Five commonly used traditional Chinese medicine formulas in the treatment of ulcerative colitis:A network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Currently,traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)formulas are commonly being used as adjunctive therapy for ulcerative colitis in China.Network meta-analysis,a quantitative and comprehensive analytical method,can systematically compare the effects of different adjunctive treatment options for ulcerative colitis,providing scientific evidence for clinical decision-making.AIM To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of commonly used TCM for the treatment of ulcerative colitis(UC)in clinical practice through a network metaanalysis.METHODS Clinical randomized controlled trials of these TCM formulas used for the adjuvant treatment of UC were searched from the establishment of the databases to July 1,2022.Studies that met the inclusion criteria were screened and evaluated for literature quality and risk of bias according to the Cochrane 5.1 standard.The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using ReviewManager(RevMan)5.4,and a funnel plot was constructed to test for publication bias.ADDIS 1.16 statistical software was used to perform statistical analysis of the treatment measures and derive the network relationship and ranking diagrams of the various intervention measures.RESULTS A total of 64 randomized controlled trials involving 5456 patients with UC were included in this study.The adjuvant treatment of UC using five TCM formulations was able to improve the clinical outcome of the patients.Adjuvant treatment with Baitouweng decoction(BTWT)showed a significant effect[mean difference=36.22,95%confidence interval(CI):7.63 to 65.76].For the reduction of tumor necrosis factor in patients with UC,adjunctive therapy with BTWT(mean difference=−9.55,95%CI:−17.89 to−1.41),Shenlingbaizhu powder[SLBZS;odds ratio(OR)=0.19,95%CI:0.08 to 0.39],and Shaoyao decoction(OR=−23.02,95%CI:−33.64 to−13.14)was effective.Shaoyao decoction was more effective than BTWT(OR=0.12,95%CI:0.03 to 0.39),SLBZS(OR=0.19,95%CI:0.08 to 0.39),and Xi Lei powder(OR=0.34,95%CI:0.13 to 0.81)in reducing tumor necrosis factor and the recurrence rate of UC.CONCLUSION TCM combined with mesalazine is more effective than mesalazine alone in the treatment of UC.

Evidence-based Clinical Chinese Medicine:What Has Changed Over the Past 20 Years

Chinese medicine has been used for centuries to treat a range of health conditions.This history has produced a wealth of classical literature,case studies and clinical research data detailing its use and effectiveness.However,high-quality and conclusive evidence that meets modern requirements for clinical decision support is lacking.This evidence gap limits the integration of Chinese medicine with contemporary medicine,which in turn limits global access and acceptance of Chinese medicine as a form of safe and effective health care.Over the past 20 years,researchers and organisations around the world,including the World Health Organization(WHO)and United Nations,have worked to support the integration of traditional medicines,such as Chinese medicine,with conventional medicines to improve global health care.This paper provides an overview of Chinese medicine studies published in the top four general medical journals(BMJ,JAMA,Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine)from February 2005 to February 2024 in the past 20 years to highlight the progress in the development of this evidence base.It also highlights key actions taken to promote evidence-based clinical Chinese medicine,including product and practitioner regulation,formalising education standards,and international collaborations.Research conducted at the China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine demonstrates the benefits of such a collaboration.Through development of its unique and inclusive‘whole-evidence’approach,plus clinical studies and systematic reviews,the Centre has significantly contributed to the evidence base for clinical Chinese medicine.In addition,its high-impact papers and groundbreaking monographs have been cited in international conventional medicine guidelines.While progress has certainly been made during the past 20 years to build a stronger evidence base for clinical Chinese medicine,there is still a considerable gap that limits its integration with conventional medicine.Future funding and research are needed to continue this work and achieve to safe,effective and accessible traditional medicine as part of the WHO’s Universal Health Coverage strategy.

