Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) represents a paradigmatic approach to personalized medicine, developed through the systematic accumulation and refinement of clinical empirical data over more than 2000 years, and now encompasses large-scale electronic medical records (EMR) and experimental molecular data. Artificial intelligence (AI) has demonstrated its utility in medicine through the development of various expert systems (e.g., MYCIN) since the 1970s. With the emergence of deep learning and large language models (LLMs), AI's potential in medicine shows considerable promise. Consequently, the integration of AI and TCM from both clinical and scientific perspectives presents a fundamental and promising research direction. This survey provides an insightful overview of TCM AI research, summarizing related research tasks from three perspectives: systems-level biological mechanism elucidation, real-world clinical evidence inference, and personalized clinical decision support. The review highlights representative AI methodologies alongside their applications in both TCM scientific inquiry and clinical practice. To critically assess the current state of the field, this work identifies major challenges and opportunities that constrain the development of robust research capabilities-particularly in the mechanistic understanding of TCM syndromes and herbal formulations, novel drug discovery, and the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered clinical care. The findings underscore that future advancements in AI-driven TCM research will rely on the development of high-quality, large-scale data repositories; the construction of comprehensive and domain-specific knowledge graphs (KGs); deeper insights into the biological mechanisms underpinning clinical efficacy; rigorous causal inference frameworks; and intelligent, personalized decision support systems.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Artificial Intelligence ; Humans ; Precision Medicine ; Decision Support Systems, Clinical

Objective:To investigate the application value of shear wave elastography (SWE) in the evaluation of T re-staging after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) for locally advanced rectal cancer.Methods:Clinical, endorectal ultrasound (ERUS) and SWE data of 271 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who underwent nCRT and total mesorectal excision in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital from October 2021 to March 2023 were prospectively collected. The independent predictors for low T staging were analyzed and screened, and the Logistic regression model was constructed. An independent test set was used to validate the prediction performance of the models and compare them with the diagnostic results of sonographers.Results:Binary multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that Emean of the mesentery around the lesion, thickness, and enlarged lymph nodes around the rectum were the independent predictors for low T staging, and the odds ratios were 1.089, 1.214, 0.183, respectively. The Logistic regression model A established by Emean, thickness and enlarged lymph nodes around the lesion and the Logistic regression model B established by Emean around the lesion had high diagnostic efficiencies (area under the ROC curve were 0.931, 0.918, respectively, the accuracy were 0.888 and 0.887, respectively). There was no significant difference in diagnostic accuracy between the two models ( P=1.000), and both models were significantly higher than that of sonographers (all P<0.001). Conclusions:SWE can effectively predict whether the tumor is of low T staging after nCRT in locally advanced rectal cancer, and can be used as an important supplement to ERUS in evaluating the T re-staging of rectal cancer after nCRT.

As a new strategy for the application of sacubitril/valsartan (LCZ696) in patients with CKD, much evidence showed that it improved the prognosis of patients with CKD. This review summarizes the efficacy and safety of sacubitril/valsartan in physiology, pathology, pharmacology and clinical application by searching Wanfang, CNKI, PubMed and other databases for related articles on the application of sacubitril/valsartan in CKD patients. Although LBQ657, the active product of sacubitril, has a high drug accumulation in patients with moderate, severe renal injury, and ESRD, it is not cleared in hemodialysis, and has very little eliminated in peritoneal dialysis, which does not affect its safety. Compared with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker drugs, LCZ696 could increase the blood pressure control rate, improve cardiac function, slow down the decline of glomerular filtration rate, and significantly improve cardiovascular outcomes without more adverse events. Sacubitril/valsartan can be used in all levels of CKD patients complicated with hypertension and/or heart failure, with reliable safety and tolerance.

