To explore the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and integrative TCM-Western medicine approaches in the treatment of diabetic microvascular complications （DMC）， refine key pathophysiological insights and treatment principles， and promote academic innovation and strategic research planning in the prevention and treatment of DMC. The 38th session of the Expert Salon on Diseases Responding Specifically to Traditional Chinese Medicine， hosted by the China Association of Chinese Medicine， was held in Beijing， 2024. Experts in TCM， Western medicine， and interdisciplinary fields convened to conduct a systematic discussion on the pathogenesis， diagnostic and treatment challenges， and mechanism research related to DMC， ultimately forming a consensus on key directions. Four major research recommendations were proposed. The first is addressing clinical bottlenecks in the prevention and control of DMC by optimizing TCM-based evidence evaluation systems. The second is refining TCM core pathogenesis across DMC stages and establishing corresponding "disease-pattern-time" framework. The third is innovating mechanism research strategies to facilitate a shift from holistic regulation to targeted intervention in TCM. The fourth is advancing interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance the role of TCM in new drug development， research prioritization， and guideline formulation. TCM and integrative approaches offer distinct advantages in managing DMC. With a focus on the diseases responding specifically to TCM， strengthening evidence-based support and mechanism interpretation and promoting the integration of clinical care and research innovation will provide strong momentum for the modernization of TCM and the advancement of national health strategies.

Background and aims The mechanism of cholestatic liver injury (CLI) is unclear, and effective therapies are lacking. While peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) agonists show potential hepatoprotective effect and pyroptosis is implicated in hepatocellular damage, how PPARα activation mitigates lithocholic acid (LCA)-induced pyroptosis remains unknown. Methods The hepatoprotective effect of PPARα agonists was evaluated in a mouse model of intrahepatic cholestasis induced by LCA. Liver injury was assessed via serum biochemistry, hematoxylin and eosin and TUNEL staining, and electron microscopy. Pyroptosis pathways were analyzed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and co-immunoprecipitation. Results Combined morphological, histopathological, and biochemical analyses confirmed that PPARα activation protects against CLI. Compared with LCA treatment alone, PPARα activation significantly attenuated the elevation of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), the increased TUNEL-positive cells, and the formation of hepatocyte membrane pores. Mechanistically, PPARα activation suppressed both NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis and apoptosis protease-activating factor-1 (APAF-1)/CASPASE-3/GSDME-mediated pyroptosis. Furthermore, PPARα agonist pretreatment inhibited activation of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) signaling pathways. Conclusions PPARα protects against LCA-induced CLI by inhibiting both NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis associated with NF-κB and APAF-1/CASPASE-3/GSDME-mediated pyroptosis associated with the FOXO1 signaling pathway.

[Objective] To compare the diagnostic accuracy of three imaging modalities, inlducing CT urography (CTU), contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI), and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the qualitative diagnosis of renal space-occupying lesions. [Methods] A retrospective analysis was performed on 542 patients with renal lesions confirmed by surgical pathology in our hospital during Jan.2019 and May 2024.The diagnostic results of CTU, CE-MRI and CEUS were compared and analyzed based on the patients' clinical and pathological data. [Results] The diagnostic accuracy rate of CTU, CE-MRI and CEUS were 84.50%, 83.14% and 86.14%, respectively.For the 161 patients who underwent all three examinations, CEUS was significantly more accurate than CTU (84.16% vs. 77.02%, P=0.018), while there was no significant difference between CTU or CEUS and CE-MRI (79.81%) (P>0.05). Further analysis found that for lesions ≤4 cm, the accuracy of the three examinations was as follows: CEUS=CTU 79.55%, CE-MRI 76.14%, with no significant difference (P>0.05). However, for lesions >4 cm, CEUS ranked the first, followed by CE-MRI and CTU (89.73% vs. 84.25% vs. 73.97%), and CEUS and CE-MRI were better than CTU (P<0.05). Additionally, for the diagnosis of clear cell renal carcinoma and benign renal space-occupying lesions, there was no statistically significant difference among the three imaging modalities (P>0.05), while for the qualitative diagnosis of non-clear cell renal carcinoma, CEUS ranked the first, followed by CE-MRI and CTU (83.87% vs. 74.19% vs. 56.45%), and CE-MRI and CEUS were better than CTU (P<0.05). [Conclusion] All of them have important diagnostic value, and the appropriate selection should be based on patients' specifc conditions.CEUS and CE-MRI are more accurate in the qualitative diagnosis of renal space-occupying lesions than CTU, especially for large lesions and non-clear cell carcinoma.

