Search

To explore the potential effects of berberine on influenza virus infection both in vitro and in vivo.In vitro anti-influenza virus assays were performed by cytopathogenic effect and neuraminidase assays in Madin Darby canine kidney cells. In vivo anti-influenza virus assays were performed on the viral pneumonia model of mice. The numbers of mice that died within day 2 to day 14 postinfection were recorded to calculate the mortality. On days 2, 4, and 6, the viral titers in the lungs were determined by hemagglutination assay; hematoxylin/eosin staining was used to assess the pathogenic changes of lung tissues; the concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and monocyte specific chemoattractant molecule (MCP-1) were measured by radio immunoassay or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; the concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and inducible nitric oxide synthetase (iNOS) were detected by colorimetric method; reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the mRNA level of TNF-α and MCP-1.Berberine showed inhibitory effects on cytopathogenic effects and neuraminidase activity of virus, with the therapeutic index 9.69. In vivo, berberine decreased mice mortality from 90% to 55%, reduced virus titers in the lungs on day 2 postinfection (P0.05). The lung histology scores were 1.50 ± 0.67, 4.50 ± 1.00, and 5.50 ± 1.00 in the berberine group on days 2, 4, and 6, respectively, which were significantly reduced compared to 2.17 ± 0.22, 6.83 ± 0.44, and 8.50 ± 0.33 in the infected group (P0.05). The productions of NO and iNOS were repressed by berberine compared with those in the infected group (P0.01). The transcription and expression of TNF-α were inhibited by berberine on day 4 (P0.01) and day 6 (P0.05), and those of MCP-1 were inhibited on day 6 (P0.01) compared with the infected group.Berberine exhibited antiviral effects on the influenza virus both in vitro and in vivo. The possible therapeutic mechanism of berberine on influenza-induced viral pneumonia might be inhibiting the virus infection, as well as improving the pathogenic changes by repressing inflammatory substances release.

A new method for the comparison of the treatment efficacy for specific diseases or conditions between Chinese medicine and Western medicine, which serve the same medical aim but are based on substantially different theoretical systems, was identified. Abiding by the principle of parallel subgroup design of a randomized controlled trial (PSD-RCT), participants were recruited following identical inclusion and exclusion criteria and were randomly allocated into two groups to receive treatment using the respective approaches of Chinese medicine and Western medicine. The Chinese medicine group was divided into subgroups according to the theory of Chinese medicine and the Western medicine group was also divided into subgroups according to the theory of Western medicine. The treatment for each subgroup was well defined in the protocol, including major formulae and principles for individualized modifications. The primary outcome measure was ascertained to be directly related to the patients' status but independent from both theories of Chinese medicine and Western medicine, while the secondary outcomes were represented by the patient-reported outcomes and some laboratory tests commonly accepted by Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Then, taking functional dyspepsia as an example, the authors explain the framework of the PSD-RCT for efficacy comparisons between Chinese medicine and Western medicine, and recommend that the PSD-RCT can be used to compare treatment efficacy for a specific disease or condition between Chinese medicine and Western medicine, and the comparison among subgroups can provide valuable clues for further studies.

Objective: The report of Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) instrument development plays an important role in the validity assessment for researchers and clinicians, thus, we propose the Preferred Reporting Items for PRO Instrument Development (PRIPROID) to improve the quality of report. Methods: Accorded to the related guidelines and the report items in several famous questionnaires, and based on the research advances worldwide, the PRIPROID was identified. Results: 23 items affiliated to 7 sections were included: title and structured abstract (affiliated to Title and Abstract), rationale, objectives (affiliated to Instruction), intended application, criteria, primary conceptual framework and domains, items selection, response options, scores, times, administration mode, burden evaluation, properties evaluation, and statistical analysis (affiliated to Methods), participants, main results, and additional analysis (affiliated to Results), summary of evidence, limitations, clinical announcements, and conclusions (affiliated to Discussion), item pools or final form (affiliated to Appendix), funding (affiliated to Funding). Conclusion: The PRIPROID contains many facts in the instrument development which can help the researchers to report their achievement more strictly and access the quality of report. To adopted by the editing system, more advice from the experts all over the world are expected.