1.Pathogenic Mechanisms of Spleen Deficiency-Phlegm Dampness in Obesity and Traditional Chinese Medicine Prevention and Treatment Strategies:from the Perspective of Immune Inflammation
Yumei LI ; Peng XU ; Xiaowan WANG ; Shudong CHEN ; Le YANG ; Lihua HUANG ; Chuang LI ; Qinchi HE ; Xiangxi ZENG ; Juanjuan WANG ; Wei MAO ; Ruimin TIAN
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(1):31-37
Based on spleen deficiency-phlegm dampness as the core pathogenesis of obesity, and integrating recent advances in modern medicine regarding the key role of immune inflammation in obesity, this paper proposes a multidimensional pathogenic network of "obesity-spleen deficiency-phlegm dampness-immune imbalance". Various traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herbs that strengthen the spleen, regulate qi, and resolve phlegm and dampness can treat obesity by improving spleen-stomach transport and transformation, promoting water-damp metabolism, and regulating immune homeostasis. This highlights immune inflammation as an important entry point to elucidate the TCM concepts of "spleen deficiency-phlegm dampness" and the therapeutic principle of "strengthening the spleen and eliminating dampness to treat obesity". By systematically analyzing the intrinsic connection between "spleen deficiency generating dampness, internal accumulation of phlegm dampness" and immune dysregulation in obesity, this paper aims to provide theoretical support for TCM treatment of obesity based on dampness.
2.Treatment Principles and Paradigm of Diabetic Microvascular Complications Responding Specifically to Traditional Chinese Medicine
Anzhu WANG ; Xing HANG ; Lili ZHANG ; Xiaorong ZHU ; Dantao PENG ; Ying FAN ; Min ZHANG ; Wenliang LYU ; Guoliang ZHANG ; Xiai WU ; Jia MI ; Jiaxing TIAN ; Wei ZHANG ; Han WANG ; Yuan XU ; .LI PINGPING ; Zhenyu WANG ; Ying ZHANG ; Dongmei SUN ; Yi HE ; Mei MO ; Xiaoxiao ZHANG ; Linhua ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(5):272-279
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.
3.Analysis of related factors for preschool children s safety seat use in a district of Beijing
HU Jiangong, ZHAO Yingying, HE Chao, YOU Kai,PENG Tao
Chinese Journal of School Health 2026;47(1):42-45
Objective:
To understand the allocation and use of safety seats for preschool children and explore its related factors, so as to provide a scientific reference for promoting the usage of safety seats.
Methods:
A stratified random cluster sampling method was used to select 3 143 parents of preschool children aged 3 to 6 from six kindergartens in Shunyi District, Beijing from January 3 to 10, 2022. An online questionnaire survey was conducted to collect and evaluate the equipment and use of child safety seats in different characteristics of preschool children, as well as their scores of health beliefs. Multiple factor Logistic regression analysis was used to investigated the related factors of safety seat configuration and use.
Results:
The equipping rate and usage rate of safety seats for preschool children were 66.56% and 58.45%, respectively. The proportion of equipped and used safety seats for preschool children in core families (69.52%, 62.23%) were higher than that in large families (64.35%, 55.62%), only child families ( 72.39 %, 64.87%) were higher than non only child families (61.49%, 52.86%), and urban families (71.63%, 63.04%) were higher than rural families (52.31%, 45.51%) ( χ 2=9.23, 13.86; 41.72, 46.44; 101.96 ,76.97,all P <0.05) . As the educational level of parents ( χ 2 trend =154.23,98.76) and annual income of the family ( χ 2 trend =155.78,127.69) rised, the reporting rates of the equipped and used child safety seats in the family also increased(all P <0.05 ). There were statistically significant differences in the scores of different dimensions of health beliefs for the provision ( t =-20.22-18.16) and use ( t =24.32-24.17) of safety seats for preschool children(all P <0.05). After adjusting for child sex, child age, family annual income, parental education level, family type, whether the child was an only child, and place of residence,multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that preschool children with higher perceived susceptibility score( OR =1.11, 1.08), higher self efficacy score( OR =1.23, 1.33), and higher suggestive factors score( OR =1.08, 1.12) were more likely to have and use safety seats in their families, while preschool children with higher perceived impairments score( OR =0.82, 0.80) were less likely to have and use safety seats in their families (all P <0.05).
