The pathological changes of myocardial infarction （MI） are mainly characterized by progressive myocardial ischemic necrosis， decline in cardiac diastolic function， thinning of the ventricular wall， and enlargement of the ventricles. The clinical manifestations include myocardial ischemia， heart failure， arrhythmia， shock， and even sudden cardiac death， rendering MI one of the most perilous cardiovascular diseases. Currently， the clinical treatment for MI primarily involves interventional procedures and drug therapy. However， due to their significant side effects and high complication rates associated with these treatments， they fail to ensure a satisfactory quality of life and long-term prognosis for patients. On the other hand， traditional Chinese medicine has demonstrated remarkable potential in improving patient prognosis while reducing side effects. Research has elucidated that various signaling pathways such as nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB）， adenosine 5̒-monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）/Smads， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， Wnt/β-catenin （β-catenin）， and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B（Akt） play crucial roles in regulating the occurrence and development of MI. Effectively modulating these signaling pathways through its therapeutic interventions， traditional Chinese medicine can enhance MI management by inhibiting apoptosis， providing anti-inflammatory properties， alleviating oxidative stress levels， and resisting myocardial ischemia. Due to its notable efficacy and favorable safety， it has become an area of focus in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the ameliorative effects and potential mechanism of total secondary ginsenosides （TSG） on hypertrophic changes of primary cardiomyocytes stimulated by angiotensin Ⅱ （Ang Ⅱ）. METHODS Primary cardiomyocytes were isolated from the hearts of neonatal SD rats and divided into the following groups： control group， AngⅡ group （2 µmol/L）， TSG group （7.5 µg/mL）， PFK-015 group [6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2， 6-bisphosphatase 3 （PFKFB3） inhibitor， 10 nmol/L]， and TSG+PFK-015 group （TSG 7.5 µg/mL+PFK-015 10 nmol/L）. The surface area， protein synthesis， energy metabolism-related indicators [free fatty acid （FFA）， coenzyme A （CoA）， acetyl coenzyme A （acetyl-CoA）]， and the expressions of glycolysis-related factors [hypoxia-inducible factor 1α （HIF-1α）， glucose transporter protein 4 （GLUT-4）， lactate dehydrogenase A （LDHA）， pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 （PDK1） and PFKFB3] in primary cardiomyocytes of each group were measured. RESULTS Compared with the control group， the surface area of primary cardiomyocytes and protein synthesis were significantly increased， the content of FFA， protein and mRNA expressions of HIF-1α， LDHA， PDK1 and PFKFB3 were significantly increased or up-regulated in the AngⅡ group， while the contents of CoA and acetyl-CoA， the protein and mRNA expressions of GLUT-4 were significantly decreased or down-regulated （P＜0.05）. Compared with the AngⅡ group， both TSG group and PFK-015 group showed significant improvements in these indexes， with the TSG+PFK-015 group generally demonstrating superior effects compared to either treatment alone （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS TSG can reduce the surface area of AngⅡ-induced primary cardiomyocytes， decrease protein synthesis， and inhibit their hypertrophic changes. These effects may be related to improving energy metabolism and the inhibition of glycolysis activity.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of relaxing needling at the contracted sites of meridian-muscle regions in the patients with post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome (SHS) at acute stage. METHODS: Eighty patients with post-stroke SHS at acute stage were randomized into an observation group (40 cases, 1 case dropped out) and a control group (40 cases, 1 case was eliminated). In the control group, the routine medication, basic rehabilitation training, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy were administered. In the observation group, besides the treatment as the control group, relaxing needling was delivered at the contracted sites of meridian-muscle regions. These contracted sites were distributed along three yin meridians of hand and three yang meridians of hand on the affected upper limbs. The