Comparative efficacy and safety of Chinese patent medicines of iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy:A network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Iron deficiency anemia(IDA)is a prevalent nutritional disorder during pregnancy.Clinical studies indicate that incorporating Chinese patent medicines(CPMs)with oral iron(OI)in treating IDA in pregnancy can reduce adverse effects and improve clinical outcomes.Nonetheless,the comparative efficacy of different CPMs remains unclear.AIM To assess the safety and effectiveness of different CPMs for treating IDA during pregnancy using network meta-analysis.METHODS We conducted a search for randomized controlled trials(RCTs)that combined CPM and OI for IDA treatment in pregnancy,spanning from 2013 to the present.Data analysis was performed using Rev Man 5.3 and Stata 14.0 on literature that satisfied the quality criteria.RESULTS The analysis included 45 RCTs,encompassing 4422 pregnant patients with IDA.Six CPMs were examined,including Shengxuebao Mixture,Shengxuening Tablets(SXN),Yiqi Weixue CPMs(YQWX),Jianpi Shengxue CPMs(JPSX),Yiqi Buxue Tablets,and Compound Hongyi Buxue Oral Liquid(FFHY).Findings indicated that FFHY+OI significantly improved the clinical effective rate.SXN+OI was most effective in boosting red blood cells counts and hemoglobin levels.YQWX+OI showed superior results in improving serum ferritin,and SXN+OI was most effective in increasing serum iron levels.JPSX+OI was optimal in reducing adverse pregnancy outcomes,while YQBX+OI effectively minimized adverse events.A cluster analysis suggested that SXN+OI could be the potentially optimal therapeutic regimen for IDA in pregnancy.CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that the combination of OI with CPMs offers better outcomes than OI alone.Based on clinical efficacy and other measured outcomes,SXN+OI emerges as the most effective treatment modality for improving the health of pregnant patients with IDA.

Cultural Exclusion and the Transformation of the Cultural Landscape: The Origins of Anti-Chinese Racism in Canada

Anti-Chinese racism in Canada is a social structure of racialized exclusion that over time came to be built into the settler colonialism that continues to shape the country.Colonizers of European,and especially of British and French origins,have consequently created the cultural landscapes that constitute the country(i.e.,its material constructions and dominant cultural overlays).When read against these landscapes,people of Chinese origins and members of other racialized groups continue to be positioned as aliens who do not belong in the country in way in which people racialized as white are not.Focusing on British Columbia(BC),Canada's westernmost province,and the historical activity of people of Chinese origins,this paper traces the history of anti-Chinese racism and its links to Anglo-Canadian settler colonialism.Canada has long been linked to China,and the Chinese entered BC at the same time as Europeans before the country existed.Despite this,Chinese people have repeatedly been positioned as threats to Anglo-Canadian dominance,and especially to control over the land and its resources.Chinese Canadian resistance to racist exclusions,along with that of other groups,has led to the elimination of legislated exclusions.However,historic exclusions continue to shape cultural landscapes and popular understandings of who belongs and who does not.Remaking these landscapes requires an antiracist project of pursuing common projects that cross over racialized differences to remake the territory in ways that affirm the presence of all the peoples of Canada.

Memory,Identity and Cross-Cultural Communication:The Evolution of the Image of Chinese Railway Workers in Canada and the Reconstruction of Multiculturalism

International migrants confront many new challenges from the impact of global populism and geopolitics,but we also see the growth of a new identity culture.The Chinese community in Canada constructs its identity through the collective memory of the image of Chinese railway workers,and realizes the cross-cultural communication of a new identity culture in the course of the interaction of symbolic cultural practices.Since the 1980s,the image of Chinese railway workers has changed from"the indispensable evil"to"pioneers in nation-building"and"a tragic group subjected to injustice."This is a product of the collective memory of the Chinese ethnic group's pursuit of identity in Canada's multicultural reconstruction.The Chinese ethnic group has reshaped an image of Chinese railway workers that has been widely disseminated through cross-cultural means.They have aimed at gaining social acceptance and fundamental recognition of a Chinese-Canadian identity with the help of their"native cultural heritage and historical resources"in Canada.The construction of this identity culture through collective memory has consolidated the foundations of multiculturalism.

