http://www.cmjournal.org The most accessed research articles published by Chinese Medicine 2010-02-22T00:00:00Z This is an RSS newsfeed from BioMed Central It is intended to be used with an RSS reader. For more information about RSS newsfeeds from BioMed Central, visit http://www.biomedcentral.com/info/about/rss/ A dry extract from the roots of rhapontic rhubarb (extract Rheum rhaponticum (L.); ERr) has been commercially available in Germany for over two decades to treat menopausal symptoms. However, the molecular basis of its clinical effectiveness remains obscure. This article reviews the in vitro and in vivo data of its estrogenic actions, particularly those mediated by estrogen receptor-β (ERβ). http://www.cmjournal.org/content/5/1/7 Gunter Vollmer Anja Papke Oliver Zierau Chinese Medicine 2010, 5:7 2010-02-19T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1749-8546-5-7 Chinese Medicine 1749-8546 5 7 2010-02-19T00:00:00Z XML Background The employment of well characterized test samples prepared from authenticated, high quality medicinal plant materials is key to reproducible herbal research. The present study aims to demonstrate a quality assurance program covering the acquisition, botanical validation, chemical standardization and good manufacturing practices (GMP) production of IBS-20, a 20-herb Chinese herbal formula under study as a potential agent for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. Methods Purity and contaminant tests for the presence of toxic metals, pesticide residues, mycotoxins and microorganisms were performed. Qualitative chemical fingerprint analysis and quantitation of marker compounds of the herbs, as well as that of the IBS-20 formula was carried out with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Extraction and manufacture of the 20-herb formula were carried out under GMP. Chemical standardization was performed with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. Stability of the formula was monitored with HPLC in real time. Results Quality component herbs, purchased from a GMP supplier were botanically and chemically authenticated and quantitative HPLC profiles (fingerprints) of each component herb and of the composite formula were established. An aqueous extract of the mixture of the 20 herbs was prepared and formulated into IBS-20, which was chemically standardized by LC-MS, with 20 chemical compounds serving as reference markers. The stability of the formula was monitored and shown to be stable at room temperature. Conclusion A quality assurance program has been developed for the preparation of a standardized 20-herb formulation for use in the clinical studies for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The procedures developed in the present study will serve as a protocol for other poly-herbal Chinese medicine studies. http://www.cmjournal.org/content/5/1/8 Siu-Po Ip Ming Zhao Yanfang Xian Mengli Chen Yuying Zong Yung-Wui Tjong Sam-Hip Tsai Joseph Sung Alan Bensoussan Brian Berman Harry Fong Chun-Tao Che Chinese Medicine 2010, 5:8 2010-02-22T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1749-8546-5-8 Chinese Medicine 1749-8546 5 8 2010-02-22T00:00:00Z PDF Background: Guasha is a therapeutic method for pain management using tools to scrape or rub the surface of the body to relieve blood stagnation. This study aims to systematically review the controlled clinical trials on the effectiveness of using Guasha to treat musculoskeletal pain. Methods: We searched 11 databases (without language restrictions): MEDLINE, Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED), EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Korean Studies Information (KSI), DBPIA, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), KoreaMed, Research Information Service System (RISS), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and the Cochrane Library. The search strategy was Guasha (OR scraping) AND pain. Risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane criteria (i.e. sequence generation, blinding, incomplete outcome measures and allocation concealment). Results: Five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and two controlled clinical trials (CCTs) were included in the present study. Two RCTs compared Guasha with acupuncture in terms of effectiveness, while the other trials compared Guasha with no treatment (1 trial), acupuncture (4 trials), herbal injection (1 trial) and massage or electric current therapy (1 trial). While two RCTs suggested favorable effects of Guasha on pain reduction and response rate, the quality of these RCTs was poor. One CCT reported beneficial effects of Guasha on musculoskeletal pain but had low methodological quality. Conclusion: Current evidence is insufficient to show that Guasha is effective in pain management. Further RCTs are warranted and methodological quality should be improved. http://www.cmjournal.org/content/5/1/5 Myeong Soo Lee Tae-Young Choi Jong-In Kim Sun-Mi Choi Chinese Medicine 2010, 5:5 2010-01-29T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1749-8546-5-5 Chinese Medicine 1749-8546 5 5 2010-01-29T00:00:00Z XML Background: Though the nephrotoxicity and carcinogenicity of aristolochic acid (AA) are known, its safety in clinical usage is not clear. This study aims to evaluate the safety of Duhuo Jisheng Tang (DJT) in a four-week study to treat osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Methods: A qualitative and quantitative investigations on DJT were conducted. A list of adverse events (AEs), complete blood counts, and liver and kidney function tests were measured for participants with knee OA at their scheduled hospital visits. Each detected AEs was independently assessed for severity