1.Reflections on Status Quo and Development Pathways of Traditional Chinese Medicine Technology Transfer in Context of Digital-intelligent Transformation
Jie ZHANG ; Jing XU ; Guangwei ZHENG ; Huayu ZHANG ; Chang LIU ; Xiaoxiao WEN ; Xishui PAN ; Bin WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(4):235-240
As a distinctive resource of Chinese civilization, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) technology transfer faces significant opportunities under the background of digital and intelligent transformation, while also being constrained by unique challenges such as the complexity of its theoretical system, lengthy industrial chains, and multidimensional policy restrictions, resulting in a "high-value-high-threshold" paradox. At present, TCM technology transfer is deeply trapped in a "threefold reluctance" dilemma, i.e., unwillingness to transfer, inability to transfer, and lack of capacity to transfer. Specifically, the disconnection between scientific research evaluation systems and market demand leads to low conversion rates of research achievements, unclear ownership and compliance risks suppress innovation incentives, and the absence of professional services intensifies supply-demand mismatches. This article systematically analyzes the specific characteristics of TCM technology transfer and proposes a breakthrough pathway centered on full-chain digital and intelligent transformation. By integrating technologies such as intelligent sorting systems, blockchain-based traceability, and AI diagnostic models, the TCM ecosystem spanning "cultivation-production-service" can be reconstructed. In terms of standardization, promoting the progression from "experience-based data conversion" to "data standardization" and further to "intelligent standardization" is advocated to resolve quality control challenges. For example, a "three-no-one-full" certification system can strengthen quality trust. Policy coordination should focus on optimizing mechanisms for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, while exploring intellectual property securitization and risk-sharing models to stimulate research momentum. In terms of internationalization, reliance on the Belt and Road Initiative platform to promote the export of geo-authentic medicinal material brands and standards is recommended to build a dual-driven model of "technology plus culture". Looking ahead, through the construction of national-level databases, the cultivation of interdisciplinary talent, and the mutual recognition of international standards, a new paradigm of "scientific intelligent manufacturing" can be formed, providing systematic solutions for the modernization of TCM and global health governance.
2.Exploration of Regulatory Mechanism of Mitochondrial Quality Control in Neuroprotection of Acute Ischemic Stroke from Theory of Kidney Governing Yin and Yang
Qinru YANG ; Junyu DUAN ; Zhenhong LIU ; Yonghong GAO ; Jinghe LIU ; Yingzhi XU ; Lu TANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(4):249-257
Mitochondrial quality control (MQC) homeostasis serves as a fundamental mechanism in maintaining the mitochondrial structure and function. Dysregulation of MQC contributes to the progression of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) through multiple pathways including disturbances in energy metabolism, increased oxidative stress, and imbalances in mitochondrial fusion and fission. Drawing upon the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory of the kidney governing Yin and Yang, this study innovatively proposes an integrative model of "Yin-Yang dynamic balance-MQC homeostasis" to elucidate the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. Specifically, kidney Yang deficiency and decline result in reduced driving force, thereby inhibiting mitochondrial fusion. This leads to decreased efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation and impaired adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Conversely, when kidney Yin is dysfunctional and excessive phlegm-blood stasis accumulates, mitochondrial fission becomes hyperactive, causing rapid accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and intensified oxidative stress. The interplay between these two pathological states culminates in the central TCM pathogenesis—Yin-Yang imbalance and disordered Qi and blood-of AIS. To address this pathogenesis, a therapeutic strategy is proposed: tonifying the kidney as the primary intervention to restore MQC homeostasis, supplemented by resolving phlegm and removing blood stasis to interrupt the deleterious cycle of cerebral vascular damage. This work integrates the holistic perspective of TCM with contemporary molecular insights, offering precise intervention targets along the "kidney-mitochondria axis" for the prevention and treatment of AIS, while establishing a novel integrative paradigm for stroke management that bridges traditional and modern medicine. Future research should focus on elucidating the molecular mechanisms through which TCM regulates MQC in AIS and integrating classical TCM theories with evidence-based medicine to facilitate the translation of theoretical insights into clinical applications.
