Objective:To observe the effects of electroacupuncture at "Shenting", "Benshen" and "Baihui" acupoints on the mechanical pain threshold and JAK/PI3K/TRPV1 pathway in the trigeminal ganglion of rats with trigeminal neuralgia model; To explore the related mechanism.Methods:Totally 36 male SD rats were divided into sham-operation group, model group and electroacupuncture group using random number table method, with 12 rats in each group. Except for the sham-operation group, rats in the model group and electroacupuncture group were modeled by infraorbital nerve chronic constriction injury. In the electroacupuncture group, electroacupuncture was performed at "Shenting", "Benshen" and "Baihui" 14 days after surgery, 20 min every day, once every other day, and every 3 times for 1 course of treatment with an interval of 2 d between each course of treatment. A total of 2 courses of treatment were performed. VonFrey fiber wire was used to measure the mechanical pain threshold of rat whisker pads. HE staining was used to observe the morphology and structure of trigeminal ganglion of rats in each group. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot method were used to observe the protein expressions of JAK, PI3K and TRPV1 in trigeminal ganglion of rats, and the serum level of IL-6 was detected in the serum of rats by ELISA.Results:Compared with the model group, the pain threshold of the electroacupuncture group increased significantly ( P<0.05), and the infiltration of inflammatory cells and demyelination in the trigeminal nerve ganglion decreased, and the positive expressions of JAK, PI3K, and TRPV1 in the trigeminal ganglion decreased ( P<0.05 or P<0.01), the protein expressions of JAK2, PI3K, and TRPV1 decreased ( P<0.05 or P<0.01), and the serum IL-6 level decreased ( P<0.01). Conclusions:Electroacupuncture at "Shenting", "Benshen" and "Baihui" may play an analgesic role by regulating IL-6 levels and inhibiting the activation of JAK/PI3K/TRPV1 signaling pathway.

The therapeutic efficacy and possible mechanism of action of superficial needling therapy for knee osteoarthritis(KOA)are reviewed by analyzing relevant medical literature.Superficial needling therapy exerts certain efficacy in treating KOA,and the clinical efficacy could be further improved by combining it with conventional acupuncture,as well as Chinese medicine and other acupuncture methods alone.The therapy of stimulation of meridian qi and invigoration of yang qiare in line with the pathogenesis of KOA.Superficial needling therapy exerts certain effect on KOA by enhancing acupuncture stimulation,enlarging the treatment area,and releasing muscle and fascia.

Pyran- and furanocoumarins are key representatives of tetrahydropyrans and tetrahydrofurans, respectively, exhibiting diverse physiological and medical bioactivities. However, the biosynthetic mechanisms for their core structures remain poorly understood. Here we combined multiomics analyses of biosynthetic enzymes in Peucedanum praeruptorum and in vitro functional verification and identified two types of key enzymes critical for pyran and furan ring biosynthesis in plants. These included three distinct P. praeruptorum prenyltransferases (PpPT1-3) responsible for the prenylation of the simple coumarin skeleton 7 into linear or angular precursors, and two novel CYP450 cyclases (PpDC and PpOC) crucial for the cyclization of the linear/angular precursors into either tetrahydropyran or tetrahydrofuran scaffolds. Biochemical analyses of cyclases indicated that acid/base-assisted epoxide ring opening contributed to the enzyme-catalyzed tetrahydropyran and tetrahydrofuran ring refactoring. The possible acid/base-assisted catalytic mechanisms of the identified cyclases were theoretically investigated and assessed using site-specific mutagenesis. We identified two possible acidic amino acids Glu303 in PpDC and Asp301 in PpOC as vital in the catalytic process. This study provides new enzymatic tools in the epoxide formation/epoxide-opening mediated cascade reaction and exemplifies how plants become chemically diverse in terms of enzyme function and catalytic process.

