GHRN

Global healthcare systems are increasingly challenged by the growing burden of chronic diseases, widening health inequities, and rapidly evolving medical demands. In this complex landscape, the ability to translate scientific knowledge into real-world clinical practice is no longer optional—it is essential. Bridging this gap between research and patient care represents one of the most critical frontiers in modern medicine.

This Special Issue of Healthcare Research and Practice (HRP) is dedicated to advancing this translational bridge by focusing on clinical case reports, patient-centered interventions, and real-world implementation studies. Unlike conventional research paradigms that often remain confined to controlled environments, this issue emphasizes practical, experience-driven insights that directly inform clinical decision-making and healthcare delivery.

At its core, this Special Issue embraces a systems-level perspective that integrates clinical practice, digital innovation, and culturally responsive care. By bringing together multidisciplinary contributions—from integrative medicine to AI-driven healthcare systems—we aim to highlight how diverse approaches can converge to improve patient outcomes in meaningful and scalable ways.

Highlights of This Special Issue

The articles included in this issue collectively demonstrate how individualized care, traditional medical knowledge, and modern technological advancements can be integrated into a cohesive clinical framework.

The study “Constitution-Tailored Acupuncture Added to Meridian-Based Treatment for Lateral Epicondylitis: A Six-Case Series” presents a compelling example of personalized integrative therapy. By combining constitution-based acupuncture with meridian-focused treatment, the study illustrates how individualized approaches can enhance therapeutic outcomes in musculoskeletal disorders, reinforcing the importance of precision care in traditional medicine contexts.

Similarly, “Daejang-hwan for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: Therapeutic Effects Through Regulation of Gi-Gi Seung-Gang and Autonomic Symptom Improvement” explores the clinical relevance of traditional herbal medicine in managing functional gastrointestinal disorders. The findings highlight the regulatory role of autonomic balance and provide evidence supporting the integration of East Asian medical principles into modern clinical practice.

Expanding on mechanistic perspectives, “A Conceptual Hypothesis on the Traditional East Asian Medicine Pathogenesis of Steroid-Induced Sarcopenia: A Zang–Fu and Pattern Identification” proposes a novel theoretical framework linking steroid-induced muscle atrophy with traditional pathophysiological concepts. This work offers an important bridge between molecular mechanisms and traditional diagnostic systems, opening new avenues for integrative therapeutic strategies.

In the domain of digital health and healthcare systems, “Trends in Nursing Research on AI-Based Healthcare Environments in South Korea: A Scoping Review” provides a comprehensive overview of how artificial intelligence is reshaping nursing practice and healthcare delivery. This study underscores the growing importance of data-driven decision-making and highlights the evolving role of healthcare professionals in AI-integrated environments.

Finally, “Analyzing Gender Inequality Terminology for the Transition to the AI Era: Online Cases and Characteristics” addresses a critical yet often overlooked dimension of healthcare innovation—social and ethical equity. By examining gender-related discourse in the context of AI, this study emphasizes the need for inclusive and equitable frameworks as healthcare systems undergo digital transformation.

Toward Patient-Centered and Translational Healthcare

Collectively, the contributions in this Special Issue underscore a shared vision: healthcare innovation must be grounded in real-world practice, tailored to individual patients, and responsive to societal needs. Whether through integrative medicine, digital health technologies, or system-level interventions, the ultimate goal remains the same—improving patient outcomes and advancing global health equity.

Looking ahead, the integration of clinical experience with emerging technologies such as AI, wearable devices, and telemedicine will further accelerate the transition toward precision and personalized healthcare. At the same time, incorporating culturally informed medical practices and ethical considerations will be essential in ensuring that innovation remains inclusive and patient centered.

This Special Issue represents a step forward in redefining how knowledge is generated, shared, and applied in healthcare. By emphasizing clinical relevance, multidisciplinary collaboration, and translational impact, Healthcare Research and Practice continues to serve as a platform for bridging the gap between research and real-world medicine.

We hope that the insights presented here will inspire continued dialogue, foster innovation, and ultimately contribute to the development of more effective, equitable, and patient-centered healthcare systems worldwide.

Together for Global Health.

Editorial Board of Healthcare Research and Practice

Global Health Research Network (GHRN)

Vascular dysfunction, metabolic dysregulation, and remodeling of the tumor microenvironment are not independent pathophysiological processes. Rather, they constitute a single, integrated axis that operates across a wide spectrum of major diseases. Networks governing inflammation, endothelial injury, fibrosis, angiogenesis, and cellular stress responses underlie disease initiation and progression, spanning cardiovascular emergencies such as acute coronary syndrome, metabolic disorders represented by MAFLD, hepatic steatosis, and fibrosis, as well as tumor growth and metastasis driven by cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF)–mediated stromal dynamics. This integrative perspective marks a paradigm shift from traditional organ- or disease-centered approaches toward an interventional and systems-based medical framework that conceptualizes vascular, metabolic, stromal, and immune interactions as a continuous pathophysiological spectrum.

