Impaired glucose regulation （IGR） is an intermediate state between normal blood glucose and diabetes， falling under the category of splenic pure heat in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. The core pathogenesis is believed to be the dysfunction of the zang-fu （脏腑） organs， leading to metabolic abnormalities of subtle essence and the generation of "turbid pathogen". Its accumulation can block qi movement， damage the vessel collaterals， and promote the disease progression toward diabetes. The concept of "turbid pulse" is proposed as an early sign of IGR， characterized by full and heavy sensation with stagnated and astringent circulation， which can serve as an effective supplement to clinical screening. The differentiation and treatment approach in clinical practice is summarized as follows. If the ascending and descending mechanisms of qi movement in the middle jiao （焦） are disrupted， with mutual interference between the clear and the turbid， treatment should focus on harmonizing the ascending and the descending， and transforming dampness with aromatic medicinals. For spleen-stomach qi deficiency due to long-term restriction of the spleen and stomach's function of transportation and transformation， it is suggested to fortify spleen and harmonize stomach， and transport turbid with sweet-warm medicinals. For spleen deficiency and liver constraint induced by internal generation of damp-heat in the middle jiao， the treatment should focus on soothing the liver and opening constraint， and directing the turbid downward with sour-sweat medicinals. For solid accumulation and stagnation caused by liver qi constraint， it is recommended to unblock intestine and remove stagnation， and discharge turbid with bitter-cold medicinals. When the disease is transmitted to the lower jiao， and the kidneys are affected， the treatment should be regulating spleen and kidney， and rectifying turbid with salty-sour medicinals. In conclusion， it is emphasized to promote the transformation of turbid pathogen to restore metabolic homeostasis， providing methods for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of IGR.

The surgical management of empyema (excluding those caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria) is rapidly evolving towards minimally invasive, precise, and stepwise approaches. The traditional three-stage classification (exudative, fibrinopurulent, and organizing) has limitations in guiding dynamic clinical decision-making. For the first time, this consensus explicitly identifies two critical junctures in the pathological progression of empyema: "early transformation" (stage Ⅰ to Ⅱ) and "late transformation" (stage Ⅱ to Ⅲ), and thereby constructs a corresponding "identification-early warning-intervention" stepwise therapeutic framework. The consensus emphasizes that proactive debridement via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery should be performed during the early transformation phase to halt disease progression. Conversely, during the late transformation phase, therapeutic goals should be rationally adjusted to prioritize adequate drainage, avoiding futile pleural decortication. Moreover, the consensus underscores the pivotal role of precise perioperative etiological diagnosis (e.g. metagenomic nest-generation sequencing) and standardized anti-infective therapy. Integrating practical experiences from multiple thoracic surgery centers in China and relevant evidence-based literature, this consensus formulates recommendations on the precise definitions of staging, surgical indications for each phase, key technical points, perioperative management, and training systems. It aims to promote the standardized and individualized surgical management of empyema, ultimately optimizing patient prognosis.

The Expert Consensus on Clinical Application of Qinbaohong Zhike Oral Liquid in Treatment of Acute Bronchitis and Acute Attack of Chronic Bronchitis （GS/CACM 337-2023） was released by the China Association of Chinese Medicine on December 13^th， 2023. This expert consensus was developed by experts in methodology， pharmacy， and Chinese medicine in strict accordance with the development requirements of the China Association of Chinese Medicine （CACM） and based on the latest medical evidence and the clinical medication experience of well-known experts in the fields of respiratory medicine （pulmonary diseases） and pediatrics. This expert consensus defines the application of Qinbaohong Zhike oral liquid in the treatment of cough and excessive sputum caused by phlegm-heat obstructing lung， acute bronchitis， and acute attack of chronic bronchitis from the aspects of applicable populations， efficacy evaluation， usage， dosage， drug combination， and safety. It is expected to guide the rational drug use in medical and health institutions， give full play to the unique value of Qinbaohong Zhike oral liquid， and vigorously promote the inheritance and innovation of Chinese patent medicines.

