Prospective self-controlled trial of the efficacy and tolerability of a herbal syrup for young children with eczema.

Objectives: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is popular as an alternative medicine in children with atopic dermatitis (AD). A concoction of five herbs in a capsular preparation has been confirmed to be efficacious in improving the quality of life and sparing topical corticosteroid usage. We evaluated the clinical efficacy and tolerability of the same concoction in syrup form.

The in vivo and in vitro diabetic wound healing effects of a 2-herb formula and its mechanisms of action.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The herbs Radix Astragali (RA) and Radix Rehmanniae (RR) have long been used in traditional Chinese Medicine and serve as the principal herbs in treating diabetic foot ulcer.

Aim Of Study: Diabetic complications, such as foot ulcer, impose major public health burdens worldwide. In our previous clinical studies, two Chinese medicine formulae F1 and F2 have achieved over 80% limb salvage.

Use of dietary supplements by breast cancer patients undergoing conventional cancer treatment.

Background: Many breast cancer patients use some form of dietary supplement (DS) to complement their conventional cancer treatment, in the hope that they might lessen the side effects of treatment, improve quality of life, give a greater sense of control, and reduce stress. This pilot study assessed the level of DS usage by breast cancer patients undergoing conventional cancer treatment, and their concerns about the use of DS.

Method: A cross-sectional descriptive survey in three breast cancer centers in Hong Kong using face-to-face interviewing was performed.

Randomized controlled trial of patching vs acupuncture for anisometropic amblyopia in children aged 7 to 12 years.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of 2-hour daily patching with the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating anisometropic amblyopia in children aged 7 to 12 years who have worn optimal spectacles for at least 16 weeks.

Methods: In a single-center randomized controlled trial, 88 eligible children with an amblyopic eye who had a best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) of 0.3 to 0.

The known immunologically active components of Astragalus account for only a small proportion of the immunological adjuvant activity when combined with conjugate vaccines.

The 95 % ethanol extract of Astragalus has been demonstrated to have potent activity as an immunological adjuvant when administered with vaccines of various types. We endeavor here to identify the components of this extract that are responsible for this adjuvant activity. Mice were immunized with KLH conjugated to cancer carbohydrate antigens globo H and GD3 and cancer peptide antigen MUC1 combined with different Astragalus fractions or with commercially available Astragalus saponins and flavonoids.

Osteoprotective effects of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi aqueous extract in aged ovariectomized rats.

Background: Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) is a commonly used herb for treating bone disorders in Chinese medicine. The present study investigates the anti-osteoporotic activity of FLL aqueous extract in the model of postmenopausal bone loss in aged ovariectomized (OVX) female rats.

Methods: After eight weeks of treatment of FLL or water, the lumbar spine was scanned by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT).

Ibandronate increases cortical bone density in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus on long-term glucocorticoid.

Introduction: The purpose of this research is to assess the effects of oral ibandronate on bone microarchitecture by using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) taking a long-term glucocorticoid.

Methods: In this double-blind placebo-controlled study, 40 Chinese female SLE patients taking prednisolone were randomly assigned to receive either monthly oral ibandronate (150 mg) or placebo with daily 1-hydroxycholecalciferol (Alfacalcidol; 1 μg) and calcium supplement for 12 months. Assessments of bone microarchitecture by using HR-pQCT and area bone mineral density (aBMD) of the lumbar spine and hip with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were performed at baseline and 12 months.

The effects of intravenous zoledronic acid in Chinese women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of a once-yearly zoledronic acid treatment for Chinese women with postmenopausal osteoporosis in Taiwan and Hong Kong. This post hoc subpopulation analysis, from the Health Outcome and Reduced Incidence with Zoledronic Acid One Yearly Pivotal Fracture Trial, enrolled 323 Chinese women with osteoporosis who were randomly given either annual infusions of zoledronic acid or placebo for 3 consecutive years. The incidence of fractures and changes in bone mineral density (BMD) were measured; adverse events (AEs) and tolerability were recorded and assessed.

Association of SRD5A2 variants and serum androstane-3alpha,17beta-diol glucuronide concentration in Chinese elderly men.

Background: Results of recent studies have demonstrated that genetic variants of the enzyme steroid 5α reductase type II (SRD5A2) are associated with serum concentrations of major androgen metabolites such as conjugates of androstane-3α,17β-diol-glucuronide (3α-diol-G). However, this association was not consistently found among different ethnic groups. Thus, we aimed to determine whether the association with SRD5A2 genetic variations exists in a cohort of healthy Chinese elderly men, by examining 2 metabolite conjugates: androstane-3α,l7β-diol-3-glucuronide (3α-diol-3G) and androstane-3α,17β-diol-17-glucuronide (3α-diol-17G).

Two antifungal components isolated from Fructus Psoraleae and Folium Eucalypti Globuli by bioassay-guided purification.

Fructus Psoraleae and Folium Eucalypti Globuli have long been used as Chinese medicines to treat various ailments such as asthma, eczema and dermatomycosis. In previous studies, their antifungal activities were demonstrated. The aim of the present study was to isolate active antidermatophytic compounds from their ethanolic extracts by means of bioassay-guided purification.

Effects of height loss on morbidity and mortality in 3145 community-dwelling Chinese older women and men: a 5-year prospective study.

Background: height loss beginning in mid-life and post-menopausal period was associated with adverse health outcomes. However, height loss occurring after old age has been little studied. We examined how height loss was related to bone mineral density (BMD) change, fracture incidence and cause-specific mortality in older adults.

Total flavonoid fraction of the Herba epimedii extract suppresses urinary calcium excretion and improves bone properties in ovariectomised mice.

