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.

Objective To investigate the relationship between brain white matter lesions (WML) and triglyceride glucose (TyG) index in non-diabetic elderly individuals based on magnetic resonance imaging. Methods A total of 523 non-diabetic elderly individuals aged ≥ 60 years were selected from Jinan, Shandong Province, China from June 2018 to December 2019. According to the quartiles of TyG index, there were 133 participants in the first quartile (Q1) group, 127 in the second quartile (Q2) group, 132 in the third quartile (Q3) group, and 131 in the fourth quartile (Q4) group. All participants underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate paraventricular, deep, and total WML volumes, as well as Fazekas scores. Results Compared with Q1, Q2, and Q3 groups, Q4 group showed significant increase in periventricular, deep, and total WML volumes (P < 0.05). The proportion of participants with a Fazekas score ≥ 2 in the periventricular, deep, and total WML was higher in the Q4 group compared with the Q1 and Q2 groups (P < 0.05). The proportion of participants with a Fazekas score ≥ 2 in deep WML was higher in Q4 group than in Q3 group (P < 0.05). TyG index was significantly positively correlated with periventricular, deep, and total WML volumes (r = 0.401, 0.405, and 0.445, P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, TyG index was still significantly positively correlated with periventricular, deep, and total WML volumes (P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that compared with Q1 group, the risk of Fazekas score ≥ 2 in periventricular WML was 1.950-fold (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.154-3.294, P = 0.013) in Q3 group and 3.411-fold (95% CI: 1.984-5.863, P < 0.001) in Q4 group, the risk of Fazekas score ≥ 2 in total WML was 2.529-fold (95%CI: 1.444-4.430, P = 0.001) in Q3 group and 4.486-fold (95%CI: 2.314-8.696, P < 0.001) in Q4 group. The risk of Fazekas score ≥ 2 in deep WML was 2.953-fold (95%CI: 1.708-5.106, P < 0.001) in Q4 group compared with Q1 group. Conclusion Increased TyG index is an independent risk factor for WML in non-diabetic elderly individuals.

ObjectiveTo establish the multi-technique characteristic profiles of Alumen by X-ray diffraction（XRD）， Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR） and thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis（TG-DTA）， and to explore the spectral characteristics for rapid identification of Alumen and its potential adulterant， Ammonium alum. MethodsA total of 27 batches of Alumen samples from 8 production regions were collected for preliminary identification based on visual characteristics. The PDF standard cards of XRD were used to differentiate Alumen from A. alum， and the XRD characteristic profiles of Alumen were established， and then the common peaks were screened. Based on hierarchical clustering analysis（HCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA）， the characteristic information that could be used for identification of Alumen was selected with variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1. FTIR characteristic profiles of Alumen were established， and key wavenumbers for identification were screened by HCA and OPLS-DA with VIP value>1. Meanwhile， the thermogravimetric differences between Alumen and A. alum were analyzed by TG-DTA， and the thermogravimetric traits that could be used for identification were screened. ResultsAlumen and A. alum could not be effectively distinguished by traits alone. However， by comparing the PDF standard cards of XRD， 15 batches of Alumen and 12 batches of A. alum could be distinguished. In the XRD profiles， 10 characteristic peaks were confirmed， corresponding to diffraction angles of 14.560°， 24.316°， 12.620°， 32.122°， 17.898°， 34.642°， 27.496°， 46.048°， 40.697° and 21.973°. In the FTIR profiles， 4 wavenumber ranges（399.193-403.050， 1 186.010-1 471.420， 1 801.190-2 620.790， 3 612.020-3 997.710 cm^-1） and 12 characteristic wavenumbers（1 428.994， 1 430.922， 1 432.851， 1 434.779， 1 436.708， 1 438.636， 1 440.565， 1 442.493， 1 444.422， 1 446.350， 1 448.279， 1 450.207 cm^-1） were identified. In the TG-DTA profiles， there were characteristic decomposition peaks of ammonium ion and mass reduction features near 555.34 ℃ for A. alum. These characteristics could serve as important criteria for distinguishing the authenticity of Alumen. ConclusionXRD， FTIR and TG-DTA can be used to rapidly detect Alumen and A. alum， and combined with the discriminant features selected through chemometrics， the rapid and accurate identification of Alumen and A. alum can be achieved. The research findings provide new approaches for the rapid identification of Alumen.