Conclusions
The installation rate of child safety seats needs to be improved, and there is also a certain gap in their use after installation. Parents of preschool children should improve susceptibility and self efficacy to safety seat equipment and use, and perceptual barriers should be reduced.
4.Changing trend of benign hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases among people aged 15—39 years in China in 1990—2021
Wenkai JIANG ; Huiqi SUN ; Junhao FENG ; Ru HE ; Wenrui PENG ; Ming TIAN
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(1):160-166
ObjectiveTo investigate the changing trends of the incidence rate, prevalence rate, mortality rate, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of benign hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases among people aged 15 — 39 years in China in 1990 — 2021. MethodsThe data of 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study were downloaded to obtain the epidemiological data of liver fibrosis/chronic liver disease, benign gallbladder/biliary tract diseases, and pancreatitis among people aged 15 — 39 years in China, and estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated to assess the changing trends of incidence, prevalence, mortality, and DALY rates. The Bayesian age-period-cohort model was used to predict the incidence and mortality rates from 2022 to 2030. ResultsIn 2021, there were 10 448 778 new cases of benign hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases among the individuals aged 15 — 39 years in China, which was increased by 3.8% compared with the data in 1990, while the numbers of prevalent cases, deaths, and DALYs were reduced by 20.4%, 59.6%, and 50.2%, respectively. In 2021, the age-standardized incidence rates of liver fibrosis/chronic liver disease, benign gallbladder/biliary tract diseases, and pancreatitis were 1 104.40/100 000, 1 045.05/100 000, and 16.64/100 000, respectively; the age-standardized prevalence rates were 20 592.37/100 000, 2 364.85/100 000, and 9.43/100 000, respectively; the age-standardized mortality rates were 1.61/100 000, 0.04/100 000, and 0.18/100 000, respectively. From 1990 to 2021, there was a tendency of increase in the age-standardized incidence rate of liver fibrosis/chronic liver disease (EAPC=0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.23 — 0.63), and there was also a tendency of increase in the age-standardized incidence and prevalence rates of benign gallbladder/biliary tract diseases (incidence rate: EAPC=1.07, 95%CI: 0.91 — 1.24; prevalence rate: EAPC=0.75, 95%CI: 0.59 — 0.89), while there was a tendency of reduction in the age-standardized mortality rate of all three disease categories. Predictions for 2022 — 2030 indicated a potential reduction in the incidence rate of benign gallbladder/biliary tract diseases and an increase in the incidence rate of pancreatitis. ConclusionThere has been an overall upward trend in the incidence rate of liver fibrosis/chronic liver disease and gallbladder/biliary tract diseases over the past three decades, and it is needed to pay attention to the disease burden of benign hepatobiliary diseases among the people aged 15 — 39 years in China.
5.Visual evaluation of medical humanistic care based on the concept of implementation science
Xuancheng CHEN ; Yangyi CHEN ; Huiling LI ; Mengyun PENG ; Fanli TIAN ; Xiaojun ZHOU ; Zhisong HE ; Chen FANG
Chinese Medical Ethics 2026;39(2):194-200
ObjectiveTo introduce visual teaching into the course design of medical humanistic care based on the concept of implementation science, evaluate the teaching implementation effect and feedback, and provide references for optimizing course teaching outcomes and improving students’ humanistic care competence. MethodsA visual teaching program for medical humanistic care was designed, with key steps including clarifying teaching objectives, content, methods, and curriculum assessment. This program was implemented in the medical humanistic care course teaching involving 50 elective students. Multi-dimensional evaluation of teaching effectiveness was conducted through course grades, visual teaching evaluation, and humanistic workshop assessment, combined with inductive content analysis of students’ learning experiences in the workshops. ResultsThe 50 students achieved above-average course grades (89.60±3.41) and demonstrated high satisfaction with the overall course and visual teaching. All the 6 groups obtained relatively high scores in the medical humanistic care workshops. Four themes were extracted, namely, enhancing humanistic care competencies, deepening familial and interpersonal relationships, realizing emotional expression and self-growth, and strengthening integration of humanistic care concepts with practice. ConclusionThe teaching of medical humanistic care course has achieved favorable effects, which contributes to deepening students’ understanding of humanistic care and enhancing their humanistic care competence. Students demonstrate high levels of recognition and satisfaction with the course.
