Study on effect of Yishen Capsule (益肾胶囊) in preventing recurrence of chronic glomerulonephritis

Objective:To observe the effect of Yishen Capsule (益肾胶囊,YSC) on preventing the recurrence of chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) and to explore its mechanism preliminarily.Methods: CGN patients were assigned to the treated group (61 cases) and the control group (48 cases) and all of them were orally administered with 4 mg of Perindopril twice a day,but 3 capsules of YSC,thrice a day, were given additionally to patients in the treated group.The therapeutic course for both groups was 18 months.The recurrence rate of CGN at the 6th,12th,and 18th month in the two groups was observed and compared,and the changes of 24-h urinary protein quantity and T-lymphocyte subsets before and after treatment were observed as well.Results:(1) Comparison of recurrence rate between the two groups showed insignificant difference at the 6th month,but it did show significant difference at the 12th and the 18th month,which was significantly decreased in the treated group than in the control group (P<0.05,P<0.01);(2) The 24-h urinary protein quantity at the 18th month decreased significantly in both groups (P<0.05,P<0.01),but in the treated group was more significant (P<0.01);(3) T-lymphocyte subsets showed no obvious change in the control group after treatment (P>0.05),while in the treated group,it showed significant increase in CD3,CD4 and CD4/CD8 (P<0.05 or P<0.01) and significant decrease in CD8 (P<0.05),and also the difference after treatment in T-lymphocyte subsets between the two groups was significant (P<0.05 or P<0.01).Conclusion:YSC has marked effects in reducing the recurrence of CGN and in decreasing urinary protein,and its mechanism might be related with its function in regulating the ratio of T-lymphocyte subsets to enhance the immunity of patients.     

Clinical study on treatment of liver fibrosis of chronic hepatitis B patients with Ginkgo leaf

Objective: To study the anti-liver fibrosis effect of Ginkgo leaf in patients with chronic hepatitis B.Methods: Eighty-six patients with chronic hepatitis B were randomly divided into two groups with similar general condition. The 42 patients in the treated group were treated with Ginkgo leaf tablet (GLT), and the 44 patients in the control group were treated with Yiganling tablet (益肝灵片). The treatment was conducted for 3 successive months in both groups. Changes in the histo-pathology of liver, serum levels of platelet activating factor (PAF), hyaluronic acid (HA), collagen type Ⅳ (C-Ⅳ), laminin (LN) and pro-collagen peptide type Ⅲ (PCⅢ)were observed before and after treatment. Results: The markedly effective rate and the total effective rate in the treated group were 45.1% and 76.2% respectively, while in the control group the corresponding rates were 18.2% and 43.2%. Comparison between the two groups showed significant difference (P<0.01). Serum levels of PAF, HA, C-Ⅳ, LN and PCⅢ were lowered significantly in the treated group after treatment. Compared with the corresponding parameters in the control group after treatment, the differences were all significant (P<0.01 or P<0.05). The pathological examination of liver showed improvement in both groups, the inflammation grade lowered in 10 patients (55.6%) of the treated group and in 5 patients (35.7%) of the control group, insignificant difference was shown between them. But in comparing the fibrosis staging lowering patients between the two groups, 12 patients (66.7%) vs 3 patients (21.4%), the difference was significant (P<0.05). Moreover, there were 4 patients in the control group with their fibrosis aggravated, while in the treated group, none was aggravated (P<0.05).Conclusion: Ginkgo leaf tablet has some liver protective and anti-liver fibrosis benefits.     

Clinical Observation in 102 Cases of Chronic Pelvic Inflammation Treated with Qi Jie Granules

Objectives:To observe the therapeutic effects of Qi Jie Granuleon chronic pelvic inflammation.Method:The therapeutic effect,T-lymphocytic subgroups and indexes of blood rheology were observedwhen 102 cases of chronic pelvic inflammation in the treatment group were treated with Qi Jie Granule,and another 70 cases were treated with Qian Jin Pian as the controls.Results:The total effective rate was96.08% in the treatment group,but 84.29% in the control group with a significant difference between thetwo groups(P<0.01).Qi Jie Granule was also found effective in improving blood viscosity and regulatingT-lymphocytic subgroups,and the difference before and after the treatment was also very significant(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Conclusion:The nature of chronic pelvic inflammation is qi deficiency and bloodstasis in accordance with the theory of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).As a drug that is indicated forchronic pelvic inflammation,its mechanism may be related to the improved blood circulation,acceleratedinflammatory absorption and regulated immune function.     

