Recent Advances in Antimony Selenide Photodetectors.

Photodetectors (PDs) rapidly capture optical signals and convert them into electrical signals, making them indispensable in a variety of applications including imaging, optical communication, remote sensing, and biological detection. Recently, antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) has achieved remarkable progress due to its earth-abundant, low toxicity, low price, suitable bandgap width, high absorption coefficient, and unique structural characteristics. Sb2Se3 has been extensively studied in solar cells, but there's a lack of timely updates in the field of PDs. A literature review based on Sb2Se3 PDs is urgently warranted. This review aims to provide a concise understanding of the latest progress in Sb2Se3 PDs, with a focus on the basic characteristics and the performance optimization for Sb2Se3 photoconductive-type and photodiode-type detectors, including nanostructure regulation, process optimization, and stability improvement of flexible devices. Furthermore, the application progresses of Sb2Se3 PDs in heart rate monitoring, and monolithic-integrated matrix images are introduced. Finally, this review presents various strategies with potential and feasibility to address challenges for the rapid development and commercial application of Sb2Se3 PDs.

Tubular-like Nanocomposites with Embedded Cu9S5-MoSx Crystalline-Amorphous Heterostructure in N-Doped Carbon as Li-Ion Batteries Anode toward Ultralong Cycling Stability.

Transition metal sulfides (TMSs) show the potential to be competitive candidates as next-generation anode materials for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical specific capacity. However, sluggish ionic/electronic transportation and huge volume change upon lithiation/delithiation remain major challenges in developing practical TMS anodes. We rationally combine structural design and interface engineering to fabricate a tubular-like nanocomposite with embedded crystalline Cu9S5 nanoparticles and amorphous MoSx in a carbon matrix (C/Cu9S5-MoSx NTs). On the one hand, the hybrid integrated the advantages of 1D hollow nanostructures and carbonaceous materials, whose high surface-to-volume ratios, inner void, flexibility, and high electronic conductivity not only enhance ion/electron transfer kinetics but also effectively buffer the volume changes of metal sulfides during charge/discharge. On the other hand, the formation of crystalline-amorphous heterostructures between Cu9S5 and MoSx could further boost charge transfer due to an induced built-in electric field at the interface and the presence of a long-range disorder phase. In addition, amorphous MoSx offers an extra elastic buffer layer to release the fracture risk of Cu9S5 crystalline nanoparticles during repetitive electrochemical reactions. Benefiting from the above synergistic effect, the C/Cu9S5-MoSx electrode as an LIB anode in an ether-based electrolyte achieves a high-rate capability (445 mAh g-1 at 6 A g-1) and superior ultralong-term cycling stability, which delivers an initial discharge capacity of 561 mAh g-1 at 2 A g-1 and its retention capacity after 3600 cycles (376 mAh g-1) remains higher than that of commercial graphite (372 mAh g-1).

The effect of body weight-supported Tai Chi Yunshou on upper limb motor function in stroke survivors based on neurobiomechanical analysis: a four-arm, parallel-group, assessors-blind randomized controlled trial protocol.

Introduction: A series of functional disorders commonly occur after stroke, of which upper limb dysfunction is the most difficult to recover. The upper limb rehabilitation effect of Tai Chi Yunshou(TCY) in the later stage of stroke has been confirmed by research. Body weight support-Tai Chi Yunshou (BWS-TCY) is based on TCY exercise and robotic exoskeletons offers most flexibility in deweighting and control strategy. This study is aimed to explore the effect of BWS-TCY on upper limb motor function in stroke based on neurobiomechanics. Methods and analysis: A single-blind randomized controlled trial will be conducted on 36 stroke survivors who will be randomly assigned to three groups: experimental group, control group A and control group B. In addition, 12 healthy elderly people will be recruited into the healthy control group. Those in the experimental group will receive 20 min of CRT and 20 min of BWS-TCY training, while participants in the control group A will receive 20 min of CRT and 20 min of Robot-assisted training. Participants in the control group B will undergo 40 min of Conventional rehabilitation training (CRT) daily. All interventions will take place 5 days a week for 12 weeks, with a 12-week follow-up period. No intervention will be carried out for the healthy control group. Upper limb function will be assessed before and after the intervention using various rating scales (Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Wolf Motor Function Test, etc.), as well as neurobiomechanical analyses (surface electromyography, functional near-infrared brain function analysis system, and Xsens maneuver Capture System). Additionally, 10 healthy elderly individuals will be recruited for neurobiomechanical analysis, and the results will be compared with those of stroke survivors. Discussion: The results of this study will offer initial evidence on the effectiveness and feasibility of BWS-TCY as an early intervention for stroke rehabilitation. Positive findings from this study could contribute to the development of guidelines for the use of BWS-TCY in the early stages of stroke. Ethics and dissemination: This study has been approved by the Research Ethics Committees of the seventh People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Study ID: 2022-7th-HIRB-022). The results of the study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at scientific conferences. Clinical trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/, ChiCTR 2200063150.

