[Clinical and experimental studies of effects of huayu decoction on scavenging free radicals].

Infantile pneumonia has been treated successfully with Huayu decoction (HYD) in our department for more than ten years. According to the principles of Huoxue Huayu of TCM, the composition of Huayu decoction is as follows: Angelica sinensis, Paeonia lactiflora, Ligusticum wallichii, Spathollobus suberectus, Hirudo nipponica, Tabanus bivittatus, Paeonia suffroticosa, Astragalus membranaceus . 49 cases of infantile pneumonia were treated with HYD. The activity of erythrocyte superoxide dismutases (ESOD) was measured in these patients. The results showed that the activity of ESOD reduced in the acute stage and returned to normal in convalescence. There was significant statistical difference in activity of ESOD between the patient's group. In experimental studies, the producing of free radicals was induced by inhaling ozone in mice. It was found that HYD had the effect of scavenging free radicals in these animal models. The action of anti-oxidate of HYD was also detected in vitro. The mechanism of HYD in treating infantile pneumonia might be elucidated in some respects by these clinical and experimental studies.

[Ezhu intravenous injection in treating infantile respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia and its therapeutical mechanism].

Ezhu Intravenous Injection (EII) in treating respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) pneumonia was studied. 45 patients in therapeutic group were treated with 0.04% EII in dose of 20 ml/kg/day for 7-14 days. 20 patients in the control group were treated with Huayu decoction, its efficacy on RSV pneumonia has been confirmed. The results showed that all the patients of both groups were cured and there were no statistic differences in the average days of clearing up the temperature, dyspnea and wheezing (P > 0.05). Experimental studies showed that the isolation rate of RSV on the 5th and 8th day in the therapeutic group were lower than that of infected and glucose control groups. The difference was significant (P < 0.001 and P < 0.0001). Pathological examination showed that on 5th day in infected and control group there were epithelial damages and bronchial lumen obstruction, peri-bronchial and periseptal edema, eosinophilic leucocytes and inflammatory infiltrations. The endothelial cells of alveolar capillaries swelled, platelet aggregations and thrombi occurred in its lumens. On 8th day the platelet aggregations diminished, but cellular infiltrations and damages of bronchial epithelium still existed. In therapeutic group on 5th day most of the alveolar capillary endothelial cells were normal with mild edema only. The platelet aggregation were much less than the infected and control groups. No peribronchial and peri-septal edema was observed. The results of both clinical and experimental studies showed that EII had good therapeutic effect on RSV pneumonia with no adverse reaction.

Clinical and experimental studies on paediatric pneumonia treated by lung easing tablets.

197 cases of paediatric pneumonia from 2 hospitals were treated by Ning Fei Pian (NFP, the Lung Easing Tablets), a proprietary Chinese medicine for antipyresis, detoxication, blood invigoration, resolution of cough and phlegm; the control group was treated by penicillin, and the therapeutic results were comparable. Examinations of microcirculation and hemorrheology in the nailbed revealed improvements by NFP, which were conducive to the recovery of pneumonia. Electron-microscopically, the tablets also produced improvements in microcirculation, relief of lung edema, and the ratio of ventilation and blood flow.