Chinese journal of integrated traditional and Western medicine 

About: Chinese journal of integrated traditional and Western medicine is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Traditional Chinese medicine & Blood stasis. It has an ISSN identifier of 1006-6497. Over the lifetime, 4659 publications have been published receiving 16916 citations.

[Qualitative research and evidence-based medicine].

Abstract: Qualitative research originates from anthropology and social medicine, it has been introduced into medical field only for ten odd years. As medicine owns social humanity characteristics, its research method should not be limited to the traditional quantitative research for cause-effect relationship, and the advantages of qualitative research is just that it focuses on those unexplained and unanswerable questions by quantitative research. This essay introduces the basic concept of qualitative research, its relationship with evidence-based medicine and applicable scope, and also the necessity and importance of its application in traditional Chinese medicine.

Clinical study on effect of Astragalus in efficacy enhancing and toxicity reducing of chemotherapy in patients of malignant tumor

Abstract: OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of Astragalus membranaceus efficacy enhancing and toxicity reducing on chemotherapy in patients of malignant tumor. METHODS One hundred and twenty tumor patients were randomly divided into the treated group and the control group. Both groups were treated with chemotherapy, but to the treated group, Astragalus injection was given additionally by intravenous dripping, 20 ml in 250 ml of normal saline once per day for 21 days as one course and 4 courses were given successively. RESULTS Compared with the control group, the treated group showed a lower progressive incidence, lesser decrease of peripheral WBC and platelet count (P < 0.05), accompanied with CD8 significantly lowered (P < 0.05), CD4/CD8 ratio significantly increased (P < 0.01), IgG and IgM levels raised (P < 0.05) and Karnofsky scores elevated more than those in the control group. IgA level was unchanged in both groups. CONCLUSION Astragalus injection supplemented with chemotherapy could inhibit the development of tumor, decrease the toxic-adverse effect of chemotherapy, elevate the immune function of organism and improve the quality of life in patients.

Effect of Radix notoginseng saponins on platelet activating molecule expression and aggregation in patients with blood hyperviscosity syndrome

Abstract: OBJECTIVE In order to explore the relationship between the active components and the functional links of Chinese herbs, the effect of Xuesaitong capsule, a preparation made of multi-component Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on platelet activating molecule expression and aggregation in patients with blood hyperviscosity syndrome (BHS) was observed, with aspirin (ASP) as a control. METHODS One hundred and twenty patients with BHS were divided, adopting randomized, double-blinded and double simulated principle into 2 groups, the PNS group and the ASP group, 60 in each group. Changes of the TCM clinical syndrome, platelet adhesion and aggregation, endothelin (ET), prostacyclin, thromboxane, CD62P and CD41 before treatment and after 28 days treatment were observed. RESULTS Comparison between the therapeutic effects of the two groups on TCM clinical syndrome showed that the total effective rate in the PNS group was 86.67% and that in the ASP group 56.67%, showing significant difference (P < 0.05). Compared with before treatment, after treatment, levels of platelet adhesion and aggregation, endothelin, prostacyclin and thromboxane were significantly different in both groups (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01); levels of CD62P and CD41 in the PNS group were also significantly different, but the difference was insignificant in the ASP group; no significant difference was shown in both groups in levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol and very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol. CONCLUSION PNS may inhibit activation of platelet through multiple components and multiple pathways, which is different from that of ASP, only through inhibition on arachidonic acid metabolism to suppress platelet aggregation. PNS has effects of decreasing platelet superficial activation, inhibiting platelet adhesion and aggregation, preventing thrombosis and improving microcirculation, and its therapeutic effect on clinical syndrome is better than that of ASP.