OBJECTIVE To preliminarily investigate the antiasthmatic effect and mechanism of Ephedrae Herba-Armeniacae Semen Amarum herb pair on the respiratory center. METHODS Male SD rats were randomly divided into blank group， model group， dexamethasone group （positive control）， and Ephedrae Herba-Armeniacae Semen Amarum 2∶1， 1∶1 and 1∶2 groups. Rats in each group were administered different ratios of the herb pair decoction [all at 18 g （crude drug）/kg]， dexamethasone suspension （0.5 mg/kg）， or normal saline intragastrically twice daily for seven consecutive days. Forty minutes after the last administration， medicated cerebrospinal fluid was collected to determine the content of effective components entering the brain. One and a half hours after the last administration， the nucleus tractus solitarius （NTS） was located using a stereotaxic apparatus. Histamine phosphate （1 μL） was injected into the NTS region at a constant rate of 1 μL/min using a 10 μL microsyringe to induce excitation of the respiratory center in rats； the blank group was injected with normal saline. The contents of neurotransmitters [nerve growth factor （NGF）， substance P （SP）， norepinephrine （NA）， 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT） and acetylcholine （Ach）] in the medulla oblongata brain tissue were detected. The mRNA expressions of neurokinin-1 receptor （NK-1R）， p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， and c-fos in the medulla oblongata， as well as the protein expressions of NK-1R， p38 MAPK， and c-fos in the NTS region， were determined. RESULTS The main active components of Ephedrae Herba-Armeniacae Semen Amarum herb pair entering the brain were ephedrine， pseudoephedrine， and methylephedrine. Compared with blank group， the contents of NGF， SP， NA， 5-HT and Ach， and the relative expression levels of NK-1R， p38 MAPK， and c-fos mRNA and protein were significantly increased in the model group （ P ＜0.01）. Compared with model group， Ephedrae Herba-Armeniacae Semen Amarum herb pair groups with different ratios significantly reduced the neurotransmitter contents and the relative expression levels of NK-1R， p38 MAPK， and c-fos mRNA and protein （ P ＜0.01）， with the 2∶1 Ephedrae Herba-Armeniacae Semen Amarum herb pair and 1∶1 mass ratios showing relatively better effects. CONCLUSIONS Ephedrae Herba alkaloids are the main active components in affecting the function of the respiratory center. The herb pair groups with a larger proportion of Ephedrae Herba exhibit stronger effects. Ephedrae Herba-Armeniacae Semen Amarum herb pair can reduce the excitability of the respiratory center by down-regulating the expression of the NK-1R/MAPK/c-fos pathway in the NTS and decreasing the abnormal release of neurotransmitters such as NGF and SP.

ObjectiveTo observe the efficacy of Huoxue Jiedu Formulas （活血解毒方药， HJF） as an adjunctive treatement for patients with binding of stasis and toxin syndrome during the vulnerable period after acute myocardial infarction （AMI） percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） surgery， and to explore its potential mechanism from the perspective of serum neutrophil extracellular traps （NETs）. MethodsA total of 129 patients with binding of stasis and toxin syndrome within 6 months after PCI for AMI were enrolled and divided into a treatment group （65 cases） and a control group （64 cases） based on patients' willingness to take Chinese herbal medicine. The control group received standard western medical therapy alone， while the treatment group additionally received HJF， one dose daily. Both groups were treated for four weeks. Before and after treatment， TCM syndrome scores were assessed. Seattle angina questionnaire （SAQ） was used to record angina stability and frequency scores， while the short form-36 health survey （SF-36） was employed to assess quality of life across eight dimensions， including physical functioning， role-physical， bodily pain， general health， vitality， social functioning， role-emotional， and mental health. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index （PSQI） was used to evaluate sleep quality， and the patient health questionnaire-15 （PHQ-15） was used to assess psychosomatic symptoms； Duke activity status index （DASI） was used to measure daily physical activity. Serum levels of neutrophil extracellular traps （NET） markers including myeloperoxidase-DNA （MPO-DNA）， neutrophil elastase-DNA （NE-DNA）， and citrullinated histone H3 （CitH3） were measured in 20 patients from the treatment group. ResultsAfter treatment， TCM syndrome score， PSQI score and PHQ-15 score in both groups significantly decreased， while DASI score， angina stability and frequency scores， and all eight dimensions of the SF-36 scale significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Compared to the control group， the treatment group had significantly lower TCM syndrome scores and significantly higher DASI， angina stability and frequency scores （P＜0.05）， as well as higher scores in the SF-36 dimensions of physical functioning， role-physical， social functioning， bodily pain， and vitality （P＜0.05）. After treatment， serum levels of MPO-DNA， CitH3， and NE-DNA in the treatment group were significantly reduced （P＜0.05）. ConclusionHJF combined with conventional therapy can significantly improve angina symptoms， TCM syndrome scores， and psychosomatic conditions in patients with binding of stasis and toxin syndrome during the vulnerable period after AMI. It also enhances quality of life， sleep quality， and daily physical activity. The underlying mechanism may be associated with the inhibition of serum NETs level.

