Body Constitution Types Research Articles

Correlation between students’ traditional medicine body constitution types and their quality of life

ObjectivesEvaluating the physical health, mental health, and Quality of life (QoL) in relationship to body constitution (BC) types in students of the Faculty of Traditional Medicine (FTM) in the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City (UMP). MethodsA cross-sectional descriptive study on 717 students of FTM through face-to-face interviews used three questionnaires to investigate the following sections: general demographic information questionnaire; physical health (PCS), mental health (MCS), and QoL (Vietnamese version of SF-36 questionnaire); BC types (Vietnamese version of the CCMQ questionnaire). We used multiple linear regression analyses to assess the associations between BC types and each of the QoL domains’ scores. The dependent variables are the scores of eight QoL domains and integration scores in PCS and MCS. ResultsMost students had Unbalanced BC types (87.03 %). Qi-depression, Qi-deficiency, and Blood-stasis had the three highest percentages (48.1 %, 33.2 %, 26.9 %). There were relationships between BC types and students’ physical health, mental health, and QoL. The SF-36 resulted in “high” scores in most of the Neutral-type students, while the majority of students with Unbalanced BC types had “poor” scores in both physical health, mental health, and QoL (p < 0.01). The estimated impact of 8 Unbalanced types on SF-36 scales was significantly negative. The impact was most remarkable for Qi-stagnation, followed by Blood-stasis. Conclusion87.03 % of students had Unbalanced BC types, which in turn can increase the likelihood of disease. Research results also initially showed that adjusting these types to the Neutral type can help improve FTM students’ health.

Sound as a bell: a deep learning approach for health status classification through speech acoustic biomarkers

BackgroundHuman health is a complex, dynamic concept encompassing a spectrum of states influenced by genetic, environmental, physiological, and psychological factors. Traditional Chinese Medicine categorizes health into nine body constitutional types, each reflecting unique balances or imbalances in vital energies, influencing physical, mental, and emotional states. Advances in machine learning models offer promising avenues for diagnosing conditions like Alzheimer's, dementia, and respiratory diseases by analyzing speech patterns, enabling complementary non-invasive disease diagnosis. The study aims to use speech audio to identify subhealth populations characterized by unbalanced constitution types.MethodsParticipants, aged 18–45, were selected from the Acoustic Study of Health. Audio recordings were collected using ATR2500X-USB microphones and Praat software. Exclusion criteria included recent illness, dental issues, and specific medical histories. The audio data were preprocessed to Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) for model training. Three deep learning models—1-Dimensional Convolution Network (Conv1D), 2-Dimensional Convolution Network (Conv2D), and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)—were implemented using Python to classify health status. Saliency maps were generated to provide model explainability.ResultsThe study used 1,378 recordings from balanced (healthy) and 1,413 from unbalanced (subhealth) types. The Conv1D model achieved a training accuracy of 91.91% and validation accuracy of 84.19%. The Conv2D model had 96.19% training accuracy and 84.93% validation accuracy. The LSTM model showed 92.79% training accuracy and 87.13% validation accuracy, with early signs of overfitting. AUC scores were 0.92 and 0.94 (Conv1D), 0.99 (Conv2D), and 0.97 (LSTM). All models demonstrated robust performance, with Conv2D excelling in discrimination accuracy.ConclusionsThe deep learning classification of human speech audio for health status using body constitution types showed promising results with Conv1D, Conv2D, and LSTM models. Analysis of ROC curves, training accuracy, and validation accuracy showed all models robustly distinguished between balanced and unbalanced constitution types. Conv2D excelled with good accuracy, while Conv1D and LSTM also performed well, affirming their reliability. The study integrates constitution theory and deep learning technologies to classify subhealth populations using noninvasive approach, thereby promoting personalized medicine and early intervention strategies.

