Objective To investigate the correlation between the benign and malignant pulmonary nodules and serum inflammatory factors,tumor markers,and imaging features.Methods A total of 209 patients with pulmonary nodules who underwent lung puncture biopsy at the Third People's Hospital of Kunming from January 2023 to January 2024 were enrolled.Based on pathological results,the patients were divided into benign pulmonary nodules group(n=106)and malignant pulmonary nodules group(n=103).General data and clinical indicators of all subjects were collected,and differences in various indicators between the two groups were analyzed.Results In terms of Serum inflammatory factors:there were statistically significant differences in LYMPH,NLR,LMR,IL-2,IL-6,IL-17,IFN-γ,HsCRP,SAA,and PCT between the two groups(P<0.05),while no significant differences were found in WBC,NETU,MONO,PLT,SII,IL-5,IFN-α,IL-1β,IL-10,IL-8,and IL-12P70(P>0.05).Regarding Serum tumor markers:there were statistically significant differences in CEA,CA125,CA199,CYFRA21-1,ProGRP,and NSE between the two groups(P<0.05),whereas no significant differences were found in TSGF,AFP,and CA153(P>0.05).In terms of Imaging features:there were statistically significant differences in the number,diameter,boundary,fissure sign,spiculated sign,and pleural retraction sign of nodules between the two groups(P<0.05),while no significant differences were found in nodular calcification,nodule density,and location(P>0.05).Binary logistic regression analysis(backward-Wald conditional method)identified patient age,fissure sign,CEA,NSE,ProGRP,and IL-6 were independent risk factors for malignant pulmonary nodules(P<0.05).The combined diagnostic model of these indicators for predicting malignant pulmonary nodules had an AUC of 0.965(P<0.05).Conclusion Malignant pulmonary nodules are more likely in older patients with lobulation on imaging and elevated serum levels of NSE,ProGRP,IL-6,and CEA.Combined detection of these indicators can predict the nature of pulmonary nodules,guiding early diagnosis of malignant nodules.

This artical starts from the perspective of"earth stagnation and wood depression"to analyze the dynamic mutual impairment process between breast cancer and mixed anxiety and depressive disorder(MADD),integrating pathological evidence of mutual causality between physical impairment and internal injury by emotional distress,to provide a theoretical framework elucidating the intrinsic unity of the microbiota-neuro-tumor interaction network in the comorbidity vicious cycle.The comorbidity of breast cancer and MADD manifests dynamic mutually aggravating impairment,with core pathogenesis according to the traditional Chinese medicine theory of"earth stagnation and wood depression":spleen earth stagnation leads to dampness-turbidity obstruction,while dysfunction of the middle jiao pivot result in abnormal liver qi conveyance and dispersion;liver depression transforming into fire further over-restricts on spleen earth.Mutual over-restriction and counter-restriction between the two causes toxic fire,phlegm and blood stasis to conglomerate into masses.The lingering disease progression causes mutual damage between body and spirit,leading to progressive consumption until physical collapse and spiritual decline,ultimately culminating in earth exhaustion and wood withering,toxins infiltrating the extraordinary vessels,and divorce of yin-yang.Gut microbiota dysbiosis induces abnormalities in the metabolic-immune-neuroendocrine network,driving emotional disorders and interacting with the tumor microenvironment to exacerbate deterioration.This mechanism not only validates the concept of"earth stagnation and wood depression-mutual physical-mental impairment",but also elucidates its role in inducing multi-system cascade failure,ultimately culminating in a pathological process marked by the emergence of severe clinical manifestations.

