Research progress of the modernization of TCM tongue diagnosis / 国际中医中药杂志

Tongue diagnosis is one of the diagnostic methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), but its development has always been restricted by the lack of objective quantitative indicators. With the rapid development of computer technology and the advent of the algorithm era, the modernization of TCM tongue diagnosis has gradually become a hot research spot. This paper annalyses the literature and related patents of the modernization of tongue diagnosis and summarizes the R&D progress and application of tongue diagnosis as well as related instruments. It is found that domestic and foreign scholars focus on tongue diagnosis related research and attach importance to the formulation of relevant international standards. Tongue collection and analysis technology continues to develop; tongue diagnostic instruments are also gradually enriched. At present, their applications are extended to family self-use, but they are still mainly used in teaching, scientific research and other fields, involving the clinical efficacy evaluation of TCM, clinical case classification and health management, and there is still much room for development. In the future, we should strengthen the communication between multi-regional research centers, promote the communication among talents in different fields, constantly make up for the deficiencies and promote the development of tongue diagnosis research.

Application of Computer-Aided Tongue Inspection for Preliminary Screening of Esophageal Cancer / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To differentiate patients with esophageal cancer or premalignant lesions from the high-risk population for preliminary screening of esophageal cancer using a feature index determined by a computer-aided tongue information acquisition and processing system (DS01-B).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally, 213 patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer or premalignant lesions and 2,840 normal subjects were collected including primarily screened and reexamined, all of them were confirmed with histological examinations. Their tongue color space values and manifestation features were extracted by DS01-B and analyzed. Firstly, the analysis of variance was performed to differentiate normal subjects from patients with esophageal cancer and premalignant lesions. Secondly, the logistic regression was conducted using 10 features and gender, age to get a predictive equation of the possibility of esophageal cancer or premalignant lesions. Lastly, the equation was tested by subjects undergoing primary screening.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Saturation (S) values in the HSV color space showed significant differences between patients with esophageal cancer and normal subjects or those with mild atypical hyperplasia (P<0.05); blue-to-yellow (b) values in the Lab color space showed significant differences between patients with esophageal cancer or premalignant lesions and normal subjects (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the computer-aided tongue inspection approach had an accuracy of 72.3% (2008/2776) in identifying patients with esophageal cancer or premalignant lesions for preliminary screening in high-risk population.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Computer-aided tongue inspection, with descriptive and quantitative profile as described in this study, could be applied as a cost- and timeefficient, non-invasive approach for preliminary screening of esophageal cancer in high-risk population.</p>

A correlation study between body mass index and features of tongue manifestation / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To investigate the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and features of tongue manifestation.Methods A total of 1 655 physical examination individuals were selected,and height and body weight were measured to calculate BMI.Traditional Chinese Medicine tongue inspection was performed,and map of tongue manifestation was photographed by a digital camera.Results Among the 1 655 physical examination individuals,prevalences of normal weight,overweight/obesity and low weight were 50.94％,43.74％ and 5.32％,respectively.The prevalences of individuals had dark red tongue (37.98％ vs.24.56％;x2=40.883,P＜0.001),purplish tongue (5.94％ vs.3.44％;x2=8.133,P=0.017),dark purplish tongue (2.35％ vs.0.59％;x2=10.398,P=0.006),yellow fur (63.95％ vs.58.84％;x2=9.570,P=0.008),thick greasy fur (24.86％ vs.17.20％;x2=18.698,P＜0.001) in the overweight/obesity group were significantly higher than those in the normal weight group,and the prevalence of individuals had exfoliative fur/little fur/less fur in the overweight/obesity group was significantly higher than that in the normal weight group (1.93％ vs.3.91％;x2=6.454,P=0.040).The prevalences of individuals had red or deep red tongue (48.86％ vs.24.72％;x2=24.608,P＜0.001),red dot tongue (7.95％ vs.1.93％;x2=12.254,P=0.002),thin whitish fur (22.73％ vs.9.53％;x2=14.030,P=0.001) in the low weight group were significantly higher than those in the normal weight group.Binary logistic regression analysis showed positive correlation between dark red tongue (OR 1.830,95％ CI 1.515-2.211;P＜0.001),purplish tongue (OR 1.874,95％ CI 1.211-2.901;P=0.005),dark purplish tongue (OR 4.259,95％ CI 1.610-11.266;P=0.003),yellow fur (OR 1.294,95％ CI 1.093-1.531;P=0.003),gray-black fur (OR 6.147,95％ CI 1.816-20.811;P=0.004),thick greasy fur (OR 1.597,95％ CI 1.289-1.978;P＜0.001) and BMI,and negative correlation between pink tongue (OR 0.766,95％ CI 0.637-0.920;P=0.004),red or deep red tongue (OR 0.659,95％ CI 0.549-0.789;P＜0.001),red dot tongue (OR 0.548,95％ CI 0.326-0.921;P=0.023),thin whitish fur (OR 0.695,95％ CI 0.536-0.900;P=0.006),whitish fur (OR 0.821,95％ CI 0.683-0.986;P=0.035) and BMI.Conclusions There is some correlation between BMI and features of tongue manifestation.Abnormal tongue color is mainly dark red tongue in the overweight/obesity individuals,and red or deep red tongue in low weight individuals.Abnormal tongue fur is mainly thick yellow fur.The tongue shape is normal in different body weight groups.

Research Status of Objective Characteristics of TCM Digitized Tongue / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

Computer science and technology has been used to promote the development of objectification of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which is also required for international development of TCM. In this paper, on the basis of current situation of Chinese medicine tongue objective research, the analysis was made on involved computer-related technology, relevant standards, and the future trend was discussed.

