However, the fibrosis was aggravated rather than alleviated when the dosage was increased further. Therefore, we believe that the hepatotoxic potential of rhubarb is strongly related to liver fibrosis, although this effect is undetectable when the normal dosage recommended in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia is administered. The results of the factor analysis of biochemical indices indicated that the parallel histopathological changes arose coincidently. The vacuolar degeneration, and lymphocyte infiltration and fibrosis observed in the hepatocytes of CCl4-treated rats were alleviated after treatment with RE, demonstrating the herb’s effectiveness in protecting hepatocytes from the toxicant. However, the anti-fibrotic effect of RE that was observed in the lower dosage groups was reversed with further increases in the RE dosage. The dose-dependent hyperplasia of interstitial fibrous tissue was also observed in liver tissue sections from normal rats that were treated with RE, which was in accordance with the variations in the fibrosis factor. A classical description of the understanding of such bidirectional PF-4217903 effects of rhubarb and other herbal medicines, You Gu Wu Yun, was recorded in the Chinese Medical Treatise Su Wen, which was written 2,500 years ago. The archaic and recondite wording of You Gu Wu Yun can be explained as follows. A drug will reveal its therapeutic effect when it is prescribed to patients with the correct indications; however, it may produce deleterious effects in both sick and healthy people as a result of incorrect indications. Another translation of the wording implies that the dosage of the drug is critical to its rational application in the clinic to balance the benefits and risks. Ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine has effectively relied on the theory of You Gu Wu Yun as an important set of guidelines in the treatment of diseases and disorders. The doserelated bidirectional effect of TCM illustrated in this study supports the aforementioned theory. The pattern recognition approach proposed in this report opens an avenue to decode the ancient TCM theory and to elucidate its medical implications with the use of modern biochemical tools. In conclusion, the findings of this study illustrate the bidirectional potential, both liver protection and hepatotoxicity, of rhubarb on CCl4-treated and normal rats and demonstrate the feasibility of using a multivariate analysis approach factor analysis, to study the dose-response relationships of traditional herbal medicines by revealing the underlying interrelationships within a number of functional bioindices in a holistic manner. This study provides a paradigm for a better understanding and scientific assessment of the benefits and risks of herbal medicines to facilitate the rational clinical administration of these medicines. Their diagnosis relies on the patient’s clinical data and on specific features of the lymphoma including morphology, immunophenotype, and cytogenetic abnormalities. BL is a homogenous group characterized by c-myc overexpression as a result of c-myc gene translocation, and consequently increased proliferation. This translocation juxtaposes the locus of c-myc gene to one of the Ig loci.