The protective effect and mechanism of glycosides of cistanche deserticola on rats in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model.

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) occurs frequently clinically as a complication following cardiovascular resuscitation resulting in neuronal damage specifically to the hippocampal CA1 region with consequent cognitive impairment. Apoptosis and oxidative stress were proposed as major risk factors associated with CIRI development. Previously, glycosides obtained from Cistanche deserticola (CGs) were shown to play a key role in counteracting CIRI; however, the underlying mechanisms remain to be determined. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of CGs on subsequent CIRI in rats. The model of CIRI was established for 2 hr and reperfusion for 24 hr by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. The MCAO rats were used to measure the antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects of CGs on CIRI. Neurological function was evaluated by the Longa neurological function score test. 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was used to detect the area of cerebral infarction. Nissl staining was employed to observe neuronal morphology. TUNEL staining was used to detect neuronal apoptosis, while Western blot determined protein expression levels of factors for apoptosis-related and PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 signaling pathway. Data demonstrated that CGs treatment improved behavioral performance, brain injury, and enhanced antioxidant and anti-apoptosis in CIRI rats. In addition, CGs induced activation of PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 signaling pathway accompanied by inhibition of the expression of apoptosis-related factors. Evidence indicates that CGs amelioration of CIRI involves activation of the PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 signaling pathway associated with increased cellular viability suggesting these glycosides may be considered as an alternative compound for CIRI treatment.

Efficient Quantum Private Comparison Based on GHZ States.

Quantum private comparison (QPC) is a fundamental cryptographic protocol that allows two parties to compare the equality of their private inputs without revealing any information about those inputs to each other. In recent years, QPC protocols utilizing various quantum resources have been proposed. However, these QPC protocols have lower utilization of quantum resources and qubit efficiency. To address this issue, we propose an efficient QPC protocol based on GHZ states, which leverages the unique properties of GHZ states and rotation operations to achieve secure and efficient private comparison. The secret information is encoded in the rotation angles of rotation operations performed on the received quantum sequence transmitted along the circular mode. This results in the multiplexing of quantum resources and enhances the utilization of quantum resources. Our protocol does not require quantum key distribution (QKD) for sharing a secret key to ensure the security of the inputs, resulting in no consumption of quantum resources for key sharing. One GHZ state can be compared to three bits of classical information in each comparison, leading to qubit efficiency reaching 100%. Compared with the existing QPC protocol, our protocol does not require quantum resources for sharing a secret key. It also demonstrates enhanced performance in qubit efficiency and the utilization of quantum resources.

New Quantum Private Comparison Using Four-Particle Cluster State.

Quantum private comparison (QPC) enables two users to securely conduct private comparisons in a network characterized by mutual distrust while guaranteeing the confidentiality of their private inputs. Most previous QPC protocols were primarily used to determine the equality of private information between two users, which constrained their scalability. In this paper, we propose a QPC protocol that leverages the entanglement correlation between particles in a four-particle cluster state. This protocol can compare the information of two groups of users within one protocol execution, with each group consisting of two users. A semi-honest third party (TP), who will not deviate from the protocol execution or conspire with any participant, is involved in assisting users to achieve private comparisons. Users encode their inputs into specific angles of rotational operations performed on the received quantum sequence, which is then sent back to TP. Security analysis shows that both external attacks and insider threats are ineffective at stealing private data. Finally, we compare our protocol with some previously proposed QPC protocols.

Research on the recycling and disposal of Chinese pesticide packaging waste based on evolutionary game theory.

This study aims to determine the optimal strategy and driving factors of the critical nodes of pesticide packaging waste recycling by constructing the recycling process of "village collection-town transport-county management." Counties, towns, and villages are the central nodes of collection, coordination, and communication in the recycling process. Their strategy selection and influencing factor analysis are related to the development of recycling. The county processing center, township transit center, and village recycling center were selected to construct a game model, and strategy and parameter assumptions were made to obtain the optimal strategy combination. The results showed that strict supervision, professional transportation and strict implementation are the best strategies for counties, towns and villages, respectively. Simulation analysis confirmed that factors such as cost, reward restricted the strategy selection of each subject. The higher the supervision, transport, and input costs, the lower the enthusiasm of counties, towns, and villages to participate in recycling, respectively. Reasonable control of reward could help each participant choose a stable strategy. The study provided the idea of a pilot before promotion for the government and emphasized the importance of controlling incentive policies and relative costs to improve the recycling process of pesticide packaging waste.

