To explore the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and integrative TCM-Western medicine approaches in the treatment of diabetic microvascular complications （DMC）， refine key pathophysiological insights and treatment principles， and promote academic innovation and strategic research planning in the prevention and treatment of DMC. The 38th session of the Expert Salon on Diseases Responding Specifically to Traditional Chinese Medicine， hosted by the China Association of Chinese Medicine， was held in Beijing， 2024. Experts in TCM， Western medicine， and interdisciplinary fields convened to conduct a systematic discussion on the pathogenesis， diagnostic and treatment challenges， and mechanism research related to DMC， ultimately forming a consensus on key directions. Four major research recommendations were proposed. The first is addressing clinical bottlenecks in the prevention and control of DMC by optimizing TCM-based evidence evaluation systems. The second is refining TCM core pathogenesis across DMC stages and establishing corresponding "disease-pattern-time" framework. The third is innovating mechanism research strategies to facilitate a shift from holistic regulation to targeted intervention in TCM. The fourth is advancing interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance the role of TCM in new drug development， research prioritization， and guideline formulation. TCM and integrative approaches offer distinct advantages in managing DMC. With a focus on the diseases responding specifically to TCM， strengthening evidence-based support and mechanism interpretation and promoting the integration of clinical care and research innovation will provide strong momentum for the modernization of TCM and the advancement of national health strategies.

Objective: To establish and identify hepatocyte-specific transmembrane protein 121 ( Tmem121 ) knockout mice． Methods: The hepatocyte-specific Tmem121 knockout mice ( Tmem121flox / flox / Cre，Tmem121ΔHep) were obtained by crossbreeding of Tmem121flox / + / Cre and Tmem121flox / flox mice，which were generated using the CRISPR / Cas9 and Cre / Loxp systems．The genotype was verified by PCR using genomic DNA extracted from mouse tails as template．The growth，reproduction and organ development of both control and knockout mice were ob- served and analyzed．PCR and Western blot methods were performed to assess the knockout efficiency of Tmem121 in mouse primary hepatocytes．CellMaskTM Deep Red plasma membrane staining was employed to compare the mor- phological differences in primary hepatocytes between control and knockout mice． Results: Tmem121flox / flox / Cre mice were successfully obtained according to genotype identification analysis，and there were no significant differ- ences between control and knockout mice in body mass，reproductive ability，growth and development of liver．The specific knockout of Tmem121 gene in primary hepatocytes did not significantly affect the morphological structure or pathological characteristics of liver tissue．However，compared to the control group，the levels of Tmem121 mRNA and protein in the primary hepatocytes of the knockout group were significantly reduced ( P ＜0. 01) ．CellMaskTM Deep Red plasma membrane staining indicated that the proportion of binucleated hepatocytes in Tmem121-deficient mice significantly increased ( P＜0. 05) ，while the cell area was significantly reduced ( P＜0. 001) ． Conclusion Hepatocyte-specific Tmem121 knockout mice are successfully constructed，which provides an animal model for further exploration of the function and mechanism of Tmem121 gene in liver diseases．

Objective To analyze the application value of multimodal CT imaging parameters in the differentiation of TOAST classification for cerebral infarction.Methods According to the TOAST classification,the selected 103 patients with cerebral infarction were categorized into large-artery atherosclerosis(LAA)group,cardioembolic(CE)group,small-artery occlusion(SAO)group,other determined etiologies(SOD)group,and undetermined etiologies(SUE)group.All patients underwent non-contrast CT scanning and CT angiography.Cerebral angiography was adopted as the gold standard.Results For the LAA,CE,SAO,SOD,and SUE groups,the diagnostic performance of multimodal CT imaging was as followed:true positive rates were 73.17%,45.45%,75.00%,40.00%,and 72.00%;sensitivities were 90.10%,85.71%,92.30%,85.71%,and 90.00%;specificities were 75.00%,75.00%,66.67%,66.67%,and 80.00%;miss rates were 9.09%,28.57%,7.69%,14.28%,and 10.00%;misdiagnosis rates were 25.00%,25.00%,33.33%,33.33%,and 20.00%;positive predictive rates were 93.75%,83.33%,92.31%,85.71%,and 94.74%;and negative predictive rates were 66.67%,60.00%,66.67%,66.67%,and 66.67%,respectively.Kappa test results showed that the multimodal CT imaging findings were highly consistent with the gold standard(Kappa>0.75,P<0.05).Conclusion Multimodal CT imaging technology can effectively assist in the differentiation of TOAST classification for cerebral infarction,thereby improving the accuracy of clinical diagnosis.

