Exploration of TCM syndrome types of the material basis and risk prediction of Wilson disease liver fibrosis based on 1H NMR metabolomics.

Wilson disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by abnormal copper metabolism. The accumulation of copper in the liver can progress to liver fibrosis and, ultimately, cirrhosis, which is a primary cause of death in WD patients. Metabonomic technology offers an effective approach to investigate the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types of WD-related liver fibrosis by monitoring the alterations in small molecule metabolites within the body. In this study, we employed 1H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR) metabonomics to assess the metabolic profiles associated with five TCM syndrome types of WD-related liver fibrosis and analyzed the diagnostic and predictive capabilities of various metabolites. The study found a variety of metabolites, each with varying levels of diagnostic and predictive capabilities. Furthermore, the discerned differential metabolic pathways were primarily associated with various pathways involving carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and lipid metabolism. This study has identified various characteristic metabolic markers and pathways associated with different TCM syndromes of liver fibrosis in WD, providing a substantial foundation for investigating the mechanisms underlying these TCM syndromes.

Parallel needling technique for peripheral facial paralysis with qi deficiency and blood stasis: a randomized controlled trial. / å¹³è¡Œå¯¹åˆºæ³•æ²»ç–—æ°”è™šè¡€ç˜€åž‹å‘¨å›´æ€§é¢ç˜«ï¼šéšæœºå¯¹ç §è¯•éªŒ.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the clinical efficacy of the parallel needling technique for peripheral facial paralysis with qi deficiency and blood stasis. METHODS: Sixty-two patients with peripheral facial paralysis of qi deficiency and blood stasis were randomly assigned to a parallel needling group and a conventional acupuncture group, with 31 patients in each group. The conventional acupuncture group received needling at Yangbai (GB 14), Quanliao (SI 18), Jiache (ST 6), Dicang (ST 4), Yifeng (TE 17) on the affected side, Hegu (LI 4) on the healthy side, and bilateral Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Xuehai (SP 10) and Qihai (CV 6) etc. The parallel needling group, in addition to the conventional acupuncture points, received parallel needling at three additional groups of acupoints, i.e. forehead wrinkle group, mid-face group, and corner of the mouth group. Both groups retained needles for 30 min, with one session every other day and a total of three sessions per week, lasting for four weeks. The House-Brackmann (H-B) facial nerve function grading, physical function (FDIP) and social function (FDIS) scores of facial disability index (FDI), TCM syndrome score before and after treatment were compared between the two groups, and the clinical efficacy was assessed. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, after treatment, both groups showed improvements in H-B facial nerve function grading (P<0.05), FDIP total scores and sub-item scores were increased (P<0.05), FDIS total scores, sub-item scores, and TCM syndrome scores were decreased (P<0.05). After treatment, the parallel needling group showed the higher FDIP total score and eating sub-item score and lower FDIS total score and insomnia sub-item score compared with those in the conventional acupuncture group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 90.3% (28/31) in the parallel needling group and 87.1% (27/31) in the conventional acupuncture group, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The parallel needling technique combined with conventional acupuncture, is as effective as conventional acupuncture alone in treating facial paralysis with qi deficiency and blood stasis. However, the parallel needling technique combined with conventional acupuncture shows advantages in the improvement of food intake and sleep quality.

Exploration of biomarkers for efficacy evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease based on metabolomics.

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is effective for the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD); however, there is no objective index for the evaluation of TCM syndrome efficacy. This study aimed to screen biomarkers related to the efficacy of TCM syndrome using metabolomics. Methods: We recruited AECOPD patients with phlegm-heat congesting lung (PH)/phlegm-damp amassing lung (PD) syndrome and treated them with Chinese herbal medicine (Qingre Huatan or Zaoshi Huatan granules) in addition to conventional medicine for 7 days. Data on clinical symptoms and sign scores, modified British Medical Research Council (mMRC), COPD assessment test (CAT), and inflammation indicators, including white blood cell (WBC) count, percentage of neutrophil count (NEU%), and C-reactive protein (CRP), were collected before and after treatment to evaluate the therapeutic effect. Serum samples were collected before and after treatment for metabolomic analysis to screen differential metabolites. Results: A total of 69 patients with AECOPD were enrolled, including 41 and 28 patients in the PH and PD groups, respectively. The clinical symptoms and sign scores, CAT, mMRC, NEU%, and CRP levels after treatment were lower than those before treatment in both groups (p < 0.05). Serum metabolomics analysis showed that there were 13 differential metabolites in the PH group and 16 differential metabolites in the PD group before and after treatment (p < 0.05, variable importance projection (VIP) ≥ 1.00). In the PH group, lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) (16:0), LPC (17:1), LPC (18:3), LPC (18:2), and LPC (17:0) negatively correlated with clinical symptoms and sign scores (p < 0.05); LPC (16:0), LPC (17:1), LPC (16:1), and LPC (17:0) negatively correlated with WBC (p < 0.05) and NEU% (p < 0.05); and LPC (16:0) negatively correlated with CRP levels. In the PD group, L-phenylalanine positively correlated with CRP levels (p < 0.05), and 2-methylbutyroylcarnitine positively correlated with clinical symptoms and sign (p < 0.05) and CAT scores (p < 0.05). DL-carnitine positively correlated with clinical symptoms and sign scores (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Serum metabolites may be potential indicators to objectively evaluate the efficacy of TCM syndromes; however, further large controlled trials are required to verify these findings.

