1.Research Advances of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease:Overview and Prospects
Liang DAI ; Guang JI ; Xianbo WANG ; Li ZHANG ; Hanchen XU ; Xudong TANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(4):386-391
The pathogenesis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is fundamentally rooted in spleen deficiency and is closely associated with phlegm turbidity, damp-heat and blood stasis. Clinically, liver constraint with spleen deficiency and internal retention of damp turbidity represent the predominant traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome patterns. Researches have indicated intrinsic connections between the syndrome patterns and biological indicators such as gut microbiota and metabolic profiles. Regarding treatment, classical famous formulas, modern empirical formulas, and newly developed TCM drugs show positive effects in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism, improving insulin resistance, and alleviating metabolic inflammation, exhibiting multi-target mechanisms of action; acupuncture and other external therapies also provide adjunctive value. Nevertheless, current researches still have limitations such as the lack of high-quality clinical evidence and insufficient systematic elucidation of the uncerlying mechanisms. Future efforts should focus on conducting high-quality TCM clinical trials with hard endpoint outcomes such as hepatic histology outcomes, and utilizing modern technologies like multi-omics to elucidate TCM's mechanisms of action, thereby advancing the position of TCM as a first-line therapeutic strategy for MASLD.
2.Overview of Diagnosis,Treatment and Mechanism Research of Functional Dyspepsia by Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine
Shengsheng ZHANG ; Zhaohong SHI ; Xiaofang LU ; Luqing ZHAO ; Danyan LI ; Shu ZHANG ; Lu ZHAO ; Yudi ZHUO ; Nian WANG ; Fan LIU ; Shuangyi LI ; Xudong TANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(4):397-403
Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a prioritized disease category where traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) demonstrates distinct therapeutic advantages. The current western medicine treatment for FD is mainly based on proton pump inhibitors and prokinetic agents, with digestive enzymes, probiotics and antidepressants serving as adjuvant medication, yet such therapies still have certain limitations. TCM treatment for FD includes oral administration of Chinese herbal formulas and Chinese patent medicines, as well as external TCM therapies such as acupuncture and moxibustion, acupoint application, hot medicinal compress therapy, rubbing with ointment, medicinal iontophoresis, auricular acupoint therapy and tui na (Chinese medical massage). The combined treatment of FD with integrated TCM and western medicine can significantly improve clinical effectiveness and reduce adverse reactions. The common mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of both TCM and western medicine revolve around the core pathological processes of FD, mainly focusing on restoring gastrointestinal motility, regulating the levels of brain-gut peptides, modulating intestinal microecology, and ameliorating inflammatory status. The differential mechanisms lie in the precise targeting feature of western medicine versus the holistic-regulating and multi-target characteristics of TCM, and the two approaches exert a synergistic effect to enhance efficacy. This paper proposes to leverage the advantages of TCM in holistic regulation and the strengths of western medicine in targeted treatment, so as to provide personalized and comprehensive treatment regimens for FD patients.
3.Current Status,Strategies and Prospects of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Yandong WEN ; Zhi YANG ; Shaogang HUANG ; Zhongyu LI ; Xiangxue MA ; Qing XU ; Liqing DU ; Bochao YUAN ; Yibing TIAN ; Wentong GE ; Xiaofan ZHAO ; Chang LIU ; Xudong TANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(4):404-409
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder characterized primarily by abdominal pain and altered defecation habits. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has made progress in multiple aspects of IBS research and treatment, including syndrome distribution, development of TCM formulas, clinical efficacy evaluation, external therapies, and psychosocial regulation. However, it still faces challenges such as over-reliance on symptomatic manifestations rather than biomarkers for diagnostic criteria, and the lack of high-quality evidence-based data supporting the efficacy of TCM formulas in treating IBS. This paper proposed that TCM diagnosis and treatment of IBS should adhere to the strategy of integrating the holistic concept with syndrome differentiation and treatment, combining TCM external therapies such as acupuncture, moxibustion and acupoint application), and emphasizing individualized diagnosis and treatment for psychosomatic abnormalities. Future research should integrate multi-omics technologies, artificial intelligence and other methods to deepen the understanding of the pathogenesis of IBS and the mechanisms of TCM formulas, so as to promote the standardization and internationalization of TCM in the diagnosis and treatment of IBS.