Clinical observation on treatment of hyperplasia of mammary gland by Lirukang Granule (利乳康颗粒)

Objective:To explore the effi cacy and mechanism of Lirukang Granule(利乳康颗粒,LRKG) in treating hyperplasia of mammary gland(HMG).Methods:One hundred patients with HMG were randomly assigned to two groups,50 in each group.The patients in the treated group were orally administered with LRKG thrice a day,one package each time,and those in the control group were given orally Rukuaixiao Tablet(乳块消,RKX) thrice a day,4 tablets each time.The therapeutic course for both groups was 4 months.The clinical eff icacy,pain alleviating rate,as well as changes of local sign and symptom scores were observed before and after treatment.The changes of serum estradiol(E2),progesterone(P),testosterone(T),follicle stimulating hormone(FSH),luteinizing hormone(LH) and prolactin(PRL) in some randomly selected patients(24 patients in the treated group and 24 in the control group) before and after treatment were measured with radioimmunoassay.Results:The total clinical effi cacy in the treated group was superior to that in the control group,signifi cant difference was shown between the two groups(P<0.01).The cure-effective rate and total effective rate in the treated group were 70.0%and 88.0% respectively,signif icantly higher than those in the control group(38.0% and 64.0%) respectively(P<0.01),and the pain alleviating rate in the treated group was also significantly higher in the former than that in the latter(88.0% vs 64.0%,P<0.05).Moreover,the treated group showed obvious superiority in improving the patients' symptom and sign scores(P<0.01),and abnormalities of gonadal hormone as compared with the respective items in the control group(P<0.01).Conclusion:LRKG has good effi cacy in the treatment of HMG,and its mechanism may be related to the regulation on endocrine and immune function.     

A Controlled Study on Treatment of Mental Depression by Acupuncture plus TCM Medication

Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effect and safety of acupuncture plus TCM medication for treatment of mental depression. Method: 61 cases of mental depression were randomly divided into a treatment group of 30 cases and a control group of 31 cases. The former group was treated by acupuncture plus TCM medication, and the latter with TCM medication alone. The Hamilton Mental Depression (HAMD) scoring system was adopted to evaluate the therapeutic effects, and the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) was used to evaluate the adverse reactions. Results: The treatment group was superior to the control group in the total effective effect (P<0.05), with a significant difference in the HAMD score before and after treatment between the 2 groups (P<0.01). There were marked differences in the reducing rate of HAMD score at the end of the second and sixth week of the treatment between the 2 groups (P<0.05) and the difference was very obvious at the end of the fourth week (P<0.01). No remarkable difference was found in adverse reactions between the 2 groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture plus TCM medication may show satisfactory results for mental depression, indicating that a synergic action may exist between acupuncture and TCM medication.     

Thirty Cases of Obsession Treated by Point-Stimulation and with Small Dose of Chlorimipramine

Objective: To investigate the clinical therapeutic effects of point-stimulation for obsession. Methods: Sixty cases of obsession were divided into two groups: a control group of 30 cases treated with chlorimipramine (Ch1), and a treatment group of 30 cases treated by point-stimulation (PS) plus chlorimipramine (PS Chl). The therapeutic effects and side-effect were evaluated according to the criteria set in Yale-Brown Obsession Scale (Y-BOCS), Hamilton's depression scale (HAMD), brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS) and treatment emergent symptom scale (TESS). Results: The cure rate and markedly effective rate were respectively 26.7% and 56.6% in the control group, and 43.3% and 50% in the treatment group, suggesting that the therapeutic effect in the treatment group was better than that in the control group. The incidence of adverse side-effects was 73.33% in the control group and 46.67% in the treatment group, with a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). Conclusion: Point-stimulation plus small dose of chlorimipramine was superior to the simple chlorimipramine treatment, indicating that the combined method was more effective and safe for obsession with less side effects.     

Clinical observation on the treatment of chloasma by Chinese herbs combined with acupuncture

Objective:To evaluate the clinical effect of Chinese herbs combined with acupuncture (CH-A) in treating chloasma.Methods:Sixty-one patients with chloasma were randomly assigned to two groups:30 in the control group and 31 in the treated group.Both groups received conventional treatment with oral intake of vitamin C and E,and external application of Quban Powder (祛斑散). Besides,the treated group also received CH-A,with the therapeutic course for both groups as 3 months.Results:The total effective rate in the treated group and the control group was 100.00% and 46.67% respectively,and the cure-effective rate was 74.19% and 13.33% respectively,all showing significant difference between the two groups (P<0.01).The scores of size and color of skin lesion and that of symptoms decreased in both groups,but the decrease in the treated group was more obvious, showing significant difference compared with those before treatment and also compared with those in the control group after treatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01).A follow-up study in 1 year to 2 years and 4 months showed that the long-term effect in the treated group showed an increasing trend compared with the effect immediately after treatment,but it showed a decreasing trend in the control group,though with no any statistical significance (both P>0.05).Conclusion:On the basis of conventional treatment, combined use of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture in treating chloasma could markedly improve the accompanied symptoms,lighten the color and shrink the size of skin lesions.     

