ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Qidan Tangshen Granules （芪丹糖肾颗粒， QTG） in the treatment of early diabetic kidney disease （DKD） with qi deficiency， blood stasis， and kidney deficiency syndrome， and to explore its mechanism. MethodsA double-blind， double-simulated method was used to enroll 200 patients with early DKD and qi deficiency， blood stasis， and kidney deficiency syndrome. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1∶1 ratio to the treatment group （100 cases） and the control group （100 cases）. The treatment group received QTG plus a valsartan capsule simulant， while the control group received valsartan capsules plus a QTG simulant， both for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio （UACR）. Secondary outcomes included estimated glomerular filtration rate （eGFR）， fasting blood glucose （FBG）， 2-hour postprandial blood glucose （PBG）， glycated hemoglobin （HbA1c）， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores （including individual symptom scores for fatigue， dull complexion， soreness and weakness of the waist and knees， headache and chest pain， irritability， spontaneous sweating， thirst and polydipsia， polyphagia， polyuria， numbness of the limbs， and the total TCM syndrome score）. Oxidative stress markers including serum 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine （8-OHDG）， 3-nitrotyrosine （3-NT）， and superoxide dismutase （SOD） were also assessed. Clinical efficacy and TCM syndrome efficacy were evaluated after treatment， and routine blood tests， urinalysis， and liver function tests were conducted and adverse reaction during the tria was recorded to assess safety. ResultsA total of 191 patients completed the study （95 in the treatment group and 96 in the control group）. The treatment group showed significant reductions in UACR， FBG， PBG， and HbA1c levels after treatment （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The single TCM symptom scores except for polyphagia and total TCM syndrome scores significantly decreased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared to the control group， the treatment group had signi-ficantly lower UACR， FBG， PBG levels， and total TCM syndrome scores， sinlge symptoms scores except for polyphagia and limb numbness （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Among 40 randomly selected patients （21 cases in the treatment group and 19 cases in the control group） for oxidative stress analysis， there were no significant differences in SOD， 3-NT， and 8-OHDG levels before and after treatment within or between groups （P＞0.05）. The overall effective rate in the treatment group was 64.2% （61/95） and 39.6% （38/96） in the control group， while the TCM syndrome efficacy rates were 80.0% （76/95） and 24.0% （23/96）， respectively， with the treatment group showing superior efficacy （P＜0.01）. No significant differences were observed in routine blood tests， urinalysis， or liver function indices before and after treatment in either group （P＞0.05）. The incidence of adverse reactions was 8.4% （8/95） in the treatment group and 9.4% （9/96） in the control group， with no statistically significant difference （P＞0.05）. ConclusionQTG can effectively reduce UACR and blood glucose levels， alleviate clinical symptoms， and improve clinical efficacy in patients with early DKD with qi deficiency， blood stasis， and kidney deficiency syndrome. The treatment is well-tolerated and safe， with no significant impact on oxidative stress markers.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

ObjectiveTo investigate the potential machanism of Xiaozhong Zhitong Mixture （消肿止痛合剂， XZM） in the treatment of diabetes foot ulcer （DFU）. MethodsFifty SD rats were randomly divided into blank group， model group， XZM group， inhibitor group， XZM plus inhibitor group （combination group）， with 10 rats in each group. Except for the blank group， rats were fed with high-sugar， high-fat， high-cholesterol diet， intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin， and subjected to skin defect to establish DFU model. After successful modeling， the XZM group and the combination group were given 1 ml/（100 g·d）of XZM by gavage， while the blank group， model group， and inhibitor group were all given an equal volume of 0.9% sodium chloride injection by gavage. Thirty minutes later， the inhibitor group and the combination group were intraperitoneally injected with 5 mg/（kg·d） of Notch1 inhibitor DAPT. All groups were treated once a day. After 14 days of administration， the skin tissue from the dorsal foot of the blank group rats and wound tissue from the other groups were collected. The pathological changes of granulation tissue in the wound were detected using hematoxylin eosin （HE） staining. The microvascular density （MVD） in wounds was detected through immunohistochemical staining. Real time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） and western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of Notch1 homolog （Notch1）， Delta-like ligand 4 （Dll4）， Delta-like ligand 4 （VEGF）， and angiopoietin 2 （Ang-2）， respectively. ResultsHistological results showed that the epidermal structure in the dorsal foot skin tissue of the rats in the blank group was intact. In the wound tissue of the model group， the epidermis exhibited excessive keratinization， vacuolar cytoplasm， and a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrating the tissue， while in the XZM group， a large amount of scab formation was observed in the epidermis， with no significant inflammatory cell infiltration and a noticeable increase in fibroblasts. In the combination group and the inhibitor group， partial epidermal scab formation was observed in the wound tissue with a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration. Compared to those in the blank group， the MVD in the wound tissue increased in the model group， as well as the mRNA expression and protein levels of Notch1 and Dll4， while VEGFA and Ang-2 mRNA expression and protein levels significantly decreased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared to those in the model group， the MVD in the wound tissue of all medication groups significantly increased， and the mRNA and protein levels of Notch1 and Dll4 decreased， while VEGFA and Ang-2 mRNA expression and protein levels increased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared to the XZM group， the inhibitor group and the combination group showed decreased MVD in wound tissue， increased Notch1 and Dll4 mRNA and protein levels， and decreased expression of VEGFA and Ang-2 mRNA and proteins （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionXZM can effectively promote wound healing in DFU rats， and its mechanism of action may be related to the inhibition of Dll4/Notch1 signaling pathway in the wound tissue， therey promoting angiogenesis.