Human Amniotic Epithelial Stem Cells Alleviate Autoimmune Premature Ovarian Insufficiency in Mice by Targeting Granulosa Cells via AKT/ERK Pathways.

Autoimmune factors play an important role in premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). Human amniotic epithelial stem cells (hAESCs) have recently shown promising treatment effects on chemotherapy-induced POI. However, the therapeutic efficacy and underlying mechanisms of hAESCs in autoimmune POI remain to be investigated. In this study, we showed for the first time that intravenous transplantation of hAESCs could reside in the ovary of zona pellucida 3 peptide (pZP3) induced autoimmune POI mice model for at least 4 weeks. hAESCs could improve ovarian function and fertility, alleviate inflammation and reduce apoptosis of granulosa cells (GCs) in autoimmune POI mice. The transcriptome analysis of mice ovaries and in vitro co-cultivation experiments suggest that activation of the AKT and ERK pathways may be the key mechanism in the therapeutic effect of hAESCs. Our work provides the theoretical and experimental foundation for optimizing the administration of hAESCs, as well as the clinical application of hAESCs in autoimmune POI patients.

Molecular evolution and functional diversification of metal tolerance protein families in cereals plants and function of maize MTP protein.

Plants employ metal tolerance proteins (MTPs) to confer tolerance by sequestering excess ions into vacuoles. MTPs belong to the cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) family, which facilitates the transport of divalent transition metal cations. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the MTP gene families across 21 plant species, including maize (Zea mays). A total of 247 MTP genes were identified within these plant genomes and categorized into distinct subgroups, namely Zn-CDF, Mn-CDF, and Fe/Zn-CDF, based on phylogenetic analyses. This investigation encompassed the characterization of genomic distribution, gene structures, cis-regulatory elements, collinearity relationships, and gene ontology functions associated with MTPs. Transcriptomic analyses unveiled stress-specific expression patterns of MTP genes under various abiotic stresses. Moreover, quantitative RT-PCR assays were employed to assess maize MTP gene responses to diverse heavy metal stress conditions. Functional validation of metal tolerance roles was achieved through heterologous expression in yeast. This integrated evolutionary scrutiny of MTP families in cereals furnishes a valuable framework for the elucidation of MTP functions in subsequent studies. Notably, the prioritized MTP gene ZmMTP6 emerged as a positive regulator of plant Cd tolerance, thereby offering a pivotal genetic asset for the development of Cd-tolerant crops, particularly maize cultivars.

Identification and Validation of SLC9A2 as A Potential Tumor Suppressor in Colorectal Cancer: Integrating Bioinformatics Analysis with Experimental Confirmation.

