Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) decoction pieces are a core carrier for the inheritance and innovation of TCM, and their quality and safety are critical to public health and the sustainable development of the industry. Conventional quality control models, while having established a well-developed system through long-term practice, still face challenges such as relatively long inspection cycles, insufficient objectivity in characterizing complex traits, and urgent needs for improving the efficiency of integrating multidimensional quality information when confronted with the dual demands of large-scale production and precision quality control. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, machine learning can deeply analyze multidimensional data of the morphology, spectroscopy, and chemical fingerprints of decoction pieces by constructing high-dimensional feature space analysis models, significantly improving the standardization level and decision-making efficiency of quality evaluation. This article reviews the research progress in the application of machine learning in the processing, production, and rapid quality evaluation of TCM decoction pieces. It further analyzes current challenges in technological implementation and proposes potential solutions, offering theoretical and technical references to advance the digital and intelligent transformation of the industry.
Machine Learning ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/standards* ; Quality Control ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans

As global greenhouse gases continue rising, the urgency of more ambitious action is clearer than ever before. China is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and one of the countries affected most by climate change. The evidence about the impacts of climate change on the environment and human health may encourage China to take more decisive action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate impacts. This article aimed to review the evidence of environmental damages and health risks posed by climate change and to provide a new science-based perspective for the delivery of sustainable development goals. Over recent decades, China has experienced a strong warming pattern with a growing frequency of extreme weather events, and the impacts of climate change on China's environment and human health have been consistently observed, with increasing O ₃ air pollution, decreases in water resources and availability, land degradation, and increased risks for both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Therefore, China's climate policy should target the key factors driving climate change and scale up strategic measures to curb carbon emissions and adapt to inevitable increasing climate impacts. It provides new insights for not only China but also other countries, particularly developing and emerging economies, to ensure climate and environmental sustainability whilst pursuing economic growth.
Climate Change ; China ; Humans ; Greenhouse Gases ; Air Pollution ; Sustainable Development ; Environment

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia in the elderly. This study aimed to evaluate urban-rural disparities in its prevalence and management in elderly Chinese. METHODS: Consecutive participants aged ≥ 65 years attending outpatient clinics were enrolled for AF screening using handheld single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) from April 2017 to December 2022. Each ECG rhythm strip was reviewed from the research team. AF or uninterpretable single-lead ECGs were referred for 12-lead ECG. Primary study outcome comparison was between rural and urban areas for the prevalence of AF. The Student's t-test was used to compare mean values of clinical characteristics between rural and urban participants, while the Pearson's chi-square test was used to compare between-group proportions. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the association between AF and various patient characteristics. RESULTS: The 29,166 study participants included 13,253 men (45.4%) and had a mean age of 72.2 years. The 7073 rural participants differed significantly (P ≤ 0.02) from the 22,093 urban participants in several major characteristics, such as older age, greater body mass index, and so on. The overall prevalence of AF was 4.6% (n = 1347). AF was more prevalent in 7073 rural participants than 22,093 urban participants (5.6% vs. 4.3%, P < 0.01), before and after adjustment for age, body mass index, blood pressure, pulse rate, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and prior medical history. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified overweight/obesity (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.17-1.54) in urban areas and cigarette smoking (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.20-2.17) and alcohol consumption (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.04-1.93) in rural areas as specific risk factors for prevalent AF. In patients with known AF in urban areas (n = 781) and rural areas (n = 338), 60.6% and 45.9%, respectively, received AF treatment (P < 0.01), and only 22.4% and 17.2%, respectively, received anticoagulation therapy (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In China, there are urban-rural disparities in AF in the elderly, with a higher prevalence and worse management in rural areas than urban areas. Our study findings provide insight for health policymakers to consider urban-rural disparity in the prevention and treatment of AF.

Obesity is a common chronic metabolic disease mainly characterized by excessive accumulation of adipose tissue.Recently,the global prevalence of obesity-related metabolic diseases has increased significantly,seriously affecting the physical and mental health of patients.Adipokines are pleiotropic bioactive substances secreted by adipose tissue,which have physiological functions such as regulating energy metabolism,inflammatory response and insulin sensitivity.Abnormal hyperplasia of adipose tissue can induce chronic inflammatory responses in the body,stimulate the production or secretion disorders of adipokines,and alter glucose and lipid homeostasis,thereby leading to the occurrence and development of obesity-related metabolic diseases.However,the specific mechanism remains unclear.Exercise prescription is a planned exercise guidance program based on the results of the patient's physical fitness test to achieve the expected goal by adopting the prescribed exercise methods.In recent years,previous studies have found that exercise prescriptions can regulate adipokines,thereby preventing and treating obesity-related metabolic disorders,which may become a potential treatment for obesity-related metabolic diseases in clinical practice.This article reviews the mechanism and clinical effect of targeted regulation of adipokines by exercise prescriptions in the treatment of obesity-related metabolic disorders,in order to provide some new ideas and directions for finding new therapies for obesity-related metabolic diseases.

