OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Huayu Tongluo moxibustion on the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3)/cysteine-aspartic acid protease-1 (Caspase-1)/gasdermin D (GSDMD) signaling pathway in rats with vascular dementia (VD), and to explore its mechanism in improving learning and memory ability and alleviating neuronal injury in the hippocampal CA1 region. METHODS: A total of 80 SPF-grade male Wistar rats were included. Three rats were excluded based on the Morris water maze test. From the remaining rats, 12 were randomly selected as the sham operation group. The rest were used to establish VD models via modified bilateral common carotid artery ligation. Thirty-six successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group, a medication group, and a moxibustion group, with 12 rats in each group. The medication group was treated with nimodipine solution (12 mg/kg) via gavage. The moxibustion group was treated with Huayu Tongluo moxibustion. The suspended moxibustion was applied at Shenting (GV24) and Dazhui (GV14), and aconite cake-separated moxibustion was applied at Baihui (GV20), with each acupoint treated for 20 min. All treatments were administered once daily for 21 consecutive days. Before and after modeling, and after intervention, the Morris water maze test was used to assess cognitive function. After intervention, the activation and morphology of microglia in the hippocampal CA1 region were observed by immunofluorescence. Ultrastructure of hippocampal CA1 neurons was examined by transmission electron microscopy. Western blot was used to detect protein expression of NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), Caspase-1, GSDMD, and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the hippocampal CA1 region. ELISA was used to detect the content of IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the hippocampal CA1 region. RESULTS: Compared with the sham operation group, the model group showed longer mean escape latency (P<0.01) and fewer platform crossings (P<0.01); the microglial processes in the hippocampal CA1 region were thickened, cytoplasm was hypertrophic, and relative fluorescence intensity of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (IBA-1) was increased (P<0.05); the neuronal ultrastructure in the CA1 region was severely damaged, rough endoplasmic reticulum was swollen, mitochondria were deformed and swollen, some cristae were ruptured or dissolved, showing vacuolar changes; the protein expression of NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, GSDMD, and IL-1β, as well as levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were significantly elevated (P<0.001). Compared with the model group, both the medication group and the moxibustion group showed shortened mean escape latency (P<0.01) and increased platform crossings (P<0.01); the microglial processes were thinner, and IBA-1 fluorescence intensity was decreased (P<0.05); the neuronal ultrastructure in the CA1 region was partially improved; the protein expression of NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, GSDMD, and IL-1β, and levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were significantly reduced (P<0.001). Compared with the medication group, the moxibustion group showed shortened mean escape latency (P<0.05) and more platform crossings (P<0.05); the IBA-1 fluorescence intensity was decreased (P<0.05); the neuronal ultrastructure in the CA1 region was improved; the protein expression of NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, GSDMD, and IL-1β, as well as levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α, were significantly lower (P<0.001). CONCLUSION The Huayu Tongluo moxibustion could enhance learning and memory abilities in VD rats, inhibit excessive activation of microglia, and alleviate neuronal injury in the hippocampal CA1 region. Its mechanism may involve modulation of the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD signaling pathway, reduction of inflammatory responses.
Animals ; Male ; Dementia, Vascular/physiopathology* ; Rats ; Signal Transduction ; Moxibustion ; Rats, Wistar ; CA1 Region, Hippocampal/injuries* ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics* ; Caspase 1/genetics* ; Memory ; Humans ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Learning