α4ß7high CD4+ T cells are prone to be infected by HIV-1 and associated with HIV-1 disease progression.

INTRODUCTION: To investigate the characteristics of ß7high CD4+ T cells during HIV-1 infection and the relationship between ß7high CD4+ T cells and HIV-1 disease progress. METHODS: This study enrolled 124 HIV-1-infected patients, including 80 treatment naïve patients (TNs), 41 patients who underwent antiretroviral therapy (ARTs), and three long-term no progression patients (LTNPs). Nineteen matched healthy subjects were included as controls (HCs). The characteristics and frequency of ß7high CD4+ T cells were analyzed using flow cytometry. An in vitro culture experiment was used to study HIV-1 infection of ß7high CD4+ T cells. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to quantify HIV-1 DNA and CA-RNA levels. RESULTS: The frequency of ß7high CD4+ T in the peripheral blood was significantly decreased and negatively correlated with disease progression during chronic HIV-1 infection. A large proportion of ß7high CD4+ T cells showed Th17 phenotype. Furthermore, ß7high CD4+ T cells were preferentially infected by HIV-1 in vitro and in vivo. There were no significant differences of HIV-1 DNA, and CA-RNA levels between ß7high CD4+ T and ß7low CD4+ T subsets in HIV-1 infected individuals after antiviral treatment. CONCLUSION: The ß7high CD4+ T cells were negatively correlated with disease progression during chronic HIV-1 infection. ß7high CD4+ T cells are susceptible to infection with HIV-1 and HIV-1 latent cells.

Serum Fat-Soluble Vitamin Levels of 6,082 Minors in Zhuzhou City.

Objective: To explore the nutritional status of serum fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and vitamin E of minors in the Zhuzhou area to provide a scientific basis for clinical guidance to supplement fat-soluble vitamins reasonably. Method: A total of 6,082 minors who underwent physical examination from January 2017 to February 2019 in the Children's Health Department of Zhuzhou Hospital affiliated with XiangYa School of Medicine of Central South University were selected as the subjects to measure the levels of serum fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and E. Results: (1) Their average levels of serum vitamin A, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and vitamin E were (0.34 ± 0.08) mg/mL, (34.65 ± 10.24) ng/mL, and (10.11 ± 2.65) mg/mL, respectively. (2) Serum vitamin E showed a gender difference (P < 0.001). (3) The average levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and vitamin E in infancy, early childhood, preschool age, school age, and adolescence decreased gradually (P < 0.05). In contrast, the average level of serum vitamin A ranged between 0.32 mg/mL and 0.37 mg/mL. (4) The age was negatively correlated with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (r = -0.517, P < 0.001) and weakly negatively correlated with vitamin E (r = -0.366, P < 0.001), but weakly positively correlated with vitamin A (r = 0.269, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Minors from infancy to adolescence in Zhuzhou should strengthen their supplementation of fat-soluble vitamins.

Enhanced production of d-psicose 3-epimerase in Bacillus subtilis by regulation of segmented fermentation.

d-Psicose 3-epimerase is an enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of d-psicose from d-fructose. We cloned the d-psicose 3-epimerase from Ruminococcus sp. (RDPE) and expressed it in Bacillus subtilis A311. By a two-step pH regulation of segmented fermentation, we significantly improved the RDPE production and decreased the fermentation cost. The two-step regulation consisted of the first step maintained the pH value at 7.0 for 24 H and the second step adjusted the pH value up to 7.5 slowly for another 24 H. Finally, the RDPE production was increased to 74 U/mL, which was about 2.5-fold compared with the control. Our segmented fermentation strategy provides an important experimental basis for the industrial-scale production of RDPE.

Self-Healing Plasmonic Metal Liquid as a Quantitative Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Analyzer in Two-Liquid-Phase Systems.

