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.

ObjectiveTo explore the improving effect of Huangqi Chifengtang（HCT） on atherosclerosis（AS）， and elucidate its mechanism in relation to adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase（AMPK）/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α（PPARα） signaling pathway and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain（NOD）-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3（NLRP3） inflammasome. MethodsEight C57BL/6J mice were set as the normal group， and 32 ApoE^-/- mice were randomly divided into the model group， the positive drug group（atorvastatin， 5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， HCT low- and high-dose groups（1.95， 3.90 g·kg^-1·d^-1）. ApoE^-/- mice were fed with high-fat and high-cholesterol feed to establish an AS mouse model. After modeling， they were orally administered corresponding dose of drugs for 28 days， while the normal and model groups received an equal volume of physiological saline via oral gavage. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the pathological status of the aorta and liver in mice， Biochemical testing and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） were used to detect the levels of total cholesterol（TC）， triglycerides（TG）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol（LDL-C）， alanine aminotransferase（ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase（AST）， C-reactive protein（CRP）， interleukin（IL）-1β， IL-18 in the serum， as well as superoxide dismutase（SOD）， malondialdehyde（MDA）， and reduced glutathione（GSH） in the liver. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） was used to measure the mRNA expression levels of NLRP3， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein（ASC）， cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1（Caspase-1）， Toll-like receptor 4（TLR4） in the aorta， and fatty acid synthase（FAS）， stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1（SCD1）， PPARα， and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A（CPT1A） in the liver. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the protein expressions of NLRP3， Caspase-1， and ASC in the aorta， and Western blot was used to measure the protein expressions of AMPK， p-AMPK， sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c（SREBP-1c）， CPT1A， and FAS in the liver. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed a significant increase in lipid plaque deposition in the aorta and lipid accumulation in the liver， the levels of TC， TG， LDL-C， AST， ALT， IL-1β， IL-18 and CRP in the serum were significantly increased（P<0.01）， and the mRNA and protein expressions of aortic TLR4， NLRP3， Caspase-1 and ASC were significantly upregulated（P<0.01）. The levels of SOD and GSH in the liver were significantly reduced， while the level of MDA was significantly increased（P<0.01）. The mRNA expressions of FAS and SCD1 in the liver were significantly downregulated， while the mRNA expressions of PPARα and CPT1A were significantly upregulated. The protein expressions of p-AMPK/AMPK and CPT1A in the liver were significantly reduced， while the expressions of SREBP-1c and FAS proteins were significantly increased（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the low- and high-dose HCT groups showed significant improvements in aortic plaques and hepatic lipid deposition. The levels of TC， LDL-C， AST， IL-1β and IL-18 in the serum of the low-dose HCT group， as well as TC， TG， LDL-C， AST， ALT， IL-1β， IL-18 and CRP in the serum of the high-dose HCT group， were significantly reduced（P<0.01）. The mRNA expressions of TLR4， NLRP3 and Caspase-1 in the aorta of the low-dose HCT group， as well as TLR4， NLRP3， Caspase-1 and ASC in the aorta of the high-dose HCT group， were significantly downregulated（P<0.01）. The protein expressions of Caspase-1 and ASC in the aorta of the low-dose HCT group， as well as NLRP3， Caspase-1 and ASC in the high-dose HCT group， were significantly downregulated（P<0.01）. The levels of SOD and GSH in the liver of the low- and high-dose HCT groups were significantly increased， while the level of MDA in the high-dose HCT group was significantly decreased（P<0.05， P<0.01）. In the HCT-treated group， the mRNA expressions of FAS and SCD1 in the liver were significantly upregulated， while the mRNA expressions of PPARα and CPT1A were significantly downregulated， the protein expressions of p-AMPK/AMPK and CPT1A in the liver were significantly increased， while the protein expressions of SREBP-1c and FAS were significantly decreased（P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionHCT can improve lipid metabolism by activating the AMPK/PPARα pathway and inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammatory responses， thereby reducing hepatic lipid deposition and AS plaque formation.

