Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) serves as a treasure trove of ancient knowledge, holding a crucial position in the medical field. However, the exploration of TCM's extensive information has been hindered by challenges related to data standardization, completeness, and accuracy, primarily due to the decentralized distribution of TCM resources. To address these issues, we developed a platform for TCM knowledge discovery (TCMKD, https://cbcb.cdutcm.edu.cn/TCMKD/). Seven types of data, including syndromes, formulas, Chinese patent drugs (CPDs), Chinese medicinal materials (CMMs), ingredients, targets, and diseases, were manually proofread and consolidated within TCMKD. To strengthen the integration of TCM with modern medicine, TCMKD employs analytical methods such as TCM data mining, enrichment analysis, and network localization and separation. These tools help elucidate the molecular-level commonalities between TCM and contemporary scientific insights. In addition to its analytical capabilities, a quick question and answer (Q&A) system is also embedded within TCMKD to query the database efficiently, thereby improving the interactivity of the platform. The platform also provides a TCM text annotation tool, offering a simple and efficient method for TCM text mining. Overall, TCMKD not only has the potential to become a pivotal repository for TCM, delving into the pharmacological foundations of TCM treatments, but its flexible embedded tools and algorithms can also be applied to the study of other traditional medical systems, extending beyond just TCM.

Objective:The primary goal of this study is to explore the safety and effectiveness of a new modified eversion carotid endarterectomy (MECEA).Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. One hundred patients were consecutively treated with MECEA by the same operator at Department of Vascular Surgery,Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2019 to December 2023. There were 77 males and 23 females. The age was (66.0±8.6)years (range: 39 to 85 years). Twenty-four (24.0%) patients were symptomatic with the degree of carotid stenosis over 50%,76 patients (76.0%) were asymptomatic with the degree of stenosis over 70%. All these patients meet the indication of carotid endarterectomy. The main difference between MECEA and traditional eversion carotid endarterectomy was the anterior,lateral,and posterior walls of the internal carotid artery were incised obliquely from the origin of the internal carotid artery toward the common carotid artery,leaving the wall of internal carotid artery intact at the bifurcation. The surgical process,cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications and other surgical complications were recorded. The incidences of complications,restenosis of intraoperative target lesions and re-intervention were collected during follow-up.Results:All procedures were performed successfully under general anesthesia. The total operation time was (36.5±10.1)minutes (range: 22 to 65 minutes),and carotid clamping time was (15.0±6.3)minutes (range: 7 to 31 minutes). One patient (1.0%) occurred postoperative cerebrovascular accident,1 patient (1.0%) developed cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (CHS),and another 1 patient (1.0%) suffered myocardial infarction. All these patients were recovered after medical treatment within a week. The follow-up time( M(IQR)) was 24 (28) months (range: 6 to 62 months). Two patients (2.0%) were reported to have hemodynamically significant restenosis within 2 years,with one patient requiring intervention. No patient suffered from ipsilateral ischemic stroke. Conclusions:MECEA is a safe and effective surgical method of treating carotid artery stenosis. This method can reduce carotid clamping time and lowers the risk of ischemic stroke. Meantime,it preserves the integrity of the adventitia at the bifurcation of carotid artery,reduces the chance of restenosis. Moreover,it might be helpful to prevent postoperative CHS due to reducing damage to the carotid body and carotid sinus nerve.

