Hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disorder of exocrine pancreas caused by metabolism disturbances of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins.Currently,hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis is characterized by an escalating incidence rate,a tendency for more severe cases,and a lack of therapeutic drugs.Traditional Chinese medicine has distinct advantages in treating this disease,but its theoretical framework has not yet been established.Hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis manifests itself as a febrile disease,aberrant accumulation of fat and turbidity may stem from dietary imbalances and visceral dysfunction in ordinary individuals.The prolonged accumulation of fat and turbidity can transform into turbid pathogen,subsequently engendering heat,constituting a pivotal pathogenic factor.Throughout the progression of the disease,the fiery pathogen consumes the fat and turbidity,resulting in the generation of toxic heat,which is a crucial mechanism in the exacerbation of the disease severity.Thus,this article posits therapeutic principles aimed at averting the transformation of fat and turbidity into turbid pathogen and counteracting toxic heat in this disease.This article reviews two key theories from traditional Chinese medicine classics relevant to hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis:the theory of fat-turbidity associated with hypertriglyceridemia and the febrile disease related to acute pancreatitis.Combining these traditional theories with modern research on the mechanisms that intensify hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis and the corresponding targets of traditional Chinese medicine,it suggests that the pathogenesis of"fat-turbidity-toxic heat"serves as the theoretical basis of traditional Chinese medicine for the aggravated severity of hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis.The article aims to offer new insights for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis.

The basic pathological change of diabetic macroangiopathy is atherosclerosis （AS）， which is mainly associated with vascular endothelial cells （VECs） injury， oxidative stress， glucose and lipid metabolism disorders， hemorheological abnormalities， and endoplasmic reticulum stress. The injury and dysfunction of VECs are the initiating factors of diabetic macroangiopathy. Autophagy is a subcellular self-protection mechanism that regulates basic intracellular metabolism through lysosome-mediated degradation of proteins and damaged organelles to maintain homeostasis. Insufficient autophagy of VECs leads to enhanced inflammation， apoptosis， and oxidative stress of VECs， which promotes AS. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， diabetic macroangiopathy corresponds to the syndrome of internal deficiency and pathogen invasion， with Qi deficiency and stagnation as the key pathogenesis. Qi deficiency is the root cause， and Qi stagnation is the manifestation. The disease occurs with the initial cause of nutrient-defense disharmony and instability of vessels， the main cause of the deficiency of kidney Qi and the lack of source for generation and transformation， the internal cause of Qi and blood loss in the viscera and the stagnation of Qi， blood， and fluid， and the superficial cause of the stagnation of pathological products and the damage of vessels. Autophagy is a microscopic manifestation of Qi， which has the function of dispelling pathogens and maintaining homeostasis. Insufficient autophagy of VECs leads to Qi deficiency and stagnation， and the gradual deficiency and heavy stagnation of Qi lead to insufficient autophagy， which form a vicious cycle. Modern research has demonstrated that regulating the autophagy of VECs is the main way to prevent and treat AS， and TCM can exert the therapeutic effect in a multi-target and multi-pathway manner. Therefore， based on the theory of Qi deficiency and stagnation， the method of tonifying deficiency of and removing stagnation can be adopted to select prescriptions for regulating the autophagy of VECs and treating AS， which can slow down the procession of diabetic macroangiopathy.

The basic pathological change of diabetic macroangiopathy is atherosclerosis， and the metabolism legacy effect of hyperglycemia will cause continuous damage to the large vessels. Oxidative stress is a common mechanism for diabetes and its chronic complications and it is also the basis of the metabolism legacy effect which keeps damaging the large vessels. Anti-oxidant therapy can delay the course of diabetic macroangiopathy. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， the pathogenicity of hidden pathogen is concealing， lingering， and refractory. On the basis of the syndrome and treatment of collateral diseases， vessel-collateral theory， and hidden pathogen theory of TCM， the pathological changes of diabetic macroangiopathy are summarized as pathogen concealment-accumulation of sugar and lipids leading to phlegm and blood stasis-accumulation of toxins-damage to vessels and collaterals-hardening vessels. The core pathogenesis is the hidden pathogen damaging the collaterals， and the basic pathological change is vessel hardening. The toxins of sugar， lipid， phlegm， and stasis are the pathological products and the key to be treated. According to this theory， the medicinal materials with the functions of activating blood to dredging collaterals， resolving phlegm to clearing collaterals， Promoting qi to unblocking collaterals and removing toxins to shunting collaterals can be selected for prescription. These medicinal materials can inhibit the generation of reactive oxygen species， affect the oxidase activity， and enhance the antioxidant capacity， thereby regulating the oxidative stress response， protecting the vascular endothelial function， reducing the damage of the large blood vessels， and slowing down the progression of the disease. Such therapy is of great significance in clinical practice and research， providing a new idea for the prevention and treatment of diabetic macroangiopathy.

