Effects of the Clearing the Lung and Dissipating Phlegm Method in the Treatment of Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the clearing the lung and dissipating phlegm method in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) and to provide evidence for the treatment of the disease. Materials and Methods: Literature was searched from the United States National Library of Medicine(PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database(Wanfang), and the Full?Text Database of Chinese Scientific and Technical Periodicals(VIP).A comprehensive collection was made of randomized controlled trials(RCTs) before June 2018, in which the treatment groups used either the clearing the lung and dissipating phlegm formulas only or combined it with routine Western medicine therapy, and the control group adopted routine Western medicine therapy only for the acute exacerbation of COPD. The Cochrane risk of bias method was used to evaluate the quality of the literature. The data were analyzed and retrieved independently by two reviewers before meta?analysis was carried out with RevMan 5.3 software to evaluate the primary outcome measures, including the total clinical effective rate, and the secondary outcome measures such as the pulmonary function(forced vital capacity [FVC], forced expiratory volume in the 1 s [FEV1], percentage of FEV1 [FEV1%], and FEV1/FVC)and blood gases(PaO_2 and PaCo_2). Results: A total of 13 RCTs involving 990 patients(496 in the treatment group and 494 in the control group)were included in this study. Meta?analysis revealed significant difference in the efficacy of the group that adopted solely the routine Western medicine method and the group that combined the Western medicine with the clearing the lung and dissipating phlegm method. Outcome measures including the pulmonary function(FVC, FEV1, FEV1%, and FEV1/FVC) and the blood gases(PaO_2 and PaCo_2) were significantly improved as compared to the control group(P 0.00001). However, adverse effects in the treatment group using combined traditional Chinese medicine were not reported due to the short observation time of the study. Conclusion: The clearing the lung and dissipating phlegm method can improve the efficacy in the treatment of acute exacerbation of COPD, the outcome measures of the pulmonary function and the blood gases,as well as the life quality of the patients. However, due to the fact that the existing studies are generally of poor quality in which randomization and its implementation were not properly carried out, more high?quality RCTs are necessary to confirm the findings of this study.     

Comparison of microtransplantation,chemotherapy and allogeneic transplantation in post-remission therapy for Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph⁺ ALL) have poor prognosis, and the efficacy of chemotherapy plus tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) followed by mismatched donor stem cell infusion (microtransplantation, MST) has not been determined. We retrospectively summarized 45 patients including 11 undergoing MST with TKIs, 17 receiving allogeneic transplant and 17 undergoing chemotherapy with TKIs. Improved 4-year overall survival rate was observed in the MST group (91%) compared with either transplant group (31%, P = .005) or chemotherapy group (36%, P = .013). The MST group also had higher 2-year and 4-year leukemia-free survival rates (91% and 72%, respectively) compared with either transplant group (33%, P = .005 and 33%, P = .021, respectively) or chemotherapy group (41%, P = .017 and 31%, P = .023, respectively). 2-year and 4-year cumulative incidences of hematologic relapse were lower in the MST group (9% and 28%, respectively) compared with those in the chemotherapy group (56%, P = .025 and 67%, P = .034, respectively). In patients undergoing MST, donor microchimerism was detected (1.07 × 10^-5 to 6.6 × 10^-4 copies from 9 to 1499 days) in 7 patients, and donor/patient-derived HLA*0201/2402⁺WT1⁺CD8⁺ T cells were found from 0.05% to 0.67% in 6 patients. MST may provide a favorable treatment for patients with Ph⁺ ALL.     

The interaction between pain and movement

Study DesignClinical commentary.Introduction/PurposePain and movement are universally relevant phenomena that influence human experiences in readily observable ways. Improved understanding of pain-movement relationships can guide medical and rehabilitative approaches to recovery and decrease risk of dysfunctional long-term consequences of otherwise normal neuromuscular responses. Therefore, the overall intent of this article is to elucidate the relationships between pain and movement as they relate to clinical decision making.ConclusionsMotor output is highly adaptable, can be influenced by multiple mechanisms at various levels along the nervous system, and may vary between individuals despite similar diagnoses. Therefore, interventions need to be individualized and consider both the types of motor response observed (ie, whether the response is protective or maladaptive), and the patient's acute physical activity tolerance when prescribing exercise/movement.     

Intra-arterial administration of cell-based biological agents for ischemic stroke therapy

Introduction: Ischemic stroke is becoming a primary cause of disability and death worldwide. To date, therapeutic options remain limited focusing on mechanical thrombolysis or administration of thrombolytic agents. However, these therapies do not promote neuroprotection and neuro-restoration of the ischemic area of the brain.

Areas covered: This review highlights the option of minimal invasive, intra-arterial, administration of biological agents for stroke therapy. The authors provide an update of all available studies, discuss issues that influence outcomes and describe future perspectives which aim to improve clinical outcomes. New therapeutic options based on cellular and molecular interactions following an ischemic brain event, will be highlighted.

Expert opinion: Intra-arterial administration of biological agents during trans-catheter thrombolysis or thrombectomy could limit neuronal cell death and facilitate regeneration or neurogenesis following ischemic brain injury. Despite the initial progress, further meticulous studies are needed in order to establish the clinical use of stem cell-induced neuroprotection and neuroregeneration.     

Efficacy and Feasibility of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation in the Treatment of Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Background

Refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) includes AML includes failure of disease to respond to standard induction chemotherapy, relapse within 6 months after first CR, and 2 or more relapses. The outcome of these patients is usually very poor; only a small proportion can be rescued by allogenic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of allo-HSCT in patients with refractory AML.

甲磺酸伊马替尼联合VDLD化疗方案治疗急性淋巴细胞白血病患儿的长期随访研究

目的探究甲磺酸伊马替尼联合VDLD化疗方案治疗急性淋巴细胞白血病(ALL)患儿的应用价值。方法选取2015年5月~2018年6月收治的74例ALL患儿,按照治疗方案不同分组。对照组(37例)实施VDLD方案治疗,联合组(37例)实施甲磺酸伊马替尼+VDLD化疗方案治疗。对比两组疗效、不良反应发生率、随访1年无复发生存率(RFS)及治疗前、治疗2个疗程后血清B淋巴细胞刺激因子(BAFF)、增殖诱导配体(APRIL)水平。结果联合组总有效率(91.89%)高于对照组(72.97%)(P<0.05);联合组治疗2个疗程后血清BAFF、APRIL水平低于对照组(P<0.05);两组不良反应发生率、随访1年RFS对比无显著差异(P>0.05)。结论甲磺酸伊马替尼联合VDLD化疗方案治疗ALL,疗效确切,能显著降低血清BAFF、APRIL水平,且安全性高。     

支气管哮喘急性发作期气道炎症表型与中医辨证分型的关系

支气管哮喘是由多种细胞和细胞组分参与的气道慢性炎症性疾病,其气道炎症反应的复杂性,给临床诊断和治疗带来了困难[1]。2009年全球哮喘防治倡议(GINA)第一次提出“表型”这一概念,并提出基于表型分类有助于哮喘治疗及判断预后[2]。中医药治疗哮喘有其独特优势,但辨证分型缺乏明确统一的客观化、量化指标。