Objective To observe the effect of breathing exercise based on core strength training on nonspecific low back pain (NLBP). Methods From January to June, 2017, 60 patients with NLBP were randomly divided into control group (n=30) and ob-servation group (n=30). The control group accepted core strength training, and the observation group accepted breathing exercise in addition, for four weeks. They were assessed with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Oswes-try Disability Index (ODI) before and after treatment, and their efficiency was compared. Results The scores of VAS decreased in both groups after treatment (t>4.173, P<0.001), and the scores of ODI de-creased in the observation group (t=3.875, P<0.01). The scores of both VAS and ODI were less in the observa-tion group than in the control group (t>2.595, P<0.05). The efficiency was better in the observation group than in the control group (χ2=3.874, P<0.05). Conclusion Breathing exercise based on core strength training can further improve function and relieve pain in patients with NLBP.

The present study explored the potential mechanism of Jingfang Granules in relieving alcohol and protecting liver by network pharmacology and molecular docking and verified the effects and related pathways by animal experiments. The active components of Jingfang Granules were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP). Targets of drugs and diseases were obtained from PubChem, Swiss Target Prediction and CTD. The common targets were uploaded to STRING to plot the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network. The core targets were screened out and the target organs were identified by Bio GPS and Metascape, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis of common targets. The acute drunk mouse model was established and the effects of Jingfang Granules on serum ethanol level and the expression of proteins related to the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3 K)/protein kinase B(Akt) signaling pathway in the liver tissue of mice were observed. A total of 187 active components of Jingfang Granules were obtained, including 47 common targets with alcoholic liver injury. GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway analysis showed that Jingfang Granules might play the role of relieving alcohol and protecting liver through the PI3 K-Akt signaling pathway. The drug-component-target and component-target-pathway networks revealed that the important active components of Jingfang Granules in relieving alcohol and protecting liver included quercetin, 5-O-methylvisamminol, glyasperin M, glyasperin B and hederagenin. Molecular docking showed that the active components had a good affinity with AKT1, EGFR, ESR1 and PTGS2. Experimental results showed that Jingfang Granules(15 and 10. 5 g·kg-1) could significantly reduce the content of serum ethanol in mice and up-regulate the protein expression ratios of p-PI3 K/PI3 K and p-Akt/Akt in the liver tissue. Jingfang Granules could relieve alcohol and protect liver through multi-component and multitarget, and the mechanism may be related to the activation of the PI3 K-Akt signaling pathway.
Animals ; Computational Biology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ethanol ; Liver ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Mice ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Network Pharmacology ; Technology

