Objective To investigate the clinical effect of Sansheng Decoction combined with Chinese herbal medicine fumigation on patients with lumbar disc herniation after percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy(PELD).Methods Sixty-six patients with lumbar disc herniation of liver and kidney deficiency complicated with blood-stasis syndrome who were planning to take PELD were randomly divided into control group and treatment group,33 cases in each group.Both groups were treated with PELD.After PELD,the control group was routinely treated with anti-inflammatory,analgesic,neurotrophic and anti-infective treatment.On the basis of treatment for the control group,the treatment group was treated with modified Sansheng Decoction(composed of Eucommiae Cortex,Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma,Corni Fructus,Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma,Acanthopanacis Cortex,etc.)orally combined with Chinese herbal medicine fumigation(consists of Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix,Angelicae Sinensis Radix,Spatholobi Caulis,Taxilli Herba,Kadsurae Coccineae Radix,etc.).Before and after treatment,the changes of Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)score of lumbar pain,Japanese Orthopedic Association(JOA)score and Oswestry Disability Index(ODI)score of lumbar function in the two groups were observed.Moreover,the postoperative complications and recurrence in the two groups were compared.Results(1)After 1 month,3 months and 6 months of treatment,except that there was no significant difference between the post-6-month VAS scores and the post-3-month VAS scores in the control group(P＞0.05),the VAS scores of lumbar pain in the two groups were all significantly lowered compared with those at the previous observation time point(P＜0.05),and the decrease in the treatment group after 1 month,3 months and 6 months of treatment was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(2)After 1 month,3 months and 6 months of treatment,except that the JOA scores of lumbar function in the control group after 6 months of treatment did not differ from those after 3 months of treatment(P＞0.05),the JOA scores of the two groups were all significantly increased compared with those at the previous observation time point(P＜0.05),and the increase in the treatment group after 1 month,3 months and 6 months of treatment was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.01).(3)After 1 month,3 months and 6 months of treatment,the ODI score of lumbar function in the two groups were all significantly decreased compared with those at the previous observation time point(P＜0.05),and the decrease in the treatment group after 1 month,3 months and 6 months of treatment was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.01).(4)In terms of the complications,no injury of nerve root and dura mater or other adverse reactions occurred in the two groups after operation.(5)During the trial,there was one patient lost from each group,and the remaining patients were followed up for 3 years.Within the 3 years,4 patients in the control group relapsed,and one patient in the treatment group relapsed,and all of the relapsed patients did not receive reoperation.Conclusion Sansheng Decoction combined with Chinese herbal medicine fumigation exerts certain effect in the treatment of patients with liver and kidney deficiency complicated with blood-stasis syndrome after PELD for lumbar disc herniation.The therapy can effectively relieve postoperative pain and promote the recovery of postoperative lumbar function.

Objective:To explore the correlation between serum levels of interleukin-9 (IL-9), platelet activating factor (PAF), total immunoglobulin E (IgE), interferon γ (IFN-γ), and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU).Methods:Sixty CSU active phase patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from March 2018 to March 2019 were selected and included in the CSU active phase group. Based on the 7-day Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7), they were divided into three groups: 15 mild group, 25 moderate group, and 20 severe group; And 19 patients who entered the quiescent phase of the disease after 28 days of standardized antihistamine treatment were included in the CSU quiescent phase group. Another 30 healthy subjects who participated in the physical examination at the same time at our hospital′s physical examination center were selected to be included in the healthy control group. 5 ml of fasting elbow vein blood was collected from CSU active and stationary patients, as well as healthy subjects. The serum levels of IL-9, PAF, total IgE, IFN-γ, and IL-4 were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Pearson correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between serum IL-9, PAF levels and total IgE, IFN-γ, and IL-4 levels in CSU active patients.Results:The serum levels of IL-9, PAF, total IgE, and IL-4 in the CSU active phase group were higher than those in the CSU stationary phase group and healthy control group (all P<0.05), and the serum IFN-γ levels were lower than those in the CSU stationary phase group and healthy control group (all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the levels of the above indicators between the healthy control group and the CSU stationary group (all P>0.05). The serum levels of IL-9, PAF, total IgE, and IL-4 in the severe group were significantly higher than those in the mild and moderate groups (all P<0.05), and the serum IFN-γ levels were significantly lower than those in the mild and moderate groups (all P<0.05); The serum levels of IL-9, PAF, total IgE, and IL-4 in the moderate group were significantly higher than those in the mild group (all P<0.05), and the serum IFN-γ levels were significantly lower than those in the mild group ( P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum IL-9 and PAF levels were positively correlated with serum total IgE and IL-4 levels in CSU active phase patients (IL-9: r=0.726, 0.870, PAF: r=0.788, 0.795, all P<0.01), and negatively correlated with serum IFN-γ levels (IL-9: r=-0.831, PAF: r=-0.816, all P<0.01). Conclusions:The serum levels of IL-9 and PAF in patients with active CSU are elevated and correlated with total IgE, IFN-γ, and IL-4 levels, suggesting that IL-9 and PAF may be related to the occurrence and development of CSU.

