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Alzheimer' disease(AD)is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory impairment and multiple cognitive deterioration.Acupuncture intervention in AD has potential efficacy,but the mechanism of onset is not clear.Blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging(BOLD-fMRI)has the unique advantages of accurately locating abnormal AD brain areas and monitoring and analyzing functional activities,providing technical support for the study of AD brain effects.It have found that abnormal changes in functional activity in response to brain regions and brain networks are closely related to the development of AD.Previous studies have shown that acupuncture can exert therapeutic effects by improving the functional impairment of multiple cognitive-related brain regions and brain networks in AD,which may be the mechanism of brain function in AD.Based on BOLD-fMRI technology,this paper elaborates on three aspects:commonly used data analysis methods of AD,the brain function mechanism of AD pathogenesis,and the brain effect study of acupuncture intervention in AD.In order to provide a reference for further exploring the brain effect of acupuncture intervention in AD.
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Narrative medicine, an interdisciplinary subject merging medicine and the humanities, serves as a vital instrument in capturing, comprehending, and integrating the diverse perspectives of all stakeholders involved in the realm of illness. In the context of pediatric palliative care, the implementation of narrative medicine fosters effective doctor-patient communication and enhances the doctor-patient relationship. This article delves into the importance and practicality of narrative medicine in pediatric palliative care, shedding light on the hurdles faced during its implementation. The study highlights the pressing need for further extensive and in-depth research of narrative medicine in pediatric palliative care, aiming to provide evidence-based insights that can inform clinical interventions and decision-making processes.
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ObjectiveTo explore the efficacy of acupuncture intervention for children with monocular refractive-parallax amblyopia and the possible mechanisms of brain function based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance (rs-fMRI). MethodsSeventy-six children with anisometropic amblyopia were randomly divided into routine treatment group (38 cases) and acupuncture treatment group (38 cases). In the conventional group, the children were given three regular treatments of red flash, grating and visual stimulation for 5 mins each time; in the acupuncture group, on the basis of the conventional treatment, the children were given acupuncture for 20 mins each time on bilateral Jingming (BL 1), Cuanzhu (BL 2), Guangming (GB 37) and Fengchi (GB 20); the children in both groups were treated once every other day and three times a week for 4 weeks. The corrected visual acuity was compared between groups before and after treatment. Fifteen children with left-sided refractive amblyopia were randomly selected from each of the above two groups and underwent brain rs-fMRI scans before and after treatment, and 10 healthy children with normal visual acuity of the matched gender and age were included in the normal group and underwent brain rs-fMRI scans. Based on the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) method, we constructed the what visual pathway network, and compared and analyzed the spherical regions of interest (ROIs) of the children with normal children, and both groups of children with differences in functional connectivity (FC values) within the what pathway in the brain before and after treatment. ResultsTwo cases dropout in the acupuncture group, and finally 36 cases in the acupuncture group and 38 cases in the conventional group were included in the analysis. Compared with before treatment, the best corrected visual acuity of amblyopia in both groups was significantly improved after treatment (P<0.05), and the improvement of vision in the acupuncture group was significantly better than that in the conventional group (P<0.05). The results of rs-fMRI showed that the FC values of the primary optic cortex and the right fusiform gyrus, the left lingual gyrus and the right fusiform gyrus, and the right infraoccipital gyrus and the right middle temporal gyrus were significantly elevated in the brain of the refractive amblyopia children with the whitepathic amblyopia, compared with that of the normal children (P<0.05). The FC values of the left lingual gyrus, the right suboccipital gyrus with the right fusiform gyrus, the left lingual gyrus with the right middle temporal gyrus, the right and left lateral middle occipital gyrus, and the right and left lateral middle occipital gyrus with the right suboccipital gyrus were significantly (P<0.05) lower in the conventional group compared with those in the conventional group before treatment. Compared with that before acupuncture treatment, the FC values of the right lingual gyrus and the right fusiform gyrus, the primary visual cortex and the right middle temporal gyrus increased significantly after acupuncture treatment (P<0.05), and the FC values of the left inferior occipital gyrus and the right middle temporal gyrus, the FC values of the left lingual gyrus and the right middle occipital gyrus decreased significantly (P<0.05). Compared between groups after treatment, the FC between the left suboccipital gyrus and the right fusiform gyrus in the acupuncture group was significantly higher than that in the conventional group (P<0.05), and the FC between the left middle occipital gyrus and the right and left suboccipital gyrus was significantly lower than that in the conventional group (P<0.05). ConclusionAcupuncture can significantly improve the corrected vision of anisometropic amblyopic children, and its effect mechanism may focus on regulating the occipito-temporal interlobular functional connectivity within the what pathway, thus improving the children's visual function of shape and color vision and visual learning and memory ability.
