OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on improving motor function and regulating microglial activation based on Notch receptor 1 (Notch1)/Hes family bHLH transcription factor 1 (Hes1) pathway in mice with Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: Thirty-six male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a control group, a model group and an EA group, 12 mice in each group. PD model was established by intraperitoneal injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) for 7 consecutive days in the model group and the EA group. From the 1st day of modeling, EA was applied at "Baihui" (GV20) and bilateral "Shenshu" (BL23) in the EA group, with continuous wave, in frequency of 2 Hz and current of 2 mA, 15 min a time, once a day for 14 days continuously. The behavioral performance was evaluated by gait test, pole climbing test and hanging test, the number of positive cells of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and the co-expression positive cells of Notch1/ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1) in the substantia nigra of midbrain was assessed by immunofluorescence, the protein expression of TH, α-synuclein (α-syn), Notch1, Hes1, Iba-1, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), Arginase-1 (ARG1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 was detected by Western blot, the mRNA expression of Notch1 and Hes1 was detected by real-time PCR. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, in the model group, the stride frequency was accelerated (P<0.001) and the stride length was shortened (P<0.001) for the four limbs, the pole climbing test time was prolonged (P<0.01) and the grip level was reduced (P<0.01); in the substantia nigra of midbrain, the number of positive cells of TH was decreased (P<0.001), the number of co-expression positive cells of Notch1/Iba-1 was increased (P<0.001), the protein expression of α-syn, Notch1, Hes1, Iba-1, iNOS, TNF-α, IL-1βand IL-6 was increased (P<0.01, P<0.05, P<0.001), the protein expression of TH, ARG1 and IL-10 was decreased (P<0.01, P<0.001), the mRNA expression of Notch1 and Hes1 was increased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, in the EA group, the stride frequency was decelerated (P<0.001) and the stride length was increased (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.001) for the four limbs, the pole climbing test time was shortened (P<0.05) and the grip level was increased (P<0.05); in the substantia nigra of midbrain, the number of positive cells of TH was increased (P<0.01), the number of co-expression positive cells of Notch1/Iba-1 was decreased (P<0.001), the protein expression of α-syn, Notch1, Hes1, Iba-1, iNOS, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β was decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01), the protein expression of TH, ARG1 and IL-10 was increased (P<0.05, P<0.001, P<0.01), the mRNA expression of Notch1 and Hes1 was decreased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION EA can improve the behavioral performance and protect the dopaminergic neurons in PD mice, its mechanism may relate to the inhibition of Notch1/Hes1-mediated neuroinflammation, thus inhibiting the microglial activation.
Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Microglia/metabolism* ; Male ; Receptor, Notch1/metabolism* ; Parkinson Disease/physiopathology* ; Transcription Factor HES-1/metabolism* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Humans ; Signal Transduction

Parkinson's disease(PD)is a common progressive neurodegenerative disease mainly affecting the motor system.Various genetic factors and cellular mechanisms underlying PD have recently been discovered.Emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic modifications play a very important role in the pathogenesis,prevention,and treatment of PD.Epigenetic modification mediates genetic and environmental interactions mainly through complex interactions of DNA methylation,histone modification,and non-coding RNA,thereby affecting expression in the absence of changes in DNA sequence.In this review,we summarize the epigenetic modification mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.In this review,we summarize the epigenetic modification mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.Recent studies have found that traditional Chinese medicine can participate in the regulation of abnormal epigenetic modifications in the treatment of PD.Traditional Chinese medicine benefits from its multi-level and multi-target regulatory effects,and various traditional Chinese medicine monomers,compound prescriptions,and techniques have been evaluated,confirming that this is a promising approach for improving symptoms in PD.This review summarizes the mechanisms by which epigenetic modifications contribute to P D,explores the role of traditional Chinese medicine,and provides new ideas for clinical treatment and drug development in PD through epigenetic intervention.

