OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of Xuanshen Yishen Decoction (XYD) in the treatment of hypertension. METHODS: Hospital electronic medical records from 2019-2023 were utilized to emulate a randomized pragmatic clinical trial. Hypertensive participants were eligible if they were aged ⩾40 years with baseline systolic blood pressure (BP) ⩾140 mm Hg. Patients treated with XYD plus antihypertensive regimen were assigned to the treatment group, whereas those who followed only antihypertensive regimen were assigned to the control group. The primary outcome assessed was the attainment rate of intensive BP control at discharge, with the secondary outcome focusing on the 6-month all-cause readmission rate. RESULTS: The study included 3,302 patients, comprising 2,943 individuals in the control group and 359 in the treatment group. Compared with the control group, a higher proportion in the treatment group achieved the target BP for intensive BP control [8.09% vs. 17.5%; odds ratio (OR)=2.29, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.68 to 3.13; P<0.001], particularly in individuals with high homocysteine levels (OR=3.13; 95% CI=1.72 to 5.71; P<0.001; P for interaction=0.041). Furthermore, the 6-month all-cause readmission rate in the treatment group was lower than in the control group (hazard ratio=0.58; 95% CI=0.36 to 0.91; P=0.019), and the robustness of the results was confirmed by sensitivity analyse. CONCLUSIONS XYD could be a complementary therapy for intensive BP control. Our study offers real-world evidence and guides the choice of complementary and alternative therapies. (Registration No. ChiCTR2400086589).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Antihypertensive Agents/pharmacology* ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Hypertension/physiopathology* ; Patient Readmission ; Treatment Outcome

Testicular histology based on testicular biopsy is an important factor for determining appropriate testicular sperm extraction surgery and predicting sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with azoospermia. Therefore, we developed a deep learning (DL) model to establish the associations between testicular grayscale ultrasound images and testicular histology. We retrospectively included two-dimensional testicular grayscale ultrasound from patients with azoospermia (353 men with 4357 images between July 2017 and December 2021 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China) to develop a DL model. We obtained testicular histology during conventional testicular sperm extraction. Our DL model was trained based on ultrasound images or fusion data (ultrasound images fused with the corresponding testicular volume) to distinguish spermatozoa presence in pathology (SPP) and spermatozoa absence in pathology (SAP) and to classify maturation arrest (MA) and Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) in patients with SAP. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were used to analyze model performance. DL based on images achieved an AUC of 0.922 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.908-0.935), a sensitivity of 80.9%, a specificity of 84.6%, and an accuracy of 83.5% in predicting SPP (including normal spermatogenesis and hypospermatogenesis) and SAP (including MA and SCOS). In the identification of SCOS and MA, DL on fusion data yielded better diagnostic performance with an AUC of 0.979 (95% CI: 0.969-0.989), a sensitivity of 89.7%, a specificity of 97.1%, and an accuracy of 92.1%. Our study provides a noninvasive method to predict testicular histology for patients with azoospermia, which would avoid unnecessary testicular biopsy.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/diagnostic imaging* ; Deep Learning ; Testis/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Ultrasonography/methods* ; Sperm Retrieval ; Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome/diagnostic imaging*

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 variety of chromatographic techniques, including silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20, and HPLC, were employed to isolate and purify the fermentation products of rice with Monascus sanguineus. A total of 38 compounds were isolated, and their structures were identified by UV, IR, NMR, MS, calculated ECD, and comparison with literature data. Compounds 1-4 were identified as new natural products, and other compounds were isolated from this fungus for the first time. A RAW264.7 macrophage model of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced inflammation was used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activities of all the compounds. The results showed that compound 6 exhibited a certain inhibitory effect on the production of nitric oxide in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells, with an inhibition rate of 53.08%.
Monascus/chemistry* ; Mice ; Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification* ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Macrophages/immunology* ; Nitric Oxide/immunology* ; Oryza/metabolism* ; Fermentation

AIM To establish the preparation process and quality standard for Zhenggu Pills.METHODS With decoction time,decoction frequency and water addition as influencing factors,comprehensive score for extract yield and transfer rates of epicatechin and naringin as an evaluation index,the decoction process was optimized by orthogonal test.With sugarless paste relative density,medicinal powder fineness,sugarless paste-corn starch ratio,drying temperature and drying time as influencing factors,soft material traits,pill formability,moisture and disintegration time limit as evaluation indices,the formability process was optimized by single factor test.TLC was adopted in the qualitative identification of Dipsaci Radix,salt-processed Psoraleae Fructus,cooked Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma.HPLC was used for the content determination of paeoniflorin and naringin.RESULTS The optimal decoction process was determined to be 0.5 h for decoction time,two times for decoction frequency,and 10 times for water addition,the comprehensive score was 0.93.The optimal formability process was determined to be 1.21-1.22 for sugarless paste relative density,80 mesh for medicinal powder fineness,1∶0.17-1∶0.18 for sugarless paste-corn starch ratio,70 ℃ for drying temperature,and 24 h for drying time,good soft material traits and pill formability were observable,and moisture and disintegration time limit accored with 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia requirements.The TLC spots were clear without negative interference.Two constituents showed good linear relationships within 61.30-490.41 μg/mL(r=0.999 8)and 3.27-26.18 μg/mL(r=0.999 8),whose average recoveries were 100.15％and 98.15％with the RSDs of 0.55％and 2.30％,respectively.CONCLUSION This stable,reliable and specific method can be used for the production and quality evaluation of Zhenggu Pills.