A telomere-to-telomere genome assembly of Hongyingzi,a sorghum cultivar used for Chinese Baijiu production

Sorghum(Sorghum bicolor(L.)Moench)is a world cereal crop used in China for producing Baijiu,a distilled spirit.We report a telomere-to-telomere genome assembly of the Baijiu cultivar Hongyingzi,HYZ-T2T,using ultralong reads.The 10 chromosome pairs contained 33,462 genes,of which 93%were functionally annotated.The 20 telomeres and 10 centromeric regions on the HYZ-T2T chromosomes were predicted and two consecutive large inversions on chromosome 2 were characterized.A 65-gene reconstruction of the metabolic pathway of tannins,the flavor substances in Baijiu,was performed and may advance the breeding of sorghum cultivars for Baijiu production.

UV-B irradiation enhances the accumulation of beneficial glucosinolates induced by melatonin in Chinese kale sprout

Cruciferous sprout is a new form of vegetable product rich in bioactive compounds,especially glucosinolates.Previous studies have focused on increasing the accumulation of glucosinolates in cruciferous sprouts by applying different chemical regulators,with a particular focus on their contribution to nutritional quality and health benefits.Nevertheless,the effects of melatonin and UV-B irradiation on glucosinolate biosynthesis remain unclear.In this study,it was found that changes in melatonin concentrations significantly affected the contents of individual as well as total aliphatic and indolic glucosinolates.The 5μmol·L^(-1)melatonin was decided as the optimum concentration that could increase the content of beneficial glucosinolates including glucoraphanin and 4-methoxy glucobrassicin in Chinese kale sprouts.Notably,the enhancement of glucosinolate accumulation by melatonin treatment could be further amplified by UV-B irradiation.Furthermore,our results showed that R2R3-MYB transcription factor BoaMYB28 and BoaMYB51,which are central regulators of aliphatic and indolic glucosinolate biosynthesis respectively,were both involved in the regulation of glucosinolate biosynthesis by melatonin and UV-B irradiation.Additionally,the expression of glucosinolate biosynthetic genes,including BoaCYP79F1,BoaCYP83A1,BoaSUR1,BoaUGT74B1,BoaCYP79B2,BoaCYP79B3,and BoaCYP83B1 participated in the formation of core structures and BoaFMOGS-OX5,BoaAOP2,BoaCYP81F2,and BoaIGMT1 involved in the sidechain modification of aliphatic and indolic glucosinolate,was regulated by melatonin or UV-B irradiation.Taken together,these findings provide a potential strategy for improving the nutritional quality and resistance of Chinese kale sprouts.

Bio-soft matter derived from traditional Chinese medicine:Characterizations of hierarchical structure,assembly mechanism,and beyond

Structural and functional explorations on bio-soft matter such as micelles,vesicles,nanoparticles,aggregates or polymers derived from traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has emerged as a new topic in the field of TCM.The discovery of such cross-scaled bio-soft matter may provide a unique perspective for unraveling the new effective material basis of TCM as well as developing innovative medicine and biomaterials.Despite the rapid rise of TCM-derived bio-soft matter,their hierarchical structure and assembly mechanism must be unambiguously probed for a further in-depth understanding of their pharmacological activity.In this review,the current emerged TCM-derived bio-soft matter assembled from either small molecules or macromolecules is introduced,and particularly the unambiguous elucidation of their hierarchical structure and assembly mechanism with combined electron microscopic and spectroscopic techniques is depicted.The pros and cons of each technique are also discussed.The future challenges and perspective of TCM-derived bio-soft matter are outlined,particularly the requirement for their precise in situ structural determination is highlighted.

