Latest Issue

    2016 Year 22 Vol. 4 Issue

      OriginalPaper

    • Chi Zhang,Ge Zhang,Ke-ji Chen,Ai-ping Lu
      2016, 22(4): 243-250. DOI: 10.1007/s11655-016-2495-0
      Abstract:The development of an effective classification method for human health conditions is essential for precise diagnosis and delivery of tailored therapy to individuals. Contemporary classification of disease systems has properties that limit its information content and usability. Chinese medicine pattern classification has been incorporated with disease classification, and this integrated classification method became more precise because of the increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms. However, we are still facing the complexity of diseases and patterns in the classification of health conditions. With continuing advances in omics methodologies and instrumentation, we are proposing a new classification approach: molecular module classification, which is applying molecular modules to classifying human health status. The initiative would be precisely defining the health status, providing accurate diagnoses, optimizing the therapeutics and improving new drug discovery strategy. Therefore, there would be no current disease diagnosis, no disease pattern classification, and in the future, a new medicine based on this classification, molecular module medicine, could redefine health statuses and reshape the clinical practice.  
      Keywords:classification of disease;Chinese medicine pattern classification;molecular module medicine;methodology   
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      Published:2021-08-27
    • Bing Yuan
      2016, 22(4): 251-257. DOI: 10.1007/s11655-016-2496-z
      Abstract:Precision medicine (PM) refers to the tailoring of the prevention and treatment strategies to the individual characteristics of each patient. Following the vigorous advocacy of the U.S. President Obama and China's President Xi, PM has now become a hot topic of common concern worldwide. PM does not merely refer to the skill set level but rather a comprehensive medical methodology. Hence, there is PM that builds on the analytical methodology of Western medical system as well as PM that builds on Chinese medicine (CM). The differences between the two systems, fundamentally speaking, are the differences in methodology to describe the body constitution that based on reductionism and holism. Today, as science advances to complex systems, the mainstream analytical reductionism advances to the holistic synthesis era, it is imperative to introduce CM's holistic body constitution to the modern medical system in order to progress to PM. PM with its foundation on holistic body constitution, is a medical system that integrates Western medicine and CM, is the highest attainment of "PM" in the future.  
      Keywords:precision medicine;complexity science;personalized medicine   
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      Published:2021-08-27
    • Si-jun Liu,Zhao-sheng Huang,Qing-guang Wu,Zhang-jie Huang,Li-rong Wu,Wen-li Yan,Qi Wang,Zong-wei Wang,David Lungpao Chang,Zheng Yang
      2016, 22(4): 258-266. DOI: 10.1007/s11655-014-1897-0
      Abstract:To establish the diagnostic quantitative criteria for fire-heat syndrome (FHS) of Chinese medicine (CM) based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and principal component analysis (PCA). The symptoms and signs of FHS cases and healthy subjects from Guangzhou, Henan and Hunan of China were collected through questionnaire, and the diagnostic quantitative score tables were established for the three regions, respectively, with the method of maximum likelihood analysis. The homogeneity test was then performed on the diagnostic score tables for the three regions with ROC curve, and the diagnostic efficiency of diagnostic score tables for the three regions was compared with the prospective test and retrospective test. The method of PCA was adopted to obtain the analysis matrix for classifying the tapes of FHS. Twenty-seven elements of FHS were confirmed through Chi-square test, and the diagnostic score tables for the three regions were established with the method of maximum likelihood analysis on the basis of the collected case data. According to the ROC curve test, the areas under ROC curve of Guangzhou diagnostic score table assessment with candidates in Guangzhou, Henan and Hunan were 0.998, 0.961 and 0.956, respectively. It showed that the diagnostic efficiency of Guangzhou diagnostic score tables was the highest one. With the prospective test, the area under ROC of Guangzhou diagnostic score table was 0.949, and more than any other diagnostic score table. By PCA, FHS was classified into excess fire and deficiency fire, and then classified into syndrome of flaring up of Heart (Xin) fire, syndrome of Lung (Fei)-Stomach (Wei) excess fire, syndrome of deficiency of Liver (Gan)-yin and Kidney (Shen)-yin, and syndrome of deficiency of Lung-yin from the view of viscera. In the retrospective test, the consistency with clinicians' diagnosis was 69.4%, and in the prospective test, it was 70.1%. The Guangzhou diagnostic score table could be used as the recommended criteria for the diagnosis of FHS. The classification of FHS was basically in conformity with the clinical situation.  
