Research progress on pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome and treatment of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex and perplexing medical disorder primarily characterized by persistent and debilitating fatigue, often accompanied by a constellation of symptoms, including weakness, dyspnea, arthromyalgia, sore throat, and disrupted sleep patterns. CFS is defined by its persistent or recurrent manifestation for a minimum duration of six months, marked by an enduring and unrelenting fatigue that remains refractory to rest. In recent decades, this condition has garnered significant attention within the medical community. While the precise etiology of CFS remains elusive, it is postulated to be multifactorial. CFS is potentially associated with various contributory factors such as infections, chronic stress, genetic predisposition, immune dysregulation, and psychosocial influences. The pathophysiological underpinnings of CFS encompass viral infections, immune system dysregulation, neuroendocrine aberrations, heightened oxidative stress, and perturbations in gut microbiota. Presently, clinical management predominantly relies on pharmaceutical interventions or singular therapeutic modalities, offering alleviation of specific symptoms but exhibiting inherent limitations. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) interventions have emerged as a promising paradigm, demonstrating notable efficacy through their multimodal, multi-target, multi-pathway approach, and holistic regulatory mechanisms. These interventions effectively address the lacunae in contemporary medical interventions. This comprehensive review synthesizes recent advancements in the understanding of the etiological factors, pathophysiological mechanisms, and interventional strategies for CFS, drawing from a corpus of domestic and international literature. Its aim is to furnish valuable insights for clinicians actively involved in diagnosing and treating CFS, as well as for pharmaceutical researchers delving into innovative drug development pathways. Moreover, it seeks to address the intricate challenges confronted by clinical practitioners in managing this incapacitating condition.

Effect of electroacupuncture on expression of protein phosphorylation in hippocampus tissues of rats with chronic fatigue syndrome. / ç”µé’ˆå¹²é¢„å¯¹æ ¢æ€§ç–²åŠ³ç»¼åˆå¾å¤§é¼ æµ·é©¬ç»„ç»‡è›‹ç™½è´¨ç£·é ¸åŒ–è¡¨è¾¾çš„å½±å“.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on behavior and hippocampal protein phosphorylation in rats with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of CFS. METHODS: Male SD rats were randomly divided into control, model and EA groups (n=12 rats in each group). The CFS model was established by chronic multifactor combined with stress stimulation (treadmill training + restraint stress + sleep disturbance + crowded environment). For rats of the EA group, EA (1 mA, frequency of 10 Hz) was applied to "Shenting" (GV24) (with an acupuncture needle penetrated from GV24 to "Baihui" ï¼»GV20ï¼½) and "Dazhui" (GV14) for 15 min, once daily for 28 days. After treatment, the body weight, food intake and water intake of rats in each group were observed. The fatigue degree of rats was evaluated by Semi-quantitative score observation table of the general condition of experimental rats.The open field test (OFT) was used to assess the rats'anxiety severity by detecting the total number of grid-crossing and the times of the central area entered in 5 min, and Morris water maze test was employed to assess the rats' learning-memory ability by detecting the escape latency in 1 min, and the times of the original platform quadrant crossing in 1 min. The hippocampaus was taken for phosphorylated Label-free quantitative proteomics analysis by using Maxquant technology based on full scan mode to calculate the integral of each peptide signal of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS). The differentially-expressed proteins (>1.5 folds for up-regulation or <0.67 folds for down-regulation) were evaluated by gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the body weight, food intake, and the times of original-platform quadrant crossing of spatial exploring of Morris water maze test were significantly decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05) , and the score of general conditions, times of grid-crossing and center area-entering of OFT, and the escape latency of navigation task were apparently increased (P<0.01) in rats of the model group. After EA intervention, the decreased original-platform quadrant crossing, and the increased score of general conditions, times of grid-crossing and the escape latency of navigation task were all reversed (P<0.01, P<0.05). Outcomes of proteomics analysis indicated that compared with the model group, there were 297 differentially expressed peptide (48 up-regulated and 249 down-regulated) segments in the control group, and there were 245 differentially expressed peptide (185 up-regulated and 60 down-regulated) segments in the EA group, in which, 25 overlapping peptide segments were reversed after EA treatment, corresponding to 24 proteins, mainly involving cytoskeletal structure. GO function annotation analysis showed that the top three differentially expressed phosphorylated proteins involved in the effect of EA intervention were the actin filament polymerization, protein depolymerization and cytoskeletal tissue in the biological process, the actin binding, structural molecular activity and cytoskeletal protein binding in the molecular function, and the cytoskeleton, dendrites and dendritic trees in the cellular component, respectively. The KEGG pathway annotation analysis for differentially expressed phosphorylated proteins showed that theinsulin secretion, axon guidance, phosphatidylinositol signaling system and lysine biosynthesis, etc. were involved in the effect of EA intervention. CONCLUSIONS: EA of GV24-GV20 and GV14 can improve the general state, anxiety and learning-memory ability of CFS model rats, which may be related to its functions in regulating the hippocampal protein phosphorylation level, and repairing the structure and function of synapses in hippocampus.