Bone morphogenetic proteins are a large subclass of the transforming growth factor β family,and Their signaling pathways are mainly classified into two kinds based on whether they depend on Smad protein to mediate or not.BMP signaling pathways are involved in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation,as well as the formation and development of multiple tissues and organs.Recent studies have shown that BMP signaling path-ways mainly promote the differentiation and growth of neurons and astrocytes,and are closely related to the my-elination of oligodendrocytes.In addition,BMP signaling pathways also play an important role in the occurrence of central nervous system diseases,such as spinal cord injuries,multiple sclerosis,neural tube defects,and Parkin-son's disease.This article reviews the BMP signaling pathways'composition,transduction mechanism and their role in the central nervous system and related diseases,in order to provide more potential ideas for basic research and clinical treatment of central nervous system diseases.

Parkinson's disease(PD)is a common progressive neurodegenerative disease mainly affecting the motor system.Various genetic factors and cellular mechanisms underlying PD have recently been discovered.Emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic modifications play a very important role in the pathogenesis,prevention,and treatment of PD.Epigenetic modification mediates genetic and environmental interactions mainly through complex interactions of DNA methylation,histone modification,and non-coding RNA,thereby affecting expression in the absence of changes in DNA sequence.In this review,we summarize the epigenetic modification mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.In this review,we summarize the epigenetic modification mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.Recent studies have found that traditional Chinese medicine can participate in the regulation of abnormal epigenetic modifications in the treatment of PD.Traditional Chinese medicine benefits from its multi-level and multi-target regulatory effects,and various traditional Chinese medicine monomers,compound prescriptions,and techniques have been evaluated,confirming that this is a promising approach for improving symptoms in PD.This review summarizes the mechanisms by which epigenetic modifications contribute to P D,explores the role of traditional Chinese medicine,and provides new ideas for clinical treatment and drug development in PD through epigenetic intervention.

Bone morphogenetic proteins are a large subclass of the transforming growth factor β family,and Their signaling pathways are mainly classified into two kinds based on whether they depend on Smad protein to mediate or not.BMP signaling pathways are involved in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation,as well as the formation and development of multiple tissues and organs.Recent studies have shown that BMP signaling path-ways mainly promote the differentiation and growth of neurons and astrocytes,and are closely related to the my-elination of oligodendrocytes.In addition,BMP signaling pathways also play an important role in the occurrence of central nervous system diseases,such as spinal cord injuries,multiple sclerosis,neural tube defects,and Parkin-son's disease.This article reviews the BMP signaling pathways'composition,transduction mechanism and their role in the central nervous system and related diseases,in order to provide more potential ideas for basic research and clinical treatment of central nervous system diseases.

Neural tube defects are a common neurodevelopmental disease,which can be divided into open and closed types.The main symptoms are anencephaly,encephalocele and cranial spina bifida.The relationship between Wnt signaling and neurogenesis has been a popular area in recent years.The Wnt signaling pathway includes Wnt/β-catenin,planar polar cell pathway and Wnt/Ca2+pathway,which plays an important role in neural tube development.This article reviews the current state of research on the Wnt signaling pathway and elucidates the role it plays in the process of neural tube closure,providing insights for the development of drugs related to the prevention and treatment of neural tube defects.

