With the rising incidence of diabetes， diabetic kidney disease （DKD） has become a significant global health burden. Although current prevention and treatment strategies can partially delay the progression of DKD， the risk of patients advancing to end-stage renal disease remains high. Since the concept of the "gut-kidney axis" was first introduced at the International Congress on Dialysis in 2011， research on the role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of DKD has received increasing attention. This review summarizes the current research on gut microbiota， explores the mechanisms through which it contributes to DKD development， and outlines clinical approaches for DKD prevention and treatment based on the "gut-kidney axis" theory. Evidence indicates that dietary interventions， intake of probiotics or prebiotics， use of metformin and novel antidiabetic drugs， and application of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） compound formulas can effectively improve gut microbiota composition， influence metabolite production， and restore the intestinal mucosal barrier. These interventions can further regulate intestinal innate immunity and inflammatory responses， thereby modulating the progression of DKD. Despite challenges posed by the traditional oral administration of water-decocted TCM compound formulas and the complexity of their ingredients， increasing evidence suggests that TCM may indirectly affect the occurrence and development of DKD by modulating gut microbiota. This finding provides a new perspective on the potential mechanisms of TCM in DKD treatment and may offer novel strategies for DKD prevention and therapy.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical efficacy and mechanisms of Qigui Didang decoction in the treatment of kidney collateral stasis syndrome in patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ diabetic kidney disease （DKD） in a real-world setting. MethodsPatients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ DKD with kidney collateral stasis syndrome admitted to Beijing Aerospace General Hospital from January 2022 to December 2024 were selected for clinical study. According to treatment methods， patients were divided into the Qigui Didang decoction group （Qigui Didang decoction + conventional treatment） and the control group （conventional treatment alone）. A 1∶1 propensity score matching （PSM） method was used to reduce bias caused by confounding factors. Clinical efficacy， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptom scores， renal function indicators， mRNA expression related to pathway mechanisms， glycolipid metabolism indices， and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. ResultsA total of 120 patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ DKD with kidney collateral stasis syndrome were included， including 62 cases in the Qigui Didang Decoction group and 58 cases in the control group. Before matching， there were statistically significant differences between the two groups in DKD stage， baseline urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio （UACR）， 24-hour urine total protein （24 h-UTP）， and estimated glomerular filtration rate （eGFR） （P<0.05）. After matching， 47 cases were included in each group， and there was no statistically significant difference in baseline data between the two groups. After matching， the total clinical effective rate of the Qigui Didang decoction group was significantly higher than that of the control group （χ²=4.681， P<0.05）. Compared with data before treatment， the scores of primary and secondary TCM symptoms in the Qigui Didang decoction group were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with data before treatment， serum creatinine （SCr）， 24 h-UTP， and UACR levels were significantly decreased， while eGFR was significantly increased in the Qigui Didang decoction group （P<0.05）. Compared with data before treatment， the mRNA expression of silent information regulator 1 （Sirt1） was significantly upregulated， while the mRNA expression of nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） and tumor suppressor protein p53 （p53） was significantly downregulated in the Qigui Didang decoction group （P<0.05）. Compared with data before treatment， fasting plasma glucose （FPG）， 2-hour postprandial plasma glucose （2 hPG）， glycated hemoglobin A1c （HbA1c）， total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） levels were decreased， while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） levels were increased （P<0.05）. There was no statistically significant difference in adverse reactions between the two groups. ConclusionQigui Didang decoction combined with conventional treatment can significantly improve renal function， glycolipid metabolism， and TCM syndromes in patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ DKD with kidney collateral stasis syndrome， with good safety. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of the Sirt1/NF-κB/p53 signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical efficacy and mechanisms of Qigui Didang decoction in the treatment of kidney collateral stasis syndrome in patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ diabetic kidney disease （DKD） in a real-world setting. MethodsPatients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ DKD with kidney collateral stasis syndrome admitted to Beijing Aerospace General Hospital from January 2022 to December 2024 were selected for clinical study. According to treatment methods， patients were divided into the Qigui Didang decoction group （Qigui Didang decoction + conventional treatment） and the control group （conventional treatment alone）. A 1∶1 propensity score matching （PSM） method was used to reduce bias caused by confounding factors. Clinical efficacy， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptom scores， renal function indicators， mRNA expression related to pathway mechanisms， glycolipid metabolism indices， and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. ResultsA total of 120 patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ DKD with kidney collateral stasis syndrome were included， including 62 cases in the Qigui Didang Decoction group and 58 cases in the control group. Before matching， there were statistically significant differences between the two groups in DKD stage， baseline urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio （UACR）， 24-hour urine total protein （24 h-UTP）， and estimated glomerular filtration rate （eGFR） （P<0.05）. After matching， 47 cases were included in each group， and there was no statistically significant difference in baseline data between the two groups. After matching， the total clinical effective rate of the Qigui Didang decoction group was significantly higher than that of the control group （χ²=4.681， P<0.05）. Compared with data before treatment， the scores of primary and secondary TCM symptoms in the Qigui Didang decoction group were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with data before treatment， serum creatinine （SCr）， 24 h-UTP， and UACR levels were significantly decreased， while eGFR was significantly increased in the Qigui Didang decoction group （P<0.05）. Compared with data before treatment， the mRNA expression of silent information regulator 1 （Sirt1） was significantly upregulated， while the mRNA expression of nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） and tumor suppressor protein p53 （p53） was significantly downregulated in the Qigui Didang decoction group （P<0.05）. Compared with data before treatment， fasting plasma glucose （FPG）， 2-hour postprandial plasma glucose （2 hPG）， glycated hemoglobin A1c （HbA1c）， total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） levels were decreased， while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） levels were increased （P<0.05）. There was no statistically significant difference in adverse reactions between the two groups. ConclusionQigui Didang decoction combined with conventional treatment can significantly improve renal function， glycolipid metabolism， and TCM syndromes in patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ DKD with kidney collateral stasis syndrome， with good safety. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of the Sirt1/NF-κB/p53 signaling pathway.

Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） offers a rich theoretical foundation and clinical experience for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome（CKM）， demonstrating unique advantage. Building on previous work in managing diabetes， its complications， and chronic kidney disease， our team has proposed a five-phase evolution theory of "constraint， heat， deficiency， stasis， and toxin" as the core pathogenesis. These phases correspond to the pathological progression of constraint of phlegm-dampness， constraint transforming into heat， heat damaging qi and yin， stasis accumulated in the collateral vessels， and toxin induced by deficiency and stasis. In the prevention and treatment of CKM by TCM， it is emphasized to integrate the concept of "treating disease before it arises" with constitution theory， and incorporate the "2-5-8" prevention and treatment strategy， which combines prevention with treatment， tailors interventions to different phases， and employs comprehensive treatment modalities. Our goal is to leverage TCM's holistic advantages in preventing and treating CKM.

Diabetes mellitus has the characteristics of chronic inflammatory diseases,often accompanied by intestinal flora disorders.Based on the TCM theory of"stomach exuberance and spleen deficiency",combined with modern medical research,this article explained the occurrence and development of diabetes mellitus from intestinal flora and inflammatory reaction.Diabetes mellitus was divided into three categories:stomach heat and deficiency of spleen yin,stomach heat and deficiency of spleen qi,and stomach heat and deficiency of spleen yang,and summarized the three methods of"clearing and draining heat,nourishing yin and moistening intestine","clearing dampness and heat,strengthening spleen and qi"and"clearing dampness and heat,strengthening spleen and warming yang",which could treat diabetes mellitus by improving intestinal flora disorder and reducing inflammatory reaction.