Objective:To investigate the changes in blood betatrophin in overweight and obese children，and analyze the relationship with glucose and lipid metabolism.Methods:A total of 177 children，including overweight-obese children and healthy controls，who visited the pediatric endocrinology clinic of Tianjin First Central Hospital from July 1，2021 to May 31，2023 were selected as study subjects. They were divided into an overweight-obese group（104 cases）and a normal control group（73 cases）. Data from both groups were collected and analyzed to explore the relationship between betatrophin and parameters such as body mass index（BMI）and glycolipid metabolism-related indicators.Results:The age［10.5（8.0，12.0）years vs 8.0（6.0，12.0）years］，fasting insulin［19.99（11.47，31.60）μIU/ml vs 7.27（5.02，10.99）μIU/ml］，triglyceride［0.95（0.74，1.31）mmol/L vs 0.75（0.62，0.92）mmol/L］，total cholesterol［（3.88 ± 0.72）mmol/L vs（3.60 ± 0.66）mmol/L］，low-density lipoprotein cholesterol［（2.37 ± 0.63）mmol/L vs（2.06 ± 0.62）mmol/L］，uric acid［353.20（287.40，434.12）μmol/L vs 278.60（218.00，313.80）μmol/L］，Betatrophin［22.54（17.08，27.53）mIU/L vs 19.30（15.78，23.33）mIU/L］，and fatty liver［31 cases（29.8%）vs 1 case（1.4%）］in overweight-obese group children were all higher than those in the normal control group children，and the differences were statistically significant（all P<0.01）.After adjusting for confounding factors such as age and BMI，partial correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between betatrophin and triglycerides（ P<0.05）. Receiver operating characteristic（ROC）curve analysis indicated that a betatrophin level of 22 mIU/L had predictive value for hypertriglyceridemia，with an area under the curve（AUC）of 0.705（95% CI：0.566-0.843），showing statistical significance（ P=0.014）. Conclusion:Betatrophin may be associated with weight gain in children，mainly involved in the triglyceride metabolism.

Objective To conduct the biomechanical analysis on a new power-assisted knee orthosis.Methods A self-force source power-assisted knee orthosis was used,and four motions(level walking,sitting and standing,ascending and descending stairs)were measured before and after wearing the orthosis.A musculoskeletal multibody dynamic model was adopted to calculate the joint angles and pressures at the knee,patellofemoral and hip joints.The effects of power-assisted knee orthosis on biomechanical changes of lower limbs were investigated by comparing the joint angles and pressures before and after wearing this orthosis.Results The orthosis would reduce the knee angles during level walking,as well as the knee pressures during sitting and standing on the wearing side.Wearing the orthosis did not significantly affect the joint angles during sitting and standing;however,it led to a significant decrease in joint pressures at both bilateral knee joints and patellofemoral joints.During ascending and descending stairs,the knee angle change on the wearing side was opposite to that on the non-wearing side.The increase of the peak knee angle was(14.3±3.6)%on the non-wearing side during ascending stairs.Conclusions The power-assisted knee orthosis can offer a conservative treatment for individuals with various knee diseases by reducing joint angles and pressures in daily motions.