This artical starts from the perspective of"earth stagnation and wood depression"to analyze the dynamic mutual impairment process between breast cancer and mixed anxiety and depressive disorder(MADD),integrating pathological evidence of mutual causality between physical impairment and internal injury by emotional distress,to provide a theoretical framework elucidating the intrinsic unity of the microbiota-neuro-tumor interaction network in the comorbidity vicious cycle.The comorbidity of breast cancer and MADD manifests dynamic mutually aggravating impairment,with core pathogenesis according to the traditional Chinese medicine theory of"earth stagnation and wood depression":spleen earth stagnation leads to dampness-turbidity obstruction,while dysfunction of the middle jiao pivot result in abnormal liver qi conveyance and dispersion;liver depression transforming into fire further over-restricts on spleen earth.Mutual over-restriction and counter-restriction between the two causes toxic fire,phlegm and blood stasis to conglomerate into masses.The lingering disease progression causes mutual damage between body and spirit,leading to progressive consumption until physical collapse and spiritual decline,ultimately culminating in earth exhaustion and wood withering,toxins infiltrating the extraordinary vessels,and divorce of yin-yang.Gut microbiota dysbiosis induces abnormalities in the metabolic-immune-neuroendocrine network,driving emotional disorders and interacting with the tumor microenvironment to exacerbate deterioration.This mechanism not only validates the concept of"earth stagnation and wood depression-mutual physical-mental impairment",but also elucidates its role in inducing multi-system cascade failure,ultimately culminating in a pathological process marked by the emergence of severe clinical manifestations.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture (acupuncture for soothing the liver and regulating the spirit) on the protein kinase C/extracellular signal-regulated kinase/cAMP response element-binding protein (PKC/ERK/CREB) signaling pathway in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) of rats with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and to explore the mechanism of acupuncture on alleviating anxiety and fear in PTSD. METHODS: Fifty SPF-grade male SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group (10 rats) and a PTSD model group (40 rats). The PTSD model was induced by using a combination of closed electric shock and forced exhaustive swimming. Thirty successfully modeled rats were randomly assigned to a model group, a medication group, and an acupuncture group, with 10 rats in each group. The rats in the medication group were treated with paroxetine hydrochloride solution by gavage, once daily for 12 consecutive days. The rats in the acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at "Baihui" (GV 20) and bilateral "Neiguan" (PC 6), "Shenmen" (HT 7), "Taichong" (LR 3). "Baihui" (GV 20) was needled daily, while the other acupoints were alternately needled on the left side on odd days and the right side on even days, once daily for 12 consecutive days. Anxiety and fear behaviors changes were assessed by using the open field test and elevated plus maze test. Histological changes in the BNST were observed by using HE staining and Nissl staining. The expression of PKC, phosphorylated PKC (p-PKC), ERK1/2, phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2), and p-CREB proteins in the BNST were detected by using Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the blank group, the model group showed decreased time and total distance spent in the center of the open field and on the open arms of the elevated plus maze (P<0.05); the BNST tissues in the model group exhibited a reduced number of neurons, disorganized cell arrangement, cell shrinkage, nuclear condensation, abnormal neuronal structure, uneven Nissl staining, and reduced Nissl bodies. The model group showed increased protein expression of p-PKC and p-PKC/PKC ratio (P<0.05) and decreased protein expression of p-ERK1/2, p-CREB, and p-ERK1/2/ERK1/2 ratio (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the medication group and the acupuncture group showed increased time and total distance spent in the center of the open field and on the open arms of the elevated plus maze (P<0.05); the BNST tissues showed increased number of neurons, more organized cell arrangement, improved neuronal structure, and increased Nissl bodies; the medication group and the acupuncture group also showed decreased p-PKC protein expression and p-PKC/PKC ratio (P<0.05) and increased p-ERK1/2, p-CREB protein expression, and p-ERK1/2/ERK1/2 ratio (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture could alleviate anxiety and fear behaviors in PTSD rats, and improve neuronal damage in the BNST. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of the PKC/ERK/CREB signaling pathway in the BNST.
Animals ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Protein Kinase C/metabolism* ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/metabolism* ; Anxiety/metabolism* ; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein/metabolism* ; Humans ; Septal Nuclei/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism* ; Acupuncture Points ; Behavior, Animal

Acupuncture is effective in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD),and can effectively improve patients'anxiety and fear.The mechanism of acupuncture intervention in PTSD has been widely concerned and made some progress.This paper combs and analyzes the relevant data on the neurobiological mechanism of acupuncture intervention on fear memory in PTSD in recent years,and finds that the mechanism of acupuncture intervention in PTSD is closely related to repairing structural damage in key brain regions of fear memory,regulating abnormal brain network connections,inhibiting stress-induced neuroinflammatory response,and regulating the expression of neuronal plasticity molecules and neural signal transduction molecules.This provides a data basis for further research and application of the biological mechanism of acupuncture intervention on PTSD.

