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.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Tianma Goutengyin on the tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）/α1-antichymotrypsin C-terminal tail fragment （α1ACT） signaling pathway and A1-type astrocytes in a rat model of vascular dementia. MethodsSeventy-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups （n=12 per group）： Sham-operated group， model group， Tianma Goutengyin high-， medium-， and low-dose groups （5.13， 10.26， and 20.52 g·kg^-1）， and a nimodipine group （8.1 mg·kg^-1）. The vascular dementia model was established by permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion， followed by 4 weeks of intervention. Learning and memory ability were evaluated using the novel object recognition test， and behavioral performance was assessed using the forced swimming test. Levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6） and C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 （CCL2） in hippocampal tissue were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Hippocampal neuronal morphology was observed by Nissl staining， and apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling （TUNEL）. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect positive expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）， glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP）， and myelin basic protein （MBP）. Western blot analysis was performed to measure the protein expression levels of TNF-α， TNF receptor 1 （TNFR1）， phosphorylated STAT3 （p-STAT3）， α1ACT， IL-6， complement component 3 （C3）， BDNF， S100 calcium-binding protein A10 （S100A10）， and GFAP in hippocampal tissue. ResultsCompared with the sham-operated group， the model group showed a significantly reduced relative recognition index in the novel object recognition test （P<0.01）， prolonged immobility time and increased immobility frequency in the forced swimming test （P<0.01）. Hippocampal IL-6 and CCL2 levels were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Nissl staining revealed a marked reduction in neuronal number and loss of Nissl bodies （P<0.01）. MBP-positive expression was significantly decreased （P<0.01）， apoptosis was significantly increased （P<0.01）， BDNF-positive expression was significantly reduced （P<0.05）， and GFAP-positive expression was significantly increased （P<0.01）. In addition， the protein expression levels of TNF-α， TNFR1， p-STAT3， α1ACT， IL-6， and C3 were significantly elevated （P<0.01）， while BDNF and S100A10 expression levels were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all Tianma Gouteng yin dose groups exhibited a significant increase in the relative recognition index （P<0.05）， shortened immobility time and reduced immobility frequency （P<0.05， P<0.01）. IL-6 and CCL2 levels were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， neuronal number was significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and MBP-positive expression was significantly enhanced （P<0.01）. Apoptosis was significantly reduced （P<0.01）， BDNF-positive expression was significantly increased （P<0.05）， and GFAP-positive expression was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Moreover， the protein expression levels of TNF-α， TNFR1， p-STAT3， α1ACT， IL-6， and C3 were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， while BDNF and S100A10 protein expression levels were significantly increased （P<0.01）. ConclusionTianma Goutengyin may inhibit A1-type astrocyte activation in rats with vascular dementia through the TNF-α/STAT3/α1ACT signaling pathway， thereby reducing neuronal apoptosis and improving learning and memory function.

Background: High-mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) is a chromatin-binding protein involved in arthritis, ischemia, sepsis, atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative disorders, meningitis, and cancer. HMGB1 exhibits dual roles in cancer, acting as either a tumor suppressor or oncoprotein depending on context. Objective: This research aimed to elucidate HMGB1’s functional significance in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Methods: We overexpressed HMGB1 in cSCC cell lines using recombinant adenovirus and examined its effects on cell proliferation, colony formation, and cell migration. Results: Immunohistochemical analysis revealed elevated HMGB1 expression levels in cSCC tissue relative to normal epidermis. To assess the influence of HMGB1, we employed recombinant adenoviruses expressing HMGB1 to transduce SCC cell lines (SCC12 and SCC13). Enhanced HMGB1 expression significantly promoted cellular proliferation and colony formation capacity.Notably, HMGB1 overexpression elevated the levels of proliferation regulators, including P63, SOX2, CDK4 and CDK6. Furthermore, HMGB1 overexpression substantially enhanced tumor invasiveness, accompanied by upregulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) biomarkers. Mechanistically, overexpression of HMGB1 enhanced transforming growth factor-β signaling by increasing phosphorylation of SMAD2/3, the key mediators of EMT. Conclusion These data imply that HMGB1 acts as a tumor-promoting factor in cSCC.

