Bench to bed evidences for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions involving oseltamivir and chinese medicine.

Oseltamivir (OA), an ethyl ester prodrug of oseltamivir carboxylate (OC), is clinically used as a potent and selective inhibitor of neuraminidase. Chinese medicines have been advocated to combine with conventional drug for avian influenza. The current study aims to investigate the potential pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions of a Chinese medicine formula, namely, Yin Qiao San and Sang Ju Yin (CMF1), commonly used for anti-influenza in combination with OA in both rat and human, and to reveal the underlined mechanisms.

Aconite poisoning over 5 years: a case series in Hong Kong and lessons towards herbal safety.

Background: Aconite poisoning is a severe, life-threatening poisoning related to the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Despite current legislation, repeated poisoning cases are steadily encountered.

Objective: The aim of the study was to summarize the clinical features and to elucidate the causative and contributory factors leading to aconite poisoning.

Causality assessment of herb-induced liver injury using multidisciplinary approach and Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (RUCAM).

Objective: To evaluate an algorithmic approach involving a multidisciplinary team for causality assessment of suspected herb-induced liver injury (HILI) cases and to compare the causality score using this multidisciplinary approach and Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (RUCAM).

Methods: A team consisting of hepatologist, clinical toxicologist, analytical toxicologist, and Chinese medicine (CM) pharmacist was formed to do causality assessment based on a protocol for suspected HILI cases. The likelihood of the diagnosis of individual case was first assessed systematically by a hepatologist and clinical toxicologist independently after collecting information about four aspects: (1) clinical course, (2) exclusion of alternative causes, (3) quality of the prescription and herbal product by examining the CM prescriptions and analysis of biological and herb samples, (4) scientific support on comprehensive literature review on English and Chinese medical database, and subsequently concluded in a consensus meeting held by the multidisciplinary team.

Adjuvant phytotherapy in the treatment of cervical cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Clinical trials have investigated phytotherapy (PT) in the treatment of cervical cancer. This study aimed to assess the quality and data of current available trials, to compare the efficacy and safety of conventional therapies (CT) including surgical therapy, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy with that of CT plus PT (CT-PT), and to identify herbs used commonly in clinical trials.

Methods: Forty-three (43) electronic databases were searched.

Liver injury associated with the use of Fructus Psoraleae (Bol-gol-zhee or Bu-gu-zhi) and its related proprietary medicine.

Fructus Psoraleae (FP) is used by herbalists for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, vitiligo, and psoriasis. It is used alone, or in combination with other herbs, in some countries in the form of proprietary medicine. It is recognized as one of the emerging hepatotoxins and here we report three cases of acute hepatitis after exposed to FP and its related proprietary medicine.