and causality by site investigators (Chinese medical doctors) and study nurses. Results: A total of 71 eligible subjects were included in the clinical study where 287 AEs were reported. DJT did not contain detectable aristolochic acid (AA) under thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysis and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). There were no significant changes in liver or kidney functions. Conclusion: In four-week use of DJT, no renal tubular damage, no severe incidences of AEs and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were observed. The present study obtained safety data from active surveillance of DJT. http://www.cmjournal.org/content/5/1/6 Shu-Ching Hsieh Jung-Nien Lai Pau-Chung Chen Chao-Chung Chen Huey-Jen Chen Jung-Der Wang Chinese Medicine 2010, 5:6 2010-02-11T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1749-8546-5-6 Chinese Medicine 1749-8546 5 6 2010-02-11T00:00:00Z XML Selection of chemical markers is crucial for the quality control of herbal medicines, including authentication of genuine species, harvesting the best quality raw materials, evaluation of post-harvesting handling, assessment of intermediates and finished products, and detection of harmful or toxic ingredients. Ideal chemical markers should be the therapeutic components of herbal medicines. However, for most herbal medicines, the therapeutic components have not been fully elucidated or easily monitored. Bioactive, characteristic, main, synergistic, correlative, toxic and general components may be selected. This article reviews the effective use of chemical markers in the quality control of herbal medicines including the selection criteria considering the roles and physicochemical factors which may affect the effective use of chemical markers. http://www.cmjournal.org/content/3/1/7 Songlin Li Quanbin Han Chunfeng Qiao Jingzheng Song Chuen Lung Cheng Hongxi Xu Chinese Medicine 2008, 3:7 2008-06-28T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1749-8546-3-7 Chinese Medicine 1749-8546 3 7 2008-06-28T00:00:00Z XML Conventional drugs treat diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity, increasing insulin production and/or decreasing the amount of glucose in blood. Several herbal preparations are used to treat diabetes, but their reported hypoglycemic effects are complex or even paradoxical in some cases. This article reviews recent findings about some of the most popular hypoglycemic herbs, such as ginseng, bitter melon and Coptis chinensis. Several popular commercially available herbal preparations are also discussed, including ADHF (anti-diabetes herbal formulation), Jiangtangkeli, YGD (Yerbe Mate-Guarana-Damiana) and BN (Byakko-ka-ninjin-to). The efficacy of hypoglycemic herbs is achieved by increasing insulin secretion, enhancing glucose uptake by adipose and muscle tissues, inhibiting glucose absorption from intestine and inhibiting glucose production from heptocytes. http://www.cmjournal.org/content/4/1/11 Hongxiang Hui George Tang Vay Liang Go Chinese Medicine 2009, 4:11 2009-06-12T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1749-8546-4-11 Chinese Medicine 1749-8546 4 11 2009-06-12T00:00:00Z XML In Chinese medicine, ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) has long been used as a general tonic or an adaptogen to promote longevity and enhance bodily functions. It has also been claimed to be effective in combating stress, fatigue, oxidants, cancer and diabetes mellitus. Most of the pharmacological actions of ginseng are attributed to one type of its constituents, namely the ginsenosides. In this review, we focus on the recent advances in the study of ginsenosides on angiogenesis which is related to many pathological conditions including tumor progression and cardiovascular dysfunctions.Angiogenesis in the human body is regulated by two sets of counteracting factors, angiogenic stimulators and inhibitors. The 'Yin and Yang' action of ginseng on angiomodulation was paralleled by the experimental data showing angiogenesis was indeed related to the compositional ratio between ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1. Rg1 was later found to stimulate angiogenesis through augmenting the production of nitric oxide (NO) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Mechanistic studies revealed that such responses were mediated through the PI3K→Akt pathway. By means of DNA microarray, a group of genes related to cell adhesion, migration and cytoskeleton were found to be up-regulated in endothelial cells. These gene products may interact in a hierarchical cascade pattern to modulate cell architectural dynamics which is concomitant to the observed phenomena in angiogenesis. By contrast, the anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic effects of ginsenosides (e.g. Rg3 and Rh2) have been demonstrated in various models of tumor and endothelial cells, indicating that ginsenosides with opposing activities are present in ginseng. Ginsenosides and Panax ginseng extracts have been shown to exert protective effects on vascular dysfunctions, such as hypertension, atherosclerotic disorders and ischemic injury. Recent work has demonstrates the target molecules of ginsenosides to be a group of nuclear steroid hormone receptors. These lines of evidence support that the interaction between ginsenosides and various nuclear steroid hormone receptors may explain the diverse pharmacological activities of ginseng. These findings may also lead to development of more efficacious ginseng-derived therapeutics for angiogenesis-related diseases. http://www.cmjournal.org/content/2/1/6 Patrick Ying Kit Yue Nai Ki Mak Yuen Kit Cheng Kar Wah Leung Tzi Bun Ng David Tai Ping