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ObjectiveTo understand the current situation and hot spots of research on the treatment of constipation by traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in China and foreign countries， and provide references and directions for future research. MethodIn this study， the data analysis software CiteSpace 5.8.R3C was used to conduct bibliometrics analysis of the relevant papers on the treatment of constipation by TCM from January 1， 2000 to December 31， 2021 in China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI） and Web of Science core database. The visual display was carried out. ResultAfter retrieval， 2 133 papers were included in CNKI database and 224 papers were included in Web of Science core database. The statistical analysis showed that the overall annual publication volume in China and foreign countries was on the rise， but the publication volume in China had been declining for the past two consecutive years. The author co-occurrence analysis showed that the authors with the largest number of publications in China and foreign countries were LIU Chunqiang and CHUNGWAH CHENG， respectively. The institution co-occurrence analysis showed that the institutions with the largest number of publications in China and foreign countries were the Anorectal Department of Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of TCM and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine， respectively. The keyword analysis showed that research in this field in China and foreign countries mainly focused on TCM therapy， clinical research， etiology and pathogenesis， etc. ConclusionThe research on the treatment of constipation by TCM is mainly concentrated in China， but there is no closely-related scientific research team. The research in this field in China and foreign countries is still developing. With the continuous deepening of research， all research institutions should pay attention to interdisciplinary intersection， highlight technological innovation， and strive to achieve greater breakthroughs in this field.
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Epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis shows a high degree of consistency with the law of transmission among wei （卫）-qi-ying （营）-blood， in terms of the onset of the season， contagiousness， symptoms， pathogenesis， as well as characteristics of the transmission. It is proposed to use epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis as an example to explore the underlying disease of wei-qi-ying-blood syndrome differentiation system. Epidemic meningitis invades the brain from the upper respiratory tract along the nervous system， and its overall pathogenesis follows from entering the lung system （prodromal period） to entering the blood （bacteremia period， sepsis period） and then entering the brain （shock period）. According to the four-dimensional qualitative principle of epidemic pathogen tropism， it corresponds to disease of both wei and qi syndrome， then blazing of both qi and ying syndrome， and then heat blocking pericardium， exuberant heat stirring wind， and internal block and external collapse syndrome. This article explored the laws of transmission among wei-qi-ying-blood and its underlying diseases described in On Warm Heat （《温热论》）， and revealed the original appearance of the disease model under the laws of transmission among wei-qi-ying-blood to guide the clinical practice.
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We reported a case of a patient dignosed as tuberculosis and severe malnutrition with coronavirus disease 2019 （critical type） treated with a combination of Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Through the retrospective analysis of the diagnosis and treatment process of this patient， on the basis of Chinese medicine's understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of “old state” and “deficient state”， the critical coronavirus pneumonia combined with pulmonary tuberculosis and severe malnutrition was mostly due to the physical condition and the invasion of epidemic toxin， resulting in dysfunctions of the internal organs such as the lungs， spleens， kidneys and other organs. Based on the understanding of the cause and mechanism of the coronavirus disease， the treatment combined Chinese and Western medical therapies was given. The western medicine was used with the main treatments of oxygen therapy， anti-viral， intestinal nutritional support， and anti-coagulation， while the Chinese medicine was used by tonifying qi， blood， yin， and yang， warming yang and dissipating cold， and clearing heat and dampness， then tonifying qi， nourishing yin and eliminating heat， in which tonifying middle and replenishing qi ran through the whole process. The integrated treatment eventually improved the patient's symptoms and accelerated the negative conversion of nucleic acid of the coronavirus.
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Building on a clear understanding of the diagnosis and treatment patterns for cold-damp epidemics， and incorporating the insights of Academician TONG Xiaolin regarding the differentiation and treatment of such epidemics， this article have distilled the key diagnostic principles. These principles primarily entail observing color and pulse， initially distinguishing between yin and yang， with treatment focusing on dispelling cold and dampness. A comprehensive approach is adopted throughout treatment， with a combination of overall strategies and tailored treatments that evolve in line with the patient's condition. In critical and severe cases， particular attention is given to aspects such as sweating， pulse analysis， and consciousness， preventing the pathogen from penetrating deeply. Efforts are made to open and close organ networks， expelling external pathogens without fixating on resolving constipation. The dosage and efficacy of herbal remedies are adjusted based on individual circumstances and clinical symptoms. The objective is to eliminate pathogens comprehensively， while being vigilant against relapses， ultimately achieving a full recovery. This overview of the thought processes and clinical principles for diagnosing and treating cold-damp epidemics will guide precise clinical practices and provide a theoretical foundation for the involvement of traditional Chinese medicine in epidemic prevention and treatment.