      Keywords:receiver operating characteristic curve;principal component analysis;diagnostic criteria;fire-heat syndrome;Chinese Medicine   
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      Published:2021-08-27
    • Jin-hao Zeng,Hua-feng Pan,You-zhang Liu,Hai-bo Xu,Zi-ming Zhao,Hai-wen Li,Jin-ling Ren,Long-hui Chen,Xia Hu,Yan Yan
      2016, 22(4): 267-275. DOI: 10.1007/s11655-015-2131-4
      Abstract:To study the effects of Weipixiao (胃痞消, WPX) on Wnt pathway-associated proteins in gastric mucosal epithelial cells from rats with gastric precancerous lesions (GPL). Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into control, model, vitacoenzyme (0.2 g·kg−1·day−1), WPX high-dose (H-WPX, 15 g·kg−1·day−1), WPX medium-dose (M-WPX, 7.5 g·kg−1·day−1) and WPX low-dose (L-WPX, 3.75 g·kg−1·day−1) groups. After successfully establishing the GPL model, the rats were consecutively administered WPX or vitacoenzyme by gastrogavage for 10 weeks. Differential expression of Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-proteincoupled receptor 5 (Lgr5), matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), Wnt1, Wnt3a, and β-catenin in gastric mucosal epithelial cells in all groups were immunohistochemically detected, and the images were taken and analyzed semiquantitatively by image pro plus 6.0 software. Gastric epithelium in the model group showed significantly higher expression levels of Lgr5, MMP-7, Wnt1, Wnt3a and β-catenin than those of the control group(P<0.01). Interestingly, we also observed Lgr5+ cells, which generally located at the base of the gastric glandular unit, migrated to the luminal side of gastric epithelium with GPL. The expression levels of Lgr5, MMP-7, Wnt1, and β-catenin were all down-regulated in the L-WPX group as compared with those of both model and vitacoenzyme groups (P<0.05). A similar, but nonsignificant down-regulation in expression level of Wnt3a was noted in all WPX groups (P>0.05). Our findings suggested that the therapeutic mechanisms of WPX in treating GPL might be related with its inhibitory effects on the expressions of Lgr5, MMP-7, Wnt1, β-catenin and the aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway.  
      Keywords:gastric precancerous lesions;Wnt/ß-catenin pathway;Lgr5;matrix metalloproteinase-7;Wnt1;Wnt3a;ß-catenin;Weipixiao;Chinese Medicine   
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      Published:2021-08-27
    • Yu-yan Zhang,Hui-fen Zhou,Jie-hong Yang,Yu He,Xiao-qiang Chen,Nishinari Katsuyoshi,Hao-fang Wan,Hai-tong Wan
      2016, 22(4): 276-283. DOI: 10.1007/s11655-016-2498-x
      Abstract:To observe the effects of Danhong Injection (丹红注射液) and its main components, including daiclzein and hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), on the anticoagulation, fibrinolysis, anti-apoptosis in hypoxia model of vein endothelial cells (VECs). VECs were prepared and were put in a hypoxia environment, which consisted of mixed gas of 95% N and 5% CO mixed gas, when reached confluent culture. Five groups used different treatments, including normal control group, hypoxia group, daiclzein group, HSYA group and Danhong Injection group. The VECs were identified by fluorescence double labeling methods. The morphology was observed by a phase contrast microscopy. The effects of Danhong Injection, daiclzein and HSYA on 6 keto prostaglandin F1α (6-keto-PGF1α) level was measured by the method of radioimmunoassay (RIA). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was tested by water soluble tetrazolium salt. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured by thiobarbituric acid. The activities of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) were measured by the method of chromogenic substrate. The contents of endothelin (ET) and nitric oxide (NO) were detected by non-equilibrium RIA and enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. Cells apoptosis rate was determined by flow cytometry. Compared with the normal control group, the floating cells number, PAI activity, ET and MDA contents, and cells apoptosis rate in the culture solution of hypoxia group were all significantly increased, whereas the 6-keto-PGF1α and NO contents, and t-PA and SOD activities were decreased significantly (P<0.01). Compared with the hypoxia group, Danhong Injection markedly increased the 6-keto-PGF1α content and SOD activity, regulated PAI and t-PA activities, ET and NO contents, and decreased MDA content and cells apoptosis rate (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Danhong Injection and its main components played an important role in protecting primary VECs from hypoxic damage by regulating the secretion and vasomotor function of VECs. The function of Danhong Injection was most remarkable.  