Flavonoids are the active components of Herba epimedii (HEP), a commonly used herb for the management of osteoporosis in China over the centuries. The present study aims to characterise the in vivo effects of its total flavonoid (TF) fraction on bone properties and mineral metabolism as well as to study the mechanism involved in achieving its protective effects against ovariectomy (OVX)-induced bone loss. TF suppressed OVX-induced increase in urinary Ca excretion as well as loss of bone mass and strength at the distal femur in mice in a dose-dependent manner.

Quick identification of apoptosis inducer from Isodon eriocalyx by a drug discovery platform composed of analytical high-speed counter-current chromatography and the fluorescence-based caspase-3 biosensor detection.

Analytical high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC), a unique liquid-to-liquid separation technology, has an inherent capability to provide perfect fractionation for tracking active ingredients of medicinal herbs, in a quick, efficient, and high-recovery manner. A high throughput screening (HTS) method which utilizes a novel biosensor that selectively detects apoptosis based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technique, was newly established and proved to be very sensitive in detecting apoptosis induced by various known anticancer drugs. The first combination of both advanced techniques formed an efficient platform for drug discovery and succeeded in quickly identifying the most potent apoptotic constituent of a Chinese herb namely Isodon eriocalyx.

Aqueous extracts of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi enhance the sensitivity of human colorectal carcinoma DLD-1 cells to doxorubicin-induced apoptosis via Tbx3 suppression.

Chemoresistance has imposed a great challenge for cancer therapy. Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) is one of the commonest Chinese herbs that has been used for thousand years. This study shows that the aqueous extract of FLL (AFLL) enhanced the sensitivity of DLD-1 colon cancer cells to doxorubicin-induced apoptosis.

The efficacy of herbal therapy on quality of life in patients with breast cancer: self-control clinical trial.

Background: Mounting evidence indicates that herbal therapy is effective in alleviating anxiety, lessening cancer treatment-related side-effects, and facilitating rehabilitation. This is the first trial to examine the herbal therapy of combined yunzhi and danshen on quality of life among breast cancer patients.

Methods: A multicenter, longitudinal, and self-control study was used.

Immunostimulatory activities of polysaccharide extract isolated from Curcuma longa.

Several curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids isolated from Curcuma longa (CL) have been shown to have many pharmacological activities. In the present study, the immunomodulatory activities of the polar fractions of CL hot water extracts were investigated using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Our results showed that the high polarity fraction of the hot water extract exhibited stimulatory effects on PBMC proliferation as shown in [methyl-(3)H]-thymidine incorporation assay.

In vitro & in vivo assessment of a herbal formula used topically for bone fracture treatment.

Aim Of The Study: A novel topical paste used for fracture healing (FH), consisting of the extracts of six herbs, Radix Dipsaci, Ramulus Sambucus Williamsii, Rhizoma Notoginseng, Flos Carthami, Rhizoma Rhei and Fructus Gardeniae, was developed according to the classical theory of traditional Chinese medicine. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of this formula, and some of its important chemical components in the promotion of fracture healing. The transdermal transport of FH was also examined.

Periodontal conditions in elderly men with and without osteoporosis or osteopenia.

Background: The purpose of this case-control study is to investigate the periodontal conditions in elderly men with and without osteoporosis or osteopenia and to determine their possible association with periodontal destruction.

Methods: A total of 200 community-dwelling Chinese males (age range: 69 to 78 years; mean ± SD age: 71.9 ± 3.

A semiparametric Bayesian approach for structural equation models.

In the development of structural equation models (SEMs), observed variables are usually assumed to be normally distributed. However, this assumption is likely to be violated in many practical researches. As the non-normality of observed variables in an SEM can be obtained from either non-normal latent variables or non-normal residuals or both, semiparametric modeling with unknown distribution of latent variables or unknown distribution of residuals is needed.

Bone microarchitecture assessment by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus taking corticosteroids.

Objective: We assessed the relationship between vertebral fracture and bone microarchitecture in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) on chronic corticosteroid therapy using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT).

Methods: Fifty-nine Chinese women with SLE taking corticosteroid were selected to participate in a cross-sectional study. Vertebral fracture was confirmed semiquantitatively by lateral radiographs of the thoracic and lumbar spine.

Naringin improves bone properties in ovariectomized mice and exerts oestrogen-like activities in rat osteoblast-like (UMR-106) cells.

Background And Purpose: Naringin, a flavanone glycoside in citrus fruits, has been recently reported to stimulate bone formation in vitro and in vivo. The present study was designed to determine if naringin could exert oestrogen-like protective actions in bone.

Experimental Approach: Young C57/BL6J mice were ovariectomized (OVX) and treated orally with naringin (0.

Bisphosphonates and fractures of the subtrochanteric or diaphyseal femur.

Background: A number of recent case reports and series have identified a subgroup of atypical fractures of the femoral shaft associated with bisphosphonate use. A population-based study did not support this association. Such a relationship has not been examined in randomized trials.

Icariin protects against bone loss induced by oestrogen deficiency and activates oestrogen receptor-dependent osteoblastic functions in UMR 106 cells.

Background And Purpose: Icariin may be the active ingredient in Herba Epimedii, a Chinese herb commonly used for treatment of osteoporosis. The present study aims to delineate the mechanism(s) by which icariin prevents bone loss after ovariectomy (OVX) in vivo and stimulates osteoblastic functions in vitro.

Experimental Approach: Ovariectomized or sham-operated C57BL/6 mice were treated with vehicle, 17beta-oestradiol or icariin for 6 weeks.