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Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine... Aug 2023To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine prescriptions for resolving phlegm in the treatment of angina pectoris of phlegm-stasis coronary heart... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine combined with Western Medicine on blood lipid levels and inflammatory factors in patients with angina pectoris in coronary heart disease identified as intermingled phlegm and blood stasis syndrome: a network Meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine prescriptions for resolving phlegm in the treatment of angina pectoris of phlegm-stasis coronary heart disease by a network Meta-analysis.
METHODS
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on clinical efficacy of CHD angina pectoris with interaction of phlegm and blood stasis were searched in PubMed, Springer, the Cochrane Library and Chinese-language databases China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and Wanfang Data from their inception to December 2021. Literature was screened and literature bias risk was assessed by RevMan5.4 software. The overall response rate, the duration of angina attack, the levels of serum lipids such as total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and expression of hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were selected as outcome indicators for network Meta-analysis and mapped using Stata15.1 software.
RESULTS
Totally, 26 RCTs were included, involving 2098 participants. There were 6 TCM formulas with the effects of dispelling phlegm and removing blood stasis. Taking conventional Western Medicine as the common intervention measures, the results showed that the overall response improvement rate from high to low was displayed as modified Xiaoxianxiong decoction (, MXD), Danlou tablet (, DT), modified Gualou Xiebai Banxia decoction (, MGXBD), modified Wendan decoction (, MWD), modified Zhishi Xiebai Guizhi decoction (, MZXGD), and modified Erchen decoction (, MED). The sequence of angina attack duration improvement from high to low was MZXGD, MGXBD, DT, MWD, MXD. The sequence of TC improvement from high to low was MZXGD, MED, DT, and MGXBD. Sequence of improving TG from high to low was MED, MZXGD, MGXBD, and DT. For LDL-C improvement, the effect from good to poor was MZXGD, MGXBD, DT, and MED. With regard to HDL-C improvement, the effect was ranked as MED, MZXGD, MGXBD, and DT from good to poor. hs-CRP expression from high to low was MZXGD, MXD, MED, MWD, and MGXBD.
CONCLUSION
TCM formula with the effects of dispelling phlegm and removing blood stasis combined with conventional Western Medicine has obvious advantages in treating CHD angina pectoris with interaction of phlegm and blood stasis. MZXGD has great potential in increasing the overall response rate, reducing Duration of angina attack improving blood lipids, and reducing inflammatory factors. However, due to the limitations of extant studies, the conclusions of this study need to be confirmed by numerous reasonably-designed RCTs.
Topics: Humans; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Cholesterol, LDL; Network Meta-Analysis; C-Reactive Protein; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Angina Pectoris; Coronary Disease; Lipids; Triglycerides
PubMed: 37454248
DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20230506.001 -
Phytomedicine : International Journal... Jun 2022Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease with no treatment currently available to modify its progression. Traditional Chinese... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease with no treatment currently available to modify its progression. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has gained attention for its unique theoretical basis and clinical effects. Many studies have reported on the clinical effects and pharmacological mechanisms of Chinese herbs in PD. However, few studies have focused on the treatment mechanisms of anti-PD TCM drugs from the perspective of TCM itself.
PURPOSE
To elaborate the treatment mechanisms of anti-PD TCM drugs in the perspective of TCM.
METHODS
We performed a literature survey using traditional books of Chinese medicine and online scientific databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and others up to July 2021.
RESULTS
TCM theory states that PD is caused by a dysfunction of the zang-fu organs (liver, spleen, kidney, and lung) and subsequent pathogenic factors (wind, fire, phlegm, and blood stasis). Based on the pathogenesis, removing pathogenic factors and restoring visceral function are two primary treatment principles for PD in TCM. The former includes dispelling wind, clearing heat, resolving phlegm, and promoting blood circulation, while the latter involves nourishing the liver and kidney and strengthening the spleen. The anti-PD mechanisms of the active ingredients of TCM compounds and herbs at different levels include anti-apoptosis, anti-inflammation, and anti-oxidative stress, as well as the restoration of mitochondrial function and the regulation of autophagy and neurotransmitters.
CONCLUSION
Chinese herbs and prescriptions can be used to treat PD by targeting multiple pharmacological mechanisms.