intervention was given once daily, 5 times a week and for 4 weeks. Before and after treatment, the scores of visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, edema degree, modified Barthel index (MBI), and Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) for motor function, and the integrated electromyography (iEMG) of surface electromyogram (sEMG) were observed in the two groups. The curative effect was evaluated after treatment and in follow-up of 2 months after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, VAS scores and the scores of edema degree were reduced when compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). MBI and FMA scores increased after treatment compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the scores in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05) after treatment. The iEMG values of the biceps brachii, triceps brachii, and wrist extensors were elevated after treatment in comparison with those before treatment (P<0.05) in the two groups, and the values in the observation group were larger than those in the control group after treatment (P<0.05). The total clinical effective rate in the observation group was 92.3% (36/39), which was better than that of the control group (74.4%, 29/39, P<0.05) after treatment; and that of the observation group was 97.4% (38/39), which was better than 82.1% (32/39) in the control group (P<0.05) in follow-up. CONCLUSION Relaxing needling at the contracted sites of meridian-muscle regions in treatment of post-stroke SHS at acute stage can attenuate the symptoms such as upper limb pain, swelling and spasm, improve motor function and the activity of daily living of patients.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Aged ; Meridians ; Stroke/complications* ; Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/etiology* ; Adult ; Acupuncture Points

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the short-term clinical efficacy of transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) in patients with moderate to severe mitral regurgitation. METHODS: Clinical data of patients with moderate to severe mitral regurgitation who underwent TEER in the Department of Cardiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from April 2021 to May 2024, were retrospectively analyzed, including preoperative baseline clinical and echocardiography data, intraoperative data and 6-month postoperative follow-up data. RESULTS: A total of 67 patients' (47 males and 20 females) data were included, of whom 62 completed 6-month follow-up. The immediately postoperative success rate was 88.1% (59/67), and 83.9% (52/62) patients exhibited mitral regurgitation ≤2+ at 6 months postoperatively, showing significant improvement compared with preoperative (P<0.05). The proportion of patients with mitral regurgitation ≤2+ at 6 months was significantly higher in the degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR) group than that in the functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) group (P<0.05). The mean mitral valve gradient (MVG) in DMR group was increased from (3.1±1.2) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) to (3.7±1.2) mmHg 6 months after operation (P<0.05), while there was no significant change in FMR group (P>0.05). Compared with those before operation, the N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels in both FMR and DMR groups were significantly lower at 6 months postoperatively (all P<0.05), and the left atrial volume index and left atrial anteroposterior diameter were also significantly lower (all P<0.05). The left ventricular end-diastolic diameter and left ventricular end-systolic diameter were significantly reduced 6 months after operation in the FMR group (all P<0.05), but no significant changes were observed in the DMR group (all P>0.05). The ejection fraction was not significantly changed before and after operation in both groups (all P>0.05). The mitral regurgitation, tricuspid regurgitant, and pulmonary artery pressure were significantly reduced in both groups at 6 months postoperatively (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS TEER is effective for moderate to severe mitral regurgitation. The improve-ments in left ventricular remodeling are more pronounced in patients with FMR while the degree of mitral regurgitation is more significant in DMR patients. However, MVG elevation is more common during the follow-up.
