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Rhizoma coptidis (CR) is traditionally used for treating gastrointestinal diseases. Wine-processed CR (wCR), zingiber-processed CR (zCR), and evodia-processed CR (eCR) are its major processed products. However, the related study of their specific mechanisms is very limited, and they need to be further clarified. The aim of this study is to compare the intervening mechanism of wCR/zCR/eCR on rats via faecal metabolomics and 16S rDNA gene sequencing analysis. First, faecal samples were collected from the control and CR/wCR/zCR/eCR groups. Then, a metabolomics analysis was performed using UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS to obtain the metabolic profile and significantly altered metabolites. The 16S rDNA gene sequencing analysis was carried out to analyze the composition of gut microbiota and screen out the significantly altered microbiota at the genus level. Finally, a pathway enrichment analysis of the significantly altered metabolites via the KEGG database and a functional prediction of relevant gut microbes based on PICRUSt2 software were performed in combination. Together with the correlation analysis between metabolites and gut microbiota, the potential intervening mechanism of wCR/zCR/eCR was explored. The results suggested that wCR played a good role in maintaining immune homeostasis, promoting glycolysis, and reducing cholesterol; zCR had a better effect on protecting the integrity of the intestinal mucus barrier, preventing gastric ulcers, and reducing body cholesterol; eCR was good at protecting the integrity of the intestinal mucus barrier and promoting glycolysis. This study scientifically elucidated the intervening mechanism of wCR/zCR/eCR from the perspective of faecal metabolites and gut microbiota, providing a new insight into the processing mechanism research of Chinese herbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has suggested that a rigid dichotomy between small and professional talk is misleading given the porous nature of 'types' of talk. Yet, other research considers this distinction helpful in understanding the functions of talk in situated contexts. This article contributes to this discussion by discussing one type of small talk—co-topical small talk (CST). Drawing from Hudak and Maynard's (2011) understanding of CST as talk that combines instrumental and small talk, we further discuss the bigness of such talk in holistic medical encounters. Specifically, we focus on the ambiguity embedded in participants' turns that allows the navigation of topics between the small/big talk distinctions. We use Conversation Analysis focusing on a routine traditional Chinese medicine doctor–patient encounter. Our data present a case where CST comfortably and appropriately emerges and develops into extensive troubles talk that forms the main activity in caring for older adults. We conclude that the smallness/bigness of talk is determined by the nature of the context and the relevancy of the topic to the encounter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although small talk has conventionally been treated as marginal and unimportant compared with core business talk, its value in understanding institutional norms and power relations has been recognized in many workplace contexts. However, in-depth analysis of the dynamics of small talk is still under-researched in clinical contexts. This paper explores where and how small talk is positioned, initiated, and closed between participants in two types of medical practices that co-exist in China: Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine. Analysis of 69 consultations suggests that small talk permeates into the boundaries of talk. The findings also demonstrate a marked clinical difference in relation to the distribution and discourse functions of small talk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent aphthous ulcers are the most common recurrent oral mucosal lesions characterized by recurrence and pain. The aim of this research is to evaluate the short-term curative effect of the traditional Chinese medicine “Pudilan anti-inflammatory oral liquid” on mild recurrent aphthous ulcers. A total of 234 patients were divided into a treatment group and a control group. Both groups used vitamin B2 as the basis of treatment. The treatment group took a Pudilan anti-inflammatory oral solution for 8 days while the control group was given a liquid placebo. The ulcer size, pseudomembrane, peripheral congestion, and pain scores of the treatment group were lower than before treatment. The curative effect on the Pudilan group was statistically significant compared with the control group. The final therapeutic effect on the treatment group was better than that on the control group. The healing time of mild recurrent aphthous ulcers can be shortened by Pudilan anti-inflammatory oral liquid, and pain is relieved without adverse reactions. Pudilan provides a new reference drug for the treatment of mild recurrent oral ulcers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines dietary advice-giving in regular consultations for patients with chronic conditions in two types of clinical practices: Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine practiced in mainland China. Dietary habits are unanimously considered relevant to the patient's health, particularly in chronic conditions. This article reports the differences in where and how dietary advice is occasioned and co-constructed by participants in two settings. One significant finding of this paper is that while Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors take dietary talk to instruct patients and put it into the treatment recommendation, WM doctors may treat it as incidental and only valuable for diagnostic assessment, leaving its treatment opaque and not discussed with the patient. Data are in Mandarin Chinese. Using Conversation Analysis, the article describes the interactional organisation of dietary advice delivery in different medical practices and ascribes their differences to clinical pathology. • Diet as a treatment proposal or not. • Infrequent dietary advice-giving in WM encounters. • Frequent dietary advice-giving in TCM closings. • The organisation of advice reflects clinical understandings of diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sanjiao, a term of traditional Chinese medicine, which consists of the upper, middle, and lower jiao, is a membrane system that encompasses the zangfu organs. We propose the idea that sanjiao is a four-way membranous channels, internally connecting with the micro-membrane of the zangfu organs, extending to the skin, muscles, tendons, bones, and joints, by which water and fluid is transferred from the upper jiao to the middle jiao, then to the lower jiao, countering the transfer of blood and essence to promote the qi movement and generate health-promoting nutrition. Pulmonary interstitial fibrosis secondary to rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by disorders of both joints and the lung, and it is a condition in which healthy qi deficiency occurs, with phlegm and blood or intertwined that blocks the joints and lung micro-membrane. In the early stage of rheumatoid arthritis, external evils, such as wind, cold, and damp, build up in the joints of the tendons and bones, and prolonged early-stage symptoms would cause phlegm production and blood stasis which may obstruct the joints. Phlegm turbidity and blood stasis remain in the sanjiao membranous channels and stagnate the pulmonary micro-membrane, which may cause the pulmonary interstitial disease. The sanjiao four-way membranous channels is the pathway for joint phlegm and blood stasis flowing to the lungs, and sanjiao obstruction can aggravate phlegm and blood stagnation. The treatment is based on the principle of dredging, transforming, and regulating sanjiao, selecting herbs for regulating qi, promoting blood circulation and expelling wind, and using drugs that tonify the lung, warm the kidney, turn to qi, and regulate the state of zangfu organ. This unblocks the sanjiao membranous channels and dissipates the phlegm and blood stasis turbidity evil of the obstructed lung micro-membrane, and it can effectively treat pulmonary interstitial fibrosis secondary to rheumatoid arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lonicerae japonicae Flos, a traditional Chinese medicine, has the function of evacuating heat and detoxifying. To promote the optimization of Lonicerae japonicae Flos germplasms and improve the quality of medicinal materials, 55 batches of five Lonicerae japonicae Flos germplasms with the same origin were collected during different periods, a UHPLC‐TOF‐MS method was established, and 22 kinds of phenolic acids were found and qualitatively analysed. Seventeen phenolic acids were selected for quantitative analysis by UHPLC‐QqQ‐MS/MS, and the quantitative results were analysed by principal component analysis, orthogonal partial least squares‐discriminant analysis, and partial least squares discriminant analysis. The contents of phenolic acids in periods S1–S6 were found to be significantly different. There were also significant differences in the accumulation of phenolic acids in Lonicerae japonicae Flos during different growth periods. Ferulic acid, 5‐O‐caffeoylquinic acid, and caffeic acid were determined to be important components to distinguish the different growth periods of Lonicerae japonicae Flos. There were significant differences in the phenolic acid content of different germplasms of Lonicerae japonicae Flos, and the total amount of 17 phenolic acids and total acids (chlorogenic acid, 3,5‐di‐O‐caffeoylquinic acid, and 4,5‐di‐O‐caffeoylquinic acid) in "Hua Jin No. 6" was highest, so the quality of "Hua Jin No. 6" was better than that of the four other germplasms. In addition, chlorogenic acid methyl ester and caffeic acid were the smallest markers in combination to distinguish the five germplasms of Lonicerae japonicae Flos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This strategy combines HRPIF and BS techniques based on DIA and DDA. • The strategy is simple to operate, efficient, and versatile. • This strategy is suitable for Rhei Radix et Rhizoma metabolic analysis in vivo. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), components with identical nuclei often share structural similarity, indicating the possibility of similar second-level mass spectrometry (MS/MS) fragments. High-resolution product-ion filter (HRPIF) technique can be utilized to identify metabolites, with similar fragments, in vivo. In principle, this technique applies to TCM; however, its application has been restricted due to the limitations of traditional MS/MS data acquisition. Therefore, a novel analysis strategy, based on data-dependent acquisition (DDA) and data-independent acquisition (DIA) datasets, has been developed for the determination of template product ions and efficient non-targeted identification of TCM-related components in vivo by HRPIF and background subtraction (BS). This DDA-DIA combination strategy, taking Rhei Radix et Rhizoma as a test case, identified 71 anthraquinone prototype components in vitro (36 of which were discovered for the first time), and 45 related components in vivo , confirming glucuronidation and sulfation as the main reactions. The developed strategy could rapidly identify TCM-related components in vivo with high sensitivity, indicating the immense importance of this novel HRPIF data mining technology in TCM analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the emergence of endocrine resistance, the survival and good prognosis of HR-positive breast cancer (HR + BC) patients are threatened. As a common complementary and alternative therapy in cancer treatment, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used, and its internal mechanisms have been increasingly explored. In this review, the development status and achievements in understanding of the mechanisms related to the anti-invasion and anti-metastasis effects of TCM against HR + BC and the reversal of endocrine drug resistance by TCM in recent years have been summarized to provide ideas for antitumour research on the active components of TCM/natural medicine. We searched the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure database (CNKI) (from inception to July 2023) with the key words "HR-positive breast cancer" or "HR-positive breast carcinoma", "HR + BC" and "traditional Chinese medicine", "TCM", or "natural plant", "herb", etc., with the aim of elucidating the intrinsic mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine and natural medicine in the treatment of HR + BC. TCM/natural medicine monomers and formulas can regulate the expression of related genes and proteins through the PI3K/AKT, JAK2/STAT3, MAPK, Wnt and other signalling pathways, inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of HR + BC tumours, play a synergistic role in combination with endocrine drugs, and reverse endocrine drug resistance. The wide variety of TCM/natural medicine components makes the research and development of new methods of TCM for BC treatments more selective and innovative. Although progress has been made on research on TCM/natural medicine, there are still many problems in clinical and basic experimental designs, and more in-depth scientific explorations and research are still needed. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe disease for which effective drugs are still lacking at present. Forsythia suspensa is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used to relieve respiratory symptoms in China, but its functional mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, forsythoside A (FA), the active constituent of F. suspensa , was studied in the present study. Inflammation models of type II alveolar epithelial MLE-12 cells and BALB/c mice stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were established to explore the effects of FA on ALI and the underlying mechanisms. We found that FA inhibited the production of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2) in LPS-stimulated MLE-12 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, FA decreased the adhesion and migration of monocytes to MLE-12 cells. Furthermore, miR-124 expression was upregulated after FA treatment. The luciferase report assay showed that miR-124 mimic reduced the activity of CCL2 in MLE-12 cells. However, the inhibitory effects of FA on CCL2 expression and monocyte adhesion and migration to MLE-12 cells were counteracted by treatment with a miR-124 inhibitor. Critically, FA ameliorated LPS-induced pathological damage, decreased the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6, and inhibited CCL2 secretion and macrophage infiltration in lungs in ALI mice. Meanwhile, administration of miR-124 inhibitor attenuated the protective effects of FA. The present study suggests that FA attenuates LPS-induced adhesion and migration of monocytes to type II alveolar epithelial cells though upregulating miR-124, thereby inhibiting the expression of CCL2. These findings indicate that the potential application of FA is promising and that miR-124 mimics could