AIM To establish the quantitative models for gallic acid,mononucleoside,loganin,resveratrol,and rhein in Yishen Xiezhuo Mixture.METHODS HPLC was adopted in the content determination of various effective components,after which the near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS)data were collected in 128 batches of samples and pretreatment was conducted,competitive adaptive reweighting sampling(CARS)algorithm was used for screening wavelength,partial least square method(PLS)regression analysis was performed.RESULTS There were no significant differences between the predicted values obtained by PLS models and measured values obtained by HPLC for various effective components(P＞0.05).CONCLUSION The quantitative models established by NIRS combined with chemometrics display good predictive performance,which can be used for the rapid determination of effective components in Yishen Xiezhuo Mixture,and provide a reference for the rapid monitoring of other traditional Chinese medicine preparations in production processes.

Postoperative infection of internal fixation of closed fractures the lower limbs in adults represents a devastating complication, characterized by diagnostic challenges, prolonged treatment duration and high disability rates. Current management of these infections faces multiple challenges, such as difficulties in early accurate diagnosis, and various controversies about the treatment plan, leading to poor overall diagnosis and treatment results. To address these issues, based on evidence-based medicine and principles with emphasis on scientific rigor, clinical applicability and innovation, the Trauma Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Orthopedic Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Orthopedics Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and Trauma Orthopedics and Polytrauma Group of the Resuscitation and Emergency Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association have collaboratively organized a panel of relevant experts to develop the Guideline for diagnosis and treatment of infection after internal fixation of closed lower limb fractures in adults ( version 2025). The guideline proposed 10 recommendations, aiming to provide a foundation for standardized diagnosis and treatment of postoperative infection in adults with closed lower limb fractures.

At present, robotic surgery system, as a cutting-edge technique in minimally invasive surgery, has become a crucial component in the training programs for outstanding surgeons. Given the relatively late start of this technique and immature faculty resources, there is an urgent need to optimize and improve the teaching philosophies and methodologies for robotic skill training in China, and Sino-foreign cooperation has emerged as a significant pathway to promote this reform. Taking the "International Robotic Surgery Training Center (IRSTC)" jointly established by The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and University of California as an example, this article provides a comprehensive analysis of collaboration background, construction of the training system, curriculum design, cooperation channels, and localization practices, in order to provide a reference and valuable experiences for Sino-foreign cooperation in clinical skill training.

Objective To develop and validate a nomogram model that integrates systemic inflammatory markers to predict the likelihood of pelvic lymph node metastasis(PLNM)in prostate cancer patients prior to surgery.Methods This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and preoperative inflammatory markers—including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR),platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio(PLR),systemic immune-inflammation index(SII),and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio(MLR)—of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.Univariate and multi-variate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify markers that were significantly associated with PLNM.Based on the results of the multivariate analysis,a nomogram was developed and its predictive accuracy was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves(ROC)and calibration plots.Results Among the 334 enrolled patients with prostate cancer,107 were identified with PLNM.Univariate analysis revealed statistically significant differences in free prostate-specific antigen(fPSA),Gleason score,NLR,PLR,MLR,and SII between the PLNM and non-pelvic lymph node metastasis(NPLNM)groups(P<0.05).Multivariate analysis confirmed that fPSA,Gleason score,and SII were independent predictors of PLNM(P<0.05).A nomogram incorporating these predic-tors exhibited strong discriminative ability,with an area under the ROC curve(AUC)of 0.79(95%CI:0.73～0.84).Calibration analysis further demonstrated good consistency between the predicted and observed probabilities of PLNM.Conclusions This study successfully developed a nomogram model based on systemic inflammatory markers for preoperative prediction of pelvic lymph node metastasis in prostate cancer.Owing to its user-friendly design and high predictive accuracy,this tool may serve as a valuable complementary method to conventional imaging techniques,thereby supporting personalized treatment decision-making.

Objective:To evaluate the value of spectral CT quantitative parameters in predicting microvascular invasion (MVI) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:A total of 100 HCC patients who underwent surgical resection and were pathologically diagnosed in the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya Medical College of Central South University from January 2020 to January 2023 were retrospectively enrolled. According to pathological grading, the patients were divided into the microvascular invasion group (invasion group, n=60) and the non-vascular invasion group (non-invasion group, n=40). Serological indicators and spectral CT quantitative parameters were compared between the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the value of spectral CT quantitative parameters in predicting MVI of HCC. Results:The serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level in the invasion group was higher than that in the non-invasion group, with a statistically significant difference ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA-199) levels between the two groups (all P>0.05). In the invasion group, arterial phase iodine concentration, arterial phase normalized iodine concentration, venous phase iodine uptake reduction rate, arterial phase effective atomic number, and energy spectrum curve slope were all higher than those in the non-invasion group, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05); there were no statistically significant differences in venous phase iodine concentration, venous phase normalized iodine concentration, and venous phase effective atomic number between the two groups (all P>0.05). The rates of peritumoral enhancement in the arterial phase and irregular tumor margin in the invasion group were higher than those in the non-invasion group, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05); there was no statistically significant difference in tumor capsule between the two groups ( P>0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the areas under the curve (AUC) of arterial phase iodine concentration, arterial phase normalized iodine concentration, venous phase iodine uptake reduction rate, arterial phase effective atomic number, and energy spectrum curve slope for predicting MVI in HCC were 0.812, 0.885, 0.726, 0.823, and 0.788, respectively. Conclusions:Spectral CT quantitative parameters are helpful to improve the preoperative diagnostic efficiency of MVI in HCC and can effectively predict MVI in HCC. Especially, arterial phase normalized iodine concentration has high application value in judging whether there is MVI in HCC.