Odor and taste are characteristic properties of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). They are closely related to the chemical compositions in TCM. They are also the outer reflection of TCM quality and an important part of the character identification. This article reviewed the current research on odor and taste identification of TCM, which indicated that odor and taste identification had not been paid enough attention to and its research lagged behind modern social development. Based on current analytical techniques and methods, this article proposed a new idea for odor and taste identification of TCM. The idea emphasized the objectification of odor and taste and TCM identification research should be combined with chemical components analysis.

Presently, there are many issues in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoction, such as the uncertain sources of TCM, the lack of reminder for medication taboo, the nonstardard herb operation, and difficult supervision, etc. A digital service system of TCM decoction was established to solve the problems mentioned above. The digital service system mainly includes automatic coding for checking in & out, drug medication taboo database, digital operation in decoction, distribution through 2D code, the corresponding application for mobile phone, and the information supervision platform for TCM decoction. The digital service system of TCM decoction can track the quality & duty of the pieces, remind decoction medicine contraindications, improve the standard operation process of decoction, develop decoction distribution & tracking through cell phone, save the waiting time, and hence provides a new supervising method for TCM decoction. The digital service system of TCM decoction solves the key issues for the formula, operation, delivery and supervision of TCM. In the same vein, this system will expand the market share of TCM decoction and promote the development of TCM.

Objective To compare the efficacy of trastuzumab plus pertuzumab (HP) combined with either nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin or docetaxel plus carboplatin as neoadjuvant therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer in real-world clinical practice. Methods Clinical data of HER2-positive breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant therapy with either HP combined with nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin or HP combined with docetaxel plus carboplatin and subsequently underwent surgery were retrospectively collected from 11 tertiary grade-A hospitals in Hebei Province from June 2019 to December 2021. The total pathological complete response (tpCR) rates of the two groups were compared. Results A total of 76 patients were included in the study, with 47 in the nab-paclitaxel group and 29 in the docetaxel group. The tpCR rate was significantly higher in the nab-paclitaxel group than that in the docetaxel group (72.3% vs. 48.3%, χ²=4.463, P=0.035). Subgroup analysis indicated that patients older than 40 years, with cN2-3, cTNM stage Ⅲ, hormone receptor-positive status, and Ki67>30% had significantly higher tpCR rates in the nab-paclitaxel group than those in the docetaxel group (P<0.05). Conclusion In real-world clinical practice, the efficacy of HP combined with nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin as neoadjuvant therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer is superior to that of HP combined with docetaxel plus carboplatin.