Promoting the international acceptance of clinical studies about traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions is a key strategy for internationalization of TCM. However, the complexities of TCM interventions—in terms of the theories, practice patterns, and components—pose challenges to the design and implementation of clinical studies that are well accepted by the international community. This article summarized the current status of clinical studies about TCM interventions that were published in international journals, explored underlying barriers hindering the international acceptance, and discussed potential strategies for future development.

Promoting the international acceptance of clinical studies about traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions is a key strategy for internationalization of TCM. However, the complexities of TCM interventions—in terms of the theories, practice patterns, and components—pose challenges to the design and implementation of clinical studies that are well accepted by the international community. This article summarized the current status of clinical studies about TCM interventions that were published in international journals, explored underlying barriers hindering the international acceptance, and discussed potential strategies for future development.

Promoting the international acceptance of clinical studies about traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions is a key strategy for internationalization of TCM. However, the complexities of TCM interventions—in terms of the theories, practice patterns, and components—pose challenges to the design and implementation of clinical studies that are well accepted by the international community. This article summarized the current status of clinical studies about TCM interventions that were published in international journals, explored underlying barriers hindering the international acceptance, and discussed potential strategies for future development.

Objective:To explore the current situation of the intrinsic capacity of elderly people in the community and analyze its influencing factors.Methods:From September 2022 to March 2023, convenience sampling was used to select 360 elderly community residents from Xicheng District, Beijing, and Xingtai City, Hebei Province, as the research subjects. The subjects were surveyed using the Intrinsic Capacity Assessment Questionnaire, Intrinsic Capacity Influencing Factors Questionnaire, Barthel Index, and Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale.Results:A total of 360 questionnaires were distributed, and 360 valid questionnaires were collected, with an effective response rate of 100.0% (360/360). The overall impairment rate of intrinsic capacity among 360 elderly people in the community was 90.3% (325/360), and the impairment rates in various fields from high to low were sensation, psychology, vitality, cognition, and exercise. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age, gender, residential pattern, education level, work status, grip strength, number of geriatric syndrome, self-rated health status, adverse life events, number of social activities, transportation conditions, and social security were the influencing factors of the intrinsic capacity of elderly people in the community, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:The impairment rate of intrinsic capacity among elderly people in the community is relatively high. Grassroots medical and nursing staff should assess the intrinsic capacity of elderly people in the community in health promotion work, identify elderly people with decreased intrinsic capacity early and carry out effective interventions to prevent elderly people from becoming disabled and dependent on care.

Objective:To conduct a scoping review on the impact of community environment on the health of older adults from the perspective of person-environment fit, so as to provide reference for the creation of targeted care environments and the construction of elderly friendly communities.Methods:Literature on the impact of community environment on the health of older adults from the perspective of person-environment fit was searched on China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Data, VIP, China Biology Medicine disc, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycInfo and so on. The search period was from database establishment to December 31, 2023. Literature was screened and data was extracted based on inclusion criteria.Results:A total of 19 articles were included, and the methods of person-environment fit included compensation and consistency. Sixteen articles described how community environment promoted the health of older adults by compensating for the decline in individual abilities and socio-economic disadvantages of older adults. The poorer the individual abilities and lower the socio-economic status of older adults, the greater the impact of environmental factors. Three articles mentioned that the consistency between community environment and the needs of older adults could promote their health.Conclusions:The interaction between the individual characteristics of older adults and their surrounding environmental resources determines their health status. When building elderly friendly communities and providing care environments, consideration should be given to the individual abilities and needs of older adults, and the impact mechanism of the environment on the health of older adults can be explored from multiple perspectives.