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility of using the domestic ArcherQA system for fast and simplified independent verification of CyberKnife (CK) stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) plans.Methods:SRT plans of 57 patients treated with CK at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from August 2021 to August 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including 15 intracranial, 30 pulmonary, and 12 abdominal tumors cases. Point-dose and planar-dose verifications were performed using an ionization chamber and radiochromic films embedded in a homogeneous phantom, and the results were compared with those calculated by the treatment planning system (TPS). The localization CT images and corresponding SRT plans were imported into the ArcherQA system for independent dose verification and analysis. The correlation between ArcherQA results and phantom measurements was analyzed, with comparisons of target mean dose differences and γ pass rates.Results:Phantom measurement results showed, the measured point-dose differences for intracranial, lung, and abdominal plans were -0.94% ± 3.22%, 1.92% ± 2.05%, and 2.12% ± 0.77%, respectively. The mean dose differences in target dose calculation between ArcherQA and TPS: intracranial in the gross tumor volume (GTV) regions were 0.34% ± 2.21%, lung tumor GTV were -2.47% ± 2.46%, and abdominal tumor GTV were 0.80% ± 2.61%, respectively. Among them, the abdominal GTV region showed the highest correlation between ArcherQA and measured results ( r=0.78). The average two-dimensional γ pass rates (2 mm/2%, threshold=10%) measured using phantom films were 95.92% ± 2.35% for intracranial, 95.70% ± 2.74% for lung, and 96.74% ± 3.41% for abdominal tumors plans, respectively. The three-dimensional ArcherQA results showed comparable γ pass rates (1 mm/2%, threshold=10%) for lung and abdominal GTV and PTV regions, with similar medians and data dispersion to film measurements. Conclusions:The ArcherQA system enables rapid and efficient independent dose verification of CK SRT plans without the need for additional hardware. The verification results show good correlation with phantom measurements, supporting its potential as an auxiliary quality assurance tool in clinical CK SRT implementation.

