The acceptance of traditional Chinese medicine among patients with Parkinson's disease: A hospital survey.

OBJECTIVE: The efficacy of medications for Parkinson's disease (PD) tend to decline over time, which has a serious impact on patients' health and quality of life. To some extent, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can resolve the distressing problem of ineffective dopaminergic medication in PD patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitude, acceptance, and independent predictors of TCM in PD patients admitted to the outpatient department of a tertiary hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of PD patients was conducted in the outpatient department of a large tertiary hospital in Beijing from March 2022 to June 2023. A self-report questionnaire was developed to investigate PD patients' attitudes and acceptance of TCM based on the questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were also performed to further clarify the independent predictors influencing patients' adoption of TCM therapy. RESULTS: A total of 397 patients completed the questionnaire, of which 78.09% were willing to be treated with TCM and 21.91% indicated that they were not willing to use TCM. Multifactorial logistic regression analysis showed that several parameters were correlated with a patient's willingness to include TCM in their therapeutic regime. These included education level of a bachelor's degree (odds ratio [OR) = 8.554; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.112-17.794; P < 0.001, vs junior high school education), living in an urban setting (OR = 8.022; 95% CI: 4.577-14.060; P < 0.001, vs rural), having other underlying diseases (OR = 5.126; 95% CI: 3.078-8.537; P < 0.001, vs none), having previously used TCM (OR = 3.083; 95% CI: 1.852-5.134; P < 0.001, vs not used), believing that TCM therapy is safe (OR = 3.530; 95% CI: 1.446-8.616; P = 0.006, vs not thought), believing that TCM therapy is effective (OR = 3.859; 95% CI: 1.482-10.047; P = 0.006, vs not understood), and being willing to discuss ongoing TCM therapy with an attending physician (OR = 62.468; 95% CI: 30.350-128.574; P < 0.001, vs not informed). CONCLUSION: This study initially investigated the acceptance, attitude, and independent predictors of TCM use among PD patients. To expand the prevalence of TCM use among patients with PD, we recommend to broadening the public outreach for TCM via contemporary means of Internet and broadcast communication, enhancing access to TCM services in rural communities, and strengthening the communication between doctors and patients. Please cite this article as: Wang P, Hong J, Tang ZQ, Gong BZ, Qi XR, Jiang H, Pan B, Chen Q. The acceptance of traditional Chinese medicine among patients with Parkinson's disease: A hospital survey. J Integr Med. 2024; 22(2): 180-187.

Circulating fatty acids and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: prospective analyses in China.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine prospective associations between circulating fatty acids in early pregnancy and incident gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among Chinese pregnant women. METHODS: Analyses were based on two prospective nested case-control studies conducted in western China (336 GDM cases and 672 matched controls) and central China (305 cases and 305 matched controls). Fasting plasma fatty acids in early pregnancy (gestational age at enrollment: 10.4 weeks(s.d., 2.0)) and 13.2 weeks (1.0), respectively) were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and GDM was diagnosed based on the International Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Groups criteria during 24-28 weeks of gestation. Multiple metabolic biomarkers (HOMA-IR (homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance), HbA1c, c-peptide, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, adiponectin, leptin, and blood lipids) were additionally measured among 672 non-GDM controls at enrollment. RESULTS: Higher levels of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) 14:0 (pooled odds ratio, 1.41 for each 1-s.d. increase; 95% CI: 1.25, 1.59) and 16:0 (1.19; 1.05, 1.35) were associated with higher odds of GDM. Higher levels of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) 18:2n-6 were strongly associated with lower odds of GDM (0.69; 0.60, 0.80). In non-GDM pregnant women, higher SFAs 14:0 and 16:0 but lower n-6 PUFA 18:2n-6 were generally correlated with unfavorable metabolic profiles. CONCLUSIONS: We documented adverse associations of 14:0 and 16:0 but a protective association of 18:2n-6 with GDM among Chinese pregnant women. Our findings highlight the distinct roles of specific fatty acids in the onset of GDM.