title: Effect of bufei granule on stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled, and multicenter clinical study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the therapeutic effect Bufei granule, which is a traditional Chinese drug that can enhance the immune function of the lung, on patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled, and multicenter clinical study. Three medical centers in Tianjin, China, participated in the trial. A total of 140 patients with stable COPD were enrolled and randomized into two groups, with 70 patients in each. The treatment group was treated with Bufei granule, while the control group received Bufei placebo. The pharmacological treatment lasted for 12 weeks from the date of enrollment. Then, the indexes of patients were observed. Data were analyzed to study the effect of Bufei granule, with the frequency of acute exacerbation as the primary outcome. Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes, Modified British Medical Research Council dyspnea scale score, St. George's respiratory questionnaire scores, pulmonary function, and serum inflammatory marker levels [including interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and transformation growth factor-beta1] were the secondary outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the 12-week treatment, treatment and control groups had no adverse reactions. The analysis of the indexes obtained from all patients showed that the therapeutic effect in the treatment group was significantly better than that in the control group because most of the similar probabilities of primary and secondary outcomes were less than 0.05, except for the level of IL-6.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bufei granule can treat patients with stable COPD by lowering the frequency of acute exacerbation, improving the quality of life, and alleviating the severity of inflammation.
authors.forename: Sijia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Zengtao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Enshun
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jihong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Yuechuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000276:immunology; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D011788:Quality of Life; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8