Background: Advances in intensive care have markedly improved survival after severe brain injury, leading to a growing population of patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDOC). Current management of pDOC remains largely supportive, and evidence-based neuromodulatory interventions are limited; moreover, existing guidelines provide insufficiently explicit recommendations regarding mechanisms of action and objective biomarkers of treatment response. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has emerged as a potential noninvasive intervention; however, its modulatory effects on brain function in pDOC are not yet well characterized, and the paucity of integrative mechanistic evidence has constrained its translation into routine clinical practice. Objectives: Within a multimodal assessment framework, this study aims to systematically elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms by which taVNS modulates brain function and autonomic activity in patients with pDOC, and to evaluate its clinical potential to enhance levels of consciousness. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 60 patients with vegetative state/minimally conscious state will be enrolled and randomly allocated to a taVNS group, a transcutaneous nonauricular vagus nerve stimulation group (sham), or a control group (n = 20 per group) for a 4-week intervention. The primary outcome will be changes in the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised scores from baseline to weeks 1, 2, and 4 of treatment. Secondary outcomes will include functional brain activity assessed by electroencephalography and functional near-infrared spectroscopy, as well as autonomic modulation indexed by heart rate variability. Functional prognosis will be evaluated using the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended at the end of treatment and at a 6-month follow-up. Safety will be assessed by continuous monitoring and documentation of adverse events throughout the study period. Results and discussion: By integrating electroencephalography–functional near-infrared spectroscopy with heart rate variability, this study will characterize the effects of taVNS on functional brain networks and consciousness recovery in pDOC across complementary behavioral, electrophysiological, hemodynamic, and autonomic domains, while interrogating potential sources of clinical and neurobiological heterogeneity. The findings are expected to provide a mechanistic and evidence-based foundation for the mechanism-driven clinical implementation of taVNS and the optimization of stimulation protocols in pDOC. Clinical trial registration: International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry, ITMCTR20250021041, https://itmctr.ccebtcm.org.cn.

The concept of holism is the core idea of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Various organs and tissues coordinate with each other to maintain the body's life activities， with a close and mutual influence between the spleen， stomach， and the central nervous system （brain）. The gut-brain axis plays an important bridging role between the digestive system and the central nervous system， achieving bidirectional information exchange between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract through complex neuroendocrine and immune mechanisms. The theory of cross-organ interaction involves the mutual influence， coordination， and integration between different organs and systems； multimodality， on the other hand， utilizes multiple sensory modalities， such as vision， hearing， and touch， to convey information. By combining TCM theory with the gut-brain axis theory， a cross-organ multimodal characterization system is established to explore its mechanism and application value in refractory diseases such as functional gastrointestinal disorders， precancerous gastrointestinal diseases， Alzheimer's disease， Parkinson's syndrome， type 2 diabetes， and depression.

With the development of manned space technology,long-term space missions have gradually become a reality,but the problem of sleep disorders faced by astronauts has become increasingly prominent.The combined effects of microgravity,abnormal circadian rhythm,confined space pressure and psychological stress in space environment lead to the significant decline of sleep quality of astronauts,which is manifested as difficulty falling asleep,sleep fragmentation and reduction of deep sleep.Based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine,this paper systematically analyzes the etiology and pathogenesis of astronaut sleep disorders,and reveals the unique advantages of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation in space medicine,which provides a new idea for the construction of non-pharmacological sleep intervention system.Although there are technical difficulties,non-pharmacological therapy such as transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation is still a key breakthrough to solve sleep disorders in astronauts.It is expected to become an important part of space medicine and provide safe and efficient health protection for long-term space missions.

Bamboo jar therapy of Zhuang medicine is a combination of cupping therapy,acupuncture and hot compress of medicine,which is simple,convenient and cost-effective.There are differences in the production of bamboo cans(species,acquisition cycle,diameter,tank length,wall thickness),liquid medicine,and operation process among different regions.These three aspects hinder its wide application and promotion.Therefore,it is particularly important to formulate unified practice standards and norms.Based on the combination of literature research and clinical experience,this paper proposes a standardized draft to respond to the above three perspectives.The authors would like to provide a reference for doctors to understand and master this therapy,so that patients can enjoy this therapy.

A review was undertaken of the operation process and development of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) and related devices for TEAS, with the aim to offer a reference for developing an international standard for the basic safety and essential performance of the devices. The articles related to TEAS and instruction of devices for TEAS were searched using the EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Web of Science databases with the time period from inception to July 18, 2023. In the absence of a parameter description of the stimulators, a multimeter was used to measure the output voltage, resistance, and current. Thirty-two related devices for TEAS were obtained. The safety parameters of most devices were neither clearly defined, nor stand ardized, and in some cases were missing. There was a noticeable disparity in the upper safety limits of the output current among the devices. The sizes of the skin electrode pads as well as the lengths of the electrode connecting wires of most devices were not clearly indicated. Acupoints on different parts of the human body, including the upper limbs, head, auricle, chest, abdomen, trunk, and lower limbs, required different maximum tolerable current intensities and current densities. It is important to indicate comprehensive output/safety parameters and essential performance for devices for TEAS to meet the need of global distribution, achieve precise stimulation parameters at different acupoints across the human body, and allay any safety concern of national therapeutic device authorities, the regulators, manufacturers, and end users.