also be used in the treatment of ALI. • Acute lung injury is a life-threatening disease without effective treatments now. • Forsythia suspense is used to treat pneumonia with its anti-inflammatory activity. • Forsythoside A is a natural product from Forsythia suspense. • Forsythoside A protects mice from lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Component screening by intelligent MS data analysis and network pharmacology. • BE-DDA for non-targeted acquiring HRMS2 Data of TCM' s metabolites in vivo. • First report on comprehensive study on in vivo exposure of Xiaokewan in rats. Xiaokewan is a typical Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for diabetes and contains various natural chemicals, such as lignans, flavonoids, saponins, polysaccharides, and western medicine glibenclamide. In the current study, a highly efficient system for screening hypoglycemic efficacy constituents of Xiaokewan has been developed with the integration of intelligent data acquisition, data mining, network pharmacology, and computer assisted target fishing. With the combination of background exclusion data dependent acquisition (BE-DDA) and non-targeted precise-and-thorough background-subtraction (PATBS) techniques, a novel workflow has been established for the non-targeted recognition and identification of TCM constituents in vivo, and has been applied to the exposure study of Xiaokewan in rat. In this case, an interesting correlation among drug, target, and disease can be established, by combining the screening or characterization results with the strategy of network pharmacology and multiple computer assisted techniques. Consequently, five main constituents (puerarin, daidzein, formononetin, deoxyschizandrin and glibenclamide) exposed in vivo have been selected as effective hypoglycemic components. Meanwhile, the network pharmacology experimental results showed that these five constituents could act on various drug targets, such as PI3K, PTP1B, MAPK, AKT, TNF, and NF-κB. These five constituents might be involved in the regulation of β-cell function or exhibit inflammation inhibition ability to relieve the pathophysiological process of disease from multiple links. Furthermore, the pharmacological effects of these five constituents have been verified by diabetic zebrafish model. The zebrafish model results showed that the TCM monomer mixture without glibenclamide exhibited similar hypoglycemic activity with Xiaokewan. Although the monomer mixture with glibenclamide showed better activity than Xiaokewan only, the deoxyschizandrin (TCM constituent of Xiaokewan) exhibited best hypoglycemic performance. In summary, the above results indicated that the application of both intelligent recognition technology in mass spectrometry dataset and computerized network pharmacology might provide a pioneering approach for investigating the substance basis of TCM and searching lead compounds from natural sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A portable three-channel data collector was fabricated toward TCM visualization. • The three-channel data collector was fabricated based on homemade flexible pressure sensors. • The three-channel data collector can collect pulse wave without signal interference. • The three-channel data collector can recognize various pulse waves. • The three-channel data collector can be applied in remote TCM diagnosis. Visualization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) could offer an opportunity for doctors and patients have a perspective of life and health, while TCM visualization is difficult to achieve because large amounts of pulse data needed to be collected for big data analyses and diagnoses. However, existing data-collecting devices still don't have the ability to substitute for doctor's fingers to accurately recognize the pulse signals from the different positions on different genders and ages of detecting objects, under different levels and directions of applied forces. Herein, we introduce a portable three-channel data collector on a human hand as a transitional scheme for visualization of TCM to make use of human fingers' flexibility. This data collector was made up of three homemade flexible pressure sensors, three-channel transmitting circuit, and a signal processing software, in which the sensors fabricated by conductive carbon fiber beams were present high-sensitivity and reliability, make them suitable for the monitoring of pulse signals. Comprehensive researches and analyses on the pulse signals further demonstrated that this portable three-channel data collector could accurately capture and identifying the slightly distinctions of radial artery pulse waves under different positions, different level forces, different directions of applied forces, different genders and ages of detected objects. Moreover, this three-channel data collector has been successfully applied to remote TCM diagnosis, indicated that the data collector could be a promising personal medical equipment for the application of TCM visualization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]