A chromosome-level genome assembly for Chinese plum‘Wushancuili'reveals the molecular basis of its fruit color and susceptibility to rain-cracking

Chinese plum(Prunus salicina Lindl.)originates from China and makes a large contribution to the global production of plums.The P.salicina‘Wushancuili'has a green coloration and high fruit quality and is economically important in eliminating poverty and protecting ecology in the Yangtze River Three Gorges Reservoir.However,rain-induced cracking(rain-cracking,literally skin cracking caused by rain)is a limitation to‘Wushancuili'fruit production and causes severe losses.This study reported a high-quality‘Wushancuili'genome assembly consisting of a 302.17-Mb sequence with eight pseudo-chromosomes and a contig N50 of 23.59 Mb through the combination of Illumina sequencing,Pacific Biosciences HiFiⅢsequencing,and high-throughput chromosome conformation capture technology.A total of 25109 protein-coding genes are predicted and 54.17%of the genome is composed of repetitive sequences.‘Wushancuili'underwent a remarkable orthoselection during evolution.Gene identification revealed that loss-of-function in four core MYB10 genes results in the anthocyanin deficiency and absence of red color,revealing the green coloration due to the residual high chlorophyll in fruit skin.Besides,the occurrence of cracking is assumed to be closely associated with cell wall modification and frequently rain-induced pathogen enrichment through transcriptomic analysis.The loss of MYB10 genes might render fruit more susceptible to pathogen-mediated cracking by weakening the epidermal strength and reactive oxygen species(ROS)scavenging.Our findings provided fundamental knowledge regarding fruit coloration and rain-cracking and will facilitate genetic improvement and cultivation management in Chinese plums.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Erhuang Suppository for Treatment of Persistent High-risk Human Papillomavirus Infection and Its Impact on Transcriptome of Uterine Cervix

Objective High-risk human papillomavirus(HR-HPV)infection is the chief cause of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia(CIN)and cervical carcinoma.The Erhuang suppository(EHS)is a traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)prepared from realgar(As2S2),Coptidis rhizoma,alumen,and borneolum syntheticum and has been used for antiviral and antitumor purposes.However,whether EHS can efficiently alleviate HR-HPV infection remains unclear.This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of EHS for the treatment of persistent HR-HPV infection in the uterine cervix.Methods In this study,we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of EHS in a randomized controlled clinical trial with a 3-month follow-up.Totally,70 patients with persistent HR-HPV infection were randomly assigned to receive intravaginal administration of EHS or placebo.HPV DNA,ThinPrep cytologic test(TCT),colposcopy,and safety evaluation were carried out after treatment.Microarray analysis was performed to compare transcriptome profiles before and after EHS treatment.A K14-HPV16 mouse model was generated to confirm the efficiency of EHS.Results After 3 months,74.3%(26/35)of the patients in the treatment group were HPV negative,compared to 6.9%(2/29)in the placebo group.High-throughput microarrays revealed distinct transcriptome profiles after treatment.The differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in complement activation,immune response,and apoptotic processes.The K14-HPV16 mouse model also validated the remarkable efficacy of EHS.Conclusion This study demonstrated that EHS is effective against HR-HPV infection and cervical lesions.Additionally,no obvious systemic toxicity was observed in patients during the trial.The superior efficacy and safety of EHS demonstrated its considerable value as a potential cost-effective drug for the treatment of HPV infection and HPV-related cervical diseases.

Effectiveness of fecal DNA syndecan-2 methylation testing for detection of colorectal cancer in a high-risk Chinese population

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer(CRC)is among the most prevalent and life-threatening malignancies worldwide.Syndecan-2 methylation(mSDC2)testing has emerged as a widely used biomarker for early detection of CRC in stool and serum samples.Cancer(CRC)is among the most prevalent and life-threatening malignancies worldwide.mSDC2 testing has emerged as a widely used biomarker for early detection of CRC in stool and serum samples.AIM To validate the effectiveness of fecal DNA mSDC2 testing in the detection of CRC among a high-risk Chinese population to provide evidence-based data for the development of diagnostic and/or screening guidelines for CRC in China.METHODS A high-risk Chinese cohort consisting of 1130 individuals aged 40-79 years was selected for evaluation via fecal mSDC2 testing.Sensitivity and specificity for CRC,advanced adenoma(AA)and advanced colorectal neoplasia(ACN)were determined.High-risk factors for the incidence of colorectal lesions were determined and a logistic regression model was constructed to reflect the efficacy of the test.RESULTS A total of 1035 high-risk individuals were included in this study according to established criteria.Among them,16 suffered from CRC(1.55%),65 from AA(6.28%)and 189 from non-AAs(18.26%);150 patients were diagnosed with polyps(14.49%).Diagnoses were established based upon colonoscopic and pathological examinations.Sensitivities of the mSDC2 test for CRC and AA were 87.50%and 40.00%,respectively;specificities were 95.61%for other groups.Positive predictive values of the mSDC2 test for CRC,AA and ACN were 16.09%,29.89%and 45.98%,respectively;the negative predictive value for CRC was 99.79%.After adjusting for other high-risk covariates,mSDC2 test positivity was found to be a significant risk factor for the occurrence of ACN(P<0.001).CONCLUSION Our findings confirmed that offering fecal mSDC2 testing and colonoscopy in combination for CRC screening is effective for earlier detection of malignant colorectal lesions in a high-risk Chinese population.

