Constitution identification model in traditional Chinese medicine based on multiple features

Objective To construct a precise model for identifying traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)constitutions;thereby offering optimized guidance for clinical diagnosis and treatment plan-ning;and ultimately enhancing medical efficiency and treatment outcomes.Methods First;TCM full-body inspection data acquisition equipment was employed to col-lect full-body standing images of healthy people;from which the constitutions were labelled and defined in accordance with the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire(CCMQ);and a dataset encompassing labelled constitutions was constructed.Second;heat-suppres-sion valve(HSV)color space and improved local binary patterns(LBP)algorithm were lever-aged for the extraction of features such as facial complexion and body shape.In addition;a dual-branch deep network was employed to collect deep features from the full-body standing images.Last;the random forest(RF)algorithm was utilized to learn the extracted multifea-tures;which were subsequently employed to establish a TCM constitution identification mod-el.Accuracy;precision;and F1 score were the three measures selected to assess the perfor-mance of the model.Results It was found that the accuracy;precision;and F1 score of the proposed model based on multifeatures for identifying TCM constitutions were 0.842;0.868;and 0.790;respectively.In comparison with the identification models that encompass a single feature;either a single facial complexion feature;a body shape feature;or deep features;the accuracy of the model that incorporating all the aforementioned features was elevated by 0.105;0.105;and 0.079;the precision increased by 0.164;0.164;and 0.211;and the F1 score rose by 0.071;0.071;and 0.084;respectively.Conclusion The research findings affirmed the viability of the proposed model;which incor-porated multifeatures;including the facial complexion feature;the body shape feature;and the deep feature.In addition;by employing the proposed model;the objectification and intel-ligence of identifying constitutions in TCM practices could be optimized.

Integrative analysis of bone-formation associated genes and immune cell infiltration in osteoporosis, and the prediction of active ingredients in targeted traditional Chinese medicine

Objective To explore the differential expression and mechanisms of bone formation-related genes in osteoporosis(OP)leveraging bioinformatics and machine learning methodologies;and to predict the active ingredients of targeted traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)herbs.Methods The Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)and GeneCards databases were employed to conduct a comprehensive screening of genes and disease-associated loci pertinent to the pathogenesis of OP.The R package was utilized as the analytical tool for the identification of differentially expressed genes.Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)logis-tic regression analysis and support vector machine-recursive feature elimination(SVM-RFE)algorithm were employed in defining the genetic signature specific to OP.Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analyses for the selected pivotal genes were conducted.The cell-type identification by estimating rela-tive subsets of RNA transcripts(CIBERSORT)algorithm was leveraged to examine the infiltra-tion patterns of immune cells;with Spearman’s rank correlation analysis utilized to assess the relationship between the expression levels of the genes and the presence of immune cells.Coremine Medical Database was used to screen out potential TCM herbs for the treatment of OP.Comparative Toxicogenomics Database(CTD)was employed for forecasting the TCM ac-tive ingredients targeting the key genes.AutoDock Vina 1.2.2 and GROMACS 2020 softwares were employed to conclude analysis results;facilitating the exploration of binding affinity and conformational dynamics between the TCM active ingredients and their biological targets.Results Ten genes were identified by intersecting the results from the GEO and GeneCards databases.Through the application of LASSO regression and SVM-RFE algorithm;four piv-otal genes were selected:coat protein(CP);kallikrein 3(KLK3);polymeraseγ(POLG);and transient receptor potential vanilloid 4(TRPV4).GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analy-ses revealed that these trait genes were predominantly engaged in the regulation of defense response activation;maintenance of cellular metal ion balance;and the production of chemokine ligand 5.These genes were notably associated with signaling pathways such as ferroptosis;porphyrin metabolism;and base excision repair.Immune infiltration analysis showed that key genes were highly correlated with immune cells.Macrophage M0;M1;M2;and resting dendritic cell were significantly different between groups;and there were signifi-cant differences between different groups(P<0.05).The interaction counts of resveratrol;curcumin;and quercetin with KLK3 were 7;3;and 2;respectively.It shows that the interac-tions of resveratrol;curcumin;and quercetin with KLK3 were substantial.Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations further confirmed the robust binding affinity of these bioactive compounds to the target genes.Conclusion Pivotal genes including CP;KLK3;POLG;and TRPV4;exhibited commendable significant prognostic value;and played a crucial role in the diagnostic assessment of OP.Resveratrol;curcumin;and quercetin;natural compounds found in TCM;showed promise in their potential to effectively modulate the bone-forming gene KLK3.This study provides a sci-entific basis for the interpretation of the pathogenesis of OP and the development of clinical drugs.

