Clinical Effect of Modified Gegen Qinlian Decoction Combined with Western Medicine on Children with Rotavirus Enteritis with Damp-Heat Syndrome

[Objectives]To explore the clinical effect of Modified Gegen Qinlian Decoction combined with western medicine on children with rotavirus enteritis with damp-heat syndrome and its influence on myocardial enzymes.[Methods]One hundred and eighty children with rotavirus enteritis with damp-heat syndrome were randomly divided into control group and observation group,with 90 cases in each group.The control group was given western medicine symptomatic treatment,and the observation group was given Modified Gegen Qinlian Decoction treatment on the basis of the control group.Both groups were treated for 5 d.The clinical efficacy,symptom disappearance time,myocardial zymogram indicator level and TCM syndrome scores were compared between the two groups.[Results]After 5 d of treatment,the total effective rate of the observation group was 94.44%,which was significantly higher than that of the control group(84.44%)(P<0.05).The time of diarrhea,fever,vomiting,dehydration and fecal RV turning negative in the observation group were shorter than those in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).After 5 d of treatment,the serum levels of creatine kinase(CK),creatine kinase isoenzyme(CK-MB),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)and α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase(α-HBDH)in the two groups were lower than those before treatment.The levels of the above five myocardial enzymes in the observation group were lower than those in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).After 5 d of treatment,the scores of defecation frequency,abdominal distention,thirst,dysphoria,fatigue and anorexia in the two groups were lower than those before treatment.The scores of the above five TCM syndromes in the observation group were lower than those in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).[Conclusions]Modified Gegen Qinlian Decoction combined with western medicine can quickly relieve the symptoms and signs of children with rotavirus enteritis with damp-heat syndrome,shorten the course of disease,and reduce myocardial injury.

Integrating proteomics and targeted metabolomics to reveal the material basis of liver-gallbladder damp-heat syndrome in chronic hepatitis B

Objective To elucidate the biological basis of liver-gallbladder damp-heat syndrome(LGDHS)within the framework of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)as a complementary diagnostic and therapeutic approach in chronic hepatitis B(CHB).Methods CHB patients and healthy volunteers were enrolled from Shuguang Hospital Affili-ated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between August 21,2018 and December 31,2020.They were divided into three groups:healthy group,LGDHS group,and latent syndrome(LP)group.Proteomic analysis using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation(iTRAQ)was performed to identify differentially expressed proteins(DEPs).Metabolomic profiling via ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spec-trometry(UPLC-MS/MS)was applied to serum samples to detect differentially regulated metabolites(DMs).Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)and Gene Ontology(GO)enrichment were employed to explore dysregulated pathways.Principal component analysis(PCA)and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA)were utilized to visualize group separation and identify key metabolites and proteins contributing to LGDHS differentiation.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis evaluated the diagnostic performance of key biomarkers,while logistic regression models assessed their predictive accuracy.P values were corrected for multiple tests using the Benjamini-Hochberg method to control the false discovery rate(FDR).Validation of potential biomarkers was con-ducted using independent microarray data and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reac-tion(RT-qPCR).Results A total of 150 participants were enrolled,including healthy group(n=45),LGDHS group(n=60),and LP group(n=45).254 DEPs from proteomics data and 72 DMs from metabolomic profiling were identified by PCA and OPLS-DA.DEPs were mainly enriched in immune and complement pathways,while DMs involved in amino acid and energy metabolism.The integrated analysis identified seven key biomarkers:α1-acid glycoprotein(ORM1),asparagine synthetase(ASNS),solute carrier family 27 member 5(SLC27A5),glu-cosidase II alpha subunit(GANAB),hexokinase 2(HK2),5-methyltetrahydrofolate-homocys-teine methyltransferase(MTR),and maltase-glucoamylase(MGAM).Microarray validation confirmed the diagnostic potential of these genes,with area under the curve(AUC)values for ROC analysis ranging from 0.536 to 0.759.Among these,ORM1,ASNS,and SLC27A5 showed significant differential ability in differentiating LGDHS patients(P=0.016,P=0.035,and P<0.001,respectively),with corresponding AUC of 0.749,0.743,and 0.759,respectively.A logis-tic regression model incorporating these three genes demonstrated an AUC of 0.939,indicat-ing a high discriminatory power for LGDHS.RT-qPCR further validated the differential ex-pression of ORM1 and SLC27A5 between LGDHS and LP groups(P=0.011 and P=0.034,re-spectively),with ASNS showing a consistent trend in expression(P=0.928).Conclusion This study integrates multi-omics approaches to uncover the molecular mecha-nisms underlying LGDHS in CHB.The identification of biomarkers ORM1,ASNS,and SLC27A5 offers a solid basis for the objective diagnosis of LGDHS,contributing to the stan-dardization and modernization of TCM diagnostic practices.

