Objective To approach the mechanisms of effects of high glucose on the differentiation of periodontal ligament cells (PDLC) by investigating the changes of Scleraxis mRNA expression in high glucose condition in vitro. Methods Human PDLC were cultured in high glucose medium (4500 mg/L glucese) and normal glucose medium (1000 mg/L glucose), respectively. High glucose was uesd to inhibit the ostengenic differentiation of PDLC. PDLC cultured in normal glucose medium served as controL. Alkaline phosphatase(ALP) activity, the early parameter of osteogenetic differentiation of cells and the expression of Scleraxis mRNA were detected in each group. ALP activity was measured colourmetrically by using nitrophenyl phosphate as a substrate and the expression of Scleraxis mRNA was analyzed by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results ALP activity of PDLC was lower in high glucose medium than in normal glucose medium, and the values were 0.113 ± 0.068 and 0.218 ± 0.012, respectively. However, the level of Scleraxis mRNA was quite higher in high glucose midium compared with in normal glucose medium, and the values were 0.973 ± 0.055 and 0.611 ± 0.205,respectively. The values of ALP activity and the expression of Scleraxis mRNA were significantly different between the two groups. Conclusions High glucose inhibited osteogenetic differentiation of PDLC and up-regulated Scleraxis expression. The adverse changes of Scleraxis expression and osteogenic differentiation of PDLC suggest that Scleraxis may regulate the esteogenic differentiation of PDLC negatively and the inhibition of high glucose on osteogenetic differentiation of PDLC may be regulated by Scleraxis in transcription level.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the therapeutic effect of acupuncture for treatment of simple obesity, and to analyze the current situation of clinical studies.

METHODSRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving acupuncture treatment for simple obesity were searched from PubMed (1979-2008), OVID (1979-2008), EBSCO (1973-2008), Cochrane Library (Issue 2, 2008), CBM (1978-2008), CNKI (1979-2008), VIP (1989-2008) and WanFang Database (1998-2008). Literatures were enrolled focusing on RCTs related to acupuncture treatment for simple obesity; the quality of literatures were evaluated by two evaluators unaidedly. Meta-analyses were conducted with the Cochrane Collaboration's RevMan 4.2.8 software.

RESULTSEight papers including 1,017 cases, conformed with the enrolled criteria. Meta-analyses showed that there were significant difference between acupuncture groups and western medicine groups in the effective rate [combined RR (fixed effects model) = 1.11, 95% CI (1.05, 1.18), P=0.0006]. There was a significant difference between acupuncture and Sibutramine in the body mass [combined WMD (fixed effects model) = 1.94, 95%CI (1.73, 2.16), P<0.00001] and body mass index (BMI) [combined WMD (fixed effects model) = 0.52, 95% CI (0.33, 0.70), P<0.00001]. However, acupuncture was not superior to Sibutramine in hip circumference (HC) [combined WMD (fixed effects model) = -0.35, 95% CI (-0.56, -0.15), P<0.0007].

CONCLUSIONFor treating simple obesity, besides reasonable diet and exercise, acupuncture is safe and effective, which may be more effective than routine western medicine. The quantity of literature was limited and the quality of some literatures was low. Thus, more high-quality and large-scale of RCTs are needed.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Obesity ; therapy ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Treatment Outcome

AIM:To explore the role of aloperine in ischemia-reperfusion(I/R)-induced H9c2 cardiomyocyte injury and inflammation.METHODS: The H9c2 cardiomyocytes were cultured under hypoxia and re-oxygenation condi-tions to simulate ischemia-reperfusion(SI/R)injury.After treatment with aloperine at various doses,the cell viability was measured by MTT assay.The cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry.Simultaneously,the levels of lactate dehydro-genase(LDH),malonaldehyde(MDA)and caspase-3 activity were detected by the commercial kits.The levels of inflam-matory cytokines were also detected by ELISA.Moreover,the effects of aloperine on the activation of PI 3K/AKT signaling pathway were determined by Western blot.RESULTS:Pre-treatment with aloperine remarkably abated the inhibitory effect of SI/R on H9c2 cell viability,and decreased the elevations of LDH and MDA triggered by SI /R(P<0.05).Pre-treat-ment with aloperine dramatically suppressed the cell apoptosis induced by SI /R treatment(P<0.05), concomitant with the decrease in caspase-3 activity and increase in Bcl-2/Bax ratio(P<0.05).In contrast to SI/R group,aloperine treat-ment notably restrained the concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β(P<0.05).Furthermore, aloperine remarkably increased the protein levels of p-PI3K and p-AKT. While blocking the PI3K/AKT pathway with its specific inhibitor LY294002, the viability-promoting, anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects of aloperine on the H 9c2 cells were obviously attenuated(P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Alope-rine protects against cardiomyocytes from I/R injury and inhibits inflammatory responses by activating the PI 3K/AKT signa-ling pathway,implying a potential benefic role of aloperine against myocardial I /R injury.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical studies of acupuncture for treatment of depressive neurosis, collect the high quality evidence relative to clinical acupuncture practice for clinical decision-making reference.

