The rapid development of artificial intelligence （AI） technology provides new opportunities for the modernisation of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） diagnosis. By analysing the foundation， research progress and difficulties of the combination of AI and TCM diagnosis， it is concluded that AI has made remarkable development in intelligence-driven modernization of TCM tongue diagnosis， pulse diagnosis， listening and smelling diagnosis and text processing， and there are useful explorations in the field of constructing data-driven TCM diagnostic model and multidisciplinary integration of TCM diagnostic models. However， the current integration of AI technology in TCM diagnosis still faces many challenges， such as the scarcity and uneven quality of clinical data， the limited ability of AI algorithms to express TCM thinking model of syndrome differentiation and empirical knowledge， and the possible existence of ethical and privacy issues. By systematically sorting out the current research status and development direction of AI-empowered TCM diagnostics， it is proposed to promote the application of AI technology in TCM diagnostics in four aspects， namely， strengthening the construction of TCM big data and talent cultivation， encouraging cross-disciplinary cooperation， improving the legal and ethical framework， and promoting the popularity of the technology in primary care， so as to enhance the modernisation of TCM diagnostics.

The prevalence of periodontal disease in Chinese population is more than 90％.The present treatment techniques can only control the development of the disease,inducement of bone tissue regeneration is a promising strategy and a challenge for the treatment.Exosomes are multivesicle structures derived from endosomes.More and more studies have been conducted on their application in perio-dontal regeneration.This paper reviews the application of exosome in periodontal regeneration in recent years,which is expected to pro-vide new idea for periodontal regeneration therapy.

Retzius-sparing robot assisted radical prostatectomy (RS-RARP) can significantly improve the immediate urinary continence without increasing the positive rate of surgical margin.However, the learning curve is long, and fewer than 10% of the surgeons can master it.Therefore,we have optimized the procedures of RS-RARP, applying radical prostatectomy with retrograde release of neurovascular bundle to preserve it to the maximum extent.Urethral anastomosis can be performed with only one suture, which eliminates the need for Hem-o-lok and reduces subsequent complications.Our team routinely carries out this operation, and conlcudes that this surgical method can achieve good tumor control, good urinary continence, fast recovery of sexual function, few complications, and strong operability.This article details the key steps and operation experience of this technique.

Objective:To develop a venipuncture indication system based on an ultra-miniature side-view optical coherence tomography (OCT) endoscopic probe. This system enables real-time scanning and imaging of the tissue around the tip of the intravenous needle, which is used to determine whether the intravenous needle has penetrated the blood vessel.Methods:An ultra-miniature side-view OCT needle probe was fabricated and placed into the stem of an elongated 30G hypodermic needle to make the OCT endoscopic probe. The endoscopic probe was inserted into the stem of an intravenous needle and the tip of the probe was allowed to probe out of the intravenous needle. This allows the OCT endoscopic probe to be driven by the rotating collar to scan and image the tissue around the tip of the intravenous needle. Imaging experiments were performed using mouse blood and non-blood tissues (skeletal muscle and liver) to verify system function.Results:Blood did not produce OCT signals at most locations except for a weak OCT signal at locations near the scanning window of the endoscope probe (i.e., the top of the image). The intensity of the OCT signal generated by it decayed rapidly with the increase in imaging depth. At a depth of 300-400 μm from the scanning window, the OCT signal has almost completely disappeared. Strong OCT signals appeared in the images of skeletal muscle. Its signal intensity decayed with the increase of imaging depth, but a more obvious OCT signal could be observed at a depth of more than 900 μm from the scanning window. The distribution of OCT signal intensity within skeletal muscle was very heterogeneous. The connective tissue embedded in the skeletal muscle showed stronger OCT signals than the surrounding skeletal muscle, while there was almost no OCT signal in the muscle at the spaces located between the muscle fiber bundles. A strong OCT signal was observed in the images of liver tissue. The attenuation of this signal with increasing imaging depth was more pronounced. At a distance of 600-700 μm from the scanning window, the OCT signal had almost completely disappeared. The intensity distribution of the OCT signal in the internal image of the liver tissue was relatively uniform.Conclusions:The proposed venipuncture indication system is able to image the tissue around the tip of the injection needle instantly, and provide a more reliable indication of whether the needle has penetrated the blood vessel during clinical venipuncture.