Senior care workers specializing in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) healthcare have become an indispensable force in institutional care, community care, and home care. The first Chinese nursing service team aimed to improve the health of the elderly by providing continuous services for physical and mental well-being, disease prevention, physical amelioration, and overall health enhancement using TCM concepts, methods, and technologies. The primary purpose of formulating this TCM health and elderly care worker service specification was to standardize services within the TCM elderly care industry, ensuring that the elderly receive better health and elderly care services supported by technical expertise. This specification outlined the basic requirements for TCM health and elderly care workers, including standards for service content, service quality control, service evaluation, and improvement. It primarily focused on the content and requirements of TCM health and elderly care services, such as constitution identification, life care, acupoint healthcare, and TCM auxiliary nursing for elderly individuals with chronic diseases. This specification is applicable to TCM health and elderly care personnel at various levels of hospitals and healthcare institutions and is noted for its strong applicability and effectiveness.

In recent years, the incidence of obesity has been rapidly increasing, greatly elevating the incidence of hypertension, heart disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and other diseases. Reducing the incidence of obesity has become the focus of global concern. There is an urgent need to find effective and safe treatment method. More and more evidence support the efficacy of auricular acupoint therapy for obesity. It has the advantages of safety, effectiveness, convenience, and cheap. This article intends to discuss the research status of auricular acupoint therapy for obesity based on theoretical development, mechanism exploration, and technical innovation in order to promote the clinical application of auricular acupoint therapy for obesity. At present, with the help of multiple disciplines, inheriting and enriching the theoretical connotation of auricular point therapy for obesity, confirming its clinical effectiveness and safety, clarifying its effect mechanism in the treatment of obesity, and improving the traditional auricular acupoint therapy are feasible directions to promote auricular point therapy in the treatment of obesity, and it can make auricular point therapy have a broader application prospect.

With the integration and application of various disciplines, traditional Chinese medicine′s auricular acupoint therapy has gained new opportunities for development. The effective activation of auricular acupoints is crucial as the initial step in auricular acupoint therapy. To address this issue, advanced techniques for physical stimulation, blending principles from traditional Chinese and Western medicine, have been developed. This paper explores the profound impact of magnetism on the structure and function of organisms from multiple dimensions, focusing on magnetobiology. It provides a comprehensive review of the clinical efficacy, research paradigm, challenges, and future prospects of auricular magnetic therapy. The article emphasizes the magnetic characteristics of organisms, particularly the nervous system′s high sensitivity to magnetic fields. It highlights the potential of modern magnetic stimulation techniques in treating brain diseases through auricular therapy. Additionally, the paper explores the research paradigm of auricular magnetic stimulation in conjunction with physical molecular dynamics simulation, materials engineering, mathematical modeling, and interdisciplinary biomedical technology. This endeavor is expected to provide valuable insights for optimizing the parameters of auricular magnetic stimulation and understanding its underlying principles. The multidisciplinary, cross-system, and multi-scale biophysical research paradigm introduces a new conceptual framework and investigative approach for auricular acupoint therapy, significantly enhancing the safety and efficacy of auricular magnetic stimulation therapy.

Visceral hypersensitivity (VH), one of the major symptoms of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), impacts the social life and quality of life of the patients. Because of the complex pathological mechanism, the drug therapy for VH has unsatisfactory clinical efficacy and induces side effects. Alternative strategies acting on the central nervous system with few side effects are urgently needed. We summarize the central mechanisms of acupuncture in relieving VH to provide theoretical support for the clinical application of acupuncture in the treatment of VH in FGIDs. In this study, we retrieved the related articles from PubMed and Web of Science with the key words of “acupuncture,”“electroacupuncture,” and “visceral hypersensitivity.” According to the sensory conduction, perception, and emotion-related pathways involved in VH, we summarize the central mechanism of acupuncture in relieving VH from the perspectives of molecular biology and neuroimaging. The pathogenesis of VH in FGIDs involves the peripheral and central nervous systems, which are responsible for the transmission and perception of visceral sensations as well as the regulation of emotion. The widespread nature of VH indicates the involvement of the central nervous system. Acupuncture mediates the signaling pathways between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain to regulate gastrointestinal function and relieve VH. Acupuncture relieves VH by integrating multiple pathways and targets. The available studies in this field mainly focus on the regulation of a specific target or chemical transmitter by acupuncture, while the exact connection among these targets remains to be clarified by multilevel and multitarget studies.