Effect of electroacupuncture on behavior and hippocampal inflammatory factors in rats with chronic fatigue syndrome. / ç”µé’ˆå¯¹æ ¢æ€§ç–²åŠ³ç»¼åˆå¾å¤§é¼ è¡Œä¸ºå­¦åŠæµ·é©¬ç‚Žæ€§å› å­çš„å½±å“.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the changes of behavior and hippocampal inflammatory factors in rats with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), so as to explore its possible mechanisms in the treatment of CFS. METHODS: Twenty-seven SD rats were randomly divided into control, model and electroacupuncture (EA) groups (n=9 rats in each group). The CFS model was established by multi-factor compound stress stimulation method. Rats of the EA group received EA (10 Hz) at "Shenting" (GV24) penetrating "Baihui" (GV20), "Dazhui" (GV14) for 15 min, twice a day for 14 days. The general conditions, Morris water maze test, open field test, the exhausted running platform were conducted for determining the rats' locomotor and learning-memory activities. H.E. staining was used to observe the morphological structure of neurons in hippocampal CA1 region. The contents of interleukin (IL)-10, IL-17 and transforming growth factor (TGF) ß1 in hippocampus and serum of rats were detected by ELISA, and the positive expressions of IL-10, IL-17 and TGF-ß1 in hippocampal CA1 region were detected by immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the score of general condition was increased (P<0.05), the escape latency was prolonged (P<0.05), the number of crossing the original platform was decreased (P<0.05), the numbers of crossing the grid and entering the central area were increased (P<0.05), and the exhaustive treadmill time was shortened (P<0.05) in the model group. The contents of IL-10 in the hippocampus and serum were decreased (P<0.05), while IL-17 and TGF-ß1 contents were increased (P<0.05). The immunofluorescence intensity of IL-10 in the hippocampus was decreased (P<0.05), while the intensity of IL-17 and TGF-ß1 were increased (P<0.05). After treatment, compared with the model group, the score of general condition was decreased (P<0.05), the escape latency was shortened (P<0.05), the number of crossing the original platform was increased (P<0.05), the numbers of crossing the grid and entering the central area were decreased (P<0.05), and the exhaustive treadmill time was prolonged (P<0.05) in the EA group. The contents of IL-10 in the hippocampus and serum were increased (P<0.05), while IL-17 and TGF-ß1 levels were decreased (P<0.05). The immunofluorescence intensity of IL-10 in the hippocampus was increased (P<0.05), while the intensity of IL-17 and TGF-ß1 were decreased (P<0.05). H.E. staining showed that in the model group, the number of neurons in the hippocampus decreased, with disordered arrangement and loose structure, and a small numbers of neuronal nuclei were missing. The degree of tissue damage of the EA group was milder than that of the model group. CONCLUSIONS: EA can alleviate fatigue and spatial learning and memory impairment in CFS rats, which may be related to the regulation of peripheral and central inflammation.

Cell division cycle 42 attenuates high glucose-treated renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis, fibrosis, and inflammation, but activates the PAK1/AKT pathway.