Objective:To investigate the association between abdominal fat-related indicators derived from quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and coronary artery calcification (CAC) in middle-aged and elderly individuals, as well as the diagnostic value of these indicators.Methods:This cross-sectional study enrolled middle-aged and elderly participants who underwent health check-ups at Kaifeng Central Hospital between January and December 2024. Participants were divided into a CAC group and a non-CAC group based on the presence or absence of CAC. The CAC group was then stratified into mild, moderate, and severe subgroups according to CAC severity. General clinical data were collected for all participants. All subjects underwent one-stop QCT scanning of the chest and abdomen. An automated abdominal fat analysis system was used to identify fat distribution regions. If accurate identification was not possible, a semi-automated segmentation algorithm combined with manual correction was applied instead. Two physicians performed the measurements independently, and inter-observer consistency was assessed. The average values were calculated to obtain visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA). The ratio of visceral fat area to subcutaneous fat area (VFA/SFA) was also computed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with CAC in middle-aged and elderly individuals. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of these indicators for CAC. DeLong′s test was used to compare the differences in the area under the curve ( AUC). Results:A total of 252 middle-aged and elderly individuals were included, with a median age of 61 (interquartile rang: 59, 69) years. Of these individuals, 188(74.6%) were males. Among them, 172 were classified into the CAC group and 80 into the non-CAC group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that VFA, VFA/SFA ratio, age, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), and hypertension were independently associated with CAC in middle-aged and elderly individuals (all P<0.05). The mild, moderate, and severe CAC subgroups comprised 78, 51, and 43 participants, respectively. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) demonstrated that VFA and VFA/SFA increased with CAC severity, and there were statistically significant differences between the subgroups (all P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the AUCs of VFA and VFA/SFA for diagnosing CAC were 0.841 and 0.810, respectively, with no significant difference between them ( P>0.05). The optimal cutoff values were 177.45 cm2 for VFA (sensitivity: 83.1%, specificity: 72.5%) and 1.592 for VFA/SFA (sensitivity: 65.7%, specificity: 83.7%). For the diagnosis of moderate-to-severe CAC, the AUCs of VFA and VFA/SFA were 0.765 and 0.761, respectively ( P>0.05 for comparison), with cutoff values of 231.75 cm2 (sensitivity: 61.7%, specificity: 83.3%) and 1.962 (sensitivity: 64.9%, specificity: 80.8%). Conclusion:Abdominal VFA and VFA/SFA derived from QCT are independently associated with the presence of CAC in middle-aged and elderly individuals, demonstrating good diagnostic performance for both overall CAC and moderate-to-severe CAC.

Objective:To explore the safety and efficacy of intraosseous regional administration (IORA) of vancomycin for preventing infection in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).Methods:A total of 124 patients with knee osteoarthritis undergoing TKA between February 2024 and May 2024 at nine hospitals were enrolled. Preoperative infection prophylaxis involved either IORA (0.5 g vancomycin administered via intraosseous regional infusion before incision) or intravenous infusion (1 g vancomycin via peripheral vein). The IORA group included 15 males and 47 females with a median age of 66.5 years (range, 60.0-70.0 years), while the intravenous group included 14 males and 48 females with a median age of 66.0 years (range, 61.8-70.3 years) years. Intraoperative samples were