OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of intervention of moxa smoke with different concentrations on superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum and lung of male rats, so as to explore the safety concentration of moxa smoke.

METHODSA total of 32 Wistar male rats were randomly divided into a control group, a low-concentration group, a moderate-concentration group and a high-concentration group, 8 rats in each one. All the rats were exposed in the full-automatic toxicant exposure cabinet, and the overshadow of moxa smoke was set at 0%, 10%, 40% and 70%, respectively. Each rat was exposed for 20 min per day. After 26 weeks, the activities of SOD and content of MDA in serum, lung organ and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were tested.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the activities of serum SOD in the high-concentration group were reduced (P< 0. 05), but those in the low-concentration group and moderate-concentration group were not significantly different (both P>0. 05). Compared with the control group, the content of serum MDA in the low-concentration group, moderate-concentration group and high-concentration group was increased insignificantly (all P>0. 05). There were no significant differences regarding activities of SOD and content of MDA in lung organ and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid among each moxa smoke group (all P>0. 05).

CONCLUSIONThere is no obvious toxic reaction in the low-concentration group and moderate-concentration group; in the high-concentration group the antioxidant ability is damaged due to long-term exposure.

Animals ; Artemisia ; chemistry ; Lung ; enzymology ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; metabolism ; Moxibustion ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Smoke ; analysis ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the cost-effectiveness of combining Chinese medicine (CM) with Western medicine (WM) for ischemic stroke patients.

METHODSHospitalization summary reports between 2006 and 2010 from eight hospitals in Beijing were used to analyze the length of stay (LOS), cost per stay (CPS), and outcomes at discharge.

RESULTSAmong 12,009 patients (female, 36.44%; mean age, 69.98±13.06 years old), a substantial number of patients were treated by the WM_Chinese patent medicine (CPM)_Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) (38.90%); followed by the WM_CPM (32.55%), the WM (24.26%), and the WM_CHM (4.15%). With adjustment for confounding variables, LOS of the WM_CPM_CHM group was about 10 days longer than that of the WM group, and about 6 days longer than that of the WM_CPM group or the WM_CHM group (P<0.01); CPS of the WM_CPM_CHM group was United States dollar (USD) 1,288 more than that of the WM group, and about USD 600 more than that of the WM_CPM group or the WM_CHM group (P<0.01). Compared with the WM group, odd ratio (OR) of recovered and improved outcome of the WM_CPM_CHM group was the highest [OR: 12.76, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 9.23, 17.64, P<0.01], OR of death outcome of the WM_CPM_CHM group was the lowest (OR: 0.08, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.12, P<0.01). There was no significant difference between LOS, CPS and OR of the WM_CPM group and those of the WM_CHM group (P>0.05). Cost/effectiveness and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of the WM_CPM_CHM group were robustly higher than those of the WM group.

CONCLUSIONCompared with WM alone, supplementing CPM and CHM to WM provides significant health benefits of improving the chance of recovered and improved outcome, and reducing the death rate, at an expense of longer LOS and higher CPS.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Brain Ischemia ; complications ; drug therapy ; economics ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Decision Trees ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Hospitalization ; economics ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Length of Stay ; Linear Models ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; economics ; Middle Aged ; Patents as Topic ; Risk Factors ; Stroke ; complications ; drug therapy ; economics ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult