are the different characteristic forms of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. They are widely used as traditional Chinese medicines in clinical practices. This study analyzes the development history, efficacy, chemical compositions, and pharmacological effects of Radix Paeoniae Rubra and Radix Paeoniae Alba, and explores the causes of the similarities and differences of these two amalgams. It provides a basis for the clinical application of these two Chinese medicinal materials, and lays a foundation for further study of the pharmacological effects and the quality identification of Paeonia lactiflora Pall as it applies to traditional Chinese medicine.

Millions of patients are suffering from ischemic stroke, it is urgent to figure out the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury in order to find an effective cure. After I/R injury, pro-inflammatory cytokines especially interleukin-1β (IL-1β) upregulates in ischemic brain cells, such as microglia and neuron. To ameliorate the inflammation after cerebral I/R injury, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD), leucine-rich repeat (LRR), and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is well-investigated. NLRP3 inflammasomes are complicated protein complexes that are activated by endogenous and exogenous danger signals to participate in the inflammatory response. The assembly and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome lead to the caspase-1-dependent release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18. Furthermore, pyroptosis is a pro-inflammatory cell death that occurs in a dependent manner on NLRP3 inflammasomes after cerebral I/R injury. In this review, we summarized the assembly and activation of NLRP3 inflammasome; moreover, we also concluded the pivotal role of NLRP3 inflammasome and inhibitors, targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome in cerebral I/R injury.

The modern Gastroenterology have witnessed an essential stride since Helicobacter pylori was first found in the stomach and then its pathogenic effect was discovered. According to the researches conducted during the nearly 40 years, it has been found that this bacterium is associated with a natural history of many upper gastrointestinal diseases. Epidemiological data show an increased incidence of autoimmune disorders with or after infection with specific microorganisms. The researches have revealed that H. pylori is a potential trigger of gastric autoimmunity, and it may be associated with other autoimmune diseases, both innate and acquired. This paper reviews the current support or opposition about H. pylori as the role of potential triggers of autoimmune diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune thyroiditis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, autoimmune liver diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, systemic lupus erythematosus, as well as Sjogren’s syndrome, chronic urticaria and psoriasis, and tried to explain the possible mechanisms.

Introduction Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a global public health problem. Antiviral therapy is the primary treatment. Studies have shown that a combined therapy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and conventional antiviral drugs has better efficacy than conventional antiviral for treatment of CHB. YinQiSanHuang-antiviral decoction (YQSH) is a TCM compound preparation that has shown an effect on anti-hepatitis B virus and on slowing progression of hepatitis B-related liver diseases. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of YQSH combined with entecavir and its preventive effect on hepatitis B cirrhosis, we designed this randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial. The objective is that the combination of YinQiSanHuang-antiviral decoction with entecavir will reduce the annual incidence of liver fibrosis/cirrhosis to 1%. Methods This is a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial involving five hospitals. A total of 802 patients are randomly allocated to two groups: the YQSH group (n = 401) or the placebo group (n = 401). The YQSH group receives YQSH with entecavir; the placebo group receives granules of placebo with entecavir. Patients receive treatment for 52 weeks and then are followed up for 52 ± 2 weeks. The primary outcome measure is the annual incidence of cirrhosis. The secondary outcome measures are hepatitis B virus DNA negative rate, hepatitis B surface antigen negative rate, hepatitis B e antigen seroconversion rate, liver function (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase , gamma-glutamyl transferase , alkaline phosphatase , serum albumin, and total bilirubin), spleen thickness, evaluation scores of patients’ clinical symptoms, and safety assessment. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and after treatment. Discussion Combination therapy could become a trend for treatment of CHB, and this trial expects to provide credible clinical evidence for the future combination of TCM and conventional antiviral drugs for the treatment of CHB. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR1900021521. Registered on 25 February 2019.

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a type of complex cardiomyopathy characterized by enlargement and contractile dysfunction of the left ventricle, right ventricle, or double ventricle. Modern studies have shown that the pathogenesis of DCM is closely related to factors such as heredity, gene mutation, autoimmunity, and viral infection. The etiology is complex and the mortality rate is high. Many clinical trials have proved that traditional Chinese medicine has a great therapeutic effect on DCM. In this systematic review, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine for DCM. Methods: The databases of Pubmed, The Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (WANFANG Data), Weipu Information Chinese Periodical Service Platform (VIP), and China Biomedical Literature Service System (SinoMed) will be searched online to collect randomized controlled trials related to the treatment of DCM with Traditional Chinese medicine The time is limited from the construction of the library to December 2019. We will use the criteria provided by Cochrane 5.1.0 for quality assessment and risk assessment of the included studies, and use the Revman 5.3 and Stata 13.0 software so as to systematically review the effectiveness of Traditional Chinese medicine for DCM. Ethics and dissemination: This systematic review will evaluate the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine for DCM. Because all data used in this systematic review and meta-analysis have been published, this review does not require ethical approval. In addition, all data will be analyzed anonymously during the review process. Trial registration number: PROSPERO CRD42020163332.

