Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis （IPF） is a chronic and fibrotic lethal interstitial lung disease with poor prognosis. It is mainly treated by organ transplantation and administration of chemical drugs， which have poor efficacy and induce side effects， failing to meet the clinical needs. Therefore， it is urgent to develop more safe and effective drugs to treat IPF. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has garnered increasing attention in recent years in the treatment of IPF due to its unique advantages. Increasing studies have shown that TCM has remarkable therapeutic effects on IPF and thus demonstrate broad application prospects. Modern medical research shows that the pathogenesis of IPF can be discussed from inflammation （macrophage polarization）， oxidative stress， epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT）， autophagy inhibition and other related signaling pathways， while few studies systematically explain the relationship between the signaling pathways and TCM theory. According to the theory of TCM， lung collateral obstruction is the basic pathogenesis of IPF. Therefore， according to the principle of dredging and replenishing lung collaterals， IPF can be treated with the methods of reinforcing healthy qi and eliminating pathogen， replenishing qi and activating blood， and detoxifying and dredging collaterals， which demonstrate definite curative effect and can effectively relieve clinical symptoms， restore the lung function and blood oxygen partial pressure， improve the quality of life of patients， and reduce adverse reactions. Experimental studies have found that dredging and replenishing lung collaterals have significant effects on IPF inflammation （macrophage polarization）， oxidative stress， EMT， autophagy inhibition and other signaling pathways. Therefore， from the perspective of impediment， this article reviews pathogenesis of IPF， the research progress in TCM treatment of IPF， and the treatment of IPF from active components， single herbs， and compound prescriptions of TCM， with the aim of revealing the scientific connotation of the treatment of IPF from impediment and providing a new theoretical basis for enriching the TCM methods of treating IPF.

Objective:To reveal the differences in the transcriptome maps of brain tissues in mice subjected to Flash irradiation and conventional dose rate irradiation with electron beams and to explain the biological effect and mechanisms of Flash irradiation from multiple perspectives.Methods:Following the principle of grouping based on approximate body weights, 36 female C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups, i. e., the control, conventional dose rate irradiation (CONV), and Flash irradiation (Flash) groups, with 12 mice in each group. Both the CONV and Flash groups received a single 15 Gy whole-brain irradiation with 9 MeV electron beams. At 3 d post-irradiation, the whole-brain tissue specimens were collected for hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining to observe pathological changes. At 1, 3, and 10 weeks post-irradiation, the motion function, cognitive ability, depression level, and spatial memory capacity of the mice were assessed using ethology. At 1 and 10 weeks after behavioral experiments, brain tissue samples were collected and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen for reference-based transcriptome sequencing. Accordingly, the differences in the transcriptome maps of radiation-induced brain injury between CONV and Flash groups were analyzed.Results:The HE staining-based pathological result revealed that compared to the CONV group, the Flash group exhibited reduced glial cell hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration in brain tissues. Ethological research result at 1 week post-irradiation showed that the CONV group manifested a significantly decreased total traveled distance compared to the control and Flash groups ( t = 5.51, 2.38, P < 0.05) and a significantly increased immobility time compared to the control group ( t = 3.60, P < 0.05). Ethological research result at 3 weeks post-irradiation indicated that compared to the CONV group, the Flash group displayed significantly alleviated cognitive impairment ( t = 3.35, P < 0.05) and reduced depression levels ( t = 2.39, P < 0.05). Ethological research result at 10 weeks post-irradiation demonstrated that the CONV group showed the worst cognitive performance, significantly differing from the control group ( t = 4.53, P < 0.05). Transcriptome sequencing result revealed that besides immune-related pathways, the Flash group also exhibited multiple upregulated metabolic pathways and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-related pathways compared to the CONV group. Conclusions:Compared to conventional dose rate irradiation, Flash irradiation can effectively alleviate radiation-induced brain injury in mice. This effect is associated with various metabolic pathways (including amino acid metabolism) and FGF-related pathways besides immune pathways.