Systemic lupus erythematosus （SLE）， a refractory autoimmune disease， is among the dominant diseases where traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） shows advantages in the field of rheumatology and immunology. The China-Japan Friendship Hospital hosted the "46^th Youth Salon on Dominant Diseases （Systemic Lupus Erythematosus）" organized by the China Association of Chinese Medicine， which led to a consensus on "the advantages， challenges， interdisciplinary approaches， and translational achievements of integrated TCM and Western medical approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of SLE." The diagnosis and treatment of SLE currently face several challenges， such as frequent misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis in the early stages， difficulty in achieving treatment targets， multiple side effects from pharmacotherapy， and the lack of management strategies for special populations， all of which hinder the fulfillment of the clinical needs of patients. Integrated TCM and Western medical approaches can improve clinical symptoms such as skin erythema， aversion to cold and cold limbs， fatigue， dry mouth， restlessness， and heat sensation in the palms and soles， thereby improving patients' quality of life. The approaches also help consolidate the efficacy of conventional Western medicine， slow disease progression， reduce relapse rates， address multi-organ involvement， and prevent or treat complications. Additionally， they enhance efficacy and reduce toxicity， prevent the side effects of Western medications， help reduce hormone use， and offer distinct advantages in the individualized intervention of special populations， contributing to the whole-process management of the disease. However， evidence-based medical support for this integrated approach remains limited， and the quality of available evidence is generally low. Common evaluation systems and modern research methodologies should be adopted to clarify the efficacy of TCM in SLE treatment. Efforts should be made to carry out high-quality evidence-based medical research， strengthen the development of fundamental and pharmacological research， and further explain the distinct advantages of TCM in the diagnosis and treatment of SLE. Future efforts should focus on advancing the integration of TCM and modern medicine， incorporating multi-omics technologies， individualized stratification， and other precision medicine concepts， in combination with artificial intelligence. Moreover， interdisciplinary collaboration should be promoted to utilize modern technology in exploring the essence of TCM theories and screening effective formulae， thereby comprehensively improving the diagnosis and treatment of SLE through integrated TCM and Western medical approaches.

ObjectiveTo establish the multi-technique characteristic profiles of Alumen by X-ray diffraction（XRD）， Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR） and thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis（TG-DTA）， and to explore the spectral characteristics for rapid identification of Alumen and its potential adulterant， Ammonium alum. MethodsA total of 27 batches of Alumen samples from 8 production regions were collected for preliminary identification based on visual characteristics. The PDF standard cards of XRD were used to differentiate Alumen from A. alum， and the XRD characteristic profiles of Alumen were established， and then the common peaks were screened. Based on hierarchical clustering analysis（HCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA）， the characteristic information that could be used for identification of Alumen was selected with variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1. FTIR characteristic profiles of Alumen were established， and key wavenumbers for identification were screened by HCA and OPLS-DA with VIP value>1. Meanwhile， the thermogravimetric differences between Alumen and A. alum were analyzed by TG-DTA， and the thermogravimetric traits that could be used for identification were screened. ResultsAlumen and A. alum could not be effectively distinguished by traits alone. However， by comparing the PDF standard cards of XRD， 15 batches of Alumen and 12 batches of A. alum could be distinguished. In the XRD profiles， 10 characteristic peaks were confirmed， corresponding to diffraction angles of 14.560°， 24.316°， 12.620°， 32.122°， 17.898°， 34.642°， 27.496°， 46.048°， 40.697° and 21.973°. In the FTIR profiles， 4 wavenumber ranges（399.193-403.050， 1 186.010-1 471.420， 1 801.190-2 620.790， 3 612.020-3 997.710 cm^-1） and 12 characteristic wavenumbers（1 428.994， 1 430.922， 1 432.851， 1 434.779， 1 436.708， 1 438.636， 1 440.565， 1 442.493， 1 444.422， 1 446.350， 1 448.279， 1 450.207 cm^-1） were identified. In the TG-DTA profiles， there were characteristic decomposition peaks of ammonium ion and mass reduction features near 555.34 ℃ for A. alum. These characteristics could serve as important criteria for distinguishing the authenticity of Alumen. ConclusionXRD， FTIR and TG-DTA can be used to rapidly detect Alumen and A. alum， and combined with the discriminant features selected through chemometrics， the rapid and accurate identification of Alumen and A. alum can be achieved. The research findings provide new approaches for the rapid identification of Alumen.