Objective To investigate the relationship between circadian sleep-wake biorhythm and prognosis in patients with middle cerebral artery acute ischemic stroke.Methods A total of 71 patients with acute ischemic stroke of middle cerebral artery were selected as the case group,and 67 patients without acute ischemic stroke and cerebrovascular stenosis were selected as the control group.According to the modified Rankin score at discharge,patients with acute ischemic stroke were subdivided into the good prognosis group(53 cases)and the poor prognosis group(18 cases).General clinical data of patients were collected,and differences of circadian rhythm,daytime sleep-wake rhythm,nighttime sleep-wake rhythm and circadian sleep-wake rhythm indexes were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariate Logistic stepwise regression analysis was used to analyze prognostic factors of acute ischemic stroke in middle cerebral artery.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the predictive value of relevant variables.Results Age,male ratio,hypertension,diabetes,hyperlipidemia,smoking and drinking history were significantly higher in the case group than those in the control group.Daytime stability(IS)in the case group was lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).Daytime total sleep time,wake time after falling asleep,light sleep period,deep sleep period,non-rapid eye movement(NREM)sleep period,rapid eye movement(REM)sleep period and the proportion of deep sleep period,the proportion of REM sleep period were higher in the case group than those of the control group,while the REM sleep latency and the proportion of light sleep period were lower than those of the control group(P＜0.05).The total sleep time,wake time,light sleep period,NREM sleep period and REM sleep period were higher in the case group than those of control group,while the proportion of sleep latency and REM sleep period were lower than those of the control group(P＜0.05).The proportion of increased circadian sleep,increased daytime sleep and low sleep efficiency at night were higher in the case group than those of the control group(P＜0.05).Logistic stepwise regression analysis showed that daytime REM sleep was a prognistic factor in middle cerebral artery acute ischemic stroke.During daytime REM sleep,the area under ROC curve(AUC)was 0.705,the sensitivity was 0.811 and the specificity was 0.611.Conclusion After acute ischemic stroke of middle cerebral artery,the circadian sleep-wake rhythm is unbalanced,which is manifested as poor daytime stability,increased daytime sleep,increased circadian sleep and low sleep efficiency at night.Daytime REM sleep has predictive value for prognosis of acute ischemic stroke of middle cerebral artery.

Objective:To establish a new classification system for distal clavicle fracture and evaluate its clinical effectiveness.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 101 patients with distal clavicle fracture admitted to First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2015 to March 2022, including 57 males and 44 females, aged 19-86 years [(53.8±14.0)years]. Before treatment, patients were routinely subjected to bilateral anteroposterior radiography of the shoulder joints to measure the length of the fractured fragments, coracoclavicular distance, and acromioclavicular distance. According to the correlation between the location of the fracture line and the insertion of the coracoclavicular ligament, distal clavicle fracture was divided into three types: type I, with the fracture line lateral to the coracoclavicular ligament region; type II, with the fracture line in the coracoclavicular ligament region; type III, with the fracture line medial to the coracoclavicular ligament region. According to the injury severity of the coracoclavicular ligament and acromioclavicular ligament, type I was further subdivided into type IA, IB, IC and ID, and type II fracture was further subdivided into type IIA, IIB, IIC, IID and IIE. All the 101 patients were classified and randomly reclassified at an interval of 3 months by 10 senior and 10 junior shoulder surgeons according to the new classification method. Kappa coefficients were used to evaluate the inter- and intra-observer consistency of the new classification. Fifty-two patients with stable fracture (types IA, IB, IIC, and IID) were treated non-surgically, while 49 patients with unstable fracture (types IC, ID, IIA, IIB, IIE, and III) were treated surgically, including 26 patients with anatomic coracoclavicular ligament reconstruction, 9 with locking plate fixation, 8 with clavicle hook plate fixation, 4 with anatomic coracoclavicular ligament reconstruction combined with locking plate fixation, and 2 with anatomic coracoclavicular ligament reconstruction combined with tension screw fixation. The patients were assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Constant-Murley shoulder score before treatment and