and methods for the quality evaluation of medicinal materials. Plant metabolomics in the quality evaluation of medicinal materials is gradually increasing, and the core is the screening and identification of differential metabolites or specific marker compounds by means of stoichiometry. This study focused on the main factors that affect the quality of medicinal materials, such as origin, environmental adversity, varieties, harvest time, commercial specification and TCM processing. We describe the research progress in plant metabolomics combined with chemometrics analysis for the quality control and evaluation of medicinal materials, summarize existing problems, identify trends, and propose future research directions. Metabolomics plays an increasingly important role in the quality evaluation of medicinal materials, but the absolute qualitative and quantitative information of metabolomics needs to be further developed, and a single 'omics' technique is not sufficient for an in-depth analysis of medicinal value. In the future, standardization of plant metabolomics methods and a more complete database should be actively promoted, and plant metabolomics should be integrated into quality marker exploration. Plant metabolomics will need to be integrated with other 'omics' methods to improve the quality and evaluation system of medicinal materials.

Effects of components in stasis-resolving and collateral-dredging Chinese herbal medicines on angiogenesis and inflammatory response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells induced by VEGF / 中国中药杂志

The present study investigated the mechanism of components in stasis-resolving and collateral-dredging Chinese herbal medicines, including scutellarin(Scu), paeonol(Pae), and hydroxy safflower yellow A(HSYA), in the treatment of psoriasis by regulating angiogenesis and inflammation. The human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs) cultured in vitro were divided into a normal group, a model group, a VEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor Ⅱ(VRI) group, and Scu, Pae, and HSYA groups with low, me-dium, and high doses. Cell viability was detected by the CCK-8 assay. Cell migration was detected by wound healing assay. Tube formation assay was used to measure the tube formation ability. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of the VEGFR2/Akt/ERK1/2 signaling pathway. The secretion levels of inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were detected by ELISA. The results showed that compared with the model group, all the Scu, Pae, and HSYA groups could reduce cell viability, inhibit cell migration and tube formation(P<0.05, P<0.01), and down-regulated the protein expression of VEGFR2, p-VEGFR2, Akt, p-Akt, ERK1/2, and p-ERK1/2. Scu and Pae could down-regulate VEGFR2 expression(P<0.05, P<0.01), while other groups only showed a downward trend. Scu and Pae significantly reduced IFN-γ and IL-6 levels(P<0.01), and HSYA significantly reduced the levels of IFN-γ, IL-1β, and IL-6(P<0.01). Scu, Pae, and HSYA had no significant effect on TNF-α. The results suggested that Scu, Pae, and HSYA may exert a therapeutic role in psoriasis-related angiogenesis and inflammation by inhibiting VEGFR2/Akt/ERK1/2 signaling pathway and inhibiting the secretion of IFN-γ, IL-1β, and IL-6.

Development status and cooperation strategy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Germany, France, the UK and Netherlands / 国际中医中药杂志

This paper analyzes and compares the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Germany, France, the UK and Netherlands, considering the economic and social situation of countries. The SWOT strategic analysis is carried out on the basis of the proposittion of China-Europe cooperation in TCM, which encourage to carry out joint tackling of TCM for common diseases, jointly promoting the legislation with the guidance of the government and the participation of the public, speeding up the registration and listing of Chinese patent medicine with the focus on the Netherlands and the UK, and optimizing the perspective and strength of TCM publicity with the help of new media. In this way, TCM should be promoted in Europe.

The development status and analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Philippine / 国际中医中药杂志

The Philippines’ medical system is mainly based on the provincial responsibility system and the limited hierarchical. The Philippine government implement Philhealth program which can provide medical insurance for most people. The top 10 fatal diseases in this country includes ischemic heart disease, stroke, lower respiratory tract infection and so on. Of these diseases, the increasing rate of hypertensive heart disease, chronic kidney disease and diabetes are fast. Bone setting, massage and herbal medicine are the major form of traditional medicine in the Philippines. The acceptance of acupuncture and moxibustion by the government and local people is relatively high acupuncture and moxibustion therapy has been included in its medical insurance. There are many limitations on the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory and Chinese herbal medicine in the Philippines, and the clinical application of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine is still limited. TCM education in the Philippines is still not systematic. Therefore, it is suggested to improve the education system of TCM, strengthen the promotion of acupuncture and moxibustion, give full play of the advantages of TCM for native high-risk diseases, and to make use of modern technologies such as telemedicine.