BACKGROUND:Human periodontal ligament stem cells are potential functional cells for periodontal tissue engineering.However,long-term in vitro culture may lead to reduced stemness and replicative senescence of periodontal ligament stem cells,which may impair the therapeutic effect of human periodontal ligament stem cells. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of oxymatrine on the stemness maintenance and osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells in vitro,and to explore the potential mechanism. METHODS:Periodontal ligament stem cells were isolated from human periodontal ligament tissues by tissue explant enzyme digestion and cultured.The surface markers of mesenchymal cells were identified by flow cytometry.Periodontal ligament stem cells were incubated with 0,2.5,5,and 10 μg/mL oxymatrine.The effect of oxymatrine on the proliferation activity of periodontal ligament stem cells was detected by CCK8 assay.The appropriate drug concentration for subsequent experiments was screened.Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of stem cell non-specific proteins SOX2 and OCT4 in periodontal ligament stem cells.qRT-PCR and western blot assay were used to detect the expression levels of related osteogenic genes and proteins in periodontal ligament stem cells. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The results of CCK8 assay showed that 2.5 μg/mL oxymatrine significantly enhanced the proliferative activity of periodontal stem cells,and the subsequent experiment selected 2.5 μg/mL oxymatrine to intervene.(2)Compared with the blank control group,the protein expression level of SOX2,a stem marker of periodontal ligament stem cells in the oxymatrine group did not change significantly(P>0.05),and the expression of OCT4 was significantly up-regulated(P<0.05).(3)Compared with the osteogenic induction group,the osteogenic genes ALP,RUNX2 mRNA expression and their osteogenic associated protein ALP protein expression of periodontal ligament stem cells were significantly down-regulated in the oxymatrine+osteogenic induction group(P<0.05).(4)The oxymatrine up-regulated the expression of stemness markers of periodontal ligament stem cells and inhibited the bone differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells,and the results of high-throughput sequencing showed that it may be associated with WNT2,WNT16,COMP,and BMP6.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the characteristics of influenza A and influenza B viruses infections in the children aged between 0 and 14 years old after COVID-19 was downgraded to category B management of infectious diseases.METHODS From Jan.2023 to Feb.2024,a total of 2349 children aged between 0 and 14 years old who were treated in Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Capital Medical University due to influenza-like symptoms of infection and received nucleic acid testing for influenza A and influenza B viruses were recruited as the research subjects.The gender and age of the children as well as the seasons were observed by chi-square test.RESULTS Totally 2349 children were included in the study,and the total positive rate of influenza was 49.85％(1171/2349);the positive rate of influenza A virus was 36.36％(854/2349),the positive rate of influenza B virus was 13.92％(327/2349),and the positive rate of the mixed infections of influenza A virus and influenza B virus was 0.43％(10/2349).The positive rate of influenza A of the girls was the highest(44.17％)(x2=8.980,P=0.011)among the children aged less than 5 years old;the positive rate of influenza B of the boys was the highest(17.19％)(x2=8.378,P=0.015)among the children aged between 5 and 10 years old.There was significant difference in the positive rate of influenza A virus among the seasons in 2023 to 2024(x2=268.12,P＜0.001);the prevalence rate was 60.93％in spring,44.40％in autumn,22.01％in winter.There was significant difference in the positive rate of influenza B virus among the seasons in 2023 to 2024(x2=373.16,P＜0.001),and the preva-lence rate was 25.44％in winter.CONCLUSIONS The influenza viruses are prevalent in spring,autumn and winter from 2023 to 2024,and the influenza A is dominant.The positive rate of influenza viruses shows an upward trend among the children aged between 0 and 14 years old after the COVID-19 is downgraded to category B management of infectious diseases,with the peak of prevalence lagging behind.