Liquid-state interfacial plasmonic systems are emerging as an alternative for the quantitation and practicability of the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique in analytical science, especially for complex liquid-phase systems. Here we show a general strategy for the three-dimensional (3D) self-assembly of gold nanoparticle (GNP) arrays on a spherical oil-water (O-W) interface, denoted as a plasmonic metal liquid (PML). The PML has excellent self-healing and shape-adaptive features; it can be transferred into containers of any shape; and it presents fast, quantitative, and multiplex SERS capability. Accurate control of nanoparticle density (PD) on the 3D interface enables tunable SERS strength. In situ synchrotron radiation small angle X-ray scattering (SR-SAXS) provides evidence that the interfacial PD is quantifiable and can be precisely regulated in the range of 24-216 particles/µm2, which produces optimizable Raman enhancement. The strongest SERS signal is achieved at 167 particles/µm2 with GNP diameters of approximately 64 nm. In particular, the O phase acts not only as the assembly media for spherical PML arrays but also as the extracting agent for targets with different natures in complex media. Moreover, the O phase with continuous-phase features generates inherent and sharp SERS fingerprints and provides an effective internal standard (IS) for calibrating the fluctuation of samples and measuring conditions. By virtue of the triple roles of the O phase, the PML platform exhibits excellent mechanical stability, detection sensitivity, and signal reproducibility. This study demonstrates the concept of a fast and quantitative liquid-state SERS platform in common cuvettes on a portable Raman device that is as simple as a spectrophotometer.

The endoscopic ultrasound probe findings in prediction of esophageal variceal recurrence after endoscopic variceal eradication therapies in cirrhotic patients: a cohort prospective study.

BACKGROUND: The recurrence of esophageal varices remains high in patients with hepatic portal hypertension after the endoscopic esophageal variceal eradication therapies, including endoscopic variceal band ligation (EVL), injection sclerotherapy (EIS) or EVL plus EIS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the endoscopic ultrasound probe examinations (EUP) findings in the prediction of recurrence following esophageal variceal eradication in a prospective cohort. METHODS: A total of 206 cirrhotic portal hypertension patients with esophageal variceal eradication, who underwent endoscopic variceal therapy (EVL or EIS or EVL plus EIS) were initially enrolled. All patients were scheduled for a follow-up every 6 months for up to 3 years. EUP was performed to evaluate peri-esophageal collateral veins (peri-ECVs), perforating veins (PFV) and para-esophageal collateral veins (para-ECVs). In addition, computed tomography (CT) were conducted to detect portal vein diameter, portal vein embolus, and major portosystemic collateral shunts. The relationship between esophageal variceal recurrence and EUP findings were analyzed. RESULTS: We found that as high as 93.5% of patients developed esophageal variceal recurrence in the 3-year follow-up. The time of esophageal variceal recurrence after variceal eradication was 13.4 months (13.4 ± 9.2 months). Furthermore, the median time of recurrence in patients who were undertaken EVL,EIS and EVL plus EIS was 10, 13 and 12 months, respectively. We identified that the risk factors, including EVL (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.08-0.71, p < 0.01), Child-Pugh score (OR 3.32,95% CI 1.31-35.35, p < 0.05), large peri-ECVs (OR 4.56, 95% CI 2.17-9.58, p < 0.0001), and existence of PFV (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.44-3.16, p < 0.001), were significantly associated with the recurrence of esophageal varices. The peri-ECVs and PFV showed better ability to predict esophageal variceal recurrence. When cut-off value of peri-ECVs diameter was 3.5 mm, the specificity of prediction 1-year variceal recurrence was 86% and the sensitivity was 45%. CONCLUSIONS: The EUP appears to be very effective, convenient and economical examinations to predict esophageal varices recurrence after variceal eradication by endoscopic therapies. The high Child-pugh score, large peri-ECVs, and PFV are independent risk factors related to esophageal varices recurrence.

Efficient ion-slicing of InP thin film for Si-based hetero-integration.

