Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of indocyanine green angiography (ICGA)-assisted design and harvest of expanded flaps for scar reconstruction.Methods:This study was a retrospective observational study. From April 2019 to August 2023, 19 patients with scars (8 males, 11 females; aged 3-38 years) treated at the Plastic Surgery Hospital of Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences met the inclusion criteria. The scars were distributed on the head, face, trunk, and extremities. In stage Ⅰ surgery, skin soft tissue expanders were implanted in suitable areas around the scars for skin soft tissue expansion. In stage Ⅱ surgery, the scar tissue was excised, resulting in wound areas ranging from 100 to 210 cm 2, and expanded flaps were designed. ICGA was used to identify target perforators and their accompanying veins, and the flap design was adjusted to ensure the inclusion of complete arterial and venous axes. The expanded flap with an area of 120 to 240 cm2 was harvested using unilateral back-cut technique and transferred to the recipient site, and the donor site wound was sutured directly. The durations of the arterial and venous phases of ICGA during flap design were recorded. The length-to-width ratios of the back-cut flaps were calculated for different regions. After stage Ⅱ surgery, the blood perfusion and survival of the flap, the wound healing at the donor site, and the occurrence of complications were observed. During follow-up, the appearance, color, and texture of the patient's flap were observed. Results:The arterial phase of ICGA lasted 10-27 (18±5) s, and the venous phase lasted 78-116 (100±10) s. The length-to-width ratios of the back-cut flaps were 1.22±0.32, 1.63±0.12, and 1.15±0.21 for the head and neck, trunk, and limb regions, respectively. After stage Ⅱ surgery, one patient had a large area of insufficient blood perfusion in the flap. By comparing ICGA images before and after flap transfer, the sutures at the oral commissure were loosened, the blood flow of the flap was restored. The blood perfusion of the flaps in other patients was good. All flaps survived completely, with well-healed donor site wounds and no complications. During 0.5-14.0 months of follow-up, all flaps of patients demonstrated excellent appearance, with color and texture matching the surrounding skin.Conclusions:As a means of superficial blood flow visualization, ICGA can not only clearly show the microvascular distribution of the expanded flap before operation, assist in optimizing the design of the flap, but also evaluate the blood perfusion of the flap after operation, reduce the occurrence of complications, and provide a full-process navigation for the harvesting of expanded flaps, thereby improving the safety of flap transfer for scar reconstruction.

Objective:To explore the short-term clinical effects of deep cervical lymph node-venous anastomosis in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).Methods:A prospective exploratory study was conducted on the treatment of AD patients using the cervical deep lymph node-venous anastomosis technique in Scar and Wound Treatment Department, Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, from September to October 2024. The patients underwent high-frequency ultrasound to locate deep cervical lymph nodes and the external jugular vein. Under general anesthesia, bilateral deep cervical lymph node-venous anastomoses were performed. Indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography was conducted via subcutaneous injection behind the ear to visualize lymph nodes in levels Ⅱ and Ⅲ. After making a skin incision along the posterior margin of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the external jugular vein, internal jugular veins, and associated lymph nodes were exposed. Adjacent veins were selected for anastomosis of lymph node. Using microsurgical techniques, end-to-side or end-to-end anastomosis was completed for lymph nodes in levels Ⅱ and Ⅲ. Preoperative assessments included the mini-mental state examination (MMSE, a higher score indicates better cognitive function), Alzheimer’s disease assessment scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog, a higher score indicates greater impairment of cognitive function), Alzheimer’s disease cooperative study scale for activities of daily living (ADCS-ADL, a higher score indicates better ability to perform daily activity), and neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI, a higher score indicates more severe behavioral and emotional symptom). Postoperative follow-up included the same scales to observe changes in cognitive function, activities of daily living, and emotional communication.Results:Four patients (1 male, 3 females, aged 58-79 years) with AD were included. All were diagnosed based on cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers. All patients successfully underwent bilateral deep cervical lymph node-venous anastomoses. On average, 4.3 (2-7 per person) anastomoses were performed per patient. Surgical procedures lasted an average of 6.5 h (5.5-8.5 h) with minimal blood loss (less than 50 ml). Patients resumed normal activity within 6 hours postoperatively and were discharged after an average of 4.1 d (3.5-5.0 d). Postoperative complications included one case each of aspiration pneumonia, lower limb venous thrombosis, and transient delirium, all of whom resolved without long-term effects. Clinical symptoms, including memory decline, mood swings, and anxiety, showed varying degrees of improvement. Patients reported enhanced quality of life, emotional stability, and social engagement, confirming the procedure’s safety and potential cognitive benefits. At one month postoperatively, the MMSE scores of the four patients increased by an average of 0.8 points compared to preoperative levels. Additionally, the two patients who completed the ADAS-Cog assessments showed a decrease in their scores (reduced by 1.0 points and 11.3 points, respectively, compared to preoperative scores), indicating a certain degree of improvement in cognitive function during this period. The ADCS-ADL and NPI scores of four patients varied significantly, without showing any clear pattern.Conclusion:Lymphovenous anastomosis of the deep cervical lymph node-venous anastomosis may provide a new surgical intervention approach for AD, but further large-scale studies and long-term follow-up are needed to validate its safety and effectiveness.

