Shen (Kidney)-Tonifying Principle for Primary Osteoporosis: to Treat Both the Disease and the Chinese Medicine Syndrome

Primary osteoporosis (POP) is one of the most common diseases in the elderly people resulting in high risk of fracture and poor quality of life. In addition to the pathological changes in bone mass, most of the POP patients also suffer from Chinese medicine (CM) syndromes of Shen (Kidney) essence deficiency. Shen essences are highly related to bone. Shen essence deficiency plays an important part in the development of POP and a better diagnosis of POP could be made by combining CM syndromes with Western medicine risk factors. Treatments of POP should aim at both increasing the bone mass and relieving the syndromes of Shen essence deficiency. Clinical study confirmed that treating POP patients with Shen-tonifying herbs could increase the bone mass and relieve the CM syndromes of POP patients. Basic researches clarified the mechanism by which Shen-tonifying herbs increased bone mass in animal models. The mechanisms by which Shen-tonifying herbs relieve the CM syndromes are still in investigation.     

Essence of "Shen (Kidney) Controlling Bones": Conceptual Analysis Based on Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal-Osteo-Related Cells Axis

As a traditional concept of Chinese medicine (CM), the theory of “Shen (Kidney) controlling bones” has been gradually proven. And in modern allopathic medicine, the multiple mechanisms of bone growth, development and regeneration align with the theory. Shen deficiency as a pathological condition has a negative effect on the skeleton of body, specifically the disorder of bone homeostasis. Present studies indicate that Shen deficiency shares a common disorder characterized by dysfunction of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. HPA axis may be an important regulator of bone diseases with abnormal homeostasis. Therefore, we posit the existence of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-osteo-related cells axis: cells that comprise bone tissue (osteo-related cells) are targets under the regulation of HPA axis in disorder of bone homeostasis. Chinese herbs for nourishing Shen have potential in the development of treatments for disorder of bone homeostasis.     

Non-scientific Classification of Chinese Herbal Medicine as Dietary Supplement

This article focuses the category status of Chinese herbal medicine in the United States where it has been mistakenly classifified as a dietary supplement. According to Yellow Emperor Canon of Internal Medicine (Huang Di Nei Jing), clinical treatment in broad sense is to apply certain poisonous medicines to fight against pathogeneses, by which all medicines have certain toxicity and side effect. From ancient times to modern society, all, or at least most, practitioners have used herbal medicine to treat patients’ medical conditions. The educational curriculums in Chinese medicine (CM) comprise the courses of herbal medicine (herbology) and herbal formulae. The objective of these courses is to teach students to use herbal medicine or formulae to treat disease as materia medica. In contrast, dietary supplements are preparations intended to provide nutrients that are missing or are not consumed in suffificient quantity in a person’s diet. In contrast, Chinese herbs can be toxic, which have been proven through laboratory research. Both clinical practice and research have demonstrated that Chinese herbal medicine is a special type of natural materia medica, not a dietary supplement.     

中西医结合基础研究思路与方法探讨

整体观、系统论是中医药的重要特点, 中医药理论中也充满许多具有原创性的思想。课题组先是以还原论为指导, 进行了肾阳虚证与下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺皮质轴的研究, 近来利用系统生物学的思想, 在肾虚证(以衰老为模型)研究领域也进行了一些尝试。肾精是中医学的核心概念之一, 根据对中医肾精概念的深入发掘, 提出肾精内涵的干细胞理论, 并初步论证了肾精与干细胞的关联以及补肾填精药物激活内源性干细胞的作用。     

张景岳“肾阳”观与右归思想源流

肾气、肾精、肾阴、肾阳共同构成了中医学"肾"的概念。而肾气、肾精、肾阳、肾阴的概念并非产生于同一时期,肾阴、肾阳概念的产生晚于肾气、肾精,并且受到彼时盛行的理学影响颇深。肾阴、肾阳概念产生的原因是为了修正《黄帝内经》《难经》相关理论的不自洽,又适逢其会地成为了景岳学术观点嬗变的滥觞。景岳之"真元论""大宝论"使右归思想日趋完善,也为景岳创制右归丸奠定了理论基础。     

中医在临床肿瘤学中的角色

Chinese Medicine（CM）has been used for several thousand years,playing an important role in the prevention and treatment of diseases including cancer.In the recent four decades,a number of CM herbs have aroused extreme interest in the world-isolating anticancer components from medicinal herbs,using them as biological response modifiers,and most recently as angiogenesis inhibitors.The present review reports both the experimental and clinical results obtained in the field of clinical oncology,especially conducted by our group.The review also presents the possible future of integration of CM and modern medicine in basic research and clinical practice,especially when CM used as adjuvant and maintenance therapy.     