Humans ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency/surgery* ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Mitral Valve/surgery* ; Cardiac Catheterization/methods* ; Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation/methods* ; Adult ; Follow-Up Studies

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of Modified Zhigancao Granules （炙甘草汤加味颗粒） for preventing the early recurrence following radiofrequency ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation （AF） of qi-yin deficiency syndrome. MethodsA multi-center， randomized， double-blind， placebo-controlled trial was designed. A total of 116 patients with atrial fibrillation of qi-yin deficiency syndrome who underwent radiofrequency ablation for the first time were enrolled from 3 centers， and they were randomly divided into a treatment group （59 cases） and a control group （57 cases）. Both groups received basic western medicine treatment after surgery. In addition， the treatment group was given oral Modified Zhigancao Granules， while the control group was given oral placebo granules. The dosage for both groups was 20 g each time， twice a day， with continuous treatment for 12 weeks. The recurrence of atrial fibrillation in both groups was recorded at 24 hours， 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks after surgery. The serum levels of B-type natriuretic peptide （BNP）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， high-sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were detected before treatment and 12 weeks after treatment in both groups. The scores of Atrial Fibrillation Effect on QualiTy-of-life （AFEQT） Questionnaire （including scores of the daily life dimension， symptom dimension， treatment worry dimension， treatment satisfaction dimension， and total score） and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores were compared before treatment and at 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks between groups. Safety indicators such as blood routine， urine routine， liver function， and renal function were monitored before and after treatment. ResultsNine of the treatment group and seven of the control group dropped out. Finally， 50 patients in each group were included in the statistical analysis. At 24 hours， 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks after surgery， the recurrence rates of AF in the treatment group were 2.0% （1/50）， 2.0% （1/50）， 4.0% （2/50）， and 10.0% （5/50）， respectively； while those in the control group were 2.0% （1/50）， 26.0% （13/50）， 28.0% （14/50）， and 34.0% （17/50）， respectively. Compared with the control group at the same time points， the early recurrence rates of AF in the treatment group were significantly lower at 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks after surgery （P＜0.01）. Compared with the baseline within group， BNP， hs-CRP， IL-6， and TNF-α in the treatment group all decreased after 12 weeks of treatment （P＜0.05）； the difference in hs-CRP levels （before vs. after treatment） in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group （P＜0.01）. Compared with the baseline within group， both groups showed decreases in the total score of AFEQT Questionnaire， scores of the daily life dimension， treatment worry dimension， symptom dimension， and TCM syndrome scores at 4 weeks， 8 weeks， and 12 weeks after treatment. Meanwhile， the score of the treatment satisfaction dimension of AFEQT increased in both groups （P＜0.01）， and the improvements in all the above scores in the treatment group were superior to those in the control group at all time points （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. All safety indicators of patients in both groups were within the normal range before treatment and at 12 weeks after treatment， and no adverse reactions or adverse events occurred in either group. ConclusionModified Zhigancao Granules can reduce the early recurrence rate following radiofrequency ablation in AF patients with qi-yin deficiency syndrome， improve clinical symptoms and quality of life， suppress inflammatory response， and show good safety.

Objective : To analyze the current status of anti-PD-1 combined with chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer. Methods: The clinical data of 120 patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with chemotherapy or anti-PD-1 plus chemotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. The efficacy [measures include objective response rate(ORR), disease control rate(DCR), and progression-free survival(PFS)]and the occurrence of adverse reactions in patients was monitored. Univariate and multivariate Cox were used to analyze the relationship between clinicopathologic data [including age, gender, body mass index(BMI), differentiation degree, and related hematological indexes], specific treatment conditions and PFS, and to analyze the influence of treatment plan and line number on the curative effect. Results : The PFS of chemotherapy plus immunotherapy was significantly better than that of chemotherapy alone(P<0.05), and the median PFS of the two was 7.17 months(95%CI5.85-8.49) and 5.33 months(95%CI3.96-5.70), respectively. In the combination group, the overall ORR was 27.5% and DCR was 94.8%. In the chemotherapy group alone, the overall ORR was 9.7% and DCR was 69.4%.In the chemotherapy plus anti-PD-1 group, a high prognostic nutritional index(PNI) level also provided superior PFS in patients with a 47% reduction in the risk of progression versus a low PNI level [HR0.53(95%CI0.30-0.96);P<0.05]. The median PFS was 7.47 months(95%CI5.83-9.11) with a high PNI level versus 6.00 months(95%CI4.45-7.55) with a low PNI level. The overall incidence of adverse reactions of chemotherapy combined with anti-PD-1 was slightly higher than that of chemotherapy alone, and the incidence of adverse reactions of grade 3-4 was similar, within a controllable range, and could be improved after clinical treatment. Conclusion The efficacy of anti-PD-1 combined with chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer is better than that of chemotherapy, and the adverse reactions are controllable. In the chemotherapy plus anti-PD-1 group, patients with high PNI levels achieved a higher PFS.