Vocal cord paralysis （ VCP ） refers to the movement disorder of the vocal cord caused by the damage of the motor nerve conduction pathway that dominates the laryngeal muscles, which can be accompanied by sensory nerve disorder of the larynx. Symptoms of bilateral vocal cord paralysis include crying hoarseness, sucking cough, and laryngeal stridor, which can lead to asphyxia in severe cases. Our team recently used CO2 laser to treat such children, but the prognosis varies significantly. Case 1: A 2-year-old male, who had undergone tracheotomy 2 years prior, was diagnosed with "bilateral vocal cord paralysis with grade Ⅱ laryngeal obstruction" after birth. He maintained a tracheostomy until recently. Electronic laryngoscopy showed that the bilateral vocal cords were fixed in the midline, with a glottic fissure of about 1 mm. After surgical treatment, the outcome was good, and there was no recurrence during follow-up. A 1-year-old female, who had undergone tracheotomy over a year ago, was diagnosed with ' ①bilateral vocal cord paralysis; ②laryngomalacia; ③neonatal pneumonia.' She maintained a tracheostomy since then. Electronic laryngoscopy revealed that the bilateral vocal cords were retracted and fixed, with a glottic fissure of about 0.5 mm and limited vocal cord abduction. The postoperative outcome for this child was not good, and the tracheostomy tube was not removed.
Humans ; Vocal Cord Paralysis/surgery* ; Male ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Laser Therapy ; Infant

Objective To investigate the relationship between polymorphism of resistin(RETN)gene and metabolic associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)in type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)patients in middle and high altitude areas.Methods A total of 400 patients with T2DM in Qinghai area were recruited and divided into simple T2DM group(T2DM,n=200)and T2DM combined with MAFLD group(T2DM+ MAFLD,n=200)according to liver ultrasonography.Healthy individuals confirmed by physical examination were selected as the normal control group(NC,n=180).Plasma resistin levels were measured by ELISA.The polymorphism of RETN-420C/G and +299G/A genes were detected by PCR sequencing.Results By comparing the polymorphism of RETN-420C/G gene in each group,it was found that the frequencies of G/G genotype and G allele frequency in T2DM+MAFLD group were higher than those in NC group and T2DM group(P<0.05),while the frequencies of C/C genotype and C allele frequency were lower than those in NC group and T2DM group(P<0.05).The risk of MAFLD increased by 1.571,2.126 and 1.537 times respectively in T2DM patients with C/G,G/G genotype and G allele.Logistic regression analysis showed that G/G genotype was a risk factor for MAFLD in T2DM patients.By comparing the polymorphism of RETN+299G/A gene in each group,it was found that A allele frequency in T2DM+MAFLD group was higher than that in NC group and T2DM group,while G allele frequency was lower than that in NC group and T2DM group(P<0.05).The allele A increased the risk of MAFLD in T2DM patients by 1.432 times compared to allele G.Conclusion RETN gene-420C/G locus G/G genotype increases the risk of T2DM combined with MAFLD in middle and high altitudeareas.

Objective To explore the risk factors for acute thrombosis of arteriovenous fistulae(AF)in maintenance hemodialysis(MHD)patients and the construction of a Nomogram prediction model.Methods A total of 418 patients who underwent MHD treatment in the outpatient clinic of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University from December 2020 to December 2022 were selected for the study.The patients were divided into the acute thrombosis group(n=32)and non-acute thrombosis group(n=386)according to whether acute thrombosis of AF was formed or not.The influencing factors affecting acute thrombosis of AF in MHD patients were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analysis.A Nomogram predic-tion model was established based on their independent risk factors,and Bootstrap was used to validate the efficacy of the Nomo-gram model.Results The complicated diabetes,complicated hypotension,puncture failure on dialysis,calcium-phosphorus product,hypersensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP),total cholesterol(TC),and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C)levels in patients in the acute thrombosis group were significantly higher than those in the non-acute thrombosis group(P＜0.05);logistic regression analysis showed that diabetes,hypotension,puncture failure on dialysis,calcium-phosphorus product elevation,high hs-CRP and high LDL-C level were the independent risk factors affecting acute thrombosis of AF in patients undergoing MHD(P＜0.05);the Nomogram model was constructed based on the 6 independent risk factors,and the consistency index(C-index)of the model was 0.893(95％confidence interval:0.833-0.928);in addition,its calibration curve and the standard curve were well fitted,the area under the curve was 0.918.Conclusion Diabetes,hypotension,puncture failure during dialysis,calcium-phosphorus product elevation,and high levels of hs-CRP and LDL-C are the risk factors for acute thrombosis of AF in patients undergoing MHD,and the Nomogram model constructed based on the independent risk factors has excellent predictive ability in predicting the occurrence of acute thrombosis of AF in patients undergoing MHD,which can help in the early screening of patients with high risk of clinical acute thrombosis.

