To thoroughly implement the strategic deployment outlined in the Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Promoting the Inheritance and Innovative Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine regarding research on dominant diseases of traditional Chinese medicine and to uphold the development philosophy of equal emphasis on traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine，the China Association of Chinese Medicine has fully played a leading academic role by systematically organizing and conducting a series of academic youth salons on clinical dominant diseases of traditional Chinese medicine. On September 13，2024，the 36^th Youth Salon on Clinical Dominant Diseases was successfully held in Nanjing，focusing on the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine and the integrative traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction （ED）. The conference brought together leading experts from traditional Chinese medicine，western medicine，and interdisciplinary fields，facilitating in-depth multidisciplinary discussions that led to key consensus on optimizing traditional Chinese medicine treatment protocols for ED，researching and developing new drugs of traditional Chinese medicine，and advancing interdisciplinary development in traditional Chinese medicine. This salon systematically sorted out the clinical strengths and distinctive features of traditional Chinese medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of ED. Based on current research foundations and clinical needs，it identified key directions for future scientific layout and scientific research tackling： （1） Standardization of syndrome differentiation system of traditional Chinese medicine for ED. （2） Optimization and standardization of intervention methods of integrated traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine. （3） High-quality clinical research guided by evidence-based medicine. （4） In-depth analysis of the pharmacological mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of ED. （5） Clinical translation and application promotion of new drugs of traditional Chinese medicine. （6） Interdisciplinary integration and innovation in traditional Chinese medicine. For each research direction，key focus areas，expected objectives，and clinical value were further refined，along with the establishment of a scientifically sound priority funding level evaluation system. Therefore，building on the series of salons on the ED-focused dominant diseases of traditional Chinese medicine，this paper provides standardized guidance for clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine in ED management，effectively contributing to the high-quality development of traditional Chinese medicine. It serves as a valuable reference for national scientific and technological strategic layout， research and development decision-making in new drugs of traditional Chinese medicine，research topic planning，and clinical guideline formulation.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) is a prevalent metabolic and endocrine disorder. Long-term hyperglycemia can lead to severe chronic complications, imposing substantial economic burdens on both society and patients. Despite the availability of various hypoglycemic agents for clinical use, these agents often fail to meet the therapeutic needs of T2DM and its complications. Consequently, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies and drugs. Lithocarpus litseifolius(L. litseifolius), commonly referred to as "cordyceps on trees", has a long history of use in traditional medicine and can be applied in tea, sugar, and medicine. Research indicates that L. litseifolius extracts are rich in dihydrochalcones, including trilobatin, phloridzin, and phloretin, which exhibit a range of pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, hepatoprotective, and cardioprotective effects. These properties suggest potential applications in the treatment of T2DM and its complications. This review systematically compiled and organized the relevant literature from the past decade on dihydrochalcones(trilobatin, phloridzin, and phloretin) from L. litseifolius extracts. It highlighted recent research progress regarding their role in treating T2DM and its complications through mechanisms such as reducing insulin resistance, regulating glucose transport, improving glucose and lipid metabolism, modulating enzyme activity, regulating gut microbiota, and alleviating inflammation and oxidative damage. The purpose of this review is to provide a reference and basis for future research on the prevention and treatment of T2DM and its complications using dihydrochalcones(trilobatin, phloridzin, and phloretin) from L. litseifolius extracts.
Chalcones/chemistry* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/metabolism* ; Humans ; Animals ; Elaeocarpaceae/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Hypoglycemic Agents/chemistry* ; Plant Extracts/chemistry*

