Promoting whole person health:Exploring the role of traditional Chinese medicine in Polish healthcare

Poland has a unique history of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)dating back to the 17th century when Polish missionary Michael(Michal)Boym was a pioneer in the field.In the 20th century,his successor,Professor Zbigniew Garnuszewski,reintroduced acupuncture to medical practice in Poland.However,other methods of TCM and its holistic approach to patient care have not found their place in modern medicine in Poland.At present,the legal status of TCM in Poland remains unregulated,with TCM included in the broad spectrum of complementary and alternative medicine(CAM)practices.Few reports are available on the use of TCM methods among the Polish population.Integrative medicine combines conventional medicine with evidence-based CAM interventions and considers all aspects of a patient's health,including physical,emotional,mental,social,and environmental factors.An integrative healthcare model that incorporates TCM modalities and lifestyle recommendations as well as a whole person approach may provide a more sustainable solution for the constantly underfinanced Polish healthcare system,which faces challenges of multimorbidity in an aging society and limited access to care.The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic,war in Ukraine,and ongoing climate crisis have underscored the need to strengthen the resilience of the Polish healthcare system and search for new solutions.A model of care that blends the best of biomedicine and TCM healing approaches may be a better option for both patients and the healthcare system in Poland.

结合医学在美国洛杉矶加州大学的发展和现状

二十多年来，美国洛杉矶加州大学（University of California at Los Angeles，UCLA）医学中心一直是美国西部排名第一的医学中心，在全美医学中心评比中排名前五名。在对待结合医学的态度上，UCLA医学中心一直秉持开放和包容的学术态度，因此在结合医学发展的不同阶段，UCLA始终能够走在美国的前列。早在20世纪70年代初期，当针刺麻醉吸引了众多的西方神经科学研究者、麻醉专业和疼痛研究者兴趣的时候，UCLA疼痛科主任Bresler博士就率先开展了针灸临床和研究工作，他的研究重点是针刺镇痛的临床观察，

Introducing Considerations in the Translation of Chinese Medicine

This article introduces the document, Considerations in the Translation of Chinese Medicine, published in PDF form online in both Chinese and English. This 20-page document includes several sections describing why the Considerations is necessary, the specificity of texts in Chinese medicine; the history of translation in Chinese medicine; who constitutes an ideal translator of Chinese medicine; what types of language exist in Chinese medicine; and specific issues in the translation of Chinese medicine, such as domestication versus foreignization, technical terminology, period-specific language, style, polysemy, and etymological translation. The final section offers a brief advisory for consumers, and concludes with a call to further discussion, and action, specifically in the development of international collaborative efforts towards the creation of more rigorous guidelines for the translation of Chinese medicine. The current article provides an overview of several of these sections, and includes links to the original document.

于文明副局长率领中医药代表团访问洛杉矶加州大学纪要

2012年7月19日以国家中医药管理局于文明副局长为首的中医药代表团访问了洛杉矶加州大学（University of California at LOS Angeles，UCLA）。代表团成员还包括国家中医药管理局人事教育司卢国惠副司长和国际合作司朱海东处长，北京中医药大学吴建伟书记，以及天津中医药大学中医研究院王涛副院长。在UCLA结合医学合作中心以及东西医学中心主任许家杰教授的安排下，代表团的访问日程包括两个主要方面：（1）访问UCLARonaldReagan医学中心；（2）了解UCLA东西医学中心目前进行的中医药国际合作项目。

Integrative medicine,or not integrative medicine:that is the question

On September 26-27, 2015, the 8th European Congress for Integrative Medicine convened the Global Summit on Integrative Medicine and Healthcare in Greater Copenhagen and Helsingφr, Denmark at the Culture Yard just across from Kronborg Castle, which is home to William Shakespeare＇s Hamlet. This article is a summary of the author＇s presentation about integrative medicine within the Nordic region, driving factors that determine value in healthcare, key tenets of integrative medicine that lead to healthcare cost savings and the potential for a Nordic healthcare renaissance.

Women’s preconception health patterns in traditional Chinese medicine as a predictor of fertility outcomes

Objective: To examine the association between traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), preconception health patterns and fertility outcomes.Methods: A community-based prospective cohort study was conducted in China. A total of 3012 newly married women who were willing to conceive within 2 years were enrolled in the study and took National Free Prepregnancy Checkups(NFPC). A reliably structured self-rating scale was used to measure the TCM preconception health patterns of the enrolled women. A 3-year follow-up was conducted to obtain the fertility outcomes, including pregnancy rate, time to pregnancy, spontaneous miscarriage and newborn status. Statistical analyses were conducted using Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests, logistic regression models, general linear models and the Cox proportional hazard model.Results: The fertility outcomes showed no statistic correlations to the terms of NFPC in this population.Approximately a half of the women(46.66%) had unhealthy patterns. Women with qi & blood-deficiency(odds ratio [OR] = 35.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.55–801.15) or qi-stagnation(OR = 4.55, 95% CI =0.90–23.06) pattern took a longer time to get pregnant, and those with qi-stagnation(OR = 2.05, 95% CI =1.1–3.82) or yang-deficiency(OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.12–3.25) pattern had a higher risk of spontaneous miscarriage.Conclusion: Three unhealthy TCM patterns during the preconception period might be risk factors for low fecundity or poor pregnancy outcomes. The TCM preconception pattern identification may provide a convenient and effective way to screen for potential pregnancy risks beyond the NFPC. Further, appropriate interventions based on the TCM preconception health patterns are needed to improve quality in women’s fecundability and birth outcomes.

