ObjectiveTo observe the effect of extract of ginkgo biloba(EGB) on cytokine levels and clinical efficacy of patients with asthma.Methods A prospective randomized control trial was conducted. 112 patients with asthma in Department of Respiratory Medicine of Affiliated Hospital of Hebei Union University were enrolled. The patients were divided into ginkgo lamina group(58 cases) and conventional therapy group(54 cases) by random number table.According to the Global Initiative for Asthma(GINA) Prevention and Treatment, both groups received conventional therapy, and in addition, every patient in ginkgo lamina group took 2 tablets once of EGB(40 mg/tablet) orally, 3 times a day for 2 weeks. The radioimmunoassay was used to detect the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukins(IL-6, IL-8, IL-10) in patients of two groups before and after treatment, and the changes of pulmonary functions were observed.Results After treatment, serum IL-6,IL-8 and TNF-α were significantly decreased and IL-10 was increased in patients of both groups, the above changes of indexes in ginkgo lamina group being more obvious compared with those in conventional therapy group〔IL-6(μg/L): 0.15±0.05 vs. 0.23±0.12, IL-8 (μg/L): 0.51±0.24 vs. 1.42±0.54, IL-10(μg/L): 69.18±13.12 vs. 32.61±12.51, TNF-α(μg/L): 1.35±0.59 vs. 2.14±1.52,allP<0.05〕. After treatment, the pulmonary function indexes of patients in the two groups were increased obviously, and the increase in ginkgo biloba group being more significant compared with that in conventional therapy group〔percentage of 1 second forced expiratory volume/predicted value(FEV1%):(68.12±0.38)% vs. (55.32±0.24)%, FEV1/forced vital capacity(FEV1/FVC):(71.32±0.59)% vs.(56.56±0.42)%, percentage of peak expiratory flow rate/predicted value(PEF%):(63.28±0.24)% vs.(52.14±0.24)%, allP<0.05〕. ConclusionGinkgo biloba may improve the airway inflammation in patients with asthma by affecting the levels of serum IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-α.

OBJECTIVE To explore the safety， effectiveness， and cost-effectiveness of elderly patients with sarcopenia receiving Shenling baizhu powder combined with nutrition and exercise intervention， providing a reference for rational clinical drug use. METHODS A total of 237 elderly sarcopenia patients were randomly assigned to an observation group （118 cases） and a control group （119 cases）. Both groups of patients received nutrition and exercise intervention； the observation group added Shenling baizhu powder （6 g each time， three times daily） on this basis. The safety， effectiveness， and cost-effectiveness of the two plans were compared after 3 months. RESULTS Both groups of patients completed the follow-up. Before intervention， no significant difference was observed in skeletal muscle index （SMI）， grip strength， and 6-minute walk test （6MWT） speed between the two groups （P＞0.05）. After intervention， the grip strength of the patients in the observation group was significantly greater than that of the control group （25.05 kg vs. 23.18 kg， P＜0.01）； the treatment response rate of sarcopenia， SMI， and 6MWT speed were higher than those of the control group， butthe differences were not statistically significant （P＞0.05）. The adverse reaction/event rate of the patients in the observation group was lower than that of the control group （14.41% vs. 16.81%， P＝0.611）， but the difference was not statistically significant. Compared with the control group’s plan， the cost of the observation group’s plan was higher （981.25 yuan vs. 913.94 yuan）， and the effect was better （effectiveness rate： 0.618 6 vs. 0.563 0）， with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 1 210.61 yuan. The results of the sensitivity analysis were consistent with the cost-effectiveness analysis results. CONCLUSION Elderly patients with sarcopenia who receive Shenling baizhu powder combined with nutrition and exercise intervention can significantly strengthen grip strength without increasing the incidence of adverse reactions/events. Compared with the control group plan， the observation group needs to spend an additional 1 210.61 yuan for each additional effective patient with sarcopenia.