Topics: Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Humans; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Oxidative Stress; Parkinson Disease
PubMed: 35338993
DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2022.154044 -
JMIR MHealth and UHealth Jun 2023Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theories assert that body constitution and meridian energy lay the foundation for disease prevention. TCM-based health concepts have... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theories assert that body constitution and meridian energy lay the foundation for disease prevention. TCM-based health concepts have not yet been incorporated into mobile health (mHealth) apps for individuals with prediabetes.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a TCM mHealth app for individuals with prediabetes.
METHODS
This randomized controlled trial recruited 121 individuals with prediabetes at a teaching hospital in New Taipei City between February 2020 and May 2021. The participants were randomly assigned to the TCM mHealth app group (n=42), ordinary mHealth app group (n=41), or control group (n=38). All participants received the usual care that included 15-20 minutes of health education about the disease, along with healthy diet and exercise encouragement. The ordinary mHealth app included physical activity (PA), diet, and disease education, along with individual records. The TCM mHealth app additionally included qi and body constitution information, along with constitution-based PA and diet advice. The control group received the usual care alone and did not have access to any app. Data were collected at baseline, at the end of the 12-week intervention, and 1 month after the intervention. Body constitution, including yang-deficiency, yin-deficiency, and phlegm-stasis, was measured according to the Body Constitution Questionnaire, with higher scores indicating a greater deficiency. Body energy was examined using the Meridian Energy Analysis Device. The Short-Form 36 questionnaire was used to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQOL), which yielded physical component scores and mental component scores, with higher scores indicating better physical and mental aspects of HRQOL, respectively.
RESULTS
Compared to the control group, the TCM mHealth app group showed greater improvement in hemoglobin A (HbA), yang-deficiency and phlegm-stasis body constitution, and BMI; however, no significant differences were found in these outcomes between the TCM mHealth app and ordinary mHealth app groups. The TCM mHealth app group showed better improvement in body energy and mental component scores than the ordinary mHealth app group. There were no significant differences in fasting plasma glucose, yin-deficiency body constitution, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension dietary behavior, and total PA among the three groups after the intervention.
CONCLUSIONS
Use of either the ordinary or TCM mHealth app improved HRQOL among individuals with prediabetes. Compared to the outcomes of controls not using any app, use of the TCM mHealth app was effective at improving HbA, BMI, yang-deficiency and phlegm-stasis body constitution, and HRQOL. Moreover, using the TCM mHealth app seemed to improve the body energy and HRQOL more than when using the ordinary mHealth app. Further studies with a larger sample size and longer follow-up period may be necessary to determine whether the differences favoring the TCM app are clinically meaningful.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04096989; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04096989.
Topics: Humans; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Prediabetic State; Mobile Applications; Quality of Life; Yin Deficiency; Telemedicine
PubMed: 37338977
DOI: 10.2196/41099 -
International Archives of Occupational... Apr 2023Occupational exposure to dust has been recognised as a significant health hazard to mine workers. This study aimed to investigate the association between exposure to...
PURPOSE
Occupational exposure to dust has been recognised as a significant health hazard to mine workers. This study aimed to investigate the association between exposure to inhalable (INH) and respirable (RES) dust and respiratory health among mine workers in Western Australia using an industry-wide exposure database.
METHODS
The database comprised cross-sectional surveys conducted by mining companies for the period 2001-2012. The study population consisted of 12,797 workers who were monitored for exposure to INH and RES dust and undertook health assessments including a respiratory questionnaire and spirometry test.
RESULTS
Despite the general trend of declining exposure to both INH and RES dust observed over the 12 years period, mine workers reported a higher prevalence of phlegm and cough when exposed to elevated concentrations of INH and RES dust. Logistic regression analysis further confirmed the positive association between INH dust exposure and the prevalence of phlegm with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.033 (95% CI 1.012-1.052). Overall, 6.3% of miners might have potential airway obstruction, and exposure to INH dust was associated with impaired lung function parameters.
CONCLUSION
Exposure levels of INH and RES dust particles among mine workers have reduced considerably and were well below currently legislated occupational exposure limits. However, given the reported higher prevalence of phlegm and cough among those with elevated dust concentrations, there is a continued need for effective dust exposure monitoring and control in the mineral mining industry.