Objective To investigate the potential value of a deep learning(DL)model based on non-contrast CT images in predicting contrast medium extravasation in contrast-enhanced CT scans of tumor patients.Methods A total of 298 tumor patients were retrospectively selected,including 90 patients with extravasation and 208 without extravasation,and divided into training set(207 patients),validation set(46 patients),and external test set(45 patients)in a ratio of 7︰1.5︰1.5.U-Net was employed to segment the right common carotid artery/internal jugular vein and right subclavian artery/vein in non-contrast CT images,and ResNet50 was utilized to extract imaging features to construct the DL model,which was subsequently integrated with independent clinical predictors to establish the combined model.The segmentation performance of the DL model was evaluated using Dice similarity coefficient(DSC)and Intersection over Union(IoU),while the area under the curve(AUC),accuracy,sensitivity,and specificity of the model were calculated.Results The DL model demonstrated superior vascular segmentation(DSC 0.81-0.95,IoU 0.79-0.90).The combined model achieved optimal predictive performance,with AUC of 0.961[95%confidence interval(CI)0.924-0.983],0.949(95%CI 0.840-0.992),and 0.891(95%CI 0.762-0.964)in the training,validation,and external test sets,respectively.Its accuracy,sensitivity,and specificity were consistently higher than those of the standalone clinical model.Conclusion The DL model based on non-contrast CT images shows significant potential value in predicting contrast medium extravasation risk in tumor patients,providing an objective and intelligent tool for clinical risk assessment.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of compound sabal berry tablets on overactive bladder symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia after transurethral laser enucleation of the prostate.Methods:This study was a prospective study. Eighty patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia who underwent laser enucleation at Tongliao People's Hospital from January 2024 to December 2024 were included in this study. The patients were randomly divided into a study group and a control group using the random number table method, with 40 patients per group. The control group received 0.2 mg of tolterodine tartrate tablets twice a day after surgery. The study group was given compound sabal berry tablets (0.5 g orally three times a day) in addition to the treatment provided to the control group. Both groups of patients were treated for 4 weeks after surgery. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared, including the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS), Maximum Postoperative Urinary Flow Rate (Qmax), Post-Void Residual (PVR), and the incidence of postoperative bladder irritative symptoms.Results:The differences in the preoperative indicators, including IPSS, OABSS, Qmax, and PVR, between the two groups were not statistically significant (all P > 0.05). Preoperatively, in the control group, Qmax was (8.64 ± 2.83) mL/s, IPSS was (25.10 ± 4.37), OABSS was (10.52 ± 1.87), and PVR was (80.70 ± 6.34) mL; in the study group, the respective values were (9.12 ± 2.95) mL/s, (24.60 ± 4.53), (10.83 ± 1.73), and (80.10 ± 5.61) mL. Postoperatively, in the control group, Qmax was (20.30 ± 3.65) mL/s, IPSS was (8.50 ± 1.58), OABSS was (4.09 ± 0.52), and PVR was (9.70 ± 2.48) mL, while in the study group, the respective values were (21.40 ± 4.38) mL/s, (7.40 ± 1.76), (1.71 ± 0.36), and (9.00 ± 1.75) mL. Postoperatively, both groups showed a significant increase in Qmax, while IPSS, OABSS, and PVR all significantly decreased (all P < 0.05). Postoperatively, the IPSS and OABSS in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( t = -3.28, -25.89, both P < 0.05). However, there were no statistically significant differences in Qmax and PVR between the two groups (both P > 0.05). The incidence of bladder irritative symptoms in the study group [12.50% (5/40)] was significantly lower than that in the control group [35.00% (14/40), χ2 = 8.64, P < 0.05]. Conclusions:Compound sabal berry tablets can reduce postoperative prostate symptoms and overactive bladder symptoms in patients undergoing transurethral laser enucleation of the prostate for benign prostatic hyperplasia, demonstrating a certain clinical efficacy.

