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Objective To analyze the distribution characteristics of constitution and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome of allergic rhinitis patients complicated with asthma, aiming to provide basis for integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine treatment for allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma. Methods After preliminary screening of traditional Chinese medicine constitution identification of allergic patients in the allergic WeChat applet of Gamma on Cloud, patients with allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma or other allergic diseases receiving multi-disciplinary diagnosis and treatment of Department of Allergy of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2020 to May 2024 were selected. General data such as gender and age, constitution of traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome of allergic rhinitis patients complicated with asthma were collected and retrospectively analyzed. According to the new concept of“allergic 5A grading diagnosis and treatment”proposed by the team from Department of Allergy, all patients were divided into three groups：2A patient group（ allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma), 3A patient group（allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma, and any of atopic dermatitis, allergic conjunctivitis or food allergy)and 4A or 5A patient group（allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma, and any two or three of atopic dermatitis, allergic conjunctivitis or food allergy). Results There were 42 patients in the 2A group, 18 males and 24 females, aged（26.4±16.6)years old, 40 patients in the 3A patient group, 19 males and 21 females, aged（25.0±15.5)years old, and 8 patients in the 4A or 5A patient group, 5 males and 3 females, aged（15.5±13.2)years old, respectively. In the 2A patient group, the most frequent constitutions were yang-deficiency constitution（n = 17), qi-deficiency constitution（n = 14)and inherited special constitution（n = 11). In the 3A patient group, the most common constitutions were qi-deficiency constitution（n = 23), inherited special constitution（n = 16)and yang-deficiency constitution（n = 9 ). In the 4A or 5A patient group, the most prevalent constitutions were qi-deficiency constitution（n = 6)and inherited special constitution（n = 4). Fisher’s exact test found that there were differences in the distribution of yang-deficiency constitution among all groups（all P < 0.05). In terms of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes, the most common traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in the 2A patient group were yang deficiency with congealing cold syndrome（n = 10), wind-cold-dampness syndrome（n = 8)and lung-spleen qi deficiency syndrome（n = 6). The most common traditional Chinese medicine syndromes of 3A patients were lung-spleen qi deficiency syndrome（n = 12), yang deficiency with congealing cold syndrome（n = 7)and wind-cold-dampness syndrome（n = 6). The most common traditional Chinese medicine syndrome of 4A or 5A patients was lung-spleen qi deficiency syndrome（n = 5). There were differences in the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes among the three groups（all P < 0.05). The difference between 2A patients and 4A or 5A patients was statistically significant（P < 0.001). The difference between 3A patients and 4A or 5A patients was also statistically significant（P < 0.001). Conclusions The most common constitutions of allergic rhinitis patients complicated with asthma are yang- deficiency constitution, qi-deficiency constitution and inherited special constitution. The most prevalent traditional Chinese medicine syndromes are yang deficiency with congealing cold syndrome, wind-cold-dampness syndrome and lung-spleen qi deficiency syndrome. There are differences in the distribution of constitution and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome among patients with different grades of allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To analyze the distribution characteristics of constitution and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome of allergic rhinitis patients complicated with asthma， aiming to provide basis for integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine treatment for allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma. Methods After preliminary screening of traditional Chinese medicine constitution identification of allergic patients in the allergic WeChat applet of Gamma on Cloud， patients with allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma or other allergic diseases receiving multi-disciplinary diagnosis and treatment of Department of Allergy of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2020 to May 2024 were selected. General data such as gender and age， constitution of traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome of allergic rhinitis patients complicated with asthma were collected and retrospectively analyzed. According to the new concept of “allergic 5A grading diagnosis and treatment” proposed by the team from Department of Allergy， all patients were divided into three groups： 2A patient group （ allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma）， 3A patient group （allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma， and any of atopic dermatitis， allergic conjunctivitis or food allergy） and 4A or 5A patient group （allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma， and any two or three of atopic dermatitis， allergic conjunctivitis or food allergy）. Results There were 42 patients in the 2A group， 18 males and 24 females， aged （26.4±16.6） years old， 40 patients in the 3A patient group， 19 males and 21 females， aged （25.0±15.5） years old， and 8 patients in the 4A or 5A patient group， 5 males and 3 females， aged （15.5±13.2） years old， respectively. In the 2A patient group， the most frequent constitutions were yang-deficiency constitution （n = 17）， qi-deficiency constitution （n = 14） and inherited special constitution （n = 11）. In the 3A patient group， the most common constitutions were qi-deficiency constitution （n = 23）， inherited special constitution （n = 16） and yang-deficiency constitution （n = 9 ）. In the 4A or 5A patient group， the most prevalent constitutions were qi-deficiency constitution （n = 6） and inherited special constitution （n = 4）. Fisher’s exact test found that there were differences in the distribution of yang-deficiency constitution among all groups （all P < 0.05）. In terms of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes， the most common traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in the 2A patient group were yang deficiency with congealing cold syndrome （n = 10）， wind-cold-dampness syndrome （n = 8） and lung-spleen qi deficiency syndrome （n = 6）. The most common traditional Chinese medicine syndromes of 3A patients were lung-spleen qi deficiency syndrome （n = 12）， yang deficiency with congealing cold syndrome （n = 7） and wind-cold-dampness syndrome （n = 6）. The most common traditional Chinese medicine syndrome of 4A or 5A patients was lung-spleen qi deficiency syndrome （n = 5）. There were differences in the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes among the three groups （all P < 0.05）. The difference between 2A patients and 4A or 5A patients was statistically significant （P < 0.001）. The difference between 3A patients and 4A or 5A patients was also statistically significant （P < 0.001）. Conclusions The most common constitutions of allergic rhinitis patients complicated with asthma are yang-deficiency constitution， qi-deficiency constitution and inherited special constitution. The most prevalent traditional Chinese medicine syndromes are yang deficiency with congealing cold syndrome， wind-cold-dampness syndrome and lung-spleen qi deficiency syndrome. There are differences in the distribution of constitution and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome among patients with different grades of allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma.

Background Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a systematic understanding of the occurrence, development, diagnosis and treatment of Hashimoto's thyroiditis complicated with thyrotoxicosis. However, at present, there are few studies on the clinical symptoms and syndrome distribution of TCM in this disease population, and there is also a lack of description of the syndrome distribution and syndrome diagnostic criteria of this disease in the national industry standards. Objective Using factor analysis combine with cluster analysis to explore the distribution of clinical symptoms and syndromes of Hashimoto's thyroiditis complicated with thyrotoxicosis, provide a basis for clinical syndrome differentiation and promote the standardization of Hashimoto's thyroiditis complicated with thyrotoxicosis syndrome. Methods From December 2020 to December 2021, 171 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis complicated with thyrotoxicosis who met the diagnostic criteria in the outpatient department of thyroid disease of Dongcheng District, Tongzhou District of Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and Sunsimiao Hospital was collected. The symptoms, signs, tongue, pulse and other four diagnostic information were collected by using the four diagnostic information collection table of Hashimoto's thyroiditis complicated with thyrotoxicosis'. Based on factor analysis and cluster analysis, the symptoms and syndrome distribution of Hashimoto's thyroiditis complicated with thyrotoxicosis were studied. Results Among the 171 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis complicated with thyrotoxicosis, there were 17 males and 154 females, with an average age of (39.98±13.30) years. Patients aged 20-60 years accounted for 87.72%. The symptoms with high frequency in the distribution of symptoms were fatigue, palpitation, irritability or impatience. Signs were swelling of the neck, finger tremor. The tongue image with higher frequency had red, thin tongue and tooth marks on the tongue. The moss were white and thin. The pulse condition were pulse string and pulse number. Factor analysis of 82 four diagnostic items of the questionnaire was collected, and 25 common factors were extracted. The cumulative variance contribution rate was 70.562%, and 62 meaningful symptoms were screened out. The 25 common factor results obtained by factor analysis were used as variables to perform R-type system cluster analysis, and a total of 5 types of syndrome types were obtained, namely: pattern of phlegm congealing due to liver depression, pattern of yin deficiency with effulgent fire, pattern of yang deficiency in spleen and kidney, pattern of qi stagnation due to liver depression, pattern of dual deficiency of qi and nutrient phases. Conclusion The basic TCM syndromes of Hashimoto's thyroiditis complicated with thyrotoxicosis can be divided into pattern of phlegm congealing due to liver depression, pattern of yin deficiency with effulgent fire, pattern of yang deficiency in spleen and kidney, pattern of qi stagnation due to liver depression, pattern of dual deficiency of qi and nutrient phases.