6.Distribution characteristics of pathogens and influencing factors analysis of infections within 90 days after liver transplantation
Huabin PENG ; Haofeng XIONG ; Fei HOU ; Shuang ZHAO ; Yizhi ZHANG ; Tingting CUI ; Zhiying HE ; Jingyi LIU ; Liying SUN
Organ Transplantation 2026;17(2):212-226
Objective To investigate the distribution characteristics of pathogens causing infections within 90 days after liver transplantation and the influencing factors of infection. Methods Clinical data of 176 recipients who underwent liver transplantation at the Liver Transplant Center of Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from September 2021 to August 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into the infection group (n=124) and the non-infection group (n=52) based on whether they developed infection within 90 days after transplantation. The distribution characteristics of pathogens in infected patients were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to explore the influencing factors of infection. Results Among the 176 liver transplant recipients, 124 cases developed 243 episodes of 518 bacterial, fungal, viral or mycoplasma infections within 90 days after transplantation, with an overall infection rate of 70.5% (124/176). The composition of pathogens was mainly Gram-negative bacteria (38.6%, 200/518), followed by Gram-positive bacteria (32.2%, 167/518) and viruses (15.4%, 80/518), and fungi accounted for 13.1% (68/518). Among Gram-negative bacteria, the main pathogen was Klebsiella pneumoniae (6.8%, 35/518), and among Gram-positive bacteria, the main pathogen was Enterococcus faecalis (8.5%, 44/518). Viruses included Epstein-Barr virus (3.7%, 19/518) and cytomegalovirus (3.7%, 19/518), and fungi were mainly Candida albicans (6.8%, 35/518). The most common infection site among the 243 episodes was pulmonary infection (42.0%, 102/243), followed by abdominal infection (22.6%, 55/243) and bloodstream infection (18.1%, 44/243). The infections mainly occurred within 2 weeks after transplantation (60.9%, 148/243). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that preoperative infection within 2 weeks, a high preoperative model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, and preoperative sarcopenia were independent risk factors for infection within 90 days after liver transplantation (all odds ratio>1, P<0.05). After multivariate correction, the levels of CD4+T cells and CD8+T cells within 90 days after surgery were independently associated with the occurrence of infection. Low levels of CD4+T cells and CD8+T cells might be related to an increased risk of infection. Conclusions The infection rate after liver transplantation is high, and the pathogens are mainly Gram-negative bacteria. The lungs are the most common infection site. Preoperative MELD score, preoperative sarcopenia and preoperative infection within 2 weeks are independent risk factors for infection within 90 days after liver transplantation. Regular monitoring of immune indicators CD4+T cells and CD8+T cells levels after transplantation is helpful to reduce the occurrence of post-transplantation infection.
7.Epidemiological investigation of a pertussis outbreak in a kindergarten in Guangzhou
WANG Min, WU Jueyu, ZHU Zhijie, CAI Wenfeng, HE Peng, XIAO Jiali
Chinese Journal of School Health 2026;47(2):283-286
Objective:
To understand the epidemiological characteristics of a pertussis outbreak in Guangzhou, so as to provide references for outbreak response and prevention strategies.
Methods:
From April 5 to June 9, 2024, case screening was conducted among 246 preschool children, 35 staff members, and one full time school nurse in a kindergarten in Guangzhou based on case definition. Field epidemiological investigation methods were employed to collect relevant information, and screening samples were collected from individuals involved in the outbreak. The clinical manifestations, epidemiological characteristics, and risk factors for transmission of the outbreak were analyzed, with rate comparisons performed using the χ 2 test.
