Objective: To elucidate the differences in manual acupuncture effectiveness at sensitized points by investigating the mechanisms of local skin action at different sensitization points in rats with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods: Forty Sprague–Dawley rats were equally divided into control, model (1 mg of monoiodoacetate into the right knee joint cavity), sham operation, manual acupuncture at right Tianjing acupoint (MAR-SJ 10), and left SJ 10 groups. Safranine-O and fast green staining were used to assess the modeling. The morphological and functional changes in mast cells (MCs) were assessed during acupoint sensitization using toluidine blue and immunofluorescence staining. The levels of serotonin, histamine, substance P (SP), and tryptase at skin acupoints and serum levels of IL-β, IL-6, and TNF-α were detected using ELISA. Results: After 14 days of treatment, the number of MCs and their degranulation rates were statistically higher in the model group than in the control group (both P < .001). After applying acupuncture, the levels of 5-HT, HA, and SP at skin acupoints were lower than those in the model group (all P < .05), and tryptase level was higher (both P < .05). Tryptase level was higher on the skin at the MAL-SJ 10 acupoint than that on the MAR-SJ 10 acupoint (P = .004). Compared with the model group, the serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in the MAR-SJ 10 and MAL-SJ 10 groups were lower (all P < .05). Conclusion Acupuncture at KOA-sensitized acupoints mitigates joint injury in KOA rats and may bidirectionally regulate local MCs of these acupoints. This finding not only enhances the reference value of sensitizing points in clinical diagnosis and treatment, but also contributes to the understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying acupuncture intervention at sensitizing points.

Objective To study the appropriate concentration of oral Gadovist solution for improving the image quality of three-dimensional sampling perfection with application optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolutions magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography(3D-SPACE-MRCP).Methods In vitro experiments,0.05％,0.1％,0.15％and 0.2％Gadovist solution and direct drinking water were put into 100 mL plastic containers respectively for 3D-SPACE-MRCP scanning to measure the signal intensity(SI)of Gadovist solutions in each group.The concentration and the SI of Gadovist solution were analyzed with Spearman correlation,and one-way variance analysis was performed to compare the SI of different concentration Gadovist solutions.In clinical experiments,128 subjects were randomly divided into 4 groups,and then taken orally 300 mL of 0.05％,0.1％,0.15％and 0.2％Gadovist solutions respectively.The 3D-SPACE-MRCP scanning was performed,and the image quality was evaluated by two physicians and compared by one-way variance analysis.Results In vitro experiments,there was an extremely strong negative correlation between the concentration and the SI of Gadovist solution(r=-0.969,P＜0.05),and there were significant differences in the SI among different concentrations of Gadovist solution(P＜0.05).In clinical experiments,among the 26 cases with first-level images,24 cases were distributed in the 0.1％Gadovist solution group.There was a statistically significant difference in image quality of the 3D-SPACE-MRCP with different oral concentrations of Gadovist solution(F=89.57,P＜0.05),however,there was no statistically significant difference between the 0.15％and the 0.2％Gadovist solution groups using the Tukey test(P＞0.05).Conclusion Oral Gadovist solution can significantly improve the images quality of 3D-SPACE-MRCP,and 0.1％solution is the appropriate dilution concentration.

Objective To investigate the effect of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography(MRCP)after Gd-BOPTA enhancement to clearly show the pancreaticobiliary duct,and to explore the reasonable time of MRCP examination after enhance-ment.Methods The quality of MRCP images in 124 patients after Gd-BOPTA enhancement was retrospectively evaluated by two physicians.The interval time of MRCP examination from the beginning of arterial phase to MRCP acquisition was obtained from pic-ture archiving and communication system(PACS),and the relationship between the image quality grade of pancreaticobiliary duct and the interval time was analyzed by ANOVA.Then the reasonable examination time of MRCP was calculated.Results After Gd-BOPTA enhancement,there was a significant difference in the interval time between different grades of intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts on MRCP images(P＜0.05).The image quality of bile duct decreased with the increasing interval time,however,there was no sig-nificant difference in the interval time between different grades of pancreatic duct(P＞0.05).The mean interval time of clear grade of intra-hepatic bile duct was(9.9±3.1)min,and the 95％confidence interval(CI)was 9.2-10.6 min.Conclusion The clarity of the bile ducts on MRCP is gradually decreased after Gd-BOPTA enhancement,while no change in that of the pancreatic duct.The MRCP examination should be completed within 10.6 min after the arterial phase beginning,which is of great significance for controlling image quality.

