Effect of modified Taohongsiwu decoction on patients with chemotherapy-induced hand-foot syndrome

Objective

To observe the effect of the Traditional Chinese Medicine, modified Taohongsiwu decoction, versus pyridoxine on patients with hand-foot syndrome (HFS) from capecitabine, sorafenib, and gefitinib chemotherapy for gastric, lung, breast, colon, or rectal cancer. Also, to compare quality of life of patients in each group.

Methods

Patients were assigned randomly to group A or B. Group A was given modified Taohongsiwu decoction to soak hands and feet for 30 min, once daily. Group B was given 100 mg pyridoxine orally, twice daily. After a 2-week treatment, the therapeutic effect was assessed by observing three major symptoms, including pain, ulceration, and muscular atrophy. This was assessed with the HFS-14 questionnaire.

Results

Significant differences were observed between the two groups in pain relief, and improvement of daily life, walking, and interpersonal communication (P < 0.01). No significant differences in driving ability or interpersonal relationships were found. After 2 weeks, the effective rate was 88.3% in group A, which was significantly higher than the 50% in group B (P=0.00).

Conclusion

Modified Taohongsiwu decoction is effective in the treatment of patients with HFS. It improves patients’ quality of life according to the HFS-14.     

Effects of Jianpi herbal suppository on hemorheology and CD62p in patients with ulcerative colitis

Objective

To compare the effects of a Chinese herbal suppository (Jianpi suppository) and Western Medicine (mesalazine) on hemorheology and CD62p in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methods

In a randomized trial, 120 mild to moderate UC patients were randomly divided into two equal groups. The Jianpi suppository group used Chinese herbal suppository rectally, while the mesalazine group was treated with mesalazine tablets orally. Two 15-day courses of treatment were carried out in both groups. Changes in the hemorheology and CD62p indices in patients were observed.

Results

The hemorheology and CD62p indices in the Jianpi suppository group decreased significantly more than those of the mesalazine group.

Conclusion

Jianpi suppository is effective in improving the hypercoagulability of UC patients, and therefore may be worth using in clinical practice.     

Effects of modified Lingguizhugan decoction combined with weekend fasting on metabolic syndrome

Objective

To assess the therapeutic effect of weekend fasting and administration of a modified Lingguizhugan decoction on metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Methods

Twenty-one patients with MetS were recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 30-min and 2-h post-prandial blood glucose (PG), fasting serum insulin (FINS), blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), and levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were tested. Patients were allowed to drink only water and a Chinese herbal decoction during weekends. All samples were tested again after 12 weeks of treatment.

Results

FPG, 30-min PG, 2-h PG, FINS, LDL-C, systolic BP, diastolic BP, BMI, WC, and HOMA-IR decreased significantly (P<0.05) compared with before treatment. Levels of TG, TC, and HDL-C did not change significantly.

Conclusion

Weekend fasting improved glucose metabolism, lowered BP, reduced LDL-C levels, BMI, and WC. These data suggest that weekend fasting may be an effective therapy for MetS by protection against coronary atherosclerosis.     

Neferine enhances insulin sensitivity in insulin resistant rats

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Neferine was isolated from green seed embryo of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn which has been used as an anti-obesity agent in traditional Chinese herbal medicine.

Aim of the study

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of neferine on enhancing insulin sensitivity in insulin resistant rats compared with rosiglitazone and to potentially reveal its role in mediating the anti-obesity properties of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.

Materials and methods

Fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting blood insulin (FINS), triglycerides (TG) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured, and the oral glucose tolerance test for 2-h plasma glucose level (2-h PG) was carried out. The glucose infusion rate (GIR) was used to measure the insulin sensitivity by hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp technique.

Results

The levels of FBG, FINS, TG, TNF-α and 2-h PG all decreased significantly in the rosiglitazone and neferine groups compared with the insulin resistance (IR) model group. Neferine diminished the 2-h PG more than did rosiglitazone treatment. Compared to the IR model group, the treatments of neferine and rosiglitazone remarkably increased GIRs but no difference between these two treatments themselves was evident.

Conclusions

These data demonstrate that neferine has effects similar to rosiglitazone in decreasing fasting blood glucose, insulin, TG, TNF-α and enhancing insulin sensitivity in insulin resistant rats.     