Diabetes is one of the top ten fatal diseases globally,and effective diabetes management can significantly reduce the incidence and progression of diabetes-related complications.Traditional blood glucose monitoring relies on fingertip blood sampling to measure glucose concentration,which requires multiple finger pricks per day.However,the long intervals between tests often result in missed hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic events.Therefore,there is an urgent need for non-invasive,continuous,and accurate glucose monitoring technologies to improve patient compliance and provide timely alerts for abnormal glucose levels.Sensors based on electrochemical detection methods,which indirectly estimate glucose levels by analyzing interstitial fluid,sweat,or other bodily fluids,have emerged as a promising direction due to their high sensitivity and low cost.This review focused on recent advancements in non-invasive,continuous glucose monitoring sensors developed using various electrochemical detection methods,with an in-depth analysis of chronoamperometry,impedance spectroscopy,and voltammetry in sensor applications.Finally,the challenges faced by current detection methods in non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring was summarized,and the future directions,including the integration of enzyme-free sensors with deep learning algorithms to enhance accuracy and reliability were proposed.

Obesity is a common chronic metabolic disease mainly characterized by excessive accumulation of adipose tissue.Recently,the global prevalence of obesity-related metabolic diseases has increased significantly,seriously affecting the physical and mental health of patients.Adipokines are pleiotropic bioactive substances secreted by adipose tissue,which have physiological functions such as regulating energy metabolism,inflammatory response and insulin sensitivity.Abnormal hyperplasia of adipose tissue can induce chronic inflammatory responses in the body,stimulate the production or secretion disorders of adipokines,and alter glucose and lipid homeostasis,thereby leading to the occurrence and development of obesity-related metabolic diseases.However,the specific mechanism remains unclear.Exercise prescription is a planned exercise guidance program based on the results of the patient's physical fitness test to achieve the expected goal by adopting the prescribed exercise methods.In recent years,previous studies have found that exercise prescriptions can regulate adipokines,thereby preventing and treating obesity-related metabolic disorders,which may become a potential treatment for obesity-related metabolic diseases in clinical practice.This article reviews the mechanism and clinical effect of targeted regulation of adipokines by exercise prescriptions in the treatment of obesity-related metabolic disorders,in order to provide some new ideas and directions for finding new therapies for obesity-related metabolic diseases.

"Solid-liquid excipients" co-production is one of the typical processing methods of excipients used from ancient times to the present day, and is widely applied in various processing schools and regional specialty varieties. This method significantly reduces the toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), moderates medicinal properties, and enhances clinical efficacy. However, modern scientific research has given it limited attention, and many co-production methods of "solid-liquid excipients" have not been applied in production and practice. This paper reviewed the historical development of "solid-liquid excipients" co-production, outlined modern processing standards and methods in different processing schools, and further elaborated on the purposes and effects of this co-production method. This study is expected to provide references and evidence for further in-depth research, inheritance, innovation, and practical application.
Chemistry, Pharmaceutical/history* ; Drug Compounding/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Excipients/chemistry* ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; History, Ancient ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/history*

Objective Studies on the relationship between iodine,vitamin A(VA),and vitamin D(VD)and thyroid function are limited.This study aimed to analyze iodine and thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH)status and their possible relationships with VA,VD,and other factors in postpartum women. Methods A total of 1,311 mothers(896 lactating and 415 non-lactating)from Hebei,Zhejiang,and Guangxi provinces were included in this study.The urinary iodine concentration(UIC),TSH,VA,and VD were measured. Results The median UIC of total and lactating participants were 142.00 μg/L and 139.95 μg/L,respectively.The median TSH,VA,and VD levels in all the participants were 1.89 mIU/L,0.44 μg/mL,and 24.04 ng/mL,respectively.No differences in the UIC were found between lactating and non-lactating mothers.UIC and TSH levels were significantly different among the three provinces.The rural UIC was higher than the urban UIC.Obese mothers had a higher UIC and a higher prevalence of excessive TSH.Higher UICs and TSHs levels were observed in both the VD deficiency and insufficiency groups than in the VD-sufficient group.After adjustment,no linear correlation was observed between UIC and VA/VD.No interaction was found between vitamins A/D and UIC on TSH levels. Conclusion The mothers in the present study had no iodine deficiency.Region,area type,BMI,and VD may be related to the iodine status or TSH levels.

Objective This study aimed to comprehensively analyze and compare the clinicopathological features and prognosis of Chinese patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-low early breast cancer(BC)and HER2-IHC0 BC. Methods Patients diagnosed with HER2-negative BC(N=999)at our institution between January 2011 and December 2015 formed our study population.Clinicopathological characteristics,association between estrogen receptor(ER)expression and HER2-low,and evolution of HER2 immunohistochemical(IHC)score were assessed.Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to compare the long-term survival outcomes(5-year follow-up)between the HER2-IHC0 and HER2-low groups. Results HER2-low BC group tended to demonstrate high expression of ER and more progesterone receptor(PgR)positivity than HER2-IHC0 BC group(P<0.001).The rate of HER2-low status increased with increasing ER expression levels(Mantel-Haenszel χ2 test,P<0.001,Pearson's R=0.159,P<0.001).Survival analysis revealed a significantly longer overall survival(OS)in HER2-low BC group than in HER2-IHC0 group(P=0.007)in the whole cohort and the hormone receptor(HR)-negative group.There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of disease-free survival(DFS).The discordance rate of HER2 IHC scores between primary and metastatic sites was 36.84%. Conclusion HER2-low BC may not be regarded as a unique BC group in this population-based study due to similar clinicopathological features and prognostic roles.