OBJECTIVE: To uncover the mechanisms underlying the development of colorectal cancer (CRC), we applied bioinformatic analyses to identify key genes and experimentally validated their possible roles in CRC onset and progression. METHODS: We performed Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis on differentially expressed genes (DEGs), constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network to find the top 10 hub genes, and analyzed their expression in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) and rectum adenocarcinoma (READ). We also studied the correlation between these genes and immune cell infiltration and prognosis and validated the expression of SLC9A2 in CRC tissues and cell lines using qRT-PCR and Western blotting. Functional experiments were conducted in vitro to investigate the effects of SLC9A2 on tumor growth and metastasis. RESULTS: We found 130 DEGs, with 45 up-regulated and 85 down-regulated in CRC. GO analysis indicated that these DEGs were primarily enriched in functions related to the regulation of cellular pH, zymogen granules, and transmembrane transporter activity. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the DEGs played pivotal roles in pancreatic secretion, rheumatoid arthritis, and the IL-17 signaling pathway. We identified 10 hub genes: CXCL1, SLC26A3, CXCL2, MMP7, MMP1, SLC9A2, SLC4A4, CLCA1, CLCA4, and ZG16. GO enrichment analysis showed that these hub genes were predominantly involved in the positive regulation of transcription. Gene expression analysis revealed that CXCL1, CXCL2, MMP1, and MMP7 were highly expressed in CRC, whereas CLCA1, CLCA4, SLC4A4, SLC9A2, SLC26A3, and ZG16 were expressed at lower levels. Survival analysis revealed that 5 key genes were significantly associated with the prognosis of CRC. Both mRNA and protein expression levels of SLC9A2 were markedly reduced in CRC tissues and cell lines. Importantly, SLC9A2 overexpression in SW480 cells led to a notable inhibition of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Western blotting analysis revealed that the expression levels of phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) and phosphorylated JNK (p-JNK) proteins were significantly increased, whereas there were no significant changes in the expression levels of ERK and JNK following SLC9A2 overexpression. Correlation analysis indicated a potential link between SLC9A2 expression and the MAPK signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that SLC9A2 acts as a tumor suppressor through the MAPK pathway and could be a potential target for CRC diagnosis and therapy.

Zeolite-Templated Carbons Supported Rh and Ru Electrocatalysts for Highly Active Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Here, we report the systematical synthesis of zeolite-templated carbon (ZTC) supported Ru and Rh mono- or bi-metallic electrocatalysts towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The zeolite A or ZSM-5 derived ZTC supports and metal sites were adjusted, and all electrocatalysts outperformed the commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst for HER performance. In particular, the RhRu/(ZTC/ZSM5) sample exhibited superior catalytic performance with the overpotential of 24.8 mV@10 mA ⋅ cm-2, and outstanding stability with 1 mV drop after 20000 cyclic voltammetry circles. This work offers a simple impregnation method for the synthesis of highly performed HER electrocatalysts supported on porous zeolite-templated carbon.

AMPA receptor potentiation alleviates NLRP3 knockout-induced fear generalization in mice.

Genetic knockout and pharmaceutical inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome enhances the extinction of contextual fear memory, which is attributed to its role in neuronal and synaptic dysregulation, concurrent with neurotransmitter function disturbances. This study aimed to determine whether NLRP3 plays a role in generalizing fear via the inflammatory axis. We established the NLRP3 KO mice model, followed by behavioral and biochemical analyses. The NLRP3 KO mice displayed impaired fear generalization, lower neuroinflammation levels, and dysregulated neurotransmitter function. Additionally, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors, but not the inhibition of NMDA or 5-HT2C receptors, resulted in fear generalization in NLRP3 KO mice because TAT-GluA2 3Y, but not SB242084 and D-cycloserine, treated blocked NLRP3 deprivation effects on fear generalization. Thus, global knockout of NLRP3 is associated with aberrant fear generalization, possibly through AMPA receptor signaling.

Amphiphilic hydroxyethyl starch-based nanoparticles carrying linoleic acid modified berberine inhibit the expression of krasv12 oncogene in zebrafish.