Objective To observe the value of T1 mapping combining diffusion weighted imaging(DWI)for noninvasive preoperative predicting tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte(TIL)level in invasive breast cancer.Methods Totally 143 patients with invasive breast cancer were retrospectively collected and divided into high group(TIL≥10％,n=73)and low group(TIL＜10％,n=70)according to TIL level by postoperation pathology.Clinicopathological information were collected,MRI features of breast cancer lesions were documented,mean T1 values(T1mean)and mean ADC values(ADCmean)were measured,and then were compared between groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictive factors of TIL levels,and a nomogram was constructed based on regression model.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and the area under the curve(AUC)were used to evaluate the predictive value for TIL levels.Results Compared with low group,high group had higher proportion of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)positivity(P＜0.05),and showed more circular/oval shapes and more smooth margins but less peritumoral edema(all P＜0.05).Significant differences of lesions enhancement pattern was found between groups(P＜0.05).T1mean and ADCmean were both higher in high group than those in low group(both P＜0.05).Lesions enhancement pattern,T1mean and ADCmean were all independent predictors of TIL levels in breast cancer.The AUC of nomogram combining the above 3 factors for predicting TIL level was 0.848,significantly higher than that of lesions enhancement pattern(AUC=0.569,Z=5.384,P＜0.05)and T1mean(AUC=0.662,Z=3.876,P＜0.05),but not statistically different with that of ADCmean(AUC=0.814,Z=1.578,P=0.115).Decision curve analysis showed that this nomogram had good clinical application value.Conclusion Combining T1 mapping and DWI could effectively predict level of TIL level in breast cancer before surgery.

Objective To analyze the medication rules of traditional Chinese medicine in treating breast cancer based on real-world data mining.Methods Inpatients with breast cancer who received traditional Chinese medicine treatment at the Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2017 to December 2021 were selected.Python 3.10 software was used to mine traditional Chinese medicine prescription data;SPSS 23.0 software was applied for descriptive analysis,and systematic cluster analysis was performed on high-frequency drugs.Results A total of 3026 consultation records of inpatients with breast cancer were collected.The main traditional Chinese medicine syndrome diagnosis of"predominantly liver depression and Qi stagnation"accounted for 60.94％of the total consultations.A total of 240 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine were used,with a cumulative frequency of 35 462 times.Among them,29 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine such as Danggui,Fuling,Baizhu,Chaihu had a cumulative usage frequency exceeding 300 times.Regarding the four natures of drugs,cold-natured(43.55％),warm-natured(30.05％),and neutral-natured(23.34％)drugs were predominant;In terms of five flavors,sweet(46.12％),bitter(30.91％),and pungent(20.02％)were the main ones.The most frequently used drugs were tonifying herbs(32.77％),followed by heat-clearing herbs(15.96％)and phlegm-resolving herbs(14.71％).Systematic cluster analysis yielded 7 groups of drug combinations.Conclusion In real-world clinical practice,traditional Chinese medicine for breast cancer mainly uses tonifying herbs,reflecting the traditional Chinese medicine principle of"strengthening healthy Qi and cultivating the root"in treating tumors.The four natures and five flavors of drugs follow syndrome differentiation and the combination of cold and heat.The clustered drug combinations have extensive therapeutic effects,covering various syndromes of breast cancer at different stages,which can provide a reference for clinical medication.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological and genetic characteristics of monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma (MEITL).Methods:The forty-two MEITL cases diagnosed in the Department of Pathology, Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China from 2016 to 2022 was retrospectively analyzed. Clinical data were collected, and follow-up was performed. Morphological characteristics were observed. Immunohistochemistry, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in situ hybridization, clonal rearrangement analysis of T-cell receptor (TCR) genes, and targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) were performed.Results:Among the 42 patients (male/female ratio of 2.8∶1.0), the age range was 32-77 years with a median age of 59.5 (52.0-65.0) years. Grossly, the tumors were presented as ulcerative or exophytic lesions, with a maximum diameter of 2-18 cm. There were 34 cases with a single lesion and 8 cases with more than 1 lesion. The tumor cells in all 42 cases were relatively monotonous in histology and small or medium in size. They had round or oval nuclei, moderately pale or clear cytoplasm, evenly distributed nuclear chromatin, inconspicuous nucleoli, and frequent mitotic figures. In one of the cases, there were moderately large cells, vacuolated nuclei, and clear nucleoli. Lymphoepithelial lesions were observed in 36 (85.7%) of the 42 cases, tumor necrosis in 4 (9.5%) cases, scattered eosinophils and/or plasma cell infiltration in the background in 9 (21.4%) cases, and a "starry sky" phenomenon in 1 (2.4%) case. The tumor cells in all cases exhibited high expression of CD3, CD2, CD7, CD8, CD56, TIA1, Granzyme B, and Perforin, while some also expressed CD4 (5/41, 12.2%), CD5 (3/41, 7.3%), CD20 (4/41, 11.9%), CD79α (2/37, 5.4%), and CD30 (1/34, 2.9%). The Ki-67 proliferation index ranged from 40% to 90%. EBER in situ hybridization tests were negative in all cases. TCR gene clonal rearrangement was detected in 96.4% (27/28) of the tested cases. Targeted NGS revealed commonly mutated genes including SETD2, STAT5B, JAK3, TP53, and CREBBP. The primary treatment was chemotherapy, with 2 cases undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Follow-up information was obtained for 29 cases, with a follow-up period of 1-73 months. The mortality was 93.1% (27/29).Conclusions:MEITL is a rare and highly aggressive peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Its clinical manifestations are diverse, and diagnosis primarily relies on a comprehensive assessment of pathological morphology, immunohistochemical profiles, and EBV infection status, supplemented by genetic testing if necessary. At present, there is no effective treatment, and its overall prognosis is poor.