METHODSAround crucial common questions of acupuncture clinical practice, the documents of clinical study were comprehensively retrieved. According to 5-grade criterion of evidence-based medicine, the evidence from high to low level were selected to answer corresponding clincal questions and RevMan 5.0.20 was used to analyze the final indicator.

RESULTSNineteen documents of clinical study accord with the inclusive criterion were retrieved. Level-A evidence showed effectiveness of acupuncture. Acupuncture might be superior or equal to fluoxetine, with little adverse effect and high safety. Level-C evidence showed acupuncture might be superior or equal to Amitriptyline, with little adverse effect and high safety. And no relative clinicial evidence compared effect of acupuncture with that of psychotherapy or behavior therapy. Only one level-C evidence showed there was no effect difference between acupuncture combined with bloodletting therapy and bloodletting alone. Two level-C evidence showed the effect of acupuncture combined with western medicine was superior to that of medicine alone, eg. catgut embedding therapy combined with Fluoxetine, electroacupuncture combined with Seroxat.

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture for depressive nerosis has a positive effect. Acupuncture has an equal effect compared with western medicine, while strictly designed equivalent and non-inferior studies are demanded. The effect of acupuncture combined with medicine has some advantage, but need high quality studies to verify.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Depressive Disorder ; therapy ; Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of intranasal administration of low dosage recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) on seizure in rats.

METHODSAfter intranasal or intraperitoneal administration of r-HuEPO, the behavioral and electroencephalographic changes were observed in pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) and maximal electroshock (MES) induced seizure or electrical amygdaloid-kindled seizure of rats.

RESULTIntranasal administration of low dosage r-HuEPO increased the seizure latency, and decreased the seizure grade and duration, and the number of convulsive episodes in PTZ induced seizure, with the most potential dosage of 2.4 IU. Intraperitoneal administration of r-HuEPO (3 000, 4 000 IU/kg) only decreased the seizure duration and number of convulsive episodes. The seizure grade, forelimb or hindlimb extension duration were decreased in MES-induced seizure by intranasal administration of 2.4 IU r-HuEPO. In addition, intranasal administration of 2.4 IU r-HuEPO decreased the seizure grade, generalized seizure duration and afterdischarge in electrical amygdaloid-kindled rats stimulated with generalized seizure threshold.

CONCLUSIONIntranasal administration of low dosage r-HuEPO can inhibit the seizure in rats.

Administration, Intranasal ; Animals ; Anticonvulsants ; administration & dosage ; Epilepsy ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Erythropoietin ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Male ; Pentylenetetrazole ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Recombinant Proteins

To investigate the influence of such individual factors as gender, age and tissues in vitro to the postmortem interval (PMI) by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer in animal experiments. SD rats were classified into male and female groups, different age groups (21-day, 42-day and 63-day group), and tissues in vitro and in vivo groups. The rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation, whose bodies were kept in a controlled environmental chamber set at (20+/-2) degrees C and 50% humidity. The liver, kidney, spleen, myocardium, brain, lung and skeletal muscle tissues were collected for measurement from time zero to 48 h postmortem. With the change of PMI, no obvious changes were found in the main FTIR absorbance peaks and their ratios at different time points. All the experimental groups showed no significant changes when compared with the controls. The gender, age and tissues in vitro were not found to be contributing factors in the estimation of PMI via FTIR spectroscopy.
Age Factors ; Animals ; Autopsy/methods* ; Brain Chemistry ; Female ; Forensic Pathology/methods* ; Kidney/chemistry* ; Linear Models ; Liver/chemistry* ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal/chemistry* ; Myocardium/chemistry* ; Postmortem Changes ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sex Factors ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the composition of gut microbiota and its correlation with the severity of behavior symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: A total of 30 children with ASD were enrolled as the ASD group, and 20 healthy children matched for age and sex were enrolled as the healthy control group. Related clinical data were analyzed. The V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene in fecal samples were sequenced. The severity of behavior symptoms in children with ASD was assessed using the autism behavior checklist. The Spearman's correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between gut microbiota and the severity of behavior symptoms in children with ASD. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the composition of gut microbiota between the two groups. Compared with the healthy control group, the ASD group had significant reductions in Shannon index and Shannoneven index (P<0.05), as well as a significant reduction in the percentage of Firmicutes and a significant increase in the percentage of Acidobacteria in feces (P<0.05). In the ASD group, the dominant bacteria were Megamonas, Megasphaera, and Barnesiella, while in the healthy control group, the dominant bacteria were Eubacterium_rectale_group, Ezakiella, and Streptococcus. In the children with ASD, the abundance of Megamonas was positively correlated with the scores of health/physical/behavior and language communication (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The development of ASD and the severity of behavior symptoms are closely associated with the composition of gut microbiota.
Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Bacteria ; Child ; Feces ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S

OBJECTIVETo investigate genetics and clinical characteristics of dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) in Chinese kindreds.

