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Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers individualized treatment for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) through pattern differentiation, but the subjectivity of TCM diagnoses can lead to inconsistent outcomes. Integrating machine learning (ML) offers an objective basis to support TCM diagnoses. This study aims to evaluate various feature selection techniques and multi-label ML algorithms to develop an effective predictive model for classifying TCM patterns in PCOS patients, thereby enhancing diagnostic standardization and treatment personalization. Methods: The study utilized a dataset comprising 432 patients with PCOS, exhibiting one or more of five TCM patterns. Feature selection began with Variance Thresholding (VT), followed by a comparison of five advanced techniques: Statistical Analysis Test, Recursive Feature Elimination with Cross-Validation (RFECV), Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator Regression, BorutaShap, and ReliefF. To ascertain the most effective model for predicting PCOS TCM patterns, four ML algorithms—Support Vector Machine, Logistic Regression, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Artificial Neural Networks—were evaluated against the identified feature set. Results: VT reduced the feature count from 224 to 174. RFECV emerged as the most effective feature selection method, identifying 67 key features. XGBoost emerged as the top-performing model, demonstrating superior testing accuracy (0.7870), F1 score (0.9519), and Hamming loss (0.0481) with RFECV-optimized features. Conclusions: The RFECV-XGBoost model proved effective for classifying TCM patterns in PCOS. It emphasizes the necessity of precise feature selection and the significant capabilities of ML in advancing TCM pattern diagnostics, marking a significant step toward enhancing precise and personalized healthcare in biomedical studies.

Liver Stagnation and Spleen Deficiency (LSSD) is a Chinese Medicine (CM) pattern commonly observed in gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, yet its biological nature remains unknown. This limits the global use of CM medications for treating GI diseases. Recent studies emphasize the role of gut microbiota and their metabolites in the pathogenesis and treatment of LSSD-associated GI diseases. There is increasing evidence supporting that an altered gut microbiome in LSSD patients or animals contributes to GI and extra-intestinal symptoms and affects the effectiveness of CM therapies. The gut microbiota is considered to be an essential component of the biological basis of LSSD. This study aims to provide an overview of existing research findings and gaps for the pathophysiological study of LSSD from the gut microbiota perspective in order to understand the relationship between the CM pattern and disease progression and to optimize CM-based diagnosis, prevention, and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of the expression of specific genes, breast cancer is classified into four molecular types: Luminal A, Luminal B, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)-positive, and triple negative. By summarizing and analyzing the studies published in the past decade, including the correlation between molecular types of breast cancer and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) patterns, as well as the connection between the TCM constitution and clinical characteristics of different molecular types of breast cancer, this study reveals that there are differences in TCM patterns between different types of breast cancer. Notably, the pattern of liver depression and qi stagnation and the pattern of thoroughfare-controlling vessel disharmony are common contributors to the development of Luminal A and B breast cancer. In patients with HER-2-positive breast cancer, the main pathogenic mechanism is that wind, an exterior pathogen in Chinese medicine, complicated with phlegm and static blood, flows through the channels. In patients with triple-negative breast cancer, toxin, phlegm, and static blood are cemented in the channels. Therefore, in TCM-based diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, it is necessary to make targeted changes according to the pathogenesis characteristics of different molecular types based on the core treatment principle of soothing the liver and invigorating the spleen, paying attention to the balance of qi, blood, and yin and yang and achieving accurate TCM differentiation and treatment with the integration of disease differentiation, molecular typing, and pattern differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This literary review delves into the two principal approaches utilized in Chinese medicine to treat warm diseases: the Wei-qi-ying-blood pattern identification and the sanjiao pattern differentiation. These methods were developed primarily to manage epidemic and infectious ailments, and have become particularly significant in light of the worldwide pandemic that has impacted the globe over the past four years. The review analyzes and differentiates each sub-pattern of the Wei-qi-ying-blood and sanjiao approaches, followed by a comparison between the two methods of predominant pattern differentiation. Ultimately, the clinical relevance of these approaches is thoroughly examined, underscoring the critical role they play in effectively treating warm diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: China has become the country with the largest number of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and Chinese medicine (CM) has unique advantages in preventing and treating T2DM, while accurate pattern differentiation is the guarantee for proper treatment. Objective: The establishment of the CM pattern differentiation model of T2DM is helpful to the pattern diagnosis of the disease. At present, there are few studies on dampness-heat pattern differentiation models of T2DM. Therefore, we establish a machine learning model, hoping to provide an efficient tool for the pattern diagnosis of CM for T2DM in the future. Methods: A total of 1021 effective samples of T2DM patients from ten CM hospitals or clinics were collected by a questionnaire including patients' demographic and dampness-heat-related symptoms and signs. All information and the diagnosis of the dampness-heat pattern of patients were completed by experienced CM physicians at each visit. We applied six machine learning algorithms (Artificial Neural Network [ANN], K-Nearest Neighbor [KNN], Naïve Bayes [NB], Support Vector Machine [SVM], Extreme Gradient Boosting [XGBoost] and Random Forest [RF]) and compared their performance. And then we also utilized Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) method to explain the best performance model. Results: The XGBoost model had the highest AUC (0.951, 95% CI 0.925–0.978) among the six models, with the best sensitivity, accuracy, F1 score, negative predictive value, and excellent specificity, precision, and positive predictive value. The SHAP method based on XGBoost showed that slimy yellow tongue fur was the most important sign in dampness-heat pattern diagnosis. The slippery pulse or rapid-slippery pulse, sticky stool with ungratifying defecation also performed an important role in this diagnostic model. Furthermore, the red tongue acted as an important tongue sign for the dampness-heat pattern. Conclusion: This study constructed a dampness-heat pattern differentiation model of T2DM based on machine learning. The XGBoost model is a tool with the potential to help CM practitioners make quick diagnosis decisions and contribute to the standardization and international application of CM patterns.

