ObjectiveMagnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive neuroimaging technique, meticulously captures the magnetic fields emanating from brain electrical activity. Compared with MEG based on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID), MEG based on optically pump magnetometer (OPM) has the advantages of higher sensitivity, better spatial resolution and lower cost. However, most of the current studies are clinical studies, and there is a lack of animal studies on MEG based on OPM technology. Pain, a multifaceted sensory and emotional phenomenon, induces intricate alterations in brain activity, exhibiting notable sex differences. Despite clinical revelations of pain-related neuronal activity through MEG, specific properties remain elusive, and comprehensive laboratory studies on pain-associated brain activity alterations are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inflammatory pain (induced by Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA)) on brain activity in a rat model using the MEG technique, to analysis changes in brain activity during pain perception, and to explore sex differences in pain-related MEG signaling. MethodsThis study utilized adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Inflammatory pain was induced via intraplantar injection of CFA (100 μl, 50% in saline) in the left hind paw, with control groups receiving saline. Pain behavior was assessed using von Frey filaments at baseline and 1 h post-injection. For MEG recording, anesthetized rats had an OPM positioned on their head within a magnetic shield, undergoing two 15-minute sessions: a 5-minute baseline followed by a 10-minute mechanical stimulation phase. Data analysis included artifact removal and time-frequency analysis of spontaneous brain activity using accumulated spectrograms, generating spectrograms focused on the 4-30 Hz frequency range. ResultsMEG recordings in anesthetized rats during resting states and hind paw mechanical stimulation were compared, before and after saline/CFA injections. Mechanical stimulation elevated alpha activity in both male and female rats pre- and post-saline/CFA injections. Saline/CFA injections augmented average power in both sexes compared to pre-injection states. Remarkably, female rats exhibited higher average spectral power 1 h after CFA injection than after saline injection during resting states. Furthermore, despite comparable pain thresholds measured by classical pain behavioral tests post-CFA treatment, female rats displayed higher average power than males in the resting state after CFA injection. ConclusionThese results imply an enhanced perception of inflammatory pain in female rats compared to their male counterparts. Our study exhibits sex differences in alpha activities following CFA injection, highlighting heightened brain alpha activity in female rats during acute inflammatory pain in the resting state. Our study provides a method for OPM-based MEG recordings to be used to study brain activity in anaesthetized animals. In addition, the findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of pain-related neural activity and pain sex differences.

PURPOSE: The secondary damage of spinal cord injury (SCI) starts from the collapse of the blood spinal cord barrier (BSCB) to chronic and devastating neurological deficits. Thereby, the retention of the integrity and permeability of BSCB is well-recognized as one of the major therapies to promote functional recovery after SCI. Previous studies have demonstrated that activation of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) provides anti-apoptosis and neuroprotection in SCI. Endogenous HIF-1α, rapidly degraded by prolylhydroxylase, is insufficient for promoting functional recovery. Dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG), a highly selective inhibitor of prolylhydroxylase, has been reported to have a positive effect on axon regeneration. However, the roles and underlying mechanisms of DMOG in BSCB restoration remain unclear. Herein, we aim to investigate pathological changes of BSCB restoration in rats with SCI treated by DOMG and evaluate the therapeutic effects of DMOG. METHODS: The work was performed from 2022 to 2023. In this study, Allen's impact model and human umbilical vein endothelial cells were employed to explore the mechanism of DMOG. In the phenotypic validation experiment, the rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham group, SCI group, and SCI + DMOG group (10 rats for each). Histological analysis via Nissl staining, Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan scale, and footprint analysis was used to evaluate the functional recovery after SCI. Western blotting, TUNEL assay, and immunofluorescence staining were employed to exhibit levels of tight junction and adhesion junction of BSCB, HIF-1α, cell apoptosis, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The one-way ANOVA test was used for statistical analysis. The difference was considered statistically significant at p < 0.05. RESULTS: In this study, we observed the expression of HIF-1α reduced in the SCI model. DMOG treatment remarkably augmented HIF-1α level, alleviated endothelial cells apoptosis and disruption of BSCB, and enhanced functional recovery post-SCI. Besides, the administration of DMOG offset the activation of ER stress induced by SCI, but this phenomenon was blocked by tunicamycin (an ER stress activator). Finally, we disclosed that DMOG maintained the integrity and permeability of BSCB by inhibiting ER stress, and inhibition of HIF-1α erased the protection from DMOG. CONCLUSIONS Our findings illustrate that the administration of DMOG alleviates the devastation of BSCB and HIF-1α-induced inhibition of ER stress.