Objective:To explore the movement patterns and factors influencing lung tumors tracked using the M6 cyberknife stereotactic radiotherapy(SRT)system and to provide a reference for the implementation of precise stereotactic radiotherapy for lung tumors.Method:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 29 patients with lung tumors who were treated using x-sight lung tracking technology and the M6 cyberknife SRT system at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute&Hospital,from January 2022 to August 2024.The tumor location and volume,irradiation dose,isodose line,and number of divisions were recorded.Lung tumor location and SPSS 26.0 software were used to analyze the movement amplitude of tumors in the left and right(LFT/RGT,LR)directions,the anterior-posterior(ANT/POS,AP)direction,and the superior-inferior(SUP/INF,SI)direction.The results are expressed as the mean±standard deviation((x)±s)mm,and a t-test was used for inter-group comparisons.Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the effects of factors such as age,gender,tumor location(upper and lower lungs),and tumor volume on the amplitudes of the lung tumor movements.Result:The average motion amplitudes in the LR direc-tions,AP direction,and SI direction of the tumor target areas were(3.5±1.8)mm,(5.3±1.7)mm,and(7.3±5.4)mm for the upper lung,based on 19 cases,and(3.1±1.6)mm,(4.5±2.2)mm,and(12.2±4.4)mm for the lower lung,based on 10 cases,respectively.There was a statistic-ally significant difference(P=0.015 3)in the amplitude of movements between the lower and upper lung tumors in the SI direction.The lung tumor movement amplitude in the SI direction was influenced by tumor location(P=0.035),and the movement amplitudes in the LR direc-tions and the AP direction were not related to factors such as gender,age,tumor location,and tumor volume.Conclusions:The lung tumor movement amplitudes for the different locations varied depending on the respiratory movement shown by the patient.In the SI direction,the movement amplitude of the lower lung tumors was greater than that of upper lung tumors,and this was due to tumor location effects.The movement amplitudes of the lower and upper lung tumors were similar in the LR directions and AP directions.Furthermore,movement amplitude was not affected by gender,age,tumor location,and tumor volume.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of radiotherapy in postoperative metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-overexpressing breast cancer treated with pyrotinib, and to identify potential subgroups that may benefit from this strategy.Methods:The clinical data of 187 patients with postoperative distant metastatic HER2-overexpressing breast cancer who received pyrotinib at the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University from January 2018 to July 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess changes in survival outcomes in patients undergoing radiotherapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify prognostic factors, and the log-rank test was used to determine potential subgroups that may benefit from radiotherapy.Results:Among the 187 patients, 76 received radiotherapy. The median follow-up duration for the entire population was 16.9 months (range: 3.1-37.9 months), and the 2-year overall survival (OS) was 75.0%. Multivariate analysis showed that age, metastatic status, and radiotherapy were independent factors affecting OS (3.86-6.76, P<0.05). Further subgroup analysis showed that radiotherapy significantly improved OS in patients aged ≥50 years, those with oligometastases or bone metastases, those not receiving endocrine therapy, and those resistant to trastuzumab ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Radiotherapy, in addition to pyrotinib, can enhance the survival rate of patients with postoperative metastatic HER2-overexpressing breast cancer. The benefits of radiotherapy may be more pronounced in patients with a low tumor burden, inadequate systemic treatment, and drug resistance.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between oxygen consumption (VO 2), carbon dioxide production (VCO 2), and Oxygen Consumption/lactate (VO 2/Lac) with risk of death in patients with severe ARDS. Methods:A retrospective cohort study method was used, and the study subjects were hospitalized for >5 days adult patients with severe ARDS in the central intensive care unit of Henan Provincial People's Hospital from 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2023. The following patients were excluded: IC test was not completed on the 4th day of ICU admission, IC test results were unreliable, mechanical ventilation duration had exceeded 48 h at the time of ICU transfer or admission, palliative care patients and pregnant and parturient women. Using indirect calorimetry to determine VO 2 and VCO 2 values on the 4th day of admission, reviewing medical records to obtain general condition, disease information, blood gas analysis (including lactate value), diagnostic and therapeutic measures, and following up deaths by telephone and time of death. The primary outcome measure was death at 90 days, and the secondary outcome measure was death at 28 days, length of stay in ICU, total length of stay, and total hospitalization cost. Cox regression analysis and linear regression analysis were used to investigate the relationship between VO 2, VCO 2, VO 2/Lac and primary and secondary outcome indexes. Results:A total of 216 patients were enrolled, 78 patients (36.1%) died and 138 patients (63.9%) survived at 90 days. After correction for confounders, the results of multifactorial Cox regression analysis suggested that compared with the Q4 group, HR (95% CI) for 90-day risk of death in the VO 2 Q1 and Q2 groups was 3.21 (1.38, 7.49) and 3.24 (1.42, 7.38), and HR (95% CI) for 90-day risk of death in the VCO 2 Q1, Q2 and Q3 groups was 5.88 (2.33, 14.84), 4.26 (1. 60, 11.34) and 3.54 (1.34, 9.35), respectively, and the HR (95% CI) for 90-day risk of death in the VO 2/Lac Q1, Q2 and Q3 groups were 8.72 (3.01, 25.25), 8.43 (2.91, 24.47) and 4.04 (1.34, 12.17) respectively. P-trends were all <0.05, indicating that VO 2, VCO 2 and VO 2/Lac were linearly and negatively associated with the risk of 90-day mortality. In addition, VO 2, VCO 2, and VO 2/Lac were negatively associated with 28-day risk of death and higher VO 2/Lac was negatively associated with length of ICU stay. Conclusions:VO 2, VCO 2 and VO 2/Lac were negatively associated with 90-day mortality risk and 28-day mortality risk in patients with severe ARDS and may be independent risk factors predicting mortality risk of such patients.

