ABSTRACT
Medicinal pair is the cornerstone in compatibility of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions in clinical application.At present,there are many related studies on Chinese medicine for diabetic nephropathy,but they mainly focus on efficacy observation and prescription summary,lacking in-depth study and summary of the mechanism of action of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).As compared with prescriptions,Chinese medicinal pair has fewer chemical components,a single form,simple mechanism of action,and fewer interference factors.In recent years,TCM has accumulated rich clinical practice experience in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.Many researchers pay great attention to the application of medicinal pairs in the compatibility of prescriptions and their action rules.Through the compatibility of medicinal pairs,the optimized combinations can be achieved from various aspects to further improve the therapeutic effect of TCM compound.In order to clarify the ways and targets of Chinese medicinal pairs in treatment of diabetic nephropathy,relevant articles at home and abroad were systemically reviewed in this paper.For the clinical observation and animal experiments of the past 10 years,four types of medicines with "invigorating the spleen and the kidney" ,"clearing damp and promoting diuresis" "activating blood and removing stasis" and "securing and astringing" with curative effect for diabetic nephropathy,were mentioned in this article.The composition rules and the progress of experimental researches of these medicinal pairs were analyzed,while the compatibility principles,chemical compositions,and pharmacokinetic changesof the medicinal pairs were summarized to provide some references for their further application,researches and development.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of Ruji Recipe (RR) in preventing disease recurrence/metastasis and improving quality of life (QOL) for female breast cancer patients after operation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 102 female patients with stage I - III breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed. They were assigned to the treatment group (54 cases) and the control group (48 cases) according to whether they would rather accept RR therapy. Estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) positive patients also accepted endocrine therapy. The overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence and metastasis, and QOL were compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Totally 100 patients completed the study. The median follow-up was 59 months. The median OS was 60 months in the treatment group and 52.5 months in the control group (chi2 = 3.274, P > 0.05). The median DFS was 55.0 months in the treatment group and 47.5 months in the control group (chi2 = 10.145, P < 0.01). The DFS rate was 75.9% (41/54) in the treatment group and 54.3% (25/46) in the control group (chi2 = -2.259, P < 0.05). There was statistical difference in the 2-, 3-, and 5-year DFS between the two groups (P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in the 2-year DFS 3-year DFS between stage II and III and stage III (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in the ER positive patients between 2-year DFS and 3-year DFS (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). There was statistical difference in the 3-and 5-year distant metastasis rate (DMR) in the treatment group, lower than that of the control group (3.7% vs 31.0%, 20.7% vs 60.7%; P < 0.01). By the end of follow-up, disease progression occurred in 13 cases of the treatment group, local recurrence in 3 cases, single organ metastasis in 7 cases, multi-metastasis in 3 cases, while the corresponding numbers were 21, 1, 11, and 9 in the control group (P < 0.05). As for 1 week before study and at 2-year follow-up using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy for Breast Cancer (FACT-B) system, there was statistical difference in the QOL between the two groups (P < 0.05), and better effect was obtained in the treatment group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>RR, as an assistant therapy, could improve the OS rate, the DFS rate, and the QOL for post-surgical female breast cancer patients in 2 -3 years.</p>