Clinical Efficacy and Regulation of Skin Microbiota in Children with Atopic Dermatitis and Damp-heat Accumulation Syndrome Treated with Zhaqu Xiaofeng Powder （楂曲消风散） / 中医杂志

ObjectiveTo assess the clinical efficacy and regulation of skin microbiota in children with atopic dermatitis and damp-heat accumulation syndrome treated by Zhaqu Xiaofeng Powder （楂曲消风散， ZXP）. MethodsNinety children were randomized into a treatment group and a control group， each with 45 children. The treatment group received ZXP orally， while the control group received levocetirizine hydrochloride syrup， both for 4 weeks. The atopic dermatitis severity index （SCORAD）score， visual analog scale （VAS）score for itching， children dermatology life quality index （CDLQI）score， and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome score were assessed before and after 2- and 4-week treatment. Simultaneously， adhering to the principles of sample size in microbial sequencing， 25 children were randomly selected from each group （total 50 children）； skin samples were collected before and after treatment， and skin specimen DNA was extracted for 16S rRNA gene amplifier sequencing； the skin microbiota levels were detected， and the distribution of bacteria， diversity of flora， and differences between groups were compared. ResultsThere were five drop-outs in each group， and 40 cases in each group were included in final analysis. After 2- and 4-week treatment， both groups showed a significant reduction in SCORAD scores， VAS scores， and CDLQI scores， and more reductions were shown after 4-week treatment than 2-week treatment （P＜0.01）. The SCORAD score， VAS score， and CDLQI score of the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group after 4-week treatment （P＜0.01）. The scores of upset， thirsty， poor appetite， short red urine， and dry stool were reduced in the treatment group （P＜0.05）， while the scores of thirsty， poor appetite， short and red urine decreased after treatment （P＜0.05）. After 4 weeks of treatment， among the differential genera with abundances ＞0.5% in the treatment group， The cumulative relative abundances of Staphylococcus aureus， Streptococcus_mitis， Escherichia coli and Gemella_haemolysans in the treatment group were downregulated after treatment； in the control group， there was a relative cumulative decrease in the abundance of Streptococcus_mitis. The control group had reduced relative abundance of Streptococcus_mitis， Escherichia coli， Staphylococcus aureus and Gemella_haemolysans， after treatment （P＜0.05）. Alpha diversity analysis revealed an increase in both Chaol index and Shannon index after treatment （P＜0.05）， while there was no significant difference in Chaol index and Shannon index in the control group before and after treatment （P＞0.05）. Higher Chaol index and Shannon index were found in the treatment group （P＜0.05）. Beta diversity analysis showed that there were significant differences in the microbial community structure at the lesion site between the treatment group and the control group before treatment. The microbial community structure in the treatment group was similar after treatment， while there was no significant change in the microbial community structure in the control group before and after treatment. There were significant structure differences of key bacteria genus in both groups before and after treatment. ConclusionZXP used in the treatment of pediatric atopic dermatitis （AD）with the syndrome of damp-heat accumulation， has shown efficacy in reducing the severity of skin lesions， alleviating itching， and enhancing the quality of life in children. This modulation aims to decrease the abundance of pathogenic bacteria while promoting the colonization of beneficial bacteria， thereby altering the skin microbiota and contributing to the treatment of pediatric AD.

Biological Connotation of Pathogenesis of Colorectal Cancer Due to Damp-heat Accumulation Based on Immune Response-intestinal Microbial Axis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Colorectal cancer （CRC） is a malignant tumor of the intestinal tract with changes in bowel habits， blood in the stool， and pain as the main clinical manifestations. With the change in lifestyle and diet structure in recent years， the incidence of CRC has been increasing year by year. The pathogenesis of CRC is closely related to abnormal immune response and chronic inflammation， intestinal microbial dysbiosis， and the production of oncogenic metabolites. There is a two-way communication between the intestinal microbiota and the body's immunity， which not only plays a key role in maintaining the body's health but also has a close relationship with the development of diseases. An increasing number of studies have shown that abnormal immune responses accelerate the disease process by producing inflammatory factors， causing chronic inflammation in the body， disrupting the intestinal mucosal barrier， and increasing mucosal permeability， thus resulting in dysbiosis of the intestinal microbial ecology and a large number of pathogenic microorganisms and their metabolites. In addition， dysbiosis of intestinal microbes， by suppressing the normal immune response， leads to the disruption of multiple metabolic pathways in the body， affecting the internal and external stress response of the intestine， inducing inflammation， and thus producing disease. Therefore， the complex crosstalk mechanism between the immune response and intestinal microbial axis is closely related to the development of CRC. Based on traditional Chinese medicine theory and clinical research， it was found that dietary factors are an important causative factor in the development of CRC. The deficiency of positive energy is the root cause of the disease， and damp-heat accumulation is the key pathogenesis. Through modern medical and biological research， it is believed that abnormal immune response is the microscopic manifestation of damp-heat entrapment， while intestinal microbial dysbiosis is the biological basis of toxic injection into the large intestine， and in the pathogenesis of CRC， the imbalance of immune response-intestinal microbial axis is compatible with damp-heat accumulation in traditional Chinese medicine. This study aims to explore the biological connotation of CRC due to damp-heat accumulation from the immune response-intestinal microbial axis， so as to interpret the pathogenesis of CRC due to damp-heat accumulation with objective data and provide new ideas and theoretical basis for the pathogenesis and treatment strategies of CRC due to damp-heat accumulation.