Objectives:To evaluate the valvular and cardiac function,cardiac reverse remodeling at 6-month after transcatheter edge-to-edge repair(TEER)for patients with functional and degenerative mitral valve regurgitation,and summarize the experience of echocardiography application. Methods:The clinical data of 93 patients with moderate to severe mitral regurgitation(MR)treated with TEER and completed 6-month follow-up in Yunnan Fuwai Cardiovascular Hospital from July 2022 to February 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Patients were divided into functional mitral regurgitation(FMR)and degenerative mitral regurgitation(DMR)groups according to MR etiology.The valve characteristic parameters,as well as valvular function,chamber volume and cardiac functional parameters before and at 6 months after operation were compared.The key points of echocardiography application were summarized. Results:Among all patients,71 were FMR and 22 were DMR.There were differences in valve structure between the two groups.Mitral TEER were successfully accomplished and all patients completed 6-month follow-up.The key points of echocardiography application included:valve structure analysis,atrial septal puncture location,device delivery process monitoring and image optimization during clamping process.The mitral regurgitation grade and NYHA grade were significantly improved in all patients at 6 months after TEER(P<0.05),and the mean mitral valve pressure gradient was higher than that before operation(P<0.05).Left ventricular end-diastolic volume(LVEDV),left ventricular end-systolic volume(LVESV)and left atrial volume index in FMR group were significantly decreased(P<0.05),while left ventricular and left atrial volume in DMR group remained unchanged(P>0.05).There were no significant changes in left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular global strain in both groups during the observation period(P>0.05).The changes of LVEDV and LVESV before and after operation were more significant in FMR group than those in DMR group(P<0.05). Conclusions:Mitral TEER can reduce the degree of regurgitation and improve cardiac function in the early postoperative period for moderate and severe MR patients with different etiologies.There are differences in preoperative valve structure and postoperative cardiac reverse remodeling between FMR and DMR patients.Echocardiography is an important imaging technique for the evaluation and monitoring process before,during and post mitral TEER.

Objective:To investigate the effect of ultra-early enteral nutrition (UEEN) support on the prognosis of young and middle-aged postoperative patients with cerebral hemorrhage.Methods:The clinical data of young and middle-aged patients (aged 18-59 years) admitted to Tianjin Fifth Central Hospital from January 2020 to June 2023 after surgery for intracerebral hemorrhage were retrospectively analyzed, and the general data, nutritional indexes, gastrointestinal complications, neurological function recovery and long-term prognosis of the patients were recorded. According to the time of initiation of enteral nutrition (EN) support, patients were divided into UEEN group (EN implementation within 12 hour after surgery) and early enteral nutrition (EEN) group (EN implementation within 24 to 48 hour after surgery). The differences of the above indexes between the two groups were analyzed and compared.Results:A total of 64 young and middle-aged postoperative patients with cerebral hemorrhage were enrolled, including 32 cases in the UEEN group and 32 cases in the EEN group. There were no significant differences in gender, age, proportion of hypertension and diabetes, Glasgow coma score (GCS) on admission and surgical methods between the two groups. In terms of nutritional indexes, serum total protein, albumin and hemoglobin levels of patients in both groups on day 7 after admission were lower than those on day 1, and higher than those on day 3, and the above indexes levels in UEEN group were significantly higher than those in EEN group on day 7 [total protein (g/L): 63.05±5.79 vs. 59.02±6.63, albumin (g/L): 40.40±5.26 vs. 37.66±4.63, hemoglobin (g/L): 133.33±12.58 vs. 123.80±22.12, all P < 0.05]. In terms of gastrointestinal complications, the incidence of stress ulcer in the UEEN group within 14 days after admission was significantly lower than that in the EEN group [12.5% (4/32) vs. 31.3% (10/32), P < 0.05], but there was no statistically significant difference in feeding intolerance symptoms between the two groups. In terms of neurological recovery and long-term prognosis, GCS scores and Barthel index scores of 14 days after admission were higher than those of 1 day after admission, but there was no statistical significance between the two groups. Six months after surgery, Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) and Barthel index score of the UEEN group were significantly higher than those of the EEN group (GOS score: 3.81±1.06 vs. 3.18±1.07, Barthel index score: 60.78±7.24 vs. 54.52±5.13, both P < 0.05). Conclusion:UEEN support can improve the nutritional level of young and middle-aged postoperative patients with cerebral hemorrhage, reduce the occurrence of postoperative gastrointestinal complications, promote the recovery of neurological function, and improve the long-term prognosis.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy and practicality of the Jaundice color card (JCard) as a screening tool for neonatal jaundice.Methods:Following the standards for reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies (STARD) statement, a multicenter prospective study was conducted in 9 hospitals in China from October 2019 to September 2021. A total of 845 newborns who were admitted to the hospital or outpatient department for liver function testing due to their own diseases. The inclusion criteria were a gestational age of ≥35 weeks, a birth weight of ≥2 000 g, and an age of ≤28 days. The neonate′s parents used the JCard to measure jaundice at the neonate′s cheek. Within 2 hours of the JCard measurement, transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) was measured with a JH20-1B device and total serum bilirubin (TSB) was detected. The Pearson′s correlation analysis, Bland-Altman plots and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used for statistic analysis.Results:Out of the 854 newborns, 445 were male and 409 were female; 46 were born at 35-36 weeks of gestational age and 808 were born at ≥37 weeks of gestational age. Additionally, 432 cases were aged 0-3 days, 236 cases were aged 4-7 days, and 186 cases were aged 8-28 days. The TSB level was (227.4±89.6) μmol/L, with a range of 23.7-717.0 μmol/L. The JCard level was (221.4±77.0) μmol/L and the TcB level was (252.5±76.0) μmol/L. Both the JCard and TcB values showed good correlation ( r=0.77 and 0.80, respectively) and agreements (96.0% (820/854) and 95.2% (813/854) of samples fell within the 95% limits of agreement, respectively) with TSB. The JCard value of 12 had a sensitivity of 0.93 and specificity of 0.75 for identifying a TSB ≥205.2?μmol/L, and a sensitivity of 1.00 and specificity of 0.35 for identifying a TSB ≥342.0?μmol/L. The TcB value of 205.2?μmol/L had a sensitivity of 0.97 and specificity of 0.60 for identifying TSB levels of 205.2 μmol/L, and a sensitivity of 1.00 and specificity of 0.26 for identifying TSB levels of 342.0 μmol/L. The areas under the ROC curve (AUC) of JCard for identifying TSB levels of 153.9, 205.2, 256.5, and 342.0 μmol/L were 0.96, 0.92, 0.83, and 0.83, respectively. The AUC of TcB were 0.94, 0.91, 0.86, and 0.87, respectively. There were both no significant differences between the AUC of JCard and TcB in identifying TSB levels of 153.9 and 205.2 μmol/L (both P>0.05). However, the AUC of JCard were both lower than those of TcB in identifying TSB levels of 256.5 and 342.0 μmol/L (both P<0.05). Conclusions:JCard can be used to classify different levels of bilirubin, but its diagnostic efficacy decreases with increasing bilirubin levels. When TSB level are ≤205.2 μmol/L, its diagnostic efficacy is equivalent to that of the JH20-1B. To prevent the misdiagnosis of severe jaundice, it is recommended that parents use a low JCard score, such as 12, to identify severe hyperbilirubinemia (TSB ≥342.0 μmol/L).