Objective This study aimed to explore the effect of the combined Danzhi Jiangtang Capsule with dapagliflozin on the blood lipid profile and related inflammatory markers in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with peripheral vascular disease. Methods 72 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with peripheral vascular disease who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, from April 2021 to April 2023. The patients were assigned to the experimental group and the control group using the random number table method (36 cases in each group). The control group was treated with dapagliflozin in addition to standard treatment, while the experimental group received the Danzhi Jiangtang Capsule for 12 weeks. Clinical efficacy, glucose and lipid metabolism indicators, hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), body mass index (BMI) levels, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome scores were observed pre- and post-treatment. Results In post-treatment, the clinical efficacy was higher in the experimental group than in the control group. Significant reductions in fasting blood glucose (FPG), 2 h postprandial glucose (2 hPG), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), hs-CRP, BMI, and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were observed. Scores for TCM syndrome and individual items also decreased (P<0.05). Comparisons within the groups for pre- and post-treatment showed reductions in FPG, 2 hPG, TG, TC, LDL-C, hs-CRP, and an increase in HDL-C, along with a decrease in total scores of TCM syndrome (P<0.05). Conclusion The Danzhi Jiangtang Capsule combined with dapagliflozin in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus with peripheral vascular disease can regulate the blood lipid profile, reduce inflammatory factors, and improve patient's symptoms. Integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment are more conducive to controlling the disease, and TCM can be used in clinical practice as a combination treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To probe into the effects of Qibei capsule combined with linezolid on traditional Chinese medicine syndrome and lesion absorption in patients with multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis of Qi and Yin deficiency type. METHODS: Totally 120 patients with multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis of Qi and Yin deficiency type admitted into the hospital from Feb. 2020 to Feb. 2022 were extracted to be divided into the linezolid group and Qibei capsule group via the random number table method, with 60 cases in each group. The linezolid group was given standard anti-tuberculosis regimen + linezolid treatment, while the Qibei capsule group received Qibei capsule on the basis of the linezolid group. The traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores and lesion absorption of both groups were compared. RESULTS: After treatment, the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores such as cough, night sweats, and hot flashes in the Qibei capsule group were lower than those in the linezolid group, and the lesion absorption rate and sputum bacterial negative conversion rate were higher than those in the linezolid group, with statistically significant differences (P<0. 05). Compared with before treatment, the levels of CD4+ and CD4+ / CD8+ in both groups increased, and the Qibei capsule group was higher than the linezolid group; the level of CD8+ in both groups decreased, and the Qibei capsule group was lower than the linezolid group, with statistically significant differences (P < 0. 05). CONCLUSIONS: Qibei capsule combined with linezolid in the treatment of patients with multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis of Qi and Yin deficiency type can effectively decrease the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores in patients, promote the lesions absorption and sputum bacterial negative conversion rate, and improve immune function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) comprising herbal formulas has been used for millennia to treat various diseases, such as insomnia, based on distinct syndrome types. Although TCM has been proposed to be effective in insomnia through gut microbiota modulation in animal models, human studies remain limited. Therefore, this study employs machine learning and integrative network techniques to elucidate the role of the gut microbiome in the efficacies of two TCM formulas -- center-supplementing and qi-boosting decoction (CSQBD) and spleen-tonifying and yin heat-clearing decoction (STYHCD) -- in treating insomnia patients diagnosed with spleen qi deficiency and spleen qi deficiency with stomach heat. Methods: Sixty-three insomnia patients with these two specific TCM syndromes were enrolled and treated with CSQBD or STYHCD for 4 weeks. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) every 2 weeks. In addition, variations in gut microbiota were evaluated through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Stress and inflammatory markers were measured pre- and post-treatment. Results: At baseline, patients exhibiting only spleen qi deficiency showed slightly lesser severe insomnia, lower IFN-α levels, and higher cortisol levels than those with spleen qi deficiency with stomach heat. Both TCM syndromes displayed distinct gut microbiome profiles despite baseline adjustment of PSQI, ISI, and IFN-a scores. The nested stratified 10-fold cross-validated random forest classifier showed that patients with spleen qi deficiency had a higher abundance of Bifidobacterium longum than those with spleen qi deficiency with stomach heat, negatively associated with plasma IFN-a concentration. Both CSQBD and STYHCD treatments significantly improved sleep quality within 2 weeks, which lasted throughout the study. Moreover, the gut microbiome and inflammatory markers were significantly altered post-treatment. The longitudinal integrative network analysis revealed interconnections between sleep quality, gut microbes, such as Phascolarctobacterium and Ruminococcaceae, and inflammatory markers. Conclusion: This study reveals distinct microbiome profiles associated with different TCM syndrome types and underscores the link between the gut microbiome and efficacies of Chinese herbal formulas in improving insomnia. These findings deepen our understanding of the gut-brain axis in relation to insomnia and pave the way for precision treatment approaches leveraging TCM herbal remedies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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AIM: To observe the clinical efficacy of Yishen Yanggan Mingmu formula combined with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration(wARMD).METHODS: A total of 58 patients(58 eyes)with wARMD who were treated in Ningbo Eye Hospital from September 2020 to November 2022 were collected. They were divided into two groups according to randomized digital table: 29 patients(29 eyes)for the combination group and the other 29 patients(29 eyes)for the injection group. The injection group was only given intravitreal injection of conbercept; the combination group was orally administrated with Yishen Yanggan Mingmu formula combined with intravitreal injection of conbercept. The best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), central macular thickness(CMT)and the improvement of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndromes after 3mo of treatment were observed and the clinical efficacy was evaluated.RESULTS: After 3mo of treatment, the total improved effective rate of the combination group(76%)was higher than the rate of the injection group(66%). After the treatment, the BCVA of the two groups was both higher than that before treatment(P

We have evaluated the clinical benefits of Shenshu Dingchuan decoction in chronic bronchial asthma patients treated with budesonide or formoterol. To this end, chronic bronchial asthma patients were divided into two groups and treated with budesonide or formoterol alone (the control group) or budesonide or formoterol plus Shenshu Dingchuan decoction (the treatment group). Shenshu Dingchuan decoction combined with budesonide formoterol decreased traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores, elevated forced expiratory volume in one second, forced vital capacity, and forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity levels, decreased fractional exhaust nitric oxide and total immunoglobulin E levels, and the elevated total effective rate after treatment. In conclusion, these observed changes reflect a marked clinical improvement in lung function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrointestinal cancers account for 11.6 % of all cancers, and are the second most frequently diagnosed type of cancer worldwide. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), together with Western medicine or alone, has unique advantages for the prevention and treatment of cancers, including gastrointestinal cancers. Syndrome differentiation and treatment are basic characteristics of the theoretical system of TCM. TCM syndromes are the result of the differentiation of the syndrome and the basis of treatment. Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, intestinal microbiota, and serology, generated around the central law, are used to study the biological basis of TCM syndromes in gastrointestinal cancers. This review summarizes current research on the biological basis of TCM syndrome in gastrointestinal cancers and provides useful references for future research on TCM syndrome in gastrointestinal cancers.