Akupunktur-Therapie eines dissoziativen Mutismus,einer psychogenen Aphonie

Background

A 49-year old female patient was referred to us. Two weeks ago and all of a sudden she had lost her ability to speak after waking up in the morning. Somatic diagnostics showed no pathological results.

Aim

Regain ability to speak.

Method

Acupuncture, in combination with hypnotherapy and speech therapy.

Result

Regained ability to speak.

Conclusion

Acupuncture may serve as an adjuvant treatment for psychogenic aphonia.     

Clinical effect of Jiutengzhuyu tablets on promoting blood circulation in women with oviducal obstruction

Objective

To test the clinical curative effect of Jiutengzhuyu tablets, a patented Chinese vine-derived drug used for promoting blood circulation, on women with oviducal obstruction.

Methods

Patients with tubal infertility were divided randomly into two groups: 58 patients in the treatment group and 57 in a control group. The treated patients took Jiutengzhuyu tablets orally for 25 days. The control group received an intrauterine infusion of 5 mg dexamethasone sodium phosphate, 4000 units of chymotrypsin, 80 000 units of gentamicin sulfate dissolved in 20 mL of normal saline at 1 mL/min. After 3 months of treatment, the curative effect on tubal patency was assessed and a 1-year follow-up visit was used to document any pregnancies.

Results

The total effective rate was 78% in the treatment group and 32% in the control group with a statistically significant difference (χ²=24.57, P<0.01).

Conclusion

Jiutengzhuyu was effective in treating infertility caused by tubal infertility with a Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis of blood stasis.     

Effects of five-element music therapy on elderly people with seasonal affective disorder in a Chinese nursing home

Objective

To explore the effects of five-element music therapy on elderly patients with seasonal affective disorder in a Chinese nursing home.

Methods

The patients (n=50) were recruited from a Shijingshan district nursing home in Beijing, China. They were randomly assigned to two groups, a treatment group and a control group, with 25 participants in each group. The patients received music therapy for 1–2 h each week over an 8-week period. The music therapy involved four phases: introduction, activities, listening to the Chinese five-element music, and a concluding phase. The participants in the control group did not listen to the five-element music. This study consisted of two parts: (a) a qualitative study that used focus groups to understand the feelings of the patients with seasonal affective disorder; (b) a quantitative study that involved administration of the self-rating depression scale (SDS) and Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) before and after treatment.

Results

(a) Qualitative analysis results: strength derived from the five-element group music therapy and emotional adjustment. The five-element group music therapy can reduce patients' psychological distress and let them feel inner peace and enhance their life satisfaction. (b) No significant difference in SDS and HAMD scores was found between the two groups (P>0.05) prior to treatment. After treatment, the mean SDS score of the control group was 49.9 ± 18.8, while the treatment group's score was 40.2 ± 18.1. The HAMD score of the control group was 11.2±3.1, and the treatment group's score was 8.8± 4.9. Following 8 weeks of music therapy, the SDS and HAMD scores of the treatment group were significantly lower than those for the control group (P<0.05).

Conclusion

Five-element music therapy alleviated the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder in the elderly patients.     

Effect of polypeptide 2B1 on condition of dampness pattern in rats in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Objective

This study investigated how polypeptide 2B1 is involved in regulating and governing dampness in rat models with dampness pattern defined in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Methods

We randomly divided 48 SPF 10-week-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats into a normal group, normal + Aristolochic acid I (AA-I) for 5 min group, normal + AA-I for 60 min group, dampness pattern group (DS-Group), dampness pattern + AA-I for 5 min group, and dampness pattern + AA-I for 60 min group. Groups were then treated accordingly. We took out the lung, stomach, liver, spleen, kidney, large intestine, and small intestine tissues to detect gene and protein expression of organic anion transporter polypeptide 2B1 (OATP2B1).

Results

Gene expression of OATP2B1 in spleen, kidney, and small intestine of rats with dampness pattern was lower than that in normal rats (P<0.05). The gene expressions of OATP2B1 in liver, stomach, large intestine, and small intestine were lower than that in control rats at different time points after being stimulated by AA-I (P<0.05).

Conclusion

There is coordination among multiple viscera in handling the condition of dampness, and the mechanism underlying the action may rely on regulating the expression of OATP2B1.     

