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 investigate the association of physical activity and balance ability with disability, and to further examine the mediating role of balance ability in the relationship between physical activity and disability. MethodsBased on data from 2021 to 2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycle, a multivariable Logistic regression model was constructed to evaluate the independent association of physical activity and balance ability with disability, with covariates adjusted in four steps. An interaction model was further developed to assess the multiplicative interaction between physical activity and balance ability. Mediation analysis was performed using the Baron and Kenny three-step approach to examine the mediating role of balance ability, and the proportion of the mediation effect was calculated. The significance of the mediation effect was assessed using the Delta method, and robustness was verified through the Bootstrap method with a fixed random seed. Multiple sensitivity analyses were conducted to ensure the stability of the results. ResultsA total of 3 902 participants were included, with a prevalence of disability of 17.7%. Multivariable regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for all covariates, both light-intensity physical activity (LIPA) (OR = 0.489, 95%CI 0.380 to 0.629, P < 0.001) and high-intensity physical activity (HIPA) (OR = 0.493, 95%CI 0.371 to 0.656, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with a reduced risk of disability, whereas impaired balance ability was significantly associated with an increased risk (OR = 1.579, 95%CI 1.266 to 1.970, P < 0.001). The interaction effect analysis showed that the interaction between physical activity and balance ability were not significant (P > 0.05), however, the main effect of LIPA remained robust (β = -0.597, SE = 0.221, OR = 0.550, P = 0.007), while impaired balance ability was significantly associated with an increased risk of disability (β = 0.577, SE = 0.231, OR = 1.780, P = 0.012). The mediation analysis further indicated that balance ability played a robust mediating role in the association between LIPA and disability, with a mediation proportion of 21.1%. The indirect effect (a × b) was statistically significant (P < 0.001), and the 95% confidence intervals derived from the bootstrap method did not include zero. ConclusionPhysical activity and balance ability are significantly associated with disability, and balance ability may mediate the relationship between physical activity and disability, highlighting its potential value in disability risk assessment and intervention strategies.

OBJECTIVE To promote the standardization of the “Indications” section in package inserts for Chinese patent medicines and ensure rational clinical and patient use. METHODS The “Function and Indications” information of package inserts for Chinese patent medicines was retrieved and collected from the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia （Volume Ⅰ） and various national and regional standards. Identification criteria were established for syndrome， pathogenesis， disease name， and symptom terminology in the “Indications” section. Microsoft Office Access 2021 was utilized to create query tables for manual extraction of terminological elements， followed by the construction of a three-tier classification system for “Indications” descriptions. A standardized template for “Indications” was developed through quantitative analysis. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS A total of 9 851 valid package inserts for Chinese patent medicines were included. Among these， the majority （7 991） contained symptom terminology， followed by disease names （5 867） and pathogenesis descriptions （5 167）. Within disease name terminology， Western medical disease names predominated （4 446）， followed by traditional Chinese medicine disease names （2 018）. The “Function and Indications” content of 6 962 package inserts complied with existing requirements. Notably， the secondary classifications of “disease name”， as well as the tertiary classification of “disease name+symptoms” and “symptoms”， failed to meet established standards. Two standardized templates for “Indications” were formulated based on pathogenesis and syndrome：“pathogenesis+disease name+symptoms” and “disease name+syndrome+symptoms”. The “Indications”section should provide complete and accurate information， adhere to standardized formatting， and employ appropriate conjunctions and punctuation. For non-prescription patent medicines， package inserts should be categorized into professional and patient versions. These measures will facilitate the standardization of “Indications” descriptions and advance the overall package inserts for Chinese patent medicines documentation.

Osteoporosis is a common bone disease， whose incidence is still on the rise， posing great challenges to patients and society. This review mainly studies the pathogenesis of osteoporosis from the aspects of oxidative stress， inflammatory response， and glucolipotoxicity-induced injury and clarifies the efficacy and mechanism of some active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine against osteoporosis through the integration of in vitro and in vivo experiments. The experimental results suggest that some active ingredients can improve bone resorption markers and maintain bone homeostasis by modulating inflammation， oxidative stress， etc. These active ingredients regulate osteoporosis through the receptor activator of nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB） ligand （RANKL） pathway， osteoprotegerin （OPG） pathway， Wnt/β-catenin pathway， NF-κB pathway， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） pathway， adenosine monophosphate （AMP）-activated protein kinase （AMPK）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） pathway， and oxidative stress pathway. This review provides ideas for the progress of the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis with the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine， aiming to provide new potential lead compounds and reference for the development of innovative drugs and clinical therapy for the treatment of osteoporosis.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), as a treasure of the Chinese nation, plays a significant role in maintaining public health. In 2019, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council proposed for the first time the establishment of a TCM registration and evaluation evidence system that integrates TCM theory, "personal experience" and clinical trials (referred to as the "Three-in-One" System) to promote the inheritance and innovation of TCM. Subsequently, the National Medical Products Administration issued several guiding principles to advance the improvement and implementation of this system. Owing to the complexity of its implementation, there are still differing understandings within the TCM industry regarding the positioning of the "Three-in-One" Registration and Evaluation Evidence System, as well as the connotation and value orientation of the "personal experience." To address this, Academician WANG Qi, President of the TCM Association, China International Exchange and Promotion Association for Medical and Healthcare and TCM master, led a group of academicians, TCM masters, TCM pharmacology experts and clinical TCM experts to convene a "Seminar on Promoting the Implementation of the ′Three-in-One′ Registration and Evaluation Evidence System for Chinese Medicinals." Through extensive discussions, an expert consensus was formed, clarifying the different roles of the TCM theory, "personal experience" and clinical trials within the system. It was further emphasized that the "personal experience" is the core of this system, and its data should be derived from clinical practice scenarios. In the future, the improvement of this system will require collaborative efforts across multiple fields to promote the high-quality development of the Chinese medicinal industry.

