Common Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Research Articles

Analysis of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome elements and clinical symptoms in prediabetes: A systematic review.

Prediabetes mellitus (PDM) and impaired glucose regulation precedes diabetes and serve as early warning signals. A 2018 Chinese epidemiological survey reported prediabetes at 25.5% prevalence and type 2 diabetes at 10.8%, respectively. Untreated carries one-third of the risk of diabetes progression. This study aimed to understand traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in PDM to guide clinical practice and diabetes prevention. We systematically searched the Chinese and English literature in PubMed, EMBASE, Sinomed, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang until March 31, 2023. We manually explored the Chinese prediabetes literature, trial registrations, and references, adhering to predefined criteria. The results were independently summarized by 2 researchers. Statistical analysis was performed using EXCEL, IBM SPSS 27.0, and IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0, with data mining techniques including association and cluster analysis. Analysis of 23 clinical trials (8943 patients) identified phlegm dampness syndrome as predominant, with qi deficiency, dampness, and phlegm as the principal pathogenic elements. Spleen syndrome elements dominated, with a priori correlation analysis favoring spleen dampness. The prevalent PDM clinical symptoms include amnesia, mental fatigue, limb fatigue, dizziness, and lumbar discomfort. Prediabetes is strongly associated with spleen dampness, highlighting its role. Common traditional Chinese medicine syndrome elements include qi deficiency, phlegm, and dampness. Clinical diagnosis and treatment should prioritize syndrome differentiation and emphasize spleen-focused approaches. Although limited research exists on prediabetes syndromes, further exploration of PDM and spleen dampness is crucial.

Pharmacological research progress of five classical prescriptions in treatment of chronic heart failure

Chronic heart failure(CHF) is a comprehensive clinical syndrome caused by multiple factors that result in structural and/or functional abnormalities of the heart, leading to impaired ventricular contraction and/or relaxation functions. This medical condition represents the final stage of various cardiovascular diseases. In the treatment of CHF, multiple clinical studies have demonstrated the benefits of using traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) to control oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, thereby delaying ventricular remodeling and reducing myocardial fibrosis. In this study, common TCM syndromes in the diagnosis and treatment of CHF in recent years were reviewed and summarized. Five common treatment methods including benefiting Qi and activating blood circulation, enhancing Qi and nourishing Yin, warming Yang for diuresis, eliminating phlegm and dampness, rescuing from collapse by restoring Yang, and corresponding classic prescriptions in prevention and treatment of CHF were concluded under the guidance of TCM syndrome differentiation thinking. Meanwhile, research progress on the modern pharmacological effects of these classic prescriptions was systematically discussed, so as to establish a unique treatment system for CHF by classic prescriptions under the guidance of TCM syndrome differentiation theory and provide innovative diagnosis and treatment strategies for clinical CHF.

A single-center retrospective study on epidemiological and Traditional Chinese Medicine syndrome characteristics of 21010 patients with reflux/heartburn symptoms.

