Ganoderma tsuage promotes pain sensitivity in aging mice.

Advances in modern medicine have extended human life expectancy, leading to a world with a gradually aging society. Aging refers to a natural decline in the physiological functions of a species over time, such as reduced pain sensitivity and reaction speed. Healthy-level physiological pain serves as a warning signal to the body, helping to avoid noxious stimuli. Physiological pain sensitivity gradually decreases in the elderly, increasing the risk of injury. Therefore, geriatric health care receives growing attention, potentially improving the health status and life quality of the elderly, further reducing medical burden. Health food is a geriatric healthcare choice for the elderly with Ganoderma tsuage (GT), a Reishi type, as the main product in the market. GT contains polysaccharides, triterpenoids, adenosine, immunoregulatory proteins, and other components, including anticancer, blood sugar regulating, antioxidation, antibacterial, antivirus, and liver and stomach damage protective agents. However, its pain perception-related effects remain elusive. This study thus aimed at addressing whether GT could prevent pain sensitivity reduction in the elderly. We used a galactose-induced animal model for aging to evaluate whether GT could maintain pain sensitivity in aging mice undergoing formalin pain test, hot water test, and tail flexes. Our results demonstrated that GT significantly improved the sensitivity and reaction speed to pain in the hot water, hot plate, and formalin tests compared with the control. Therefore, our animal study positions GT as a promising compound for pain sensitivity maintenance during aging.

Assessment of clinical effect of therapy combining disease with syndrome on rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effectiveness and safety of a therapy combining disease with syndrome on rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Eighty patients with rheumatoid arthritis belonging to syndrome of damp-heat obstruction were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group according to stratified blocked randomization method. Forty cases in the control group orally took Loxoprofen Sodium Tablet and Leifumite Tablet and the other 40 cases in the treatment group orally took a Chinese medicine for 12 weeks as a course of treatment. ACR therapeutic effect was used as the standard for evaluating the total therapeutic effect. RESULTS: After 12 weeks of treatment, there was a statistical difference (P < 0.01) in the improvement of VAS score, morning stiffness time, number of swelling joints, index of swelling joints, number of joints with tenderness, index of joints with tenderness, average grip strength of both hands, DSA28 score, HAQ, patient's assessment, physician's assessment, ESR, CRP and RF in both groups. The improvement of morning stiffness time, number of swelling joints, index of swelling joints, grip strength, HAQ and patient's assessment in the treatment group was much better than that in the control groups with statistical difference (P < 0.05). ACR20, ACR50 and ACR70 was 27.5% (11/40), 37.5% (15/40) and 22.5% (9/40) respectively in the treatment group and 40% (16/40), 27.5% (11/42) and 10.0% (4/40) respectively in the control group with statistical difference (P < 0.05) in the superiority of the treatment group over the control group. The incidence of adverse reaction in the control group was higher than that in the treatment group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Definite therapeutic effect and high safety can be achieved in using the therapy combining disease with syndrome to treat rheumatoid arthritis belonging to syndrome of damp-heat obstruction.