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 recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rhTSH) can be used for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) preparation before ¹³¹I therapy, and follow-up. Since its approval by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998, rhTSH has been clinically used in European countries, the United States, and other countries for nearly 30 years. In April 2024, China’s first independently developed rhTSH agent was approved. Based on clinical experience and evidence from domestic and international studies, an expert consensus on the application of rhTSH has been developed following thorough consultations among experts. The consensus offers evidence-based recommendations to guide the appropriate use of rhTSH in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of Xujiang Xie's bloodletting therapy combined with Qingyan Lige decoction on acute pharyngitis with lung-stomach heat accumulation. METHODS: A total of 88 patients with acute pharyngitis of lung-stomach heat accumulation were randomly divided into an observation group (44 cases, 4 cases dropped out) and a control group (44 cases, 4 cases dropped out). The control group was treated with oral Qingyan Lige decoction, 150 mL each time, twice a day for 6 continuous days. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, Xujiang Xie's bloodletting therapy was applied at bilateral Shaoshang (LU11), Shangyang (LI1), and Erjian (EX-HN6) in the observation group, 0.1-0.5 mL of bloodletting per site, once every other day for 3 times in total. The TCM symptom and sign score, complete blood count (white blood cell [WBC] count, neutrophilic granulocyte percentage [NE%]), inflammation indexes (serum levels of C-reactive protein[CRP], interleukin[IL]-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α) and immune indexes (？？, ？？, ？？) of the two groups were observed before treatment and after 6 days of treatment, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated. RESULTS: After 6 days of treatment, the sore throat scores, redness and swelling scores of pharyngeal mucosa and uvula, pharyngeal dry and burning scores, hyperemia scores of posterior pharyngeal lymphoid follicles, chill and fever scores, total scores of TCM symptom and sign, WBC count, NE%, CRP, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and ？？ in both groups were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), the above indexes in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05, P<0.001). After 6 days of treatment, the levels of ？？ and ？？ in both groups were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the above indexes in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.001). The total effective rate of the observation group was 95.0% (38/40), which was higher than 90.0% (36/40) in the control group (P<0.001). CONCLUSION Xujiang Xie's bloodletting therapy combined with Qingyan Lige decoction could improve the symptoms in patients with acute pharyngitis of lung-stomach heat accumulation, inhibit inflammatory response and improve immune function.
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Female ; Pharyngitis/drug therapy* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Bloodletting ; Young Adult ; Lung/drug effects* ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Interleukin-6 ; Adolescent ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Acute Disease/therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

With the prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome， metabolic associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） has become one of the most common chronic liver diseases in China and globally. Traditional diagnostic and monitoring methods rely on liver biopsy， imaging techniques， and serological markers， and their application is limited by invasiveness， high costs， and insufficient sensitivity. In recent years， the rapid development of artificial intelligence （AI） technology in the medical field has provided new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of MAFLD. This article explores the application of AI technology in areas such as models for the diagnosis of MAFLD， the prediction of disease progression， and digital therapeutics， in order to provide a reference for the diagnosis and management of MAFLD.

Obesity, as a chronic recurrent disease, has become a major public health challenge in China. To implement the requirements of the Healthy China Initiative (2019—2030), under domestic guidelines or consensus statements on overweight and obesity, and in alignment with the latest scientific advances globally, the Quality control protocol for adult overweight and obesity screening in health management (examination) institutions (2025 edition) was developed. This protocol was drafted by the Health Management Center of Shanghai Changzheng Hospital and formulated through multiple rounds of deliberation by experts in China’s health examination quality control field. The protocol establishes unified standards for screening facilities, personnel qualifications, and measurement or testing procedures. It defines specific screening items, outlines a standardized screening pathway, and sets requirements for the final medical review, ensuring the scientific validity, effectiveness, and safety of the screening process. The implementation of this protocol will enhance the consistency of weight management practices for adults across health examination institutions and strengthen the quality control of overweight and obesity screening programs.

Since 2020, the international community has successively proposed new nomenclatures for metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). In 2024, the Chinese Society of Hepatology updated and published the Guideline for the prevention and treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated (non-alcoholic) fatty liver disease (version 2024). This review deeply analyzes the differences between MASLD and MAFLD in terms of concept, definition framework, and clinical management. On this basis, it provides an in-depth interpretation of the updated highlights and features of the working definition in the 2024 updated Chinese guideline.