Which Is Safer,Chinese Medicine or Western Medicine?Comparative Analysis Based on Chinese Spontaneous Reporting Database

Objective:To compare the safety differences between Chinese medicine(CM)and Western medicine(WM)based on Chinese Spontaneous Reporting Database(CSRD).Methods:Reports of adverse events(AEs)caused by CM and WM in the CSRD between 2010 and 2011 were selected.The following assessment indicators were constructed:the proportion of serious AEs(PSE),the average number of AEs(ANA),and the coverage rate of AEs(CRA).Further comparisons were also conducted,including the drugs with the most reported serious AEs,the AEs with the biggest report number,and the 5 serious AEs of interest(including death,anaphylactic shock,coma,dyspnea and abnormal liver function).Results:The PSE,ANA and CRA of WM were 1.09,8.23 and 2.35 times higher than those of CM,respectively.The top 10 drugs with the most serious AEs were mainly injections for CM and antibiotics for WM.The AEs with the most reports were rash,pruritus,nausea,dizziness and vomiting for both CM and WM.The proportions of CM and WM in anaphylactic shock and coma were similar.For abnormal liver function and death,the proportions of WM were 5.47 and 3.00 times higher than those of CM,respectively.Conclusion:Based on CSRD,CM was safer than WM at the average level from the perspective of adverse drug reactions.     

Clinical Study on Effect of Shenlong Oral Liquid (神龙口服液)Combined with Radiotherapy in Treating Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

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Effects of Serum Containing Chinese Medicine Sanpi Pingwei (散癖平胃) Formula on Proliferation and Apoptosis of Human SGC-7901 Cells

Objective:To investigate the effects of serum containing Chinese medicine(CM) Sanpi Pingwei(散癖平胃,SPPW) formula on the proliferation and apoptosis of human SGC-7901 cells and the possible mechanism.Methods:Serum containing CM SPPW formula(SPPW serum) was prepared by a serum pharmacology method.Human SGC-7901 cells were incubated with SPPW serum at three different concentrations and with the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil(5-FU),respectively.Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay,and cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry assay.Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) and Western blot assay were employed to confirm the expressions of Bcl-2,Bax and p53 in SGC-7901 cells at mRNA and protein levels,respectively.Results:SPPW serum suppressed the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner.The colony forming rate of negative control was 48.2%,while those in the three SPPW serum groups and the 5-FU group decreased significantly (P<0.01).The number of colony forming units in the SPPW high dosage group was significantly smaller than that in the 5-FU group(P<0.01).MTT assay showed that SPPW serum restrained the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells,and the inhibition rate increased significantly in a dose-dependent manner.Annexin V/PI Assay suggested that SPPW serum induced the apoptosis of SGC-7901 cells significantly.RT-PCR and western blot assay indicated that SPPW serum upregulated the protein and mRNA expression levels of Bax and p53 in SGC-7901 cells,but downregulated the protein and mRNA expressions of Bcl-2.Conclusions:SPPW formula inhibits the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells in vitro and induces the cell apoptosis.It plays an anticancer role by regulating the expressions of Bax,p53 and Bcl-2 in SGC-7901 cells.     

Clinical Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Acute Myocardial Infarction——A Prospective Cohort Study

<正>Objective:To evaluate the clinical effects of Chinese medicine(CM) on acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with a prospective cohort study.Methods:A total of 334 AMI patients from January 2007 to March 2009 were consecutively enrolled,and were assigned to a treatment group(169 cases) treated with combined therapy(CM for at least one month and Western medicine) and a control group(165 cases) with Western medicine alone.Clinical data including age,gender,smoking,medical history,infarction area,heart functional classification,CM syndrome scores,blood-stasis syndrome score,primary end-point(death,nonfatal myocardial infarction,and revascularization) and secondary end-point(ischemic stroke,rehospitalization due to angina,heart failure and shock),were collected. CM syndrome scores,blood-stasis syndrome score,primary end-point and secondary end-point were collected during the 6-month follow-up.Kaplan-Meier method was used for the survival analysis.The multifactor analysis was analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression.Results:At the end of 6-month the CM syndrome score and blood- stasis syndrome score in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group(P0.01),especially the symptoms of chest pain,spontaneous perspiration and insomnia.Rehospitalization rate due to angina during the 6-month follow-up in the treatment group(2.96%) was lower than that in the control group(7.88%,P0.05).Kaplan- Meier survival curve showed that event-free cumulated survival of rehospitalization due to angina during the 6-month follow-up in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group(Log rank 4.700,P=0.03).Cox regression analysis showed that heart dysfunction[hazard ratio(HR)=1.601,95%CI=1.084-2.364,P=0.018]and diabetes mellitus(HR=1.755,95%Cl=1.031-2.989,P=0.038) were hazard factors to end-point,whereas CM(HR 0.405,95% Cl=0.231-0.712,P=0.002),percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI,HR=0.352,95%CI=0.204-0.607,P0.001) and angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE) inhibitors(HR=0.541,95%Cl=0.313-0.936,P=0.028) were protective factors.Conclusions:CM therapy could decrease CM syndrome scores and blood-stasis syndrome score,reduce the rehospitalization rate during 6-month follow-up due to angina.Heart dysfunction and diabetes mellitus were hazard factors to end-point,whereas CM,PCI and ACE inhibitors were protective factors.     

