Functional dyspepsia (FD), characterized by persistent or recurrent dyspeptic symptoms without identifiable organic, systemic or metabolic causes, is an increasingly recognized global health issue. The objective of this guideline is to equip clinicians and nursing professionals with evidence-based strategies for the management and treatment of adult patients with FD using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The Guideline Development Group consulted existing TCM consensus documents on FD and convened a panel of 35 clinicians to generate initial clinical queries. To address these queries, a systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Database, China Biology Medicine (SinoMed) Database, Wanfang Database, Traditional Medicine Research Data Expanded (TMRDE), and the Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS). The evidence from the literature was critically appraised using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The strength of the recommendations was ascertained through a consensus-building process involving TCM and allopathic medicine experts, methodologists, pharmacologists, nursing specialists, and health economists, leveraging their collective expertise and empirical knowledge. The guideline comprises a total of 43 evidence-informed recommendations that span a range of clinical aspects, including the pathogenesis according to TCM, diagnostic approaches, therapeutic interventions, efficacy assessments, and prognostic considerations. Please cite this article as: Zhang SS, Zhao LQ, Hou XH, Bian ZX, Zheng JH, Tian HH, Yang GH, Hong WS, He YY, Liu L, Shen H, Li YP, Xie S, Shu J, Zeng BF, Li JX, Liu Z, Xiao ZH, Xiao JD, Zheng PY, Huang SG, Chen SL, Fei GJ. International clinical practice guideline on the use of traditional Chinese medicine for functional dyspepsia (2025). J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):502-518.
Dyspepsia/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*

Coronary artery fistula(CAF)is defined as the direct connection between coronary artery and cardiac cavity,great vessel or other vascular structures.Most CAF are congenital and often present as persistent murmur in asymptomatic children.Although abnormal shunt of most coronary fistulas has little effect on hemodynamics,some larger fistulas can also lead to a series of complications,such as congestive heart failure.Therefore,closed CAF has been recommended to treat or prevent myocardial ischemia,congestive heart failure,endarteritis,arrhythmia,thromboembolism,aneurysm dilatation and rupture and other complications.CAF is a rare congenital heart disease,and bilateral CAF originating from two coronary arteries is even rarer.At present,there are rare systematic reports on bilateral CAF.Therefore,a case of huge bilateral CAF at the same site was reported,and systematically,this kind of case was summarized,so as to improve the clinical attention of diagnosis and treatment of this kind of CAF.Nowadays,some new interventional devices and technologies are emerging with the continuous progress of cardiovascular interventional technology,making the treatment more accurate,safe and effective.At the same time,there is also a clearer understanding of the indications and operating standards for interventional treatment,which is more operable and predictable during the treatment process.Therefore,interventional treatment of CAF may partially replace surgical treatment as the preferred treatment method.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays a crucial role in maintaining the homeostasis of the brain's internal environment, which poses challenges to the treatment of central nervous system diseases. Drug carriers can aid in the delivery of therapeutic agents across the BBB to exert their pharmacological effects. The article reviewed the pathways for drug delivery across the BBB, the intracerebral fate and the classification of drug carriers and focuses on the functions and characteristics of liposomes, exosomes, apoptotic bodies, cell-penetrating peptides, and cell-targeting peptides. The review will provide an outlook on the future and challenge of research in the field of drug delivery across the BBB.

As artificial intelligence technology rapidly advances, its deployment within the medical sector presents substantial ethical challenges. Consequently, it becomes crucial to create a standardized, transparent, and secure framework for processing medical data. This includes setting the ethical boundaries for medical artificial intelligence and safeguarding both patient rights and data integrity. This consensus governs every facet of medical data handling through artificial intelligence, encompassing data gathering, processing, storage, transmission, utilization, and sharing. Its purpose is to ensure the management of medical data adheres to ethical standards and legal requirements, while safeguarding patient privacy and data security. Concurrently, the principles of compliance with the law, patient privacy respect, patient interest protection, and safety and reliability are underscored. Key issues such as informed consent, data usage, intellectual property protection, conflict of interest, and benefit sharing are examined in depth. The enactment of this expert consensus is intended to foster the profound integration and sustainable advancement of artificial intelligence within the medical domain, while simultaneously ensuring that artificial intelligence adheres strictly to the relevant ethical norms and legal frameworks during the processing of medical data.
Artificial Intelligence/legislation & jurisprudence* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Computer Security/standards* ; Confidentiality/ethics* ; Informed Consent/ethics*

