Effect of Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture combined with western medication on depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine: a multi-central randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture (acupuncture for soothing the liver and regulating the mentality) combined with western medication on depression and sleep quality in the patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine, and investigate the potential mechanism from the perspective of cortical excitability.@*METHODS@#Sixty patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a sham-acupuncture group, 30 cases in each one. The patients of both groups were treated with oral administration of sertraline hydrochloride tablets. In the acupuncture group, Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture was supplemented. Body acupuncture was applied to Yintang (GV 24+), Baihui (GV 20), Hegu (LI 4), Zhaohai (KI 6), Qihai (CV 6), etc. The intradermal needling was used at Xin (CO15), Gan (CO12) and Shen (CO10). In the sham-acupuncture group, the sham-acupuncture was given at the same points as the acupuncture group. The compensatory treatment was provided at the end of follow-up for the patients in the sham-acupuncture group. In both groups, the treatment was given once every two days, 3 times a week, for consecutive 8 weeks. The self-rating depression scale (SDS) and insomnia severity index (ISI) scores were compared between the two groups before and after treatment and 1 month after the end of treatment (follow-up) separately. The cortical excitability indexes (resting motor threshold [rMT], motor evoked potential amplitude [MEP-A], cortical resting period [CSP]) and the level of serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) were measured before and after treatment in the two groups.@*RESULTS@#After treatment and in follow-up, SDS and ISI scores were decreased in both groups compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the scores in the acupuncture group were lower than those in the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05), and the decrease range in the acupuncture group after treatment was larger than that in the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05). After treatment, rMT was reduced (P<0.05), while MEP-A and CSP were increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group compared with that before treatment. The levels of serum 5-HT in both groups were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05). The rMT in the acupuncture group was lower than that in the sham-acupuncture group, while MEP-A and CSP, as well as the level of serum 5-HT were higher in the acupuncture group in comparison with the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture combined with western medication can relieve depression and improve sleep quality in the patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine, which is probably related to rectifying the imbalanced excitatory and inhibitory neuronal functions.

Influence of shengmai capsule on recovery of living capacity in patients after myocardial infarction / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of long-term application of Shengmai Capsule (SMC) on recovery of patients after myocardial infarction.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 120 myocardial infarction patients were: assigned into two groups. Changes of angina pectoris, electrocardiogram (ECG), living capacity and heart function in patients were observed after 6-month treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total effective rate in alleviating angina: pectoris was 90.0% and that in improving ECG figure was 93.3% in the treatment group, both were significantly higher than those in the control group, 73.4% and 70.0% respectively (P<0.05). The Karnofsky Performance Status scores of heart function were increased and the Activity of Daily Living scores in living capacity decreased in both groups, but the improvements were better in the treatment group (P<0.01 and P<0.05). The parameters of cardiac function, including cardiac output, stroke volume, cardiac index and ejection fraction, were increased in both groups, but the increments in the treatment group were more significant (P<0.01 or P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Long-term application of SMC could effectively prevent and treat angina pectoris, improve the living capacity and accelerate the recovery of heart function in patients after myocardial infarction.</p>

Effect of Shengmai Injection on cardiac function and inflammatory reaction in patients with acute coronary syndrome / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To confirm the effect of Shengmai Injection (, SMI) in improving cardiac function in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and to explore its influence on inflammatory reaction in patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety ACS patients were randomized into two groups, the control group treated with conventional therapy and the SMI group treated with SMI. The patients' cardiac function was noted and the content of high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in venous blood was measured before treatment and 1 week and 3 weeks after treatment, so as to observe and compare their changes between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The cardiac output, stroke volume and ejection fraction in the SMI group after 3 weeks of treatment were all higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The serum content of hs-CRP was reduced in both groups (P<0.05), but the reduction in the SMI group was more significant than that in the control group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SMI could improve the cardiac function and further inhibit the inflammatory reaction in patients with ACS.</p>

Effect of Shengmai injection on vascular endothelial and heart functions in patients with coronary heart disease complicated with diabetes mellitus / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of Shengmai injection (, SMI) on vascular endothelial and heart functions in coronary heart disease patients complicated with diabetes mellitus (CHD-DM).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and twenty patients with CHD-DM, their diagnosis confirmed by coronary arteriography, were equally randomized into a control group treated with conventional treatment and a treated group treated with conventional treatment plus SMI. The changes in blood levels of nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and angiotensin II (Ang II), as well as endothelium-dependent vascular dilating function and heart function in the patients were observed before treatment and after the 3-week treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After being treated with SMI for 3 weeks, in the treated group, blood level of NO was raised significantly from 69.8 + or - 33.1 micro mol/L to 120.1 + or - 50.8 micro mol/L, and ET-1 was lowered from 70.1 + or - 32.1 ng/L to 46.2 + or - 21.3 ng/L, respectively (P<0.01); that of Ang II was lowered from 81.3 + or - 24.3 ng/L to 50.2 + or - 27.3 ng/L (P<0.01); brachial arterial post-congestion blood flow increasing rate was raised from 389.4 + or - 26.3% to 459.3 + or - 27.8% (P<0.01); and the improvement in heart function as seen through the ejection fraction (EF) was increased from 44 + or - 5% to 68 + or - 6% (P<0.01), all the changes being more significant than those in the control group (all P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SMI can improve not only the endothelial function in CHD-DM patients, but also heart contraction significantly.</p>

Effect of shengmai injection on hemodynamics in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effects of Shengmai Injection (SMI) on hemodynamics in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and to explore the clinical effect of SMI in treating patients of DCM with heart failure.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred patients were divided into two groups. In the 50 cases of the treated group, 10 cases with heart function of II degree, 35 of III degree and 5 of IV degree. The corresponding number of cases in the 50 patients of the control group were 10, 36 and 4. Conventional treatment was given to both groups, and SMI was administered to the treated group additionally. The therapeutic effect and the indexes of heart function before and after treatment were determined and compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the treated group, treatment showed markedly effective in 22 cases and effective in 20, the total effective rate being 84%, while in the control group, markedly effective in 14 and effective in 16, the total effective rate being 60%, the comparison between the two groups showed significant difference (chi 2 = 7.14, P < 0.01). In the treated group, cardiac output, stroke volume (SV), cardiac index, eject fraction (EF), lefe ventricular minor axis shortened rate, ventricular wall thickened rate were all increased after treatment and system vascular resistance (SVR) decreased significantly (P < 0.05), while in the control group, insignificant change was found in the above-mentioned parameters after treatment (P > 0.05). Comparison between the two groups after treatment showed that EF and SV were obviously higher and SVR obviously lower in the treated group than those in the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SMI could markedly improve the heart function of patients with DCM. The effect of conventional treatment would be enhanced in combination therapy with SMI.</p>