After two decades of development, transcatheter left atrial appendage closure has emerged as a safe and effective intervention for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation. In 2024, significant advancements were made in the field of left atrial appendage closure in terms of evidence-based medicine, device research and development, and guideline consensus. The annual report on transcatheter left atrial appendage closure systematically reviews global academic progress in 2024, encompassing newly published clinical evidence, recently developed occlusion devices, and updated international guidelines/consensus statements. In the future, the development direction of transcatheter left atrial appendage closure mainly includes expanding surgical indications, optimizing imaging assistance technology, improving closure device design, and exploring individualized strategies for postoperative antithrombotic therapy.

ObjectiveTo investigate and analyze an outbreak of rotavirus infectious diarrhea in a prison in Chongqing Municipality, to provide a basis for adult rotavirus surveillance and prevention, and to explore the public health problems in special settings. MethodsA retrospective survey was conducted to collect and analyze data on individual cases with diarrheal disease on-site. The clinical characteristics, as well as the temporal, spatial and geographical distribution patterns of the epidemic were described. Multi-pathogen detection tests were conducted both on diarrhea cases and environmental samples, with viral genotyping performed on positive samples. A case-control analysis was performed to identify the causes of the outbreak, and an SEIR model was adopted to predict the outbreak trend and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. ResultsA total of 65 cases were found among the inmates, with an attack rate of 2.03%. The predominant clinical manifestations included diarrhea (89.23%), watery stool (73.85%), and dehydration (18.46%). The epidemic curve indicated a “human-to-human” transmission pattern, with an average incubation period of 5‒6 days. The attack rates among chefs in the main canteen (80.00%, 8/10) and caterers (28.33%, 17/60) were significantly higher than those of other inmates （P<0.05）. Multi-pathogen polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing detected positive for group A rotavirus, with the viral genotyping identified as G9P [8] strain. Factors such as unprotected "bare-handed" food distribution among cases with diarrhea (OR=9.512, 95%CI: 4.261‒21.234) and close contact with diarrhea cases (OR=3.656, 95%CI: 1.719‒7.778) were the possible cause of the outbreak. The SEIR model (r₀=5, α=0.3, β₁=0.08, β₂=0.04) was constructed using prison inmates as susceptible population, aiming at fitting the initial transmission trend of the outbreak, and the epidemic rate declined rapidly after intervention measures were implemented (r_t≈0). ConclusionThis rare rotavirus infection diarrhea outbreak among adults in confined settings suggests that the construction of public health prevention and control systems in prison may be overlooked. Cross infection during meal processing and distribution in the canteens of such settings is likely to be the cause of the outbreak. Given the potential neglect of public heath system construction in special settings, it is imperative to enhance the surveillance and monitoring of rotavirus and other intestinal multi-pathogens among adults, as well as the construction of public health prevention and control systems in these special settings.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics and factors that may affect the flare of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods:A total of 300 patients with SLE who were treated with standard treatment in the outpatient clinic of the department of rheumatology and immunology of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University of PLA, were enrolled, and the patients were divided into 24 patients in the complete response group, 40 cases in the no response group, 192 cases in the treatment response group, and 44 cases in the low disease activity group according to the response to treatment. The differences in clinical characteristics and survival rates between the groups were compared and analyzed. Comparisons of count data were made using analysis of variance (ANOVA), comparisons of measurement data were made using the chi-square test or the Fisher′s ecact test, and survival rates were expressed as Kaplan-Meier curves. Cox regression analysis was adapted to explore risk factors for flare in these patients.Results:A total of 300 patients were followed. With a median follow-up time of 18 (1, 36) months, a total of 42 patients experienced flare. The clinical characteristics of the four groups were compared, and there were significant differences in age ( F=4.39, P=0.005), the presence of lupus nephritis ( χ2=12.66, P=0.005), hemoglobin level ( F=2.73, P=0.044), NLR level( F=3.88, P=0.010), cystatin C level( F=3.11, P=0.027), anti-RNP antibody ( χ2=12.04, P=0.007), anti-Sm antibody ( χ2=8.33, P=0.040), anti-SSB antibody ( P=0.014), anti-nucleosome antibody ( P=0.014), and anti-ribosomal P protein antibody ( χ2=11.83, P=0.008). There was no significant difference in survival between the four groups. Cox analysis showed that the combination of other autoimmune diseases [ HR(95%CI)=3.23(1.58, 6.57), P=0.001], anti-Sm antibody [ HR(95%CI)=2.15(1.04, 4.43), P=0.038], and anti-RNP antibody [ HR(95%CI)=2.54(1.13, 5.68), P=0.023] were risk factors for flare in patients with SLE who could reach the treatment target. Conclusion:Patients with SLE with different treatment responses have different clinical features, and all treatment can significantly improve the recurrence rate no matter what level of response to treatment. Patients concurrent with other autoimmune diseases, positive anti-Sm antibodies, and positive anti-RNP antibodies are at highrisk of flare.