Introduction Hepatitis B-related compensated liver cirrhosis is related to a higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, and antiviral therapy is the preferred method. As the pathological mechanisms of liver fibrosis are complex, drugs developed for a single target are difficult to be effective in clinical practice, so there are no chemical drugs or biological drugs with clear efficacy available for clinical application at present. Traditional Chinese medicine is a kind of medical science that has been gradually formed during thousands of years and continuously enriched by the people of all ethnic groups in China. Traditional Chinese medicine shows curative effects in the treatment of liver diseases, especially in the field of liver fibrosis prevention and treatment. This study aims to test the integrative medicine (Chinese medicine plus antiviral therapy) effective on lowing hepatocellular carcinoma risk among patients with hepatitis-related compensated liver cirrhosis. Methods and analysis This is a multi-center randomized controlled trial, and a total of 5 hospitals and 802 patients will be involved in. All the subjects are randomly allocated to the YinQiSanHuang Jiedu decoction (YQSHD) group (n = 401) or the placebo group (n = 401). The YQSHD group receives YQSHD granule with entecavir (ETV), and the placebo group receives YQSHD placebo with ETV. The treatment period will last for 52 weeks, and the follow-up period for 52 ± 2 weeks. The primary outcome measure is the annual incidence of HCC. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and after treatment. The objective of this trial is “the integrative of YQSHD with ETV reduce the annual incidence of HCC to 1%.” Ethics and dissemination The protocol has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Guang’anmen Hospital, China (No.2019-006-KY), and the other centers in the trial will not begin recruiting until the local ethical approval has been obtained. Trial final results will be disseminated via publication. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900021532. Registered on February 26, 2019

Background: As one of the common cardiovascular diseases, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is characterized by a high mortality rate, frequent complications, and a serious threat to human health and quality of life. Traditional Chinese medicine injection (TCMI) has been used clinically to treat AMI; however, there is no uniform standard for clinical treatment of AMI. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different TCMI by using systematic review and network meta-analysis. Methods: According to the strategy, the authors will retrieve both 4 Chinese databases and 3 English databases by June 30, 2020. After a series of screening, randomized controlled trials will be included related to TCMI for AMI. Two researchers will use Aggregate Data Drug Information System and STATA 15.0 to analyze the data. Finally, the evidence grade of the results will be evaluated. Results: This study will provide a reliable evidence for the selection of TCMI therapies for AMI. Conclusion: The results of this study will provide references for evaluating the influence of different TCMI therapies for AMI, and provide decision-making references for clinical research. OSF registration number: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/FYGBT.

Background: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a global public health problem. Antiviral therapy is the primary treatment. Studies have shown that combined therapy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and conventional antiviral drugs has better clinical efficacy than conventional antiviral for treatment of CHB. YinQiSanHuang-antiviral decoction (YQSH) is a TCM compound preparation used for over thirty years, and has shown its effect on anti-hepatitis B virus and slowing progression of hepatitis B-related liver diseases in a small-scale clinical observation. Until now there is no convincing evidence demonstrating the clinical effectiveness of YQSH in anti-liver cirrhosis and anti-liver cancer. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of YQSH and its preventive effect on hepatitis B cirrhosis, a rigorously designed randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial is needed. Methods: This is a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial, 5 hospitals involved in. Totally 802 patients are randomly allocated to two groups: the YQSH group (n=401) or the placebo group (n=401). The YQSH group receives YQSH with Entecavir, the placebo group receives granule of placebo with Entecavir. Patients receive treatment for 52 weeks, and then are followed up for 52±2 weeks. The primary outcome measure is the annual incidence of cirrhosis. The secondary outcome measures are HBV-DNA negative rate, HBsAg negative rate, HBeAg seroconversion rate, liver function (Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), serum albumin (ALB) and total bilirubin (TBIL)), spleen thickness, evaluation scores of patients’ clinical symptoms and safety assessment. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and after treatment. Discussion: Combination therapy could become a trendy of treatment of CHB, this trial expecting to provide credible clinical evidence for the future combination of TCM and conventional antiviral drugs for the treatment of CHB. Trial registration: ChiCTR1900021521, this protocol was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn) on February 25th, 2019. Keywords: chronic hepatitis B, cirrhosis, traditional Chinese medicine, clinical trial, efficacy