Effect of the Haoqinqingdan decoction on damp-heat syndrome in rats with influenza viral pneumonia

Objective: To investigate the effect of Chinese medicine prescription-Haoqinqingdan decoction on damp-heat syndrome in rats with influenza viral pneumonia and its influence on the immune function. Methods: A total of 48 Wistar rats were randomly divided into the normal control group, the damp-heat syndrome model group, the Haoqinqingdan decoction group (high, medium and low dose group) and the ribavirin group. The body temperature and weight of rats in each group were recorded after modeling. After treatment for 6 d, the concentration of T lymphocyte subgroup (CD3+ CD4+ , CD3+ CD8+ ) was determined by flow cytometry. The OD value of IFN毭/IL-4 was detected by double-antibody sandwich ELISA method, and its concentration was acquired through conversion. Results: After modeling, the temperature and weight of rats in each modeling group showed the increasing trend ( P<0.01). From the second day of treatment, there was significant difference in the body mass between groups, and the rat weight of the control group was higher than in the modeling group ( P<0.05 or 0.01). With the advances of treatment, only the temperature in the medium and high dose Haoqinqingdan decoction groups declined significantly ( P<0.05). After treatment, the CD4+ /CD8+ ratio of the damp-heat syndrome model group decreased more significantly compared with the control group. Elevated CD3+ CD8+ percentages and declined CD4+ /CD8+ ratios can be observed in the low dose group and ribavirin group ( P<0.05). Moreover, the CD3+ CD4+ percentage of ribavirin group was lower than in the control group ( P<0.05). After treatment, the IFN-毭 and IFN-毭/ IL-4 levels in the peripheral blood of rats in the dampheat syndrome group were obviously higher than in the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusions: Compared with ribavirin, the high dose Haoqinqingdan decoction can improve the ratio of T lymphocyte subgroup and Th1/Th2 cell balance more effectively.

The role of endothelial biomarkers in predicting damp-heat syndrome in diabetic kidney disease

Objective:To explore the role of endothelial biomarkers in predicting damp-heat syndrome in diabetic kidney disease(DKD).Methods:A total of 183 patients with DKD were divided into 3 groups:the early DKD group,established DKD group,and advanced DKD group.All patients were classified according to traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome type,and clinical indexes were collected for statistical analysis.Results:A total of 183 DKD patients were included in this study.Fibroblast growth factor 23(FGF23),chitinase-3-like protein 1(CHI3L1),endocan,tumor necrosis factor receptor 1(TNFR1),secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor(SLPI),and vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGF-A)were increased in advanced DKD.FGF23,CHI3L1,endocan,SLPI,and TNFR1 showed a negative correlation with estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR),while they had a positive correlation with 24 h urine protein.After adjusting for age,gender,diabetes duration,body mass index(BMI),hemoglobin,glucose,uric acid,24 h urine protein,cholesterol,triglyceride,low-density lipoprotein,and hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c),the multiple regression analysis showed that FGF23,endocan,TNFR1,and SLPI significantly correlated with eGFR.Conclusions:FGF23,endocan,TNFR1,and SLPI are elevated in advanced DKD compared with early stage,and they may take part in the pathogenesis and progression of DKD.Our study provides useful biomarkers for predicting the appearance of damp-heat syndrome,including FGF23,endocan,TNFR1,and SLPI.

