Objective To observe the therapeutic effects of Fourteen-Needle Awakening Acupuncture combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(rTMS)on post-stroke patients with minimally conscious state(MCS).Methods Sixty MCS patients admitted to the Rehabilitation Department of Guangdong Second Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital between December 2023 and December 2024 were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group,with 30 cases in each group.Both groups received conventional awakening therapy.The control group received additional sham rTMS,while the observation group received Fourteen-Needle Awakening Acupuncture combined with rTMS.The treatment duration was 14 days for both groups.After two weeks,awakening status was evaluated.Changes in Coma Recovery Scale-Revised(CRS-R)scores,Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS)scores,Full Outline of Unresponsiveness(FOUR)scores,as well as serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)and neuron-specific enolase(NSE)were compared between groups before and after treatment.Results(1)After treatment,17 patients in the observation group regained consciousness,with a recovery rate of 56.67％(17/30);9 patients in the control group regained consciousness,with a recovery rate of 30.00％(9/30).The recovery rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the CRS-R scores in both groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),with the observation group showing a greater degree of improvement(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the FOUR scores and GCS scores of both groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),with the observation group showing a greater degree of improvement(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,the serum VEGF and NSE levels of both groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),with the observation group showing a greater degree of improvement(P＜0.05).Conclusion Fourteen-Needle Awakening Acupuncture combined with rTMS effectively enhances cortical excitability and modulates electrophysiological activity of cerebral neurons in post-stroke MCS patients.This combined therapy demonstrates positive therapeutic effects in improving MCS and significantly accelerates consciousness recovery.

AIM:This study aims to investigate the therapeutic impact of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell(MSC)-derived exosomes(MSC-Exos)on septic lung injury by targeting Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)signaling pathway.METHODS:MSC-Exos were isolated from bone marrow MSCs using ultracentrifugation.The exosomes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy(TEM),nanoparticle tracking analysis(NTA),and Western blot.A septic lung injury model was established via cecal ligation and puncture(CLP).MSC-Exos were adminis-tered intraperitoneally 3 h after CLP.Blood and lung tissue samples were collected at 6,12,24,and 72 h after CLP.Con-centrations of interleukin-10(IL-10),IL-6,IL-1β,and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)were measured by ELISA.The lung tissue damage in mice was assessed by HE staining.Expression levels of TLR4 and NF-κB were detected by RT-qP-CR and Western blot.RESULTS:The results of TEM revealed typical round and oval exosome-like structures of MSC-Exos.Western blot showed positive expression of CD63,TSG101 and HSP-70.The results of NTA indicated that the parti-cle size of MSC-Exos was(107.5±16.6)nm.Septic lung injury began to manifest 12 h after CLP and progressively worsened,peaking at 72 h after CLP.At 6 h after CLP,the level of TNF-α was markedly elevated compared to the control group,reaching its peak at 72 h after CLP.At 12 h after CLP,the levels of IL-1β,IL-10,and IL-6 were elevated com-pared to the control group,and they reached their maximum point 72 h post-CLP.The MSC-Exos intervention group ex-hibited significantly reduced lung injury compared to the CLP group,as indicated by the lung pathology scoring.In the MSC-Exos intervention group,concentrations of IL-10,IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α peaked at 12 h after CLP,gradually de-clined,and returned to baseline levels by 72 h.TLR4 and NF-κB expression levels were significantly increased at 6 h af-ter CLP in the CLP group,peaking at 72 h.In contrast,MSC-Exos treatment normalized TLR4 and NF-κB expression levels at 72 h after CLP.CONCLUSION:Early intervention with bone marrow MSC-Exos significantly alleviated septic lung injury by reducing the inflammatory cytokine storm,likely through downregulation of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling path-way.

