Sai-Luo-Tong (SLT) is a compound preparation composed of ginseng, ginkgo and saffron for the treatment of vascular dementia. In order to identify its material foundation and provide evidence for therapeutic regimen, the plasma concentration, pharmacokinetics and brain distribution of ginkgolides were investigated after intragastric ad-ministration of SLT. An LC-MS/MS method was developed for the determination of 4 ginkgolides in rat plasma and brain simultaneously. Statistical analysis of obtained data demonstrated that the method had achieved the desired lin-earity, precision, accuracy and sensitivity. The results showed that after administration of SLT at the dose of 60 mg·kg-1, 4 ginkgolides were all absorbed into systemic circulation with AUC value in the order of bilobalide B (BB) >ginkgolide A (GA) > ginkgolide B (GB) > ginkgolide C (GC). All ginkgolides exhibited short half lives less than 2.8 h among which BB showed the shortest t1/2 of 1.61 h. The determination of brain distribution at different time after dos-ing revealed ginkgolides entered into brain promptly dominated by GA and BB. The concentrations of 4 ginkgolides in brain were much lower than these in plasma and declined along with time rapidly. It was concluded that ginkgolides can be absorbed in blood and penetrated into brain rapidly. GA, BB and GB might be main components which effect both periphery and brain collectively by means of their specific mechanism to achieve the therapeutic efficacy on vascular dementia of SLT.

Objective:Cupping as a traditional therapy is used to treat a myriad of health con-ditions,including pain.This systematic review assessed the effectiveness and safety of cupping for different types of pain.Methods:Thirteen databases and four trial registries were searched for randomized clinical trials.Meta-analysis of data was conducted if there was non-significant clinical and statistical heterogeneity (measured by I2 test) among trials.Results:Sixteen trials with 921 participants were eligible and included.Six trials were assessed as low risk of bias,another six trials were of unclear risk of bias,and the remaining four trials were of high risk of bias.Pain was related to three acute and seven chronic diseases.Meta-analysis showed a beneficial effect of cupping compared to wait-list control (visual analogue scale (VAS),MD-1.85 cm,95％Cl-2.66 to-1.04) and heat therapy (numerical rating scale,MD-2.05 cm,95％CI-2.93 to-1.17).Cupping combined with acupuncture was superior to acupuncture alone on post-treatment pain intensity (VAS,MD-1.18 cm,95％CI-1.68 to-0.68),however,no difference was found between this comparison based on changes in pain intensity (difference of VAS,MD 0.16 cm,95％CI-0.54 to 0.87).Results from other single studies showed significant benefit of cupping compared with conventional drugs or usual care.Hematoma and pain at the treated site,increasing local pain or tingling were reported as mild adverse effects of cupping.Conclusion:This review suggests a potential positive short-term effect of cupping therapy on reducing pain intensity compared with no treatment,heat therapy,usual care,or conventional drugs.