Background: Adrenocortical hormones, particularly 11-oxygenated androgens, are pivotal in female reproductive health and fertility. Standardized detection kits and population-specific reference intervals are lacking in China, hindering related clinical applications. Methods: A HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) pipeline was developed, rigorously validated, and applied to simultaneously quantify corticosterone, cortisone, cortisol, 18-OH cortisol, androstenedione (A4), 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione (11-OH A4), dehydroepiandrosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in serum samples from 455 reproductive-aged women (18–45 yrs) in Guangxi, China. Age-dependent concentration trends were analyzed, and reference intervals stratified by age (2.5th to 97.5th percentiles) were established. Correlations with body-composition metrics, ethnicity, and the menstrual cycle were investigated. Results: The HPLC-MS/MS method demonstrated high precision (intra- and inter-assay CVs < 15%), accuracy, and sensitivity. All eight hormones exhibited significant age-related declines (P < 0.001 for seven hormones; P = 0.001 for 11-OH A4). Notably, 11-OH A4 levels were significantly lower in the 35–45-yr (3.05 nmol/L) and 25–34-yr (3.09 nmol/L) age groups than in the 18–24-yr (3.57 nmol/L) age group, whereas no significant difference was observed between the 35–45-yr and 25–34-yr age groups. Weak negative correlations were observed between the body mass index and corticosterone and cortisone levels, whereas ethnicity and the menstrual cycle showed no significant associations with hormone levels. Conclusions We developed an HPLC-MS/MS-based method for simultaneously quantifying eight adrenocortical hormones, including 11-OH A4, and defined age-specific reference intervals for reproductive-aged Chinese women. These findings advance the clinical utility of adrenocortical hormones in diagnosing and managing reproductive disorders.

ObjectiveTo explore the potential mechanism underlying electroacupuncture therapy with the midnight-noon ebb-low method with hour-prescription for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） with lung-qi deficiency syndrome from the perspective of brain and muscle basic helix-loop-helix ARNT-like 1 （BMAL1） as well as neutrophil extracellular traps （NETs）. MethodsThe experiment was conducted in two phases. For the therapeutic effectiveness observation， 24 rats were randomly allocated into control group 1， model group 1， midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group 1 and conventional electro-acupuncture group， with 6 rats per group. Rat models of COPD with lung-qi deficiency syndrome were established via cigarette smoke exposure combined with intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide （LPS）. After successful modelling， rats in midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group 1 received electro-acupuncture at acupoints "Taiyuan （LU 9）"， "Feishu （BL 13）" and "Zusanli （ST 36）" during 05：00—07：00， 30 minutes per treatment once every other day for 14 consecutive days （7 sessions in total）. Rats in the conventional electro-acupuncture group received identical electroacupuncture manipulation at random daytime hours （08：00—18：00）. Pulmonary function parameters including forced expiratory volume in 0.3 second （FEV_0.3）， forced vital capacity （FVC） and FEV_0.3/FVC ratio were detected. Pulmonary histopathological changes were observed via hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Plasma levels of pro-inflammatory factors interleukin-1β （IL-1β） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， as well as pulmonary reactive oxygen species （ROS） content， BMAL1 protein expression and the levels of neutrophil extracellular traps （NETs） biomarkers such as myeloperoxidase （MPO）， neutrophil elastase （NE）， and citrullinated histone H3 （CitH3） in lung tissue were determined. For the mechanistic verification phase， 36 rats were divided into control group 2， model group 2， midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group 2， overexpression empty group， overexpression BMAL1 group and overexpression with midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group， with 6 rats in each group. At the 5th week of model construction， rats in the overexpression BMAL1 group and overexpression with midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group received intratracheal instillation of 100 μl adenoviral suspension carrying overexpressed Bmal1 gene. Rats in the overexpression empty group were injected with an equal titer and equal volume of blank adenovirus without the Bmal1 coding sequence into the lung at the identical time point. Midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group 2 and overexpression with midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group were consistent with the aforementioned protocol. Finally， pulmonary levels of MPO， NE and CitH3 were measured in all groups. ResultsCompared with the control group 1， the model group 