Objective·To determine hyaluronan(HA)expression in the endocrine-resistant microenvironment of estrogen receptor-positive(ER+)breast cancer and elucidate its impact on the acquired resistance.Methods·Chemiluminescent immunoassay was used to quantify HA levels in the culture supernatants of fulvestrant-resistant breast cancer cells.An immunofluorescence(IF)assay was performed to visualize the colocalization of CD44 and HA in MCF7/FulR cells.Using an established adaptive endocrine-resistant breast cancer mouse model,HA expression in resistant breast cancer tissues was assessed by immunohistochemistry(IHC)assay.Single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)and RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)were conducted to examine transcriptomic profiles and alterations in HA-related genes in resistant breast cancer cells.Flow cytometry(FCM)was utilized to measure the proportion of CD44+CD24-cells in MCF7/FulR.The correlation between HA synthesis genes and cell stemness was investigated in clinical ER+breast cancers from GEO data sets.Hyaluronidase(HAase)treatment was applied to remove the"HA coat",and RT-qPCR and Western blotting analysis were carried out to monitor changes in stemness-related molecules.CCK-8 assays,flow cytometry(FCM),and Hoechst 33258 staining were performed to determine changes in apoptosis and fulvestrant efficiency after HAase treatment.Results·IF results revealed that compared with MCF7 cells,the"HA coat"on the surface of MCF7/FulR cells was significantly thickened.IHC demonstrated markedly increased HA retention in fulvestrant-resistant mouse breast cancer tissues.ScRNA-seq and RNA-seq analyses indicated elevated expression of stemness-related genes and HA synthesis-associated genes in fulvestrant-resistant breast cancer cells.Correlation analysis revealed a positive association between HA synthesis and cancer stemness in ER+breast cancer.IF and RT-qPCR results demonstrated that removing the HA coating from the surface of MCF7/FulR cells led to a significant reduction in the expression of stemness-related molecules;concurrently,CCK-8 assays,FCM analysis,and Hoechst 33258 staining revealed that"HA coat"clearance reduced MCF7/FulR'tolerance to fulvestrant and increased apoptosis.Conclusion·Endocrine-resistant breast cancer cells develop an enriched"HA coat",which promotes stemness in fulvestrant-resistant tumors.Disruption of this HA coat through HAase treatment effectively reduces cell stemness,induces apoptosis,and re-sensitizes breast cancer cells to fulvestrant.

Objective To analyze the application value of multimodal CT imaging parameters in the differentiation of TOAST classification for cerebral infarction.Methods According to the TOAST classification,the selected 103 patients with cerebral infarction were categorized into large-artery atherosclerosis(LAA)group,cardioembolic(CE)group,small-artery occlusion(SAO)group,other determined etiologies(SOD)group,and undetermined etiologies(SUE)group.All patients underwent non-contrast CT scanning and CT angiography.Cerebral angiography was adopted as the gold standard.Results For the LAA,CE,SAO,SOD,and SUE groups,the diagnostic performance of multimodal CT imaging was as followed:true positive rates were 73.17%,45.45%,75.00%,40.00%,and 72.00%;sensitivities were 90.10%,85.71%,92.30%,85.71%,and 90.00%;specificities were 75.00%,75.00%,66.67%,66.67%,and 80.00%;miss rates were 9.09%,28.57%,7.69%,14.28%,and 10.00%;misdiagnosis rates were 25.00%,25.00%,33.33%,33.33%,and 20.00%;positive predictive rates were 93.75%,83.33%,92.31%,85.71%,and 94.74%;and negative predictive rates were 66.67%,60.00%,66.67%,66.67%,and 66.67%,respectively.Kappa test results showed that the multimodal CT imaging findings were highly consistent with the gold standard(Kappa>0.75,P<0.05).Conclusion Multimodal CT imaging technology can effectively assist in the differentiation of TOAST classification for cerebral infarction,thereby improving the accuracy of clinical diagnosis.

