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Han K, Yoo JE, Kim JE, Kwon O, Kim AR, Park HJ, Jung SY, Kim M, Yang C, Cho JH, Lee JH. Beneficial effect of Gyejibokryeong-hwan on climacteric syndrome with blood stasis pattern: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical pilot trial. Integr Med Res 2023; 12:100951. [PMID: 37187679 PMCID: PMC10176163 DOI: 10.1016/j.imr.2023.100951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Gyejibokryeong-hwan (GBH), a herbal mixture that is widely used for climacteric syndrome, is studied for its efficacy; however, no study evaluated the GBH indication, which is a blood-stasis pattern based on traditional Chinese medicine theory. Methods This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical pilot trial. Fifty subjects with climacteric syndrome were recruited and randomly assigned to GBH group or placebo group. Subjects were administered GBH or placebo granules for 4 weeks followed by 4 weeks of observation period. For the primary outcome, the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) was evaluated. For the secondary outcomes, quality of life, degrees of abdominal resistance and tenderness, blood-stasis pattern questionnaire and degree of upward movement of Qi were evaluated. Results After 4-week intervention, the mean change of total MRS score significantly decreased in the GBH group compared to the placebo group (p = 0.037). The quality of life related to physical health (p = 0.008) and blood-stasis pattern (p = 0.018) significantly improved in the GBH group but not in the placebo group. Conclusion Our findings provide evidence of the feasibility of recruiting subjects with GBH indications and show that GBH may have clinical efficacy for the treatment of menopausal symptoms, especially urogenital symptoms, without any significant adverse events. Trial registration Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS identifier: KCT0002170).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyungsun Han
- Korean Medicine Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Jeong-Eun Yoo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Korean Medicine, Daejeon University, Daejeon, South Korea
- Laon Integrative Medicine Research Center, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Jung-Eun Kim
- Korean Medicine Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
- Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, South Korea
| | - Ojin Kwon
- Korean Medicine Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Ae-Ran Kim
- Clinical Research Coordinating Team, R&D Strategy Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Hyo-Ju Park
- Clinical Research Coordinating Team, R&D Strategy Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - So-Young Jung
- Clinical Research Coordinating Team, R&D Strategy Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Mikyung Kim
- Korean Medicine Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Sangji University, Wonju, South Korea
| | - Changsop Yang
- Korean Medicine Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Jung-Hyo Cho
- Department of Internal Korean Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Daejeon University, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Jun-Hwan Lee
- Korean Medicine Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
- Korean Medicine Life Science, University of Science & Technology (UST), Campus of Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, South Korea
- Corresponding author at: Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, 1672 Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34054, South Korea.
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Li Q, Gu J, Huang J, Zhao P, Luo C. "They see me as mentally ill": the stigmatization experiences of Chinese menopausal women in the family. BMC Womens Health 2023; 23:185. [PMID: 37076835 PMCID: PMC10116657 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-023-02350-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Menopausal women are regarded as "abnormal people" in China and are often discriminated against and ostracized, especially in the privacy of their homes. However, research on the stigmatization of menopausal women in China is limited. The aim of this study is to explore and describe the stigmatization experiences of Chinese menopausal women in the family and their feelings about these experiences. METHODS A phenomenological qualitative research design involving in-depth semi-structured interviews was selected. Our data analysis adopted Colaizzi's methodology. RESULTS Fourteen menopausal women participated in this study. Four themes and 12 subthemes emerged: (1) violent treatment (verbal and physical violence); (2) lack of attention and companionship (lack of understanding of physical and psychological suffering, neglect of the value of labour and difficulty finding someone to talk to and accompany them); (3) coping struggles (keeping quiet, fighting back, changing inappropriate perceptions and developing a menopausal transition management plan); and (4) despair (deep-rooted perceptions, restrictions on travel and consumption, and unknown "healing" times). CONCLUSION Our results suggest that Chinese menopausal women suffer physically and mentally within their families. The stigma of menopause is both a symptom of the broad societal lack of knowledge regarding menopause and a reflection of the patriarchal oppression of women in a specific cultural context. Accordingly, this study can help menopausal women and society in general better understand the former's stigmatization experiences and amplify their inner voices. Moreover, it can serve as a reference for the formulation of menopause-related health policies in China and for advocating and promoting humanistic care for menopausal women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiong Li
- School of Public Administration, Hohai University, Nanjing, 211100, China
| | - Jintu Gu
- Department of Sociology, Hohai University, Nanjing, China.
