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Aims. The study aims to explore the effects of the single-nucleotide polymorphism of miR-27a and its expression in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-related diseases and the relationship between gastric pathology and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Methods. Subjects were classified into six histopathological groups and five TCM syndrome groups. All specimens underwent H. pylori detection through rapid urease test and methylene blue staining. Histopathological characteristics were observed by hematoxylin-eosin. The expression of miR-27a and its genotype were, respectively, detected by Quantitative Real-Time PCR and direct sequencing. Results. H. pylori promoted the malignant evolution of gastric mucosa and were involved in the formation of TCM syndrome. In H. pylori-positive patients, the frequency of miR-27a CT genotype at the rs895819 locus and its expression in the gastric cancer group were higher than those in other pathological groups. TCM syndrome had a close relationship with histopathological changes, and patients with spleen-qi deficiency syndrome had a higher risk of gastric cancer than other syndromes, regardless of H. pylori infection. Conclusion. The C allele at miR-27a rs895819 locus may be an oncogene in gastric cancer. High levels of miR-27a could play an important role in gastric malignant evolution, especially cancerization. There is a certain connection between TCM syndrome and pathological changes of the gastric mucosa to some extent, where patients with SQD syndrome had a higher risk of GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H. pylori-related gastric diseases (HPGD) are a series of gastric mucosal benign and malignant lesions associated with H. pylori infection. Exploring the pathogenesis of HPGD will be of great significance to prevent and treat gastric malignancy. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome is the essence of TCM, reflecting the state of whole body. Potential similarities of TCM syndrome may provide a new perspective in understanding development and treatment of diseases. To seek an early warning signal for gastric malignant pathology and similarities of TCM syndrome from the viewpoint of molecular biology, we examined the relationships among H. pylori, gastric pathology, and TCM syndrome and effects of Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) gene polymorphisms and expression on gastric pathology and TCM syndrome in HPGD. The results indicated that detection of H. pylori with differentiation of TCM syndrome may have a predictive function to gastric pathology. H. pylori may lead to gastric atrophy via enhancing IL-1β mRNA expression, and IL-1β mRNA overexpression in gastric mucosa may be one of the generality characteristics for H. pylori-negative subjects with syndrome of dampness-heat in the spleen and stomach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To evaluate the safety of moxa smoke, especially to provide quantitative information and details for the occupational prevention of acupuncturists. Methods. We combined the questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey and lung function testing-based historical retrospective cohort research to investigate the safety of moxa smoke exposure (MSE) among acupuncturists. A mathematical regression model was established to quantitatively evaluate the relationship between moxa smoke exposure and the respiratory health of the acupuncturist. The smoke exposure time of the acupuncturist and the prevalence of abnormal respiratory symptoms or diseases were also evaluated. Results. (1) The cross-sectional research showed that the incidence of expectoration (18.7%) and rhinitis (22.7%) was the most common respiratory symptom and disease after MSE. No statistical difference was found between smoke exposure time of the acupuncturist and the prevalence of abnormal respiratory symptoms or diseases, except the prevalence of rhinitis and shortness of breath (P<0.01). Regression model for the incidence of first three symptoms (expectoration, shortness of breath, and wheezing) from the cross-sectional survey indicated that the weight coefficients of factors associated with moxa smoke were lower than those of factors unrelated to moxa smoke, such as gender and personal history of respiratory diseases. (2) Historical retrospective cohort research showed that there was no significant difference in the % predicted PEF. No statistic difference was found between the exposed and nonexposed group in large airway function indexes (% predicted FEV1, % predicted FVC, and % predicted FEV1/FVC) and small airway function indexes (% predicted FEF25, % predicted FEF50, % predicted FEF75, and % predicted MMEF), either. Especially, the % predicted MVV among males (106.23 ± 2.92 vs. 95.56 ± 1.92, P<0.01 and % predicted VC among females (100.70 ± 1.59 vs. 95.91 ± 1.61, P<0.05) between the two groups had statistical significance, but did not cause pulmonary ventilation dysfunction. Conclusions. MSE has no significant effect on the respiratory health of acupuncturists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the relationship of MUC1, MUC5AC, and the syndrome of spleen and stomach, 109 subjects (34 peptic ulcer (PU), 62 chronic gastritis (CG), and 13 healthy volunteers (CON)) were included. All the subjects included were surveyed with questionnaire to classify them into damp-heat syndrome of spleen and stomach (DHSS), spleen-qi deficiency syndrome (SQD), and CON, examined by gastric endoscope, and biopsied. Rapid urease and methylene blue staining (MBS) were performed on every subject to diagnose for Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection, and both were defined as Hp-positive. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was performed on every specimen to explore the histomorphology, inflammatory degree, and inflammatory activity of different groups; then Elivision™ plus kit was used to test the expression of MUC1 and MUC5AC. All the results of digital images were reviewed by two experts blindly. The inflammatory degree with Hp infection was higher than those uninfected or CON, but no significant difference was found between DHSS and SQD. And the expressions of MUC5AC with positive Hp was higher than those with negative Hp or CON regardless of the deficiency and solid syndrome of spleen-stomach but not for MUC1. We speculate that the deficiency and solid syndrome of spleen-stomach is a condition like Tai Ji symbol of dynamic equilibrium, showing the higher expression of MUC5AC but no change of MUC1 in the circumstance of Hp infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modified Banxia Xiexin decoction (MBXD) is a classical Chinese herbal formula in treating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) for long time, but the efficacy of it is still controversial. This study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MBXD for the treatment of GERD in adults. The search strategy was carried out for publications in seven electronic databases. RevMan software version 5.3 and the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool were performed for this review. Twelve RCTs were included for the analysis. The results of overall clinical efficacy and efficacy under gastroscope demonstrated that MBXD was superior to conventional western medicine. Meanwhile, the results of subgroup analysis showed clinical heterogeneity between the two groups. However, there was no statistically significant difference in acid regurgitation between the two groups. But in the improvement of heartburn and sternalgia, the results showed statistically significant differences for the comparison between two groups. In addition, the adverse reactions of the experiment groups were not different from those of the control groups. This systematic review indicates that MBXD may have potential effects on the treatment of patients with GERD. But because the evidence of methodological quality and sample sizes is weak, further standardized researches are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to explore the “intensity-response” relationship in local moxibustion-like stimuli- (LMS-) modulated gastric motility and its underlying receptor mechanism. Based on the thermal pain threshold (43°C), 41°C, 43°C, and 45°C LMS were separately applied to ST36 or CV12 for 180 s among ASIC3 knockout (ASIC3−/−) mice, TRPV1 knockout (TRPV1−/−) mice, and their homologous wild-type C57BL/6 mice (n=8 in each group). Gastric motility was continuously measured by an intrapyloric balloon, and the amplitude, integral, and frequency of gastric motility during LMS were compared with those of initial activities. We found that both 43°C and 45°C LMS at ST36 induced significantly facilitated effect of gastric motility P<0.05, while LMS at CV12 induced inhibited effects P<0.05. 41°C LMS had no significant impact on gastric motility. Compared with C57BL/6 mice, the facilitatory effect at ST36 and inhibitive effect of LMS at CV12 were decreased significantly in TRPV1−/− mice (P<0.05; P<0.01) but not changed markedly in ASIC3−/− mice P>0.05. These results suggest that there existed an “intensity-response” relationship between temperature in LMS and its effects on gastric motility. TRPV1 receptor played a crucial role in the LMS-modulated gastric motility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]