Objective To investigate the association between microRNA(miR)-23a,miR-150,and miR-150-5p levels and diabetic osteoporosis(DOP)through correlation analysis.Methods A total of 200 patients with diabetes who visited the hospital between March 2020 and March 2022 were selected and followed up for a duration of 2 years.Patients who developed DOP and those who did not were respectively assigned to the DOP group and the non-DOP group.The general information and serum levels of miR-23a,miR-150,and miR-150-5p between these two groups were compared.Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between serum levels of miR-23a,miR-150,and miR-150-5p,as well as bone density.Logistic regression model was employed to identify factors influencing DOP.Results The incidence rate of DOP was 28.89%.The serum levels of miR-23a,miR-150,and miR-150-5p were significantly elevated in the DOP group compared to the non-DOP group(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis revealed a negative association between the serum levels of miR-23a,miR-150,and miR-150-5p in diabetic patients and bone density(P＜0.05).Logistic regression model analysis demonstrated that age,body mass index(BMI),as well as miR-23a,miR-150,and miR-150-5p were influential factors contributing to the development of DOP(P＜0.05).Conclusion The levels of serum miR-23a,miR-150,and miR-150-5p are elevated in patients with DOP,and all three exhibit a negative correlation with bone density.Furthermore,these factors collectively contribute to the development of DOP.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between serum Betatrophin levels and metabolic parameters in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) .Methods:98 patients with PCOS (PCOS group) treated in Zhengzhou People’s Hospital from Dec. 2017 to Sep. 2019 were selected. They were divided into non-obese group ( n=45) and obese group ( n=53) according to BMI value; They were divided into non-IR group ( n= 21) and IR group ( n=77) according to HOMA-IR value; They were divided into non-hyperandrogen group ( n=24) and hyperandrogen group ( n=74) according to TT level; Another 90 healthy women were taken as the control group. The baseline data, lipid metabolism indexes, hormone indexes, glucose metabolism indexes and Betatrophin levels of the two groups were recorded. Pearson test and logisitc regression model were used to analyze the influencing factors related to the increase of serum Betatrophin level in patients with PCOS. Results:Compared with the control group, PCOS group had higher level of BMI, body fat, WHR, VLDL, LDL, TG, TC, FAI, TT, LH, DHEA-S, 17-OHP, FSH, FBG, FINS, and HOMA-IR, while the HDL level was significantly lower. The difference was significant ( P<0.01). Serum Betatrophin level in obese group was significantly higher than that in the control group (163.99±126.97 vs 110.99±102.97), and the difference was statistically significant ( t=3.21, P<0.001) ; serum Betatrophin level in IR group was higher than that in the control group (160.26±136.80 vs 133.17±112.06), and the serum Betatrophin level in IR group was higher than that in the control group (173.51±147.85 vs 144.26±124.56), but the difference was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Serum Betatrophin levels in PCOS group were positively correlated with BMI, WHR, TG, FAI, FBG, FINS ( P<0.05), and negatively correlated with HDL ( P<0.05). Logistic analysis showed that BMI, WHR and TG were independent factors affecting the increase of serum Betatrophin level. Conclusion:Serum Betatrophin levels of PCOS patients are significantly increased, and BMI, WHR, TG, HDL, FAI, FBG, FINS may play an important role in the occurrence and development of PCOS and obesity, insulin resistance, blood lipids and androgen metabolism disorders.

Objective:To investigate the distribution characteristics and clinical significance of aeroallergen sensitization in children with airway allergic diseases.Methods:The information of children who were diagnosed with airway allergic diseases and performed with skin prick test(SPT)of aeroallergens was collected and retrospectively analyzed from Beijing Children′s Hospital from January to December, 2019.A total of 2557 patients were divided into ≤5 years of age group, 6-11 years of age group and ≥12 years of age group according to age, and allergic rhinitis group, asthma group, allergic rhinitis combined with asthma group according to diseases.The differences in the distribution of positive rates of 18 kinds of aeroallergens in age group and disease group were compared.Results:The positive rates of SPT in 2557 children from high to low were weeds pollens in summer and autumn, molds, trees pollens in spring, dust mites, etc..The top five strong positive rates from high to low were Artemisia pollen, Humulus pollen, Dermatophagoides farina, Betula pollen and Fraxinus pennsylvanica pollen.The positive rate was 71.5%(539/754)in the ≤5 years of age group, 78.5%(1241/1581)in 6-11 years of age group, and 81.1%(180/222)in ≥12 years of age group.The difference in positive rates of SPT among different age groups was statistically significant( χ2=16.825, P<0.05). In the group of ≤5 years of age group, the main aeroallergens were Chenopodium pollen(310/754, 41.1%), Alternaria alternate(307/754, 40.7%), Humulus pollen(295/754, 39.1%), Artemisia pollen(293/754, 38.9%)and Fraxinus pennsylvanica pollen(258/754, 34.2%). The main aeroallergens in the 6-11 years of age group were Chenopodium pollen(853/1581, 54.0%), Humulus pollen(769/1581, 48.6%), Artemisia pollen(768/1581, 48.6%), Alternaria alternate(751/1581, 47.5%)and Fraxinus pennsylvanica pollen(724/1581, 45.8%). The main aeroallergens in the ≥12 years of age group were Chenopodium pollen(131/222, 59.0%), Humulus pollen(119/222, 53.6%), Artemisia pollen(113/222, 50.9%), Alternaria alternate(112/222, 50.5%)and Dermatophagoides farina(103/222, 46.4%). The positive rate of allergic rhinitis group was 73.6%(1164/1582), asthma group was 72.4%(234/323), allergic rhinitis combined with asthma group was 86.0%(561/652). The positive rate of SPT was significantly different among different disease groups( χ2=43.408, P<0.05). The main aeroallergen of allergic rhinitis, asthma and allergic rhinitis combined with asthma was Chenopodium pollen.The positive rates of 18 kinds of aeroallergens were significantly different among the three disease groups(all P<0.05). The positive rate of each aeroallergen in allergic rhinitis combined with asthma was higher than that in single airway allergic disease. Conclusion:In children with airway allergic disease, the sensitization spectrum of aeroallergen varies among different age groups and disease groups.Clinicians should monitor allergens regularly and give preventive treatment to children with airway allergic disease.

