Ebola virus disease: a zoonotic disease with an extremely high fatality rate / 中国热带医学

@# Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a severe infectious disease caused by Ebola virus in humans and primates. The main clinical features are fever and bleeding. The disease was first identified in Zaire and Sudan in Africa in 1976. Since then, it has caused many large-scale epidemics in Africa. One of the largest and most complex Ebola outbreaks in history was the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa, which caused more cases and deaths than all previous outbreaks combined. As of 2022, about 35 000 EVD cases and 15 000 deaths have been reported. During the African pandemic, EVD also spread to other regions outside the African continent, such as the Americas and Europe, and became a public health issue of worldwide concern. In Africa, the re-emergence of the disease in Uganda and the Republic of Congo in 2022 has attracted much attention from the world. This article systematically summarizes the history, epidemiological distribution, route of infection, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of Ebola virus disease, so as to provide reference for relevant workers in China.

Warming acupuncture combined with "three steps and seven methods" of tuina for chronic nonspecific low back pain of yang deficiency and cold-dampness blockage: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the clinical efficacy and possible mechanism of warming acupuncture combined with "three steps and seven methods" of tuina and simple "three steps and seven methods" of tuina in treatment of chronic nonspecific low back pain (NLBP) of yang deficiency and cold-dampness blockage.@*METHODS@#A total of 138 patients were randomized into an observation group (69 cases, 5 cases dropped off) and a control group (69 cases, 7 cases dropped off). In the control group, "three steps and seven methods" of tuina was applied. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, warming acupuncture was applied at Shenshu (BL 23), Yaoyangguan (GV 3), Mingmen (GV 4), Weizhong (BL 40) and ashi points. The treatment was given once a day, 6 times a week for 3 weeks in both groups. Before and after treatment, the short form of McGill pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ) score, Oswestry disability index (ODI) score, finger-to-floor distance (FFD), Schober test distance, fear-avoidance beliefs questionnaire (FABQ) score and yang deficiency and cold-dampness blockage score were observed, the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) were detected in both groups. The recurrence rate was evaluated in follow-up of 6 months after treatment.@*RESULTS@#After treatment, the scores of PRI, PPI, VAS, ODI, FABQ and FFD, yang deficiency and cold-dampness blockage scores were decreased compared before treatment in both groups (P<0.01), and those in the observation group were lower than the control group (P<0.01); the Schober test distances were increased compared before treatment in both groups (P<0.01), and that in the observation group was larger than the control group (P<0.01). After treatment, the serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and TXB2 were decreased compared before treatment in both groups (P<0.01), and those in the observation group were lower than the control group (P<0.01). In follow-up, the recurrence rate was 12.8% (6/47) in the observation group, which was lower than 34.3% (12/35) in the control group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Warming acupuncture combined with "three steps and seven methods" of tuina can effectively alleviate pain in patients with chronic NLBP of yang deficiency and cold-dampness blockage, improve activity and dysfunction of waist, the clinical efficacy is superior to simple "three steps and seven methods" of tuina, its mechanism may be relate to the inhibition of inflammatory reaction.

Pollution-free Cultivation of Stellaria dichotoma var. lanceolata / 中国实验方剂学杂志

As a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine,Stellaria dichotoma var. lanceolata has a medicinal history of several hundred years, and been included in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China. With a sweet fact and mild war nature, it enters liver and stomach meridians. With effects in clearing deficient heat and eliminating fever in infantile malnu, it has been used to treat such diseases as Yin deficiency fever, consumptive fever due to Yin deficiency and infantile chancre fever, and taken as the raw materials of Wuji Baifeng Wan and other traditional Chinese medicine preparations. In recent years,there have been increasing demands for S. dichotoma var. lanceolata from people. However, its wild resources have been over-excavated for a long time,leading to a serious shortage of wild strains. Furthermore, the quality of artificial S. dichotoma var. lanceolata medicine is far different from that of wild cultivars. Meanwhile,pesticide residues and excessive metal standards due to the irrational use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in the production process, as well as the large number of counterfeits in the market seriously impact the quality,efficacy and drug safety of S. dichotoma var. lanceolata medicine. Therefore, the non-polluted production technology of S. dichotoma var. lanceolata is of great significance. The non-polluted production technology would be an effective mode for promoting the sound development of S. dichotoma var. lanceolata industry in the future and the key to solve the issues. This article summarizes the environment of suitable production area,plantation method, comprehensive soil improvement, field management and rational fertilization technology. It also proposes that the prevention and control of pollution-free safflower pests and diseases should follow the principle of giving priority to comprehensive prevention. The pollution-free and technical regulation system of S.dichotoma var. lanceolata cultivars is built to produce excellent,high-quality and non-polluted production with low content of pesticide residues and heavy metals,and promote the healthy and sustainable development of the global S.dichotoma var. lanceolata industry.

