The manufacturing process is crucial for ensuring the safety and efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) preparations. Using advanced technologies, innovative methods, and new equipment tailored for TCM to enhance the quality control of TCM preparations in the manufacturing process helps to ensure the product quality and foster high-quality development of the TCM industry. Upon current technical requirements, such as Guideline for Studies on Pharmaceutical Changes in Marketed Traditional Chinese Medicine Preparations(Trial) and Guideline for Study on Quality Control in Manufacturing Process of Oral Traditional Chinese Medicine Preparations(Trial), this paper analyzes the characteristics and current development of quality control in the manufacturing process of TCM preparations. It also discusses the significant roles that quality control in manufacturing process plays in ensuring the quality consistency and in the evaluation and decision-making of changes in marketed TCM preparations. Furthermore, to benefit the high-quality development of the TCM industry, this paper offers recommendations for improving quality control of TCM preparations in the manufacturing process and implementing new technologies and methods.
Quality Control ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Decision Making ; Humans

PURPOSE: To construct a decision-making app for pre-hospital damage control resuscitation (PHDCR) for severely injured patients, and to make a preliminary trial test on the effectiveness and usability aspects of the constructed app. METHODS: Decision-making algorithms were first established by a thorough literature review, and were then used to be learned by computer with 3 kinds of text segmentation algorithms, i.e., dictionary-based segmentation, machine learning algorithms based on labeling, and deep learning algorithms based on understanding. B/S architecture mode and Spring Boot were used as a framework to construct the app. A total of 16 Grade-5 medical students were recruited to test the effectiveness and usability aspects of the app by using an animal model-based test on simulated PHDCR. Twelve adult Bama miniature pigs were subjected to penetrating abdominal injuries and were randomly assigned to the 16 students, who were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 8 each): group A (decided on PHDCR by themselves) and group B (decided on PHDCR with the aid of the app). The students were asked to complete the PHDCR within 1 h, and then blood samples were taken and thromboelastography, routine coagulation test, blood cell count, and blood gas analysis were examined. The lab examination results along with the value of mean arterial pressure were used to compare the resuscitation effects between the 2 groups. Furthermore, a 4-statement-based post-test survey on a 5-point Likert scale was performed in group B students to test the usability aspects of the constructed app. RESULTS: With the above 3 kinds of text segmentation algorithm, B/S architecture mode, and Spring Boot as the development framework, the decision-making app for PHDCR was successfully constructed. The time to decide PHDCR was (28.8 ± 3.41) sec in group B, much shorter than that in group A (87.5 ± 8.53) sec (p < 0.001). The outcomes of animals treated by group B students were much better than that by group A students as indicated by higher mean arterial pressure, oxygen saturation and fibrinogen concentration and maximum amplitude, and lower R values in group B than those in group A. The post-test survey revealed that group B students gave a mean score of no less than 4 for all 4 statements. CONCLUSION A decision-making app for PHDCR was constructed in the present study and the preliminary trial test revealed that it could help to improve the resuscitation effect in animal models of penetrating abdominal injury.
Animals ; Swine ; Resuscitation/methods* ; Mobile Applications ; Humans ; Algorithms ; Emergency Medical Services/methods* ; Male ; Decision Making ; Female

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore the influencing factors of fertility preservation decision-making in testicular cancer patient and provide a basis for clinical decision. METHODS: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted using purposive sampling in 18 testicular cancer patients. Semi-structured interviews were performed, and data were analyzed through content analysis. RESULTS: A total of 3 themes and 10 subthemes were extracted including individual factors (fertility circumstance, concerns about sperm cryopreservation efficacy/quality, the preferred choice between treatment and fertility preservation, confidence in future fertility), medical factors (physicians' recommendations on fertility preservation, fertility-related information, urgency of treatment), and socio-environmental factors (traditional beliefs of fertility, family/partner support, accessibility/cost of cryopreservation). CONCLUSION This study highlights many influencing factors of fertility preservation decision-making in testicular cancer patients, emphasizing the need for clinicians to enhance awareness of fertility preservation, provide timely and targeted information, and advocate for policy interventions to reduce financial barriers. Strengthening healthcare support and systemic safeguards may optimize patients' decision-making outcomes.
Humans ; Male ; Fertility Preservation ; Testicular Neoplasms/therapy* ; Decision Making ; Qualitative Research ; Cryopreservation ; Adult ; Infertility, Male/prevention & control*

Previous studies have identified two group-level processes, neural representations of interracial between-group difference and intraracial within-group similarity, that contribute to the racial categorization of faces. What remains unclear is how the brain tracks race-related information that varies across different faces as an individual-level neural process involved in race perception. In three studies, we recorded functional MRI signals when Chinese adults performed different tasks on morphed faces in which proportions of pixels contributing to perceived racial identity (Asian vs White) and expression (pain vs neutral) varied independently. We found that, during a pain expression judgment task, tracking other-race and same-race-related information in perceived faces recruited the ventral occipitotemporal cortices and medial prefrontal/anterior temporal cortices, respectively. However, neural tracking of race-related information tended to be weakened during explicit race judgments on perceived faces. During a donation task, the medial prefrontal activity also tracked race-related information that distinguished between two perceived faces for altruistic decision-making and encoded the Euclidean distance between the two faces that predicted decision-making speeds. Our findings revealed task-dependent neural mechanisms underlying the tracking of race-related information during face perception and altruistic decision-making.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult ; Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Brain Mapping ; Decision Making/physiology* ; Facial Recognition/physiology* ; Judgment/physiology* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Photic Stimulation ; Racial Groups ; Social Perception ; East Asian People