3.Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Comorbidity of Parkinson's Disease and Depression: A Review
Qi ZHENG ; Xiaomin XU ; Simeng WANG ; Shumin LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(4):268-276
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily characterized by motor dysfunction. Traditionally, its main clinical features include resting tremor, muscular rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural balance disorders. However, an increasing number of studies have shown that its non-motor symptoms (NMS) exert an even greater impact on patients' quality of life than motor symptoms, severely affecting daily functioning and increasing the burden on families and society. Among these, depression is one of the most common and most debilitating NMS, with statistics indicating that the incidence of depression among PD patients reaches as high as 40%-50%. The pathological mechanisms are complex, involving the interplay between degenerative changes in dopaminergic neurons and disruptions in emotional regulatory circuits, which poses a substantial challenge to clinical treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), characterized by holistic regulation and multi-target intervention, has demonstrated significant advantages in the treatment of PD and depression, offering new insights for managing PD-depression comorbidity. This study integrates research extracted from multiple databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), that investigates the potential mechanisms of PD and depression as well as TCM-based treatments for these conditions. The aim is to elucidate the shared pathological mechanisms underlying PD and depression and to explore the therapeutic potential of TCM in effectively combating PD-depression comorbidity through these shared mechanisms, thereby providing valuable insights for the development of targeted therapies.
4.Active Ingredients of Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulate Ferroptosis to Inhibit Breast Cancer: A Review
Yan LIU ; Zhenyao YANG ; Chengzhi WANG ; Jiuxian LI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(4):299-306
Breast cancer (BC), a common malignant tumor in women, is characterized by high incidence and mortality rates, posing a serious threat to women's life and health. Currently, the commonly used treatments for BC include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, and endocrine therapy. Although radiotherapy and chemotherapy can effectively kill tumor cells and inhibit the proliferation and differentiation of tumor cells, they can induce adverse reactions such as hematopoietic dysfunction and impaired immune function. The other treatment methods also have problems such as drug resistance, high recurrence rates, reduced quality of life, and poor clinical efficacy. Therefore, it is urgent to explore new drugs with better efficacy and lower toxicity. Ferroptosis is a form of iron-dependent, non-apoptotic programmed cell death triggered by lipid peroxidation. In recent years, ferroptosis has become a hot topic in the field of cancer treatment and has been gradually proven to effectively inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of BC cells, reduce the drug resistance of BC to chemotherapy drugs, and enhance the sensitivity of BC to radiotherapy. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), with multiple components, multiple targets, and mild side effects, is widely used in the treatment of BC. A large number of studies have shown that active ingredients of TCM, such as saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenols, and polysaccharides, can inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of BC cells by modulating ferroptosis-related pathways. These include iron metabolism, lipid metabolism, cystine/glutamate antiporter system Xc-/glutathione/glutathione peroxidase 4, Specifically, these ingredients elevate the levels of lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, and Fe2+ in BC cells, thereby inducing ferroptosis-mediated suppression of tumor progression. This article reviews the relevant literature at home and abroad in recent years, summarizes the mechanisms of ferroptosis in regulating BC and the research progress in the active components of TCM targeting ferroptosis in the intervention of BC, aiming to provide ideas for the development of new drugs for the treatment of BC.
5.Regulation of NLRP3 Inflammasome by Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis: A Review
Minmin HU ; Aimin LIU ; Mengying MA ; Changyu WU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(4):315-321
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an atopic disease with a complex etiology and pathogenesis resulting from the interaction of multiple factors. The NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is an important component of innate immunity and is involved in the onset and progression of AD, encompassing multiple processes such as inflammation, pyroptosis, and autophagy. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown significant clinical efficacy in the treatment of AD and also offers advantages including flexible compatibility, multi-target effects, and low drug resistance. A large number of studies have shown that single Chinese medicinal components and compound prescriptions can treat atopic diseases by modulating the NLRP3 inflammasome. This article elaborates on the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and its influence on the pathogenesis and progression of AD, and summarizes recent studies on the mechanisms by which active constituents, extracts, and compound formulations of Chinese medicine treat AD through regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and related signaling pathways, with the aim of providing a reference for the clinical treatment of AD and the development of TCM.