Objectives: . Considerable research has been focused on independent predictors of difficult laryngeal exposure (DLE) during suspension laryngoscopy. However, previous studies have yielded inconsistent results and conclusions. Consequently, we performed a meta-analysis of the existing literature with the aim of identifying significant parameters for a standardized preoperative DLE prediction system. Methods: . We systematically retrieved articles from the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases up to October 2022. Data from eligible studies were extracted and analyzed using the R programming language. The effect measures included odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dichotomous variables and mean differences (MDs) with 95% CIs for continuous variables. Results: . The search yielded 1,574 studies, of which 18 (involving a total of 2,263 patients) were included. Pooled analysis demonstrated that patients with DLE during microsurgery tended to be male (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.16–2.57); were older (MD, 5.47 years, 95% CI, 2.44–8.51 years); had a higher body mass index (BMI; MD, 1.19 kg/m2; 95% CI, 0.33–2.05 kg/m2); had a greater neck circumference (MD, 2.50 cm; 95% CI, 1.56–3.44 cm); exhibited limited mouth opening (MD, −0.52 cm; 95% CI, −0.88 to −0.15 cm); had limited neck flexibility (MD, −10.05 cm; 95% CI, −14.10 to −6.00 cm); displayed various other anatomical characteristics; and had a high modified Mallampati index (MMI) or test score (OR, 3.37; 95% CI, 2.07–5.48). Conclusion . We conducted a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the factors relevant to DLE. Ultimately, we identified sex, age, BMI, neck circumference, MMI, inter-incisor gap, hyomental distance, thyromental distance, sternomental distance, and flexion-extension angle as factors highly correlated with DLE.