Objective:To reveal the differences in the transcriptome maps of brain tissues in mice subjected to Flash irradiation and conventional dose rate irradiation with electron beams and to explain the biological effect and mechanisms of Flash irradiation from multiple perspectives.Methods:Following the principle of grouping based on approximate body weights, 36 female C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups, i. e., the control, conventional dose rate irradiation (CONV), and Flash irradiation (Flash) groups, with 12 mice in each group. Both the CONV and Flash groups received a single 15 Gy whole-brain irradiation with 9 MeV electron beams. At 3 d post-irradiation, the whole-brain tissue specimens were collected for hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining to observe pathological changes. At 1, 3, and 10 weeks post-irradiation, the motion function, cognitive ability, depression level, and spatial memory capacity of the mice were assessed using ethology. At 1 and 10 weeks after behavioral experiments, brain tissue samples were collected and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen for reference-based transcriptome sequencing. Accordingly, the differences in the transcriptome maps of radiation-induced brain injury between CONV and Flash groups were analyzed.Results:The HE staining-based pathological result revealed that compared to the CONV group, the Flash group exhibited reduced glial cell hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration in brain tissues. Ethological research result at 1 week post-irradiation showed that the CONV group manifested a significantly decreased total traveled distance compared to the control and Flash groups ( t = 5.51, 2.38, P < 0.05) and a significantly increased immobility time compared to the control group ( t = 3.60, P < 0.05). Ethological research result at 3 weeks post-irradiation indicated that compared to the CONV group, the Flash group displayed significantly alleviated cognitive impairment ( t = 3.35, P < 0.05) and reduced depression levels ( t = 2.39, P < 0.05). Ethological research result at 10 weeks post-irradiation demonstrated that the CONV group showed the worst cognitive performance, significantly differing from the control group ( t = 4.53, P < 0.05). Transcriptome sequencing result revealed that besides immune-related pathways, the Flash group also exhibited multiple upregulated metabolic pathways and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-related pathways compared to the CONV group. Conclusions:Compared to conventional dose rate irradiation, Flash irradiation can effectively alleviate radiation-induced brain injury in mice. This effect is associated with various metabolic pathways (including amino acid metabolism) and FGF-related pathways besides immune pathways.

Objective:To study the efficacy of endoscopic papillary balloon dilatation (EPBD) in the treatment of non-dilated small choledocholithiasis.Methods:Clinical data of 142 patients with non-dilated small choledocholithiasis admitted to Zhanjiang Central People's Hospital from April 2021 to March 2023 were retrospectively analyzed, including 63 males and 79 females, aged (55.1±15.4) years old. Patients were divided into the EPBD group ( n=63) and endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) group ( n=79). Blood amylase, liver enzymology, liver metabolism, and blood routine were monitored before and 48 hours after treatment. The occurrences of intraoperative bleeding, perforation, post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP), and cholangitis were compared between the groups. Patients were followed up and screened for stone recurrence by outpatient review 3 to 12 months from discharge. Results:Compared to preoperative data, the white blood cell count, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total bili-rubin, and direct bilirubin decreased 48 hours after treatment (all P<0.05). The operation time in EPBD group was slightly longer than that in EST group [(43.1±5.9) min vs. (38.5±4.5) min, P=0.064] without statistical significance. There were no case of perforation in both groups. The incidences of intraopera-tive bleeding [3.17%(2/63) vs. 6.33%(5/79)], PEP [17.46%(11/63) vs. 10.53%(8/79)], and postoperative cholangitis [4.76%(3/63) vs. 1.27%(1/79)] were comparable between the groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion:EPBD could be feasible for non-dilated small choledocholithiasis, which does not increase the operation time and incidence of adverse events compared to EST.