Materia medica resources benefits Lancang-Mekong River:a new approach for sub-regional cooperation on traditional medicine / 中国中药杂志

Lancang-Mekong Cooperation is a new type of subregional cooperation mechanism initiated and built by China and other five countries of the Lancang-Mekong subregion, namely Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Countries in the Lancang-Mekong subregion are geographically and culturally connected, and they have nurtured their unique traditional medicine. By combing the history of traditional medicine exchanges between China and other Lancang-Mekong countries and their progress of modern research, this paper summarized the challenges and opportunities of traditional medicine cooperation in the Lancang-Mekong subregion. It has been found that many regional cooperation mechanisms coexist for a long time in the Lancang-Mekong subregion and the medicinal resources are abundant. However, the degree of their development and utilization varies, and modern scientific research is insufficient. Lancang-Mekong Cooperation has provided a strong support for integrating the advantageous resources in Lancang-Mekong subregion countries and making progress together. Focusing on the development and protection of medicinal resources, this paper puts forward a new path of cooperation in the intellectual property rights and characteristic seed resource protection, the compilation of universal herbal pharmacopoeia in various countries, the research and development of public health products, and the construction of traditional herbal industry bases, thus enabling the traditional medicine to better protect the public health and building a human health community.

Polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols from Hypericum species and their biological activities / 中国中药杂志

Hypericum species are distributed widely in China, especially in the southwest. This genus is rich in species types in China, including 55 species and 8 subspecies. The main chemical constituents of Hypericum species are flavonoids, xanthones and polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols(PPAPs). PPAPs are characterized by polycyclic and branched-chain substitutions in their structures, which make their structure types diverse. Moreover, they have been found to have antitumor, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and other biological activities. This research classified and summarized 344 polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols from Hypericum plants in order to provide a scientific basis for further development and utilization of PPAPs from the genus.

Current situation and development suggestions of traditional Chinese medicine in Germany / 国际中医中药杂志

The paper introduces the current situation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in Germany from the aspects of legislation and management, clinical treatment, education, scientific research, and medicinal plant resources. Based on this, this paper concludes that the major problems of TCM development in Germany are lack of effective legal protection, most TCM treatment therapiess are not covered by German health insurance, and the clinical level of TCM practioners is relatively low. Under the guildance of the Belt and Road Initiative, China should formulate relevant policies to promote international TCM cooperation between China and Germany, help Chinese institutions to build bridges with German institutions, cultivate German TCM talents, strengthen TCM cooperation on science and technology, and encourage Chinese enterprises to go global, therefore promoting the gradual development of TCM in Germany.

The current condition of traditional medicine in the United Republic of Tanzania and coping strategies on China-Tanzania traditional Chinese medicine cooperation / 国际中医中药杂志

This paper summarizes and analyzes the current conditions of Tanzania traditional medicine practitioners, organization structure, herbal medicine resources, and the exported pharmaceutic products and related companies. The result shows that Tanzania government gradually pays the attention to the development of its own traditional medicine industry. Due to the current TCM cooperation dilemma with Tanzania, coping strategies should be adopted to provide certain references for the next stage of China-Tanzania TCM cooperation, such as adjusting the professional fields of dispatched experts, adjusting cooperative fields, including the export and investigation of TCM companies to Tanzania.