1 exhibited decreased FEV_0.3， FVC and FEV_0.3/FVC ratio， elevated plasma IL-1β， TNF-α and pulmonary ROS levels， downregulated lung BMAL1 protein expression， and increased contents of MPO， NE and CitH3 （all P＜0.05）； typical NETs-like structures with sparse granular substances attached to fibrous networks were observed under scanning electron microscopy； HE staining revealed damaged alveolar architecture accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltration. Compared with model group 1， both the midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group 1 and conventional electro-acupuncture group achieved obvious improvements in all above indicators， with superior therapeutic effects in midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group 1 （P＜0.05）. Consistently， midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group 1 showed more prominent alleviation of NETs-like structure formation and lung pathological injury compared to the conventional electro-acupuncture group. Mechanistic validation results demonstrated that compared with model group 2， the average optical density of MPO as well as the protein levels of MPO， NE and CitH3 were markedly reduced in midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group 2， overexpression BMAL1 group and overexpression with midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group （P＜0.05）； furthermore， these parameters were significantly lower in the overexpression with midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group than in midnight-noon electro-acupuncture group 2 （P＜0.05）. ConclusionElectro-acupuncture based on the midnight-noon ebb-low method with hour-prescription may alleviate pulmonary inflammation in COPD by upregulating the expression of clock protein BMAL1 and inhibiting excessive accumulation of NETs in lung tissue.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a congenital malformation resulting from abnormal embryonic development of the heart and great vessels, accounting for approximately 25% of all congenital malformations. Children with CHD are often complicated by short stature. Although surgical treatment can improve their growth and development to a certain extent, some children still experience growth retardation after surgery. Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) is the main drug for treating short stature, but its efficacy and safety in the treatment of patients with concomitant CHD warrant further investigation. This article reports six cases of children with CHD and short stature who were treated with rhGH. Through a literature review, we summarize and discuss the therapeutic efficacy, follow-up experiences, and adverse reactions of rhGH treatment, aiming to provide references for clinicians in applying rhGH to treat patients with CHD and short stature.

Objective: To explore the feasibility of synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (syMRI) combined with clinicopathological characteristics for the pre-treatment prediction of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) response in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (ANPC). Materials and Methods: Patients with ANPC treated with CRT between September 2020 and June 2022 were retrospectively enrolled and categorized into response group (RG, n = 95) and non RGs (NRG, n = 32) based on the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1. The quantitative parameters from pre-treatment syMRI (longitudinal [T1] and transverse [T2] relaxation times and proton density [PD]), diffusion-weighted imaging (apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC]), and clinicopathological characteristics were compared between RG and NRG. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify parameters independently associated with CRT response and to construct a multivariable model. The areas under the receiveroperating characteristic curve (AUC) for various diagnostic approaches were compared using the DeLong test. Results: The T1, T2, and PD values in the NRG were significantly lower than those in the RG (all P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed in the ADC values between these two groups. Clinicopathological characteristics (Epstein–Barr virus [EBV]-DNA level, lymph node extranodal extension, clinical stage, and Ki-67 expression) exhibited significant differences between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that T1, PD, EBV-DNA level, clinical stage, and Ki-67 expression had significant independent relationships with CRT response (all P < 0.05). The multivariable model incorporating these five variables yielded AUC, sensitivity, and specificity values of 0.974, 93.8% (30/32), and 91.6% (87/95), respectively. Conclusion SyMRI may be used for the pretreatment prediction of CRT response in ANPC. The multivariable model incorporating syMRI quantitative parameters and clinicopathological characteristics, which were independently associated with CRT response, may be a new tool for the pretreatment prediction of CRT response.