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Qingxuan Zhike granules in improving cough symptoms and shortening the course of influenza (wind-heat invading lung) in children.Methods:In this multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial, a total of 240 outpatient influenza patients from 7 hospitals, including the First Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, from April 2023 to December 2023 were collected.The subjects were randomly divided into the control group and the experimental group via SAS software using the block randomization method.The differences between two groups were compared with t test, corrected t test and χ2 test.Subjects in the control group were given Oseltamivir phosphate granules, orally, twice a day (weight ≤15 kg, 30 mg/time; weight >15-23 kg, 45 mg/time; weight >23-40 kg, 60 mg/time; weight >40 kg, 75 mg/time; age≥13 years, 75 mg/time).In addition to Oseltamivir phosphate granules, subjects in the experimental group were also given Qingxuan Zhike granules, orally, 3 times a day (1-3 years old, 1/2 bag each time; >3-6 years old, 3/4 bag each time; >6-14 years old, 1 bag each time).After 5 days of treatment, the medication was suspended for 2 days.The effect of cough, antipyretic effect, clinical recovery rate, clinical recovery time, Canadian Acute Respiratory Illness and Flu Scale (CARIFS) score, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome effect, complication rate, and adverse reactions were evaluated between the two groups. Results:Finally, 232 cases were included in the study, including 115 cases in the experimental group and 117 cases in the control group.Before and after treatment, there were no significant difference in CARIFS cough score between the experimental group and the control group (all P>0.05).After treatment, the change in CARIFS cough score in the experimental group [(-1.00±0.91) scores]was significantly higher than that in the control group [(-0.75±0.98) scores] ( t=-1.995, P=0.047).After treatment, the change in TCM syndrome cough score in the experimental group [(-1.69±1.51) scores] was significantly higher than that in the control group [(-0.97±1.63) scores] ( t′=-0.035, P=0.001).The time of complete regression of fever in the experimental group [(44.82±22.72) h] was shorter than that in the control group [(51.35±27.07) h], and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( t=-1.966, P=0.050).The fever score showed that the area under the curve between the CARIFS symptom fever score and time in the experimental group was 4.40±2.42, while that in the control group was 5.12±2.44, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( t=-2.252, P=0.025).The clinical recovery rate was 93.91%(108/115) in the experimental group and 92.31%(108/117) in the control group, and there was no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=0.233, P>0.05).The clinical recovery time in the experimental group [(2.93±1.21) d] was shorter than that in the control group [(3.29±1.15) d], and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( t=-2.279, P=0.024).After treatment, there was a significant difference in TCM syndrome score variation between the experimental group [(-12.00±4.13) scores] and the control group [(-10.85±4.31) scores] ( t′=-2.067, P=0.040).No complication occurred in both groups, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the two groups ( χ2=1.299, P>0.05). Conclusions:Qingxuan Zhike granules combined with Oseltamivir phosphate can effectively improve the cough symptoms associated with influenza in children, shorten the time and course of fever, and improve the TCM syndrome score; thus, they are safe in clinical application.

Gastric cancer(GC)is one of the most common malignancies worldwide.In our country,the majority of patients are diagnosed with GC at alocally advanced stage.Fortunately,clinical studies have demonstrated that minimally invasive radical gastrectomy,particularly laparoscopic surgery,is just as effective as traditional open surgery in terms of both short-and long-term outcomes.Consequently,minim-ally invasive surgery has become the primary surgical approach for patients with locally advanced gastric cancer(LAGC).Advancements in surgical techniques and technologies are enabling even more precise and minimally invasive approaches to GC surgery.Based on recent do-mestic and international studies,this study aimed to review and elaborate on the development of minimally invasive surgery for LAGC.

