It is argued that the theoretical framework of system traditional Chinese medicine （STCM） suffers from issues such as the confusion between philosophical and medical principles， as well as a lack of concise expression， which subsequently hinders its clinical translation. Based on meta-holism， the fundamental principles of STCM are reconstructed into three core components， the autonomy principle， the orderliness principle， and the self-stability principle. Together， these three principles constitute the fundamental guarantee for the operation of self-organizing systems. Building upon this foundation， three pathways for the clinical translation of STCM theory are proposed. Systemic state identification is the key to precision medicine in traditional Chinese medicine， requiring the dynamic quantitative expression of "syndrome" through mathematical modeling. Big data-based expert consensus is the basic method to construct refined and precise syndrome differentiation. Artificial intelligence is an effective approach to realize the clinical transformation of the theory and advance precision medicine.

It is argued that the theoretical framework of system traditional Chinese medicine （STCM） suffers from issues such as the confusion between philosophical and medical principles， as well as a lack of concise expression， which subsequently hinders its clinical translation. Based on meta-holism， the fundamental principles of STCM are reconstructed into three core components， the autonomy principle， the orderliness principle， and the self-stability principle. Together， these three principles constitute the fundamental guarantee for the operation of self-organizing systems. Building upon this foundation， three pathways for the clinical translation of STCM theory are proposed. Systemic state identification is the key to precision medicine in traditional Chinese medicine， requiring the dynamic quantitative expression of "syndrome" through mathematical modeling. Big data-based expert consensus is the basic method to construct refined and precise syndrome differentiation. Artificial intelligence is an effective approach to realize the clinical transformation of the theory and advance precision medicine.

The distribution of the common acupoints of acupuncture-moxibustion for gastrointestinal diseases conforms to the rule of the segmental homology of somatic afferent nerve-visceral nerve circuit at the spinal cord level. Acupuncture-moxibustion regulates the gastrointestinal function through the nerve-endocrine-immune system, and especially depending on the integrity of the structure and function of nervous system. The somatic afferent nerve-visceral nerve circuit plays an important role in the process of acupuncture and moxibustion for regulating the gastrointestinal function. There are three dimensions. ① The somatic afferent nerve-visceral nerve circuit at the peripheral level, including the somatic afferent nerve-visceral afferent nerve circuit centered on the dorsal root ganglion, and the somatic afferent nerve-visceral efferent nerve circuit centered on the sympathetic ganglia; ② that at the spinal cord level; ③ that at the supra-spinal cord level, focusing on the various reflex circuits with the solitary nucleus involved. The somatic afferent nerve-visceral nerve circuit at the spinal level and inferior to it determines the segmental regulation of acupuncture-moxibustion in the gastrointestinal system, while that at the level superior to the spinal cord determines the supersegmental action of acupuncture-moxibustion in regulating the gastrointestinal system. The neurophysiological mechanism of acupuncture-moxibustion is multi-circuits and multi-targets in regulating gastrointestinal function.
Humans ; Moxibustion ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture Points ; Gastrointestinal Tract/physiology* ; Animals ; Neurons, Afferent/physiology* ; Afferent Pathways/physiology*

Objective To observe the rules of medication and clinical application of Zhongwan(RN12)point,thus to provide reference for the selection of acupoints in clinical treatment.Methods Collect the Zhongwan point-involved prescriptions in the literature of the last 20 years in China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),China Science and Technology Journal Database(VIP)and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform,conduct strict screening,organize and record all the acupoints involved in the prescriptions,of which met the acupoint selection criteria,into Excel tables,then use IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 software,IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0 software,Cytoscape 3.10.1 software,apriori algorithm to analyze the rules of medication and clinical application of Zhongwan point.Results After screening,a total of 781 articles with 830 acupoint-involved prescriptions were included,involves 183 acupoints and 135 diseases.With the leading five acupoints which ranked in decending order of selection was as follows:Zusanli(ST36),Neiguan(PC6),Tianshu(ST25),Guanyuan(BL26)and Qihai(RN6).The distribution of acupoints with the highest frequency of use in combination acupoints was Zusanli(61.205%support),and the meridians with a higher frequency of use in Zhongwan point-involved prescriptions were the foot-yangming stomach meridian,the foot-taiyang bladder meridian,and the conception vessel(CV),with the combination acupoints dominated by the specific acupoints of Xiahe points,He points,front-Mu points,collateral points,Shu Points,and original points,the advantageous diseases were characterized by intractable hiccups,gastritis,functional dyspepsia and so on.Among them,the diseases pertain to the digestive system were the most involved,followed by endocrine system diseases.Conclusion The data mining analysis yielded that there are certain rules to be followed in the acupoints combination of Zhongwan point,and it exerts some efficacy in the treatment of certain advantageous diseases,which can provide references for clinical treatment and scientific research.