Cancer is one of the most lethal diseases all over the world. Despite that many drugs have been developed for cancer therapy, they still suffer from various limitations including poor treating efficacy, toxicity to normal human cells, and the emergence of multidrug resistance. In this study, the amphiphilic LHES polymers were prepared using hydroxyethyl starch (HES) and linoleic acid as starting materials. The content and substitution degree of linoleic acid groups in LHES polymers were analyzed. The LHES polymers were used for fabricating LHES-B nanoparticles carrying a linoleic acid modified berberine derivative (L-BBR). The LHES-B nanoparticles showed high drug loading efficiency (29%) and could quickly release L-BBR under acidic pH condition (pH = 4.5). Biological investigations revealed that LHES-B nanoparticles significantly inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells and exhibited higher cytotoxicity than L-BBR. In a transgenic Tg(fabp10:rtTA2s-M2; TRE2:EGFP-krasv12) zebrafish model, LHES-B nanoparticles obviously inhibited the expression of krasv12 oncogene. These results indicated that LHES carriers could improve the anticancer activity of L-BBR, and the synthesized LHES-B nanoparticles showed great potential as anticancer drug.

Precise capture of circulating endometrial cells in endometriosis.

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis (EM) is a complex benign gynecological disease, but it has malignant biological behavior and can invade any part of the body. Clinical manifestations include pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, infertility, pelvic nodules, and masses. Our previous study successfully detected circulating endometrial cells (CECs) in the peripheral blood of patients with EM. The purpose of this study is to overcome the limitation of cell size in the previous microfluidic chip method, to further accurately capture CECs, understand the characteristics of these cells, and explore the relationship between CECs and the clinical course characteristics of patients with EM. METHODS: Human peripheral venous blood used to detect CECs and circulating vascular endothelial cells (CVECs) was taken from EM patients ( n = 34) hospitalized in the Peking University People's Hospital. We used the subtraction enrichment and immunostaining fluorescence in situ hybridization (SE-iFISH) method to exclude the interference of red blood cells, white blood cells, and CVECs, so as to accurately capture the CECs in the peripheral blood of patients with EM. Then we clarified the size and ploidy number of chromosome 8 of CECs, and a second grouping of patients was performed based on clinical characteristics to determine the relationship between CECs and clinical course characteristics. RESULTS: The peripheral blood of 34 EM patients and 12 non-EM patients was evaluated by SE-iFISH. Overall, 34 eligible EM patients were enrolled. The results showed that the detection rates of CECs were 58.8% in EM patients and 16.7% in the control group. However, after classification according to clinical characteristics, more CECs could be detected in the peripheral blood of patients with rapidly progressive EM, with a detection rate of 94.4% (17/18). In total, 63.5% (40/63) of these cells were small cells with diameters below 5 µm, and 44.4% (28/63) were aneuploid cells. No significant association was found between the number of CECs and EM stage. CONCLUSION: The number and characteristics of CECs are related to the clinical course characteristics of patients with EM, such as pain and changes in lesion size, and may be used as biomarkers for personalized treatment and management of EM in the future.

Gamma oscillations induced by 40-Hz visual-auditory stimulation for the treatment of acute-phase limb motor rehabilitation after stroke: study protocol for a prospective randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of hemiparetic limb dysfunction reaches 85% in stroke patients, emerging as a critical factor influencing their daily lives. However, the effectiveness of current rehabilitation treatments is considerably limited, particularly in patients with upper extremity impairment. This study aims to conduct a prospective clinical trial to validate the safety and effectiveness of gamma oscillations induced by 40-Hz visual-auditory stimulation in treating post-stroke upper limb dysfunction and to explore the relevant mechanisms. METHODS: This trial is a prospective, randomized controlled, double-blind study. All enrolled patients were randomly assigned to two groups. The experimental group received intervention through 40-Hz visual-auditory stimulation, while the control group underwent intervention with randomly matched visual-auditory stimulation frequencies. The primary efficacy endpoint is the change in motor function. Secondary efficacy endpoints include motor-evoked potentials, cerebral hemodynamic changes, neural network connectivity, and alterations in synaptic-related genes. Safety evaluation included major adverse events, all-cause mortality, and photosensitive epilepsy. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, after a 14-day treatment period, and during subsequent follow-up visits (at 3 and 6 months) post-treatment. The differences between the two groups will be compared. DISCUSSION: This study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of gamma oscillations induced by 40-Hz visual-auditory stimulation in treating patients with upper extremity dysfunction after an acute cerebral stroke. Concurrently, we will explore potential mechanisms, including changes in synaptic-related genes and neural network connectivity. This trial is expected to provide evidence for the effectiveness of this new technique in treating upper extremity dysfunction after a stroke and improving patients' quality of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study protocol has been registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) under registration number ChiCTR2300076579 on October 12, 2023.

