Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) solid waste is characterized by widespread availability, renewability, and substantial production volume. In the context of the "dual carbon" goals, the pyrolysis of TCM solid waste for producing fuel gas for recycling in pharmaceutical production has emerged as a crucial strategy for optimizing the energy structure in the TCM industry and developing renewable energy. This paper comprehensively reviews both internal and external factors that influence the pyrolysis of TCM solid waste. Internal factors encompass moisture content, particle size, ash content, and the morphology of the raw materials, while external factors include pyrolysis conditions, equivalence ratios, types of gasifiers, and gasifying agents. Furthermore, this paper details the challenges associated with the pyrolysis of TCM solid waste, such as the dispersion of feedstocks, the diversity of resources, the complexity of the pyrolysis process, and the variations in gasifier performance. Finally, this paper proposes measures to address these challenges. This paper aims to provide insights into the development of a circular economy for TCM resources and the advancement of low-carbon energy utilization in the TCM industry.
Pyrolysis ; Carbon/chemistry* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Solid Waste/analysis* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Gases/chemistry*

AIM: To investigate the protective effect and mechanism of Danlou tablet on retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury(RIRI)in mice.METHODS: A total of 40 ApoE-/- mice were fed with high fat diet for 6 wk, and the RIRI model was established by anterior chamber infusion of pressurized saline. The mice were divided into control group(normal saline for 8 wk), RIRI model group(normal saline for 8 wk), and low-, medium-, and high-dose Danlou tablets groups [1, 2, and 4 g/(kg·d), respectively, for 8 wk]. The morphological changes of retina were observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining, retinal cell apoptosis was detected by terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated Nick-End Labeling(TUNEL)staining. The Western-blot assay was used to detect the expression of retinal tissue sample Kelch-like ech-associated protein 1(Keap1), nuclear factor E2 related factor 2(Nrf2), heme oxygenase 1(HO-1), and superoxide dismutase(Sod2)proteins.RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the mouse retina was atrophic with thinning thickness and increasing cell apoptosis, down-regulation of Sod2 protein expression, and up-regulation of Keap1 protein expression in the RIRI model group(all P<0.01). Compared with the RIRI model group, the retinal thickness increased in the medium- and high-dose of Danlou tablets groups(all P<0.01), and the cell apoptosis of retina decreased in the low-, medium- and high-dose of Danlou tablets groups(all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the expression of Keap1 and HO-1 proteins of mouse retina tissue in the low-dose of Danlou tablets group(P>0.05). The expression of Sod2, Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins up regulated, and the expression of Keap1 protein down regulated in the medium- and high-dose of Danlou tablets groups(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Danlou tablet can alleviate RIRI-induced atrophy and thinning of retina and retinal cell apoptosis by regulating Keap1-Nrf2/HO-1 signal pathway and reducing oxidative stress.