at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after treatment. The coracoclavicular distance and acromioclavicular distance on the anteroposterior radiographs of the healthy and affected shoulder joints were measured at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after treatment, and fracture healing time and complications were observed.Results:The length of the fractured fragments was 12.9 (9.7, 17.6)mm in patients with type I fracture, 24.7 (21.8, 27.8)mm in patients with type II fracture, and 43.6 (41.2, 46.9)mm in patients with type III fracture ( P<0.01). There were no significant differences in the coracoclavicular distance and acromioclavicular distance of the affected and healthy shoulders among the patients with types IA, IB, IIC, IID, and III fracture ( P>0.05); For the patients with types IC, IIA, IIB and IIE fracture, the coracoclavicular distance of the affected shoulder was significantly increased compared with that of the healthy shoulder ( P<0.01), while there was no significant difference in the acromioclavicular distance of the affected and healthy shoulders ( P>0.05). Both of the inter- and intra-observer consistency of the new classification was good. The inter- and intra-observer Kappa values were 0.69 and 0.71 respectively among the senior shoulder surgeons, and 0.61 and 0.64 respectively among the junior shoulder surgeons. All the patients were followed up for 18-104 months [28(23, 32)months]. At 3, 6, 12 and 18 months after treatment, the VAS scores of non-surgical patients were 3(2, 3)points, 2(1, 2)points, 1(0, 1)points and 0(0, 1)points respectively, significantly decreased compared with 6(5, 6)points before treatment ( P<0.01); the VAS scores of surgical patients were 3(2, 3)points, 2(1, 2)points, 1(1, 1)points and 0(0, 1)points respectively, significantly decreased compared with 6(5, 7)points before treatment ( P<0.01); the Constant-Murley shoulder scores of non-surgical patients were (76.6±5.3)points, (84.3±5.0)points, (88.4±4.0)points and (91.9±3.8)points respectively, significantly higher than (42.7±5.2)points before treatment ( P<0.01); the Constant-Murley shoulder scores of surgical patients were (77.4±4.6)points, (84.4±4.7)points, (87.6±3.7)points and (91.7±4.0)points respectively, significantly higher than (42.8±5.3)points before treatment ( P<0.01). At 3, 6, 12 and 18 months after treatment, the coracoclavicular distance of the affected shoulder in non-surgical patients was not significantly different from that before treatment ( P>0.05), while the acromioclavicular distance of the affected shoulder in surgical patients was significantly reduced compared with that before treatment ( P<0.01). There were no significant differences in the coracoclavicular distance of the healthy shoulder or bilateral acromioclavicular distance in non-surgical and surgical patients at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after treatment compared with those before treatment ( P>0.05). Fractures were healed within 12 months after treatment in all the patients, without dislocation or subluxation of the acromioclavicular joint, internal fixation failure or internal fixator breakage. Eight patients treated with clavicular hook plate fixation had shoulder pain associated with limited mobility after operation, and all underwent a second operation to remove the clavicular hook plate at 12 months after operation. Conclusions:The new classification system for distal clavicle fracture is established, which comprehensively considers the position of the fracture line, injury of the coracoclavicular and acromioclavicular ligaments, and fracture stability. The new classification system exhibits good inter- and intra- observer consistency, and the effectiveness of its preliminary clinical application is satisfactory.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of acetabular magic hook plates versus quadrilateral area combined plates in treating complicated acetabular fractures.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 44 cases of complicated acetabular fractures treated at the Department of Orthopaedics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, from June 2017 to August 2022. Among these cases, 21 were treated with magic hook plate internal fixation (hook plate group) and 23 with quadrilateral area combined plate internal fixation (combined plate group). In the hook plate group, there were 15 males and 6 females, with an average age of 43.1±11.8 years. According to the Letournel-Judet classification, there were 13 double-column fractures, 5 anterior column with posterior semi-transverse fractures, and 3 T-type fractures. Additionally, 8 cases were classified as B2.2 type, 5 as C1 type, 4 as C2 type, and 4 as C3 type; 15 cases were APQ1 type and 6 were APQ2 type. In the combined plate group, there were 16 males and 7 females, with an average age of 41.7±12.8 years. This group included 15 double-column fractures, 6 anterior column with posterior semi-transverse fractures, and 