[Clinical study on Qinghouyan lozenge in treatment of acute pharyngitis].

To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Qinghouyan lozenge in the treatment of acute pharyngitis due to Lung-heat and Yin-deficiency, and compare with Qinghouyan oral Liquid. Totally 144 subjects were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups (72 in the test group and 72 in the control group). The participants in the test group were given Qinghouyan lozenge for 5 days, and those in the control group were given Qinghouyan oral Liquid for 5 days. The effectiveness evaluation indexes were pharyngalgia/odynophagia disappearance rate, overall efficacy of TCM syndromes, TCM syndrome scores, and single syndrome and sign disappearance rate. During the test, the safety was evaluated by vital sign, lab examination indexes and adverse events. The results for the full analysis set showed that the couth disappearance rate, the incidence rate of TCM syndromes, and the throat/uvula congestion disappearance rate of the test group were higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05), with significant differences in the changes in syndrome scores between the two groups (P < 0.05). Altogether 3 adverse events were observed in the test group while 6 adverse events in the control group, without significant differences in the adverse event rate between the two groups (P < 0.05), serious abnormal laboratory examinations and vital signs. In conclusion, Qinghouyan lozenge has better efficacy in treatment of acute pharyngitis due to Lung-heat and Yin-deficiency than Qinghouyan oral liquid, with good safety.

Treatment of common cold patients with the shi-cha capsule: a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation trial.

This study was designed to determine the therapeutic efficacy and safety of the Shi-cha capsule, a Chinese herbal formula, in the treatment of patients with wind-cold type common cold. In our multi-center, prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation trial, patients with wind-cold type common cold received 0.6 g of Shi-cha capsule plus 0.6 g placebo (group A), 1.2 g of Shi-cha capsule (group B), or 1.2 g placebo (group C), three times daily for 3 days and followed up to 10 days. The primary end point was all symptom duration. The secondary end points were main symptom duration, minor symptom duration, the changes in cumulative symptom score, main symptom score, and minor symptom score 4 days after the treatment, as well as adverse events. A total of 377 patients were recruited and 360 met the inclusive criteria; 120 patients constituted each treatment group. Compared with patients in group C, patients in groups A and B had significant improvement in the all symptom duration, main symptom duration, minor symptom duration, as well as change from baseline of cumulative symptom score, main symptom score, and minor symptom score at day 4. The symptom durations and scores showed slight superiority of group B over group A, although these differences were not statistically significant. There were no differences in adverse events. The Shi-cha capsule is efficacious and safe for the treatment of patients with wind-cold type common cold. Larger trials are required to fully assess the benefits and safety of this treatment for common cold.

[Effects of medicinal extract for tonifying kidney to relieve asthma on glucocorticoid receptor expression in lung tissues of rats with bronchial asthma].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of medicinal extract for tonifying kidney to relieve asthma on glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression in rats with asthma, and to explore its mechanism in treating asthma. METHODS: Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group, untreated group, dexamethasone group, and medicinal extract-prevented, medicinal extract-treated, and medicinal extract-prevented and -treated groups, with ten rats in each group. Asthma was induced by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OVA) and forced inhalation of atomized OVA. Expression of GR in lung tissues was detected by immunohistochemical method. Pathological changes of the lung tissues were observed by HE straining. RESULTS: Expression of GR was lower in the untreated group than in the normal control group (P<0.05). Expressions of GR in medicinal extract groups were up-regulated as compared with those in the untreated group and dexamethasone group (P<0.05, P<0.01), and there were no significant differences as compared with the normal control group (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Medicinal extract for tonifying kidney to relieve asthma can increase the expression of GR in lung tissues of asthmatic rats, which may be one of its mechanisms in preventing and treating asthma.

[Discussion about treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome based on syndrome differentiation].

Severe acute respiratory syndrome is an infectious disease caused by a new type of coronavirus. It belongs to the seasonal febrile diseases in traditional Chinese medicine. The prevention and treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) can be under the guidance of the doctrines for treating febrile diseases of traditional Chinese medicine, treatment based on syndrome differentiation, such as syndrome differentiation of triple energizer, syndrome differentiation according to defensive phase, qi phase, nutrient phase and blood phase. During April and May of 2003, 8 cases of SARS were diagnosed in Shanghai, and 6 patients accepted complementary therapy of traditional Chinese medicine, without death case. The only one patient who didn't take glucocorticoid therapy was complementarily treated with traditional Chinese herbs through the whole treating procedure. Upon the successful treatment of the eight cases of SARS in Shanghai, it is demonstrated that the triple-energizer syndrome differentiation and defensive-qi-nutrient-blood syndrome differentiation in traditional Chinese medicine are of high value in treating SARS patients.