Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine

To define if such crucial body composition parameters like body density (Db) and body surface area (BSA) could be considered in the frame of yin-yang concept, i.e., one of the most popular in conventional biomedical science theories of Chinese medicine. Standardized Eurofit Pysical Fitness Test Battery reports of 715 junior school children have been evaluated for association of their body composition parameters with corresponding motoric fitness test results. Equations for BSA and Db calculation included height, weight, and skin-fold thickness values of the tests. Correlative analysis of major physical fitness parameters, obtained from 715 junior school children, demonstrated that participants with high BSA/Db ratio had better yang-featured anaerobic performance, whereas those with low BSA/Db ratio presented with better yin-featured aerobic performance. This result coincided with proposed suggestions to treat BSA as external yang component and Db as internal yin component of body composition. Calculated confidence intervals for BSA/Db ratio ranged between 1.073–1.15, which can be accepted as optimal for junior school children yang/yin ratio of body composition. Easily accessible BSA and Db can provide specialists with useful preliminary information for generating reasonable exercise and nutritional programs.

To explore the effect and mechanism of action of bufalin in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) drug-resistant cell lines. The normal human mammary epithelial cell line, TNBC cell line, TNBC adriamycin-resistant cell line, and TNBC docetaxel-resistant cell line were treated with different doses of bufalin (0–1,000 nmol/L) at different time points (0–72 h). Propidium iodide staining, AV-FITC/PI double staining, Hoechst 33342/PI double staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to evaluate the death patterns of the cell lines. Bufalin killed the TNBC cell line and its drug-resistant cell lines in a dose/time-dependent manner (all P<0.01). After treatment with bufalin for 24 h, the adriamycin-resistant cell line showed a co-existing pattern of necroptosis and apoptosis. However, at 48 h, necroptosis was the main manifestation. After treatment with bufalin, the expressions of tumor necrosis factor α, phospho-tumor necrosis factor receptor 1, phospho-receptor interacting protein 1 and c-caspase 3 increased (all P<0.01), the killing effect of bufalin could be mostly inhibited by NEC-1, and by z-VAD-fmk (both P<0.01). Besides, the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels increased considerably (P<0.01), the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine or Nec-1 could inhibit the increase of ROS level and the killing effect of bufalin (all P<0.01). The adriamycin-resistant cell line exhibited necroptosis characteristic after 48 h of bufalin treatment under TEM. Bufalin could induce necroptosis through RIP1/ROS-mediated pathway to kill the drug-resistant TNBC cell lines. This finding provides critical experimental data and theoretical basis for the clinical application of bufalin to overcome the difficulties in the treatment of TNBC.

To review the current situation and progress of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) international standards, standard projects and proposals in International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/ technical committee (TC) 249. ISO/TC 249 standards and standard projects on the ISO website were searched and new standard proposals information were collected from ISO/TC 249 National Mirror Committee in China. Then all the available data were summarized in 5 closely related items, including proposed time, proposed country, assigned working group (WG), current stage and classifification. In ISO/TC 249, there were 2 international standards, 18 standard projects and 24 new standard proposals proposed in 2014. These 44 standard subjects increased year by year since 2011. Twenty-nine of them were proposed by China, 15 were assigned to WG 4, 36 were in preliminary and preparatory stage and 8 were categorized into 4 fifields, 7 groups and sub-groups based on International Classifification Standards. A rapid and steady development of international standardization in TCM can be observed in ISO/TC 249.

To investigate the expression of C-type natriuretic peptides (CNP) and natriuretic peptide receptor-B (NPR-B) receptor in diabetic rats renal cortex, and the regulation by Tongluo Recipe (通络方, TLR). Sixty male SD rats were divided into 3 groups: the normal control group, diabetic model group and diabetic TLR group. Each group was further divided into two subgroups of ten in each, according to 4-week or 12-week observation period. Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats were treated with TLR (1.0 g·kg−1·d−1) for 4 and 12 weeks, respectively. (1) The essential information was collected for comparing renal mass, serum creatinine and 24 h urine albumen on each group was calculated. (2) CNP mRNA and NPR-B mRNA were detected by realtime-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on rats renal cortex. (3) Concentration of CNP on renal cortex or serum were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). (4) Pathological evaluation and NPR-B immunostaining for renal tissue were also performed. (1) CNP and NPR-B mRNA levels were detected in each treated or untreated group, with slight elevated in untreated diabetes rats administrated with STZ after 4-week and CNP mRNA level remarkable elevated at 39.21 times higher than normal control group after 12 weeks, but NPR-B mRNA level showed a remarkably down-regulation at 98.07% after 12 weeks. CNP mRNA of TLR-treated group was also elevated after 12-week treatment, but less than untreated group. (2) Concentrations of CNP in renal cortex were obviously increased in treated or untreated diabetes rats, within these groups the treatment of TLR was found more significantly on prompting CNP concentration. Comparing to normal group, serum concentrations of CNP were also increased in treated or untreated diabetic groups, but there was no difference between these diabetic groups. (3) Renal lesions like glomerular volume increased are observed mostly in the relative early stage after 4 weeks. Although TLR treated group had no significant difference in their glomerular volume, the degrees of injury of glomerulus were ameliorated, as well as the NPR-B immunostaining enhanced in glomerulus. Weakly positive immunostaining of NPR-B are observed in glomerulus of normal control, and negative in glomerulus of untreated diabetes rats administrated with STZ after 12 weeks, whereas TLR-treatment groups showed a little enhancement. CNP and NPR-B showed different characteristic on renal cortex at different pathological period in diabetes rats, and TLR regulated their expression.