Clinical Observation on Treatment of 50 Patients with Candidal Vaginitis by Chinese Herbal Medicine Combined with Canesten

From January 2001 to January 2002, 50 patients of candidal vaginitis were treated by Kushen powder (KSP,苦参散) combined with Canesten as the treatment group, and controlled by a control group including another 50 patients treated with Canesten alone. The therapeutic results were satisfactory and reported as follows.     

Observation on Efficacy of CT Positioning Scalp Circum-needling Combined with Chinese Herbal Medicine In Treating Poly-infarctional Vascular Dementia

Objective:To observe the short-termeffect of patients with poly-infarctional vas-cular dementia(PIVD)treated by CT posi-tioning scalp circum-needling(SCN)com-bined with Chinese herbal medicine.Meth-ods:Eighty-nine patients of PIVD were en-rolled and divided into the treated group(n=57)and the control group(n=32).They     

Comparative study on WHO Western Pacific Region and World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies international standard terminologies on traditional medicine： Diseases in External Medicine （Part 1）

External medicine, also frequently described as surgery, has a history as long as that of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). There were important doctors in each dynasty who devoted themselves to the study and practice of external medicine. In TCM external medicine, diseases are named either according to their location (such as neck abscess and back carbuncle), or viscera involved (such as intestinal abscess and lung abscess), or causes (such as tetanus and chilblain,     

Chinese Herbal Formula Ermiao Powder (二妙散) Regulates Cholinergic Anti-inflammatory Pathway in Rats with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective: To investigate the effect of Chinese herbal formula Ermiao Powder (二妙散, EMP) on the expression of cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway in rats with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Seventy two rats were randomly ivided into 6 groups according to body weight, including normal control group, collagen induced arthritis (CIA) group, three doses EMP groups, and methotrexate (MTX) group (n=12 per group). All of the rats except for those in the normal control group were given multipoint subcutaneous injection of bovine type Ⅱ collagen to establish a CIA model. Three EMP groups received a high- (4.5 g/kg), medium- (3.0 g/kg), and low- (1.5 g/kg) doses of EMP by intragavage, respectively. MTX group was injected intraperitoneally MTX at 0.9 mg/kg once a week as the positive control. The administration was 3 consecutive weeks. Joint swelling, arthritis index, and body weight changes in different experimental groups of rats were tested. The joint damage was evaluated by masson staining. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed to evaluate the expression of CHRNA7, encoding α 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, in different tissues and their localization in the spleen and joints. Results: CHRNA7 expression levels were significantly higher in the joints and spleens of CIA group than those in normal control group (both P<0.05). Moreover, the CHRNA7 mRNA and protein levels in the spleen and joints of MTX and three doses of EMP groups were significantly lower than CIA group (all P<0.05). Compared with the MTX group, treatment with low-dose EMP resulted in significant reduction of CHRNA7 mRNA and protein expression levels (P<0.05 or P<0.01). IHC showed positive signals of CHRNA7 in the white pulp and red pulp of the spleens of rats; CHRNA7 was expressed on fibroblast-like synoviocytes, macrophages, and endothelial cells in the joints of rats, and the expression in the joints of low-dose EMP group was significantly lower than that in the CIA group (P<0.01). Conclusion: Cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway was involved in the generation of the inflammatory reaction in CIA rats, and EMP exerted therapeutic effect on RA through cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.     