Features analysis on Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Objective

To study the features of the distribution and differentiation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

Methods

We collected clinical data on illness course, age, fasting blood glucose, saccharogenic hemoglobin, TCM syndromes, tongue, and pulse of 238 DPN patients. Differentiated main syndromes (Yin deficiency and exuberant heat, invasion of spleen by damp-heat, deficiency of both Qi and Yin, and deficiency of both Yin and Yang) and accompanying syndromes (blood stasis and phlegm-dampness) of diabetes were also recorded. The features of DPN syndromes were then analyzed.

Results

Among the four main syndromes of diabetes, deficiency of both Yin and Yang was the most common in the 238 DPN patients, of which 89%-96% had blood stasis.

Conclusion

The method of differentiating syndromes of diabetes can be applied to DPN patients. Deficiency of both Yin and Yang, often accompanied by blood stasis, is commonly seen.     

Clinical efficacy and safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine combined with Western Medicine in patients with diabetic acute ischemic stroke

Objective

To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) combined with Western Medicine (WM) in patients with diabetic acute ischemic stroke.

Methods

Ninety patients with diabetic acute ischemic stroke were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. The 45 patients in the treatment group were given standardized treatment with TCM combined with WM. They received corresponding oral Chinese decoctions three times daily, according to their TCM syndromes, along with basic western medical treatment. The 45 patients in the control group were given non-standardized treatment with TCM combined with WM. They received an oral Chinese decoction for promotion of blood circulation to inhibit hemostasis, regardless of their TCM syndromes, along with basic western medical treatment. The treatments lasted for 4 weeks. Scores were evaluated on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, activity of daily life (ADL) scores, and TCM symptoms before treatment and 2 and 4 weeks after treatment.

Results

Analysis of variance for repeated measurements showed that there were significant differences in NIHSS and ADL score before and after treatment in both groups (P<0.05). There were also significant differences between the scores at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment. There were significant differences in TCM syndrome scores before and after treatment in both groups (P<0.05). There were also significant differences between the scores at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment. The χ² test showed no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05).

Conclusion

Standardized treatment was superior to non-standardized treatment for clinical efficacy of TCM combined with WM in patients with diabetic acute ischemic stroke, and the superiority was more obvious in improving neural dysfunction, ADL score, and TCM symptoms. The adverse reactions were similar in the two treatment groups.     

Welche Wertigkeit besitzt die TCM in der Therapie von malignen Erkrankungen? Eine Expertenbefragung

Background

Acupuncture as a regulative therapy has proved itself in functional disorders. It is incapable, however, of repairing structurally damaged tissue. This dogma has remained unchallenged for decades, making benign as malign tumors a contraindication for acupuncture treatment. As in German-speaking countries, acupuncture has been taught for more than 50 years, it may be time to question and re-evaluate certain dogmas on the basis of modern scientific findings.

Aim

To find a consensus regarding the treatment of malignant tumors by means of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Method

All instructors of four German-speaking acupuncture societies as well as all DGfAN were provided with a questionnaire containing 11 questions regarding procedures and experiences with Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of carcinoma.

Results

Questionnaires were sent to 56 DGfAN instructors as well as all of the 1'200 members. Of these, 24 were returned. For nearly all participants, malignant tumors do not constitute a contraindication for acupuncture anymore. Many therapists successfully treat the side-effects of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy by means of Traditional Chinese Medicine.No consensus could be found regarding the ipsilateral use of acupuncture in lymphedema after breast cancer surgery. There should be due caution as to the possible Interactions between chemotherapy and certain Chinese drugs.

Conclusion

The present findings suggest a revision of the current policy of discouraging acupuncture in patients receiving chemo- and/or radiotherapy/anti-hormone therapy. Further studies are recommended to support these findings. Also, further studies are needed to investigate the possibility of augmenting conventional malignoma therapy by stimulation of the immune system, and of preventing metastasis.     

Clinical observation on tuina plus foot bath with Chinese medicine for diabetic foot in early stage

Objective

To observe the clinical effect of tuina plus foot bath with Chinese medicine for patients with diabetic foot (DF) in early stage.