To provide a basis for the clinical identification of true and false reflux, integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and psychosomatic treatment, we conducted a retrospective study of the etiology and epidemiological and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome characteristics of patients with reflux/heartburn symptoms. The 210 10 patients with reflux/heartburn treated at Tianjin Nankai Hospital from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2019, were divided into four groups according to their pathogenesis. Sex, age, course of disease, incidence rate, gastroscopy, 24-h pH-impedance, esophageal manometry, Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) / Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) score, 8-week proton pump inhibitor (PPI) treatment effect, and TCM syndrome characteristics were statistically analyzed. A total of 21010 patients (8864 men and 12146 women), with reflux/heartburn symptoms were screened, including 6284 (29.9%) patients with reflux esophagitis (RE), 10427 (49.6%) patients with non-erosive reflux esophagitis (NERD), 2430 (11.6%) patients with reflux hypersensitivity (RH), and 1870 (8.9%) patients with functional heartburn (FH). The incidence of the disease was higher in women than in men (0.0001). The ranking of the incidence of anxiety and depression in these four groups was FH>RH>NERD>RE ( 0.0001). There were more women than men in the groups with anxiety and more men than women in the groups with depression ( 0.0001), and there was no significant difference in the distribution of anxiety and depression between men and women ( 0.5689). There were significant differences in TCM syndrome characteristics between NERD, RE, and functional esophageal diseases ( 0.01). The highest proportion of functional esophageal disease TCM symptoms was stagnation and phlegm obstruction syndrome (36.16%), and there was no significant difference between RH and FH. The effective rates of PPI treatment at 8 weeks in patients in the RE, NERD, RH, and FH groups were 89%, 72%, 54%, and 0%, respectively. RE was classified into grades A, B, C, and D according to the Los Angeles grading system. The ranking of the incidence of these four grades was A>B>C>D ( 0.0001). The effective rates of PPI treatment at 8 weeks were 91%, 81%, 69%, and 63% in patients with grade A, B, C, and D RE, respectively ( 0.0001). The highest proportion of TCM syndrome types of NERD and RE was the stagnated heat syndrome in the liver and stomach syndrome, 38.99% and 33.90%, respectively. Reflux/heartburn symptoms are relatively common in middle-aged women, and NERD is the most common etiology, followed by RE, RH, and FH. The most common TCM syndrome characteristics in NERD and RE were stagnated heat syndrome in the liver and stomach syndrome, and stagnation and phlegm obstruction syndrome in functional esophageal diseases. Most patients with reflux/heartburn symptoms also experienced anxiety and depression.

Distribution characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in 4 367 adult influenza patients: a Meta-analysis

To systematically evaluate the distribution characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in adult influenza patients and to provide a basis for the TCM syndrome differentiation of influenza. The CNKI, CBM, Wanfang, VIP, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library databases were searched to collect cross-sectional studies on the distribution pattern of TCM syndromes in adult patients with influenza. The risk of bias assessment tool for cross-sectional studies developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) evidence-based health care center was used to evaluate the literature quality, and the Stata 15.1 software was used to conduct a Meta-analysis of the pooled effect sizes of the included studies. A total of 11 studies with 4 367 influenza patients were included. Quality assessment results of JBI showed that the risk bias was higher in the sample size calculation, and the description of sampling modalities and response rate was unclear. There were 17 influenza syndromes after specification, and a single group rate Meta-analysis was performed of the syndromes with ≥ 50 incident cases showed that there were 9 syndromes with an incidence ≥ 10% and statistical significance, the top 5 syndromes were syndrome of wind and heat invading the defense [n = 1 583, RATE = 34.3%, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 22.2%-46.3%], syndrome of exterior cold and interior heat (n = 1 122, RATE = 36.1%, 95%CI was 21.2%-51.1%), syndrome of wind-cold fettering the exterior (n = 860, RATE = 19.4%, 95%CI was 10.7%-28.0%), syndrome of heat and toxin in the lung (n = 217, RATE = 17.1%, 95%CI was 9.1%-25.0%), and syndrome of disease involving both defense phase and qi phase (n = 184, RATE = 38.8%, 95%CI was 14.2%-63.5%). The results of the subgroup analysis in different geographical regions showed that the frequency of distribution of syndrome of wind and heat invading the defense and heat and toxin in the lung was higher in the South (RATE: 36.5%, 18.6%) than in the North (RATE: 30.9%, 15.4%), and the frequency of distribution of syndrome of wind-cold fettering the exterior and exterior cold and interior heat in the North (RATE: 23.8%, 40.1%) was higher than that in the South (RATE: 15.7%, 32.3%). There are 9 common TCM syndromes of influenza, including wind and heat invading the defense syndrome, exterior cold and interior heat syndrome, wind-cold fettering the exterior syndrome, heat and toxin in the lung syndrome, disease involving both defense phase and qi phase syndrome, wind and heat complicated by dampnessinvading the surface syndrome, wind and cold complicated by dampnessinvading the surface syndrome, defense phase syndrome and dampness and heatinvading the surface syndrome, which can provide a reference for the TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment of influenza.