生殖相关肾虚证和补肾中药作用机制的研究进展

中医认为不孕不育症属于肾虚证,且临床上主要应用补肾中药治疗不孕不育症。大量的实验研究也表明,生殖相关肾虚证存在着下丘脑-垂体-生殖腺轴各器官组织学和分泌功能上的变化,补肾中药可通过调节下丘脑-垂体-生殖腺轴各器官的紊乱而调节和改善生殖功能,对生殖腺轴有多水平、多靶点的调节作用。近年来对生殖相关的肾虚证的本质和补肾中药作用机制的研究已经深入到基因和分子水平。     

Chinese Medicine in Fighting against Covid-19: Role and Inspiration

Covid-19 pandemic has caused hundreds of thousands deaths and millions of infections and continued spreading violently.Although researchers are racing to find or develop effective drugs or vaccines,no drugs from modern medical system have been proven effective and the high mutant rates of the virus may lead it resistant to whatever drugs or vaccines developed following modern drug development procedure.Current evidence has demonstrated impressive healing effects of several Chinese medicines(CMs)for Covid-19,which urges us to reflect on the role of CM in the era of modern medicine.Undoubtedly,CM could be promising resources for developing drug candidates for the treatment of Covid-19 in a way similar to the development of artemisinin.But the theory that builds CM,like the emphasis of driving away exogenous pathogen(virus,etc.)by restoring self-healing capacity rather than killing the pathogen directly from the inside and the'black-box'mode of diagnosing and treating patients,is as important,yet often ignored,an treasure as CM herbs and should be incorporated into modern medicine for future advancement and innovation of medical science.     

关于中医药研究及发展的思考

从科学哲学角度就中医药热点领域———中医证候本质和中药现代化的基本问题展开思考。认为建立有别于西医现有病变指标系统、以相关多生理指标的量变关系为特征的中医证的指标体系 ,将目前搜寻复方效用的某个化学单体或部位的研究调整到重视认识复方所含多部位或成分与其效用之间的关系上 ,将会从根本上改变中医药研究现状。中医药现代化不仅会促使医学行为以一种新的更加个体化的形式发展 ,而且会加快以预防保健为主流的新医学的到来。     

以曹颖甫经方思想为例,从经权思想谈中西医汇通

西医强调的是标准化治疗,讲究的是有一个恒定的方法。中医讲究的是没有一个恒定的方法,却有着不变的指导思想。中医指导思想的独特之处在于中医离不开其背后蕴含的中国传统文化所特有的思维方式而独立存在,其中经权思想作为中国哲学思想的重要组成部分,很好地解决了中西医并存的问题。经者,常也;权者,变也。知经达权、知常达变的哲学理念指导中医学以"衷中参西"的方式回归传统,即中西医汇通。名医曹颖甫生活在中国内忧外患时期,中西方思想交融与碰撞亦表现出了丰富性和复杂性,加之其治学思想和对经方的亲身体悟,使其能够从学理的高度去把握经方。曹颖甫经方思想主要表现在:(1)在笃信并运用经方的同时,并不反对使用时方。虽然时方在某些方面与经方背道而驰,但是其归旨实则与经方殊途同归。(2)通过《伤寒论》《金匮要略》自证、自解经方。经方的特点在于能够在任何时空、条件下稍做变化即可发挥其效用。这种自证、自解的方式实则是融会贯通古今的表现,亦能说明经方能够沟通古今。(3)通过"衷中参西"解释经方,即坚持回归最纯正的经方医学,以实验精神治病救人,以此证明经方的科学性和效果。     