Objective:To explore the β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition pattern of subjects with the preclinical Alzheimer′s disease (AD), community-derived amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and normal cognition (NC) from communities of Shanghai.Methods:According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 273 subjects (104 males, 169 females; age (64.2±7.6) years) were recruited from Shanghai community and memory clinics from December 2018 to July 2020. All subjects underwent MRI, 18F-AV45 PET imaging and neuropsychological scale tests and were grouped into AD, aMCI and NC groups based on clinical diagnosis. Differences in demographic information, the neuropsychological scale tests′ scores and positive rate of Aβ deposition among each group were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance or χ2 test. Aβ deposition patterns of AD and MCI groups were analyzed at voxel level, and the differences of Aβ deposition among different groups were compared. Results:Among 273 patients, the positive rates of Aβ deposition in AD, aMCI and NC groups were 84.4%(38/45), 36.4%(20/55) and 23.1%(40/173), respectively ( χ2=58.37, P<0.001). Among AD, aMCI, NC and NC (Aβ-) groups ( n=132), the education years of AD group was the lowest ((9.7±4.6) years; F=8.86, P<0.001). In addition, there were significant differences in the scores of several neuropsychological scale tests among AD, aMCI, NC groups and NC (Aβ-) group ( F values: 27.68-235.50, all P<0.001). Compared with subjects in NC(Aβ-) group, the Aβ depositions in the aMCI and AD groups were widely distributed in the whole cerebral cortex; and AD group had higher Aβ deposition in bilateral frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital lobe, cingulate gyrus and precuneus than aMCI group. Conclusions:The positive rate of Aβ deposition in the preclinical AD population from the Shanghai community is obtained. There are significant different Aβ deposition patterns in subjects at different stages of AD.

Objective:To explore the association of the impaired cognition and the deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ) in normal cognitive (NC) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).Methods:From December 2018 to January 2021, 305 subjects (113 males, 192 females; age (64.0±7.7) years) who completed neuropsychological tests and MRI in Shanghai Sixth People′s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and 18F-florbetapir (AV45) PET imaging in Huashan Hospital, Fudan University were retrospectively analyzed. The subjects were divided into MCI group and NC group based on neuropsychological tests, and each group was further divided into Aβ-positive and Aβ-negative based on PET imaging results. Independent-sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test and χ2 test were used to analyze the data. Results:There were 118 subjects in MCI group and 187 subjects in NC group. The Aβ-positive rate in MCI group (37.3%, 44/118) was higher than that in NC group (26.2%, 49/187; χ2=4.19, P=0.041). The assessment performances of MCI group in general cognitive function, memory function, language function and executive function were inferior to those of NC group ( t values: from -10.63 to -6.31, z values: from -11.01 to -6.03, all P<0.001). The Auditory Verbal Learning Test-Long Delay Recall (AVLT-LDR) score of Aβ-positive subjects was lower than that of Aβ-negative subjects in MCI group (1.00(0.00, 3.00) and 3.00(1.00, 4.00); z=-2.49, P=0.013). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment Basic (MoCA-B) score of Aβ-positive subjects was lower than that of Aβ-negative subjects in NC group (25.29±2.67 and 26.36±2.42; t=-2.61, P=0.010). Conclusion:Compared to Aβ-negative subjects, MCI patients with Aβ-positive perform worse on memory tests, and NC subjects with Aβ-positive perform worse on general cognitive function.