Analysis of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in plateau areas

To analyze the distribution characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in plateau areas, and to provide theoretical basis for further clinical treatment of patients with COVID-19. From August 9 to August 24, 2022, patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Third People's Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region (designated hospital for COVID-19) were included, and their baseline characteristics (age, gender, source), clinical classification and distribution of TCM syndrome types were collected and analyzed. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 statistical software. A total of 161 COVID-19 patients were enrolled with ethnic distribution: 124 (77.02%) Tibetans, 35 (21.74%) Han, and 2 (1.24%) Hui, 68 males and 93 females. The male-to-female ratio was 0.73:1. Aged 1 to 94 years, the average age was (39.06±23.64) years old, of which 4 patients were under 1 year old (excluded because the information was missing). A total of 157 patients were enrolled, and 124 patients (78.9%) were under 60 years old, including 120 cases of common type, 4 cases of severe type, 0 cases of critical type, 7 cases over 80 years old, 1 case over 90 years old, and 32 cases under 18 years old. The clinical manifestations of the patient are mainly cough, expectoration, fever, aversion to cold, dry throat, headache, fatigue, running nose, dry mouth, bitter mouth, etc. Most of the tongue is pale, red, and white greasy moss or thin white coating. In TCM, the most common syndrome was cold-dampness blocking lung syndrome (99 cases, 63.06%), followed by cold-dampness stagnant lung syndrome (22 cases, 14.01%), damp-heat accumulating lung syndrome (22 cases, 14.01%), and humidity stagnant lung syndrome (11 cases, 7.01%). Syndromes of epidemic (2 cases, 1.27%), epidemic toxins blocking the lung pattern (1 cases, 0.64%), toxins with dryness intense heat in both qi and ying phases pattern (0 cases) accounted for less than 2%, and the distribution of various syndrome types in COVID-19 patients was uneven (χ 2 = 0.48, P < 0.05). The most common TCM syndromes of COVID-19 patients in Lhasa are cold-dampness blocking lung syndrome, followed by cold-dampness stagnant lung syndrome, damp-heat accumulating lung syndrome, and humidity stagnant lung syndrome.

The Distribution Pattern of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes in 549 Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to summarize the distribution pattern of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).MethodsThe frequency, characteristics and distribution of all TCM syndromes of 549 patients with T2DM were analyzed.ResultsThe average age of T2DM onset was higher in women than in men (ie, men experienced earlier onset). The distribution of TCM syndromes, in order of frequency, was as follows: damp-heat trapping spleen (including spleen deficiency and dampness, damp heat due to spleen deficiency, and qi weakness due to spleen deficiency) (58.29%), qi-yin deficiency (16.03%), deficiency of yin and excessive heat (12.93%), blood stasis in collaterals (9.41%), and yin-yang deficiency (3.21%). The physical intensity of patients’ occupational activity was mainly light (49.6%), followed by heavy (31.4%) and moderate (19.0%).ConclusionDamp-heat trapping spleen is the most common TCM syndrome in patients with T2DM, with damp heat due to spleen deficiency the most significant subtype. This syndrome tends to occur in people over the age of 60 and those undertaking too much or too little physical activity in their occupational activities. The traditional “three more and one less” symptoms do not adequately describe the clinical symptoms of T2DM.

Analysis of clinical application characteristics and drug combination of Ciwujia Injection in 12 554 cases in real world

To explore the real world clinical application characteristics and the drug combination regularity of Ciwujia Injection, 12 554 cases of patients with Ciwujia Injection were extracted from the information systems of 24 class Ⅲ grade A hospitals in China, and a standardized analysis was carried out. Most of the patients were middle-aged and old-aged, and the main departments were cardiovascular department(22.50%) and neurology department(17.92%). Before 2008, 93.77% of the patients were single overdose users, which reduced to only 2.07% after 2011. The course of treatment was mostly between 8-14 days(32.98%). The top three di-seases diagnosed by Western medicine were hypertension(11.78%), cerebral infarction(9.47%), and coronary heart disease(8.15%), and the most common traditional Chinese medicine syndrome was the deficiency of liver and kidney(18.59%). The most commonly used Western medicine was Acetylsalicylic Acid(51.07%), and the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicine was Danshen Injection(9.67%). The most commonly used Western medicine in combined application was calcium channel blocker(46.88%), and the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in combined application was stasis removing agent(93.21%). And the drug combination with the highest support was Isosorbide Mononitrate + Acetylsalicylic Acide, with a high recovery rate after discharge(96.81%). The results showed that Ciwujia Injection had certain regularity. It considered underlying concurrent diseases, anticoagulation and blood circulation, with a wide range of effects in strengthening the body and regulating the mind. The results could expand the understanding of Ciwujia Injection and provide a more detailed real world basis and reference for optimizing therapeutic regimen in clinic.