This study aims to explore the mechanism of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction(HJD) in treating acute liver injury(ALI) in the mouse model of sepsis induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS). Fifty-four male C57BL/6 mice were randomized into six groups: blank group, model group, low-, medium-, and high-dose group HJD, and dexamethasone group. The mouse model of sepsis was established by intraperitoneal injection of LPS after 7 days of gavage with HJD, and dexamethasone(0.2 mL) was injected intraperitoneally 1.5 h after modeling. The murine sepsis score(MSS) was recorded 12 h after modeling. The levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) in the liver tissue and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and interleukin-6(IL-6) in the serum were measured by ELISA. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was used to observe the pathological changes of the mouse liver. The content of light chain 3 of microtubule-associated protein 1(LC3) was detected by immunofluorescence, and that of sirtuin 1(SIRT1) was detected by immunohistochemistry. The mRNA levels of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK), LC3, and P62 were detected by RT-PCR. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of AMPK, p-AMPK, and SIRT1 in the liver tissue. The results showed that compared with model group, drug interventions decreased the MSS and liver injury indicators, lowered the levels of inflammatory cytokines, improved the liver tissue structure, upregulated the protein levels of of p-AMPK/AMPK and SIRT1 and the mRNA levels of AMPK and LC3, and downregulated the mRNA level of P62. To sum up, HJD can regulate the autophagy level and reduce inflammation to ameliorate acute liver injury in septic mice by activating the AMPK/SIRT1 autophagy pathway.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Sirtuin 1/genetics* ; Male ; Mice ; Sepsis/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Autophagy/drug effects* ; AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Humans ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics*

Panax ginseng as a perennial herb of Araliaceae, exhibits pharmacological effects such as central nervous system stimulation, anti-tumor properties, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protection. The B3 gene family plays a crucial role in growth and development, antioxidant activity, stress resistance, and secondary metabolism regulation of plants and has been extensively studied in various plants. However, the identification and analysis of the B3 gene family in P. ginseng have not been reported. In this study, a total of 145 B3 genes(PgB3s) with complete open reading frames(ORF) were identified from P. ginseng and classified into five subfamilies based on domain types. Through correlation analysis with ginsenoside content, SNP/InDels analysis, and interaction analysis with key enzyme genes, 15 PgB3 transcripts were found to be significantly correlated with ginsenoside content and exhibited a close interaction network with key enzyme genes involved in ginsenoside biosynthesis, which indicated that these genes may participate in the regulation of ginsenoside biosynthesis. Additionally, this study found that PgB3 genes exhibited induced expression in response to methyl jasmonate(MeJA) stress, which aligned with the presence of abundant stress response elements in their promoters, confirming the important role of the B3 gene family in P. ginseng in stress resistance. The results of this study revealed the potential functions of PgB3 genes in ginsenoside biosynthesis and stress response, providing a significant theoretical basis for further research on the functions of PgB3 genes and their regulatory mechanisms.
Panax/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Ginsenosides/biosynthesis* ; Multigene Family ; Phylogeny

Bone repair remains an important target in tissue engineering, making the development of bioactive scaffolds for effective bone defect repair a critical objective. In this study, β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffolds incorporated with processed pyritum decoction (PPD) were fabricated using three-dimensional (3D) printing-assisted freeze-casting. The produced composite scaffolds were evaluated for their mechanical strength, physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, in vitro pro-angiogenic activity, and in vivo efficacy in repairing rabbit femoral defects. They not only demonstrated excellent physicochemical properties, enhanced mechanical strength, and good biosafety but also significantly promoted the proliferation, migration, and aggregation of pro-angiogenic human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In vivo studies revealed that all scaffold groups facilitated osteogenesis at the bone defect site, with the β-TCP scaffolds loaded with PPD markedly enhancing the expression of neurogenic locus Notch homolog protein 1 (Notch1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), and osteopontin (OPN). Overall, the scaffolds developed in this study exhibited strong angiogenic and osteogenic capabilities both in vitro and in vivo. The incorporation of PPD notably promoted the angiogenic-osteogenic coupling, thereby accelerating bone repair, which suggests that PPD is a promising material for bone repair and that the PPD/β-TCP scaffolds hold great potential as a bone graft alternative.
Calcium Phosphates/chemistry* ; Animals ; Bone Regeneration ; Rabbits ; Tissue Scaffolds ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Humans ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; Osteogenesis ; Tissue Engineering/methods* ; Biomimetic Materials ; Cell Proliferation ; Angiogenesis

Debates persist regarding the efficacy and safety of azvudine, particularly its real-world outcomes. This study involved patients aged ≥60 years who were admitted to 25 hospitals in mainland China with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between December 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023. Efficacy outcomes were all-cause mortality during hospitalization, the proportion of patients discharged with recovery, time to nucleic acid-negative conversion (T _NANC), time to symptom improvement (T _SI), and time of hospital stay (T _HS). Safety was also assessed. Among the 5884 participants identified, 1999 received azvudine, and 1999 matched controls were included after exclusion and propensity score matching. Azvudine recipients exhibited lower all-cause mortality compared with controls in the overall population (13.3% vs. 17.1%, RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.90; P = 0.001) and in the severe subgroup (25.7% vs. 33.7%; RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88; P < 0.001). A higher proportion of patients discharged with recovery, and a shorter T _NANC were associated with azvudine recipients, especially in the severe subgroup. The incidence of adverse events in azvudine recipients was comparable to that in the control group (2.3% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.170). In conclusion, azvudine showed efficacy and safety in older patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 omicron wave in China.