Arab countries have long tradition of using traditional medicine which enjoys mass foundation among local people. Recently, China's import and export trade of traditional medicine products with Arab countries showed an increasing trend year by year. With the implementation of the Belt and Road Strategy, Arab countries played a more important role in China's foreign trade. With the aim of promoting the spread of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in Arab countries, cooperation with relevant countries shall be differentiated. The Gulf region is economically advanced with its people enjoying prosperity, where is suitable for developing TCM product and service trade. The Levant has strong advantages in traditional medicine research, where academic communication shall be frequented. Countries in north Africa enjoy profound traditional friendship with China, where are suitable for dispatching Chinese foreign aid medical team to promote TCM. Meanwhile, we are supposed to take advantage of Confucius Institute and Chinese culture centers as platforms to spread TCM culture, to strengthen cooperation with medical universities and research institutions in the target countries, to enroll more Arab students to study TCM, to develop international standard Chinese-Arabic basic nomenclature of Chinese Medicine, and to carry out Traditional Arabic & Islamic Medicine researches.

Objective To establish a framework of indexes for assessing the composite results in TCM hospitals so as to promote their development. Methods Such methods and techniques as literature review, descriptive study, Delphi expert consultation, step analysis, composite index, weighted rank sum ratio, and correlation analysis as used by Kendall and others were adopted. Results The current situation regarding the allocation and utilization of health resources in a certain city was found out and a framework of indexes for assessing the composite results in TCM hospitals and the demarcation line for dividing the results into grades were defined. Conclusion The development of TCM hospitals in the city has reached a certain scale, the feature of TCM specialties forms a new growth point, and the framework of indexes for the assessment of composite results in TCM hospitals needs constant perfection.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Spleen- strengthening decoction on GLP- 1 in patients with type II diabetes. METHODS: A randomized double- blind placebo- controlled test was conducted, and through observations for 8 wks, the changes of the two patient groups in plasma glucose, HbA1c, plasma GLP- 1 and Glucagon as well as TCM symptom score were measured for comparison. RESULTS: Before administration of Spleen- strengthening decoction, the two groups showed no significant difference in all of the indexes. After administration, the treatment group recorded lower indexes in fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c and plasma Glucagon, but higher index in fasting plasma GLP- 1, with no significant difference seen in other indexes. CONCLUSIONS: Spleen- strengthening decoction can improve glucose metabolism through heightening fasting plasma GLP- 1, and lowering both Glucagon and fasting plasma glucose.

Objective To observe the changes of carotid intima-media thickness(CIMT) and vascular endothelia function in patients with geriatric carotid plaque before and after intensive lipid lowering was performed.Methods 102 patients diagnosed with carotid plaque were ramdomly divided into common group (atorvastatin 10 mg/d,n=48) and intensive lipid lowering group (atorvastatin 20 mg/d,n=54).After one year of treatment,the fasting venous blood total cholesterol (TC),low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C),high density lipeprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) were assayed,and the thickest and thinnest CIMT and brachial arterial.endothelium dependent diastolic function (FMD) and carotid artery plaque index(PI) were measured by ultrasound.Results Two groups in the thickest CIMT and PI had no significant difference before and after treatment (P＞0.05).The levels of FMD,TC,LDL-C,TG and the thinnest CIMT had significant difference before and after therapy [common group:GIMT(0.85±0.20)mm,(0.83±0.22) mm,FMD(3.85±1.41)%,(7.91±1.05)%,TC(6.46±1.05) mmol/L,(4.82±1.26) mmol/L,LDL-C (4.71±1.00) mmol/L,(3.16±1.00) mmol/L,TG (1.55±0.45) mmol/L,(1.49±0.44) mmol/L;intensive lipid lowering group:CIMT(0.84±0.20) mm,(0.63±0.17) mm,FMD (3.74±1.38) %,(0.25±1.58)%,TC (6.36±1.06) mmol/L,(4.10±1.00) mmol/L,LDL-C (4.73±1.01) mmol/L、(2.28±1.26) mmol/L,TG (1.56±0.53) mmol/L,(1.50±0.49) mmol/L,P＜0.05].After one year's therapy,the difference in intensive lipid lowering group was more obvious than in common group (P＜0.05).Conclusions Intensive lipid lowering therapy is more effective to decrease TC,LDL-C and CIMT and to improve the vascular endothelia function.Atorvastatin is effective to stabilize the plaque and to retard the atheroscleresis development.

