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.

To summarize the clinical experience of Professor LIU Jinmin in treatment for epilepsy. It is believed that main pathogenesis of epilepsy is yangming failure to close and vital activity loss control， so a therapeutic approach focused on restoring the closure of yangming and regaining vital activity was proposed for the treatment of epilepsy. For excess syndrome， the treatment focuses on draining excess and descending qi， promoting purgation and restoring spirit. When yangming dryness-heat predominates， the approach involves unblock the bowels and regulating the spirit， descending qi and reducing fire， with modified Chengqi Decoction （承气汤） as prescription； when yangming phlegm-fire predominates， the treatment focuses on clearing heat and resolving phlegm， calming mind and suppressing fright， with modified Qingxin Wendan Decoction （清心温胆汤） as prescription； when yangming blood stasis predominates， the approach involves breaking up blood stasis and promoting purgation， eliminating stasis and awakening the mind， with Taoren Chengqi Decoction （桃核承气汤） as prescription. For deficiency syndrome， the treatment emphasizes tonifying deficiency and raising qi， strengthening the stomach and nourishing the spirit. When center qi deficiency and sinking of clear qi of the nutrients from food， the approach involves replenishing and uplifting qi while nourishing vital activity， with modified Liujunzi Decoction （六君子汤） as prescription； when yin deficiency and fluid consumption， the treatment focuses on nourishing stomach and tonifying yin， promoting fluid production and calming the spirit， with modified Maimendong Decoction （麦门冬汤） combined with Yiwei Decoction （益胃汤） as prescriptions. In clinical situations of deficiency-excess complex， it is essential to distinguish the primary condition from the secondary， applying both supplementing and draining methods flexibly to achieve optimal treatment.

BACKGROUND:Cannabidiol is effective in ameliorating the body's inflammatory response,but no clear mechanistic studies have been conducted to ameliorate skeletal muscle inflammation induced by exhaustive exercise. OBJECTIVE:To explore the mechanism by which cannabidiol improves skeletal muscle inflammation during exhaustive exercise by using transcriptome sequencing technology. METHODS:Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups:blank control group,exercise coconut oil group,exercise control group,50 mg/kg cannabidiol group,60 mg/kg cannabidiol group,and 70 mg/kg cannabidiol group,with six rats in each group.Except for rats in the blank control group,rats in each group were subjected to swimming exercise for 9 days to produce the exhaustive exercise model.At the end of each swimming exercise,rats in the cannabidiol groups were given 2 mL of fat-soluble cannabidiol at different concentrations(50,60,and 70 mg/kg)by gavage;rats in the exercise coconut oil group were given the same volume of coconut oil by gavage until the end of the exercise on the 9th day;and rats in the blank control group and the exercise control group were not given any special treatment.The levels of inflammatory factors and differentially expressed genes in the skeletal muscle of rats in each group were determined using ELISA and transcriptome sequencing techniques.Differentially expressed genes obtained were subjected to KEGG analysis,and the accuracy of the sequencing data was verified by fluorescence quantitative PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The results of ELISA showed that the contents of interleukin-6(P<0.05),tumor necrosis factor-α(P<0.01),interleukin-10 and other inflammatory factors in the exercise group increased significantly compared with the blank control group and the coconut oil group.After cannabidiol intervention,the mass concentrations of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α showed a sequential decrease with increasing cannabidiol concentration.By comparing GO and KEGG databases,the functional properties of differentially expressed genes were analyzed,and the results showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in the tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway and the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway.RT-qPCR results showed that the trends of five randomly selected differentially expressed genes were in agreement with the transcriptome sequencing results.To conclude,cannabidiol can improve skeletal muscle inflammation caused by exhaustive exercise.