Exploring the relationship between intestinal microbiota and immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer: insights from the "lung and large intestine stand in exterior-interior relationship" theory.

Objective: This study is aim to discern the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome classifications relevant to immunotherapy sensitive in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, and to delineate intestinal microbiota biomarkers and impact that wield influence over the efficacy of NSCLC immunotherapy, grounded in the TCM theory of "lung and large intestine stand in exterior-interior relationship." Methods: The study cohort consisted of patients with advanced NSCLC who received treatment at the Oncology Department of Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital. These patients were categorized into distinct TCM syndrome types and subsequently administered immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), specifically PD-1 inhibitors. Stool specimens were collected from patients both prior to and following treatment. To scrutinize the differences in microbial gene sequences and species of the intestinal microbiota, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing technology was employed. Additionally, peripheral blood samples were collected, and the analysis encompassed the assessment of T lymphocyte subsets and myeloid suppressor cell subsets via flow cytometry. Subsequently, alterations in the immune microenvironment pre- and post-treatment were thoroughly analyzed. Results: The predominant clinical manifestations of advanced NSCLC patients encompassed spleen-lung Qi deficiency syndrome and Qi-Yin deficiency syndrome. Notably, the latter exhibited enhanced responsiveness to ICIs with a discernible amelioration of the immune microenvironment. Following ICIs treatment, significant variations in microbial abundance were identified among the three strains: Clostridia, Lachnospiraceae, and Lachnospirales, with a mutual dependency relationship. In the subset of patients manifesting positive PD-L1 expression and enduring therapeutic benefits, the study recorded marked increases in the ratios of CD3+%, CD4+%, and CD4+/CD8+ within the T lymphocyte subsets. Conversely, reductions were observed in the ratios of CD8%, Treg/CD4+, M-MDSC/MDSC, and G-MDSC/MDSC. Conclusion: The strains Clostridia, Lachnospiraceae, and Lachnospirales emerge as potential biomarkers denoting the composition of the intestinal microbiota in the NSCLC therapy. The immunotherapy efficacy of ICIs markedly accentuates in patients displaying durable treatment benefits and those expressing positive PD-L1.

A radiomics approach based on MR imaging for classification of deficiency and excess syndrome of traditional Chinese medicine in prostate cancer.

Objective: To explore the potential imaging biomarkers for predicting Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) deficiency and excess syndrome in prostate cancer (PCa) patients by radiomics approach based on MR imaging. Methods: A total of 121 PCa patients from 2 centers were divided into 1 training cohort with 84 PCa patients and 1 validation cohort with 37 PCa patients. The PCa patients were divided into deficiency and excess syndrome group according to TCM syndrome differentiation. Radiomic features were extracted from T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient images originated from diffusion-weighted imaging. A radiomic signature was constructed after reduction of dimension in training group by the minimum redundancy maximum relevance and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator. The performance of the model was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration curve. Results: The radiomic scores of PCa with TCM excess syndrome group were statistically higher than those of PCa with TCM deficiency syndrome group among T2WI, diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient imaging models. The area under ROC curves for T2WI, diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient imaging models were 0.824, 0.824, 0.847 in the training cohort and 0.759, 0.750, 0.809 in the validation cohort, respectively. The apparent diffusion coefficient imaging model had the best discrimination in separating patients with TCM excess syndrome and deficiency syndrome, and its accuracy was 0.788, 0.778 in the training and validation cohort, respectively. The calibration curve demonstrated that there was a high consistency between the prediction of radiomic scores and the actual classification of TCM's deficiency and excess syndrome in PCa. Conclusion: The radiomic signature based on MR imaging can be performed as a non-invasive, potential approach to discriminate TCM deficiency syndrome from excess syndrome in PCa, in which apparent diffusion coefficient imaging model has the best diagnostic efficiency.