Enhancer of zeste homolog 2(EZH2)is a histone methyltransferase It mediates trimethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3,thereby facilitating the epigenetic silencing of downstream genes.In conjunc-tion with SUZ12,EED,and other components,it constitutes the polycomb repressive complex 2(PRC2)complex.While EZH2 is intricately involved in cellular proliferation and cardiac development,the chan-ges in its expression during cardiac terminal differentiation remain elusive.In this study,we employed differential gene expression analysis of embryonic and adult myocardial cells using the GEO database,and found that EZH2 is highly expressed in embryonic myocardium,but is present at very low levels in adult myocardium(P＜0.0001).Conversely,the expression changes of PRC2 members SUZ12 and EED are not as pronounced.Online analysis through the Tabula Muris database indicates that under physiological conditions,various cell subpopulations in the adult mouse heart exhibit negligible expression of EZH2.Immunohistochemical staining of mouse cardiac tissues shows that EZH2 is highly expressed in embryonic and neonatal myocardium but declines progressively from the first day after birth(P＜0.0001),becoming almost undetectable by the third day.Western blotting further confirms the rapid disappearance of EZH2 expression post-birth(P＜0.05),with EZH1 compensating for the downregulation of EZH2 to maintain H3K27me3 modification levels.Additionally,using the P19 teratocarcinoma stem cell model for cardio-myocyte differentiation,it is observed that EZH2 is significantly upregulated during the transition from cardiac progenitor cells to spontaneously beating cardiomyocytes,correlating with the expression of the cardiomyocyte transcription factor Gata4(P＜0.01).Targeted degradation of EZH2 using the small mole-cule drug MS1943 significantly inhibits the proliferation of induced cardiomyocytes,as evidenced by 5-e-thynyl-2'-deoxyuridine(EdU)incorporation assays(P＜0.01),and RT-qPCR reveals a marked in-crease in the expression of the proliferation inhibitor CDKN1A(P＜0.01).In summary,the high expres-sion of EZH2 in embryonic myocardial cells is associated with enhanced cell proliferation.The rapid loss of EZH2 expression postnatally correlates with the loss of proliferative capacity in cardiomyocytes,mark-ing it as a key indicator of cardiac terminal differentiation.

Objective To investigate extended high-frequency hearing in young adults and to analyse its char-acteristics.Methods A total of 230 freshmen(101 males and 129 females,aged 17-19 years old)from the class of 2023 at the Air Force Medical University underwent audiometric tests,including acoustic impedance,conventional frequency and extended high-frequency audiometry,and distortion product otoacoustic emissions(DPOAE).Ac-cording to the results of extended high-frequency audiometry,the students were divided into normal and abnormal groups,and the hearing thresholds at conventional frequencies were compared between the two groups.Results Of the 230 students,47.83％(110/230)showed abnormal extended high-frequency hearing.The hearing thresholds of the right ear were 1 to 3 dB higher than those of the left ear at most frequencies.The hearing thresholds of the ab-normal group were higher than those of the normal group in the conventional frequencies(P＜0.05).The difference in extended high-frequency thresholds between the two groups increased with higher frequency.Conclusion Ex-tended high-frequency hearing loss occurs earlier,and has a higher prevalence in young adults,and right ear hearing is worse than that of left ear.Extended high-frequency audiometry can be used as a predictive tool for detecting con-ventional frequency hearing loss.