Therapeutic Effect of Gandou Decoction on Wilson's Disease with Dampness Heat Accumulation Accompanied by Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the clinical efficacy of Gandou decoction in treating Wilson's disease （WD） with dampness heat accumulation accompanied by rapid eye movement （REM） sleep behavior disorder （RBD）. MethodFrom April 2019 to August 2023，62 patients with dampness heat accumulation type WD accompanied by RBD who met the inclusion criteria were selected from the Department of Encephalopathy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine. They were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group with 31 cases each using a computer distributor. The control group received routine copper removal treatment，while the observation group received additional treatment with Gandou decoction on the basis of the control group. Eight days was one course of treatment，totaling three courses. The scores of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes，RBD screening questionnaire （RBDSQ） scores，RBD questionnaire-Hong Kong （RBDQ-HK） scores，polysomnography （PSG） parameters，24-hour urine copper （24 h U-Cu） levels，and non-ceruloplasmin-bound copper （NCC） levels between the two groups before and after treatment were compared，and adverse reactions were observed. ResultSixty trial cases were ultimately completed，with 30 cases in each group. Before treatment，there was no statistically significant difference in various indicators between the two groups， and thus they were comparable. Compared with those before treatment，the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores，RBDSQ scores and RBDQ-HK scores of the two groups were significantly reduced，the 24 h U-Cu levels were significantly increased，and the NCC levels were significantly reduced （P<0.05，P<0.01）. Compared with the control group， the observation group showed better improvement in traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores， RBDSQ scores， RBDQ-HK scores， and NCC levels （P<0.05，P<0.01）. Compared with those before treatment，the total sleep time （TST），sleep efficiency （SE），sleep/REM latency，the proportion of N1/N2/REM stages，arousal index （ARI），and proportion of phasic electromyographic activity （P-EMG-A） were significantly improved in both groups （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group after treatment，the observation group showed more significant improvements in the proportion of TST，SE，REM stages，ARI，and P-EMG-A proportion （P<0.05）. ConclusionGandou decoction can not only improve the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome of WD patients with dampness heat accumulation accompanied by RBD but also alleviate their RBD symptoms.

The Association of gut Microbiota with Serum Metabolites in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Damp-Heat Accumulation Syndrome / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