Spinal Cord Injuries/pathology* ; Animals ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Amino Acids, Dicarboxylic/therapeutic use* ; Recovery of Function/drug effects* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism* ; Male ; Spinal Cord/blood supply*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between physical activity and genetic risk and their combined effects on the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 318,085 biobank participants from the UK. Physical activity was assessed using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The participants were stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-genetic-risk groups based on their polygenic risk scores. Multivariate Cox regression models and multiplicative interaction analyses were used. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 13 years, 9,209 participants were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For low genetic risk, compared to low physical activity, the hazard ratios ( HRs) for moderate and high physical activity were 0.853 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: 0.748-0.972) and 0.831 (95% CI: 0.727-0.950), respectively. For intermediate genetic risk, the HRs were 0.829 (95% CI: 0.758-0.905) and 0.835 (95% CI: 0.764-0.914), respectively. For participants with high genetic risk, the HRs were 0.809 (95% CI: 0.746-0.877) and 0.818 (95% CI: 0.754-0.888), respectively. A significant interaction was observed between genetic risk and physical activity. CONCLUSION Moderate or high levels of physical activity were associated with a lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease across all genetic risk groups, highlighting the need to tailor activity interventions for genetically susceptible individuals.
Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology* ; Exercise ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Aged ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Risk Factors ; United Kingdom/epidemiology* ; Incidence ; Adult

Objective To compare the efficacy of renal proximal renal artery denervation(pRDN)and full-length renal artery denervation(fRDN)for treatment of hypertension.Methods Fifty-six hypertensive patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to full-length renal artery denervation group(n=25)and proximal renal artery denervation group(n=31).After the procedure,24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring(24 h-ABPM)at 6 months and office blood pressure at 12 months was recorded for statistical analysis.Results The blood pressure at follow-up reduced significantly in both groups,while there was no significant difference between groups.The baseline office blood pressure in fRDN group and pRDN group was(180±15)/(104±10)mmHg and(180±12)/(103±8)mmHg,respectively,which decreased to(142±9)/(82±7)mmHg and(143±10)/(83±6)mmHg at 12 months postoperatively(P＜0.001 within groups and P＞0.05 between groups).The baseline 24 h-ABPM in the two groups was(162±13)/(95±8)mmHg and(160±12)/(94±8)mmHg,respectively,which decreased to(142±11)/(83±7)mmHg and(141±8)/(81±7)mmHg at 6 months postoperatively(P＜0.001 within groups and P＞0.05 between groups).However,there was no significant difference in the reduction of office blood pressure and ambulatory blood pressure between the two groups.No treatment-related adverse events were observed.Conclusions pRDN has similar antihypertensive effect to fRDN.

