CHINESE HERBAL DECOCTION AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR ATROPHIC GASTRITIS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS.

BACKGROUND: Chinese herbal decoction (CHD) has been extensively used in the treatment of atrophic gastritis (AG) in China and other Far Eastern countries. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the efficacy and safety of CHD in AG. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane central register of controlled trials (central), VIP, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Sinomed, Wanfang data were searched (up to December 2015). Randomized controlled trials recruiting patients with AG comparing CHD (alone or with western medicine (WM)) with WM were eligible. Dichotomous data were pooled to obtain relative risk (RR), with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Forty-two articles including 3,874 patients were identified. CHD, used alone or with WM, had beneficial effect over WM in the improvement of clinical manifestations (RR=1.28; 95% CI 1.22-1.34) and pathological change (RR=1.42; 95% CI 1.30-1.54) for AG patients. However, the H. pylori eradication effect of CHD was not supported by the existing clinical evidence, because of the significant study heterogeneity (I2>50%) and inconsistency between the primary results and sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSIONS: CHD, if prescribed as a complementary therapy to WM, may improve the clinical manifestations and pathological change for AG patients. But its monotherapy for H. pylori eradication is not supported by enough clinical evidence.

Prevalence of depression and anxiety in patients with chronic digestive system diseases: A multicenter epidemiological study.

AIM: To investigate the prevalence of depression and anxiety in patients with chronic digestive system diseases. METHODS: A total of 1736 patients with chronic digestive system diseases were included in this cross-sectional study, including 871 outpatients and 865 in-patients. A self-designed General Information for Patients of the Department of Gastroenterology of General Hospitals questionnaire was used to collect each patient's general information, which included demographic data (including age, sex, marital status, and education) and disease characteristics (including major diseases, disease duration, principal symptoms, chronic pain, sleep disorder, and limited daily activities). RESULTS: The overall detection rate was 31.11% (540/1736) for depression symptoms alone, 27.02% (469/1736) for anxiety symptoms alone, 20.68% (359/1736) for both depression and anxiety symptoms, and 37.44% (650/1736) for either depression or anxiety symptoms. Subjects aged 70 years or above had the highest detection rate of depression (44.06%) and anxiety symptoms (33.33%). χ2 trend test showed: the higher the body mass index (BMI), the lower the detection rate of depression and anxiety symptoms (χ2trend = 13.697, P < 0.001; χ2trend = 9.082, P = 0.003); the more severe the limited daily activities, the higher the detection rate of depression and anxiety symptoms (χ2trend = 130.455, P < 0.001, χ2trend = 108.528, P < 0.001); and the poorer the sleep quality, the higher the detection rate of depression and anxiety symptoms (χ2trend = 85.759, P < 0.001; χ2trend = 51.969, P < 0.001). Patients with digestive system tumors had the highest detection rate of depression (57.55%) and anxiety (55.19%), followed by patients with liver cirrhosis (41.35% and 48.08%). Depression and anxiety symptoms were also high in subjects with comorbid hypertension and coronary heart disease. CONCLUSION: Depression and anxiety occur in patients with tumors, liver cirrhosis, functional dyspepsia, and chronic viral hepatitis. Elderly, divorced/widowed, poor sleep quality, and lower BMI are associated with higher risk of depression and anxiety.

Analysis of the causes and clinical characteristics of jejunoileal hemorrhage in China: a multicenter 10 year retrospective survey.

BACKGROUND: A retrospective study was performed to assess the causes, diagnostic methods for, and clinical features of, jejunoileal hemorrhage in Shandong province, China and to derive recommendations for management of this condition from these data. METHODS: We performed a retrospective systematic collection of data from between January 1999 and December 2008 in seven cities in Shandong province, China, identified 72 patients with jejunoileal hemorrhage and analyzed the relevant clinical data. RESULTS: Overall, tumors were the most common cause of jejunoileal hemorrhage (42 patients, 58.3%). The causes of this condition were significantly different (P < 0.05) in male and female patients. In male patients, the commonest factors were tumor (52.2%), enteritis (17.4%) and angiopathy (15.2%). However, in female patients, tumors accounted for a greater proportion of cases (18/26, 69.2%). In 38 cases (52.8%) the diagnosis was made by intraoperative enteroscopy or laparotomy, in 14 by capsule endoscopy and in the remainder by radiological methods. The most frequent presentation was melena (62.7%), followed by maroon stools (26.9%) and hematochezia (9.0%). Of the 72 patients,laparotomy is the main treatment method. CONCLUSION: Tumor, enteritis and angiopathy and diverticular disease are the most common causes of jejunoileal hemorrhage in Shandong province, China. The main clinical manifestations are bloody stools, most commonly in the form of melena, with or without abdominal pain. We recommend that female patients over the age of 40 with jejunoileal hemorrhage accompanied by abdominal pain should undergo urgent further assessment because of the strong probability of jejunoileal tumor.

