Objective To observe the effect of Sini decoction on inflammatory response and immune function in septic rats and to discuss its possible mechanism.Methods 66 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into normal control group (n=6),model group (n=30),and Sini decoction group (n=30).Septic model was reproduced by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS,5 mg/kg).After the reproduction of sepsis,rats in Sini decoction group received Sini decoction (5 g/kg) by gavage,while those in model group were given equal dose of normal saline in the same way.Rats in normal control group did not receive any treatment.Blood was collected via eye sockets at 2,12,24,48,72 hours after LPS administration,then the rats were sacrificed.The concentrations of inflammatory mediators,such as interleukin (IL-1,IL-6,IL-10),tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α),and the expression level of monocyte human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR) were determined with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA),and the pathological changes in intestinal mucosa were observed under electron microscope.Results The concentration of IL-1 (ng/L) at 2 hours in model group was gradually increased and peaked at 48 hours (4.07 ± 0.10),and then gradually decreased,while the IL-1 level in Sini decoction group peaked at 12 hours (2.98 ± 0.12) followed by a gradual decrease.IL-6 (ng/L) in model and Sini decoction groups peaked twice at 12 hours (91.39 ± 1.55,73.00 ± 2.38) and 48 hours (82.51 ± 1.49,64.68 ± 1.68) respectively.IL-10 (ng/L) in model group gradually decreased after peaking at 2 hours (86.66 ± 6.12),and that in Sini decoction decreased at 12 hours (71.61 ± 2.35) followed by an increasing tendency,and approached normal level at 48 hours (109.09 ±4.77 vs.124.01 ± 7.89,P＞0.05).TNF-α (ng/L) in model group was gradually increased and peaked at 48 hours (83.37 ±3.79),and that in Sini decoction peaked at 12 hours (48.52 ± 1.21),and decreased to normal level at 72 hours (18.59 ± 1.97 vs.15.50 ± 2.68,P＞0.05).During the course of the experiment,as compared with those of the model group,level of IL-1,IL-6,and TNF-α were significantly lower at all time points in Sini decoction group,and IL-10was significantly higher.The expression level of HLA-DR (μg/L) in model and Sini decoction groups peaked at 2 hours (4.86 ± 0.15,4.85 ± 0.17),and then gradually lowered.HLA-DR expression μg/L) at 48 hours and 72 hours in Sini decoction group was significantly lower than that in model group (48 hours:4.21 ± 0.12 vs.2.74 ± 0.16,72 hours:3.80 ± 0.09 vs.2.27 ± 0.12,both P＜0.01).Pathological study of intestinal mucosa showed that the intestinal mucosa were infiltrated significandy by inflammatory cells,and villi were damaged severely in both model group and Sini decoction group at 2 hours after LPS challenge.Infiltration of inflammatory cells in Sini decoction group was less intense after 12 hours,and the intestine villi repair was more obvious compared with model group.Conclusion Sini decoction could regulate systemic inflammatory response,and promote the repair of intestinal mucosa,the intestinal function and the immune status of septic rats.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the protective effect of Xuebijing injection against renal injury in patients with sepsis, and to explore its possible mechanism.Methods A prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in which 62 severe patients with sepsis and septic shock admitted in Department of Critical Care Medicine of Jiangsu Province Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from June 2013 to December 2013 were randomly divided into control group and Xuebijing group, with 31 patients in each group. The patients in both groups received basic treatment for sepsis, and the patients in Xuebijing group were additionally given intravenous injection of Xuebijing 100 mL once a day for 7 days. In both groups, the changes in acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ (APACHEⅡ) score were observed before treatment and 1, 3, 7 days after treatment, and the changes in the levels of interleukins (IL-6, IL-10), prothrombin time (PT), fibrinogen (Fib), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), serum creatinine (SCr), and Cystain C (Cys C) were determined before treatment and 1 day and 3 days after treatment.Results There was no statistically significant difference in APACHEⅡ score before treatment between two groups, however, the APACHEⅡ scores were significantly decreased in both groups 3 days and 7 days after treatment compared with those before treatment, and the degree of decrease in Xuebijing group was more obvious 7 days after treatment (13.61±7.62 vs. 16.34±8.70,P< 0.05). Serum concentrations of Cys C, SCr, IL-6, IL-10, PT, APTT, and Fib showed no difference between two groups before treatment (allP> 0.05), while after treatment the degrees of improvement of above indexes in Xuebijing group were obviously superior to those in control group, especially 3 days after treatment[Cys C (mg/L):1.12±0.11 vs. 1.35±0.14, SCr (μmol/L): 115.0±31.0 vs. 135.0±24.0, IL-6 (ng/L): 54.27±28.79 vs. 73.35±31.01,PT (s): 13.50±0.11 vs. 15.71±0.11, APTT (s): 43.66±0.31 vs. 48.03±0.55, Fib (g/L): 1.91±0.51 vs. 1.51±0.52, P< 0.05 orP< 0.01].ConclusionXuebijing injection has certain renal protective effect in patients with sepsis, and its mechanism is possibly related to the regulation and improvement of uncontrolled inflammatory response and coagulation function in sepsis.

