In the era of big data, neuroimaging and algorithmic analyses have propelled brain science research and brain mapping. Acupuncture, widely recognized as an effective surface stimulation therapy, has demonstrated therapeutic efficacy for various brain conditions such as stroke and depression. However, the mechanisms linking acupuncture to brain function and its modulatory effects on brain activity require systematic exploration. Additionally, there is an urgent need to scientifically reinterpret traditional meridian theory and enhance its clinical applicability. Therefore, we propose the initiative of constructing a "brain mapping atlas of meridian, collateral and body surface stimulation" to explore the patterns linking the therapeutic effects of stimulating the twelve meridians, eight extraordinary vessels, divergent channels, collateral channels, sinew channels, and skin regions to brain function. This initiative aims to provide a scientific interpretation of traditional Chinese medicine meridian theory and enhance its practical applicability. This paper begins by reviewing the current state of brain mapping. It then summarizes existing research on the relationship between acupuncture and the brain, highlighting the necessity of constructing this atlas. The paper further analyzes the methodologies and technical challenges involved. Finally, the potential applications of the brain mapping atlas of meridian, collateral and body surface stimulation, and its main significance in advancing traditional meridian theory to keep pace with the times are prospected.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Meridians ; Big Data ; Brain/physiology* ; Brain Mapping

Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal condition characterized by reduced bone mass and strength, leading to increased fragility. Buqi-Tongluo (BQTL) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has yet to be fully evaluated for its potential in treating bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To investigate the mechanism by which BQTL decoction inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and validate these findings through in vivo experiments. We employed MTS assays to assess the potential proliferative or toxic effects of BQTL on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) at various concentrations. TRAcP experiments were conducted to examine BQTL's impact on osteoclast differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the relative expression levels of osteoclast-specific genes and proteins under BQTL stimulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using an osteoporosis model to further validate the in vitro findings. This study revealed that BQTL suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner without observable cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effects of BQTL on osteoclast formation and function were attributed to the downregulation of NFATc1 and c-fos activity, primarily through attenuation of the MAPK, NF-κB, and Calcineurin signaling pathways. BQTL's inhibitory capacity was further examined in vivo using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, demonstrating a strong protective effect against bone loss. BQTL may serve as an effective therapeutic TCM for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the alleviation of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency and related conditions.
Animals ; NFATC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Female ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Resorption/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Humans ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

This article systematically reviews the role and relationship of heme oxygenase(HO)in the pathogenesis of metabolic associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)and discusses the biological function of HO,its expression in the liver,its association with lipid metabolism,and its regulatory role in inflammatory reaction and oxidative stress,in order to reveal the potential therapeutic targets and mechanism of HO in MAFLD and provide new perspectives and directions for future treatment strategies.

This article systematically reviews the role and relationship of heme oxygenase （HO） in the pathogenesis of metabolic associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） and discusses the biological function of HO， its expression in the liver， its association with lipid metabolism， and its regulatory role in inflammatory reaction and oxidative stress， in order to reveal the potential therapeutic targets and mechanism of HO in MAFLD and provide new perspectives and directions for future treatment strategies.

Objective:To explore the application of observation teaching discussion (OTD) in vascular surgery nursing intern teaching under the guidance of process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) theory.Methods:Forty nursing students who were doing their internship in The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from July 2022 to July 2023 were randomly divided into two groups using a random number table: control group (20 students, OTD teaching) and observation group (20 students, POGIL theory-guided teaching) . The two groups were compared for competence assessment scores before entering the department and 3 days prior to departure from the department, autonomous learning ability scale scores, Competency Inventory for Registered Nurses (CIRN) scores, and Chinese Problem Solving Inventory (CPSI) scores. T-tests and chi-square tests were conducted using SPSS 22.0. Results:Three days prior to departure from the department, the theoretical performance and practical performance were significantly better in the observation group [(91.67±5.22) and (89.69±4.36) points, respectively] than in the control group [(84.53±4.75) and (82.41±4.18) points, respectively] ( P<0.05). The observation group also performed significantly better than the control group in autonomous learning ability scale score [(139.52±13.52) vs. (128.86±10.76)], CIRN score [(207.73±6.23) vs. (195.67±5.98)], and CPSI score [(103.60±4.72) vs. (92.18±5.03)] (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The application of OTD in vascular surgery nursing intern teaching under the guidance of POGIL theory can improve the autonomous learning ability, core ability, and problem-solving ability of nursing interns.

Here, we report a previously unrecognized syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder associated with biallelic loss-of-function variants in the RBM42 gene. The patient is a 2-year-old female with severe central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities, hypotonia, hearing loss, congenital heart defects, and dysmorphic facial features. Familial whole-exome sequencing (WES) reveals that the patient has two compound heterozygous variants, c.304C>T (p.R102*) and c.1312G>A (p.A438T), in the RBM42 gene which encodes an integral component of splicing complex in the RNA-binding motif protein family. The p.A438T variant is in the RRM domain which impairs RBM42 protein stability in vivo. Additionally, p.A438T disrupts the interaction of RBM42 with hnRNP K, which is the causative gene for Au-Kline syndrome with overlapping disease characteristics seen in the index patient. The human R102* or A438T mutant protein failed to fully rescue the growth defects of RBM42 ortholog knockout ΔFgRbp1 in Fusarium while it was rescued by the wild-type (WT) human RBM42. A mouse model carrying Rbm42 compound heterozygous variants, c.280C>T (p.Q94*) and c.1306_1308delinsACA (p.A436T), demonstrated gross fetal developmental defects and most of the double mutant animals died by E13.5. RNA-seq data confirmed that Rbm42 was involved in neurological and myocardial functions with an essential role in alternative splicing (AS). Overall, we present clinical, genetic, and functional data to demonstrate that defects in RBM42 constitute the underlying etiology of a new neurodevelopmental disease which links the dysregulation of global AS to abnormal embryonic development.
Female ; Animals ; Mice ; Humans ; Child, Preschool ; Intellectual Disability/genetics* ; Heart Defects, Congenital/genetics* ; Facies ; Cleft Palate ; Muscle Hypotonia

Objective:To investigate the effects of early percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on myocardial perfusion and left ventricular function in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after thrombolysis.Methods:A total of 108 patients with STEMI treated in the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2020 to December 2022 were divided into early PCI following thrombolysis group ( n=65) and primary PCI (pPCI) group ( n=43). The general clinical data, and the parameters of routine echocardiography at 1 day after PCI and before discharge were compared between the two groups. Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) was used to evaluate myocardial perfusion at 1 day after PCI and before discharge. Results:There were no significant differences in general clinical data between the early PCI following thrombolysis group and the pPCI group (all P>0.05). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in the early PCI following thrombolysis group and pPCI group before discharge was significantly higher than that on the 1st day after PCI(both P<0.05). The difference of LVEF was significant between the early PCI following thrombolysis group and the pPCI group before discharge and 1 day after PCI ( P<0.05). Compared with 1 day after PCI, the global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) of left ventricle increased in early PCI following thrombolysis group and pPCI group before discharge(both P<0.05). The difference of LVGLS between early PCI following thrombolysis group and pPCI group before discharge and 1 day after discharge was statistically significant( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), left atrial volume (LAV), ratio of mitral early diastolic velocity to late diastolic velocity (E/A), mean early diastolic velocity of mitral annulus (Em) and E/Em 1 day after PCI and before discharge between early PCI following thrombolysis group and pPCI group (all P>0.05). MCE showed that the MCE score index of early PCI following thrombolysis group and pPCI group before discharge was significantly lower than that of 1 day after PCI(both P<0.001). Compared to the 1 day after PCI, the early PCI following thrombolysis group showed a significant increase in the proportion of normal microvascular perfusion (nMVP) and a decrease in the proportion of delayed microvascular perfusion (dMVP) and microvascular obstruction (MVO) before discharge (all P<0.05). In contrast, the pPCI group demonstrated a significant decrease in the proportion of both nMVP and dMVP before discharge compared to the first day after PCI (all P<0.05). However, the decrease in the proportion of MVO was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Early PCI following thrombolysis and pPCI can enhance left ventricular systolic function and myocardial perfusion in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Early PCI following thrombolysis may offer additional advantages in improving left ventricular systolic function and myocardial perfusion.

Objective:To clarify the key genes and biological processes in spermatogenesis, integrate and analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and key signaling pathways in the differentiation process of human spermatogonia (SPG), and to explore the early molecular mechanism of spermatogenesis, increase the molecular biology understanding of SPG differentiation process.Methods:The transcriptome data of human undifferentiated spermatogonia and differentiated spermatogonia (dSPG) were downloaded from the public database. Hisat2 and StingTie were used to screen DEGs. DEGs were analyzed by gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) functional enrichment analysis. MACS2 software was used to analyze the open chromatin regions (OCRs) in ATAC-seq data.Results:A total of 8 532 DEGs were screened, including 4 127 up-regulated genes and 4 405 down-regulated genes. They regulate the differentiation of SPG through some important biological processes, such as cell cycle, cytokine-mediated signaling pathways, organic matter metabolism, cell movement, and methylation. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that some important signaling pathways including FoxO signaling pathway and JAK-STAT signaling pathway played an important role in SPG differentiation. GO enrichment analysis showed that methylation played an important role in the differentiation of SPG, and the expression of methylation-related genes was significantly different. The TDRDs family was significantly enriched, and 9 TDRDs genes were found to be more active in dSPG. Conclusion:In this study, the differentially expressed genes during SPG differentiation were identified by bioinformatics analysis, and the differences in transcription and chromatin levels of key genes were clarified, which laid an important theoretical foundation for the study of SPG differentiation mechanism.

Objective:To clarify the key genes and biological processes in spermatogenesis, integrate and analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and key signaling pathways in the differentiation process of human spermatogonia (SPG), and to explore the early molecular mechanism of spermatogenesis, increase the molecular biology understanding of SPG differentiation process.Methods:The transcriptome data of human undifferentiated spermatogonia and differentiated spermatogonia (dSPG) were downloaded from the public database. Hisat2 and StingTie were used to screen DEGs. DEGs were analyzed by gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) functional enrichment analysis. MACS2 software was used to analyze the open chromatin regions (OCRs) in ATAC-seq data.Results:A total of 8 532 DEGs were screened, including 4 127 up-regulated genes and 4 405 down-regulated genes. They regulate the differentiation of SPG through some important biological processes, such as cell cycle, cytokine-mediated signaling pathways, organic matter metabolism, cell movement, and methylation. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that some important signaling pathways including FoxO signaling pathway and JAK-STAT signaling pathway played an important role in SPG differentiation. GO enrichment analysis showed that methylation played an important role in the differentiation of SPG, and the expression of methylation-related genes was significantly different. The TDRDs family was significantly enriched, and 9 TDRDs genes were found to be more active in dSPG. Conclusion:In this study, the differentially expressed genes during SPG differentiation were identified by bioinformatics analysis, and the differences in transcription and chromatin levels of key genes were clarified, which laid an important theoretical foundation for the study of SPG differentiation mechanism.

Objective:To investigate the effect of deescalation noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in the removal of endotracheal intubation in patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection (AAD) complicated with obesity.Methods:A total of 80 obese patients with AAD from March 2018 to January 2020 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University were divided into experimental group and control group with 40 cases in each group by random number table method. The control group received traditional oxygen treatment with mask, while the experimental group received de-escalation noninvasive positive pressure ventilation. The blood gas index, respiratory rate and respiratory comfort score was recorded at different times before and after intervention, make a comparison with the two groups in the incidence of hypoxemia, secondary intubation and other complications.Results:Finally, 36 cases were included in the experimental group and 38 cases in the control group. After 2, 8, 24, 48, 72 h of extubation, the oxygenation index, PaO 2, SaO 2 were higher and PaCO 2, respiratory rate were lower in the experimental group compared to the control group, the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 2.02-9.00, all P<0.05). At 72 h after extubation, the pH value of the experimental group was 7.43 ± 0.08, which was higher than 7.38 ± 0.09 of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=2.44, P<0.05). At 24, 48, 72 h after extubation, the throat pain scores and oral nasal dryness symptom and sore throat symptom scores were (3.11 ± 1.53), (2.25 ± 0.57), (0.94 ± 0.14) points and (4.33 ± 1.08), (3.33 ± 0.68), (2.81 ± 0.43) points in the experimental group, lower than in the control group (5.24 ± 1.96), (3.58 ± 0.73), (2.18 ± 0.91) points and (6.00 ± 1.92), (5.39 ± 1.13), (4.79 ± 0.54) points, the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 3.46-5.21, all P<0.05). The incidence of hypoxemia, secondary intubation and intolerance were 2.8% (1/36), 2.8% (1/36) and 0 in the experimental group, lower than in the control group 26.3% (10/38), 21.1% (8/38) and 10.5% (4/38), the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=8.09, 5.78, 4.01, all P<0.05). Conclusions:De-escalation noninvasive positive pressure ventilation for obese patients with AAD can effectively improve oxygenation, reduce the incidence of hypoxemia and secondary intubation, and alleviate respiratory symptoms.