TCM syndrome differentiation in colorectal cancer patients assisted by differences in gut microbiota: An exploratory study.

Objective: To explore the difference in gut microbiota between different traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and its internal relationship. Methods: From June 2020 to August 2021, 109 colorectal cancer patients with a clear pathological diagnosis who had not yet undergone surgery or chemotherapy were classified according to the TCM syndrome classification, and the feces samples of 109 patients with preoperative colorectal cancer were collected. 16s rRNA gene sequencing was used to determine gut microbiota diversity and abundance in CRC patients with different TCM syndrome, and LEfSe analysis was made to screen different TCM syndrome for differential representative microbiota. Results: 109 patients were divided into 5 syndromes by TCM syndrome classification, which were Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency Syndrome (LKYDS, n = 19), Spleen Deficient Qi Stagnation Syndrome (SDQSS, n = 30), Stasis and Poison Obstruction Syndrome (SPOS, n = 17), Damp-Heat Syndrome (DHS, n = 30), Qi and Blood Deficiency Syndrome (QBDS, n = 13). Alpha diversity index showed significant differences among the five groups of TCM syndromes, with Shannon index being highest in the SDQSS group and lowest in the LKYDS (p = 0.003). ACE index being highest in the SDQSS group and lowest in the SPOS (p = 0.010). PD whole tree index being highest in the SDQSS group and lowest in the SPOS (p = 0.017). Similarly, beta diversity showed significant differences among the five groups of TCM syndromes, with principal coordinate analysis (PCo1 = 31.86 %, PCo2 = 5.62 %) showing separation and coincidence between the groups, and Adonis group differences showing coincidence between the QBDS-LKYDS (p = 0.702), QBDS-DHS (p = 0.133), and SDQSS-DHS (p = 0.260) groups. LEfSe analysis revealed that the representative microbiota of DHS patients was Dialister sp Marseille P5638 (LDA = 3.05, p＜0.001), the representative microbiota of SPOS patients was Oscillospirales (LDA = 4.78, p = 0.029), the representative microbiota of SDQSS patients was Selenomonadaceae (LDA = 3.94, p = 0.003), the representative microbiota of LKYDS patients was Dialister (LDA = 4.19, p = 0.001), and the representative microbiota of QBDS patients was Akkermansia muciniphila (LDA = 4.23, p = 0.006). Conclusions: There are significant differences in gut microbiota between different TCM syndromes in CRC patients. The five microbiota, Dialister sp Marseille P5638, Oscillospirales, Selenomonadaceae, Dialister, and Akkermansia muciniphila, may be differential markers of TCM syndrome in CRC and are expected to be one of the bases for accurate TCM syndrome differentiation of CRC.

A syndrome differentiation model of TCM based on multi-label deep forest using biomedical text mining.

Syndrome differentiation and treatment is the basic principle of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to recognize and treat diseases. Accurate syndrome differentiation can provide a reliable basis for treatment, therefore, establishing a scientific intelligent syndrome differentiation method is of great significance to the modernization of TCM. With the development of biomdical text mining technology, TCM has entered the era of intelligence that based on data, and model training increasingly relies on the large-scale labeled data. However, it is difficult to form a large standard data set in the field of TCM due to the low degree of standardization of TCM data collection and the privacy protection of patients' medical records. To solve the above problem, a multi-label deep forest model based on an improved multi-label ReliefF feature selection algorithm, ML-PRDF, is proposed to enhance the representativeness of features within the model, express the original information with fewer features, and achieve optimal classification accuracy, while alleviating the problem of high data processing cost of deep forest models and achieving effective TCM discriminative analysis under small samples. The results show that the proposed model finally outperforms other multi-label classification models in terms of multi-label evaluation criteria, and has higher accuracy in the TCM syndrome differentiation problem compared with the traditional multi-label deep forest, and the comparative study shows that the use of PCC-MLRF algorithm for feature selection can better select representative features.