Objective: To evaluate the rationality and effectiveness of basic laparoscopic training under 5A teaching mode. Methods: A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. The teaching records of 70 trainees who received basic laparoscopic traning at the Laparoscopic Surgical Training Base in Chinese PLA General Hospital from July to December 2019 were analyzed. All the trainees participating in the laparoscopy training had obtained the national practicing physician certificates, including 12 junior physicians of our center, 9 intermediate physicians of our center, 19 advanced physicians, 13 postgraduate students, 8 doctoral students, and 9 surgical standardized training physicians. A random number table method was used to divide all the trainees into two groups: the traditional teaching group or the 5A teaching group (35 people in each group). In the traditional teaching group, the training of 4 modules of " precise beans, quincuncial piles, ring positioning and knot-tying suture" modules according to a fixed sequence and schedule was carried out. Each module had a learning time of 8 hours. In the 5A teaching group, the training started from five dimensions of analysis, aim, accomplishment, appraise and advance. Before conducting each stage of training, the actual operation ability of the trainees was tested, each class hour was designed individually, accurate teaching was conducted to the trainees, the ability of the trainees was evaluated dynamically, and the previous steps were cycled periodically based on class hours. The operating time and pass rate of trainees of two groups in the basic operation module of laparoscopy were statistically analyzed, and a hierarchical analysis of related influencing factors was conducted. Results: The time of above modules before training in the 5A teaching group and the traditional teaching group was similar (all P>0.05). After definitive training, the time required for trainees in 5A teaching group and traditional teaching group to complete the 4 modules was shortened to varying degrees. Compared to traditional teaching group, 5A teaching group spent less time in completing each project [precise beans: (63.2±10.1) seconds vs. (83.6±18.7) seconds, quincuncial piles: (56.2±7.3) seconds vs. (101.4±31.7) seconds, ring positioning: (84.2±13.7) seconds vs. (127.3±28.5) seconds, knot-tying suture: (263.2±41.8) seconds vs.(428.8±95.2) seconds, all P<0.05], and had higher pass rates [precise beans: 97.1% (34/35) vs. 80.0% (28/35), quincuncial piles: 91.4% (32/35) vs.71.4% (25/35), ring positioning: 100.0% (35/35) vs. 82.9% (29/35), knot-tying suture: 77.1% (27/35) vs. 60.0% (21/35), all P<0.05]. Among the junior trainees (junior physicians of our center, postgraduate students, doctoral students, and standardized surgical training physicians) and intermediate trainees (intermediate physicians of our center and advanced physicians), the 5A teaching group completed 3 modules (quincuncial piles, ring positioning and knot-tying suture) faster than the traditional teaching group [junior trainees: quincuncial piles (76.4±12.4) seconds vs. (139.8±41.6) seconds, ring positioning (92.2±20.5) seconds vs. (131.3±28.4) seconds, knot-tying suture (293.8±66.7) seconds vs. (444.3±103.3) seconds; intermediate trainees: quincuncial piles (51.4±5.9) seconds vs. (94.7±8.6) seconds, ring positioning (63.9±13.5) seconds vs. (87.5±18.6) seconds, knot-tying suture (210.1±35.6) seconds vs. (367.5±54.9) seconds, all P<0.05]. Conclusion: 5A teaching mode can acheive better training results compared with the traditional teaching mode in basic laparoscopic training, and is worthy of further popularization and application.
Clinical Competence ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Prospective Studies ; Suture Techniques ; Sutures

Development of ovarian cancer involves the co-evolution of neoplastic cells together with the adjacent microenvironment. Steps of malignant progression including primary tumor outgrowth, therapeutic resistance, and distant metastasis are not determined solely by genetic alterations in ovarian cancer cells, but considerably shaped by the fitness advantage conferred by benign components in the ovarian stroma. As the dynamic cancer topography varies drastically during disease progression, heterologous cell types within the tumor microenvironment (TME) can actively determine the pathological track of ovarian cancer. Resembling many other solid tumor types, ovarian malignancy is nurtured by a TME whose dark side may have been overlooked, rather than overestimated. Further, harnessing breakthrough and targeting cures in human ovarian cancer requires insightful understanding of the merits and drawbacks of current treatment modalities, which mainly target transformed cells. Thus, designing novel and precise strategies that both eliminate cancer cells and manipulate the TME is increasingly recognized as a rational avenue to improve therapeutic outcome and prevent disease deterioration of ovarian cancer patients.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Tumor Microenvironment ; drug effects

BACKGROUND: A skull defect is inevitable after decompression treatment for traumatic brain injury. Titanium mesh as the most recognized skull repair material has good biocompatibility and has been widely used in clinical practice. However, the timing for skull repair after brain injury is still in dispute.OBJECTIVE: To compare the changes of brain perfusion and the recovery of neurological function in patients with skull defects before and after early and late-stage titanium mesh repair based on CT perfusion technique.METHODS: This was a single-center, prospective, observational clinical trial that was completed at the Taihe Hospital,Hubei University of Medicine in Hubei Province, China. Eighty-six patients with craniocerebral injury who had undergone decompression with removal of bone flap from January 2013 to January 2016 were recruited and subjected to skull repair using titanium mesh. All the patients were randomized into two groups: test group (n=40) with early skull repair within 1-3 months after decompression and control group (n=46) with late-stage skull repair within 6-12 months after decompression. CT perfusion technology was used to observe changes of brain perfusion at 3 days operatively and at 10 days postoperatively. The Barthel index was evaluated at 30 days postoperatively. The trial was registered with ClinicalTrial.gov (identifier: NCT03222297) on July 12th, 2017. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Taihe Hospital with the approval No. 2012 (08), and performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki,formulated by the World Health Organization and the hospital's ethical requirements for human research. All the patients and their families were voluntary to participate in the trial, were fully informed of the trial process, and then signed the informed consent prior to the initialization of the trial.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The postoperative cerebral blood volume and cerebral blood flow at the parietal cortex on the side of skull defect and at the cortex in the defect region were significantly higher in the two group than the baseline (P < 0.05), while the time to peak was lower than the baseline (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group,significantly higher cerebral blood volume and cerebral blood flow as well as shorter time to peak were observed in the test group (P < 0.05). The Barthel index of the test group was also significantly higher than that of the control group at 30 days postoepratively (P < 0.05). Overall, early skull repair with titanium mesh is helpful to improve the cerebral blood perfusion at the affected side and the recovery of neurological function. In addition, CT perfusion technology is a safe and effective method to monitor hemodynamic changes in the brain.

This paper was aimed to study the effect of Qing-Chang Wen-Zhong (QCWZ) decoction on interferon gamma induced protein 10 (IP10) in colon tissues of rats with ulcerative colitis (UC).The UC model was induced using 4.5％ DSS added to distilled water for 7 days.At the same time,low-,medium-and high-dose of QCWZ decoction and mesalazine was given by gavage route daily.Then,the rats were killed and the colon tissues were taken.Expression level of interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α),IL-1β,IL-6,tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interferon gamma (INF-γ) in colon were detected by Elisa assay.The expression and distribution of IP10 protein were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC).The results showed that compared with the normal group,inflammatory factors (IL-1α,IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,INF-γ) and IP10 expression level in DSS-induced UC rats were significantly increased.After 7 days of intervention,inflammatory factors (IL-1α,IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,INF-γ) and IP10 decreased significantly (p＜0.01,p＜0.05).It was concluded that QCWZ decoction may down-regulate the expression of IP 10 and inflammatory factors (IL-1α,IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,INF-γ),and then inhibit intestinal inflammation and repair intestinal mucosal damage,so as to achieve the purpose of UC treatment.

Objective To study the indications,feasibility and efficacy of rigid choledochoscopy via biliary fistula tracts to remove bile duct stones.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 86 patients with bile duct stones treated with rigid choledochoscopy via biliary fistula tracts at our hospital between November 2011 and July 2016.Patients with bile duct stones were divided into the percutaneous transhepatic cholangio drainage (PTCD) group and the T tube tract group.There were 40 patients who underwent lithotomy using rigid choledochoscopy via the PTCD tract and 46 patients who underwent choledocholithotomy using rigid choledochoscopy via the T-tube tract.A comparison was conducted to compare the duration of the procedures,the amount of perioperative bleeding,the postoperative complication rates and residual stone rates between the two groups.Results In the PTCD group,the average operation time was (77.0 ± 36.5) min,the amount of perioperative bleeding was (26.5 ± 54.1) ml,and the postoperative complication rate was 37.5 ％ (15/40).Complete lithotomy in one-stage was successful in 33 patients,and in two-stages in 1 patient.The residual stone rate was 15.0％ (6/40).In the T tube tract group,the average operation time was (82.5 ± 44.1) min,the amount of perioperative bleeding was (14.8 ± 21.0) ml,and the postoperative complication rate was 32.6％ (15/46).Complete lithotomy in one-stage was successful in 34 patients,and two-stages in 2 patients.The residual stone rate was 21.7％ (10/46).There were no significant differences in the residual stone rates,complication rates and operation time between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05).The amount of operative bleeding was significantly better in the T tube tract group than the PTCD group,(P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions There was no significant differences in the clinical efficacy in the treatment of bile duct stones using choledochoscopy either via the PTCD tract or the T tube tract group.Both approaches can be used for bile duct stones.