The Diagnosis Performance of the TCM Syndromes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome by Gastroenterologists Based on Modified Simple Criteria Compared to TCM Practitioners: A Prospective, Multicenter Preliminary Study.

Purpose Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) including Chinese patent medicine has been widely used to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Syndrome differentiation is the essence of TCM. However, the diagnostic ability of gastroenterologists to detect TCM syndromes in IBS in China remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of gastroenterologists to diagnose the TCM syndromes of IBS based on modified simple criteria compared with TCM practitioners. Methods Patients meeting the Rome III criteria for IBS-D or IBS-C were recruited from six tertiary referral centers between January 2016 and December 2017. After learning the diagnosis criteria of the TCM syndromes in IBS, gastroenterologists first diagnosed the syndromes of the enrolled patients. Subsequently, the patients were diagnosed by TCM practitioners. The rate of agreement between the gastroenterologists and TCM practitioners was analyzed. In addition, demographic data and the distribution of TCM syndrome types in IBS were also analyzed. Results A total of 178 patients (93 males and 85 females), including 131 patients with IBS-D and 47 patients with IBS-C, were enrolled in this study. The rate of agreement of the syndrome diagnosis between the gastroenterologists and TCM practitioners was 84.3%. The diagnosis consistency rates among IBS-D patients and IBS-C patients were 87.0% and 76.5%, respectively. The most common TCM syndrome type in IBS-D patients was liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome (27.5%), followed by spleen-yang deficiency syndrome (19.8%). Dryness and heat in intestine syndrome was the most common TCM syndrome in IBS-C patients (57.4%). Conclusions Gastroenterologists had good diagnostic agreement with TCM practitioners for diagnosing TCM syndrome types in IBS after learning the diagnostic criteria. This knowledge can aid gastroenterologists in selecting suitable Chinese patent medicine to treat IBS.

Literature study on traditional Chinese medicine syndrome distribution of dengue fever

Objective To systematically search the related literature of dengue syndrome in recent years, so as to understand the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome distribution of dengue fever. Methods China biomedical database, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang database were searched. The epidemiological studies on the TCM syndrome of dengue fever were enrolled. The first author of this study, sample size, diagnostic criteria and the syndrome differentiation were collected. SPSS 21.0 software was used to carry out frequency statistics, describe the distribution of common clinical syndromes of dengue fever, and count the number and percentage of patients corresponding to each syndrome type. Results A total of 12 articles were enrolled, including 2 639 patients. The number of male patients were much more than the females. Most of the patients came from Guangdong, mostly after the outbreak of dengue fever in Guangdong in 2014.The most common TCM syndrome types include both the defense and Qi phases (25.20%), damp heat repression (20.69%), blood stasis and toxin (16.37%), excess of Qi and heat (12.24%), vigorous heat at qi-blood phase (10.19%). Conclusions The main pathogenic factors of dengue fever are heat, humidity and toxicity. The most common syndromes are both the defense and Qi phases, damp heat repression and blood stasis and toxin. Key words: Dengue; Syndrome differentiation classification; Distribution law; Medicine pharmacologic literature (TCM); Statistics, medical

HLA-DQB1/DRB1 Alleles Associate with Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome of Chronic Hepatitis B: A Potential Predictor of Progression.