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of serum containing Zhenwutang on myocardial mast cell apoptosis induced by angiotensin Ⅱ （AngⅡ） and the mechanism of the correlation between apoptosis and mitochondrial autophagy. MethodsIn this experiment， AngⅡ and serum containing Zhenwutang with different concentrations were used to interfere with H9C2 cardiomyocytes for 24 h， and the survival rate of H9C2 cardiomyocytes was detected by cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） to screen the optimal concentration for the experiment. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect the content of B-type natriuretic peptide （BNP） in cell culture supernatant， and immunofluorescence was used to detect the cell surface area to verify the construction of the myocardial mast cell model. Subsequently， the experiment was divided into a blank group （20% blank serum）， a model group （20% blank serum + 5×10^-5 mol·L^-1 AngⅡ）， low-， medium-， and high-dose （5%， 10% and 20%） serum containing Zhenwutang groups， an autophagy inhibitor group （1×10^-4 mol·L^-1 3-MA）， and autophagy inducer group （1×10^-7 mol·L^-1 rapamycin）. The apoptosis level of H9C2 cells and the changes of mitochondrial membrane potential were detected by flow cytometry. The lysosomal probe （Lyso Tracker） and mitochondrial probe （Mito Tracker） co-localization was employed to detect autophagy. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect Caspase-3， Caspase-9， B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2-related X protein （Bax）， and cytochrome C （Cyt C） in apoptosis-related pathways and the relative mRNA expression of ubiquitin ligase （Parkin）， phosphatase and tensin homolog （PTEN）-induced kinase 1 （PINK1）， and p62 protein in mitochondrial autophagy-related pathways. Western blot was used to detect cleaved Caspase-3， cleaved Caspase-9， Bax， Bcl-2， and Cyt C in apoptosis-related pathways， phosphorylated ubiquitin ligase （p-Parkin）， phosphorylated PTEN-induced kinase 1 （p-PINK1）， p62， and Bcl-2 homology domain protein Beclin1 in mitochondrial autophagy-related pathways， and the change of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 （LC3） Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio. ResultsCCK-8 showed that when the concentration of AngⅡ was 5×10^-5 mol·L^-1， the cell activity was the lowest， and there was no cytotoxicity. At this concentration， the surface area of cardiomyocytes was significantly increased （P<0.01）， and the content of BNP in the supernatant of culture medium was significantly increased （P<0.05）. Therefore， AngⅡ with a concentration of 5×10^-5 mol·L^-1 was selected for the subsequent modeling of myocardial mast cells. Compared with the blank group， the model group and the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA group had a significantly increased apoptosis rate （P<0.01） and significantly decreased mitochondrial membrane potential （P<0.01）. The results of immunofluorescence co-localization showed that compared with the blank group， the model group had a significantly decreased number of red and green fluorescence spots. The results of Real-time PCR showed that compared with that in the blank group， the relative mRNA expression of Bax， Caspase-3， Caspase-9， Cyt C， and p62 in the model group was significantly up-regulated （P<0.01）， while the relative mRNA expression of Bcl-2， Parkin， and PINK1 was significantly down-regulated （P<0.01）. In addition， the relative protein expression of Bax， cleaved Caspase-3， cleaved Caspase-9， Cyt C， and p62 was significantly up-regulated （P<0.01）. The LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ was significantly decreased， and the relative protein expression of Bcl-2， p-Parkin， p-PINK1， and Beclin1 was significantly down-regulated （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the serum containing Zhenwutang groups and the autophagy inducer group had significantly decreased apoptosis rate （P<0.01）， and the decrease ratio of mitochondrial membrane potential is significantly lowered （P<0.01） in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally， both red and green fluorescence spots became more in these groups. In the 3-MA group， the number of red and green fluorescence spots decreased significantly. The relative mRNA expression of Bax， Caspase-3， Caspase-9， Cyt C， and p62 was significantly down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while that of Bcl-2， Parkin， and PINK1 was significantly up-regulated （P<0.01）. In the serum containing Zhenwutang groups， the relative protein expression levels of Bax， cleaved Caspase-3， cleaved Caspase-9， Cyt C， and p62 were significantly down-regulated （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ was significantly increased， and the relative protein expression levels of Bcl-2， p-Parkin， p-PINK1， and Beclin1 were significantly up-regulated （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe serum containing Zhenwutang can reduce the apoptosis of myocardial mast cells and increase mitochondrial autophagy. This is related to the inhibition of intracellular Bax/Bcl-2/Caspase-3 apoptosis pathway and regulation of Parkin/PINK1 mitochondrial autophagy pathway.

OBJECTIVE To provide a reference for the pharmaceutical care of a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy （LGMD） who developed euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis （euDKA） after taking empagliflozin. METHODS Clinical pharmacists provided pharmaceutical care for a patient with T2DM and LGMD who developed euDKA after taking empagliflozin. According to the patient’s recent use of medications and his conditions， clinical pharmacists assessed the correlation between euDKA and empagliflozin as “very likely”. As to euDKA， clinical pharmacists suggested discontinuing empagliflozin and metformin， and giving intravenous infusion of 10% Glucose injection instead of 5% Glucose injection for fluid resuscitation. Clinical pharmacists monitored the patient’s laboratory indicators such as arterial blood gas analysis， blood/urine ketones and electrolytes. They assisted physicians to decide when to stop intravenous supplements of liquid and insulin. Clinical pharmacists also assisted physicians to adjust the antidiabetic drugs and educated the patient to avoid empagliflozin or other sodium- glucose linked transporter 2 inhibitors （SGLT2i）. RESULTS Physicians adopted the suggestions of clinical pharmacists. After treatment， the patient’s condition improved， and he was allowed to be discharged with medication. CONCLUSIONS euDKA is a relatively rare and serious adverse reaction associated with SGLT2i， and the patients with LGMD are susceptible to euDKA. Clinical pharmacists assist physicians in developing personalized medication plans by evaluating the association between euDKA and empagliflozin， adjusting medication regimens，conducting pharmaceutical monitoring，and other pharmaceutical services. Meanwhile， they provide medication education to patients to ensure their medication safety.

