Ultrastructure Characteristics of Different Chinese Medicine Syndromes of Helicobacter pylori-Correlated Gastric Diseases / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the ultrastructure characteristics of patients with dampness-heat of Pi (Spleen)-Wei (Stomach) syndrome (DHPW) and Pi-qi deficiency syndrome (PQD), both of which are Helicobacter pylori (Hp)-correlated gastric diseases (HPCG), and implicate a helpful hint for the clinical microcosmic syndrome differentiation.@*METHODS@#Fourteen gastric mucosa samples from 6 chronic gastritis (CG) and 6 active peptic ulcer (including 8 DHPW, 4 PQD) as well as 2 healthy volunteers were collected and tested for Hp infection. The ultrastructure of gastric mucosa was observed under the transmission electron microscope (TEM).@*RESULTS@#Among 14 gastric mucosa samples, 8 of them were Hp positive (6 DHPW and 2 PQD), which were all accordance with the results screened by supermicro-pathological method. Under TEM, the normal gastric mucosa, with tidy microvilli and abundant in mucus granules, mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum distributed evenly, and with smooth nucleus membrane. But in those specimens of DHPW with Hp infection, microvilli were presented with burr shape. Especially, those samples from dampness-heat syndrome with predominant heat type (DHSH) patients were more obvious, with microvilli damaged, mitochondria concentrated and distributed in disorder, secretory tubule extended. In dampness-heat syndrome with predominant dampness type (DHSD) patients, mucus granules aggregated obviously, mitochondria swelled and blurred, and rough endoplasmic reticulum crowded. For 2 samples of DHPW without Hp infection, their microvilli were intact, with mitochondria increased and gathered but well-distributed, and secretory tubule extended mildly. In 2 PQD patients with Hp positive, the specimens of microvilli were sparse, and their mucus granules and mitochondria were decreased, with fractured crests and vacuole, secretory tubules extension to nucleus membrane, and rough endoplasmic reticulum extension in a pool-like way, and nucleus condensed. The 2 samples from PQD patients without Hp infection were characterized with intact microvilli, decreased mitochondria, fractured crest and extended rough endoplasmic reticulum in a pool-like way.@*CONCLUSION@#It's obviously different in ultrastructure of DHPW and PQD patients under TEM, which may give a helpful hint for the microcosmic syndrome differentiation of HPCG.

Relation between dysbacteriosis of Helicobacter pylori and Lactobacillus acidophilus and the pathogenesis of chronic gastropathy patients of Pi-Wei damp-heat syndrome / 中国中西医结合杂志

Pi-Wei theory is an important component of the basic theory of Chinese medicine. The pathogenesis of Pi-Wei damp-heat syndrome is an important content of Pi-Wei theory. The tongue coating is one of the most important signs reflecting Pi-Wei damp-heat syndrome. From the perspective of microecology and pathogenesis, the microbial disequilibrium caused by quantity changes of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA) and their interaction in the gastric mucosa and the tongue coating might have certain correlation with "mutual struggle between the evil and the vital qi, the disequilibrium between yin and yang". The pathogenesis features of chronic gastritis patients of Pi-Wei damp-heat syndrome was initially proposed in this article.

Relationship between Pi-Wei damp-heat syndrome with expressions of nuclear factor-kappaB mRNA and heat shock protein 70 mRNA in patients with chronic gastritis / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the relationship between the genesis of Pi-Wei damp-heat syndrome (PDS) and the Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection in patients with chronic gastritis (CG) by observing the levels of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) mRNA and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expressions.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Gastric mucous membrane tissues collected through gastroscopy from gastric antrum of 51 CG patients, 36 of PDS type (CG-PDS) and 15 of Pi-qi deficiency syndrome (CG-non-PDS) type, and 8 healthy persons (as control) were examined to diagnose the inflammation level with HE stain and to detect the existence of HP infection by rapid urease test and methylthioninium chloride stain. The mRNA expressions of NF-kappaB and HSP70 in the tissues were determined quantitatively with FQ-PCR as well.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Patients of CG-PDS showed higher level of HSP70 mRNA expression than in the control; and level of NF-kappaB mRNA expression was higher than that in the control and CG-non-PDS (all P<0.05); but both expressions were insignificantly different in CG-PDS patients with positive or negative HP infection (P>0.05). Positive correlation of the two expressions was shown in CG-PDS with negative HP infection.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>NF-kappaB and HSP70 may partially embody, in some extent, the power of vital qi and evil qi in the organism; the over-expressed NF-kappaB and HSP70 may indicate the severe fighting between evil qi and vital qi, and both would be influenced to a certain degree in the fighting process.</p>

Bioinformatics research on chronic superficial gastritis of Pi-deficiency syndrome by gene arrays / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the bioinformatical characteristics of differential gene expression in patients with chronic superficial gastritis (CSG) with the Pi-deficiency syndrome (PDS) and those of the non-Pi-deficiency syndrome (non-PDS), i.e. patients of CSG with Pi-Wei dampnese-heat syndrome and healthy persons.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>With the BRB-Array Tools software package, original data collection and bioinformatic: analysis of gene arrays were conducted in 6 CSG patients of PDS (CSG-PDS), 6 CSG patients of non-PDS (CSG-nPDS), and 6 healthy volunteers (Normal).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with non-PDS, the gene expressions: in PDS with regards to protein synthesis, energy metabolism, immune reaction and ionic transport tended to be down-regulated, while those concerning secretion, cytoskeleton and ubiquitinization were up-regulated dominantly.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The two kinds of samples, CSG-PDS/Normal and CSG-PDS/CSG-nPDS, have their respective gene expression profiles with different characteristics. Gene expression profile has certain referential significance in syndrome classification.</p>