Based on advancements in modern medical research regarding the intricate connection between the endocrine and exocrine functions of the pancreas， as well as the relationship between pancreatic functions and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） spleen system， this paper discussed the categorization of the pancreas. It is proposed that the pancreas is neither a true zang organ nor a fu organ， but possessed the attributes of an extraordinary fu-organ and can be classified under the spleen. The spleen governs transportation and transformation， ascent of the clear and dispersion of essence， which encompasses the endocrine and exocrine functions， and pancreatic enzymes and glucose-regulating hormones form the material basis for the spleen's function of dispersing essence. Diseases of the pancreas exhibit characteristics of both zang-organ deficiency and fu-organ excess， so treatment should simultaneously supplement zang-organ disease and regulate fu-organ disease when pancreas showing endocrine and exocrine co-morbidities， with focus on restoring the pancreas （spleen）'s dispersing essence function. Therapeutic strategies include supplementing spleen qi， nourishing spleen yin to strengthen spleen earth， unblocking spleen collaterals， raising spleen yang， and removing spleen turbidity to support the spleen's dispersing essence function， so as to replenish the essential qi of zang-fu organs， ensure their distribution throughout the body， and improve the endocrine and exocrine functions of the pancreas.

ObjectiveTo explore the distribution characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome elements of macroangiopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） and the key elements of occurrence， development and progression of disease. MethodsA multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted to enroll 445 T2DM patients from five hospitals， and according to the presence or absence of macroangiopathy， the patients were divided into a T2DM group （120 cases） and a diabetic macroangiopathy （DM） group （325 cases）. Patients in DM group were divided into grade Ⅰ， Ⅱ， Ⅲ and Ⅳ according to the peripheral vascular color Doppler ultrasound results and the vascular anomalies classification standard. The general data including gender， age， duration of T2DM and body mass index （BMI） were collected， and the data of four examinations were obtained for syndrome differentiation. According to the diagnostic criteria of TCM syndrome elements， the patients can be divided into 9 patterns including qi deficiency， blood deficiency， yin deficiency， yang deficiency， qi stagnation， blood stasis， excess heat， and excess cold. The general data and distribution of TCM syndrome elements were compared between the two groups. The distribution of TCM syndrome elements in different vascular anomalies grades in the DM group was analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influence of various TCM syndrome elements on the occurrence of macroangiopathy in T2DM. ResultsThere was no significant difference in gender and BMI between groups （P＞0.05）. The age and duration of diabetes in the DM group were older and longer than those in the T2DM group （P＜0.01）. With the increase of age and prolonged course of disease， the severity of diabetic macroangiopathy increases gradually （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. There was no significant difference in BMI and course of disease among the different TCM syndrome elements （P＞0.05）. The average age of patients with blood stasis syndrome was the oldest （P＜0.05）. There was significant difference in gender distribution between the excess heat syndrome and yin deficiency syndrome （P＜0.05）. A total of 240 TCM syndrome elements were extracted from the T2DM group， while 731 TCM syndrome elements extracted from the DM group. The top two high-frequency syndrome elements in the two groups were qi deficiency and yin deficiency， with a frequency of larger than 50%. The distribution of phlegm-damp syndrome and blood-stasis syndrome were significantly higher in the DM group than in the T2DM group （P＜0.01）. There were significant differences in the distribution of qi deficiency syndrome， yin deficiency syndrome， phlegm-damp syndrome， blood stasis syndrome， and excess heat syndrome among different grades of vascular anomalies （P＜0.01）； qi deficiency and yin deficiency were both high-frequency TCM syndrome elements in patients at grades 0 to Ⅲ； phlegm-damp syndrome increased in frequency with the progression of the disease from grades 0 to Ⅳ， and the frequency of blood stasis syndrome showed an overall upward trend. The frequency of phlegm-dampness syndrome increased from grades 0 to Ⅳ with the progression of the disease， and the frequency of blood stasis syndrome showed an overall upward trend. Logistic regression analysis showed that phlegm-damp syndrome and blood stasis syndrome were important TCM syndrome elements related to the vascular anomalies degree of macrovascular disease in T2DM （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionQi deficiency and yin deficiency are the basic TCM syndrome elements throughout the whole process of T2DM and diabetic macrovascular disease. Phlegm-damp and blood stasis are related to the degree of vascular anomalies in diabetic macrovascular disease and are the key TCM syndrome elements in the progression of macroangiopathy in T2DM.