Objective:To explore the movement patterns and factors influencing lung tumors tracked using the M6 cyberknife stereotactic radiotherapy(SRT)system and to provide a reference for the implementation of precise stereotactic radiotherapy for lung tumors.Method:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 29 patients with lung tumors who were treated using x-sight lung tracking technology and the M6 cyberknife SRT system at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute&Hospital,from January 2022 to August 2024.The tumor location and volume,irradiation dose,isodose line,and number of divisions were recorded.Lung tumor location and SPSS 26.0 software were used to analyze the movement amplitude of tumors in the left and right(LFT/RGT,LR)directions,the anterior-posterior(ANT/POS,AP)direction,and the superior-inferior(SUP/INF,SI)direction.The results are expressed as the mean±standard deviation((x)±s)mm,and a t-test was used for inter-group comparisons.Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the effects of factors such as age,gender,tumor location(upper and lower lungs),and tumor volume on the amplitudes of the lung tumor movements.Result:The average motion amplitudes in the LR direc-tions,AP direction,and SI direction of the tumor target areas were(3.5±1.8)mm,(5.3±1.7)mm,and(7.3±5.4)mm for the upper lung,based on 19 cases,and(3.1±1.6)mm,(4.5±2.2)mm,and(12.2±4.4)mm for the lower lung,based on 10 cases,respectively.There was a statistic-ally significant difference(P=0.015 3)in the amplitude of movements between the lower and upper lung tumors in the SI direction.The lung tumor movement amplitude in the SI direction was influenced by tumor location(P=0.035),and the movement amplitudes in the LR direc-tions and the AP direction were not related to factors such as gender,age,tumor location,and tumor volume.Conclusions:The lung tumor movement amplitudes for the different locations varied depending on the respiratory movement shown by the patient.In the SI direction,the movement amplitude of the lower lung tumors was greater than that of upper lung tumors,and this was due to tumor location effects.The movement amplitudes of the lower and upper lung tumors were similar in the LR directions and AP directions.Furthermore,movement amplitude was not affected by gender,age,tumor location,and tumor volume.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of radiotherapy in postoperative metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-overexpressing breast cancer treated with pyrotinib, and to identify potential subgroups that may benefit from this strategy.Methods:The clinical data of 187 patients with postoperative distant metastatic HER2-overexpressing breast cancer who received pyrotinib at the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University from January 2018 to July 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess changes in survival outcomes in patients undergoing radiotherapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify prognostic factors, and the log-rank test was used to determine potential subgroups that may benefit from radiotherapy.Results:Among the 187 patients, 76 received radiotherapy. The median follow-up duration for the entire population was 16.9 months (range: 3.1-37.9 months), and the 2-year overall survival (OS) was 75.0%. Multivariate analysis showed that age, metastatic status, and radiotherapy were independent factors affecting OS (3.86-6.76, P<0.05). Further subgroup analysis showed that radiotherapy significantly improved OS in patients aged ≥50 years, those with oligometastases or bone metastases, those not receiving endocrine therapy, and those resistant to trastuzumab ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Radiotherapy, in addition to pyrotinib, can enhance the survival rate of patients with postoperative metastatic HER2-overexpressing breast cancer. The benefits of radiotherapy may be more pronounced in patients with a low tumor burden, inadequate systemic treatment, and drug resistance.