BACKGROUND: To compare the efficacy and safety of dose-adjusted etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin plus rituximab (DA-EPOCH-R) with standard rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in Waldeyer's ring diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (WR-DLBCL) at a single institution. METHODS: This retrospective study included 115 newly diagnosed patients with WR-DLBCL, of whom 68 patients received R-CHOP, and 47 patients received DA-EPOCH-R as their first-line treatment. The baseline features of the two groups were well balanced using a 1:1 propensity score matching method, and a total of 84 cases were obtained, including respective 42 cases in the R-CHOP and DA-EPOCH-R groups, for further survival and prognosis analysis. The primary objectives included progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 45 months, there were nine (21.4%) deaths in the R-CHOP group and two (4.8%) in the DA-EPOCH-R group. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed statistically significant improvements in PFS and OS in patients with DA-EPOCH-R compared with those treated with R-CHOP (log-rank test, P  = 0.025 and P  = 0.035, respectively). The 2-year PFS and OS rates in the DA-EPOCH-R group were 90.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 81.4-99.8%) and 95.2% (95% CI: 89.0-100.0%), respectively, and 80.5% (95% CI: 69.3-93.6%) and 90.5% (95% CI: 52.8-99.8%) in the R-CHOP group. Patients without B symptoms and elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels had a higher PFS in the DA-EPOCH-R group, with P values of 0.038 (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.11; 95% CI: 0.01-0.88) and 0.042 (HR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.04-0.94), respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in clinical responses and treatment-related toxicities between the two groups. CONCLUSION Compared with patients received R-CHOP, those treated by DA-EPOCH-R had superior PFS, OS, and controlled toxicity in patients with WR-DLBCL.
Humans ; Rituximab/therapeutic use* ; Vincristine/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Prednisone/therapeutic use* ; Etoposide/therapeutic use* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/drug therapy* ; Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use* ; Doxorubicin/therapeutic use*

Color is an important indicator for evaluating the ornamental traits of horticultural plants, and plant pigments is a key factor affecting the color phenotype of plants. Plant pigments and their metabolites play important roles in color formation of ornamental organs, regulation of plant growth and development, and response to adversity stress. It has therefore became a hot topic in the field of plant research. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a vital genomics tool that specifically reduces host endogenous gene expression utilizing plant homology-dependent defense mechanisms. In addition, VIGS enables characterization of gene function by rapidly inducing the gene-silencing phenotypes in plants. It provides an efficient and feasible alternative for verifying gene function in plant species lacking genetic transformation systems. This paper reviews the current status of the application of VIGS technology in the biosynthesis, degradation and regulatory mechanisms of plant pigments. Moreover, this review discusses the potential and future prospects of VIGS technology in exploring the regulatory mechanisms of plant pigments, with the aim to further our understandings of the metabolic processes and regulatory mechanisms of different plant pigments as well as improving plant color traits.
Plant Viruses/genetics* ; Plants/genetics* ; Gene Silencing ; Plant Development ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Genetic Vectors

Objective:To investigate clinical and imaging parameters to predict blood loss and cranial nerve injury (CNI) following carotid body paraganglioma (CBP) resection.Methods:A retrospective examination of clinical and imaging data was conducted on 63 patients who underwent CBP resection at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2016 to December 2022, including 23 males and 40 females, aged 26-87 years old. Three imaging parameters including tumor volume, the angle of contact with the internal carotid artery (ICA), and the distance to the base of skull (DTBOS) were gauged using the IMEDPACS software on CTA and MR imaging. The predictive efficacies of age, gender, Shamblin classification, and three imaging parameters for blood loss and CNI following surgery were analysed. Logistic composite parameter models were constructed and their predictive validity was assessed.Results:Multivariate logistic regression analysis underscored that only tumor volume ( OR=1.381,95% CI:1.167-1.507, P=0.001) showed significant statistical correlations with blood loss following surgery. Area under curve (AUC) values of 0.910 for receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed a sensitivity of 1.000 and a specificity of 0.694. Tumor volume ( OR=1.126,95% CI:1.030-1.231, P=0.002) and DTBOS ( OR=0.225,95% CI:0.081-0.630, P=0.005) were significantly associated with postoperative CNI. The analysis of logistic composite model showed AUC values for tumor volume, DTBOS and combination of the two parameters were 0.858, 0.788, and 0.872, respectively. The model for combination of tumor volume and DTBOS also proved superior in predicting postoperative CNI ( Z=3.106, P<0.001), with a sensitivity of 0.833 and a specificity of 0.769. Conclusions:Tumor volume and DTBOS emerged as effective predictors for blood loss and/or CNI in patients with CBP resection. Moreover, the logistic composite parameter model outclassed single-parameter models in terms of their predictive clinical value.