6.Mechanism Exploration of Doxorubicin and Sepsis Induced Myocardial Injury: Differences and Convergences
Tao ZHANG ; Zihan NAN ; Lixia LIU ; Jiaqi LIU ; Xiukai CHEN ; Xiaoting WANG ; Suwen SU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):23-32
Doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiotoxicity and sepsis-induced myocardial injury (SIMI) represent significant clinical challenges in patients undergoing chemotherapy, sharing a common pathological basis of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death driven by lipid peroxidation, has recently been shown to play a critical role in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced SIMI. This article systematically reviews the mechanisms underlying myocardial injury caused by DOX and sepsis, identifying ferroptosis as a central common pathway. DOX triggers a burst of reactive oxygen species within mitochondria and inhibits glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) activity through redox cycling of its quinone group and high-affinity accumulation in mitochondrial cardiolipin. LPS, by activating pattern recognition receptors and related inflammatory signaling pathways, provokes a cytokine storm and mitochondrial dysfunction. Both can disrupt the core regulatory axis of cysteine-glutathione (GSH)-GPX4, synergistically promoting ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes. Moreover, epigenetic regulation plays a key role in DOX- and LPS-induced cardiomyocyte ferroptosis and may serve as a promising therapeutic target. A deeper understanding of the ferroptosis mechanism and its epigenetic regulatory network in the synergistic injury induced by DOX and sepsis is of great importance for developing novel strategies to mitigate chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity and improve outcomes in cancer patients with concurrent infections.
7.Reporting Status of Clinical Practice Guideline Protocols: A Systematic Analysis
Huayu ZHANG ; Xufei LUO ; Hui LIU ; Qi ZHOU ; Yishan QIN ; Ye WANG ; Yuanyuan YAO ; Haodong LI ; Xiaohui WANG ; Yaolong CHEN
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):255-262
To systematically analyzed the reporting status of core elements in publicly available clinical practice guideline(hereafter referred to as "guideline") protocols published domestically and internationally over the past decade, identified existing problems, and provided evidence to inform the standardized writing and publication of future guideline protocols. A systematic search was conducted in Chinese and English databases for clinical practice guideline protocols published during the past ten years. The basic characteristics and reporting of core elements—including registration information, conflict of interest management, evidence grading, development process and timeline planning, as well as dissemination and implementation—were extracted and analyzed. Chi-square tests were performed to explore associations between protocol characteristics and the reporting of core elements. A total of 94 guideline protocols were included, of which 67 were in Chinese(71.28%) and 27 were in English(28.72%). Overall, 82.98% of the guideline protocols were registered, 92.55% reported management of conflicts of interest, 97.87% reported evidence searching, 88.30% reported evidence grading, and 89.36% described dissemination and implementation strategies. However, only 55.32% reported the guideline development process, and merely 23.40% reported timeline planning. Further analysis indicated that the reporting of registration, evidence searching, development process, and timeline planning was associated with year of publication. Differences were observed between domestic and international guidelines in reporting registration, conflict of interest management, development process, time planning, and dissemination and implementation. Guidelines intended for development exhibited higher reporting rates for registration, development process, and dissemination and implementation compared to those planned for updating or adaptation. Although current guideline protocols demonstrate relatively adequate reporting of methodological elements, deficiencies remain in development process and timeline planning. Future efforts should focus on promoting the publication and standardized reporting of guideline protocols, enhancing the international recognition of registration platforms, and strengthening the development process and timeline planning to advance the scientific rigor and transparency of guideline development.
