Modulation of temporal and occipital cortex by acupuncture in non-menstrual MWoA patients: a rest BOLD fMRI study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and degree centrality (DC) values before and after acupuncture in young women with non-menstrual migraine without aura (MWoA) through rest blood-oxygen-level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD fMRI). METHODS: Patients with non-menstrual MWoA (Group 1, n = 50) and healthy controls (Group 2, n = 50) were recruited. fMRI was performed in Group 1 at 2 time points: before acupuncture (time point 1, TP1); and after the end of all acupuncture sessions (time point 2, TP2), and performed in Group 2 as a one-time scan. Patients in Group 1 were assessed with the Migraine Disability Assessment Questionnaire (MIDAS) and the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) at TP1 and TP2 after fMRI was performed. The ALFF and DC values were compared within Group 1 at two time points and between Group 1 and Group2. The correlation between ALFF and DC values with the statistical differences and the clinical scales scores were analyzed. RESULTS: Brain activities increased in the left fusiform gyrus and right angular gyrus, left middle occipital gyrus, and bilateral prefrontal cortex and decreased in left inferior parietal lobule in Group 1, which had different ALFF values compared with Group 2 at TP1. The bilateral fusiform gyrus, bilateral inferior temporal gyrus and right middle temporal gyrus increased and right angular gyrus, right superior marginal gyrus, right inferior parietal lobule, right middle occipital gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, right anterior central gyrus, and right supplementary motor area decreased in activity in Group 1 had different DC values compared with Group 2 at TP1. ALFF and DC values of right inferior temporal gyrus, right fusiform gyrus and right middle temporal gyrus were decreased in Group1 at TP1 compared with TP2. ALFF values in the left middle occipital area were positively correlated with the pain degree at TP1 in Group1 (correlation coefficient r, r = 0.827, r = 0.343; P < 0.01, P = 0.015). The DC values of the right inferior temporal area were positively correlated with the pain degree at TP1 in Group 1 (r = 0.371; P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Spontaneous brain activity and network changes in young women with non-menstrual MwoA were altered by acupuncture. The right temporal area may be an important target for acupuncture modulated brain function in young women with non-menstrual MwoA.

Research in the Field of Exercise and Metabolomics: A Bibliometric and Visual Analysis.

The aim of this article was to conduct a bibliometric analysis of global research trends in the field of exercise and metabolomics between 2005 and 2020. Systematic articles were obtained from the literature in the Web of Science core collection database from 2005 to 2020. The relationship between the number of publications, citations, countries, journals, authors, and the evolution of research hotspots was analyzed. A total of 807 studies were included in the analysis. From 2005 to 2020, the number of citations and the number of published articles showed an upward trend. Keyword co-occurrence indicates that research hotspots are focused on exercise, physical activity, metabolomics, obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease. Keyword clustering indicates that the research frontier is focused on the field of sports medicine, which includes molecular-level studies of exercise interventions in disease and studies of the physiological mechanisms by which exercise alters the body. Overall, this trinity of models, combining chronic disease with exercise interventions and molecular-level studies of metabolomics, has become the forefront of research in the field. This historical review of the field of exercise and metabolomics will further provide a useful basis for hot issues and future development trends.

Functional connectivity changes during migraine treatment with electroacupuncture at Shuaigu (GB8).

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in the functional connectivity (FC) in the right insula between migraine without aura (MWoA) and healthy controls by using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), and to observe the instant alteration of FC in MWoA during electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation at Shuaigu (GB8). METHODS: A total of 30 patients with MWoA (PM group) and 30 healthy controls (HC group) underwent rs-fMRI scans. The PM group underwent a second rs-fMRI scan while receiving EA at GB8. The right insula subregions, including the ventral anterior insula (vAI), dorsal anterior insula (dAI) and posterior insula (PI), were selected as the seed points for FC analysis. RESULTS: Aberrant FC, including dAI with right postcentral gyrus, PI with left precuneus, was found among PM before EA (PMa), PM during EA (PMb) and HC. Meanwhile, decreased FC between dAI and the right postcentral gyrus was found in the PMa compared to the HC and PMb. Increased FC between the PI and left precuneus was found in the PMa compared to the HC and PMb. Correlation analysis showed that the FC value of the right postcentral gyrus in PMa was negatively correlated with the scores of Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety. The FC value of the left precuneus in PMa was positively correlated with the visual analogue scale score. CONCLUSION: The alteration of FC between the right insula subregions and multiple brain regions may be an important index for MWoA. EA at GB8 was able to adjust the FC between the right insula subregions and parietal lobe, namely, the right dAI and right postcentral gyrus, and the right PI and left precuneus, thereby rendering an instant effect in the management of MWoA.