This paper aims to study the effect of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts on chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)-induced depression-like and insomnia behavior models of mice. The CUMS-induced depression-like and insomnia behavior model of mice was established by CUMS treatment for three weeks. The mice were randomly divided into control group, model group, positive drug diazepam group(2 mg·kg~(-1)), as well as low-dose group(1.95 g·kg~(-1)), medium-dose group(3.9 g·kg~(-1)), and high-dose group(7.8 g·kg~(-1)) of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts, with 18 mice in each group. On the 15th day of modeling, the drug was administered intragastrically once a day for one week. Then, the pentobarbital sodium cooperative righting experiment, open field experiment, and elevated plus maze experiment were carried out, respectively. The contents of neurotransmitters 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid(5-HIAA) in serum and thalamus of mice, as well as the levels of corticotropin releasing hormone(CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH), and corticosterone(CORT) in serum, were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). The neuron damage in the hippocampus of mice was observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and Nissl staining. Western blot was used to detect the expressions of tryptophan hydroxylase 2(TPH2), serotonin transporter(SERT), monoamine oxidase A(MAOA), five prime repressors under dual repression binding protein 1(Freud1), synaptic plasticity-related proteins [cellular gene FOS(C-FOS), postsynaptic density protein 95(PSD95), synapsin 1(SYN1), and activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated gene(ARC)], blood-brain barrier(BBB) permeability-related proteins [zonula occludens 1(ZO-1), occludin, and claudin 1], inflammatory factors [NOD-, LRR-and pyrin domain-containing protein 3(NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein(ASC), gasdermin D(GSDMD), caspase-3, and caspase-8], and antioxidant factors [nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(NRF2) and heme oxygenase 1(HO1)] in thalamic tissue of mice. The results indicated that compared with that in the model group, the sleep latency was significantly shortened, and the sleep duration was significantly prolonged in each dose group of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts. The number of visits to the central area of the open field and the distance and time of visits were significantly increased in each dose group of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts. In addition, the proportion of distance and time of entering the open arm area of the elevated plus maze was significantly increased in each dose group of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts. The contents of 5-HT and 5-HIAA in serum and thalamus of mice increased to varying degrees in each dose group of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts; the contents of CRH, ACTH, and CORT in serum of mice were significantly decreased. The protein expression of TPH2 was significantly increased. The protein expression of MAOA, SERT, and Freud1 was significantly decreased. Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts could also significantly reduce the protein expression of C-FOS but significantly increase the protein expression of PSD95, ARC, and SYN1. They could reduce the pathological damage of the hippocampus in mice and significantly increase the protein expression of ZO-1, occluding, and claudin 1. The protein expression of NLRP3, GSDMD, ASC, caspase-3, and caspase-8 in the thalamic tissue of mice was significantly decreased, and the protein expression of HO1 and NRF2 was significantly increased. In conclusion, Ziziphi Spinosae Semen extracts could effectively improve sleep disorders and depression-like behaviors in CUMS-induced model mice, which may be related to regulating the 5-HT anabolism process and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis-related hormone levels, reducing pathological damage in the hippocampus, improving synaptic plasticity, repairing BBB integrity, and alleviating inflammatory response and oxidative stress damage.
Animals ; Ziziphus/chemistry* ; Mice ; Male ; Depression/psychology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/psychology* ; Stress, Psychological/complications* ; Behavior, Animal/drug effects* ; Humans ; Disease Models, Animal

Ambient air pollution is increasingly being recognized as a risk factor for heart failure; however, its effects on cardiac biomarkers remain unclear. This scoping review assessed the existing evidence on the association between air pollution and cardiac biomarkers in heart failure, described the key concepts, synthesized data, and identified research gaps. Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CNKI databases were searched for studies on air pollution, heart failure, and biomarkers. A total of 765 records were screened, and 81 full texts were assessed for eligibility, resulting in 15 studies. The results showed that the exposure to particulate matter was associated with elevated N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and troponin levels. Several studies have linked particulate matter exposure to a higher cardiovascular risk and heart failure biomarkers. Inflammatory and oxidative stress markers were consistently elevated across studies, supporting the biological relevance of these associations. However, few studies have focused specifically on populations with heart failure or clinically relevant biomarkers, and the evidence for gaseous pollutants remains inconclusive. These findings highlight the need to integrate environmental risk assessment into heart failure care and inform policy efforts to reduce the pollution-related cardiovascular burden. Further research should address these gaps through improved exposure assessments and the integration of mechanistic evidence.
Heart Failure/epidemiology* ; Biomarkers/metabolism* ; Humans ; Air Pollution/adverse effects* ; Air Pollutants/adverse effects* ; Particulate Matter/adverse effects* ; Environmental Exposure ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain/blood* ; Oxidative Stress ; Troponin/blood*