8.Proctor's Reporting Guideline for Implementation Strategies: Interpretation, Application, and Challenges
Jiangyun CHEN ; Jinghan LIU ; Youping ZHUANG ; Xueying CHEN ; Siyuan LIU ; Xiaoshan CHEN ; Yeqing ZHAN ; Dongmei ZHONG ; Huadan HUANG ; Dong XU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):263-273
The Proctor's reporting guideline for implementation strategies represents a landmark framework in the field of implementation science, aiming to address the issue of inconsistent reporting in implementation research by standardizing the naming, definition, and operationalization of implementation strategies, thereby enhancing the credibility and utility of research findings. This paper provides an in-depth interpretation of the core connotations of this reporting guideline and illustrates its application in developing interview outlines and specifying implementation strategies, using a brief smoking cessation intervention project as a case study. Through this reporting guideline, abstract recommendations for implementation are systematically transformed into clear, multidimensional operational guides, significantly improving the transparency of strategy connotations and the replicability of actual execution. Meanwhile, the case study highlights the flexibility of the guideline, which allows researchers to adapt the content and format of strategies based on local resources and cultural contexts, thus enhancing practical adaptability while maintaining scientific rigor. However, the application of Proctor's reporting guideline still faces challenges, primarily manifested in the potential confusion surrounding the constructs of temporality and dose in practice, as well as the challenges that the inherent flexibility of the guideline may pose to the assessment of fidelity and effectiveness. Despite these limitations, the reporting guideline remains a vital tool for implementation research; future efforts should focus on optimizing its application—through refining operational guidelines, standardizing flexible adaptations, and involving stakeholders—to better guide implementation studies and continuously promote high-quality development in the field.
9.Association Between MTHFR C677T Gene Polymorphism and Hypertension, Hyperhomocysteinemia and Hyperlipidemia in Tibet Region
Pengchang LI ; Danni MU ; Zhijuan LIU ; Xiaoxing LIU ; Puchi ZEJI ; Liping TIAN ; Honglei LI ; Li'an HOU ; Dandan LI ; Jie WU ; Ling QIU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):280-285
To explore the correlation between MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism and hypertension, hyperhomocysteinemia(Hcy), and hyperlipidemia in the Tibetan population of Tibet. Using a cluster sampling method, participants from high-altitude regions including Ngari Prefecture, Lhasa City, and Nyingchi City in Tibet were enrolled. Differences in MTHFR C677T genotype distribution among individuals with hypertension, HHcy, and hyperlipidemia were analyzed, and multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the association between these conditions and the TT genotype. A total of 574 eligible subjects were included, with a mean age of 40.64±12.67 years. Males accounted for 46.7%(268/574) and females 53.3%(306/574). Regional distribution was 34.8%(200/574) from Nyingchi City, 33.1%(190/574) from Lhasa City, and 32.1%(184/574) from Ngari Prefecture. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 117.89±18.98 mm Hg and 79.74±14.88 mm Hg, respectively. The frequency of the TT genotype was significantly higher in the hypertension group than in the non-hypertension group(12.32% The MTHFR C677T TT genotype is significantly associated with hypertension and hyperhomocysteinemia in the Tibetan population, suggesting that this polymorphism may be a genetic risk factor for these diseases in high-altitude regions.
10.Expert Consensus on Blood Flow and Oxygen Delivery Phenotyping and Clinical Management of Septic Shock(2025)
Wei HUANG ; Xinchen WANG ; Wenzhao CHAI ; Keliang CUI ; Bo YAO ; Zhiqun XING ; Cui WANG ; Jingjing LIU ; Shiyi GONG ; Dongkai LI ; Wanhong YIN ; Xiaoting WANG ; Wei DU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):40-58
Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Septic shock is the primary cause of mortality in sepsis, with its core pathophysiological mechanism being severe ischemia and hypoxia in critical units—composed of microcirculation and the mitochondria of functional cells—resulting from disruptions in blood flow and oxygen flow following a dysregulated host response. Due to the systemically convergent yet clinically heterogeneous nature of the host response, current understanding and management strategies for hemodynamics remain inconsistent, often leading to inadequate resuscitation or overtreatment. To improve the quality of care, based on a systematic review of the "blood flow-oxygen flow" theory, an expert panel emphasizes reevaluating septic shock from an integrated perspective of blood flow and oxygen flow, and has formulated the

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