collected including fat and synovium tissues after incision, before prosthesis placement, and after tourniquet release; distal femoral cancellous bone during femoral osteotomy; proximal tibial cancellous bone during tibial osteotomy; proximal intercondylar cancellous bone before prosthesis placement; and peripheral blood from non-infused arms at surgery initiation and after tourniquet release. Vancomycin concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Vital sign changes were recorded from admission to 5~10 minutes post-IORA (IORA group) or post-incision (intravenous group). Follow-ups were conducted on postoperative day 1 and 3, and at 1 and 3 months, to document complications including IORA-related adverse events, periprosthetic joint infections, surgical site infections, red man syndrome, acute kidney injury, deep vein thrombosis and so on.Results:Vancomycin concentrations in bone, fat, and synovial tissue samples were significantly higher in the IORA group than in the intravenous group ( P<0.05), while vancomycin concentrations in blood samples were significantly lower in the IORA group than in the intravenous group ( P<0.05). Only 7.3%(41/558) of tissue samples in the IORA group had vancomycin concentrations below 2.0 μg/g (the minimum inhibitory concentration of vancomycin against coagulase-negative staphylococcus), compared to 59.3%(331/558) in the intravenous group (χ 2=11.285, P<0.001). In the intravenous group, 16.9%(21/124) of blood samples had vancomycin concentrations exceeding 15.0 mg/L (the threshold associated with a significantly increased risk of nephrotoxicity), while all concentrations in the IORA group were below this threshold, the difference was statistically significant (χ 2=22.943, P<0.001). There were no statistically significant difference ( P>0.05) in vital signs changes before and after vancomycin administration between the two groups. Two patients in the intravenous group experienced incision exudate, while no other related complications occurred in either group. Conclusions:Compared to the traditional intravenous infusion of 1 g vancomycin, intraosseous injection of a low dose (0.5 g) of vancomycin achieves higher local tissue concentrations in the knee joint with a lower incidence of adverse reactions and is safe for infection prophylaxis. Despite guidelines not recommending the routine use of vancomycin for preventing infection after primary TKA, intraosseous injection of 0.5 g vancomycin may be considered intraoperatively for primary TKA in the following scenarios: patients in medical institutions with a high prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, patients with potential preoperative MRSA colonization, or patients with cephalosporin allergy.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between membranous urethral length (MUL) and early urinary continence recovery after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 71 prostate cancer patients who underwent RARP by a single surgeon at the PLA General Hospital between January 2020 and December 2023. Patient characteristics included: age of (65.32±6.04) years, BMI (25.21 ± 2.59) kg/m 2, prostate volume 32.41 (24.75, 44.40) ml, PSA 11.67 (8.22, 22.66) ng/ml. Gleason score [6/7/8/9-10: 15 (21.2%)/29 (40.8%)/16 (22.5%)/11 (15.5%)], Clinical stage [cT 1/cT 2/cT 3: 4 (5.6%)/61 (85.9%)/6 (8.5%)]. Measured MUL using multiparametric prostate MRI, median MUL was 13.25 (10.41-14.99) mm. Neurovascular bundle (NVB) preservation in 13 (18.3%) cases. Patients were grouped based on continence recovery at 1 and 3 months post-catheter removal. Age, BMI, prostate volume, PSA, Gleason score, clinical stage, NVB preservation, pathological stage, catheter indwelling time, and MUL were compared between groups. Multivariate analysis identified independent predictors of continence recovery. Results:All 71 surgeries were successful, pathological stage [pT 2/pT 3-4: 47 (66.2%)/24 (33.8%)], and catheter indwelling time 2.7 (2.0, 3.0) weeks. Follow-up