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers individualized treatment for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) through pattern differentiation, but the subjectivity of TCM diagnoses can lead to inconsistent outcomes. Integrating machine learning (ML) offers an objective basis to support TCM diagnoses. This study aims to evaluate various feature selection techniques and multi-label ML algorithms to develop an effective predictive model for classifying TCM patterns in PCOS patients, thereby enhancing diagnostic standardization and treatment personalization., Methods: The study utilized a dataset comprising 432 patients with PCOS, exhibiting one or more of five TCM patterns. Feature selection began with Variance Thresholding (VT), followed by a comparison of five advanced techniques: Statistical Analysis Test, Recursive Feature Elimination with Cross-Validation (RFECV), Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator Regression, BorutaShap, and ReliefF. To ascertain the most effective model for predicting PCOS TCM patterns, four ML algorithms-Support Vector Machine, Logistic Regression, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Artificial Neural Networks-were evaluated against the identified feature set., Results: VT reduced the feature count from 224 to 174. RFECV emerged as the most effective feature selection method, identifying 67 key features. XGBoost emerged as the top-performing model, demonstrating superior testing accuracy (0.7870), F1 score (0.9519), and Hamming loss (0.0481) with RFECV-optimized features., Conclusions: The RFECV-XGBoost model proved effective for classifying TCM patterns in PCOS. It emphasizes the necessity of precise feature selection and the significant capabilities of ML in advancing TCM pattern diagnostics, marking a significant step toward enhancing precise and personalized healthcare in biomedical studies., 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 the paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

In 2018, the 11th Edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) defined a diagnostic code list for standard traditional medicine (TM) conditions. The codes improve patient safety by providing more comprehensive and accurate medical records for hospitals in the Western Pacific Region. In these facilities, TM is often a standard of care for those populations. In several mainstream media sources, writers are circumventing evidence-based peer-reviewed medical literature by unduly influencing public opinion and, in this case, against the new ICD-11 codes. The dangers imposed by the transgression of popular writing onto the discipline of peer-reviewed works are present since best practices in medical record-keeping will fail without the inclusion of TM in the ICD-11 codes. Such failures directly affect the health of the patients and policymakers in regions where TM and conventional medicine are combined. This article investigates the boundaries between substantial evidence and popular opinion. In this era where media is used to manipulate evidence, the reader's use of sound judgment and critical thought are thwarted. This article also challenges three controversial themes in pop literature, including the threat to endangered species, increased patient risk, and contaminants in the TM. These themes are made without evidence and are, in fact, of flawed logic. There is no reason to assume that improved medical record-keeping and knowledge of patient cases increase risks.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common type of cancer and the third leading cause of death due to cancer worldwide. The gastric mucosa often undergoes many years of precancerous lesions of gastric cancer (PLGC) stages before progressing to gastric malignancy. Unfortunately, there are no effective Western drugs for patients with PLGC. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been proven effective in treating PLGC. Classical TCM formulas and chemical components isolated from some Chinese herbal medicines have been administered to treat PLGC, and the main advantage is their comprehensive intervention with multiple approaches and multiple targets. In this review, we focus on recent studies using TCM treatment for PLGC, including clinical observations and experimental research, with a focus on targets and mechanisms of drugs. This review provides some ideas and a theoretical basis for applying TCM to treat PLGC and prevent GC.

The learning process of ball juggling is characterized by considerable individual differences in acquired coordination patterns. Previous research has shown that the coordination patterns observed in novice jugglers can be roughly divided into two classes: the high ratio pattern, in which the ball is held for a relatively long time, and the low ratio pattern, in which the ball is held for a relatively short time. To account for these differences in coordination patterns, we examined the anchoring strategies employed by novice jugglers for controlling the juggling movements. Analyses of the correlation between coordination patterns and selected spatiotemporal variabilities revealed that the coordination patterns with a high dwell ratio had lower temporal variability than patterns with a low dwell ratio, which in turn had lower variability of spatial variables than patterns with a high dwell ratio. These findings indicate that individual differences in the coordination patterns adopted by novice jugglers, and hence their learning paths, result from differences in the control strategies employed.