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It is the current confusion encountered by integrated Chinese and Western medicine that how to find the breakthrough direction of integrating Chinese and Western medicine， from crossover to integration to innovation， and open up a new horizon of integrated Chinese and Western medicine. The progress of Chinese medicine lay in expanding the scope of diagnosis and treatment with the help of modern diagnostic and therapeutic equipments and developing “micro” identification， while the progress of Western medicine lay in looking at “macro” and developing systemic medicine and integrated medicine， both of which are in the direction of each other. The “state-target identification and treatment” may become an important way to build a modern diagnosis and treatment system of integrated Chinese and Western medicine， and the thinking mode of “from target to state” is a further refinement and development on the basis of the theoretical system of “state-target identification and treatment”， which provided a clearer solution for the current stage of the integrated Chinese and Western medicine model， and pointed out the important development direction for the future integrated Chinese and Western medicine. From the perspective of strategic level and diagnosis and treatment practice， it integrated the “target-state” thinking mode into the modern diagnosis and treatment model of the integrated Chinese and Western medicine， i.e.， “Western medicine as the basis and treating with Chinese medicine； Chinese medicine as the basis and treating with Western medicine”. On the one hand， Western medicine should strengthen the reference to the traditional theories and holism of Chinese medicine， and advocate a higher level of education on the integrated Chinese and Western medicine under the guidance of the traditional theories of Chinese medicine. On the other hand， the “from target to state” mode of thinking should be applied to guide the establishment of diagnostic and treatment strategies and clinical selection of medicines in clinical practice， so as to locate the target and adjust the body state in a gradual and orderly manner， and to provide practical methods for the modern clinical work of the integrated Chinese and Western medicines. Chinese and Western medicine systems can learn from each other， combine organically， give full play to their respective strengths， and form an internal law， so as to make breakthroughs and innovations in the integrated Chinese and Western medicine model.
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ObjectiveTo explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Yiqi Huoxue Tongbian prescription on slow transit constipation （STC） in rats. MethodThe rat model of STC was established by gavage of loperamide hydrochloride. Rats were assigned into control， model， mosapride， low-， medium-， and high-dose （3.51， 7.02， and 14.04 g·kg-1， respectively） Yiqi Huoxue Tongbian prescription groups. The changes of general signs， fecal moisture content， and intestinal propulsion rate were measured after model establishment and drug administration. The colonic mucosal changes were observed by hematoxylin eosin staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to determine the content of substance P （SP） and vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP） in the colon of rats in each group. The gray values of aquaporin （AQP） 3， AQP4， AQP8， and c-Kit in rat colon tissue were measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blot， and the changes of intestinal flora were detected by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. ResultCompared with the model group， 10 days of treatment with Yiqi Huoxue Tongbian prescription increased the fecal moisture content and intestinal propulsion rate （P<0.01）. The medium- and high-dose Yiqi Huoxue Tongbian prescription groups and the mosapride group showed no obvious mucosal inflammation and neat arrangement of goblet cells with a large number in the colon tissue. Moreover， the three groups showed increased SP content （P<0.01） and decreased VIP content （P<0.01） in the serum. The medium- and high-dose Yiqi Huoxue Tongbian prescription groups showed down-regulated protein levels of AQP3， AQP4， and AQP8 （P<0.01） and up-regulated protein level of c-Kit （P<0.01）. The drug administration groups presented slightly increased observed species， Chao1， ACE， and Shannon， Simpson， and PD whole tree. The principal component analysis showed that the control group had a short distance with the high- and medium-dose Yiqi Huoxue Tongbian prescription groups， indicating that high- and medium-dose Yiqi Huoxue Tongbian prescription can recover the intestinal flora to that in the control group. ConclusionYiqi Huoxue Tongbian prescription can alleviate the defecation status of rats with slow transit constipation by down-regulating the expression of AQP3， AQP4， and AQP8 to reduce the absorption of water in the intestine， up-regulating the expression of c-Kit to increase the number and distribution of Cajal interstitial cells， and regulating the balance of flora in the colon tissue.
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Objective To explore the difference of gene profile between Cold syndrome and Heat syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine in stable and active stage of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Peripheral CD4+ lymphocytes from RA cases with defined Cold or Heat syndrome in TCM and healthy persons were obtained. Genechip analytical techniques were applied for analysis. Results There are 63 genes found different between active stage and stable stage of RA patients, and they refer to immune responses and signal transduction mainly. 48 genes were found different between Cold syndrome and Heat syndrome in stable stage of RA patients, and only 4 gene was found in the 63 genes for stable and active stage comparison, they are mainly referring to functional metabolism. 59 genes were found to be different among Cold syndrome and Heat syndrome in active stage of RA patients, and among them, no gene was same as in the 48 genes for Cold and Heat syndrome comparison in stable stage of RA, nor in the 63 genes for stable and active stage comparison. Conclusion The genes referred with Cold or Heat syndrome in the stable and active stage of RA are different with those genes referring to the difference of gene profile between active stage and active stage of RA, and further suggest that differentiation theory in traditional Chinese medicine have solid foundation in gene expression profile.