BACKGROUND: Cell division cycle 42 (CDC42) modulates metabolism, inflammation, and fibrosis to engage in the pathology of diabetic complications. This study intended to further investigate the influence of CDC42 on viability, apoptosis, inflammation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and fibrosis in high glucose (HG)-treated renal tubular epithelial cells. METHODS: HK-2 cells were exposed to HG medium (30 mM) to establish the diabetic nephropathy (DN) cellular model, then the cells were transfected with scramble overexpression control (oeNC) or CDC42 overexpression (oeCDC42) vectors. RESULTS: Both the level of CDC42 mRNA and protein were decreased in HG-treated HK-2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Then HG-treated HK-2 cells were proposed for the following experiments. It was found that CDC42 increased CCK-8 detected viability and EdU positive cells. On the contrary, CDC42 reduced cell apoptosis, which was reflected by decreased TUNEL positive rate, increased BCL2, and reduced BAX. Interestingly, CDC42 inhibited fibrosis, which was reflected by increased E-Cadherin, as well as decreased Vimentin, TGF-ß1, Collagen1, and α-SMA. Apart from these, CDC42 also attenuated proinflammatory cytokine production, including TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6. Moreover, CDC42 activated the PAK1/AKT pathway, which was reflected by increased p-PAK1 and p-AKT. However, CDC42 did not affect p-ERK. CONCLUSION: CDC42 may retard DN progression via its regulation of renal tubular epithelial cell functions, which may be due to its stimulation of the PAK1/AKT pathway.

Exploring the central mechanism of mind-regulation electroacupuncture in treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome with anxiety and depression comorbidity based on functional magnetic resonance imaging. / åŸºäºŽåŠŸèƒ½ç£å ±æŒ¯æŽ¢è®¨è°ƒç¥žæ³•ç”µé’ˆæ²»ç–—æ ¢æ€§ç–²åŠ³ç»¼åˆå¾ä¼´ç„¦è™‘æŠ‘éƒå ±ç— çš„ä¸­æž¢æœºåˆ¶.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the changes in the regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional brain network in treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) with anxiety and depression comorbidity with the mind-regulation electroacupuncture (EA), using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). METHODS: Thirty CFS patients with anxiety and depression comorbidity were enrolled from medical staffs as the observation group. The other 30 healthy subjects were recruited from medical university students as the control group, matching gender, age and education years with the observation group. No any acupuncture intervention was delivered in the control group, and EA for regulating the mind was operated in the observation group. Main points were the emotional area of Sun's scalp acupuncture, the regions 1 and 8 of Sun's abdominal acupuncture. Supplementary acupoints included Baihui (GV 20), Guanyuan (CV 4) and bilateral. RESULTS: The scores of the five domains in MFI-20 (i.e. general fatigue, physical fatigue, mental fatigue, reduced motivation and reduced activity), the total score of MFI-20, and the scores of SDS, SAS and PSQI in the observation group before treatment were higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). Except the score of reduced motivation in MFI-20, the scores of the other domains and the total score of MFI-20, as well as the scores of SDS, SAS and PSQI after treatment were lower than those before treatment in the observation group (P<0.05). Compared with the values before treatment, ReHo value was increased in the the right precuneus and decreased in the left inferior temporal gyrus and the left angular gyrus of the brain in the observation group after treatment. In the observation group, when compared with the control group, ReHo values were increased in the left inferior cerebral lobe, the interhemispheric region, the right occipital lobe and the thalamus; and it was reduced in the left middle temporal gyrus, the right posterior central gyrus, the right middle temporal gyrus, the right orbital middle frontal gyrus, the paracentral lobule and the right fusiform gyrus before treatment. In the observation group, the functional connectivity was decreased between the right thalamus and the left posterior central gyrus, the right hippocampus and the right fusiform gyrus before treatment, respectively; it was re-constructed after treatment between the right thalamus and the left posterior central gyrus, and the right fusiform gyrus. Compared with the control group, the functional connectivity between the right thalamus and the left posterior central gyrus, the right hippocampus, and the right fusiform gyrus was reduced before treatment; while after treatment, the functional connectivity was reduced between the right thalamus and the hippocampus in the observation group. With Spearman correlation analysis between the differential brain regions and the scores of MFI-20, SAS, SDS and PSQI, it was found that the left middle temporal gyrus, the paracentral lobule, the right precuneus, and the left inferior temporal gyrus had a partial positive correlation with the above clinical scales; and the interhemispheric region, the thalamus, the right fusiform gyrus, and the right middle temporal gyrus showed a partial negative correlation. CONCLUSIONS: There is the decrease of ReHo in many brain regions and the numbers of the local brain functional network connectivity in CFS patients with anxiety and depression comorbidity. The mind-regulation electroacupuncture therapy may relieve the clinical symptoms of the patients through adjusting the abnormal brain regions and activating emotion-related brain regions.