4.Inheritance and Current Research Status of Major Spleen-Stomach Theories in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Ling HU ; Fengyun WANG ; Xudong TANG ; Beihua ZHANG ; Yunkai DAI ; Xu CHEN ; Shiqi LI
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(1):87-94
This paper systematically reviews the core concepts and lines of theoretical inheritance of major spleen-stomach theories in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), including spleen deficiency theory, spleen-stomach damp-heat theory, and liver-spleen disharmony theory. It is found that these theories have all undergone a developmental trajectory characterized by classical foundation, refinement of therapeutic methods, systematization of pathogenesis, and modern innovation. The evolution of spleen-stomach theory has achieved a shift from a singular focus on tonifying the spleen to regulating dynamic middle-jiao (焦) balance, and from localized spleen-stomach regulation to the circular movement of qi involving all five zang organs. In terms of modern disease-syndrome integrative research, spleen deficiency syndrome is shown to be closely associated with impairment of the gastrointestinal mucosal barrier, metabolic disorders, and gene polymorphisms related to Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric diseases. Spleen-stomach damp-heat syndrome is closely linked to hyperactive energy metabolism, inflammatory cytokines, and abnormal expression of aquaporins. Liver-spleen disharmony syndrome is mainly associated with dysregulation of the brain-gut axis and microbiota-related metabolic disorders. It is proposed that future research on spleen-stomach diseases and syndromes should further elucidate their potential multidimensional differential biological characteristics, thereby promoting the modernization of the TCM discipline of spleen-stomach studies.
5.Current Status of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the Research on Mechanism
Junxiang LI ; Hong SHEN ; Tangyou MAO ; Lei ZHU ; Jiaqi ZHANG ; Zhibin WANG ; Xudong TANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(1):103-110
In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has achieved significant progress in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A comprehensive literature search was conducted covering the period from January 1, 2010, to December 30, 2024, across Chinese databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, VIP China Science and Technology Journal Database, and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System, as well as international databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase. The clinical applications and mechanistic studies of TCM in IBD were systematically reviewed. The current status of TCM research on the etiology and pathogenesis of IBD, innovative clinical practices, and multimodal therapeutic approaches, including Chinese herbal formulas, single herbs or active compounds, acupuncture, herbal retention enema, and acupoint application, were summarized, together with their synergistic effects when combined with western medical treatments. The development and application of Chinese patent medicines for IBD are undergoing a profound transition from efficacy validation to mechanistic exploration. Mechanistic studies on the effects of TCM in IBD mainly focus on regulating gut microbiota homeostasis, repairing the intestinal mucosal barrier, and modulating intestinal immune balance. Furthermore, future research directions for TCM-based IBD management are proposed, including the establishment of TCM diagnostic and treatment models, expanding integrated applications of external and internal TCM therapies, innovating personalized treatment strategies, and advancing drug development. These efforts aim to provide insights for the standardized and precision-oriented development of TCM in the diagnosis and treatment of IBD.
6.Construction and clinical application exploration of an artificial intelligence-based high-quality lung cancer surgery dataset
Xuhua HUANG ; Yunfeng NIE ; Liang SHEN ; Pengxu KONG ; Xin TAN ; Zihao LI ; Wang LV ; Min ZHOU ; Xudong LV ; Jian HU
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2026;33(05):717-727
Objective To construct a lung cancer surgery-oriented disease-specific database covering the entire perioperative care pathway, thereby improving the quality and usability of key surgical data elements. Methods Real-world clinical data were extracted from a single-center thoracic surgery department. A standardized data model was established based on the open electronic health record (openEHR) standard. Large language model (LLM), optical character recognition (OCR), and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven techniques were employed to extract, structure, and perform quality control on unstructured clinical narratives, imaging reports, and radiological data, with a focus on capturing surgically relevant perioperative indicator. Results A multimodal database comprising 19 917 patients was established, including 7 930 males and 11 987 females, with ages ranging from 15 to 97 (61.7±9.7) years. The database includes 582 structured data variables, textual report data corresponding to 69 clinical indicators, 13 000 pulmonary function test PDF reports, and chest CT imaging data from 16 884 patients. This database comprehensively covers major information relevant to surgical diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, significantly improving the completeness and granularity of surgical detail data. Large language models (LLMs) and optical character recognition (OCR) technologies enhanced the efficiency of converting unstructured data into structured formats, while a multi-level manual verification process ensured data accuracy and traceability. The database supports real-world research including comparisons of surgical procedures, prediction of postoperative complications, prognosis assessment, and multimodal data association analyses.
