This article reports a case of multiple cranial nerve injury after gamma knife radiosurgery treated with acupuncture and moxibustion combined with rehabilitation therapy. The patient presented with weakness of facial and tongue muscles, hoarseness, choking on water, and swallowing difficulties. The syndrome was attributed to qi and blood deficiency, and blood stasis obstructing the collaterals. The treatment principle focused on replenishing qi and blood, promoting blood circulation and unblocking collaterals. Yintang (GV24⁺), Lianquan (CV23), Qihai (CV6), Guanyuan (CV4), and Cuanzhu (BL2), Yangbai (GB14), Jingming (BL1), Sizhukong (TE23), Yingxiang (LI20), Sibai (ST2), Juliao (ST3), Quanliao (SI18), Dicang (ST4), Jiache (ST6), Xiaguan (ST7), Taiyang (EX-HN5) on the affected side, bilateral Jinjin (EX-HN12), Yuye (EX-HN13), Hegu (LI4), Zusanli (ST36), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Tianshu (ST25) were selected. Among these, bilateral Jinjin (EX-HN12) and Yuye (EX-HN13) were treated with pricking, Dicang (ST4) and Jiache (ST6) on the affected side were connected to an electroacupuncture device, and warming acupuncture was applied at Guanyuan (CV4). Rehabilitation therapy and electromyographic biofeedback were also incorporated. The treatments were given 2-3 times a week. After 18 months of intermittent treatment, the patient reported significant improvement, House Brackmann (H-B) facial nerve function grade was Ⅳ, and Sunnybrook facial nerve rating scale score was 53 points. After 2-month of follow-up, the patient reported normal swallowing ability and restored social engagement.
Humans ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Cranial Nerve Diseases/therapy*

This article reports a case of adult scoliosis with limb tremor treated with electroacupuncture. The patient presented with neck stiffness accompanied with limb tremor as the primary symptoms. The pattern was attributed to yang qi deficiency, and the treatment principle focused on unblocking the governor vessel, warming yang, and regulating qi. Acupuncture was applied to Dazhui (GV14), below the spinous processes of C₄-C₆ and bilateral C₄-C₆ Jiaji (EX-B2) points, Feishu (BL13), Xinshu (BL15), Pishu (BL20), Ganshu (BL18), Shenshu (BL23), Dachangshu (BL25). After achieving deqi sensation, bilateral C₄ Jiaji (EX-B2) and C₆ Jiaji (EX-B2) points were separately connected to an SDZ-Ⅴ electroacupuncture device, with continuous wave, 2 Hz of frequency, intensity should be within the tolerance of the patient, the needles were retained for 20 min. For the first 5 months, the treatment was 1-2 times a week, then reduced to 1-2 times a month thereafter. After 30 times of treatment, the patient's bilateral lower limb tremor resolved, the clinical rating scale for tremor (CRST) score was 13 points, the scoliosis showed improvement with about 10° reduction in Cobb angle. At 1-month follow-up, the condition remained stable without progression of scoliosis.
Adult ; Humans ; Acupuncture Points ; Electroacupuncture ; Scoliosis/physiopathology* ; Tremor/complications*

Increasing evidence shows that the early lesions of Parkinson's disease (PD) originate from gut, and correction of microbiota dysbiosis is a promising therapy for PD. FLZ is a neuroprotective agent on PD, which has been validated capable of alleviating microbiota dysbiosis in PD mice. However, the detailed mechanisms still need elucidated. Through metabolomics and 16S rRNA analysis, we identified glycoursodeoxycholic acid (GUDCA) was the most affected differential microbial metabolite by FLZ treatment, which was specially and negatively regulated by Clostridium innocuum, a differential microbiota with the strongest correlation to GUDCA production, through inhibiting bile salt hydrolase (BSH) enzyme. The protection of GUDCA on colon and brain were also clarified in PD models, showing that it could activate Nrf2 pathway, further validating that FLZ protected dopaminergic neurons through promoting GUDCA production. Our study uncovered that FLZ improved PD through microbiota-gut-brain axis, and also gave insights into modulation of microbial metabolites may serve as an important strategy for treating PD.