Objective:The primary goal of this study is to explore the safety and effectiveness of a new modified eversion carotid endarterectomy (MECEA).Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. One hundred patients were consecutively treated with MECEA by the same operator at Department of Vascular Surgery,Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2019 to December 2023. There were 77 males and 23 females. The age was (66.0±8.6)years (range: 39 to 85 years). Twenty-four (24.0%) patients were symptomatic with the degree of carotid stenosis over 50%,76 patients (76.0%) were asymptomatic with the degree of stenosis over 70%. All these patients meet the indication of carotid endarterectomy. The main difference between MECEA and traditional eversion carotid endarterectomy was the anterior,lateral,and posterior walls of the internal carotid artery were incised obliquely from the origin of the internal carotid artery toward the common carotid artery,leaving the wall of internal carotid artery intact at the bifurcation. The surgical process,cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications and other surgical complications were recorded. The incidences of complications,restenosis of intraoperative target lesions and re-intervention were collected during follow-up.Results:All procedures were performed successfully under general anesthesia. The total operation time was (36.5±10.1)minutes (range: 22 to 65 minutes),and carotid clamping time was (15.0±6.3)minutes (range: 7 to 31 minutes). One patient (1.0%) occurred postoperative cerebrovascular accident,1 patient (1.0%) developed cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (CHS),and another 1 patient (1.0%) suffered myocardial infarction. All these patients were recovered after medical treatment within a week. The follow-up time( M(IQR)) was 24 (28) months (range: 6 to 62 months). Two patients (2.0%) were reported to have hemodynamically significant restenosis within 2 years,with one patient requiring intervention. No patient suffered from ipsilateral ischemic stroke. Conclusions:MECEA is a safe and effective surgical method of treating carotid artery stenosis. This method can reduce carotid clamping time and lowers the risk of ischemic stroke. Meantime,it preserves the integrity of the adventitia at the bifurcation of carotid artery,reduces the chance of restenosis. Moreover,it might be helpful to prevent postoperative CHS due to reducing damage to the carotid body and carotid sinus nerve.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between different obesity metabolic phenotypes and the incidence of new carotid artery plaque.Methods:The present study is a retrospective cohort study, collecting individuals from the Health Management Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University who had two or more cervical vascular color ultrasound examinations and met the inclusion criteria from 2014 to 2022, and collected their baseline clinical data. According to whether the subjects were obese and had metabolic syndrome, they were divided into metabolically healthy non-obese group, metabolically unhealthy non-obese group, metabolically healthy obese group, and metabolically unhealthy obese group. The first physical examination time of the subjects was taken as the starting point of follow-up, and cervical vascular color ultrasound was performed during the follow-up physical examination, with the outcome event being carotid artery plaque. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis was used to analyze the cumulative incidence of carotid artery plaques in the four groups and log-rank test was performed, and a multifactorial Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the relationship between different obesity metabolic phenotypes and the risk of carotid artery plaque incidence.Results:A total of 4 890 subjects were enrolled, aged (45.4±9.6) years, and 2 754 (56.3%) males. The follow-up time was 1.14(0.93, 2.20) years. Compared with the other 3 obesity metabolic phenotypes, the incidence of carotid plaques in the metabolically unhealthy obesity group was the highest (15.4% (286/1 861)). Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that the cumulative incidence of carotid plaques in metabolically unhealthy obese subjects was about 2.962 times that of metabolically healthy non-obese subjects (log-rank P<0.001). Multivariate Cox regression results showed that the risk of carotid plaque in metabolically unhealthy obese subjects was 1.650 times that of metabolically healthy non-obese subjects (95% CI: 1.203-2.264, P=0.002). Conclusion:Metabolically unhealthy obesity phenotype is an independent risk factor for carotid plaque.

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy of anterior column reconstruction using single or double titanium mesh cage (TMC) after total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) of thoracic and lumbar spinal tumors. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed involving 39 patients with thoracic or lumbar spinal tumors. All patients underwent TES, followed by anterior reconstruction and screw-rod instrumentation via a posterior-only procedure. Twenty-two patients in group A were treated with a single TMC to reconstruct the anterior column, whereas 17 patients in group B were reconstructed with double TMCs. Results: The overall follow-up is 20.5 ± 4.6 months. There is no significant difference between the 2 groups regarding age, sex, body mass index, tumor location, operative time, and intraoperative blood loss. The time for TMC placement was significantly shortened in the double TMCs group (5.2 ± 1.3 minutes vs. 15.6 ± 3.3 minutes, p = 0.004). Additionally, postoperative neural complications were significantly reduced with double TMCs (5/22 vs. 0/17, p = 0.046). The kyphotic Cobb angle and mean intervertebral height were significantly corrected in both groups (p ≤ 0.001), without obvious loss of correction at the last follow-up in either group. The bone fusion rates for single TMC and double TMCs were 77.3% and 76.5%, respectively. Conclusion Using 2 smaller TMCs instead of a single large one eases the placement of TMC by shortening the time and avoiding nerve impingement. Anterior column reconstruction with double TMC is a clinically feasible, and safe alternative following TES for thoracic and lumbar tumors.