To evaluate the therapeutic effect of a modified Devine procedure with a subcutaneous sliding fixation method for the treatment of congenital concealed penis, we retrospectively selected 45 patients with congenital concealed penises who were admitted to General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University (Yinchuan, China) between September 2020 and November 2023. In all cases, the penis was observed to be short, and retracting the skin at the base revealed a normal penile body, which immediately returned to its original position upon release. All patients underwent the modified Devine procedure with subcutaneous sliding fixation and completed a 12-week postoperative follow-up. A statistically significant increase in penile length was observed postoperatively, with the median length increasing from 4.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: 3.5-4.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9-4.4) cm to 8.0 (IQR: 7.8-8.0; 95% CI: 7.7-7.9) cm, with P < 0.001. The parents were satisfied with the outcomes, including increased penile length, improved hygiene, and enhanced esthetics. Except for mild foreskin edema in all cases, no complications (such as infections, skin necrosis, or penile retraction) were observed. The edema was resolved within 4 weeks after the operation. This study demonstrates that the modified Devine procedure utilizing the subcutaneous sliding fixation method yields excellent outcomes with minimal postoperative complications, reduced penile retraction, and high satisfaction rates among patients and their families.
Humans ; Male ; Penis/abnormalities* ; Retrospective Studies ; Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male/methods* ; Treatment Outcome ; Child ; Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical features of children with STAT gene mutations, and to explore corresponding immunotherapy strategies. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 10 children with STAT gene mutations who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, from October 2015 to October 2024. Exploratory immunotherapy was implemented in some refractory cases, and the changes in symptoms, imaging manifestations, and cytokine levels were assessed after treatment. RESULTS: For the 10 children, the main clinical manifestations were recurrent rash since birth (7/10), cough (8/10), wheezing (5/10), expectoration (4/10), and purulent nasal discharge (4/10). Genotyping results showed that there was one child with heterozygous loss-of-function (LOF) mutation in the STAT1 gene, four children with heterozygous LOF mutation in the STAT3 gene, and five children with heterozygous gain-of-function (GOF) mutation in the STAT3 gene. Two children with LOF mutation in the STAT3 gene showed decreased interleukin-6 levels and improved clinical symptoms and imaging findings after omalizumab treatment. Three children with GOF mutation in the STAT3 gene achieved effective disease control after treatment with methylprednisolone (0.5 mg/kg per day). Two children with GOF mutation in the STAT3 gene received treatment with JAK inhibitor and then showed some improvement in symptoms. CONCLUSIONS STAT gene mutation screening should be considered for children with recurrent rash and purulent respiratory tract infections. Targeted immunotherapy may improve prognosis in patients with no response to conventional treatment.
Humans ; Male ; Immunotherapy ; Female ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Gain of Function Mutation ; Retrospective Studies ; Infant ; Loss of Function Mutation ; STAT Transcription Factors/genetics*

Tumors exhibit abnormal glucose metabolism, consuming excessive glucose and excreting lactate, which constructs a tumor microenvironment that facilitates cancer progression and disrupts immunotherapeutic efficacy. Currently, tumor glucose metabolic dysregulation to reshape the immunosuppressive microenvironment and enhance immunotherapy efficacy is emerging as an innovative therapeutic strategy. However, glucose metabolism modulators lack specificity and still face significant challenges in overcoming tumor delivery barriers, microenvironmental complexity, and metabolic heterogeneity, resulting in poor clinical benefit. Nanomedicines, with their ability to selectively target tumors or immune cells, respond to the tumor microenvironment, co-deliver multiple drugs, and facilitate combinatorial therapies, hold significant promise for enhancing immunotherapy through tumor glucose metabolic reprogramming. This review explores the complex interactions between tumor glucose metabolism-specifically metabolite transport, glycolysis processes, and lactate-and the immune microenvironment. We summarize how nanomedicine-mediated reprogramming of tumor glucose metabolism can enhance immunotherapy efficacy and outline the prospects and challenges in this field.