Although enteric glial cell (EGC) abnormal activation is reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD), and inhibition of EGC gliosis alleviated gut and dopaminergic neuronal dysfunction was verified in our previous study, the potential role of gut microbiota on EGC function in PD still need to be addressed. In the present study, fecal microbiota transplantation revealed that EGC function was regulated by gut microbiota. By employing 16S rRNA and metabolomic analysis, we identified that 3-indolepropionic acid (IPA) was the most affected differential microbial metabolite that regulated EGC gliosis. The protective effects of IPA on PD were validated in rotenone-stimulated EGCs and rotenone (30 mg/kg i.g. for 4 weeks)-induced PD mice, as indicated by decreased inflammation, improved intestinal and brain barrier as well as dopaminergic neuronal function. Mechanistic study showed that IPA targeted pregnane X receptor (PXR) in EGCs, and inhibition of IL-13Rα1 involved cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway, leading to inactivation of downstream JAK1-STAT6 pathway. Our data not only provided evidence that EGC gliosis was critical in spreading intestinal damage to brain, but also highlighted the potential role of microbial metabolite IPA in alleviating PD pathological damages through gut-brain axis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2025.02.029.].

Objective:The causal relationship between eczema and autoimmune diseases has not been previously reported.This study aims to evaluate the causal relationship between eczema and autoimmune diseases. Methods:The two-sample Mendelian randomization(MR)method was used to assess the causal effect of eczema on autoimmune diseases.Summary data from the Genome-Wide Association Study Catalog(GWAS)were obtained from the Integrative Epidemiology Unit(IEU)database.For eczema and autoimmune diseases,genetic instrument variants(GIVs)were identified according to the significant difference(P＜5×10-8).Causal effect estimates were generated using the inverse-variance weighted(IVW)method.MR Egger,maximum likelihood,MR-PRESSO,and MR-RAPS methods were used for alternative analyses.Sensitivity tests,including heterogeneity,horizontal pleiotropy,and leave-one-out analyses,were performed.Finally,reverse causality was assessed. Results:Genetic susceptibility to eczema was associated with an increased risk of Crohn's disease(OR=1.444,95％CI 1.199 to 1.738,P＜0.001)and ulcerative colitis(OR=1.002,95％CI 1.001 to 1.003,P=0.002).However,no causal relationship was found for the other 6 autoimmune diseases,including systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)(OR=0.932,P=0.401),bullous pemphigoid(BP)(OR=1.191,P=0.642),vitiligo(OR=1.000,P=0.327),multiple sclerosis(MS)(OR=1.000,P=0.965),ankylosing spondylitis(AS)(OR=1.001,P=0.121),rheumatoid arthritis(RA)(OR=1.000,P=0.460).Additionally,no reverse causal relationship was found between autoimmune diseases and eczema. Conclusion:Eczema is associated with an increased risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.No causal relationship is found between eczema and SLE,MS,AS,RA,BP,or vitiligo.

It is necessary to improve the stability of human serum albumin in response to the complex temperature, light and other conditions during the manufacture and storage. In this paper, the stabilization effect and simple stabilization mechanism of ligands on albumin were described from the perspective of ligand binding to albumin.Through review and comparison, it can be concluded that the common ligand sodium octanoate mainly plays a role in improving thermal stability, and the common ligand N-acetyl-L-tryptophan mainly plays a role in improving antioxidant activity, N-acetyl-L-methionine has better antioxidant and anti-photooxidation than N-acetyl-L-tryptophan.