Objective To investigate the influence of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)on cognitive function and the effective connectivity with in the default mode network(DMN)in the brain.Methods A total of 93 hospitalized patients diagnosed with T2DM were enrolled in this study as T2DM group from The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine during September 2021 to December 2022.Simultaneously,108 healthy individuals were recruited from the community as normal control(NC)group.The cognitive functions were evaluated in the two groups.A random dynamic causal modeling approach was employed to analyze the effective connectivity within DMN in both groups.Additionally,Pearson correlation analysis was performed to examine the association between differential connectivity,clinical indicators,and cognitive scores in both groups.Results In comparison to the NC group,T2DM individuals exhibited statistically significant reductions in scores in the auditory verbal learning test(AVLT)for immediate recall and the digit symbol substitution test(DSST)(P＜0.05).Additionally,they displayed a notable decrease in effective connectivity from the left lateral parietal cortex(LLPC)to the posterior cingulate cortex(PCC),as well as from the LLPC to the right lateral parietal cortex(RLPC)within the DMN(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis unveiled a negative association between HbA1c levels and the strength of effective connectivity from LLPC to PCC.Conversely,a positive correlation was observed between AVLT(immediate)scores and the strength of effective connectivity from LLPC to PCC and LLPC to RLPC.Additionally,DSST scores displayed a positive correlation with the strength of effective connectivity from LLPC to PCC(P＜0.05).Conclusion Patients with T2DM display compromised effective connectivity from LLPC to PCC and LLPC to RLPC within the DMN network,and this alteration may associated with cognitive impairment.

Background and purpose:Long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)LINC01410,with a length of 647 bp,participates in a variety of tumor biological processes.However,the role and mechanism of LINC01410 involved in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)remain unclear.This study aimed to explore the potential mechanism of LINC01410 promoting ESCC proliferation and invasion,to provide a potential prognostic indicator and therapeutic target for individuals with ESCC.Methods:Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2(GEPIA2)databases were used to analyze the expression of LINC01410 and overall survival in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma data set in the Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA).Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA)was performed to identify the underlying signaling pathways involved in the biological effects of LINC01410 in ESCC.A total of 62 pairs of ESCC tissues and paracancerous tissues from ESCC patients who underwent radical surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College and the First People's Hospital of Pingdingshan City from January 2020 to December 2021 were collected.This project has been approved by the Hospital Ethics Committee(First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College,No.2018036;First People's Hospital of Pingdingshan City,No.2019-018).The expression of LINC01410 in ESCC tissues was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RTFQ-PCR).We transfected EC109 cells with LV-NC or LV-over/LINC01410 and EC9706 cells with shRNA-NC or shRNA-LINC01410.Stable transfected cells(EC109/NC,EC109/OE,EC9706/NC and EC9706/KD)were selected in primary cell culture medium containing puromycin.The expression of LINC01410 was detected by RTFQ-PCR.The impact of LINC01410 on ESCC cell proliferation was determined by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT)and colony formation assays.The effect of LINC01410 on ESCC cell invasion was detected by transwell migration assay.T cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor 1(TCF/LEF1)luciferase reporter assay was performed to validate the effect of LINC01410 on the activity of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.The expressions of Wnt/β-catenin and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)signal pathway related proteins in ESCC cells were detected by Western blot.Results:By analyzing the LINC01410 expression from ESCC samples in TCGA by GEPIA2,we found LINC01410 was consistently increased in ESCC tumors compared with normal tissues(P＜0.05),and high LINC01410 expression was associated with poorer overall survival(OS).RTFQ-PCR assay showed that expressions of LINC01410 were higher in esophageal cancer tissues and esophageal cancer cells(EC109 and EC9706)than in precancerous tissues and HEEC cells(P＜0.05).The expression level of LINC01410 was significantly correlated with invasion range,lymph node metastasis and TNM stage in ESCC patients(P＜0.01).LINC01410 expression was also upregulated in EC109/OE,however the expression of LINC01410 in EC9706/KD was decreased(P＜0.01).MTT assay showed overexpression of LINC01410 increased the viability of EC109 cells,while knockdown of LINC01410 decreased the viability of EC9706 cells(P＜0.01).Colony formation assay indicated that overexpression of LINC01410 enhanced the clonogenic ability of ESCC cells,while knockdown of LINC01410 reduced colony formation(P＜0.01).Transwell migration assay showed that LINC01410 overexpression drastically increased the number of migratory cells,while silencing of LINC01410 suppressed the migration in EC9706 cells(P＜0.01).GSEA revealed that Wnt/β-catenin and EMT pathways were significantly enriched in ESCC samples with a high level of LINC01410.TCF/LEF1 luciferase reporter assay showed higher levels of Wnt-dependent activities were observed in EC109/OE cells,whereas silenced LINC01410 in EC9706 cells led to contrary results(P＜0.01).Western blot analysis showed that overexpression of LINC01410 in EC109 cell significantly increased the expression levels of N-cadherin,β-catenin,cyclin D1,c-Myc and decreased E-cadherin expression,while knockdown LINC01410 resulted in opposite results.Conclusion:LINC01410 promotes proliferation and metastasis of ESCC,which might be caused by activation of Wnt/β-catenin and EMT signaling pathways.