OBJECTIVEAnimal studies have demonstrated a lipid-modulating effect of yun-cai tea. However, little is known about the lipid-lowering effect in humans.The aim of this study was to evaluate the lipid lowering effects and safety of yun-cai tea in patients with elevated lipid levels in a human clinical trial.

METHODSThis was a 12-week, randomly assigned, parallel-group, double-blind, and placebo-controlled pilot clinical study. Sixty primary hyperlipidemia patients were included and randomly assigned to the yun-cai tea group (30 patients) and the placebo group (30 patients), for 8 weeks of treatment and 4 weeks of follow-up. The primary endpoint was changes in plasma low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) at 8 weeks. The secondary endpoints included total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG).

RESULTSOur results revealed no statistically signifificant differences in LDL-C and TC between the two groups. Despite the lack of a statistically signifificant difference in the level of TG between the two groups, a declining trend was noted. A signifificant reduction of TG was observed in the yun-cai tea group at week 8, compared to baseline (P=0.048). The incidence of stomach discomfort, gastroesophageal reflfl ux, diarrhea, and constipation was slightly higher in the yun-cai tea group. No other signifificant adverse events were found.

CONCLUSIONIt is unlikely that yun-cai tea used had a blood lipid reduction effect. Further larger scale clinical trials with a longer duration and larger dose are necessary.

Adult ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; drug therapy ; Hypolipidemic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Placebos

No abstract available.
Aneurysm ; Coronary Vessels ; Fistula ; Heart ; Heart Failure

Carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) is a fatal complication of head and neck cancer. Endovascular treatment, particularly deconstructive embolization, is effective for CBS, but it might result in thromboembolic events. We report the case of a 57-year-old man with underlying recurrent head and neck cancer who had CBS. The patient received endovascular embolization of the right internal, external, and common carotid arteries. Right internal carotid artery to middle cerebral artery embolic occlusion was noted immediately after the procedure, and left-sided weakness and facial palsy were found. Ipsilateral suprabulbar cervical internal carotid artery puncture was performed under fluoroscopic guidance, and rescue suction thrombectomy was successful. The patient had no significant neurological sequela. Transcarotid intraarterial thrombectomy is a reasonable method for managing postembolization large vessel occlusion, even in the neck, after irradiation.

Background:Reports on the aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G (AQP4-IgG) status for cognitive performance and neuroimaging correlations are limited in neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis (MS) literature. Methods: Cognitive results of 19 MS and 15 NMO patients were compared with 47 agematched controls. Apparent diffusion coeffi cient (ADC) values were used to delineate gray matter and white matter damages and correlate with neuropsychological results. Results: Verbal memory test showed signifi cant differences between MS and NMO in the late registration, early and delay recall (p<0.05), while their retention rates were even. In MS, ADC values were signifi cantly elevated in the dorsolateral prefrontal and occipital gray matter which was in contrast with NMO group that showed elevation in the dorsolateral prefrontal gray matter and parieto-occcipital white matter. AQP4-IgG status exerted a limited effect on ADC values and neuropsychological results. Conclusions: Verbal memory test might be helpful in differentiating NMO and MS. ADC values can be used as a surrogate marker for tissue injury in NMO and MS since they were in line with the cognition scores. Anatomical regions with elevated ADC values were different in NMO and MS.

Excessive tortuosity is a notable cause of failed endovascular thrombectomy for acute large-vessel occlusion stroke. Transcervical access (TCA) is a commonly proposed solution for overcoming this difficulty. However, the large-bore catheter usually used in TCA increases the risk of serious local complications. This paper presents a modified technique for TCA that uses a pull-through buddy wire (PTBW) to track a large-bore femoral guiding sheath (GS) into the carotid artery via a small carotid puncture site. The carotid puncture site can be easily managed through gentle manual compression. Two illustrative cases using this technique to deal with a large aortic arch and tortuous left common carotid artery are reported. In both cases, recanalization was achieved after successful GS placement. Using a PTBW is feasible in TCA.