data at 2 months were available for 71 patients, at 1 month, 42 patients achieved continence (continence group) and 29 had incontinence (incontinence group).No significant differences were observed between continence and incontinence groups in age [(64.93±6.48)years vs. (65.79±5.89) years], BMI [(26.26±2.52)kg/m 2 vs. (24.52±2.42) kg/m 2], prostate volume [32.00 (24.12, 41.11)ml vs. 33.00 (25.27, 47.97) ml], PSA [12.55 (8.31, 24.00) ng/ml vs. 11.30 (7.92, 20.65) ng/ml], Gleason score [6/7/8/9-10: 6 (14.2%)/18 (42.9%)/12 (28.6%)/6 (14.3%) vs. 9 (31.0%)/11 (37.9%)/4 (13.8%)/5 (17.3%)], clinical stage [cT 1/cT 2/cT 3: 2 (4.8%)/35 (83.3%)/5 (11.9%) vs. 2 (6.9%)/26 (89.7%)/1 (3.4%)], NVB preservation [7 (16.7%) vs. 6 (20.7%)], pathological stage [pT 2/pT 3-4: 27 (64.3%)/15 (35.7%) vs. 20 (69.0%)/9 (31.0%)], or catheter indwelling time [2.6(2.0, 3.0) weeks vs. 2.9 (2.0, 3.4) weeks]. However, MUL was significantly longer in the continence group [13.77 (11.70, 15.32) mm vs. 10.32 (9.65, 13.57) mm, P<0.01]. Follow-up data at 3 months were available for 69 patients, At 3 months, 61 patients achieved continence (continence group) and 8 remained incontinent (incontinence group). No significant differences were observed in age [(64.89±6.25)years vs. (68.13±4.09) years], BMI [(25.34±2.64)kg/m 2 vs. (24.36±2.49) kg/m 2], prostate volume [32.41 (24.44, 44.16)ml vs. 36.13 (27.48, 48.26) ml], PSA [12.50 (8.28, 22.76)ng/ml vs. 13.34 (5.88, 23.39) ng/ml], Gleason score [6/7/8/9-10: 12 (19.7%)/25 (41.0%)/14 (23.0%)/10 (16.3%) vs. 3 (37.5%)/3 (37.5%)/2 (25.0%)/0], clinical stage [cT 1/cT 2/cT 3: 3 (4.9%)/52 (85.2%)/6 (9.8%) vs. 1 (12.5%)/7 (87.5%)/0], NVB preservation [9 (14.8%) vs. 3 (37.5%)], pathological stage [pT 2/pT 3-4: 41 (67.2%)/20 (32.8%) vs. 5 (62.5%)/9 (31.0%)], or catheter indwelling time [2.7(2.0, 3.0)weeks vs. 3.0 (2.3, 3.7) weeks]. MUL remained significantly longer in the continence group [13.57 (10.57, 15.10)mm vs. 10.12 (9.36, 10.42) mm, P=0.002]. Multivariate logistic regression incorporating age, BMI, prostate volume, MUL, NVB preservation, and catheter indwelling time identified MUL as an independent protective factor for continence recovery at both 1 month [ OR=0.62, 95 CI 0.49-0.79, P<0.01] and 3 months [ OR=0.61, 95 CI 0.41-0.92, P=0.017]. Conclusions:MUL is independently associated with early urinary continence recovery after RARP, serving as a protective predictor at both 1 and 3 months after catheter removal.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors for positive surgical margins（PSM）after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy（RARP），and to develop and validate a predictive nomogram.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological data of 874 prostate cancer patients who underwent RARP performed by a single surgeon at the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital between January 2012 and December 2018. Patients were divided into positive surgical margin（n=327）and negative surgical margin（n=547）groups based on postoperative margin status.The PSM group had significantly higher preoperative median tPSA［31.200（19.050，54.400）ng/ml vs. 15.050（9.840，27.590）ng/ml， P<0.01］，higher proportion of patients with PSAD>1 ng/ml 2［49.5%（162/327）vs. 21.2%（116/547）， P<0.01］，biopsy Gleason score ≥8［33.3%（109/327）vs. 21.2%（116/547）， P<0.01］，ISUP grade 4-5［33.3%（109/327）vs. 21.2%（116/547）， P<0.01］，clinical T stage ≥cT 3［11.3%（37/327）vs. 4.2%（23/547）， P<0.01］，and high-risk classification［82.3%（269/327）vs. 55.9%（306/547）， P<0.01］compared to the negative surgical margin group. Conversely，the PSM group had a lower prevalence of hypertension［29.7%（97/327）vs. 40.2%（220/547）， P=0.002］.Patients were randomly split into a training cohort（n=656，75%）and an internal validation cohort（n=218，25%）. An external validation cohort included 71 patients who underwent RARP by different surgeons between January 2014 and December 2016. No significant differences in baseline characteristics were observed between cohorts（ P>0.05）.