Objective To confirm the effects of statin therapy on mortality of patients with acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS). Methods PubMed/Medline, Embase, Web of Science andCochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for articles using the terms acute lung injury, ALI,acute respiratory distress syndrome, ARDS, statin, simvastatin and rosuvastatin updated to November 17,2015. Randomized controlled trial (RCT) or observational cohort studies investigating the effects of statin therapy onmortality in patients with ALI or ARDS were all identified, without date or language restriction. The control group wasgiven conventional treatment, while the experimental group was treated with statins additionally. The primary outcomewas in-hospital mortality. Meanwhile, ventilator-free day, intensive care unit (ICU)-free day, ICU length of stay (LOS)and ICU mortality were also analyzed. RevMan 5.2 and STATA 13 software were used for systematic review and Metaanalysis, and funnel plot was used to analyze the publication bias. Results A total of five trials including threerandomized controlled trials and two observational studies were included. Among 1636 patients enrolled in the study,there were 739 patients in experimental group, and 897 in control group. It was shown by Meta analysis that there was nosignificant difference in in-hospital mortality between experimental group and control group [relative risk (RR) = 0.96,95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 0.79-1.15, P = 0.63]. The subgroup analysis based on RCT and cohort study, or thesubgroup analysis of different statins showed that there was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality betweenthe experimental group and the control group (both P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in ventilator-freedays [mean difference (MD) = 1.41, 95%CI = -0.32-3.13, P = 0.11], ICU-free days (MD = -0.23, 95%CI = -1.61-1.15,P = 0.75), ICU length of stay (MD = -1.03, 95%CI = -6.55-4.50, P = 0.72), or ICU mortality (RR = 0.88, 95%CI =0.68-1.14, P = 0.33) between the experimental group and the control group. It was shown by funnel plot that there was nopublication bias in in-hospital mortality. Conclusion The systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that statin may not be associated with a significant reduction in mortality, ventilator-free day, ICU-free day and ICU length of stayin patients with ALI/ARDS.

To provide a support to the clinical application of alendronate (Alen) on cytology, we studied the effects of Alen on the function of osteoblasts. In this experiment, we observed the influence of MG63 cell line co-incubation with Alen at concentrations of 1 x 10(-9) mol/L, 1 x 10(-7) mol/L or 1 x 10(-5) mol/L on the osteoblastic function (proliferation, cell morphology, alkali phosphatase (ALP) activity, expression of type I collagen and effect of calcium deposition). The proliferation, cell morphology, ALP activity and type I collagen synthesis of MG63 were not affected by Alen at concentration of 1 x 10(-9) mol/L and 1 x 10(-7) mol/L, but the ALP activity as well as type I collagen production were promoted at higher concentration (1 x 10(-5) mol/L). The calcium deposition of MG63 could be increased at the lower concentration (1 x 10(-9) mol/L), while it was inhibited at the higher concentration. In conclusion, Alen at low concentration can promote the mineralization ability of osteoblasts to a certain extent, and this benefits the bone formation.
Alendronate ; pharmacology ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; metabolism ; Bone Density Conservation Agents ; pharmacology ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Collagen Type I ; metabolism ; Humans ; Osteoblasts ; cytology ; Osteogenesis ; drug effects

Objective To assess the effectiveness of pre-hospital therapeutic hypothermia after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) for survival and neuro-protection.Methods Databases such as Medline, ScienceDirect, Embase, Highwire, Cochrane Library, CNKI and Wanfang digital database were searched from January 2000 to March 2017 to retrieve randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on pre-hospital therapeutic hypothermia after OHCA. Thereafter, the studies retrieved were screened based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted and the quality of the included studies was evaluated. A Meta-analysis was performed using the Cochrane Collaboration RevMan 4.3 software. Analysis of publication bias was depicted by funnel plot.Results Eight studies involving 3555 cases were included, among which 1804 cases were assigned to the treatment group and 1751 cases to the control group. Meta-analysis showed that compared with in-hospital therapeutic hypothermia, pre-hospital therapeutic hypothermia did not improve the survival rate of patients with OHCA [odds ratio (OR) = 1.00, 95％ confidence interval (95％CI) =0.85-1.18,P = 0.99], and neurological outcome at hospital discharge (OR = 0.97, 95％CI = 0.80-1.16,P = 0.71), but the body temperature was significantly lowered at admission [weighted mean difference (SMD) = -0.88, 95％CI = -1.03 to-0.73,P < 0.00001]. The funnel plot suggested that there was no publication bias in the 8 studies. But due to the low number of studies, the publication bias could not be completely excluded.Conclusion Pre-hospital therapeutic hypothermia after OHCA can decrease temperature at hospital admission, but cannot increase the survival rate and neurological outcome at hospital discharge.

