ABSTRACT
Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene lactone containing a peroxide group isolated from the plant Artemisia annua. It has antimalarial activity and is effective for the treatment of malaria. With the deepening of research on artemisinin， the pharmacological effects of artemisinin and its derivatives in other systems have gradually become a research hotspot. This article reviews the research progress of artemisinin and its derivatives in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Artemisinin and its derivatives in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease have shown anti-atherosclerosis， lipid- lowering， inhibition of vascular remodeling， reducing vascular pressure， improving ventricular remodeling， anti-arrhythmia， protection of vascular endothelium， prevention and treatment of diabetic cardiovascular complications and protection of myocardial cells and other pharmacological effects. It provides a new treatment strategy for common cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension， arrhythmia， coronary heart disease complications after stent implantation， hyperlipidemia， etc. However， there are few studies on the antiplatelet aggregation and antithrombotic effects of artemisinin and its derivatives， the molecular mechanisms behind many pharmacological effects have not yet been clarified， and there is little clinical application. A large number of basic studies and clinical trials are still needed to answer these questions.
ABSTRACT
Third-degree atrioventricular block is a severe bradyarrhythmia， for which there is no proven effective drugs currently. Permanent pacemaker implantation recommended by the guideline， however， is not suitable for most patients. This paper reported on a case of third-degree atrioventricular block after cardiac radiofrequency ablation who has been treated with the method of boosting qi， warming yang and unblocking collaterals. The TCM syndrome of this case was diagnosed as yang qi depletion and phlegm-stasis blocking the collaterals， for which Baoyuan Decoction and Mahuang Fuzi Xixin Decoction （保元汤合麻黄附子细辛汤） in modification has been used to boost qi， warm yang and raise the sunken， dissolve phlegm， invigorate blood and unblock collaterals. After nearly 7-month treatment， the symptoms such as palpitations， shortness of breath and fatigue were basically cured， and the electrocardiogram returned to the normal.
ABSTRACT
Hypertension is a common cardiovascular disease. At present， the prevalence and mortality of hypertension in China continue to rise， the morbidity and mortality of complications remain high. The continuous increase of blood pressure can cause damage to multiple target organs such as heart， brain， kidney and blood vessels. This article reviews the research progress of signal pathways related to the prevention and treatment of hypertension target organ damage by traditional Chinese medicine， and summarizes six signal pathways related to RhoA/ROCK， renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system， endothelin-1/nitric oxide， transforming growth factor-β1/Smads， phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases/protein kinase B， and Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear transcription factor-κB， in order to provide theoretical evidence for further research on clinical diagnosis and treatment of hypertension and its target organ damage.
ABSTRACT
ObjectiveChronic heart failure （CHF） is the terminal stage of cardiovascular disease. The adverse cardiovascular events of CHF patients with weakness have increased significantly. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a good effect on CHF. However，there are few reports on the clinical observation of the treatment of CHF with weakness in elderly patients by TCM combined with conventional health-preserving exercises. This study aimed to explore the clinical efficacy of Qiangxin decoction combined with Baduanjin in the treatment of elderly patients with CHF and weakness. MethodSixty CHF patients with Qi deficiency，blood stasis，and water retention syndrome admitted to the Cardiovascular Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to December 2021 were enrolled. The patients in the control group were treated with conventional western medicine according to the guidelines，while those in the treatment group received additional Qiangxin decoction and Baduanjin exercise based on the therapeutic protocol of the control group. The levels of serum N-terminal B-type brain natriuretic peptide precursor （NT-proBNP），creatine kinase （CK），lactate dehydrogenase （LDH），free fatty acid （FFA），left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF），left ventricular end-diastolic dimension （LEVDD），6-minute walk distance （6MWD），Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire （MLHFQ）， and Tilburg Frailty Indicator （TFI） scores of the two groups were observed before and one month after treatment. At the same time，the re-admission within three months was compared between the two groups. ResultThere was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the general data and the therapeutic indexes before treatment. After treatment，the NT-proBNP，CK，LDH，FFA，LVEDD，MLHFQ， and TFI scores of the two groups were lower than those before treatment（P<0.05，P<0.01）， and the LVEF and 6MWD were higher（P<0.05，P<0.01）. The efficacy of the treatment group was superior to that of the control group after treatment （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The re-admission rate within three months in the treatment group was 7.1% （2/28）， lower than 30.8% （8/26） in the control group （χ2=4.897，P<0.05）. ConclusionQiangxin decoction combined with Baduanjin is helpful to improve the body energy metabolism，heart function，quality of life，and weakness level of elderly CHF patients with weakness， and reduce the rate of re-admission.
ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo reveal the targets and molecular mechanisms of the action of Qiangxin Decoction （强心汤） for the treatment of chronic heart failure based on the combination of network pharmacology and molecular docking. MethodsThe active ingredients of Qiangxin Decoction were retrieved from TCMSP database， and the targets of chronic heart failure were screened by searching GeneCards， OMIM， TTD， PharmGkb， and DrugBank databases， and the intersections were taken to obtain the intersecting targets of Qiangxin Decoction for the treatment of chronic heart failure. STRING platform was used to construct the protein-protein interaction network （PPI）， Cytoscape 3.8.0 software was used to calculate the network topology to screen the core targets， and R 4.2.3 was used to construct the “active ingredient-target” network by analyzing the GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. AutoDock 1.5.7 was used for molecular docking to predict the binding performance of active ingredients and core targets. ResultsSeventy-five intersecting targets were identified for the treatment of chronic heart failure with Qiangxin Decoction， among which the core targets were estrogen receptor 1 （ESR1， degree value=7）， nuclear receptor coactivator 1 （NCOA1， degree value=8）， glucocorticoid receptor （NR3C1， degree value=7）， and nuclear receptor coactivator 2 （NCOA2， degree value=7）. GO enrichment analysis showed that the top 3 items with the smallest P value in molecular function were G protein-coupled amine receptor activity， postsynaptic neurotransmitter receptor activity， and neurotransmitter receptor activity （P＜0.01）； the top 3 items with the smallest P value in biological process were adenylyl cyclase-activated adrenergic receptor signaling pathway， adrenergic receptor signaling pathway， and adenylyl cyclase-regulated G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway （P＜0.01）； the top 3 items with the smallest P values in cellular composition were components of the postsynaptic membrane， synaptic membrane， and presynaptic membrane （P＜0.01）. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the top 5 key signaling pathways were neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions， calcium signaling pathway， dopaminergic synapses， cocaine addiction， and cyclic guanosine monophosphate-protein kinase G （cGMP-PKG） signaling pathway. The molecular docking results showed that lignans and isoflavones had lower binding energies and more structural stability with the four core targets （ESR1， NCOA1， NR3C1， NCOA2）. ConclusionThe treatment of chronic heart failure by Qiangxin Decoction was associated with neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions， calcium signaling pathway， dopaminergic synapses， chemoattractant-receptor activation， cGMP-PKG signaling pathway， lipids and atherosclerosis， and cAMP signaling pathway， and lignans and isoflavones may be the core active compounds in its treatment of chronic heart failure.
ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the effect of an Internet support program on uncertainty in illness in breast cancer patients after operation. Method One hundred and nineteen breast cancer patients after surgery who were discharged from Shanghai Cancer Hospital were assigned into the control group (63 cases) and the intervention group (56 cases). A 12-week Internet support program was offered to the patients in the intervention group, while the patients in the control group received the routine follow-up. Measurement of uncertainty in illness was taken at the sixth week and the twelfth week after the baseline survey. Results The total score of the uncertainty in illness as well as the factor scores of ambiguity and lack of information showed downward trend in both the intervention group and the control group, and the three indexes in the intervention group declined more rapidly than those in the control group. The scores of the three indexes in the intervention group were significantly lower than those in the control group at the twelfth week. Conclusion The Internet support program which offers abundant information, multi-disciplinary cooperation and real-time interaction intervention is an effective approach in reducing uncertainty in illness for breast cancer survivors.