Efficacy of Pidan Jianqing decoction in treatment of type 2 diabetes with spleen deficiency and damp-heat syndrome

Introduction:This study aimed to assess the clinical efficacy of Pidan Jianqing decoction in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.Methods:A total of 72 patients with type 2 diabetes differentiated as spleen deficiency with damp-heat syndrome were randomly assigned to a treatment group(n=35)or control group(n=32).Patients in the control group received diet and exercise guidance and medication in the form of 0.5 g metformin hydrochloride tablets,while patients in the treatment group received Pidan Jianqing decoction in addition to the treatment given to the control group.Efficacy was evaluated after 8 weeks of treatment.Results:Efficacy was 91.4%in the treatment group versus 68.8%in the control group,which was a statistically significant difference(P<0.05).Significant group differences were also noted in the number of patients with improvement in symptoms such as dry mouth and polydipsia,frequency of urination and polyuria,abdominal distention and loss of appetite,fatigue and weakness,and sticky stools(all P<0.05),with greater improvement in the treatment group compared to the control group.The fasting blood glucose(FBG)and 2 h postprandial blood glucose levels significantly improved in both groups after treatment(P<0.05);however,there was no significant difference in glycated hemoglobin levels before and after treatment in both groups.Conclusion:Pidan Jianqing decoction can lower blood glucose levels and improve symptoms in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Clinicopathological features and expression of regulatory mechanism of the Wnt signaling pathway in colorectal sessile serrated adenomas/polyps with different syndrome types

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer(CRC)is the third most common cancer worldwide,with the fourth highest mortality among all cancers.Reportedly,in addition to adenomas,serrated polyps,which account for 15%-30%of CRCs,can also develop into CRCs through the serrated pathway.Sessile serrated adenomas/polyps(SSAs/Ps),a type of serrated polyps,are easily misdiagnosed during endoscopy.AIM To observe the difference in the Wnt signaling pathway expression in SSAs/Ps patients with different syndrome types.METHODS From January 2021 to December 2021,patients with SSAs/Ps were recruited from the Endoscopy Room of Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine-Integrated Hospital,affiliated with Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.Thirty cases each of large intestine damp-heat(Da-Chang-Shi-Re,DCSR)syndrome and spleen-stomach weakness(Pi-Wei-Xu-Ruo)syndrome were reported.Baseline comparison of the general data,typical tongue coating,colonoscopy findings,and hematoxylin and eosin findings was performed in each group.The expression of the Wnt pathway-related proteins,namelyβ-catenin,adenomatous polyposis coli,and mutated in colorectal cancer,were analyzed using immunohistochemistry.RESULTS Significant differences were observed with respect to the SSAs/Ps size between the two groups of patients with different syndrome types(P=0.001).The other aspects did not differ between the two groups.The Wnt signaling pathway was activated in patients with SSAs/Ps belonging to both groups,which was manifested asβ-catenin protein translocation into the nucleus.However,SSAs/Ps patients with DCSR syndrome had more nucleation,higherβ-catenin expression,and negative regulatory factor(adenomatous polyposis coli and mutated in colorectal cancer)expression(P<0.0001)than SSA/P patients with Pi-Wei-Xu-Ruo syndrome.In addition,the SSA/P size was linearly correlated with the related protein expression.CONCLUSION Patients with DCSR syndrome had a more obvious Wnt signaling pathway activation and a higher risk of carcinogenesis.A high-quality colonoscopic diagnosis was essential.The thorough assessment of clinical diseases can be improved by combining the diseases of Western medicine with the syndromes of traditional Chinese medicine.

The Diagnostic Criteria of Blood-Stasis Syndrome:Considerations for Standardization of Pattern Identification

Pattern identification （PI）, also called Bian Zheng （辨证）, syndrome differentiation, pattem diagnosis, or pattem classification, is the basic principle and the key concept of Chinese medicine （CM）. The core of PI is CM syndrome, on which CM theory, therapeutic method, prescribing formula and the use of Chinese herbal medicine are basically based. PI, in fact, is another classification method anticipated to improve the clinical efficacy. How to make an exact PI seems to be very important for taking full advantage of PI in clinical practice. Therefore, the establishment of diagnostic criterion of pattern has been the prerequisite for the standardization of PI. In recent years, a lot of diagnostic criteria of different CM patterns have been formulated. Taking the diagnostic criteria for blood-stasis syndrome as a model, the methodologies and considerations in establishing a pattern diagnostic criterion were discussed in this paper, which might be of great reference value in future PI standardization research.

