Objective:To explore the value of serum soluble E-cadherin (sEC) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) levels in predicting postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer.Methods:198 female breast cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment in Huai’an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University (Huai’an Second People’s Hospital) From Mar. 2023 to Mar. 2025 were selected and followed up for 3 years. The recurrence and metastasis were counted. Patients with recurrence and metastasis were included in the poor prognosis group, and patients without recurrence and metastasis were included in the good prognosis group. The general data, preoperative serum sEC and COX-2 levels were compared between the two groups. The influencing factors of recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer after operation were analyzed. The dose-response relationship and predictive value of serum sEC and COX-2 levels with recurrence and metastasis were analyzed. Logistic regression equation (LR) model 1 was constructed according to conventional influencing factors, and LR model 2 was constructed according to conventional influencing factors combined with serum sEC and COX-2. The predictive efficacy and accuracy of the two models were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and calibration curve. According to the ratio of 7∶3, another 85 female breast cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment in Huai’an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University (Huai’an Second People’s Hospital) from May. 2023 to May. 2025 were selected for external validation (validation set) .Results:Among 198 breast cancer patients who underwent postoperative follow-up for 3 years, 3 cases were lost to follow-up, and the recurrence and metastasis rate among the 195 patients who completed the 3-year postoperative follow-up was 26.15% (51/195). In the good prognosis group, the proportion of TNM stage III was 20.14%, the proportion of lymph node metastasis was 11.81%, the preoperative serum carbohydrate antigen 153 (CA153) level was (54.19±10.84) U/mL, the carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) level was (46.03±10.27) U/mL, the sEC level was (1987.65±191.37) ng/mL, and the COX-2 level was (17.85±5.21) ng/mL. In the poor prognosis group, the proportion of TNM stage III was 45.10%, the proportion of lymph node metastasis was 35.29%, the preoperative serum CA153 level was (65.87±12.23) U/mL, the CA125 level was (57.76±11.51) U/mL, the sEC level was (2 295.37±261.48) ng/mL, and the COX-2 level was (10.42±3.16) ng/mL. Compared with the good prognosis group, they were increased ( t/χ 2=12.00, 14.11, 6.39, 6.79, 8.92, 12.00, P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that TNM stage III ( OR=2.078, 95%CI =1.569-2.751, P<0.05), lymph node metastasis ( OR=2.435, 95 %CI=1.843-3.216, P<0.05), serum CA153 ( OR= 1.180,95 %CI=1.026-1.357, P<0.05), CA125 ( OR=1.206,95 %CI=1.033-1.408, P<0.05), sEC ( OR=1.011,95 %CI= 1.007-1.015, P<0.05), COX-2 ( OR=1.378,95 %CI=1.128-1.683, P<0.05) were independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis showed that serum sEC and COX-2 levels were positively correlated with the risk of recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer ( P<0.05). ROC analysis showed that serum sEC (AUC=0.762,95 %CI=0.696-0.820, P<0.05) and COX-2 (AUC=0.757,95 %CI=0.691-0.815, P<0.05) could be used as biological indicators to predict postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer. The AUC of LR model 1 in predicting postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer was 0.862 (95 %CI=0.805-0.907, P<0.05). The AUC of LR model 2 in predicting postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer was 0.965 (95 %CI= 0.891-0.983, P<0.05), which was significantly larger than that of LR model 1 ( Z=2.015, P<0.05). The calibration curve analysis showed that the calibration degree of LR model 1 in predicting postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer was good, and the prediction results were in good agreement with the actual observation results. The calibration degree of LR model 2 was high, and the prediction results were in good agreement with the actual observation results. The results of external validation showed that the sensitivity of LR model 2 in predicting postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer was 82.61%, the specificity was 93.55%, the accuracy was 90.59%, and the Kappa value was 0.762 (95 %CI: 0.549-0.974) . Conclusions:Preoperative serum sEC and COX-2 levels are independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer. They can be used as biological indicators to predict postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer. Combined with conventional indicators, they can significantly improve the predictive efficacy.

OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of electroacupuncture(EA)preconditioning at Tianshu(ST25)and Neiguan(PC6)on cardiac function and UCP1/BMP3b signaling pathway in brown adipose tissue(BAT)in mice with acute myocardial infarc-tion(AMI),so as to explore the potential mechanism of EA at different acupoints in improving myocardial infarction.METHODS Healthy adult mice and BAT excision mice were selected as the research objects,and they were divided into sham operation group,model group,PC6 group,and ST25 group.After one week of adaptive feeding,the mice in the intervention group were pretreated with bilateral EA at PC6 or ST25 for 20 minutes,respectively,and the AMI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery.In the BAT resection group,BAT resection of the scapular region was performed before EA,and the rest of the intervention remained the same as before.Echocardiography was used to detect the changes in cardiac function.TTC staining was used to observe the myocardial infarct size.ELISA was used to detect the serum levels of cTnT and BMP3b in each group.The qPCR was used to detect the relative expression of β3-AR,UCP1 and BMP3b mRNA in mouse BAT.The protein expression of BMP3b in BAT and p-Smad1/5 in the heart were detected by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the sham operation group,the left ven-tricular EF and FS of the model group mice were decreased(P<0.001),the white infarct area was increased(P<0.001),the cTnT level in serum was increased(P<0.001),the mRNA expression levels of β3-AR,UCP1,and BMP3b in BAT were increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),and the protein expression of BMP3b was increased(P<0.01).The BMP3b content in serum was increased(P<0.001),and the protein expression of p-Smad1/5 in the heart was increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the left ventricular EF and FS of mice in the ST25 and PC6 group were increased(P<0.001),the area of white infarction was reduced(P<0.001),and the cTnT level in serum was decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01).The mRNA contents of β3-AR,UCP1,and BMP3b in BAT of the ST25 group were significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001),the protein expression of BMP3b was increased(P<0.01),and the protein expression of p-Smad1/5 in the heart was increased(P<0.01),while there was no significant change in the PC6 group.After BAT resection,compared with the model group,the left ventricular EF and FS of the mice in the PC6 group were increased(P<0.001),the area of white infarction was reduced(P<0.001),and the cTnT in serum was decreased(P<0.001),while there was no significant change in the ST25 group;there was no significant change in the protein expression of p-Smad1/5 in the heart and the BMP3b content in the serum of the PC6 and ST25 groups.CONCLUSION EA pretreatment at either ST25 or PC6 acupoints can produce myocardial protective effects.The protective effect of ST25 may be through influencing the UCP1/BMP3b signaling path-way in BAT,while PC6 does not depend on this pathway.

OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of electroacupuncture(EA)preconditioning at Tianshu(ST25)and Neiguan(PC6)on cardiac function and UCP1/BMP3b signaling pathway in brown adipose tissue(BAT)in mice with acute myocardial infarc-tion(AMI),so as to explore the potential mechanism of EA at different acupoints in improving myocardial infarction.METHODS Healthy adult mice and BAT excision mice were selected as the research objects,and they were divided into sham operation group,model group,PC6 group,and ST25 group.After one week of adaptive feeding,the mice in the intervention group were pretreated with bilateral EA at PC6 or ST25 for 20 minutes,respectively,and the AMI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery.In the BAT resection group,BAT resection of the scapular region was performed before EA,and the rest of the intervention remained the same as before.Echocardiography was used to detect the changes in cardiac function.TTC staining was used to observe the myocardial infarct size.ELISA was used to detect the serum levels of cTnT and BMP3b in each group.The qPCR was used to detect the relative expression of β3-AR,UCP1 and BMP3b mRNA in mouse BAT.The protein expression of BMP3b in BAT and p-Smad1/5 in the heart were detected by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the sham operation group,the left ven-tricular EF and FS of the model group mice were decreased(P<0.001),the white infarct area was increased(P<0.001),the cTnT level in serum was increased(P<0.001),the mRNA expression levels of β3-AR,UCP1,and BMP3b in BAT were increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),and the protein expression of BMP3b was increased(P<0.01).The BMP3b content in serum was increased(P<0.001),and the protein expression of p-Smad1/5 in the heart was increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the left ventricular EF and FS of mice in the ST25 and PC6 group were increased(P<0.001),the area of white infarction was reduced(P<0.001),and the cTnT level in serum was decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01).The mRNA contents of β3-AR,UCP1,and BMP3b in BAT of the ST25 group were significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001),the protein expression of BMP3b was increased(P<0.01),and the protein expression of p-Smad1/5 in the heart was increased(P<0.01),while there was no significant change in the PC6 group.After BAT resection,compared with the model group,the left ventricular EF and FS of the mice in the PC6 group were increased(P<0.001),the area of white infarction was reduced(P<0.001),and the cTnT in serum was decreased(P<0.001),while there was no significant change in the ST25 group;there was no significant change in the protein expression of p-Smad1/5 in the heart and the BMP3b content in the serum of the PC6 and ST25 groups.CONCLUSION EA pretreatment at either ST25 or PC6 acupoints can produce myocardial protective effects.The protective effect of ST25 may be through influencing the UCP1/BMP3b signaling path-way in BAT,while PC6 does not depend on this pathway.

Objective:To explore the value of serum soluble E-cadherin (sEC) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) levels in predicting postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer.Methods:198 female breast cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment in Huai’an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University (Huai’an Second People’s Hospital) From Mar. 2023 to Mar. 2025 were selected and followed up for 3 years. The recurrence and metastasis were counted. Patients with recurrence and metastasis were included in the poor prognosis group, and patients without recurrence and metastasis were included in the good prognosis group. The general data, preoperative serum sEC and COX-2 levels were compared between the two groups. The influencing factors of recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer after operation were analyzed. The dose-response relationship and predictive value of serum sEC and COX-2 levels with recurrence and metastasis were analyzed. Logistic regression equation (LR) model 1 was constructed according to conventional influencing factors, and LR model 2 was constructed according to conventional influencing factors combined with serum sEC and COX-2. The predictive efficacy and accuracy of the two models were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and calibration curve. According to the ratio of 7∶3, another 85 female breast cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment in Huai’an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University (Huai’an Second People’s Hospital) from May. 2023 to May. 2025 were selected for external validation (validation set) .Results:Among 198 breast cancer patients who underwent postoperative follow-up for 3 years, 3 cases were lost to follow-up, and the recurrence and metastasis rate among the 195 patients who completed the 3-year postoperative follow-up was 26.15% (51/195). In the good prognosis group, the proportion of TNM stage III was 20.14%, the proportion of lymph node metastasis was 11.81%, the preoperative serum carbohydrate antigen 153 (CA153) level was (54.19±10.84) U/mL, the carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) level was (46.03±10.27) U/mL, the sEC level was (1987.65±191.37) ng/mL, and the COX-2 level was (17.85±5.21) ng/mL. In the poor prognosis group, the proportion of TNM stage III was 45.10%, the proportion of lymph node metastasis was 35.29%, the preoperative serum CA153 level was (65.87±12.23) U/mL, the CA125 level was (57.76±11.51) U/mL, the sEC level was (2 295.37±261.48) ng/mL, and the COX-2 level was (10.42±3.16) ng/mL. Compared with the good prognosis group, they were increased ( t/χ 2=12.00, 14.11, 6.39, 6.79, 8.92, 12.00, P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that TNM stage III ( OR=2.078, 95%CI =1.569-2.751, P<0.05), lymph node metastasis ( OR=2.435, 95 %CI=1.843-3.216, P<0.05), serum CA153 ( OR= 1.180,95 %CI=1.026-1.357, P<0.05), CA125 ( OR=1.206,95 %CI=1.033-1.408, P<0.05), sEC ( OR=1.011,95 %CI= 1.007-1.015, P<0.05), COX-2 ( OR=1.378,95 %CI=1.128-1.683, P<0.05) were independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis showed that serum sEC and COX-2 levels were positively correlated with the risk of recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer ( P<0.05). ROC analysis showed that serum sEC (AUC=0.762,95 %CI=0.696-0.820, P<0.05) and COX-2 (AUC=0.757,95 %CI=0.691-0.815, P<0.05) could be used as biological indicators to predict postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer. The AUC of LR model 1 in predicting postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer was 0.862 (95 %CI=0.805-0.907, P<0.05). The AUC of LR model 2 in predicting postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer was 0.965 (95 %CI= 0.891-0.983, P<0.05), which was significantly larger than that of LR model 1 ( Z=2.015, P<0.05). The calibration curve analysis showed that the calibration degree of LR model 1 in predicting postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer was good, and the prediction results were in good agreement with the actual observation results. The calibration degree of LR model 2 was high, and the prediction results were in good agreement with the actual observation results. The results of external validation showed that the sensitivity of LR model 2 in predicting postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer was 82.61%, the specificity was 93.55%, the accuracy was 90.59%, and the Kappa value was 0.762 (95 %CI: 0.549-0.974) . Conclusions:Preoperative serum sEC and COX-2 levels are independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer. They can be used as biological indicators to predict postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer. Combined with conventional indicators, they can significantly improve the predictive efficacy.

AIM: To analyze changes in the ocular surface parameters of keratoconus after long-term wearing of rigid gas permeable contact lens(RGPCL).METHODS:Prospective case study. A total of 113 keratoconus patients(213 eyes)fitted with RGPCL in the optometry center of Gansu Provincial Hospital from January 2018 to January 2022 were included. They were divided into three groups according to the severity of keratoconus, including 42 cases(80 eyes)in mild keratoconus group, 54 cases(102 eyes)in moderate keratoconus group and 17 cases(31 eyes)in severe keratoconus group. Furthermore, the non-invasive tear break-up time(NIBUT), non-invasive tear meniscus height(NITMH), red eye index, lipid layer thickness, fluorescent corneal staining, meibomian gland secretory function, Schirmer I test and ocular surface disease index(OSDI)scores were observed by Keratograph analyzer before and after wearing RGPCL for 1 wk, 1, 3, 6, 12 mo, respectively.RESULTS: There were no statistical significance in the age, NIBUT, NITMH, lipid layer thickness, meibomian gland secretory function and Schirmer I test among the three groups(P>0.05), while there were statistical significance in the sphere, cylinder, spherical equivalent, best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), non-contact intraocular pressure(IOPNCT), anterior, posterior corneal surface Kmax, corneal surface thickness at the thinnest point, eye redness index, fluorescent corneal staining, and OSDI(P<0.05). In the mild keratoconus group, NIBUT had statistical differences at 3, 6 and 12 mo after wearing RGPCL(P<0.05), NITMH had statistical differences in 6 and 12 mo(P<0.05), the eye redness index, fluorescent corneal staining and OSDI scores had statistical differences in 1 wk and 1 mo(P<0.05), and lipid layer thickness and meibomian gland secretory function had statistical differences in 12 mo(P<0.05). In the moderate keratoconus group, there were statistical differences in NIBUT at 6 and 12 mo after wearing lenses(P<0.05); there were statistical differences in the NITMH, lipid layer thickness and meibomian secretory function at 12 mo after wearing lens(P<0.05); there were statistical differences in the eye redness index at 1 wk, 1 and 3 mo after wearing RGPCL(P<0.05); there were statistical differences in the fluorescent corneal staining at 1 wk after wearing RGPCL(P<0.05); there were statistical differences in the OSDI at 1 wk and 1 mo after wearing RGPCL(P<0.05). In the severe keratoconus group, there were statistical differences in the NIBUT, NITMH and eye redness index at 1 wk, 1, 3, 6 and 12 mo after wearing RGPCL(P<0.05); there were statistical differences in the lipid layer thickness at 6,12 mo after wearing RGPCL(P<0.05); there were statistical differences in the fluorescent corneal staining and OSDI scores at 1 wk, 6 and 12 mo after wearing RGPCL(P<0.05); there were statistical differences in the meibomian secretory function at 6 and 12 mo after wearing RGPCL(P<0.05); and there were statistical differences in the Schirmer I test at 12 mo after wearing RGPCL(P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Long-term wearing of RGPCL can affect the ocular surface microcirculation in keratoconus patients, thus making differences in patients subjective. However, it has no significant impact on the visual quality of patients. Therefore, long-term wearing of RGPCL is safely to control the progression of keratoconus.

The methodological framework for interventional clinical research of Chinese medicine （CM） under the research mode of syndrome dominating disease provides a set of technical principles and methods to design， evaluate， and implement of this kind. It consists of three main parts including general principles， research points and key design elements， with a total of 25 items. This methodological framework proposes implementing requirements and recommendations in a variety of aspects， including basic norms to be followed in relevant studies， perspectives for selecting research topics， as well as the technological details on study population （P）， intervention （I） and comparison（C）， outcome measurement （O）， time frame （T） of treatment and follow-up， sample orientation （prospective versus retrospective）， study design （S） format and type. To provide practical guidance for future studies， this article clearly explains each items of the methodological framework through some supportive cases.

OBJECTIVE To observe the changes of cardiac function,local inflammation level and macrophage M2 polarization in mice with acute myocardial infarction(AMI after electroacupuncture preconditioning at the Neiguan point,and to explore the possible mechanisms from the perspective of regulating the DNA-PK/Rictor/Myc signaling pathway.METHODS Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into sham group,model group and electroacupuncture group,with 10 mice in each group.The electroacupuncture group received bilateral electroacupuncture interventions at the Neiguan points,sparse-dense wave,2/15 Hz,1 mA,20 min/time,once a day for 3 consecutive days,and AMI models were performed 0.5 h after the electroacupuncture interventions.The myocardial ischemia model was prepared by ligating the left anterior descending branch.Echocardiography was used to detect cardiac ejection frac-tion(EF and fractional shortening(FS to evaluate cardiac function;HE and TUNEL staining were used to observe the pathological morphology of myocardium and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes,and immunohistochemistry and ELISA were used to detect IL-1β,TNF-α and NLRP3 in infarcted myocardium and peripheral blood to evaluate the level of inflammation;flow cytometry was used to detect cardiac macrophage polarization status,and Western blot method to detect the protein expression levels of DNA-PK,p-DNA-PK,Rictor and Myc in infarcted myocardium.RESULTS Compared with the sham group,the model group showed significantly lower EF and FS(P<0.000 1,significant inflammatory cell infiltration,significantly higher cardiomyocyte apoptotic index(P<0.001,up-regulated expression of IL-1β,NLRP3 and TNF-α in the myocardium and serum(P<0.01,P<0.001,a significant increase in the percentage of macrophages(P<0.001,a decrease in the percentage of cardiac M2-type macrophages(P<0.000 1,and a significant decrease in the expression levels of p-DNA-PK,Rictor and Myc proteins in myocardium(P<0.05,P<0.000 1.Compared with the model group,EF and FS were significantly higher in the electroacupuncture group(P<0.000 1,inflammatory cell infiltration was re-duced,cardiomyocyte apoptotic index was decreased(P<0.01,and the expression of IL-1β,NLRP3 and TNF-α was down-regula-ted in myocardium and serum(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001;the macrophage percentage was decreased(P<0.05,cardiac M2-type macrophage percentage was increased(P<0.01,and p-DNA-PK,Rictor and Myc protein expression was enhanced in myocardium(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.000 1.CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture preconditioning may promote macrophage M2 polarization,attenuate local inflammation,and reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis by modulating the DNA-PK/Rictor/Myc signaling pathway,thus im-proving cardiac function and achieving myocardial protective effects.

Abstract: It is well-known that crystal form of a drug is a key factor impacting the physicochemical properties of the drug, which in turn affects its in vivo efficacy, safety and stability. The study on crystal forms of solid-state drugs is crucial for drug quality control, selection of production process and evaluation of clinical efficacy. The combination of chemometric and analytical techniques exhibited its great ability to analyze a large amount of multidimensional data, providing the possibility for quantification of trace amount of crystals (< 1%). Meanwhile, using the process analytical technology (PAT) to monitor the crystal content real-time during prescription preparation process can further realize the control on formulation quality and serve as a core technology to support the patent protection of crystalline forms. In this review, the combined application of crystal analytical techniques and chemometric methods for the quantitative analysis of trace crystals were summarized, aiming to provide guidance for the manufacturing of pharmaceutical preparations and their quality control.

【Objective】 To investigate the current state of infant responsive caregiving and to analyze its correlation with caregiver parenting confidence, in order to provide theoretical basis for improving the level of responsive care for infants and young children. 【Methods】 A cross-sectional survey was conducted from October 2022 to February 2023 to select 1 028 infants and young children under 3 years old who underwent health examinations in the Department of Child Healthcare. Participants completed a general data questionnaire, the Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale, and the Infant Responsive Caregiving Scale. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate the related influencing factors of infant responsive care and to analyze the relationship between caregiver parenting confidence and responsive caregiving. 【Results】 The level of responsive caregiving was found to be associated with various factors such as infant age(χ²=21.196), mode of pregnancy(Z=-2.072), history of pregnancy protection during pregnancy(Z=-4.713), history of pregnancy complications (Z=-4.504), gestational week at birth(χ²=41.358), small for term infants(Z=-3.497), neonatal intracranial hemorrhage(Z=-5.425), neonatal hyperbilirubinemia(Z=-2.184), maternal education level(χ²=9.419), family income(χ²=11.211) as well as type of family (χ²=15.360)(P < 0.05). Additionally, a significant correlation was observed between parenting confidence and responsive caregiving(r=0.421,P<0.001). Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis revealed that caregiver parenting confidence had a significant positive effect on the level of responsive caregiving (B=0.623, P<0.05), even after controlling for the effect of demographic factors. 【Conclusion】 The level of infant responsive caregiving is influenced by caregiver parenting confidence, and increasing caregiver parenting confidence can effectively improve the quality of responsive caregiving for infants and young children.

Objective To observe the role of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGF-B) in kiwi fruit essence-mediated protection of radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) in rats. Methods 96 male healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into normal control group, model group, and kiwi fruit essence treatment group(60 and 240 mg/kg) by the random number table method, with 24 animals in each group. The whole lungs underwent 6 MV X-ray irradiation (18 Gy) to induce RILI animal models in rats of the latter three groups. On the next day after irradiation, rats in the latter two groups were intragastrically administrated with 60 or 240 mg/kg kiwi fruit essence, once a day. The rats in the normal control and model groups were treated with 9 g/L sodium chloride solution. Eight rats in the latter three groups were randomly sacrificed on days 14, 28, and 56, while normal control rats were sacrificed on day 56 as the overall control. Blood samples were collected and separated. Serum concentrations of TNF-α and PDGF-B were detected using ELISA. The lung tissues were isolated for HE and Masson staining to evaluate alveolitis and pulmonary fibrosis (PF). The hydroxyproline (HYP) content in lung tissues was detected. The mRNA and protein expression of pulmonary TNF-α and PDGF-B were determined by quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. Results Compared with the model group, treatment with 60 and 240 mg/kg kiwi fruit essence group significantly reduced alveolitis on days 14 and 28 as well as PF lesions on days 28 and 56. Compared with the normal control group, HYP content in the lung tissue of the model group increased on day 28 and day 56, while TNF-α and PDGF-B levels in the serum and lung tissues increased at each time point. Compared with the model group during the same period, 60 and 240 mg/kg kiwi fruit essence element treatment group reported the diminished levels of serum and pulmonary TNF-α on day 14 and day 28. Consistently, the lung tissue HYP content and serum and pulmonary PDGF-B levels on day 28 and day 56 were reduced. In addition, the above indicators in the 240 mg/kg kiwi fruit essence treatment group were lower than those for the 60 mg/kg kiwi fruit essence treatment group. Conclusion Kiwi fruit essence can alleviate RILI in rats, which is related to the down-regulation of TNF-α expression at the early stage and decreased PDGF-B level at the middle and late stages.
Animals ; Male ; Rats ; Fruit/metabolism* ; Lung/radiation effects* ; Lung Injury/prevention & control* ; Oils, Volatile ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis/metabolism* ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Actinidia/chemistry*