The enlightenment of artificial intelligence large-scale model on the research of intelligent eye diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine

Eye diagnosis is a method for inspecting systemic diseases and syndromes by observing the eyes.With the development of intelligent diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM);artificial intelligence(AI)can improve the accuracy and efficiency of eye diagnosis.However;the research on intelligent eye diagnosis still faces many challenges;including the lack of standardized and precisely labeled data;multi-modal information analysis;and artificial in-telligence models for syndrome differentiation.The widespread application of AI models in medicine provides new insights and opportunities for the research of eye diagnosis intelli-gence.This study elaborates on the three key technologies of AI models in the intelligent ap-plication of TCM eye diagnosis;and explores the implications for the research of eye diagno-sis intelligence.First;a database concerning eye diagnosis was established based on self-su-pervised learning so as to solve the issues related to the lack of standardized and precisely la-beled data.Next;the cross-modal understanding and generation of deep neural network models to address the problem of lacking multi-modal information analysis.Last;the build-ing of data-driven models for eye diagnosis to tackle the issue of the absence of syndrome dif-ferentiation models.In summary;research on intelligent eye diagnosis has great potential to be applied the surge of AI model applications.

An interpretability model for syndrome differentiation of HBV-ACLF in traditional Chinese medicine using small-sample imbalanced data

Objective Clinical medical record data associated with hepatitis B-related acute-on-chronic liver failure(HBV-ACLF)generally have small sample sizes and a class imbalance.However,most machine learning models are designed based on balanced data and lack interpretability.This study aimed to propose a traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)diagnostic model for HBV-ACLF based on the TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment theory,which is clinically interpretable and highly accurate.Methods We collected medical records from 261 patients diagnosed with HBV-ACLF,including three syndromes:Yang jaundice(214 cases),Yang-Yin jaundice(41 cases),and Yin jaundice(6 cases).To avoid overfitting of the machine learning model,we excluded the cases of Yin jaundice.After data standardization and cleaning,we obtained 255 relevant medical records of Yang jaundice and Yang-Yin jaundice.To address the class imbalance issue,we employed the oversampling method and five machine learning methods,including logistic regression(LR),support vector machine(SVM),decision tree(DT),random forest(RF),and extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost)to construct the syndrome diagnosis models.This study used precision,F1 score,the area under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve(AUC),and accuracy as model evaluation metrics.The model with the best classification performance was selected to extract the diagnostic rule,and its clinical significance was thoroughly analyzed.Furthermore,we proposed a novel multiple-round stable rule extraction(MRSRE)method to obtain a stable rule set of features that can exhibit the model’s clinical interpretability.Results The precision of the five machine learning models built using oversampled balanced data exceeded 0.90.Among these models,the accuracy of RF classification of syndrome types was 0.92,and the mean F1 scores of the two categories of Yang jaundice and Yang-Yin jaundice were 0.93 and 0.94,respectively.Additionally,the AUC was 0.98.The extraction rules of the RF syndrome differentiation model based on the MRSRE method revealed that the common features of Yang jaundice and Yang-Yin jaundice were wiry pulse,yellowing of the urine,skin,and eyes,normal tongue body,healthy sublingual vessel,nausea,oil loathing,and poor appetite.The main features of Yang jaundice were a red tongue body and thickened sublingual vessels,whereas those of Yang-Yin jaundice were a dark tongue body,pale white tongue body,white tongue coating,lack of strength,slippery pulse,light red tongue body,slimy tongue coating,and abdominal distension.This is aligned with the classifications made by TCM experts based on TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment theory.Conclusion Our model can be utilized for differentiating HBV-ACLF syndromes,which has the potential to be applied to generate other clinically interpretable models with high accuracy on clinical data characterized by small sample sizes and a class imbalance.

Investigation on the cognitive status and the infiltration path of Traditional Chinese Medicine among residents in Liaoning Province

To understand citizens’awareness,trust and attitude towards Tradition Chinese medicine(TCM),to seek the best penetration path of TCM products and culture,to analyze their influencing factors,and to provide suggestions and countermeasures,a non-probabilistic judgment sampling method was used to conduct a survey among 459 people online with the help of Questionnaire Star and 434 valid questionnaires were collected.The survey shows that residents have a high degree of recognition and identification of Chinese medicine;citizens are rational when choosing TCM products,and the recognition of the emerging TCM culture infiltration path is low.Different social and demographic factors affect citizens’awareness,trust and attitude towards TCM,as well as the choice of infiltration path(P<0.05).