Objective: To explore the feasibility of synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (syMRI) combined with clinicopathological characteristics for the pre-treatment prediction of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) response in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (ANPC). Materials and Methods: Patients with ANPC treated with CRT between September 2020 and June 2022 were retrospectively enrolled and categorized into response group (RG, n = 95) and non RGs (NRG, n = 32) based on the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1. The quantitative parameters from pre-treatment syMRI (longitudinal [T1] and transverse [T2] relaxation times and proton density [PD]), diffusion-weighted imaging (apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC]), and clinicopathological characteristics were compared between RG and NRG. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify parameters independently associated with CRT response and to construct a multivariable model. The areas under the receiveroperating characteristic curve (AUC) for various diagnostic approaches were compared using the DeLong test. Results: The T1, T2, and PD values in the NRG were significantly lower than those in the RG (all P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed in the ADC values between these two groups. Clinicopathological characteristics (Epstein–Barr virus [EBV]-DNA level, lymph node extranodal extension, clinical stage, and Ki-67 expression) exhibited significant differences between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that T1, PD, EBV-DNA level, clinical stage, and Ki-67 expression had significant independent relationships with CRT response (all P < 0.05). The multivariable model incorporating these five variables yielded AUC, sensitivity, and specificity values of 0.974, 93.8% (30/32), and 91.6% (87/95), respectively. Conclusion SyMRI may be used for the pretreatment prediction of CRT response in ANPC. The multivariable model incorporating syMRI quantitative parameters and clinicopathological characteristics, which were independently associated with CRT response, may be a new tool for the pretreatment prediction of CRT response.

Objective:To explore the diagnostic value of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transsacral magnetic root stimulation combined with sacral reflexes, external anal sphincter electromyography and pudendal nerve somatosensory evoked potentials in the assessment of neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD).Methods:Twenty-one NLUTD patients (1 with a supra-pontine lesion, 5 with a spinal cord injury, 5 with a cauda equina injury, and 10 with pelvic floor disorders) were enrolled. Needle electromyography (EMG) was used to record TMS-induced and transsacral magnetic stimulation-induced motor evoked potentials (tc-MEPs and ts-MEPs, respectively) related to the external anal sphincter (EAS). The dorsal nerve of the penis or clitoris was stimulated electrically to record the latency of the sacral reflex related to the EAS. Central motor conduction time (CMCT) and the tc/ts-MEP latency ratio were calculated to distinguish central from peripheral lesions.Results:In the one patient with a supra-pontine lesion, although the tc-MEP and ts-MEP latencies were within normal limits, the CMCT was prolonged (28.2ms) and the tc/ts-MEP ratio was large (7.4). Among the five patients with a spinal cord injury, one exhibited prolonged tc-MEP latency (50.6ms) and CMCT (47.8ms), along with a large tc/ts-MEP ratio (18.1). In the five patients with cauda equina injury and the ten with NLUTD secondary to pelvic floor disorders, CMCT was within the normal range [averaging (22.9±4.9ms) and (24.2±3.5ms), respectively], but the ts-MEP latency was prolonged [(7.1±2.1ms) and (8.6±3.7ms), respectively], and the tc/ts-MEP ratio was small [(4.4±0.9) and (4.3±1.5), respectively]. The tc/ts-MEP ratio demonstrated the best rate of abnormality detection (93.8%), with an area under the curve of 0.99, indicating good sensitivity.Conclusions:The tc/ts-MEP ratio can be useful for distinguishing central and peripheral lesions. A markedly increased tc/ts-MEP ratio may suggest central nervous system injury, whereas a decreased ratio may indicate peripheral nervous system injury.

