Treating Biliary System Postoperational Complications by Syndrome Differentiation Using Traditional Chinese Medicine

The operation of the biliary system is usually employed for liver, gallbladder or pancreatic diseases. Most benign cases are cholelithiasisinduced cholecystitis and choledochitis, while malignant ones mainly include gallbladder cancers, cholangiocarcinoma orcarcinoma of the head of the pancreas.

Traditional Chinese medicine wrist pulse-taking is associated with pulse waveform analysis and hemodynamics in hypertension

BACKGROUND： Pulse wave analysis（PWA） quantifies the phenomenon of pulse waveform propagation in patients with cardiovascular diseases, whereas pulse image analysis（PIA） is a subjective examination in traditional Chinese medicine. OBJECTIVE： This study evaluated the association of PIA with PWA and hemodynamics in patients with hypertension. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS： This observational, cross-sectional study enrolled 45 patients（26 men,（55.2± 10.3） years, systolic blood pressure（155± 28） mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure（93± 17） mm Hg） for assessment of clinical and laboratorial data. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Primary outcomes comprised： pattern differentiation based on an automated method; PIA at the radial artery using the ‘simultaneous pressing＇ method for identification of factors such as strength（strong/weak）, depth（superficial/deep）, and speed（fast/moderate/slow）; and PWA at the same artery using a noninvasive system. RESULTS： Significant multivariate main effects were observed for depth（l=0.648, F_（5,29）=3.149, P=0.022, h^2 =0.352）, strength（l=0.608, F_（5,29） =3.736, P=0.010, h^2 =0.392）, and speed（l=0.535, F_（5,29） =5.302, P=0.002, h^2 =0.465）. General effects comprised high values of PWA and blood pressure for superficial, strong, and fast pulse images. A strong pulse was found for pulse pressure ≥ 62.5 mm Hg and systolic blood pressure ≥ 149.5 mm Hg, whereas a superficial pulse was found for heart rate ≥ 58.25 beats/min; a fast pulse was found for heart rate ≥ 69.6 beats/min and pulse wave velocity ≥ 9.185 m/s. CONCLUSION： Associations were explained by La Place＇s law, arterial remodeling in hypertension, alongside the traditional criterion for classifying speed in pulse images. PIA is associated with PWA and hemodynamics in patients with hypertension. Systolic and pulse pressures, heart rate, and pulse wave velocity are quantitative variables that have information to describe the qualitative pulse images such as strength, depth and speed.

Electroacupuncture pretreatment exhibits antidepressive effects by regulating hippocampal proteomics in rats with chronic restraint stress

The clinical effect of electroacupuncture on depression is widely recognized. However, the signal transduction pathways and target proteins involved remain unclear. In the present study, rat models of chronic restraint stress were used to explore the mechanism by which electroacupuncture alleviates depression. Rats were randomly divided into control, model, and electroacupuncture groups. Chronic restraint stress was induced in the model and electroacupuncture groups by restraining rats for 28 days. In the electroacupuncture group, electroacupuncture pretreatment at Baihui（GV20） and Yintang（GV29） acupoints was performed daily（1 m A, 2 Hz, discontinuous wave, 20 minutes） prior to restraint for 28 days. Open field tests and body weight measurements were carried out to evaluate the depressive symptoms at specific time points. On day 28, the crossing number, rearing number, and body weights of the model group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Behavior test results indicated that rat models of depressive-like symptoms were successfully established by chronic restraint stress combined with solitary raising. On day 28, an isobaric tag for a relative and absolute quantitation-based quantitative proteomic approach was performed to identify differentially expressed proteins in hippocampal samples obtained from the model and electroacupuncture groups. The potential function of these differential proteins was predicted through the use of the Cluster of Orthologous Groups of proteins（COG） database. Twenty-seven differential proteins（uncharacteristic proteins expected） were selected from the model and electroacupuncture groups. In addition to unknown protein functions, COG are mainly concentrated in general prediction function, mechanism of signal transduction, amino acid transport and metabolism groups. This suggests that electroacupuncture improved depressive-like symptoms by regulating differential proteins, and most of these related proteins exist in nerve cells.

Effect of Yunqi Decoction (匀气汤 ) on Esophageal Mucosal Morphology and Esophapeal Motility in Reflux Esophagitis Patients

Objective: To observe the effects of Yunqi decoction (匀气汤, YQD) on both esophageal mucosal morphology and esophageal motility in patients with reflux esophagitis (RE). Methods: According to syndrome differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), 42 RE patients were divided into three groups fdisharmony of Liver and Stomach (group D), Deficiency-Cold of Spleen and Stomach (Group DC), Heat Syndrome caused by stagnation of Liver Qi (Group H). No. Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ of YQD were taken respectively for 4 weeks.Before and after treatment scores of typical symptoms were collected, gastroscopy was performed and esophagealmotility were measured. Results: (1 ) The symptom remission rate was 81. 1 %, there were significant differences between the group DC with group D and group H (P< 0. 01 ). (2) The esophageal mucosal healing ratewas 61. 9 %, the effective rate was 90. 5 %, and the ineffective rate was 9. 5 %. There were not significant differences of effective rate among the three groups (P > 0. 05). (3) The changes of esophageal motility: Loweresophageal sphincter pressure (LESP) and average peristaltic pressure (APP) of group D were obviously higherthan before treatment (P < 0. 05), LESP, gastro--esophageal barrier pressure (GEBP) and peristaltic conductspeed (PCS) of group DC were remarkably higher (P < 0. 05). GEBP of group H was improved (P < 0. 05 ).Conclusions: YQD has a good therapeutic effect. It's not only resolving reflux esophageal symptoms, healingesophageal mucosa, but also improving esophageal motile function.