Analysis on the Changes of Research Hotspots in the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 by Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on Knowledge Graph

Objective: To grasp the changing trend of research hotspots of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, and to better play the role of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and other diseases. Methods: The research literature from 2020 to 2022 was searched in the CNKI database, and CiteSpace software was used for visual analysis. Results: The papers on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 by traditional Chinese medicine changed from cases, overviews, reports, and efficacy studies to more in-depth mechanism research, theoretical exploration, and social impact analysis, and finally formed a theory-clinical-society Influence-institutional change and other multi-dimensional achievement systems. Conclusion: Analyzing the changing trends of TCM hotspots in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 can fully understand the important value of TCM, take the coordination of TCM and Western medicine as an important means to deal with public health security incidents, and promote the exploration of the potential efficacy of TCM, so as to enhance the role of TCM in Applications in social stability, emergency security, clinical practice, etc.

Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of endocrine therapyrelated osteoporosis among patients with breast cancer:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of combining traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),specifically Chinese herbal medicine(CHM),with Western medicine(WM),compared to WM alone to treat breast cancer endocrine therapy-related osteoporosis(BCET-OP)by meta-analysis.Methods Thirty-eight randomized controlled trials involving 2170 participants were analyzed.Eight databases were searched for articles published between inception and December 2023.Quality assessment was performed using the Risk of Bias 2 tool.Results Significant increases were observed in the TCM-WM group in lumbar vertebrae bone mineral density(BMD)(P<.001,mean difference(MD)=0.07,95%confidence interval(CI):0.06 to 0.08),lumbar vertebrae T-score(P=.0005,MD=0.21,95%CI:0.09 to 0.33)and collum femoris BMD(P=.01,MD=0.10,95%CI:0.02 to 0.19).No significant difference was observed between the groups in the collum femoris T-score and estradiol levels.Bone gla-protein levels were significantly increased in the TCM-WM group(P=.0002,MD=0.52,95%CI:0.25 to 0.79).Beta-CrossLaps decreased significantly in the TCM-WM group(P=.0008,MD=−0.10,95%CI:−0.16 to−0.04).No significant difference was observed between the TCM-WM and WM groups in alkaline phosphatase,in procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide,and in the Kupperman index.The visual analog score(VAS)was decreased in the TCM-WM group compared to the WM group(P<.001,MD=−1.40,95%CI:−1.94 to−0.87).No significant difference in adverse events was observed between the two groups.Conclusion Combining CHM with WM in patients with BCET-OP significantly improved BMD,T-score,and certain bone turnover markers and reduced the VAS score,indicating potential benefits for bone health and related pain.Adverse event analysis revealed no differences between the groups,supporting the feasibility of the combination therapy.However,further research,particularly in diverse populations,is required.