Objective To explore the significance of changes of serum adiponectin and testosterone levels in old male patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) and coronary heart disease(CHD).Methods A total of 122 male patients(more than 60 years old)were enrolled into this study,T2DM patients without CHD(T2DM group,n =40);T2DM patients with CHD (CHD group,n=38);control group(n=44,44 cases of physical healthy men over the age of 60 in Qinghai Provincial People's Hospital from November 2014 to September 2015).The serum of fasting blood-glucose,glycosylated hemoglobin(HbAlc) and blood lipid were detected by Roche cobas 800 full automatic biochemical analyzer,the serum concentration of testosterone(T) was determined by the chemiluminesent immunoassay,serum adiponectin(APN)levels were determined by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay,the serum insulin(FINS)levels were evaluated by chemiluminescence method,according to the steady-state model evaluation method for calculation of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR),the difference among the three sets of the above indexes indicators were compared,and the correlation between APN and other indicators above were analyzed.Results Compared with control group,the serum T and APN levels in the T2DM group and CHD group were significantly decrease,and the CHD group was the most obviously (P＜0.05).Compared with control group,the FPG,FINS,triglycerides(TG),low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels in T2DM group and CHD group were apparently higher,and the CHD group was the most obviously (P＜ 0.05).The serum adiponectin was negative correlated with TG (r=-0.363),LDL-C(r=-0.417),HOMA-IR(r =-0.602),while positively correlated with HDL-C(r=0.485),T(r=0.624).The serum T was negative correlated with LDL-C(r=-0.457),HOMA-IR(r-0.643),while positively correlated with HDL-C(r=0.478),P＜0.05.Conclusion The level of the serum APN and the serumtin T2DM patients with CHD are significantly lower than the patients without CHD,the serum adiponectin and the serum testosterone may promote the development of T2DM with CHD.

OBJECTIVE: To analysis the acoustic characteristics in patients with unilateral arytenoid dislocation and unilateral vocal fold paralysis, and evaluate the application value of acoustic analysis technique in these two diseases. METHOD: The voice signals of sustained vowel /a/ were measured using the software MDVP in 50 healthy adults and 67 patients with unilateral vocal cord movement disorders. The acoustic parameters (jitter, shimmer, NHR and F₀) were analyzed. All patients were divided into arytenoid dislocation group (36 cases) and vocal fold paralysis group (31 cases) through the laryngeal electromyography. All groups were divided into male and female group again. The acoustic characteristics between the two experimental groups and normal control groups were observed and compared. Results were analyzed using Rank sum test. RESULT: (1) In both male or female groups, there were significant differences in jitter and shimmer between two experimental group and control group. In both male or female groups, there were significant differences in NHR between arytenoid dislocation group and control group. There were no significant differences in NHR between vocal fold paralysis group and control group. Except for the male vocal fold paralysis group, there were significant differences in F between the other experimental groups and control groups. (2) In both male or female groups, there were no significant differences in jitter and shimmer between vocal fold paralysis group and arytenoid dislocation group. There were significant differences in NHR. CONCLUSION The acoustic parameters are effective parameters to measure the voice quality of patients with unilateral arytenoid dislocation and unilateral vocal fold paralysis. NHR is the most sensitive parameter in the distinction of vocal cord paralysis and arytenoid dislocation.
Acoustics ; Adult ; Arytenoid Cartilage ; physiopathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Electromyography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Software ; Vocal Cord Paralysis ; diagnosis ; Vocal Cords ; physiopathology ; Voice Quality