      Keywords:vein endothelial cells;Danhong Injection;daiclzein;hydroxysafflor yellow A;anticoagulation;fibrinolysis;Chinese Medicine   
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      Published:2021-08-27
    • Xia-qiu Wu,Jin Peng,Guo-qin Li,Hui-ping Su,Guang-xia Liu,Bao-yan Liu
      2016, 22(4): 284-292. DOI: 10.1007/s11655-016-2497-y
      Abstract:To examine the variations in the prevalence of skin reactions and the association between skin reactions and efficacy of summer acupoint application treatment (SAAT) on chronic pulmonary disease (CPD). A total of 2,038 patients with CPD were enrolled at 3 independent hospitals (defined as Groups A, B and C, respectively) in China. All patients were treated by SAAT, as applying a herbal paste onto the acupoints of Fengmen (BL 12) and Feishu (BL 13) on the dog days of summer, according to the lunar calendar, in 2008. Ten days after treatment, skin reaction data (no reaction, itching, stinging, blistering, and infection) were obtained via face-to-face interviews. Patients were retreated in the same hospital one year later, thereby allowing doctors to assess treatment efficacy based on the patients' symptoms, the severity of the spirometric abnormalities, and the concomitant medications used. A large number of patients (85.3%) displayed reactive symptoms; however, the marked associations between reactive symptoms and age or gender were not observed. An increased number of patients from Group B (99.3%) and Group C (76.5%) displayed reactive symptoms due to the increased mass of crude Semen Sinapis Albae. The effective rate of SAAT was as high as 90.4% for patients of Group B, which was followed by Group A (70.9%) and Group C (42.2%). Using stratified analyses, a convincing association between reactive symptoms and therapeutic efficacy was observed for patients with asthma [itching: odds ratio (OR)=2.17, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.49 to 3.14; blistering: OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.25 to 0.73; and no reaction: OR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.90]. However, the same tendency was not observed for patients with chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. SAAT can induce very mild skin reactions for patients with CPD, among which patients with asthma displayed a strong association between skin reactions and therapeutic efficacy. The skin reactions may be induced by the crude Semen Sinapis Albae.  
      Keywords:summer acupoint application treatment;chronic pulmonary disease;skin reaction;Chinese Medicine;moxibustion   
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      Published:2021-08-27
    • Yong Zhang,Kuang-shi Li,Hong-wei Liu,Cai-hong Fu,Sheng Chen,Zhong-jian Tan,Yi Ren
      2016, 22(4): 293-301. DOI: 10.1007/s11655-015-2042-4
      Abstract:To investigate the modulatory effect of acupuncture treatment on the resting-state functional connectivity of brain regions in migraine without aura (MWoA) patients. Twelve MWoA patients were treated with standard acupuncture treatment for 4 weeks. All MWoA patients received resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning before and after acupuncture treatment. Another 12 normal subjects matched in age and gender were recruited to serve as healthy controls. The changes of restingstate functional connectivity in MWoA patients before and after the acupuncture treatment and those with the healthy controls were compared. Before acupuncture treatment, the MWoA patients had significantly decreased functional connectivity in certain brain regions within the frontal and temporal lobe when compared with the healthy controls. After acupuncture treatment, brain regions showing decreased functional connectivity revealed significant reduction in MWoA patients compared with before acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture treatment could increase the functional connectivity of brain regions in the intrinsic decreased brain networks in MWoA patients. The results provided further insights into the interpretation of neural mechanisms of acupuncture treatment for migraine.  
