[Clinical study on relationship between sluggishness of lung-defensive qi and levels of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and thromboxane B2].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the nature of pathology of sluggishness of lung-defensive qi and to offer objective experimental indexes for weifen syndrome (defensive phase syndrome). METHODS: According to the completely random design, the plasma levels of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and thromboxane B2 (TX2) of 19 patients with weifen syndrome and 13 patients with qifen syndrome (qi phase syndrome) were detected by radioimmunoassay. The plasma levels of VIP and TX2 at different stages of weifen syndrome and qifen syndrome were observed. RESULTS: The plasma levels of VIP in weifen syndrome and in the late stage of weifen syndrome increased greatly at different stages as compared to qifen syndrome and the blank group (P < 0.01), while the plasma level of TX2 of weifen syndrome was higher only at the late stage than the blank group and qifen syndrome (P < 0.01). As for the levels of VIP and TX2 in weifen syndrome with different internal organs infected, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: VIP may be an index reflecting the pathology of weifen syndrome, and it is one of the material foundations of sluggishness of lung-defensive qi, but it has nothing to do with the infected internal organs. The level of TX2 increases only after the fever of patients with weifen syndrome subsided, so it can not be the basis for diagnosis of the early stage of weifen syndrome. It doesn't increase in qifen syndrome either, the mechanism remains to be further studied.

[Anti-hypertensive effect of rosiglitazone in non-diabetic essential hypertension].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate blood pressure-lowering effect of rosiglitazone in overweight/obese non-diabetic patients with hypertension to explore the therapeutic role of insulin sensitizers in the management of essential hypertension. METHODS: 89 cases of overweight/obese non-diabetics with essential hypertension were enrolled in a 4 weeks open label clinical trial. Rosiglitazone 8 mg/day were started 2 weeks after withdrawing previously used anti-hypertensive medications. Blood pressure was measured at the 2nd and 4th week. Plasma glucose and insulin levels during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at baseline and at 4th week were also determined. RESULTS: After 4 weeks treatment with rosiglitazone, the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure reduced by 17 mm Hg (1mm Hg = 0.133 kPa) and 11 mm Hg, respectively. Plasma insulin levels at fasting, 1 and 2 hour during OGTT decreased by 27%, 35% and 41%, respectively (P < 0.001), whereas insulin sensitivity increased by 30% (P < 0.001). The amplitude of reduction of blood pressure was related to the baseline level of blood pressure and insulin sensitivity, and family history of hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Rosiglitazone significantly reduces blood pressure in overweight and/or obese non-diabetic subjects with hypertension. Randomized controlled clinical trial is justified to confirm the therapeutic role of rosiglitazone in the management of non-diabetic essential hypertension.