BACKGROUND: Drug-coated balloons (DCBs) have emerged as potential alternatives to drug-eluting stents in specific lesion subsets for de novo coronary lesions. Quantitative flow ratio (QFR) is a method based on the three-dimensional quantitative coronary angiography and contrast flow velocity during coronary angiography (CAG), obviating the need for an invasive fractional flow reserve procedural. This study aimed to assess the serial angiographic changes of de novo lesions post-DCB therapy and further explore the cut-off values of lesion and vessel QFR, which predict vessel restenosis (diameter stenosis [DS] ≥50%) at mid-term follow-up. METHODS: The data of patients who underwent DCB therapy between January 2014 and December 2019 from the multicenter hospital were retrospectively collected for QFR analysis. From their QFR performances, which were analyzed by CAG images at follow-up, we divided them into two groups: group A, showing target vessel DS ≥50%, and group B, showing target vessel DS <50%. The median follow-up time was 287 days in group A and 227 days in group B. We compared the clinical characteristics, parameters during DCB therapy, and QFR performances, which were analyzed by CAG images between the two groups, in need to explore the cut-off value of lesion/vessel QFR which can predict vessel restenosis. Student's t test was used for the comparison of normally distributed continuous data, Mann-Whitney U test for the comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the evaluation of QFR performance which can predict vessel restenosis (DS ≥50%) at mid-term follow-up using the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: A total of 112 patients with 112 target vessels were enrolled in this study. Group A had 41 patients, while group B had 71. Vessel QFR and lesion QFR were lower in group A than in group B post-DCB therapy, and the cut-off values of lesion QFR and vessel QFR in the ROC analysis to predict target vessel DS ≥50% post-DCB therapy were 0.905 (AUC, 0.741 [95% confidence interval, CI: 0.645, 0.837]; sensitivity, 0.817; specificity, 0.561; P < 0.001) and 0.890 (AUC, 0.796 [95% CI: 0.709, 0.882]; sensitivity, 0.746; specificity, 0.780; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The cut-off values of lesion QFR and vessel QFR can assist in predicting the angiographic changes post-DCB therapy. When lesion/vessel QFR values are <0.905/0.890 post-DCB therapy, a higher risk of vessel restenosis is potentially predicted at follow-up.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease/therapy* ; Coronary Restenosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial ; Humans ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: Arsenic (As) and fluoride (F) are two of the most common elements contaminating groundwater resources. A growing number of studies have found that As and F can cause neurotoxicity in infants and children, leading to cognitive, learning, and memory impairments. However, early biomarkers of learning and memory impairment induced by As and/or F remain unclear. In the present study, the mechanisms by which As and/or F cause learning memory impairment are explored at the multi-omics level (microbiome and metabolome). METHODS: We stablished an SD rats model exposed to arsenic and/or fluoride from intrauterine to adult period. RESULTS: Arsenic and/fluoride exposed groups showed reduced neurobehavioral performance and lesions in the hippocampal CA1 region. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that As and/or F exposure significantly altered the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome，featuring the Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Ruminococcus_1, Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group, [Eubacterium]_xylanophilum_group. Metabolome analysis showed that As and/or F-induced learning and memory impairment may be related to tryptophan, lipoic acid, glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) synapse, and arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism. The gut microbiota, metabolites, and learning memory indicators were significantly correlated. CONCLUSION Learning memory impairment triggered by As and/or F exposure may be mediated by different gut microbes and their associated metabolites.
Rats ; Animals ; Arsenic/toxicity* ; Fluorides ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Metabolome ; Microbiota

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells in the treatment of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to elucidate the mechanism of NK cells therapy. METHODS: Twenty-one patients with primary HCC treated with allogeneic NK cells at the Fifth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital were followed up for 1 year. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from patient-related donors and cultured in vitro for 15 days and infused to the patients in two consecutive days. Clinical data and laboratory data were collected and analyzed, including survival, clinical features, imaging changes, hematology, immunology, and biochemical indicators to evaluate the safety and efficacy of allogeneic NK cell therapy. The changes of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets after treatment were also analyzed to explore the possible anti-tumor mechanisms. RESULTS: (1) Of the 21 patients with primary HCC, 11 patients were treated once, 5 patients were treated twice, and 5 patients were treated 3 times. After allogeneic NK cells infusion, 10 patients had fever, 1 patient had slight hepatalgia and 1 patient had slight headache, no other adverse events occurred including acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). They resolved spontaneously within 8 hours without other treatment. (2) The total disease control rate was 76.2% during one-year follow-up. Among them, the patients with Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) stage A had a disease control rate of 100%, stable disease (SD) in 10 cases; BCLC stage B patients had a disease control rate of 60%, partial response (PR) in 1 case, and SD 2 in cases; BCLC stage C patients had a disease control rate of 50%, complete response (CR) in 1 case, and 2 cases of PR. (3) The frequencies of NK cells and CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood were significantly lower than that before at 24 hours after treatment, and the frequencies of CD4+ T cells and CD4/CD8 were significantly higher than the baseline. CONCLUSION Allogeneic NK cells have good safety and efficacy in the treatment of primary HCC. The anti-tumor effect of the allogeneic NK cells may play an important role in the activation of the patient's natural immune system and delay disease progression, suggesting that allogeneic NK cells combined with sorafenib may be a very effective treatment for advanced HCC, and further large-sample multicenter randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to validate this result.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; Liver Neoplasms