Topics: Humans; Miners; Cough; Dust; Cross-Sectional Studies; Australia; Occupational Exposure; Lung Diseases
PubMed: 36089622
DOI: 10.1007/s00420-022-01922-z -
Journal of Ethnopharmacology Aug 2015Cancer is considered to be the second leading cause of human death. It is unsatisfactory that in the past decades, the treatment for cancer has not progressed as fast as... (Review)
Review
ETHONOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
Cancer is considered to be the second leading cause of human death. It is unsatisfactory that in the past decades, the treatment for cancer has not progressed as fast as it was expected, as only 50% of newly diagnosed patients could be cured even today. The development of cancer is a multifactorial process, involving tumor cells themselves, the interactions between tumor cells and their microenvironments, as well as the interactions between tumor cells and the host's immunity. Focusing on any single goal may bring limited benefits.
AIM AND METHODS OF THE STUDY
Phlegm-eliminating herbs, which can reduce phlegm and eliminate pathological metabolites, are commonly used to treat cancer in China. However, the underlying molecular targets and efficacy of herbal medicines in cancer treatment still remain unclear. In this study, we reviewed the potential anticancer mechanisms of some phlegm-eliminating herbs and their active ingredients from the articles through such scientific databases as MEDLINE, PubMed, and Google Scholar.
RESULTS
We found that the anticancer mechanisms of phlegm-eliminating herbs and ingredients include inducing apoptosis, anti-proliferation, preventing tumor invasion and metastasis, and reducing resistance to chemotherapy. In addition, some phlegm-eliminating herbs and their ingredients have anti-inflammatory and anti-metabolic syndrome effects.
CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that the phlegm-eliminating herbs and ingredients are potential candidates for anticancer treatment and cancer prevention by playing a comprehensive role.
Topics: Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Ethnopharmacology; Humans; Metabolic Syndrome; Mucus; Phytotherapy
PubMed: 26038151
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.05.032 -
World Journal of Clinical Cases Apr 2022Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by hyperandrogenism, hyperinsulinemia, ovarian polycystic changes, and irregular ovulation, often occurring in women of...
BACKGROUND
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by hyperandrogenism, hyperinsulinemia, ovarian polycystic changes, and irregular ovulation, often occurring in women of childbearing age for whom it can be a cause of infertility. Hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis dysregulation is important in the pathogenesis of PCOS and the associated chronic excess of sex hormones can lead to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, and malignancies such as endometrial cancer, and breast cancer. At present, most scholars agree that lifestyle interventions in conjunction with drug treatment can help PCOS patients achieve their goals of successful pregnancy and childbirth.
AIM
To investigate the clinical effect of an online and offline (O2O) preventive health management model on PCOS with kidney deficiency and phlegm dampness.
METHODS
A total of 82 patients with PCOS of the kidney deficiency and phlegm dampness type who were admitted to Beijing Luhe Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from April 2019 to June 2020 were randomly divided into two groups. The treatment group was treated with oral Diane-35 for 3 mo and received preventive O2O medical health management for 6 mo (including eating and living, exercise, drug management). The control group was treated with oral Diane-35 for 3 mo and completed outpatient health education. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome score, acne score, hair score, sex hormone level and clinical effects were compared between the two groups before and after the intervention.
RESULTS
After treatment, the TCM syndrome score, acne score, and serum luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone level were significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group ( < 0.05). After 3 mo of treatment, the TCM syndrome curative effect index in the treatment group was 97.30% compared to 54.05% in the control group ( < 0.05), whereas the total treatment effect in the treatment group was 91.89%, compared to 54.05% in the control group ( < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
An integrated therapeutic approach incorporating medication, TCM methods and social media is more effective than standard treatment for PCOS.
PubMed: 35647126
DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i10.3060 -
Medicine Sep 2023This study aimed to examine whether the 3 harmonic components (HCs) of photoplethysmography (PTG) - total harmonic distortion (THD), harmonic power (HP), and normalized...
This study aimed to examine whether the 3 harmonic components (HCs) of photoplethysmography (PTG) - total harmonic distortion (THD), harmonic power (HP), and normalized harmonic amplitude (HA) - have aging effects and may serve as an arterial stiffness marker and examine the relationship between HCs and clinical severity of pathological patterns. This study had a retrospective chart review design, and electronic medical records of 173 female patients (age: 38.57 ± 11.64 years) were reviewed. Patients were asked to complete the phlegm, blood stasis (BS), and food retention (FR) pattern questionnaires and underwent PTG and the second derivative of PTG measurements. THD, HP, and HA data were extracted till the 12th HCs from the raw PTG data. THD and HA had an aging effect (β: -0.179 to -0.278) and were related to b/a (r: -02.76 to -0.455) and d/a (r: 0.265-0.360) of the second derivative of PTG. In the younger group (≤33 years), HP and HA were positively correlated with phlegm, BS, and FR patterns (r: 0.257-0.370), while HP was positively correlated with the FR pattern (r: 0.278-0.315) in the middle age group (34-45 years). In the older group (≥46 years), HP and HA were positively or negatively correlated with the phlegm pattern (r: ±0.263 to ±0.440). HCs may serve as an arterial stiffness marker, and may be partially related to phlegm, BS, and FR patterns. Aging effect needs to be considered when utilizing HCs as an indicator of phlegm, BS, and FR patterns.
