Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and e-health literacy(e-HL) to investigate the tobacco control intentions and behaviors of non-smoking college students in China: a cross-sectional investigation.

BACKGROUND: Non-smoking college students are starting to smoke in increasing numbers, which shows that their tobacco control situation seems not optimistic. The UTAUT and e-HL are commonly used models and theories to predict health behaviors, while there are few studies on tobacco control. This paper aims to study the influencing factors of tobacco control intention and behavior of non-smoking college students in China by combining the UTAUT and e-HL. METHODS: Based on the stratified sampling method, 625 college students from 12 universities were selected. Data were collected using a self-made questionnaire designed based on the UTAUT and e-health literacy scales. Data were analyzed by SPSS 22 and AMOS 26, including descriptive statistics, one-way variance analysis and structural equation model analysis. RESULTS: The results of one-way variance analysis showed that there were significant differences in the score of non-smoking college students' tobacco control intention or behavior by hometowns, monthly living expenses, and parents' smoking history. Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence had direct positive effects on behavioral intention. Facilitating condition, behavioral intention had direct positive impacts on use behavior and e-HL had an indirect positive impact on use behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of the UTAUT and e-HL can be used as an appropriate framework to predict the influencing factors of non-smoking college students' intention and behavior of tobacco control. Improving performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and e-HL among non-smoking college students, creating positive social environments, and providing facilitating condition are key aspects of increasing their tobacco control intention and behavior. It is also beneficial to promote the implementation of smoke-free campus and smoke-free family projects.

Assessment of exposure and DNA damage from second-hand smoke using potential biomarker in urine: cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

Second-hand smoke exposure is an established cause of several adverse health effects. Tobacco smoke exposure in the environment has been improved by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. However, concerns have been raised regarding the health effects of heated tobacco products. Analysis of tobacco smoke biomarkers is critical for assessing the health effects of second-hand tobacco smoke exposure. In this study, nicotine metabolites (nicotine, cotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine) and carcinogenic 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol were analysed in the urine of non-smokers with or without passive exposure to cigarettes and heated tobacco products. In addition, 7-methylguanine and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine were simultaneously measured as DNA damage markers. The results revealed higher levels of urinary nicotine metabolites and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol in participants exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke (both cigarettes and heated tobacco products) at home. In addition, the urinary levels of 7-methylguanine and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine tended to be higher in the second-hand tobacco smoke-exposed group. The urinary levels of nicotine metabolites and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol were high in workplaces with no protection against passive smoking. These biomarkers will be useful for evaluating passive exposure to tobacco products.

Oxidative stress causes muscle structural alterations via p38 MAPK signaling in COPD mouse model.

INTRODUCTION: Sarcopenia is a complication of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) that negatively affects physical activity and quality of life. However, the underlying mechanism by which COPD affects skeletal muscles remains to be elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the association between oxidative stress and structural alterations in muscles in elastase-induced emphysema mouse models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were treated with either intratracheal porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) dissolved in saline, or saline alone. The mice were euthanized 12 weeks after treatment, and the lungs and limb muscles were used for protein analysis of oxidative stress, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) signaling pathway and muscle atrophy signaling pathway related with oxidative stress. Furthermore, C57BL/6J mice treated with PPE or saline were analyzed for the effects of oral administration of astaxanthin or p38 inhibitor. RESULTS: The weight of the soleus muscle, proportion of type I muscle fibers, and cross-sectional areas of muscle fibers in the PPE group were lower than those in the control group. Oxidative stress marker levels in the PPE group were elevated in skeletal muscles. The p38 MAPK signaling pathway was activated in the soleus muscles, leading to the activation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system and autophagy. Astaxanthin and p38 inhibitors attenuated alterations in muscle structure through the deactivation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides first evidence in COPD mouse model that oxidative stress trigger a series of muscle structural changes. Our findings suggest a novel target for sarcopenia in COPD.

Influence factors analysis of COVID-19 Prevention behavior of chinese Citizens: a path analysis based on the hypothetical model.