OBJECTIVE To provide a reference for the pharmaceutical care of a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy （LGMD） who developed euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis （euDKA） after taking empagliflozin. METHODS Clinical pharmacists provided pharmaceutical care for a patient with T2DM and LGMD who developed euDKA after taking empagliflozin. According to the patient’s recent use of medications and his conditions， clinical pharmacists assessed the correlation between euDKA and empagliflozin as “very likely”. As to euDKA， clinical pharmacists suggested discontinuing empagliflozin and metformin， and giving intravenous infusion of 10% Glucose injection instead of 5% Glucose injection for fluid resuscitation. Clinical pharmacists monitored the patient’s laboratory indicators such as arterial blood gas analysis， blood/urine ketones and electrolytes. They assisted physicians to decide when to stop intravenous supplements of liquid and insulin. Clinical pharmacists also assisted physicians to adjust the antidiabetic drugs and educated the patient to avoid empagliflozin or other sodium- glucose linked transporter 2 inhibitors （SGLT2i）. RESULTS Physicians adopted the suggestions of clinical pharmacists. After treatment， the patient’s condition improved， and he was allowed to be discharged with medication. CONCLUSIONS euDKA is a relatively rare and serious adverse reaction associated with SGLT2i， and the patients with LGMD are susceptible to euDKA. Clinical pharmacists assist physicians in developing personalized medication plans by evaluating the association between euDKA and empagliflozin， adjusting medication regimens，conducting pharmaceutical monitoring，and other pharmaceutical services. Meanwhile， they provide medication education to patients to ensure their medication safety.

Objective: This study investigated the value of multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) in predicting Gleason score (GS) upgrading and downgrading in radical prostatectomy (RP) compared with presurgical biopsy. Materials and Methods: Clinical and mpMRI data were retrospectively collected from 219 patients with prostate disease between January 2015 and December 2021. All patients underwent systematic prostate biopsy followed by RP. MpMRI included conventional diffusion-weighted and dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the factors associated with GS upgrading and downgrading after RP. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to estimate the area under the curve (AUC) to indicate the performance of the multivariable logistic regression models in predicting GS upgrade and downgrade after RP. Results: The GS after RP was upgraded, downgraded, and unchanged in 92, 43, and 84 patients, respectively. The AUCs of the clinical (percentage of positive biopsy cores [PBCs], time from biopsy to RP) and mpMRI models (prostate cancer [PCa] location, Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System [PI-RADS] v2.1 score) for predicting GS upgrading after RP were 0.714 and 0.749, respectively. The AUC of the combined diagnostic model (age, percentage of PBCs, tPSA, PCa location, and PIRADS v2.1 score) was 0.816, which was larger than that of the clinical factors alone (P < 0.001). The AUCs of the clinical (age, percentage of PBCs, ratio of free/total PSA [F/T]) and mpMRI models (PCa diameter, PCa location, and PI-RADS v2.1 score) for predicting GS downgrading after RP were 0.749 and 0.835, respectively. The AUC of the combined diagnostic model (age, percentage of PBCs, F/T, PCa diameter, PCa location, and PI-RADS v2.1 score) was 0.883, which was larger than that of the clinical factors alone (P < 0.001). Conclusion Combining clinical factors and mpMRI findings can predict GS upgrade and downgrade after RP more accurately than using clinical factors alone.