Objective:To explore the efficacy of Qingjin Huatan Decoction combined with conventional Western medicine for the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) with phlegm-heat obstructing lung syndrome.Methods:A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Totally 90 hospitalized patients with AECOPD phlegm-heat obstructing lung syndrome in the respiratory department of Shunyi Hospital, Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from January 2023 to June 2024 were selected as the observation subjects. According to the simplified randomization method (single-double number method), the patients were divided into two groups, with 45 cases in each group. The conventional Western medicine group was given conventional Western medicine treatment, and the combined Chinese materia medica group was given Qingjin Huatan Decoction on the basis of the conventional Western medicine group. The treatment for both groups lasted for 7 d. TCM symptoms were scored before and after treatment; FEV 1 and FVC were detected by pulmonary function analyzer, PaO 2, PaCO 2, PaO 2/FiO 2 were detected by blood gas biochemical analyzer, CRP and PCT were detected by ELISA, and white blood cell count (WBC) was detected by automatic blood cell analyzer. Adverse reactions were recorded, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated. Results:The total effective rate was 93.33% (42/45) in the combined Chinese materia medica group and 77.78% (35/45) in the conventional Western medicine group, with statistical significance ( χ2=4.41, P=0.036). After treatment, the scores of cough, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath and fever and the total score in the combined Chinese materia medica group were lower than those in the conventional Western medicine group ( t=4.83, 2.26, 5.36, 10.43, 5.27,respectively, P<0.01 or P<0.05); the levels of FEV 1 and FVC in the combined Chinese materia medica group were higher than those in the conventional Western medicine group ( t=3.03, 2.64, respectively, P<0.01); the levels of PaO 2 and PaO 2/FiO 2 in the combined Chinese materia medica group were higher than those in the conventional Western medicine group ( t=4.83, 5.36, P<0.01), while the level of PaCO 2 in the combined Chinese materia medica group was lower than that in the conventional Western medicine group ( t=2.26, P<0.05); the levels of CRP, PCT and WBC in the combined Chinese materia medica group were lower than those in the conventional western medicine group ( t=10.53, 11.29 and 2.59, respectively, P<0.01 or P<0.05). During the treatment, the incidence of adverse reactions was 6.67% (3/45) in the combined Chinese materia medica and 8.89% (4/45) in the conventional Western medicine group, without statistical significance ( χ2=0.16, P=0.694). Conclusion:Qingjin Huatan Decoction can effectively improve the lung function and blood gas indicators of AECOPD with phlegm-heat obstructing lung syndrome, and relieve the inflammation, with safety and effectiveness.

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)serves as a treasure trove of ancient knowledge,holding a crucial position in the medical field.However,the exploration of TCM's extensive information has been hindered by challenges related to data standardization,completeness,and accuracy,primarily due to the decen-tralized distribution of TCM resources.To address these issues,we developed a platform for TCM knowledge discovery(TCMKD,https://cbcb.cdutcm.edu.cn/TCMKD/).Seven types of data,including syndromes,formulas,Chinese patent drugs(CPDs),Chinese medicinal materials(CMMs),ingredients,targets,and diseases,were manually proofread and consolidated within TCMKD.To strengthen the integration of TCM with modern medicine,TCMKD employs analytical methods such as TCM data mining,enrichment analysis,and network localization and separation.These tools help elucidate the molecular-level commonalities between TCM and contemporary scientific insights.In addition to its analytical capabilities,a quick question and answer(Q&A)system is also embedded within TCMKD to query the database efficiently,thereby improving the interactivity of the platform.The platform also provides a TCM text annotation tool,offering a simple and efficient method for TCM text mining.Overall,TCMKD not only has the potential to become a pivotal repository for TCM,delving into the pharmaco-logical foundations of TCM treatments,but its flexible embedded tools and algorithms can also be applied to the study of other traditional medical systems,extending beyond just TCM.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) serves as a treasure trove of ancient knowledge, holding a crucial position in the medical field. However, the exploration of TCM's extensive information has been hindered by challenges related to data standardization, completeness, and accuracy, primarily due to the decentralized distribution of TCM resources. To address these issues, we developed a platform for TCM knowledge discovery (TCMKD, https://cbcb.cdutcm.edu.cn/TCMKD/). Seven types of data, including syndromes, formulas, Chinese patent drugs (CPDs), Chinese medicinal materials (CMMs), ingredients, targets, and diseases, were manually proofread and consolidated within TCMKD. To strengthen the integration of TCM with modern medicine, TCMKD employs analytical methods such as TCM data mining, enrichment analysis, and network localization and separation. These tools help elucidate the molecular-level commonalities between TCM and contemporary scientific insights. In addition to its analytical capabilities, a quick question and answer (Q&A) system is also embedded within TCMKD to query the database efficiently, thereby improving the interactivity of the platform. The platform also provides a TCM text annotation tool, offering a simple and efficient method for TCM text mining. Overall, TCMKD not only has the potential to become a pivotal repository for TCM, delving into the pharmacological foundations of TCM treatments, but its flexible embedded tools and algorithms can also be applied to the study of other traditional medical systems, extending beyond just TCM.