Expression of T-Helper 17 Cells and Signal Transducers in Patients with Psoriasis Vulgaris of Blood-Heat Syndrome and Blood-Stasis Syndrome

Objective： To investigate the levels of cytokines related to T-helper （Th） 17 cells in serum and signal transducers in the psoriatic lesions of patients with psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome （BHS） and blood-stasis syndrome （BSS）. Methods： Sixty patients with psoriasis vulgaris were divided into the BHS and BSS groups according to the syndrome differentiation of Chinese medicine （CM）. Ten healthy subjects were considered as the control group. Cytokine levels of interleukin （IL）-17, IL-23 and IL-6 in serum were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Expression levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）, p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） and STAT6 in the psoriatic lesions were determined using immunohistochemistry （IHC）, Western blot, and real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Results： Production of IL-17, IL-23 and IL-6 in the BHS group and BSS group were significantly increased compared with those in the control group （P〈0.05）. Levels of IL-17 and IL-23 in the BHS group were higher than those in the BSS group （P〈0.05）. Compared with the control group, IHC positive expressions and protein expressions of STAT3 and p38-MAPK, and the STAT3 mRNA expressions in the BHS and BSS groups were significantly higher （P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. The protein expression of STAT3 in the BHS group was significantly higher than that in the BSS group （P〈0.05）. Conclusions： Cytokines in serum and signal transducers in the psoriatic lesions alter with various CM syndromes of psoriasis. The results provide scientific basis for the treatment based on syndrome differentiation of CM in treating psoriasis vulgaris.

Relationship between Platelet Activation Related Factors and Polymorphism of Related Genes in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease of Blood-stasis Syndrome

Objective： To comparatively study the expressive conditions of platelet activation related factors （GPⅠb, GPⅡb-Ⅲa and GMP-140） in healthy subjects and patients with coronary heart disease （CHD） of blood-stasis （BS） or non-blood-stasis （non-BS） syndrome, and to analyze the relationship between the activities of various glycoproteins and the polymorphism of genes. Methods： With case control design adopted, patients with the CHD （40 of BS, 37 of non-BS） and 39 healthy subjects for control, all fitting to the inclusion criteria, were selected in this study. The number of affected coronary branches was recorded by the contrast examination. The mean fluorescence intensity （MFI） of GPⅠb, GPⅡb-Ⅲa, and GMP-140 （CD42b, CD61, CD62p） in patients and healthy persons was measured with flow cytometry, the polymorphism of HPA-3 gene was detected by Taqman probe technique and that of HPA-2 gene was determined by gene sequencing. Results： MFI of CD61 and CD62p was higher in the CHD patients than in the healthy control, which was also higher in patients of BS syndrome than in patients of non-BS syndrome （P〈0.05）; MFI of CD42b was lower in the CHD patients than in the healthy control （P〈0.05）, but showing insignificant difference between BS and non-BS syndrome （P〉0.05）; at the same time, no significant difference of all the above-mentioned three MFI could be found in patients with various numbers of affected coronary branches, neither in patients with different genotypes at GPⅡb HPA-3 and GPⅠb HPA-2 polymorphism loci （P〉0.05）. Conclusion： （1） The activities of GP Ⅱ b-Ⅲa and GMP-140 were obviously increased in the genesis and developing process of CHD and CHD of BS syndrome, and so they could be taken as one of the objective indexes for microscopic diagnosis of BS syndrome. （2） The level of GPⅠb was lower in CHD patients than in healthy persons, but it was not a sensitive indicator for BS syndrome of CHD. （3） Levels of GP Ⅱb-Ⅲa, GPⅠb and GMP-140 were not related with the number of affected coronary branches in CHD patients. （4） The changes in amino-acids expression induced by the two loci brought no significant influence on GPⅠb and GP Ⅱb-Ⅲa activities.