This article presents a diagnostic system that utilises channel palpation based on the author's understanding of the Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic), Shang Han Lun (Discussion of cold-induced disorders) and Nan Jing (Classic of Difficulties). It provides a practical approach to the diagnosis of clinical disorders and leads to precise and effective treatment. The article explains how channel palpation is applied in the diagnosis of dermatological disorders, in which symptoms, channel palpation findings, pattern differentiation and treatment are integrated in an organic unity. Several successful clinical cases are presented to illustrate the theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2018, the 11th Edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) defined a diagnostic code list for standard traditional medicine (TM) conditions. The codes improve patient safety by providing more comprehensive and accurate medical records for hospitals in the Western Pacific Region. In these facilities, TM is often a standard of care for those populations. In several mainstream media sources, writers are circumventing evidence-based peer-reviewed medical literature by unduly influencing public opinion and, in this case, against the new ICD-11 codes. The dangers imposed by the transgression of popular writing onto the discipline of peer-reviewed works are present since best practices in medical record-keeping will fail without the inclusion of TM in the ICD-11 codes. Such failures directly affect the health of the patients and policymakers in regions where TM and conventional medicine are combined. This article investigates the boundaries between substantial evidence and popular opinion. In this era where media is used to manipulate evidence, the reader's use of sound judgment and critical thought are thwarted. This article also challenges three controversial themes in pop literature, including the threat to endangered species, increased patient risk, and contaminants in the TM. These themes are made without evidence and are, in fact, of flawed logic. There is no reason to assume that improved medical record-keeping and knowledge of patient cases increase risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concepts "deqi"(literally, obtaining qi) and "qizhi"(literally, arrival of qi) are not unique to acupuncture, but also relevant in moxibustion. They refer to two characteristic manifestations in the process of moxibustion therapy. "Deqi" is mainly characterized by reddening of local skin accompanied with aching distention and hot pain caused by moxibustion, but these sensations might indicate the arrival of healthy qi or pathogenic qi, and thus may not necessarily suggest the arrival of qi that cures. On the other hand, "qizhi" often involves effective relief of superficial symptoms and improvement of pulse manifestation on the basis of "deqi" clinically. For different patterns, and with different moxibustion methods, acupoints, and supplementation/drainage manipulations, the characteristics and relationships between "deqi" and "qizhi" may vary. Understanding such subtle differences helps practitioners select the appropriate acupoints and methods according to different patterns during clinical moxibustion, and also assess the efficacy of moxibustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and PurposePattern differentiation is a critical element of the prescription process for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners. Application of advanced machine learning techniques will enhance the effectiveness of TCM in clinical practice. The aim of this study is to explore the relationships between clinical features and TCM patterns in breast cancer patients.MethodsThe dataset of breast cancer patients receiving TCM treatment was recruited from a single medical center. We utilized a neural network model to standardize terminologies and address TCM pattern differentiation in breast cancer cases. Cluster analysis was applied to classify the clinical features in the breast cancer patient dataset. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, we further compared the TCM patterns to therapeutic principles of Chinese herbal medication in Taiwan.ResultsA total of 2,738 breast cancer cases were recruited and standardized. They were divided into 5 groups according to clinical features via cluster analysis. The pattern differentiation model revealed that liver-gallbladder dampness-heat was the primary TCM pattern identified in patients. The main therapeutic goals of the top 10 Chinese herbal medicines prescribed for breast cancer patients were to clear heat, drain dampness, and detoxify. These results demonstrated that the neural network successfully identified patterns from a dataset similar to the prescriptions of TCM clinical practitioners.ConclusionThis is the first study using machine-learning methodology to standardize and analyze TCM electronic medical records. The patterns revealed by the analyses were highly correlated with the therapeutic principles of TCM practitioners. Machine learning technology could assist TCM practitioners to comprehensively differentiate patterns and identify effective Chinese herbal medicine treatments in clinical practice.