ObjectiveTo investigate three representative conditions, gallbladder colic, renal colic, and primary dysmenorrhea, to identify trends and regularities in acupoint selection and provide evidence-based references for clinical practice.MethodsClinical studies on acupuncture for gallbladder colic, renal colic, and primary dysmenorrhea published between 2006 and 2025 were retrieved from the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), Wanfang, and PubMed. Bibliometric analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0, and the Apriori algorithm was applied to evaluate acupoint-use patterns.ResultsThe analysis demonstrated that commonly selected acupoints for these conditions have remained relatively consistent over the past two decades. Frequently used acupoints for gallbladder colic included Yanglingquan (GB 34), Dannang (EX-LE 6), Qiuxu (GB 40), Taichong (LR 3), Danshu (BL 19), Zusanli (ST 36), Qimen (LR 14), Riyue (GB 24), and Ganshu (BL 18). For renal colic, the most frequently reported points were Shenshu (BL 23), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Zusanli (ST 36), Yinlingquan (SP 9), Jingmen (GB 25), Guanyuan (CV 4), Ashi points, Zhongji (CV 3), and Pangguangshu (BL 28). The main acupoints for primary dysmenorrhea were Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Ciliao (BL 32), Diji (SP 8), Shiqizhui (EX-B 8), Zhongji (CV 3), Zusanli (ST 36), Zigong (EX-CA 1), and Qihai (CV 6). On average, treatment protocols employed 3–4 acupoints per session.ConclusionsThe most frequently selected acupoints for visceral smooth muscle spasmodic pain were located within the ganglion segment innervation areas, showing close association with the target organs. Furthermore, treatment protocols typically involved a small number of acupoints. These findings highlight the need for further systematic research, particularly randomized controlled trials, to validate and strengthen the evidence base.

Objective To explore the current situation,research hotspots and development trend of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome(IBS).Methods Literature on acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of IBS were retrieved by CNKI from the establishment of the database to February 2024.CiteSpace software was used to analyze the cooperative network of authors and institutions,keyword co-occurrence,clustering,and emergence and timeline analysis,and the corresponding knowledge graph was drawn.Results A total of 946 articles were included,and the overall number of publications showed an upward trend;63 authors published≥5 articles,forming a main collaborative team represented by Sun Jianhua,Chu Haoran,Ren Xiaoxuan,Shi Zhimin and others;41 institutions issued more than 5 papers,and the main institutions were Shanghai acupuncture and moxibustion Meridian Research Institute,Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina,Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,and Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine;High frequency keywords include"acupuncture","acupuncture and moxibustion","diarrhea","electroacupuncture","moxibustion",etc.,forming 9 main keyword clusters and 13 emerging keywords."intestinal flora"and"depression"are the most recent emerging keywords.Conclusion The research on acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of IBS is getting more and more attention.In recent years,the role of the bio-psycho-social model based on the brain gut axis in this field has received widespread attention,but the research lacks systematization.Research teams in different regions should increase exchanges and cooperation,carry out more high-quality related research,and promote the sustainable development of the characteristics and advantages of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment.

Objective To explore the current situation,research hotspots and development trend of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome(IBS).Methods Literature on acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of IBS were retrieved by CNKI from the establishment of the database to February 2024.CiteSpace software was used to analyze the cooperative network of authors and institutions,keyword co-occurrence,clustering,and emergence and timeline analysis,and the corresponding knowledge graph was drawn.Results A total of 946 articles were included,and the overall number of publications showed an upward trend;63 authors published≥5 articles,forming a main collaborative team represented by Sun Jianhua,Chu Haoran,Ren Xiaoxuan,Shi Zhimin and others;41 institutions issued more than 5 papers,and the main institutions were Shanghai acupuncture and moxibustion Meridian Research Institute,Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina,Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,and Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine;High frequency keywords include"acupuncture","acupuncture and moxibustion","diarrhea","electroacupuncture","moxibustion",etc.,forming 9 main keyword clusters and 13 emerging keywords."intestinal flora"and"depression"are the most recent emerging keywords.Conclusion The research on acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of IBS is getting more and more attention.In recent years,the role of the bio-psycho-social model based on the brain gut axis in this field has received widespread attention,but the research lacks systematization.Research teams in different regions should increase exchanges and cooperation,carry out more high-quality related research,and promote the sustainable development of the characteristics and advantages of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment.