Predictive Value of Machine Learning for Platinum Chemotherapy Responses in Ovarian Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Machine learning is a potentially effective method for predicting the response to platinum-based treatment for ovarian cancer. However, the predictive performance of various machine learning methods and variables is still a matter of controversy and debate. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to systematically review relevant literature on the predictive value of machine learning for platinum-based chemotherapy responses in patients with ovarian cancer. METHODS: Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, we systematically searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases for relevant studies on predictive models for platinum-based therapies for the treatment of ovarian cancer published before April 26, 2023. The Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias in the included articles. Concordance index (C-index), sensitivity, and specificity were used to evaluate the performance of the prediction models to investigate the predictive value of machine learning for platinum chemotherapy responses in patients with ovarian cancer. RESULTS: A total of 1749 articles were examined, and 19 of them involving 39 models were eligible for this study. The most commonly used modeling methods were logistic regression (16/39, 41%), Extreme Gradient Boosting (4/39, 10%), and support vector machine (4/39, 10%). The training cohort reported C-index in 39 predictive models, with a pooled value of 0.806; the validation cohort reported C-index in 12 predictive models, with a pooled value of 0.831. Support vector machine performed well in both the training and validation cohorts, with a C-index of 0.942 and 0.879, respectively. The pooled sensitivity was 0.890, and the pooled specificity was 0.790 in the training cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Machine learning can effectively predict how patients with ovarian cancer respond to platinum-based chemotherapy and may provide a reference for the development or updating of subsequent scoring systems.

Comparison of risk prediction models for the progression of pelvic inflammatory disease patients to sepsis: Cox regression model and machine learning model.

Introduction: The present study presents the development and validation of a clinical prediction model using random survival forest (RSF) and stepwise Cox regression, aiming to predict the probability of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) progressing to sepsis. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, gathering clinical data of patients diagnosed with PID between 2008 and 2019 from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV database. Patients who met the Sepsis 3.0 diagnostic criteria were selected, with sepsis as the outcome. Univariate Cox regression and stepwise Cox regression were used to screen variables for constructing a nomogram. Moreover, an RSF model was created using machine learning algorithms. To verify the model's performance, a calibration curve, decision curve analysis (DCA), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were utilized. Furthermore, the capabilities of the two models for estimating the incidence of sepsis in PID patients within 3 and 7 days were compared. Results: A total of 1064 PID patients were included, of whom 54 had progressed to sepsis. The established nomogram highlighted dialysis, reduced platelet (PLT) counts, history of pneumonia, medication of glucocorticoids, and increased leukocyte counts as significant predictive factors. The areas under the curve (AUCs) of the nomogram for prediction of PID progression to sepsis at 3-day and 7-day (3-/7-day) in the training set and the validation set were 0.886/0.863 and 0.824/0.726, respectively, and the C-index of the model was 0.8905. The RSF displayed excellent performance, with AUCs of 0.939/0.919 and 0.712/0.571 for 3-/7-day risk prediction in the training set and validation set, respectively. Conclusion: The nomogram accurately predicted the incidence of sepsis in PID patients, and relevant risk factors were identified. While the RSF model outperformed the Cox regression models in predicting sepsis incidence, its performance exhibited some instability. On the other hand, the Cox regression-based nomogram displayed stable performance and improved interpretability, thereby supporting clinical decision-making in PID treatment.