Objective To investigate the molecular typing,virulence,and drug resistance characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus(SA)in bone and joint infections,providing basis for anti-infection treatment.Methods The SA strains isolated from inpatients with bone and joint infections in Beijing Jishuitan Hospital,Capital Medical University from January 2014 to December 2021 were collected.Multi-locus sequence typing(MLST)and Staphylococcal A protein(Spa)typing for all the strains and Staphylococcal cassette chromo-some mec(SCCmec)typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA)were performed based on whole genome sequencing.The virulence genes and drug resistance genes of the strains were identified by online database.The antimicrobial susceptibility tests were carried by automatic microbiological assay system.Results MRSA accounted for 30.0％of the 100 isolated strains of SA.A total of 22 ST types and 39 Spa types were identified in the 100 strains of S.aureus,among which ST59(16.0％)and ST239(14.0％)were the dominant ST types,and t437(13.0％)and t030(10.0％)were the dominant Spa types.ST239-SCCmecⅢ-t030/t037 clone(46.7％)was the main epidemic clone in MRSA isolates.The biofilm gene(icaA,icaB,icaC,icaD,icaR),hemolysin gene(hlb,hld,hlgA,hlgB,hlgC),adhesion gene(clfA,clfB,fnbA,fnbB,ebp),and immune escape gene(adsA,sbi,scn)were widespread in all SA strains,with detection rates ranging from 89.0％to 100.0％.The detection rates of enterotoxin genes seb(43.3％),selk(93.8％)and selq(83.3％)in MRSA were significantly higher than those in methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus(MSSA)(all P＜0.05).In terms of drug-resistance characteristics,the detection rate of the resistance gene blaZ(87.0％)was the highest among all the S.aureus strains.In the isolated MRSA strains,the detection rate of resistance genes for erm(A),tet(M),aph(3')-Ⅲ,ant(6)-Ⅰa,ant(9)-Ⅰa,and aac(6')-aph(2")ranged from 43.3％to 50.0％,which were significantly higher than those in MSSA(all P＜0.05).The results of the drug-sensitivity test showed that the resistant rates of S.aureus strains to penicillin,erythromycin,and clindamycin were relatively high(89.0％,67.0％,and 51.0％,respectively).The resistant rates of MRSA to the antimicrobial agents commonly used in clinical practice were significantly higher than those of MSSA(all P＜0.05).Conclusion The molecular epidemiological char-acteristics of SA strains isolated from bone and joint infections were diversified in our hospital.ST239-SCCmecⅢ-t030/t037 was the most common epidemic clone among the strains.There were significant differences in the resistance genes and drug resistance rates be-tween MRSA and MSSA strains,for which clinical attention should be paid.

OBJECTIVE To optimize the venipuncture disinfection procedures for the patients with psoriasis by modifying the skin pretreatment,number of times of disinfection and action time,evaluate the disinfection effects before and after the modification and observe the impact on skin barrier function.METHODS A total of 78 patients with psoriasis who were hospitalized in Air Force Medical Center of Special Medicine from Jan.2024 to Mar.2025 were enrolled in the study and were randomly divided into the control group and the study group,with 39 cases in each group.Both groups were disinfected with povidone iodine swabs.The control group was treated with a single clockwise spiral wipe centered on the puncture site,and the total time of embrocation and drying time was 60 s;the study group was treated with the modified disinfection method'pretreatment-bidirectional disinfec-tion-120-second drying',which was unidirectional wiping of puncture site skin of hand back with sterile swab in-filtrating with normal saline,a single clockwise spiral wipe centered on the puncture site,counter-clockwise wipe for two times,the total time of embrocation and drying 120 s in total.The skin specimens were collected from the puncture sites for culture and identification of pathogens before the disinfection and after the drying,and the trans-epidermal water loss(TEWL)volume was detected by TewameterTM 300 instrument.RESULTS Totally 16 types of pathogens were isolated from the two groups of patients before the disinfection,among which Staphylococcus spp was dominant.The bacterial colony counts were[26.00(8.00,74.00)]CFU/cm2 in the study group before the disinfection,[41.00(13.00,94.00)]CFU/cm2 in the control group,and there was no significant difference(P=0.081).The bacterial colony counts of the two groups were lower after the disinfection and drying than before the disinfection(P＜0.001),and the bacterial colony counts of the study group were[0.00(0.00,1.00)]CFU/cm2,lower than[1.00(0.00,4.00)]CFU/cm2 of the control group(P=0.042).The TEWL value of the two groups was greater after the disinfection than before the disinfection(P＜0.001),however,there was no between-group difference(P=0.933).CONCLUSION The modified disinfection procedure has more advantages in eradicating pathogens without increasing damage to skin barrier,it provides safer disinfection plans for the patients with psoriasis and is worthy to be promoted in the hospital.