Conventional dendritic cells 2, the targeted antigen-presenting-cell, induces enhanced type 1 immune responses in mice immunized with CVC1302 in oil formulation.

Multifunctional CD4+ T helper 1 (Th1) cells, producing IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-2, define a correlate of vaccine-mediated protection against intracellular infection. In our previous study, we found that CVC1302 in oil formulation promoted the differentiation of IFN-γ+/TNF-α+/IL-2+Th1 cells. In order to extend the application of CVC1302 in oil formulation, this study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of action in improving the Th1 immune response. Considering the signals required for the differentiation of CD4+ T cells to Th1 cells, we detected the distribution of innate immune cells and the model antigen OVA-FITC in lymph node (LN), as well as the quantity of cytokines produced by the innate immune cells. The results of these experiments show that, cDC2 and OVA-FITC localized to interfollicular region (IFR) of the draining lymph nodes, inflammatory monocytes localized to both IFR and T cell zone, which mainly infiltrate from the blood. In this inflammatory niche within LN, CD4+ T cells were attracted into IFR by CXCL10, secreted by inflammatory monocytes, then activated by cDC2, secreting IL-12. Above all, CVC1302 in oil formulation, on the one hand, targeted antigen and inflammatory monocytes into the LN IFR in order to attract CD4+ T cells, on the other hand, targeted cDC2 to produce IL-12 in order to promote optimal Th1 differentiation. The new finding will provide a blueprint for application of immunopotentiators in optimal formulations.

Retracted: Expression of TP53, BCL-2, and VEGFA Genes in Esophagus Carcinoma and its Biological Significance.

The Editors of Medical Science Monitor wish to inform you that the above manuscript has been retracted from publication due to concerns with the credibility and originality of the study, the manuscript content, and the Figure images. Reference: Wei Wei, Yanqin Wang, Xiaoming Yu, Lan Ye, Yuhua Jiang, Yufeng Cheng. Expression of TP53, BCL-2, and VEGFA Genes in Esophagus Carcinoma and its Biological Significance. Med Sci Monit, 2015; 21: 3016-3022. DOI: 10.12659/MSM.894640.

A contactless monitoring system for accurately predicting energy expenditure during treadmill walking based on an ensemble neural network.

The monitoring of treadmill walking energy expenditure (EE) plays an important role in health evaluations and management, particularly in older individuals and those with chronic diseases. However, universal and highly accurate prediction methods for walking EE are still lacking. In this paper, we propose an ensemble neural network (ENN) model that predicts the treadmill walking EE of younger and older adults and stroke survivors with high precision based on easy-to-obtain features. Compared with previous studies, the proposed model reduced the estimation error by 13.95% and 66.20% for stroke survivors and younger adults, respectively. Furthermore, a contactless monitoring system was developed based on Kinect, mm-wave radar, and ENN algorithms, and the treadmill walking EE was monitored in real time. This ENN model and monitoring system can be combined with smart devices and treadmill, making them suitable for evaluating, monitoring, and tracking changes in health during exercise and in rehabilitation environments.

Ceftriaxone averts neuroinflammation and relieves depressive-like behaviors via GLT-1/TrkB signaling.

The beneficial effect of a beta-lactam antibiotic, Ceftriaxone (CEF), to improve depressive-like symptoms has been documented previously, attributed to its modulation of glutamate neurotransmission. Here, we aimed to determine whether CEF could improve LPS-altered glutamatergic signaling associated with neuroinflammation-allied depression. To assess our goals, we established a neuroinflammation-allied depression mice model by injecting lipopolysaccharides (LPS), followed by behavioral and biochemical analysis. LPS-treated mice displayed depressive symptoms, neuroinflammation, dysregulated glutamate and its transporter (GLT-1) expression, altered expression of astrocyte reactive markers (GFAP, cxcl10, steap4, GBP2, and SRGN), and dysregulated BDNF/TrkB signaling. However, these changes were rescued by CEF treatment, as we found decreased neuroinflammation, relief of depression symptoms, and improved GLT-1 and BDNF/TrkB signaling upon CEF treatment. Moreover, GLT-1 and BDNF/TrkB regulation role of CEF was validated by K252a and DHK treatment. In summary, the anti-depressive effects of glutamate modulators, like CEF, are closely related to their anti-inflammatory role.