Objective To explore case records of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) through data mining to obtain laws of TCM pattern differentiation of NSCLC, which provide reference for clinical pattern differentiation and treatment of NSCLC. Methods This study excavated information obtained by four diagnostic methods of 7435 non-small cell lung cancer cases, and conducted pattern element differentiation through the "Wenfeng-III Chinese Medicine (Assisted) Diagnosis and Treatment System". It also analyzed pattern elements from case records by clinicians. The distribution of pattern elements in non-small cell lung cancer was identified, and clinician pattern differentiation and "Wenfeng-III Chinese Medicine (Assisted) Diagnosis and Treatment System" pattern differentiation were compared to analyze the differences. Results An analysis of doctors' pattern differentiation in case records showed that the elements concerning the location of the disease were mainly spleen (1910 times), and lung (1608). The elements related to the nature of the disease included mainly qi deficiency (6751), blood stasis (6572), fire (heat, toxin) (6331), yin deficiency (5657), and phlegm (1242). An analysis of pattern differentiation results obtained by "Wenfeng-III Chinese Medicine (Assisted) Diagnosis and Treatment System" showed that the elements concerning the location of the disease were mainly lung (7371), chest (1837), kidney (1417), heart (1358), and stomach (1074). The elements related to the nature of the disease included mainly yin deficiency (3507), qi deficiency (3323), phlegm (3204), blood stasis (2542), and fire (heat, toxin) (1622). Conclusion The element concerning the location of the lung cancer was primarily lung and the elements related to the nature of the disease included mainly yin deficiency, qi deficiency, phlegm, blood stasis, and fire ( heat, toxin). The pattern differentiation results by "Wenfeng-III Chinese Medicine (Assisted) Diagnosis and Treatment System" are more in line with the distribution of clinical prescriptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation enhances memory by increasing hippocampal engagement during encoding. However, whether such increased hippocampal activation reflects encoding of the value of highly rewarding events per se is less understood. Here, using a monetary incentive encoding task with a novel manipulation, we tested in humans whether the hippocampus represents abstract reward value, independent of perceptual content. During functional MRI scanning, men and women studied object pairs, each preceded by a monetary reward cue indicating the amount of money they would receive if they successfully remembered the object pair at test. Reward cues varied on both the level of reward (penny, dime, and dollar) and visual form (picture or word) across trials to dissociate hippocampal responses to reward value from those reflecting the perceptual properties of the cues. Behaviorally, participants remembered pairs associated with the high reward (dollar) more often than pairs associated with lower rewards. Neural pattern-similarity analysis revealed that hippocampal and parahippocampal cortex activation patterns discriminated between cues of different value regardless of their visual form, and that hippocampal discrimination of value was most pronounced in participants who showed the greatest behavioral sensitivity to reward. Strikingly, hippocampal patterns were most distinct for reward cues that differed in value but had similar visual appearance, consistent with theoretical proposals of hippocampal-pattern differentiation of competing representations. Our data illustrate how contextual representations within the hippocampus go beyond space and time to include information about the motivational salience of events, with hippocampal reward coding tracking the motivational impact on later memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to Chinese medicine, chronic illness may cause a Kidney deficiency syndrome. In modern Chinese medical literature, Kidney deficiency syndromes have been associated with dysfunction of the neuroendocrine system, especially the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. This long-term case, which follows a menopausal patient with insomnia, appears to show a correlation between her Kidney deficiency diagnoses and adrenal fatigue. Free saliva cortisol tests of this patient at various intervals, when compared with her symptomatic presentation, indicate that the stressed stage and fatigued stage of adrenal fatigue syndrome may be related to Kidney yin deficiency and Kidney yang deficiency categories, respectively. This case suggests that the free saliva cortisol test may possibly be useful as an objective biomarker indicating a likelihood of a Kidney deficiency syndrome diagnosis. To further study the correlation of adrenal fatigue syndrome and Kidney deficiency syndrome, and to assess clinical applications of the free saliva cortisol test in diagnosis of Kidney deficiency syndrome, larger clinical studies are warranted. Making connections between Chinese medicine syndromes and biomedical pathophysiology may facilitate the development of objective instruments to inform diagnosis, which may in turn improve clinical outcomes of traditional Chinese medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays an important role in the treatment of dyslipidemia and it is important to identify an objective index for the TCM syndrome. This study focused on exploring the correlation between TCM syndrome and the serum concentration of adiponectin (APN) and peroxynitrite (ONOO − ) in dyslipidemia patients. Methods Cross-sectional study design was used. Patients with dyslipidemia were assigned with corresponding TCM scores and their APN and ONOO − serum content measured. We also explored the characteristics of APN and ONOO − in different TCM syndromes and their relationship between patient’s TCM scores. Results The results indicated the serum levels of APN and ONOO − were higher for those people with an Excess Syndrome than for those with a Deficiency Syndrome (P < 0.01). In Deficiency Syndrome, the clinical TCM scores showed negative correlation with and APN (r = −0.46, P < 0.01), and