Expressions of VEGF and Ki-67 in eutopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis and effect of Quyu Jiedu Recipe (祛瘀解毒方) on VEGF expression

Objective:To observe the clinical eff icacy of Quyu Jiedu Recipe(祛瘀解毒方,QJR) in treating endometriosis(EM),and to explore the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and cell proliferative nucleoprotein antigen(Ki-67),their changes before and after treatment and the clinica signifi cance in the trial.Methods:Fifty patients of EM were randomly assigned to two groups.The 26 patients in the QJR group were treated with QJR,and the 24 patients in the gestrinone(GT) group with gestrinone.Besides,a normal control group with 20 healthy women was set up.The therapeutic effects in the two treated groups were compared.Expressions of VEGF and Ki-67 in eutopic endometrium of all subjects(with both patients and healthy women at the median secretive phase) were determined with immunohistochemical stain before treatment,and the determination in the two treated groups was repeated after 3-month treatment in the same phase.Results:Before treatment,the VEGF and Ki-67 expression positive rates and their mean optic density(MOD) were higher in patients than in healthy women(P<0.05).After treatment,the positive rate and MOD of VEGF expression lowered signif icantly than before treatment(P<0.05),but those of Ki-67 changed insignifi cantly,and comparison between the two treated groups showed no significant difference(P>0.05).Conclusion:QJR could markedly improve the symptoms of menorrhagia and menstrual disorder,and its mechanism might be related with the lowering of eutopic endometrial VEGF expression.VEGF and Ki-67 show a high expression in eutopic endometrium of patients with EM.     

Clinical Observation on Treatment of Acute Gouty Arthritis byTongfengkang(痛风康)

Objective To objectively evaluate the clinical therapeutic effect of Tongfengkang (TFK) in treating acute gouty arthritis. Methods: Adopting randomized single blinded controlled trial, the 40 patients were equally divided into two groups. The tested group was treated with TFK, the control group was treated with indomethacin and allopurinol, the therapeutic course for both groups was 10 days. Results: The clinical cure rate in the tested group and the control group was 30% and 35% respectively, and the total effective rate 90% and 95% respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05).The scores of blood uric acid and symptom significantly lowered in both groups after treatment (P <0.01), but showed no significant difference between them (P>0.05). Adverse reaction to the treatment was shown in 3 patients in the control group. Conclusion: The therapeutic effect of TFK is similar to that of indomethacin plus allopurinol but with less adverse reaction, it is an effective and safe re     

Clinical observation on treatment of depression by electro-acupuncture combined with Paroxetine

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy and adverse reactions of Paroxetine combined with electro-acupuncture (EA) in treating depression.Methods:Forty-two patients with depression were randomly assigned to the observation group (22 patients) treated with EA combined with Paroxetine,and the control group (20 patients) treated with Paroxetine alone,and the therapeutic course for both groups was 6 weeks.The therapeutic efficacy and adverse reactions were evaluated with scores by Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) and treatment emergent symptoms scale (TESS), respectively.Results:HAMD scores determined at the end of the 1st,2nd,4th,and 6th week of the treatment course were significantly lower in the observation group than those in the control group (P<0.05).The significant improvement rate evaluated at the end of the 6-week treatment was remarkably higher in the observation group than that in the control group (72.7% vs 40.0%).No significant difference of TESS scores was found between the two groups.Conclusion:EA combined with Paroxetine has better clinical efficacy than that of Paroxetine alone,with milder adverse reaction and quicker initiation of effect.     