Objective:To study the correlation between different body weight metabolic phenotypes and their changes and new-onset hyperuricemia in physical examination population.Methods:This study was a retrospective cohort study. A total of 31 956 people who underwent routine physical examination and met the inclusion and exclusion criteria at the Health Management Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from January 1, 2014 to August 31, 2022 were selected as the study subjects to establish a dynamic physical examination cohort. The end point of follow-up was new-onset hyperuricemia or the end of follow-up period. Cox regression stepwise fitting model was used to analyze the risk of different body weight metabolic phenotypes and hyperuricemia, and stratified analysis was performed for gender. According to body weight metabolic phenotype, the subjects were divided into normal metabolism and normal weight(NMNW) group, normal metabolism and obesity (NMO) group, abnormal metabolism and normal weight (AMNW) group and abnormal metabolism and obesity (AMO) group. The risk of hyperuricemia was calculated according to the changes of body weight metabolic phenotype during the follow-up period. In the sensitivity analysis, the robustness of the results was verified by changing the diagnostic criteria for hyperuricemia, removing patients with hyperuricemia at the first year of follow-up, and removing subjects aged ≥65 years.Results:Compared with the NMNW group, the risk of hyperuricemia in the NMO group, AMNW group and AMO group increased by 78.9%, 61.3%, 115.4%, respectively ( χ2=272.88, 128.15, 496.12, all P<0.001). Patients who were initially classified as NMNW at baseline, if transitioned to NMO or AMO by the follow-up endpoint, their risk of hyperuricemia increased by 122.5% ( χ2=8.01, P<0.05) and 137.4% ( χ2=15.99, P<0.001), respectively. When the baseline AMNW group changed to AMO, the risk of hyperuricemia was increased by 119.2% ( χ2=6.63, P<0.05). For patients with AMO as baseline, if they turned into NMNW and AMNW at the end of follow-up, their risk of hyperuricemia would decrease by 58.3% ( χ2=43.67, P<0.001) and 27.2% ( χ2=16.07, P<0.001). Patients with a baseline of NMO who transitioned to NMNW and AMNW at the follow-up endpoint had their risk of developing hyperuricemia decreased by 36.7% ( χ2=25.35, P<0.001) and 30.9% ( χ2=9.70, P<0.05), respectively. Conclusions:The transition from metabolic health and non-overweight obesity to metabolic abnormalities and overweight obesity is associated with an increased risk of hyperuricemia, and improvements in metabolic health or weight are associated with a decreased risk of hyperuricemia.

Objective:To explore the relationship between weight change and the development of hyperuricemia (HUA) in adults receiving health checkups.Methods:A retrospective cohort study. A total of 37 722 subjects who underwent two or more health checkups at the Health Management Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from January 2014 to December 2022 were included, and the general information and laboratory findings at the time of the initial health checkups and follow-up were collected. Weight change was defined as the ratio of difference between the weight at the last follow-up and the baseline weight to baseline weight. The subjects were grouped with weight change: significant weight loss group (weight change ≤-5.0%), mild weight loss group (-5.0%

Objective:To investigate the association between different dietary patterns and subtypes of metabolic associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD).Methods:A total of 6 022 check-ups at the health management center of the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University from January 2022 to March 2023 were selected as study subjects. MAFLD was categorised into three subtypes: overweight/obese type, metabolic disorder type, and diabetic type. Factor analysis was used to extract dietary patterns. Logistic regression was used to assess the impact of dietary patterns on MAFLD occurrence, constructing interaction models between dietary patterns intake and age, gender, and physical exercise levels. Results:Four dietary patterns were extracted based on feature sorting after factor analysis and were named as the high-quality protein pattern, the fruit-vegetable pattern, egg-aquatic pattern, and the processed meat pattern. Regression analysis of the unadjusted model showed that overweight/obese and diabetic types of MAFLD were negatively associated with the high-quality protein mode, while model-adjusted regression analysis showed that the processed meat pattern was positively associated with the risk of MAFLD, and fruit-vegetable pattern was positively associated with overweight/obese MAFLD( P<0.05). The results of subgroup analyses suggested that female( OR=1.55, 95% CI 1.14-2.15) with a high intake of pickle pattern had a higher risk of overweight/obese MAFLD than male( OR=1.18, 95% CI 1.02-1.49). Conclusion:High-quality protein pattern was negatively correlated with MAFLD, whereas fruit-vegetable pattern and processed meat pattern were positively correlated with MAFLD. Female with high consumption of processed meat pattern are more likely to develop overweight/obesity MAFLD compared with male. It is recommended that people with MAFLD reduce their intake of processed products and high-fructose food, and consume adequate amounts of high-quality protein food to maintain a balanced diet.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between obesity and incident chronic kidney disease(CKD) in a population undergoing health check-ups.Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study. A total of 31 251 participants who had at least 2 health physical examinations in the Health Management Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from January 2017 to December 2022 and met the inclusion criteria were selected. The participants were divided into normal body weight group, overweight group, and obese group according to baseline body mass index. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to analyze the relationship between obesity and new-onset CKD, and the dose-response relationship between body mass index and CKD was analyzed with restricted cubic splines.Results:Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the risk of developing CKD increased by 13%( HR=1.13, 95% CI 1.01-1.25) and 55%( HR=1.55, 95% CI 1.36-1.76) in the overweight and obese group compared to the normal weight group. Subgroup analysis indicated that obese women had a higher risk of developing CKD compared to men. There was a " U-shaped" correlation between body mass index and CKD in male population, with the lowest risk of CKD occurring at body mass index of 19.6-24.2 kg/m 2. In women, the relationship between body mass index and CKD was approximately linear, with the risk of CKD gradually increasing when body mass index exceeded 22.5 kg/m 2. Conclusions:Obesity is an independent risk factor for new-onset CKD, and obese women have a higher risk of developing CKD than men. Regarding CKD prevention, men are advised to maintain a higher level of body weight within the normal range of body mass index, while women are encouraged to control their weight to a lower level within the normal body mass index range.