This study was aimed to evaluate effect of Qinghua Granules (QHG) on glycometabolism, pancreatic islet function and oxidative stress in type-2 diabetics with heat syndrome. A total of 60 cases of type-2 diabetics with heat syndrome (according to the Syndrome Element Syndrome Differentiation) were enrolled in the clinic of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Tradi-tional Chinese Medicine. The average age of enrolled cases was (57.9 ± 6.9) years. Enrolled cases were randomly divided into the treatment group and the control group. The original hypoglycemic plan was continued to use. In the treatment group, QHG was administrated. And in the control group, placebo was given. The administration dosage in both groups was one package per day. The treatment course was 12 weeks. The fasting and postpran-dial (120 min after standard meal) blood samples before and after medication were collected. The main evalua-tion indexes were fasting plasma glucose (FPG), postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). The secondary evaluation indexes were homeostasis model assessment (HOMA2-%B, HOMA2-%S, HOMA2%-IR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), maleic dialdehyde (MDA), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The anal-ysis of variance was used in the comparison of efficacy between two groups . The results showed that HbA1c in the treatment group was obviously reduced, and HOMA2-%B was obviously increased. There was no significant changes in the control group ( P = 0 . 044 , P = 0 . 016 ) . In the treatment group , SOD increased obviously , MDA reduced obviously. There was no significant change in the control group. There was difference b etween two groups (P = 0.011, P = 0.049). There was no change on blood lipids or other evaluation indexes. It was conclud-ed that QHG is effective in the improvement of glycometabolism, islet β-cell functions and oxidative stress in type-2 diabetics with heat syndrome .

Objective To analyze the disease spectrum of patients admitted to the General Internal Medicine Unit at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, which is the first academic division of general internal medicine in the department of medicine within Chinese medical colleges and universities, and the value of general internal medicine unit in comprehensive hospitals. Methods A retrospective data review of patients admitted to the General Internal Medicine Unit from 2004 to 2008 was conducted from hospital information system and partially by chart review manually. Analysis of disease spectrum was performed thereafter. Results A total of 2593 patients were included in our study. It consisted of 1075 men and 1518women, with an average age of 45.1 years old. Forty point three percent of these patients were from Beijing,the local city, and the remaining 59.7% were from outside of Beijing. Sixty-four point nine percent (1683/2593)of these patients did not have a clear diagnosis on admission, including 758 fever of unknown origin (FUO) cases and 925 non-FUO cases. The final diagnostic rate of the FUO cases was 89. 2% [676/758, with the first three leading causes as diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (29. 8%), certain infectious and parasitic diseases(26.3%), and neoplasm (14. 5%)] . The final diagnostic rate of the 928 non-FUO cases was 86. 8%(803/925), with the first three leading causes as musculoskeletal system and connective tissue(24.9%), neoplasm (15.5%), and diseases of blood and blood-forming organs(11.4%). Despite most diagnoses fitting into the above categories, the array of diseases was broad with as many as 550 discharge diagnoses from 2004 to 2008. Conclusions During 2004 -2008, there was a high proportion of cases that presented to the General Internal Medicine Unit at Peking Union Medical College Hospital with an unclear diagnosis, and the spectrum of diseases diagnosed was very broad. This kind of patient admitting model might not only benefit patients with no clear admission diagnosis and patients with multidisciplinary medical problems for whom it is usually difficult to be admitted by a specialty unit, but would also benefit medical students and residents by providing a good clinical medicine teaching base. These features show the value of general internal unit in comprehensive hospitals.

