During the COVID-19 epidemic period, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) course for international students of Medical Bachelor, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program in Zhejiang University has shifted from traditional classroom to online environment. This study aimed to investigate MBBS international students' perception on online TCM course, and to assess the online learning efficacy. A total of 84 MBBS international students attending course of "Basic Traditional Chinese Medicine" during 2020 academic years at Zhejiang University were enrolled in this study. A quantitative questionnaire was respectively completed before and after the TCM course using a pretest-post-test design. By means of two online learning platforms, Learning in ZJU and DingTalk, TCM course was broadcast in both live and archived format to students. A total of 48 participants completed both baseline and follow-up questionnaires. The majority of participants preferred face-to-face classroom learning (26, 54.17% of total) when compared with online learning. Students felt that the course had brought in much benefits (mean 3.88, SD 0.87), and they were satisfied with the course content (mean 3.83, SD 0.95). Students' TCM related knowledge and their behaviors of discussion and consulting were significantly improved by online TCM course (all P < 0.001). Students' awareness of the necessity of TCM education and their feeling of difficulty in learning TCM were significantly strengthened (P = 0.042, 0.025, respectively). Online learning is a good alternative for TCM course of MBBS international students when classroom learning is suspended, whereas it cannot replace the need for onsite and face-to-face learning.

The association between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) is not widely recognized or properly assessed in adolescents. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide reliable results concerning MetS development in adolescents with PCOS. We searched studies published in PubMed, Medline, and Web of Science from January 2010 to December 2020. The quality of studies was assessed by the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS), and the data analysis was performed with Stata 14.0. Twelve articles were finally included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The results suggested that adolescents with PCOS have more than three times the odds of having MetS than controls (OR 3.32, 95% CI [2.14, 5.14]). Obese adolescents with PCOS also had a higher risk of MetS than those with obesity but without PCOS (OR 3.97, 95% CI [1.49, 10.53]). Compared to those without PCOS, systolic blood pressure was higher in adolescents with PCOS (weighted mean difference (WMD) 3.85, 95% CI [1.73, 5.97]), while diastolic blood pressure was higher only in girls with PCOS who had a normal weight (WMD 3.52, 95% CI [1.57, 5.48]). The levels of triglycerides were higher in obese adolescents with PCOS than in those with obesity but without PCOS (WMD 27.84, 95% CI [10.16, 45.51]). PCOS could increase the frequency of MetS by influencing blood pressure and lipid metabolism independent of obesity as early as the adolescent period. Thus, clinicians should perform early interventions in adolescents with PCOS and follow up the relevant indicators of MetS to decrease the risk of poor long-term prognosis.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common metabolic and reproductive endocrinopathies. However, few studies have tried to develop a diagnostic model based on gene biomarkers. In this study, we applied a computational method by combining two machine learning algorithms, including random forest (RF) and artificial neural network (ANN), to identify gene biomarkers and construct diagnostic model. We collected gene expression data from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database containing 76 PCOS samples and 57 normal samples; five datasets were utilized, including one dataset for screening differentially expressed genes (DEGs), two training datasets, and two validation datasets. Firstly, based on RF, 12 key genes in 264 DEGs were identified to be vital for classification of PCOS and normal samples. Moreover, the weights of these key genes were calculated using ANN with microarray and RNA‐seq training dataset, respectively. Furthermore, the diagnostic models for two types of datasets were developed and named neuralPCOS. Finally, two validation datasets were used to test and compare the performance of neuralPCOS with other two set of marker genes by area under curve (AUC). Our model achieved an AUC of 0.7273 in microarray dataset, and 0.6488 in RNA‐seq dataset. To conclude, we uncovered gene biomarkers and developed a novel diagnostic model of PCOS, which would be helpful for diagnosis.

With the increasing popularity of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) by the global community, how to teach basic knowledge of TCM to international students and improve the teaching quality are important issues for teachers of TCM. The present study was to analyze the perceptions from both students and teachers on how to improve TCM learning internationally. A cross-sectional national survey was conducted at 23 universities/colleges across China. A structured, self-reported on-line questionnaire was administered to 34 Chinese teachers who taught TCM course in English and to 1016 international undergraduates who were enrolled in the TCM course in China between 2017 and 2021. Thirty-three (97.1%) teachers and 900 (88.6%) undergraduates agreed Chinese culture should be fully integrated into TCM courses. All teachers and 944 (92.9%) undergraduates thought that TCM had important significance in the clinical practice. All teachers and 995 (97.9%) undergraduates agreed that modern research of TCM is valuable. Thirty-three (97.1%) teachers and 959 (94.4%) undergraduates thought comparing traditional medicine in different countries with TCM can help the students better understand TCM. Thirty-two (94.1%) teachers and 962 (94.7%) undergraduates agreed on the use of practical teaching method with case reports. From the perceptions of the undergraduates, the top three beneficial learning styles were practice (34.3%), teacher's lectures (32.5%), case studies (10.4%). The first choice of learning mode was attending to face-to-face teaching (82.3%). The top three interesting contents were acupuncture (75.5%), Chinese herbal medicine (63.8%), and massage (55.0%). To improve TCM learning among international undergraduates majoring in conventional medicine, integration of Chinese culture into TCM course, comparison of traditional medicine in different countries with TCM, application of the teaching method with case reports, and emphasization of clinical practice as well as modern research on TCM should be fully considered.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders in women of reproductive age with the prevalence from 5% to 15%, and the prevalence of PCOS in adolescents with obesity seems even higher. The weight status is significantly associated with the quality of life in adolescents with PCOS. This review aims to summarize the latest findings of pathogenesis, diagnosis, comorbidity, and management in PCOS adolescents with obesity. This is a narrative review of articles published in PubMed from June 2013 to June 2020 Data were searched using the key words of "polycystic ovary syndrome" AND "adolescent" AND "obesity." Pubertal obesity, particularly central obesity, could have a negative impact on the pathophysiology of PCOS. In adolescents with obesity, a review of medical history and a long-term follow-up for PCOS symptoms are essential to avoid misdiagnosis. There is a link between obesity and comorbidities of PCOS in adolescents. Holistic treatment and concern for related comorbidities should ideally begin as early as possible in obese adolescents once the diagnosis of PCOS is confirmed. Adolescents with PCOS and obesity need more attention from physicians and researchers, and the effective interventions in the early stage are critical to improve their life quality.