In Silico Screening of Potential Chinese Herbal Medicine Against COVID-19 by Targeting SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Ⅱ Using Molecular Docking

Objective: To seek potential Chinese herbal medicine(CHM) for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) through the molecular docking of the medicine with SARS-CoV-2 3 CL hydrolytic enzyme and the angiotensin converting enzyme Ⅱ(ACE2) as receptors, using computer virtual screening technique, so as to provide a basis for combination forecasting. Methods: The molecular docking of CHM with the SARS-Cov-2 3 CL hydrolase and the ACE2 converting enzyme, which were taken as the targets, was achieved by the Autodock Vina software. The CHM monomers acting on 3 CLpro and ACE2 receptors were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform, the active ingredients were selected, and the key CHMs and compounds were speculated. Based on the perspective of network pharmacology, the chemical-target network was constructed, and the functional enrichment analysis of gene ontology and the pathway enrichment analysis of Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes were carried out by DAVID to speculate about the mechanism of action of the core drug pairs. Results: There are6 small molecule compounds that have the optimal binding energy with the two target proteins. Among 238 potential anti-COVID-19 herbs screened in total, 16 kinds of CHM containing the most active ingredients, and5 candidate anti-COVID-19 herbs that had been used in high frequency, as well as a core drug pair, namely,Forsythiae Fructus-Lonicerae Japonicae Flos were selected. Conclusion: The core drug pair of Forsythiae Fructus-Lonicerae Japonicae Flos containing multiple components and targets is easy to combine with 3 CLpro and ACE2, and exerts an anti-COVID-19 pneumonia effect through multi-component and multi-target, and plays the role of anti-COVID-19 pneumonia in multi-pathway.     

Chinese Medicine Amygdalin and β-Glucosidase Combined with Antibody Enzymatic Prodrug System As A Feasible Antitumor Therapy

Amarogentin is an efficacious Chinese herbal medicine and a component of the bitter apricot kernel.It is commonly used as an expectorant and supplementary anti-cancer drug.β-Glucosidase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes the glycosidic bond between aryl and saccharide groups to release glucose.Upon their interaction,β-glucosidase catalyzes amarogentin to produce considerable amounts of hydrocyanic acid,which inhibits cytochrome C oxidase,the terminal enzyme in the mitochondrial respiration chain,and suspends adenosine triphosphate synthesis,resulting in cell death.Hydrocyanic acid is a cell-cycle-stage-nonspecific agent that kills cancer cells.Thus,β-glucosidase can be coupled with a tumor-specific monoclonal antibody.β-Glucosidase can combine with cancer-cell-surface antigens and specifically convert amarogentin to an active drug that acts on cancer cells and the surrounding antibodies to achieve a kil ing effect.β-Glucosidase is injected intravenously and recognizes cancer-cel-surface antigens with the help of an antibody.The prodrug amarogentin is infused after β-glucosidase has reached the target position.Coupling of cell membrane peptides with β-glucosidase allows the enzyme to penetrate capillary endothelial cells and clear extracellular deep solid tumors to kill the cells therein.The Chinese medicine amarogentin and β-glucosidase will become an important treatment for various tumors when an appropriate monoclonal antibody is developed.     

Effect of TCM Combined with Chemotherapy on Immune Function and Quality of Life of Patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer inStage Ⅲ-Ⅳ

Objective: To observe and compare the effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combined with chemotherapy (CT) on immune function and quality of life (QOL)of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ. Methods: One hundred cases with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ NSCLC were randomly divided into two groups. The treated group (n=50) received CT combined with TCM, and the control group received CT alone. The percentage of T lymphocyte subset in peripheral blood and the change of natural killer (NK) cell count were observed after treatment. The QOL and tolerance of CT were also compared between the two groups after treatment. Results: In the treated group, CD3 cell count, CD4 cell count, CD4/ CDg ratio and NK cell activity were higher than those in control group, while CD8 cell count in the treated group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05), and QOL and tolerance of CT in the treated group were also better (P<0.05). Conclusion: TCM combined with CT could raise the patients' ability in to     

Clinical Observation on Treatment of Mammary Gland Hyperplasia by Acupoint Injection Combined with Ion-Introduction of Chinese Herbal Medicine

