Diabetic kidney disease （DKD）， one of the leading causes of end-stage renal disease， shows increasing prevalence and mortality， seriously affecting the physical and mental health of patients. As a crucial link in the occurrence and development of DKD， pyroptosis can lead to kidney cell injury and inflammation through the abnormal activation of reactive oxygen species （ROS）/thioredoxin-interacting protein （TXNIP）/NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）/nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）/NLRP3， nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）/heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1）， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）/NLRP3， and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）/NLRP3 signaling pathways， which accelerate the progression of DKD. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has demonstrated definite efficacy in the treatment of DKD via multiple targets and pathways. Studies have shown that various TCM active components， including glycosides， flavonoids， polyphenols， terpenoids， and alkaloids， as well as TCM compound prescriptions for clearing heat and detoxifying， tonifying deficiency and consolidating root， and eliminating stasis and descending turbidity， can target relevant signaling pathways to inhibit pyroptosis and intervene in the development of DKD， providing new possibilities for precision treatment of DKD. This article systematically reviews the relevant pathways of pyroptosis and summarizes the research achievements and mechanisms of TCM active components and compound prescriptions in the treatment of DKD via pyroptosis in recent years. This review aims to provide new directions and ideas for the treatment and research of DKD with TCM and promote the modernization and development of TCM.

Diabetic kidney disease （DKD） stands as one of the most prevalent microvascular complications of diabetes，noted for its concealed onset and tendency to evolve into end-stage renal disease，profoundly impacting patients' life expectancy and quality of life. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition （EMT） is a central pathological process in the initiation and progression of DKD，facilitating disease advancement and renal fibrosis，thus representing a crucial focus of research into the pathological mechanisms of DKD. EMT is driven by the abnormal activation of signaling pathways，including transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）/Smad，secreted glycoprotein/β-catenin，Notch，tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）/nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB），and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin （PI3K/Akt/mTOR），leading to renal cellular injury and subsequently accelerating renal fibrosis and the progression of DKD. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM），characterized by its multi-target and multi-pathway therapeutic approach，demonstrates unique advantages in addressing DKD and EMT. Recent research has shown that active ingredients in TCM，including glycosides，flavonoids，and polyphenols，as well as TCM formulas，can precisely target these relevant signaling pathways，effectively inhibiting cellular injury in DKD and intervening in the EMT process. These findings not only underscore the potential of TCM monomers and formulas in treating DKD and EMT but also pave new directions for research in this field within TCM. This paper systematically reviewed the signaling pathways associated with EMT and provided an in-depth analysis of the research achievements and underlying mechanisms of TCM monomers and formulas in treating DKD and intervening in EMT，aiming to offer new insights and directions for TCM in the treatment of DKD and research on EMT，thereby further promoting the modernization and development of TCM.