Brain computer interface(BCI)is a rapidly developing rehabilitation technology in recent years, which has been gradually used for cognitive rehabilitation of stroke patients.BCI can activate brain regions related to cognition to a greater extent through motor imagery and neural feedback technology, promote functional connectivity between brain regions, and ameliorate cognitive impairment after stroke.This paper summarized the mechanisms involved in BCI promoting cognitive rehabilitation and current applications of BCI in post-stroke cognitive impairment, and identifies the shortcomings of BCI in the treatment of post-stroke cognitive impairment, in order to provide insight for the research and clinical practice of BCI in post-stroke cognitive rehabilitation.

Objective:To explore the relationship of serum interleukin (IL) -9 and platelet-activating factor (PAF) levels with serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, disease severity and disease course in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) .Methods:A total of 60 patients with active CSU were collected from Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from March 2018 to March 2019 (active CSU group), and divided into mild group, moderate group and severe group according to 7-day urticaria activity score (UAS7). After 28-day standard antihistamine therapy, the patients whose condition became stable were included in the stable CSU group. During the same period, 30 health examinees were included in the healthy control group. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected from the subjects in each group, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect serum levels of IL-9 and PAF, and immunoturbidimetric assay to detect the serum total IgE level. Correlations of serum IL-9 and PAF levels with serum total IgE levels, UAS7 scores and disease courses were analyzed in patients with CSU. One-way analysis of variance was used for comparisons among multiple groups, least significant difference- t test for multiple comparisons, and Pearson correlation analysis for correlation analysis. Results:Totally, 28 males and 32 females were included in the active CSU group, their age ranged from 11 to 68 years (34.68 ± 8.62 years), and the disease duration ranged from 2 months to 7 years (1.42 ± 0.41 years). In the healthy control group, 14 were males and 16 were females, and their age ranged from 10 to 70 years (35.06 ± 7.89 years). According to UAS7, 12, 26, and 22 patients were diagnosed with mild, moderate and severe CSU respectively, and 22 were included in the stable CSU group after standard treatment. The levels of serum IL-9, PAF and total IgE significantly differed among the active CSU group, stable CSU group and healthy control group (IL-9: 144.34 ± 23.19 vs. 109.25 ± 20.77 vs. 107.23 ± 19.23 pg/ml; PAF: 362.45 ± 51.45 vs. 223.18 ± 32.46 vs. 221.23 ± 28.38 pg/ml; total IgE: 168.12 ± 32.48 vs. 24.04 ± 7.04 vs. 21.76 ± 5.95 IU/ml; F = 38.80, 148.38, 499.12, respectively, all P < 0.001), and were significantly higher in the active CSU group than in the stable CSU group and healthy control group (all P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference between the stable CSU group and healthy control group (all P > 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the serum IL-9 and PAF levels were positively correlated with serum total IgE levels and UAS7 scores (all P < 0.05), but not correlated with the disease course (both P > 0.05) . Conclusion:Serum IL-9 and PAF levels in patients with active CSU were markedly elevated along with the increase in disease severity, and closely correlated with serum total IgE levels.

Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) represents a variety of sensorineural deafness conditions characterized by abnormal inner hair cells and/or auditory nerve function, but with the preservation of outer hair cell function. ANSD represents up to 15% of individuals with hearing impairments. Through mutation screening, bioinformatic analysis and expression studies, we have previously identified several apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) mitochondria-associated 1 (AIFM1) variants in ANSD families and in some other sporadic cases. Here, to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms underlying each AIFM1 variant, we generated AIF-null cells using the clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system and constructed AIF-wild type (WT) and AIF-mutant (mut) (p.‍T260A, p.‍R422W, and p.‍R451Q) stable transfection cell lines. We then analyzed AIF structure, coenzyme-binding affinity, apoptosis, and other aspects. Results revealed that these variants resulted in impaired dimerization, compromising AIF function. The reduction reaction of AIF variants had proceeded slower than that of AIF-WT. The average levels of AIF dimerization in AIF variant cells were only 34.5%‍‒‍49.7% of that of AIF-WT cells, resulting in caspase-independent apoptosis. The average percentage of apoptotic cells in the variants was 12.3%‍‒‍17.9%, which was significantly higher than that (6.9%‍‒‍7.4%) in controls. However, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) treatment promoted the reduction of apoptosis by rescuing AIF dimerization in AIF variant cells. Our findings show that the impairment of AIF dimerization by AIFM1 variants causes apoptosis contributing to ANSD, and introduce NADH as a potential drug for ANSD treatment. Our results help elucidate the mechanisms of ANSD and may lead to the provision of novel therapies.
Humans ; Apoptosis Inducing Factor/metabolism* ; NAD/metabolism* ; Dimerization ; Apoptosis

ObjectiveTo investigate the anti-convulsant activity of goat horn and its effect on the main neurotransmitters in the brain of model mice. MethodA total of 120 mice were randomly divided into a blank group，a model group，a positive drug group （estazolam， 1 mg·kg^-1）， a Saigae Tataricae Cornu （STC， 0.2 g·kg^-1） group， and low- （1.25 g·kg^-1） and high-dose （2.5 g·kg^-1） goat horn groups. Drugs were administered by gavage once at 10 mL·kg^-1. Those in the blank group and the model group were given the same volume of 0.2% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose （CMC-Na）. The mice underwent threshold electrical stimulation once 2 h after administration. Ankylosing convulsion in the hind limbs of mice was used as the index to calculate the recovery period， convulsion rate， and mortality of ankylosing convulsion. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （UPLC-MS/MS） was established to analyze the changes in the content of the main neurotransmitters in the brain tissues of mice. ResultTwo hours after intragastric administration of goat horn powder to mice， the recovery period of convulsion could be shortened and the convulsion rate and mortality were reduced （P<0.05）. In terms of anti-convulsant effect， the groups were ranked as follows： high-dose goat horn group > STC group > low-dose goat horn group. UPLC-MS/MS analysis showed that compared with the results in the model group， goat horn powder and STC decreased the content of glutamic acid and aspartic acid （P<0.05） and increased the content of glycine， γ-aminobutyric acid， and 5-hydroxytryptamine （P<0.05）. ConclusionThe results showed that goat horn had a significant anti-convulsant effect on the electroshock-induced convulsion mouse model， and the underlying mechanism was presumably attributed to the improvement of the development of convulsion by regulating the changes in neurotransmitter content in brain tissues.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a common cerebral small vessel disease, mainly caused by β-amyloid deposition on the small vessels less than 200 μm in diameter in cortex and leptomeninges. CAA is a major cause of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage in the elderly, especially lobar location. Early symptoms are insidious, and as the disease progress, they manifest as cerebral hemorrhage, cognitive decline, transient focal neurological episodes, cerebral infarction, epilepsy, headache, etc. MRI revealed that CAA is a disease in which bleeding and ischemia coexist, and even inflammation and immune responses are involved. MRI findings of CAA include cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral microbleeds, convexity subarachnoid hemorrhage and cortical superficial siderosis, cortical microinfarcts, CAA-associated inflammation, white matter hyperintensities, enlarged perivascular spaces, cerebral atrophy and lacune, etc. The same patient often has several of the above manifestations, and each manifestation has different specificity for the diagnosis of CAA. The rapid development of MRI technology has led to the improvement of the diagnostic level of CAA, and it is of great clinical significance to understand these imaging findings. This article reviews the MRI findings of sporadic CAA.