Objective We aimed to analyze and predict the risk of white matter lesions (WMLs) in hypertensive patients with different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes, and to explore the relationship and influencing factors between them. Methods From September 2019 to December 2021, 309 patients were enrolled from the cardiovascular departments of the Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and they were divided into four syndromes: phlegm and blood stasis syndrome, kidney qi deficiency syndrome, liver fire hyperactivity syndrome, and yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity syndrome. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP), homocysteine acid (Hcy), uric acid (UA), and serum cystatin C (Cys C) were measured. The ARWMC and Fazekas scales were used to assess the site, score, and the degree of WMLs (mild, moderate, or severe) in hypertensive patients with different syndromes, and the correlation between risk factors and different syndromes was summarized. Results There were significant differences in DBP, Hcy, UA, and Cys C among different TCM syndrome types (P<0. 05). WMLs were assessed by the Fazekas and ARWMC scales, and there was no significant difference in the distribution of WMLs sites among different syndrome types. There was no significant difference in the Fazekas scores of WMLs, but there was a significant difference in the ARWMC ratings among different syndrome types (P<0. 05). The WMLs Fazekas and ARWMC risk classification analysis of different TCM syndrome types were significantly different (P<0. 05). According to the Fazekas scale assessment, there were differences in WMLs among all of the syndrome types (P<0. 05). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the WMLs degree was positively correlated with age, Hcy, Cys C, and UA in the phlegm and blood stasis syndrome group (rs =0. 22, 0. 23, 0. 18, 0. 24, P<0. 05). The WMLs degree was negatively correlated with HUA and HHcy (rs =-0. 19, -0. 21, P<0. 05). The degree of WMLs was positively correlated with UA (rs =0. 48, P<0. 05), and negatively correlated with HUA (rs = -0. 47, P<0. 05). The degree of WMLs in yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity syndrome group was positively correlated with age, HUA, and Cys C (rs = 0. 37, 0. 27, 0. 27, P <0. 05), and negatively correlated with UA (rs = -0. 32, P < 0. 05). The degree of WMLs in the kidney qi deficiency syndrome group was positively correlated with Hcy (rs = 0. 33, P <0. 05), but negatively correlated with HHcy and DBP (rs = -0. 32, -0. 30, P < 0. 05). The phlegm and blood stasis syndrome had more risk factors with a statistically significant difference (P < 0. 05) compared with the liver fire hyperactivity syndrome, yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity syndrome, and kidney qi deficiency syndrome. According to the ARWMC rating, there were differences in WMLs among all syndrome types (P<0. 05). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the WMLs degree was positively correlated with UA (rs =0. 57, P<0. 05) and negatively correlated with HUA (rs =-0. 58, P<0. 05) in patients with hypertension and the ARWMC rating. The degree of WMLs was positively correlated with UA (rs = 0. 34, P <0. 05), and negatively correlated with HUA (rs =-0. 44, P<0. 05). The degree of WMLs in the kidney qi deficiency syndrome group was positively correlated with Cys C (rs =0. 26, P<0. 05), and negatively correlated with diabetes mellitus and HUA (rs =-0. 30, -0. 28, P<0. 05). There were more risk factors with statistically significant differences (P<0. 05) in the kidney qi deficiency syndrome compared with phlegm and blood stasis syndrome, liver fire hyperactivity syndrome, and yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity syndrome. Conclusion The phlegm and blood stasis syndrome and kidney qi deficiency syndrome may be TCM syndrome types with higher incidences of WMLs in hypertensive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical symptom‐based diagnosis and therapy play a crucial role in personalized medicine and drug discovery. The syndromes, distinctive groups of clinical symptoms summarized by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theories and clinical experiences, are used as the core diagnostic criteria and therapeutic guidance in TCM. However, there is still a lack of standardized data, information, and intrinsic molecular basis to help TCM syndromes better classify diseases and guide tailored medications. To address this problem, we built the first integrated web platform, SoFDA (http://www.tcmip.cn/Syndrome/front/), with a curated ontology of 319 TCM syndromes, 8045 diseases, and 1359 TCM herbal formulas and their relationships with genes, diseases, and formulas. This platform proposed an association measurement by calculating Jaccard/Cosine similarities between TCM syndromes and their related biomedical entities with case and control validations. On this basis, the SoFDA platform enables biomedical and pharmaceutical scientists to rank and filter the most promising associations for disease diagnosis and tailored interventions. Conversely, the targeted gene sets and symptom sets can also be associated with TCM syndromes, formulas, and diseases for function illustration. Notably, SoFDA explores the multi‐way associations among diseases, TCM syndromes, symptom genes, herbal formulas, drug targets, and pathways in heterogeneous biomedical networks with lots of customization. The protocol here implements all the analyses above using the SoFDA platform. Collectively, SoFDA may provide insights into the biological basis of disease‐specific TCM syndromes and the underlying molecular mechanisms, as well as a tailored treatment for single or multiple symptoms within a syndrome. Highlights: SoFDA is the first manually curated public traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome annotation database.SoFDA explores the multiway associations among diseases, symptoms, genes, herbal formulas, drug targets, and pathways in heterogeneous biomedical networks with lots of customizations.A similarity‐based association measurement was used to evaluate the association levels of disease–TCM syndrome, TCM syndrome–TCM syndrome and formula–TCM syndrome, and disease–TCM syndrome–formula by calculating the Jaccard/Cosine similarities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Clinical symptom‐based diagnosis and therapy play a crucial role in personalized medicine and drug discovery. The syndromes, distinctive groups of clinical symptoms summarized by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theories and clinical experiences, are used as the core diagnostic criteria and therapeutic guidance in TCM. However, there is still a lack of standardized data, information, and intrinsic molecular basis to help TCM syndromes better classify diseases and guide tailored medications. To address this problem, we built the first integrated web platform, SoFDA (http://www.tcmip.cn/Syndrome/front/), with a curated ontology of 319 TCM syndromes, 8045 diseases, and 1359 TCM herbal formulas and their relationships with genes, diseases, and formulas. This platform proposed an association measurement by calculating Jaccard/Cosine similarities between TCM syndromes and their related biomedical entities with case and control validations. On this basis, the SoFDA platform enables biomedical and pharmaceutical scientists to rank and filter the most promising associations for disease diagnosis and tailored interventions. Conversely, the targeted gene sets and symptom sets can also be associated with TCM syndromes, formulas, and diseases for function illustration. Notably, SoFDA explores the multi‐way associations among diseases, TCM syndromes, symptom genes, herbal formulas, drug targets, and pathways in heterogeneous biomedical networks with lots of customization. The protocol here implements all the analyses above using the SoFDA platform. Collectively, SoFDA may provide insights into the biological basis of disease‐specific TCM syndromes and the underlying molecular mechanisms, as well as a tailored treatment for single or multiple symptoms within a syndrome.

To explore the distribution law of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types in patients with psoriasis vulgaris complicated by metabolic disorders based on the same pathogenic factors as blood-heat and blood-stasis in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and metabolic disorders and to further analyze the correlation between adiponectin and the distribution law. From 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019, patients diagnosed with psoriasis in the inpatient or outpatient department of Dermatology Ward of Shanghai Yueyang Hospital and normal participants who underwent physical examination in the physical examination center over the same period were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic data, medical history, metabolic disorder indices, and TCM syndrome indices of psoriasis patients and healthy volunteers were evaluated. We included 307 patients with psoriasis and 613 healthy controls. On analyzing past medical history, the proportion of overweight and obesity and the comorbidity of diabetes in the psoriasis group (53.42 and 14.66%) were significantly higher than in the control group (43.88 and 7.67%, respectively; p <.05). The abnormal rates of triglyceride (34.20%), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (50.49%), and HbA1c (18.57%) levels in the psoriasis group were higher than those in the normal control group (26.75, 17.13, and 12.56%, respectively). Overall, the incidence of metabolic disorders in psoriasis patients (267/307, 86.97%) was higher than that in the normal controls (484/613, 78.96%). Among the different syndrome types, the blood-stasis group had significantly higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, and abnormal glycosylated hemoglobin (46.07, 19.10, and 24.72%, respectively) than those of the control group (27.57, 7.67, and 12.56%; p <.05). Patients with blood stasis syndrome had the highest metabolic disorder comorbidity rate (93.26%) and lowest adiponectin level (p <.05). TCM syndrome differentiation of psoriasis, especially the diagnosis of blood-stasis syndrome, prompts the early screening of patients with metabolic comorbidities. For patients with psoriasis with metabolic disorder, TCM for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis can be compatibly applied without contraindications. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Trial ID: NCT03942185). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the role of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome type, gut microbiome distribution, and host immunity function in predicting the early and advanced clinical stages of colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: A cross-sectional case-control study was performed which included 48 early stage and 48 advanced patients with CRC enrolled from March 2018 to December 2020. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed to analyze the gut microbiomes of the patients, while T and B lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood were assessed using flow cytometry. TCM syndrome type was measured using the spleen deficiency syndrome (SDS) scale. Results: The abundance levels of Prevotella, Escherichia-Shigella, and Faecalibacterium in the gut microbiota were significantly increased in the advanced group, while Bacteroides was significantly decreased. Phascolarctobacterium was detectable only in the early metaphase group, whereas Alistipes was detectable only in the advanced group. The lymphocyte (P = .006), T helper cell (TH) (P = .002), cytotoxic T cell (TC) (P = .003), double positive T cell (DPT) (P = .02), and total T counts (P = .001) were significantly higher in the early metaphase group than in the advanced metaphase group. Compared with patients with early stage CRC, the advanced group had a higher SDS score. After adjusting for clinical stage, Spearman's correlation analysis showed interactions among gut microbiome abundance, T cell level, and SDS score. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that after controlling for the SDS score, abundance of Alistipes and Faecalibacterium, and double negative T cell (DNT) level, DPT was significantly associated with a lower risk of advanced-stage disease (hazard ratio, 0.918; P = .022). Conclusion: Our study suggested associations between clinical stage, SDS, gut microbiota, and T lymphocytes, which provided insights for a potential prediction model for the disease progression of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Phlegm-stasis syndrome is one of the most common traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes and found in 59% of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) in routine TCM clinical practice in China. One of the diagnostic criteria of phlegm-stasis syndrome is its characteristic white-greasy and thin tongue coating. We have previously reported that different types of tongue coating have different microbiome characteristics that can be used as diagnostic markers. However, the microbial characteristics of tongue coating of CHD patients with phlegm-stasis syndrome, including coating feature and underlying reason of formation, have rarely been reported. Herein, we examined the characteristic microbiome of tongue coating, and discussed the cause of tongue coating formation via salivary proteins in patients with phlegm-stasis syndrome. Methods: We examined white-greasy and thin tongue coatings obtained from 10 patients with CHD having phlegm-stasis syndrome (n = 10), and compared with those of patients with almost no coating – patients with Qi-Yin deficiency syndrome (n = 10) – and healthy controls (n = 10). 16S rRNA sequencing of tongue coating microbiome and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based quantitative analysis of salivary proteins were used to detect tongue coating and salivary protein separately. Salivary levels of sIgA, lysozyme, and amylase were detected by ELISA. Results: We identified Candidatus_Saccharimonas and Candidate_division_TM7_norank as the prominent members of tongue coating in patients with CHD having phlegm-stasis syndrome. Salivary proteins involved in biological processes, pentose phosphate pathway, and complement and coagulation cascades were among the differentially expressed proteins identified in patients with CHD having phlegm-stasis syndrome on iTRAQ analysis. Moreover, the formation of microbiota in tongue coating was associated with salivary sIgA, lysozyme, and saliva flow rate. Conclusions: We explored the characteristics of microbial composition of tongue coating patients with CHD having phlegm-stasis syndrome and identified correlations between salivary proteins and microbiome formation, providing a theoretical and mechanistic basis for tongue coating formation.