The effects of modified Guizhi plus Gegen decoction combined with the blade needle therapy on TCM syndromes, cervical curvature and levels of inflammatory factors in patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of modified Guizhi plus Gegen decoction combined with the blade needle therapy on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes, cervical curvature, and inflammatory factor levels in patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 114 patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy who visited Pain Clinic, Hangzhou Fuyang Hospital of TCM Orthopedics and Traumatology from January 2020 to December 2022 were selected as the study subjects. According to different treatment methods, these patients were divided into an observation group (n=57, treated with blade needle therapy) and a control group (n=57, treated with modified Guizhi plus Gegen decoction combined with the blade needle therapy). Patients in both groups were treated for 3 courses. The treatment effects, TCM syndrome scores, cervical curvature, hemorheology indexes, inflammatory factors and adverse reactions were analyzed and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The effective rate of patients in the observation group was 94.74%, which was significantly higher than 82.46% in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, TCM syndrome scores, hemorheology indexes, and inflammatory factors levels in both of groups were significantly decreased in contrast to before treatment, while the cervical curvature was obviously increased. Compared with the control group, after the treatment, TCM syndrome scores, hemorheology indexes, inflammatory factors levels after treatment in the observation group were obviously lower, while the cervical curvature in the observation group being significantly increased (all P<0.05). No statistical differences were found for the incidence of adverse reactions between two the groups. CONCLUSION: Modified Guizhi plus Gegen decoction combined with the blade needle therapy effectively improved the TCM syndrome scores, restored the curvature of the cervical spine, improved the hemorheology of patients, inhibited the levels of inflammatory factors and it also has few adverse reactions, with a significant treatment effect in patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy.

[Clinical efficacy of entecavir combined with Biejiajian pills and its influence on TCM syndrome scores during the treatment of chronic hepatitis B with hepatic fibrosis and blood stasis syndrome].

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of entecavir combined with Biejiajian pills and its influence on TCM syndrome scores during the treatment of chronic hepatitis B with hepatic fibrosis and blood stasis syndrome by prospective, randomized and controlled study. Methods: Patients with chronic hepatitis B with hepatic fibrosis and blood stasis syndrome were selected as the research subjects and randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. Entecavir plus Biejiajian pills or entecavir plus a simulant of Biejiajian pills were given for 48 weeks. The changes in liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and TCM syndrome scores before and after treatment were compared between the two groups to analyze the correlation. The data between groups were analyzed by t-test/Wilcoxon rank sum test or χ(2) test. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between TCM syndrome scores and LSM values. Results: After 48 weeks of treatment, the LSM values of the two groups were significantly lower than those of the baseline (P < 0.001), liver fibrosis was significantly improved, and the LSM values of the treatment group were lower than those of the control group [(8.67 ± 4.60) kPa and (10.13 ± 4.43) kPa, t = -2.011, P = 0.049]. After 48 weeks of treatment, the TCM syndrome scores of the two groups were significantly reduced compared with the baseline (P < 0.001), and the clinical symptoms were significantly relieved, and the total effective rates of the improvement of the TCM syndrome scores in the two groups were 74.19% and 72.97%, respectively, but the differences between the groups were not statistically significant (χ(2) = 0.013, P = 0.910). Correlation analysis showed that there was no obvious trend between TCM syndrome scores and LSM values. There were no serious adverse reactions associated with the drug during the observation period of this study. Conclusion: Based on antiviral treatment with entecavir, regardless of whether it is combined with the Biejiajian pill, it can effectively reduce the LSM value, improve liver fibrosis, reduce TCM syndrome scores, and alleviate symptoms in patients with chronic hepatitis B with liver fibrosis and blood stasis syndrome. Compared with entecavir alone, the combined Biejia pill has greater efficacy in improving liver fibrosis and a favorable safety profile, meriting its implementation and widespread application.

Review on the systems biology research of Yin-deficiency-heat syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a systematic medical method that has existed for more than 3,000 years. Unlike Western medicine, the disease diagnosis in TCM is carried out by inspection, auscultation, olfaction, interrogation, and palpation. The patient is then treated according to the disease and corresponding TCM syndrome. However, the development of Chinese medicine is stagnated, partially because it can be influenced by subjective factors, such as the experience and knowledge of TCM practitioners, and there is a lack of relevant biological research on TCM syndromes. Yin-deficiency-heat (YDH) syndrome in TCM is characterized by a series of pathological changes caused by the insufficiency of Yin-fluid, inability to moisturize, and the failure to suppress Yang. In recent years, systems biology research on TCM syndromes has gradually become the focus of TCM research, including syndrome differentiation and functional research using systems biology methodologies such as proteomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics. This journal aims to publish a series of issues on the systems biology research of TCM syndromes that can provide biological indicators for the syndrome differentiation of YDH syndrome and can provide perspectives on the biological research of YDH syndrome.