Differential Expression of MicroRNA in Endothelial Cells Incubated with Serum of Hypertension Patients with Blood-Stasis Syndrome

Objective： To screen out blood-stasis syndrome （BSS）-associated microRNA and therefore determine the possible target for treating hypertension. Methods： A high-energy sequencing method and digital gene expression sequencing theory were adopted to sequence microRNA （miRNA） and messenger RNA （mRNA）, and to determine differential expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells incubated with serum samples from hypertension patients with or without BSS, and healthy controls. The results were confirmed using gene prediction software. Results： A total of 13 miRNAs and 11 mRNAs showed statistical difference both in the BSS/normal groups and BSS/non-BSS groups, respectively. Four pairs of target mRNNmiRNA were identified： FRMD4Nhsa-miR-34a, MAP3K14/hsa-miR-34a, PER1/hsa-miR-34a, and FGF2/hsa-miR-132. Conclusion： Four mRNNmiRNA pairs mentioned above seem to be involved in pathogenesis and maintenance of hypertension with BSS.

Logistic Regression Analysis of Damp-Heat and Cold Damp Impeding Syndrome of Rheumatoid Arthritis:A Perspective in Chinese Medicine

Objective： To investigate a method for quantitative differential diagnosis of damp-heat and cold-damp impeding syndrome of rheumatoid arthritis （RA） in Chinese medicine （CM）. Methods： Laboratory parameters were collected from 306 patients with RA. The clinical symptoms and laboratory parameters were compared between patients with these two syndromes （158 with RA of damp-heat impeding syndrome, and 148 with RA of cold-damp impeding syndrome）, and a regression equation was established to facilitate discrimination of the two RA syndromes. Results： There were significant differences in disease activity score in 28 joints [DAS28 （4）], erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR）, white blood cell count （WBC）, C-reactive protein （CRP）, platelet count （PLT）, albumin （ALB） and globulin （GLB） between the two syndrome of RA （P〈0.05）. Logistic regression analysis showed that the parameters ESR, WBC, CRP, joint pyrexia, joint cold, thirst, sweating, aversion to wind and cold, and cold extremities were statistically useful to discriminate damp-heat from cold-damp impeding syndrome. The regression equation was as follows： P=1/{1＋exp[-（3.0-0.021X1-0.196X2-0.163X3- 1.559X4＋1.504X5-0.927X6-1.039X7＋1.070X8＋1.330X9）]}. The independent variables X1-X9 were ESR, WBC, CRP, hot joint, cold joint, thirst, sweating, aversion to wind and cold, and cold limbs. A P value 〉 0.5 signified cold-damp impeding syndrome, and a P value 〈 0.5 signified damp-heat impeding syndrome. The accuracy was 90.2%. Conclusion： The regression equation may be useful for discriminating damp-heat from cold-damp impeding syndrome of RA.

Objective Tongue Inspection on 142 Liver Cancer Patients with Damp-Heat Syndrome

Objective： To establish the diagnosis evidence of objective tongue inspection for liver cancer （LC） patients with damp-heat syndrome （DHS） by dynamically observing their tongue figures using modern tongue image analytic apparatus, and to explore the effect of intervention on the tongue figures. Methods： Tongue figures were collected from 142 LC patients with DHS by tongue image analytic apparatus. Red （R）, green （G） and blue （B） values were analyzed. The r and g values were calculated requesting r=R/（R＋G＋B）, g=G/（R＋G＋B）, and b=l-r-g, and scored in combination with Chinese medical symptoms scale. The tongue figure and correlated scores were collected from 59 of them 3 days after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization intervention. Results： The range of objective tongue inspection of LC patients with DHS was as follows： as for tongue fur, 0.360〈r〈0.402 and 0.280〈g〈0.322; as for tongue proper, 0.404〈r〈0.470 and 0.243〈g〈0.301. The tongue figures and the average scores of quality of life, DHS, poor appetite, aggravated pain, decreased sleep quality and aggravated fever were obviously changed in the 59 LC patients with DHS after intervention, showing statistical difference when compared with before intervention （P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. Conclusion： The range of objective tongue inspection of LC patients with DHS could be known by collecting and analyzing objective indicator of tongue figures, thus laying foundation for further studies with analysis of correlation between intervention and Chinese medicine based on tongue figures.

