Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of acupoint catgut-embedding therapy plus fundamental treatment versus fundamental treatment alone for the prevention and treatment of bone marrow depression in breast cancer patients induced by FEC(fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide) chemotherapy. Methods A total of 46 post-operation breast cancer patients accepting the first cycle of FEC chemotherapy were randomly divided into treatment group and control group, 23 cases in each group. The control group was given fundamental treatment including oral use of Chinese medicine of modified Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction for regulating stomach and arresting vomiting, modified Guipi Decoction and Gui Lu Erxian Decoction for nourishing blood and generating blood, and western medicine of Batilol Tablets and Vitamin B4 Tablets. The treatment group was given acupoint catgut-embedding therapy on bilateral Zusanli(ST36) and Shenshu(BL23) plus fundamental treatment. The effect on bone marrow depression in the two groups was observed after treatment. Results(1) On post-chemotherapy day 7 and 8, the count of white blood cells (WBC) and neutrophils (NE) in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group, the difference being significant(P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).(2) The utilization of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor(G-CSF) in the treatment group was less than that in the control group, the difference being significant (P < 0.05). (3) On post-chemotherapy day 10, the effect on improving bone marrow depression in the treatment group was superior to that in the control group, the difference being significant (P<0.01) . Conclusion The acupoint catgut-embedding therapy plus fundamental treatment is more effective and safe for the prevention and treatment of bone marrow depression in breast cancer patients induced by FEC chemotherapy than fundamental treatment alone.

Objective:This study introduces a novel approach utilizing a self-made drug delivery cannula implanted into the cerebellomedullary cistern(CMC)of rats to allow repeated administrations in conscious subjects.Methods:A self-made medication cannula is inserted through a drilled hole at the midpoint of the occipital crest of the rat's skull,de-scending along the inner wall of the occipital bone until reaching the CMC,and securing it in place with skull screws and self-curing resin.Lipopolysaccharide(LPS)is injected into the CMC to induce neuroinflammation,and the feasibility of this method is assessed using X-ray imaging,behavioral testing,and immunofluorescence staining.Results:The place-ment of the brain cannula was confirmed using X-ray film and pontamine sky blue staining.Rats in the LPS group exhib-ited a lower facial mechanical pain threshold compared to the Control group(P＜0.001),along with reduced residence time in the open field center(P＜0.01).Immunofluorescence staining revealed LPS-induced activation of caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus(SpVc)microglia.Conclusion:This method proves to be suitable for multiple administrations to the cerebellomedullary cistern of conscious rats,enabling the study of the SpVc's role in pain modulation.

Objective: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is a diagnostic tool that provides precise and reproducible information about cardiac structure, function, and tissue characterization, aiding in the monitoring of chemotherapy response in patients with lightchain cardiac amyloidosis (AL-CA). This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of CMR in monitoring responses to chemotherapy in patients with AL-CA. Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, we enrolled 111 patients with AL-CA (50.5% male; median age, 54 [interquartile range, 49–63] years). Patients underwent longitudinal monitoring using biomarkers and CMR imaging. At followup after chemotherapy, patients were categorized into superior and inferior response groups based on their hematological and cardiac laboratory responses to chemotherapy. Changes in CMR findings across therapies and differences between response groups were analyzed. Results: Following chemotherapy (before vs. after), there were significant increases in myocardial T2 (43.6 ± 3.5 ms vs. 44.6 ± 4.1 ms; P = 0.008), recovery in right ventricular (RV) longitudinal strain (median of -9.6% vs. -11.7%; P = 0.031), and decrease in RV extracellular volume fraction (ECV) (median of 53.9% vs. 51.6%; P = 0.048). These changes were more pronounced in the superior-response group. Patients with superior cardiac laboratory response showed significantly greater reductions in RV ECV (-2.9% [interquartile range, -8.7%–1.1%] vs. 1.7% [-5.5%–7.1%]; P = 0.017) and left ventricular ECV (-2.0% [-6.0%–1.3%] vs. 2.0% [-3.0%–5.0%]; P = 0.01) compared with those with inferior response. Conclusion Cardiac amyloid deposition can regress following chemotherapy in patients with AL-CA, particularly showing more prominent regression, possibly earlier, in the RV. CMR emerges as an effective tool for monitoring associated tissue characteristics and ventricular functional recovery in patients with AL-CA undergoing chemotherapy, thereby supporting its utility in treatment response assessment.