OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of Xiangdan Injection on mRNA expression of the endothelial vaso-active factors of patients with coronary heart disease and blood stasis. METHODS: Fifty-six patients were randomly divided into two groups:twenty-eight patients were treated according to the therapeutic guide for coronary heart disease as the control group and 28 were given the same treatment plus Xiangdan Injection as the treated group. The expressions of ET-1 and eNOS mRNA were examined with RT-PCR before experiment and ten days later. RESULTS: The positive rate of eNOS mRNA of the treated group increased, while the positive rate of ET-1 mRNA of the treated group decreased after ten day's treatment, with significant differences as compared with that before the experiment. Xiangdan Injection up-regulated the eNOS mRNA expression and suppressed the ET-1 mRNA expression. Changes of expression were not observed in the control group. CONCLUSION: Xiangdan Injection improves the endothelial function of patients with coronary heart disease and blood stasis by regulating the expressions of ET-1 and eNOS mRNA.

Objective To observe the effects of different traditional Chinese medicine therapeutic methods on heart function and red cell volume distribution width (RDW) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods A randomized, blinded and controlled study was conducted. One hundred and ninety patients with CHF accompanied by yang deficiency syndrome in Department of Cardiology of Chengdu Municipal First People's Hospital were divided into five contrast groups according to randomized envelope method:namely control group, warming yang group, nourishing yin group, activating blood group and combined warming yang and nourishing yin therapeutic group (combined group), each group being 38 cases. The patients not consistent with the criteria to enroll into the study and those lost contact were excluded from the study, thus the final total patients were 183 in number, including control 37, warming yang 36, nourishing yin 36, activating blood 37 and combined group 37 cases. All the cases were treated with routine medical therapy in accord to the guideline for CHF. In addition, placebo oral liquor was given to the control group, Wenyangjianxinling oral liquor (main ingredients:Aconiti Lateralis Radix Preparata, Astragali Radix, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Epimedii Folium, Periplocae Cortex, Descurainiae Semen, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra) was given to the warming yang group, Ophiopogonis Radix and Anemarrhenae Rhizoma oral liquor (main ingredients:Ophiopogonis Radix,Anemarrhenae Rhizoma) was taken by the nourishing yin group, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix and Chuanxiong Rhizoma oral liquor (main ingredients: Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix, Chuanxiong Rhizoma) was administered by the activating blood group, and the main ingredients of oral liquors given to the warming yang and nourishing yin groups were assigned to the combined group, each group 10 mL, three times a day for one year. According to the prognosis, the patients were divided into survival group (168 cases) and death group (15 cases). The re-hospitalization situations such as aggravation of heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, angina, stroke, etc. were observed. The changes of hemoglobin (Hb) and RDW in the survival and death groups were investigated and compared between them. Results Compared with the control group, the rate of re-hospitalization was significantly decreased in the activating blood group [27.03% (10/37) vs. 54.05%(20/37), P<0.05];there were no statistical significant differences among all the other groups (all P>0.05). Before treatment, the levels of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), fractional shortening (FS), the ratio of early to late ventricular filling velocities (E/A ratio) and E deceleration time (DT) showed no significant differences among five groups (all P>0.05). Compared with the control group at the same period, the LVEF, FS, E/A and DT were significantly increased in activating blood group and combined group after the treatment [LVEF: 0.453±0.131, 0.448±0.104 vs. 0.394±0.112, FS:(27.9±9.8)%, (27.0±11.5)%vs. (22.2±13.3)%, E/A:0.88±0.16, 0.92±0.20 vs. 0.75±0.27, DT (ms): 265.4±30.3, 251.4±37.5 vs. 225.7±35.4, all P < 0.05]. FS and DT were significantly increased in warming yang group after treatment [FS: (26.4±10.3)% vs. (19.7±7.4)%, DT: 242.0±38.7 vs. 216.3±50.9, both P < 0.05]. In the activating blood group, the level of RDW was elevated after treatment compared with that before treatment, but in the comparison with that in the control and nourishing yin groups, it was still obviously lower [(12.98±2.97)%vs. (14.37±2.52)%, (13.05±2.36)%, both P < 0.05]. The comparisons of Hb and RDW among other groups had no statistical significant differences (all P > 0.05). The level of Hb in death and survival groups also had no statistical significant difference (P > 0.05). The RDW of dead group was markedly higher than that of the survival group [(14.39±2.17)%vs. (13.02±2.08)%, P<0.05]. Conclusion The level of RDW is related to the prognosis of CHF patients, the level of RDW in death group is higher than that in survival group, and the activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis therapy can decrease the level of RDW, reduce the rate of re-hospitalization and improve the heart function in CHF patients.

The essence-qi-spirit theory is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine， whose steady state is the material and functional basis for the balance of yin and yang in the body， making the essence， qi and spirit integrated， and body and spirit harmonized. Based on this theory， it is proposed that essence and qi depletion， spirit dissipation and qi dispersion， disharmony between yin and yang is the main pathogenesis of sleep disorders. Therefore， the method of regulating and harmonzing yin and yang by essence gathering， qi nourishing and spirit storing can be used to treat sleep disorder. The biological clock system of the circadian rhythm of sleep is regulated by the molecular oscillation that is generated by the transcription of the biological clock gene， and is a clock gradually formed by orga-nisms constantly adapting to the laws of nature. As the material basis， power， and embodiment of sound and peaceful sleep， essence， qi and spirit can perceive and transmit natural signals， whose functions are similar to what is recognized by modern science that oscillation amplifies the rhythm signal， and synchronously regulates the expression signal of the biological clock gene， thereby forming a biological clock system with “input-oscillation-output” as the feedback cycle. It is believed that the regulation method of yin and yang by essence gathering， qi nourishing and spirit storing may comprehensively regulate the physiological activities through brain/ muscle aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like protein 1 （BMAL1）/circadian locomotor output cycles kaput （CLOCK）-period protein （PER）/ cryptochrome （CRY） transcriptional feedback loop， thereby adapting to the natural environment changes， playing an active role in the treatment of sleep disorders， and provideing a new idea for traditional Chinese medicine to reshape the molecular regulation system of the endogenous biological clock to prevent and treat sleep disorders.

Objective:To analyze the potential clinical biological factors influencing the major pathological response (MPR) to neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy in patients with resectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).Methods:This retrospective study enrolled patients with resectable HNSCC who underwent neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from June 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between clinical characteristics, inflammatory markers and MPR, and a nomogram model was constructed. The calibration curve and decision curve analysis were used to verify the predictive ability and accuracy of the nomogram model.Results:A total of 173 patients were included in the study, with 141 males and 32 females, aged from 22 to 83 years. After pathological assessment, the patients were divided into two groups: MPR group (108 cases) and non MPR group (65 cases). Logistics regression analysis indicated that the patients with HPV+oropharyngeal cancer, partial response or complete response by imaging assessment, low pre-treatment platelet/lymphocyte ratio, low pre-treatment C reactive protein/albumin ratio and lower pre-and post-treatment C reactive protein/albumin ratio difference were more likely to have MPR (all P<0.05). Nomogram model was constructed based on the above factors, with a C-index of 0.826 (95% CI: 0.760-0.892), and the calibration curve and decision curve analysis confirmed the prediction accuracy of the model. Conclusion:This study shows that many factors are related to MPR of patients with resectable HNSCC receiving neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy and the constructed nomogram model helps to develop personalized treatment strategies for the patients.