Objective To investigate the characteristics of the gut microbiota of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver(NAFLD)damp-heat accumulation syndrome and its correlation with serum metabolites.Methods 40 NAFLD patients with damp-heat accumulation,19 NAFLD patients with depressed liver and deficient spleen and 32 healthy people were selected,using 16 SrRNA amplicon sequencing technology and LC-MS/MS technology to test gut microbiota and serum metabolites.The correlation between gut microbiota and serum metabolites was analyzed using Spearman rank correlation.Results Compared with the healthy control group,the relative abundance of Shigella and Collinsella in the NAFLD with damp-heat accumulation group was higher,and the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium was lower,there was no difference between NAFLD with damp-heat accumulation group and depressed liver and deficient spleen group.Compared with the healthy group and NAFLD with depressed liver and deficient spleen group,the level of L-Tryptophan in NAFLD with damp-heat accumulation group was significantly higher;compared with healthy people,the level of Xanthurenic acid in NAFLD with damp-heat accumulation group increased.L-Tryptophan is negatively correlated with Agrobacterium,and Xanthurenic acid is positively correlated with Acinetobacter,Leuconostoc,and Collinsella.Compared with the healthy group and NAFLD with depressed liver and deficient spleen group,the level of L-Thyroxine in NAFLD with damp-heat accumulation group was significantly lower;compared with healthy people,the level of L-phenylalanine in NAFLD with damp-heat accumulation group was increased,and compared with NAFLD with depressed liver and deficient spleen group,its level was significant decline.L-Thyroxine is negatively correlated with Megamonas,Acinetobacter,and Subdoligranulum.Compared with the healthy control group,the levels of Glycochenodeoxycholate,Deoxycholic Acid,and Glycocholate in the NAFLD with damp-heat accumulation group were significantly higher.Compared with the NAFLD depressed liver and deficient spleen group,the above metabolites were not significantly different.Glycochenodeoxycholate is positively correlated with Collinsella and Agrobacterium,and Glycocholate is positively correlated with Acinetobacter,Leuconostoc,and Shigella.Compared with the healthy control group and NAFLD with depressed liver and deficient spleen group,the levels of Inosine 5'-Monophosphate and guanine nucleoside in NAFLD with damp-heat accumulation group were significantly increased;compared with the healthy control group,the level of uric acid was significantly increased,and there was no significant difference compared with the NAFLD with damp-heat accumulation group.Inosine 5'-Monophosphate was positively correlated with Leuconostoc,negatively correlated with Bifidobacterium,and guanosine was positively correlated with Leuconostoc.Conclusion NAFLD patients with damp-heat accumulation syndrome have gut microbiota imbalance and metabolic disorders.The gut microbiota imbalance of NAFLD with damp-heat accumulation syndrome is closely related to the host tryptophan,phenylalanine,and purine metabolism disorder.

Effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on skin barrier function in guinea pigs with eczema of skin damp-heat accumulation / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on the water content of stratum corneum (WCSC), expression of serum inflammatory factors and aquaporin 3 (AQP3) in skin, lung and rectum in guinea pigs with eczema of skin damp-heat accumulation, and to explore the possible mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion for regulating skin barrier function.@*METHODS@#A total of 24 male albino guinea pigs were randomly divided into a blank group (n=6) and a modeling group (n=18). The guinea pigs in the modeling group were induced by 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) to establish the eczema model of skin damp-heat accumulation. The guinea pigs with successful modeling were further randomly divided into a model group, a medication group and an acupuncture-moxibustion group, 6 guinea pigs in each group. The guinea pigs in the medication group were treated with loratadine tablets (0.8 mg/kg) by gavage, once a day for 7 days; the guinea pigs in the acupuncture-moxibustion group were treated with acupuncture at "Feishu" (BL 13), "Pishu" (BL 20), "Quchi" (LI 11), "Zusanli" (ST 36) and "Xuehai" (SP 10); at the same time, moxibustion was applied at "Feishu" (BL 13) and "Zusanli" (ST 36), moxibustion intervention for 10 min and needle retaining for 15 min at each acupoint, once a day for 7 days. The eczema area and severity index (EASI) score was evaluated before and After intervention, and WCSC and trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) were measured by skin tester. After intervention, The HE staining was used to observe the changes of skin histomorphology in each group; ELISA was used to measure the contents of serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-17; Western blot was used to measure the protein expression of AQP3 in skin, lung and rectum.@*RESULTS@#Before the intervention, compared with the blank group, the EASI scores and TEWL were increased in the remaining groups (P<0.01), and the WCSC was decreased (P<0.01). After the intervention, compared with the model group, the EASI scores and TEWL were decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01), and WCSC was increased (P<0.01) in the medication group and the acupuncture-moxibustion group. The epidermal structure in the blank group was complete and the fibers in the dermis were arranged orderly; in the model group, epidermal hyperkeratosis, proliferation of granular layer, spinous cell layer and basal layer, and disordered arrangement of dermal fibers and infiltration of inflammatory cells were observed. The morphological performance in the medication group and the acupuncture-moxibustion group was better than that in the model group. Compared with the blank group, the contents of serum IgE and IL-17 were increased (P<0.01), and the content of serum IL-4 and the protein expression of AQP3 in skin, lung and rectum were decreased in the model group (P<0.01, P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the contents of serum IgE and IL-17 were decreased and the contents of serum IL-4 were increased in the medication group and the acupuncture-moxibustion group (P<0.01), and the protein expression of AQP3 in skin, lung and rectum in the acupuncture- moxibustion group were increased (P<0.05). Compared with the medication group, the contents of serum IgE and IL-17 were increased (P<0.01), and the content of serum IL-4 was decreased (P<0.01) in the acupuncture-moxibustion group.@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture and moxibustion could improve the epidermal water metabolism and skin tissue morphology in guinea pigs with eczema of skin damp-heat accumulation. Its mechanism may be related to regulating inflammatory factors, up-regulating the expression of AQP3, and then repairing the skin barrier function.