2 T-type fractures. Additionally, there were 8 cases of B2.2 type, 6 cases of C1 type, 4 cases of C2 type, and 5 cases of C3 type; 15 cases were APQ1 type and 8 were APQ2 type. Comparative analyses included operative time, intraoperative blood loss, fracture healing time, Matta standard assessment, modified Merle d'Aubign-Postel scores, and postoperative complications.Results:All 44 patients were followed up for 10 to 24 months, with an average follow-up of 14 months. The acetabular fractures healed in all cases. The healing time was 3.6±0.9 months for the hook plate group and 3.7±0.9 months for the combined plate group, with no significant difference between the groups ( t=0.549, P=0.586). The hook plate group had an operative time of 138.3±30.7 minutes and intraoperative blood loss of 735.7±159.8 ml, compared to 163.9±48.7 minutes and 843.5±181.1 ml, respectively, in the combined plate group, both of which were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The reduction quality was excellent in 13 cases, good in 5 cases, and poor in 3 cases in the hook plate group, with an excellent and good rate of 86% (18/21). In the combined plate group, the reduction quality was excellent in 13 cases, good in 6 cases, and poor in 4 cases, with an excellent and good rate of 83% (19/23), showing no significant difference between the groups (χ 2=0.143, P=0.931). The modified Merle d'Aubign Postel scores of the hook plate group were 13.8±2.2 points, 15.3±2.5 points and 16.7±1.8 points at 3 months, 6 months and the last follow-up, respectively, and the combined plate group were 13.1±1.9 points, 14.6±2.1 points and 16.4±2.0 points, respectively ( P>0.05). However, both groups showed statistically significant improvements in hip function over time ( F=9.658, P<0.001; F=16.195, P<0.001). Wound fat liquefaction and lateral femoral cutaneous nerve injury occurred in one case each in both groups. In the combined plate group, there were 3 cases of incision fat liquefaction, 2 cases of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve injury, and 1 case of traumatic hip arthritis. No other complications such as incision infection, iliac vascular injury, or loss of internal fixation were observed in either group. Conclusion:Both magic hook plate fixation and quadrilateral area combined plate fixation are safe and effective for treating complex acetabular fractures. However, magic hook plate fixation offers advantages in reducing operative time and intraoperative blood loss, thereby simplifying and enhancing the safety of the procedure.

Objective:To delineate the clinical characteristics and outcomes associated with severe cardiac toxicity during the preconditioning phase of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in patients with aplastic anemia (AA).Methods:This retrospective case series study included 31 patients with severe AA who underwent allo-HSCT and were diagnosed with severe cardiac toxicity at the Hematology Department of Peking University People′s Hospital from August 2012 to June 2022. The clinical manifestations of severe cardiac toxicity observed during the preconditioning process were assessed. Patient survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method.Results:In this cohort of 31 patients, the median follow-up period was 9 days (range: 4-365 days). Severe cardiac toxicity manifested within 6 days after the initial cyclophosphamide (Cy) administration. Twenty patients died within 30 days of initiating Cy preconditioning, of which 16 patients died due to severe cardiac toxicity within 25 days. Patients whose cardiac function improved within 30 days post-preconditioning showed a median survival duration of 222 days ( n=11). Troponin I (TNI) levels in patients who died within 30 days of initiating Cy preconditioning began increasing on day 5 post-Cy, peaking sharply by day 9 after a notable rise on day 8. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in patients who died within 30 days of initiating Cy preconditioning started to rise from day 1, stabilized between days 2 and 5, and then doubled daily from days 6 to 8, remaining elevated thereafter. Notably, the initial increases in BNP and TNI correlated with electrocardiogram (ECG) signs of low voltage and T-wave inversion in 83.87% of cases ( n=26). Most patients ( n=28, 90.32%) were administered corticosteroid therapy. In those with restored cardiac function, the ejection fraction returned to >50% within 30 days of initiating Cy preconditioning. Conclusions:Patients with severe cardiac toxicity during the preconditioning phase of allo-HSCT typically exhibit early, sustained, and marked elevations in myocardial damage markers, including BNP and TNI, accompanied by ECG abnormalities following Cy administration, with BNP often increasing first. These indicators are associated with rapid disease progression and high mortality. Prompt initiation of treatment upon clinical diagnosis is critical for improving survival outcomes.

