Objective To compare the immediate effects of acupuncture at the true and false acupoints of Yanglingquan on functional connectivity in sensorimotor network(SMN)and dorsal attentional network(DAN)of stroke patients based on functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)technology;To explore the central regulatory mechanism and acupoint specificity of acupuncture in stroke patients with hemiplegia.Methods Totally 20 patients with stroke and hemiplegia were included in the study.fMRI scans of acupuncture at the true and false acupoints of Yanglingquan were performed once every 2 weeks,and motion-related SMN and DAN were extracted by independent component analysis to compare the differences in functional connectivity.Results In SMN,after acupuncture at the Yanglingquan true acupoint,the functional connectivity was enhanced compared with before acupuncture.The enhanced brain areas included the right anterior central gyrus,superior temporal gyrus,inferior frontal gyrus,cuneiform lobe,and anterior cuneiform lobe,as well as the left middle temporal gyrus,occipital gyrus,superior temporal gyrus,parahippocampal gyrus,inferior frontal gyrus,and superior temporal gyrus.After acupuncture at the Yanglingquan false acupoint,the functional connectivity was enhanced compared with before acupuncture.The enhanced brain areas included the right anterior central gyrus,superior frontal gyrus,middle frontal gyrus,and cingulate gyrus,as well as the left medial frontal gyrus,anterior cingulate gyrus,lentiform nucleus,and caudate nucleus.In DAN,after acupuncture at the Yanglingquan true acupoint,the functional connectivity was enhanced compared with before acupuncture.The enhanced brain areas included the right anterior cingulate lobe,superior temporal gyrus,middle temporal gyrus,and occipital gyrus,as well as the left cingulate gyrus,posterior cingulate gyrus,and anterior cingulate lobe.After acupuncture at the Yanglingquan false acupoint,the functional connectivity was enhanced compared with before acupuncture,and the enhanced brain areas included the right anterior cingulate gyrus,left anterior cingulate gyrus,and medial frontal gyrus.Conclusion Acupuncture at Yanglingquan can activate SMN and DAN bilateral related brain regions in patients with hemiplegia,which may promote the recovery of motor function by regulating the initiation and execution of motor activities,and has more acupoint specificity compared with false acupoint.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of apoptosis in radiation-induced mouse thymus lymphocyte damage and repair and provide the basis for understanding the molecular mechanism of radiation-induced lymphocyte damage and repair as well as the prevention and treatment of acute radiation sickness.

METHODSWe studied the dynamic changes of apoptosis of mouse thymus lymphocytes and the expression of bax and bcl-2 gene products after 2, 4, 6 and 8 Gy of whole body gamma-irradiation using in situ terminal labeling, DNA electrophoresis and immunohistochemical techniques.

RESULTSAt the early stage after irradiation, the percentage of apoptotic lymphocytes increased rapidly in accordance with the increasing of radiation doses, while the counts of the thymus and peripheral lymphocytes decreased sharply, showing an opposite change to lymphocyte apoptosis. After 6 Gy gamma-irradiation, typical morphological characteristics of thymus apoptotic lymphocytes in early, middle and late stages were found by transmission electron microscopy. The thymus lymphocytes displayed characteristic DNA ladders 4 hr and 8 hr after 2-6 Gy gamma-irradiation,using DNA gel electrophoresis techniques. Abnormal expression of bcl-2 and bax gene products were shown in irradiated lymphocytes.

CONCLUSIONSApoptosis plays an important role in the process of radiation-induced mouse thymus lymphocyte damage and repair. Bcl-2 and Bax proteins may regulate the process of lymphocyte apoptosis.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; radiation effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation ; Gamma Rays ; Lymphocytes ; physiology ; radiation effects ; Male ; Mice ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; analysis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; analysis ; Thymus Gland ; pathology ; radiation effects ; Time Factors ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein

Objective:To examine the impact of sleep quality on cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment(MCI)and explore the potential mediating role of depression.Methods:Using a cross-sectional design, we conducted an on-site questionnaire survey among 310 elderly individuals with MCI in Haishu District, Ningbo City from April to June 2021.Out of the 310 questionnaires collected, 299 were deemed valid.The survey encompassed gathering basic demographic information of the participants, as well as administering the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Scale.Results:The cognitive functions of patients with MCI were found to be positively related to their education level( F=3.89, P<0.05).The correlation analysis indicated that sleep quality was positively correlated with depression( r=0.40, P<0.01)and negatively correlated with cognitive function( r=-0.22, P<0.01).Furthermore, a significant negative correlation was observed between depression and cognitive function( r=-0.20, P<0.01).The mediation analysis revealed that depression played a role in mediating the influence of sleep quality on cognitive function, with a mediation effect of -0.02(95% CI: -0.03--0.01). Conclusions:The cognitive function of elderly individuals with MCI can be significantly affected by sleep quality, with depression playing a mediating role.