Objective To observe the effects of Huoxue Digui Decoction on iron accumulation and ferroptosis in renal podocytes of diabetic nephropathy(DN)mice.Methods Totally 50 C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into normal group(6 mice)and modeling group(44 mice).The DN model was established by streptozotocin injection.Mice conforming to DN model were randomly divided into model group(8 mice),and sulforaphane group,Huoxue Digui Decoction low-,medium-and high-dosage groups(6 mice for each group).The sulforaphane group was injected with sulforaphane intraperitoneally,while Huoxue Digui Decoction low-,medium-and high-dosage groups were orally administered with corresponding solution for 12 consecutive weeks.The fasting blood glucose,blood urea nitrogen,serum creatinine,24 h urinary albumin were detected,HE staining was used to observe the morphology of renal tissue,PAS staining was used to observe glycogen deposition in renal tissue,Masson staining was used to observe fibrosis in renal tissue;transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructure of renal tissue,immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of Podocin and Nephrin in renal tissue,Western blot was used to detect the protein expressions of glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),ACSL4,nuclear factor E2 related factor 2(Nrf2)and ferroportin 1(FPN1)in renal tissue,Prussian blue staining was used to observe the deposition of ferric ion in renal tissue.Results Compared with the normal group,the fasting blood glucose,blood urea nitrogen,serum creatinine and 24 h urinary albumin in model group significantly increased(P<0.01),with renal tissue capillary atrophy,increased glycogen deposition,and worsening fibrosis,the expressions of Podocin and Nephrin in renal tissue were down-regulated,while the expressions of GPX4,Nrf2 and FPN1 protein were significantly decreased(P<0.01),the expression of ACSL4 protein significantly increased(P<0.01),and the deposition of ferric ion in renal tissue increased.Compared with the model group,the fasting blood glucose,blood urea nitrogen,serum creatinine and 24 h urinary albumin in sulforaphane group and Huoxue Digui Decoction groups were reduced to different degrees(P<0.05,P<0.01),renal tissue pathological damage was reduced to varying degrees,glycogen deposition was reduced,and fibrosis was alleviated,the expressions of Podocin and Nephrin in renal tissue were up-regulated,while the expressions of GPX4,Nrf2 and FPN1 protein significantly increased(P<0.01),the expression of ACSL4 protein significantly decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01),and the deposition of ferric ion in renal tissue was reduced.Conclusion Huoxue Digui Decoction can alleviate renal pathological injury,reduce blood glucose and delay the progression of DN mice.The mechanism may be related to regulating the expressions of Nrf2 and FPN1,inhibiting iron accumulation and ferroptosis in renal podocytes of DN mice.

The incidence of osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fracture (OTLVF) in the elderly is gradually increasing. The kyphotic deformity caused by various factors has become an important characteristic of OTLVF and has received increasing attention. Its clinical manifestations include pain, delayed nerve damage, sagittal imbalance, etc. Currently, the definition and diagnosis of OTLVF with kyphotic deformity in the elderly are still unclear. Although there are many treatment options, they are controversial. Existing guidelines or consensuses pay little attention to this type of fracture with kyphotic deformity. To this end, the Lumbar Education Working Group of the Spine Branch of the Chinese Medicine Education Association and Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized the experts in the relevant fields to jointly develop Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fractures with kyphotic deformity in the elderly ( version 2024), based on evidence-based medical advancements and the principles of scientificity, practicality, and advanced nature, which provided 18 recommendations to standardize the clinical diagnosis and treatment.

【Objective】 To screen the risk factors of severe postpartum hemorrhage that can be found at 32 weeks of pregnancy through univariate and multivariate analysis and establish the risk prediction diagram. 【Methods】 A retrospective analysis was performed on pregnant women who gave birth and received blood transfusion in Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from 2019 to 2021. According to the blood transfusion volume during and after operation, the patients were divided into low/moderate transfusion group (transfusion volume <2 000 mL) and massive-transfusion group (transfusion volume ≥2 000 mL), and the basic information of puerperal, single high risk factor, measures of operation and use of blood preparations were recorded. The differences of physiological and pathological factors between the low/moderate transfusion group and the massive transfusion group were analyzed by univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis and nomogram were performed on the statistically significant factors to calculate the consumption of blood components and hemostatic measures in the massive transfusion group. 【Results】 There were significant differences in age, number of pregnancies, advanced age at first delivery, history of abortion, scar uterus, pernicious placenta previa, placenta accreta, eclampsia/pre-eclampsia and acquired coagulopathy between the low/moderate transfusion group (n=930) and the massive transfusion group (n=108) (P<0.05), among which the number of pregnancies, advanced age for the first delivery, pernicious placenta previa, placenta accreta, and eclampsia/pre-eclampsia were independent risk factors for severe postpartum hemorrhage at 32 weeks of gestation. The scores of risk factors for massive blood transfusion from high to low were placenta accreta, primiparity at advanced age, eclampsia/pre-eclampsia, pernicious placenta previa, number of pregnancies≥4 and scar uterus. 【Conclusion】 The possibility of severe postpartum hemorrhage can be accurately evaluated in the third trimester (around 32 weeks) by univariate analysis, multivariate analysis and nomogram drawing. Among the puerpera underwent blood transfusion, the risk factors for massive hemorrhage included pregnancies ≥4 times, primiparity at advanced age, pernicious placenta previa, placenta accreta, and eclampsia/pre-eclampsia. The model based on these factors has a good prediction effect on massive hemorrhage.

