ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between the social disability and emotion disorder of the patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Methods168 patients with IBS were assessed with Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. The patients with SDSS≥2 were divided into 2 groups, and accepted the medical routine therapy and explanatory psychotherapy for 2 months, while the patients in the research group (n=35) received the antidepressive. Then they were assessed with SDSS again. ResultsThe incidence of social disability in IBS patients was 40.5%, and increased in those who combined with anxiety and/or depression. The SDSS score of the research group was lower than that of the control group after the treatment. ConclusionThe social disability can be found in the patients of IBS, especially in those with emotion disorder, and can be improved by the antidepressive.

Objective To study the appearance of MR diffusion weighted imaging in early stages of cartilage degeneration and to detect its values. Methods In 20 goat left knees, intra- articular injection of 5 units of papain was performed causing a loss of cartilage proteoglycan. Twenty right knees were used as control group. MR diffusion weighted imaging was performed at 24 hours after intra-articular injection of papain. ADC of each part of articular cartilage was measured and compared with each other. The proteoglycan content was measured biochemically and histochemicaUy. Routine MRI and DWI were performed in 100 patients with osteoarthritis and 20 healthy people. The ADC of each interested part of articular cartilage was measured and compared with each other. Results In experimental control group, the ADCav of articular cartilage was (14.2±2.3)×10-4 mm2/s. In early stages of cartilage degeneration group, the ADCav of articular cartilage was (17.5±4.2) × 10-4 mm2/s. The ADCav of the control group was lower than that of the early stages of cartilage degeneration group (t = 2.709 ; P = 0.016) . The proteloglyean content of articular cartilage was 4.22×10<'6> μg/kg in control group, and 0.82×10<'6>μg/kg in experimental group at 24 hours after injection of papain. The difference between control group and experimental group was significant (t = 2.705, P = 0.018). In healthy people, the ADCav of articular cartilage was (7.6±2. 2) × 10-4 mm2/s. In osteoarthritis group, the ADCav of articular cartilage was (10.3±4. 2) × 10-4 mm2/s. The ADCav in the healthy group was significantly lower than that in the osteoarthritis group (t = 2.609, P = 0.014). Conclusion DWI is an useful method in detecting early stages of cartilage degeneration which can not be showed on routine sequences.

Phagoptosis is a kind of cell death mode which has been widely concerned in recent years. Previous studies have shown that the phagocytosis of viable neurons by microglia (phagoptosis) may be involved in the pathophysiological processes of various neurological diseases, including ischemic stroke. After cerebral ischemia, microglia chemotaxis towards ischemic brain tissue, and then recognize and engulf the stressed neurons, leading to further damage or even death of neurons, thereby exacerbating cerebral ischemic injury. This article reviews the relationship between phagoptosis and cerebral ischemia, with a focus on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of phagoptosis after cerebral ischemia, in order to provide new targets and strategies for the treatment of cerebral ischemia.

Objective To establish a weightlessness simulation animal model using miniature pigs, leveraging the characteristic of multiple systems’ tissue structures and functions similar to those of humans, and to observe pathophysiological changes, providing a new method for aerospace research. Methods Nine standard-grade miniature pigs were selected and randomly divided into an experimental group (n=7) and a control group (n=2). The experimental group was fixed using customized metal cages, with canvas slings suspending their hind limbs off the ground, and the body positioned at a -20° angle relative to the ground to simulate unloading for 30 days (24 hours a day). Data on body weight, blood volume, and blood biochemistry indicators were collected at different time points for statistical analysis of basic physiological changes. After the experiment, the miniature pigs were euthanized and tissue samples were collected for histopathological observation of the cardiovascular, skeletal and muscle systems HE and Masson staining. Statistical analysis was also conducted on the thickness of arterial vessels and the diameter of skeletal muscle fibers. Additionally, western blotting was employed to detect the expression levels of skeletal muscle atrophy-related proteins, including muscle-specific RING finger protein 1 (MuRf-1) and muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx, as known as Atrogin-1), while immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), an indicator of astrocyte activation in the brain, reflecting the pathophysiological functional changes across systems. Results After hindlimb unloading, the experimental group showed significant decreases in body weight (P<0.001) and blood volume (P<0.01). During the experiment, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red blood cell count levels significantly decreased (P<0.05) but gradually recovered. The expression levels of alanine aminotransferase and γ-glutamyltransferase initially decreased (P<0.05) before rebounding, while albumin significantly decreased (P<0.001) and globulin significantly increased (P<0.01). Creatinine significantly decreased (P<0.05). The average diameter of gastrocnemius muscle fibers in the experimental group significantly shortened (P<0.05), with a leftward shift in the distribution of muscle fiber diameters and an increase in small-diameter muscle fibers. Simultaneously, Atrogin-1 expression in the gastrocnemius and paravertebral muscles significantly increased (P<0.05). These changes are generally consistent with the effects of weightlessness on humans and animals in space. Furthermore, degenerative changes were observed in some neurons of the cortical parietal lobe, frontal lobe, and hippocampal regions of the experimental group, with a slight reduction in the number of Purkinje cells in the cerebellar region, and a significant enhancement of GFAP-positive signals in the hippocampal area (P<0.05). Conclusion Miniature pigs subjected to a -20° angle hind limb unloading for 30 days maybe serve as a new animal model for simulating weightlessness, applicable to related aerospace research.