TCM Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis by Supplementing the Kidney and Invigorating the Blood Circulation

The therapeutic effects in treating the intermediate and late rheumatoid arthritis by supplementing the kidney and invigorating blood circulation were observed. In the 43 cases of the treatment group, No. 2 Qu Feng Shi Ling capsules (祛风湿灵胶囊2号) and Fenbid (芬必得) were prescribed, while in the 39 cases of the control group Lei Gong Teng Tablets (雷公藤总甙片) and Fenbid were given. The results showed that the total effective rate in the treatment group was more satisfactory than that in the control (P<0.05 or P<0.01). With less toxic effects, the former could better improve the local swelling and lower the blood viscosity.

Therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine on coagulation disorder and accompanying intractable jaundice in hepatitis B virus-related liver cirrhosis patients

AIM： TO observe the therapeutic effects of new traditional Chinese medicine （TClVl） therapy on coagulation disorder and accompanying intractable jaundice in HBV-related liver cirrhosis patients. METHODS： Using stratified random sampling according to fibrinogen （Fib） levels, 145 liver cirrhosis patients due to hepatitis B complicated by coagulation disorder were treated. Of them, 70 in research group were treated with TCM by ＂nourishing yin, cooling blood and invigorating blood circulation＂ and Western medicine, 75 in control group were treated with conventional Western medicine. The indexes of liver function, coagulation function and bleeding events were observed and compared. RESULTS： The prothrombin time （PT） was shorter and the fibrinogen （Fib） level was higher in the research group than in the control group （Fib = 1.6-2.0 g/L, 1.1-1.5 g/L, and ≤ 1.0 g/L）. The total bilirubin （TBIL） level was significantly lower in the research group than in the control group, except for the subgroup of FIB ≤ 1.0 g/L. CONCLUSION： TCM therapy can improve coagulation fuction and decrease TBIL.

Mechanism of'Invigorating Qi and Promoting Blood Circulation'Drug Pair Ginseng-Danshen on Treatment of Ischemic Heart Disease Based on Network Pharmacology

Objective:Using network pharmacology to explore the mechanism of the'invigorating qi and promoting blood circulation'drug pair Ginseng-Danshen(Salvia miltiorrhiza)on treatment of ischemic heart disease(IHD).Methods:The chemical constituents of ginseng and Danshen drug pair were identified by searching the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP),and the potential targets of the pair were identified.The pharmacodynamics of the pair was analyzed using network pharmacology.The targets of IHD were identified by database screening.Using protein-protein interaction network,the interaction targets of Ginseng-Danshen on IHD were constructed.A"constituent-target-disease"interaction network was constructed using Cytoscape software,Gene Ontology(GO)term enrichment analysis and biological pathway enrichment analysis were carried out,and the mechanism of improving myocardial ischemia by the Ginseng-Danshen drug pair was investigated.Results:Seventeen active constituents and 53 targets were identified from ginseng,53 active constituents and 61 targets were identified from Danshen,and 32 protein targets were shared by ginseng and Danshen.Twenty GO terms were analyzed,including cytokine receptor binding,cytokine activity,heme binding,and antioxidant activity.Sixty Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathways were analyzed,including phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-serine-threonine kinase(PI3 K-AKT)signaling pathway,p53 signaling pathway,interleukin 17 signaling pathway,tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway,and the advanced glycation end product(AGE)-the receptor for AGE(RAGE)signaling pathway in diabetic complications.Conclusion:The specific mechanism of Ginseng-Danshen drug pair in treating IHD may be associated with improving the changes of metabolites inbody,inhibiting the production of peroxides,removing the endogenous oxygen free radicals,regulating the expression of inflammatory factors,reducing myocardial cell apoptosis and promoting vascular regeneration.

Invigorating Qi and Promoting Blood Circulation in Treatmentof Chronic Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Twenty patients of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) were treated with suchkind of Chinese herbal medicine as invigorating Qi and promoting blood circulation for 4-8 weeks. The ther-apeutic effect was observed and compared with that of the two control groups treated with prednisone and co-enzyme A respectively. In the TCM group, the number of patients with marked effect, good effect and im-provement were 2, 4 and 7, the total effective rate being 65% . This efficacy was higher than that of the co-enzyme group and lower than that of the prednisone group. The changes of antiplatelet IgG antibody and hap-toglobin were also observed in the meantime, and results showed that after TOM treatment, both of themwere decreased as disease improved.

An Experimental Study of the Protective Effects of Chinese Medicine Compound Eye-Patch on Asthenopia

Objective： To observe the therapeutic efficacy and the mechanism of Chinese medicine eye-patch with invigorating blood circulation and detoxification on asthenopia. Methods： A total of 180 rabbits were subjected to three tests, namely the skin microcircuiation, the microvascular regeneration in the skin and the skin temperature change, with 60 rabbits for each test. The rabbits in each test were randomly and equally divided into three groups： the normal control group was treated with physiological saline on naked back once per day, the low dose group was treated with the eye-patch on naked back for 15 min once per day, while the high dose group was treated for three times per day. Forty Hartley guinea pigs were randomly and equally divided into four groups for the muscle tone test： the normal control group was treated with physiological saline on naked back, the model group was treated without any medication, the low dose group was treated with the eye-patch on naked back for 10 min once per day, while the high dose group was treated for three times per day. All treatments were continued for 14 days until the termination of the test. The microcirculatory blood flow was observed by using a video-microscopy system. The histological sections were used to detect the microvascular regeneration by observing the expression of factor V$. The temperature changes on the skin surface were measured by using infrared thermometer, and the muscle tone was tested by the electromyography. Results： In compare with the normal or the model group, the improvement in the skin microcirculation and the blood vascular regeneration, and the decreasing in the muscle tone in low dose and high dose groups were statistically significant with confident level at P〈0.05. Conclusions： The eye-patch with invigorating blood circulation and detoxification has great enhancement in blood vascular regeneration and skin microcirculation, and great improvement in the indexes for muscle tone. The study explains certain therapeutic efficacy and mechanism of the eye-patch and shows that it could reduce the symptoms for patients with asthenopia.

Study on Modified Shengmai Yin Injection for Prevention and Treatment of Brain Impairment in Endotoxin Shock Rats

Objective:To examine the effects of modified Shenmai Yin on invigorating vital energy, promoting blood flow, and protection against neural impairment in an endotoxin-induced shock rat model. Methods: Ninety-six SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham operation (saline 20 ml/kg), shock model (lipopolysaccharide, LPS, 8 mg/kg), Reformed Shengmai Yin (加味生脉饮 Pulse-activating Decoction) (LPS 8 mg/kg + reformed Shengmai Yin Injection 10 ml/kg), and dexamethasone (LPS 8 mg/kg + dexamethasone 5 mg/kg) groups. Each group was subdivided into 1 h, 2 h, 3 h, and 6 h time points for observation. The carotid artery was separated and connected with a biological functional system to monitor mean arterial pressure (MAP). Brain water levels, malonaldehyde (MDA) content, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were also determined. Results: In the shock model group, MAP was progressively decreased after injection of LPS, brain water and MDA contents were increased, brain SOD activity was decreased, and capillary vessel edema in brain tissue was also observed. All these parameters were improved significantly in both treatment groups, although the effects were more marked with Shengmai Yin than with dexamethasone. Conclusion: Modified Shengmai Yin exhibits strong anti-shock and neuroprotective effects against Endotoxininduced shock.