Arsenic trioxide induces cell cycle arrest and affects Trk receptor expression in human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells

BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide (As2O3), a drug that has been used in China for approximately two thousand years, induces cell death in a variety of cancer cell types, including neuroblastoma (NB). The tyrosine kinase receptor (Trk) family comprises three members, namely TrkA, TrkB and TrkC. Various studies have confirmed that TrkA and TrkC expression is associated with a good prognosis in NB, while TrkB overexpression can lead to tumor cell growth and invasive metastasis. Previous studies have shown that As2O3 can inhibit the growth and proliferation of a human NB cell line and can also affect the N-Myc mRNA expression. It remains unclear whether As2O3 regulates Trks for the purposes of treating NB. METHODS: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of As2O3 on Trk expression in NB cell lines and its potential therapeutic efficacy. SK-N-SH cells were grown with increasing doses of As2O3 at different time points. We cultured SK-N-SH cells, which were treated with increasing doses of As2O3 at different time points. Trk expression in the NB samples was quantified by immunohistochemistry, and the cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. TrkA, TrkB and TrkC mRNA expression was evaluated by real-time PCR analysis. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical and real-time PCR analyses indicated that TrkA and TrkC were over-expressed in NB, and specifically during stages 1, 2 and 4S of the disease progression. TrkB expression was increased in stage 3 and 4 NB. As2O3significantly arrested SK-N-SH cells in the G2/M phase. In addition, TrkA, TrkB and TrkC expression levels were significantly upregulated by higher concentrations of As2O3 treatment, notably in the 48-h treatment period. Our findings suggested that to achieve the maximum effect and appropriate regulation of Trk expression in NB stages 1, 2 and 4S, As2O3 treatment should be at relatively higher concentrations for longer delivery times;however, for NB stages 3 and 4, an appropriate concentration and infusion time for As2O3 must be carefully determined. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggested that As2O3 induced Trk expression in SK-N-SH cells to varying degrees and may be a promising adjuvant to current treatments for NB due to its apoptotic effects.

Chinese Herbal Medicine Combined with Entecavir for HBeAg Positive Chronic Hepatitis B: Study Protocol for a Multi-Center, Double-Blind Randomized-Controlled Trial / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The domestic prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in China is 7.18% in 2006, imposing great societal healthcare burdens. Nucleot(s)ide analogues (NUCs) anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) therapies are widely applied despite the relatively low rate of seroconversion and high risk of drug-resistant mutation. More effective treatments for CHB deserve further explorations. Combined therapy of NUCs plus Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is widely accepted in China, which is recognized as a prospective alternative approach. The study was primarily designed to confirm the hypothesis that Tiaogan-Yipi Granule (, TGYP) or Tiaogan-Jianpi-Jiedu Granule (, TGJPJD) plus entecavir tablet (ETV) was superior over ETV monotherapy in enhancing HBeAg loss rate.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The study was a nationwide, large-scale, multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with a designed duration of 108 weeks. A total of 16 hospitals and 596 eligible Chinese HBeAg positive CHB patients were enrolled from November 2012 to September 2013 and randomly allocated into 2 groups in 1:1 ratio via central randomization system: experimental group (EG) and control group (CG). Subjects in EG received CM formulae (TGYP or TGJPJD, 50 g per dose, twice daily) plus ETV tablet (or ETV placebo) 0.5 mg per day in the first 24 weeks (stage 1), and CHM granule plus ETV tablet (0.5 mg per day) from week 25 to 108 (stage 2). Subjects in CG received CHM Granule placebo plus ETV tablet (0.5 mg per day) for 108 weeks throughout the trial. The assessments of primary outcomes (HBV serum markers and HBV-DNA) were conducted by a third-party College of American Pathologists (CAP) qualified laboratory. Adverse effects were observed in the hospitals of recruitment.</p><p><b>DISCUSSION</b>The study was designed to compare the curative effect of CM plus ETV and ETV monotherapy in respect of HBeAg loss, which is recognized by the European Association for the Study of the Liver as "a valuable endpoint". We believe this trial could provide a reliable status for patients' "journey" towards durable responses after treatment discontinuation. The trial was registered before recruitment on Chinese Clinical trial registry (No. ChiCTR-TRC-12002784, Version 1.0, 2015/12/23).</p>

