Osteoprotegerin mediates adipogenesis in obesity.

Introduction: Adipogenesis, the process of white adipose tissue expansion, plays a critical role in the development of obesity. Osteoprotegerin (OPG), known for its role in bone metabolism regulation, emerges as a potential regulator in mediating adipogenesis during obesity onset.

Objectives: This study aims to elucidate the involvement of OPG in adipogenesis during the early phases of diet-induced obesity and explore its therapeutic potential in obesity management.

Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine to prevent and treat COVID-19 household close contacts in Hong Kong: an open-label, randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of CHM in the prevention of COVID-19 infection and treatment for COVID-19 related symptoms.

Design: Prospective open-label randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Participants' home in Hong Kong.

Des-Arg(9) bradykinin as a causal metabolite for autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Early diagnosis and therapeutic interventions can greatly enhance the developmental trajectory of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the etiology of ASD is not completely understood. The presence of confounding factors from environment and genetics has increased the difficulty of the identification of diagnostic biomarkers for ASD.

Electro-acupuncture for central obesity: a patient-assessor blinded, randomized sham-controlled clinical trial.

Background: Central obesity is considered as a significant health threat to individuals. Scientific research has demonstrated that intra-abdominal fat accumulation is associated with higher metabolic and cardiovascular disease risks independent of Body Mass Index (BMI). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of electro-acupuncture in treating central obesity compared with sham acupuncture.

A clinical pathway for integrative medicine in the treatment of functional constipation in Hong Kong, China.

Objective: Functional constipation (FC) is a common intestinal disease worldwide. Despite the presence of criteria such as Roman IV, there is no standardized diagnosis and treatment algorithm in Hong Kong that combines both Western and Chinese medicine approaches. This study integrates current effective and safe diagnosis and treatment methods for FC and provides a clear and scientific pathway for clinical professionals and patients.

Outcome of the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine for functional constipation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Functional constipation (FC) is a common and chronic gastrointestinal disease and its treatment remains challenging.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) on efficacy rate, global symptoms, bowel movements and the Bristol Stool Scale score in patients with FC by summarizing current available randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Methods: RCTs with CHM to treat FC were identified by a systematic search of six databases from inception to October 20, 2020.

Electro-acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome patients: study protocol for a single-blinded randomized sham-controlled clinical trial.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders in clinical practice. IBS diagnosis is based on symptoms defined by abdominal pain or discomfort associated with defecation or changes in bowel habits. Gut-brain interaction caused by stress or depressive emotion is one of the essential pathologies.

Quantifying Liver-Stomach Disharmony Pattern of Functional Dyspepsia Using Multidimensional Analysis Methods.

Purpose: This study aims to develop and validate a quantitative model for measuring severity of a typical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pattern for functional dyspepsia (FD) using multidimensional analysis methods including confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multidimensional item response theory (MIRT).

Methods: A scale and theoretical models were constructed according to the definition of pathogenesis about "liver-stomach disharmony" patterns of FD. With data collected from 502 patients in a cross-section study, the theoretical model was validated with CFA, and the related validity and reliability were evaluated in Amos 21.

A Methodological and Reporting Quality Assessment of Systematic Reviews/Meta-Analyses about Chinese Medical Treatment for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

Objective: To access the methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews (SRs)/meta-analyses (MAs) about Chinese medical treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Methods: The PubMed, Wanfang Data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), Chinese Biomedical (CBM), Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception to June 2020. Two researchers independently screened the literature considering the eligibility criteria.

[Inspirations of Rome Ⅳ on clinical evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine for functional gastrointestinal disease].

The Rome Foundation released the Rome Ⅳ for functional gastrointestinal diseases (FGIDs) in 2016, which fully presented the latest advances and views on the disease origin, definition, diagnosis, classification, pathology, mechanism, clinical features, influential factors, interventions, clinical evaluation, clinical research design and so on, showing high positive effects on global researches. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) have cognitive advantages and well-recognized and-demonstrated efficacy in the prevention and treatment for FGIDs. However, the monotonous presentation ways and weak interpretation on clinical evaluation have also hindered the inherent advantages explanation, characteristics quantization, evidence and communication accumulation.