7.Current Status,Challenges,and Strategies of Basic Research on the Brain-Gut Interaction Theory for Spleen and Stomach Diseases in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Ting CHEN ; Jinxia ZHU ; Xiaohua HOU ; Xiaoli ZHANG ; Lifei ZHENG ; Lei ZHANG ; Xinxin WANG ; Xuan LI ; Xudong TANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(5):517-522
The brain-gut interaction theory is a multidimensional integrative concept based on the brain-gut axis, involving neural, endocrine, and immune regulatory networks as well as the gut microbiota. Zang-fu organs (脏腑) theory in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shows a high degree of consistency with the brain-gut interaction theory, and the core functions such as the spleen and stomach governing the ascending of the clear and descending of the turbid, the liver governing the free flow of qi, and the heart governing mental and emotional activities are closely associated with the multi-level regulatory mechanisms of the brain-gut axis. TCM therapy can modulate brain-gut interactions through multiple pathways in the treatment of spleen and stomach diseases, including the regulation of gastrointestinal hormone secretion, neurotransmitter levels, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, immune homeostasis and inflammatory responses, as well as the gut microecology. However, current basic research on the brain-gut interaction theory in TCM for spleen and stomach diseases still faces several challenges, such as difficulties in integrating TCM spleen-stomach theory with modern pathophysiology, lack of innovation in research concepts, and limitations in research methodologies. It is therefore proposed that multidisciplinary collaboration, multi-omics technologies, and targeted research approaches should be adopted to provide more comprehensive methods for basic research on TCM spleen and stomach diseases, thereby promoting the in-depth development of brain-gut interaction theory.
8.Exploring Mechanism of Action of Tuoli Xiaodu San in Treating Ulcerative Colitis Based on Integrated Pharmacology and Transcriptomics
Longke MA ; Linzhen LI ; Haimei YANG ; Juan WANG ; Xudong WEN ; Yihan MA ; Xiaoxiang WANG ; Fating LU ; Qiaobo YE
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(14):205-215
ObjectiveTo investigate the material basis and mechanism of action of Tuoli Xiaodu San in treating ulcerative colitis (UC) by integrating transcriptomics, network pharmacology, and experimental validation. MethodsNetwork pharmacology was initially employed to screen the active components and potential mechanisms of Tuoli Xiaodu San for treating UC. A UC mouse model was established by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induction. The mice were divided into the following groups: normal, model, high-dose (11.3 g·kg-1) Tuoli Xiaodu San, low-dose (5.7 g·kg-1) Tuoli Xiaodu San, and positive control (mesalazine, 0.4 g·kg-1). Intragastric administration commenced on day 1 of modeling and continued for 7 consecutive days. The disease activity index (DAI) was assessed daily. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to observe colonic pathological changes. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Transcriptome sequencing was performed on mouse colonic tissues, and the results were integrated with network pharmacology findings for in-depth analysis of Tuoli Xiaodu San's potential mechanisms in treating UC. Finally, the expression of key genes and proteins in the identified signaling pathways were detected using Western blot and Real-time polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR). ResultsThe combined analysis of network pharmacology and transcriptomics results showed that the multi-pathway network with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway as its core was the key mechanism of Tuoli Xiaodu San in the treatment of UC. Tuoli Xiaodu San administration significantly ameliorated weight loss, diarrhea, and bloody stools in UC mice, reduced the DAI scores (P<0.05, P<0.01), lowered the colonic histopathological scores (P<0.01), alleviated colon shortening (P<0.01), and downregulated serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 (P<0.05, P<0.01). Molecular biology experiments confirmed that Tuoli Xiaodu San significantly inhibited the mRNA and protein expression, as well as the phosphorylation levels, of PI3K, Akt, and p65 in colonic tissues (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionTuoli Xiaodu San can regulate the multi-pathway network with PI3K/Akt as its core through multi-component synergy, thereby reducing colonic inflammatory damage and exerting a therapeutic effect on UC.