The observe of clinical effect of treating lumbar intervertebral disc herniation by bone setting manipulation of different directions / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the effect between lumbar backwards flexion manipulation and rotating manipulation for treating lumbar intervertebral disc herniation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Two hundred and nine patients of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation, male 131, female 78, the age from 20 to 79 years old, 58 cases of all these patients age above 50. According to diagnosis the ladder of the 92 cases bulging type, 69 hernia type, 48 cases free type. The patients were randomly divided into treatment group (107 cases) and control group (102 cases). All the patients were treated with the three-dimensional computer-controlled traction therapeutic apparatus, with continued traction for 30 minutes. After traction, lumbar backwards flexion manipulation and rotating manipulation were respectively adopted in treatment group and control group (on alternate days one time, 3 times as a course of treatment). The symptoms and signs (including back pain and discomfort, lower limb pain and numbness, powerless urination and defecation, numbness in perineum, straight-leg raising degree, ability of lower extremity walking, work and live) of patients were observed after treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All the patients were followed up from 1 to 6 months with an average of 3.2 months. After treatment, the symptoms and signs of patients have markedly improved (P < 0.01), but the lower back pain and discomfort, lower limb walking ability in treatment group were better than control group (P < 0.05). According therapeutic criteria, the effect of treatment group was better than of control group (P < 0.01). In cases with bulging type, 47 in treatment group and 45 in control group, the effect of treatment group was better than of control group (P < 0.05); in cases with hernia type, 35 in treatment group and 34 in control group, there was no significantly difference in effect between two groups (P > 0.05); in cases of free type, 25 in treatment group and 23 in control group, there was no significantly difference in effect between two groups (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The global effect of lumbar backwards flexion manipulation was satisfactory than rotating manipulation for treating lumbar intervertebral disc herniation. But rotating manipulation suited to free type.</p>

Study on correlation between TCM syndrome type and pathological changes of liver tissue in 260 patients with chronic hepatitis B / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the correlation between TCM syndrome type and liver tissue pathological changes in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in order to provide evidence for syndrome differentiation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Syndrome typing as well as liver pathological grading and staging of liver biopsy were performed on 260 patients with CHB, then the relationship between them was analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) The grade of liver inflammation was mainly G1 and G2 in patients of Gan-qi stagnation and Pi-deficiency type (type 1); G2 in patients of inner damp-heat retention type (type II); G3 in patients of Gan-Shen yin-deficiency type (type lII) and Pi-Shen yang-deficiency type (type IV); while G4 occurred mainly in patients of blood stasis blocking collateral type (type V), showing significant difference as compared with other syndrome types. (2) The liver pathological stage in patients of type I and II was mainly S1 and S2, while S3 and S4 occurred mainly in patients of type III and type IV. (3) The pathological change was mainly G3-G4 and S3-S4 in blood stasis syndrome, while it was mainly G1-G2 and S1-S2 in non-blood stasis syndrome.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The TCM syndrome type is correlated with liver tissue pathological change to certain extent, among them, syndrome with or without blood stasis showed the closest correlation. The syndrome type of CHB patients developed, along with the aggravating of liver pathological injury, from sthenia to asthenia, from qi to blood, and finally to the blood stasis blocking collateral. So the treatment should be lay stress on activating blood circulation to remove stasis, and be implemented by 3 stages.</p>