Objective To investigate the effect of Qingfeihuayutongfu prescription on oxygenation and pulmonary fibrosis in patients with sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods A prospective randomized controlled trial was performed. Patients with moderate to severe ARDS admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from July 2015 to February 2017 were enrolled, and randomly divided into Qingfeihuayutongfu prescription group (observation group, 200 mL of Qingfeihuayutongfu prescription was given through nasal feeding on the first day after admission, one dose per day for 7 days) and placebo control group. Routine treatment of ARDS in both groups was the same. The oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2), levels of serum procollagen Ⅲ (PC Ⅲ) and prolidase (PLD) were measured at 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28 days after treatment, duration of mechanical ventilation, the length of ICU stay and 60-day survival rate were recorded. Results A total of 32 patients with ARDS were selected, with 16 in each group, and their baseline data were balanced and comparable. As time went on, PaO2/FiO2in both groups was decreased gradually, and serum levels of PC Ⅲand PLD were increased gradually. Compared with placebo control group, PaO2/FiO2was significantly increased at 14 days and 28 days after treatment in observation group [mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa): 185.81±65.07 vs. 137.19±55.72, 250.56±102.72 vs. 178.25±80.97, both P < 0.05], the levels of serum PC Ⅲ were significantly decreased at 14 days and 28 days after treatment (μmol/L: 197.13±26.61 vs. 240.81±45.27, 169.06±36.34 vs. 234.75±46.30, both P < 0.01), the levels of serum PLD was significantly decreased at 28 days after treatment (U/L: 1 166.31±304.84 vs. 1 468.81±387.65, P < 0.05), duration of mechanical ventilation (days: 18.20±5.20 vs. 23.38±7.57) and the length of ICU stay (days: 23.7±5.7 vs. 31.0±7.9 ) were significantly shortened (both P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the 60-day survival rate between the observation group and placebo control group [81.25% (13/16) vs. 68.75% (11/16), χ2= 0.667, P = 0.505]. Conclusion The Qingfeihuayutongfu prescription may improve oxygenation of ARDS patients, reduce the levels of serum PC Ⅲ and PLD, and inhibit pulmonary fibrosis, thus improve prognosis.

Objective To systematically review the effect of Qingre Jiedu and Liangxue Sanyu method in patients with sepsis,and to discuss its effect in the treatment of sepsis.Methods The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the treatment of Qingre Jiedu and Liangxue Sanyu method for sepsis published on PubMed,Embase,Web of Science,CNKI and Wanfang database from the construction to December 31st,2017 were searched by electronical way.Conventional treatment measures for sepsis,such as fluid resuscitation,maintenance of hemodynamic stability,anti-infection,improvement of tissue perfusion,maintenance of organ function and nutritional support were used in the control group.While traditional Chinese medicine treatment based on Qingre Jiedu and Liangxue Sanyu method were applied in the experimental group besides the conventional treatment,including Chinese patent medicine or Chinese herbal medicine.The main outcome was 28-day mortality,and the second outcome was acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ),coagulation function,inflammatory mediators,procalcitonin (PCT),lactic acid (Lac),and the length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay.Two researchers independently searched literatures,collected data and evaluated risk bias.The statistical analysis was completed by RevMan 5.3 and STATA 13.0 software.The funnel plot and Egger test were used to evaluate the potential publication bias of the main outcomes.Results A total of 20 RCTs were enrolled in this Meta-analysis,including 1 347 patients,with 667 patients in the control group and 680 patients in the experimental group.Comprehensive risk bias assessment showed that the risk bias of 11 RCT items was unknown,and the risk bias of 9 RCT items was high.Meta-analysis results showed that compared with the control group,the 28-day mortality of the experimental group was significantly lowered [relative risk (RR) =0.54,95％ confidence interval (95％CI) =0.45-0.65,P ＜ 0.00001],the 7-day APACHE Ⅱ score was significantly lowered [mean difference (MD) =-3.86,95％CI =-4.82 to-2.90,P ＜ 0.00001],the 7-day prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) were significantly shortened (PT:MD =-1.72,95％CI =-2.29 to-1.14,P ＜ 0.00001;APTT:MD =-4.36,95％CI =-5.81 to-2.91,P ＜ 0.000 01),the 7-day D-dimer was slightly improved (MD =-0.13,95％CI =-0.37-0.11,P =0.29),the 10-day interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were significantly decreased (IL-6:MD =-40.33,95％CI =-59.55 to-21.11,P ＜ 0.000 1;TNF-α:MD =-7.26,95％CI =-11.31 to-3.21,P =0.000 4),the 7-day Lac was significantly declined (MD =-1.30,95％CI =-1.91 to-0.68,P ＜ 0.000 1),but no significance in PCT (MD =-1.57,95％CI =-3.25-0.11,P =0.07) or the length of ICU stay (MD =-4.02,95％CI =-8.60-0.56,P =0.09)was found.The results of publication bias assessment showed that 19 studies reported 28-day mortality were basically "funnel-shaped" distribution without potential publication bias (P =0.336).Conclusion The Meta-analysis showed that Qingre Jiedu and Liangxue Sanyu method may reduce the release of inflammatory mediators,improve the coagulation function,and reduce the 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis.