OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical symptoms and MRI outcomes of patients with ruptured lumbar disc herniation(LDH) through a multicenter randomized controlled study, and to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Yiqi Huoxue formula() in the treatment of this disease. METHODS: A total of 160 outpatients and inpatients with ruptured LDH admitted to 4 medical centers from January 2023 to June 2023 were selected and randomly divided into the Yiqi Huoxue formula group and the control group, with 80 patients in each group. In the Yiqi Huoxue formula group, there were 43 males and 37 females, with an age of (41.03±9.56) years and a disease duration of (10.45±25.37) days, and the patients were treated with Yiqi Huoxue formula. In the control group, there were 34 males and 46 females, with an age of (42.14±8.73) years and a disease duration of (11.31±21.14) days;during the acute phase, patients in this group could take celecoxib capsules orally, and methylcobalamin orally at the same time. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, Oswestry disability index (ODI), changes in the volume of herniated disc tissue on MRI, herniation rate, and absorption rate were recorded at the time of enrollment and during follow-ups at the 3rd, 6th, and 12th month after treatment. RESULTS: A total of 156 patients completed the clinical follow-up, and 4 patients withdrew midway. The clinical symptoms of all patients who completed the study were relieved to varying degrees, and reabsorption of herniated disc tissue was observed in all patients in the Yiqi Huoxue formula group after treatment. For the JOA score:in the Yiqi Huoxue formula group, it was (10.73±2.76) points before treatment and (24.65±2.19) points at the 12th month after treatment;in the control group, it was (11.01±1.20) points before treatment and (17.07±3.26) points at the 12th month after treatment. For the ODI score:in the Yiqi Huoxue formula group, it was (26.21±3.55) points before treatment and (5.65±2.19) points at the 12th month after treatment;in the control group, it was (27.92±2.51) points before treatment and (9.09±2.15) points at the 12th month after treatment. At the 12th month after treatment, the JOA and ODI scores of both groups were better than those before treatment, and the scores of the Yiqi Huoxue formula group were better than those of the control group, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). In terms of the herniated disc volume and herniation rate on MRI, the Yiqi Huoxue formula group was superior to the control group, with statistically significant differences(P<0.05). Reabsorption occurred in 56.96%(45/79) of patients in the Yiqi Huoxue formula group, which was significantly higher than the 37.66%(29/77) in the control group. CONCLUSION After treatment with Yiqi Huoxue formula, patients with ruptured LDH show significant improvement in clinical symptoms and a marked reduction in the volume of herniated discs. During the follow-up period, no obvious adverse drug reactions are observed in patients, and no recurrence of symptoms is found at the last follow-up, indicating that the formula has safe and reliable efficacy.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement/drug therapy* ; Adult ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Middle Aged ; Lumbar Vertebrae

Objective:To explore the therapeutic mechanism of electroacupuncture(EA)in treating Parkinson disease(PD)using Tandem mass tag(TMT)quantitative proteomics technology. Methods:Forty-eight PD patients were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group,with 24 patients in each group.The control group received routine drug treatment,while the observation group received EA in addition to the routine drug treatment.EA was administered for 30 min per session,3 times a week,for a total of 12 weeks.Nine patients from each group were randomly selected to provide peripheral blood serum samples before and after treatment for TMT quantitative proteomics analysis.Differentially expressed proteins between the two groups were compared,and bioinformatics analysis was performed.The screened differentially expressed proteins were validated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Results:In the observation group,scores on the unified Parkinson disease rating scale(UPDRS),UPDRS Ⅱ,and UPDRS Ⅲ were significantly reduced after treatment(P<0.05).In the control group,these scores tended to increase,but the changes were not statistically significant(P>0.05).After treatment,the UPDRS and UPDRS Ⅲ scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).The observation group showed 62 differentially expressed proteins,while the control group had 36.Compared to the control group,the observation group had 142 differentially expressed proteins.These proteins were primarily involved in the cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP)signaling pathway,T helper(Th)1 and Th2 cell differentiation,ATP-binding cassette transporter,vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway,and high-affinity immunoglobulin E receptor(FcεRI)signaling pathway.ELISA verification indicated that after EA treatment,the levels of α-Synuclein(αSyn)and heat shock protein beta 1(HSPB1)in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05),while the regulator of G-protein signaling 10(RGS10)level was significantly higher(P<0.05). Conclusion:EA,combined with routine drug therapy,can significantly improve clinical symptoms of PD,potentially through the regulation of the cAMP signaling pathway and the contents of differentially expressed proteins of αSyn,HSPB1,and RGS10.

Objective:To observe the effects of acupuncture and moxibustion on phosphatase and PTEN-induced putative kinase 1(PINK1)/Parkin signaling pathway in the midbrain substantia nigra of Thy1-α synuclein(αSyn)transgenic model mice with Parkinson disease(PD). Methods:Twenty-four Thy1-αSyn transgenic mice were randomly divided into a model group,an acupuncture group,an acupuncture + moxibustion group,and a Western medicine group.Six wild-type mice in the same litter were used as the wild-type group.In the acupuncture group,Baihui(GV20)and Yanglingquan(GB34)were selected for acupuncture.In the acupuncture + moxibustion group,Guanyuan(CV4)was added on the basis of the acupuncture group.The Western medicine group was given rapamycin intraperitoneal injection at a dose of 10 mg/(kg·bw).The wild-type group and the model group were fixed without intervention.The overall rod performance(ORP)score of mice was observed in each group.The immunohistochemical method was used to detect the tyrosine hydroxylase(TH)positive neurons in the substantia nigra of mice in each group.The αSyn was detected by the immunofluorescence chemical method.The expression levels of αSyn,microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3)-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ,autophagy protein sequestosome-1/protein 62(SQSTM-1/p62),PINK1,Parkin,and ubiquitin-specific protease 30(USP30)proteins were detected by Western blotting assay.The expression levels of LC3B,p62,PINK1,Parkin,and USP30 mRNAs were detected by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results:Compared with the wild-type group,the ORP score,the p62,PINK1,and Parkin protein expression levels decreased significantly(P<0.01),the PINK1 mRNA expression level decreased(P<0.05),while the protein and mRNA expression levels of USP30 increased(P<0.05)in the model group.Compared with the model group,the ORP score in the acupuncture group and the acupuncture + moxibustion group increased(P<0.05);the expression level of LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ protein in the acupuncture + moxibustion group and the Western medicine group increased(P<0.05);the protein expression levels of p62,PINK1,and Parkin increased(P<0.05),while the USP30 protein expression level decreased significantly(P<0.01)in the acupuncture group,the acupuncture + moxibustion group,and the Western medicine group;the Parkin mRNA expression level in the acupuncture group and the acupuncture + moxibustion group increased(P<0.05);the USP30 mRNA expression level in the acupuncture + moxibustion group decreased(P<0.05). Conclusion:Acupuncture and moxibustion regulate the related molecule expression levels of PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway in the Thy1-αSyn transgenic PD model mice and promote the autophagy degradation of αSyn to exert the protective effect of dopaminergic neurons.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular remodeling after acute anterior wall ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (AAMI) is an important factor in occurrence of heart failure which additionally results in poor prognosis. Therefore, the treatment of ventricular remodeling needs to be further optimized. Compound Danshen Dripping Pills (CDDP), a traditional Chinese medicine, exerts a protective effect on microcirculatory disturbance caused by ischemia-reperfusion injury and attenuates ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction. OBJECTIVE: This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CDDP in improving ventricular remodeling and cardiac function after AAMI on a larger scale. METHODS: This study is a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial. The total of 268 patients with AAMI after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) will be randomly assigned 1:1 to the CDDP group (n=134) and control group (n=134) with a follow-up of 48 weeks. Both groups will be treated with standard therapy of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), with the CDDP group administrating 20 tablets of CDDP before pPCI and 10 tablets 3 times daily after pPCI, and the control group treated with a placebo simultaneously. The primary endpoint is 48-week echocardiographic outcomes including left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), and left ventricular end-systolic volume index (LVESVI). The secondary endpoint includes the change in N terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level, arrhythmias, and cardiovascular events (death, cardiac arrest, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, rehospitalization due to heart failure or angina pectoris, deterioration of cardiac function, and stroke). Investigators and patients are both blinded to the allocated treatment. DISCUSSION This prospective study will investigate the efficacy and safety of CDDP in improving ventricular remodeling and cardiac function in patients undergoing pPCI for a first AAMI. Patients in the CDDP group will be compared with those in the control group. If certified to be effective, CDDP treatment in AAMI will probably be advised on a larger scale. (Trial registration No. NCT05000411).
Humans ; ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction/therapy* ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Remodeling ; Prospective Studies ; Microcirculation ; Ventricular Function, Left ; Myocardial Infarction/etiology* ; Treatment Outcome ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/adverse effects* ; Heart Failure/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Multicenter Studies as Topic

COVID-19/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Public Facilities ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution ; Workplace

Objective:To evaluate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on sleep quality in patients with post-stroke sleep disorder (PSSD).Methods:The clinical randomized controlled trials involving PSSD patients who received rTMS were retrieved from nine medical databases. After excluding duplicated references, screening for independent references and risk evaluation, the remaining references were input into RevMan5.4 software for meta-analysis.Results:Twelve eligible literatures were included in the final analysis. Meta-analysis results revealed that after rTMS intervention, there were significant differences in the following terms between the treatment and control groups (all P < 0.05): Pittsburgh sleep quality index score [MD = -2.60, 95% CI (-3.03, -2.17), P < 0.000 01]; sleep latency [MD = -9.69, 95% CI (- 16.87, - 2.50), P < 0.01], sleep efficiency [MD = 8.90, 95% CI (5.41, 12.39), P < 0.01], number of awakenings [MD = -1.15, 95% CI (- 2.26, - 0.04), P = 0.04], awakening duration [MD = -10.95, 95% CI (- 13.30, -8.61), P < 0.01], and rapid eye movement [MD = 4.54, 95% CI (2.24, 6.85), P < 0.01] in polysomnography; brain-derived neurotrophic factor score [MD = 5.29, 95% CI (2.47, 8.11), P = 0.0002]; clinical curative rate [ OR = 4.46, 95% CI (2.75, 7.23), P < 0.000 01]. Conclusion:rTMS can improve the sleep quality in patients with PSSD, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Aging associated cognitive decline has been linked to dampened neural stem/progenitor cells (NSC/NPCs) activities manifested by decreased proliferation, reduced propensity to produce neurons, and increased differentiation into astrocytes. While gene transcription changes objectively reveal molecular alterations of cells undergoing various biological processes, the search for molecular mechanisms underlying aging of NSC/NPCs has been confronted by the enormous heterogeneity in cellular compositions of the brain and the complex cellular microenvironment where NSC/NPCs reside. Moreover, brain NSC/NPCs themselves are not a homogenous population, making it even more difficult to uncover NSC/NPC sub-type specific aging mechanisms. Here, using both population-based and single cell transcriptome analyses of young and aged mouse forebrain ependymal and subependymal regions and comprehensive "big-data" processing, we report that NSC/NPCs reside in a rather inflammatory environment in aged brain, which likely contributes to the differentiation bias towards astrocytes versus neurons. Moreover, single cell transcriptome analyses revealed that different aged NSC/NPC subpopulations, while all have reduced cell proliferation, use different gene transcription programs to regulate age-dependent decline in cell cycle. Interestingly, changes in cell proliferation capacity are not influenced by inflammatory cytokines, but likely result from cell intrinsic mechanisms. The Erk/Mapk pathway appears to be critically involved in regulating age-dependent changes in the capacity for NSC/NPCs to undergo clonal expansion. Together this study is the first example of using population and single cell based transcriptome analyses to unveil the molecular interplay between different NSC/NPCs and their microenvironment in the context of the aging brain.
Aging ; genetics ; Animals ; Astrocytes ; cytology ; metabolism ; Brain ; cytology ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; genetics ; Cell Division ; genetics ; Cell Proliferation ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation ; genetics ; Mice ; Neural Stem Cells ; metabolism ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Transcriptome ; genetics

BACKGROUNDRoughly focused extracorporeal shock waves therapy (ESWT) is characterized by a wide focal area, a large therapy zone, easy positioning, and less pain during treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of roughly focused ESWT on the expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) in osteoporotic fractures in rats.

METHODSSeventy-two female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, 3 months old, were divided into sham-operated group (n = 6) and an ovariectomized (OVX) group (n = 66). Sixty OVX SD rats were used as a model of double proximal tibial osteotomy and inner fixation. The osteotomy site in the left tibia was treated with roughly focused ESWT once at an energy density of 0.26 mJ/mm2, 60 doses/min, and 2000 pact quantities. The contralateral right tibia was left untreated and served as a control. Expression of OPG and BMP-2 in the callus of the osteoporotic fracture area was assessed using immunohistochemistry, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and Western blotting analysis.

RESULTSBone mineral density (BMD) at the proximal tibia, femur, and L5 spine was significantly reduced after ovariectomy. BMD of proximal tibia was 12.9% less in the OVX group than that in the sham-operated group. Meanwhile, bilateral oophorectomy resulted in a lower trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV) in the proximal tibia of the sham-OVX animals. Three months after bilateral oophorectomy, BV/TV was 14.29% of baseline BV/TV in OVX legs versus 45.91% in the sham-OVX legs (P < 0.001). These data showed that the SD rats became a suitable model of osteoporosis, 3 months after they were OVX. Immunohistochemical analysis showed higher levels of BMP-2 and OPG expression in the treatment group than those in the control group. Compared with the contralateral controls, decreased expression of OPG and BMP-2 at 3 days after roughly focused ESWT, followed by a later increase at 7 days, was indicated by real-time PCR and Western blotting analysis. The OPG messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels peaked at 6 weeks after the shock wave treatment, paired with a much earlier (at 4 weeks) increase of BMP-2, and declined close to normal at 8 weeks.

CONCLUSIONSRoughly focused ESWT may promote the expression of OPG and BMP-2 in the osteoporotic fracture area in rats. BMP-2 and OPG may act synergistically and may lead to a significant enhancement of bone formation and remodeling.

Animals ; Bone Density ; radiation effects ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 ; metabolism ; Female ; Femur ; metabolism ; radiation effects ; Fracture Healing ; radiation effects ; High-Energy Shock Waves ; Osteoporotic Fractures ; metabolism ; therapy ; Osteoprotegerin ; metabolism ; Ovariectomy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tibia ; metabolism ; radiation effects

This study was conducted to elucidate the reproductive effect of NP on testis, epididymis and epididymal sperm in vivo. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were gavaged with NP at 0, 40, 100, or 250 mg/kg body weight (bw) on alternate days for 90 d. The results showed that oral administration of NP may damage the structure and function of testis, induce apoptosis and oxidative stress in epididymis or even have cytotoxic effects on epididymal sperm.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Epididymis ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Phenols ; adverse effects ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects ; Spermatogenesis ; drug effects ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Testis ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Testosterone ; blood

BACKGROUNDExcessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is often associated with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and contributes to a number of comorbidities in these patients. Therefore, early detection of EDS is critical in disease management. We examined the association between Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) and diagnostic accuracy of ESS in assessing EDS in OSAHS patients.

METHODSThe ESS, MSLT and overnight polysomnography were administered to 107 Chinese patients to assess EDS and its correlations with polysomnographic parameters. The diagnostic accuracy of ESS in classifying EDS (mean sleep latency (MSL) ≤ 10 minutes) was evaluated by calculating the area under ROC curve.

RESULTSAs the severity of OSAHS increased, MSL decreased with increase in ESS score. Conversely, patients with worsening EDS (shorter MSL) were characterized by advanced nocturnal hypoxaemia and sleep disruption compared to those with normal MSL, suggesting EDS is associated with more severe OSAHS. There was a negative correlation between ESS score and MSL and both moderately correlated with some polysomnographic nocturnal hypoxaemic parameters. The area under ROC curve of ESS for identifying EDS was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.71 to 0.88) and ESS score ≥ 12 provided the best predictive value with a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 69%.

CONCLUSIONThe ESS score moderately correlates with MSL and our ROC study supports ESS as a screening strategy for assessing EDS in OSAHS.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polysomnography ; Sleep ; physiology ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; physiopathology ; Sleep Stages ; physiology