Integration of 1H-NMR-Based Metabolomics Approach with Traditional Chinese Pulse Diagnosis to Evaluate the Qi-Enhancing Activity of Herbal Tea

Human metabolism is intricately linked to an individual’s health status. Regardless of living habits, it will be reflected in the metabolic characteristics of urine. The utilization of the 1H NMR-based metabolomics method has enabled examine the metabolomic changes in urine under various physiology conditions, providing valuable insights into metabolites. In this particular study, volunteers were divided into two groups based on the strength of their spleen pulses, using the pulse diagnosis method employed in traditional Chinese medicine. Subsequently, their urine samples were analyzed, revealing notable variances in urea, creatinine, citric acid, succinic acid, trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), alanine, hippuric acid, and glycine between the two groups. Interestingly, individuals with weak spleen pulses showed significant improvements after consuming herbal tea. Furthermore, we conducted LC-MS analysis on herbal tea and performed adenosine triphosphate (ATP) activity tests on the C2C12 mouse skeletal muscle cell line. The results indicated that within a reasonable concentration range, exposure to herbal tea led to an increase in the mitochondrial ATP production capacity of C2C12 cells. These findings shed light on the relationship between traditional Chinese medicine pulse diagnosis and urine metabolites, highlighting their potential as non-invasive and straightforward health assessment indicators. They can aid in the preliminary determination of necessary dietary and lifestyle changes to enhance overall bodily health.

Whole-genome analysis reveals distinct adaptation signatures to diverse environments in Chinese domestic pigs

Background Long-term natural and artificial selection has resulted in many genetic footprints within the genomes of pig breeds across distinct agroecological zones.Nevertheless,the mechanisms by which these signatures contribute to phenotypic diversity and facilitate environmental adaptation remain unclear.Results Here,we leveraged whole-genome sequencing data from 82 individuals from 6 domestic pig breeds originating in tropical,high-altitude,and frigid regions.Population genetic analysis suggested that habitat isolation significantly shaped the genetic diversity and contributed to population stratification in local Chinese pig breeds.Analysis of selection signals revealed regions under selection for adaptation in tropical(55.5 Mb),high-altitude(43.6 Mb),and frigid(17.72 Mb)regions.The potential functions of the selective sweep regions were linked to certain complex traits that might play critical roles in different geographic environments,including fat coverage in frigid environments and blood indicators in tropical and high-altitude environments.Candidate genes under selection were significantly enriched in biological pathways involved in environmental adaptation.These pathways included blood circulation,protein degradation,and inflammation for adaptation to tropical environments;heart and lung development,hypoxia response,and DNA damage repair for high-altitude adaptation;and thermogenesis,cold-induced vasodilation(CIVD),and the cell cycle for adaptation to frigid environments.By examining the chromatin state of the selection signatures,we identified the lung and ileum as two candidate functional tissues for environmental adaptation.Finally,we identified a mutation(chr1:G246,175,129A)in the cis-regulatory region of ABCA1 as a plausible promising variant for adaptation to tropical environments.Conclusions In this study,we conducted a genome-wide exploration of the genetic mechanisms underlying the adaptability of local Chinese pig breeds to tropical,high-altitude,and frigid environments.Our findings shed light on the prominent role of cis-regulatory elements in environmental adaptation in pigs and may serve as a valuable biological model of human plateau-related disorders and cardiovascular diseases.

Fast,simple,efficient Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation system to non-heading Chinese cabbage with transgenic roots

Non-heading Chinese cabbage, a variety of Brassica campestris, is an important vegetable crop in the Yangtze River Basin of China. However,the immaturity of its stable transformation system and its low transformation efficiency limit gene function research on non-heading Chinese cabbage. Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated(ARM) transgenic technology is a rapid and effective transformation method that has not yet been established for non-heading Chinese cabbage plants. Here, we optimized conventional ARM approaches(one-step and two-step transformation methods) suitable for living non-heading Chinese cabbage plants in nonsterile environments. Transgenic roots in composite non-heading Chinese cabbage plants were identified using phenotypic detection, fluorescence observation, and PCR analysis. The transformation efficiency of a two-step method on four five-day-old non-heading Chinese cabbage seedlings(Suzhouqing, Huangmeigui, Wuyueman, and Sijiu Caixin) was 43.33%-51.09%, whereas using the stout hypocotyl resulted in a transformation efficiency of 54.88% for the 30-day-old Sijiu Caixin.The one-step method outperformed the two-step method;the transformation efficiency of different varieties was above 60%, and both methods can be used to obtain transgenic roots for functional studies within one month. Finally, optimized ARM transformation methods can easily,quickly, and effectively produce composite non-heading Chinese cabbage plants with transgenic roots, providing a reliable foundation for gene function research and non-heading Chinese cabbage genetic improvement breeding.