Objective To investigate the effect of plasma microRNA(miR)-93-5p on ovarian granulosa cell proliferation in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS)and its possible mechanism.Methods A total of 120 PCOS patients of childbearing period who were treated at Jiaozuo People's Hospital from January 2022 to January 2023 were selected as the PCOS group,and 18 healthy women of childbearing period who were physically examined at the same hospital during the same period were selected as the control group.The age,body weight and height of the subjects in the two groups were recorded,and the body mass index(BMI)was calculated.Fasting venous blood was collected from the subjects during the follicular phase of the natural menstrual cycle or the progesterone-induced withdrawal bleeding phase,and serum levels of luteinizing hormone(LH),follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH),total testosterone(TT),anti-Mullerian hormone(AMH),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),fasting insulin(FINS),and fasting blood glucose(FBG)were measured by using the electrochemical method;and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)was calculated.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the expression level of miR-93-5p in plasma of patients in the two groups.Human ovarian granulosa cells(KGN cells)in logarithmic growth phase were cultured in 6-well plates with 3 × 105 cells per well,and they were randomly divided into the miR-93-5p mimics group,LY294002+miR-93-5p group,AZD5363+miR-93-5p group,negative control(NC)group,and blank control group.The KGN cells in the miR-93-5p group were transfected with miR-93-5p mimics;the KGN cells in the LY294002+miR-93-5p group were transfected with miR-93-5p mimics and treated with 50 mmol·L-1 LY294002 one hour before transfection;the KGN cells in the AZD5363+miR-93-5p group were transfected with miR-93-5p mimics and treated with 50 μmol·L-1 AZD5363 one hour before transfection;the KGN cells in the NC group were transfected with the negative control plasmids;and the KGN cells in the blank control group were not treated at all.The expression of miR-93-5p in the KGN cells in each group was detected by qRT-PCR,and the proliferation of the KGN cells in each group was detected by cell counting kit-8.Results There was no significant differences in age,FSH,ALT,and AST levels of patients between the PCOS group and the blank control group(P＞0.05).The BMI,TT,AMH,LH,FINS,FBG,and HOMA-IR of patients in the PCOS group were significantly higher than those in the blank control group(P＜0.05).The relative expression of miR-93-5p in plasma of patients in the PCOS group was significantly higher than that in the blank control group(t=-5.549,P＜0.001).miR-93-5p was moderately positively correlated with TT,FINS and HOMA-IR(r=0.434,0.622,0.586;P＜0.001)and was mildly positively correlated with FBG and LH(r=0.398,0.398;P＜0.001).The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the optimal cut-off value for plasma miR-93-5p in diagnosing PCOS was 1.380,the area under the curve was 0.906(95％confidence interval:0.839-0.973,P＜0.001),the sensitivity was 0.858,the specificity was 0.833,and the Youden index was 0.691.The relative expression of miR-93-5p in the KGN cells in the miR-93-5p mimics group,LY294002+miR-93-5p group and AZD5363+miR-93-5p group was significantly higher than that in the blank control group and NC group(P＜0.05).After 24,48 and 72 hours of culture,the proliferation of the KGN cells in the miR-93-5p mimics group,LY294002+miR-93-5p group and AZD5363+miR-93-5p group was significantly higher than that in the blank control group and the NC group(P＜0.05);the proliferation of the KGN cells in the LY294002+miR-93-5p group and AZD5363+miR-93-5p group was significantly lower than that in the miR-93-5p mimics group(P＜0.05).Conclusion miR-93-5p in plasma is overexpressed in PCOS patients,and it may be involved in the occurrence and development of PCOS by mediating the proliferation of ovarian granulosa cells through the phosphoinositide 3 kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway.The miR-93-5p level in plasma has a certain diagnostic value for PCOS.

Objective To explore the expression level of microRNA(miR)-320a-3p in peripheral blood in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS)and its possible mechanism for regulating PCOS.Methods A total of 149 PCOS patients admitted to the Jiaozuo People's Hospital from July 2021 to July 2022 were selected as the research subjects(PCOS group),and 18 healthy volunteers with a regular menstrual cycle(28-35 d),no clinical or biochemical manifestations of hyperandrogenism,and no polycystic ovary changes detected by ultrasonography were selected as the control group.Clinical data of the subjects in the two groups were collected and compared.The expression level of miR-320a-3p in plasma of subjects in the two groups was detected by using the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.The correlation between plasma miR-320a-3p expression and clinical indexes was evaluated by using the Pearson partial correlation analysis.The predictive value of miR-320a-3p for PCOS was analyzed by using the receiver operating characteristic curve.The relationship between miR-320a-3p and androgen receptor was evaluated by using the dual luciferase reporter gene assay.Results There was no significant difference in age,hip circumference,follicle stimulating hormone(FSH),prolactin(PRL),and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)between the two groups(P＞0.05).The body mass index,waist circumference,total testosterone(TT),anti-Miillerian hormone(AMH),luteinizing hormone(LH),fasting insulin(FINS),fasting blood glucose(FBG),2-hour postprandial blood glucose(2 h BG),homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR),total cholesterol,triglycerides(TG),and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)of patients in the PCOS group were significantly higher than those in the control group,while the level of estradiol(E2)was significantly lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).The relative expression level of miR-320a-3p in plasma of patients in the PCOS group was significantly lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).The expression level of miR-320a-3p was moderately negatively correlated with TT(r=-0.594,P＜0.05)and slightly negatively correlated with waist circumference,FINS,2 h BG,HOMA-IR,and LDL-C(r=-0.293,-0.208,-0.227,-0.208,-0.208;P＜0.05),and showed no significant correlation with hip circumference,AMH,FSH,E2,PRL,FBG,TG,and HDL-C(r=-0.079,0.020,-0.042,0.089,0.005,-0.141,-0.116,0.059;P＞0.05).The area under the curve of miR-320a-3p for predicting PCOS was 0.968(95％confidence interval:0.922-1.000,P＜0.05),with a cut-off value of 0.515,a sensitivity of 0.917,a specificity of 0.789,and a Jordon index of 0.706.miR-320a-3p negatively regulated androgen receptors.Conclusion miR-320a-3p is abnormally low expressed in peripheral blood of PCOS patients and may participate in the occurrence and development of PCOS by negatively regulating androgen receptors to increase TT levels.It has high predictive value for diagnosing PCOS.