Fan Hin Wing Yeung Ricky Ngok Shun Wong Chinese Medicine 2007, 2:6 2007-05-15T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1749-8546-2-6 Chinese Medicine 1749-8546 2 6 2007-05-15T00:00:00Z XML Background: Antrodia camphorata (AC) is an important fungus native to Taiwanese forested regions. Scientific studies have demonstrated that extracts of AC possess a variety of pharmacological functions. This study aims to identify the full profile fingerprint of nucleosides and nucleobases in mycelial AC and to assess the quality of two commercial mycelial AC products. Methods: High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector and mass spectrometry was employed to identify the major components in mycelial AC. The chemical separation was carried out using a gradient program on a reverse phase Alltima C18 AQ analytical column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with the mobile phase consisting of deionized water and methanol. Results: Ten nucleosides and nucleobases, two maleimide derivatives, and a sterol were identified as the major constituents in mycelial AC. These groups of chemical compounds constitute the first chromatographic fingerprint as an index for quality assessment of this medicinal fungus. Conclusions: This study provides the first chromatographic fingerprint to assess the quality of mycelial AC. http://www.cmjournal.org/content/5/1/4 Sandy Zhao Kelvin Leung Chinese Medicine 2010, 5:4 2010-01-29T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1749-8546-5-4 Chinese Medicine 1749-8546 5 4 2010-01-29T00:00:00Z XML Background: The results of many clinical trials and experimental studies regarding acupoint specificity are contradictory. This review aims to investigate whether a difference in efficacy exists between ordinary acupuncture on specific acupoints and sham acupuncture controls on non-acupoints or on irrelevant acupoints. Methods: Databases including Medline, Embase, AMED and Chinese Biomedical Database were searched to identify randomized controlled trials published between 1998 and 2009 that compared traditional body acupuncture on acupoints with sham acupuncture controls on irrelevant acupoints or non-acupoints with the same needling depth. The Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias was employed to address the quality of the included trials. Results: Twelve acupuncture clinical trials with sham acupuncture controls were identified and included in the review. The conditions treated varied. Half of the included trials had positive results on the primary outcomes and demonstrated acupoint specificity. However, among those six trials (total sample size: 985) with low risk of bias, five trials (sample size: 940) showed no statistically significant difference between proper and sham acupuncture treatments. Conclusion: This review did not demonstrate the existence of acupoint specificity. Further clinical trials with larger sample sizes, optimal acupuncture treatment protocols and appropriate sham acupuncture controls are required to resolve this important issue. http://www.cmjournal.org/content/5/1/1 Hongwei Zhang Zhaoxiang Bian Zhixiu Lin Chinese Medicine 2010, 5:1 2010-01-12T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1749-8546-5-1 Chinese Medicine 1749-8546 5 1 2010-01-12T00:00:00Z XML Extracts of Chinese red yeast rice (RYR, a traditional dietary seasoning of Monascus purpureus) contains several active ingredients including lovastatin, and several trials of its possible lipid-lowering effects have been conducted. This meta-analysis assesses the effectiveness and safety of RYR preparations on lipid modification in primary hyperlipidemia. We included randomized controlled trials testing RYR preparation, compared with placebo, no treatment, statins, or other active lipid-lowering agents in people with hyperlipidemia through searching PubMed, CBMdisk, TCMLARS, the Cochrane Library, and AMED up to December 2004. Ninety-three randomized trials (9625 participants) were included and three RYR preparations (Cholestin, Xuezhikang and Zhibituo) were tested. The methodological quality of trial reports was generally low in terms of generation of the allocation sequence, allocation concealment, blinding, and intention-to-treat. The combined results showed significant reduction of serum total cholesterol levels (weighted mean difference -0.91 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval -1.12 to -0.71), triglycerides levels (-0.41 mmol/L, -0.6 to -0.22), and LDL-cholesterol levels (-0.73 mmol/L, -1.02 to -0.043), and increase of HDL-cholesterol levels (0.15 mmol/L, 0.09 to 0.22) by RYR treatment compared with placebo. The lipid modification effects appeared to be similar to pravastatin, simvastatin, lovastatin, atorvastatin, or fluvastatin. Compared with non-statin lipid lowering agents, RYR preparations appeared superior to nicotinate and fish oils, but equal to or less effective than fenofibrate and gemfibrozil. No significant difference in lipid profile was found between Xuezhikang and Zhibituo. RYR preparations were associated with non-serious adverse effects such as dizziness and gastrointestinal discomfort. Current evidence shows short-term beneficial effects of RYR preparations on lipid modification. More rigorous trials are needed, and long-term effects and safety should be investigated if RYR preparations are to be recommended as one of the alternative treatments for primary hyperlipidemia. http://www.cmjournal.org/content/1/1/4 Jianping Liu Jing Zhang Yi Shi Sameline Grimsgaard Terje Alraek Vinjar Fonnebo Chinese Medicine 2006, 1:4 2006-11-23T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1749-8546-1-4 Chinese Medicine 1749-8546 1 4 2006-11-23T00:00:00Z XML