ABSTRACT
Gastroesophageal reflux disease （GERD） is a frequently and commonly occurring disease in clinic. In recent decades， with the development in pathophysiology and drug researches， modern medicine has achieved remarkable progress and results in diagnosis and treatment. However， the treatments for non-erosive reflux disease， refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease， proton pump inhibitor resistance， overlap of disease symptoms， and extraesophageal symptoms are limited and ineffective. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） was widely used in clinical practice， which has been proved effective in relieving symptoms and improving the quality of life. Sponsored by China Association of Chinese Medicine （CACM） and undertaken by the Spleen and Stomach Disease Branch of CACM， "the 12th Youth Salon of Clinical Predominance Disease Series （GERD）" invited 18 authoritative digestive experts of TCM and western medicine to discuss "the difficulties of clinical diagnosis and treatment of GERD and TCM advantages". The focus issues such as modern medical diagnosis and treatment achievements and contributions， improvement and maintenance of symptoms， response to overlapping disease symptoms， reduction and withdrawal of acid suppressors， and treatment of extra-esophageal symptoms were discussed in depth. TCM and western medicine exchanged and complemented each other's strengths， combing the difficulties of modern medical diagnosis and treatment， which clarified the positioning and advantages of TCM and provided guidance for clinical and scientific research.
ABSTRACT
Depression is a mental illness characterized by persistent negative feelings， which has seriously threatened people's health. In recent years， neuronal autophagy， an important stress response， has also been regarded as a hypothesis for the pathogenesis of depression. Relevant studies have shown that either insufficient or excessive autophagy triggers neuronal damage， and activated or inhibited neuronal autophagy can be observed in animal models of depression. Therefore， neuronal autophagy may be a double-edged sword involved in the pathogenesis of depression. It is believed in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） that the occurrence of this disease is closely related to liver depression and spleen deficiency. Chinese medicine regulates the neuronal autophagy via multiple ways. The TCM monomers that regulate neuron autophagy are capable of protecting nerves or penetrating the blood-brain barrier. TCM compounds designed for soothing liver or invigorating spleen have been proved effective against this disease， demonstrating that the core pathogenesis of depression lies in liver depression and spleen deficiency. The regulatory effects of TCM on neuronal autophagy in depression models might result from its action on multiple targets， multiple pathways， and multiple systems. This paper discussed the limitations in current research based on the involvement of neuronal autophagy in depression and its treatments， in order to provide ideas for later similar research and that concerning TCM treatment of depression.
ABSTRACT
The tumor incidence goes up with every passing year. Chemotherapy， as one of the main treatment methods， is faced with a major challenge of drug resistance in clinical practice. Tumor-associated macrophages （TAMs） are the key factors inducing chemotherapy resistance of tumors. TAMs are inflammatory cells with the largest number in the tumor microenvironment， which are widely distributed in such epithelial tissues as large intestine and stomach in the immune environment and closely associated with multiple common cancers like breast cancer and colorectal cancer. TAMs can be divided into two phenotypes， with M2-polarized TAMs into the tumor-promoting phenotype that affects the oncogenesis and progression and promotes drug resistance via immune escape， angiogenesis and other ways. At the same time， the frequently utilized chemotherapeutic agents will increase the recruitment of TAMs and trigger the secretion of cytokines， leading to the excessive polarization of macrophages to M2 type， followed by tumor drug resistance. The molecular mechanism of chemotherapy resistance is complex， which is becoming an urgent problem in the field of chemotherapy. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has exhibited unique advantages in resisting tumor drug resistance. It has been proved efficient and safe in improving tumor microenvironment and regulating TAMs by acting on multiple targets via multiple ways， thus adjusting tumor progression and improving drug resistance. Based on related articles published in recent years， this paper reviewed the drug resistance-promoting effect of TAMs via regulating the immune microenvironment and interacting with tumor stem cells and the driving effect of chemotherapeutic agents on drug resistance to figure out the role of TAMs in chemotherapy resistance. Besides， it summarized the mechanisms of TCM in regulating related cytokines， proteins， activity， and the polarization direction of TAMs to expound the effective components of TCM in the intervention of drug resistance. The aim of this paper was to provide reference for further research on the biological mechanism of chemotherapy resistance and its targeted intervention with TCM.