Topics: Middle Aged; Humans; Female; Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Photoplethysmography; Retrospective Studies; Mucus; Aging
PubMed: 37657055
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000034200 -
Zhongguo Zhen Jiu = Chinese Acupuncture... Nov 2016Blistering cupping is special as eliminating wind and dampness as well as removing phlegm and blood stasis, and it achieves effects through suction. In this paper we...
Blistering cupping is special as eliminating wind and dampness as well as removing phlegm and blood stasis, and it achieves effects through suction. In this paper we reviewed relevant literature combined with clinical experience so as to summarize its operation attention through exploring the origin, mechanism and application. We divide the progress into the blistering period, the phlegm-stasis-eliminating period, and the escharosis period according to the changes of bubble and the things pulled out. Blistering cupping creates ways to eliminate concrete unhealthy influences through smoothing meridians and collaterals, such as phlegm and retained fluid, dampness and blood stasis. Thus chronic diseases are relieved. Also,we propose the rules of "blistering acupoints being related to disease location as well as the nature of acupoints and diseases". The therapy has been used to treat diseases of respiratory system, osteoarticular, skin and subcutaneous tissue, mental and behavioral disorders, and tumor, among which the effects of intractable diseases of respiratory and osteoarticular systems are definite. It deserves to be further explored and promoted.
Topics: Acupuncture Points; Acupuncture Therapy; Chronic Disease; Humans; Meridians; Suction
PubMed: 29231306
DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.2016.11.022 -
Complementary Therapies in Medicine Aug 2014A series of case-control studies have been conducted to investigate the association between blood lipid and phlegm turbidity syndrome of angina pectoris, but produced... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
A series of case-control studies have been conducted to investigate the association between blood lipid and phlegm turbidity syndrome of angina pectoris, but produced inconsistent results.
OBJECTIVE
We performed a meta-analysis to determine the association between blood lipid and phlegm turbidity syndrome of angina pectoris more precisely.
METHODS
Manual screening as well as screening of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Journal full-text database (VIP), Wanfang database (WF), ScienceDirect, Pubmed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase were carried out for relevant literature. The formula was translated to calculate the pooled mean value and standard deviation value. The "Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale: Case-Control Studies" (NOS) was taken to assess the quality of the included studies. The Revman 5.2.6 software provided by "The Cochrane Collaboration" was used to analyze the collected data. The subgroup analysis was established according to the sample size proportion between the test group and the control group. Sensitivity analysis was constructed by using two different effect models. Besides, a funnel plot was created to analyze potential publication bias.
RESULTS
No statistically meaningful difference existed between the test group and control group of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in non-Qi and yin deficiency syndrome (QYDS) and non-Yang deficiency syndrome (YDS) subgroup, whereas the two biotic indicators in the test group were higher than the non-phlegm syndrome group in other subgroups. Triglyceride (TG) in phlegm syndrome group showed superior to non-phlegm syndrome group in the rest subgroups except for the non-CCS (Cold coagulating syndrome)-non-YDS subgroup. High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels of the phlegm group were lower than that of the non-phlegm group in all subgroups.
CONCLUSION
When comparing with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndromes of asthenia nature, such as YDS, QYDS, and heart qi deficiency syndrome), the levels of TG, TC, and LDL-C were higher in phlegm turbidity syndrome. However, for sthenia syndromes such as Qi stagnation syndrome (QSS), heart blood stasis syndrome (HBSS), and CCS, there was no obvious difference. Furthermore, HDL-C levels in the phlegm turbidity group were lower than those of the non-phlegm group. Nevertheless, these results should be confirmed with further studies.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Angina Pectoris; Cholesterol; Female; Humans; Male; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Middle Aged; Triglycerides
PubMed: 25146084
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2014.05.008