With advances in complex network theory, the thinking and methods regarding complex systems have changed revolutionarily. Network biology and network pharmacology were built by applying network-based approaches in biomedical research. The cardiovascular system may be regarded as a complex network, and cardiovascular diseases may be taken as the damage of structure and function of the cardiovascular network. Although Chinese medicine (CM) is effective in treating cardiovascular diseases, its mechanisms are still unclear. With the guidance of complex network theory, network biology and network pharmacology, network-based approaches could be used in the study of CM in preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases. A new discipline-network cardiovasology of CM was, therefore, developed. In this paper, complex network theory, network biology and network pharmacology were introduced and the connotation of "disease-syndrome-formula-herb" was illustrated from the network angle. Network biology could be used to analyze cardiovascular diseases and syndromes and network pharmacology could be used to analyze CM formulas and herbs. The "network-network"-based approaches could provide a new view for elucidating the mechanisms of CM treatment.

Purpose: To study the expression of VEGF, VEGF-C, fit-4 in breast cancer and its relationship with lymph node metastasis and explore the significance of lymphangiogenesis on metastasis via lymphtics. Methods: Paraffin-embedded specimens from 82 patients with primary breast cancer who had undergone radical mastectomy with lymph node dissection were studied. VEGF, VEGF-C, flt-4 expression were investigated by immunohistochemical staining. Results: Positive staining for VEGF, VEGF-C, flt-4 were observed in some breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the expression of VEGF-C, flt-4 were significantly higher in lymph node-positive group than in node-negative group. Correlation was found within the expression of VEGF-C, flt4 also. Conclusions: Clinical significance was found between VEGF-C, flt-4 expression and lymph-node metastasis in breast cancer, and may be involved in the metastatic process.

Acute Disease ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Toluidines ; poisoning ; Young Adult

Adolescent ; Adult ; Allyl Compounds ; poisoning ; Chronic Disease ; Female ; Humans ; Occupational Diseases ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Poisoning ; diagnosis ; therapy

Botulinum Toxins, Type A ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Cerebral Palsy ; drug therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Humans ; Male

Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Infant ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch ; diagnosis ; therapy

Adult ; Antiphospholipid Syndrome ; complications ; Humans ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; complications

China ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Esophagectomy ; methods ; trends ; Esophagoscopy ; methods ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; methods ; Survival Rate

Aged ; Castleman Disease ; complications ; Hepatitis B ; complications ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; complications ; virology ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; complications ; Male

The prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) is increasing, and has been a severe burden on society and family worldwide. New ideas need to be achieved for developing more efficacious and safe therapies to treat CHD. Chinese medicine (CM) uses multicomponent drugs to prevent disease and ameliorate symptoms based on patients' different syndromes. The benefit of CM in CHD has recently been proven by increasing clinical evidence. More importantly, linking CM syndrome differentiation and biomedical diagnosis might provide innovative thinking for treating CHD. According to epidemiological investigations, blood stasis syndrome (BSS) is the major type of syndrome in CHD. Investigating the biomedical mechanisms of BSS of CHD is a topic of CM research. Because the holistic perspective of systems biology is well matched with CM, the application of omics techniques and other integrative approaches appears inherently appropriate. A wide range of omics techniques, including transcriptomics and proteomics, have been used in studies of BSS of CHD to search for a common ground of understanding. These approaches could be useful for understanding BSS of CHD from clinical and biological viewpoints. Nevertheless, current studies mainly contain results from a single approach, and they have not achieved the holistic, systematic and integrative concept of system biology. Therefore, we discuss the progress and challenges in exploring the biomedical mechanisms of BSS of CHD by systems biology approaches. With further development of systems biology, a better platform to study BSS of CHD may be provided, and biomarkers for BSS of CHD and therapeutic targets may be found. The study of BSS of CHD by systems biology approaches will also be beneficial for developing personalized treatment for BSS of CHD patients.
Coronary Disease ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Humans ; Syndrome ; Systems Biology ; methods