Results:
There were a total of 15 confirmed cases of pertussis in the kindergarten. The main clinical manifestations included intermittent cough in 14 cases ( 93.33 %), sputum production in 5 cases (33.33%), fever in 2 cases (13.33%), paroxysmal spasmodic cough in 1 case (6.67%), and vomiting in 1 case (6.67%). There was no statistically significant difference in the reporting rates of interrupted cough symptoms between pertussis cases (93.33%) and non pertussis cases (92.86%)( χ 2=3.74, P >0.05). The cases were aged 4-5 years, including 5 males and 10 females. The interval between symptom onset and diagnosis ranged from 2 to 25 days, with a median of 10 days. The outbreak involved two classes, with attack rates of 48.28% and 3.45%, respectively. Laboratory testing confirmed 14 close contacts positive for Bordetella pertussisnucleic acid. Among close contacts, only one received prophylactic medication as required.
Conclusion
The outbreak is a pertussis outbreak in a kindergarten caused by Bordetella pertussis infection, demonstrating distinct temporal and spatial clustering characteristics.
8.Early outcomes of robot-assisted subxiphoid approach and intercostal approach for anterior mediastinal tumors: A retrospective cohort study
Weiqiang ZENG ; Haili DANG ; Lifei WANG ; Zhen PENG ; Xiangdou BAI ; Bing WANG ; Xiaoyang HE ; Dacheng JIN ; Yunjiu GOU
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2026;33(03):369-375
Objective To compare the clinical outcomes of subxiphoid robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (SRATS) and intercostal robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (IRATS) in the treatment of anterior mediastinal tumors. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with anterior mediastinal tumors who underwent robot-assisted surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Gansu Provincial Hospital, from May 2020 to July 2022. According to the surgical approach, patients were divided into an SRATS group and an IRATS group. Perioperative data were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 87 patients were included. There were 41 patients in the SRATS group [23 males, 18 females; mean age, (44.51±11.28) years] and 46 patients in the IRATS group [21 males, 25 females; mean age, (46.67±8.76) years]. Compared with the IRATS group, the SRATS group had significantly less intraoperative blood loss [(24.41±6.67) mL vs. (37.93±9.23) mL, P<0.001], shorter postoperative drainage duration [(1.73±0.59) days vs. (2.54±0.50) days, P<0.001], lower postoperative drainage volume [(94.46±34.08) mLvs. (116.72±24.90) mL, P=0.001], lower visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores on postoperative day 1 [(3.66±0.76) points vs. (4.15±0.84) points, P=0.005] and day 3 [(2.41±0.59) points vs. (2.89±0.82) points, P=0.003], shorter postoperative hospital stay [(4.12±0.81) days vs. (4.98±1.02) days, P<0.001], and lower hospitalization costs [(4.51±0.65) ten thousand yuan vs. (4.86±0.68) ten thousand yuan, P=0.020]. There were no statistical differences between the two groups in operative time or incidence of postoperative complications (P>0.05). Conclusion Both SRATS and IRATS are safe and effective for the treatment of anterior mediastinal tumors. However, SRATS is less invasive and more conducive to enhanced postoperative recovery.
9.Multi-label fundus disease classification using dual-branch deep learning: an intelligent diagnosis framework inspired by traditional Chinese medicine Five Wheels theory
Xin HE ; Xiaohui LI ; Jun PENG ; Lei LEI ; Dan SHU ; Li XIAO ; Qinghua PENG ; Xiaoxia XIAO
Digital Chinese Medicine 2026;9(1):80-90
Objective:
To develop a dual-branch deep learning framework for accurate multi-label classification of fundus diseases, addressing the key limitations of insufficient complementary feature extraction and inadequate cross-modal feature fusion in existing automated diagnostic methods.