Medical institutions, with their clinical practice foundation and abundant human use experience data, have become important carriers for the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and the "cradles" of the preparation of new TCM. To effectively promote the transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and establish an effective evaluation index system for the transformation of new TCM conforming to the characteristics of TCM, consensus experts adopted the literature research, questionnaire survey, Delphi method, etc. By focusing on the policy and technical evaluation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions, a comprehensive evaluation from the dimensions of drug safety, efficacy, feasibility, and characteristic advantages was conducted, thus forming a comprehensive evaluation system with four primary indicators and 37 secondary indicators. The expert consensus reached aims to encourage medical institutions at all levels to continuously improve the high-quality research and development and transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and targeted at clinical needs, so as to provide a decision-making basis for the preparation, selection, cultivation, and transformation of new TCM for medical institutions, improve the development efficiency of new TCM, and precisely respond to the public medication needs.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

A growing global trend indicates a decline in semen quality, with a lack of physical activity identified as one of the contributing factors. Exercise is medication, and numerous studies have explored its effects on semen quality. However, there is no consensus on the most effective type and intensity of exercise for improving semen quality, owing to inconsistent findings across studies. These discrepancies may be attributable to variations in study populations ( e.g. , healthy versus infertile individuals) and research methodologies ( e.g., observational versus interventional studies). This paper reviews the existing literature from the databases PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, reclassifying articles on their subject and research designs to delineate the relationship between exercise and semen quality. It also summarizes the mechanisms through which exercise influences semen quality, including hormonal regulation, oxidative stress, and inflammatory factors.
Humans ; Semen Analysis ; Male ; Exercise/physiology* ; Oxidative Stress/physiology* ; Infertility, Male/physiopathology* ; Sperm Motility/physiology*

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the potential causal relationship between gut microbiota and food allergy (FA) using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) methods. METHODS: Data from genome-wide association studies on gut microbiota and FA were utilized. MR analysis was conducted employing inverse variance weighting, MR-Egger regression, and weighted median methods to assess the causal relationship between gut microbiota and FA. Cochrane's Q test was used to evaluate heterogeneity of instrumental variables, MR-PRESSO analysis was conducted to test for outliers and pleiotropy, and MR-Egger regression was employed to assess horizontal pleiotropy. The "leave-one-out" method was used to evaluate the impact of removing individual single nucleotide polymorphisms on the causal relationship. RESULTS: Inverse variance weighting analysis revealed that the phylum Verrucomicrobia, family Verrucomicrobiaceae, order Verrucomicrobiales, genus Ruminococcaceae UCG013, and genus Akkermansia were negatively associated with FA (P<0.05). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the reliability of the findings, indicating no heterogeneity or pleiotropy present. CONCLUSIONS There is a causal relationship between gut microbiota and FA, with Verrucomicrobia, Verrucomicrobiaceae, Verrucomicrobiales, Ruminococcaceae UCG013, and Akkermansia potentially reducing the risk of developing FA. These findings provide potential targets for the treatment and prevention of FA; however, further research is needed to explore the specific mechanisms by which the microbiota influence FA.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Food Hypersensitivity/microbiology* ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