探析元精元气元神与基因的相关性

中医学关于元精、元气、元神的三大特性与现代医学的基因结构、程序性表达、调控三大特性基本相同,基因的三大特性是元精、元气、元神的本质所在,而元精、元气、元神是中医学对基因三大特性的抽象概括和形象表述。脑髓是命门目所藏纳的先天之精,是元精、元气、元神的发源地,也是主宰人体一切生理生化进程的中枢神经系统(脑髓)的分子遗传基因所在地,其相同的特性和作用为命门所表述。命门既为先天之本,就必是先天遗传物质元精、元气、元神的根本所在。并根据"两精相搏"的胚胎衍化程序阐述"人始生先成精,精成而脑髓生"及"人生先生命门"的"先生为主"的遗传特性。     

Thoughts and Approaches of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine for the Treatment of Oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia

Oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia (OAT) which perplexes doctors and patients due to its complicated etiology, atypical symptoms and poor clinical efficacy, is a general term for the three pathological states of abnormal semen. OAT is the main factor of male infertility. It is also a hot and difficult point in present studies. Empiric drug is the most popular treatment of this disease in the modern medicine. Chinese medicine (CM) is one of the main methods for the treatment of this disease, and it has certain clinical effect. The author believes that the use of modern medical technology to make the diagnosis as clear as possible is the key to treat OAT. The combination of syndrome and disease differentiation is the main mode in the treatment of OAT. Microscopic syndrome differentiation and macroscopic evidence embodies the basic principle of “Si Wai Chuai Nei” and broadens the perspective of CM syndrome differentiation. Classification and treatment are basic methods for the treatment of OAT. The treatment should not be limited to the Shen (Kidney), instead it should focus on the whole body condition. At different stages, the treatment should also pay attention to strengthening the Pi (Spleen), nourishing the Gan (Liver) and promoting blood circulation. Complementing Chinese and Western medicine, and highlighting the characteristics and advantages of CM treatment, have a great guiding value for the treatment of OAT.     

Evidence-Based Therapies of Chinese Medicine for Chronic Urticaria: Where Do We Stand and Where Are We Going?

Chronic urticaria (CU) is characterized by repeated occurrence of wheals or itching for more than 6 weeks. When urticaria symptoms repeatedly occur despite taking Western medicines such as antihistamines, Chinese medicine (CM) has been shown to relieve symptoms and prevent recurrence. However, the lack of robust evidence from the evidence-based medicine perspective is hindering acceptance of CM by the Western medicine community. In recent years, more and more evidence-based studies of CU treatment by CM were report in English literatures, including acupuncture, herbs, and food, although some of evidence is still with low quality. These progress in CM treatment of CU will inspire high quality evidences via randomized, controlled trials assessing effificacy and safety of CM treatment of CU.     

Understanding and Therapeutic Strategies of Chinese Medicine on Gut-Derived Uremic Toxins in Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major disease that threatens human health. With the progression of CKD, the risk of cardiovascular death increases, which is associated with the elevated levels of uremic toxins (UTs). Representative toxins such as indoxyl sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate are involed in CKD progression and cardiovascular events inseparable from the key role of endothelial dysfunction. The therapeutic strategies of UTs are aimed at signaling pathways that target the levels and damage of toxins in modern medicine. There is a certain relevance between toxins and "turbid toxin" in the theory of Chinese medicine (CM). CM treatments have been demonstrated to reduce the damage of gut-derived toxins to the heart, kidney and blood vessels. Modern medicine still lacks evidence-based therapies, so it is necessary to explore the treatments of CM.     