Thrombophilia is an important cause of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). The treatment of thrombophilia is beneficial to the prevention of RSA. Therefore, we explored the clinical effect of Chinese traditional herbs with the effects of invigorating the blood, tonifying the kidney and calming the fetus in the treatment of RSA complicated with thrombophilia. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcomes of 190 RSA patients combined with thrombophilia using different treatment methods. The traditional Chinese medicine group was treated with kidney-invigorating, blood-activating and fetus-soothing herbs and the western medicine group was treated with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), and the traditional Chinese medicine combined with western medicine group was treated with LMWH plus Chinese traditional herbs with the effects of kidney tonifying, blood activating and fetus stabilizing. After treatments, platelet aggregation rate, plasma D-dimer and uterine artery blood flow resistance were significantly reduced in the LMWH plus herbs compared to the simple herbs and LMWH group (P

Objective: To investigate the value of relative exchangeable copper (REC) in diagnosing Wilson's disease (WD) and to determine its significance in the differentiation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome., Methods: A total of 78 patients with WD were recruited on the same day of the medical visit, and among them, 32 were suffering from non-WD (N-WD) and 37 were heterozygous ATP7B carriers (HC) enrolled as controls. Molecular genetic testing was performed for diagnosing WD and HC. Additionally, REC levels in different TCM syndromes were investigated. The correlation between REC and serum ceruloplasmin (Cp), serum copper oxidase (CO), and 24-h urinary copper was analyzed using the Global Assessment Scale and Unified Wilson's Disease Rating Scale and the significance of REC in WD diagnosis was investigated. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess the clinical symptoms of WD and analyze its severity in different TCM syndromes., Results: REC determination helped in significantly distinguishing patients with N-WD or HC from those with WD with a cut-off of 21.15%. Furthermore, the comparative analysis of REC ratios among different TCM syndromes showed markedly high REC levels in the dampness-heat internal accumulation syndrome group. Additionally, the seed-based functional connectivity value from the putamen to the cerebellum was significantly correlated with TCM syndromes., Conclusion: REC level is a high-quality biomarker for diagnosing WD that effectively reflects disease severity and plays an essential role in deciding on treatment strategies and prognosis. Furthermore, REC levels are closely related to TCM syndromes in WD; thus, it is a potential objective quantitative indicator for distinguishing TCM syndromes in WD.

Objective To investigate the effect of holographic meridian scraping therapy combined with auricular bloodletting therapy in the treatment of elderly patients with primary hypertension. Methods Totally 60 elderly patients with primary hypertension were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group, with 30 cases in each group. On the basis of drug therapy and routine health education, the control group received auricular bloodletting therapy, while the observation group received holographic meridian scraping therapy combined with auricular bloodletting therapy. The changes in blood pressure and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome score were observed, and the intervention effect was evaluated by comparing the improvement of blood pressure and clinical symptoms. Results The systolic pressure and diastolic pressure in the observation group dropped more significantly compared with those in the control group after intervention (P＜0. 05). There was a lower TCM syndrome score in the observation group than that in the control group after intervention (P＜0. 05). There was no significant difference in total effective rate between two groups (P＞0. 05). Conclusion The holographic meridian scraping therapy combined with auricular bloodletting therapy is potentially effective to reduce the blood pressure and relief the TCM syndrome in patients with primary hypertension. (目的 观察全息经络刮痧联合耳尖放血疗法治疗老年高血压病的临床疗效。方法 60例老年高血压病患者根据随机数字表法分为对照组和观察组, 各30例。除常规药物治疗和健康指导外, 对照组实施单纯耳尖放血疗法, 观察组给予全息经络刮痧联合耳尖放血疗法干预。比较2组患者血压和中医证候评分, 评价干预效果。结果 干预后, 观察组收缩压和舒张压下降幅度大于对照组, 差异有统计学意义(P＜0. 05); 观察组中医证候积分下降幅度大于对照组, 差异有统计学意义(P＜0. 05); 观察组总有效率高于对照组, 但差异无统计学意义(P＞0. 05)。结论 全息经络刮痧联合耳尖放血疗法能有效降低老年高血压病患者的血压, 改善中医证候。)