positive with ONOO − (r = 0.58, P < 0.01). In Excess Syndrome, the TCM scores showed negative correlation with APN (r = −0.72, P < 0.01), and positive with ONOO − (r = 0.50, P < 0.01). Conclusions As the serum levels of APN and ONOO − appeared to be correlated with the TCM scores, these parameters could be potentially be used as objective and standardized biomarkers for TCM syndrome differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) uses a sophisticated diagnostic system called pattern differentiation, which allows for the tailor-made treatment of individuals. Objective: This study aimed to identify the commonly used TCM patterns for lateral elbow pain (LEP), as well as the clinical features associated with these patterns. Method: Journal literature in 15 major Chinese and English databases and textbooks from five medical libraries as well as Chinamaxx were reviewed. Results: Five hundred and fifty-five full-text journal articles, as well as 465 textbooks, were retrieved for further assessment, but only eight studies and seven books that mentioned LEP patterns could be identified and included in this study. The top four patterns that were identified were the wind-cold-dampness pattern, the qi stagnation and blood stasis pattern, the dual deficiency of qi and blood pattern, and the retained dampness-heat pattern, each of which was associated with unique features that were made up of distinct signs and symptoms. Conclusions: The unique features identified for each of the major patterns might be the key to understanding TCM individualized treatment based on pattern differentiation. Furthermore, the approach taken in studying TCM pattern of LEP may also be useful for studying the TCM patterns of other musculoskeletal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: China has become the country with the largest number of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and Chinese medicine (CM) has unique advantages in preventing and treating T2DM, while accurate pattern differentiation is the guarantee for proper treatment., Objective: The establishment of the CM pattern differentiation model of T2DM is helpful to the pattern diagnosis of the disease. At present, there are few studies on dampness-heat pattern differentiation models of T2DM. Therefore, we establish a machine learning model, hoping to provide an efficient tool for the pattern diagnosis of CM for T2DM in the future., Methods: A total of 1021 effective samples of T2DM patients from ten CM hospitals or clinics were collected by a questionnaire including patients' demographic and dampness-heat-related symptoms and signs. All information and the diagnosis of the dampness-heat pattern of patients were completed by experienced CM physicians at each visit. We applied six machine learning algorithms (Artificial Neural Network [ANN], K-Nearest Neighbor [KNN], Naïve Bayes [NB], Support Vector Machine [SVM], Extreme Gradient Boosting [XGBoost] and Random Forest [RF]) and compared their performance. And then we also utilized Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) method to explain the best performance model., Results: The XGBoost model had the highest AUC (0.951, 95% CI 0.925-0.978) among the six models, with the best sensitivity, accuracy, F1 score, negative predictive value, and excellent specificity, precision, and positive predictive value. The SHAP method based on XGBoost showed that slimy yellow tongue fur was the most important sign in dampness-heat pattern diagnosis. The slippery pulse or rapid-slippery pulse, sticky stool with ungratifying defecation also performed an important role in this diagnostic model. Furthermore, the red tongue acted as an important tongue sign for the dampness-heat pattern., Conclusion: This study constructed a dampness-heat pattern differentiation model of T2DM based on machine learning. The XGBoost model is a tool with the potential to help CM practitioners make quick diagnosis decisions and contribute to the standardization and international application of CM patterns., 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. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objectives: It was the aim of this study to determine whether (1) Parkinson's disease (PD) patients can be divided into different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitutions based on the 44-item Traditional Chinese Medical Constitutional Scale and Classification (TCM-CSC, Chinese version, 中醫體質及分型量表), (2) whether levodopa usage correlates with the TCM classification type, and (3) whether there is a difference in the mean daily intake of levodopa between males and females in any of the constitutional types. Methods: PD patients who had visited the TCM clinic of the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) or who had attended the PD public talks organized by HKBU and the Association of Parkinson's Disease in Hong Kong were invited for interviews with TCM assessors. The TCM-CSC (Chinese version) was used in the assessment to divide patients into four different constitutions: the balanced constitution (type A), the yang-deficiency constitution (type B), the yin-deficiency constitution (type C) and the stasis constitution (type D). Results: Sixty-three patients (29 males, 34 females; mean age 63.65 ± 8.116 years; mean PD duration 5.49 ± 4.544 years) participated in the study. Sixteen PD patients (26%) had only one type of TCM constitution, while 47 PD patients (74%) had more than one type of TCM constitution. Type D patients showed the lowest intake of daily levodopa. There was no significant difference in the mean daily intake of levodopa between males and females in any of the constitutional types. Conclusions: (1)PD patients cannot be divided into different constitutional types based on the TCM-CSC effectively. (2) In general, levodopa usage does not correlate with the constitutional type; however, patients with the stasis constitution (type D) showed the lowest levodopa intake compared to the other constitutions. (3) There was no significant difference in the mean daily intake of levodopa between males and females. Further research on the treatment pattern of different TCM constitutions, using large samples, is warranted. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To compare the efficacy of treating obese patients with abnormity of lipids and serum leptin by dilatational wave or continuous wave of electroacupuncture combined with thunder-fire moxibustion in order to provide a clinical basis for selecting wave types of electroacupuncture for different patterns of obesity. Methods Sixty obese patients with abnormal lipids and serum leptin were randomly divided into a dilatational wave group and a continuous wave group via random number table, with 30 cases in each group. They were divided by TCM differentiation into three types: stomach-intestine excessive heat, weakness of the spleen-stomach and spleen-kidney yang deficiency, treated by electroacupuncture on Tiānshū ( ST 25), Dàhéng ( SP 15), Zùsānl ( ST 36), Shàngjùxū ( ST 37), Fēnglóng ( ST 40), Yīnlíngquán ( SP 9), Qūchí ( LI 11), Zhīgōu ( TE 6) and Hégŭ ( LI 4) along with thunder-fire moxibustion. The frequency of electro-acupuncture in the dilatational wave group and the continuous wave group was 2 Hz/100 Hz and 2 Hz, respectively. Patients in the two groups were treated once a day, six times a week. The treatment lasted for 4 weeks with 3-month follow-up. Body mass and body fat percentage before and after the treatment, as well as during the follow-up, were compared. The effectiveness rates in the two groups were compared, and the efficacy statistics of patients with different TCM patterns in the dilatational wave group were also analyzed. Lipid levels of the patients in two groups before and after the treatment were measured with an automatic biochemical analyzer, and serum leptin levels were detected with flow cytometry system. Results After the treatment, the patients' blood lipids, serum leptin levels, body mass and body fat percentage were effectively reduced in the two groups; three months' follow-up witnessed continuous decline of obesity indicators ( P <0.01 or P <0.05), and patients in the dilatational wave group improved more significantly than those in continuous wave group ( P <0.05 or P <0.01). The efficacy in the dilatational wave group was superior to that in the continuous wave group ( P <0.01). The best efficacy could be found among patients with weakness of the spleen and the stomach in the dilatational wave group. Conclusion Efficacy of treating obese patients with abnormity of lipids and serum leptin by electro-acupuncture combined with thunder-fire moxibustion in the dilatational wave group was significantly better than that of the continuous wave group, and efficacy for obese patients with weakness of the spleen and the stomach was superior to that of those with stomach-intestine excessive heat and spleen-kidney yang deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common type of cancer and the third leading cause of death due to cancer worldwide. The gastric mucosa often undergoes many years of precancerous lesions of gastric cancer (PLGC) stages before progressing to gastric malignancy. Unfortunately, there are no effective Western drugs for patients with PLGC. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been proven effective in treating PLGC. Classical TCM formulas and chemical components isolated from some Chinese herbal medicines have been administered to treat PLGC, and the main advantage is their comprehensive intervention with multiple approaches and multiple targets. In this review, we focus on recent studies using TCM treatment for PLGC, including clinical observations and experimental research, with a focus on targets and mechanisms of drugs. This review provides some ideas and a theoretical basis for applying TCM to treat PLGC and prevent GC. [Display omitted] • This review summarized the mainly classification of syndrome differentiation of PLGC. • This review summarized the therapy of Chinese medicine formulas or components on PLGC. • This review listed the pharmacological mechanisms of the TCM for PLGC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterocysts, cells specialized for nitrogen fixation in certain filamentous cyanobacteria, appear singly in a nonrandom spacing pattern along the chain of vegetative cells. A two-stage, biased initiation and competitive resolution model has been proposed to explain the establishment of this spacing pattern. There is substantial evidence that competitive resolution of a subset of cells initiating differentiation occurs by interactions between a self-enhancing activator protein, HetR, and a diffusible pentapeptide inhibitor PatS-5 (RGSGR). Results presented here show that the absence of a unique membrane protein, PatN, in Nostocpunctiforme strain ATCC 29133 leads to a threefold increase in heterocyst frequency and a fourfold decrease in the vegetative cell interval between heterocysts. A PatN-GFP translational fusion shows a pattern of biased inheritance in daughter vegetative cells of ammonium-grown cultures. Inactivation of another heterocyst patterning gene, patA, is epistatic to inactivation of patN, and transcription of patA increases in a patN-deletion strain, implying that patN may function by modulating levels of patA. The presence of PatN is hypothesized to decrease the competency of a vegetative cell to initiate heterocyst differentiation, and the cellular concentration of PatN is dependent on cell division that results in cells transiently depleted of PatN. We suggest that biased inheritance of cell-fate determinants is a phylogenetic domain-spanning paradigm in the development of biological patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the case history study of sequence stratigraphic framework, sequence model, and the controlling factors on sequence formation in the southern Junggar foreland basin, a contrasting comparison of the characteristics among the foreland basin, the faulted basin, and the sag basin is made in the aspects of sequence architecture, filling style, the controlling factors on sequence development, the migrations of basin center and depocenter, etc.. The current study results show that there are major differences and these are documented as follows. (1) The accommodation space in foreland basin is mainly created by the subsidence caused by thrusting and napping in the foothill belt, resulting in