Comparative study of the inflammatory factor in patients with COPD in different traditional Chinese medicine syndrome / 中国医师杂志

Objective:The changes of serum inflammatory factors in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types were compared, and the characteristics and significance of inflammatory factors in COPD were discussed from the perspective of traditional Chinese and western medicine.Methods:A total of 100 patients with COPD who met the inclusion criteria and were admitted to Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from September 2021 to September 2022 were selected and divided into phlegm turbation obstructing lung group ( n=50) and lung and kidney qi deficiency group ( n=50) according to TCM syndrome types. Twenty healthy subjects in the same period were selected as control group. Serum levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and other inflammatory factors were compared in each group. Results:The MCP-1, IL-6, ESR, CRP, white blood cell count (WBC) and procalcitonin (PCT) of COPD patients in phlegm turbation obstructing lung group were significantly higher than those in lung and kidney qi deficiency group (all P<0.05). The WBC, MCP-1, MIP-1α, IL-6, ESR and CRP of COPD patients in the lung and kidney qi deficiency group were significantly higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05). In the phlegm turbation obstructing lung group, the MIP-1α, MCP-1, IL-6, ESR, CRP, WBC, and PCT were significantly higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Patients with COPD have inflammatory reactions, and the inflammatory reactions of patients with phlegm turbation obstructing lung syndrome are more obvious than those with lung and kidney qi deficiency syndrome. The inflammatory factors MCP-1, MIP-1α, IL-6, ESR, CRP, WBC, PCT and other indicators could be used to judge the degree of COPD inflammation, which had certain clinical guiding significance for different syndrome types of COPD patients.

Syndrome Distribution and Characteristics of Endometriosis in 1 895 Cases / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the distribution and characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes in patients with endometriosis （EMS）. MethodA cross-sectional survey was conducted to analyze the characteristics of TCM syndromes in 1 895 cases of EMS in hospitals of 19 provinces， autonomous regions， and municipalities. ResultAmong the 1 895 patients， Qistagnation and blood stasis syndrome accounted for the highest proportion， followed by Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome， cold coagulation and blood stasis syndrome， and kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome. The distribution of TCM syndrome types of patients with EMS in different regions， different treatment stages， and different disease types and with different therapeutic goals was different， and the differences were statistically significant. However， under different conditions， the Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome accounted for the highest proportion. Under the stratification of different regions， the cold coagulation and blood stasis syndrome in north China was relatively high， the kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome in south China was relatively high， and the combined phlegm and stasis syndrome was relatively high in southwest China. Different diagnosis and treatment goals corresponded to different clinical syndromes. With pelvic pain as the main manifestation， the proportion of cold coagulation and blood stasis syndrome was higher. The proportion of kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome was higher in married patients with infertility. Patients with the main diagnosis and treatment goals of controlling mass and inhibiting recurrence had a higher proportion of Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome. In different treatment stages， the proportion of Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome in postoperative patients and those with recurrent EMS was higher. Among different disease types， the Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome accounted for a higher proportion in patients with ovarian endometriosis （OEM）. The cold coagulation and blood stasis syndrome accounted for a higher proportion in patients with deep invasive endometriosis （DIE）. The kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome accounted for a higher proportion in patients with peritoneal EMS. There were significant differences in age， body mass index （BMI）， and course of disease among patients with different syndromes. Patients with Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome was relatively older， and their course of the disease was relatively long. Patients with combined phlegm and stasis syndrome had relatively high BMI. There was no significant difference in CA125 and CA199 levels among all syndrome types. ConclusionThe distribution of TCM syndromes of EMS has a certain regularity， and there are differences in regional distribution， therapeutic goals， treatment stages， and disease types（P<0.05）. However， the Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome accounts for a large proportion under different conditions， suggesting that Qi stagnation is the key link of EMS. In the early stage， the team took relieving depression and activating blood as the primary treatment， and created Huoxue Xiaoyi prescription， which was the core prescription for the treatment of EMS with Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome， achieving good clinical effect. At the same time， it is emphasized that EMS treatment should be integrated into the concept of chronic disease management and combined with health management. Through psychological counseling， cognitive behavior intervention， popular science lectures， and other methods， it is advised to adjust the emotion of patients with EMS， thereby increasing the curative effect. This study is expected to provide references for the clinical treatment of EMS.

