Qingda Granule Attenuates Hypertension-Induced Cardiac Damage via Regulating Renin-Angiotensin System Pathway.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of Qingda Granule (QDG) in ameliorating hypertension-induced cardiac damage and investigate the underlying mechanisms involved.

Methods: Twenty spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were used to develope a hypertension-induced cardiac damage model. Another 10 Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were used as normotension group.

Charlson Comorbidity Index is correlated with all-cause readmission within six months in patients with heart failure: a retrospective cohort study in China.

Background: Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) is positively associated with all-cause readmission in patients with heart failure (HF) in western countries. However, there is a scarcity of strong scientific evidence supporting the correlation in China. This study aimed at testing this hypothesis in Chinese.

The efficacy of Yiqi Huoxue method in treating coronary artery disease after percutaneous coronary intervention: A meta-analysis in accordance with PRISMA guideline.

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the most common method in treating coronary artery disease (CAD), has a variety of side effects. Yiqi Huoxue therapy (YQHX) can effectively alleviate the symptoms of patients and reduce the side effects. However, a reliable and systematic assessment of the methodologies is not available.

The efficacy of Yiqi Huoxue therapy for chronic heart failure: A meta-analysis in accordance with PRISMA guideline.

Background: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is the final destination of most cardiovascular diseases and the most important cause of death. The main clinical manifestations were pulmonary congestion and decreased cardiac output. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the effectiveness of Yiqi Huoxue therapy on CHF.

Hypermethylation Effects of Yiqihuoxue Decoction in Diabetic Atherosclerosis Using Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Analyses.

Purpose: To investigate if a traditional Chinese medicine formulation, called "Yiqihuoxue" (YQHX), could improve diabetic atherosclerosis (DA) and explore potential mechanisms based on DNA methylation.

Methods: Apolipoprotein E-knockout mice were administered streptozotocin (50 mg/d, i.p.

Exploratory study on the safety and effectiveness of Yizhi Qingxin Decoction (capsules) in the treatment of hypertension in the elderly with mild cognitive impairment (deficiency of kidney essence syndrome).

Background: Hypertension in the elderly with cognitive impairment has been one of the global health issues. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the state of transition between the normal aging process and cognitive changes of unformed dementia. Diagnosis and treatment of MCI are the keys to prevent dementia, and hypertension is one of the important influencing factors of MCI.

Network Pharmacology-Based Exploration of Synergistic Mechanism of Guanxin II Formula (II) for Coronary Heart Disease.

Objective: To study the pharmacological mechanism of Guanxin II formula (II) for treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods: A network pharmacology-based method was utilized. First candidate compounds, targets of GX II were collected using PharmMapper, BATMAN-TCM, DrugBank and SwissTargetPrediction, and targets on CHD were mined from GeneCards, DisGenet, DrugBank and GEO.

Efficacy and safety of Xinnaoning capsule in treating chronic stable angina (qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome): Study protocol for a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Chronic stable angina (CSA) is a cardiovascular disease with high prevalence. At present, drug treatment is still the main measure of stable angina pectoris. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history in the treatment of CSA.

In the human sperm nucleus, nucleosomes form spatially restricted domains consistent with programmed nucleosome positioning.

In human sperm, a fraction of its chromatin retains nucleosomes that are positioned on specific sequences containing genes and regulatory units essential for embryonic development. This nucleosome positioning (NP) feature provides an inherited epigenetic mark for sperm. However, it is not known whether there is a structural constraint for these nucleosomes and, if so, how they are localized in a three-dimensional (3D) context of the sperm nucleus.

Oral Chinese Herbal Medicine for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Meta-Analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of oral Chinese herbal medicine (OCHM) for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

Methods: PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Cochrane Library, Chinese Biological Medicine Database (CBM), Wanfang Database, Chongqing VIP Information (VIP) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched for appropriate articles from respective inceptions until June 3, 2018. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effectiveness of OCHM for the patients with HFpEF were eligible.

Effect of tetramethylpyrazine and hyperlipidemia on hepcidin homeostasis in mice.

Iron homeostasis is strictly regulated in mammals, and disordered iron metabolism is recognized as a risk factor for various diseases, including cardiovascular disease. The hepcidin‑ferroportin axis is the key signaling mechanism that controls systemic iron homeostasis. Increased serum hepcidin is associated with multiple types of cancer and atherosclerosis (AS), and therapeutics that decrease hepcidin levels have been proposed to treat these diseases.

Chinese Medicine for Alzheimer's Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Objective: To evaluate the effificacy of oral Chinese medicine (CM) in comparison with donepezil, a cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEI), for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been searched, and the effect of CM compared with donepezil in AD has been investigated. An electronic search of MEDLINE, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Cochrane Library, Chinese Biological Medicine Database (CBMdisc), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) to identify articles in English and Chinese from the inception of the database until October 18, 2015.