The original scores of traditional Chinese medicine constitutions are risk and diagnostic factors in middle-aged and older adults with sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome that occurs with age and is characterized by a gradual decline in muscle mass, power, and functionality. It serves as a prominent contributor to frailty, disability, and mortality among older individuals. Currently, no standardized global guidelines exist for the diagnosis of sarcopenia. This study aimed to establish the correlation between sarcopenia and the constitutions of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), considering the connection between physical functioning and sarcopenia. A total of 1441 participants in this study were diagnosed with sarcopenia. The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) proposed a sarcopenia definition algorithm. To determine the constitution of each participant, classification and determination standards were used in traditional Chinese medicine. This study evaluated the demographics, lifestyles, and self-reported medical history of individuals diagnosed with sarcopenia through a self-administered questionnaire. The constitution of the participants was determined using TCM classification and determination standards. Subsequently, we analyzed the results of univariate analysis and multivariate regression and constructed a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Participants who were diagnosed with sarcopenia had substantially lower original Neutral constitution scores (P < 0.050). In comparison to those without sarcopenia, individuals with sarcopenia exhibited notably elevated original Qi-deficiency, Yang-deficiency, Yin-deficiency, Blood-stagnation, and Qi-stagnation scores in contrast to those in the healthy group (P < 0.050). The identified risk factors associated with sarcopenia included the following: Neutral (OR = 0.903), Qi-deficiency (in males, OR = 1.126), Yang-deficiency (OR = 1.062), Phlegm-dampness (in males, OR = 0.833), and Blood-stagnation (in females, OR = 1.089). The highest area under the curve (AUC) was observed for the original neutral constitution score, followed by the Yang-deficiency and blood-stagnation scores (0.644, 0.613, and 0.611, respectively). Additionally, the AUC for the combined original scores of all nine constitutions among males reached 0.778. In this cross-sectional study of older people with higher original Qi-deficiency, Yin deficiency, Yang-deficiency, Blood-stagnation, and Qi-stagnation were associated with sarcopenia. Notably, various TCM constitutions are significantly linked to sarcopenia. There was a significant occurrence of various body constitution types among individuals diagnosed with sarcopenia. The mixture of the nine original constitution scores exhibited good diagnostic performance for sarcopenia in males.

A comprehensive study of psychological well-being and traditional Chinese medicine constitutions among model workers in Beijing.

Body constitution is the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and model workers consist of a special group of workers within China. This study aims to research the relationship between the physical body constitutions based on TCM and the mental health of model workers. We recruited 314 model workers from Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital to conduct the questionnaires such as SCL-90 and CCMQ to investigate if there is an association between mental health status and TCM body constitutions. We performed a Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS path modeling). Our path model results revealed associations between different TCM constitution types and SCL scores, which serve as indicators of psychological well-being. Our research findings demonstrate a strong correlation between the Balanced constitution and elevated levels of psychological well-being, with a path coefficient of -0.503. In contrast, the other eight constitutional types exhibit path coefficients exceeding 0.3, indicating a tendency toward lower levels of psychological well-being. We also investigated the intricate connections between various TCM constitutional types and both mild and severe psychological well-being. In conclusion, the Balanced constitution continues to be closely associated with higher levels of psychological well-being, while the remaining eight body constitution types are consistently linked to lower levels of psychological well-being.

Associations between traditional Chinese medicine body constitution and obesity risk among US adults.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) body constitution (BC), primarily determined by physiological and clinical characteristics, is an important process for clinical diagnosis and treatment and play a critical role in precision medicine in TCM. The purpose of the study was to explore whether the distributions of BC types differed by obesity status. We conducted a study to evaluate BC type in US population during 2012-2016. A total of 191 White participants from Personalized Prevention of Colorectal Cancer Trial (PPCCT) completed a self-administered Traditional Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (TCMQ, English version). In this study, we further compared the distribution of major types of TCM BC in the PPCCT to those Chinese populations stratified by obesity status. We found the Blood-stasis frequency was higher in US White adults, 22.6% for individuals with BMI <30 and 11.2% for obese individuals, compared to 1.4% and 1.8%, respectively, in Chinese populations. We also found the percentages Inherited-special and Qi-stagnation were higher in US White adults than those in Chinese populations regardless of obesity status. However, the proportions of Yang-deficiency were higher in Chinese populations than those in our study conducted in US White adults regardless of obesity status. These new findings indicate the difference in distribution of BC types we observed between US and Chinese populations cannot be explained by the differences in prevalence of obesity. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings and understand the potential mechanism including genetic background and/or environmental factors.