Background and Aims Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely applied in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) supplementary treatment in China. Kidney yang deficiency syndrome (KYDS), one of the most common TCM syndromes of CHB, is more likely to progress to liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma than other syndromes. Polymorphisms in the human leucocyte antigen- (HLA-) DQB1 and -DRB1 genes were reported to be associated with hepatitis B virus infection outcomes. Here, we investigated whether HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DRB1 are associated with the classification of CHB TCM syndromes. Methods We genotyped HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DRB1 alleles in a total of 105 subjects, including 74 CHB patients (28 KYDS and 46 non-KYDS) and 31 healthy individuals from Sichuan Province of Southwest China, by polymerase chain reaction sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT). Moreover, a meta-analysis was carried out for further verification. Results The proportion of patients with high HBV DNA load (≥2000 IU/ml) in the KYDS group is higher than that in the non-KYDS group (60.70% [17/28] vs. 28.30% [13/46]); P=0.01). The frequencies of HLA-DQB1∗02:01 (P=0.04) and HLA-DRB1∗03:01 (P=0.04) in the KYDS group were significantly increased compared to the non-KYDS group. The gene test and meta-analysis showed that HLA-DRB1∗08:03 confers susceptibility to CHB (odds ratio = 1.57). Conclusion We found an association between HLA-DRB1/DQB1 polymorphisms and KYDS of CHB. Moreover, KYDS patients of CHB are characteristic with high HBV DNA loads. These findings help to reveal the biological mechanism of KYDS in high risk of CHB progression and suggest a potential prognostic value for disease outcome evaluation.

Correlation analysis of serum progesterone with clinical indicators and common traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types in male type 2 diabetic patients

To analyze the correlation of serum progesterone (PROG) level with blood biochemical parameters and common traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in male patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We collected the clinical data of 192 male patients with T2DM, who were admitted in the Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing Hospital of Chinese Medical Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine between January, 2018 and March, 2019. The general clinical data, C-peptide level, blood glucose level, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), HOMA, blood lipid level, and sex hormones were compared between the patients with normal PROG and elevated PROG levels and also between the patients with two common TCM syndromes, namely qi and Yin deficiency syndrome and damp- heat accumulation in the spleen syndrome. We further compared the sex hormones, C-peptide level, HOMA, HbA1c, and blood glucose level among the patients with the two TCM syndromes having normal or elevated PROG levels. Compared with those in patients with normal PROG level, BMI, C-peptide, HOMA-β, and HOMA2-IR were significantly lowered and HOMA-IS, E2, and T were significantly increased in patients with elevated PROG level; no statistical differences were found in age, disease duration, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), smoking history, blood pressure, blood glucose, blood lipids, HbA1c, LH, FSH or PRL between the two groups. Compared with the patients with damp-heat accumulation syndrome group, the patients with qi and Yin deficiency syndrome were older and had a longer disease duration, a greater BMI, and higher levels of PROG, C-Peptide, HOMA-β, HOMA2-IR and HOMA-IS, but the smoking history, WHR, HbA1c, blood glucose, and sex hormone levels were comparable between the two groups. Among the 4 groups of patients with different PROG levels and TCM syndromes, significant differences were found in the levels of C-peptide, HOMA-β, HOMA-IS, HOMA2-IR, PROG, E2, T, LH and FSH, and the patients with qi and Yin deficiency syndrome as well as an elevated PROG level had the lowest C-peptide level, HOMA-β and HOMA2-IR and the highest HOMA-IS, PROG, E2, T, LH and FSH. An elevated PROG level is closely related to islet cell dysfunction and TCM syndrome types in male patients with T2DM.