Methods

A total of 70 patients with early-stage DF were randomly allocated by the random number table into two groups, with 35 cases in each group. Patients in the control group received conventional medication, while patients in the observation group received tuina plus foot bath with Chinese medicine on the basis of conventional medication. The clinical efficacy was compared after 2 courses of treatment.

Results

After treatment, intra-group comparisons of ankle-brachial index (ABI) showed statistical significance in both groups (both P<0.05). The curative rate was 83.3% in the observation group, with the total effective rate of 96.7%, versus 29.4% and 76.5% in the control group, respectively, and the between-group comparisons showed statistical significance (both P<0.05), indicating a better effect in the observation group.

Conclusion

Tuina plus foot bath with Chinese medicine has a good therapeutic effect for DF patients in early stage.

     

Preventive and therapeutic effects of Danhong injection on lipopolysaccharide induced acute lung injury in mice

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Danhong injection (DHI), a Chinese Materia Medica standardized product extracted from Radix et Rhizoma Salviae Miltiorrhizae (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge., Labiatae, Danshen in Chinese) and Flos Carthami (Carthamus tinctorius L., Compositae, Honghua in Chinese), has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-fibrinolytic properties, which is used extensively for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in clinic.

Aim of this study

The present study aimed to investigate the preventive and therapeutic effects of DHI on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice.

Materials and methods

Lung injury was induced by intranasal instillation with 10 μg LPS. Mice were randomly divided into four groups:Control group; LPS group; LPS+5 ml/kg DHI group and LPS+10 ml/kg DHI group. The effects of DHI on LPS-induced neutrophils influx, inflammatory cytokines release, protein leakage, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, malondialdehyde (MDA) level were examined. In addition, the NF-κB activation in lung tissues was detected by Western blot.

Results

In LPS challenged mice, DHI significantly reduced the infiltration of activated neutrophils and decreased the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). DHI also inhibited protein extravasation in BALF, attenuated edema and the pathological changes in the lung. In addition, DHI markedly prevented LPS-induced elevation of MDA and MPO levels, as well as reduction of SOD activity. Further study demonstrated that DHI effectively inhibited the NF-κB activation in lung tissues.

Conclusion

DHI has been demonstrated to protect mice from LPS induced acute lung injury by its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities.     

Efficacy of HuaDan Anshen Mistura for treating insomnia: a randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled,multi-center clinical trial

Objective

To evaluate the effect of HuaDan Anshen Mistura (mistura) in clinical treatment of Chinese patients with insomnia.

Methods

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study, 244 patients with insomnia were randomly assigned to a placebo group, a low-dose (10 mL/day), or a high-dose (20 mL/day) mistura group. Efficacy was assessed by using the sleep dysfunction rating scale (SDRS) and Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scores. Safety and tolerability assessments included emergent adverse events, laboratory tests, and electrocardiograms.

Results

Total SDRS scores decreased in all three groups, and there were significant differences between the placebo group and the low- and high-dose mistura groups (P=0.000). CGI-I ratings in the low- and high-dose mistura groups were significantly better than that of the placebo group (P=0.000). Incidences of rebound insomnia were similar in all three groups (placebo group: 6.94%, low-dose mistura group: 12.99%, and high-dose mistura group: 10.96%; P=0.475). The efficacy of HuaDan Anshen Mistura in the low- or high-dose group was significantly better than that of the placebo group (P=0.000), but with no significant difference found between the low- and high-dose mistura groups (P=0.887). The rates of adverse events were similar in the three groups (placebo 2.44%, low-dose mistura 0%, and high-dose mistura 5%; P=0.088).

Conclusion

HuaDan Anshen Mistura is an effective and generally well-tolerated hypnotic medicine for the treatment of Chinese patients with insomnia.     

Clinical effects of innovative tuina manipulations on treating cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type and changes in cerebral blood flow

Objective

To determine the clinical effect, treatment times, and rheoencephalogram changes in vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis patients treated with innovative Tuina manipulations.

Methods

One hundred and twenty six cervical spondylosis patients (vertebral artery type) were randomly divided into test and control groups. Patients in the test group were treated with innovative Tuina manipulations, while those in the control group were treated with the routine Tuina manipulations according to the textbook of Chinese Massage for Acupuncture and Moxibustion majors. The clinical effects, treatment times, clinical symptoms, and cerebral blood flow were measured.

