Recent Chinese Medicine Research Medline Extracts

[herbsandhelpers]

Recent Chinese Medicine Research Medline Extracts

Dietary soy and tea mitigate chronic inflammation and prostate cancer

via NFB pathway in the Noble rat model. J Nutr Biochem. 2011 
May;22(5):502-10. Dept of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, Oregon State Univ, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA. 

Chronic inflammation and nuclear factor-kappa B (NFB) have been implicated in prostate cancer development; thus, dietary factors that inhibit NFB may serve as effective chemo-preventative agents. Prostate cancer risk is significantly lower in Asian countries compared to the United States, which has prompted interest in the potential chemopreventative action of Asian dietary components such as soy and green tea. This study examined the effects of dietary soy and tea on NFB activation and 
inflammation in vivo using a hormone-induced rat model for prostate cancer. Male Noble rats implanted with estradiol and testosterone were divided into 4 dietary groups: control, soy, tea, or soy+tea. NFB activation and inflammatory cytokines were measured post implantation. The combination of soy and tea suppressed NFB p50 binding activity and protein levels via induction of IB. Soy and 
tea also decreased prostate inflammatory infiltration, increased Bax/BcL2 ratio and decreased protein expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1 compared to control. Soy 
and tea attenuated prostate malignancy by decreasing prostate hyperplasia. These effects were not apparent in groups treated with soy or tea alone. The ongoing in vivo studies thus far suggest that combination of foods, such as soy and tea, may inhibit hormone-
induced proinflammatory NFB signals that contribute to prostate cancer development. 

PMID: 20801632 [PubMed - 
indexed for MEDLINE]

Six-month follow-up of the 
effect of neomenor in patients with painful menstruation

[Article in Bulgarian] Akush Ginekol (Sofiia). 2011;50(1):52-4.

Neomenor is herbal medication especially created to permanently relieve painful 
menstruation symptoms in girls and women with primary dysmenorrhea. 

It supplies the organism with substances essential for the metabolic processes that guarantee normal menstrual cycles. In some women these 
substances are out of balance, there is an excess of prostaglandins, which leads to painful periods, menstrual cramps and even migraine. 

Each NEOMENOR tablet contains 400 mg of standardized extracts from stalks of: 

Astragalus glycypyhyllos (Wild liquorice), Erodium circulatum (Redstem Stork's Bill) and Geranium sanguineum (Bloody Cranesbill). 

Their biologically active substances inhibit the 
synthesis of prostaglandins and their secretion into the uterus, 
hence strong muscle contractions are reduced and menstrual cramps disappear. The aim of this short study is to gain personal impressions about the action of the preparation. We have tested 35 girls and women with middle-age--18.74 on (14-28 years) with menarche-
-average at 12.8, suffering of primary dysmenorrhea. We have watched following factors: 

degree of dysmenorrhea, duration of complaints, habitus, gynecological and mental status, used painkillers. As a result of three months treatment 63% of the patients with III-d and 37% with II-nd grade of dysmenorrhea transformed in 42% with II-nd and 45% with I-st grade of dysmenorrhea. Only in 4 patients (11%) therapy was without success. The monitoring continues. 

PMID: 21695945 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Oseltamivir Compared With the Chinese 
Traditional Therapy Maxing Shigan Yinqiao San in the Treatment of H1N1 Influenza:

A Randomized Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2011 Aug 16;155(4):217-225. Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Beijing Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Capital Medical Univ, and Beijing Hospital, Ministry of Health, Beijing; 

Background: Observational studies from Asia suggest that Maxing Shigan Yinqiao San (MSYS) may be effective in the treatment of acute H1N1 influenza. Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of oseltamivir and MSYS in treating uncomplicated H1N1 influenza. 

Design: Prospective, nonblinded, randomized, controlled trial. 

(ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00935194) 

Setting: 11 hospitals from 4 provinces in China. 

Patients: 410 young adults aged 15-59 years with laboratory-confirmed H1N1 influenza. 

Intervention: Oseltamivir, 75 mg twice daily; MSYS (composed of 12 CHMs, including honey-fried Mahuang), 200 mL 4 times 
daily; oseltamivir plus MSYS; or no intervention (control). 

Interventions and control were given for 5 days. Measurements: 
Primary outcome was time to fever resolution. Secondary outcomes included symptom scores and viral shedding determined by using real-
time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. 

Results: Significant reductions in the estimated median time to fever resolution compared with the control group (26.0 hours [95% CI, 24.0 to 33.0 hours]) were seen with oseltamivir (34% [95% CI, 20% to 46%]; P<.001), MSYS (37% [CI, 23% to 49%]; P<.001), and oseltamivir plus 
MSYS (47% [CI, 35% to 56%]; P<.001). Time to fever resolution was reduced by 19% (CI, 0.3% to 34%; p=.05) with oseltamivir plus MSYS compared with oseltamivir. The interventions and control did not differ in terms of decrease in symptom scores (p=.38). Two patients who received MSYS reported nausea and vomiting. 

Limitations: Participants were young and had mild H1N1 influenza virus infection. Missing viral data precluded definitive 
CONCLUSIONS about viral 
shedding. 

CONCLUSION: Oseltamivir and MSYS, alone and in combination,
reduced time to fever resolution in patients with H1N1 influenza 
virus infection. These data suggest that MSYS may be used as an alternative treatment of H1N1 influenza virus infection. 

PMID: 21844547 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] 

Treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with CHM by stages combined with chemotherapy.

J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2011 
Jul;137(7):1117-22. Epub 2011 Feb 5. Dept of Oncology, Longhua 
Hospital, Shanghai Univ of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China. xuzhenye1947@163.com 

PURPOSE: To observe the effect of CHM by stages combined with chemotherapy in treating patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) of stage III or IV. 

METHODS: Adopting prospective, randomized, controlled, multi-centered trial design, 121 patients enrolled were assigned to the treatment group (n=65) and the control group (n=56). All the patients were randomized to receive chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy and CHM combined (Kangliu Zengxiao decoction during chemotherapy and Feiyan Ning decoction after chemotherapy). The main outcome measures were survival time, Karnovsky score, main clinical symptoms, and adverse reactions. 

RESULTS: 5 patients discontinued from the trial due to oral 
administration of Iressa after disease progression or other reasons, and 116 patients were evaluable for clinical efficacy with 63 in the treatment group and 53 in the control group. The overall response rate were 15.87% vs. 7.55% (p=.170), and the disease control rate were 85.71% vs. 71.70% in the treatment and control group (p=.063), respectively. The median survival time was 16.2 vs. 12 months in the treatment and control group (p=.165), respectively. In addition, adverse reactions such as leucopenia in the treatment group were less than those in the control group (p=.039). 

CONCLUSIONS: CHM combined with chemotherapy showed favorable effect in improving quality of life and prolonging survival time [Phil's comment: only by 4 months!] on patients with advanced NSCLC. 

PMID: 21298288 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]