Exploring the Core Prescription and Underlying Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treating Allergic Rhinitis in Children: A Real- World Study Based on an Illustrious Senior Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner

BACKGROUND

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used to treat allergic rhinitis (AR) in China, especially in children. However, due to the complicated composition rules and unclear underlying mechanisms, effective herbal prescriptions' popularization and application are limited.

PURPOSE

This study tried to detect the core prescription of herbs in treating AR in children, reveal its mechanism based on the ingredients' network, and explore the main signaling pathways.

METHODS

We screened medical records of children patients with AR who were treated by TCM in DongZhiMen Hospital from Aug 2009 to Jan 2020 and adopted a descriptive analysis method on herbal characteristics. We used association rules to mine core prescriptions and used network pharmacology to establish the ingredient-target-pathway network through online databases and TCMSP, Genecards, KEGG pathway, Excel, R-Studio, and Cytoscape software.

RESULTS

The analysis of 1,092 clinical visits highlighted that the principle of formulating prescription was as follows: 'pungent and warm herbs were used more frequently while cold-natured herbs were paid equal attention as warm-natured herbs.' The core prescription was formed by FangFeng, BaiZhi, CangErzi, and ChanTui. These herbs covered 130 underlying targets and 141 signaling pathways of AR, which mainly had an effect on signal transduction and immunoregulation.

CONCLUSION

The core prescription based on these real-world clinical records includes FangFeng, BaiZhi, CangErzi, and ChanTui. It principally acts on targets of signal transduction pathways and immune pathways.

[Multi-dimensional mining and analysis of core prescriptions in launched Chinese patent medicine for treatment of influenza]

Through the multi-dimensional mining and analysis of launched anti-influenza proprietary Chinese medicines,this paper explores the study of the prescriptions and pharmacodynamics of traditional Chinese medicines for influenza. We established a standardized database by collecting and excavating the launched Chinese patent medicines that clearly describe the treatment of influenza. Frequency analysis and association rules were used to analyze the frequency of Chinese patent medicines for the treatment of influenza in the aspects of dosage form,category and prescription drugs. The network module partitioning method was used to excavate the core drug combination for influenza. The relationship between functional nouns was used to construct a network of functional terminology and analyze the relationship between its main functions. The pharmacological characteristics quantitative method was used to analyze the pharmacological characteristics of three heat-clearing and detoxifying type Chinese patent medicines for influenza. This article shows the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation ideas and medication rules for influenza treatment in many aspects and from multiple perspectives,so as to provide a certain reference for the clinical application of proprietary Chinese medicines for influenza and the development of new influenza drugs.

[Core prescription excavation of launched Chinese patent medicines for treating different syndromes of angina pectoris]

To analyze the medication features and regularity of prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicines in treating patients with coronary heart disease angina pectoris based on the launched Chinese patent medicines. In the article,we collected all of the launched Chinese patent medicines for treating coronary heart disease and angina pectoris from the Chinese patent medicine value assessment information database,and set up a medical record normalized database,then carried out the classification of syndromes. The medication features and prescription rules for angina pectoris were analyzed by frequency statistics and association rules(IBM SPSS Modeler 14. 1 Premiums software,Apriori algorithm). Finally,a total of 170 prescriptions were selected,and 197 Chinese herbs were included,involving to totally 11 syndrome types,in which blood stasis syndrome,Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome,Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome,Qi-Yin deficiency and blood stasis syndrome were the main syndrome types. The frequency of single-herb medicines for the four main syndrome types,the combination of commonly used medicines,and the core prescriptions were summarized. After comparing the core prescriptions of the four syndrome types,we could analyze the medication features and prescription rules. In conclusion,the therapeutic principle is blood-activating and stasis-dissolving,and consideration was also given to promoting Qi,invigorating Qi and resuscitation and invigorating Qi-Yin. The main medicines include Danshen(Salvia Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) and Chuan-xiong(Chuanxiong Rhizoma). According to different types of syndromes,Chinese herbal medicines are added,such as Jiangxiang(Dalbergiae Odoriferae Lignum), Chishao(Paeoniaeradix Rubra), Sanqi(Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma), Honghua(Carthami Flos),Bingpian(Borneolum Syntheticum),Renshen(Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma). Frequency statistics and association rules are combined to explore the medication features and core prescriptions,which provide ideas for the treatment of angina pectoris and the development of new drugs.