Effects of Tai Chi Yunshou on upper limb function and balance in stroke survivors: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis.

BACKGROUND: Functional disability is the most common disorder that occurs after stroke and seriously affects the quality of life of stroke survivors. Tai Chi Yunshou (TCY), a fundamental form of Tai Chi, is a simple, convenient, and economical exercise therapy from ancient China. Some clinical trials have reported that it improves upper limb function and balance during stroke rehabilitation. Thus, we plan to conduct a systematic review to investigate the effects of TCY in stroke survivors. METHODS: This review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses statement. We will search English and Chinese databases for randomized controlled trials on TCY for stroke survivors from the dates when the databases were established to 1 July 2020. The English databases will include MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE (embase.com), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Cochrane Library). In addition, the Chinese databases will include the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, the Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, the Wanfang database, and the Chinese Dissertation Database. The primary outcomes will include upper limb function and balance function, as measured by the Fugl-Meyer assessment and Berg balance scale, respectively. Two reviewers will independently screen the studies on the basis of the inclusion criteria and extract data. Review Manager (v5.3) will be used for data synthesis, and Cochrane Collaboration's tool will be used to assess the risk of bias. A fixed effects model or a random effects model will be selected based on the level of heterogeneity. The grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation system will be used to evaluate the quality of the outcomes. RESULTS: This systematic review results will be carried out after the completion of the protocol. CONCLUSIONS: This protocol aims to guide a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the effects of JCY on upper limb function and body balance in stroke survivors, which will provide evidence for post-stroke rehabilitation training. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020169549.

[Preliminary clinical observation on effect of soduim ferulate in treating diabetic nephropathy].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of sodium ferulate (SF) on diabetic nephropathy (DN). METHODS: Forty-eight DN patients of early stage and 54 DN patients of clinical stage were randomly divided into two groups, the conventional treatment group and the SF treatment group. Indexes, including urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), serum endothelin (ET), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were observed. RESULTS: The levels of UAER, BUN and ET were decreased in all DN patients, either early stage or clinical stage, after treated with SF for 4 weeks (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), but changed insignificantly in those treated with conventional treatment. CONCLUSION: SF can decrease the levels of UAER and BUN in DN patients, the mechanism may relate with the decreasing of ET production and antagonizing to the binding of ET with its receptors.

Preliminary clinical observation on effect of soduim ferulate in treating diabetic nephropathy / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of sodium ferulate (SF) on diabetic nephropathy (DN).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-eight DN patients of early stage and 54 DN patients of clinical stage were randomly divided into two groups, the conventional treatment group and the SF treatment group. Indexes, including urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), serum endothelin (ET), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The levels of UAER, BUN and ET were decreased in all DN patients, either early stage or clinical stage, after treated with SF for 4 weeks (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), but changed insignificantly in those treated with conventional treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SF can decrease the levels of UAER and BUN in DN patients, the mechanism may relate with the decreasing of ET production and antagonizing to the binding of ET with its receptors.</p>

[Renal protective effect and its mechanism of sodium ferulate in diabetic rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the renal protective effect of sodium ferulate (SF) and its mechanism in rats with diabetic mellitus (DM). METHODS: DM rats induced by streptozotocin were treated with SF 110 mg/kg per day for 8 weeks. The ratio of kidney weight/body weight (KW/BW), serum triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC), creatinine clearance rate (Ccr), urinary protein/24 hrs, levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) in renal cortex in rats were measured, the pathological change of kidney were observed and the expression of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) and collagen IV (C-IV) in kidney were examined using immunohistochemical assay. The data obtained were compared with those obtained from untreated DM rats and normal rats respectively. RESULTS: Compared with the normal rats, in DM rats, Ccr, urinary protein/24 hrs, ET-1, expressions of TGF-beta 1 and C-IV were significantly increased in DM model rats (all P < 0.01), and significantly abnormal pathological change in kidney was found. While in the SF treated DM rats, the above-mentioned abnormal changes were all significantly improved. CONCLUSION: SF has effect in protecting kidney of DM rats, the mechanism might be related with its actions of reducing ET-1 production in kidney and inhibiting the expressions of TGF-beta 1 and C-IV.