The global integration of traditional medicine (TM) and modern medicine reflects a fundamental shift in healthcare aimed at delivering more holistic, culturally sensitive, and patient-centered care. With over 80% of the global population relying on some form of TM, especially in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, there is growing momentum to institutionalize TM alongside evidence-based biomedicine. Countries like India, China, and Korea have led integration through formal education, government-supported research, and clinical frameworks, while high-income countries are increasingly adopting complementary and integrative medicine models. However, this convergence faces substantial challenges, including differences in epistemology, regulatory standards, evidence hierarchies, and practitioner training. Limited clinical trials, quality assurance concerns, and issues related to intellectual property rights and biopiracy further complicate harmonization. Despite these barriers, the World Health Organization’s Traditional Medicine Strategy (2014–2023) and its newly established Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (India) underscore a growing international commitment to evidence-based integration. Opportunities lie in promoting collaborative research, strengthening regulatory frameworks, enhancing digital health platforms for TM documentation, and fostering intercultural dialogue between health systems. If guided ethically and scientifically, integration can improve access to care, reduce treatment costs, and offer personalized health solutions for chronic and lifestyle-related diseases. This review explored global integration models, evaluated emerging challenges, and identified strategies to support an inclusive, pluralistic, and sustainable healthcare future that respects both traditional wisdom and modern science.

In humans, Chlamydia psittaci causes psittacosis, a disease usually linked to contact with infected birds. We report two independent, epidemiologically unrelated events of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the megacity of Beijing associated with pet parrots, where convergent clinical, epidemiological, histopathological, and genetic evidence support the zoonotic transmission of C. psittaci from parrots to humans. These findings highlight an urgent need for the development and widespread adoption of certified diagnostic kits and standardized testing protocols for C. psittaci in clinical practice, both in China and globally.

Researchers found that patients who followed an exercise prescription while receiving chemotherapy reported fewer problems with thinking and memory and felt less mentally tired than those who received chemotherapy alone.

Immunotherapy given during and after chemoradiation did not improve survival for study participants with limited-stage, small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) according to the results of an international clinical trial, NRG-LU005, led by NRG Oncology in collaboration with the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. The results are published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The trial did not meet its primary endpoint as the addition of the immunotherapy agent atezolizumab to chemotherapy and radiation did not significantly improve survival for those with limited-stage SCLC. However, twice-daily radiation therapy was associated with improved survival in this population.

Identifying the location of paraclinoid aneurysms (PAs) is important to predict the rupture risk and guide treatment decisions. However, existing risk prediction models have limitations such as selection bias. To address this, researchers have now modified a pre-existing high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging-based method for determining the exact location of PAs, using the cerebrospinal fluid notch and cavernous sinus enhanced signals. This new protocol can assist clinicians in treatment decisions and help determine individualized management strategies.

Boron agents termed GluBs, developed by Science Tokyo researchers, overcome a key limitation in cancer therapy by entering tumor cells through a pathway that standard drugs cannot use. The GluBs target ASCT2, a transporter abundant in aggressive cancers such as glioblastoma and breast cancer, rather than the LAT1 route. Results from cell and animal studies show the agents were safe and effective in limiting tumor growth, indicating potential to treat cancers with limited LAT1 expression.