Huijin Hu,1,&ast; Tao Chen,2,&ast; Wenbin Liu,1 Yiping Shen,1 Qiushuang Li,3 Yuhong Zhou,1 Baodong Ye,1 Dijiong Wu1 1Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Hematology, Xiaoshan Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 3Center of Clinical Evaluation and Analysis, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Dijiong Wu; Baodong YeDepartment of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, #54 Youdian Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310006, People’s Republic of ChinaFax +8657187073569Email wudijiong@zcmu.edu.cn; 13588453501@163.comObjective: To better understanding and differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in severe aplastic anemia (SAA) patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo-HSCT) and their correlation with iron metabolism, cAMP/cGMP, 17-OH-CS and thyroxine.Methods: Eighteen patients with SAA who underwent HSCT were enrolled. The syndrome was evaluated before conditioning and days after stem cell reinfusion (− 10d, − 1d, +7d, +30d, +60d, and +90d). The correlation of TCM syndrome (Yin, Yang, and stasis) to cyclic nucleotides, 17-OH-CS, thyroxine, and iron metabolism were analyzed and compared to data from normal subjects.Results: More “Yin deficiency” (n=11, 11/18) syndrome was observed before HSCT, and nearly 61% was complicated with “blood stasis”. After conditioning, the proportion of “kidney Yin and Yang deficiency” increased to 61.6%. Fourteen days after HSCT, the syndrome developed into “Spleen-Kidney Yang Deficiency,” and the stasis score decreased. On +90day, majority patients were diagnosed with “Kidney Yang Deficiency” (35.7%) or “Spleen-Kidney Yang Deficiency” (28.6%), and 88.9% were diagnosed without stasis. The correlation analysis showed that cGMP might represent “Deficient Yang” as well as low total triiodothyronine (T3) and free T3 (FT3). There was also a positive relation between labile plasma iron (LPI), hepcidin, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and “Yin deficiency”, and the last two factors, along with marrow nitric oxide synthase were also positively related to “Stasis” syndrome.Conclusion: During HSCT, the syndrome evolved from “kidney Yin and Yang deficiency” to “kidney Yang deficiency” or “spleen–kidney Yang deficiency”, and the “stasis” along with “Yin deficiency” syndromes were quickly relieved within 90 days. The changes of cyclic nucleotides, 17-OH-CS, thyroxine, and iron metabolism indexes can be applied for better differentiation of TCM syndrome.Keywords: aplastic anemia, traditional Chinese medicine syndrome, iron metabolism, syndrome evolution, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Objective To explore the relationship between osteoprotegerin (OPG),receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK),receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL),hematological indexes and osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH),so as to provide basis for clinical efficacy evaluation. Methods A total of 84 patients with ONFH treated in Zhengzhou Traditional Chinese Hospital of Orthopedics from July to December 2019 were selected as the ONFH group. The patients were divided into the young group (18-<40 year, n= 32),middle-aged group (40~<60 year, n=47) and old group (≥60 year, n=5) according to their ages. According to different causes, the patients were divided into the hormone group (n=14),alcohol group (n=44), idiopathic group (n=21) and trauma group (n=5).According to different traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types, the patients were divided into the liver and kidney deficiency group (n=36) and damp-heat accumulation group (n=48).A total of 81 healthy subjects in the same period were selected as the control group The early morning fasting elbow venous blood of the ONFH group and control group was collected for the enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and blood examination. The correlation between OPG,RANK, RANKL, hematological indexes and ONFH, traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types was analyzed. Results Compared with those of the control group, the level of OPG in the ONFH group was significantly lower, while the RANK level, RANKL level and RANKL/OPG ratio of the ONFH group were significantly higher, and the levels of the total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and apolipoprotein B (Apo B) significantly increased, while the apolipoprotein A and high-density lipoprotein significantly decreased. The differences were statistically significant (P <0.05).The RANKL/OPG ratio in the middle-aged group of the ONFH group was significantly higher than that in the older group, and the LDL, Apo B and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in the young and middle-aged groups were significantly lower than those in the older group, and the differences were statistically significant (P <0.05).Patients in the alcohol group of the ONFH group had significantly higher RANK, RANKL, and OPG levels than those in the trauma group, and significantly higher RANK levels than those in the hormone group, the APTT, prothrombin time (PT),fibrinogen (FIB) and thrombin time (TT) of patients in the hormone group the alcohol group and the special hair group were significantly higher than in the trauma group, and the differences were all statistically significant (P <0.05).The RANKL levels of patients in the Damp-Heat group were significantly higher than those in the Liver and kidney deficiency syndrome, with statistically significant differences (P <0.05).The differences were not statistically significant when comparing the hematological indexes of patients in the liver and kidney deficiency syndrome (P >0.05) rothrombin timei brinogenthrombin time. Conclusion OPG, RANKL,RANK and blood coagulation mechanisms were affected by hormone and alcohol in the ONFH patients, but not by liver and kidney deficiency syndrome and damp-heat accumulation syndrome [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To observe the clinical characteristics of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD)caused by influenza virus, and to explore the distribution of Chinese medical syndromes. Methods: A retrospective study method was used to collect 66 patients with infectious AECOPD who were hospitalized in the Department of Respiratory Medicine of Wangjing Hospital from January 2016 to December 2020. They were divided into the infected group and the negative group according to whether they were infected with influenza virus. The patients were collected for general clinical practice Data (sex, age, course of disease, whether fever this time), inflammation index levels(procalcitonin PCT, C-reactive protein CRP, white blood cell count WBC, neutrophil percentage NEUT%, monocyte percentage MONO%, lymphocytes Percent LYM%), lung function(vital capacity VC, forced vital capacity FVC, forced expiratory volume FEV1 in 1 second, FEV1/FVC in 1 second), arterial blood gas analysis(arterial blood oxygen partial pressure PaO2, arterial blood carbon dioxide partial pressure PaCO2)And so on. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the clinical characteristics of infectious AECOPD caused by influenza virus. Summarize the distribution law of TCM syndromes. Results: Patients in the infected and negative group were at age[77(69,80) vs 67(62,78)years], the proportion of patients with fever[14(38.89%) vs 4(13.3 3%)], PCT[0.059(0.041,0.085)ng/ml vs 0.040(0.028,0.068)ng/ml], CRP[20.42(2.61,60.99)mg/L vs 5.01(1.51,16.55)mg/L], LYM%(17.10±6.81) vs 20.96±8.68), PaO2[71.75(62.85,77.90) mmHg vs 75.15(68.18, 80.23)mmHg]and other indicators, there are significant differences, and the difference is statistically significant (P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that compared with the negative group, patients with infectious AECOPD caused by influenza virus were older, often had fever, and had higher levels of PCT and CRP. Conclusion: If AECOPD patients are elderly, have fever symptoms, and the levels of inflammation indicators PCT and CRP are high, influenza virus infection can be considered. TCM syndromes are mainly based on phlegm-heat stagnation in the lung, often combined with yin deficiency, qi deficiency, qi and yin deficiency and blood stasis;the viscera often involves lung, spleen, and kidney. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinical practice, TCM syndromes help to understand human homeostasis and guide individualized treatment. However, the TCM syndrome changes with disease progression, of which the scientific basis and mechanism remain unclear. Methods To demonstrate the underlying mechanism of dynamic changes in the TCM syndrome, we applied a dynamic network biomarker (DNB) algorithm to obtain the DNBs of changes in the TCM syndrome, based on the transcriptomic data of patients with chronic hepatitis B and typical TCM syndromes, including healthy controls and patients with liver-gallbladder dampness-heat syndrome (LGDHS), liver-depression spleen-deficiency syndrome (LDSDS), and liver-kidney yin-deficiency syndrome (LKYDS). The DNB model exploits collective fluctuations and correlations of the observed genes, then diagnoses the critical state. Results Our results showed that the DNBs of TCM syndromes were comprised of 52 genes and the tipping point occurred at the LDSDS stage. Meanwhile, there were numerous differentially expressed genes between LGDHS and LKYDS, which highlighted the drastic changes before and after the tipping point, implying the 52 DNBs could serve as early-warning signals of the upcoming change in the TCM syndrome. Next, we validated DNBs by cytokine profiling and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ). The results showed that PLG (plasminogen) and coagulation factor XII (F12) were significantly expressed during the progression of TCM syndrome from LGDHS to LKYDS. Conclusions This study provides a scientific understanding of changes in the TCM syndrome. During this process, the cytokine system was involved all the time. The DNBs PLG and F12 were confirmed to significantly change during TCM-syndrome progression and indicated a potential value of DNBs in auxiliary diagnosis of TCM syndrome in CHB. Trial registration Identifier: NCT03189992. Registered on June 4, 2017. Retrospectively registered (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)

Objective: To investigate the underlying protein molecular mechanisms of " Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome" (QS) and " Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome" (QD), as two subtypes of coronary artery disease (CAD) in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods: In this study, a total of 227 CAD patients with QS and 211 CAD patients with QD were enrolled; all participants underwent PCI. Label-free quantification proteomics were employed to analyze the changes in serum in two subtypes of CAD patients before and 6 months after PCI, aiming to elucidate the intervention mechanism of PCI in treating CAD characterized by two different TCM syndromes., Results: Biochemical analysis revealed significant changes in tumor necrosis factor-α, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood stasis clinical symptoms observation, and Gensini levels in both patient groups post-PCI; Proteomic analysis identified 79 and 95 differentially expressed proteins in the QS and QD patient groups, respectively, compared to their control groups. complement C8 alpha chain, complement factor H, apolipoprotein H, apolipoprotein B, plasminogen, carbonic anhydrase 2, and complement factor I were altered in both comparison groups. Furthermore, enrichment analysis demonstrated that cell adhesion and connectivity-related processes underwent changes in QS patients post-PCI, whereas lipid metabolism-related pathways, including the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathway and extracellular matrix receptor interaction, underwent changes in the QD group. The protein-protein interaction network analysis further enriched 52 node proteins, including apolipoprotein B, lipoprotein (a), complement C5, apolipoprotein A4, complement C8 alpha chain, complement C8 beta chain, complement C8 gamma chain, apolipoprotein H, apolipoprotein A-Ⅱ, albumin, complement C4-B, apolipoprotein C3, among others. The functional network of these proteins is posited to contribute to the pathophysiology of CAD characterized by TCM syndromes., Conclusion: The current quantitative proteomic study has preliminarily identified biomarkers of CAD in different TCM subtypes treated with PCI, potentially laying the groundwork for understanding the protein profiles associated with the treatment of various TCM subtypes of CAD.

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) comprising herbal formulas has been used for millennia to treat various diseases, such as insomnia, based on distinct syndrome types. Although TCM has been proposed to be effective in insomnia through gut microbiota modulation in animal models, human studies remain limited. Therefore, this study employs machine learning and integrative network techniques to elucidate the role of the gut microbiome in the efficacies of two TCM formulas - center-supplementing and qi-boosting decoction (CSQBD) and spleen-tonifying and yin heat-clearing decoction (STYHCD) - in treating insomnia patients diagnosed with spleen qi deficiency and spleen qi deficiency with stomach heat., Methods: Sixty-three insomnia patients with these two specific TCM syndromes were enrolled and treated with CSQBD or STYHCD for 4 weeks. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) every 2 weeks. In addition, variations in gut microbiota were evaluated through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Stress and inflammatory markers were measured pre- and post-treatment., Results: At baseline, patients exhibiting only spleen qi deficiency showed slightly lesser severe insomnia, lower IFN-α levels, and higher cortisol levels than those with spleen qi deficiency with stomach heat. Both TCM syndromes displayed distinct gut microbiome profiles despite baseline adjustment of PSQI, ISI, and IFN-α scores. The nested stratified 10-fold cross-validated random forest classifier showed that patients with spleen qi deficiency had a higher abundance of Bifidobacterium longum than those with spleen qi deficiency with stomach heat, negatively associated with plasma IFN-α concentration. Both CSQBD and STYHCD treatments significantly improved sleep quality within 2 weeks, which lasted throughout the study. Moreover, the gut microbiome and inflammatory markers were significantly altered post-treatment. The longitudinal integrative network analysis revealed interconnections between sleep quality, gut microbes, such as Phascolarctobacterium and Ruminococcaceae, and inflammatory markers., Conclusion: This study reveals distinct microbiome profiles associated with different TCM syndrome types and underscores the link between the gut microbiome and efficacies of Chinese herbal formulas in improving insomnia. These findings deepen our understanding of the gut-brain axis in relation to insomnia and pave the way for precision treatment approaches leveraging TCM herbal remedies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zeng, Xu, Zheng, Zhan, Fang, Li, Zhao, Xiao, Zheng, Li and Yang.)