Special Issue 2 highlights this transition by showcasing how basic biology, preclinical research, clinical intervention, and emerging precision technologies converge around a shared disease mechanism axis.

The case report entitled “Successful Primary PCI in a 78-Year-Old Female Patient With Two STEMIs Due to Total Occlusion of the Distal RCA” exemplifies the clinical modulation of acute coronary syndrome pathophysiology through timely vascular intervention. In this report, rapid diagnosis of distal RCA total occlusion in an elderly female patient with inferior STEMI was followed by thrombus aspiration, drug-eluting stent implantation, and IVUS-guided post-dilatation, successfully restoring TIMI 3 flow without complications. This case underscores the critical value of time-sensitive vascular rescue in minimizing ischemia–reperfusion injury. Importantly, it provides clinical evidence that advanced age alone should not preclude PCI, reinforcing image-guided intervention as a cornerstone strategy for myocardial preservation and long-term prognosis—fully aligned with the Special Issue’s focus on vascular pathophysiology-driven precision intervention.

The article “CAF Markers in Cancers: Periostin and Stromal Signatures in Colon Cancers” elucidates the heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblasts and identifies periostin-driven stromal signaling as a central molecular axis promoting epithelial–mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis, and metastasis in colorectal cancer. By integrating a spectrum of CAF markers—including POSTN, FAP, PDGFRβ, PDPN, S100A4, and LTBP2—from a multi-omics perspective, the study establishes a robust pathophysiological framework for stromal–vascular–tumor interactions. Furthermore, it proposes the clinical translational potential of stromal-targeted strategies such as periostin-directed radiopharmaceuticals and blocking antibodies. These findings support the use of CAF patterns as signaling-based biomarkers and therapeutic targets, enabling patient stratification according to stromal subtypes and positioning stromal vascular remodeling as a critical focus of precision oncology. This work represents a key contribution driving the Special Issue’s paradigm of stroma-based precision cancer therapy.

The study “From Bench to Therapy: Human Fatty Liver Organoid Models for Disease Mechanism Discovery and Precision Drug Development” addresses the limitations of systemic anti-angiogenic therapies, particularly the activation of compensatory angiogenic pathways following VEGF inhibition. To overcome these challenges, the authors highlight local vascular-targeted delivery strategies—such as TAE, TACE, HAIC, and EUS-FNI—as emerging therapeutic paradigms. These approaches enable high intratumoral drug accumulation, minimize systemic toxicity, and induce central ischemia and cellular necrosis through image-guided localized administration. The potential scalability of automated, high-efficiency delivery platforms and their synergistic application with immunotherapies position these strategies as next-generation precision treatments aimed at mechanistically suppressing tumor angiogenesis, in strong alignment with the objectives of this Special Issue.

Similarly, “Emerging Vascular-Targeted Strategies for Gastric Cancer: A Novel Local Delivery Approach” emphasizes tumor angiogenesis as a major driver of poor prognosis and therapeutic resistance in gastric cancer. The study presents compelling clinical evidence that localized vascular-targeted drug delivery can overcome the resistance and toxicity limitations of systemic anti-angiogenic therapy. By maximizing intratumoral drug concentration while minimizing systemic exposure, these image-guided approaches effectively block compensatory neovascularization commonly observed with VEGF-based therapies. Notably, their applicability to elderly and chemotherapy-intolerant patients, as well as their potential integration with immunotherapy, supports the development of patient-tailored precision oncology platforms. This work redefines interventional vascular-targeted therapy as a core axis of next-generation precision medicine.

Collectively, the studies in this Special Issue address distinct diseases yet converge on a shared pathophysiological continuum characterized by vascular-driven metabolic disruption, stromal and immune reprogramming, and altered therapeutic responsiveness. In vascular medicine and oncology alike, localized vascular-targeted drug delivery strategies transcend the limitations of systemic anti-angiogenic agents, offering refined interventional precision that suppresses therapeutic resistance while minimizing toxicity.

Looking forward, these insights are expected to catalyze the development of combined vascular-targeted local delivery with immunomodulatory and anti-fibrotic therapies, CAF and periostin-based patient stratification strategies, and organoid-CRISPR-AI platforms for predictive drug response modeling. Such advances will accelerate precision stromal-targeted therapeutics and facilitate cross-disease drug discovery by targeting shared vascular-metabolic-stromal pathways across cardiovascular, metabolic, and oncologic conditions.

Future medicine must move beyond rigid organ- or disease-specific boundaries and embrace a systems-level framework centered on the dynamic interplay among vascular, metabolic, stromal, and immune networks. The contributions in this Special Issue collectively support this transformation, offering a translational roadmap that integrates interventional, molecular, and precision medicine strategies grounded in the continuity of in vivo pathophysiology.

HRP will continue to strengthen its role as a translational medicine platform journal, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and enabling the conversion of mechanistic insights into clinical value. We hope this Special Issue stimulates interdisciplinary dialogue and contributes to the expansion of an integrated research ecosystem spanning vascular, metabolic, and tumor biology.

Global Healthcare Resaerch Network(GHRN)