The central nervous system (CNS) plays a key regulatory role in glucose homeostasis. In particular, the brain is important in initiating and coordinating protective counterregulatory responses when blood glucose levels fall. This may due to the metabolic dependency of the CNS on glucose, and protection of food supply to the brain. In healthy subjects, blood glucose is normally maintained within a relatively narrow range. Hypoglycemia in diabetic patients can increase the risk of complications, such as heart disease and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The clinical research finds that the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a positive effect on the treatment of hypoglycemia. Here the authors reviewed the current understanding of sensing and counterregulatory responses to hypoglycemia, and discuss combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine and the theory of iatrogenic hypoglycemia in diabetes treatment. Furthermore, the authors clarify the feasibility of treating hypoglycemia on the basis of TCM theory and CNS and have an insight on its clinical practice.

Objective:To compare demographic characteristics,clinical characteristics,therapeutic characteris-tics and physiological indicators of patients with bipolar Ⅰ disorder and bipolar Ⅱ disorder.Methods:A total of 381 patients with bipolar disorder(BD)diagnosed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 th Edi-tion(DSM-5)were selected,including 302 patients with BD-Ⅰ(79.27％),74 patients with BD-Ⅱ(19.42％)and 5 patients with other specific and related disorders(1.31％).Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected with self-designed clinical information questionnaire.Multivariate logistic regression and multivariate linear regres-sion analysis were used for analysis.Results:Compared with patients with BD-Ⅱ,patients with BD-Ⅰ had more risk to have psychotic features(OR=5.75,95％CI:2.82-11.76),longer disease duration,and more repeated transcra-nial magnetic therapy(OR=3.09,95％CI:1.02-9.35),higher uric acid,total cholesterol and high-density lipo-protein.BD-Ⅰ in Han nationality was more common(OR=11.50,95％CI:1.76-75.30),and had lower education level(OR=10.22,95％CI:1.16-89.77),and less family history of psychosis(OR=2.34,95％CI:1.01-5.42).Conclusion:There are significant differences between BD-Ⅰ and BD-Ⅱ in demographic and clinical charac-teristics,treatment status,and physiological indicators,which could provide clues for exploring the pathogenesis of bipolar disorder.

Objective:To compare clinical characteristics,treatment patterns and physiological indicators in bipolar disorder(BD)patients with different age of onset.Methods:Totally 380 patients with DSM-5 BD were se-lected in this study.Psychiatrists diagnosed the patients using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview.The clinical information questionnaire and the Global Assessment of Functioning scale were utilized to collected clinical characteristics,treatment status,and physiological indicators.The onset age of BD was divided into 21 and 35 years as cut-off points.Multivariate logistic regression and linear regression were used to analyze related factors.Results:Among the 380 patients with BD,199 cases were early-onset group(52.4％),121 cases were middle-onset group(31.8％),and 60 cases were late-onset group(15.8％).There were 26.6％of patients in the early-onset group in-itially diagnosed as depression,23.1％in the middle-onset group,and 11.7％in the late-onset group.Multivariate analysis revealed that compared to the early-onset group of BD,the middle-onset(OR=2.22)and late-onset(OR=4.99)groups had more risk to experience depressive episodes,and the late-onset group(OR=6.74)had 6.74 times of risk to suffer from bipolar Ⅱ disorder.Additionally,patients in the middle-onset(β=-1.52)and late-on-set(β=-4.29)groups had shorter durations of delayed treatment,and those in the middle-onset(β=-1.62)and late-onset(β=-3.14)groups had fewer hospitalizations.Uric acid levels were lower in both the middle-onset(β=-28.39)and late-onset(β=-31.47)groups,and total cholesterol level was lower in the middle-onset group(β=-0.23).Conclusion:Patients with BD in different age of onset show significant differences in clinical charac-teristics,treatment conditions and physiological indicators.