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified independent predictors of PSM，which were incorporated into a nomogram. Predictive performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic（ROC）curves，decision curve analysis（DCA），and calibration curve. Internal and external validations were performed. Results:The PSM group had longer postoperative hospitalization［6（5，8）vs. 6（5，7）days， P=0.028］，higher rates of pathologic Gleason score ≥8［41.5%（115/277）vs. 24.9%（111/446）， P<0.01］，ISUP grade 4-5［41.5%（115/277）vs. 24.9%（111/446）， P<0.01］，pT 3 stage［52.3%（171/327）vs. 17.4%（95/547）， P<0.01］，pN 1 stage［12.8%（42/327）vs. 3.8%（21/547）， P<0.01］，extracapsular extension［52.3%（171/327）vs. 17.4%（95/547）， P<0.01］，and seminal vesicle invasion［34.6%（113/327）vs. 9.1%（50/547）， P<0.01］.Multivariate analysis identified elevated tPSA（ OR=1.014，95% CI 1.004—1.024，P=0.006）and PSAD ≥0.15 ng/（ml/g）（ OR=11.638，95% CI 1.450—93.396，P=0.021）as independent risk factors for PSM. The area under the ROC curve（AUC）of the nomogram constructed based on the above variables was 0.770（95% CI 0.735—0.805）. The AUC values for the internal and external validation sets were 0.698（95% CI 0.630—0.767）and 0.643（95% CI 0.513—0.774），respectively. The calibration curve demonstrated good agreement between the predicted and observed outcomes，and the DCA indicated that the predictive model has potential clinical utility in decision-making. Conclusion:tPSA and PSAD were identified as independent risk factors for PSM. The nomogram constructed based on these two independent predictive variables effectively predicted PSM after RARP.

Objective To explore the value of the corrected-size ratio(c-SR)value of intracranial volume computed tomography angiography(CTA)in predicting the risk of intracranial aneurysm rupture.Methods A total of 81 patients with aneurysms who had follow-up records were selected.Among them,39 patients with unruptured aneurysms and underwent regular follow-ups,while 9 patients with unruptured aneurysms opted for surgical intervention.Additionally,surgery was performed on 33 patients with ruptured aneu-rysms.Three-dimensional reconstruction of CTA was performed to obtain the morphological parameters of aneurysms.The initial size ratio(SR)value of aneurysm and the follow-up SR value or postoperative c-SR value were obtained.The changes in SR values of unruptured aneurysms were analyzed,the preoperative SR values and postoperative c-SR values of aneurysms were analyzed.Finally,the correla-tion between the intial SR value of unruptured aneurysms and the c-SR value of ruptured aneurysms was compared.Results No sig-nificant difference was observed between the initial SR value of unruptured aneurysms and the follow-up SR value(P>0.05).Simi-larly,no significant difference was noted between the preoperative SR value of unruptured aneurysms and the postoperative c-SR value(P>0.05).The preoperative SR value of ruptured aneurysms differed significantly from the postoperative c-SR value(P<0.05).There was a significant difference between the initial SR value of unruptured aneurysms and the postoperative c-SR value of ruptured aneurysms(P<0.05).The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was performed on the initial SR value of unrup-tured aneurysms and the postoperative c-SR value of ruptured aneurysms.The area under the curve(AUC)was 0.860 and the best cut-off value was 1.045.Conclusion Unruptured aneurysms remain stable for an extended period of time,exhibiting no significant change in morphological parameters.It can be concluded that surgical intervention does not affect the SR value of aneurysms.In the case of subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by ruptured aneurysms,the parent artery become thinner,then the preoperative SR value of ruptured aneurysms may be exaggerated,which results in the distortion of the preoperative SR value of ruptured aneurysms.However,the postoperative c-SR value is the true SR value before the rup-ture of aneurysms.