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility of using the domestic ArcherQA system for fast and simplified independent verification of CyberKnife (CK) stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) plans.Methods:SRT plans of 57 patients treated with CK at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from August 2021 to August 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including 15 intracranial, 30 pulmonary, and 12 abdominal tumors cases. Point-dose and planar-dose verifications were performed using an ionization chamber and radiochromic films embedded in a homogeneous phantom, and the results were compared with those calculated by the treatment planning system (TPS). The localization CT images and corresponding SRT plans were imported into the ArcherQA system for independent dose verification and analysis. The correlation between ArcherQA results and phantom measurements was analyzed, with comparisons of target mean dose differences and γ pass rates.Results:Phantom measurement results showed, the measured point-dose differences for intracranial, lung, and abdominal plans were -0.94% ± 3.22%, 1.92% ± 2.05%, and 2.12% ± 0.77%, respectively. The mean dose differences in target dose calculation between ArcherQA and TPS: intracranial in the gross tumor volume (GTV) regions were 0.34% ± 2.21%, lung tumor GTV were -2.47% ± 2.46%, and abdominal tumor GTV were 0.80% ± 2.61%, respectively. Among them, the abdominal GTV region showed the highest correlation between ArcherQA and measured results ( r=0.78). The average two-dimensional γ pass rates (2 mm/2%, threshold=10%) measured using phantom films were 95.92% ± 2.35% for intracranial, 95.70% ± 2.74% for lung, and 96.74% ± 3.41% for abdominal tumors plans, respectively. The three-dimensional ArcherQA results showed comparable γ pass rates (1 mm/2%, threshold=10%) for lung and abdominal GTV and PTV regions, with similar medians and data dispersion to film measurements. Conclusions:The ArcherQA system enables rapid and efficient independent dose verification of CK SRT plans without the need for additional hardware. The verification results show good correlation with phantom measurements, supporting its potential as an auxiliary quality assurance tool in clinical CK SRT implementation.

Objective To investigate the effects of berberine on UCP2 expression and the mitochondrial dy-namics in skeletal muscle and kidney in mice with ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) of lower limb.Methods Thirty male Kunming mice were randomly divided into the negative control group,the positive control group,and low,medium and high doses berberine intervention groups.The mice in all experimental groups constructed the ischemia reperfusion injury model of lower limbs by tourniquet,different doses of berberine solution were injected intraperitoneally for intervention,while the ischemia repeating supply group used normal saline for re-placement.The HE staining was used to detect the pathological conditions of skeletal muscle and kidney,PCR and Western blot were used to detect the gene and protein expression levels of UCP2,FIS1,DRP1,Mfn1 and Mfn2,and the changes of SOD,MDA and GSH were detected by kit.Results After IRI intervention in the both lower extremities,the inflammatory cell infiltration occurred in both skeletal muscle and kidney,and the cell structure of skeletal muscle showed the damage changes.Meanwhile,the gene and protein expressions lev-els of UCP2,FIS1 and DRP1 and the levels of GSH and SOD in skeletal muscle were significantly increased (P<0.05),while the gene and protein expression levels of Mfn1 and Mfn2 and the levels of MDA were signif-icantly decreased (P<0.05).The increase of UCP2 and DRP1 gene and protein expression levels in kidney was different (P<0.05).Berberine could up-regulate the UCP2 gene expression in skeletal muscle and the pro-tein expression in skeletal muscle (P<0.05).At the same time,DRP1 gene and protein were significantly inhibited in the kidney tissue (P<0.05),but which in skeletal muscle had no significant change.Conclusion IRI of skeletal muscle of lower extremity in mice leads to severe oxidative stress injury,mitochondrial dynamic imbalance and inflammatory damage of kidney in the injured parts.The therapeutic effect of berberine on skeletal muscle and kidney IRI may be achieved by inhibiting oxidative stress injury,in which its protective effect on kidney may also be related to inhibit the expression of DRP1 after UCP2 up-regulation,thus limit the mitochondrial fission and slow down the development of injury.