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Objective:To investigate the effects of Chinese herbal decoction on traditional Chinese medicine syndrome, menstrual cycle and sex hormone levels in amenorrhea patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.Methods:A total of 124 amenorrhea patients with polycystic ovary syndrome who received treatment in The First People's Hospital of Lianyungang, China between December 2016 and December 2018 were included in this study. They were randomly assigned to receive either oral metformin hydrochloride and clomiphene citrate (control group, n = 62) or oral metformin hydrochloride and clomiphene citrate combined with Chinese herbal decoction (observation group, n = 62). Clinical effective rate and remission of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome were compared between control and observation groups. After treatment, recovery of menstrual cycle, ovulation rate, change of sex hormone level relative to before treatment, and the incidence of adverse reactions were determined in each group. Results:Total clinical effective rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [96.77% (60/62) vs. 77.42% (48/62), χ2 = 12.817, P < 0.001]. Total effective rate in term of TCM syndrome in the control group was significantly higher than that in the observation group [83.87% (52/62) vs. 43.55% (27/62), χ2 = 21.800, P < 0.001]. After treatment, serum luteinizing hormone, free testosterone, luteinizing hormone / follicle stimulating hormone, estradiol, follicle stimulating hormone levels in the observation group were (4.28 ± 2.04) U/L, (1.93 ± 0.07) nmol/L, (3.17 ± 1.07), (240.32 ± 30.26) pmol/L, (3.17 ± 1.07) U/L, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group [(6.45 ± 2.11) U/L, (3.27 ± 0.07) nmol/L, (5.73 ± 2.46), (300.32 ± 31.26) pmol/L, (5.12 ± 1.07) U/L), t = 5.822, 106.583, 7.514, 10.859, 10.147, all P < 0.001]. Ovulation rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [80.65% (50/62) vs. 51.61% (32/62), χ2 = 11.666, P = 0.001]. Periodic ovulation rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [91.94% (57/62) vs. 35.48% (22/62), χ2 = 14.528, P < 0.001]. In the observation group, the proportion of patients having edema, gastrointestinal reaction, vomiting, and diarrhea was 4.84% (3/62), 6.45% (4/62), 11.29% (7/62) and 11.29% (7/62), respectively, and they were 9.68% (6/62), 12.90% (8/62), 19.35% (12/62) and 25.80% (16/62)], respectively in the control group (all P < 0.05). Conclusion:Chinese herbal decoction can help regulate the hormone balance in amenorrhea patients with polycystic ovary syndrome, promote ovulation, eliminate amenorrhea, increase the curative effects on traditional Chinese medicine syndrome, and increase the rate of menstrual cycle recovery.
RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the difference of serum sex hormone between female patients with post-adolescent acne and healthy women, and to explore the efficacy and action mechanism of acupoint catgut embedding, fire needle, auricular acupuncture on skin lesion in female patients of post-adolescent acne.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 107 female patients of post-adolescent acne were divided into an integrated acupuncture group (54 cases, 4 cases were excluded) and a medication group (53 cases, 5 cases were excluded). The patients in the integrated acupuncture group were treated with comprehensive treatment of acupoint catgut embedding, fire needle, auricular acupuncture; the acupoint catgut embedding was applied at Dazhui (GV 14), Yintang (GV 29), Yangbai (GB 14) through Yuyao (EX-HN 4) and other acupoints based on syndrome differentiation; the fire needle was applied at skin lesion; the auricular acupuncture was applied at erjian (HX), e (AT), kou (CO), etc. The patients in the medication group were treated with oral administration of tanshinone capsules (4 capsules each time, 3 times a day) and external use of adapalene gel (one treatment per day at night). Patients in the two groups were treated for 8 weeks. The skin lesion of acne was evaluated before treatment as well as 4 weeks and 8 weeks after treatment in the two groups; the serum levels of testosterone (T) and estradiol (E) were tested 24 hours before menstruation in the integrated acupuncture group (50 cases) and healthy control group (46 cases), and the change of serum sex hormone after treatment was observed in 21 patients with sex hormone disorder in the integrated acupuncture group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Before treatment, the level of E in the integrated acupuncture group was significantly lower than that in the healthy control group (<0.01), but T/E in the integrated acupuncture group was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group (<0.01). After treatment, the level of E was significantly increased (<0.01) and T/E was reduced (<0.01) in the 21 patients with sex hormone disorder in the integrated acupuncture group. The skin lesion scale of acne was significantly reduced in the two groups after 4-week and 8-week treatment (all <0.01); the difference between the two groups was not significant after 4-week treatment (>0.05); the skin lesion scale of acne in the integrated acupuncture group was significantly lower than that in the medication group after 8-week treatment (<0.01). The efficacy between the two groups was not significant after 4-week the treatment (>0.05); after 8-week treatment, the cured and effective rate was 66.0% (33/50) in the integrated acupuncture group, which was superior to 45.8% (22/48) in the medication group (<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compared with healthy women, the level of serum sex hormone of E is reduced in the female patients of post-adolescent acne, resulting in relative increased level of T; the acupoint catgut embedding, fire needle, auricular acupuncture have better efficacy than medication for post-adolescent acne, which have regulation effects on sex hormone disorder.</p>