Necrotizing otitis externa is a progressive infectious disease involving the external auditory canal and even the skull base, which can lead to serious complications and even death if not treated in time. In this paper, the latest advances in etiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment were reviewed based on previous literature, providing reference for clinical diagnosis, treatment and future research.
Humans ; Otitis Externa/therapy* ; Skull Base/pathology* ; Ear Canal/pathology* ; Head

Biliary atresia is a rare infant disease that predisposes patients to liver transplantation and death if not treated in time. However, early diagnosis is challenging because the clinical manifestations and laboratory tests of biliary atresia overlap with other cholestatic diseases. Therefore, it is very important to develop a simple, safe and reliable method for the early diagnosis of biliary atresia. Herein, a novel NIR-II fluorescence probe, HZL2, with high quantum yield, excellent biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity and rapid excretion through the liver and gallbladder was developed based on the oil/water partition coefficient and permeability. A simple fecal sample after injection of HZL2 can be used to efficiently identify the success of the mouse model of biliary atresia for the first time, allowing for an early diagnosis of the disease. This study not only developed a simple and safe method for the early diagnosis of biliary atresia with great potential in clinical translation but also provides a research tool for the development of pathogenesis and therapeutic medicines for biliary atresia.

Objective:To investigate the expression level of serum microRNA-122-5p (miR-122-5p) in elderly patients with chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) and its correlation with inflammatory factors and disease severity.Methods:A total of 120 CAG patients admitted to our hospital from Dec. 2019 to Dec. 2021 were selected as as the experimental group. According to the gastric mucosa pathological score, the patients were grouped into 58 cases with normal condition and 62 cases with severe condition. Another 105 patients with chronic non-atrophic gastritis during the same period were included as the control group. The expression level of serum miR-122-5p was detected by qRT-PCR, the level of serum hs-CRP was detected by immunoturbidimetry, the levels of serum TNF-α and IL-6 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the correlation of serum miR-122-5p expression level with hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-α and disease severity in CAG patients was analyzed by Pearson method. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of affecting CAG.Results:There were no significant differences in gender, age, or the proportion of patients with smoking history between the CAG group and the control group ( P>0.05). The proportions of drinking and Hp positive patients in the CAG group were 52.50% and 62.50%, which were significantly higher than those in the control group (25.71%, 43.80%) ( P<0.05) ; The serum levels of miR-122-5p, hs-CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α in the CAG group were (2.31±0.42), (24.89±4.56) mg/L, (39.26±7.68) ng/mL, and (85.42±9.65) pg/ml, respectively, which were significantly higher than the control group [ (1.05±0.12), (16.54±3.85) mg/L, (22.39±5.21) ng/ml, (862.34±7.46) pg/ml] ( P<0.05) ; Serum hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-αlevels, miR-122-5p expression levels, Hp positive infection rate and pathological score in patients with severe CAG disease were (28.14±3.21) mg/L, (44.55±5.73) ng/ml, (93.42±8.81) pg/ml, 2.74±0.30, 72.58%, (4.30±1.20) points, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of patients with normal disease [ (21.42±3.67) mg/L, (33.61±5.54) ng/ml, (76.87±7.59) pg/mL, 1.85±0.36, 51.72%, (1.60±0.30) points] ( P<0.05) ; correlation analysis showed that serum miR-122-5p expression level in CAG patients was positively correlated with hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-α and disease severity ( r=0.475, 0.453, 0.505, 0.563, P<0.001). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that Hp positive infection ( OR=2.527, 95% CI=1.125-5.678), miR-122-5p ( OR=2.323, 95% CI=1.341-4.025) were independent risk factors for CAG ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:The expression level of serum miR-122-5p in elderly patients with CAG is increased, which is related to serum inflammatory factors, disease severity and Hp infection, and may be a marker for the diagnosis of CAG.