BACKGROUND: Under the outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a structural equation model was established to determine the causality of important factors that affect Chinese citizens' COVID-19 prevention behavior. METHODS: The survey in Qingdao covered several communities in 10 districts and used the method of cluster random sampling. The research instrument used in this study is a self-compiled Chinese version of the questionnaire. Of the 1215 questionnaires, 1188 were included in our analysis. We use the rank sum test, which is a non-parametric test, to test the influence of citizens'basic sociodemographic variables on prevention behavior, and the rank correlation test to analyze the influencing factors of prevention behavior. IBM AMOS 24.0 was used for path analysis, including estimating regression coefficients and evaluating the statistical fits of the structural model, to further explore the causal relationships between variables. RESULTS: The result showed that the score in the prevention behavior of all citizens is a median of 5 and a quartile spacing of 0.31. The final structural equation model showed that the external support for fighting the epidemic, the demand level of health information, the cognition of (COVID-19) and the negative emotions after the outbreak had direct effects on the COVID-19 prevention behavior, and that negative emotions and information needs served as mediating variables. CONCLUSIONS: The study provided a basis for relevant departments to further adopt epidemic prevention and control strategies.

Urinary biomarkers for secondhand smoke and heated tobacco products exposure.

Concerns have recently grown about the health effects of secondhand smoke exposure and heated tobacco products. The analysis of tobacco smoke biomarkers is critical to assess the health effects of tobacco smoke exposure. For this purpose, the simultaneous determinations of exposure markers and health effect markers would provide a better evaluation of smoke exposure. In this study, nicotine metabolites (nicotine, cotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine) and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol in urine were analyzed as exposure markers. The DNA damage markers, 7-methylguanine and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, were simultaneously measured as health effect markers. The results revealed significant levels of urinary nicotine metabolites and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol in the subjects exposed to secondhand smoke and heated tobacco products. In addition, the urinary levels of 7-methylguanine and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine tended to be high for secondhand smoke and heated tobacco products exposures, as compared to those of non-smokers. These biomarkers will be useful for evaluating tobacco smoke exposure.

Diurnal and day-to-day variation of urinary oxidative stress marker 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine.

The urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels have been widely used as a biomarker of oxidative stress. The purpose of this study is to investigate the diurnal and day-to-day variations of urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels. For the diurnal variation, the urine samples were collected at the time of awakening and every 2 h, from 10:00 to 22:00, from 6 healthy participants. For the day-to-day variation, the urine samples were collected at the time of awakening for 35 consecutive days, from 27 healthy participants. As a result, no differences were observed in the diurnal urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels, and each subject had a characteristic 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine level. On the other hand, the daily 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine values showed a certain range of variation reflecting lifestyle factors, such as stress status, exercise, sleep time, drinking and diet. In conclusion, urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine may be a useful biomarker to control and prevent oxidative stress-related diseases, if the certain range of day-to-day variations of urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine is known. Even with only one measurement per year, the baseline urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine level could be achieved in a few years by incorporating the 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine measurement as part of an annual health check. As the number of subjects was limited, further studies are needed for practical applications.

Tailored Synthesis of Skeletally Diverse Stemona Alkaloids through Chemoselective Dyotropic Rearrangements of ß-Lactones.

The collective synthesis of skeletally diverse Stemona alkaloids featuring tailored dyotropic rearrangements of ß-lactones as key elements is described. Specifically, three typical 5/7/5 tricyclic skeletons associated with stemoamide, tuberostemospiroline and parvistemonine were first accessed through chemoselective dyotropic rearrangements of ß-lactones involving alkyl, hydrogen, and aryl migration, respectively. By the rational manipulation of substrate structures and reaction conditions, these dyotropic rearrangements proceeded with excellent efficiency, good chemoselectivity and high stereospecificity. Furthermore, several polycyclic Stemona alkaloids, including saxorumamide, isosaxorumamide, stemonine and bisdehydroneostemoninine, were obtained from the aforementioned tricyclic skeletons through late-stage derivatizations. A novel visible-light photoredox-catalyzed formal [3+2] cycloaddition was also developed, which offers a valuable tool for accessing oxaspirobutenolide and related scaffolds.

[Workers' Lifestyles and Urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine as an Oxidative Stress Marker].

Oxidative stress in biological components has become recognized as one of the causative factors of various diseases. In this study, we investigated the effects of worker lifestyle and fatigue on the levels of urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a marker of oxidative stress. Our results revealed that urinary 8-OHdG level was increased by alcohol intake and decreased by snack intake and adequate sleep time on the day before the survey. A decrease in urinary 8-OHdG level was also observed in parallel with a decrease in workload. Urinary 8-OHdG monitoring is expected to be useful for disease prevention in the future.

Revealing the Inhibitory Effect of Ginseng on Mitochondrial Respiration through Synaptosomal Proteomics.

Ginseng, the active ingredients of which are ginsenosides, is the most popular herbal medicine and has potential merit in the treatment of cerebral disorders. To better understand the function of Ginseng in the cerebral system, we examined changes in the protein expression profiles of synaptosomes extracted from the cerebral cortical and hippocampal tissues of rats administered a high or low dose of Ginseng for 2 weeks. More than 5000 proteins belonging to synaptosomes were simultaneously identified and quantitated by an approach combining tandem mass tags with 2D liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Regarding differentially expressed proteins, downregulated proteins were much more highly induced than upregulators in the cerebral cortical and hippocampal synaptosomes, regardless of the dose of Ginseng. Bioinformatic analysis indicated the majority of the altered proteins to be located in the mitochondria, directly or indirectly affecting mitochondrial oxidative respiration. Further functional experiments using the substrate-uncoupler inhibitor titration approach confirmed that three representative ginsenosides were able to inhibit oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria. Our results demonstrate that Ginseng can regulate the function of mitochondria and alter the energy metabolism of cells, which may be useful for the treatment of central nervous disorders.

Perceived Stress, Depressive Symptoms, and Oxidative DNA Damage.

OBJECTIVE: Psychosocial stress may influence the risk of disease through its association with oxidative DNA damage. We examined whether perceived stress and depressive symptoms were associated with urinary excretion of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), with mutual interaction on 8-OHdG. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 6517 individuals aged 45 to 74 years who participated, between 2010 and 2012, in a follow-up survey of an ongoing cohort study. Perceived stress during the past year was measured using a self-report questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Urinary 8-OHdG concentrations were measured using a column switching high-pressure liquid chromatography system coupled to an electrochemical detector. RESULTS: Higher perceived stress was significantly associated with higher 8-OHdG (2.1% increase per one-category increase of stress; ptrend = .025), even after adjusting for sex, age, supplement use, psychosocial factors, psychotropic medication use, smoking, and body mass index. This association was modestly attenuated after further adjustment for physical activity, suggesting possible mediation or confounding by this factor. Depressive symptoms were not significantly associated with 8-OHdG. No significant interaction was detected between perceived stress and depressive symptoms on 8-OHdG. CONCLUSIONS: In a general Japanese population, we found a weak positive association between perceived stress and urinary excretion of 8-OHdG, whereas no association was observed between depressive symptoms and 8-OHdG. Further studies are needed to examine whether the association between perceived stress and 8-OHdG is modified by depressive symptoms.

Oxidative DNA damage in the rat lung induced by intratracheal instillation and inhalation of nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles are widely used as useful industrial materials. Therefore, their possible adverse health effects must be appraised. We assessed and compared the oxidative DNA damage caused by four different nanoparticles (TiO2, NiO, ZnO and CeO2). The effects of the administration methods, intratracheal instillation and inhalation, were also evaluated. Rats were subjected to intratracheal instillations or 4 weeks of inhalation exposure to the nanoparticles, and the 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels in the lung were analyzed by an HPLC-EC detector method. The 8-OHdG levels were increased in a dose-dependent manner with the inhalation of NiO. ZnO also increased the 8-OHdG levels with inhalation. In comparison with the control, the 8-OHdG levels were significantly and persistently higher with the CeO2 nanoparticle administration, by both intratracheal instillation and inhalation. In contrast, there were no significant differences in the 8-OHdG levels between the control and TiO2 nanoparticle-treated groups, with either intratracheal instillation or inhalation during the observation period. These results indicated that NiO, ZnO and CeO2 nanoparticles generate significant amounts of free radicals, and oxidative stress may be responsible for the lung injury caused by these nanoparticles. In addition, both intratracheal instillation and inhalation exposure induced similar tendencies of oxidative DNA damage with these nanoparticles.