This study searched the clinical researches on traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） for cardiovascular diseases registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry and the US Clinical Trial Registry， the cardiovascular disease-related studies funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China， as well as those published in China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， Wanfang database， VIP.com， China Biology Medicine disc （CBMdisc）， Embase， Medline， Cochrane Library， and other databases published cardiovascular disease-related studies from 1 January 2021 to 30 June 2023. In order to analyse and evaluate the research progress of TCM treatment for coronary heart disease， hypertension， heart failure， and arrhythmia， this study aimed at recent research hotspots and research direction. It is found that the research on TCM for cardiovascular diseases was gradually deepening and the high-quality evidence continued to emerge. It is believed that studies related to the prevention and treatment of common cardiovascular diseases by TCM reflected the multi-angle integration of modern technology and pattern differentiation and treatment， closer integration of clinical and basic research， and further optimisation of pattern identification and interventions. On this basis， the research programme and implementation process should be further standardized， and the translation of research results should be emphasized to promote the standardized application and promotion of TCM diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of TCM health management based on tertiary management system for patients with myocardial infarction （MI）. MethodsA total of 277 patients with non-acute MI were enrolled and given comprehensive TCM health management strategies including health education， lifestyle adjustment， risk factors control， medication and TCM appropriate techniques management through a tertiary management system with "the patient as the core， village/community physicians as the main executive body， and tertiary TCM hospital specialists as the leading body"， for a period of 12 months by using a prospective single-arm cohort study. Through patient reporting and medical records surveys， various indicators before and after 12-month management were collected and compared. The primary efficacy indicators were readmission rate and recurrent exacerbation rate， and the secondary efficacy indicators included disease awareness-related indicators， lifestyle behavior-related indicators， cardiovascular risk factor-related indicators and Canadian cardiovascular society （CCS） cardiac function classification. ResultsA total of 255 patients completed the study and were included in the final analysis. The recurrent exacerbation and readmission rates of patients after management were 23.14% （59 cases） and 20.25% （49 cases）， respectively， significantly lower than 36.08% （92 cases） and 53.72% （130 cases） before management （P＜0.05）. Except for knowledge on diabetes diagnostic criteria with no significant difference before and after management （P＞0.05）， awareness of other knowledge with regard to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases were improved after management （P＜0.01）， as well as the total score （P＜0.01）. In terms of daily life behaviors， the rates of salty diet， sweet diet and greasy diet were significantly lower than baseline， while the rate of moderate exercise was significantly higher （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； the rates of ongoing smoking and vigorous exercise were not significantly changed （P＞0.05）. For cardiovascular risk factors， patients' total cholesterol， low-density lipoprotein （LDL） cholesterol， triglycerides， fasting glucose， total depression assessment scale score， and total anxiety assessment scale score were significantly reduced after management （P＜0.01）. Systolic blood pressure and body mass index （BMI） were both higher after management （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）， and there was no statistically significant difference in diastolic blood pressure （P＞0.05）. In terms of the cardiovascular disease risk factors reaching the standard levels， the rate of LDL cholesterol ＜1.8 mmol/L significantly increased （P＜0.01）， while the rate of BMI ＜24 kg/m² and the rate of systolic blood pressure ＜140 mmHg both decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01） from baseline； the diastolic blood pressure and rate of fasting glucose ＜7.0 mmol/L were not significantly changed （P＞0.05）. The patients' CCS cardiac function classification was significantly reduced （P＜0.05）. ConclusionTCM health management based on the tertiary management system can enhance MI patients' awareness of the disease， change poor lifestyle habits， reduce risk factors such as blood lipids and blood glucose， improve anxiety and depression， increase activity tolerance， and reduce their recurrence exacerbation and readmission rates， which is worthy of clinical promotion.

