Clinical Efficacy of the Huo Xue Hua Yu Method Combined with Aspirin in the Treatment of Acute Cerebral Infarction: A Systematic Evaluation and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of the Huo Xue Hua Yu method combined with aspirin in the treatment of patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI). METHODS: By searching electronic databases, such as the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), the China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), the China Science and Technology Journal Database, Wanfang, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published before 14 July, 2022, and published in Chinese or English languages were selected. Statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 calculation software to calculate the odds ratio (OR), mean difference (MD), 95% confidence interval (CI), and p values. RESULTS: 13 articles that included 1,243 patients were identified; in 646 of them, the Huo Xue Hua Yu method combined with aspirin has been administered, while 597 have only been administered aspirin therapy. The combined treatment significantly improved clinical efficacy (OR: 4.41, 95% CI: 2.90 to 5.84, p < 0.001, I2 = 0), as assessed by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (MD = -4.18, 95% CI: -5.69 to -2.67, p < 0.001, I2 = 94%), Barthel score (MD = -2.23, 95% CI: -2.66 to -1.81, p < 0.001, I2 = 82%), the China Stroke Scale score (MD = 6.74, 95% CI: -3.49 to 16.96, P = 0.20, I2 = 99%), packed cell volume (MD = -8.45, 95% CI: -8.81 to -8.09, p < 0.001, I2 = 98%), fibrinogen levels (MD = -0.93, 95% CI: -1.23 to -0.63, p < 0.001, I2 = 78%) and plasma viscosity (MD = -0.51, 95% CI: -0.72 to -0.30, p < 0.001, I2 = 62%). CONCLUSION: The combination of the Huo Xue Hua Yu method and aspirin represents a beneficial adjunctive therapy for ACI.

Combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin Prevents Deep Vein Thrombosis After Surgery: A Meta-Analysis.

At present, there is no consistent understanding of the effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription in the prevention of the deep vein thrombosis (DVT), though TCM has been widely used in China. To evaluate the efficacy of TCM prescription combined with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) for preventing DVT after major orthopedics surgery. All the retrieved articles were evaluated using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Then, data were extracted and evaluated for inclusion in a randomized controlled trial. In this study, variables included relative risk (RR), mean difference (MD), and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Overall, 16 articles were included with 1538 patients, 768 in the combination group (combination of TCM prescription and LMWH) and 770 in the LMWH group. The results indicated that in the combination group, the incidence of DVT (RR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.23-0.50, P < .00001) and d-dimer levels (standardized mean difference: -1.19, 95% CI: -1.80 to -0.58, P = .0001) was significantly lower than that in the LMWH group. Furthermore, the combination treatment obviously decreased the concentration of fibrinogen (MD: -1.19, 95% CI: -2.13 to -0.25, P = .01). The combination of TCM prescription and LMWH could significantly reduce the incidence of DVT, suggesting that it may be a more effective prophylaxis measure for DVT after major orthopedics surgery.

Multifunctional lipid-coated calcium phosphate nanoplatforms for complete inhibition of large triple negative breast cancer via targeted combined therapy.

Combined and targeted therapy have been extensively employed to achieve more effective elimination of tumor tissues. In this study, biocompatible multifunctional lipid-coated calcium phosphate nanoparticles (LCP NPs) were designed and constructed as an efficient targeted delivery system for combined gene/photothermal therapy to inhibit growth of the triple negative breast tumor (MDA-MB-468) in vitro and in vivo. LCP NPs were functionalized with a bispecific antibody (BsAb) via non-covalent bond specific for methoxy group of PEG (mPEG) on the particle surface. This BsAb is also able to target epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expressed on MDA-MB-468 cells. Such LCP-BsAb NPs loaded with Cell Death (CD)-siRNA and indocyanine green (ICG) were efficiently taken up by MDA-MB-468 cells, significantly inducing cell apoptosis and synergistically suppressing cell proliferation upon irradiation of 808 nm near-infrared laser. These targeted multifunctional LCP NPs more efficiently accumulated in the tumor tissue. The combined RNAi (CD-siRNA) and photothermal (ICG) therapy using the targeted LCP NPs nearly eliminated both small tumors (∼100 mm3) and large tumors (∼500 mm3) in the mouse model. Thus, the well-devised multifunctional LCP NPs are one of the most promising delivery systems for combined and targeted cancer therapy.