Objective To compare the effects of different detector combinations of 320-row CT on the image quality and radiation dose of head CT to explore the feasibility of using a wide detector for head CT scanning.Methods Totally 100 patients underwent head CT scanning due to trauma or cerebrovascular disease at some hospital from June to August 2023 were collected prospectively and divided into group A and group B by using block randomization grouping method,with the length of the block group being 2 and 50 patients in each group.In group A,all the detectors had the widths at z-axis direction being 40×0.5 mm and head scanning was completed after multiple exposures;in group B,detector combinations with widths of 280×0.5 mm or 320×0.5 mm were chosen based on the patient's head size in the head-foot direction(z-axis direction),and head scanning was performed with a single-turn exposure.The remaining scanning and image reconstruction parameters in the two groups were kept completely consistent.The head image quality of the 2 groups was evaluated objectively and scored subjectively by 2 radiologists.The volume CT dose index(CTDIvol),dose length product(DLP)and exposure time of the 2 groups were recorded,and the effective dose(ED)was calculated.SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Results In terms of objective evaluation of image quality,at the level of the parietal skull group B had the CT value of gray matter,image noise and contrast to noise ratio(CNR)of the images higher than those of group A,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05);at the level of the posterior skull group B had the CT values of gray and white matter,image noise and air noise lower while CNR higher than those of group A,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).In terms of subjective scoring of image quality,at the levels of parietal and posterior skull group A behaved better than group B,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).In group A 5 patients had obvious motion artifacts affecting the diagnosis and the image quality scores not higher than 2,and secondary scanning had to be carried out;In group B all the patients had no obvious motion artifacts and met the diagnosis requirements.When compared with group A Group B had the CTDIvol,DLP,ED and exposure time decreased by 17.44%,17.24%,17.48%and 85.53%,respectively,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).Conclusion A wide detector gains advantages over a 20 mm detector in image quality when 320-row CT is used for head CT scanning,with the diagnosis requirements satisfied.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(4):57-62]

Objective By detecting the changes of interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in brain tissue,as well as serum S-100β and neuron specific enolases(NSE)in neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy(HIE)under differ-ent treatment regimens,the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of hydrogen gas were explored.Methods HIE animal model was made from 7-day-old newborn SD rats,and then divided into sham operation group,control group,test group 1(saturated hydro-gen saline group),test group 2(mild hypothermia group),and test group 3(combination group)according to completely random number table method.No special treatment was given in the sham operation group,while the control group only had modeling,test group 1 was in-traperitoneally injected with saturated hydrogen saline after modeling,test group 2 was treated with mild hypothermia after modeling,test group3 was treated with mild hypothermia combined with injection of saturated hydrogen saline after modeling.At 1,3 and 7days after modeling,10 rats from each group were decapitated and brain tissue was collected for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)de-tection of IL-6 and TNF-α,and serum was collected to detect the expression levels of S-100β and NSE.Results The expression levels of IL-6,TNF-α in the brain tissue,S-100β,and NSE in serum of the control group were increased significantly 1day after modeling,began to decline at 3days,and returned to normal at 7days.Compared with the sham operation group,the expression levels of various indicators in the 1day and 3days were statistically significant(P＜0.05).However,the expression levels of various indicators in test group 1and 2decreased compared with the control group on 1day and 3days after modeling(P＜0.05),but were higher than those in test group 3 and sham operation group,with statistical significance(P＜0.05).There was no statistical significance in the comparison of various indicators between test group 1 and 2 at each stage(P＞0.05).Conclusion Hydrogen treatment can reduce the inflammatory response level of the nervous system to some extent,and also has a certain neuroprotective effect on HIE in neonatal rats.

Objective:To investigate the expression of transcription factor Zinc finger and BTB domain-containing 4 (ZBTB4) in papillary thyroid carcinoma and its relationship with the clinicopathological features of the tumor.Methods:Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to assess ZBTB4 protein of cancerous tissues and paired-normal tissues extracted from surgical samples of 60 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (30 classical and 30 with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis) . Fresh tissue samples were collected from above patients, and the expression of ZBTB4 gene mRNA and ZBTB4 protein in cancerous tissues was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot methods. SPSS statistical software was used to analyze the relationship between the expression level of this gene in tumor tissues, clinicopathological features and tumor prognosis.Results:Immunohistochemical results showed that the expression of ZBTB4 protein in papillary thyroid carcinoma tissues was significantly higher than that in normal thyroid tissues (25.0% vs. 3.3%, P=0.001) . The results of qRT-PCR showed that the expression of ZBTB4 gene mRNA in tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in normal thyroid tissues ( P<0.001) . There was no significant difference in the expression level of ZBTB4 between patients with classical papillary carcinoma and those with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Multivariate analysis showed that the patients with higher expression of ZBTB4 had relatively smaller tumor diameter ( t=2.31, P=0.025) and less lateral cervical lymph node metastasis ( t=4.13, P=0.042) . Conclusions:Patients with higher ZBTB4 expression level have better outcome, as reflected in smaller tumor diameter and lower rates of lateral cervical lymph node metastasis. The molecular mechanism of ZBTB4 gene in papillary thyroid carcinoma needs further study.