Traditional Chinese medicine syndromes distribution in colorectal cancer and its association with Western Medicine Treatment and Clinical Laboratory Indicators

Objective: The objective of the study is to explore the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome distribution in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its correlation with treatment methods and clinical laboratory indicators. Materials and Methods: Using the CRC cases report form of TCM, 760 CRC patients with TCM four diagnosis information, western medicine treatment information and clinical laboratory indicators were collected, and TCM syndromes distribution in CRC were summarized. The correlation between TCM syndrome type and western medicine treatments, clinical laboratory indicators such as liver and kidney function, immune function, and tumor biomarkers was analyzed. Results: In 760 cases of CRC, Spleen deficiency syndrome (SDS, 25%), liver and kidney Yin deficiency syndrome (LKYDS, 13%), LKYDS-SDS, 12%, spleen deficient Qi stagnation syndrome (SDQSS, 10%), and damp heat syndrome (DHS, 9%) were more common TCM syndrome types. LKYDS, SDS, LKYDS-SDS, and SDQSS were significantly distributed under different treatment methods (P 0.05), but there was statistically significant difference in the distribution of blood routine, liver and kidney function, and tumor biomarkers (P

The study of differentially expressed serum protein in patients with different traditional chinese medicine syndromes of knee osteoarthritis

Objectives: To study the distribution characteristics of patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) of different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes and to reveal the differences from the perspectives of expressions of serum inflammatory indicators. Methods: One hundred and thirty-four patients with KOA treated in our hospital from January 2013 to March 2016 and referring to TCM syndrome types were included in the study and were divided into three types: Yin in kidney and liver\tendon and vesselstasissyndrome,s pleen and kidney deficiency wet injection the osteomere syndrome, kidney Yang and weak\phlegm stasis syndrome; 24 healthy persons who took physical examination in our hospital were selected as the normal control group. Patients' blood was collected in the morning as the blood samples, and the levels of inflammatory factors (5-TH, interleukin-6 [IL-6], and tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α]) were measured in serum. Results: The most common TCM syndrome of KOAin the clinical trialsis Yin in kidney and liver\tendon and vesselstasissyndrome, the percents of spleen and kidney deficiency\wet injection the osteomere syndrome and kidney Yang and weak\phlegm stasissyndrome are near, the former is slightly higher than the latter by 3.97%. The levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the three groups were significantly higher than those in the normal control group, whereas the 5-TH level was significantly lower in the three groups than that in the normal control group (P

A Real-World Evidence Study for Distribution of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome and Its Elements on Respiratory Disease

Background This study aimed to investigate the distribution and characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome and its elements on respiratory diseases (RDs) based on real-world data (RWD). Methods A real-world study was performed to explore the relationships among TCM syndrome and RDs based on electronic medical information. A total of 26,074 medical records with complete data were available for data analysis. Factor analyses were used to reduce dimensions of TCM syndrome elements and detect common factors. Additionally, cluster analyses were employed to assess combinations of TCM syndrome elements. Finally, association rule analyses were performed to investigate the structures of TCM syndrome elements to estimate the patterns of TCM syndrome. Results A total of 27 TCM syndromes were extracted from RWD in this work. There were four TCM syndromes with >5.0% frequency based on the distribution frequency. The top five pathogenesis TCM syndrome elements were Tan, Huo, Feng, Qi_Xu, and Han. Factor analysis, cluster analysis, and association rule analysis demonstrated that Tan, Huo, Feng, Qi_Xu, Shen, and Fei were the core TCM syndrome elements. Conclusion Four common Shi TCM syndromes on RDs were identified: Tan_Re_Yong_Fei, Tan_Zhuo_Zu_Fei, Feng_Re_Fan_Fei, and Feng_Han_Xi_Fei; two core common Xu TCM syndromes (Fei_Shen_Qi_Xu and Fei_Yin_Xu) and two core common Mix TCM syndromes (Fei_Pi_Qi_Xu-Tan_Shi_Yun_Fei and Fei_Shen_Qi_Xu-Tan_Yu_Zu_Fei) were also determined. The core TCM syndrome elements of Tan, Huo, Feng, Qi_Xu, Shen, and Fei were identified in this work.