Association between Traditional Medicine Body Constitution types and Body Mass Index of students at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

Association between Traditional Medicine Body Constitution types and Body Mass Index of students at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

Association of traditional medicine body constitution types with five chronic diseases in Ho Chi Minh city

ObjectivesTraditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners use body constitution (BC) in their daily clinical practice. The BC is innate, shaped by the environment, and highly dependent on the intrinsic properties of the human body. The Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (CCMQ) is the most frequently used diagnostic tool for physiological BC types. This study aimed to determine the proportion of nine TCM constitution types and comorbidities observed in the Ho Chi Minh City community. MethodsA cross-sectional design was applied to collect data for this study. All the participants were classified as BC types by the CCMQ. ResultsThere were 2127 participants aged from 18 to 90 years old (35.3% were male and 64.7% were female) enrolled in this study. Five comorbidities were observed including hypertension (33.7%), cardiovascular diseases (21.8%), diabetes (19.8%), hyperlipidemia (17.3%) and obesity (13.4%). In participants, the Balanced type was the most common (53.1%). The order of decreasing proportions of the unbalanced types was as follows: Qi-deficiency (20.0%), Qi-depression (15.7%), Blood-stasis (13.0%), Yang-deficiency (10.0%), Phlegm-dampness (9.1%), Yin-deficiency (8.7%), Inherited-special (7.6%), Dampness-heat (7.2%). Hypertension was strongly associated with most of types (except Dampness-heat), Diabetes mellitus was associated with only Qi-deficiency. Obesity had associations with Phlegm-dampness, Dampness-heat, and Blood-stasis. Factors such as gender, age and occupation can cause different BC development. ConclusionsAmong the participants in Ho Chi Minh City, hypertension (33.7%) is the most common comorbidity. Balanced (53.1%) is the majority in BC types. The associations between BC types and ages, genders, jobs, five chronic diseases were different.

Traditional Chinese medicine body constitution predicts new-onset diabetic albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes: Taichung diabetic body constitution prospective cohort study

This prospective cohort study explored whether body constitution (BC) independently predicts new-onset albuminuria in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) enrolled in the diabetes care management program (DCMP) of a medical center, providing evidence of integrating traditional Chinese medicine into DCMP for improving care quality. Persons with T2DM (n = 426) originally without albuminuria enrolled in DCMP were recruited in 2010 and were then followed up to 2015 for detecting new-onset albuminuria. The participants received urinalysis and blood test annually. Albuminuria was determined by an elevated urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (≥ 30 µg/mg), and poor glucose control was defined as Glycosylated hemoglobin above or equal to 7%. BC type (Yin deficiency, Yang deficiency, and phlegm stasis) was assessed using a well-validated body constitution questionnaire at baseline. Risk factors for albuminuria (sociodemographic factors, diabetes history, lifestyle behaviors, lipid profile, blood pressure, and kidney function) were also recorded. Hazard ratios (HR) of albuminuria for BC were estimated using multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. During the 4-year follow-up period, albuminuria occurred in 30.5% of participants (n = 130). The HR indicated that Yin deficiency was significantly associated with an increased risk of new-onset albuminuria in persons with T2DM and good glucose control after adjustment for other risk factors (HR = 2.09; 95% confidence interval = 1.05-4.17, P = .04), but not in those with poor glucose control. In persons with T2DM and poor glucose control, phlegm stasis was also significantly associated with a higher risk of albuminuria (2.26; 1.03-4.94, P = .04) after multivariate adjustment, but not in those with good glucose control. In addition to already-known risk factors, BC is an independent and significant factor associated with new-onset albuminuria in persons with T2DM. Our results imply Yin deficiency and phlegm stasis interacting with glucose control status may affect new-onset albuminuria in persons with T2DM.