Association between metabolic syndrome and body constitution of traditional Chinese medicine:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:The constitution theory of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)states that body constitution and disease are associated;therefore,the identification of body constitution can provide reference for disease prevention and treatment.A series of clinical studies evaluating the association between TCM constitution and metabolic syndrome(MetS)have been conducted in recent years.The aim of this systematic review is to summarize and evaluate the clinical evidence of the relationship between constitution and MetS.Methods:The PubMed,Embase,China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Chongqing VIP,and Wanfang Data electronic databases were searched from April 2009 to July 2020.The search terms included“metabolic syndrome,”“constitution,”and“Chinese medicine.”Observational studies evaluating the relationship between body constitution of TCM and MetS were included.The primary outcome included the distribution of constitutional types in the MetS population,and odds ratio(OR)or relative risk(RR)between constitution and MetS.Effect size was expressed as proportion or OR with 95%confidence interval(CI).Methodological quality of included studies was evaluated by the NewcastleeOttawa Scale(NOS)or the American Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality(AHRQ)criteria.Results:Three caseecontrol and 26 cross-sectional studies involving 30435 cases were included.Phlegm-dampness,qi-deficiency,and damp-heat were the main constitution types in patients with MetS,accounting for 29%(22%e39%),18%(13%e24%),and 12%(9%e17%)of the population,respectively;the risk of MetS in people with phlegm-dampness and qi-deficiency constitution was 1.74[1.27,2.38]and 1.29[1.01,1.65]times higher than that in those with other constitutions.There were sex-and age-related differences in the distribution of TCM constitution in patients with MetS.Conclusion:Phlegm-dampness and qi-deficiency were associated with the occurrence of MetS.Welldesigned cohort and caseecontrol studies are needed to provide evidence for the use of TCM to prevent and treat MetS.

Fecal-associated microbiome differences between traditional Chinese medicine qi-deficiency and balanced constitutions

Objective:To explore the structural and functional characteristics of the fecal-associated microbiome(FAM)in a traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)qi-deficiency constitution(QDC)by comparing with balanced constitution(BC)and screen the related biomarkers.Methods:In this cross-sectional study,the TCM constitutions of subjects were determined based on published the Classification and Determination of constitution in TCM and further confirmed by a TCM clinician.Clinical characteristics were recorded,and fecal samples were collected for 16S rDNA sequencing using the Illumina Miseq platform.The FAM structure was described using alpha-diversity indexes,beta-diversity indexes,and the relative abundances of the dominant taxa.Differences in the FAM distribution and function were analyzed with a Wilcoxon rank-sum test,MetagenomeSeq,and LEfSe analysis,after which a receiver operating characteristic curve based on the specific operational taxonomic units(OTUs)was constructed to calculate the area under the curve.Results:Our study population was composed of 22 BCs and 9 QDCs.There were no significant differences between the two groups in the distribution of clinical characteristics or alpha-diversity indexes,except for the sweets preference and blood glucose level.In principal coordinate analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis,the bacterial communities in the BC group samples and QDC group samples clustered separately.Notably,there were 214 OTUs significantly distributed between groups in the MetagenomeSeq analysis,200 OTUs identified by the Wilcoxon rank-sum test,and 6 OTUs found by the LEfSe analysis.Predicted function analysis revealed that six metabolic pathways were distinctly distributed between the two groups.The area under the curve for the receiver operating characteristic curve based on the four specific OTUs was 0.88.Conclusion:Unique FAM structural and related functional characteristics are displayed in individuals with a QDC,and four specific OTUs could be used as QDC biomarkers to assist in clinical diagnosis.

Concepts of body constitution, health and sub-health from traditional Chinese medicine perspective

This paper described and discussed the important literature and ideas about the concepts, types and measurement of body constitution, in terms of healthy,sub-healthy and disease status. In view of traditional Chinese medicine, ‘‘healthy" state is a status of relative balance of Yin and Yang to keep our bodily homeostasis. If there are significant physical and/or psychological stressors, such as loss of a beloved one and failure in study or work, the body can no longer keep its own bodily condition balanced and subsequently enter a state of ‘‘sub-health"(sub-optimal health).‘‘unhealthy" body constitution such as ‘‘Dampnessheat", ‘‘Cold-dampness" and ‘‘Heat- or Cold- dryness"with a subnormal body temperature and humidity and clinical manifestations such as insomnia, malaise and overweight will be presented. Immediate, appropriate strategies such as modification of life-style and seeking medical treatment can prevent evolution of an illness.Otherwise, the body will enter a disease status with a‘‘pathological" body constitution of ‘‘Yin or Yang deficiency'', ‘‘Blood-stasis" and/or ‘‘Phlegm-dampness". To be complimentary with health promotion and disease prevention in Western medicine, understanding about an individual's body constitution, together with itsdeterminants(e.g., healthy eating and lifestyle behaviors), can contribute to a more proactive, holistic and individualized healthcare.