METHODSFragment analysis with laser-induced fluorescence in capillary electrophoresis was performed for the cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeats of DRPLA gene in 708 probands of autosomal dominant ataxia pedigrees and 119 sporadic ataxia cases.

RESULTSExpanded CAG repeats of DRPLA gene were detected in probands of three ataxia pedigrees, with the numbers of repeats being 16/58, 16/58 and 14/54, respectively. In addition to ataxia, patients with adult-onset disease also exhibited spasm and neck torsion.

CONCLUSIONOnly three cases of DRPLA have been identified among 827 cases, which suggested that DRPLA is a relatively rare subtype of SCA in Chinese population. Clinical variation among the patients suggested DRPLA has a wide spectrum of phenotype.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Brain ; pathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Myoclonic Epilepsies, Progressive ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; genetics ; Pedigree ; Phenotype ; Trinucleotide Repeats ; Young Adult

Objective:To investigate the application status of emergency radiology in China, and to provide data support for the standardized development, scientific management and big data research of emergency radiology.Methods:From August 12th to October 19th, 2022, a questionnaire survey was conducted through WeChat"Questionnaire Star"to send targeted questionnaires to investigate the relevant data of the current status of emergency radiology in China, mainly including digital radiography (DR) and computed tomography (CT). This study was initiated by the Chinese Emergency Radiology Database Collaboration Group, and comprehensively investigated emergency imaging personnel, equipment, workload, critical value reporting process, and artificial intelligence (AI) application status.Results:There were 123 hospitals in the study. The survey showed that emergency DR/CT reports were mainly completed by residents and above (69.1%). There were 21 DR brands, 10 CT brands and 8 MR brands used for emergency imaging examinations. The median number of DR examinations in tertiary hospitals and secondary hospitals investigated from January to June 2022 was 4 642 and 2 015 cases respectively, and the median number of CT examinations was 16 512 and 3 762 cases respectively. The average single-shift workload of DR in the emergency radiology department during the day and night shift in tertiary hospitals was mainly ≤20 copies and 21-50 copies, and the average single-shift workload of CT in the emergency radiology department during the day and night shift was mainly 21-50 copies and 51-100 copies, while the average single-shift workload of DR/CT in the emergency radiology department during the day/night shift in secondary hospitals was mainly ≤20 copies. In terms of critical value reporting process, 74.8% of emergency imaging doctors and 84.6% of emergency imaging technicians took the way of phone/text message to notify the clinical doctor or the patients′ family. The overall deployment rate of AI in emergency imaging was about 60.2%. 75% of the respondents believed that in the future, AI can improve emergency radiology work from aspects such as emergency screening, aided diagnosis and process optimization.Conclusions:The emergency medical imaging mainly based on DR and CT has the current situations such as generally low seniority of doctors, diverse brands of imaging equipments, large volume of examinations and intense workload per doctor, especially in tertiary hospitals, and dependence on traditional means for critical value reporting. At present, AI is emerging in the field of emergency imaging, and there is still a long way to go to play the huge potential of AI in the intelligent whole process of emergency imaging in the future.

The descriptive cross sectional surveys were carried out among the outstanding clinical physicians in the field of acupuncture and moxibustion by using the survey sampling. The fuzzy comprehensive evaluation techniques was applied to evaluate the opinions of clinical experts in the field of acupuncture and moxibustion in order to classify the spectrum of diseases related to the musculoskeletal and connective tissue. After the statistical analysis on sixty-four diseases with 104 subtypes, the spectrum of diseases were determined as grade I spectrum of diseases with 13 subtypes of diseases, grade II spectrum of diseases with 51 subtypes of diseases, grade III spectrum of diseases with 10 subtypes of diseases, and grade IV spectrum of diseases with 30 subtypes of diseases. The outcomes reveal that acupuncture and moxibustion therapy have been applied widely for musculoskeletal diseases and connective tissue related diseases.
Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Bone Diseases ; therapy ; Connective Tissue Diseases ; therapy ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; methods ; Muscular Diseases ; therapy ; Surveys and Questionnaires