[Preliminary study of biweekly regimen of docetaxel, oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin for advanced gastric cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of a biweekly DOF regimen consisting of docetaxel, oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin for advanced gastric cancer. METHODS: The biweekly DOF regimen was administered in 37 advanced gastric cancer patients. Docetaxel, oxaliplatin and leucovorin were given intravenously at a dose of 35 mg/m2, 85 mg/m2 and 200 mg/m2 for 1 h, 2 h and 2 h on D1, respectively, and 5-Fu was administered as continuous intravenous infusion for 48 h at a dose of 1500 mg/m2 on D1 and D2. This regimen was repeated every 2 weeks. The efficacy and toxicity were evaluated after completion of 3 cycles at least. RESULTS: The overall response rate (RR) of this series was 67.6%, complete response rate and partial response rate were 27.0% and 40.5%, respectively. The time to progression (TTP) was 9.2 months, and median survival time (MST) was 13.7 months. The RRs of 11 chemotherpy-naïve patients and 26 patients pre-treated with chemotherapy were 81.8% and 61.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary results showed that this biweekly combination regimen of docetaxel, oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin is effective and tolerable for advanced gastric cancer. However, further investigation of this regimen is mandatory.

[Influence of intravenous chemotherapy on cellular immunity in patients with advanced digestive tract cancer].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Cancer patients have a poor immune response and chemotherapy could deteriorate their immune system further. Reasonable immune therapy is an important adjuvant remedy for tumors. This study was to monitor the changes of T-cell phenotypes in peripheral blood and interleukin-2 (IL-2) concentration in plasma in digestive tract cancer patients before and after chemotherapy. METHODS: The proportions of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+CD28+, CD8+CD28+ and CD4+CD25+ T cells in peripheral blood of 104 patients with advanced digestive tract cancer, hospitalized from Sep. 2005 to Apr. 2006, were detected by flow cytometry (FCM). The concentration of IL-2 in plasma was measured by ELISA. RESULTS: The proportions of CD4+, CD4+CD28+, CD8+CD28+, CD4+CD25+ T cells and ratio of CD4/CD8 were (36.52+/-3.85)%, (32.87+/-4.98)%, (6.87+/-3.11)%, (9.68+/-3.42)% and 0.98+/-0.17 in digestive tract cancer patients, and (45.23+/-9.20)%, (40.12+/-5.85)%, (15.8+/-4.50)%, (5.67+/-2.90)% and 1.43+/-0.12 in healthy subjects. In the patients with response to chemotherapy, the proportions of CD4+CD28+ and CD8+CD28+ T cells and ratio of CD4/CD8 were (22.93+/-3.98)%, (7.08+/-1.23)% and 0.90+/-0.22 before chemotherapy, and (28.25+/-4.03)%, (12.10+/-3.45)% and 1.24+/-0.22 at 3 weeks after chemotherapy. In the patients with no response to chemotherapy, the proportions of CD4+CD28+, CD8+CD28+ and CD4+CD25+ T cells were (24.08+/-4.02)%, (6.35+/-1.23)% and (8.20+/-2.34)% before chemotherapy, and (16.45+/-3.27)%, (3.20+/-0.82)% and (20.34+/-3.69)% at 3 weeks after chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: The immunosuppression of digestive tract cancer patients would be enhanced early (about 1-2 weeks) after intravenous chemotherapy. The immunity of the patients with response to chemotherapy would be improved at 3 weeks after chemotherapy; while the immunity of the patients with no response to chemotherapy would not change, or even be suppressed.

Effects of age and gene dose on skeletal muscle sodium channel gating in mice deficient in myotonic dystrophy protein kinase.

Myotonic muscular dystrophy (DM) is characterized by abnormal skeletal muscle Na channel gating and reduced levels of myotonic dystrophy protein kinase (DMPK). Electrophysiological measurements show that mice deficient in Dmpk have reduced Na currents in muscle. We now find that the Na channel expression level is normal in mouse muscle partially or completely deficient in Dmpk. Reduced current amplitudes are not changed by age or gene dose, and the reduction is not due to changes in macroscopic or microscopic gating kinetics. The mechanism of abnormal membrane excitability in DM may in part be silencing of muscle Na channels due to Dmpk deficiency.