Effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicines for pulmonary heart disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous review indicate that the effect of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) on pulmonary heart disease (PHD) remains uncertainty. Therefore, we designed this study to systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of TCM in the treatment of PHD. METHODS: Nine online databases will be searched from inception to October 01, 2021, and we will not restrict the language on included trials. Randomized controlled trials that included patients with PHD receiving TCM therapy vs a control group will be included. Two of us will perform independently the selection of studies, risk of bias assessment, and data extraction. The RevMan V.5.2 software with fixed effects model or random effects model will be used to syntheses the data, according to the heterogeneity test to conduct the data synthesis. The dichotomous data and the continuous data will be presented with risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals and weighted mean differences or standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals. And we will use the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system to evaluate the evidence quality. RESULT: This study will assess effects and safety for TCM on PHD. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this study will provide evidence to prove the safety and effectiveness of TCM on PHD. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY2020120024.

Risk Factors for Mild Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Treated with Endovascular Coiling.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the potential early risk factors of mild cognitive impairment after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage treated with endovascular coiling during a 5-year period. The demographic characteristics and radiologic and laboratory data were collected. Cognitive assessments were carried out using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment at 6 months after ictus. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors associated with the development of mild cognitive impairment. RESULTS: Of 152 patients, 59 patients (39%) developed cognitive impairment 6 months later. Univariate analysis showed that the patients with anterior communicating artery or anterior cerebral artery aneurysms (P < 0.001) with Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 7 or less at ictus (P = 0.002), Hunt and Hess grade of 3 or higher (P = 0.002), and Fisher grade of 3 or higher (P = 0.032) were more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment. The risk of mild cognitive impairment was increased for patients who had delayed cerebral ischemia (P = 0.040) and hydrocephalus (P = 0.002). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, mild cognitive impairment was independently associated with anterior communicating artery or anterior cerebral aneurysms (odds ratio [OR], 11.046; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.371-36.198; P < 0.001), delayed cerebral ischemia (OR, 6.153; 95% CI, 1.587-23.855; P = 0.009), and hydrocephalus (OR, 8.768; 95% CI, 2.115-36.345; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The location of the aneurysm, delayed cerebral ischemia, and hydrocephalus were independently associated with the occurrence of mild cognitive impairment after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and can contribute to improved identification of patients at high risk for mild cognitive impairment.

Chronic smoking and brain gray matter changes: evidence from meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies.

Structural neuroimaging studies on chronic smokers using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) had provided cumulative evidence of gray matter (GM) changes relative to nonsmokers. However, not all the studies reported entirely consistent findings. Here, we aimed at identifying consistent GM anomalies in chronic smokers by performing a meta-analysis, and a systematic search of VBM studies on chronic smokers and nonsmokers published in PubMed and Embase database from 2000 to April 2012. Meta-analysis was performed using a newly improved voxel-based meta-analytic tool, namely effect size signed differential mapping, to quantitatively explore the GM abnormalities between chronic smokers and nonsmokers. A total of 7 eligible VBM studies involving 213 chronic smokers and 205 nonsmokers met the inclusion criteria. A considerable regional GM volume decrease was detected in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (BA 24) extending to BA32 in chronic smokers. The findings remain largely unchanged in the entire brain jackknife sensitivity analyses. The results of the present meta-analysis provide evidence of GM changes in ACC in chronic smokers which may be an important potential therapeutic neuro-target for nicotine dependence.

[Effect of some active Chinese herbal fraction on brain tissue proteomic profile of ischemic mouse].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of some active Chinese herbal fraction on protein expression of brain tissue in ischemic mouse with proteomic technique. METHODS: Ischemia-reperfusion mice were treated with baicalin, geniposide, cholic acid and concha margaritifera respectively for 3 hrs, and then their brain tissue were taken to extract the total protein. Protein expression in ischemic mouse brain was analyzed with surface-enhanced laser desorption/inionation-time of flight-mass spectra (SELDI-TOF-MS) protein-chip. RESULTS: The four components tested had effect on 3 target proteins at 5373Da, 5707Da and 15103Da, showing the nature of multi-target and with different action on protein expression. CONCLUSION: Protein-chip is an effective approach for exploring the pharmacological mechanism of Chinese herbal fraction.