Objective:To investigate the effect and possible mechanism of the X-ray radiation-induced abscopal effects (X-RIAEs) on the ovarian reserve of mice.Methods:Totally sixteen female C57BL/6J mice aged 6-8 weeks with regular estrous cycle were randomly divided into the sham group ( n=8) and irradiation group ( n=8). After anesthesia, the mice in the irradiation group were irradiated with 8 Gy X-ray on the local area of the chest every day for 3 d, while the mice in the sham group were not irradiated. After irradiation 21 d, the estrous cycle, serum hormones, serum pro-inflammatory factors, and ovarian morphological changes were detected. Ribonucleic acid sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to detect the expression of transcriptional levels in mouse ovarian tissues. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened and analyzed by gene ontology-biological process (GO_BP). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) verified the sequencing results. The expression and localization of spermatogenesis- and oogenesis-specific basic helix-loop-helix-containing protein 1 (SOHLH1) and neutrophil elastase (NE) in ovarian tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results:Compared with mice in the sham group, the irradiation group had a disordered estrous cycle, reduced primordial follicles[10.50 (1.25, 12.75) vs. 60.00 (30.00, 90.25), P<0.001] and growing follicles [(4.50 (2.50, 9.00) vs. 18.50 (18.00, 20.75), P<0.001], significantly increased atretic follicles [56.00 (45.25, 98.75) vs. 12.50 (5.25, 20.25), P<0.001]. The levels of serum estradiol [(70.28±5.27) pmol/L] and anti-Müllerian hormone [(104.00±6.98) μg/L] in the irradiation group were significantly lower than those in the sham group [(97.58±7.25) pmol/L, P=0.016; (129.70±8.39) μg/L, P=0.046], but the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) level in the irradiation group was not significantly different from that in the sham group ( P>0.05). Compared with the sham group, the serum levels of TNF-α [(488.30±36.20) μg/L vs. (31.61±12.89) μg/L, P<0.001] and IL-1β [(62.37±2.50) μg/L vs. (52.75±2.06) μg/L, P=0.018] in the irradiation group were significantly increased, and the serum level of interleukin (IL)-6 in the irradiation group was also increased compared with the sham group, but the difference was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). The results of GO_BP analysis showed that the down-regulated DGEs were mainly involved in the process of follicular development, and the up-regulated DGEs were involved in the inflammation process. The results of RT-qPCR were consistent with those of sequencing. The immunohistochemistry results showed that the positive expression area of SOHLH1 in the irradiation group [(23.18±4.00)%] was significantly lower than that of the sham group [(65.90±6.28)%, P=0.005], while the positive expression area of NE [(30.73±4.00)%] was significantly higher than that of the sham group [(14.47±2.22)%, P=0.024]. Conclusion:X-RIAEs can induce an inflammatory reaction in ovarian tissue and inhibit the growth and development of ovarian follicles in mice, which leads to a decrease in ovarian reserve.

Objective:To investigate the effect and possible mechanism of the X-ray radiation-induced abscopal effects (X-RIAEs) on the ovarian reserve of mice.Methods:Totally sixteen female C57BL/6J mice aged 6-8 weeks with regular estrous cycle were randomly divided into the sham group ( n=8) and irradiation group ( n=8). After anesthesia, the mice in the irradiation group were irradiated with 8 Gy X-ray on the local area of the chest every day for 3 d, while the mice in the sham group were not irradiated. After irradiation 21 d, the estrous cycle, serum hormones, serum pro-inflammatory factors, and ovarian morphological changes were detected. Ribonucleic acid sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to detect the expression of transcriptional levels in mouse ovarian tissues. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened and analyzed by gene ontology-biological process (GO_BP). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) verified the sequencing results. The expression and localization of spermatogenesis- and oogenesis-specific basic helix-loop-helix-containing protein 1 (SOHLH1) and neutrophil elastase (NE) in ovarian tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results:Compared with mice in the sham group, the irradiation group had a disordered estrous cycle, reduced primordial follicles[10.50 (1.25, 12.75) vs. 60.00 (30.00, 90.25), P<0.001] and growing follicles [(4.50 (2.50, 9.00) vs. 18.50 (18.00, 20.75), P<0.001], significantly increased atretic follicles [56.00 (45.25, 98.75) vs. 12.50 (5.25, 20.25), P<0.001]. The levels of serum estradiol [(70.28±5.27) pmol/L] and anti-Müllerian hormone [(104.00±6.98) μg/L] in the irradiation group were significantly lower than those in the sham group [(97.58±7.25) pmol/L, P=0.016; (129.70±8.39) μg/L, P=0.046], but the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) level in the irradiation group was not significantly different from that in the sham group ( P>0.05). Compared with the sham group, the serum levels of TNF-α [(488.30±36.20) μg/L vs. (31.61±12.89) μg/L, P<0.001] and IL-1β [(62.37±2.50) μg/L vs. (52.75±2.06) μg/L, P=0.018] in the irradiation group were significantly increased, and the serum level of interleukin (IL)-6 in the irradiation group was also increased compared with the sham group, but the difference was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). The results of GO_BP analysis showed that the down-regulated DGEs were mainly involved in the process of follicular development, and the up-regulated DGEs were involved in the inflammation process. The results of RT-qPCR were consistent with those of sequencing. The immunohistochemistry results showed that the positive expression area of SOHLH1 in the irradiation group [(23.18±4.00)%] was significantly lower than that of the sham group [(65.90±6.28)%, P=0.005], while the positive expression area of NE [(30.73±4.00)%] was significantly higher than that of the sham group [(14.47±2.22)%, P=0.024]. Conclusion:X-RIAEs can induce an inflammatory reaction in ovarian tissue and inhibit the growth and development of ovarian follicles in mice, which leads to a decrease in ovarian reserve.