Effect of Jiajian Fuyuan Huoxuetang Combined with Electroacupuncture on Neurological Rehabilitation After Spinal Cord Injury / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To observe the effect of Jiajian Fuyuan Huoxuetang combined with electroacupuncture on neurological rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injury, and to investigate its effect on neurotrophic and inflammatory factors. Method:One hundred and twenty patients were randomly divided into control group (59 cases) and observation group (61 cases) by random number table. Both groups’ patients got monosialotetrahexosylganglioside by intravenous drip for 6 weeks, 200-400 mg/time, 1 time/day.Rat nerve growth factor for injection by intramuscular injection for 4 weeks, 20 μg/time, 1 time/day. Patients in control group additionally got electroacupuncture treatment,and tongluo huatan capsule,3 caps/time,3 time/days. The patients in observation group additionally got Jiajian Fuyuan Huoxuetang combined with electroacupuncture, 1 dose/day. The courses of treatment were 12 weeks in two groups. Scores of degree of spinal cord neurological impairment were graded by using impairment score of American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA). Lower extremity motor ability was discussed by using the walking index of spinal cord injuryⅡ (WISCⅠ Ⅱ) and 10 minutes’ walking time (10 MWT). Before and after treatment, functions of daily life were evaluated by using Barthel index (MBI). Bladder function was also discussed, and levels of brain-derived nerve growth factor in peripheral blood (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), astrogenic calcium binding protein S-100 β (S-100 β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were also detected. Result:After the treatment, scores of sensory and motor in ASIA scale in observation group were all higher than those in control group (P<0.01). Score of WISCⅠ Ⅱ in observation group was higher than that in control group, and 10 MWT was shorter than that in control group (P<0.01). Times of leakage of urine, urinary incontinence volume and residual urine volume were all less than those in control group, and bladder volume was more than that in control group (P<0.01). Functions of daily life in observation group were better than those in control group (Z=1.967, P<0.05), and the levels of BDNF and NGF were higher than those in control group, while levels of S-100 β, TNF-α and IL-1β were lower than those in control group (P<0.01). Conclusion:On the basis of routine comprehensive rehabilitation therapy of western medicine, Jiajian Fuyuan Huoxuetang combined with electroacupuncture can promote the recovery of nervous function, improve sensory and motor function, improve bladder function and daily living ability, and promote the expression of neurotrophic factors and inhibit inflammatory reaction in neurological rehabilitation for the patients with spinal cord injury.

Analysis and study on current status of European students in traditional Chinese medicine colleges and universities / 国际中医中药杂志

The paper analyzed the scale, educational background, degree, and financial source of the European students in Chinese TCM colleges and universities by using excel 2013. The results showed that there were 19 TCM colleges and universities recruiting European students, and the number of campus students, enrollment students, graduation students were 409, 257 and 280 in 2017 respectively. The campus students in 2017 was highest since five years ago, but was less than the Afro-Asia states. Training was main form of studying abroad. Most campus students were at their own expenses, or received the help from Chinese government. The education for European students in Chinese TCM colleges and universities has made some achievement, but there were still some questions: the European students was not too much, the education's attraction was not strong, and the financial help from international organization and foreign government was scarce.

The analysis and thoughts on traditional Chinese medicine international cooperation projects between China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and Europe / 国际中医中药杂志

The paper analysed the scale,character,cooperation countries,funds and achievements of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) international projects between China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS) and Europe from 2007-2017.The results showed that there were 44 projects between CACMS and Europe;the number of Chinese medicine,clinical and basic research projects were 21,9 and 6 respectively;the number of projects between CACMS and Austria,and between CACMS and Gemany were 20 and 8 respectively;the funds from Ministry of Science and Technology and CACMS accounted for relatively high proportions.Trough these projects between CACMS and Europe,the TCM centers were established,the key technologies were introduced,and the professionals were trained.But there were still some questions such as the regional maldistribution of cooperation countries,few acupuncture research,and little project funds.

The analysis and thoughts on traditional Chinese medicine international cooperation projects of China academy of Chinese medical sciences / 国际中医中药杂志

This paper aimed to provide reference for science and technology management staff as well as researchers to conduct international cooperation in the future. The paper analyzed and discussed the scale, achievements, character and trend of international cooperation projects by analyzing the international cooperation projects of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from 2006-2017. The method of metrology was used.

Traditional Chinese medicine Ka-Sai-Ping suppresses the growths of gastric cancers via induction of autophagy.