Objective:To discuss the treatment strategies and experiences of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) and study the risk factors for postoperative pulmonary venous obstruction (PVO).Methods:Clinical data of 125 children with TAPVC in the Children Heart Center of Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital from January 2018 to December 2020 were included in this study and analyzed retrospectively.Of the 125 cases, 116 were treated surgically.They were divided into 2 groups according to whether PVO appeared after repair of TAPVC.The t-test or chi- square test was used to compare the clinical data of the 2 groups, and Logistic regression analysis was adopted to analyze the risk factors for postoperative PVO. Results:Among the 116 patients undergoing surgery, including 73 males (62.9%) and 43 females (37.1%), and according to Darling′s classification, there were 58 cases (50.0%) of supracardiac, 35 cases(30.2%)of intracardiac, 15 cases(12.9%) of infracardiac and 8 cases (6.9%) of mixed.The median age and body weight during surgery were 3.0 (1.2, 7.0) months and 5.0 (4.0, 6.8) kg.There were 13 deaths (11.2%), and recurrent PVO was observed in 18 patients (15.9%). Statistically significant diffe-rences were observed in terms of Darling′s classification (supracardiac 27.8% vs.56.6%, intracardiac 27.8% vs.31.6%, infracardiac 27.8% vs.10.5%, mixed 16.6% vs.5.3%, χ2=8.571, P=0.036) of PVO group and non-PVO group after operation preoperative PVO (83.3% vs.21.1%, χ2=25.293, P<0.01), with confluence (55.6% vs.81.1%, χ2=6.049, P=0.014), preoperative critical state (83.3% vs.31.6%, χ2=12.938, P<0.01), cardiopulmonary bypass time[ (128.800±47.254) min vs.(106.700±37.288) min, t=-2.094, P=0.039 ], delayed thoracic closure(27.8% vs.5.3%, χ2=6.227, P=0.013), and anastomotic velocity at 1 day after operation[1.0(0.9, 1.4) m/s vs.0.9(0.8, 1.1) m/s, Z=-2.004, P=0.045], anastomotic velocity at 1 week after operation[1.4 (1.3, 1.8) m/s vs.0.9 (0.7, 1.1) m/s, Z=-4.446, P<0.001], and mechanical ventilation time[121.0 (76.8, 246.9) h vs.91.5 (60.4, 135.9) h, Z=-1.989, P=0.047]. All of these data were included in the Logistic regression analysis.The results showed that preoperative PVO ( OR=797.179, 95% CI: 8.074-78 712.270, P=0.004) and increased anastomotic flow velocity at 1 week after operation ( OR=11 848.376, 95% CI: 23.746-5 912 017.803, P=0.003) were associated with postoperative PVO. Conclusions:Surgical correction in patients with TAPVC with a biventricular anatomy in this center is satisfactory.Preoperative PVO and early anastomotic flow velocity increase after operation are the high risk factors for postoperative PVO.