The Changes of Brain Function After Spinal Manipulation Therapy in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Rest BOLD fMRI Study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes of regional homogeneity (Reho) values before and after spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) through rest blood-oxygen-level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD fMRI). METHODS: Patients with CLBP (Group 1, n = 20) and healthy control subjects (Group 2, n = 20) were recruited. The fMRI was performed three times in Group 1 before SMT (time point 1, TP1), after the first SMT (time point 2, TP2), after the sixth SMT (time point 3, TP3), and for one time in Group 2, which received no intervention. The clinical scales were finished in Group 1 every time before fMRI was performed. The Reho values were compared among Group 1 at different time points, and between Group 1 and Group 2. The correlation between Reho values with the statistical differences and the clinical scale scores were calculated. RESULTS: The bilateral precuneus and right mid-frontal gyrus in Group 1 had different Reho values compared with Group 2 at TP1. The Reho values were increased in the left precuneus and decreased in the left superior frontal gyrus in Group 1 at TP2 compared with TP1. The Reho values were increased in the left postcentral gyrus and decreased in the left posterior cingulate cortex and the superior frontal gyrus in Group 1 at TP3 compared with TP1. The ReHo values of the left precuneus in Group 1 at TP1 were negatively correlated with the pain degree at TP1 and TP2 (r = -0.549, -0.453; p = 0.012, 0.045). The Reho values of the middle temporal gyrus in Group 1 at TP3 were negatively correlated with the changes of clinical scale scores between TP3 and TP1 (r = 0.454, 0.559; p = 0.044, 0.01). CONCLUSION: Patients with CLBP showed abnormal brain function activity, which was altered after SMT. The Reho values of the left precuneus could predict the immediate analgesic effect of SMT.

Metabolomics and eicosanoid analysis identified serum biomarkers for distinguishing hepatocellular carcinoma from hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers in the world. It is a type of inflammation-related cancer that usually follows liver hepatitis that mostly caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) in China. However, the metabolism disturbance of HCC and HBV-cirrhosis is not yet fully understood. In addition, there is little research on the relationships between inflammation mediators and HCC. In this study, we investigated serum metabolic abnormalities in HBV-cirrhosis and HCC patients through non-targeted metabolomics and targeted eicosanoid analysis. Metabolomic analysis identified 14 metabolites, i.e. malate, citrate, succinate, lysine, carnitine, proline, ornithine, serine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, arachidonic acid arabinose, galactose and uric acid are consistently altered in HBV-cirrhosis and HCC patients. Meanwhile, eicosanoid analysis uncovered several prostaglandins and leukotrienes are implicated in pathological processes in HBV-cirrhosis and HCC. Finally, these identified biomarkers possessed strong potential to distinguish and diagnose HCC from healthy controls and HBV-cirrhosis patients. This study provided a new perspective to understand the mechanism and discover probable biomarkers of HCC.

The Recent Developments in Sample Preparation for Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics.

Metabolomics is a critical member in systems biology. Although great progress has been achieved in metabolomics, there are still some problems in sample preparation, data processing and data interpretation. In this review, we intend to explore the roles, challenges and trends in sample preparation for mass spectrometry- (MS-) based metabolomics. The newly emerged sample preparation methods were also critically examined, including laser microdissection, in vivo sampling, dried blood spot, microwave, ultrasound and enzyme-assisted extraction, as well as microextraction techniques. Finally, we provide some conclusions and perspectives for sample preparation in MS-based metabolomics.

Metabolomics Reveals that Momordica charantia Attenuates Metabolic Changes in Experimental Obesity.