Objective:This study aims to evaluate the performance of digital PCR (dPCR) detecting multiple and single copies genes of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) for nucleic acid quantification and explore their applicability in clinical settings.Methods:Compared the sensitivity, specificity, precision, lower limit of detection (LoD), and linearity for multicopy BamHI-W dPCR and single-copy EBNA1 dPCR systems. Linear regression analysis using the least squares method was employed to evaluate the linearity. Additionally, we analyzed plasma samples from 182 patients with suspected EBV-related diseases between January and July 2022 at the Southern Medical University Southern Hospital, using both dPCR and quantitative PCR (qPCR) for EBV DNA quantification. Linear regression analysis using the least squares method was conducted to assess their quantitative correlation.Results:The dPCR systems for both multicopy and single-copy genes showed excellent linearity ( R 2 values of 0.992 and 0.997, respectively, both P<0.001). The LoD were 188 IU/ml for BamHI-W gene and 358 IU/ml for EBNA1 gene dPCR systems. The logarithmic coefficient of variation ( CV) values for high-concentration samples (1 000 000 IU/ml) were 0.34% and 0.21% for the BamHI-W gene and EBNA1 gene dPCR assays, respectively, while for low-concentration samples (5 000 IU/ml) were 0.98% and 0.64%, respectively. In the detection of seven common clinical infectious pathogens and EBV positive samples, only EBV-positive samples yielded positive signals in the dPCR detection system, with no cross-reaction with other pathogens. In 182 samples, the positive detection rates were 47.80% (87/182) for BamHI-W gene and 35.16% (64/182) for EBNA1 gene dPCR, compared to 43.41% (79/182) for qPCR. Linear correlation analysis with qPCR showed R2 values of 0.837 for BamHI-W gene and 0.763 for EBNA1 gene dPCR (both P<0.001). The BamHI-W gene copy number ranged from 3 to 18 copies per clinical sample, with patient-specific variations. There was a high consistency in viral load trends between the multicopy BamHI-W gene and single-copy EBNA1 gene dPCR systems within individual patients. Conclusions:The dPCR methods detecting EBV multiple and single copies genes showed high sensitivity, specificity, precision, and quantitative accuracy, suitable for clinical sample analysis. The multicopy BamHI-W gene dPCR method notably enhances detection sensitivity and can be used as a supplement to current EBV DNA load detection methods, especially in low-concentration samples. For within-patient EBV DNA monitoring, the multicopy gene method proves more effective, while inter-patient comparisons might necessitate single-copy gene methods or normalize them using the same standard.

Objective: Based on physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) variables on weekdays and weekends, the study aims to cluster the physical activities inside and outside kindergartens and to explore the cluster characteristics of different children using physical fitness indicators, so as to provide new strategies and methods for early childhood education and health. Methods: From March to June 2019, 291 children aged 3-6 years from 6 kindergartens in Nanchang were recruited by a stratified cluster random sampling method. The ActiGraph GT3X-BT triaxial accelerometer was used to measure and analyze the PA and SB levels inside and outside the kindergarten. A twostep clustering algorithm model was employed for cluster analysis. Physical fitness were measured and evaluated according to the "National Physical Fitness Measurement Standard Manual (Preschool Section)". Differences in physical fitness among different clusters of children were compared, and the cluster characteristics of different children were analyzed. Results: The clustering algorithm model indicated that based on six indicators, including PA and SB inside the kindergarten on weekdays, and PA and SB outside the kindergarten on both weekdays and weekends, children could be divided into three categories:active inside (high PA, low SB inside), active outside (high PA outside), and inactive (low PA, high SB both inside and outside). The average silhouette coefficient of the model was 0.3, indicating good clustering results. Both the active inside and active outside children showed significantly higher PA inside on weekdays, PA outside on weekdays and weekends, daily low intensity physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) than the inactive children ( F=157.91, 80.79 , 95.86, 95.52, 124.74, P <0.05). After adjusting for gender and age, the physical fitness scores of both active outside ( 19.03 ±0.47) and active inside (19.11±0.40) were significantly higher than those of the inactive children (17.94±0.31). Additionally, active inside children (3.91±0.14) also showed significantly better performance in continuous double-leg jumps, compared to inactive children (3.45±0.11) ( P <0.05). Conclusion Children active inside and those active outside perform well in PA. Future research should focus on the proportion of structured and unstructured PA time to enhance the overall physical fitness of children.