Traditional Chinese medication is increasingly used to treat a wide range of human chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases and cancers. This study was designed to explore whether ka-sai-ping (KSP), a novel traditional Chinese medicine developed by us, prevents gastric cancer growths and to investigate the underlying mechanism. The xenograft model of mouse gastric cancer was established by injecting MFCs into nude mouse subcutaneously. Cell autophagy was assessed by MDC staining. Lysosome and mitochondria were detected by Lyso-Tracker Red and Mito-Traker Green staining. Incubation of cultured mouse gastric cancer cell line MFCs with KSP for 48 hours, concentration-dependently reduced cell survivals and activated autophagy, which were accompanied with damaged lysosomes and mitochondria. In vivo studies indicated that KSP therapy (20 ml/kg/day) for two weeks suppressed the growth of gastric cancer, increased the protein levels of LC3-II, beclin-1, cathepsin L, bcl-2, p53, and capase-3 in tumor tissues from the xenograft model of mouse gastric cancer. Importantly, all these effects induced by KSP were abolished by co-administration of autophagy inhibitor 3-MA. In conclusion, KSP activates cell autophagy to suppress gastric cancer growths. Clinically, KSP is potentially considered as a medicine to treat patients with gastric cancer.

Traditional Chinese medicine xin-mai-jia recouples endothelial nitric oxide synthase to prevent atherosclerosis in vivo.

Endothelial dysfunction, which is caused by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) uncoupling, is an initial step in atherosclerosis. This study was designed to explore whether Chinese medicine xin-mai-jia (XMJ) recouples eNOS to exert anti-atherosclerotic effects. Pretreatment of XMJ (25, 50, 100 µg/ml) for 30 minutes concentration-dependently activated eNOS, improved cell viabilities, increased NO generations, and reduced ROS productions in human umbilical vein endothelial cells incubated with H2O2 for 2 hours, accompanied with restoration of BH4. Importantly, these protective effects produced by XMJ were abolished by eNOS inhibitor L-NAME or specific eNOS siRNA in H2O2-treated cells. In ex vivo experiments, exposure of isolated aortic rings from rats to H2O2 for 6 hours dramatically impaired acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation, reduced NO levels and increased ROS productions, which were ablated by XMJ in concentration-dependent manner. In vivo analysis indicated that administration of XMJ (0.6, 2.0, 6.0 g/kg/d) for 12 weeks remarkably recoupled eNOS and reduced the size of carotid atherosclerotic plaque in rats feeding with high fat diet plus balloon injury. In conclusion, XMJ recouples eNOS to prevent the growth of atherosclerosis in rats. Clinically, XMJ is potentially considered as a medicine to treat patients with atherosclerosis.

Effects of omega-3 fatty acid nutrition on mortality in septic patients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: A previous systematic review and meta-analysis reported that omega-3 fatty acids nutrition may reduce mortality in septic patients. As new randomized controlled trials began to accumulate, we conducted an update. METHODS: A PubMed database was searched through Feb 2016, and randomized controlled trials comparing omega-3 fatty acids with control were selected by two reviewers independently. RESULTS: Eleven trials randomly assigning 808 patients were included in the present study. Using a fixed effects model, we found no significant effect of omega-3 fatty acids on overall mortality (risk ratio 0.84; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.67 to 1.05, P = 0.12), or infectious complications (risk ratio 0.95; 95 % CI: 0.72 to 1.25, P = 0.70). However, the duration of mechanical ventilation was markedly reduced by omega-3 fatty acids (weighted mean differences (WMD) = -3.82; 95 % CI: -4.61 to -3.04; P < 0.00001). A significant heterogeneity was found when the duration of hospital (I (2) = 93 %; WMD = -2.82; 95 % CI: -9.88 to 4.23, P = 0.43), or intensive care stay (I (2) = 87 %; WMD = -2.70; 95 % CI: -6.40 to 1.00, P = 0.15) were investigated. CONCLUSIONS: Omega-3 fatty acids confer no mortality benefit but are associated with a reduction in mechanical ventilation duration in septic patients. However, low sample size and heterogeneity of the cohorts included in this analysis limits the generalizability of our findings.