ObjectiveTo investigate the current status of secondary prevention of stable angina in patients with coronary heart disease in three regions of China， namely Henan Province， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， and Tianjin City， and analyze the the influencing factors. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted to include patients with stable angina with coronary heart disease in Henan， Tianjin and Xinjiang from August 10， 2020 to March 14， 2021. General information， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome elements， prescriptions and other data of patients were collected， and clinical characteristics， blood pressure， blood lipid and blood glucose of patients were analyzed； the patients were divided into groups according to whether their blood pressure， blood lipid and blood glucose were up to standard. With the most common syndrome element as the main variable， region， age and gender as covariables， Logistic regression equation was incorporated to analyze the influencing factors for the patients' blood pressure， blood lipid and blood glucose being up to standard. ResultsA total of 1061 coronary heart disease patients with stable angina were included， including 658 in Henan， 210 in Xinjiang， and 193 in Tianjin. The clinical characteristics of patients in the three regions showed statistical different in age， sex， disease course， complication， blood pressure， blood lipid， blood glucose， smoking， drinking， living habits， and medication treatment （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. For the included patients， qi deficiency （79.55%， 844/1061） and blood stasis （39.96%， 424/1061） were the main syndrome elements. The overall compliance rate of blood pressure was 48.89% （506/1035）， blood lipids 12.68% （133/1049） and blood glucose 48.18% （504/1046）. Qi deficiency was the independent factor affecting the blood pressure of coronary heart disease patients with stable angina combined with hypertension （P = 0.029，95%CI ［1.048， 2.369］）， and the independent factors influencing the blood lipid standard of coronary heart disease patients with stable angina （P = 0.011， 95%CI ［1.133， 2.646］）， but not the independent factors affecting blood glucose standard in coronary heart disease patients with diabetes （P＞0.05）. ConclusionCoronary artery disease patients with stable angina have geographical variability in clinical characteristics and distribution of TCM syndrome elements， and the overall control of blood pressure， blood lipids， and blood glucose is poor， and qi deficiency syndrome is an independent risk factor affecting the control of blood pressure and blood lipids.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect and safety of Jiuxin Pill （救心丸） on exercise tolerance and quality of life in patients with stable angina pectoris （SAP）. MethodsA randomised， double-blind， placebo-controlled， multicentre study design was used to enroll 170 patients of SAP from nine centres， which were divided into 85 patients each in the trial group and control group with 1∶1 ratio. Both groups maintained the original western medicine treatment plan， and added Jiuxin Pill or placebo respectively， 2 pills （0.05 g） each time twicely for 28 days. The main outcomes were total exercise time （TED） in the exercise treadmill test and Seattle Angina Questionnaire （SAQ） scores including physical limitation （PL）， angina stability （AS）， angina frequency （AF）， treatment satisfaction （TS）， and disease perception （DP）. The secondary outcomes were exercise treadmill test indicators including heart rate recovery in 1 min （HRR1）， metabolic equivalents （METs）， maximum magnitude of ST-segment depression， and the Borg rating of perceived exertion scale， the average number of angina attacks per week， withdrawal and reduction rate of nitroglycerin， traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores， incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events. Safety indicators were evaluated and the occurrence of adverse events during the trial was recorded. Data was collected before treatment， day 28±2 in treatment period， and follow-up at day 56 which is 28±2 days after treatment period finished. ResultsEighty-four and eighty-five patients respectively from trial group and control group were included to the full analysis set （FAS） and safety analysis set （SS）. Compared with the group before treatment and with the control group after treatment， the trial group had higher TED， HRR1， and METs， and lower maximum magnitude of ST-segment depression and Borg rating of perceived exertion scores after treatment （P＜0.01）. Compared with the group before treatment and with the control group after treatment and at follow-up， the total SAQ score and scores of AS， AF， TS and DP of the trial group after treatment and at follow-up elevated， while the average number of angina attacks per week and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores reduced （P＜0.01）. There was no statistically significant difference in the withdrawal and reduction rate of nitroglycerin between groups （P＞0.05）. Major adverse cardiovascular events occurred in 1 case （1/84， 1.19%） in the trial group and 1 case （1/85， 1.18%） in the control group， and the difference between groups was not statistically significant （P＞0.05）. A total of 3 cases of adverse events occurred in the trial group （3/84， 3.57%）， and a total of 6 cases of adverse events occurred in the control group （6/85， 7.06%）， and there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between groups （P＞0.05）. ConclusionIn the treatment of SAP， Jiuxin Pill combined with conventional western medicine can further enhance exercise tolerance， improve quality of life， and demonstrate great safety.