Objective:To investigate the influence of four preoperative CT image characteristics on the outcome of thoracoscopic surgery for chronic tuberculous empyema.Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study. Two hundred and eleven patients of tuberculous empyema who underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery(VATS) decortication at the First Department of Surgery , Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital from June 2020 to June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 162 male cases and 49 female cases, with an age ( M (IQR)) of 33 (27) years (range: 8 to 76 years). Patients were divided into two groups according to whether low-density lines, mass-patchy density, pleural fusion were observed, and the lesion size. Compare the clinical indicators of two groups of cases. Using the rapeutic efficacy as the dependent variable and four CT features as covariates, cases with cure or improve were included in Logistic regression analysis to calculate OR (95% CI) values. Results:Preoperative chest CT images showed that 127 cases (60.2%) had low-density lines, 102 cases (48.3%) had mass-patchy density, and 88 cases (47.7%) had pleural fusion. The lesions spanned 2 to 11 intercostal spaces, with a median of 7 intercostal spaces. The lesion size was divided into two groups according to <7 intercostal spaces and ≥7 intercostal spaces, with 101 cases (47.9%) and 110 cases (52.1%), respectively. In the intra-group comparison, there were no difference in age, lesion location and pulmonary tuberculosis. In the comparison of gender, except that the proportion of female patients in the group with lesion size <7 intercostal spaces ( χ2=6.064, P=0.010) was higher than ≥7 intercostal spaces, there were no significant difference between other groups. In low-density lines group, there was no difference in the incidence of anemia and hypoproteinemia between the two groups. Compared with the non low-density line group, patients with low-density line group exhibited fewer cases of abnormal elevation in ESR and CRP was lower(all P<0.01), the period of preoperative treatment ( U=7 281.00, P<0.01) was longer than the non low-density line group, while the operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage, postoperative drainage at 72 hours, postoperative drainage duration, lung re-expansion duration, and therapeutic efficacy were all better than the non low-density line group(all P<0.05). In the comparison between the mass-patchy density group, there were fewer cases of anemia, hypoproteinemia, abnormal elevation of ESR and CRP in the without mass-patchy density group(all P<0.05), and the period of preoperative treatmentwas shorter ( U=4 581.50, P=0.026), and the operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage, postoperative drainage at 72 hours, postoperative drainage duration, lung re-expansion duration and therapeutic effect were better too(all P<0.05). In the grouping comparison of pleural fusion, there were no difference in cases of anemia, hypoproteinemia, abnormal elevation of ESR and CRP, and the period of preoperative treatment between the two groups; the operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage, postoperative drainage at 72 hours, postoperative drainage duration, lung re-expansion duration, and therapeutic efficacy of the group without pleural fusion were better than the group with pleural fusion(all P<0.05). The group with <7 intercostal spaces had fewer cases of anemia, hypoproteinemia, abnormal elevation of ESR and CRP (all P<0.05), the period of preoperative treatment was longer ( U=4 295.00, P=0.004), the operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage, postoperative drainage at 72 hours,postoperative drainage duration, lung re-expansion duration and complications were less (all P<0.05), the therapeutic efficacy was better than the group with ≥7 intercostal spaces ( χ2=27.912, P<0.01). The Logistic regression analysis of cured and improved cases showed that mass-patchy density and lesion size were independent risk factors affecting the therapeutic efficacy (all P<0.05). Conclusions:For patients with CT images showing mass-patchy density, pleural fusion, and a large lesion size, the difficulty and risk of surgery may be relatively high.The preoperative CT images can provide objective reference for clinical preoperative evaluation.

Objective:To investigate the role and mechanism of TrxR1 in reprogramming tumor-associated macrophage in breast cancer,providing novel insights and theoretical foundations for clinical breast cancer treatment.Methods:TISIDB database was used to analyze the relationship between TXNRD1(encoding TrxR1)and tumor immunity.Mouse breast cancer 4T1 cells conditioned medium was collected and co-cultured with bone marrow-derived macrophage(BMDM)cells for 48 h to detect the expression of macrophage immunosuppression-related factors.TrxR1 secretion by tumor cells was measured using ELISA kits.TXNRD1 knockdown efficiency was verified via Western blot.Fluorescence quantitative PCR(qPCR)and flow cytometry were used to detect the expression levels of macrophage immunosuppressive factors after TXNRD1 knockdown in tumor cells.JASPAR database was used to analyze the potential regulatory factors,and Western blot was used to verify the expression of pathway-related proteins.Results:Database analysis found that TXNRD1 expression positively correlated with survival risk indices across multiple cancers,with the strongest association observed in breast cancer.Further analysis found that elevated TXNRD1 expression correlated with reduced infiltration of M1 macrophages and natural killer(NK)cells,but increased M2 macrophage infiltration.qPCR and flow cytometry demonstrated that tumor-conditioned medium enhanced macrophage immunosuppression,whereas medium from TXNRD1-knockdown tumor cells suppressed this effect.And TrxR1-neutralizing antibodies could also reversed this effect.JASPAR database analysis identified STAT3 and STAT6 as potential transcriptional regulators,and Western blot confirmed that TXNRD1-knockdown tumor cells conditioned medium inhibited STAT6 pathway activation in macrophages.Conclusion:In the tumor microenvironment,breast tumor-derived TrxR1 promotes macrophage immunosuppression,potentially through activation of the STAT6 signaling pathway.