Effect of Triptolide on Expression of Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB Ligand in Rat Adjuvant Induced Arthritis

Receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaBligand(RANKL)promotes osteoclast formation,fusion,differentiation and activation.It plays akey role in osteoclast mediated bone erosion inrheumatoid arthritis(RA).Osteoprotegerin(OPG),as a soluble decoy receptor of RANKL,can prevent bone erosion in RA.Our previousstudies have shownthat Triptolide(TP),an activecompoundidentifiedin a traditional Chinese herb--Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F(TWHF),can ef-fectively inhibit bone destruction in ex…     

Effect of Early Hemofiltration on Pro- and Anti-inflammatory Responses and Multiple Organ Failure in Severe Acute Pancreatitis

Severeacute pancreatitis (SAP )progressesrapidlywithacomplicatedoutcomeandhighmortali ty .Themultipleorgandysfunctionsyndrome(MODS)inducedbytheoverreleaseofcytokineswhichisthemaincauseofpatients’deathsintheear lystage[1] .Hemofiltration (HF)isoneoftheblo…     

Intervention effect of Jianxin Decoction on serum cytokine level of congestive heart failure patients

Objective: To investigate the intervention effect of Jianxin Decoction on the cytokine level in serum of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF).Methods: Sixty-six patients with CHF were randomly divided into the control group (n = 33) and the trial group (n = 33). The control group received conventional treatment, and the trial group was treated with conventional therapy plus JXD for 4 weeks. Before and after treatment, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and nitrogen monoxide (NO) in serum and cardiac function were determined.Results; After treatment, the levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and NO were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05, or P<0.01) in the two groups, and the lowering degree of the indices in the trial group was more significantly reduced than that in the control group (P<0. 05). And cardiac functions in both groups were improved significantly ({otP}<0. 05, orP< 0.01).Conclusion: JXD could prevent and reverse ventricular remodeling so as to ameliorate cardiac function through regulating the levels of cytokines.     

Effect of Astragalus Injection on Levels of Blood Selenium and Immunity Function in Children with Viral Myocarditis

Objective: To observe the effect of Astragalus Injection (AI) on levels of blood selenium (Se)and cytokines, and T cellular immune function with viral myocarditis (VM) in children. Methods: Eighty children with VM were randomly divided into 2 groups. The control group consisted of 38 patients, to whom conventional therapy, including energy mixture, vitamin C and coenzyme Q10, etc. were given. The treated group (n=42), to whom combination therapy of conventional therapy and AI were given. The levels of blood Se and cytokine, including interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and also evaluation of T lymphocyte subsets and cardiac function were observed. Results: The results showed that after treatment, the levels of blood Se were significantly higher (P＜0.01), while IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-αwere significantly lower (P＜0.01) than those before treatment in the control group. The left ventricular end diameter (LVED) were significantly decreased (P＜0.01), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) were significantly increased than those before treatment in the treated group(P＜0.01, P＜0.05). T lymphocyte subsets got normalized (P＜0.01), and compared with the control group, the difference was significant (P＜0.01). Conclusion: Astragalus membranaceus possesses anti-viral effect, adjusts the balance of cytokine and T cellular immunity, and improves the clinical manifestation and cardiac function. It is an effective approach in treating viral myocarditis.     

Dynamic Expression of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Rat Model of Pulmonary Emphysema Induced by Smoke Exposure

In order to explore the roles of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) in the pathogenesis of pulmonary emphysema,male Wistar rats were randomized into group A1,group A2.5 and group A4,each with smoke exposure for 1 month,2.5 months or 4 months,respectively.Group B1,group B2.5 and group B4 were used as non smoking controls at corresponding time points.TNF-α in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) and expression of VEGF in lung tissue was determined by ELISA or by SABC immunohistochemistry assay either.Lung slices were stained with hematoxylin and eosin(HE).Results showed that in animal with smoke exposure the mean linear interceptor(Lm),an index of pulmonary emphysema and the content of TNF-α in BALF increased gradually,on contrary,the expression of VEGF in lung tissue decreased(P<0.05).This phenomenon was not obvious in animals without smoke exposure.Lm was negatively correlated to the VEGF expression(γ=-0.81,P<0.01) and positively correlated to TNF-α concentration(γ = 0.52,P<0.004),which implies that smoke exposure decreased the expression of VEGF and increased the expression of TNF-α.It is plausible to speculate that the imbalance of TNF-α and VEGF may play an important role in the pathogenesis of smoke-induced pulmonary emphysema.     