Clinical applicability of monitoring pulmonary artery blood flow acceleration time variations in monitoring fetal pulmonary artery pressure.

Background: In recent years, pulmonary artery blood flow acceleration time (AT) has been believed to be applicable in the examination of fetal lung development.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the clinical significance of pulmonary artery blood flow AT as a parameter in monitoring of fetal pulmonary artery pressure.

Material And Methods: A total of 31 fetuses in midor late-term pregnancy with tricuspid regurgitation were set as the study group (congenital heart disease with a tricuspid regurgitation pressure difference of more than 20 mm Hg was excluded).

Effects of Zhizi Chuanxiong Capsule () on the Abnormal Methylation in Rabbits with Atherosclerosis.

Objective: To investigate the effects of Zhizi Chuanxiong Capsule (ZCC, ) on abnormal DNA methylation in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis (AS).

Methods: After 1 week of adaptive feeding, 48 New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups: a control group (n=12) fed with normal diet for 22 weeks; a model group (n=12) fed with high fat diet for 14 weeks followed by 8 weeks of normal diet feeding; a low-dose ZCC group (n=12) fed with high fat diet and low-dose ZCC for 14 weeks, followed by 8 weeks of normal diet and low-dose drug; a high-dose ZCC group (n=12) fed with high fat diet and high-dose drug for 14 weeks, followed by 8 weeks of normal diet and high-dose drug. After 22 weeks of feeding, blood samples were taken from the rabbit ear vein, and the genomic DNA was extracted for methylation immunoprecipitation sequencing (Medip-seq).

Effect of Qinghuang Powder () Combined with Bupi Yishen Decoction () in Treating Patients with Refractory Cytopenia with Multilineage Dysplasia through Regulating DNA Methylation.

Objective: To explore the effect of Qinghuang Powder (QHP,()combined with Bupi Yishen Decoction (BPYS, ) on myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients with refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia (RCMD) and determine the change of DNA methylation in MDS-RCMD patients after the treatment of Chinese medicine formula.

Methods: All 308 MDS-RCMD patients were treated with QHP combined with BPYS for 2 months at least, absolute neutrophil count (ANC), hemoglobin (Hb), platelets (PLT), primitive bone marrow cells and chromosome karyotype were chosen as the main evaluation indexes to analyze the treatment effect according to criteria from the MDS International Working Group. Then 43 bone marrow samples from 15 MDS-RCMD patients and 28 healthy donors were obtained for the examination of DNA methylation.

Protective effects of Xiongshao Capsule () on anti-inflammatory function of high-density lipoprotein in an atherosclerosis rabbit model.

Objective: To observe the effects of Xiongshao Capsule (, XSC) on anti-inflflammatory properties of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and paraoxonase 1 (PON1) in serum of atherosclerosis (AS) rabbit model and explore the anti-inflflammatory protective effects of XSC on HDL.

Methods: Sixty rabbits were randomized into the control, the model, XSC low-, medium- and high-dose (Rhizoma Chuanxiong + Radix Paeoniae rubra: 0.6+0.

A multicenter, randomized, double-blind clinical study on Wufuxinnaoqing Soft Capsule () in treatment of chronic stable angina patients with blood stasis syndrome.

Objective: To confirm the efficacy and safety of Wufuxinnaoqing Soft Capsule (, WSC) in the treatment of chronic stable angina (blood stasis syndrome).

Methods: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with superiority test was designed. A total of 240 patients with chronic stable angina (blood stasis syndrome) from multiple centers were randomly and equally assigned to the treatment group and the control group.

Embryo selection strategy in sibling oocytes: a novel approach to measuring the likelihood of single‑embryo transfer using a mouse embryo transfer model.

The present study investigated the effect of embryo transfer on post-implantation development using different fertilization approaches in sibling oocyte procedures. C57BL/6, DBA/2, C3H/HeJ and ICR mice were used at 8-10 weeks of age. Mature oocytes were collected, divided into two groups and fertilized using in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

SNAI1 overexpression induces stemness and promotes ovarian cancer cell invasion and metastasis.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer among women worldwide. Detection of metastasis of ovarian cancer is crucial for diagnosis and prolongs the life of patients. This study focused on whether SNAI1 overexpression relates to invasion of ovarian cancer in vitro and in vivo.

[Effects of xinluotong tablet on stable coronary heart disease angina: a randomized controlled trial].

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Xinluotong Tablet (XLTT, with actions of benefiting qi, activating blood, and supplementing Shen) in treatment of stable coronary heart disease angina patients of qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome.

Methods: 240 stable coronary heart disease angina patients of qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome were randomly assigned to the trial group and the control group, 120 in each group. The trial group was treated with XLTT, four tablets each time, three times a day, while the control group was treated with Yangxinshi Tablet (YXST), three tablets each time, three times a day.