The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of magnitopuncture stimuli for reducing driver mental stress and fatigue using power spectral analysis of the heart rate variability (HRV) and subjective evaluation. The experiments were divided into A-group and B-group. In both groups the subjects performed the simulator for 90 minutes under a vibration conditions with an erect sitting posture in a silent environment, and magnitopuncture was put on the acupoints when performing the task for one hour in A-group. In this study HRV exhibited a significant difference between the two groups after the simulating task (P < 0.05). A conclusion that magnitopuncture stimuli can reduce the driver mental stress and fatigue effectively was drawn.
Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Automobile Driving ; Autonomic Nervous System ; physiopathology ; Electric Stimulation Therapy ; methods ; Fatigue ; therapy ; Heart Rate ; physiology ; Humans ; Magnetics ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Stress, Physiological ; therapy ; Vibration ; adverse effects

Driving mental fatigue is a substantial problem and threatens people's health and life. This investigation was made to evaluate the driving mental fatigue based on power spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure variability (BPV) synthetically. Twenty health male subjects (28.8 +/- 4.3 years) were required to perform the simulated driving for 90 min. The frequency domain indices of HRV such as low frequency (0.04-0.15 Hz, LF), high frequency (0.15-0.4 Hz, HF), LF/HF together with the indices of hemodynamics such as blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) of the subjects were calculated and anlyzed after the simulated driving. The results showed that sympathetic activity of the subjects enhanced after the simulated driving while parasympathetic activities decreased. The sympathovagal balance was also improved. Remarkable linear correlations were observed between all the corresponding indices of HRV and BPV (P<0.05). The findings suggested that the evaluation of autonomic activities by means of multi-variable synthetic effect analysis is scientific and objective.
Adult ; Automobile Driving ; psychology ; Autonomic Nervous System ; physiology ; Blood Pressure ; physiology ; Heart Rate ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Mental Fatigue ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVETo explore the changes in the expressions of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and growth- associated protein-43 (GAP-43) in retinal ganglial cells after neural transplantation.

METHODSThirty-nine rats were randomized into normal control group, nerve amputation group and nerve amputation with peripheral nerve transplantation group. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the changes in the expressions of GFAP and GAP-43 at different time points after the operations, and real-time PCR was employed to detect the mRNA expressions of 13 genes in the retinal ganglial cells of the rats.

RESULTSImmunohistochemistry showed obviously increased GFAP expressions in the retina following the nerve amputation. GFAP expression was down-regulated while GAP-43 expression upregulated in the retinal ganglial cells after peripheral nerve transplantation. Real-time PCR results showed that 5 days after the operations, retinal GFAP and GAP-43 expressions increased significantly in the nerve amputation group and peripheral nerve transplantation groups as compared with those in the control group, but GAP-43 expression decreased significantly in the former two groups afterwards.

CONCLUSIONThe regenerated retina may adjust the production of GFAP. The retinal ganglial cells express GAP-43 during retinal regeneration. Up-regulation of the expression of GAP-43 provides the evidence for nerve regeneration following the nerve transplantation.

Animals ; Axons ; Female ; GAP-43 Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Nerve Regeneration ; genetics ; Optic Nerve ; transplantation ; Optic Nerve Injuries ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Retinal Ganglion Cells ; metabolism

Objective:To test the effectiveness of electrical stimulation of the median nerve (MNES) for relieving post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and explore the possible mechanism.Methods:Thirty patients with PSCI were randomly divided into a routine treatment group (the control group) and an MNES group, each of 15. Both groups were given routine rehabilitation treatment, including cognitive rehabilitation training, medications and acupuncture. The MNES group additionally received 30 minutes of MNES on their right hands every day, five times a week for six weeks. One electrode was positioned over the median nerve 2cm up from the rasceta of the right wrist. The other was on the muscles of the thenar eminence. Forty seconds of stimulation were applied with intervals of 20 seconds, for 30 min daily. Before and after 3 and 6 weeks of treatment, both groups were evaluated using the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), the modified Barthel index (MBI) and the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA). In another 15 patients oxyhemoglobin levels in the brain before and during the MNES were observed using near-infrared spectroscopy.Results:After 3 weeks of treatment, a significant improvement was observed in the average MMSE, FMA and MBI scores of both groups, and the average MoCA score of the observation group. Three weeks later, the average MMSE, FMA, MBI and MoCA scores of both groups had improved significantly compared with before the treatment, with the average MMSE and MoCA improvements in the MNES group significantly greater than the control group′s averages. After 6 weeks of treatment the significant improvements persisted in both groups. Both group′s average FMA scores had also improved significantly, as had the average MBI score of the control group. After 6 weeks of treatment, the observation group′s average time orientation, location orientation, language instant memory, attention, calculation and short-term memory in MMSE had all improved significantly along with visual space capacity, executive capacity, attention, language, orientation and memory in MoCA. The spectroscopic results showed significantly improved oxyhemoglobin concentration in the bilateral frontal lobes after the MNES.Conclusions:Electrical stimulation of the median nerve can help to improve cognition after a stroke. It increases oxyhemoglobin concentration in the bilateral frontal lobes.

Objective:To analyze the clinical features and genetic basis of a child with Disorder of sex development (DSD).Methods:A child who was admitted to the Linyi People′s Hospital for primary amenorrhoea on July 29, 2019 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the child was collected. Chromosomal karyotyping and quantitative real-time PCR were used to detect Y chromosome microdeletions and other chromosomal aberrations. Next-generation sequencing was carried out for the child and her parents. Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing and bioinformatic analysis.Results:The child, a 13-year-old girl, has featured primary amenorrhoea and onset of secondary sex characteristics of males. Ultrasound exam had detected no uterus and definite ovarian structure, but narrow band vaginal hypoecho and curved cavernoid structure. The child was found to have a 46, XY karyotype without an AZF deletion. DNA sequencing revealed that she has harbored a maternally derived c. 323delA (p.Q108Rfs*188) variant in the nuclear receptor subfamily 5 group A member 1 ( NR5A1) gene, which may result in a truncated protein. The variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+ PM2_Supporting+ PP4) based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. Conclusion:The NR5A1: c. 323delA variant probably underlay the pathogenesis of 46, XY DSD in this child. The discovery of the novel variant has enriched the mutational spectrum of NR5A1 gene and provided a basis for clinical diagnosis, treatment and prenatal diagnosis.