Objective:To analyze the effect of Y chromosome AZFc microdeletion on pregnancy outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection(ICSI).Methods:From 2016 to 2023,6 765 cases of oligozoospermia in our hospital were selected as the research objects.The results of Y chromosome microdeletion test were retrospectively analyzed.According to the inclusion exclusion criteria and the principle of propensity distribution 1∶2,180 patients were included in the study.Sixty patients with Y chromosome AZFc microde-letion and ICSI assisted pregnancy were enrolled into the experimental group.The other 120 patients without Y chromosome microde-letion and ICSI assisted pregnancy were included in the control group.Baseline characteristics,five male sex hormones,laboratory em-bryo culture and pregnancy outcomes were compared between the two groups.Results:There was no significant difference in male age,female age,infertility years,gravidity and parity between the two groups(P＞0.05).There was no significant difference in the five sex hormones of men(P＞0.05).Except for transplantable embryos(P＜0.05),there was no significant difference in other indi-cators in the process of embryo culture.There was no difference in pregnancy outcome indicators between the two groups except for the preterm birth rate(P＜0.05).Conclusion:ICSI assisted pregnancy with Y chromosome AZFc microdeletion has no significant effect on pregnancy outcome.And close follow-up of offspring is required.

Objective:To conduct a scope review of relevant studies on the application of virtual reality (VR) technology in breast cancer patients, identifying the basic content of interventions, outcome indicators, and application effects, with the aim of providing a reference for clinical healthcare professionals applying this technology.Methods:Based on the research methodology for scope reviews, a computer search was conducted in Chinese and English databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, VIP, China Biology Medicine disc, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase, with the search period extending to August 31, 2023. A categorical analysis of the included literature was conducted.Results:A total of 15 articles were included, primarily discussing the effects of VR technology on breast cancer patients' physical health, psychological well-being, cognitive function, and quality of life. Intervention frequencies were mainly once or twice daily, or twice weekly, with intervention durations ranging from 10 to 90 minutes and intervention periods from 2 to 12 weeks. VR interventions were found to improve physical function, psychological health, and cognitive function to some extent, increase patient rehabilitation adherence and satisfaction, and improve quality of life.Conclusions:VR technology can be an effective tool to support the treatment of breast cancer patients. However, the design of intervention protocols needs improvement. Future large-sample, multi-center, long-term follow-up randomized controlled trials are needed to verify the application effects of VR technology for breast cancer patients and promote its clinical application.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of laminin subunit α3 （LAMA3） on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT）， invasion， and metastasis abilities of pancreatic cancer （PC）. MethodsA comprehensive analysis was performed for tumor- and EMT-related databases to identify the EMT genes associated with PC， especially LAMA3. The methods of qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to measure the expression level of LAMA3 in PC tissue and cell lines； immunofluorescence assay was used to determine the localization of LAMA3 in PANC-1 cells； Transwell assay was used to investigate the effect of LAMA3 on the invasion and migration abilities of PC cells. The t-test was used for comparison of continuous data between groups. ResultsThe analysis of the TCGA database identified 3 EMT-related oncogenes for PC， i.e.， LAMA3， AREG， and SDC1. The LASSO-Cox regression model showed that LAMA3 had the most significant impact on the prognosis of PC （risk score=0.256 1×LAMA3+0.043 1×SDC1+0.071 4×AREG）. The Cox model and nomogram showed that the high expression of LAMA3 was an independent risk factor for the poor prognosis of PC （hazard ratio=1.32， 95% confidence interval： 1.07‍ ‍—‍ 1.62， P<0.01）. Experimental results showed that there was a significant increase in the expression of LAMA3 in pancreatic cancer tissue compared with the normal pancreatic tissue. Compared with the HPDE cell line， there were varying degrees of increase in the expression of LAMA3 in pancreatic cancer AsPC-1， BxPC-3， PANC-1， MIA PaCa-2， and SW1990 cell lines， with the highest expression level in PANC-1 cells. The enrichment analysis showed that LAMA3 was associated with the biological processes and signaling pathways such as EMT， collagen metabolism， extracellular matrix degradation， the TGF-β pathway， and the PI3K pathway. After the knockdown of LAMA3， there were significant reductions in the expression levels of N-Cadherin， Vimentin， and Snail， while there was a significant increase in the expression level of E-Cadherin. Transwell assay showed that there were significant reductions in the invasion and migration abilities of PANC-1 cells after the knockdown of LAMA3. ConclusionLAMA3 is highly expressed in PC and can promote the EMT， invasion， and migration of PC cells， and therefore， LAMA3 may be used as a novel diagnostic marker and a new therapeutic target for PC.

