Effects of staged rehabilitation training on inflammatory factor levels and red blood cell distribution width followingcardiac valve replacement.

BACKGROUND: The current study was conducted aimed atexploring the effects of staged rehabilitation training on the levels of inflammatory factors and red blood cell distribution in patients who underwent cardiac valve replacement. METHODS: A total of 140 patients who underwent cardiac valve replacement at The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University between April 2021 and November 2022 were included in this study. During the postoperative rehabilitation phase, the patients were randomly assigned to either the control group or the experimental group. The experimental group received staged rehabilitation training (n = 70), while the control group received conventional care and rehabilitation suggestions without specialized staged rehabilitation training (n = 70). Informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to theirinclusion in the study. Clinical data of the patients were collected andanalyzed. RDW was measured using an automated blood cell analyzer on postoperative day 1, 14, and 28. Levels ofTNF-α, IL-6 and CRP were measured using ELISA. Quality of life was evaluated usingthe WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. The effects of postoperative rehabilitation were assessed using the 6MWD test. The occurrence of adverse events in the postoperative periodwas alsoanalyzed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the general characteristics of the two groups of patients (P > 0.05). On the first day after surgery, no significant differences were seen in RDW between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, on the 14th and 28th day after surgery, the experimental group exhibited a significant reduction in RDW compared to the control group (P < 0.05). On the first day after surgery, the levels of serum TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP were comparable between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, on the 14th and the 28th after surgery, the experimental group showed evidently lower levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The experimental group demonstrated higher scores in the domains of physical health, psychological state, social relationships, and environment in the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the experimental group exhibited increased average,minimum,maximum walking distances in the6-minute walking test compared to the control group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the incidence of postoperative adverse events between the two groups of patients (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Staged rehabilitation training exerteda positive effect on the levels of inflammatory factors and red blood cell distribution in patients following cardiac valve replacement. This type of rehabilitation training facilitated the patient's recovery process by reducing the inflammatory response and improving the condition of red blood cells. Additionally, it enhanced the quality of life and rehabilitation outcomes for patients.

Critical roles of TRPV2 channels, histamine H1 and adenosine A1 receptors in the initiation of acupoint signals for acupuncture analgesia.

Acupuncture is one of the most promising modalities in complimentary medicine. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood yet. We found that in TRPV2 knockout male mice, acupuncture-induced analgesia was suppressed with a decreased activation of mast cells in the acupoints stimulated. The mast cell stabilizer sodium cromolyn could suppress the release of adenosine in the acupoints on male rats. A direct injection of adenosine A1 receptor agonist or histamine H1 receptor agonist increased ß-endorphin in the cerebral-spinal fluid in the acute adjuvant arthritis male rats and thus replicated the analgesic effect of acupuncture. These observations suggest that the mast cell is the central structure of acupoints and is activated by acupuncture through TRPV2 channels. The mast cell transduces the mechanical stimuli to acupuncture signal by activating either H1 or A1 receptors, therefore triggering the acupuncture effect in the subject. These findings might open new frontiers for acupuncture research.