The 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (ASCO-GI) was held in San Francisco, the USA from January 18th to 20th, 2024 (local time). The multiple studies presented in this symposium will have a significant impact on the clinical practice of esophageal cancer. This article will focus on the surgical methods of esophageal cancer, perioperative immunotherapy, drug therapy for advanced esophageal cancer, rescue treatment after immunotherapy resistance, and other relevant aspects. It aims to summarize and interpret the significant advancements in the field of esophageal cancer presented in this symposium.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Panlongqi tablets in the treatment of fractures based on real-world research. METHODS From September 2021 to September 2023， fracture patients admitted to 33 medical institutions were collected retrospectively. Patients who received conventional treatment were divided into control group （n＝3 750）， and patients who received combination of Panlongqi tablets on the basis of conventional treatment were divided into observation group （n＝ 3 706）. Self-reported indicators of patients were collected through telephone follow-up at 0， 4， 7 and 14 days after treatment. The improvement values of pain score， swelling score and health utility value， as well as effective rate and adverse drug reactions were compared between 2 groups. The propensity matching score （PSM） method was adopted to perform baseline matching on patient’s age， gender， fracture site， fracture severity， surgical type， type of hospital， and other indicators. Statistical analysis was performed on each therapeutic effect indicator. RESULTS After PSM， a total of 6 425 patients were included， of which 3 055 were in the observation group and 3 370 were in the control group. After 14 days of treatment， the observation group showed significant improvement in pain score （4.768 vs. 4.353）， swelling fangshiyuan2008@126.com grading score （2.979 vs. 2.391）， and life quality utility value （0.430 vs. 0.363）， as well as effective rate （87.20% vs.75.99%） compared to the control group （P＜0.05）. The results of subgroup analyses conducted by gender， age， hospital type， and fracture site were consistent with the aforementioned results. In terms of safety， the observation group had no serious adverse reactions， with a total of 29 cases of mild adverse reactions such as dizziness， stomach pain， and allergies， with an incidence rate of 0.78%. CONCLUSIONS Panlongqi tablets combined with conventional treatment are significantly better than conventional treatment in improving pain， swelling， quality of life， and effective rate in patients with fractures， and have good safety.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to analyze the current status of outcome indicators in randomized controlled trials （RCT） of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） for treating chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG）， so as to provide references for constructing the core outcome set （COS） of TCM in the treatment of CAG. MethodChina National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， Wanfang， VIP， SinoMed， PubMed， Embase， and Cochrane Library databases were searched for RCTs of TCM in the treatment of CAG in the last five years. The risk of bias of included studies was evaluated， and the selection status of outcome indicators was statistically analyzed. ResultA total of 150 RCTs were included， with a sample size of 44-398 cases. 164 outcome indicators were reported， with an application frequency of 1 229 times. The outcome indicators were classified into seven indicator domains according to functional attributes， followed by physical and chemical examination （69.41%）， TCM syndrome （12.69%）， symptoms and signs （11.15%）， safety indicators （5.37%）， quality of life （0.65%）， long-term prognosis （0.65%）， and economic evaluation （0.08%）. According to the statistical analysis， there were problems in the selection of outcome indicators in RCTs of TCM for treating CAG， including various indicators， non-standard name reports， unclear primary and secondary indicators， random combination of subjective and objective indicators， neglected patient report outcome indicators， missing long-term prognosis and economic indicators， insufficient reporting of safety indicators， and inconsistent measurement tools and measurement time points. ConclusionIn the past five years， there have been many problems in the selection of outcome indicators in RCTs of TCM for treating CAG. It is necessary to actively promote the construction of the COS of TCM in the treatment of CAG and promote the high-quality development of clinical research of TCM.

Talents are the main force for the development of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）， and the construction of TCM talents and the reformation of talent evaluation system are essential to promote the inheritance and innovation of TCM. At present， we are still exploring and developing in the fields of the formulation， implementation and evaluation indicators of TCM talent evaluation system. However， there are shortcomings and difficulties. For instance， insufficient stratification in the evaluation， excessive emphasis on the quantity of achievements， neglecting the quality of the achievements and the actual contribution， imperfect assessment indicators， and the weak characteristics of TCM. Therefore， national ministries and commissions have jointly issued a document requesting to break the four only and set a new standard， in order to promote the construction of a scientific and technological talent evaluation system oriented by innovation value， ability and contribution. For the evaluation of TCM clinical talents， China Association for Science and Technology commissioned China Association of Chinese Medicine to build the China Clinical Cases Library of TCM（CCCL-TCM）， which aims at collecting the most authoritative and representative TCM clinical cases and exploring the advantages of applying clinical cases as masterpiece of achievement in TCM clinical talents evaluation. CCCL-TCM can promote the construction of a talent evaluation system that is more in line with the development characteristics of TCM industry， and to carry out relevant pilot in TCM colleges and institutions across the country in order to promote the reformation of TCM talent evaluation system.

The prevention and control requirements for HIV/AIDS vary significantly among different populations,posing substantial challenges to the formulation and implementation of intervention strategies.Dynamically assessing the heterogeneity and disease progression trajectories of various groups is crucial.Latent class growth model(LCGM)serves as a statistical approach that fits a longitudinal data into N subgroups of individual development trajectories,identifying and analyzing the progression paths of different subgroups,thereby offering a novel perspective for disease control strategies.LCGM has shown significant advantages in the application of HIV/AIDS prevention and control,especially in gaining a deeper understanding and analysis of epidemiological characteristics,risk behaviors,psychological research,heterogeneity in testing,and dynamic changes.Summarizing the advantages and limitations of applying LCGM can provide a reliable basis for precise prevention and control of HIV/AIDS.