Momordica charantia L., also known as bitter melon, has been shown to ameliorate obesity and insulin resistance. However, metabolic changes regulated by M. charantia in obesity are not clearly understood. In this study, serums obtained from obese and M. charantia-treated mice were analyzed by using gas and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and multivariate statistical analysis was performed by Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. The results from this study indicated that body weight fat and insulin levels of obese mice are dramatically suppressed by 8 weeks of dietary supplementation of M. charantia. Metabolomic data revealed that overproductions of energy and nutrient metabolism in obese mice were restored by M. charantia treatment. The antiinflammatory and inhibition of insulin resistance effect of M. charantia in obesity was illustrated with the restoration of free fatty acids and eicosanoids. The findings achieved in this study further strengthen the therapeutic value of using M. charantia to treat obesity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In vivo evaluation of cerebral transplantation of resovist-labeled bone marrow stromal cells in Parkinson's disease rats using magnetic resonance imaging.

The effectiveness of Resovist-labeled bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) was evaluated in vivo following their cerebral transplantation in a model of Parkinson's disease (PD) in rats using MRI, and the MRI findings were further compared with the behavior and histopathological manifestations of these rats. Forty PD rats were randomly assigned into five groups according to the cell doses injected into the rat brain site: control group (normal saline injection) and groups injected with 1 × 10(5), 1.5 × 10(5), 2 × 10(5), and 2.5 × 10(5) BMSCs. Gradient echo T2-weighted images were obtained immediately after cell transplantation and repeatedly taken 1, 4, 8, and 12 week(s) after cell transplantation. The rotational behavior of the animals was observed before and 1, 4, and 8 week(s) after transplantation. The rats were killed after the last MRI scanning, the brain tissues were analyzed by histopathology techniques, and RNAs were extracted for the expression analysis of selected genes using RT-PCR. One week following cell transplantation, all injected sites showed well-defined hypointense areas on MR images, with the most significant effect observed in rats injected with 2 × 10(5) BMSCs. These MR findings in PD rats lasted up to 12 weeks. The effectiveness of BMSC transplantation revealed by MRI was well confirmed by the behavioral and histopathological observations as well as indirectly supported by gene expression analyses. With the use of SPIO labeling, MRI techniques provided a dynamic evaluation of the spatial and temporal changes following cell transplantation and allowed the association analysis among the imaging, functions, and gene expression analysis in rats. These data also suggest the therapeutic potential of transplanted BMSCs. It is reasonable to speculate that the use of MRI in in vivo evaluation of the effect and fate of transplanted cells in various disease models will be beneficial to developing new strategies of cell-based gene therapy.

[Microsurgical anatomy and clinical application of infratentorial supracerebellar keyhole approach].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of applying the infratentorial supracerebellar keyhole approach for removing tumors of pineal region. METHODS: Infratentorial supracerebellar keyhole approach was performed in 16 cadaveric heads with intracranial vessels perfused by colored latex. The microscopic structure was observed. The anatomic structure was measured with Stryker Navigation System and the data were analyzed with the SPSS 10.0 software. And further, infratentorial supracerebellar keyhole approach was performed in 11 clinical cases with tumors located in the posterior third ventricle and pineal region, based on the individualized imaging features. RESULTS: Only the central group bridging veins on the cerebellum tentorial surface needed to be sacrificed under infratentorial supracerebellar keyhole approach, and other vessels could be preserved well. The distance between the bridging veins of both left and right medial group could reach (35 +/- 6) mm when they were fully dissected, thus offering enough surgical space for applying this keyhole approach. When the culmen of cerebellum was retracted, the pineal body, Galen vein and its tributary, quadrigeminal bodies, even trochlear nerve could be observed. When the underlayer choroid of the third ventricular roof was dissected medially and inferiorly to the posterior choroidal artery, the posterior third ventricle could be reached. If the tentorium of cerebellum was cut open between the straight sinus and the lateral sinus, the surgical field could be enlarged anteriorly and superiorly to the longitudinal fissure region above the tentorium. Eight of the 11 pineal region tumors sized 2-5 cm in diameter were totally removed, and 3 were subtotally resected. For one case, posterior cranial fossa decompression and ventriculoperitoneal shunt were performed postoperatively. Another one patient suffered from transient mutism and steady fixation after surgery. Other patients had no adverse effect. CONCLUSIONS: Infratentorial supracerebellar keyhole approach can be applied for removing the pineal region tumors without interfering the adjacent deep venous system, and can enter the third ventricle in a nearly non-traumatic way. If necessary the tentorium can be cut open to expose supra-tentorial structures. It can be regarded as a better choice for surgeries in this region.