The theory development of traditional Chinese medicine constitution: a review

Traditional Chinese medicine constitution (TCMC),as one of the most important parts of Chinese medicine theory,attracted the attention of more and more researchers and many research projects were conducted during past several decades in China's Mainland.This review provided a historic overview of TCMC theory and research progress in its classification,evaluation criteria and epidemiology,so as to give people through a different lens to understand human health.

Treatment of 140 cerebral palsied children with a combined method based on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)and western medicine

Objective:To observe and evaluate a method that is effective and practical for treatment of cerebral palsied(CP)children in China.Method:The patient's age and disease type and individual specific conditions were considered in choosingtherapy methods accordingly:Chinese herbs,acupuncture,auricnlar seed pressure,point finger pressing,massage,orthopedichand manipulation,physiotherapy,occupational therapy,language therapy,etc.Meanwhile we created a new CP treatment modelthat combines hospitalized treatment with family therapy.Results:The majority of CP patients improved greatly in motor andsocial adaptation capacities after treatment.Wilcoxon paired rank sum test analysis showed that there were significant differencesbetween the data before and after treatment(P<0.01).Conclusion:This combined therapy method,based on traditional Chinesemedicine and western medicine plus family supplemental therapy,is an effective and practical treatment strategy for CP children inChina.

Analysis on medication rule of traditional Chinese medicine treating chemotherapy-induced diarrhea based on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) inheritance computing platform system

Objective:To dig deeper into the traditional Chinese medicine treatment rules of chemotherapy-induced diarrhea with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)inheritance computing platform system.Methods:Taking“traditional Chinese medicine”,“chemotherapy”and“diarrhea”as the theme words,comprehensive search of the database of CNKI,Wanfang and VIP from its inception to November 2020 was conduct-ed.The formulas of external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine for chemotherapy-induced diarrhea were included and the association rule,clustering and factor analysis were carried out.Results:A total of 145 papers,57 prescriptions meeting the inclusion criteria were collected,among which high-frequency drugs including Baizhu(Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma),Fuling(Poria),Dangshen(Codonopsisradix),Huanglian(Coptidis rhizoma),Zhigancao(Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma praeparata cum melle)were the most commonly used.The confidence level was set as 0.7 and the support level was set as 10,12 core compatibility groups were obtained,and 6 categories were cluster analyzed.Conclusion:The principle of external treatment of chemotherapy-induced diarrhea is mainly“restore deficiency and benefiting qi”,“benefiting water infiltration and dampness”,“clearing heat”and“inducing astringency”.Prescription combination and new prescription combination based on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)inheritance computing platform system can be used as reference for clinicians and applied in primary hospitals.

Correlation between Tibetan and traditional Chinese medicine body constitutions: A cross-sectional study of Tibetan college students in the Tibet Autonomous Region

Objective:To evaluate the correlation between the body constitution types of Tibetan medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).Methods:The cluster sampling method was employed to recruit participants from a university in the Tibet Autonomous Region.Tibetan medicine and TCM questionnaires were respectively used to assess the participants' constitution information.Descriptive statistics were applied to analyze the baseline and constitution characteristics of the participants.Two-factor correlation analysis and the paired chi-square test were applied to analyze the correlation between Tibetan and TCM constitution types.Results:Data from 466 Tibetan students were analyzed.The mean scores of the rlung,mkhris pa,and bad kan constitution types in Tibetan medicine were 43.2 (11.1),42.1 (10.1),and 45.0 (8.0),respectively;participants with the three-factor convergence body constitution type accounted for 13.7% of the whole population.Among the TCM constitution types,qi stagnation was the most common (21.5%),followed by the balance type (16.5%);the other constitutions detected were qi deficiency,yin deficiency,and yang deficiency.The rate of consistency for the identification of the three-factor convergence constitution in Tibetan medicine and the balance constitution in TCM was 89.1%,with a Kappa coefficient of 0.57 (P >.05).The rlung constitution in Tibetan medicine was associated with the yin deficiency,yang deficiency,and blood stasis constitutions in TCM.The mkhhris pa constitution in Tibetan medicine was associated with the damp heat and yin deficiency constitutions in TCM.The bad kan constitution in Tibetan medicine was associated with the phlegm dampness,qi deficiency,and yin deficiency constitutions in TCM.Conclusion:There is a correlation between the body constitution types of Tibetan medicine and TCM.The reliability and validity of the Questionnaire for TibetanMedicine Constitution requires improvement,and more studies with larger sample sizes and more varied populations are warranted to verify the correlation between Tibetan medicine and TCM constitutions.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Standardization——Origin and development of TCM