Psoriasis is a chronic, refractory, systemic inflammatory skin disease. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shows unique advantage in the treatment of psoriasis based on syndrome differentiation. An untargeted high-throughput metabonomics method based on liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was applied to study the serum metabolic characteristics in different TCM syndrome types in patients with psoriasis vulgaris (PV), and to discover potential serum biomarkers for its pathogenesis on the endogenous metabolite differentiation basis. The serum metabolic profiles of 45 healthy controls and 124 patients with PV (50 in the blood-stasis group, 30 in the blood-heat group, and 44 in the blood-dryness group) were acquired. The raw spectrometric data were processed using multivariate statistical analysis, and 14 biomarkers related to TCM syndrome differentiation and psoriasis types were screened and identified. The blood-stasis syndrome group showed abnormal lipid metabolism, which was characterized by a low level of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and a high level of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). We propose that platelet-activating factor can be applied as a potential biomarker in clinical diagnosis and differentiation of PV with blood-stasis syndrome. The difference in the serum metabolites among PV types with different TCM syndromes and healthy control group illustrated the objective material basis in TCM syndrome differentiation and classification of psoriasis.

Osteoporotic fractures are serious health problems worldwide. There is no unified standard for TCM syndrome classification of osteoporotic fractures. Combined with various medical experts, the clinical differentiation of osteoporotic fractures was summarized and analyzed, and the three-stage classification of traditional Chinese medicine in the process of fracture healing: early, middle and late; And syndrome differentiation: Qi stagnation and blood stasis, heat and flaming, qi deficiency and blood stasis, spleen and kidney yang deficiency, liver and kidney yin deficiency. Study the medication and clinical efficacy of each syndrome type. To explore the correlation between various syndrome types and fractures, and to provide reference for the development of subject theory, clinical practice progress and future doctors in osteoporotic fracture syndrome differentiation and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to establish a quantitative syndrome differentiation model with logistic regression analysis for phlegm and blood stasis syndrome (PBSS) in coronary heart disease (CHD) to offer methodology guidance for the quantitative syndrome differentiation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Design: Tongue, face, and pulse information of each subject was obtained using the TCM-intelligent diagnosis instruments. Logistic regression model was used to construct the syndrome diagnosis model. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of the model. Subjects: Among the 141 subjects, 83 belonged to the PBSS group, and 58 belonged to the non-PBSS group. Results: The independent indexes used to predict PBSS in patients with CHD were length of the crack (LC) (p = 0.002), number of ecchymosis (NE) (p < 0.001), length of philtrum (LEP) (p = 0.022), and right hand pulse h1 (Rh1) (p = 0.021). The expression of combining predictor L in this study was L = LC +57.58 NE +4.53 LEP +2.68 Rh1. The ROC curve analysis indicated that the AUC values of LC, NE, LEP, and Rh1 were 0.646, 0.710, 0.619, and 0.613, respectively. The AUC = 0.825 of the syndrome diagnosis model was the largest. Conclusions: The quantitative study of TCM syndrome based on logistic regression analysis provides a good method for the objective analysis and application of TCM syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndrome-based efficacy is an evaluation index which is unique to TCM and can reflect the advantages of TCM. The development of the methods and measurement tools for evaluating TCM syndrome-based efficacy can provide objective and quantitative evidence for the clinical efficacy evaluation of TCM and the development of new Chinese medicine preparations, being the exploration direction of innovative methods and technologies for evaluating TCM efficacy. The conventional evaluation methods are subjective and limited to the mitigation of symptoms and the improvement of physical signs, which make it difficult to form a unified evaluation standard. In addition, the evaluation methods lack unity, objectivity, and quantitative research. The scientific connotation, evaluation ideas and methods, and key technologies of the evaluation for the therapeutic effect on syndromes remain unclear, which leads to diverse evaluation modes, methods, and indexes. The syndrome-based efficacy scale provides a new idea for the objective quantification and standardization of TCM syndromes. This review systematically summarizes the methods and problems, introduces the research progress in the evaluation scales, and puts forward some thoughts on the characteristics of TCM syndrome-based efficacy evaluation, aiming to provide insights for the research in this field.

Objective To investigate the relationship between traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndromes and coronary heart disease(CHD) in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Methods A total of 214 patients who were diagnosed postmenopausal osteoporosis from June 2017 to June 2018 were enrolled in this study. Clinical characteristic of patients were recorded. All patients were examined by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry(DXA)and CT coronary angiography(CTCA), and the correlation analysis were made with different TCM syndrome types. Results The lowest bone mineral density(BMD) of the lumbar spine(L1-L4) was in the qi stagnation and blood stasis type, and the difference was statistically significant compared with the kidney Yang deficiency, liver and kidney Yin deficiency, and spleen and kidney Yang deficiency types(P<0.05). The incidence of coronary heart disease was increased in the qi stagnation and blood stasis type, and the difference was statistically significant compared with the kidney Yang deficiency, liver and kidney Yin deficiency, spleen and kidney Yang deficiency types(P<0.05), with higher rate of multivessel disease. Conclusion The incidence of postmenopausal women osteoporosis was higher in the qi stagnation and blood stasis type, correlated with the occurrence and severity of coronary heart disease, thus the collaborative treatment of osteoporosis and coronary heart disease in the qi stagnation syndrome group is of great significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review documented a possibility of the correlations between the miRNAs expression characteristics in serum or plasma and hyperactivity of liver-YANG syndrome of hypertension (HLYS).based on the discovery of miRNAs and its roles in the occurrence and development of hypertension, combined traditional Chinese medicine syndrome of HLYS. This article would proride the basis for the scientific connotation and early prevention and treatment for HLYS.

The standardization, objectification, and essence research of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome influence the modernization and international development of TCM syndrome. A total of 253 relevant publications collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database from 2006 to 2020 were analyzed by bibliometric and content methods. The co-occurrence analysis of countries, institutions, journals, authors, and keywords analysis were carried out by using Citespace software. The high-yield institutions and high-impact authors contributed to TCM syndrome publications were concentrated in China. Since 2012, driven by some groundbreaking publications, the number of TCM syndrome literatures has increased rapidly. According to the results of bibliometric and content analysis, research hotspots in TCM syndrome in the last 15 years can be summarized in six aspects: (a) objectification research of four TCM diagnostic methods, (b) omics technology for the essence research of TCM syndrome, (c) research on TCM syndrome evaluation scale, (d) metagenomic technology for the essence research of TCM syndrome, (e) data mining technology for TCM syndrome differentiation, and (f) systematic research on TCM syndromes of chronic hepatitis B. Emerging trends can be identified according to the most recent keywords bursts: (a) TCM syndrome diagnostic models with multiple indexes should be constructed to develop personalized medicine. (b) The connotation of TCM syndrome should be verified through "syndrome detecting from recipe used," and the screened potential markers of TCM syndrome need clinical verification. (c) The intervention and integration of multi-disciplines is expected to find a new breakthrough in the research of TCM syndrome., (© 2021 American Association for Anatomy.)