The Value of Traditional Medicine Should not be Underestimated-Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases of the nervous system(ADNS)are characterized by the formation of a pronounced neurologic deficit and often lead to disability.The attention of doctors and researchers is increasingly attracted by complementary medicine as adjuvant or preventive therapy for various diseases,including autoimmune diseases.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)is a combination of treatment methods that include acupuncture,herbal medicine,dietetics,physical exercises,and other methods that are often used in conjunction with recognized approaches of official medical science.The article describes the application of TCM techniques in autoimmune diseases of the nervous system,and demonstrates clinical experience in the use of acupuncture,herbal medicine,diets and physical exercises.Traditional and complementary medicine is an important and often underestimated healthcare resource,especially in the prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases of the nervous system.

Guidelines for application of high-content screening in traditional Chinese medicine:concept,equipment,and troubleshooting

High-content screening(HCS)technology combines automated high-speed imaging hardware and single-cell quantitative analysis.It can greatly accelerate data acquisition in cellular fluorescence imaging and is a powerful research technique in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).An increasing number of laboratories and platforms,including TCM laboratories,have begun utilizing HCS systems.However,this technology is still in its infancy in TCM research and there is a lack of sufficient experience with the associated concepts,instrument configurations,and analysis methods.To improve the understanding of HCS among researchers in the field of TCM,this paper summarizes the concept of HCS,software and hardware configuration,the overall research process,as well as common problems and related solutions of HCS in TCM research based on our team’s previous research experience,providing several research examples and an outlook on future perspectives,aiming to provide a technical guide for HCS in TCM research.

Research progress on insomnia treated by traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture based on microbial-gut-brain axis theory

Insomnia,as one of the emotional diseases,has been increasing in recent years,which has a great impact on people's life and work.Therefore,researchers are eager to find a more perfect treatment.The microbiome-gut-brain axis is a new theory that has gradually become popular abroad in recent years and has a profound impact in the field of insomnia.In recent years,traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has played an increasingly important role in the treatment of insomnia,especially acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.It is the main method of TCM in the treatment of insomnia.This paper mainly reviews the combination degree of"microorganism-gut-brain axis"theory with TCM and acupuncture under the system of TCM.To explore the mechanism of TCM and acupuncture in the treatment of insomnia under the guidance of"microorganismgut-brain axis"theory,in order to provide a new idea for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia.

The Transmission,Establishment and Cross-cultural Integration of Chinese Medicine in the Mainstream Healthcare,through the Eyes of a Generation of Visionaries and Pioneers

It has historically been very difficult to trace the history of the westward transmission of Chinese medicine through the accounts of its protagonists. Many of the early scholars such as Jack Worsley, Dick Van Buren, and Joe Goodman were reluctant to divulge information about the source of their knowledge, or their professional qualifications. Others, such as John Shen and Hong Yuan-bain were early 20th century immigrants who transmitted highly personalized versions of acupuncture and Chinese medicine to select disciples. Eventually, a new class of scholars appeared, including names such as Ted Kaptchuk, Peter Deadman, Nigel Wiseman, William Morris, Peter Eckman, John Mc Donald, Charles Buck, and the late Giovanni Maciocia who looked for answers back in China, developed translation methodologies and terminology, compiled the main textbooks currently in use at TCM colleges, overcame enormous scholastic adversity, developed courses and pursued the regulation and accreditation of TCM in various countries. This special issue synopsizes the path towards the global acculturation of TCM over the last 50 years, the main protagonists, the enormous accomplishments they have achieved for the profession, their philosophy, their clinical perspectives and visions for the future.