Objective:To investigate the long-term outcomes of using 3D-printed preformed titanium meshes in repair and reconstruction of orbital region.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with tumors invading the naso-orbito-maxillary region who underwent surgical resection and repair/reconstruction with 3D-printed preformed titanium meshes. The patients were collected at three medical centers (the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Xijing Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University, and Shenzhen Longgang District Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital) from 2016 to 2023. Tumor extent was evaluated radiologically, and the surgical approaches, reconstruction outcomes, surgical complications, and long-term follow-up results were analyzed.Results:A total of 46 patients from the three centers were included in this study, comprising 27 males and 19 females, with an average age of 51 years (range: from 13 to 86 years). Among them, 4 patients had benign tumors, while the remaining 42 had malignant tumors. The median follow-up duration was 60.7 months (range: from 19.0 to 75.0 months). Postoperatively, symmetrical globe position was achieved in 38 cases without significant diplopia; 4 cases exhibited enophthalmos without diplopia, and 4 cases had enophthalmos with diplopia. Twelve patients received preoperative radiotherapy, and 30 patients received postoperative radiotherapy. Six patients developed enophthalmos, and 6 experienced titanium mesh exposure after radiotherapy. Following treatment completion, 3 patients underwent repair using frontal flaps, 1 using a superficial temporal artery island flap, and 2 using free flaps. All remaining patients showed no postoperative infections, and their wounds healed normally.Conclusion:The application of 3D-printed preformed titanium mesh enables precise repair of postoperative defects in patients with naso-orbital tumors, facilitating reliable reconstruction of the orbital and facial contours with straightforward operation and dependable outcomes.

Objective:To compare the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic outcomes between patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma(ccRCC)and non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma(nccRCC)accompanied by venous tumor thrombus.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical and pathological data from patients with RCC and venous tumor thrombus treated in the Depart-ment of Urology at Peking University Third Hospital between January 2014 and February 2024.Patients were stratified into two groups based on pathological type:ccRCC and nccRCC.Comparisons of baseline characteristics,intraoperative situation,and prognosis between the two groups were performed using t-tests,Mann-Whitney U tests,chi-square tests,and Log-rank tests.Survival curves were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method.Results:A total of 437 patients were included,with a median age of 58 years,including 317 males and 120 females.The cohort comprised 366 cases of ccRCC and 71 cases of nccRCC.The non-clear cell group included 38 cases(53.5％)of papillary renal cell carcinoma,2 cases(2.8％)of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma,11 cases(15.5％)of unclassified renal cell carcinoma,19 cases(26.8％)of molecularly defined renal cell carcinoma,and 1 case(1.4％)of collecting duct carcinoma.Compared with the clear cell renal carcinoma group,patients in the non-clear cell carcinoma group demonstrated a younger age at diagnosis(59 years vs.55 years,P=0.010),larger tumor size(8.4 cm vs.9.5 cm,P=0.025),higher rates of lymph node metastasis(56.8％vs.70.6％,P=0.034),more advanced tumor thrombus(P＜0.001)and pathological grading(P=0.010),longer surgical duration(272 minutes vs.289 minutes,P=0.023),and shorter overall survival(80 months vs.35 months,P＜0.001).Multivariate Cox analysis indicated that histologic type,distant metastasis,tumor thrombus grading,and sarcomatoid/rhabdoid differentiation were prognostic factors in the renal cell carcinoma patients with venous tumor thrombus.No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of gender,body mass index,tumor laterality,distant metastasis,sarcomatoid or rhabdoid differentiation,American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA)score,surgical approach,conversion to open surgery,blood loss,or transfusion of red blood cells and plasma.Conclusion:Compared with pa-tients with clear cell renal carcinoma and venous tumor thrombus,those with non-clear cell carcinoma and venous tumor thrombus exhibit earlier onset,more aggressive disease progression,and poorer prognosis.