Objective·To determine hyaluronan(HA)expression in the endocrine-resistant microenvironment of estrogen receptor-positive(ER+)breast cancer and elucidate its impact on the acquired resistance.Methods·Chemiluminescent immunoassay was used to quantify HA levels in the culture supernatants of fulvestrant-resistant breast cancer cells.An immunofluorescence(IF)assay was performed to visualize the colocalization of CD44 and HA in MCF7/FulR cells.Using an established adaptive endocrine-resistant breast cancer mouse model,HA expression in resistant breast cancer tissues was assessed by immunohistochemistry(IHC)assay.Single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)and RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)were conducted to examine transcriptomic profiles and alterations in HA-related genes in resistant breast cancer cells.Flow cytometry(FCM)was utilized to measure the proportion of CD44+CD24-cells in MCF7/FulR.The correlation between HA synthesis genes and cell stemness was investigated in clinical ER+breast cancers from GEO data sets.Hyaluronidase(HAase)treatment was applied to remove the"HA coat",and RT-qPCR and Western blotting analysis were carried out to monitor changes in stemness-related molecules.CCK-8 assays,flow cytometry(FCM),and Hoechst 33258 staining were performed to determine changes in apoptosis and fulvestrant efficiency after HAase treatment.Results·IF results revealed that compared with MCF7 cells,the"HA coat"on the surface of MCF7/FulR cells was significantly thickened.IHC demonstrated markedly increased HA retention in fulvestrant-resistant mouse breast cancer tissues.ScRNA-seq and RNA-seq analyses indicated elevated expression of stemness-related genes and HA synthesis-associated genes in fulvestrant-resistant breast cancer cells.Correlation analysis revealed a positive association between HA synthesis and cancer stemness in ER+breast cancer.IF and RT-qPCR results demonstrated that removing the HA coating from the surface of MCF7/FulR cells led to a significant reduction in the expression of stemness-related molecules;concurrently,CCK-8 assays,FCM analysis,and Hoechst 33258 staining revealed that"HA coat"clearance reduced MCF7/FulR'tolerance to fulvestrant and increased apoptosis.Conclusion·Endocrine-resistant breast cancer cells develop an enriched"HA coat",which promotes stemness in fulvestrant-resistant tumors.Disruption of this HA coat through HAase treatment effectively reduces cell stemness,induces apoptosis,and re-sensitizes breast cancer cells to fulvestrant.

Renal cell carcinoma in a transplanted kidney is rare, and partial nephrectomy in transplanted kidney is even more uncommon. A patient with papillary transplanted renal cell carcinoma who underwent partial nephrectomy was reported. The patient was admitted to the hospital due to the discovery of transplanted kidney mass, and the enhanced examination of CTU found a lesion in the upper pole of the transplanted kidney in the right iliac fossa, which may be renal cancer, with a diameter of about 2 cm. After open partial nephrectomy of the transplanted kidney, the postoperative pathology showed that the tumor was papillary renal cell carcinoma. The antirejection drugs were used after surgery. During the follow-up period of 16 months, there was no recurrence of transplanted kidney tumor.

Renal cell carcinoma in a transplanted kidney is rare, and partial nephrectomy in transplanted kidney is even more uncommon. A patient with papillary transplanted renal cell carcinoma who underwent partial nephrectomy was reported. The patient was admitted to the hospital due to the discovery of transplanted kidney mass, and the enhanced examination of CTU found a lesion in the upper pole of the transplanted kidney in the right iliac fossa, which may be renal cancer, with a diameter of about 2 cm. After open partial nephrectomy of the transplanted kidney, the postoperative pathology showed that the tumor was papillary renal cell carcinoma. The antirejection drugs were used after surgery. During the follow-up period of 16 months, there was no recurrence of transplanted kidney tumor.

Background Arsenic, cobalt, barium, and other individual metal exposure have been confirmed to be associated with the incidence of kidney stones. However, there are few studies on the association between mixed metal exposure and kidney stones, especially in occupational groups. Objective To investigate the association between mixed metal exposure and kidney stones in an occupational population from a metal smelting plant. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, and lifestyle information of 1158 mixed metal-exposed workers in a metal smelting plant in Guangdong Province from July 2021 to January 2022. Midstream morning urine samples were collected from the workers, the concentrations of 18 metals including lithium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, arsenic, selenium, strontium, molybdenum, cadmium, cesium, barium, tungsten, titanium, and lead were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and the urinary mercury levels were measured by cold atomic absorption spectroscopy. Based on predetermined inclusion criteria, a total of 919 mixed metal-exposed workers were included in the study, including 117 workers in the kidney stone group and 802 workers in the non-kidney stone group. With a detection rate of urinary metals greater than 80% as entry criterion, 16 eligible metals were finally included for further analysis. Parametric or non-parametric methods were used to compare the differences between continuous or categorical variables of the non-kidney stone group and the kidney stone group. Logistic regression models were constructed to explore the association between individual metal exposures and kidney stones. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression models were used to evaluate the association between mixed metal exposure and kidney stones, as well as the weights of each metal on kidney stones. Then Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were used to explore the overall effect of mixed metal exposure on renal calculi and the potential interactions between metals. Results We found that there were significant differences in sex, age, length of service, and body mass Index (BMI) between the non-kidney stone group and the kidney stone group (P<0.05). The urinary concentrations of molybdenum and barium in the kidney stone group were higher than those in the non-kidney stone group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The logistic regression models demonstrated that urinary cobalt, arsenic, molybdenum, and barium were positively correlated with the risk of kidney stones (P_trend<0.05). The WQS regression models showed that the mixed exposure to vanadium, cobalt, arsenic, molybdenum, and barium was positively associated with the risk of kidney stones (P<0.05). Among them, molybdenum, arsenic, and barium accounted for 0.391, 0.337, and 0.154, respectively. The BKMR results revealed a positive association between metal mixture exposure and the risk of kidney stones (P<0.05). When other metals were fixed at the 25th, 50th, or 75th percentile, arsenic, molybdenum, cobalt, and barium exhibited significant positive effects on the risk of kidney stones (P<0.05), while vanadium showed a significant negative effect (P<0.05). The interaction analysis demonstrated interactions between barium and cobalt, as well as between vanadium and cobalt (P<0.05). Conclusion In the occupational population of this smelter, occupational mixed metal exposure could increase the risk of kidney stones, and the main metals are molybdenum, arsenic, barium, and cobalt.