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of retzius-sparing robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy with retrograde release of the neurovascular bundle.Methods:From January 2021 to January 2022, the clinical data of 113 patients with retzius-sparing robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RS-RARP) was retrospectively analyzed. The ages of the optimized group and the standard group were (67.5±6.4) years and (67.7±6.1) years, and the body mass index (BMI) was (25.0±3.2) kg/m 2 and (24.9±3.1) kg/m 2, respectively. The prostate volume was (42.8±15.4) ml and (41.0±17.9) ml, the preoperative PSA was (13.5±13.1) ng/ml and (11.9±16.0) ng/ml, and the preoperative IIEF-5 score was (15.0±4.0) and (14.8±4.2) points, respectively. Gleason scores were (7.2±0.8) points and (7.1±0.9) points, respectively, with no statistical significance ( P>0.05). The clinical stages of cT 2 and cT 3 were 35 and 40 cases in the optimized group and 16 and 22 cases in the standard group, respectively. There were 5 and 11 cases of preoperative neoadjuvant therapy, respectively, with no statistical significance ( P>0.05). The optimized RS-RARP is the blunt dissection of the denonvilliers fascia and forward to the apex of prostate, and retrograde release of the NVB. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, drainage tube retention time, days of hospital stay, positive rate of pathological margin and incidence of complications were compared. The recovery of urinary continence was evaluated at 2 weeks after the catheter was removed, and the postoperative IIEF-5 score and PSA were followed up at 1 month after the surgery. Immediate urinary continence was defined as the use of 1 pad on the day of radical prostatectomy. Follow-up intervals were no more than 3 months. The log-rank test compared urinary incontinence rates between the two modalities. Results:All 113 cases of surgery were completed, and median follow-up was 16 months. The operation time was (79.7±26.6) min and (149.8±40.1) min, and the intraoperative blood loss was (54.9±24.7) ml and (110.0±83.2) ml, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.01). The retention time of postoperative drainage tube was (5.3±2.1) d and (5.5±2.1) d in the optimal group and the standard group, and the days of hospital stay was (7.6±2.1) d and (8.5±2.3) d, respectively. The positive rate of postoperative pathological margin was 19.6% (10/51) and 24.2% (15/62), respectively. There was no significant difference ( P>0.05). immediate urinary continence was 86.3% (44/51) and 69.4% (43/62) in the optimized group and the standard group, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( P=0.033). Postoperative IIEF-5 scores were (13.2±3.3) and (11.0±4.3), respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( P=0.012). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the risk of urinary incontinence was lower in the optimized group ( P=0.02). Conclusions:The optimized RS-RARP might shorten the operation time, reduce intraoperative bleeding, and help the recovery of urinary continence and sexual function to a great extent.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by severe synovial inflammation and cartilage damage. Despite great progress in RA therapy, there still lacks the drugs to completely cure RA patients. Herein, we propose a reprogrammed neutrophil cytopharmaceuticals loading with TNFα-targeting-siRNA (siTNFα) as an alternative anti-inflammatory approach for RA treatment. The loaded siTNFα act as not only the gene therapeutics to inhibit TNFα production by macrophages in inflamed synovium, but also the editors to reprogram neutrophils to anti-inflammatory phenotypes. Leveraging the active tendency of neutrophils to inflammation, the reprogrammed siTNFα/neutrophil cytopharmaceuticals (siTNFα/TP/NEs) can rapidly migrate to the inflamed synovium, transfer the loaded siTNFα to macrophages followed by the significant reduction of TNFα expression, and circumvent the pro-inflammatory activity of neutrophils, thus leading to the alleviated synovial inflammation and improved cartilage protection. Our work provides a promising cytopharmaceutical for RA treatment, and puts forward a living neutrophil-based gene delivery platform.