The TCM diagnosis and treatment guideline of the wind of four fossae: a Delphi concensus study

Objective To evaluate the common traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types, therapies and formulas of the wind of four fossae. This will provide reference for the formulation of the guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of traditional Chinese medicine in the wind of four fossae. Methods Delphi method using questionnaires were developed based on literature about TCM syndromes and treatment of the wind of four fossae. The questionnaire were sent to 25 experts nationwide for 2 rounds. The database of the collected data was established. The mean, full score ratio, rank sum and coefficient of variation were described and by SAS 6.12 statistical software. Results A total of 21 valid questionnaires were recovered in the first round and 23 valid questionnaires in the second round. The active coefficient of the experts was 84% and 92%, respectively. The results showed that syndromes of newborn heat, damp heat retention, spleen deficiency and blood dryness, wind dampness accumulating skin, blood deficiency and wind dryness demonstrated high concensus. The consistency scores' mean of 5 syndromes were 1.67, 1.90, 1.83, 1.71 and 1.90. The sum of degrees of 5 syndromes were 37, 40, 42, 36 and 40. The ratio of full scores of 5 syndromes were 0.81, 0.90, 0.87, 0.71 and 0.90. The coefficient of variations of 5 syndromes were 0.32, 0.16, 0.27, 0.27 and 0.16. The therapy of syndrome of newborn heat was clearing away the heart-fire and inducing diuresis by the sanxin daochi decoction; The therapy of syndrome of damp heat retention was clearing heat and removing dampness by longdan xiegan decoction; The therapy of syndrome of wind dampness accumulating skin was dispelling wind and eliminating dampness by xiaofeng san; The therapy of syndrome of spleen deficiency and blood dryness was enriching blood and moistening dryness by danggui decoction; The therapy of syndrome of blood deficiency and wind dryness was replenishing qi to invigorate the spleen and enriching blood to calm endogenous wind by shenling baizhu power and danggui decoction. Conclusion Questionnaire survey could quantify the opinions of experts, and provide reference for the establishment of guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of traditional Chinese medicine in the wind of four fossae. Key words: Dermatitis, atopic; The wind of four fossae; Delphi method; Therapeutic methods; Guidebooks

Gene Expression Profiles of HIV/AIDS Patients with Qi-Yin Deficiency and Dampness-Heat Retention

Objectives: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) applied in the clinic as a complementary and alternative therapy has helped improve immunity and reduce side effects and symptomatic treatment in patients with HIV/AIDS. However, the mechanisms of TCM syndromes are not clear. Transcriptomics enables the study of such TCM syndromes.Design: This study compared the messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions of healthy persons and patients with HIV/AIDS who had two common TCM syndromes, qi-yin deficiency and dampness-heat retention, to find the difference in HIV/AIDS with TCM syndromes.Results: Comparison with healthy persons identified 113 mRNAs—41 enhanced and 72 decreased—in the qi-yin deficiency group. Additionally, 76 mRNAs were found in the dampness-heat retention group: 14 increased and 62 decreased. Functional genetic analysis of the mRNAs indicated that two TCM syndromes were correlated with cell apoptosis, immunoinflammatory responses, and lymphocyte activation. Differentially expressed mRNAs in the qi-yin deficiency group were obviously associated with cellular activity, communication, protein localization, cellular ion homeostasis, and regulation of cell motion, whereas mRNAs in the dampness-heat retention group were associated with sequence-specific DNA binding, cellular response to stress, and hemopoietic or lymphoid organ development.Conclusions: These results suggest that the formation of different TCM syndromes in patients with HIV/AIDS were founded on biological transcriptomics, which reveal mechanisms of the formation of these syndromes in HIV/AIDS. Differentially expressed mRNAs in two TCM syndrome groups tended to normalize after TCM intervention, which indicates that TCM might remit symptoms by changing genetic expression.

Clinical characteristics and medicinal analysis for osteoporosis based on real world