progradational-dominated parasequence sets in the foothill area and retrogradational parasequence sets in the ramp region. (2) The accommodation space in an open-lake system in faulted basin is mainly created by the activities of the basin margin faults; thus, tectonic sequences are formed. However, in the closed-lake system, the subaqueous accommodation is mainly controlled by climatic-influenced lake-level fluctuations, and climatic sequence is formed. (3) In sag basin, a closed-lake system is easily formed due to its generation often within the cratons and isolation from the sea, and its accommodation space creation is mainly controlled by climatic lake-level fluctuations; thus, the sequence architecture in sag basin is similar to that formed on the passive continental margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tongue diagnosis has long been an integral part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The healthy tongue has balanced mobile (Yang) and moist (Yin) qualities. A healthy tongue should also have enough Blood to give the tongue a pink hue that varies with the species and age of the patient. The Stomach Qi should be strong enough to generate a thin clear or thin white coating. Excesses and Deficiencies of Yin, Blood, Yang and Qi have distinct correlations in the tongue producing recognizable qualities such as: a thick white coat (Yin Excess), red dry tongue body (Yin deficiency), purple tongue body (Blood Excess), pale dry tongue body (Blood Deficiency), thick yellow tongue coat (Yang Excess), pale moist tongue body (Yang Deficiency), lavender tongue body (Qi Excess) and pale swollen tongue body (Qi Deficiency). Pattern differentiation (Bian Zheng) based upon these tongue qualities can lead to rational treatment strategies and improved clinical outcomes. Some examples of general acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine prescriptions are presented to treat animals that have characteristic tongue quality changes associated with different disease Patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article provides an overview and critical evaluation of the management of menopausal symptoms by traditional East Asian medicines (TEAMs). For this purpose we utilise an interdisciplinary perspective that draws on social history, medical anthropology, and clinical research. Our goal is threefold. First, we examine the research literature regarding evidence for the effectiveness of TEAMs in the management of menopausal symptoms. The failure of all studies reviewed to address the problematic articulation between tradition and modernity in the case of menopausal syndrome leads us to examine more closely how this connection has been constructed. In the second part of this review we explain how during the late 20th century various TEAMs currents such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Japanese Kampō, and Korean medicine, explored different responses to a biomedically defined disorder, namely menopause, that was until then not discussed in these traditions. Third, based on the findings of the previous sections we make a number of recommendations as to how research in this field might be improved. We argue that while robust evidence for the efficacy of TEAMs in treating menopausal symptoms is currently lacking, existing studies provide sufficient evidence to warrant further research. A new interdisciplinary research framework that takes account of the actual realities of TEAMs practice will be required however for meaningful answers regarding the two most urgent problems in the field to emerge. These are, first the issue of actual treatment effects, and second the more general problem of how TEAMs might be integrated into personalised health care. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this retrospective study, clinical data including clinical manifestations, routine blood tests, chest radiographic imaging from 77 severe cases of SARS treated with integrated Chinese and Western medicine were collected and statistically analyzed. Twenty-nine (37.6%) patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, non-invasive ventilation was used in 40 (51.9%) cases, and invasive ventilatory procedure was performed in eight (10.3%) cases. Seventy (90.9%) patients were clinically cured and seven (9.0%) died. The duration of defervescence was 8.3 ± 5.0 days after admission. In the early stage, normal leucocyte count was seen in 46 (75.4%) of the 61 patients tested, decreased leucocyte count in 13 (21.3%) and elevated leucocyte count in only two (3.2%) cases. A decreased lymphocyte count was also seen in 23 (37.7%) cases of the 61 patients tested on admission, and by day 14, the number of patients with decreased lymphocyte count (1.11 ± 0.66 × 10[sup 9]) increased to 32 (47.7%) in 67 cases examined. Neutral granulocyte count was normal or decreased in 58 (95.0%) patients on admission, but elevated from the 7th day onward and peaked on day 21 in 32 (65.3%) of the 49 cases tested. All of the blood abnormalities returned to normal in the convalescent stage. Twenty-nine (37.6%) of the 77 severe cases of SARS patients demonstrated an extensive lung involvement. In comparison with the non-severe SARS cases, this group of patients showed significantly more pneumonic air-space opacities and ground glass-like changes on the chest radiographs (p < 0.05, χ[sup 2] test). The role Chinese medicine played in the treatment of SARS was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The learning process of ball juggling is characterized by considerable individual differences in acquired coordination patterns. Previous research has shown that the coordination patterns observed in novice jugglers can be roughly divided into two classes: the high ratio pattern, in which the ball is held for a relatively long time, and the low ratio pattern, in which the ball is held for a relatively short time. To account for these differences in coordination patterns, we examined the anchoring strategies employed by novice jugglers for controlling the juggling movements. Analyses of the correlation between coordination patterns and selected spatiotemporal variabilities revealed that the coordination patterns with a high dwell ratio had lower