A study on traditional medicine body constitution types in residential community of District 4, Ho Chi Minh City

Body constitution (BC) is widely applied in daily clinical practice by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners. The BC is innate depending on the intrinsic properties of the human body and is influenced by the environment. The most common diagnostic tool of physiological BC types is the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (CCMQ). This study was conducted to determine the proportion of nine TCM constitution types and comorbidities observed in the community of District 4, Ho Chi Minh City. A cross-sectional design was applied to collect data for this study. All the participants were classified as BC types by the CCMQ. The collected data were statistically analyzed with the SPSS 22.0 software. There were 436 participants aged from 18 (163 males; 273 females) enrolled in this study from 05/2021 – 06/2021 in District 4. Five comorbidities were observed including hypertension (23.6%), cardiovascular diseases (13.1%), diabetes (11.5%), hyperlipidemia (8.3%) and obesity (4.1%). In participants, the prevalence of nine BC types were Neutral (62.4%), Qi-deficiency (17.2%), Qi-depression (15.6%), Inherited-special (8.9%), Yang-deficiency (8.3%), Blood-stasis (8.0%), Yin-deficiency (7.6%), Phlegm-dampness (6.4%), and Dampness-heat (5.7%). The Qi-deficiency type was significantly associated with ages, genders, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases while the Dampness-heat one was related to gender. Among the participants in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, hypertension (23.6%) is the most common comorbidity. Neutral (62.4%) is the majority in BC types. The associations between BC types and ages, genders, jobs, five chronic diseases were different.

Decision Tree-Based Body Constitution Diagnosis System for Traditional Chinese Medicine.

This study aimed to establish a method for fast and accurate determination of body constitution types from the body constitution questionnaire (BCQ) by employing a decision tree model. The model was trained for 4 classes, namely, Yin-Xu, Yang-Xu, Phlegm and Blood Stasis, and Normal, and it achieved 67% accuracy for the testing dataset. The model also reduced the required number of BCQ questions from 44 to 3–6, depending on the responses. Lastly, we developed the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) body constitution online diagnosis system using our model to collect data digitally and use it more practically and efficiently. This system can assist doctors to improve the diagnosis and treatment in TCM practice.

Anandamide is associated with waist-to-hip ratio but not with Body Mass Index in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

The endocannabinoid system is involved in the regulation of energy balance and ovarian function and may be implicated in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The purpose of the present study is to determine anandamide (AEA) levels in PCOS patients and controls and to analyze its association with metabolic and hormonal disturbances in women with PCOS. The study included 88 women - 58 patients with PCOS (25.9±5.2 years) and 30 healthy controls (27.6±5.2 years). Further, patients were divided into two subgroups according to their waist-to-hip ratio (WHR): android type PCOS (WHR≥0.85; N.=26) and gynoid type PCOS (WHR<0.85; N.=32). Detailed anthropometric measurements, hormonal and biochemical tests and pelvic ultrasound were obtained between the 3rd and 5th day of a menstrual cycle. AEA was examined by ELISA kits. Patients with PCOS and healthy controls did not differ in anthropometric, metabolic parameters, AEA, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels. The PCOS group had increased total testosterone, FAI, DHEAS, androstenedione, and 17-OH-progesterone levels (P<0.001) and elevated LH/FSH ratio (P=0.023). A negative correlation between AEA levels was found with glycaemia at 120 minutes (r=-0.304, P=0.020) and WHR (r=-0.266, P=0.044). In the subanalysis of patients, the gynoid type group had significantly higher levels of AEA than the android type PCOS (5.4 [2.3;8.8] vs. 2.5 [1.8;5.1]; P=0.020). AEA did not differ between healthy women and patients, but a significant difference in its levels was found in PCOS patients divided according to their body constitution type.