BACKGROUND:Radiotherapy for head and neck tumors is very likely to cause radiation-induced oral mucositis,which seriously affects the health of patients and the treatment plan of tumors.Mesenchymal stem cells have shown therapeutic potential in many diseases,and exosomes are one of the important factors for their function.At present,there is no application of adipose mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes in the study of radiation-induced oral mucositis. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the role of adipose mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes in radiation-induced oral mucositis. METHODS:Adipose mesenchymal stem cells and adipose mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes were extracted and identified.In vitro model of radiation-induced oral mucositis was induced by radiating oral mucosal epithelial cells with 3 Gy X-ray.Adipose mesenchymal stem cells or adipose mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes were pretreated for 48 hours before modeling.The proliferation capacity of oral mucosal epithelial cells was detected by EdU assay and clonal formation assay.A mouse model of radiation-induced oral mucositis was constructed through 3 Gy X-ray radiation.Adipose mesenchymal stem cells and adipose mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes were injected into the tail vein of radiation-induced oral mucositis mice.Hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the inflammatory changes of oral mucosal epithelial tissue. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Compared with the control group,both adipose mesenchymal stem cells and adipose mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes promoted the formation of oral epithelial cell clones and increased the positive rate of EdU in oral epithelial cells.(2)Both adipose mesenchymal stem cells and adipose mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes alleviated the inflammation of oral mucosal epithelium of irradiated mice;CD45 positive cells decreased and PCNA positive cells increased in oral mucosal epithelium.It is concluded that adipose mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes promote the proliferation of oral mucosal epithelial cells and release oral mucosal inflammation in mice with radiation-induced oral mucositis.

Background: Breast cancer is a common malignant tumor that has a high tendency to metastasis to the bone, leading to cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP). Ghrelin can not only stimulate appetite and regulate energy balance, but also alleviate CIBP by inducing NPY expression. Octanoic acid (OA), a type of medium chain fatty acids, provides an energy substrate and promotes acylation of ghrelin. However, it remains to be elucidated whether an OA-rich diet can alleviate CIBP by activating the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway. Methods: First, thirty-six Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into the sham, CIBP, CIBP + OA (20), CIBP + OA (40), CIBP + OA (60) and CIBP + OA (80) groups to investigate the effects of diets with different ratios of OA on CIBP and the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway. Next, a ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT) inhibitor was exogenously administered to investigate whether an OA-rich diet alleviated CIBP through increasing the level of acyl-ghrelin and activating the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway. Results: An OA-rich diet significantly alleviated nociceptive behaviors and increased the levels of acyl-ghrelin and NPY in a dose-dependent manner in cancer-bearing rats. With the exogenous administration of the GOAT inhibitor, the beneficial effects of an OA-rich diet on the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway and its pain-relieving effects were attenuated. Conclusions An OA-rich diet could alleviate CIBP through increasing the level of acyl-ghrelin and activating the acylghrelin/NPY pathway.

Objective To investigate the value of multi-slice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) features, along with the expression levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant adrenal cortical tumors. Methods A total of 98 patients with adrenal cortical tumors admitted to Zibo Municipal Central Hospital from January 2020 to July 2024 were included in this study. All subjects underwent MSCT scans of the adrenal gland. The CT values of tumor parenchyma on plain scans and at arterial and venous phases were estimated. The surgical tumor specimens were collected for immunohistochemical staining and measurement of EGFR and IGF1R expression. The MSCT features and EGFR and IGF1R expression levels were compared among patients with different pathological types of adrenal cortical tumors. Results Of the 98 patients with adrenal cortical tumors, there were 18 cases with cortical carcinoma, 10 cases with metastatic tumors, 31 cases with pheochromocytoma, 25 cases with aldosterone-producing adenomas, and 14 cases with cortisol adenomas. The CT values of adrenal aldosterone-producing adenomas were significantly lower than other pathological types of adrenal cortical tumors on plain scans and at arterial and venous phases (P < 0.05). The CT values of metastatic tumors and cortical carcinoma were significantly lower than those of pheochromocytoma and cortisol adenomas at arterial and venous phases (P < 0.05). Specifically, at arterial and venous phases, the CT values of metastatic tumors were lower than those of cortical carcinoma, and the CT values of cortisol adenomas were lower than those of pheochromocytoma (P < 0.05). The positive expression levels of EGFR and IGF1R were higher in tumor specimens from patients with metastatic tumors and cortical carcinomas than from pheochromocytoma, aldosterone-producing adenomas, and cortisol adenomas (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between patients with metastatic tumors and cortical carcinomas in terms of positive EGFR and IGF1R expression (P > 0.05). In addition, there were no significant differences in the proportions of positive EGFR and IGF1R expression among patients with malignant adrenal cortical tumors in terms of ages, genders, tumor sizes, and TNM stages (P > 0.05). Conclusion The CT values of MSCT scans at arterial and venous phases as well as EGFR and IGF1R expression levels correlate with the pathological types of adrenal cortical tumors.