Clinical treatment of myasthenia gravis with deficiency of spleen and kidney based on combination of disease with syndrome theory

OBJECTIVE: To study the use of Jianjining in the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with a deficiency of both spleen and kidney via the theory on the combination of disease with syndrome. METHODS: Sixty MG patients with a deficiency of both spleen and kidney were randomly divided into an treatment group (n=30) treated with Jianjining granules and Western Medicine (prednisone or pyridostigmine bromide) and a control group (n= 30) treated with Jianjining granules. The dosage of the three drugs was reduced over the course of treatment. After 3 and 6 months of treatment, the curative effect was evaluated with the muscle weakness severity scale (MWSS). RESULTS: The MWSS score after treatment declined significantly in both groups. The score in the treatment group was much lower than that in thecontrol group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 63.33% (19/30) in the treatment group and 36.67% (11/30) in the control group after 3 months of treatment, and 80.00% (24/30) and 50.00% (15/30), respectively, after 6 months of treatment. The obvious and total effective rates in the treatment group were much higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). After 6 months of treatment, there were no obvious differences (P>0.05) in the obvious and effective rates between the 2 groups. However, the total effective rate in the treatment group was much higher than that in the control group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Using the theory on the combination of disease with syndrome, we found that the curative effect of Jianjining and Western Medicine on MG patients with deficiency of both spleen and kidney is worth further exploration.

Research Survey of Animal Model of Hepatic Fibro-sis Integrated with Western Medicine Diseases and Traditional Chinese Medicine^TCM~)Syndrome

Although the animal models of hepatic fibrosis developed by former researchers have pathological changes of hepatic fibrosis, they do not include charac- teristics of important TCM syndromes such as stagnation of qi, deficiency of qi, liver depression, phlegm-dampness and blood stasis because of single-factor model- ing. Animal models of hepatic fibrosis and animal models integrated disease and syndrome were reviewed, and several new types of integrated disease and syndrome animal models constructed by multiple-factor modeling method were evaluated, under the guidance of etiological theory of TCM. This kind of hepatic fibrosis model animals has dual characteristics of disease and syndrome. It is consistent with pathological characteristics of hepatic fibrosis in western medicine when replicating the basic characteristics accorded with TCM syndrome. Thus, the pathogenesis and pathogenic process of clinical disease and syndrome formation is simulated more ac- curately, providing a new platform and pathway for studying hepatic fibrosis disease with integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine.

Study on Correspondence between Prescription and Syndrome and the Essence of Phlegm and Blood Stasis Syndrome in Coronary Heart Disease Based on Metabonomics

Studying the essence of a syndrome has been a key challenge in the field of Chinese medicine.Until now,due to limitations of the methods available,the progress towards understanding such complicated systems has been slow.Metabonomics encompasses the dynamics,composition and analysis of metabolites,enabling the observation of changes in the metabolic network of the human body associated with disease.Being from the point of view of the whole organism,metabonomics provides an opportunity to study the essence of a syndrome to an unprecedented level.Phlegm and blood stasis syndrome is the main syndrome associated with coronary heart disease（CHD）,which bring difficulties in clinical treatment due to difficulties associated with differentiation of symptoms and signs.The fundamental differences of material between the two also need to be interpreted.The authors consider that we can use the method of combining a disease（in this case CHD）with associated syndromes（phlegm and blood stasis syndrome）to select patients with phlegm and blood stasis syndrome of CHD,and utilize metabonomics to explore the essence of the syndrome by difference analysis of metabolite spectra.Meanwhile,we can study the syndrome in CM,observe the change regularity of metabolism spectra after the treatment of corresponding and non-corresponding prescription and syndrome,in order to validate the material fundament in the progress of syndrome formation and their differences.This will not only have great significance in enhancing the ability to identify syndrome of phlegm and blood stasis in CHD and to establish the clinical curative criteria,but will also offer a new approach of studying the essence for a syndrome using metabonomics.

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.