Immunotherapy has become a crucial component of cancer treatment,with immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)playing a pivotal role.Although programmed cell death protein 1/programmed cell death ligand 1(PD-1/PD-L1)and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated antigen 4(CTLA-4)inhibitors have demonstrated significant efficacy in various cancers,their widespread application is still limited by challenges such as drug resistance and immune-related adverse events(irAEs).To address these limitations,researchers are actively exploring next-generation immune checkpoint molecules.In recent years,novel immune checkpoint molecules,including lymphocyte activation gene-3(LAG-3),T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-3(TIM-3),and T-cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains(TIGIT),have shown promising therapeutic potential in both preclinical and clinical studies.This article summarizes the fundamental characteristics and mechanisms of these novel immune checkpoints,with a focus on the research progress of their inhibitors in the treatment of malignant tumors,aiming to provide valuable insights for future clinical applications.

Immunotherapy has become a crucial component of cancer treatment,with immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)playing a pivotal role.Although programmed cell death protein 1/programmed cell death ligand 1(PD-1/PD-L1)and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated antigen 4(CTLA-4)inhibitors have demonstrated significant efficacy in various cancers,their widespread application is still limited by challenges such as drug resistance and immune-related adverse events(irAEs).To address these limitations,researchers are actively exploring next-generation immune checkpoint molecules.In recent years,novel immune checkpoint molecules,including lymphocyte activation gene-3(LAG-3),T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-3(TIM-3),and T-cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains(TIGIT),have shown promising therapeutic potential in both preclinical and clinical studies.This article summarizes the fundamental characteristics and mechanisms of these novel immune checkpoints,with a focus on the research progress of their inhibitors in the treatment of malignant tumors,aiming to provide valuable insights for future clinical applications.

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of indocyanine green angiography (ICGA)-assisted design and harvest of expanded flaps for scar reconstruction.Methods:This study was a retrospective observational study. From April 2019 to August 2023, 19 patients with scars (8 males, 11 females; aged 3-38 years) treated at the Plastic Surgery Hospital of Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences met the inclusion criteria. The scars were distributed on the head, face, trunk, and extremities. In stage Ⅰ surgery, skin soft tissue expanders were implanted in suitable areas around the scars for skin soft tissue expansion. In stage Ⅱ surgery, the scar tissue was excised, resulting in wound areas ranging from 100 to 210 cm 2, and expanded flaps were designed. ICGA was used to identify target perforators and their accompanying veins, and the flap design was adjusted to ensure the inclusion of complete arterial and venous axes. The expanded flap with an area of 120 to 240 cm2 was harvested using unilateral back-cut technique and transferred to the recipient site, and the donor site wound was sutured directly. The durations of the arterial and venous phases of ICGA during flap design were recorded. The length-to-width ratios of the back-cut flaps were calculated for different regions. After stage Ⅱ surgery, the blood perfusion and survival of the flap, the wound healing at the donor site, and the occurrence of complications were observed. During follow-up, the appearance, color, and texture of the patient's flap were observed. Results:The arterial phase of ICGA lasted 10-27 (18±5) s, and the venous phase lasted 78-116 (100±10) s. The length-to-width ratios of the back-cut flaps were 1.22±0.32, 1.63±0.12, and 1.15±0.21 for the head and neck, trunk, and limb regions, respectively. After stage Ⅱ surgery, one patient had a large area of insufficient blood perfusion in the flap. By comparing ICGA images before and after flap transfer, the sutures at the oral commissure were loosened, the blood flow of the flap was restored. The blood perfusion of the flaps in other patients was good. All flaps survived completely, with well-healed donor site wounds and no complications. During 0.5-14.0 months of follow-up, all flaps of patients demonstrated excellent appearance, with color and texture matching the surrounding skin.Conclusions:As a means of superficial blood flow visualization, ICGA can not only clearly show the microvascular distribution of the expanded flap before operation, assist in optimizing the design of the flap, but also evaluate the blood perfusion of the flap after operation, reduce the occurrence of complications, and provide a full-process navigation for the harvesting of expanded flaps, thereby improving the safety of flap transfer for scar reconstruction.