Systemic lupus erythematosus （SLE）， a refractory autoimmune disease， is among the dominant diseases where traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） shows advantages in the field of rheumatology and immunology. The China-Japan Friendship Hospital hosted the "46^th Youth Salon on Dominant Diseases （Systemic Lupus Erythematosus）" organized by the China Association of Chinese Medicine， which led to a consensus on "the advantages， challenges， interdisciplinary approaches， and translational achievements of integrated TCM and Western medical approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of SLE." The diagnosis and treatment of SLE currently face several challenges， such as frequent misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis in the early stages， difficulty in achieving treatment targets， multiple side effects from pharmacotherapy， and the lack of management strategies for special populations， all of which hinder the fulfillment of the clinical needs of patients. Integrated TCM and Western medical approaches can improve clinical symptoms such as skin erythema， aversion to cold and cold limbs， fatigue， dry mouth， restlessness， and heat sensation in the palms and soles， thereby improving patients' quality of life. The approaches also help consolidate the efficacy of conventional Western medicine， slow disease progression， reduce relapse rates， address multi-organ involvement， and prevent or treat complications. Additionally， they enhance efficacy and reduce toxicity， prevent the side effects of Western medications， help reduce hormone use， and offer distinct advantages in the individualized intervention of special populations， contributing to the whole-process management of the disease. However， evidence-based medical support for this integrated approach remains limited， and the quality of available evidence is generally low. Common evaluation systems and modern research methodologies should be adopted to clarify the efficacy of TCM in SLE treatment. Efforts should be made to carry out high-quality evidence-based medical research， strengthen the development of fundamental and pharmacological research， and further explain the distinct advantages of TCM in the diagnosis and treatment of SLE. Future efforts should focus on advancing the integration of TCM and modern medicine， incorporating multi-omics technologies， individualized stratification， and other precision medicine concepts， in combination with artificial intelligence. Moreover， interdisciplinary collaboration should be promoted to utilize modern technology in exploring the essence of TCM theories and screening effective formulae， thereby comprehensively improving the diagnosis and treatment of SLE through integrated TCM and Western medical approaches.

Rheumatoid arthritis （RA） is an autoimmune disease characterized primarily by erosive arthritis， with a high prevalence and disability rate. Although significant progress has been made in the treatment of RA in recent years， challenges such as suboptimal efficacy， drug resistance， severe side effects， and high costs of long-term treatment remain， especially for patients in the early stages of RA， as well as those with RA complications， comorbidities， and severe conditions. Hosted by the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and organized by the Youth Committee of the China Association of Chinese Medicine， the 27^th session of the Clinical Dominant Disease Series （Rheumatoid Arthritis） Youth Salon invited nearly 20 experts and scholars from traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， western medicine， and interdisciplinary fields to actively discuss the clinical needs of modern medicine and the advantageous stages and aspects of TCM in RA. Experts at the salon agreed that TCM has unique advantages in the treatment of RA， especially during the early stage， periods of low to moderate disease activity， remission phase， and in addressing complications and comorbidities. TCM can achieve both prevention and treatment by regulating the immune system and restoring immune homeostasis. The integrated approach of traditional Chinese and western medicine demonstrates significant advantages in active RA， refractory cases， and stages with severe complications， by rapidly controlling disease progression， alleviating symptoms， enhancing the quality of life， and facilitating recovery. Given the frequent occurrence of multiple comorbidities in RA， TCM shows potential in regulating immunity， alleviating symptoms， and improving physical constitution， which provides new insights into the comprehensive treatment of RA with comorbidities. However， high-quality clinical studies on integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine in RA are still lacking. It is necessary to establish large-scale clinical cohorts and biological databases to provide a scientific basis for the development of precision-targeted therapies and clinical treatment protocols. In the future， individualized treatment strategies integrating traditional Chinese and western medicine are expected to become an important direction for improving the quality of life in RA patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis （RA） is an autoimmune disease characterized primarily by erosive arthritis， with a high prevalence and disability rate. Although significant progress has been made in the treatment of RA in recent years， challenges such as suboptimal efficacy， drug resistance， severe side effects， and high costs of long-term treatment remain， especially for patients in the early stages of RA， as well as those with RA complications， comorbidities， and severe conditions. Hosted by the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and organized by the Youth Committee of the China Association of Chinese Medicine， the 27^th session of the Clinical Dominant Disease Series （Rheumatoid Arthritis） Youth Salon invited nearly 20 experts and scholars from traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， western medicine， and interdisciplinary fields to actively discuss the clinical needs of modern medicine and the advantageous stages and aspects of TCM in RA. Experts at the salon agreed that TCM has unique advantages in the treatment of RA， especially during the early stage， periods of low to moderate disease activity， remission phase， and in addressing complications and comorbidities. TCM can achieve both prevention and treatment by regulating the immune system and restoring immune homeostasis. The integrated approach of traditional Chinese and western medicine demonstrates significant advantages in active RA， refractory cases， and stages with severe complications， by rapidly controlling disease progression， alleviating symptoms， enhancing the quality of life， and facilitating recovery. Given the frequent occurrence of multiple comorbidities in RA， TCM shows potential in regulating immunity， alleviating symptoms， and improving physical constitution， which provides new insights into the comprehensive treatment of RA with comorbidities. However， high-quality clinical studies on integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine in RA are still lacking. It is necessary to establish large-scale clinical cohorts and biological databases to provide a scientific basis for the development of precision-targeted therapies and clinical treatment protocols. In the future， individualized treatment strategies integrating traditional Chinese and western medicine are expected to become an important direction for improving the quality of life in RA patients.