Dipole Field-Driven Organic-Inorganic Heterojunction for Highly Sensitive Ultraviolet Photodetector.

Developing high-performance organic-inorganic ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs) has attracted considerable attention. However, this development has been hindered due to poor directional charge-transfer ratios in transport layers, excessive costs, and an ambiguous underlying mechanism. To tackle these challenges, we constructed a heterojunction of economic Mg-doped ZnO (MgZnO) nanorods and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) [PEDOT:PSS (P:P)] that utilizes dipole field-driven spontaneous polarization to enhance photogenerated charge kinetics. As a result, the proposed heterojunction has an improved noise equivalent power of 3.16 × 10-11 W Hz-1/2), a normalized detection rate (D*) of 8.96 × 109 jones, and external quantum efficiency comparable to other ZnO-based devices. Notably, the prepared PDs showed a photocurrent of 4.8 × 10-3 µA under a faint UV light having an intensity of 1 × 10-5 W cm-2, exceeding the performance of the most state-of-the-art ZnO-based UV sensors. The introduction of Mg into ZnO is responsible for the high performance, as it causes a lattice mismatch and distortion of the Mg-doped ZnO unit cell. It results in improved dipole movement and the creation of a dipole field, accelerating the directional electron-transfer process. Using a dipole field to manipulate the migration and transport of photogenerated carriers represents a promising approach for achieving outstanding performance in UV PDs.

Analysis of CVC1302-Mediated Enhancement of Monocyte Recruitment in Inducing Immune Responses.

Monocytes (Mos) are believed to play important roles during the generation of immune response. In our previous study, CVC1302, a complex of PRRs agonists, was demonstrated to recruit Mo into lymph nodes (LNs) in order to present antigen and secret chemokines (CXCL9 and CXCL10), which attracted antigen-specific CD4+ T cells. As it is known that Mos in mice are divided into two main Mo subsets (Ly6C+ Mo and Ly6C- Mo), we aimed to clarify the CVC1302-recruiting Mo subset and functions in the establishment of immunity. In this study, we found that CVC1302 attracted both Ly6C+ Mo and Ly6C- Mo into draining LNs, which infiltrated from different origins, injection muscles and high endothelial venule (HEV), respectively. We also found that the numbers of OVA+ Ly6C+ Mo in the draining LNs were significantly higher compared with OVA+ Ly6C- Mo. However, the levels of CXCL9 and CXCL10 produced by Ly6C- Mo were significantly higher than Ly6C+ Mo, which plays important roles in attracting antigen-specific CD4+ T cells. Under the analysis of their functions in initiating immune responses, we found that the ability of the Ly6C+ monocyte was mainly capturing and presenting antigens, otherwise; the ability of the Ly6C- monocyte was mainly secreting CXCL9 and CXCL10, which attracted antigen-specific CD4+ T cells through CXCR3. These results will provide new insights into the development of new immunopotentiators and vaccines.