Integration of high quality single crystalline InP thin film on Si substrate has potential applications in Si-based photonics and high-speed electronics. In this work, the exfoliation of a 634 nm crystalline InP layer from the bulk substrate was achieved by sequential implantation of He ions and H ions at room temperature. It was found that the sequence of He and H ion implantations has a decisive influence on the InP surface blistering and exfoliation, which only occur in the InP pre-implanted with He ions. The exfoliation efficiency first increases and then decreases as a function of H ion implantation fluence. A kinetics analysis of the thermally activated blistering process suggests that the sequential implantation of He and H ions can reduce the InP thin film splitting thermal budget dramatically. Finally, a high quality 2 inch InP-on-Si(100) hetero-integration wafer was fabricated by He and H ion sequential implantation at room temperature in combination with direct wafer bonding.

Property Improvement of α-Amylase fromBacillus stearothermophilus by Deletion of Amino AcidResidues Arginine 179 and Glycine 180.

To improve the properties of α-amylase from Bacillus stearothermophilus (AmyS), a deletion mutant AmyS∆R179-G180 was constructed by deleting arginine (Arg179) and glycine (Gly180) using site-directed mutagenesis. AmyS and AmyS∆R179-G180 were expressed in Bacillus subtilis and purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, after which the enzymatic properties were characterized and compared. By deleting amino acids Arg179 and Gly180, the thermostability of α-amylase AmyS∆R179-G180 was enhanced and the half-life at 100 °C significantly increased from 24 to 33 min. In addition, AmyS∆R179-G180 exhibited greater acid resistance and lower calcium requirements to maintain α-amylase activity. The secretory capacity of the recombinant strain was evaluated by fed-batch fermentation in a 7.5-litre fermentor in which high α-amylase activity was obtained. The highest activity reached 3300 U/mL with a high productivity of 45.8 U/(mL·h).

Acetamiprid inhibits testosterone synthesis by affecting the mitochondrial function and cytoplasmic adenosine triphosphate production in rat Leydig cells.

The insecticide acetamiprid is used to control noxious agricultural pests. However, it can cause mammalian toxicity. We evaluated the reproductive toxicity of acetamiprid in adult male Sprague Dawley rats. Rats were given oral acetamiprid alone or with vitamin E for 35 days. Rat plasma testosterone concentration and sperm quality decreased significantly as the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) increased after exposure. At the same time, acetamiprid increased malondialdehyde and nitric oxide (NO) levels of Leydig cells. Further analysis showed that acetamiprid reduced the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) production of Leydig cells, but the expression of luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) and the activity of adenylyl cyclase were not changed. Acetamiprid exposure also significantly diminished protein levels of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR), hydroxy-delta-5-steroid dehydrogenase, 3 beta- and steroid delta-isomerase cluster (HSD3B), and cytochrome P450, family 11, subfamily a, polypeptide 1 (CYP11A1), and testicular mRNA levels, which are cAMP-dependent proteins that are essential for steroidogenesis. Electron microscopy indicated mitochondrial membrane damage in the Leydig cells of the testes of exposed rats. Vitamin E ameliorated the impairment of acetamiprid on Leydig cells. Our results indicate that acetamiprid causes oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage in Leydig cells and inhibits the synthesis of testicular ATP and cAMP. Acetamiprid disrupts subsequent testosterone biosynthesis by decreasing the rate of conversion of cholesterol to testosterone and by preventing cholesterol from entering the mitochondria within the Leydig cells. These effects caused reproductive damage to the rats.