Objective:To construct a comprehensive performance evaluation index system based on diagnosis related groups(DRG) and analyze the overall performance of a hospital before and after the implementation of DRG payment using an improved radar chart method.Methods:A literature analysis method was employed to preliminarily determine the performance evaluation framework in combination with the actual situation of the hospital. Subsequently, the Delphi method was used to establish a comprehensive performance evaluation index system based on DRG. Data related to inpatients from 2019 to 2022 (with 2019 being the period before the implementation of DRG payment) were extracted from the hospital information system and medical insurance system of a tertiary general hospital in Liaoning Province. The improved radar chart method was then utilized to conduct a comprehensive performance evaluation of the hospital.Results:The comprehensive performance evaluation index system based on DRG included five first-level indicators (service capacity, service efficiency, medical quality, medical safety, and revenue and costs) and 19 second-level indicators. The weights of medical quality and medical safety were the highest, both at 0.212. The evaluation results using the improved radar chart method showed that the comprehensive performance values of the hospital from 2019 to 2022 were 0.427 0, 0.463 3, 0.505 2, and 0.545 0, respectively. Overall, the five first-level indicators showed an improving trend, but the development of service capacity, service efficiency, medical quality, and revenue and costs was more balanced compared with medical safety.Conclusions:With the implementation of DRG payment reform, the performance of the hospital has improved and was trending towards more balanced development. The evaluation index system constructed in this study is scientifically sound and feasible. Combined with the improved radar chart method, it can more intuitively reflect changes in hospital performance and can serve as a reference for performance evaluation in public hospitals.

Objective To analyze the imaging features of cerebral small vessel disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus by multimodal MRI.Methods The clinical data of 160 patients with cerebral small vessel disease admitted to our hospital from January to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.According to whether they were complicated with type 2 diabetes mellitus,they were divided into the diabetic group and the non-diabetic group,with 80 cases in each group.Both groups underwent multimodal MRI scans.And the severity of lacunar infarction,the severity of subcortical and periventricular white matter lesions,white matter integral and cerebral microbleeds of patients in the two groups were compared.Results The severity of lacunar infarction(χ2=34.076,P=0.001),subcortical white matter lesions(χ2=25.000,P=0.001),periventricular white matter lesions(χ2=22.895,P=0.001)and white matter integral(t=12.370,P=0.001)of patients in the diabetic group were significantly higher than those in the non-diabetic group.No cerebral microbleeds were detected in either group of patients.Conclusion Patients with cerebral small vessel disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus show characteristic multimodal MRI changes.The increase in the number of lacunar infarction lesions and the aggravation of white matter lesions can be used as the characteristic imaging basis for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus related cerebral small vessel disease.

Objective To develop and validate a fast Monte Carlo(MC)-based patient-specific quality assurance(PSQA)tool using the treatment log files that is suitable to be used in the online adaptive radiotherapy for pencil beam scanning proton therapy(PBSPT-ART).Methods The proposed tool first used the delivery log file of a PBSPT plan to reversely reconstruct the PBSPT(rPBSPT)plan,and then used an in-house developed graphic processing unit(GPU)-accelerated virtual particle MC(VPMC)dose engine to calculate the dose distribution of the rPBSPT plan.The rPBSPT dose calculated by VPMC was then compared to the rPBSPT dose calculated by another independent MC dose engine(MCsquare),using 3D gamma analysis to verify the accuracy of VPMC calculation.As a demonstration of the feasibility of developed log file-based PSQA,the VPMC calculated dose of the rPBSPT plan was compared to the pre-delivery second check dose of the corresponding PBSPT plan calculated by MCsquare,using 3D gamma analysis.3D gamma analysis employes a criterion of 2 mm/2%/10%.Twenty patients with different disease sites were representatively selected to validate the efficiency and accuracy of the tool.Results The average calculation time of a rPBSPT plan by VPMC was(5.88±4.00)s in the accuracy verification.Compared to MCsquare,the passing rate of the 3D gamma analysis was 99.47%±0.72%.In the proposed PSQA tool demonstration,the passing rate of comparing the VPMC calculated rPBSPT dose to MCsquare calculated second check dose of the corresponding PBSPT plan was 98.91%±0.92%.Conclusion The accuracy and efficiency of the tool can meet the requirements of PSQA in the online PBSPT-ART workflow.