To evaluate a scale of patient-reported outcomes for the assessment of myasthenia gravis patients (MG-PRO) in China. A total of 100 MG patients were interviewed for the field testing. Another 56 MG patients were selected and assessed with the MG-PRO scale before treatment and at 1, 2 and 4 weeks after treatment. The classical test theory and item response theory (IRT) were used to assess the psychometric characteristics of the MG-PRO scale. The MG-PRO scale included 4 dimensions: physical, psychological, social environment, and treatment. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that each dimension was consistent with the theoretical construct. The scores of the physical and psychological dimensions increased significantly at 1 week after treatment (P<0.05). All the dimension scores and the MG-PRO score increased significantly at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment (P<0.05). IRT showed that person separation indices were greater than 0.8, most of the item fit residual statistics were within ±2.5, and no item had uniform or non-uniform differential item functioning (DIF) between gender and age (<40, ⩾40). The MG-PRO scale is valid for measuring the quality of life (QOL) of MG patients, with good reliability, validity, responsiveness, and good psychometric characteristics from IRT. It can be applied to evaluate the QOL of MG patients and to assess treatment effects in clinical trials.

Over the last few years a number of large acupuncture trials have been carried out in western countries. carried out in western countries. The following article draws on the experience from these recent large-scale trials on acupuncture to outline the way randomized trials could be used to answer questions on efficacy, effectiveness and efficiency. could be used to answer questions on efficacy, effectiveness and efficiency. It will provide guidance, firstly on the underlying concepts of both efficacy and effectiveness and secondly on designing both types of trials. and secondly on designing both types of trials. In addition, the controversy over specific and non-specific effects of acupuncture, emerging from the results of the above-mentioned trials, will be highlighted. above-mentioned trials, will be highlighted. Suggestions for future clinical research on acupuncture include: greater reflection on the complex approach of Chinese medicine, and transparent and detailed reporting according to CONSORT and STRICTA guidelines. guidelines. The current data on acupuncture point-specific effects do indeed have relevance, however for valid decision-making on acupuncture, further clinical trials on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness are required to provide realistic benefit estimates for future health care. provide realistic benefit estimates for future health care.

The medical community as a whole is attempting to start preventive therapy for coronary heart disease (CHD) patients earlier in life. However, the main limitations of such interventions are drug resistance and adverse reactions. Additionally, traditional biomarker discovery methods for CHD focus on the behavior of individual biomarkers regardless of their relevance. These limitations have led to attempting novel approaches to multi-dimensionally investigate CHD and identify safe and efficacious therapies for preventing CHD. Recently, the benefit of Chinese medicine (CM) in CHD has been proven by increasing clinical evidence. More importantly, linking CM theory with modern biomedicine may lead to new scientific discoveries. According to CM theory, all treatments for patients should be based on patients’ syndromes. A recent epidemiological investigation has demonstrated that blood stasis syndrome (BSS) is the major syndrome type of CHD. BSS is a type of complex pathophysiological state characterized by decreased or impeded blood flow. Common clinical features of BSS include a darkish complexion, scaly dry skin, and cyanosis of the lips and nails, a purple or dark tongue with purple spots, a thready and hesitant pulse, and stabbing or pricking pain fixed in location accompanied by tenderness, mass formation and ecchymosis or petechiae. The severity of BSS is significantly correlated with the complexity of coronary lesions and the degree of stenosis, and is an important factor affecting the occurrence of restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention. The mechanisms of BSS of CHD patients should be investigated from a modern medicine perspective. Although many studies have attempted to explore the biomedical mechanisms of BSS of CHD, from hemorheological disorders to inflammation and immune responses, the global picture of BSS of CHD is still unclear. In this article, the current status of studies investigating the biomedical mechanisms of BSS of CHD and future perspectives are discussed.

Objective: To study the effect of Reduqing (RDQ) Injection on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tissue factor and cytokine production in whole blood. Methods: Heparinized human blood was incubated with LPS in the presence or absence of RDQ. The plasma concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and the monocyte tissue factor activity was measured by a one-stage tissue factor induced plasma clotting time assay. Results: RDQ was found to diminish the LPS-induced increase of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in plasma but did not completely abolish their production. In contrast to the effect on these cytokines, RDQ caused further increase of the plasma level of IL-8 and the monocyte TF activity in the presence of LPS. Conclusions: In the in vitro whole blood assay system used in this study, the decrease of LPS-induced production of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 was similar to a previousin vivo study on the effect of RDQ on the production of these cytokines in response to two-time LPS injection in rabbits, while the increase of IL-8 and TF production was contradictory to the previous in vivo study. Potential reasons contributing to the differences are discussed.