Effect of Peg-interferon α-2a combined with Adefovir in HBV postpartum women with normal levels of ALT and high levels of HBV DNA.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Currently, routine antiviral treatment is not recommended for immune-tolerant subjects with chronic HBV infection. In this study, we assessed the treatment efficacy of combining Peg IFN α-2a with Adefovir (CPIA) in chronic HBV infected pregnant women with normal levels of ALT and high levels of HBV after delivery. METHODS: Chronic hepatitis B pregnant women with normal levels of ALT and high levels of HBV DNA were treated with Telbivudine during the third trimester of their pregnancy. After childbirth, based on serological and virological parameters, the patients were either switched to CPIA treatment for 96 weeks or stopped Telbivudine treatment and followed for 48 weeks. RESULTS: A total of 68 patients were enrolled in this study. Thirty (30/68) of them were switched to CPIA treatment after childbirth, 93.3% (28/30) of them achieved virological response, 56.7% (17/30) achieved HBeAg seroclearance and 26.7% (8/30) cleared HBsAg. The HBV DNA and HBeAg levels before CPIA treatment were negatively associated with HBeAg seroclearance. HBsAg and HBeAg levels in week 12 and week 24 after CPIA treatment were negatively associated with HBsAg seroclearance. Thirty-eight (38/68) patients did not receive antiviral treatment after childbirth, and none of them had HBeAg or HBsAg clearance. CONCLUSION: High rates of viral response and clearance were achieved in chronic hepatitis B pregnant woman with normal levels of ALT and high levels of HBV DNA treated by CPIA after childbirth. (231 words).

[Efficacy of combination antiviral therapy following childbirth in pregnant HBV carriers receiving telbivudine for prevention of mother-to-child transmission].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of combination therapy with peg-IFNalpha and adefovir (CPIA) in women who were hepatfis B virus (HBV) carriers and had just given birth and received telbivudine (LdT) during pregnancy for prevention of mother-to-child transmission. METHODS: One-hundred-and-fifty third trimester-pregnant women who were HBV carriers with highly-viremic were treated with LdT until time of birth. After delivery, those women with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level exceeding two times the upper limit of normal and HBV DNA level that had decreased more than 31 gIU/mL or hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) titer that had decreased more than 50% were switched to CPIA for 96 weeks. RESULTS: Following delivery, 45 of the women were switched to the CPIA treatment, of which 91.1% (41/45) achieved virological response, 55.6% (25/45) achieved HBeAg clearance or seroconversion, and 26.7% (12/45) achieved hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance or seroconversion.The immediate post-delivery (and pre-CPIA) levels of HBeAg and HBV DNA were negatively associated with HBeAg clearance. Ninety-eight of the total study participants stopped the LdT treatment and there were no cases of significant deterioration of liver function. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women who are HBV carriers and receive LdT for protection against mother-to-child transmission, and who show significant ALT elevation and decreased HBeAg titer and/or reduced HBV DNA after delivery, may be good candidates for the CPIA therapy following delivery.

A comparative study of factors influencing residents' waste sorting behavior in urban and rural areas of China.

Extensive research has been conducted on the waste sorting behavior (WSB) of residents, while it is the first time that the classification behavior of urban and rural residents is compared under the same theoretical framework in China. Based on questionnaire data from 478 urban and rural residents, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to investigate the internal factors influencing the WSB by integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM). Hierarchical regression analysis was utilized to investigate the moderating effect of external factors on the residents' intentions and behavior. The results show that the degree of deviation between rural residents' intentions and behavior is much larger than that of urban residents. Personal norms are the key factors affecting urban residents' waste sorting. In contrast, for rural residents, attitude is the most critical factor, but the influence of subjective norms is insignificant. In addition, we found that policy restraints and economic incentives significantly moderate the association between urban residents' sorting intention and behavior, with economic incentives having a better effect than policy restraints. In contrast, the impact of policy restraints on rural residents is better than that of urban areas. However, the moderating effect of economic incentives is insignificant for rural residents. The findings furnish the government with meaningful strategies to narrow the urban-rural waste management gap.

Risk factors and predictive nomograms for bedside emergency endoscopic treatment following endotracheal intubation in cirrhotic patients with esophagogastric variceal bleeding.

Data on emergency endoscopic treatment following endotracheal intubation in patients with esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB) remain limited. This retrospective study aimed to explore the efficacy and risk factors of bedside emergency endoscopic treatment following endotracheal intubation in severe EGVB patients admitted in Intensive Care Unit. A total of 165 EGVB patients were enrolled and allocated to training and validation sets in a randomly stratified manner. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent risk factors to construct nomograms for predicting the prognosis related to endoscopic hemostasis failure rate and 6-week mortality. In result, white blood cell counts (p = 0.03), Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score (p = 0.001) and comorbid shock (p = 0.005) were selected as independent clinical predictors of endoscopic hemostasis failure. High CTP score (p = 0.003) and the presence of gastric varices (p = 0.009) were related to early rebleeding after emergency endoscopic treatment. Furthermore, the 6-week mortality was significantly associated with MELD scores (p = 0.002), the presence of hepatic encephalopathy (p = 0.045) and postoperative rebleeding (p < 0.001). Finally, we developed practical nomograms to discern the risk of the emergency endoscopic hemostasis failure and 6-week mortality for EGVB patients. In conclusion, our study may help identify severe EGVB patients with higher hemostasis failure rate or 6-week mortality for earlier implementation of salvage treatments.