To understand the actual clinical situation of osteoporosis patients in our country, 9 731 hospitalized patients with osteoporosis from HIS system of 20 national 3A-grade hospitals were selected as the research objects to analyze their general information, western medicine combined diseases, diagnostic information, relationship with the onset of 24 solar terms, and the therapeutics application. Results showed that the median age of hospitalized patients with osteoporosis disease was 72 years old, more common in women aged 60 to 74; mainly in manual workers (73.87%); most in general outpatient clinic during the admission; conditions of the most patients (81.61%) were general during hospital admission; patients were more likely hospitalized from orthopaedics department (21.94%); hospital length of stay was mainly of 8-14 days (39.96%); 34.34% of the patients had a total hospitalization cost of 5 000 yuan to 10 000 yuan; 75.01% of the patients were beneficial from national health medical insurance. The complications mainly included hypertension, diabetes, and osteoarthritis, and the complication rate was as high as 34.67% for hypertension; the most common traditional Chinese medicine syndrome was deficiency of liver-Yin and kidney-Yin (36.62%); the patients were admitted to the hospital most during 3 solar terms: beginning of summer, summer solstice and cold dew. Calcitonin salmon and calcium carbonate were most widely used in western medicine and Zhengqing Fengtongning was most widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. In conclusion, osteoporosis is more common in elderly patients, and is closely related to solar terms; integrated treatment strategies of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine can be widely used in clinical application and have certain advantages.

Herbal medicines for cardiovascular diseases.

Herbal medicines for cardiovascular diseases.

Construction of a traditional Chinese medicine syndrome-specific outcome measure: the Kidney Deficiency Syndrome questionnaire (KDSQ)

BackgroundDevelopment of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome-specific outcome measures is needed for the evaluation of TCM syndrome-specific therapies. We constructed a Kidney Deficiency Syndrome Questionnaire (KDSQ) for the evaluation of the common TCM syndromes Kidney-Yin Deficiency Syndrome (KDS-Yin) and Kidney-Yang Deficiency Syndrome (KDS-Yang) in middle-aged women with menopausal symptoms.MethodsKDS-Yin and KDS-Yang were traditionally defined by expert opinion were validated by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). Content validity was tested by EFA on a sample of 236 women from a seminar and SEM on another sample of 321 women from a postal survey. Other psychometric properties were tested on 292 women from the seminar at baseline and two systematically selected sub-samples: 54 who reported no changes in discomforts 11–12 days after the baseline and 31 who reported changes in discomforts 67–74 days after the baseline. All participants completed the KDSQ, the Greene Climacteric Scale and the standard 12-item Short Form Health Survey.ResultsThe EFA and SEM established the measurement models of KDS-Yin and KDS-Yang supporting content validity of the KDSQ. Internal consistency was good (Cronbach’s Alpha >0.70). Construct validity was supported by theoretically-derived levels of correlation with the established external measures. Test–retest reliability was strong (ICCagreement: KDS-Yin, 0.94; KDS-Yang, 0.93). The KDSQ was responsive to changes over time as tested by effect size and longitudinal validity.ConclusionsThe KDSQ was a valid and reliable measure for KDS-Yin and KDS-Yang in Hong Kong Chinese middle-aged women with menopausal symptoms.

Common syndrome factors of traditional Chinese medicine in chronic renal failure based on the questionnaire investigation among experts

To screen common traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome factors of chronic renal failure (CRF) via questionnaire investigation among experts. A questionnaire was developed based on the results of our previous researches. The investigation was carried out with the questionnaire among experts who are engaged in clinical research and treatment of nephrosis with the title of chief or associate chief physician from 15 hospitals in China. Common TCM syndrome factors of CRF were obtained based on the data analysis of the mean value on general evaluation, cumulative percentage and coefficient of variation. A total of 114 sets of the questionnaire were sent out and all of them were returned back, 113 of which were effective. The recovery rate is 100%. The TCM syndrome factors were regarded as common factors of CRF syndrome if the cumulative percentage was more than or equal to 60% and the coefficient of variation was less than or equal to 0.35. The syndrome factors related to the disease location were the kidney, spleen, stomach, heart, and lung; the syndrome factors related to the disease type were dampness, turbid toxin, blood stasis, water retention, and phlegm which belong to excess type, and qi deficiency, yin deficiency, yang deficiency, blood deficiency, and essence deficiency which belong to deficiency type. The common TCM syndrome factors of CRF were obtained from the representative experts through the questionnaire investigation among the experts. The results enable us to have a deeper understanding of the disease in view of TCM compared with the previous literature data and may contribute to the establishment of TCM syndrome diagnosis criteria of the disease in the future.