Application of chinese herbal medicines to revitalize adult stem cells for tissue regeneration

<正>It has been established in the recent several decades that adult stem cells play a crucial role in tissue renewal and regeneration.Adult stem cells locate in certain organs can differentiate into functional entities such as macrophages and bone cells.Hematopoietic stem cells(HSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) are two of the most important populations of adult stem cells.The application of these stem cells offers a new insight in treating various pathological conditions, through replenishing cells of specific functions by turning on or off the differentiating program within quiescent stem cell niches.Apart from that,they are also capable to travel through the circulation,migrate to injury sites and differentiate to enhance regeneration process.Recently,Chinese medicine(CM) has shown to be potential candidates to activate adult stem cells for tissue regeneration.This review summarizes our own,as well as others' findings concerning the use of Chinese herbal medicine in the regulation processes of adult stem cells differentiation and their movement in tissue repair and rejuvenation.A number of Chinese herbs are used as therapeutic agents and presumably preventive agents on metabolic disorders.In our opinion,the activation of adult stem cells self-regeneration not only provides a novel way to repair tissue damage,but also reduces the use of targeted drug that adversely altering the normal metabolism of human subjects.     

来自中医的阴阳与证候

Chinese medicine （CM） basic theory differs substantially from modernmedicine in methodology. CM views the healthy human body as an entity in yin-yang equilibrium. CM practitioners typically diagnose patients with ＂Zheng （CMsyndrome）＂-yin-yang status of specific organs, and the ultimate goal of treatment inCM is to restore the yin-yang balance. This concept might seem strange to Westernperceptions; however, CM philosophy and methodology have been graduallyaccepted and used in the West. There is growing evidence from prestigiousworldwide journals like Nature, Science and Cell indicating that CM theory isbecoming an important component in dealing with health issues in the West.     

Emotionless holism: Factor and rasch analysis of the Chinese Integrative Medicine Attitude Questionnaire

Objective:To examine the Eastern-Western difference in the interpretation of Integrative Medicine Attitude Questionnaire(IMAQ)by assessing the psychometric properties of a revised Chinese medicine(CM)specific version of IMAQ(CM-IMAQ).Methods:Factor and Rasch analysis were performed with data collected from a mail survey of 165 Hong Kong Western medical doctors(WMD)randomly sampled from the official registry.The structural validity,unidimensionality,item fit,and differential item functioning(DIF)of the Hong Kong CM-IMAQ were evaluated.Results:Confirmatory factor analysis(CFA)demonstrated that the original IMAQ factor structure was not concordant with our data on Chinese WMD,and subsequent explanatory factor analysis(EFA)validated a new three-factor model for CM-IMAQ:(1)attitude towards "tonification",(2)attitude towards the effectiveness of CM,and(3)attitude towards CM knowledge.The original IMAQ factor on holism and doctor-patient relationship disappeared.Rasch analysis confirmed the unidimensionality of "tonification" and the effectiveness domains,but further refinement of the knowledge domain is needed.Conclusions: Cultural adaptation of the IMAQ has demonstrated differences between Eastern and Western doctors trained in allopathic medicine in their interpretations of holism in healthcare.For Chinese WMD,the emphasis of holistic care is placed on "tonifying" the body rather than on nurturing the mind and spirit.Confucian and Taoist conceptualizations of mental health as well as the persistent stigma towards mental illness within modern Chinese culture may explain why Chinese WMD do not regard mental health promotion as part of routine healthcare.     

Regenerative Medicine: Past and Present

Novel therapies resulting from regenerative medicine and tissue engineering technology may offer new hope for patients with injuries, end-stage organ failure, degenerative disorders and many other clinical issues. Currently, patients suffering from diseased and injured organs are treated with transplanted organs. However, there is a shortage of donor organs that is worsening yearly as the population ages and new cases of organ failure increase. Scientists in the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering are now applying the principles of cell transplantation, material science, and bioengineering to construct biological substitutes that can restore and maintain normal function in diseased and injured tissues. In addition, the stem cell field is a rapidly advancing part of regenerative medicine, and new discoveries in this field create new options for this type of therapy. For example, new types of stem cells, such as amniotic fluid and placental stem cells, that can circumvent the ethical issues associated with embryonic stem cells have been discovered. The process of somatic cell nuclear transfer and the creation of induced pluripotent cells provide still other potential sources of stem cells for cell-based tissue engineering applications. While stem cells are still in the research phase, some therapies arising from tissue engineering endeavors that make use of autologous, adult cells have already entered the clinical setting, indicating that regenerative medicine holds much promise for the future.