A scoping review was performed to systematically search and summarize the clinical research in the treatment of dysmenorrhea with oral Chinese patent medicines. The oral Chinese patent medicines for treating dysmenorrhea in three major drug lists, guidelines, and textbooks were screened, and the relevant clinical trials were retrieved from eight Chinese and English databases. The key information of the included trials was extracted and visually analyzed. A total of 50 Chinese patent medicines were included, among which oral Chinese patent medicines for the dysmenorrhea patients with the syndrome of Qi stagnation and blood stasis accounted for the highest proportion, and the average daily cost varied greatly among Chinese patent medicines. A total of 150 articles were included, involving 22 Chinese patent medicines, among which Guizhi Fuling Capsules/Pills, Sanjie Zhentong Capsules, and Dan'e Fukang Soft Extract were the most frequently studied. These articles mainly reported randomized controlled trial(RCT), which mainly focused on the comparison of the intervention effect between Chinese patent medicines combined with western medicine and western medicine alone, and the sample size was generally 51-100 cases. The high-frequency outcome indicators belonged to nine domains such as effective rate, adverse reactions, and laboratory examinations. This study showed that oral Chinese patent medicines had advantages in the treatment of dysmenorrhea, and the annual number of related clinical trials showed an overall growing trend. However, there were still problems such as insufficient safety information and vague description of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndromes types in the instructions of Chinese patent medicines. The available clinical research had shortcomings such as uneven distribution of Chinese patent medicines, limited research scale, poor methodological rigor, and insufficient standardization of outcome indicators. In the future, it is necessary to deepen the development of high-quality clinical research and improve the contents of the instructions to ensure the effectiveness and safety of the clinical application of oral Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of dysmenorrhea.
Dysmenorrhea/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Female ; Administration, Oral ; Nonprescription Drugs/administration & dosage*

Aromatic immunity in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is the medical knowledge accumulated in the process of people's struggling with diseases. It plays an important role in plague prevention, disease treatment, health preservation, and rehabilitation, and has profound TCM basic theoretical support and abundant modern scientific evidence. With the in-depth promotion of the Healthy China initiative and the succession of health needs in the post-COVID-19 era, how to practice the health concept of aromatic immunity in TCM and develop its health service resources with high quality has become an important proposition to be discussed urgently. This paper summarizes the cognitive process, puts forward the basic concept, discusses the scientific connotation and clinical application value, and looks forward to the future development trend of aromatic immunity in TCM, aiming to provide guidance for the development of great health products and promote the application of aromatic immunity in TCM in serving people's health.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Humans ; COVID-19/immunology* ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; SARS-CoV-2

Network Meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different traditional Chinese medicine injections combined with conventional western medicine in treatment of cerebral small vessel disease(CSVD). Computerized searches were conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMbase, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed for randomized controlled trial(RCT) published in Chinese or English using traditional Chinese medicine injections to treat CSVD. The search time is from the inception to July 15, 2024. Literature screening and statistical analysis were conducted with NoteExpress 3.0.3, RevMan 5.3.5, and Stata 15.1.6. A total of 45 articles were included, involving 3 717 patients, with 1 944 patients in the treatment group and 1 773 patients in the control group. A total of 15 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine injections were involved. Network Meta-analysis indicated that,(1) in terms of improving clinical total effective rate, the best intervention in SUCRA was Ciwujia Injection + conventional western medicine.(2) In terms of reducing NIHSS scores, the best intervention in SUCRA was Xueshuantong Injection + conventional western medicine.(3) In terms of improving ADL scores, the best intervention in SUCRA was Danshen Injection + conventional western medicine.(4) In terms of improving MMSE scores, the best intervention in SUCRA was Xueshauntong Injection + conventional western medicine.(5) In terms of improving MoCA scores, the best intervention in SUCRA was Salvianolate Injection + conventional western medicine.(6) In terms of reducing plasma viscosity(PV), the best intervention in SUCRA was Danhong Injection + conventional western medicine.(7) In terms of reducing the hematocrit, the best intervention in SUCRA was Xuesaitong Injection + conventional western medicine.(8) In terms of reducing fibrinogen, the best intervention in SUCRA was Xuesaitong Injection + conventional western medicine.(9) In terms of reducing erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR), the best intervention in SUCRA was Danshen Injection + conventional western medicine.(10) In terms of reducing total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), and low-density lipoprotein(LDL), the best intervention in SUCRA was Danshen Injection + conventional western medicine. The radar chart results indicated that the advantage of Salvianolate Injection lies in improving cognitive function, while the advantage of Xueshuantong Injection lies in improving neurological function. The advantage of Xuesaitong Injection lies in improving hemodynamic parameters, and the advantage of Danshen Injection lies in improving behavioral ability, hemodynamics, and blood lipid levels. In terms of safety, there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the traditional Chinese medicine injection treatment group and the conventional western medicine group, and no serious adverse reactions occurred. The results showed that the combination of traditional Chinese medicine injections and conventional western medicine can effectively improve the clinical total effective rate, the neurological and cognitive functions, hemodynamic parameters, and blood lipid levels of patients suffering from CSVD. In addition, more double-blind, multi-center, large-sample RCT is needed to verify these findings and to provide more high-quality evidence on the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine injections for CSVD.
Humans ; Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Injections ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Patients with glioma experience a high symptom burden and have diverse palliative care needs. However, the assessment scales used in palliative care remain non-standardized and highly heterogeneous. To evaluate the application patterns of the current scales used in palliative care for glioma, we aim to identify gaps and assess the need for disease-specific scales in glioma palliative care. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search of five databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, EMBASE, and CINAHL for quantitative studies that reported scale-based assessments in glioma palliative care. We extracted data on scale characteristics, domains, frequency, and psychometric properties. Quality assessments were performed using the Cochrane ROB 2.0 and ROBINS-I tools. RESULTS: Of the 3,405 records initially identified, 72 studies were included. These studies contained 75 distinct scales that were used 193 times. Mood (21.7%), quality of life (24.4%), and supportive care needs (5.2%) assessments were the most frequently assessed items, exceeding half of all scale applications. Among the various assessment dimensions, the Distress Thermometer (DT) was the most frequently used tool for assessing mood, while the Short Form-36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36) was the most frequently used tool for assessing quality of life. The Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) was the most common tool for cognitive assessment. Performance status (5.2%) and social support (6.8%) were underrepresented. Only three brain tumor-specific scales were identified. Caregiver-focused scales were limited and predominantly burden-oriented. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant heterogeneity, domain imbalances, and validation gaps in the current use of assessment scales for patients with glioma receiving palliative care. The scale selected for use should be comprehensive and user-friendly.
Humans ; Glioma/psychology* ; Palliative Care/methods* ; Quality of Life ; Psychometrics ; Brain Neoplasms/psychology*