Objective:To systematically evaluate the differences in CT values between virtual non-contrast (VNC) images and true non-contrast (TNC) images generated from dual-energy CT (DECT), and to validate the feasibility of VNC images replacing TNC images in dose calculations for photon and proton radiotherapy plans.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the imaging data of 40 patients with solid tumors (20 cranial, 10 thoracic and 10 abdominal cases) who underwent DECT scans at Cancer Hospital of Shandong First Medical University from February 2022 to May 2023. VNC and TNC images were registered slice-by-slice. The differences in CT values of anatomical structures were compared, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation of CT values of different anatomical structures in VNC and TNC images. For structures with significant differences, linear regression models (TNC=β×VNC+α) were established using the least squares method. In the Varian Eclipse 15.5 treatment planning system, photon and proton radiotherapy plans based on TNC images and VNC images, as well as the proton radiotherapy plan based on the VNC images corrected by the regression models, were respectively designed. Dose differences of radiotherapy plans designed based on the two images were evaluated. To evaluate dose variations in regions adjacent to the clinical target volume (CTV), two 2-mm-thick annular reference structures were generated on the axial slice containing the largest cross-section of the CTV, extending cranially and caudally from the CTV. These structures were designated as Ring_p and Ring_d, respectively.Results:The differences in CT values between VNC and TNC images were mainly concentrated in the bony structure. The CT values difference between TNC and VNC images was (409.07±53.38) HU for the skull in 20 cranial tumor patients ( t=13.88, P<0.001), and (118.66±20.90) HU for the vertebral bone in 10 thoracic and 10 abdominal tumor patients ( t=10.43, P<0.001). The CT values of the skull and spine showed high correlation between TNC and VNC images ( r=0.98, P<0.001; r=0.99, P<0.001). The regression models established respectively were: TNC=1.859×VNC+33.896 (skull), and TNC=1.827×VNC+5.491 (spine). For photon radiotherapy plans based on TNC and VNC images, the D mean of the CTV were (60.00±0.00) and (60.00±0.00) Gy respectively, with D mean of Ring_p were (61.17±1.69) and (61.01±1.67) Gy, and Ring_d were (55.26±2.06) and (55.20±1.94) Gy, respectively. The relative dose differences in D mean between the two image types were 0 ( t<0.01, P>0.999), 0.33% ( t=0.30, P=0.766), and 0.19% ( t=0.07, P=0.947), all with no statistically significant differences. For proton radiotherapy plans based on TNC and VNC images, the D mean of the CTV were (61.73±0.32) and (61.67±0.26) Gy (RBE), respectively, with D mean of Ring_p were (61.19±0.44) and (60.53±1.22) Gy (RBE), and Ring_d were (60.97±0.67) and (59.80±4.26) Gy (RBE), respectively. The relative dose differences in D mean between the two image types were 0.24% ( t=0.63, P=0.530), 1.80% ( t=1.45, P=0.156), and 3.56% ( t=2.26, P=0.030), with a statistically significant difference in the Ring_d region. In the proton radiotherapy plan designed based on the corrected VNC images, the D mean of the CTV was (61.75±0.32) Gy (RBE), Ring_p was (61.43±0.71) Gy (RBE), and Ring_d was (59.96±2.80) Gy (RBE). The relative dose differences in D mean between TNC images and corrected VNC images were 0.16% ( t=0.19, P=0.850), 0.76% ( t=1.32, P=0.196), and 2.22% ( t=1.93, P=0.061), respectively, with no statistically significant differences. Conclusions:The differences in CT values between VNC and TNC images in DECT mainly exist in bony structures, particularly in the skull and vertebrae. For patients with cranial tumors, VNC images can be directly used in photon radiotherapy planning. In contrast, for proton therapy, after being corrected by the regression model, VNC images can effectively replace TNC images for the dose calculations of radiotherapy plan.