AIM:This study aims to investigate the therapeutic impact of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell(MSC)-derived exosomes(MSC-Exos)on septic lung injury by targeting Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)signaling pathway.METHODS:MSC-Exos were isolated from bone marrow MSCs using ultracentrifugation.The exosomes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy(TEM),nanoparticle tracking analysis(NTA),and Western blot.A septic lung injury model was established via cecal ligation and puncture(CLP).MSC-Exos were adminis-tered intraperitoneally 3 h after CLP.Blood and lung tissue samples were collected at 6,12,24,and 72 h after CLP.Con-centrations of interleukin-10(IL-10),IL-6,IL-1β,and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)were measured by ELISA.The lung tissue damage in mice was assessed by HE staining.Expression levels of TLR4 and NF-κB were detected by RT-qP-CR and Western blot.RESULTS:The results of TEM revealed typical round and oval exosome-like structures of MSC-Exos.Western blot showed positive expression of CD63,TSG101 and HSP-70.The results of NTA indicated that the parti-cle size of MSC-Exos was(107.5±16.6)nm.Septic lung injury began to manifest 12 h after CLP and progressively worsened,peaking at 72 h after CLP.At 6 h after CLP,the level of TNF-α was markedly elevated compared to the control group,reaching its peak at 72 h after CLP.At 12 h after CLP,the levels of IL-1β,IL-10,and IL-6 were elevated com-pared to the control group,and they reached their maximum point 72 h post-CLP.The MSC-Exos intervention group ex-hibited significantly reduced lung injury compared to the CLP group,as indicated by the lung pathology scoring.In the MSC-Exos intervention group,concentrations of IL-10,IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α peaked at 12 h after CLP,gradually de-clined,and returned to baseline levels by 72 h.TLR4 and NF-κB expression levels were significantly increased at 6 h af-ter CLP in the CLP group,peaking at 72 h.In contrast,MSC-Exos treatment normalized TLR4 and NF-κB expression levels at 72 h after CLP.CONCLUSION:Early intervention with bone marrow MSC-Exos significantly alleviated septic lung injury by reducing the inflammatory cytokine storm,likely through downregulation of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling path-way.

Objective:To investigate the changes in myocardial enzyme spectrum, procalcitonin, and C-reactive protein levels in neonates with hyperbilirubinemia.Methods:A total of 150 neonates with hyperbilirubinemia who received treatment in the 1 st Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University during January-December 2019 were included in this study. They were allocated to mild (total bilirubin level 221-256.5 μmol/L, n = 68) and moderate-to-severe hyperbilirubinemia (total bilirubin level > 256.5 μmol/L, n = 82) groups according to different serum total bilirubin levels. An additional 70 healthy neonates who were born concurrently served as controls. Myocardial enzyme spectrum (creatine kinase, creatine kinase-MB, lactate dehydrogenase, alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase), procalcitonin, and C-reactive protein levels were compared among groups. The correlation between myocardial enzyme spectrum, procalcitonin, and C-reactive protein levels and the severity of hyperbilirubinemia was investigated. The factors related to hyperbilirubinemia in neonates were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Results:Serum levels of creatine kinase, creatine kinase-MB, lactate dehydrogenase, and alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase were (1130.23 ± 385.42) U/L, (194.82 ± 60.33) U/L, (993.45 ± 271.46) U/L, and (493.76 ± 105.65) U/L, respectively in the moderate-to-severe hyperbilirubinemia group, which were significantly higher than those in the mild hyperbilirubinemia and control groups [(682.23 ± 258.53) U/L, (82.67 ± 24.43) U/L, (486.38 ± 112.57) U/L, (252.63 ± 38.73) U/L; (368.13 ± 104.20) U/L, (27.90 ± 8.29) U/L, (402.13 ± 102.20) U/L, (228.53 ± 34.30) U/L; F = 67.12, 56.23, 66.57, 44.34, all P < 0.01]. Serum levels of creatine kinase, creatine kinase-MB, lactate dehydrogenase, and alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase were significantly higher in the mild hyperbilirubinemia group than those in the control group (all P < 0.05). Premature infants, intrauterine distress, neonatal asphyxia, amniotic fluid pollution, sepsis, omphalitis, erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase defect, and delayed passage of meconium are the risk factors for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia ( OR = 6.13, 5.40, 5.29, 4.26, 7.79, 6.99, 5.79, 5.44, all P < 0.05). Breastfeeding is an independent protective factor for the development of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia ( OR = 5.87, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Myocardial enzyme, procalcitonin, and C-reactive protein levels increase in neonates with hyperbilirubinemia with the aggravation of the disease. Close monitoring of high-risk factors of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (including preterm infants, intrauterine distress, neonatal asphyxia, amniotic fluid pollution, sepsis, omphalitis, erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase defect, and delayed passage of meconium) and strengthening perinatal health care and high-risk pregnancy management can reduce the incidence of pathological jaundice.

Food allergy( FA) is a growing health problem which affects young children′s growth. Re-cent studies have showed that leukotrienes can contract gastrointestinal smooth muscle,increase intestinal perm-bility,and it is obviously related to the development of FA gastrointestinal disorder. Leukotriene receptor antago-nists have provided a good therapeutic option and showed clinical benefits in the management of the FA gastroin-testinal disorder.