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and osteoporosis (OP) are two very common metabolic diseases. A growing body of experimental evidence supports a pathophysiological link between MAFLD and OP. MAFLD is often associated with the development of OP. Rutaecarpine (RUT) is one of the main active components of Chinese medicine Euodiae Fructus. Our previous studies have demonstrated that RUT has lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic effects, and can improve the OP of rats. However, whether RUT can improve both fatty liver and OP symptoms of MAFLD mice at the same time remains to be investigated. In this study, we used C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 months to construct a MAFLD model, and gave the mice a low dose (5 mg·kg^-1) and a high dose (15 mg·kg^-1) of RUT by gavage for 4 weeks. The effects of RUT on liver steatosis and bone metabolism were then evaluated at the end of the experiment [this experiment was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (approval number: IMB-20190124D₃03)]. The results showed that RUT treatment significantly reduced hepatic steatosis and lipid accumulation, and significantly reduced bone loss and promoted bone formation. In summary, this study shows that RUT has an effect of improving fatty liver and OP in MAFLD mice.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the regulatory effects of two traditional mineral medicines (TMMs), Gypsum Fibrosum (Shigao, GF) and Terra Flava Usta (Zaoxintu, TFU), on gut-beneficial bacteria in mice, and preliminarily explore their mechanisms of action. METHODS: Mice were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=10 per group): the control group (standard diet), the GF group (diet supplemented with 2% GF), and the TFU group (diet supplemented with 2% TFU). After 4-week intervention, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to analyze the changes in the gut microbiota (GM). Scanning electron microscopy, in combination with coumarin A tetramethyl rhodamine conjugate and Hoechst stainings, was used to observe the bacteria and biofilm formation. RESULTS: Principal coordinate analysis revealed that GF and TFU significantly altered the GM composition in mice. Further analysis revealed that GF and TFU affected different types of gut bacteria, suggesting that different TMMs may selectively modulate specific bacterial populations. For certain bacteria, such as Faecalibaculum and Ileibacterium, both GF and TFU exhibited growth-promoting effects, implying that they may be sensitive to TMMs and that different TMMs can increase their abundance through their respective mechanisms. Notably, Lactobacillus reuteri, a widely recognized and used probiotic, was significantly enriched in the GF group. Random forest analysis identified Ileibacterium valens as a potential indicator bacterium for TMMs' impact on GM. Further mechanistic studies showed that gut bacteria formed biofilm structures on the TFU surface. CONCLUSIONS This study provides new insights into the interaction between TMMs and GM. As safe and effective natural clays, GF and TFU hold promise as potential candidates for prebiotic development.
Animals ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Bacteria/growth & development* ; Mice ; Biofilms/drug effects* ; Male ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics*

Recent studies have revealed a significant association between Porphyromonas gingivalis(P.gingivalis)infection and poor prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).Although cer-tain circular RNAs(circRNA)have been shown to suppress ESCC tumorigenesis and progression,their regulatory mechanisms in P.gingivalis infection-associated ESCC remain elusive.In this study,RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated that P.gingivalis infection downregulated hsa_circ_0057552 expression in ESCC cells and tissues in a time-and dose-dependent manner.Actinomycin D assays further confirmed that P.gingivalis infection reduced the RNA stability of hsa_circ_0057552 in ESCC cells(P＜0.05).Functional assays in vitro and a subcutaneous tumor xenograft model in vivo revealed that hsa_circ_0057552 overexpression significantly inhibited ESCC cell proliferation,migration,invasion,and tumor growth(P＜0.05).Additionally,PCR array screening combined with RT-qPCR and Western blotting in-dicated that P.gingivalis infection markedly upregulated human antigen R(HuR)expression at both RNA and protein levels(P＜0.05).Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that HuR knockdown signifi-cantly increased hsa_circ_0057552 expression(P＜0.01),whereas hsa_circ_0057552 overexpression had no regulatory effect on HuR.Finally,si-HuR treatment reversed the inhibitory effect of P.gingivalis on hsa_circ_0057552 transcription.This study demonstrated that P.gingivalis may promote the progression of ESCC through a novel mechanism involving the regulation of HuR/hsa_circ_0057552,thereby identif-ying a novel therapeutic target and molecular marker for P.gingivalis-associated ESCC.

Objective This study investigated feasible cases and their significance in promoting the"generalized"development of inspection through digital-intelligent equipment.Methods A qualitative research approach was used,involving interviews conducted between February 2025 and March 2025 with experts in traditional Chinese medicine diagnostics,clinical research methodology,medical engineering integration,and related disciplines,using both online and offline methods.In accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research,feasible cases involving the specific application of digital equipment in various parts of observation were collected through item enrichment.The significance of extending observation capabilities via these cases was analyzed,along with the overall implications of integrating digital technologies with traditional inspection method.Results Interviews were completed with 11 experts from domestic universities and research institutes in the fields of traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis,medical engineering integration,and related disciplines.A total of 78 feasible cases of digital-intelligent inspection were identified,along with 69 insights regarding the significance of enhancing the inspection capabilities.These insights were synthesized into two dimensions and 23 holistic meanings.The first dimension is to expand the scope of inspection,including obtaining internal environmental characteristics,observing external environmental characteristics,expanding thermodynamic characteristic data,and crossing time and space.The second dimension is to improve the quality of observation and diagnosis information collection and analysis,including 19 specific meanings,such as standardized collection environment,objective quantification,and refined observation.Conclusion Digital-intelligent equipment plays a significant role in expanding the scope of inspection content and achieving high-quality acquisition and analysis of extensive inspection information.These advancements extend and enrich the capabilities of traditional inspection method in traditional Chinese medicine.

With the rapid development of competitive sports, the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is on the rise. Such injuries may shorten athletes′ career and lead to other long-term adverse consequences. Although athletes generally recover well after ACL reconstruction, many still struggle to return to their pre-injury performance levels. Advances in the understanding of ACL anatomy and injury mechanisms, along with the evolution of surgical techniques and rehabilitation methods, have provided more individualized and tailored options for athletes following ACL injuries. However, there is currently no consensus in China regarding surgical and rehabilitation strategies for competitive athletes aiming to return to sports after ACL injuries. To this end, the Sports Medicine Committee of the Chinese Research Hospital Association and the Editorial Board of the Chinese Journal of Trauma jointly formulated the Expert consensus on surgical treatment and rehabilitation for competitive sports athletes returning to sports after anterior cruciate ligament injury ( version 2025), and presented 14 recommendations covering surgical indications, preoperative rehabilitation, surgical timing, surgical strategies and postoperative rehabilitation strategies, aiming to improve the surgical treatment and rehabilitation system for ACL injuries in competitive athletes and facilitate their return to high-level sports performance after injury.

Nuclear receptor co-activator 4 (NCOA4) acts as a selective cargo receptor that binds to ferritin, a cytoplasmic iron storage complex. By mediating ferritinophagy, NCOA4 regulates iron metabolism and releases free iron in the body, thus playing a crucial role in a variety of biological processes, including growth, development, and metabolism. Recent studies have shown that NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy is closely associated with the occurrence and development of iron metabolism-related diseases, such as liver fibrosis, renal cell carcinoma, and neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, a number of clinical drugs have been identified to modulate NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy, significantly affecting disease progression and treatment efficacy. This paper aims to review the current research progress on the role of NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy in related diseases, in order to provide new ideas for targeted clinical therapy.
Humans ; Nuclear Receptor Coactivators/physiology* ; Ferritins/metabolism* ; Animals ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/metabolism* ; Iron/metabolism* ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Liver Cirrhosis/metabolism* ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/metabolism* ; Kidney Neoplasms/physiopathology*