Mechanism of Mingjing Granules in Treating Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verification

Objective:To analyze the potential mechanism of Mingjing granules in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration(wAMD)based on the research methods of network pharmacology and molecular docking approach and to provide a new reference for the currently limited treatment of wAMD.Materials and Methods:We searched TCMSP,GeneCards,OMIM,PharmGkb,TTD,and DrugBank database to screen the main active ingredients of Mingjing granules and their therapeutic targets of wAMD.The network of active components and targets was constructed using Cytoscape3.6.1 software,which was also used for the topological analysis of target genes.The network of Protein-Protein Interactions(PPI)was mapped using the String platform.We also used R language to do the Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway for additional analysis.Molecular docking studies were finished by Chemoffice,Autodock,and Pymol.Finally,the efficacy of the Mingjing granules was examined in animal experiments,in which we used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to the contents of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)and matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9)levels in peripheral blood.Results:Active compounds,including quercetin,lignocaine,and kaempferol,were found.PPI network analysis showed that tumor necrosis factor(TNF),MMP-9,epidermal growth factor(EGF),prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2(PTGS2),and caspase-3(CASP3)were related to both Mingjing granules and wAMD.GO and KEGG pathway analysis showed that these targets were mainly involving lipids and atherosclerosis,TNF,and interleukin-17(IL-17)signaling pathways.Docking studies suggested that quercetin and luteolin can fit in the binding pocket of four target proteins(CASP3,EGF,PTGS2,and TNF).In the vivo experiment,the Mingjing granules were found to be effective on the expression of VEGF and MMP-9 in peripheral blood.Conclusions:This study initially reveals the multi-constituent,multi-target,and multi-pathway mechanism of action of Mingjing granules in the treatment of wAMD and implies the inhibition of choroidal neovascularization may be related to the expression of VEGF and MMP-9.

Reframing Palliative Care:An East-West Integrative Palliative Care Model

Convergence of principles of palliative care and integrative medicine has led to the introduction of the new practice of integrative palliative care in which integrative therapies(including mind-body modalities,traditional Chinese medicine,Ayurveda,and dietary supplements)are used to provide symptom management for patients who are dying or experiencing the sequelae of serious illness and its treatment.We propose an East-West Integrative palliative care model using non-drug therapies,such as acupuncture,diet,exercise,and stress management that shift the paradigm from suppressing the symptoms of illness to addressing both the root cause of the symptoms and the imbalance and declining homeostatic reserve that perpetuate these symptoms.This whole-person model expands the reach of palliative care,prolonging a better quality of life and allowing the patient to maintain as many activities as possible by preventing symptoms and improving function.Through this approach we reframe the dialogue such that patients are"living better"rather than"dying better"when faced with serious illness or death.In this article,we provide an overview of the principles of palliative care,integrative medicine,and the novel area of integrative palliative care,and propose an East-West integrative palliative care model that incorporates and broadens the scope of these existing approaches.

美国加州大学洛杉矶分校中西医结合医疗保健模式下的医学教育研究

美国加州大学洛杉矶分校（University of California in Los Angeles, UCLA）东西医学中心（Center for East-West Medicine, CEWM）创办人许家杰教授大力倡导以整体观为核心的中西医结合医疗保健模式，并始终坚持将其付诸于中西医结合医学教育和临床实践。这是一种中西医结合医学从业人员基于“以人为中心”的整体观，结合现代医学与中医学方法对患者进行疾病防治和保健教育的模式。本文将简单介绍这种保健模式，并以临床病案讨论为例，重点介绍和总结CEWM如何将该模式贯穿于中西医结合临床人才培养过程中，以期为我国中西医结合临床高等人才培养提供参考。

Acupuncture for treating polycystic ovary syndrome:guidance for future randomized controlled trials

Objective： To provide guidance for future randomized controlled trials （RCTs） based on a review con- cerning acupuncture for treating polycystic ovary syndrome （PCOS）. Methods： A comprehensive literature search was conducted in October 2015 using MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCISEARCH, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Cochrane Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group trials register, Allied and Complementary Medi- cine （AMED）, China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）, and the Wanfang databases. RCTs comparing either acupuncture with no/sham/pharmacological intervention or a combination of acupuncture and conventional therapy with conventional therapy in the treatment of PCOS were included in this review. A quality evaluation was performed for each of the included studies. Results： Thirty-one RCTs were included in the review and were divided into four categories according to the type of intervention used in the comparator or control group. Menstrual frequency, hor- mones, anthropometrics, insulin sensitivity, blood lipids, and fertility were used as the main measurements to assess the effects of acupuncture on the patients with PCOS. Thirty trials, except for one, showed an improvement in at least one of the indicators of PCOS after acupuncture treatment. However, normalizing the methodological and reporting format remains an issue. Conclusions： Based upon this review of current clinical trials concerning acupuncture for treating PCOS, we provide guidelines for better clinical trial design in the future.

Erxian Tang (二仙汤)——Introduction of a Chinese Herbal Formula, Clinical Practice, and Experimental Studies

Erxian Tang （二仙汤, EXT） is a Chinese herbal formula developed for the treatment of menopausal syndrome in women. In the past 50 years, EXT has shown positive efficacy in the treatment of many chronic diseases in TCM, involving syndrome types of Shen （肾） yin-yang deficiency, yin-deficiency caused yang-flourishing, and disharmony of Chong-Ren meridian. Experimental studies have revealed that EXT has multiple pharmacological actions on such multiple targets as hypothalamus-pituitary-target gland axis, immune function and free radical metabolism, etc.