Twist piezoelectricity: giant electromechanical coupling in magic-angle twisted bilayer LiNbO3.

Twisted a pair of stacked two-dimensional materials exhibit many exotic electronic and photonic properties, leading to the emergence of flat-band superconductivity, moiré engineering and topological polaritons. These remarkable discoveries make twistronics the focus point of tremendous interest, but mostly limited to the concept of electrons, phonons or photons. Here, we present twist piezoelectricity as a fascinating paradigm to modulate polarization and electromechanical coupling by twisting precisely the stacked lithium niobate slabs due to the interlayer coupling effect. Particularly, the inversed and twisted bilayer lithium niobate is constructed to overcome the intrinsic mutual limitation of single crystals and giant effective electromechanical coupling coefficient k t 2 is unveiled at magic angle of 11 1 ∘ , reaching 85.5%. Theoretical analysis based on mutual energy integrals shows well agreements with numerical and experimental results. Our work opens new venues to flexibly control multi-physics with magic angle, stimulating progress in wideband acoustic-electric, and acoustic-optic components, which has great potential in wireless communication, timing, sensing, and hybrid integrated photonics.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Wellcomia compar (Spirurina: Oxyuridae) and its genome characterization and phylogenetic analysis.

Wellcomia compar (Spirurina: Oxyuridae) is a pinworm that infects wild and captive porcupines. Despite clear records of its morphological structure, its genetics, systematics, and biology are poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of W. compar and reconstruct its phylogenetic relationship with other nematodes. We sequenced the complete mt genome of W. comparand conducted phylogenetic analyses using concatenated coding sequences of 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs) by maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. The complete mt genome is 14,373 bp in size and comprises 36 genes, including 12 protein-coding, two rRNA and 22 tRNA genes. Apart from 28 intergenic regions, one non-coding region and one overlapping region also occur. A comparison of the gene arrangements of Oxyuridomorpha revealed relatively similar features in W. compar and Wellcomia siamensis. Phylogenetic analysis also showed that W. compar and W. siamensis formed a sister group. In Oxyuridomorpha the genetic distance between W. compar and W. siamensis was 0.0805. This study reports, for the first time, the complete W. compar mt genome sequence obtained from Chinese porcupines. It provides genetic markers for investigating the taxonomy, population genetics, and phylogenetics of pinworms from different hosts and has implications for the diagnosis, prevention, and control of parasitic diseases in porcupines and other animals.

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.

Synergistic effects of lipopolysaccharide and rotenone on dopamine neuronal damage in rats.

INTRODUCTION: The etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD) is still unknown. Until now, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of PD. However, the specific synergistic role of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the occurrence and development of PD remains unclear. METHODS: The changes in motor behavior, dopamine (DA) neurons quantification and their mitochondrial respiratory chain, glial cells activation and secreted cytokines, Nrf2 signaling pathway, and redox balance in the brain of rats were evaluated. RESULTS: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation and rotenone (ROT)-induced oxidative stress synergistically aggravated motor dysfunction, DA neuron damage, activation of glial cells, and release of related mediators, activation of Nrf2 signaling and destruction of oxidative balance. In addition, further studies indicated that after ROT-induced oxidative stress caused direct damage to DA neurons, LPS-induced inflammatory effects had stronger promoting neurotoxic effects on the above aspects. CONCLUSIONS: Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress synergistically aggravated DA neuronal loss. Furtherly, oxidative stress followed by neuroinflammation caused more DA neuronal loss than neuroinflammation followed by oxidative stress.