The virtuous effect of heat shock protein 70 and evil effect of nuclear factor-kappa B in patients with chronic gastric disease of PI-Wie damp-heat syndrome type / 中国中西医结合杂志

It has been proved in recent studies that the chronic gastric disease (CGD) of Pi-Wei damp-heat syndrome type (CGD-PWDH) is closely related with heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB). HSP70 can protect the auto-stability of cells and elevate the immune function in organism against tumor or multiple exogenous pathogens. Increasing of NF-kappaB expression presents in case of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) stimulation, it could induce inflammatory reaction, while inflammation factors could act inversely to enhance the expression of NF-kappaB, thus to cause and expand the damage of gastric mucosa. In addition, HSP shows blocking effect on the activation and expression of NF-kappaB. So, the author considered that in patients of Hp associated CGD-PEDH, HSP 70 exhibits the effect as that of "vital energy" and NF-kappaB play a role as the "evil qi" in Chinese medicine, the expressions of the two may embody the vital-evil combating manner of Pi-Wei damp-heat syndrome.

Study on correlation between aquaporin 3, 4 gene expression in gastric mucosa and severity of Pi-Wei damp-heat syndrome in patients with chronic superficial gastritis / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the relationship between aquaporin 3,4 (AQP3, AQP4) gene expression in gastric mucosa and severity of Pi-Wei damp-heat syndrome (PWDHS) in patients with chronic superficial gastritis (CSG).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Gastric mucosa taken from the upper part of gastric corpus was collected under gastroscope and preserved in liquid nitrogen. The gene expression of AQP3 and AQP4 was determined quantitatively by fluorescent PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The gene expression of AQP3 and AQP4 in patients with PWDHS of moderate and severe degree was higher than that in those of mild degree and in healthy persons respectively (P <0.05 and P <0.01); and the gene expression of AQP3 in patients with PWDHS of severe degree was higher than that in those of moderate degree (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The gene expression of AQP3 and AQP4 in gastric mucosa was correlative with the severity of PWDHS in patients with chronic superficial gastritis, the severer the syndrome, the higher the gene expression.</p>

Preliminary study on intestinal flora in diarrhea type irritable bowel syndrome with pi-wei dampness-heat syndrome / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the changes of intestinal flora in diarrhea type irritable bowel syndrome with Pi-wei dampness-heat syndrome (IBS-PDS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The seven kinds of common intestinal bacteria in feces, including enteri bacillus, enterococci, saccharomycete, bifid bacteria, lactobacillus, bacteroides and peptococcus were studied in 21 patients suffered from IBS-PDS, and compared with those in 22 patients with IBS with deficiency of Pi syndrome (DPS) and 25 healthy subjects as control.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>As compared with the healthy subjects, the levels of enteri bacillus and enterococci were significantly increased (P<0.01), the levels of bifid bacteria, Lactobacillus and Peptococcus were significantly decreased (P < 0.01), and saccharomycete and Bacteroides were insignificantly different in patients with PDS. As compared with patients with DPS, the levels of enteri bacillus, enterococci, bifid bacteria, Lactobacillus, Peptococcus and Bacteroidaceae were significantly increased except the level of saccharomycete.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>There may be alteration of intestinal flora in patients with IBS-PDS.</p>

Effect of Chinese herbs on expression of aquaporin 3,4 gene in gastric mucosa of patients with Pi-Wei Damp-Heat syndrome / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the relationship between Pi-Wei Damp-Heat Syndrome (PWDHS) with expression of aquaporin (AQP) 3,4 gene in gastric mucosa and the effects of Qingre Huashi Recipe (QHR) on the expression.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-eight patients with chronic superficial gastritis were differentiated into Pi-Wei Damp-Heat Syndrome group (PWDHS, n = 53, 19 cases with predominant Dampness, 14 cases with predominant Heat, 20 cases with Dampness equal to Heat) and Pi deficiency Syndrome group (PDS, n = 15). The PWDHS were treated with QHR. The expression of AQP 3,4 gene in the two groups were determined by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (FQ-PCR).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Expression of AQP 3 gene in PWDHS was higher than that in PDS and the healthy group, but the difference showed no statistical significance. Expression of AQP 4 gene in PWDHS was obvious higher than that in PDS and the healthy group (P <0.05 or P <0.01), but the difference of AQP 4 gene expression between PDS and the healthy group was insignificant. Comparison among various sub-types of PWDHS showed that the AQP 4 gene expression in the predominant dampness > dampness equal to heat> predominant heat. AQP 3,4 gene expression in PWDHS was significantly decreased after QHR treatment, especially in the cases with predominant dampness syndrome (P <0.01), approaching that in the healthy group and PDS.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Abnormal expression of AQP 3,4 gene may be one of the possible mechanisms of PWDHS pathogenesis, Chinese herbs could influence AQP 3,4 gene expression to play a key role in treatment.</p>