Effectiveness and brain mechanism of multi-target transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on motor learning in stroke patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has proven to be an effective treatment for improving cognition, a crucial factor in motor learning. However, current studies are predominantly focused on the motor cortex, and the potential brain mechanisms responsible for the therapeutic effects are still unclear. Given the interconnected nature of motor learning within the brain network, we have proposed a novel approach known as multi-target tACS. This study aims to ascertain whether multi-target tACS is more effective than single-target stimulation in stroke patients and to further explore the potential underlying brain mechanisms by using techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: This study employs a double-blind, sham-controlled, randomized controlled trial design with a 2-week intervention period. Both participants and outcome assessors will remain unaware of treatment allocation throughout the study. Thirty-nine stroke patients will be recruited and randomized into three distinct groups, including the sham tACS group (SS group), the single-target tACS group (ST group), and the multi-target tACS group (MT group), at a 1:1:1 ratio. The primary outcomes are series reaction time tests (SRTTs) combined with electroencephalograms (EEGs). The secondary outcomes include motor evoked potential (MEP), central motor conduction time (CMCT), short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), intracortical facilitation (ICF), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Box and Block Test (BBT), and blood sample RNA sequencing. The tACS interventions for all three groups will be administered over a 2-week period, with outcome assessments conducted at baseline (T0) and 1 day (T1), 7 days (T2), and 14 days (T3) of the intervention phase. DISCUSSION: The study's findings will determine the potential of 40-Hz tACS to improve motor learning in stroke patients. Additionally, it will compare the effectiveness of multi-target and single-target approaches, shedding light on their respective improvement effects. Through the utilization of techniques such as TMS and MRI, the study aims to uncover the underlying brain mechanisms responsible for the therapeutic impact. Furthermore, the intervention has the potential to facilitate motor learning efficiency, thereby contributing to the advancement of future stroke rehabilitation treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2300073465. Registered on 11 July 2023.

Analyzing the molecular mechanism of xuefuzhuyu decoction in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension with network pharmacology and bioinformatics and verifying molecular docking.

BACKGROUND: XueFuZhuYu (XFZY), a typical Chinese herbal formula, has remarkable clinical effects for treating Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) with unclear mechanisms. Our research involved the utilization of network pharmacology to explore the traditional Chinese herbal monomers and their related targets within XFZY for PH treatment. Furthermore, molecular docking verification was performed. METHODS: The XFZY's primary active compounds, along with their corresponding targets, were both obtained from the TCMSP, ChEMBL, and UniProt databases. The target proteins relevant to PH were sifted through OMIM, GeneCards and TTD databases. The common "XFZY-PH" targets were evaluated with Disease Ontology (DO), Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses with the assistance of R software. The Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network and compound-target-pathway network were constructed and a systematic analysis of network parameters was performed by the powerful software Cytoscape. Molecular docking was employed for assessing and verifying the interactions between the core targets and the top Chinese herbal monomer. RESULTS: The screening included 297 targets of active compounds in XFZY and 8400 PH-related targets. DO analysis of the above common 268 targets indicated that the treatment of the diseases by XFZY is mediated by genes related to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Obstructive Lung Disease (OLD), ischemia, and myocardial infarction. The findings from molecular docking indicated that the binding energies of 57 ligand-receptor pairs in PH and 20 ligand-receptor pairs in COPD-PH were lower than -7kJ•mol-1. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that XFZY is a promising option within traditional Chinese medicine compound preparation for combating PH, particularly in cases associated with COPD. Our demonstration of the specific molecular mechanism of XFZY anti-PH and its effective active ingredients provides a theoretical basis for better clinical application of the compound.

Electroacupuncture stimulation to modulate neural oscillations in promoting neurological rehabilitation.

Electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation is a modern neuromodulation technique that integrates traditional Chinese acupuncture therapy with contemporary electrical stimulation. It involves the application of electrical currents to specific acupoints on the body following acupuncture. EA has been widely used in the treatment of various neurological disorders, including epilepsy, stroke, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Recent research suggests that EA stimulation may modulate neural oscillations, correcting abnormal brain electrical activity, therefore promoting brain function and aiding in neurological rehabilitation. This paper conducted a comprehensive search in databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI using keywords like "electroacupuncture," "neural oscillations," and "neurorehabilitation", covering the period from year 1980 to 2023. We provide a detailed overview of how electroacupuncture stimulation modulates neural oscillations, including maintaining neural activity homeostasis, influencing neurotransmitter release, improving cerebral hemodynamics, and enhancing specific neural functional networks. The paper also discusses the current state of research, limitations of electroacupuncture-induced neural oscillation techniques, and explores prospects for their combined application, aiming to offer broader insights for both basic and clinical research.