Methods:
The fundus multi-label classification dataset with 12 disease categories (FMLC-12) dataset was constructed by integrating complementary samples from Ocular Disease Intelligent Recognition (ODIR) and Retinal Fundus Multi-Disease Image Dataset (RFMiD), yielding 6 936 fundus images across 12 retinal pathology categories, and the framework was validated on both FMLC-12 and ODIR. Inspired by the holistic multi-regional assessment principle of the Five Wheels theory in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) ophthalmology, the dual-branch multi-label network (DBMNet) was developed as a novel framework integrating complementary visual feature extraction with pathological correlation modeling. The architecture employed a TransNeXt backbone within a dual-branch design: one branch processed red-green-blue (RGB) images to capture color-dependent features, such as vascular patterns and lesion morphology, while the other processed grayscale-converted images to enhance subtle textural details and contrast variations. A feature interaction module (FIM) effectively integrated the multi-scale features from both branches. Comprehensive ablation studies were conducted to evaluate the contributions of the dual-branch architecture and the FIM. The performance of DBMNet was compared against four state-of-the-art methods, including EfficientNet Ensemble, transfer learning-based convolutional neural network (CNN), BFENet, and EyeDeep-Net, using mean average precision (mAP), F1-score, and Cohen's kappa coefficient.
Results:
The dual-branch architecture improved mAP by 15.44 percentage points over the single-branch TransNeXt baseline, increasing from 34.41% to 44.24%, and the addition of FIM further boosted mAP to 49.85%. On FMLC-12, DBMNet achieved an mAP of 49.85%, a Cohen’s kappa coefficient of 62.14%, and an F1-score of 70.21%. Compared with BFENet (mAP: 45.42%, kappa: 46.64%, F1-score: 71.34%), DBMNet outperformed it by 4.43 percentage points in mAP and 15.50 percentage points in kappa, while BFENet achieved a marginally higher F1-score. On ODIR, DBMNet achieved an F1-score of 85.50%, comparable to state-of-the-art methods.
Conclusion
DBMNet effectively integrates RGB and grayscale visual modalities through a dual-branch architecture, significantly improving multi-label fundus disease classification. The framework not only addresses the issue of insufficient feature fusion in existing methods but also demonstrates outstanding performance in balancing detection across both common and rare diseases, providing a promising and clinically applicable pathway for standardized, intelligent fundus disease classification.
10.Correlation between Kayser-Fleischer ring grading and cognitive function in Wilson’s disease
Wei HE ; Yulong YANG ; Wenming YANG ; Yue YANG ; Chen HU ; Hui LI ; Peng HUANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(6):1150-1155
ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation with cognitive function based on a new Kayser-Fleischer ring (K-F ring) grading method in Wilson’s disease (WD). MethodsA total of 136 WD patients who were hospitalized in Encephalopathy Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, from April 2022 to October 2023 were enrolled. All subjects underwent slit lamp examination, and the grade of K-F ring was determined according to the shape and extent of copper deposition in the cornea, whether it formed a ring or not, and whether there was a sunflower-like cloudy change in the lens. The patients were instructed to complete UWDRS, MoCA, and MMSE scale assessments, and these indicators were compared between patients with different K-F ring grades. An analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test (homogeneity of variance) or the Dunnett’s T3 test (heterogeneity of variance) was used for further multiple comparisons; the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation of K-F ring grade with UWDRS, MoCA, and MMSE scores. ResultsAmong the 136 patients with WD, there were 40 patients with grade 4 K-F ring, accounting for the highest proportion of 29.4%, and 14 patients with grade 0 K-F ring, accounting for the lowest proportion of 10.3%, and there were 22 patients with grade 1 K-F ring (16.2%), 19 with grade 2 K-F ring (14%), 25 with grade 3 K-F ring (18.4%), and 16 with grade 5 K-F ring (11.7%). According to the different grades of K-F ring, there was a significant increase in UWDRS score (F=22.61, P<0.001) and significant reductions in MoCA and MMSE scores (F=16.40 and 13.80, both P<0.001). The Spearman correlation analysis showed that K-F ring grade was positively correlated with UWDRS score (r=0.67, P<0.01) and was negatively correlated with MoCA and MMSE scores in WD patients (r=-0.59 and -0.57, both P<0.01). ConclusionThe new K-F ring grading method can determine disease severity in WD patients to a certain degree and partially reflect cognitive function and activities of daily living in such patients.


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