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the medical science based on theories and practicing experience of traditional Chinese medicine to study transferring principles of health and sickness,as well as prevention, diagnosis,treatment,rehabilitation and healthcare.TCM is marked with its long history of development,integrated theory system and abundant practicing experience.

Review: The vital role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and the etiology and pathogenic mechanism of COVID-19 based on TCM theory

"Yi"is defined in traditional Chinese medicine theory as the general pathological conditions of epidemics.Throughout thousands of years of history,TCM has been playing an essential role in preventing and treating epidemics in China.Showing significant efficacy against severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS)in 2002 and 2003,a medical intervention involving TCM was applied at the beginning of the pandemic of the corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19),and has been found with good preventive and curative value in clinical practice.In this study,the etiology and pathogenic mechanism of COVID-19 was discussed on a TCM theory basis,and the clinically effective prevention and treatment methods/prescriptions were summarized.It is suggested that TCM has been playing a unique and vital role in preventing and treating COVID-19,and thus contributes greatly to public health.

A Brief Analysis of the Correlation Between Allergic Rhinitis and Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution

Allergic rhinitis(AR)and is a type of allergic diseases caused by an inflammation of the nasal mucosa caused by allergens.Clinically,AR is a common allergic disease and is difficult to treat.Due to differences in individual constitutions also known as body type,the severity of the disease is also different and it may even affect the daily life of the patient if it is severe.The effective treatment of AR has become a hot topic in current allergic disease research.Traditional Chinese Medicine’s understanding of constitution is based on the“Yellow Emperor’s Internal Classic”book,and Professor Wang Qi put forward the“physical constitution theory of traditional Chinese medicine”.The constitution is a key internal factor of the occurrence and development of diseases.It is believed in Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)that the constitution can be regulated,and rectifying the patient’s imbalanced constitution has a positive effect on the diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis of the disease.Therefore,based on the“physical constitution theory of TCM”,this study considers the idea of treating body differently applying TCM constitution in the treatment of AR as the breakthrough point,and explores the correlation between AR and TCM constitution.The results show that TCM constitution is an intrinsic factor affecting the pathogenesis of AR.The use of TCM constitution theory in the treatment of AR has a positive effect and should be popularized in application.

A Study on the Correlation Between Cerebral Small Vascular Disease and Constitution Types of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Objective:To study the correlation between cerebral small vascular disease and constitution types of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM).Methods:The severity of lacunar infarction and leukoaraiosis were graded in 230 patients with cerebral small vascular disease,and they were divided into TCM constitution types.The survey of TCM constitution types was carried out by using standardized TCM constitution scale,and order multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between TCM constitution types with severity of lacunar infarction and leukoaraiosis.Results:Yang-deficiency(阳虚)constitution,blood-stasis constitution and phlegm-dampness constitution were the most common TCM constitution types in patients with lacunar infarction,accounting for 33.7%,12.5%,11.5%respectively.Yang-deficiency constitution,blood-stasis constitution and Yin-deficiency(阴虚)constitution were the most common TCM constitution types in patients with leukoaraiosis,accounting for 28.8%,18.5%,13.7%respectively.There were significant differences in lacunar infarction of Yang-deficiency constitution and blood stasis constitution(P<0.05),and there were significant differences in leukoaraiosis of phlegmdampness constitution and blood-stasis constitution(P<0.05).Single factor analysis showed that the main risk factors of lacunar infarction were age,smoking,alcohol consumption,Yang-deficiency constitution and blood-stasis constitution,and the main risk factors of leukoaraiosis were age,smoking,hypertensive disease,phlegm-dampness constitution and blood-stasis constitution.The ordered multivariate Logistic regression analysis found that the severity of lacunar infarction was closely related to age,and the severity of leukoplosis was closely related to age,smoking and hypertension disease.Conclusion:TCM constitution types of lacunar infarction in patients with small cerebral vascular disease is mainly Yang-deficiency constitution and blood-stasis constitution,and the risk factors include age,smoking,alcohol consumption,Yang-deficiency constitution and blood-stasis constitution.Age is closely related with lacunar infarction.TCM constitution types with leukoaraiosis are mainly phlegm-dampness constitution and blood-stasis constitution,and the risk factors are age,smoking,hypertension disease,phlegm-dampness constitution and blood-stasis constitution.Age,smoking and hypertension disease are closely related with leukoaraiosis.