Research progress on central mechanism of acupuncture treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by extreme fatigue that lasts for a long time and doesn't alleviate with rest. The number of the cases has been increasing during the era of COVID-19 pandemic. Acupuncture may have some effect on chronic fatigue syndrome, but its mechanism remains unclear. This article was to summarize the specific manifestations of abnormal central mechanism in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome through laboratory tests and neuroimaging. It was found from the laboratory evaluation that there were changes in the structure of the frontal cortex, thalamus and other brain tissues; factors, including IFN-α and IL-10 in cerebrospinal fluid were found abnormal; results of oxidative and nitrosative stress and changes in neurobiochemical substances, e.g. hypothalamus hormone levels and neurotransmitter concentrations, were observed. With magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography, it was shown that the partial brain of persons with chronic fatigue syndrome had morphological changes with diminished grey matter and white; changes in cerebral blood flow velocity caused by decreased perfusion and functional activity with abnormal connectivity in brain were detected. In addition, there was significant decrease in glucose metabolism accompanied with neuroinflammatory response; metabolic disorders of serotonergic, cholinergic, glutamatergic and γ-aminobutyric acid energy neurotransmitters were also discovered. The regulatory effect of acupuncture on the above central neurological abnormalities in chronic fatigue syndrome model animals was elaborated, and the direction for further research was analyzed in order to provide ideas for further research on the central mechanism of acupuncture treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome.

A meta-analysis evaluating effects of the rotigotine in Parkinson's disease, focusing on sleep disturbances and activities of daily living.

BACKGROUND: Rotigotine transdermal patch (TP) is a useful dopaminergic medication for Parkinson's disease (PD). This meta-analysis attempted to evaluate the effects of rotigotine TP on motor performance, activities of daily living (ADL) limitations, and sleep disturbances in patients with PD. METHODS: Only randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) with placebo design were included in this study. The clinical outcomes, evaluated using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS III), UPDRS-II, UPDRS Part II + III, Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS)-2, and adverse events (AEs) were evaluated. The Jadad scale was used to evaluate study quality. RESULTS: A total of 16 RCTs with 4682 patients with PD were enrolled in this study. We found that rotigotine TP significantly reduced the UPDRS-III, UPDRS-II, and UPDRS Part II + III scores, indicating that rotigotine TP led to a significant amelioration of movement symptoms and ADL limitations. Moreover, we found that rotigotine TP significantly reduced PDSS-2 scores, suggesting that rotigotine TP led to a remarkable improvement in sleep quality. Meanwhile, compared with the placebo group, patients taking rotigotine TP did not have added incidence of AEs. CONCLUSION: This study verified the efficacy and safety of rotigotine TP in treating PD. The findings of the present study provide compelling evidence concerning and insight into clinical usage of rotigotine TP. Future studies will focus on more non-motor symptoms affected by rotigotine TP.

[Electroacupuncture improves cognitive function by inhibiting NF-κB activity in rats with chronic fatigue syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the expression of NF-κB p65 in hippocampus and the morphology of hippocampus in rats with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), so as to explore its mechanism in improving cognitive dysfunction of CFS. METHODS: Forty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into control, model, EA and inhibitor groups (n=12 in each group). The CFS model was established by multi-factor compound stress stimulation method. Rats of the EA group received EA (50 Hz, 1 mA) at "Baihui" (GV20), Emotional Area I and bilateral Sensory Area for 30 min, once daily for 15 days. For rats in the inhibitor group, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (100 mg·kg-1·d-1) was injected intraperitoneally, once a day for 15 days. Learning and memory ability was evaluated by Morris water maze test. HE staining was used to observe the morphology of hippocampus. Western blot was used to determine the expression level of NF-κB p65 in hippocampus. RESULTS: After mode-ling, the general status score was increased （P<0.01）, the escape latency was prolonged(P<0.01), the times of crossing the platform was decreased(P<0.01), and the expression level of NF-κB p65 in hippocampus tissue was significantly increased (P<0.05) in the model group compared with the control group. Compared with the model group, the general status score was decreased （P<0.01）, the escape latency was shortened(P<0.01), the times of crossing the platform was increased(P<0.01), and the expression level of NF-κB p65 in hippocampus tissue was significantly decreased (P<0.05) in the EA and inhibitor groups. HE staining showed that in the model group, the hippocampal nerve cells were arranged disorderly, the structure was loose, and the number of apoptotic bodies and inflammatory cells was significantly increased. The degree of tissue damage of the EA and inhibitor groups was milder than that of the model group. CONCLUSION: EA can improve the cognitive function in CFS rats, which may be associated with its effect in inhibiting the expression of NF-κB and reducing the inflammation response in hippocampus.

The Effect of 3D Printing Metal Materials on Osteoporosis Treatment.