This paper aims to analyze the impact of splenic vein thrombosis (SVT) on the hemodynamic parameters in hepatic portal vein system. Based on computed tomography (CT) images of a patient with portal hypertension and commercial software MIMICS, the patient's portal venous system model was reconstructed. Color Doppler ultrasound method was used to measure the blood flow velocity in portal vein system and then the blood flow velocities were used as the inlet boundary conditions of simulation. By using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method, we simulated the changes of hemodynamic parameters in portal venous system with and without splenic vein thrombosis and analyzed the influence of physiological processes. The simulation results reproduced the blood flow process in portal venous system and the results showed that the splenic vein thrombosis caused serious impacts on hemodynamics. When blood flowed through the thrombosis, blood pressure reduced, flow velocity and wall shear stress increased. Flow resistance increased, blood flow velocity slowed down, the pressure gradient and wall shear stress distribution were more uniform in portal vein. The blood supply to liver decreased. Splenic vein thrombosis led to the possibility of forming new thrombosis in portal vein and surroundings.
Blood Flow Velocity ; Blood Pressure ; Computer Simulation ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Portal Vein ; Splenic Vein ; pathology ; Thrombosis ; pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Objective To investigate the role of airflow parameters of some specific examinations in voice function assessment.Methods The s/z ratio, pulmonary function and phonatory aerodynamic parameters were measured in subjects with benign vocal fold lesions and with normal voice.The effect of treatment in subjects with benign vocal fold lesions was evaluated with the phonatory aerodynamic parameters.Results The value of s/z ratio in the disease group was higher than that in the normal group (P ＜ 0.05).The value of PEF was significantly different between the disease group and the normal group fur male(P ＜0.05).MFR, MPT, PTF, SGP, PTP, VE were significantly different between the disease group and the normal group(P ＜0.05).MFR, MPT, PTF, SGP, PTP of the disease group after surgery for both sex were significantly different from before surgery (P ＜ 0.05).The disease group was subdivided into two groups through stroboscopic examination before and one month after surgery: the worse group (with some functional laryngeal abnormality, or organic abnormality except benign vocal fold lesion)and the better group.PTF, PTP, SGP, VE were significantly different between the worse group and the normal voice group.There was almost no significant difference for aerodynamic parameters between the better group and the normal voice group (P ＞ 0.05).There was no significant difference between the worse group after 8 weeks'voice training and the normal voice group (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions s/z ratio, aerodynamic parameters (MFR, MPT, SGP, PTF, PTP, VE) are valuable for the diagnosis and assessment of the voice disorders.Aerodynamic parameters are sensitive to the change of glottal function during the treatment.Voice training can increase the glottal function of patients after laryngeal microsurgery.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of Ruiqi tablet on mitochondrion activities in the cerebral cortex neurons of fetal mice.

METHODThe cerebral cortex of fetal Wistar rats after 16- 17 gestation days were collected and randomized into Ruiqi tablet group and blank control group after 4-5 days' culture. Laser scanning confocal microscope was adopted to determine the changes in the mitochondrion activities of the primary cultured cerebral cortex neurons of fetal rats after addition of Ruiqi tablet solution.

RESULTRuiqi tablet can increase the mitochondrion activities of the cerebral cortex neurons. No significant change in the mitochondrion activities of the cerebral cortex neurons was found in the blank control group.

CONCLUSIONRuiqi tablet can increase the mitochondrion activities of the neurons and it has certain application prospects in treatment of some neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Parkinson's disease and so on.

Animals ; Cerebral Cortex ; cytology ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Fetus ; chemistry ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Mitochondria ; drug effects ; physiology ; Models, Animal ; Neurons ; drug effects ; physiology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Tablets

Objective To study the effective sterilization method of laparoscopic instruments. Methods Using 2 different methods to sterilize the same laparoscopic instruments,and then compared the effects of sterilization. Results The bactericial rate of the 2 methods were both 100%. Conclusion The Huiri sterilizing method only need 40 minutes,which fits the requirement of one by one operation.