Biopersistence of NiO and TiO2 Nanoparticles Following Intratracheal Instillation and Inhalation.

The hazards of various types of nanoparticles with high functionality have not been fully assessed. We investigated the usefulness of biopersistence as a hazard indicator of nanoparticles by performing inhalation and intratracheal instillation studies and comparing the biopersistence of two nanoparticles with different toxicities: NiO and TiO2 nanoparticles with high and low toxicity among nanoparticles, respectively. In the 4-week inhalation studies, the average exposure concentrations were 0.32 and 1.65 mg/m³ for NiO, and 0.50 and 1.84 mg/m³ for TiO2. In the instillation studies, 0.2 and 1.0 mg of NiO nanoparticles and 0.2, 0.36, and 1.0 mg of TiO2 were dispersed in 0.4 mL water and instilled to rats. After the exposure, the lung burden in each of five rats was determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES) from 3 days to 3 months for inhalation studies and to 6 months for instillation studies. In both the inhalation and instillation studies, NiO nanoparticles persisted for longer in the lung compared with TiO2 nanoparticles, and the calculated biological half times (BHTs) of the NiO nanoparticles was longer than that of the TiO2 nanoparticles. Biopersistence also correlated with histopathological changes, inflammatory response, and other biomarkers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) after the exposure to nanoparticles. These results suggested that the biopersistence is a good indicator of the hazards of nanoparticles.

Antioxidant properties of green tea aroma in mice.

Green tea ('Sencha'), made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, is the most well-researched antioxidant beverage. The major source of its antioxidant activity is polyphenols, consisting mainly of catechins (flavan-3-ols). However, little is known about the physiological effects of green tea aroma, which lacks catechins. In the present study, we performed inhalation experiments with green tea aroma to evaluate its antioxidant activity in mice. As a result, the urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine levels were significantly decreased in comparison with those of the non-treated group, and the serum antioxidant capacity was significantly increased by the inhalation administration of green tea aroma. Furthermore, the increase in the urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine levels due to whole-body X-ray irradiation was significantly suppressed by the inhalation of green tea aroma. This is the first study to show the antioxidant activity of green tea aroma in vivo.

Intensity-specific effect of physical activity on urinary levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine in middle-aged Japanese.

Physical activity (PA) is recommended to both promote and maintain health and prevent cancer by improving the body's DNA repair system, which is considered a mechanism of cancer prevention. However, associations between PA and urinary levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), which reflects DNA damage, are unclear. This cross-sectional study included 2370 men and 4052 women aged 45-74 years enrolled between 2010 and 2012. Habitual PA was assessed by single-axis accelerometer and urinary 8-OH-dG levels by automated HPLC. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between log-transformed urinary 8-OH-dG and total PA (TPA) and PA of moderate/vigorous intensity (MVPA; ≥3 metabolic equivalents), with adjustment for age, body mass index, energy intake, alcohol consumption, smoking status, daily coffee drinking, menopause status (in women), and TPA (for MVPA). On multivariate adjustment, urinary 8-OH-dG levels were inversely correlated with TPA (ß = -0.020, P < 0.01) in women, and this correlation was not changed by PA intensity. Conversely, urinary 8-OH-dG levels were inversely correlated with MVPA (ß = -0.022, P < 0.05) in men, although the correlation with TPA was non-significant. This inverse correlation was clearer in current smokers than in never or former smokers, although the interaction between smoking status and MVPA on urinary 8-OH-dG levels was non-significant. In conclusion, greater TPA in women and greater MVPA in men were correlated with reduction in urinary 8-OH-dG, suggesting sex-specific effects of MVPA and TPA on protection from oxidative DNA damage. Increasing PA may mediate reduction in oxidative stress.