BACKGROUND:Currently,there have been studies on the regulatory mechanism of lncRNA\miRNA\mRNA co-expression network on the occurrence and development of osteoarthritis.Our research group has screened qualified NONHSAT248596.1 and miR-146a-5p through the database in the previous stage,but the corresponding in vivo experiments to verify the above regulatory mechanisms are still lacking. OBJECTIVE:To explore the role of NONHSAT248596.1 in regulating competitive endogenous RNA of miR-146a-5p in cartilage degeneration mediated by stromal cell derived factor type 1/chemokine receptor 4 axis in vivo. METHODS:The models of osteoarthritis were established in 36 New Zealand rabbits by injecting stromal cell derived factor 1 solution into the knee joint of the right hind limb.According to the random number table method,they were divided into four groups.lncRNA group,miRNA group,ceRNA group and control group were injected with lentivirus vector overexpressing NONHSAT248596.1,lentivirus vector overexpressing miR-146a-5p,lentivirus vector overexpressing miR-146a-5p+NONHSAT248596.1 and empty lentivirus vector into the molded knee joint,respectively.At 4,8 and 12 weeks of modeling,cartilage tissues and subchondral bone tissues of the knee joint were taken for relevant detection. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Hematoxylin-eosin staining and safranin fast green staining showed different degrees of degeneration in the four groups.At 4 weeks,the cartilage tissue of the lncRNA group showed swelling of chondrocytes,loss of cell polarity,destruction of extracellular matrix,surface erosion,fracture formation and partial or full layer loss of cartilage tissue.The degree of cartilage injury was gradually aggravated with time.The progression of articular cartilage inflammation in the miRNA group was the slowest among the four groups.qRT-PCR showed that at the same time point,mRNA expression levels of NONHSAT248596.1,chemokine receptor 4,matrix metalloproteinase 3,matrix metalloproteinase 9 and matrix metalloproteinase 13 in cartilage tissue of the lncRNA group were higher than those of the other three groups(P＜0.05).The mRNA expression levels of miR-146a-5p,aggrecan and type Ⅱ collagen were lower than those of the other three groups(P＜0.05).The mRNA expression levels of NONHSAT248596.1,chemokine receptor 4,matrix metalloproteinase 3,matrix metalloproteinase 9 and matrix metalloproteinase 13 in the miRNA group were lower than those in the ceRNA group and control group at 8 and 12 weeks after the model construction(P＜0.05).The mRNA expressions of miR-146a-5p,aggrecan and type Ⅱ collagen were higher than those of the ceRNA group and control group(P＜0.05).Western blot assay showed that at the same time point,the expression levels of aggrecan and type Ⅱ collagen in cartilage tissue of the lncRNA group were always lower than those of the other three groups(P＜0.05).The expression levels of aggrecan and type Ⅱ collagen in cartilage tissue of the miRNA group at 8 and 12 weeks after modeling were higher than those of the ceRNA group and control group(P＜0.05).The results showed that miR-146a-5p,as the target of NONHSAT248596.1,could be inhibited by the effect of its ceRNA.After acting on miR-146a-5p,NONHSAT248596.1 regulates the stromal cell derived factor type 1/chemokine receptor 4 axis to affect the expression of matrix metalloprotein,type Ⅱ collagen,and aggrecan in osteoarthritis chondrocytes,resulting in the degradation of extracellular matrix and the loss of proteoglycan.