Objective:To carry out a scoping review of research related to the use of virtual reality technology in geriatric nursing.Methods:Guided by the scoping review framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley, Chinese and English literature on the effect of virtual reality technology in geriatric nursing was systematically searched on databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Data, VIP, China Biology Medicine disc, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, Embase and so on. The search period was from database establishment to July 1, 2023. Two researchers independently screened literature, extracted data, and summarized the content of the literature.Results:A total of 35 articles were included. The research mainly involved the impact of virtual reality technology on the cognitive function, physical function, psychological state, symptom relief, health management, and teaching effectiveness of geriatric nursing. Among them, 27 articles indicated that virtual reality technology had positive effects, while 8 articles did not clarify the advantages and differences between virtual reality technology and traditional methods.Conclusions:Virtual reality technology has development potential in geriatric nursing, but virtual device intervention may cause discomfort symptoms such as dizziness and vomiting in the elderly, and is influenced by individual digital literacy. Research should focus on improving the comfort of using the equipment and enriching its usage scenarios.

Steatotic liver diseases (SLD) are the principal worldwide cause of cirrhosis and end-stage liver cancer, affecting nearly a quarter of the global population. SLD includes metabolic dysfunction-associated alcoholic liver disease (MetALD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), resulting in asymptomatic liver steatosis, fibrosis, cirrhosis and associated complications. The immune processes include gut dysbiosis, adiposeliver organ crosstalk, hepatocyte death and immune cell-mediated inflammatory processes. Notably, various immune cells such as B cells, plasma cells, dendritic cells, conventional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, innate-like T cells, platelets, neutrophils and macrophages play vital roles in the development of MetALD and MASLD. Immunological modulations targeting hepatocyte death, inflammatory reactions and gut microbiome include N-acetylcysteine, selonsertib, F-652, prednisone, pentoxifylline, anakinra, JKB-121, HA35, obeticholic acid, probiotics, prebiotics, antibiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation. Understanding the immunological mechanisms underlying SLD is crucial for advancing clinical therapeutic strategies.

Danshen, the dried roots and rhizomes of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (S. miltiorrhiza), is widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Tanshinones, the bioactive compounds from Danshen, exhibit a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties, suggesting their potential for future therapeutic applications. Tanshinone biosynthesis is a complex process involving at least six P450 enzymes that have been identified and characterized, most of which belong to the CYP76 and CYP71 families. In this study, CYP81C16, a member of the CYP71 clan, was identified in S. miltiorrhiza. An in vitro assay revealed that it could catalyze the hydroxylation of four para-quinone-type tanshinones, namely neocryptotanshinone, deoxyneocryptotanshinone, and danshenxinkuns A and B. SmCYP81C16 emerged as a potential broad-spectrum oxidase targeting the C-18 position of para-quinone-type tanshinones with an impressive relative conversion rate exceeding 90%. Kinetic evaluations andin vivo assays underscored its highest affinity towards neocryptotanshinone among the tested substrates. The overexpression of SmCYP81C16 promoted the accumulation of (iso)tanshinone in hairy root lines. The characterization of SmCYP81C16 in this study accentuates its potential as a pivotal tool in the biotechnological production of tanshinones, either through microbial or plant metabolic engineering.
Humans ; Salvia miltiorrhiza/metabolism* ; Biosynthetic Pathways ; Quinones/metabolism* ; Plant Roots/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant

Natural plant-derived diterpenoids are a class of compounds with diverse structures and functions. These compounds are widely used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food additives industries because of their pharmacological properties such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities. In recent years, with the gradual discovery of functional genes in the biosynthetic pathway of plant-derived diterpenoids and the development of synthetic biotechnology, great efforts have been made to construct a variety of diterpenoid microbial cell factories through metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, resulting in gram-level production of many compounds. This article summarizes the construction of plant-derived diterpenoid microbial cell factories through synthetic biotechnology, followed by introducing the metabolic engineering strategies applied to improve plant-derived diterpenoids production, with the aim to provide a reference for the construction of high-yield plant-derived diterpenoid microbial cell factories and the industrial production of diterpenoids.
Diterpenes/metabolism* ; Biotechnology ; Metabolic Engineering ; Biosynthetic Pathways/genetics* ; Plants/genetics* ; Synthetic Biology