      Keywords:acupuncture;migraine without aura;resting-state;functional connectivity;functional magnetic resonance imaging   
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      Published:2021-08-27
    • Yi-wen Che,Ke-yu Yao,Yu-peng Xi,Zi-jie Chen,Yong-le Li,Ning Yu,Shuang-qing Zhai
      2016, 22(4): 302-310. DOI: 10.1007/s11655-015-2047-z
      Abstract:To assess the beneficial and adverse effects of Wendan Decoction (温胆汤, WDD) for the treatment of schizophrenia. Five electronic databases were searched until May 2014, including the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, the Chinese Scientist Journal Database, PubMed, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials in the Cochrane Library. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing WDD against placebo, antipsychotic drugs, or WDD combined with antipsychotic drugs against antipsychotic drugs alone were included. Study selection, data extraction, quality assessment, and data analyses were conducted according to the Cochrane standards. Thirteen RCTs (involving 1,174 patients) were included and the methodological quality was evaluated as generally low. The pooled results showed that WDD combined with antipsychotic drugs were more effective in clinical comprehensive effect, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores compared with antipsychotic drugs alone. However, WDD had less effectiveness compared with antipsychotics in clinical comprehensive effect; and WDD was not different from antipsychotic drugs for PANSS scores. The side effects were significantly reduced in the intervention group compared with the control group. WDD appears to be effective on improving symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. However, due to poor methodological quality in the majority of the included trials, the potential benefit from WDD needs to be confirmed in rigorous trials and the design and reporting of trials should follow the international standards.  
      Keywords:Wendan Decoction;schizophrenia;randomized controlled trial;systematic review   
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      Published:2021-08-27

      ReviewPaper

    • Mittal Arun,Sardana Satish,Pandey Anima
      2016, 22(4): 311-320. DOI: 10.1007/s11655-015-2051-3
      Abstract:Plants are the real basis towards animal life and are also central to people's livelihood. The contributions of the plants in performing varied religious celebrations and in other multiple beneficiaries like medicine, human happiness as well as in treating deadly diseases can never be neglected. In treating diseases, the plants and their constituents are better choice than any other synthetic chemical. The nature has been kind enough to provide the human beings with various types of medicinal plants and in the real sense these form the storehouse of curing almost all the ailments. Consequently, most of the drugs which are being used in preparing formulations have their origin and roots in the plants which form the chief natural source of medicines. Even in modern era, the plant-derived drugs are being extensively used, either in their original or semi-synthetic form. It is because their natural phytoconstituents are highly innocuous posing relatively fewer or no side effects. Based upon their observations, analysis and experience, our ancestors used many plants for medicinal purposes and thus their efforts need to be supported by scientific evidence. Jasminum grandiflorum Linn. is one of such important plants. It has been extensively used by the tribes all over India to treat different diseases which mainly include body pains, toothache, stomach ache, ulcers, and sexual impotency. Chemistry of the plant revealed the presence of mainly secoiridoids, terpenoids, flavonoids and tannins. Not much scientific support was given to the folklore claims for this plant but some of its traditional uses were investigated like spasmolytic, wound healing, antimicrobial, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, antiulcer and antioxidant activities. This article is the review of research works done on the plant Jasminum grandiflorum Linn. to date. As a part of it the local names, morphology, traditional claims, chemistry and pharmacological activities have been discussed.  
      Keywords:Jasminum grandiflorum Linn.;ethnobotany;phytochemistry;pharmacological activity   
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