BACKGROUND:At present,postoperative timing or subjective criteria by clinicians are commonly employed to determine the return-to-sport timing for patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.Unfortunately,these criteria do not adequately consider the biomechanical deficits in patients following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. OBJECTIVE:To explore the lower extremity kinematic and kinetic characteristics of athletes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction during bilateral vertical jumping. METHODS:Twenty athletes undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and twenty healthy athletes,aged 20-24 years,were recruited in Wuhan Sports University from December 2021 to December 2022.All the 40 subjects underwent a bilateral vertical jumping test.The kinematic and dynamic characteristics of the lower limbs at propulsion phase,initial landing time and peak vertical ground reaction force moment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:At the initial landing time,the athletes undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction showed higher hip flexion angle(P=0.031)and lower ankle plantar flexion angle(P=0.018)on the operated side compared with the healthy athletes.At the peak vertical ground reaction force moment,the athletes undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction had higher hip flexion angle(P=0.016),lower hip abduction angle(P=0.019),lower knee flexion angle(P=0.025),higher knee external rotation angle(P=0.030),and higher ankle external rotation angle(P=0.042)on the operated side compared with the healthy athletes.At the peak vertical ground reaction force moment,the athletes undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction showed lower knee extension moment(P=0.036),lower knee internal rotation moment(P=0.016),lower hip abduction moment(P=0.004),higher hip extension moment(P=0.040),and higher hip external rotation moment(P=0.005)on the operated side compared with the healthy athletes.To conclude,the athletes undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction exhibit a stiff landing pattern,in which the knee load on the operated side tends to shift to the hip joint,and show inadequate control of lower limb rotational stability.Therefore,detection and correction of abnormal biomechanical characteristics should be part of the rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE To optimize the freeze-drying process for sheep placenta slices. METHODS An orthogonal test design was used with pre-freezing time， drying time and drying temperature as indicators to screen for the optimal freeze-drying process for sheep placenta slices. The peptide content， ethanol-soluble extract content， and freeze-drying rate of sheep placenta were used as indicators，the analytic hierarchy process-criteria importance through intercriteria correlation （AHP-CRITIC） method was employed to determine the weight of each indicator and calculate the comprehensive score， which was verified using the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution （TOPSIS） model. RESULTS The optimal preparation process was found to be the pre-freezing time of 2 hours， the drying time of 16 hours， and the drying temperature of 30 °C. The average values of peptide content， ethanol-soluble extract content， and freeze-drying rate for three batches of samples were 5.883 mg/mL， 27.1%， and 95.77%， respectively； the comprehensive scores of three batches were 96.42， 99.18 and 99.58， with RSD of 1.75%. CONCLUSIONS This study successfully optimized the freeze-drying process for sheep placenta slices， which can provide a reference for the quality standard setting and industrial production of this type of slice.

Vitiligo is an immune memory skin disease. T-cell factor 1 (TCF1) is essential for maintaining the memory T-cell pool. There is an urgent need to investigate the characteristics of peripheral memory T-cell profile and TCF1⁺ T-cell frequencies in patients with vitiligo. In this study, 31 patients with active vitiligo (AV), 22 with stable vitiligo (SV), and 30 healthy controls (HCs) were included. We measured circulating memory and TCF1⁺ T-cell frequencies using flow cytometry. The Spearman's rank test was used to evaluate the correlation between cell frequencies and disease characteristics. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were constructed to investigate the discriminative power of the cell subpopulations. Circulating CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ terminally differentiated effector memory T-cell (T_EMRA) frequencies were significantly higher in the AV group than in HCs (P < 0.05). TCF1⁺ T-cell subpopulations were widespread increased in patients with vitiligo (P < 0.05). After adjusting for potential confounders, CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ central memory (T_CM) cells, and CD8⁺ T_EMRA were correlated with disease activity (P < 0.05). The combined diagnostic value of the four (naïve, effector memory, T_CM, and T_EMRA) CD8⁺TCF1⁺ T-cell subsets was relatively high (area under the ROC curve (AUC) = 0.804, sensitivity = 71.70%, specificity = 83.34%), and the CD8⁺ T-cell subsets combination performed well in discriminating disease activity (AUC = 0.849, sensitivity = 70.97%, specificity = 90.91%). We demonstrated an altered circulating memory T-cell profile and increased TCF1⁺ T-cell percentage in patients with vitiligo. T-cell subpopulations had a strong value for vitiligo diagnosis and activity evaluation. This evidence presents a potential new pharmacological target for inhibiting autoimmunity that leads to vitiligo.