Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is one of the most common and severe microvascular complications in diabetic patients and has become one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. With the continuous rise in the prevalence of diabetes, in-depth exploration of the pathogenesis of DR and effective intervention measures is of great clinical significance. The mechanistic target of rapamycin(mTOR), as a protein kinase, is widely involved in cellular processes such as growth, metabolism, and autophagy. Research indicates that the mTOR signaling pathway plays a crucial regulatory role in the pathological progression of DR, and its abnormal activity can disrupt retinal cell autophagy function, thereby accelerating cellular damage and disease progression. Autophagy, as an important regulatory mechanism for cellular homeostasis, maintains cellular functional balance by clearing damaged organelles and protein aggregates. This article provides a systematic review of the structural and functional aspects of the mTOR signaling pathway, the molecular regulatory mechanisms of autophagy, and their roles in retinal pathological changes. By summarizing current research findings, the article aims to clarify the key regulatory role of the mTOR-autophagy axis in DR, providing theoretical support for elucidating the molecular pathogenesis of DR and offering potential targets and research directions for developing novel targeted therapeutic strategies, thereby holding significant scientific and clinical value.

The Communist Party of China’s important expositions on Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） in the New Era provide an in-depth interpretation of how to understand the value of TCM and how to promote its long-term development and innovation. These expositions are underpinned by a solid theoretical foundation， profound historical origins， and rich practical accumulation. Moreover， they not only demonstrate deep respect for China’s fine traditional culture but also convey earnest expectations for the future development of TCM. Serving as valuable ideological resources and a guide for action for TCM， these expositions contribute to advancing the globalization of TCM and leveraging Chinese wisdom to boost the development of the cause of human health.

This study aims to develop an abdominal acupoint localization system based on computer vision and convolutional neural networks (CNNs). To address the challenge of abdominal acupoint localization, a multi-task CNNs architecture was constructed and trained to locate the Shenque (CV8) and human body boundaries. Based on the identified Shenque (CV8), the system further deduces key characteristics of four acupoints: Shangwan (CV13), Qugu (CV2), and bilateral Daheng (SP15). An affine transformation matrix is applied to accurately map image coordinates to an acupoint template space, achieving precise localization of abdominal acupoints. Testing has verified that this system can accurately identify and locate abdominal acupoints in images. The development of this localization system provides technical support for TCM remote education, diagnostic assistance, and advanced TCM equipment, such as intelligent acupuncture robots, facilitating the standardization and intelligent advancement of acupuncture.
Acupuncture Points ; Humans ; Deep Learning ; Abdomen/diagnostic imaging* ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted

In 1861, the missionary William Lockhart founded the Peking Hospital in Beijing. From 1861 to 1863, William Lockhart not only cured a large number of patients in the Peking Hospital but also introduced western surgical techniques, hygiene and disinfection concepts, and medical record management systems. During its operation, the Peking Hospital's unique value can be seen in its sources and modes of financing, scope of services, number of patients treated, and missionary functions. The Peking Hospital served as a vital bridge for the exchange of medical knowledge between the East and the West, and it played a pivotal role in transforming China's modern medical system and modern health concepts, exerting a profound influence on the development of modern medicine.

Objective To investigate if Lycium barbarum polysaccharide(LBP)could inhibit the high glucose-in-duced human retinal microvascular endothelial cell(HRMEC)injury by regulating the NOD-like receptor family pyrin do-main containing protein 3(NLRP3)/Caspase-1 pyroptosis pathway.Methods HRMECs cultured in vitro were randomly divided into the control group(5.5 mmol·L-1 glucose),the high glucose group(55.5 mmol·L-1 glucose),the low LBP group(55.5 mmol·L-1 glucose+100 mg·L-1 LBP),the medium LBP group(55.5 mmol·L-1 glucose+500 mg·L-1 LBP),the high LBP group(55.5 mmol·L-1 glucose+1 000 mg·L-1 LBP),the si-NC group(55.5 mmol·L-1glucose after transfection with 20 pmol·L-1 si-NC)and the si-NLRP3 group(55.5 mmol·L-1 glucose after transfection with 20μmol·L-1si-NLRP3).The Cell Counting Kit-8 was used to detect the proliferation of HRMECs in each group and flow cy-tometry was adopted to measure the pyroptosis of HRMECs in each group.The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reac-tion was used to detect the relative messenger ribonucleic acid(mRNA)expression levels of NLRP3,Caspase-1,nuclear factor(NF)-κB,Gasdermin-D(GSDMD)and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in the HRMECs of each group,Western blot was adopted to detect the relative protein expression levels of HRMEC pyroptosis-related NLRP3,Caspase-1,NF-κB,GSDMD and VEGF in each group,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the interleukin(IL)-1β and IL-18 expression levels in downstream pyroptosis in the HRMEC supernatant of each group.Results Com-pared with the control group,the proliferation rate of HRMECs decreased,the pyroptosis rate increased,the relative mR-NA and protein expression levels of NLRP3,Caspase-1,NF-κB,GSDMD and VEGF increased,and the expressions of IL-1βand IL-18 increased in the high glucose group(all P＜0.05).Compared with the high glucose group,the proliferation rate of HRMECs increased,the pyroptosis rate decreased,the relative mRNA and protein expression levels of NLRP3,Caspase-1,NF-κB,GSDMD and VEGF decreased,and the expressions of IL-1β and IL-18 decreased in the si-NLRP3 group(all P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in cell proliferation rate,pyroptosis rate,mRNA and protein expression levels of NLRP3,Caspase-1,NF-κB,GSDMD and VEGF,as well as levels of IL-1β and IL-18,in the si-NC group compared with the high glucose group(all P＞0.05).Compared with the high glucose group,the medium LBP group and high LBP group had increased proliferation rates,lower pyroptosis rates,and declined mRNA and protein expression levels of NLRP3,Caspase-1,NF-κB,GSDMD and VEGF as well as expressions of IL-1β and IL-18(all P＜0.05).Compared with the high glucose group,there was no significant difference in the proliferation rate of HRMECs and various protein expression levels in the low LBP group(all P＞0.05),and other indicators were consistent with those in the medium LBP group and high LBP group.Conclusion LBP has a protective effect on HRMEC injury induced by high glucose,can promote cell prolif-eration and inhibit pyroptosis,and its mechanism is related to inhibiting the activation of NLRP3/Caspase-1 signaling path-way and reducing the expression of related inflammatory factors.