Objective:To explore the short-term clinical effects of deep cervical lymph node-venous anastomosis in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).Methods:A prospective exploratory study was conducted on the treatment of AD patients using the cervical deep lymph node-venous anastomosis technique in Scar and Wound Treatment Department, Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, from September to October 2024. The patients underwent high-frequency ultrasound to locate deep cervical lymph nodes and the external jugular vein. Under general anesthesia, bilateral deep cervical lymph node-venous anastomoses were performed. Indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography was conducted via subcutaneous injection behind the ear to visualize lymph nodes in levels Ⅱ and Ⅲ. After making a skin incision along the posterior margin of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the external jugular vein, internal jugular veins, and associated lymph nodes were exposed. Adjacent veins were selected for anastomosis of lymph node. Using microsurgical techniques, end-to-side or end-to-end anastomosis was completed for lymph nodes in levels Ⅱ and Ⅲ. Preoperative assessments included the mini-mental state examination (MMSE, a higher score indicates better cognitive function), Alzheimer’s disease assessment scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog, a higher score indicates greater impairment of cognitive function), Alzheimer’s disease cooperative study scale for activities of daily living (ADCS-ADL, a higher score indicates better ability to perform daily activity), and neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI, a higher score indicates more severe behavioral and emotional symptom). Postoperative follow-up included the same scales to observe changes in cognitive function, activities of daily living, and emotional communication.Results:Four patients (1 male, 3 females, aged 58-79 years) with AD were included. All were diagnosed based on cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers. All patients successfully underwent bilateral deep cervical lymph node-venous anastomoses. On average, 4.3 (2-7 per person) anastomoses were performed per patient. Surgical procedures lasted an average of 6.5 h (5.5-8.5 h) with minimal blood loss (less than 50 ml). Patients resumed normal activity within 6 hours postoperatively and were discharged after an average of 4.1 d (3.5-5.0 d). Postoperative complications included one case each of aspiration pneumonia, lower limb venous thrombosis, and transient delirium, all of whom resolved without long-term effects. Clinical symptoms, including memory decline, mood swings, and anxiety, showed varying degrees of improvement. Patients reported enhanced quality of life, emotional stability, and social engagement, confirming the procedure’s safety and potential cognitive benefits. At one month postoperatively, the MMSE scores of the four patients increased by an average of 0.8 points compared to preoperative levels. Additionally, the two patients who completed the ADAS-Cog assessments showed a decrease in their scores (reduced by 1.0 points and 11.3 points, respectively, compared to preoperative scores), indicating a certain degree of improvement in cognitive function during this period. The ADCS-ADL and NPI scores of four patients varied significantly, without showing any clear pattern.Conclusion:Lymphovenous anastomosis of the deep cervical lymph node-venous anastomosis may provide a new surgical intervention approach for AD, but further large-scale studies and long-term follow-up are needed to validate its safety and effectiveness.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of newly reported HIV/AIDS cases aged 15 years and older in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou City from 2006 to 2022, so as to provide the basis for improving AIDS prevention and control strategies. Methods: Data of newly reported HIV/AIDS cases aged 15 years and older in Shangcheng District from 2006 to 2022 were collected through HIV/AIDS Comprehensive Control System of Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. Population distribution and transmission routes were analyzed, and changing trends in case number were analyzed using average annual percent change (AAPC) and annual percent change (APC). Results: A total of 4 409 HIV/AIDS cases aged 15 years and older were newly reported in Shangcheng District from 2006 to 2022, including 3 932 males (89.18%). There were 3 447 cases (78.18%) under 50 years old and 962 cases (21.82%) being 50 years and older. Sexual contact was a predominant transmission route, with 4 326 cases accounting for 98.12%, including 2 626 cases (59.56%) with homosexual contact and 1 700 cases (38.56%) with heterosexual contact. The number of HIV/AIDS cases showed an overall upward trend from 2006 to 2022 (AAPC=13.038%, P<0.05), with an upward trend from 2006 to 2015 (APC=42.578%, P<0.05) and a downward trend from 2015 to 2022 (APC=-19.713%, P<0.05). The increase in the number of cases aged 50 years and older group was faster than that of cases aged under 50 years (AAPC=22.641% vs. 11.162%, both P<0.05). The increase in the number of cases with homosexual contact transmission was faster than that of cases with heterosexual contact transmission (AAPC=20.417% vs. 7.455%, both P<0.05). Conclusions The number of newly reported HIV/AIDS cases aged 15 years and older in Shangcheng District performed an overall upward trend from 2006 to 2022. The cases aged 50 years and older and transmitted through homosexual contact increased rapidly, which should be taken seriously.