Neurodegenerative diseases are a type of disease characterized by specific types of neuronal loss and progressive progression,mainly represented by Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.This type of disease,due to its intractable and irreversible symptoms,brings great physical and psychological burden to patients,which is seriously disturbing their normal life.In terms of treatment,there is currently no specific treatment for Alzheimer's disease in clinical practice,and first-line treatment drugs for Parkinson's disease also have great limitations.In traditional Chinese medicine,kidney governs bone,generates marrow,and connects to the brain.In clinical evidence typing,premature aging,fatigue and forgetfulness,and tremor of limbs caused by kidney deficiency and medullary reduction are considered to be the main pathologies of these diseases.Di-Huang-Yin-Zi decoction which is derived from the"General Records of Holy Universal Relief",is recorded as a good formula for nourishing kidney yin and filling kidney yang.Clinical data shows that this formula has significant therapeutic effects in treating neurodegenerative diseases caused by kidney essence deficiency.Modern research results indicate that its mechanism of action involves inhibiting inflammatory reactions,regulating mitochondrial autophagy,reversing The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis abnormalities,and neuroprotection.The main effective ingredients in this formula include loganin,echinarin,and schisandrin A.This article aims to summarize and analyze the clinical efficacy,mechanism of action,and active ingredients of Di-Huang-Yin-Zi decoction in the treatment of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease in recent years,in order to clarify the research status of Di-Huang-Yin-Zi decoction in the neurodegenerative disease and provide reference for further research.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of serum levels of C-C motif chemokine ligand 21 (CCL21) and C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3) for stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Methods:Patients with AIS admitted to No.215 Hospital of Shaanxi Nuclear Industry from July 2020 to December 2023 were prospectively included. Serum CCL21 and CXCR3 test results and general clinical data at admission were collected using the hospital electronic medical record system. The independent influencing factors of SAP were identified through multivariate logistic regression analysis, and the predictive value of serum CCL21 and CXCR3 levels for SAP were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results:A total of 150 patients with AIS were enrolled, including 91 males (60.67%), aged 61.48±7.92 years. Among them, 41 patients (27.33%) developed SAP during hospitalization. There were significant differences in serum CCL21 and CXCR3 levels, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, Glasgow Coma Scale score, invasive mechanical ventilation, length of hospital stay, and the proportion of patients with hypertension and diabetes between the SAP group and the non-SAP group (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that serum CCL21 (odds ratio [ OR] 1.022, 95% confidence interval [ CI] 1.006-1.039; P=0.006) and CXCR3 ( OR 1.036, 95% CI 1.018-1.054; P<0.001) levels were the independent risk factors for SAP. ROC curve analysis showed that serum CCL21 and CXCR3 levels had good predictive power separately for SAP. The areas under the curve was 0.730 (95% CI 0.634-0.825) and 0.807 (95% CI 0.721-0.892), respectively. The combined prediction of the two showed an area under the curve of 0.881 (95% CI 0.819-0.943). Conclusion:The patients with AIS generally have higher levels of serum CCL21 and CXCR3. The levels of serum CCL21 and CXCR3 are closely associated with SAP, and both of them have a good predictive effect on SAP alone or in combination.