The Great Significance of Establishing Strategic Status of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM), based on the philosophic idea of “correlation between man and nature” and “balance of Yin and Yang” and characterized by “integrated concept” and “syndrome identification & treatment determination”, adjusts and activates the self-recuperating ability to rectify its differentiation from normality of human body to meet the goal of preventing and treating diseases mainly by means of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, acupuncture and moxibustion, etc. The idea of “Human should be in harmony with Nature including bacterium, virus, etc., but not to exterminate microbe in a large scale”, held and promoted by TCM gives, rise to a delicate physiological equilibrium kept between man and microbe and this is just the development trend of medical science in future. For thousands years, TCM has made indelible contribution to the reproduction and prosperity of the Chinese nation, and under the countless attacks of pestilence has never made its people’s death in millions, not such as once occurred in Europe. TCM is also characterized by its “simple, convenient, cheap and effective”method of treatment” and is especially good at preventing and treating chronic diseases, complicate multi-system diseases and new-type virus diseases. Therefore, only when the sanitation and healthcare system is established can the health of 13 billion people in China and the problem of shortage of doctor and medicine for 900 million rural population and large number of poverty-stricken urban population be solved. It is strongly suggested that five promotion projects, namely: TCM policy and statute guarantee, TCM qualified personnel cultivation, TCM scientific research, development of TCM in rural areas and TCM administrative system reform should be carried out in real earnest to make TCM develop in a sustainable way.

A holistic strategy for quality and safety control of traditional Chinese medicines by the “iVarious” standard system

An effective quality control system is the key to ensuring the quality, safety and efficacy of traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs). However, the current quality standard research lacks top-level design and systematic design,mostly based on specific technologies or evaluation methods. To resolve the challenges and questions of quality control of TCMs, a brand-new quality standard system, named "iVarious", was proposed. The system comprises eight elements in a modular format. Meaning of every element was specifically illustrated via corresponding research instances. Furthermore, frankincense study was taken as an example for demonstrating standards and research process, based on the "i Various" system. This system highlighted a holistic strategy for effectiveness,security, integrity and systematization of quality and safety control standards of TCMs. The establishment of"i Various" integrates multi-disciplinary technologies and progressive methods, basis elements and key points of standard construction. The system provides a novel idea and technological demonstration for regulation establishment of TCMs quality standards.

Applications of HPLC/MS in the analysis of traditional Chinese medicines

In China, traditional Chinese medicines （TCMs） have been used in clinical applications for thousands of years. The successful hyphenation of high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） and mass spectrometry （MS） has been applied widely in TCMs and biological samples analysis. Undoubtedly, HPLC/MS technique has facilitated the understanding of the treatment mechanism of TCMs. We reviewed more than 350 published papers within the last 5 years on HPLC/MS in the analysis of TCMs. The present review focused on the applications of HPLC/MS in the component analysis, metabolites analysis, and pharmacokinetics of TCMs etc. 50% of the literature is related to the component analysis of TCMs, which show that this field is the most popular type of research. In the metabolites analysis, HPLC coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry has been demonstrated to be the powerful tool for the characterization of structural features and fragmentation behavior patterns. This paper presented a brief overview of the applications of HPLC/MS in the analysis of TCMs. HPLC/MS in the fingerprint analysis is reviewed elsewhere.

Study progress in therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine monomer in severe acute pancreatitis

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a common acute abdomen clinical problem characterized by high mortality, mul-tiple complications, complicated pathogenesis and difficult treatment. Recent studies found traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) monomers have markedly good effect for treating SAP. Many TCM monomers can inhibit pancreatin, resist inflammation, im-prove microcirculation and immunoloregulation, etc. to block the pathological progress of SAP in multiple ways, reduce com-plications and lower mortality with rapid effects. It is significant for enhancing SAP treatment to deeply understand the current situation in TCM monomers for treating SAP and take precious references therein. This article summarizes the treating effects and mechanisms of TCM monomers for SAP in recent years.