Table 3.
Within-group comparisons between the high and low treatment response populations within the high-dose RCEG group.
| High-response | (n = 40) | Low-response | (n = 37) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median (min, max) | Median (min, max) | ||||
| Demographic characteristics | |||||
| Age (years) | 59.5 (42.0, 78.0) | (n = 40) | 62.0 (41.0, 81.0) | (n = 37) | 0.35 |
| Gender, male/Female | 23/17 | (n = 40) | 18/19 | (n = 37) | 0.50 a |
| Duration of DM (years) | 9.5 (1.0, 28.0) | (n = 40) | 8.0 (1.0, 27.0) | (n = 37) | 0.69 |
| No. Of OHA (0/1/2/3/4) | 18/3/7/10/2 | (n = 40) | 17/8/4/5/3 | (n = 37) | 0.31 a |
| Smoke (Y/N) | 2/38 | (n = 40) | 4/33 | (n = 37) | 0.42 a |
| Alcohol (Y/N) | 3/37 | (n = 40) | 2/35 | (n = 37) | 1.00 a |
| Insulin used (Y/N) | 3/37 | (n = 40) | 3/34 | (n = 37) | 1.00 a |
| Lipid lowering drug (Y/N) | 11/29 | (n = 40) | 14/23 | (n = 37) | 0.47 a |
| Anthropometric characteristics and vital signs | |||||
| Weight (kg) | 66.2 (40.0, 97.0) | (n = 40) | 68.0 (47.2, 121.6) | (n = 37) | 0.89 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.7 (16.2, 33.5) | (n = 40) | 25.5 (19.6, 41.6) | (n = 36) | 0.64 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 138.0 (105.0, 187.0) | (n = 35) | 135.0 (110.0, 177.0) | (n = 33) | 0.74 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 80.0 (40.0, 112.0) | (n = 35) | 76.0 (42.0, 104.0) | (n = 33) | 0.72 |
| HR (beat/min) | 84.0 (61.0, 107.0) | (n = 31) | 78.5 (60.0, 111.0) | (n = 28) | 0.02* |
| Laboratory data | |||||
| HbA1c (%) | 9.5 (6.6, 13.9) | (n = 40) | 7.9 (6.5, 12.5) | (n = 37) | 0.002** |
| FPG (mg/dl) | 172.0 (83.0, 353.0) | (n = 21) | 151.0 (91.0, 275.0) | (n = 18) | 0.83 |
| 2 hPG (mg/dl) | 233.5 (96.0, 436.0) | (n = 14) | 271.0 (99.0, 421.0) | (n = 8) | 0.92 |
| ALT (U/L) | 21.0 (9.0, 100.0) | (n = 25) | 41.5 (15.0, 106.0) | (n = 20) | 0.008** |
| Cr (mg/dl) | 0.8 (0.3, 8.0) | (n = 25) | 0.7 (0.5, 1.4) | (n = 21) | 0.43 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 165.5 (86.0, 384.0) | (n = 22) | 188.0 (152.0, 276.0) | (n = 17) | 0.07 |
| HDL-C (mg/dl) | 40.0 (26.0, 106.0) | (n = 21) | 49.0 (36.0, 82.0) | (n = 15) | 0.03* |
| LDL-C (mg/dl) | 97.0 (20.0, 153.0) | (n = 21) | 121.0 (60.0, 202.0) | (n = 16) | 0.02* |
| Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 149.0 (33.0, 2,589.0) | (n = 22) | 109.0 (45.0, 227.0) | (n = 17) | 0.32 |
| Average daily dose and treatment duration of RCEG | |||||
| RCEG average dose (g/d) | 9.9 (4.6, 16.7) | (n = 40) | 9.0 (6.0, 13.8) | (n = 37) | 0.04* |
| RCEG treatment (days) | 185.5 (49.0, 441.0) | (n = 40) | 75.0 (21.0, 756.0) | (n = 37) | <0.001*** |
| Average daily dose of commonly combined CHM extract granules | |||||
| Shen-ling-Bai-Zhu-San (g/d) | 7.2 (2.0, 12.0) | (n = 38) | 7.4 (0.9, 9.0) | (n = 34) | 0.96 |
| Ban-Xia-Xie-Xin-Tang (g/d) | 3.0 (1.2, 4.5) | (n = 7) | 3.0 (1.5, 3.0) | (n = 3) | 0.81 |
| Bu-Yang-Huan-Wu-Tang (g/d) | 4.5 (3.6, 6.0) | (n = 6) | 3.2 (2.0, 4.3) | (n = 2) | 0.29 |
| Gui-Lu-Er-Xian-Jiao (pc/d) | 4.8 (4.0, 6.0) | (n = 4) | 5.3 (3.7, 9.0) | (n = 7) | 0.92 |
| LipoCol Forte Capsules (pc/d) | 2.0 (1.4, 2.0) | (n = 5) | 2.0 (1.6, 2.0) | (n = 7) | 1.00 |
| San-Qi (g/d) | 1.5 (1.0, 1.5) | (n = 12) | 1.5 (1.5, 3.0) | (n = 11) | 0.11 |
| Cang-Zhu (g/d) | 1.5 (1.0, 7.5) | (n = 7) | 3.6 (0.1, 9.0) | (n = 7) | 0.85 |
Based on their treatment response, patients in the high-dose RCEG group were divided into two groups for characteristic evaluation. Data are presented as the median (min, max).
Fisher’s exact test was used for the categorical variables. Continuous variables were evaluated by the Mann Whitney U test. Significant differences (*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001) were observed between the two group in several variables, including the average daily dose and treatment duration of RCEG, and initial HR, HbA1c, ALT, HDL-C, and LDL-C. FPG, fasting plasma glucose; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; BMI, body mass index; Cr, creatinine; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; DM, diabetes mellitus; HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HR, heart rate; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; OHA, oral hypoglycemia agents; 2 hPG, 2-hour postprandial glucose; SBP, systolic blood pressure.