The Relationship between the Second-Generation Antipsychotics Efficacy and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Body Constitutions in Patients with Schizophrenia.

Background: Schizophrenia requires lifelong treatment; Second-generation Antipsychotics (SGAs) have become the most prescribed medication for schizophrenia patients. The efficacy of various SGAs treatment may differ in schizophrenia patients with various traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) body constitution (BC) types. Method: This study applied a longitudinal quantitative research design, where a total of 66 participants were recruited. The Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) score were used to evaluate patients’ psychopathology status in hospitalization, and body constitution questionnaires were conducted by face-to-face interviews in the 1st, 3rd, and 6th week of hospitalization. Results: More than 60% of schizophrenia patients who were treated with SGAs were classified to have unbalanced BC types including Yin-Xu, Yang-Xu and Stasis. Generalized estimating equation analysis revealed significant time effects in CGI and PANSS score improvements in both unbalanced and gentleness (balance) BC types, but no significant changes in the group and group-time interaction in the CGI and PANSS scores in different BC type groups. Conclusions: Schizophrenia patients under SGAs treatment had a higher proportion of unbalanced BC types which may lead to poorer physical or mental statuses, such as overweight problems. Health care providers could apply interventions according to patients’ BC types for disease prevention.

Body Constitution and Unhealthy Lifestyles in a Primary Care Population at High Cardiovascular Risk: New Insights for Health Management.

BackgroundAdherence to lifestyle recommendations remains insufficient in cardiovascular (CV) health management globally. Body constitution, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, is primarily influenced by an individual’s internal metabolism and susceptibility to external pathogenic factors. Nevertheless, less is known about whether body constitutions may play a role in the presence of unhealthy lifestyles. We aimed to explore the associations between body constitutions and unhealthy lifestyles among Chinese individuals at high CV risk.MethodsComputerised data were retrieved from a primary care population-based health record for all 1739 eligible individuals at high CV risk who attended routine check-up in an urbanised, medium-size district in Guangzhou, China. Unhealthy lifestyles were determined in accordance with guideline recommendations. The body constitution was assessed on the basis of physical signs, personality, body symptoms, and the susceptibility to environmental changes, following nationally standard procedure. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed using marginal standardisation method.ResultsThe participants ranged in age from 20 to 96 years, with a mean age of 69.55 years. There were slightly more females than males (52.3% vs 47.7%). Current smoking, regular drinking, and physical inactivity were most common. Participants with a body constitution of phlegm-and-dampness type (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.999, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.003–3.984; p=0.049) tended to be current smokers, and those assessed with special diathesis type (aOR=2.166, 95% CI=1.029–4.559; p=0.042) had a higher likelihood of being regular drinkers. Having a body constitution type of blood stasis (aOR=1.375, 95% CI=1.029–1.838; p=0.031) or qi deficient (aOR=1.711, 95% CI=1.080–2.709; p=0.022) was associated with physical inactivity.ConclusionOur findings add to current evidence suggesting that an individual’s body constitution is closely related to the presence of unhealthy lifestyles. This offers new insights for health management through body constitution-based strategies to target those at high CV risk who need tailor-made attention in lifestyle modifications during routine primary care.

Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine Body Constitution and Health-Related Quality of Life in Female Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) body constitution has been studied in many diseases, but few have focused on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and particularly their association with disease-specific quality of life (QoL). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association of TCM body constitution and QoL in female patients with SLE. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on adult female patients with a clinician-confirmed diagnosis of SLE in a regional hospital in Taiwan. TCM body constitution types were determined using the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (CCMQ). Disease-specific QoL of the participants was assessed using the LupusQoL. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the associations between TCM body constitution types with the score of each of the eight domains of LupusQoL and between the numbers of multiple unbalanced body constitution types and score of each of the eight domains of LupusQoL. Results Of the 317 female patients with SLE, 22 (6.9%) were classified to have a gentleness balanced body constitution type. Among the remaining 295 patients with unbalanced body constitution types, Qi-deficiency was the most common (64.4%), followed by Yin-deficiency (57.6%). Multiple linear regression analyses showed that Qi-deficiency was significantly associated with the emotional, pain, and fatigue domains of the LupusQoL, whereas Yin-deficiency was significantly associated with the emotional and fatigue domains of the LupusQoL. In addition, all domains of the LupusQoL showed a general pattern of poorer QoL with increasing numbers of unbalanced body constitution types. Conclusions Different TCM body constitution types were significantly associated with various domains of the LupusQoL. A high prevalence of multiple body constitution types in patients with SLE was observed. A consistent pattern of poorer LupusQoL with increasing numbers of unbalanced body constitution types was evident.

Relationship of Human Personal Characteristics in the three Independent Stratification Systems

Objectives: We aimed to analyze theassociation between the biophysiological characteristics of body constitution and temperament type with Mongolian Traditional Medicine (MTM) constitution type to understand further and integrate the application of these stratification systems in clinical medicine. Methods: Body constitution type was classified using the body-mass index, temperament type was determined using personality test, and dominant MTM constitution type was determined in 287 active blood donors. Age, gender, and ABO blood groups were considered as additional biophysiological characteristics. The correlation between the biophysiological characteristics and the nature of their relationship was investigated using likelihood ratio and receiver operating characteristics analysis. Results: Obesity and body-mass index were related to aging, and donor’s age and Badgan expression rate were shown as a sensitive and specific classifier for obesity state. The relationship between Badgan dominant types of human constitutions practiced in Mongolian Traditional Medicine and melancholic temperament was established. Badgan expression was a sensitive and specific classifier for melancholic and phlegmatic temperament. Conclusions: Stratification of human subjects using the primary types of human constitutions practiced in Mongolian Traditional Medicine may be helpful in clinical research and application.

Personalized Body Constitution Inquiry Based on Machine Learning.

Background Body constitution (BC) is the abstract concept indicating the state of a person's health in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The doctor identifies the body constitution of the patient through inspection and inquiry. Previous research simulates doctors to identify BC types according to a patient's objective physical indicators. However, the lack of subjective feeling information can reduce the accuracy of the machine to imitate the doctor's diagnosis. The Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (CCMQ) is used to collect subjective information but suffers from low acquisition efficiency. Methods This paper presents a personalized body constitution inquiry method based on a machine learning technique. It employs a random generator, a feature extractor, and a classifier to simulate the doctor inquiry and generate a personalized questionnaire. Specifically, the feature extractor evaluates and sorts the question of the constitution in the CCMQ based on the recognition results of the tongue coating image of patients. The sorted questions and relevant BC label are inputted into the classifier; the best questions are screened out for patients. Results The experimental results show that our method can select personalized questions from the CCMQ for the patients, significantly reducing the time and the number of questions to answer. It also improves the accuracy of recognizing BC. Compared with the CCMQ, patients had 68.3% fewer questions to answer and the time occupied by answering is reduced by 80.3%. Conclusions The proposed method can simulate the doctor's inquiry and pick out personalized questions for patients. It can act as auxiliary diagnosis tools to collect subjective patient feelings and help make further judgments on the patient's BC types.

Clinical research linking Traditional Chinese Medicine constitution types with diseases: a literature review of 1639 observational studies.

