Traditional Chinese medicine for psoriasis vulgaris: A Protocol of a prospective, multicenter cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of psoriasis vulgaris is increasing worldwide. Chronic recurrence of the disease, as well as accompanying cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and depression has affected the physical and mental health of these patients. Psoriasis vulgaris is a difficult and major disease in the dermatology field. Short-term curative effects using conventional therapy for psoriasis vulgaris has made major strides. However, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment has long-term curative advantages for psoriasis vulgaris but lacks the scientific and clinical evidence for its use. This study intends to demonstrate and provide scientific and clinical evidence for the use of TCM to delay the recurrence of psoriasis vulgaris. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This will be a prospective, multicenter cohort study. We intend to recruit 1521 psoriasis vulgaris patients from 14 hospitals in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei. Treatment will be based on the diagnosis specifications and clinical practice guidelines of TCM and conventional therapy. During inclusion and the subsequent follow-up period, doctors through electronic case reports will collect different therapeutic TCM regimens and conventional therapy that were administered. Information on life condition, skin lesions at each visit, World Health Organization Quality of Life Instruments, Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale, Zung Self-assessment of Depression, laboratory examinations, incidence of new rash and recurrence during the remission and recurrence stages will be recorded. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The clinical trial protocol for this study was approved by the ethics committee of the Beijing hospital of TCM affiliated to capital medical university (Ethics number: 2019BL02-010-02). We will publish and present our results at national and international conferences and in peer-reviewed journals specialized in dermatology. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This protocol has been registered in clinicaltrials. gov (ChiCTR1900021629).

[Effects of catalpol, L-shikonin and paeonol extracted from radix rehmanniae, radix arnebiae and cortex moutan on KGF-induced HaCaT cell proliferation].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of Chinese herbal medicine radix rehmanniae, radix arnebiae and cortex moutan on the proliferation of HaCaT cells and explore their potential curative mechanisms. METHODS: The main monomers of catalpol, l-shikonin and paeonol were extracted. And 10 ng/ml keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) was used to induce HaCaT cell to build an in vitro model of hyperproliferation of epidermal keratinocytes. CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry were applied to examine the effects of herbal monomers on cell proliferation and cell cycle. RESULTS: Both l-shikonin ( ≥ 10(-6) mol/L) and paeonol ( ≥ 1.88×10(-4) mol/L) inhibited cell proliferation while catalpol ( ≥ 10(-6) mol/L) enhanced cell proliferation.L-shikonin ( ≥ 10(-6) mol/L) and paeonol ( ≥ 1.88×10(-4) mol/L) inhibited the HaCaT cell during S and G2M phases while catalpol ( ≥ 10(-6) mol/L) enhanced HaCaT cell during S phase but not G2M phase. CONCLUSION: L-shikonin and paeonol inhibits the proliferation of HaCaT cells while catalpol has opposite effects.

Analysis of monocyte and histiocytic cell populations in bone marrow of patients with confirmed and suspected cases of reactive histocytosis.

OBJECTIVE: To describe characteristics of monocytes and histiocytes in the bone marrow of patients with a confirmed and suspected diagnosis of reactive histiocytosis. METHODS: 14 patients with a confident diagnosis of reactive histiocytosis or with a suspected diagnosis were inpatients at the Tianjin Blood Diseases Hospital between 2008 and 2012. Nucleated cells from bone marrow were observed by light microscopy - morphologically and immunohistochemically for histiocyte antigens - and ultrastructurally by transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: Monocytes, atypical histiocytes, macrophages, hemophagocytes, reticular cells and dendritic cells were significantly increased in 9, 9, 5, 3, 3 and 2, respectively, of the 14 cases. Atypical histiocytes expressed some morphological characteristics of promonocytes. CONCLUSION: Monocytes, atypical histiocytes, macrophages, hemophagocytes, reticular cells and dendritic cells were increased in different relative degrees in patients with bone marrow reactive histiocytosis or suspected reactive histiocytosis. The increase in numbers of monocytes, atypical histiocytes and macrophages was a particularly significant feature. It is argued that atypical histiocytes with immature monocyte features might be precursors of hemophagocytes, reticular cells or dendritic cells.