This study was a single-center retrospective study, to investigate the correlation between the relative level of miR-200a in exfoliated cells of peritoneal dialysis (PD) effluent and clinical indicators of peritoneal function in PD patients. Clinical data of PD patients who underwent treatment in the Department of Nephrology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, from January 2024 to December 2024 were collected, and the relative level of miR-200a in exfoliated cells of PD effluent was assessed. Patients were divided into three groups according to dialysis duration (Group A:≤1 year; Group B:>1 to <5 years; Group C:≥5 years), and differences in clinical data among the groups were compared. The correlation between the relative level of miR-200a and serum albumin, serum calcium, serum phosphorus, serum creatinine, hemoglobin, the neutrophil/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, the monocyte/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, the lymphocyte/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, and 24-hour urine volume in PD patients was analyzed. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences among the three groups in gender, age, creatinine clearance rate, or Kt/V (all P>0.05). However, statistically significant differences were found among the three groups in peritoneal transport type ( χ2=13.518, P=0.001) and ultrafiltration volume ( H=6.905, P=0.032). Based on the 4-hour PD effluent creatinine/blood creatinine in the peritoneal equilibration test, patients were divided into the low transporter/low average transporter group (L group) and the high transporter/high average transporter group (H group). A statistically significant difference in the relative level of miR-200a was observed between the two groups [11.70 (1.09, 20.49) vs. 0.73 (0.46, 1.98), t=4.545, P<0.001]. The relative level of miR-200a was positively correlated with ultrafiltration volume and 24-hour urine output ( r=0.328, P=0.030; r=0.516, P<0.001), and negatively correlated with dialysis vintage ( r=-0.496, P<0.001). These results indicate that miR-200a level in PD effluent may, to some extent, reflect patients' peritoneal membrane function.

Objective: To explore the feasibility of synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (syMRI) combined with clinicopathological characteristics for the pre-treatment prediction of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) response in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (ANPC). Materials and Methods: Patients with ANPC treated with CRT between September 2020 and June 2022 were retrospectively enrolled and categorized into response group (RG, n = 95) and non RGs (NRG, n = 32) based on the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1. The quantitative parameters from pre-treatment syMRI (longitudinal [T1] and transverse [T2] relaxation times and proton density [PD]), diffusion-weighted imaging (apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC]), and clinicopathological characteristics were compared between RG and NRG. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify parameters independently associated with CRT response and to construct a multivariable model. The areas under the receiveroperating characteristic curve (AUC) for various diagnostic approaches were compared using the DeLong test. Results: The T1, T2, and PD values in the NRG were significantly lower than those in the RG (all P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed in the ADC values between these two groups. Clinicopathological characteristics (Epstein–Barr virus [EBV]-DNA level, lymph node extranodal extension, clinical stage, and Ki-67 expression) exhibited significant differences between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that T1, PD, EBV-DNA level, clinical stage, and Ki-67 expression had significant independent relationships with CRT response (all P < 0.05). The multivariable model incorporating these five variables yielded AUC, sensitivity, and specificity values of 0.974, 93.8% (30/32), and 91.6% (87/95), respectively. Conclusion SyMRI may be used for the pretreatment prediction of CRT response in ANPC. The multivariable model incorporating syMRI quantitative parameters and clinicopathological characteristics, which were independently associated with CRT response, may be a new tool for the pretreatment prediction of CRT response.