The tongue image in AIDS patients / 中华全科医师杂志

We retrospectively reviewed the tongue images and related clinical data of 118 AIDS patients treated in Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center Affiliated to Fudan University. The tongue images included: cyanotic and purplish tongue ( 33, 28.0% ), light-reddish tongue ( 32, 27.1% ), light-whitish tongue (21, 17.8% ) , bulgy tongue(19, 16.1% ), dark-red tongue (7, 5.9% ) and fissured tongue (6,5.1% ). There were significant differences in counts of CD4+T lymphocytes, white blood cells and red blood cells among different tongue imagine groups. The tongue image can indicate the pathogenic factors of disease as well as the functions of viscera in AIDS patients.

The using of tongue diagnosis in fatty liver patients' health management / 中华健康管理学杂志

Objective To find the syndrome tendency of fatty liver people and then providing basis for TCM integrated into fatty liver patients'Health Management by analyzing the characteristics of fatty liver people's tongue and combining them with the investigating results of symptoms.Methods Using 1∶1control study methods,examined 368 cases(184 cases were patients with fatty liver),observed their tongues as well as their symptoms,and recorded results.Results x2 test showed fat tongue,thin and small tongue,teeth-marked tongue,thick fur,greasy fur,fond of cool drink,hate feat,diarrhea after eating cold food,more sweat,lethargy,heavy four limbs,more flatus were significantly increase in fatty liver people(x27·580,11.740,23.700,8.666,10.793,P>0.05).Conclusions The symptoms of patients with fatty liver disease were the reflection of heat and(or)damp-heat.Found the generally pathology rules of patients with fatty liver disease,we could be more reasonable and effective prevention and treatment.

Characteristics of Tongue Pictures of Terminal Stage Patients of Colorectal Cancer / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To study the characteristics of tongue pictures of the terminal stage patients of colorectal cancer.Method The changes of tongue pictures of 7 patients of the terminal stage and 62 patients of non-terminal stage were observed by The System of Tongue Inspection of TCM,then the tongue proper and coating RGB(redness,greenness,blueness) values were measured.Results In the group of the terminal stage patients,light red and red tongue proper were more,yellow thick tongue coating and without tongue coating were more.Red tongue proper and yellow thick tongue coating were more in the other group.In the group of the terminal stage patients' tongue proper,G values were lower,B values were lower(P0.05).Conclusion The tongue proper and coating of the terminal stage patients of colorectal cancer have certain characteristics.

On the diagnostic signif icance of tongue tip / 中华中医药杂志

Tongue inspection has a long history.It is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) diagnostic methods and plays a big role in TCM diagnostics.Inspection of tongue tip is an essential part of tongue inspection.This paper fi rstly discusses the correspondent viscera to tongue tip,subsequently probes into the clinical signifi cance of tongue tip inspection and fi nally points out that inspection of tongue tip should not only pay attentions to the local tongue-image changes of tongue tip but also to the synthetic analysis based on the tongue-image changes of both the tongue tip and the whole tongue body.The author thinks that the studies on the diagnostic signifi cance of tongue tip should make use of the research methods of literature investigation and clinical observation as well as those of modern clinical epidemiology and statistics.Probing into the diagnostic signifi cance of tongue tip is highly valuable to the in-depth research into tongue inspection.

Relationship Between Tongue Manifestations and Immune Function in Chronic Hepatitis B with HBsAg, HBeAg and HBcAb Positive / 广州中医药大学学报

[ Objective ] To investigate the relationship between tongue manifestations and immune function in chronic hepatitis B with HBsAg, HBeAg and HBcAb positive. [Methods] Among the cases of HBsAg, HBeAg and HBcAb positive from the out - patient department and health screening survey, 200 chronic hepatitis patients and 100 asymptomatic HBV carriers with glumatic - pyruvic transaminase at normal level were included. Thirty healthy volunteers served as control. Relationship of tongue manifestations with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) skin test and the serum levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgA and IgM was analyzed. [Results] With the development of chronic hepatitis, the immune function became disordered and tongue manifestations abnormal. Reddish tongue with or without yellowish greasy fur or yellowish fur showed the hyperactivity of immune function; whitish swollen tongue with or without whitish greasy fur indicated the hypoactivity of immune function; dull purplish tongue was the sign of disordered immune function. The shape and color of tongue was superior to tongue fur in showing the condition of immune function ( P

Research of Colorimetrical Characteristics of Tongue Color in Tongue Examination / 广州中医药大学学报

[ Objective]Quantitative characteristics of tongue color is investigated by colorimetrical method to supply evidence for the objectivity of tongue inspection. [Methods] Two hundred and seven tongue pictures with different tongue color were scanned. The values of R (red) , G (green) and B (blue) of different sampling spots in the pictures, as well as their ratios with the total value of R + G + B were observed. Purple-bluish tongue was clustered with the above indexes and then was compared with other common-colored tongue color. [Results] In light white tongue, G ratio was high, R ratio and B ratio low; in red tongue, R ratio was high, G ratio and B ratio low; in purple-bluish tongue, B ratio was higher, G ratio high and R ratio low. The total value of R + G + B was higher in light white tongue, high in purple-bluish tongue and low in red tongue. [Conclusion] There are colorimetrical characteristics in tongue pictures from different monographs of traditional Chinese medicine, but the colorimetric parameters of the tongue pictures should be applied according to clinical cases.