Tongue diagnosis is an indispensable objective basis for TCM diagnosis and treatment of epidemic diseases.To understand its application in an epidemic situation and to support in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases using traditional Chinese medicine,the tongue image APP was implemented in this study to monitor the tongue image features of patients with new coronavirus pneumonia.It has been discovered through practice that the tongue image APP enables medical professionals to objectively,conveniently,quickly,and flexibly collect the patient's tongue image.It has also been discovered through the analysis of the tongue image characteristic data that the tongue image APP can,to a certain extent,objectively reflect the general law of the tongue image characteristics of the new crown pneumonia.According to the tongue image data gathered by the Tongue Image APP,Xinguan pneumonia patients'tongues were typically red,their fur was typically white,yellow,or both white and yellow,and they had a greater amount of thick and greasy fur.Nevertheless,there are still several issues with the Tongue APP application that have been noted:①The consistency of tongue shape and coating was poor;for instance,the inconsistency rate between a thin and fat tongue was as high as 62.96%;②The tongue image analysis index in the APP is still mostly a qualitative index,and the degree of discriminating is insufficient.The results of this study demonstrate that the tongue image information of different ages,sexes,disease classifications,and onset times does not reflect obvious differences and certain rules.③The tongue image characteristic indexes gathered by the tongue image APP are insufficient and do not include information on glossiness of tongue image(such as dark tongue)and tongue state.To promote the adoption of the tongue image APP and better support the prevention and treatment of epidemic diseases by traditional Chinese medicine,we should fully integrate modern advanced science and technology,improve the short videos of tongue coating,quantification of qualitative indicators,comprehensive collection of tongue image characteristic indicators,etc.

Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) represents a variety of sensorineural deafness conditions characterized by abnormal inner hair cells and/or auditory nerve function, but with the preservation of outer hair cell function. ANSD represents up to 15％ of individuals with hearing impairments. Through mutation screening, bioinformatic analysis and expression studies, we have previously identified several apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) mitochondria-associated 1 (AIFM1) variants in ANSD families and in some other sporadic cases. Here, to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms underlying each AIFM1 variant, we generated AIF-null cells using the clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system and constructed AIF-wild type (WT) and AIF-mutant (mut) (p.T260A, p.R422W, and p.R451Q) stable transfection cell lines. We then analyzed AIF structure, coenzyme-binding affinity, apoptosis, and other aspects. Results revealed that these variants resulted in impaired dimerization, compromising AIF function. The reduction reaction of AIF variants had proceeded slower than that of AIF-WT. The average levels of AIF dimerization in AIF variant cells were only 34.5％?49.7％ of that of AIF-WT cells, resulting in caspase-independent apoptosis. The average percentage of apoptotic cells in the variants was 12.3％?17.9％, which was significantly higher than that (6.9％?7.4％) in controls. However, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) treatment promoted the reduction of apoptosis by rescuing AIF dimerization in AIF variant cells. Our findings show that the impairment of AIF dimerization by AIFM1 variants causes apoptosis contributing to ANSD, and introduce NADH as a potential drug for ANSD treatment. Our results help elucidate the mechanisms of ANSD and may lead to the provision of novel therapies.

Objective:To understand the characteristics of type D personality in patients with ischemic stroke, and to explore the correlation between type D personality and carotid plaque vulnerability in patients with ischemic stroke.Methods:From November 2019 to December 2020, convenience sampling was used to select 125 patients with ischemic stroke who underwent carotid color Doppler ultrasound examination in the Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University as the research subject. Carotid plaques were measured by color Doppler ultrasound in patients with ischemic stroke to determine whether they were vulnerable plaques. The patients were investigated using the Type D Personality Scale.Results:The proportion of type D personality in ischemic stroke patients was 52.8% (66/125) . Logistic regression analysis showed that type D personality and the social inhibition dimension of type D personality were the influencing factors of carotid plaque vulnerability in patients with ischemic stroke ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:Type D personality is closely associated with carotid plaque vulnerability in ischemic stroke patients. Medical and nursing staff should strengthen the screening of type D personality in patients with ischemic stroke and implement early intervention.