Circulating Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines in Patients with Psoriasis Vulgaris of Different Chinese Medicine Syndromes

Objective： To investigate whether the serum levels of inflammation-related cytokines might be different between the healthy individuals and the psoriatic patients diagnosed of three varied Chinese medicine （CM） syndromes [blood-stasis syndrome （BSS）, blood-dryness syndrome （BDS） and wind-heat syndrome （WHS）]. Methods： A total of 62 psoriatic patients were recruited and assigned to 3 groups according to their CM syndromes, including 27 patients of BSS, 21 of BDS and 14 of WHS. Another 20 sex- and age- matched healthy subjects were enrolled into the control group. Serum concentrations of multiple cytokines, including monocyte chemotactic protein-1 （MCP-1）, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α （MIP-1α）, soluble CD40 ligand （SCD40L）, tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）, epidermal growth factor （EGF）, interleukin-8 （IL-8）, interleukin-17 （IL-17）, interferon γ inducible protein-10 （IP-10） and vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）, were measured by a multiplexed flow cytometric assay. Results： The circulating levels of MIP-1α, TNF-α, IL-8, and IP-10 were significantly increased in the psoriatic patients compared with the healthy controls （P〈0.01）. Male and female patients tended to have higher serum levels of MCP-1 and IP-10, respectively （P〈0.05）. Interestingly, compared with the control group, 6 out of the 9 cytokines （MCP-1, MIP-1α, TNF-α, EGF, IL-8 and IP-10） were substantially increased in the BSS group （P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）, whereas only MIP-1α and IL-8 levels were elevated in the BDS group （P〈0.05 or P〈0.01） concurrent with lowered concentrations of SCD40L and IL-17 （P〈0.05）. In the WHS group, MIP-1α was the only cytokine whose level was evidently increased （P〈0.01）, in contrast to IL-17 which was decreased as compared with the control （P〈0.05）. The psoriatic patients overall owned higher levels of MIP-1 a and IL-8 in the circulation which were comparable among the 3 groups of CM syndromes （P〈0.01）. In contrast, TNF-α level of the BSS group was the highest among the three （P〈0.01）, followed by the BDS and the WHS groups. Conclusions： The expression profiles of cytokines in the circulation might not be necessarily identical for psoriatic patients with different CM syndromes. Accordingly, the serum concentrations of certain cytokines could potentially be used as the ancillary indices for the clinical classification of psoriatic CM syndromes.

Differential Gene Expression Profiles in Coronary Heart Disease Patients of Blood Stasis Syndrome in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Clinical Role of Target Gene

Objective:To investigate the differential gene expression profiles in coronary heart disease(CHD) patients of blood-stasis syndrome(BSS) by oligonucleotide microarray technique,and the clinical significance of target gene.Methods:Subjects were assigned to CHD patients with BSS(n=8),CHD patients without BSS (n=8),and BSS patients without CHD(n=8) based on coronary angiography and the diagnostic criteria of BSS. The sex- and age-matched healthy volunteers(n=8) were enrolled as the control group.Venous blood s...

Study on the Relationship between Blood Stasis Syndrome and Clinical Pathology in 227 Patients with Primary Glomerular Disease

To investigate the relationship between the severity of Chinese medicine(CM) bloodstasis syndrome(BSS) with clinical features and renal lesion indexes of the primary glomerular disease. Methods:An epidemiological survey was conducted to collect the data of 227 patients diagnosed as chronic primary glomerular diseases,and their severity of BSS were scored three days before renal biopsies were performed.The following clinical indexes were analyzed:age,course of glomerular diseases,24-h urine protein ration(Up...