3D printing has been in use for a long time and has continued to contribute to breakthroughs in the fields of clinical, physical, and rehabilitation medicine. In order to evaluate the role of 3D printing technology in treating spinal disorders, this paper presents a systematic review of the relevant literature. 3D printing is described in terms of its adjunctive function in various stages of spinal surgery and assistance in osteoporosis treatment. A review of metal 3D printed materials and applications of the technology is also provided.

Development and Application of Medicine-Engineering Integration in the Rehabilitation of Traumatic Brain Injury.

The rapid progress of the combination of medicine and engineering provides better chances for the clinical treatment and healthcare engineering. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its related symptoms have become a major global health problem. At present, these techniques has been widely used in the rehabilitation of TBI. In this review article, we summarizes the progress of the combination of medicine and industry in the rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury in recent years, mainly from the following aspects: artificial intelligence (AI), brain-computer interfaces (BCI), noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS), and wearable-assisted devices. We believe the summary of this article can improve insight into the combination of medicine and industry in the rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury.

Protective effect of rhaponticin on ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in rats.

Rhaponticin is a constituent isolated from numerous medicinal herbs. It has been reported earlier that rhaponticin possesses numerous biological effects like antiallergic, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, and antithrombosis. The goal of this exploration was to scrutinize the therapeutic potential of rhaponticin on ovariectomy (OVX)-triggered osteoporosis in rats. Female Sprague Dawley rats were arbitrarily allocated to a sham-operated control group I, group II, which underwent OVX, and groups III and IV that underwent OVX were administered with rhaponticin (10 and 20 mg/kg). Rhaponticin was supplemented orally after 4 weeks of OVX and continued for about 16 weeks. Our findings exhibit that rhaponticin prevented the BMD diminution of femurs, induced by OVX, and protected the worsening of trabecular microarchitecture that are assisted through a noteworthy decline in skeletal remodeling as noticed through the diminished status of bone markers in a dose-dependent manner (10 and 20 mg/kg). OVX rats treated with rhaponticin efficiently enhanced body weight, lipid profiles, uterine index, bone turnover markers, inflammatory markers, and augmented the incidence of calcium in the OVX rats. Rhaponticin was established to restrain the functions of acid phosphatase, estradiol, and bone gla protein in OVX rats. Also, rhaponticin displayed some beneficial effects on histomorphometric and histopathological examination. It was observed that tabular area and thickness were reinstated in sham control and rhaponticin-treated OVX rats. We recognized that rhaponticin did not induce a damaging outcome on the skeletal organization of OVX rats. Moreover, we denote that rhaponticin can be an exceptional agent for the treatment and deal with associated bone diseases.

Erratum to "Punicalin Alleviates OGD/R-Triggered Cell Injury via TGF-ß-Mediated Oxidative Stress and Cell Cycle in Neuroblastoma Cells SH-SY5Y.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2021/6671282.].

Discussion on the Rehabilitation of Stroke Hemiplegia Based on Interdisciplinary Combination of Medicine and Engineering.

Interdisciplinary combinations of medicine and engineering are part of the strategic plan of many universities aiming to be world-class institutions. One area in which these interactions have been prominent is rehabilitation of stroke hemiplegia. This article reviews advances in the last five years of stroke hemiplegia rehabilitation via interdisciplinary combination of medicine and engineering. Examples of these technologies include VR, RT, mHealth, BCI, tDCS, rTMS, and TCM rehabilitation. In this article, we will summarize the latest research in these areas and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each to examine the frontiers of interdisciplinary medicine and engineering advances.

Overview of Artificial Intelligence Applications in Chinese Medicine Therapy.

To evaluate the importance of AI technologies in modernizing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy, this article presents the systematic review of the relevant literature and explains the beneficial effects of AI technology on the TCM treatment outcomes from the experience of famous and veteran Chinese medicines, including acupuncture, Tui Na massage, and Qigong practitioners. This study also focuses on the urgent necessity to apply AI technologies to develop therapeutic models on the theme "treating the disease before it happens." Furthermore, the study also discusses the major bottlenecks and future prospects for the development of intelligent TCM treatment strategies.

Development and Application of Artificial Intelligence in Auxiliary TCM Diagnosis.