Objective:To explore the application value of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) in psychological intervention for patients with cervical cancer.Methods:Totally 86 patients receiving chemotherapy for cervical cancer in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from July 2015 to December 2017 were selected by convenient sampling and divided into the observation group ( n=43) and the control group ( n=43) according to the random number table. Patients in the control group received conventional psychological intervention, while patients in the observation group received psychological intervention guided by NLP on this basis. The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) , Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire (MCMQ) and 36-Item Short Form Survey Instrument (SF-36) were used to evaluate the status, coping style and quality of life, and compare the compliance of the two groups of patients 3 months before and after intervention. Results:The SCL-90 scores in somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety and depression of the observation group were lower than those of the control group after intervention, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05) . The MCMQ score in facing of the observation group was higher than that of the control group, while the scores in avoidance and yield of the observation group were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05) . The compliance of the observation group was better than that of the control group, and there was statistically significant difference between the two groups ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:NLP can ameliorate the negative emotions of patients with cervical cancer, change their coping styles, improve their treatment compliance and quality of life, which is of clinical significance.

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of plasma exchange (PE) combined with double plasma absorption and simple PE in the treatment of acute-on-chronic liver failure. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 251 cases of acute-on-chronic liver failure treated with artificial liver treatment since January 2015. Changes in clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, and complications of the patients before and after different modes of treatment were compared and short-term efficacy was tracked. In accordance with different data, t-test, Pearson's chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis. Results: The effectiveness of low-volume PE combined with double plasma molecular adsorption system (DPMAS) and equal amount of PE combined with DPMAS was significantly better than simple PE (83.7%, 84.05% and 82.15 vs 55.6%, P < 0.05) in early stage of liver failure. In late-stage of liver failure, there was no significant difference in the treatment efficiency of each group (P > 0.05). Bilirubin and bile acid levels were significantly decreased in combined treatment groups than that to simple PE group (P < 0.05). PTA and albumin improvement rate of DPMAS PE groups were significantly lower than that of simple PE group (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in adverse reactions between each group. Conclusion PE combined with DPMAS improves the treatment efficiency of early hepatic failure and decrease dosage of plasma when compared with simple PE. A beforehand DPMAS treatment after PE treatment can improve the adverse effects of DPMAS on blood coagulation function and albumin levels.

Objective     To identify risk factors that affect the verification of malignancy in patients with solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) and verify different prediction models for malignant probability of SPN. Methods     We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 117 SPN patients with definite postoperative pathological diagnosis who underwent surgical procedure in China-Japan Friendship Hospital from March to September 2017. There were 59 males and 58 females aged 59.10±11.31 years ranging from 24 to 83 years. Imaging features of the nodule including maximum diameter, location, spiculation, lobulation, calcification and serum level of CEA and Cyfra21-1 were assessed as potential risk factors. Univariate analysis was used to establish statistical correlation between risk factors and postoperative pathological diagnosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn by different predictive models for the malignant probability of SPN to get areas under the curves (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, negative predictive values for each model. The predictive effectiveness of each model was statistically assessed subsequently. Results     Among 117 patients, 93 (79.5%) were malignant and 24 (20.5%) were benign. Statistical difference was found between the benign and malignant group in age, maximum diameter, serum level of CEA and Cyfra21-1, spiculation, lobulation and calcification of the nodules. The AUC value was 0.813±0.051 (Mayo model), 0.697±0.066 (VA model) and 0.854±0.045 (Peking University People's Hospital model), respectively. Conclusion     Age, maximum diameter of the nodule, serum level of CEA and Cyfra21-1, spiculation, lobulation and calcification are potential independent risk factors associated with the malignant probability of SPN. Peking University People's Hospital model is of high accuracy and clinical value for patients with SPN. Adding serum index into the prediction model as a new risk factor and adjusting the weight of age in the model may improve the accuracy of prediction for SPN.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are both common diseases in respiratory system and the leading causes of deaths worldwide. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the severity of COPD affects long-term survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients after surgical resection. METHODS: A retrospective research was performed on 421 consecutive patients who had undergone lobectomy for NSCLC. Classification of COPD severity was based on guidelines of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). Characteristics among the three subgroups were compared and recurrence-free survivals were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 172 patients were diagnosed with COPD, 124 as mild (GOLD-1), 46 as moderate(GOLD-2), and 2 as severe (GOLD-3). The frequencies of recurrence were significantly higher in higher COPD grades group (P<0.001). Recurrence-free survival at five years were 78.1%, 70.4%, and 46.4% in Non-COPD, GOLD-1 COPD, and GOLD-2/3 COPD groups, respectively (P<0.001). In univariate analysis, age, gender, smoking history, COPD severity, tumor size, histology and pathological stage were associated with recurrence-free survival. Multivariate analyses showed that older age, male, GOLD-2/3 COPD, and advanced stage were independent risk factors associated with recurrence-free survival. CONCLUSIONS NSCLC patients with COPD are at higher risk for postoperative recurrence, and moderate/severe COPD is an independent unfavorable prognostic factor. The severity of COPD based on pulmonary function test can be a useful indicator to identify patients at high risk for recurrence. Therefore, it can contribute to adequate selection of the appropriate individualized treatment.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; complications ; mortality ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; complications ; mortality ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; complications ; mortality ; physiopathology ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To investigate the regularity of intrapulnonary lobar and segmental lymph nodes metastasis in patients with cT1N0M0 stage lung adenocarcinoma.To provide a basis for more accurate determination of N stage and indication for pulmonary segmental resection.Methods A prospective study was performed from March 2014 to December 2015.103 cases of cT1 N0M0 stage lung adenocarcinoma received lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection in the thoracic surgery department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital.Intrapulmonary lobar and segmental lymph nodes were dissected and sorted carefully then sent to the pathological department with the corresponding lung specimen and other lymph nodes.Statistical analysis was carried out considering size of the lesion,imaging features,serum CEA levels,pathological subtypes and so on.Results In total 103 cases,pN0 was confirmed in 82 cases,pN1 in 15 cases,pN1 + N2 in 5 cases,and skipping-pN2 in 1 case.14 cases(93.3％) in pN1 group were detected with station 12-14 lymph node metastasis,while only 5 cases (33.3％) were detected with station 12-14 LSNs metastasis.4 cases(66.7％) in pN2 group were detected with station 12-14 lymph node metastasis,while only 1 case(16.7％) with station 13 and station 7 lymph node metastasis.If LSNs were not detected,the false negative rate of N staging could be as high as 6.1％ (5/82),The rate of missed diagnosis of lymph node metastasis might be 30％ (6/20) to N1 stations alone.41.2％ (7/17)cases with metastasis to the adjacent LSNs had been proved with metastasis to the isolated LSNs.The metastasis rate of the isolated LSNs was significantly lower(P =0.049) in pure GGNs compared with those part-solid/solid nodules.Invasive adenocarcinoma had higher metastasis rate of isolated LSNs,compared with preinvasive lesions or minimally invasive adenocarcinomas,with no statistical difference between groups (P =0.055).No significant difference in isolated LSNs metastasis rate was found between groups with different serum CEA levels(P =0.251) or tumor size(P =0.197).Conclusion Dissection of intrapulmonary lobar and segmental lymph nodes might facilitate a more accurate N stage,reduce the false negative rate of lymph node metastasis,and provide basis for more accurate assessment of prognosis and postoperative adjuvant treatment.The sampling area of lymph nodes during segmental resection should include the adjacent LSNs of the target segment.The isolated LSNs metastasis rate of cT1N0M0 stage lung adenocarcinoma with pureGGN as imaging feature is relative low,which might be suitable for segmentectomy when meeting other criteria.