Results

The response to the treatment was 100% in the test group and 88.71% in the control group. Patients in the test group required (7 ± 4) treatments before recovery, while those in the control group required (15 ± 7) treatments before recovery (P<0.05). The clinical symptoms exhibited greater improvement in the test group compared to the control group (P<0.05). There were no differences in cerebral blood flow between the two groups.

Conclusion

Both innovative Tuina manipulations and routine Tuina manipulations produced satisfactory therapeutic results in vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis patients. However, the innovative manipulation was more effective in improving the functional symptoms, although there were no changes in the cerebral blood flow.     

Expression of the psoriasis-associated antigen,Pso p27, is inhibited by Traditional Chinese Medicine

Aim of the study

Pso p27 is shown to be an autoantigen in psoriasis and the objective of the present study was to investigate whether Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) would influence the expression of Pso p27.

Materials and methods

Skin biopsies obtained from psoriatic patients before and after treatment with TCM were analyzed for the presence of Pso p27 antigen by indirect immunofluorescence using murine monoclonal antibodies against Pso p27.

Results

A significant reduction in the amount of Pso p27 in the psoriatic skin was obtained after treatment with TCM for 3 months.

Conclusions

The presence of Pso p27 in psoriatic skin is reduced when psoriatic patients are treated with TCM.     

Economic evaluation of treating herpes zoster with various methods of acupuncture and moxibustion

Objective

To analyze the cost effect of surrounding acupuncture plus electric acupuncture, cotton-sheet moxibustion, puncturing with red-hot needles, tapping plus cupping on herpes zoster.

Methods

Five hundred patients with herpes zoster were randomly divided into group A (surrounding acupuncture plus electric acupuncture), group B (cotton-sheet moxibustion), group C (puncturing with red-hot needles), group D (tapping plus cupping), and group E (Western medicine). The treatment was carried out twice a day in group E and once a day in the other four groups. The curative effect was observed on the 10th day of treatment; the cost was calculated for the five therapies, and the cost-effect ratio (C/E) and increment ratio (ΔC/ΔE) were analyzed.

Results

After the 10-day treatment, there was no statistical difference (P>0.05) in the curative effect among the five groups. Pain being alleviated one day faster than in group E amounted to a saving of RMB 21.90 yuan in group A, a saving of RMB 21.87 yuan in group B, a saving of RMB 26.00 yuan in group C, and a saving of RMB 20.23 yuan in group D. Compared with group C, the values of ΔC/ΔE were RMB 1.55, 2.81, and 0.21 yuan in groups A, B, and D, respectively.

Conclusions

The curative effect in groups A, B, C, and D was similar to that in group E, but the C/E was better than in group E.     

Westliche und TCM-diagnostische Kriterien der Menopause bei deutschen und chinesischen Frauen: Eine transkulturelle multizentrische Vergleichsstudie

Background

The following study follows a comparative cross-cultural multicenter trial design concerning menopausal conditions in patients from Germany and China.

Methods

Each of the 35 patients suffering from menopausal symptoms recruited out of the Institute of Complementary and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Knappschafts-Kranhenhaus, Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Germany, and from the Shugang Hospital in Shanghai, China, were examined using the Kupperman-index and a standardised TCM-questionnaire. In addition Estrogen and Testosterone parameters were collected from each patient. Means were compared using Students t-test, frequency distributions were compared using Pearson Chi-Square.

Results

The mean value of cumulative symptoms as recorded with the Kupperman-Index showed no significant difference between German and Chinese women. However, the examination of single items revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups examined. The Kupperman-Index focuses on psychological parameters in contrast to the TCM-questionnaire. On the other hand, the TCM-questionnaire examines single items and often diagnosed a “Kidney-Yin-Deficiency” (74.3 %) in Chinese women, whereas German women more often showed a “Kidney-Yang-Deficiency” (51.4 %). The Chinese exhibited significant higher levels of Testosterone, levels of Estrogen were not significantly different.

Conclusions

A combination of Western Kupperman-index and TCM-questionnaire promises a more symptom-orientated classification of menopausal women in subgroups with corresponding integrative therapeutic options. A possible classification of hormone levels with respect to ethnical or TCM-subgroups might be examined in subsequent studies by the means of larger study groups and more equally distributed group patterns.