Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a treasure of five-thousand-year civilization of China, with systemic theory and reliable clinical efficacy. As the origin of TCM, China should have a large number of independent intellectual property rights of TCM beyond any doubt. However, the quality of TCM patent application as a whole is far from optimistic currently. Targeting the differences in number and quality of TCM patent application in China, this article analyzed current situation of TCM patent application, discussed the reasons and offered countermeasures, and proposed that the work focus of intellectual property in China should shift from quantity to quality. It also argued that targeted countermeasures should be chosen according to the causing reasons, and overall promotion of the TCM intellectual property competiveness should be achieved through multi-aspect and multi-department cooperation.

Objective To evaluate the effect of dexmedetomidine on high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1)/Toll-like receptors (TLRs) signaling pathway during lung injury in septic rats.Methods Twenty-four SPF healthy adult male Wistar rats,aged 15-18 weeks,weighing 200-250 g,were divided into 3 groups (n =8 each) using a random number table:sham operation group (group S),sepsis group (group Sep) and dexmedetomidine group (group D).Dexmedetomidine 25 μg/kg was intraperitoneally injected in D group,while the equal volume of normal saline was given instead in S and Sep groups.Sepsis was produced by cecal ligation and puncture in Sep and D groups.The rats were sacrificed at 24 h after operation,and the right lung was removed for examination of the pathological changes which were scored and for determination of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity,content of interleukin-1β (IL-1β),IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in lung tissues (by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay),wet to dry weight ratio (W/D ratio) and expression of HMGB1,TLR2 and TLR4 in lung tissues (by Western blot).Results Compared with group S,the MPO activity,lung injury score,W/D ratio,content of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α and expression of HMGB1,TLR2 and TLR4 were significantly increased in Sep and D groups (P＜0.05).Compared with group Sep,the MPO activity,lung injury score,W/D ratio,content of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α and expression of HMGB1,TLR2 and TLR4 were significantly decreased in group D (P＜0.05).Conclusion Dexmedetomidine reduces lung injury through inhibiting HMGB1/TLRs signaling pathway in septic rats.

Objective:To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of filiform fire needle combined with tacrolimus ointment in the treatment of vitiligo.Methods:The RCTs of combination of filiform fire needle and tacrolimus ointment on the treatment of vitiligo were searched in the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China Knowledge Network Full-text Database (CNKI), Wanfang Full-text Database, VIP and PubMed databases. The studies were selected with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, then data extracted, and the quality of the included studies was evaluated according to Cochrane System Evaluation Manual. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMen 5.3 software.Results:Four studies involving 218 patients were included. After analysis, it was found that the effective rate [ OR=4.42, 95% CI (1.39-14.03), P<0.05)] and the apparent efficiency [ OR=2.89, 95% CI (1.40-5.95), P=0.004] of filiform fire needle combined with tacrolimus ointment were significantly better than that of tacrolimus ointment alone. Adverse reactions werelocal slight redness, pain and itching. None of adverse reactionswas reported. Recurrence occurred in the follow-up of were reported in two studies, which found that the recurrence rate [ OR=0.17, 95% CI (0.04-0.77), P<0.05] in the combined treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group. Conclusions:The clinical efficacy of filiform fire needle combined with tacrolimus ointment in the treatment of vitiligo is better than that of tacrolimus ointment alone, and the recurrence rate can be reduced without any adverse reactions. However, in view of the limited number, average quality and bias of the included studies, it is suggested to carry out more multi-center, large sample and high quality randomized controlled trials for further verification.