As an emerging comprehensive discipline, artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely applied in various fields, including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a treasure of the Chinese nation. Realizing the organic combination of AI and TCM can promote the inheritance and development of TCM. The paper summarizes the development and application of AI in auxiliary TCM diagnosis, analyzes the bottleneck of artificial intelligence in the field of auxiliary TCM diagnosis at present, and proposes a possible future direction of its development.

Punicalin Alleviates OGD/R-Triggered Cell Injury via TGF-ß-Mediated Oxidative Stress and Cell Cycle in Neuroblastoma Cells SH-SY5Y.

PURPOSE: The research aimed to identify the active component from Punica granatum L. to alleviate ischemia/reperfusion injury and clarify the underlying mechanism of the active component alleviating ischemia/reperfusion injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The SH-SY5Y cell model of oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) was established to simulate the ischemia/reperfusion injury. According to the strategy of bioassay-guided isolation, the active component of punicalin from Punica granatum L. was identified. Flow cytometry and Western blotting were employed to evaluate the effects of OGD/R and/or punicalin on cell cycle arrest. Immunofluorescence assay was applied to assess the nucleus translocation. The relative content of ROS and GSH and the enzyme activities of CAT and SOD were examined using ELISA. RESULTS: The data of bioassay-guided isolation showed that punicalin from Punica granatum L. could alleviate OGD/R-induced cell injury in SH-SY5Y cells. Flow cytometry analysis and Western blotting for probing the expression of CDK1, p-CDK1, cyclin B1, and p21 revealed that punicalin could relieve OGD/R-induced cell cycle G0/G1 arrest. Additionally, immunofluorescence assay and Western blotting for probing the expression of TGF-ß and p-Smad2/p-Smad3 showed that punicalin could relieve the OGD/R-induced TGF-ß/Smad pathway. Furthermore, the TGF-ß/Smad pathway inhibitor of LY2157299 was employed to confirm that the TGF-ß/Smad pathway is crucial to the effect of punicalin. At last, it was indicated that punicalin could relieve OGD/R-induced oxidative stress. CONCLUSION: Punicalin, an active component from Punica granatum L., was identified as a protective agent to alleviate the OGD/R-induced cell injury, which could exert the protective effect via TGF-ß/Smad pathway-regulated oxidative stress and cell cycle arrest in SH-SY5Y cells.

[Analgesic mechanism of acupuncture on neuropathic pain].

The research progress of acupuncture analgesia in recent years is analyzed to summarize the analgesic mechanism of acupuncture on neuropathic pain. The analgesic mechanism of acupuncture on neuropathic pain is discussed from peripheral level and central level, including peripheral sensitization and immune inflammatory response, changes of ion channel, central sensitization, regulation of cell signal pathway, activation of spinal glial cells, etc. It is suggested that the focus of future research should include conducting in-vitro studies with the help of multi-omics technology to detect the changes of metabolic substances and signal pathway molecules in patients with neuropathic pain before and after acupuncture to further clarify the mechanism of acupuncture analgesia.

Neuroprotective and Anti-inflammatory Effect of Tangeretin Against Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rats.

The neuro-inflammation is well known to be an inflammatory response in the brain tissue. Anti-inflammatory therapy in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) pathogenesis is a potential therapeutic strategy for post-I/R injury. Currently, we made attempt to scrutinize the neuro-protective effect of tangeretin against I/R injury in the brain of experimental rats. I/R injury is induced in the brain via transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (2 h) and reperfusion (20 h). The infarction area, brain water content and neurofunctional parameters were also estimated. Inflammatory cytokines and brain injury markers were scrutinized at the end of the study. mRNA expression of interleukin 6 (IL-6), toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4), interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFNG-γ), and transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) was estimated using the qRT-PCR. Tangeretin significantly (P < 0.001) decreased brain water content, infarct volume, neurological score, brain edema, and Evans blue leakage. Tangeretin significantly (P < 0.001) down-regulated the inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress parameters in the serum and brain tissue of experimental rats. qRT-PCR data demonstrated that rats treated with tangeretin could significantly (P < 0.001) suppress the IL-1ß, TLR-4 TNF-α, IFNG-γ, and IL-6 and boost the expression of TGF-ß1 compared with I/R injury rats. The result clearly showed tangeretin neuro-protective and anti-inflammatory effect against I/R injury in rats through suppressed inflammatory reaction.