Immediate implant-supported fixed restoration in edentulous jaws demonstrates a success rate comparable to that of conventional implant restoration. However, this approach still presents a certain degree of technique sensitivity. In the field of immediate implant-supported fixed restoration in dentistry, a repeatable and stable jaw relation is the prerequisite for the design and fabrication of prostheses. It also reduces chairside denture placement and occlusal adjustment time and lowers the risk of occlusion-related complications. For patients with terminal dentition, the precise transfer of jaw relation following full-arch implantation serves as the fundamental basis for implant-supported occlusal reconstruction and functional restoration. This process is also a key research focus and challenge in the area of implant-supported occlusal rehabilitation. This review summarizes the procedures and methods for determining and transferring jaw relation in immediate implant-supported fixed restoration. It aims to serve as a basis for clinical decision making in implant-supported fixed restorations for terminal dentition patients.
Humans ; Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported ; Clinical Decision-Making ; Immediate Dental Implant Loading ; Jaw, Edentulous/surgery*

Advance medical directives allow patients to plan in advance their medical decisions in the event of incurable diseases or at the end of their lives when they have the capacity to make such decisions.This institutional design not only breaks through the traditional medical decision-making model and enables patients to make autonomous decisions across time and space,but also demonstrates the law's respect for and protection of patients' right to make autonomous decisions and their dignity of life.The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region submitted the bill related to advance medical directives to the Legislative Council for review at the end of 2023.On November 20,2024,the Advance Decision on Life-Sustaining Treatment Bill was passed,a move that is of great significance to regulating the legal issues in medical decision-making.This paper will delve into the basic principles,main contents,and related considerations of advance medical directives in Hong Kong,aiming to provide insights and references for the future improvement of relevant laws in the Chinese mainland.
Hong Kong ; Advance Directives/legislation & jurisprudence* ; Humans ; Decision Making

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the current approach to medicine. AI uses machine learning algorithms to predict the success of therapeutic procedures or assist the clinician in the decision-making process. To date, machine learning studies in the andrological field have mainly focused on prostate cancer imaging and management. However, an increasing number of studies are documenting the use of AI to assist clinicians in decision-making and patient management in andrological diseases such as varicocele or sexual dysfunction. Additionally, machine learning applications are being employed to enhance success rates in assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs). This article offers the clinicians as well as the researchers with a brief overview of the current use of AI in andrology, highlighting the current state-of-the-art scientific evidence, the direction in which the research is going, and the strengths and limitations of this approach.
Humans ; Artificial Intelligence ; Andrology ; Machine Learning ; Male ; Clinical Decision-Making ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted

The insula is a complex brain region central to the orchestration of taste perception, interoception, emotion, and decision-making. Recent research has shed light on the intricate connections between the insula and other brain regions, revealing the crucial role of this area in integrating sensory, emotional, and cognitive information. The unique anatomical position and extensive connectivity allow the insula to serve as a critical hub in the functional network of the brain. We summarize its role in interoceptive and exteroceptive sensory processing, illustrating insular function as a bridge connecting internal and external experiences. Drawing on recent research, we delineate the insular involvement in emotional processes, highlighting its implications in psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and addiction. We further discuss the insular contributions to cognition, focusing on its significant roles in time perception and decision-making. Collectively, the evidence underscores the insular function as a dynamic interface that synthesizes diverse inputs into coherent subjective experiences and decision-making processes. Through this review, we hope to highlight the importance of the insula as an interface between sensation, emotion, and cognition, and to inspire further research into this fascinating brain region.
Humans ; Emotions/physiology* ; Cognition/physiology* ; Insular Cortex/physiology* ; Sensation/physiology* ; Animals ; Interoception/physiology* ; Cerebral Cortex/physiology* ; Decision Making/physiology*

Humans ; Decision Making ; Surgeons

When selecting implant guidance methods or judging whether the patient can be implanted, many doctors ignore or only use visual inspection to estimate a patient's mouth opening. This phenomenon often leads to failure to complete the implantation due to insufficient mouth opening or the deflection of the implant due to limited angle, resulting in the high incidence of corresponding complications. The main reason is that doctors lack accurate analysis and control of the overall geometric conditions of the intraoral surgical area, and three-dimensional position blocking of surgical instruments occurs during the operation. In the past, mouth opening was defined as the distance between the incisor edges of the upper and lower central incisors when the patient opens his mouth widely, and the implant area could be in any missing tooth position. When it is in the posterior tooth area, the specific measurement scheme of the mouth opening could not be simply equivalent to the previous measurement method in the anterior tooth area. However, how to measure quickly and conveniently the mouth opening of any surgical area to determine whether it could be implanted and meet the needs of the selected guidance method remains unclear. This paper introduces new concepts, establishes new classification and corresponding accurate measurement scheme of implant area, and establishes a decision tree of implant methods guided by the actually measured value. Results provide a quantitative basis for rational formulation and implementation of implant treatment.
Humans ; Mouth ; Dental Implantation, Endosseous/methods* ; Incisor ; Clinical Decision-Making ; Dental Implants