To analyze clinical studies on correlations between Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) body constitution types and diseases published in the past 10 years, and to provide an evidence base to support the use of such correlations for health maintenance and disease prevention. We searched five databases for the period April 2009 to December 2019: China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database, PubMed and Embase. Three types of observational studies on correlation between constitution types and diseases were included: cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies. Descriptive statistical methods were employed for data analysis. A total of 1639 clinical studies were identified: 1452 (88.59%) cross-sectional studies, 115 (7.02%) case-control studies and 72 (4.39%) cohort studies covering 30 regions of China and five other countries (Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and France). The collection of studies comprised 19 disease categories and 333 different diseases. The 10 most commonly studied diseases were hypertension, diabetes, stroke, coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CAHD), sleep disorders, neoplasm of the breast, dysmenorrhea, fatty liver disease, chronic viral hepatitis B and dyslipidemia. We found high distributions for each biased constitution type in different patient populations as follows: Qi-deficiency constitution in stroke, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and hypertension; Yang-deficiency constitution in female infertility, osteoporosis, irritable bowel syndrome, gonarthrosis and dysmenorrhea; Yin-deficiency constitution in hypertension, diabetes, constipation, female climacteric states and osteoporosis; phlegm- dampness constitution in hypertension, stroke, fatty liver disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome; damp-heat constitution in acne, chronic gastritis, chronic viral hepatitis B, human papillomavirus infection and hyperuricemia; blood-stasis constitution in CAHD, endometriosis and stroke; Qi-stagnation constitution in hyperplasia and neoplasms of the breast, insomnia, depression and thyroid nodules; and inherited-special constitution in asthma and allergic rhinitis. Eight biased TCM constitutions were closely related to specific diseases, and could be used to guide individualized prevention and treatment. More rigorously designed studies are recommended to further verify the constitution-disease relationship.

The anatomical variations of the gall-bladder in relation to gender, body constitution type, according to results of topographical study

This work presents the results of in a noninvasive topographic and anatomical study of the gallbladder and the anterior abdominal wall parameters in the right hypochondrium region (based on the results of spiral computed tomography and 3D modeling) in both sexes with different body types. It is established that there are some features of the gallbladder’s bottom and neck holotopia, depending on sex and body type of the patient. Extreme variants of the gallbladder’s position are revealed. The bottom of the gallbladder is located: a) the most lateral position in hyperstenic men; b) maximum medial in astenic women; c) maximum cranial in astenic men; d) the most caudal in astenic women. The gallbladder’s neck is located: a) the maximum lateral position in normostenic men; b) maximum medial in astenic women; c) maximum cranial in astenic men; c) the maximum caudal in astenic women. A mathematical algorithm is proposed and a software package is developed to determine the gollbladder’s bottom and neck probabilistic location in the three-dimensional coordinate system in patients depending on gender and body type. The developed technique allows to choose the type of operative access, to plan its individual localisation, and also to calculate criteria of operative access depending on patient’s anthropometric data during preparation for intervention. This allows to decide on the rationality of the use of a surgical access, choose its optimal location, the size of the skin incision, thereby reducing surgical trauma during the intervention and leads to improved quality of treatment of patients with gallstone disease.

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

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

Body constitution in persons with diabetes mellitus from a perspective of Chinese medicine

The theory of body constitution (BC) is the foundation of disease diagnosis and treatment in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is classified as “healthy”, “sub-health” and “unhealthy”. A person with “healthy” BC has a balance of his or her body Yin (cold) and Yang (hot). In contrast, an imbalanced state of body Yin and Yang leads to a disease state, that is, an “unhealthy’ BC. BC is formed by congenital factor. However, it can be changed along one’s life time under the influence of acquired factors. Common types of BC in contemporary TCM are Neutral, Yin-deficiency, Yang-deficiency and Phlegm-dampness. In the population of diabetes mellitus (DM), Yin-deficiency, Yang-deficiency and Yin-Yang-deficiency are commonly recognized “unhealthy” BC types. The treatment mode of DM in TCM is different from the Western medicine. Syndrome differentiation with consideration of BC and balancing one’s Yin and Yang is the treatment strategy in TCM. In order to prevent the “unhealthy” BC change further for reducing the disease risks, it is necessary to provide certain Yin/Yang enhancing program, such as integration of dietary therapy, to early diagnose and regulate the “unhealthy” BC presentations. The ultimate goal is to reduce the disease burden, such as reduced DM-related quality of life, stress of homecare givers and healthcare professionals and the rising healthcare cost.