Study on the evolution of TCM syndromes of 171 cases of Kawasaki disease under the intervention of gamma globulin therapy based on factor analysis / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective:To study the evolution of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndromes of 171 cases of Kawasaki disease (KD) under the intervention of gamma globulin therapy based on factor analysis.Methods:A cross-sectional study. 171 cases of KD children hospitalized in the Department of Cardiology of Guangzhou Women's and Children's Medical Center from July 2019 to December 2020 were collected. All patients were treated with intravenous gamma globulin (2 g/kg) for 1 week. According to the results of the treatment with C-ball, 171 children with C-ball sensitive KD were selected to collect the four diagnostic data, and the representative syndromes of defensive level, qi level, yin level, and nutritive level were observed. Factor analysis was used to analyze the evolution of syndrome in 171 children with KD c-ball sensitivity.Results:The result of factor analysis showed that the KMO statistics of 171 children with c-ball sensitivity before treatment was 0.792, and Bartley test was significant ( P<0.01). 16 common factors were extracted, and 23 syndromes were screened, mainly including defensive level disorder, qi level disorder,nutritive level disorder,yin level disorder, heat stagnation and blood stasis syndrome. One week after treatment, the statistic of KMO test was 0.787, and Bartley test was significant ( P<0.01). 9 common factors were extracted, and 10 syndromes were screened, mainly including qi deficiency syndrome, yin deficiency syndrome and blood stasis syndrome. Conclusion:Before treatment, the TCM syndromes in KD C-cell sensitive children are mainly nutritive level disorder, defensive level disorder, qi level disorder yin level disorder, and heat stagnation and blood stasis syndrome; after treatment, the main TCM syndromes are mainly qi deficiency syndrome, yin deficiency syndrome and blood stasis syndrome.

Treatment of cancer-related fatigue based on "treating overstrain syndrome with warming methods" / 国际中医中药杂志

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) belongs to the category of "consumptive disease" in TCM, and its occurrence is based on "internal deficiency" of the body causing by the tumor. Its nature is intermingled deficiency and excess. Its pathogenesis is the deficiency of qi, blood, yin and yang and zang-fu viscera dysfunction caused by disorders of "rise and fall of middle qi" and kidney origin depletion. The theory of "treating overstrain syndrome with warming methods" originates from Huang Di Nei Jing, which proposes that warming methods are the basic methods of treating consumptive disease. Therefore, starting from the cause and pathogenesis of CRF, this article sorted out the theoretical origin of "treating overstrain syndrome with warming methods", and discussed the clinical application of warming methods for the treatment of CRF combining with modern clinical research, with the purpose to provide references for clinical practice.

Clinical efficacy of entecavir combined with Biejiajian pills and its influence on TCM syndrome scores during the treatment of chronic hepatitis B with hepatic fibrosis and blood stasis syndrome / 中华肝脏病杂志

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of entecavir combined with Biejiajian pills and its influence on TCM syndrome scores during the treatment of chronic hepatitis B with hepatic fibrosis and blood stasis syndrome by prospective, randomized and controlled study. Methods: Patients with chronic hepatitis B with hepatic fibrosis and blood stasis syndrome were selected as the research subjects and randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. Entecavir plus Biejiajian pills or entecavir plus a simulant of Biejiajian pills were given for 48 weeks. The changes in liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and TCM syndrome scores before and after treatment were compared between the two groups to analyze the correlation. The data between groups were analyzed by t-test/Wilcoxon rank sum test or χ(2) test. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between TCM syndrome scores and LSM values. Results: After 48 weeks of treatment, the LSM values of the two groups were significantly lower than those of the baseline (P < 0.001), liver fibrosis was significantly improved, and the LSM values of the treatment group were lower than those of the control group [(8.67 ± 4.60) kPa and (10.13 ± 4.43) kPa, t = -2.011, P = 0.049]. After 48 weeks of treatment, the TCM syndrome scores of the two groups were significantly reduced compared with the baseline (P < 0.001), and the clinical symptoms were significantly relieved, and the total effective rates of the improvement of the TCM syndrome scores in the two groups were 74.19% and 72.97%, respectively, but the differences between the groups were not statistically significant (χ(2) = 0.013, P = 0.910). Correlation analysis showed that there was no obvious trend between TCM syndrome scores and LSM values. There were no serious adverse reactions associated with the drug during the observation period of this study. Conclusion: Based on antiviral treatment with entecavir, regardless of whether it is combined with the Biejiajian pill, it can effectively reduce the LSM value, improve liver fibrosis, reduce TCM syndrome scores, and alleviate symptoms in patients with chronic hepatitis B with liver fibrosis and blood stasis syndrome. Compared with entecavir alone, the combined Biejia pill has greater efficacy in improving liver fibrosis and a favorable safety profile, meriting its implementation and widespread application.