Objective:To discuss the method for establishing the rat models of irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)by chronic water avoidance stress(WAS)method,and to evaluate its feasibility.Methods:Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group(n=10)and model group(n=20).The rats in model group were induced by WAS method for 1 h everyday,lasting for 10 consecutive days;the rats in control group underwent no interventions.After modeling,the general conditions and body weights of the rats in two groups were observed and recorded.The elevated plus maze(EPM)test was used to detect the percentages of the number of open arm entries(OE)and the time spent in open arms(OT)of the rats in two groups;the abdominal withdrawal reflex(AWR)test was used to assess the visceral sensitivity of the rats in two groups;electrocardiography was used to detect the heart rate variability(HRV)of the rats in two groups;electromyography(EMG)of the external oblique muscle was used to detect the colorectal pain sensitivity thresholds of the rats in two groups;multi-channel physiological signal recorder was used to monitor the slow wave frequency of the colon of the rats in two groups.Results:There were no death rats in both groups during the modeling period.After modeling,the rats in model group exhibited poor mental status,reduced spontaneous activity,hypoactivity,disordered and dull fur,irritability,and unclean anal areas;whereas,the rats in control group showed no significant changes in the mental state,spontaneous activity,fur,and perianal area.Compared with control group,the body weight of the rats in model group was significantly decreased(P<0.05).The EPM test results showed that compared with control group,the OE percentage and OT percentage of the rats in model group were significantly decreased(P<0.01).The AWR test results showed that 12 rats in model group scored≥3 points,indicating that the successful rate in creating the visceral pain models was 60%.Compared with control group,the low frequency(LF)signals and the ratio of LF/high frequency(HF)of the rats in model group were significantly increased(P<0.01),and the HF was significantly decreased(P<0.05).The EMG results showed that compared with control group,the coloretal pain sensitivity threshold of the colon of the rats in model group was significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the slow wave frequency of the colon was significantly increased(P<0.01).Conclusion:The WAS method for establishing the rat model of IBS effectively demonstrates the changes in behavior and mental state,increased the visceral sensitivity,accelerated colonic slow wave frequency,and autonomic nervous system imbalance;the WAS method can serve as an effective modeling approach for observing and evaluating the related drugs and interventions on treatment of IBS.

The mechanism of acupuncture in treating primary dysmenorrhea(PD)in rats was reviewed.The research on the mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of PD involves endocrine,nervous,immune,metabolic and other aspects.However,the basic research did not actively pay attention to the clinical problems encountered in the treatment of PD by acupuncture and moxibustion,including the rule of point selection and the correlation mechanism between acupoints and uterus in the treatment of PD by acupuncture and moxibustion,the key technical parameters of the treatment of PD by acupuncture and moxibustion and the rule of the action of acupuncture and moxibustion.The basic research of acupuncture treatment of primary dysmenorrhea should pay attention to translational medicine.

OBJECTIVETo analyze the present situation and existing problems of acupuncture for primary hypertension (PH) based on clinical research literature in recent 20 years.

METHODSThe clinical research literature regarding acupuncture for PH were searched from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP data network (VIP) and database from 1997 through 2016; a total of 218 papers met the inclusive criteria. Microsoft Excel and Apriori algorithm of SPSS Clementine software were applied to analyze the data.

RESULTSThe main acupoints of acupuncture for PH were Taichong (LR 3), Quchi (LI 11), Zusanli (ST 36) and Hegu (LI 4), but its support degree was only 12.21%. 127 papers were randomized controlled trials, accounting for 58.26%. 158 papers had clear diagnostic criteria, accounting for 72.48%. 138 papers had clear efficacy evaluation criteria, accounting for 63.30%. Only 5.05% of the papers were classified as high-quality literature by using Jadad scale.

CONCLUSIONIn recent 20 years, some rules existed in acupoint selection for PH, but the support degree was low so it could not accurately guide clinical treatment. Although the clinical literature quality of acupuncture for PH was gradually increasing, the proportion of high-quality literature was low, therefore modern medical research model and foreign similar research should be followed to design a more rigorous trial protocol. As a result, the quality of clinical research is increased to provide reference for future clinical treatment.