Gastrointestinal cancers account for 11.6 % of all cancers, and are the second most frequently diagnosed type of cancer worldwide. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), together with Western medicine or alone, has unique advantages for the prevention and treatment of cancers, including gastrointestinal cancers. Syndrome differentiation and treatment are basic characteristics of the theoretical system of TCM. TCM syndromes are the result of the differentiation of the syndrome and the basis of treatment. Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, intestinal microbiota, and serology, generated around the central law, are used to study the biological basis of TCM syndromes in gastrointestinal cancers. This review summarizes current research on the biological basis of TCM syndrome in gastrointestinal cancers and provides useful references for future research on TCM syndrome in gastrointestinal cancers., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

OBJECTIVE: The present study investigates the differences in immune function, hemorheological alterations and prognostic evaluation in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes. METHODS: A total of 128 patients, diagnosed as stage II and III of CRC, were recruited. They were assigned into three TCM syndromes: deficiency syndrome, excess syndrome, and syndrome of intermingled deficiency and excess, and another 53 healthy individuals were selected as the control. Flow cytometry was used to determine the peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets (the levels of CD+3 , CD+ 4 , CD+8 , NK cells, and the ratios of CD+ 4/CD+8 , Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2). Whole blood viscosity (WBV), plasma viscosity (PV), hematocrit (Hct), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), plasma fibrinogen concentration (PFC) were measured using a fully-automatic blood rheological instrument. The univariate analysis and Cox regression analysis were conducted to evaluate the prognosis of CRC patients with different TCM syndromes. RESULTS: Compared with healthy individuals, CRC patients with three different syndromes had lower levels of CD+3 , CD+4 , NK cells, and ratios of CD+4 /CD+8 , Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2, but higher level of CD+8 , WBV, PV, Hct, ESR and PFC. Besides, patients with excess syndrome showed the highest levels of CD+3, CD+4 and NK cells, and ratios of CD+4 /CD+8 , Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2, but the lowest level of CD+8 among three syndromes, and those with deficiency syndrome showed an opposite trend. Compared with patients with excess syndrome, those with deficiency syndrome showed decreased WBV, PV, Hct, ESR and PFC. The pathological type, surgical approach, tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, liver metastasis, TCM treatment time and different TCM syndromes were independent factors of prognostic survival in CRC patients except perioperative blood transfusion volume. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, we conclude that patients with TCM deficiency syndrome has lower immune function and poorer prognosis while patients with TCM excess syndrome has higher immune function and better prognosis of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the metabolic profiles of postoperative colorectal cancer (PCRC) patients with different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes and to discuss the metabolic mechanism under PCRC progression and TCM syndrome classification.Methods: Fifty healthy controls (HC) and 70 PCRC patients, including 10 Dampness and heat syndrome (DHS), 33 Spleen deficiency syndrome (SDS), 19 Liver and kidney Yin deficiency syndrome (LKYDS) and 8 with non-TCM syndrome (NS) were enrolled. Plasma metabolic profiles were detected by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminate analysis (PLS-DA). Furthermore, pathway enrichment was analyzed based on KEGG and DAVID databases and metabolic network was constructed via metaboanalyst and cytoscape.Results: The top-3 metabolites with higher abundance in PCRC compared with HC were terephthalic acid (165.417-fold), ornithine (24.484-fold) and aminomalonic acid (21.346-fold). And the cholesterol (0.588-fold) level was decreased in PCRC. l-Alanine, 1, 2-ethanediamine, urea, glycerol, glycine, aminomalonic acid, creatinine and palmitic acid were specifically altered in the DHS, while d-tryptophan was exclusively changed in SDS, and l-proline, 1, 2, 3-propanetricarboxylic acid, d-galactose and 2-indolecarboxylic acids in LKYDS.Conclusions: The plasma metabolic profiles were perturbed in PCRC patients. Increased levels of terephthalic acid might indicate high risk of relapse and elevated ornithine may contribute to the post-operational recovery or may raise the susceptibility to PCRC recurrence. The metabolic profiles of DHS, SDS, LKYDS and NS were almost separately clustered, indicating the possibility of explaining TCM syndromes classification using metabolomics. Furthermore, creatinine and aminomalonic acid alternation might correlate with the formation of DHS, while d-tryptophan may associate with SDS and d-galactose and 1, 2, 3-propanetricarboxylic acid may relate to LKYDS. As numbers of patients in each TCM syndrome are small, further study is needed to verify those results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical effects were compared and analyzed of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) 'Ling Gui Long Mu soup' combined with the conventional Western medications in treating child typhoid complicated by myocarditis. From July, 2010 to May, 2014, 54 children suffering from typhoid complicated by myocarditis were enrolled in the present study. The patients were divided into the observation and control groups (n=27 cases per group) according to the random number table. Patients in the observation group were treated with basic Western medicine combined with TCM 'Ling Gui Long Mu soup' while patients in the control group were treated only with Western medicine. We analyzed the final curative effects in the two groups. The total effective rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The improvement rate of the syndrome in the TCM observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Although the C-reactive protein (CRP) and creatinine kinase-MB (CK-MB) levels in the two groups were decreased following the treatment, CRP and CK-MB levels in the observation group were further reduced, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). In conclusion, for child typhoid complicated by myocarditis, TCM 'Ling Gui Long Mu soup' significantly improved the clinical efficiency of the treatment and improved the syndrome. Therefore, 'Ling Gui Long Mu soup' is useful in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thrombophilia is an important cause of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). The treatment of thrombophilia is beneficial to the prevention of RSA. Therefore, we explored the clinical effect of Chinese traditional herbs with the effects of invigorating the blood, tonifying the kidney and calming the fetus in the treatment of RSA complicated with thrombophilia. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcomes of 190 RSA patients combined with thrombophilia using different treatment methods. The traditional Chinese medicine group was treated with kidney-invigorating, blood-activating and fetus-soothing herbs and the western medicine group was treated with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), and the traditional Chinese medicine combined with western medicine group was treated with LMWH plus Chinese traditional herbs with the effects of kidney tonifying, blood activating and fetus stabilizing. After treatments, platelet aggregation rate, plasma D-dimer and uterine artery blood flow resistance were significantly reduced in the LMWH plus herbs compared to the simple herbs and LMWH group ( P  < 0.0167). The LMWH plus herbs group significantly accelerated the growth of fetal bud compared with other groups ( P  < 0.0167). Moreover, the LMWH plus herbs group improved traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores ( P  < 0.0167), showing a better clinical efficacy. Adverse reactions occurred in five patients in the LMWH group but not in the simple herbs and LMWH plus herbs group during the treatment period. Therefore, our study shows that for the treatment of RSA complicated with thrombophilia, Chinese traditional herbs plus LMWH can improve the blood supply of the uterus during pregnancy and contribute to a favorable environment for the growth of the fetus. Chinese traditional herbs exert a good curative effect with few adverse reactions., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been applied in treating tuberculosis (TB) based on the TCM syndromes with the effects of inhibiting Mycobacterium, strengthening the body immune system, and reducing the pulmonary toxicity. We used bioinformatic methods to study the clinical and pathological characteristics of pulmonary TB patients with TCM syndromes. Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification - coupled two dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (iTRAQ-2DLC-MS/MS) methods were applied to screen differentially expressed serum proteins. Methods: Pulmonary TB cases were divided into four distinctive TCM syndromes: pulmonary Yin deficiency (PYD) syndrome, hyperactivity of fire due to Yin deficiency (HFYD) syndrome, deficiency of Qi and Yin (DQY) syndrome, and deficiency of Yin and Yang (DYY) syndrome. The serum samples from 214 pulmonary TB patients were collected, and the clinical and pathological data was analyzed by using iTRAQ-2DLC-MS/MS. Finally, the differentially expressed proteins were screened and tested by ELISA. Only 5 patients with DYY syndrome were recruited in 3 years, which were not enough for further research. Results: The DQY cases had higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) compared to the PYD and HFYD cases (P = 0.0178). 94.44 % (12 PYD, 18 HFYD, and 4 DQY before anti-TB treatment) of 36 treated TB cases were transformed to PYD accompanied with the reduction of ESR and absorption of pulmonary lesions. A total of 39 differentially expressed proteins (ratios of >1.3 or <0.75) were found among the three TCM syndromes. Proteomic studies revealed that gamma-glutamyl hydrolase (GGH), Ig gamma-3 chain C region (IGHG3), and haptoglobin (HPT) were specifically over-expressed in PYD (P< 0.01), HFYD (P< 0.001), and DQY cases (P< 0.01), respectively. Furthermore, GGH was significantly higher in PYD cases compared to the HFYD and DQY cases (P< 0.01, P < 0.001, respectively), whereas IGHG3 was significantly higher in HFYD cases than PYD and DQY cases (P< 0.001, P< 0.01, respectively). Conclusions: The results suggest that TCM syndromes are significantly correlated with the pulmonary lesions and ESR. GGH was associated with folate metabolism in PYD cases, IGHG3 was linked to the control of Mycobacterium infection in HFYD patients, and HPT was involved in hypoxia in DQY patients. The present study provides new biological basis to understand the pathological changes and proteomic differences of TB syndromes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explored the biological connotation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndromes of rheumatoid arthritis(RA) from the &quot;disease-syndrome-symptom&quot; association network. RA patients with four TCM syndromes(dampness-heat obstruction, phlegm-stasis obstruction, Qi-blood deficiency, and liver and kidney deficiency), three for each type, were assigned as the RA TCM syndrome group, and three healthy volunteers as the normal control group. The differential gene sets of four syndromes were screened out through transcriptome expression profiling and bioinformatics mining. The relevant gene sets of syndrome-related clinical symptoms were collected from TCMIP v2.0(http://www.tcmip.cn/). The &quot;disease-syndrome-symptom&quot; association networks of four RA syndromes were established by using the intersection genes of syndrome-related differential genes and symptom-related genes, and the key network target genes of each syndrome were screened out and the corresponding biological functions were mined through topological feature calculation and enrichment analysis. The genes associated with clinical symptoms such as vasculitis, joint pain, and fever in the damp-heat obstruction syndrome ranked the top, and the key network target genes of this syndrome were most significantly enriched in the pathways related to material and energy metabolism and thermal reaction biological processes. The clinical symptom-related genes of the phlegm-stasis obstruction syndrome were most significantly enriched in the pathways related to &quot;immunity-inflammation&quot;, nervous system regulation, and sensory response. The clinical symptoms such as hypoglycemia, hypotension, weight loss, palpitation, and arrhythmia in Qi-blood deficiency syndrome were predominant, and its key network target genes were most significantly enriched in the pathways related to the nervous system and &quot;immunity-inflammation&quot; response. The abnormal symptoms in the liver and kidney in the liver and kidney deficiency syndrome were commonly seen, and its key network target genes were most significantly enriched in the &quot;immunity-inflammation&quot; regulatory pathways, and liver and kidney development and metabolic response. In conclusion, the differences and connections of the biological basis between different TCM syndromes of RA are in line with the theoretical interpretation of TCM on the etiology and pathogenesis of RA. This study summarized the objective essence of syndromes to a certain extent from the &quot;disease-syndrome-symptom&quot; association network and is expected to provide a theoretical basis for the discovery of serum biomarkers of RA syndromes.