Efficacy and Mechanism of Chinese Medicinal Compounds and Monomers from Chinese Medicinals against Colorectal Cancer： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Colorectal cancer （CRC） is one of the refractory malignant tumors of the digestive system worldwide. With limitations， the available clinical therapies are usually suspended or show unsatisfactory effect. Therefore， it is urgent to find and develop new candidate drugs specifically targeting the cancer with ideal efficacy， low toxicity， and low cost， and the solutions can be found in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） which has a long history. In TCM， sovereign， ministry， assistant， and guiding medicinals are selected based on the syndrome differentiation， and it has shown remarkable efficacy on CRC in recent years. In particular， Chinese medicinal compounds and monomers from Chinese medicinals which have been applied in clinical settings are advantageous in the treatment of CRCs， as they improve the quality of life， alleviate clinical symptoms and toxic and side effects of chemotherapy， and prolong the survival of patients. Therefore， we retrieved the English and Chinese articles with "CRC"， "TCM"， "compound" and "monomer" as keywords， and summarized the progress in the treatment of CRC with Chinese medicinal compounds and monomers from Chinese medicinals from four aspects of "replenishing Qi and invigorating spleen"， "clearing heat and removing toxin"， "nourishing liver and kidney"， and "tonifying Qi and nourishing blood". However， Chinese medicine features multiple components， multiple targets， and multiple pathways， and in-depth research should be carried out on the application of Chinese medicinal compounds and monomers from Chinese medicinals in the treatment of CRC， in an attempt to minimize the pain and side effects and maximize the therapeutic effect. This study is expected to provide new insight into the treatment of CRC and a reference for further research on the efficacy and mechanism of Chinese medicine.

A Nomogram model for the early warning of essential hypertension risks based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome elements / 数字中医药（英文）

@#[Objective] To construct a Nomogram model for the prediction of essential hypertension (EH) risks with the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome elements principles in conjunction with cutting-edge biochemical detection technologies. [Methods] A case-control study was conducted, involving 301 patients with essential hypertension in the hypertensive group and 314 without in the control group. Comprehensive data, including the information on the four TCM diagnoses, general data, and blood biochemical indicators of participants in both groups, were collected separately for analysis. The differentiation principles of syndrome elements were used to discern the location and nature of hypertension. One-way analysis was carried out to screen for potential risk factors of the disease. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to identify factors that contribute significantly to the model, and eliminate possible collinearity problems. At last, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to both screen and quantify independent risk factors essential for the prediction model. The “rms” package in the R Studio was used to construct the Nomogram model, creating line segments of varying lengths based on the contribution of each risk factor to aid in the prediction of risks of hypertension. For internal model validation, the Bootstrap program package was utilized to perform 1000 repetitions of sampling and generate calibration curves. [Results] The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the risk factors of EH included age, heart rate (HR), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), uric acid (UA) levels, family medical history, sleep patterns (early awakening and light sleep), water intake, and psychological traits (depression and anger). Additionally, TCM syndrome elements such as phlegm, Yin deficiency, and Yang hyperactivity contributed to the risk of EH onset as well. TCM syndrome elements liver, spleen, and kidney were also considered the risk factors of EH. Next, the Nomogram model was constructed using the aforementioned 14 risk predictors, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.868 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) ranging from 0.840 to 0.895. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were found to be 80.7% and 85.0%, respectively. Internal validation confirmed the model’s robust predictive performance, with aconsistency index (C-index) of 0.879, underscoring the model’s strong predictive ability. [Conclusion] By integrating TCM syndrome elements, the Nomogram model has realized the objective, qualitative, and quantitative selection of early warning factors for developing EH, resulting in the creation of a more comprehensive and precise prediction model for EH risks.

An exploratory study on TCM syndrome differentiation in preoperative patients with colorectal cancer assisted by laboratory indicators.