Objective To predict the lymph node metastasis status of patients with invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma by constructing machine learning models based on primary tumor radiomics, peritumoral radiomics, and habitat radiomics, and to evaluate the predictive performance and generalization ability of different imaging features. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 1 263 patients with invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma who underwent surgery at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jiangsu Province Hospital, from 2016 to 2019. Habitat regions were delineated by applying K-means clustering (average cluster number of 2) to the grayscale values of CT images. The peritumoral region was defined as a uniformly expanded area of 3 mm around the primary tumor. The primary tumor region was automatically segmented using V-net combined with manual correction and annotation. Subsequently, radiomics features were extracted based on these regions, and stacked machine learning models were constructed. Model performance was evaluated on the training, testing, and internal validation sets using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), F1 score, recall, and precision. Results After excluding patients who did not meet the screening criteria, a total of 651 patients were included. The training set consisted of 468 patients (181 males, 287 females) with an average age of (58.39±11.23) years, ranging from 29 to 78 years, the testing set included 140 patients (56 males, 84 females) with an average age of (58.81±10.70) years, ranging from 34 to 82 years, and the internal validation set comprised 43 patients (14 males, 29 females) with an average age of (60.16±10.68) years, ranging from 29 to 78 years. Although the habitat radiomics model did not show the optimal performance in the training set, it exhibited superior performance in the internal validation set, with an AUC of 0.952 [95%CI (0.87, 1.00)], an F1 score of 84.62%, and a precision-recall AUC of 0.892, outperforming the models based on the primary tumor and peritumoral regions. Conclusion The model constructed based on habitat radiomics demonstrated superior performance in the internal validation set, suggesting its potential for better generalization ability and clinical application in predicting lymph node metastasis status in pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

The study aims to examine the effects and potential mechanisms of disulfiram (DSF) on cardiac hypertrophic injury, focusing on the role of transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1)-mediated pan-apoptosis (PANoptosis). H9C2 cardiomyocytes were treated with angiotensin II (Ang II, 1 µmol/L) to establish an in vitro model of myocardial hypertrophy. DSF (40 µmol/L) was used to treat cardiomyocyte hypertrophic injury models, either along or in combination with the TAK1 inhibitor, 5z-7-oxozeaenol (5z-7, 0.1 µmol/L). We assessed cell damage using propidium iodide (PI) staining, measured cell viability with CCK8 assay, quantified inflammatory factor levels in cell culture media via ELISA, detected TAK1 and RIPK1 binding rates using immunoprecipitation, and analyzed the protein expression levels of key proteins in the TAK1-mediated PANoptosis pathway using Western blot. In addition, the surface area of cardiomyocytes was measured with Phalloidin staining. The results showed that Ang II significantly reduced the cellular viability of H9C2 cardiomyocytes and the binding rate of TAK1 and RIPK1, significantly increased the surface area of H9C2 cardiomyocytes, PI staining positive rate, levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-18, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)] in cell culture media and p-TAK1/TAK1 ratio, and significantly up-regulated key proteins in the PANoptosis pathway [pyroptosis-related proteins NLRP3, Caspase-1 (p20), and GSDMD-N (p30), apoptosis-related proteins Caspase-3 (p17), Caspase-7 (p20), and Caspase-8 (p18), as well as necroptosis-related proteins p-MLKL, RIPK1, and RIPK3]. DSF significantly reversed the above changes induced by Ang II. Both 5z-7 and exogenous IL-1β weakened these cardioprotective effects of DSF. These results suggest that DSF may alleviate cardiac hypertrophic injury by inhibiting TAK1-mediated PANoptosis.
Animals ; MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases/physiology* ; Rats ; Myocytes, Cardiac/pathology* ; Disulfiram/pharmacology* ; Cardiomegaly ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Cell Line ; Angiotensin II ; Necroptosis/drug effects* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Receptor-Interacting Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Lactones ; Resorcinols ; Zearalenone/administration & dosage*