The study investigated the effect of casticin on the proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) H322 cells and explored its molecular mechanism. Firstly, the cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay, and EdU assay were used to detect the effect of casticin on the proliferation capacity of H322 cells under different concentrations and treatment durations. Then, glucose uptake, lactate production, extracellular pH, and oxygen consumption of H322 cells were measured before and after casticin treatment to analyze its impact on glycolysis in NSCLC H322 cells. Finally, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR) and Western blot assays were performed to explore glycolysis-related molecules affected by casticin. The experiments showed that casticin inhibited the proliferation of NSCLC H322 cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner, with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations(IC_(50)) of 28.64 and 19.41 μmol·L~(-1) after 48 and 72 hours of treatment, respectively. Casticin also inhibited glucose uptake and lactate production in H322 cells, while increasing extracellular pH and oxygen consumption. Further investigation revealed that casticin inhibited the expression of glycolysis-related molecules, including glucose transporter 1(GLUT1), hexokinase 2(HK2), aldolase A(ALDOA), pyruvate kinase M2(PKM2), and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α). Overexpression of HIF-1α was found to reverse the inhibitory effects of casticin on H322 cell proliferation and glycolysis. These findings suggest that casticin may regulate cellular glycolysis by inhibiting the expression of HIF-1α, thereby inhibiting the proliferation of NSCLC H322 cells. This study identifies a potential drug for the treatment of NSCLC and provides a direction for further research.
Humans ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/genetics* ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/physiopathology* ; Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Glucose/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Glycolysis/drug effects*

Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome （IBS-D） is a chronic functional bowel disorder characterized by abdominal pain and diarrhea， with visceral hypersensitivity and abnormal gastrointestinal dynamics as the pathophysiological basis. The brain-gut interaction plays a role in pain-related functional gastrointestinal disorders， especially IBS-D. 5-Hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， as an important brain-gut peptide regulating gastrointestinal function， affects brain activity， gastrointestinal motility， pain perception， mucosal inflammation， and immune response through brain-gut interaction and is associated with the occurrence and development of IBS-D. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has shown great potential to mitigate gastrointestinal symptoms and improve the quality of life with its holistic view and treatment based on syndrome differentiation. Studies have shown that TCM treats IBS-D by regulating the 5-HT signaling pathway. With a focus on syndrome differentiation in TCM， this paper systematically describes the efficacy and mechanism of TCM in treating different TCM syndromes of IBS-D via the 5-HT signaling pathway， aiming to provide a scientific basis for TCM treatment of this disease.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the rules of acupoint selection for aphasia treated with acupuncture and moxibustion using data mining technology. METHODS: From January 1, 2000 to April 1, 2022, the articles for clinical researches of acupuncture and moxibustion for aphasia published in CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, EMbase were searched. Using Microsoft Excel 2021, the database was set up to analyze the use frequency of acupoint, meridian tropism, acupoint distribution and the use of specific points. SPSS26.0 was adopted for factor analysis, SPSS Modeler 18.0 was for association rule analysis of prescriptions, and Gephi 0.9.5 was to plot the co-occurrence network diagrams of acupoints and meridians. RESULTS: A total of 140 articles were collated, including 146 acupuncture and moxibustion prescriptions and 189 acupoints. The total use frequency of these acupoints was 1 211. Lianquan (CV 23), Jinjin (EX-HN 12), Yuye (EX-HN 13), Baihui (GV 20) and Yamen (GV 15) were the top 5 acupoints of the high use frequency for aphasia treated with acupuncture and moxibustion. Among 189 acupoints collected, the extra points and empirical points were mostly selected. The top 3 involved meridians were the governor vessel, the gallbladder meridian of foot-shaoyang and the conception vessel. These acupoints were mostly distributed on the head, face and neck region. The use frequency of five-shu points was the highest among the specific points. The acupoint combinations of high frequency referred to Yuye (EX-HN 13)-Jinjin (EX-HN 12), Yuye (EX-HN 13)-Lianquan (CV 23)-Jinjin (EX-HN 12), and Fengchi (GB 20)-Yuye (EX-HN 13)-Jinjin (EX-HN 12). Factor analysis extracted 10 common factors for acupoint compatibility in treatment of aphasia with acupuncture and moxibustion. CONCLUSION In clinical treatment of aphasia with acupuncture and moxibustion, the local acupoints are preferred. The core acupoints include Lianquan (CV 23), Jinjin (EX-HN 12), Yuye (EX-HN 13), Baihui (GV 20) and Yamen (GV 15). The acupoint prescription is modified flexibly according to syndrome differentiation to enhance the therapeutic effect.
Humans ; Moxibustion ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Meridians ; Data Mining ; Aphasia/therapy*