temporal variability than patterns with a low dwell ratio, which in turn had lower variability of spatial variables than patterns with a high dwell ratio. These findings indicate that individual differences in the coordination patterns adopted by novice jugglers, and hence their learning paths, result from differences in the control strategies employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Pattern differentiation is a critical element of the prescription process for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners. Application of advanced machine learning techniques will enhance the effectiveness of TCM in clinical practice. The aim of this study is to explore the relationships between clinical features and TCM patterns in breast cancer patients., Methods: The dataset of breast cancer patients receiving TCM treatment was recruited from a single medical center. We utilized a neural network model to standardize terminologies and address TCM pattern differentiation in breast cancer cases. Cluster analysis was applied to classify the clinical features in the breast cancer patient dataset. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, we further compared the TCM patterns to therapeutic principles of Chinese herbal medication in Taiwan., Results: A total of 2,738 breast cancer cases were recruited and standardized. They were divided into 5 groups according to clinical features via cluster analysis. The pattern differentiation model revealed that liver-gallbladder dampness-heat was the primary TCM pattern identified in patients. The main therapeutic goals of the top 10 Chinese herbal medicines prescribed for breast cancer patients were to clear heat, drain dampness, and detoxify. These results demonstrated that the neural network successfully identified patterns from a dataset similar to the prescriptions of TCM clinical practitioners., Conclusion: This is the first study using machine-learning methodology to standardize and analyze TCM electronic medical records. The patterns revealed by the analyses were highly correlated with the therapeutic principles of TCM practitioners. Machine learning technology could assist TCM practitioners to comprehensively differentiate patterns and identify effective Chinese herbal medicine treatments in clinical practice., (Copyright © 2020 Huang, Hung, Kao, Ou, Lin, Cheng, Yen, Li, Chen, Shia and Huang.)

Pattern differentiation is a critical component for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) diagnosis and treatment. However, the issue of whether pattern differentiation is appropriately applied in TCM interventional trials, including Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) interventions and non-herbal TCM interventions, is unclear. The aim of this study was to i) systematically review the current status of pattern differentiation used in WHO-registered clinical trials for different types of TCM interventions; and ii) provide suggestions for improving the use of pattern differentiation in future clinical trial design. The World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) database was searched for all TCM interventional trials registered up to 31 December 2017. In this systematic review trials with a TCM pattern differentiation in their design were included. Descriptive statistics were collated to demonstrate the characteristics of pattern differentiation applied for different TCM interventional trials. Among 2955 TCM interventional trials registered during 1999–2017, 376 (12.7%) trials included pattern differentiation. Of 376 trials, the use of pattern differentiation was identified in; –the title (30.6%), objective (50.5%), participants inclusion (100%), outcomes (43.6%) and study background (12.5%). Further, 85.4% reported the specific name of the TCM intervention, 10.6% provided the intervention's targeted pattern, 83.8% reported the specific name of the TCM pattern, 7.2% presented diagnostic criteria for the pattern studied, and 19.1% adopted a pattern-related outcome as primary outcome for evaluation. The reporting and application of pattern differentiation in TCM trials were inadequate and confusing, which was mainly due to lack of clarity regarding study design, objectives, diagnostic criteria and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the frequent use of traditional Chinese herbal medicine by women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and the absence of robust evidence for taking Chinese herbs in accordance with different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes (including 'Kidney Yang Deficiency syndrome' (KYDS), this study was designed to investigate the metabolomic characteristics of follicular fluid in PCOS patients with KYDS. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to collect follicular fluid data from 100 infertile women participating in in vitro fertilization (IVF) protocols, including 33 patients with KYDS in PCOS and 67 healthy women whose partners showed male factor infertility. Novel SWATHtoMRM metabolomics method was used for providing the broad coverage and excellent quantitative capability to discovery the human follicular fluid metabolites related to PCOS with KYDS. Based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS), an analysis platform of follicular fluid (FF) metabolomics was established; and the changes in 2 groups of metabolic profiles were observed by principal component analysis (PCA). Significant changes were identified in follicular fluid for example; phenylalanine, tryptophan, hemolysis phosphatidyl choline chloride, linoleic acid, oleic acid, arachidonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, vitamin D, and 28 other metabolites. The biochemical changes involved 12 different metabolic pathways, including metabolism of fatty acids and amino acids, and biosynthesis of bile acids. Our results will provide a more objective and scientific understanding of the KYDS of PCOS. According to our study, FF metabolomics will not only constitute an important tool with which to study TCM syndrome theory, but will also provide an experimental basis for the use of Chinese herbal medicine to treat individuals with PCOS with KYDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]