Association of cuproptosis-related signature with the prognosis of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have a poor prognosis because of their high recurrence and metastasis rates. Cuproptosis is a novel type of copper-dependent cell death that differs from apoptosis, necroptosis, and cytosolic scorch death. We designed and validated an individualized cuproptosis-related gene (CRG) signature for risk evaluation and prognostic prediction in HNSCC patients. Ninety differentially expressed CRGs were found in HNSCC. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed to investigate the functional involvement of CRGs in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) HNSCC cohort. A CRG signature was created using 10 genes after univariate and multivariate analysis. Kaplan Meier (KM) analysis showed that the survival rate of the high-risk group was significantly lower than that of the low-risk group. Multivariate regression analysis identified risk scores based on prognostic characteristics as independent prognostic indicators of HNSCC. Moreover, risk models are related to tumor mutational burden (TMB), tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs), immune checkpoints, clinical characteristics, and antitumor drug susceptibility. Furthermore, we found that CuCl2 treatment promoted cuproptosis in HNSCC cells, and that the expression levels of cuproptosis-related genes were altered by different doses of CuCl2. In summary, understanding the detailed molecular mechanisms of cuproptosis and its impact on overall survival (OS), and identifying potential therapeutic targets for HNSCC will provide potential insights for treatment.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

FRZB: a potential prognostic marker for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide, with approximately 600,000 new cases each year. A small number of HNSCCs are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Frizzled related protein (FRZB) has been reported in many inflammatory diseases and cancers, but it is yet unclear how FRZB affects HNSCC, as well as its role and underlying mechanism. TIMER2 database was utilized to evaluate FRZB expression in cancer tissues, and FRZB expression in HNSCC tissues was confirmed by samples obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus. To identify whether FRZB could be used as a prognostic predictor, we performed univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. FRZB co-expression profile was explored using the LinkedOmics database, then Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology enrichment analyses were performed for these FRZB-related genes in HNSCC samples. Lasso regression analysis was subsequently used to screen for prognostic variables, and we determined the infiltration of immune cells in HNSCC patients to clarify the influence of FRZB on tumor immune microenvironment. At last, we assessed the association between FRZB expression and immune checkpoint gene, and compared the sensitivity of common chemotherapeutic agents. In this study, we found that FRZB was dysregulated in HNSCC tumor tissues and had a relationship with clinical parameters. The reliability and independence of FRZB as a factor in determining a patient's prognosis for HNSCC was also established. Additional investigation revealed that FRZB was linked to common immune checkpoint genes and may be implicated in immune infiltration.

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms, bioavailable 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and hepatocellular carcinoma survival.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the role of vitamin D receptor polymorphisms and their interaction with vitamin D status in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis. METHODS: We evaluated the association of TaqI, BsmI, Cdx-2, and ApaI polymorphisms, individually and in combination, with liver cancer-specific (LCSS) and overall survival (OS) among 967 patients with newly diagnosed HCC. Subsequently, we examined whether these polymorphisms modified the association between serum bioavailable 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentrations and survival. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 1017 days, 393 deaths occurred, with 360 attributed to HCC. Having TaqI G allele (HRper allele = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.08 to 1.57) or BsmI T allele (HRper allele = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.99) was associated with worse LCSS. Carrying increasing numbers of protective alleles was associated with superior LCSS (HR6-8 vs 0-3 = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.34 to 0.80). The inverse association of bioavailable 25OHD with LCSS was only significant in patients with TaqI AA (HRQuartile 4 vs Quartile 1 = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.44 to 0.92), BsmI CC (HRQuartile 4 vs Quartile 1 = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.44 to 0.88), and 6 to 8 protective alleles (HRQuartile 4 vs Quartile 1 = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.23 to 0.87). Similar associations were observed for OS. CONCLUSIONS: Patients carrying wild-type TaqI, BsmI, or more protective alleles had improved survival and might benefit from optimizing bioavailable 25OHD status.