Objective To investigate the relationship between Notch1 and autophagy under high glucose conditions and to explore the effects of Notch1 inhibitor DAPT and autophagy inhibitor 3-MA on human retinal pigment epithelial cells cultured in high glucose conditions.Methods Via preliminary experiment,25 mmol·L-1 glucose was used as the high glucose culture medium of adult retinal pigment epithelial(ARPE)-19 cells,and 5 mmol·L-1 3-MA was adopted as the au-tophagy inhibitor.ARPE-19 cells cultured in vitro were randomly divided into four groups:control group(treated with 5 mmol·L-1 glucose for 48 h),high glucose group(treated with 25 mmol·L-1 glucose for 48 h),high glucose+DAPT group(treated with 40 μmol·L-1 DAPT for 2 h and then 25 mmol·L-1 glucose for 48 h),and high glucose+3-MA group(treated with 5 mmol·L-1 3-MA for 2 h and then 25 mmol·L-1 glucose for 48 h).A transmission electron microscope was used to observe the ultrastructure of cells in each group.Cell proliferation and migration were observed using Cell Counting Kit-8 and scratch assays.Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of Notch1 and autophagy-related proteins LC3 and Beclin1.Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the relative messenger ri-bonucleic acid(mRNA)expression levels of Notch1,LC3 and Beclin1 of cells in each group.Results Transmission elec-tron microscope showed that cells in the control group had normal structures,with round or oval nuclei and a few autopha-gosomes.In the high glucose group,cells exhibited slightly obvious injury,with uneven cytoplasm and numerous autolyso-somes.Compared to the control group,ARPE-19 cells in the high glucose group had increased proliferation and migration abilities,and higher mRNA and protein expression levels of Notch1,LC3 and Beclin1(all P＜0.05).Compared to the high glucose group,ARPE-19 cells in the high glucose+DAPT group showed decreased proliferation and migration abilities,and lower mRNA and protein expression levels of Notch1,LC3 and Beclin1(all P＜0.05).The high glucose+3-MA group showed reduced proliferation and migration abilities,as well as decreased mRNA and protein expression levels of LC3 and Beclin1(all P＜0.05)compared to the high glucose group.Conclusion High glucose can activate Notch1 and the auto-phagy process,promoting the proliferation of ARPE-19 cells.In the high glucose+DAPT group and high glucose+3-MA group,the autophagy process is inhibited to a certain extent,thereby restraining cell proliferation.

Strengthening the construction of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） discourse system for international audiences is necessary for enhancing cultural soft power， accelerating the construction of trade power， integrating into the global healthcare system， and realizing international scientific and technological dialogues.TCM not only garners widespread attention from the international community but also faces numerous challenges. The external discourse of TCM has fallen into difficulties， including blocked channels of expression， lack of a discourse subject， contextual segregation of discourse， and a narrative information flow deficit. Based on this， realistic approaches to breaking through dilemmas are proposed from four dimensions， that is， strengthening the construction of international standards for TCM to increase its recognition overseas， improving the development of international talent teams to enhance the visibility of TCM abroad， expanding the construction of the TCM service trade system to deepen its contribution overseas， and enhancing the efficacy of international communication of TCM to strengthen its reputation abroad.

Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is one of the common causes of visual impairment and blindness in adults, which is caused by various pathogenesis. Although the mechanism of DR has not been elucidated yet, the destruction of blood-retinal barrier is a key process. As a highly endothelial-specific factor in promoting the growth of vascular endothelial cell, vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)plays a crucial role in the formation of pathological retinal neovascularization and the destruction of blood-retinal barrier. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of blood-retinal barrier damage promoted by VEGF is critical for exploring the pathogenesis of DR. In this study, the underlying relationship between VEGF and the mechanism of blood-retinal barrier damage, including retinal vascular endothelial cell permeability, vascular inflammatory response, apoptosis, oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage and endoplasmic reticulum stress, with a view to providing a reference for the study in VEGF in the pathogenesis of blood-retinal barrier damage in DR.