9.Study on the medication law of Liu Guangzhen in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy with qi-yin deficiency and blood stasis syndrome
Pei LI ; Xudong SHI ; Libo ZHANG ; Jianyue XING ; Lei LIU ; Guangzhen LIU
International Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;47(4):535-540
Objective:To analyze the medication law of Professor Liu Guangzhen in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy (DN) with qi-yin deficiency and blood stasis syndrome using data mining methods.Methods:From March 2023 to April 2024, the TCM outpatient prescriptions used by Professor Liu to treat DN with qi-yin deficiency and blood stasis syndrome were collected. The database was established by Excel 2019, and the property, taste, meridian, and use frequency of drugs were analyzed through the TCM inheritance assistance system V2.5. The Apriori algorithm in IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0 was used to analyze the association rules and draw the network diagram of high-frequency drugs, and the two-step hidden tree analysis algorithm (LTM-EAST) in the Lantern 5.0 was used to establish the hidden structure model of high-frequency Chinese materia medica. The obtained hidden variables were clustered and interpreted comprehensively, and scored by Bayesian information measure (BIC).Results:A total of 314 prescriptions were included, involving 182 kinds of Chinese materia medica, with a total frequency of 9 242 times. High frequency Chinese materia medica included Astragali Radix, Saposheikovize Radix, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma fried with wheat bran, Litchi Semen, Hedyotis diffusa willd, Benincasae Exocarpium, Mori Folium, etc. The medicinal property was mainly warm, the tastes were mainly sweet, bitter and pungent, and the meridian tropism was mainly spleen, stomach, liver and kidney meridians. The efficacy classification was mainly tonic drugs, heat-clearing drugs, water-clearing and dampness-percolating drugs, and blood circulation-activating drugs. There were 150 association rules of high-frequency Chinese materia medica, including Astragali Radix-Saposheikovize Radix, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma fried with wheat bran-Hedyotis diffusa willd, Saposheikovize Radix-Benincasae Exocarpium, etc. A total of 15 hidden variables, 30 hidden classes and 5 comprehensive clustering models were obtained by hidden structure model analysis.Conclusions:Professor Liu's treatment of DN withqi-yin deficiency and blood stasis syndrome is mainly based on tonifying qi and yin, tonifying spleen and kidney, removing dampness and turbidity and removing blood stasis. According to different conditions, the focus of medication has changed.
10.Status and influencing factors of elevated blood pressure among manufacturing workers in Foshan City
Zhiheng XU ; Qinghua ZHONG ; Xudong LI ; Wei XU ; Fu CHEN ; Wanxia CHEN ; Qiang TAN
China Occupational Medicine 2025;52(6):637-642
Objective To analyze the elevated blood pressure status and its influencing factors among manufacturing workers in Foshan City. Methods A total of 565 795 manufacturing workers who underwent occupational medical examinations in Foshan City from 2017 to 2023 were included. Data of workers were obtained from the Guangdong Provincial Key Occupational Disease Monitoring and Management Platform. The influencing factors of elevated blood pressure were analyzed using descriptive epidemiological methods. Results A total of 89 526 cases of elevated blood pressure were detected among the 565 795 workers, with a detection rate of 15.82%. From 2017 to 2023, the annual detection rate of elevated blood pressure was 14.11%, 15.00%, 14.69%, 15.94%, 17.00%, 16.90%, and 16.68%, respectively, showing an overall upward trend (P<0.01). The top three industries with the highest detection rates of elevated blood pressure were instrument and meter manufacturing; wood processing and the manufacture of wood, bamboo, rattan, palm, and straw products; as well as agricultural and sideline food processing. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that male workers had a higher risk of elevated blood pressure than female workers (P<0.01). The risk of elevated blood pressure in workers increased with age, years of occupational hazard exposure, and duration of dust exposure (all P<0.05). Workers exposed to noise for more than three years had a higher risk of elevated blood pressure than those without noise exposure (P<0.05). The risk of elevated blood pressure among workers in Nanhai, Shunde, and Gaoming districts was higher than that in Chancheng District (all P<0.01). Workers originating from Northeast and Northwest China had a higher risk of elevated blood pressure than those from North China (all P<0.05). Workers from smaller-scale enterprises had higher risk of elevated blood pressure (all P<0.01). Conclusion Targeted blood pressure health interventions in Foshan City should be strengthened for male manufacturing workers who are older, have longer working years, and originate from Northeast and Northwest China. The development of exemplary health enterprises should be promoted, particularly among micro- and small-sized enterprises and key industries. Enhanced occupational health management is especially needed for positions with high intensity noise exposure and high concentration dust exposure.

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