Constructing protein-protein interaction network of hypertension with blood stasis syndrome via digital gene expression sequencing and database mining

OBJECTIVE： To construct a protein-protein interaction（PPI） network in hypertension patients with blood-stasis syndrome（BSS） by using digital gene expression（DGE） sequencing and database mining techniques.METHODS： DGE analysis based on the Solexa Genome Analyzer platform was performed on vascular endothelial cells incubated with serum of hypertension patients with BSS. The differentially expressed genes were f iltered by comparing the expression levels between the different experimental groups. Then functional categories and e nriched pathways of the unique genes for BSS were analyzed using Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery（DAVID） to select those in the enrichment pathways. I nterologous Interaction Database（I2D） was used to construct PPI networks with the selected genes for hypertension patients with BSS. The potential candidate genes related to BSS were identif ied by comparing the number of relationships among genes. Confi rmed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction（q RTPCR）, gene ontology（GO） analysis was used to infer the functional annotations of the potential candidate genes for BSS.RESULTS： With gene enrichment analysis using DAVID, a list of 58 genes was chosen from the unique genes. The selected 58 genes were analyzed using I2 D, and a PPI network was constructed. Based on the network analysis results, candidate genes for BSS were identifi ed：DDIT3, JUN, HSPA8, NFIL3, HSPA5, HIST2H2 BE, H3F3 B, CEBPB, SAT1 and GADD45 A. Verif ied through qRT-PCR and analyzed by GO, the functional annotations of the potential candidate genes were explored.CONCLUSION： Compared with previous methodologies reported in the literature, the present DGE analysis and data mining method have shown a great improvement in analyzing BSS.

Assessment of Clinical Effect of Therapy Combining Disease with Syndrome on Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective： To observe the effectiveness and safety of a therapy combining disease with syndrome on rheumatoid arthritis. Methods： Eighty patients with rheumatoid arthritis belonging to syndrome of damp-heat obstruction were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group according to stratified blocked randomization method.Forty cases in the control group orally took Loxoprofen Sodium Tablet and Leifumite Tablet and the other 40 cases in the treatment group orally took a Chinese medicine for 12 weeks as a course of treatment. ACR therapeutic effect was used as the standard for evaluating the total therapeutic effect. Results： After l 2 weeks of treatment, there was a statistical difference （P〈0.01） in the improvement of VAS score, morning stiffness time, number of swelling joints, index of swelling joints, number of joints with tenderness, index of joints with tenderness, average grip strength of both hands, DSA28 score, HAQ, patient＇s assessment, physician＇s assessment, ESR, CRP and RF in both groups. The improvement of morning stiffness time, number of swelling joints, index of swelling joints, grip strength, HAQ and patient＇s assessment in the treatment group was much better than that in the control groups with statistical difference （P〈0.05）. ACR20, ACR50 and ACR70 was 27.5% （11/40）, 37.5% （15/40） and 22.5% （9/40） respectively in the treatment group and 40% （16/40）, 27.5% （11/42） and 10.0% （4/40） respectively in the control group with statistical difference （P〈0.05） in the superiority of the treatment group over the control group. The incidence of adverse reaction in the control group was higher than that in the treatment group （P〈0.05）. Conclusion： Definite therapeutic effect and high safety can be achieved in using the therapy combining disease with syndrome to treat rheumatoid arthritis belonging to syndrome of damp-heat obstruction.

Potential Mechanism and Application of Strengthening the Spleen, Clearing Heat and Dampness in Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)is one of refractory digestive disease in clinic characterized by high prevalence,complex and recurrent symptoms.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has a significant effect on the treatment of GERD.Spleen deficiency and damp-heat syndrome becomes one of the main syndrome patterns of GERD adapting with the changes of modern lifestyle.Although the therapy of strengthening the spleen,clearing heat and dampness is widely used in treatment of GERD,further studies still need to be conducted.The article comprehensively analyses the theoretical basis,mechanism and clinical efficacy of the therapy in order to provide more ideas for clinical treatment.

Observation on Therapeutic Effects of Acupuncture for Erectile Dysfunction

Objective： To observe the clinical effects of acupuncture treatment for erectile dysfunction. Methods： Eighty-two cases of the patients with erectile dysfunction were identified as two patterns of kidney yang deficiency and damp-heat in lower jiao and were treated with different acupoints for different patterns. Results： The total curative rate was 87.6%. The curative rate was 45.0% in pattern of kidney yang deficiency and 59.1% in pattern of damp-heat in lower jiao. Conclusion： The clinical effect in acupuncture treatment of erectile dysfunction was related to the age of the patients and duration of disease. The higher the age and the longer the duration, the poorer the therapeutic effects were. The curative rate was higher in the treatment of pattern of damp-heat in lower jiao than pattern of kidney yang deficiency.