BasedonthetheoryoftraditionalChinesemedicine(TCM),combinedtherapyofacupointinjectionandion--introductionofChineseherbalmedicines(CHM)wasusedtotreatS6casesofmammaryglandhyperplasia(MGH)andcomparedwiththecontrolgroupstreatedwithotherChineseorwesterndrugs.METHODClinicalMaterialsPatientswerediagnosedaccordingtothefollowingstandard;(1)Breastpainwasaggravatedbeforemenstruation;(2)Somecordshapedordiffusepatchytenaciousnodlllesdifferentinsizeandwithapparenttendernesswerefoundinthemammarygland;…     

Study on Treatment of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome with Infertility by Combined Therapy of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Compound Cyproterone Acetate

Objective: To evaluate the effect of combined therapy of Chinese herbal medicine and compound cyproterone acetate (CPA) in treating non-obesity polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and to explore its mechanism in improving withdrawal ovulation. Methods: Eighty-six patients of non-obesity P-COS, typed as Shen-deficiency with blood stasis Syndrome or Shen-deficiency with Phlegm-Dampness Syndrome by Syndrome Differentiation in traditional Chines medicine, were randomly divided into three groups: (1) The TCM group (n = 26) was treated with Chinese drugs for 6 menstrual cycles; (2) The western medicine (WM) group (n=30) was treated with 1 tablet of CPA for 21 days, with the treatment beginning from the 5th day of menstruation. The treatment was given for 3 menstrual cycles by repetitious medication, which stopped and restarted on the 5th day of withdrawal bleeding. Then the ovulation promoting therapy was applied by using clomifene citrate and human chorionic gonadotropin (CC/hCG) for 3 menstrual cycles; (3) T     

Effect of chinese herbal medicine for calming Gan (肝) and suppressing hyperactive yang on arterial elasticity function and circadian rhythm of blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension

Objective:To observe the effect of Chinese herbal medicine for calming Gan(肝) and suppressing hyperactive yang(平肝潜阳,CGSHY) on arterial elasticity function and the circadian rhythm of blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension(EH).Methods:Adopting a parallel,randomized design,sixty-four patients with EH of stagesⅠandⅡwere randomly divided into two groups according to a random number table,with 32 in each group.The patients in the treatment group were treated with CGSHY and those in the control group were treated with Enalapril.All patients were given 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring(ABPM) before and after a 12-week treatment.Trough/peak(T/P) ratios of systolic and diastolic blood pressure(SBP & DBP) of each group were calculated.The circadian rhythm of their blood pressure was observed at the same time. The changes in elasticity of the carotid artery in the patients,including stiffness parameter(β),pressure-strain elastic modulus(Ep),arterial compliance(AC),augmentation index(Al),and pulse wave velocity(PVWβ) were determined by the echo-tracking technique before and after a 12-week treatment.In the meantime,their levels of nitric oxide(NO) and endothelin-1(ET-1) were measured respectively.Results:After treatment,all parameters in the 24-h ABPM and the elasticity of the carotid artery(β,Ep,AC and PVWβ) were markedly improved,the level of NO was increased,and ET-1 was decreased in both groups as compared with values before treatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01).Further,the improvements in the ratio of T/P of SBP & DBP and in the level of NO and ET-1 in the treatment group were more significant than those in the control group(P<0.05).There were no significant differences in all parameters in the ABPM monitoring and the elasticity of the carotid artery,the recovery of blood pressure circadian rhythm,and the therapeutic effect of antihypertension in EH patients between the two groups (P>0.05).Conclusions:Chinese herbal medicine for CGSHY may lower the blood pressure smoothly and recover the circadian rhythm of blood pressure in EH patients.They may also improve the carotid elasticity of EH patients similar to that of Enalapril.The mechanism of action of Chinese herbs on EH might be related to the regulation of vascular endothelium function.     

Effects of Mitochondrial Dysfunction via AMPK/PGC-1α Signal Pathway on Pathogenic Mechanism of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy and the Protective Effects of Chinese Medicine

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy(DPN) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease of peripheral nervous system with high energy requirement. The adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α(PGC-1α) axis plays a key role in regulating mitochondrial energy metabolism. Increasing preclinical evidences have shown that inhibition of AMPK/PGC-1α pathway leading to mitochondrial dysfunction in neurons or Schwann cells contributes to neuron apoptosis, distal axonopathy and nerve demyelination in DPN. Some Chinese medicine formulae or extracts from herbs may have potential neuroprotective effects on DPN via activating AMPK/PGC-1α pathway and improving mitochondrial function.