Syndrome is a nonlinear &quot;internal-excess external-deficiency&quot;, &quot;dynamic spatial-temporal&quot; and &quot;multi-dimensional&quot; complex system and thus only by using a versatile method can the connotation be expounded. Metabonomics, which is dynamic, holistic, and systematic, is consistent with the overall mode of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)(holistic view and syndrome differentiation and treatment). Therefore, metabonomics is very important for the research on the differentiation, material basis, and metabolic pathways of syndromes, and efficacy on syndromes. This study reviewed the application of metabonomics in the study of TCM syndromes in recent years, which is expected to objectify the research on TCM syndromes.

For the basic research on the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), objective syndrome of traditional Chinese medicine and evaluation criteria of traditional Chinese medicine compounds are hardly to break though. While, the modern immunology points out that the body is a counterbalance state and immune imbalance is the root of sickness. The thinking mode of treating diseases in traditional Chinese medicine is also "balance", considering disease is the result of bias which present the imbalance of "Yin counters Yang", "exterior counters interior", "cold counters heat" and "weak counters strong". The Chinese herbal compound formula preparation was applied on disease therapy based on theory of Chinese medicine, which was confirmed by long period clinical application. It is composed of multi-compounds and has the characteristic of multi-targeting. Integrative medicine has spawned pan-immunomics, and the evaluation of immune function (immune balance) has become an important basis for diagnosis and treatment models of integrative medicine. In addition, balance is the core idea of whole-systemic conception of traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, we speculate that immune balance under pan-immunomic can bridge the traditional Chinese medicine and modern integrative medicine and is the important basis for objective syndrome of traditional Chinese medicine and evaluation criteria of traditional Chinese medicine compounds. According to the bridging theory, we attempt to utilize informatics and statistical methods to construct an evaluation system for pharmacodynamics of traditional Chinese medicine based on its moderate regulation and the balanced adjustment of immunity under pan-immunomic, which further reveal the scientific essence of the whole-systemic view of traditional Chinese medicine. This research brings out a new valuable strategy and provides a theoretical basis for accelerating the transformation of traditional Chinese medicine, especially the exploitation of Chinese herbal compound formula, and constructing the new drug innovation and review system for traditional Chinese medicine. Besides as a reference for traditional Chinese medicine objective syndrome and pharmacodynamics of traditional Chinese medicine compounds, the evaluation system can screen the immunity of sub-health population also. With the continuous accumulation of clinical sample and data, the evaluation system will be more accurate and intelligent., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

To analyze the interdependent relationship between serum bone metabolic markers and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with chronic kidney disease (stages 3 and 4)-related mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD), in order to provide the objective basis for exploring the rules of TCM syndrome differentiation in patients with CKD-MBD. The retrospective survey was conducted to collect 105 cases with CKD (stages 3 and 4)-MBD. General clinical indexes, frequency of TCM syndromes and distribution of TCM syndrome type were investigated. Furthermore, serum bone metabolic markers, including calcium (Ca2+), phosphonium (P3+), intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), procollagen type 1 amino-N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) and β-crosslaps (β-CTX) were analyzed, respectively. Meanwhile, bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed. And then, the multivariate regression analysis was performed for serum bone metabolic markers and TCM syndromes. The results showed that the general clinical features of the 105 patients included old age, hypertension, fracture, loss of bone mass and mild abnormalities of serum bone metabolic markers. High-frequency TCM syndromes were related to Yang deficiency in Spleen and Kidney, Qi deficiency in Spleen and Kidney and blood stasis. Moreover, Yang deficiency in Spleen and Kidney and blood stasis were found as the most frequent characteristics of the distribution of TCM syndromes type. The clinical characteristics of patients with the syndrome type of Yang deficiency in Spleen and Kidney were probably old age, increase in TCM syndrome scores and abnormalities in iPTH and P1NP. In addition, the interdependent relationship between abnormality in Ca2+ and syndromes of hair loss, tooth shake and sexual dysfunction, abnormality in P3+ and syndromes of aches in waist and knees, abnormality in iPTH and syndromes of soreness and weakness in waist and knees, lassitude, fatigue and extreme chilliness, abnormality in ALP and syndromes of loose stools, abnormality in P1NP and syndromes of fear of chills, tendency of warmth and loose stools, and abnormality in β-CTX and syndromes of chills and pain in waist and knees. In general, among the 105 cases with CKD (stages 3 and 4)-MBD were clinically characterized by mild changes in serum bone metabolic markers; And their main TCM syndrome was the deficiency in spleen and kidney. Serum bone metabolic markers with mild changes have an interdependent relationship with main TCM syndromes, and can be considered as an objective syndrome factor of TCM syndrome differentiation., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

The clinical effects were compared and analyzed of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) 'Ling Gui Long Mu soup' combined with the conventional Western medications in treating child typhoid complicated by myocarditis. From July, 2010 to May, 2014, 54 children suffering from typhoid complicated by myocarditis were enrolled in the present study. The patients were divided into the observation and control groups (n=27 cases per group) according to the random number table. Patients in the observation group were treated with basic Western medicine combined with TCM 'Ling Gui Long Mu soup' while patients in the control group were treated only with Western medicine. We analyzed the final curative effects in the two groups. The total effective rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The improvement rate of the syndrome in the TCM observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Although the C-reactive protein (CRP) and creatinine kinase-MB (CK-MB) levels in the two groups were decreased following the treatment, CRP and CK-MB levels in the observation group were further reduced, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). In conclusion, for child typhoid complicated by myocarditis, TCM 'Ling Gui Long Mu soup' significantly improved the clinical efficiency of the treatment and improved the syndrome. Therefore, 'Ling Gui Long Mu soup' is useful in clinical practice.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes have been regarded as the crucial clinical manifestations for individualized diagnosis and treatment of complex diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cancer. Especially, RA patients are classified into cold and hot syndromes with different clinical manifestations, interventions and molecular mechanisms. Better effectiveness of a classic cold syndrome-specific herbal formula Wu-tou decoction (WTD) has been achieved. To explore molecular mechanisms of syndrome-specific formulae is of great clinical significance to improve the effectiveness and pertinence of treatment for the complex diseases with personalized conditions. However, the scientific basis of WTD treatment on RA with the cold syndrome remains unclear. Here, we predicted the putative targets for composite compounds contained in WTD using drugCIPHER-CS and constructed a WTD herbs-putative targets-RA related genes network. Next, a list of major WTD targets was identified based on their topological features, including the degree, node betweenness, closeness and k-coreness in the above pharmacological network. Importantly, pathway enrichment analysis revealed that these major WTD targets were significantly associated with the pathway of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma (PPAR-γ) coactivators in thermogenesis. These computational findings were subsequently verified by experiments on a rat model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) with cold or hot syndromes, and on human fibroblast-like synoviocytes-rheumatoid arthritis (HFLS-RA) cell line. In conclusion, the pathway of PPAR-γ coactivators in thermogenesis might be one of the potential pharmacological targets of WTD to alleviate RA with the TCM cold syndrome. These findings may open new avenues for designing individualized treatment regimens for RA patients.