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of Fuzheng Yangxin Prescription in improving cardiac function in rats with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction(HFrEF)through regulation of AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.Methods An HFrEF rat model was established via left anterior descending coronary artery ligation.Rats were randomized divided into sham-operation group,model group,Fuzheng Yangxin Prescription group and Entresto group,followed by 28 days of intervention.Echocardiography was used to measure left ventricular internal dimension at end-systole(LVIDs),left ventricular internal dimension at end-diastole(LVIDd),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFS),HE staining and Masson staining were used to observe myocardial morphology and fibrosis,serum contents of NT-proBNP and inflammatory factors(TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6)were detected by ELISA,Western blot was performed to analyze p-AMPK,p-mTOR and protein expressions of autophagy markers(Beclin1,LC3,p62).Results Compared with sham-operation group,the LVIDs and LVIDd in model group significantly increased(P<0.05),while LVEF and LVFS significantly decreased(P<0.05),the structure of myocardial cells was disordered and arranged loosely,the deposition of collagen fibers in the infarct area was increased,and the contents of NT-proBNP,TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 in serum significantly increased(P<0.05),the protein expressions of p-AMPK,Beclin1 and LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ in myocardial tissue significantly decreased(P<0.05),while the protein expressions of p-mTOR and p62 significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with the model group,the LVIDs and LVIDd of rats in Fuzheng Yangxin Prescription group significantly decreased(P<0.05),the LVEF and LVFS were significantly increased(P<0.05),the disorder of myocardial cell arrangement and fibrosis were alleviated,the contents of NT-proBNP,TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 in serum significantly decreased(P<0.05),the protein expressions of p-AMPK,Beclin1 and LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ in myocardial tissue significantly increased(P<0.05),while the protein expressions of p-mTOR and p62 significantly decreased(P<0.05).Conclusion Fuzheng Yangxin Prescription may regulate autophagy by activating AMPK/mTOR pathway and improve cardiac function in HFrEF rats.

Objective:To analyze the characteristics of patients with pneumoconiosis complicated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to explore the comorbidity of pneumoconiosis and COPD and its influencing factors.Methods:From October to December 2022, 255 pneumoconiosis patients admitted to an occupational disease prevention and control hospital from January 2018 to December 2021 were selected as the study subjects. According to whether the pneumoconiosis patients were complicated with COPD or not, they were divided into pneumoconiosis and COPD comorbidity group and pneumoconiosis group. The general condition and dust exposure of the two groups of patients were analyzed, and the relationship between different types and different periods of pneumoconiosis and COPD comorbidity was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression.Results:A total of 255 subjects were collected, including 64 patients with comorbidity of pneumoconiosis and COPD, and the comorbidity rate was 25.1%. There were 186 males (72.9%) and 69 females (27.1%), ranging in age from 35 to 90 (63.79±11.79) years, and working age from 1 to 45 (20.31±10.57) years. The comorbidity of pneumoconiosis and COPD increased with the increase of working age (χ 2trend=8.19, P=0.004), and the comorbidity rate for COPD with working age of more than 30 years was 37.7% (23/61). The comorbidity rate of pneumoconiosis and COPD also increased with the increase of the stage of pneumoconiosis (χ 2trend=13.14, P<0.001), and the comorbidity rate of pneumoconiosis and COPD in the stage Ⅲ was as high as 44.0% (11/25). The cumulative dust exposure was negatively correlated with forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity (FEV 1/FVC), and the linear regression equation y=-0.04 x+78.4. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the length of services ≥30 years ( OR=3.30, 95% CI: 1.15-9.52) and stageⅡ ( OR=3.05, 95% CI: 1.03-9.04) were the risk factors for comorbidity between pneumoconiosis and COPD ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:The comorbidity rate of pneumoconiosis and COPD is high. Working age, pneumoconiosis stage and cumulative dust exposure are the main influencing factors of pneumoconiosis and COPD comorbidity, so more attention should be paid to the comorbidity of pneumoconiosis and COPD.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic etiology of a child with Neurofibromatosis-Noonan syndrome (NFNS).Methods:A child with NFNS who was treated at the Department of Endocrinology of Hangzhou Children′s Hospital in January 2024 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the child was collected by retrospective analysis method. Peripheral venous blood samples (2 mL each) were collected from the child and his parents. Genomic DNA was extracted, and trio whole exome sequencing (Trio-WES) of the family was carried out. Sanger sequencing was used to perform family verification on the candidate variants. The identified variants were classified for pathogenicity according to the Standards and Guidelines for the Interpretation of Sequence Variants established by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) (hereafter referred to as the " ACMG guidelines" ). This study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Hangzhou Children′s Hospital (Ethics No. 2021-06).Results:The child was a 7-year and 4-month-old male. He has short stature, numerous café-au-lait spots on the neck and trunk, and special facial features such as a full forehead, wide interpupillary distance, a low nasal bridge, and low-set ears.The results of Trio-WES showed that he has harbored a NF1 gene c. 3773G>T (p.W1258L) mutation, which was verified by Sanger sequencing to be de novo in origin. The NF1 gene child was associated with NFNS, which was an autosomal dominant inheritance. According to the ACMG guidelines, this variant was judged to be a likely pathogenic variant (PS2+ PM2+ PP3+ PP2). No pathogenic variant in genes associated with Noonan syndrome, such as those in PTPN11, SOS1, RAF1, RIT1, and KRAS, was found. Conclusion:The child with NFNS has clinical features such as short stature, special facial features, and café-au-lait spots. The c. 3773G>T (p.W1258L) variation in the NF1 gene may be the genetic etiology of the NFNS child in this study. The results of this study has enriched the variation spectrum of the NF1 gene.

Objective:To analyze the clinical outcomes of total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) using the INBONE Ⅱ prosthesis in patients ≤50 years old with end-stage ankle arthritis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted of the consecutive patients who had undergone TAA using the INBONE Ⅱ prosthesis between September, 2016 and August, 2021 at Department of Foot and Ankle Surgery, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University. There were 12 males and 16 females with an age of (46.0±4.0) years and a body mass index of (24.9±3.3) kg/m 2. The clinical outcomes recorded and compared between pre-surgery and the last follow-up were tibial articular surface (TAS) angle, talar tilt (TT) angle, tibial lateral surface (TLS) angle, ankle plantarflexion angle, ankle dorsiflexion, ankle range of motion (ROM), American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, MOS item short form health survey (SF-36), foot function index (FFI), and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain. Patient satisfaction by 5-point Likert scale and complications were recorded. Results:All patients were followed up for (49.8±15.3) months. Except for plantar flexion and TAS, for all patients at the last follow-up, TT angle [0.4° (0, 0.6°)], FFI [20.0 (7.3, 48.0) points], and VAS pain score [2.0 (1.0, 2.8) points] were significantly reduced compared with the preoperative values [1.6° (0.3°, 4.4°), (99.9±40.6) points, and 6.0 (4.0, 6.8) points], while TLS angle (86.3°±2.8°), ankle dorsiflexion (13.5°±5.4°), ankle ROM (34.7°±7.9°), AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score [82.0 (74.0, 89.0) points], and SF-36 score [122.5 (112.8, 130.2) points] were all significantly higher than the preoperative values [78.9°±5.7°, 10.3°±8.0°, 31.1°±12.0°, (49.9±3.2) points, and 97.7(89.8, 101.6) points] (all P<0.05). The rate of patient satisfaction at the last follow-up was 89.3% (25/28). No serious postoperative complications occurred and no revision surgery was required. Conclusion:TAA using the INBONE Ⅱ prosthesis has shown good clinical outcomes and a high rate of patient satisfaction in younger patients ≤50 years old with end-stage ankle arthritis.