Objective: This paper aims to explore the relationship between the syndrome differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in colorectal cancer and the clinical laboratory indicators of patients, and to further seek the laboratory indicators to assist TCM syndrome differentiation. Methods: From May 2020 to June 2021, 122 colorectal cancer patients with a clear pathological diagnosis who had not undergone surgery or chemotherapy were classified according to the TCM syndrome classification. The clinical laboratory indicators of 122 patients with preoperative colorectal cancer were collected, and the correlation between preoperative colorectal cancer TCM syndromes and Karnofsky score and clinical laboratory indicators was analyzed. The indicators affecting TCM syndromes were included in the disordered multivariate logistic regression analysis model to analyze the relative risk of the influencing factors. Results: The syndromes of colorectal cancer patients were classified into excess syndrome, deficiency syndrome, and syndrome of intermingled deficiency & excess. The differences in total bilirubin (TBIL), hemoglobin (HB), uric acid (UA), and hematocrit (HCT) between the three groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The indexes such as TBIL, HB, UA, and HCT in preoperative patients with excess syndrome of colorectal cancer were higher than those in patients with syndrome of intermingled deficiency & excess and deficiency syndrome, and the comparison between groups using the LSD method showed that UA and HCT were different between the excess syndrome and deficiency syndrome groups (P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that Gender, Tumor location, TNM stage, Total protein (TP), Red blood cell (RBC), HB, HCT, Platelet (PLT) and Fibrinogen (FIB) were all risk factors affecting TCM syndromes of preoperative colorectal cancer (P < 0.05). Conclusion: There is a correlation between the TCM syndromes of colorectal cancer and the clinical laboratory indicators of the patients. Gender, Tumor location, TNM stage, TP, RBC, HB, HCT, PLT and FIB are the risk factors of TCM syndrome differentiation in preoperative patients with colorectal cancer. TBIL, UA, HB, and HCT may be the four relevant indicators of TCM syndrome differentiation in colorectal cancer.

Value of five noninvasive diagnostic methods for liver cirrhosis in diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types in patients with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective To investigate the association of five noninvasive diagnostic methods for liver cirrhosis, i.e., liver stiffness measurement (LSM) on FibroScan, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-to-platelet ratio (GPR), and red blood cell distribution width-to-platelet ratio (RPR), with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types in patients with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 327 patients who were diagnosed with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis in The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from January 2017 to January 2020, and based on their TCM syndrome type, they were divided into liver depression and spleen deficiency group with 160 patients, liver-gallbladder damp-heat syndrome group with 84 patients, liver-kidney Yin deficiency group with 13 patients, spleen-kidney Yang deficiency group with 5 patients, and blood stasis obstructing the collaterals group with 65 patients. Related data were collected, including clinical data, routine blood test results, liver function, LSM, and color Doppler ultrasound findings of liver, gallbladder, spleen, and pancreas. TCM syndrome differentiation was performed, and the models of APRI, FIB-4, GPR, and RPR were established. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t -test was used for further comparison between two groups; the multiple independent samples Kruskal-Wallis H rank sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups, and the one- way Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA (k-sample) was used for multiple comparison; the binary logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between TCM syndrome types and non-invasive diagnosis of liver cirrhosis; the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic capability of five noninvasive methods for predicting TCM syndrome type in compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis. Results The logistic regression analysis showed that in the liver-gallbladder damp-heat syndrome group, aspartate aminotransferase OR =1.981, 95% CI : 1.8225-2.139, P < 0.05), and LSM ( OR =2.002, 95% CI : 1.840-2.160, P < 0.05) were influencing factors for compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis; in the liver depression and spleen deficiency group, portal vein width ( OR =4.402, 95% CI : 4.050-4.754, P < 0.05), LSM ( OR =3.901, 95% CI : 3.589-4.213, P < 0.05), APRI ( OR =1.891, 95% CI : 1.740-2.042, P < 0.05), and FIB-4 ( OR =1.845, 95% CI : 1.697-1.993, P < 0.05) were influencing factors for compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis; in the blood stasis obstructing the collaterals group, LSM ( OR =2.465, 95% CI : 2.268-2.662, P < 0.05), APRI ( OR =1.298, 95% CI : 1.194-1.402, P < 0.05), and FIB-4 ( OR =1.849, 95% CI : 1.701-1.997, P < 0.05) were influencing factors for compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis. The ROC curve analysis showed that LSM and RPR had a significantly better diagnostic value than the other methods in evaluating liver-gallbladder damp-heat syndrome, and LSM and FIB-4 had a significantly better diagnostic value than the other methods in evaluating liver depression and spleen deficiency; all five noninvasive diagnostic methods had a good value in evaluating the syndrome of blood stasis obstructing the collaterals. Conclusion The five noninvasive diagnostic methods have their own advantages in evaluating different syndrome types, which provide a reference for the diagnosis of TCM syndrome types in patients with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis.