This paper comprehensively discusses on the potential neurobiological mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of tobacco dependence， focusing on three important aspects， including acupuncture's regulation of tobacco dependence behavior， effects of acupuncture on withdrawal syndrome， and the role of acupuncture in preventing relapse. It is found that acupuncture can inhibit drug-seeking behavior by regulating the reward pathway and related neurons， such as dopamine， thus modulating tobacco dependence behavior. It also alleviates withdrawal symptoms by improving the oral environment of smokers and reducing negative emotions after quitting. Furthermore， acupuncture can prevent relapse by decreasing brain network activity related to smoking cravings and improving cognitive brain functions like addiction memory. Currently， research on the specific neurobiological mechanism of acupuncture in treating tobacco dependence and the involved neural circuits is limited. Future research directions are proposed， including the evaluation of clinical effects， exploration of specific therapeutic mechanisms， investigation of brain pathology， and strengthening the exploration of brain functions. Additionally， combining modern technologies to clarify the neural circuits involved in acupuncture intervention will provide a basis for acupuncture treatment of tobacco addiction.

Debates persist regarding the efficacy and safety of azvudine, particularly its real-world outcomes. This study involved patients aged ≥60 years who were admitted to 25 hospitals in mainland China with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between December 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023. Efficacy outcomes were all-cause mortality during hospitalization, the proportion of patients discharged with recovery, time to nucleic acid-negative conversion (T _NANC), time to symptom improvement (T _SI), and time of hospital stay (T _HS). Safety was also assessed. Among the 5884 participants identified, 1999 received azvudine, and 1999 matched controls were included after exclusion and propensity score matching. Azvudine recipients exhibited lower all-cause mortality compared with controls in the overall population (13.3% vs. 17.1%, RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.90; P = 0.001) and in the severe subgroup (25.7% vs. 33.7%; RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88; P < 0.001). A higher proportion of patients discharged with recovery, and a shorter T _NANC were associated with azvudine recipients, especially in the severe subgroup. The incidence of adverse events in azvudine recipients was comparable to that in the control group (2.3% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.170). In conclusion, azvudine showed efficacy and safety in older patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 omicron wave in China.

Objectives:To investigate the prognostic value of soluble growth stimulation expressed gene 2 protein(sST2)combined with N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP)in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI)undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI). Methods:A total of 206 patients who were diagnosed with STEMI for the first time and underwent emergency PCI from August 2020 to February 2021 in the People's Hospital of Liaoning Province were enrolled.Patients were followed up for 3 years and divided into major adverse cardiac event(MACE,a composite endpoint event including cardiac death,stroke,heart failure,and ischemia-driven revascularization)group and MACE-free group.Multivariate cox analysis was performed to determine the independent risk factors for the prognosis of primary PCI in STEMI patients;the predictive value of sST2 and NT-proBNP for the occurrence of MACE in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI was assessed by ROC analysis and the prediction of MACE by each factor by itself and the combined variables was analyzed with the Delong test. Results:There were 62 cases of MACE during the 3-year follow-up.Compared with the MACE-free group,patients in the MACE group had higher levels of sST2 and NT-proBNP,higher proportion of patients with left anterior descending branch lesions,anterior wall myocardial infarction,lower LVEF,and higher proportion of coronary artery slow flow(all P<0.05).Multivariate Cox analysis showed that sST2(HR=1.018,95%CI:1.012-1.024,P<0.001)and NT-proBNP(HR=1.001,95%CI:1.000-1.010,P<0.001)were independent predictors of MACE.According to the statistical analysis of ROC and Delong test,the AUC of combined sST2 and NT-proBNP in predicting MACE was 0.854,the sensitivity was 64.5%,the specificity was 93.1%,and the combined prediction of prognosis was better than that of individual prediction,with statistically significant difference(Z=2.119,P=0.034;Z=2.178,P=0.029). Conclusions:Serum sST2 and NT-proBNP are valuable predictors of MACE after emergency PCI in patients with STEMI,and the predictive efficacy increases with combined assessment of both sST2 and NT-proBNP.

Bupleuri radix is the dried root of Bupleuri radix or narrow-leaved Bupleuri radix of the umbelliferae family,and it is the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicine,which was first published in Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica.It has a variety of pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory,antioxidant,hepatoprotective,antitumor,antidepressant,et al.In the modern study,the extract of Bupleuri radix mainly includes a variety of chemical components such as Bupleuri radix saponin,flavonoids and volatile oil.By reviewing the relevant literature at home and abroad,this paper summarizes the research progress on the chemical composition and pharmacological effects of Bupleuri radix,and points out the future research direction to provide a certain reference basis for the subsequent research.

Objective:To explore the application effect of immersive teaching combined with closed-loop assessment in respiratory medicine internship teaching.Methods:A total of 140 students who interned in the Department of Respiratory Medicine from August 2021 to August 2023 were selected as research subjects. They were assigned to a control group and an observation group based on the time of admission, with 70 students in each group. The control group received traditional teaching, while the observation group received immersive teaching combined with closed-loop assessment. After the internship, the theories, clinical diagnosis and treatment, operation skills, empathy ability, and teaching effectiveness of the two groups of students were compared and evaluated.Results:The scores of theories, clinical diagnosis and treatment, and operation skills were significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group ( P<0.001). The observation group scored significantly higher on the empathy scale than the control group [(73.83±6.71) vs. (61.08±6.32); t=15.60, P<0.001]. The recognition rates of the observation group students were significantly higher in learning interest, self-learning ability, comprehensive analysis ability of diseases, clinical thinking ability, independent discovery, analysis, and problem-solving ability, and team collaboration ability, as compared with the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Immersive teaching combined with closed-loop assessment is beneficial for improving the theoretical and practical levels of respiratory medicine students, enhancing their empathy and comprehensive analysis abilities, and improving clinical teaching effectiveness.

Primary aldosteronism (PA) mainly includes aldosteronoma (APA) and idiopathic aldosteronism (IHA). APA often presents as unilateral adrenal nodules, but can also be accompanied by non-functional adrenal nodules, which leads to difficulty of the identification. In this paper, the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment process of two cases of PA with non-functional adrenal nodules were analyzed and discussed to provide some references for the accurate diagnosis and treatment of PA.

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury （MIRI） is a serious complication of revascularization in patients with myocardial infarction. The nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）/heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1） signaling pathway plays an important role in the pathological process of MIRI. Currently，research has found that traditional Chinese medicine has a good effect on myocardial injury caused by ischemia-reperfusion. Based on the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway，this article summarizes the action mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine formulas and monomers in intervening with MIRI. It is found that traditional Chinese medicine formulas （Yixin formula，Wenyang tongmai formula，Dingxin formula Ⅰ），monomers such as terpenoids （ginkgolides， astragaloside Ⅳ，ginsenosides），phenols （brazilin，hematoxylin A，resveratrol） and quinones （aloe，emodin） can alleviate MIRI by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway，inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions，etc.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of anti-pulmonary fibrosis of cannabidiol by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS）. MethodSD rats were randomly divided into blank group， model group， prednisone group（3.15 mg·kg^-1） and cannabidiol low， medium and high dose groups（12， 36， 108 mg·kg^-1）， with 8 rats in each group. The rat model of pulmonary fibrosis was established by intratracheal injection of bleomycin（5 mg·kg^-1）， which was administered continuously for 28 days after successful modeling. The pathological changes of rat lung tissue were observed， and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to detect the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-7（MMP-7）， type Ⅱ alveolar cell surface antigen（KL-6）， pulmonary surfactant-associated protein A（SP-A） and SP-D in serum. The expression levels of type Ⅰ collagen（Col-Ⅰ） and fibronectin（FN） in lung tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry， and the expression of mucin 5 subtype AC（MUC5AC） was detected by immunofluorescence. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was used to search for potential biomarkers and related metabolic pathways of cannabidiol in treating pulmonary fibrosis. ResultCompared with the blank group， there were a large number of inflammatory cell infiltration and continuous fibrosis lesions in the lung tissue of rats in the model group. Compared with the model group， the inflammatory infiltration and blue collagen deposition in the lung tissue of rats in the prednisone and cannabidiol groups were reduced. Compared with the blank group， the expressions of MMP-7， KL-6， SP-A and SP-D in serum of the model group were significantly increased（P<0.01）， while the expressions of MMP-7， KL-6， SP-A and SP-D in the prednisone and cannabidiol high dose groups were significantly decreased by comparing with the model group（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， the expression levels of Col-Ⅰ and FN in the lung tissues of the model group were significantly increased， and the fluorescence intensity of MUC5AC was significantly increased（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the expression levels of Col-Ⅰ and FN in the lung tissues of the prednisone and cannabidiol high dose groups were significantly decreased（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the expression of MUC5AC was significantly decreased（P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， a total of 18 differential compounds were screened out in the model group， which could be used as potential biomarkers， and cannabidiol could call back 16 of them， mainly involving 4 metabolic pathways（linoleic acid metabolism， phenylalanine， tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis， arachidonic acid metabolism， and niacin and niacinamide metabolism）. Compared with the blank group， the relative contents of potential biomarkers arachidonic acid and linoleic acid were significantly increased in the model group（P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the relative contents of 5，6-EET， L-tyrosine and niacinamide were significantly decreased（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， cannabidiol could significantly reduce the relative contents of arachidonic acid and linoleic acid， and significantly increase the relative contents of 5，6-EET， L-tyrosine and niacinamide（P<0.01）. ConclusionCannabidiol has an intervention and remission effect on pulmonary fibrosis， and its mechanism may be related to linoleic acid metabolism， phenylalanine， tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis， arachidonic acid metabolism， niacin and niacinamide metabolism.

Objective:To explore the feature of FOS expression in oxytocin-and vasopressin-positive neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus(PVN)under different status of diabetes mellitus(DM).Methods:Intraperito-neal injection of vehicle or STZ in mice was conducted to establish control or diabetes model.Mechanical sensitivity was evaluated by von Frey filament tests to distinguish diabetic neuropathic pain(DNP)from without-pain group(DWP).The expression of FOS,oxytocin(OXT)-and vasopressin(VP)-positive neurons,as well as their double labeling was detected by immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent staining.Cell counting and comparison were made in groups.Results:FOS expression was easily detected in the PVN in the three groups(Control group,DNP group and DWP group)at 7 days,while that in DWP and DNP groups at 28 days was hardly detectable,with the number being signifi-cantly different from the 7 days group(P＜0.05 or 0.001).Likewise,compared with the control group,immunofluo-rescent signals for VP and OXT staining in the DNP and DWP groups also showed a trend of weakening as the modeling time increased(P＜0.05).The cell counting after double staining for VP or OXT with FOS showed that,in the DWP group at 7 days,the number of VP and FOS double-labeled neurons was 74.33±22.10,accounting for(56.64± 7.52)％of VP-positive cells,whereas the double labeling rate for OXT and FOS was only(10.44±3.14)％.In the DNP group at 7 days,the number of OXT and FOS double-labeled neurons was 51.00±31.80,accounting for(18.50 ±9.51)％of OXT-positive neurons,whereas the double labeling rate for VP and FOS was only(9.34±3.27)％.In contrast to these changes in 7 days group,the expression of FOS decreased sharply in the group of 28 days,thereby al-most no double-labeled neurons.Conclusion:The plasticity changes of oxytocin-and vasopressin-positive neurons in the PVN are different depending on the status of pain and non-pain,and the stage of disease progression.Understanding the changes is of great significance for unravelling the neural mechanism of diabetes and its complications.

Objective:To investigate the distribution of pathological types of unilateral primary aldosteronism, and to explore the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with different pathological types.Methods:A total of 241 patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism who underwent adrenal surgery were included in this study. The clinical data and postoperative follow-up data were collected, and the postoperative tissue sections were stained with HE and aldosterone synthase. According to the staining results, pathological types of 241 patients were classified, and the clinical characteristics and surgical prognosis of patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism were compared.Results:According to the international histopathology consensus for unilateral primary aldosteronism, among 241 patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism, 223 were classical(92.5%), 17 were non-classical(7.1%), and 1 was aldosterone producing carcinoma(0.4%). Among classical cases, 189 were aldosterone producing adenoma and 34 were aldosterone producing nodule. In the non-classical cases, 8 cases were multiple aldosterone producing nodule and 9 cases were multiple aldosterone producing nodule. Compared with the classical group, the non-classical group had a longer duration of hypertension(9.0 vs 5.0 years, P=0.062) and a lower baseline plasma aldosterone concentration(273 vs 305 pg/mL, P=0.147), but the difference was not significant. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the proportion of patients who achieved a complete biochemical response after surgery(98% vs 92.3%, P=0.281), but the proportion of patients who achieved a complete clinical response was significantly lower in the non-classical group(23.1% vs 52.9%, P=0.046). Conclusion:The pathological types of unilateral primary aldosteronism are predominantly classical, with aldosterone-producing adenoma being the most common. There were no significant differences in the clinical characteristics and postoperative biochemical remission rates between classical and non-classical patients, but the clinical prognosis of the latter was inferior to the former.