Objective: To examine the value of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) for excimer laser ablation (ELA) combined with drug-coated balloon (DCB) in treating lower limb arteriosclerotic obliterans (ASO). Methods: As a prospective case series study, patients who underwent ELA combined with DCB for lower limb ASO with the guidance of IVUS from September 2021 to March 2022 at Department of Vascular Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University were enrolled prospectively. Lesion characteristics, procedure-related outcomes and complications were collected. The therapy outcomes were compared with baseline data by paired t test. Results: There were 8 males and 2 females, aged (72.0±5.9) years (range: 61 to 81 years). Of all the 11 lesions, there were 8 lesions in superficial femoral artery and 3 in popliteal artery. The lesion length was (7.0±2.4) cm (range: 3.2 to 9.8 cm). There were 4 chronic totally occlusion and 7 severe stenosis. All patients underwent the operation successfully. The technical success rate was 10/11. Bailout stenting was performed in one lesion because of flow-limiting dissection. Four lesions were grade 3 to 4 in peripheral artery calcium score system, and 9 lesions with calcification arc≥180°. Larger diameter drug-coated balloons were selected in 5 lesions after measurement of intravascular ultrasound. The follow-up time was (6.0±1.9) months (range: 3 to 9 months). The ankle-brachial index of the patient was significantly improved immediately after surgery (0.97±0.13 vs. 0.48±0.18, t=-7.60, P<0.01) and at 3 months after surgery (0.95±0.12 vs. 0.48±0.18, t=-7.17, P<0.01). The 3-month primary patency rate was 11/11, the target lesion reintervention was 0 and ulcer healing rate was 3/4. Conclusion: IVUS assisted ELA in the treatment of lower limb artery lesions is safe and effective in early stage.
Female ; Male ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; Lower Extremity ; Ultrasonography ; Femoral Artery ; Ultrasonography, Interventional

Currently, the gut-organ axis has become a hot research topic. As increasing attention has been paid to the role of gut microbiota in the health of organs, the complex and integrated dialogue mechanism between the gastrointestinal tract and the associated microbiota has been demonstrated in more and more studies. Skin as the largest organ in the human body serves as the primary barrier protecting the human body from damage. The proposal of the gut-skin axis has established a bidirectional link between the gut and the skin. The disturbance of gut microbiota can lead to the occurrence of skin diseases, the mechanism of which is complex and may involve multiple pathways in immunity, metabolism, and internal secretion. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), the connection between the intestine and the skin can be established through the lung, and the interior disorders will definitely cause symptoms on the exterior. This paper reviews the research progress in the gut-skin axis and its correlation with TCM theory and provides ideas and a basis for cli-nical treatment and drug development of skin and intestinal diseases.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Skin Diseases/drug therapy* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common refractory disease. Chinese medicine (CM) has remarkable efficacy and advantages on the treatment of IBS. This review summarized the articles focusing on the treatment of IBS with CM to sum up the latest treatment methods for IBS and the underlying mechanisms. Literature analysis showed that prescriptions, acupuncture, and moxibustion are the primary methods of CM treatment for IBS. The potential mechanism centers on the regulation of the enteric nervous system, the alleviation of visceral hypersensitivity, the stability of intestinal flora, and the regulation of the immune system.
Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome/therapy* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Moxibustion

Objective:To investigate the tau deposition pattern in Alzheimer′s disease (AD) and its correlation with cognition by 18F-MK6240 PET imaging. Methods:From August 2021 to February 2022, 46 elderly people over 55 years old (16 males, 30 females; age (68.9±7.7) years) were included from outpatient and community in Shanghai. Structural brain MRI, β-amyloid (Aβ) PET imaging, tau-PET imaging and comprehensive neuropsychological tests batteries were conducted. The subjects were divided into AD group ( n=16) and normal cognition (NC) group ( n=30) according to the 2018 National Institute on aging and Alzheimer′s Association (NIA-AA) diagnostic criteria. Quantitative analysis was conducted to investigate the tau deposition pattern in AD after preprocessing 18F-MK6240 PET images with MRI images. SUV ratio (SUVR) of brain regions such as entorhinal cortex, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala, insular lobe, frontal lobe, precuneus, occipital lobe, thalamus and putamen were analyzed, with cerebellum as reference region. The differences of tau deposition in brain regions between AD and NC groups were analyzed by independent-sample t test. The associations between SUVR and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic (MoCA-B) score were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. Results:AD displayed a significant tau deposition in frontal lobes, temporal lobes and parietal lobes compared with NC. SUVR of brain regions in AD group were higher than those in NC group ( t values: 3.37-9.61, all P<0.05). SUVR in brain regions were negatively correlated with MMSE score ( r values: from -0.735 to -0.350, all P<0.05) and MoCA-B score ( r values: from -0.723 to -0.367, all P<0.05). Conclusion:18F-MK6240 PET can demonstrate the tau deposition in the brain of AD patients, and the tau deposition is related to cognitive function.