- Research Center for Environment and Society, Hohai University, Nanjing, China.
- Yangtze Institute for Conservation and High-quality Development, Jiangsu Research Base, Nanjing, China.
| | - Jianyuan Huang
- School of Public Administration, Hohai University, Nanjing, 211100, China
| | - Pei Zhao
- Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, 211100, China.
| | - Chenliang Luo
- Shanghai Pudong New Area Tax Bureau, State Taxation Administration, Shanghai, 200120, China
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Wang J, Wang F, Yuan L, Ruan H, Zhu Z, Fan X, Zhu L, Peng X. Blood-Enriching Effects and Immune-Regulation Mechanism of Steam-Processed Polygonatum Sibiricum Polysaccharide in Blood Deficiency Syndrome Mice. Front Immunol 2022; 13:813676. [PMID: 35250989 PMCID: PMC8892585 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.813676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Polygonatum sibiricum Red. has been used as a medicinal herb and nutritional food in traditional Chinese medicine for a long time. It must be processed prior to clinical use for safe and effective applications. However, the present studies mainly focused on crude Polygonatum sibiricum (PS). This study aimed to investigate the chemical properties, blood-enriching effects and mechanism of polysaccharide from the steam-processed Polygonatum sibiricum (SPS), which is a common form of PS in clinical applications. Instrumentation analyses and chemistry analyses revealed the structure of SPS polysaccharide (SPSP). A mice model of blood deficiency syndrome (BDS) was induced by acetylphenylhydrazine (APH) and cyclophosphamide (CTX). Blood routine test, spleen histopathological changes, serum cytokines, etc. were measured. The spleen transcriptome changes of BDS mice were detected by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). The results showed that SPSP consists predominantly of Gal and GalA together with fewer amounts of Man, Glc, Ara, Rha and GlcN. It could significantly increase peripheral blood cells, restore the splenic trabecular structure, and reverse hematopoietic cytokines to normal levels. RNA-seq analysis showed that 122 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained after SPSP treatment. GO and KEGG analysis revealed that SPSP-regulated DEGs were mainly involved in hematopoiesis, immune regulation signaling pathways. The reliability of transcriptome profiling was validated by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot, and the results indicated that the potential molecular mechanisms of the blood-enriching effects of SPSP might be associated with the regulating of JAK1-STAT1 pathway, and elevated the hematopoietic cytokines (EPO, G-CSF, TNF-α and IL-6). This work provides important information on the potential mechanisms of SPSP against BDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Wang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhejiang Pharmaceutical College, Ningbo, China
| | - Furong Wang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhejiang Pharmaceutical College, Ningbo, China
| | - Lixia Yuan
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhejiang Pharmaceutical College, Ningbo, China
| | - Hongsheng Ruan
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhejiang Pharmaceutical College, Ningbo, China
| | - Zhibiao Zhu
- Department of Quality Control, Zhejiang Sanxitang Chinese Medicine Co., LTD, Yiwu, China
| | - Xiaoling Fan
- Department of Quality Control, Zhejiang Sanxitang Chinese Medicine Co., LTD, Yiwu, China
| | - Lingyan Zhu
- Department of Quality Control, Zhejiang Sanxitang Chinese Medicine Co., LTD, Yiwu, China
| | - Xin Peng
- Ningbo Research Institute of Zhejiang University, Ningbo, China
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