Therapeutic Effect and Mechanism of Modified Da Chengqitang in Treating Hyperlipidemic Acute Pancreatitis with Damp Heat Accumulation Syndrome / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the efficacy and mechanism of modified Da Chengqitang in treating hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis （HLAP） with damp heat accumulation syndrome. Method:A total of 110 patients with HLAP with damp heat accumulation syndrome treated at our hospital were randomly divided into control group and observation group， with 55 cases in each group， both groups were treated with low molecular weight heparin calcium， insulin and alprostadil injection. Control group was given Huazhironggan granules in addition to the basic therapy， while observation group was given modified Da Chengqitang in addition to the basic therapy. After 7 days， the clinical efficacy， traditional Chinese medicine (TCM） syndrome score， gastrointestinal function recovery， acute pancreatitis bedside index （BISAP）， acute physiology and chronic health status Ⅱ （APACHE Ⅱ）， inflammatory factors， such as tumor necrosis factor-<italic>α</italic> （TNF-<italic>α</italic>）， interleukin-6 （IL-6） and C-reactive protein （CRP）， oxidative stress， such as malondialdehyde （MDA）， oxidized glutathione （GSSG）， total antioxidant capacity （T-AOC）， total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， high and low density lipoprotein （HDL-C， LDL-C） blood lipid indicators and safety were evaluated. Result:The clinical efficacy of observation group was significantly better than that of control group （<italic>Z</italic>=3.353， <italic>P</italic><0.05）， and the total effective rate of observation group was 94.55%， which was higher than 74.55% of control group （<italic>χ²</italic>=8.419， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. After treatment， the scores of abdominal pain， stool obstruction， chest tightness and fever in observation group were significantly lower than those of control group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. The gastric tube indwelling exhaust time， defecation time and recovery time of bowel sounds in observation group were significantly lower than those of control group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. The scores of BISAP and APACHE Ⅱ in two groups were significantly decreased， and the BISAP and APACHE Ⅱ scores of observation group were lower than control group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. After treatment， the serum levels of TNF-<italic>α</italic>， IL-6 and CRP in observation group were significantly lower than those in control group. The levels of serum MDA， GSSG in two groups were significantly decreased， whereas the T-AOC level was significantly increased； and the level of serum MDA， GSSG observation group was lower than control group， while the T-AOC level was higher than control group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. After treatment， the levels of TC， TG and LDL-C in two groups were decreased， while the level of HDL-C was increased， the levels of TC， TG and LDL-C in observation group were lower than those in control group， and the HDL-C was higher than that control group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. Conclusion:modified Da Chengqitang has a definite clinical efficady in treating HLAP with damp heat accumulation syndrome， and can alleviate TCM syndrome and patient symptoms， reduce inflammatory factors， inhibit oxidative stress of the body. It has a good safety， and is worthy of clinical application.

Efficacy of Modified Guiling Ganluyin Combined with Colchicine in Treatment of Gouty Arthritis with Damp-heat Accumulation / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of modified Guiling Ganluyin combined with colchicine in treatment of gouty arthritis(GA) damp-heat accumulation. Method:A total of 210 cases of GA were randomly divided into traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) group(70 cases), western medicine group (70 cases), and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine group(70 cases) according to the digital table method. The patients in TCM group were treated with modified Guiling Ganluyin, the patients in western medicine group were treated with colchicine, and the patients in integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine group received modified Guiling Ganluyin + colchicine, with a treatment course of 30 d in all groups. The clinical symptoms before and after the treatment [joint pain visual analogue scale(VAS), patient global appraise(PGA), number rating scale for pain(NRS)], inflammatory cytokines in serum and joint fluid [tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), uric acid(UA)], hemorheology index [whole blood high cut viscosity(HCV), whole blood low cut viscosity(LCV), whole blood reductive viscosity(RV)]in 3 groups were observed. The total effective rate and the adverse reactions were compared. Result:Six cases fell off during the study period. The total effective rate in integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine group was 97.1%（67/69）, which higher than 80.8%(55/68) in TCM group (χ2=8.153, P<0.05) and 79.1%(53/67) in western medicine group (χ2=8.735, P<0.05）. Compared with TCM group and western medicine group, the clinical symptoms VAS and NRS scores in integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine group were significantly lower(P<0.05), while the PGA scores were significantly higher(P<0.05). TNF-α, IL-1β and UA in serum and articular fluid in integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine group were significantly decreased(P<0.05). HCV, LCV and RV were significantly decreased in integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine group(P<0.05). Compared with the traditional Chinese and western medicine group, the incidence of adverse reactions was higher in the western medicine group (χ2=5.538,P<0.05) and lower in the Chinese medicine group (χ2=6.273，P<0.05). Conclusion:Modified Guiling Ganluyin combined with colchicine has the effects in enhancing effect and reducing toxicity, and could improve the clinical symptoms of GA patients with damp-heat accumulation, with a low incidence of adverse reactions.