8-hydroxyguanine in urine and serum as an oxidative stress marker: effects of diabetes and aging.

8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) is the most extensively analyzed oxidative stress marker. Recently, 8-hydroxyguanine (free base: 8-OH-Gua) has been recognized as an oxidative stress marker. To verify the usefulness of 8-OH-Gua, the 8-OH-dG and 8-OH-Gua levels in the urine and the 8-OH-Gua levels in the serum of type 2 diabetic model animals, db/db mice, were measured as oxidative stress markers by a column switching HPLC-system coupled to an electrochemical detector. The urinary 8-OH-Gua and 8-OH-dG levels in db/db mice (7-26 weeks old) were significantly higher than those in control (db/m+) mice. The 8-OH-Gua levels in the serum of the db/db mice were also about 2-fold higher than those in the control mice at 26 weeks of age. In addition, the urinary levels of 8-OH-dG and 8-OH-Gua increased with age (9-26 weeks). A significant positive correlation was obtained between the 8-OH-dG and 8-OH-Gua levels in urine. Although no difference was observed in the 8-OH-dG levels in the liver and kidney DNA between the diabetic and control mice, these results suggested that urinary 8-OH-dG and free base 8-OH-Gua in urine or serum may be good biomarkers of oxidative stress.

The highest region of muscle spindle abundance should be the optimal target of botulinum toxin A injection to block muscle spasms in rats.

Purpose: The effective relief of muscle spasticity requires prompt solutions in rehabilitation medicine. This study aimed to reveal that the highest region of muscle spindle abundance is the optimal target of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injections for relieve muscle spasm. Methods: Sixty adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats with lower limbs spasm caused by stroke after modeling, weighing (200 ± 20) g, were included in this study. The modelrats were divided into four groups: muscle spasm model group (group A), model rats treated with BTX-A injections into the middle of the muscle belly (group B), model rats treated with BTX-A injections into the center of the intramuscular nerve-dense region (INDR) (group C), and model rats treated with BTX-A injection into the center of the highest region of muscle spindle abundance (HRMSA) (group D). Groups B, C, and D were further divided into two subgroups: the 3rd and 6th days after BTX-A injection. The rats in each group were assigned modified Ashworth scale scores (MAS), and the changes in gastrocnemius muscle tone, wet muscle weight, and cross-sectional area of muscle fiber were detected. Results: Muscle spindle abundance was the highest in the upper part of the INDR. Group B experienced no significant changes in MAS, muscle tone, wet muscle weight, or cross-sectional area of the muscle fiber. Conversely, groups C and D experienced a decrease in these indicators. Group C experienced the most significant decrease in wet muscle weight and cross-sectional area of muscle fibers. Group D experienced the most notable decrease in MAS and muscle tone. There were no significant differences in the indicators between the 3rd and 6th days after BTX-A injections in group B and there were significant differences in the improvement in the indicators between the two subgroups in groups C and D, with group D experiencing more notable intersubgroup differences. Conclusion: The efficacy of BTX-A injections into the HRMSA is significantly superior to that of conventional BTX-A injections into the middle of the belly muscle or the INDR in the treatment of muscle spasms. Hence, HRMSA should be the optimal target of BTX-A to relieve muscle spasms.

Exploring the underlying mechanisms of Ashitaba in the management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by integrating the analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics.

Ashitaba seems to improve glucose intolerance and decrease triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC), which contribute to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, it remains to be explored the mechanism of Ashitaba in managing NAFLD. We determined the impact of Ashitaba on NAFLD, particularly its underlying mechanisms at the bioinformatic level. The established NAFLD mouse model was treated with or without Ashitaba, and the underlying mechanism was explored using transcriptomics paired with metabolomics. Ashitaba reduced obesity and liver steatosis in NAFLD mice. It identified 429 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and verified 45 differential metabolites, especially those that alleviate NAFLD via the FXR signaling pathway. Our data may provide insight into the therapeutic impact of Ashitaba in the management of NAFLD and may be useful in clinical interventions for NAFLD.