Roles of human epicardial adipose tissue in coronary artery atherosclerosis

This study examined the adipocytokine-vascular interactions and link between epicardial adipose tissue and coronary artery atherosclerosis.Thirty-four patients undergoing open heart surgery were chosen randomly, and divided into groupⅠ(non-coronary artery disease group) and group Ⅱ(coronary artery disease group).Blood samples were taken through peripheral vein prior to surgery.Plasma levels of a panel of proteins (adiponectin, IL-10, TNF-α) were detected by using ELISA.Epicardial adipose tissue was taken near the proximal tract of the right coronary artery and subcutaneous adipose was taken from the leg before cardiopulmonary bypassing, adiponectin and CD68+ were detected by using RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry.Our results showed that plasma adiponectin level was significantly lower in the group Ⅱ as compared with group Ⅰ(P<0.05).There were no differences in plasma concentration (IL-10, TNF-α, tatal-chol, HDL-chol, LDL-chol) between group Ⅰ and group Ⅱ.The number of CD68+ cells in epicardial adipose tissue of group Ⅱ was significantly higher than that in subcutaneous adipose tissue.Adiponectin mRNA expression was 6 fold higher in subcutaneous adipose tissue than in epicardial adipose tissue of group Ⅱ (P<0.01).Furthermore, the level of adiponectin mRNA in the epicardial adipose tissue in group Ⅱ was also significantly lower than in group Ⅰ (P<0.05).We are led to conclude that inflammation that occurs locally in epicardial adipose tissue of CAD contributes to the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease.     

Relationship of tumor necrosis factor-α and nitrogen oxide with treatment of frequent relapse nephrotic syndrome by Shenkangling Granule in children

Objective: To observe the relationship of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and nitrogen oxide (NO) with the treatment of frequent relapse nephrotic syndrome (FRNS) and to explore the pathogenesis of FRNS and the therapeutic mechanism of Shenkangling (SKL) Granule in children.Methods: Sixty children suffering from FRNS were randomly divided into the treated group and control group, 30 in each, and the other 30 healthy children were taken as healthy group. The patients were treated with prednisone for a long-term course, and those with no effect or partial effect shown were treated with additional Tripterygium or Cytoxan in the control group, while in the treated group patients were treated with prednisone and additional SKL. The two groups were compared as to their changes of TNF-α, NO before and after treatment, and the relapses after treatment.Results: The levels of TNF-α and NO in the sick children before treatment were markedly higher than those after treatment and normal group (P < 0.01). The positive correlation between TNF-α of FRNS cases and relapse risk displayed more significance than that between the relapse of FRNS and NO. The difference between treated group and control group was significant (P < 0.01).Conclusion: TNF-α can be regarded as the monitoring parameter of the active phase in FRNS, and the higher the level, the more possible the relapse would occur. SKL could markedly reduce the relapse rate of FRNS in children.     

Effect of tongbiling on the synoviocyte function in adjuvant arthritis rats

Objective: To study the effect of Tongbiling (TBL) on the proliferation of synovial fibroblast and interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and prostaglandin E₂(PGE₂) secreted by synoviocytes in adjuvant arthritis (AA) rats.Methods: Synovial fibroblast was derived from culture of tissue piece. The effect of primary synoviocyte culture supernatants on the fibroblast proliferation were assayed and IL-1, TNF-α bioactivity and PGE₂ content of supernatants of cultured synoviocytes were measured.Results: TBL could significantly inhibit the synovial fibroblast proliferation (P < 0.001), and down-regulate IL-1, TNF-α and PGE₂ productions (P < 0. 001); indomethacin could obviously promote the synovial fibroblast proliferation (P < 0.001). It significantly inhibited PGE₂ production, but further up-regulated IL-1 and TNF-α secreted by synoviocytes (P<0.01).Conclusion: The therapeutical effect of TBL on AA might be associated with its down-regulating the secretory function of synoviocyte, then restoring the abnormal proliferation of fibroblast to normal levels. This program was supported by the Nature Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (No. 960550)     

Effect of coriaria lactone-activated astrocyte-conditioned medium on the cerebral TNF-α of normal rats

Summary To explore the effect of coriaria lactone (CL)-activated astrocyte-conditioned medium on the cerebral TNF-α of normal rats, the CL-activated astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM) was injected into the lateral ventricle of SD rats. The rats were observed for behavioral changes, and the changes of the expression of TNF-α in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus were immunohistochemically examined by employing SP method. TNF-α level was assessed by means of radioimmunoassay in homogenate of cerebral cortex and hippocampus as well as cerebrospinal fluid. Seizure episodes were observed in ACM group 30 min after the ACM injection, but they were not observed in the control group. Immunohistochemical detection showed that the immunoreaction of TNF-α in hippocampus and cerebral cortex of rats were stronger than that of the control group 4 h after the ACM injection (P<0.05). In this group, the concentrations of TNF-α in homogenate of cerebral cortex and hippocampus and cerebrospinal fluid were higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). It is suggested that the ACM activated by CL can enhance the expression of TNF-α in normal rats, and is related to epileptogenesis. LI Zhongyu, female, born in 1972, Lecturer This project was supported by a grant from the key National Nature Scientific Foundation of China (No. 30230140).