Clinical observation of modified Chushi-Jiedu decoction combined with external application of purslane in the treatment of acute eczema with damp heat and skin retention / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To explore the efficacy and adverse reaction of modified Chushi-Jiedu decoction combined with external application of purslane in the treatment of acute eczema with damp heat and skin retention. Methods A total of 80 patients with damp heat skin type acute eczema were collected in the department of Dermatology of our hospital from January to December of 2017, and the patients were randomly divided into two groups, each 40 cases. The control group was treated with Cetirizine Hydrochloride Tablets and hydrocortisone ointment, and the observation group was treated with modified Chushi-Jiedu decoction combined with external application of purslane. The effects and adverse reaction of two groups were compared after 2 weeks of treatment. Results The total effective rate of the observation group was 97.5% (39/40), and the control group was 80.0% (32/40), where the comparison difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ2=6.135, P=0.013). After treatment, the lesion area and lesion form and pruritus scores of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group (t value were 5.060, 4.391, 8.761, P<0.01); the levels of IL-4 (0.15 ± 0.06 ng/L vs. 0.31 ± 0.08 ng/L, t=10.119), TNF-α (19.03 ± 3.26 ng/L vs. 25.58 ± 4.03 ng/L, t=7.992) of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.01). The levels of CD4+(33.42% ± 3.53 % vs. 27.38% ± 3.06%, t=8.177), CD4+/CD8+(1.37 ± 0.28 vs. 0.97 ± 0.19, t=7.170) in observation group were significantly higher than the control group (P<0.01), and the levels of CD8+(24.32% ± 2.10% vs. 28.03% ± 2.51%, t=7.476) was significantly lower than the control group ( P<0.01). Conclusions The modificatied Chushi-Jiedu decoction combined with external application of purslane is safe and effective for the treatment of acute eczema with damp heat and skin type, and it can alleviate the inflammatory reaction and improve the immunity of the body.

Effect of Huazhi Rougan Granules on insulin resistance in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis / 中成药

AIM To observe the clinical efficacy of Huazhi Rougan Granules (Artemisiae scopariae Herba,Cassiae Semen,Rhei Radix et Rhizoma,etc.) in the treatment of damp-heat accumulation type non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and its influence on insulin resistance.METHODS During January 2014-January 2016,a total of one hundred and twenty patients with damp-heat accumulation type NASH,given diet and exercise guidance,were randomly and equally divided into control group (polyene phosphatidylcholine) and treatment group (Huazhi Rougan Granules),administrated for twelve weeks.The levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT),aspartate aminotranferase (AST),gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT),total cholesterol (TC),triglyceride (TG),γ-glutamyl transpeptadase (GGT),fasting plasma glucose (FPG),fasting insulin (FINS),HOMA-IR index,adiponectin (ADPN) and leptin,body mass index (BMI) and uhrasound examination were detected before and after the treatment,respectively.These data were compared in two groups.RESULTS Compared with the control group,the serum ALT,AST,GGT,TC,TG,FPG,FINS and HOMA-IR of the patients in the treatment group decreased significantly,and liver fat were effectively reduced,while serum adiponectin increased markedly (P ＜ 0.05).After the treatment,remarkable reductions in the levels of BMI,leptin were observed in both groups (P ＜ 0.05).CONCLUSION Huazhi Rougan Granules combined with lifestyle modulation can effectively improve the syndrome of damp-heat accumulation type NASH by lowing insulin resistance.