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With the progress of medical technology, the survival rate of children with cancer has been conti-nuously improved, and the quality of life of children cancer survivors has become the research direction of modern medicine.Particularly, fertility protection has attracted increasing attention, and some reproductive assistance technologies make it possible to preserve the fertility of cancer groups.In this article, the damage of pediatric cancer treatment to the fertility of male and female patients, existing reproductive protection methods and their effects were summarized.This paper provides a reference for the treatment of pediatric cancer patients and hopes to arouse more people′s awareness of fertility protection.
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With the progress of medical technology, the survival rate of children with cancer has been conti-nuously improved, and the quality of life of children cancer survivors has become the research direction of modern medicine.Particularly, fertility protection has attracted increasing attention, and some reproductive assistance technologies make it possible to preserve the fertility of cancer groups.In this article, the damage of pediatric cancer treatment to the fertility of male and female patients, existing reproductive protection methods and their effects were summarized.This paper provides a reference for the treatment of pediatric cancer patients and hopes to arouse more people′s awareness of fertility protection.
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Objective To investigate the effect of C peptide on tubulointerstitial oxidative stress injury in rats with diabetic nephropathy (DN) induced by streptozotocin (STZ). Methods Wistar rats with DN induced by STZ were randomly divided into control group and C peptide group. All rats were treated via intraperitoneal micro-osmotic pump. Normal Wistar rats at the same age were used as the normal group. Blood glucose and24 h urinary albumin were measured before treatment and every 4 weeks during treatment period. After 12 weeks of treatment, the expression of transforming growth factor - β1 (TGF - β1) in renal tubulointerstitium was detected by immunohistochemical staining. Fresh tubulointerstitial tissue homogenate was harvested and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was detected in WST-1 method, the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was detected in TBA method, and the expression of protein kinase A (PKA) mRNA was detected by Real-time PCR. Results Levels of blood glucose, 24 h urinary albumin, MDA content and the expression of TGF-β1 were higher in the control group than those in the normal group, while SOD activity decreased and PKA mRNA was downregulated. C peptide treatment did not change blood glucose level but slowed down the increasing of 24 h urinary albumin, reduced the tubulointerstitial TGF-β1 expression and MDA content, increased the SOD activity and upregulated the PKA mRNA expression. Conclusions C-peptide can decrease the tubulointerstitial oxidative stress in DN rats by activating PKA pathway and then improve tubulointerstitial fibrosis and attenuate proteinuria.
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Objective To evaluate the effect of single CVVH and HDF on endothelial system. Methods Group CVVH:20 patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome ( MODS) underwent CVVH for 12h.Vascular access was through two-lumen catheter in femoral vein;Group HDF:Twenty patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) on maintenance hemodialysis underwent HDF for 4h.Vascular access was through internal arteriovenous fistula.Group control:Healthy people were examined at our hospital.The se-rum levels of sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, vWF and MMP-9 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA) after centrifugation in treatment group before and after treatment.Four cytokines were also meas-ured in fasting healthy subjects in the morning.Results The levels of serum sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, vWF, MMP-9 were significantly higher in Group CVVH and HDF than control group before and after treatment( P<0.05).Group CVVH:The serum levels of sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 were significantly lower in post-treat-ment than pre-treatment, But the serum levels of vWF and MMP-9 showed no obvious changes after CVVH;Group HDF:the levels of four cytokines showed no obvious changes after single HDF.Conclusions Endo-thelium becomes impaired in MODS and ESRD patients, Endothelium may be protected by CVVH through the partial removal of cytokines harmful to endothelium in MODS patients.Single HDF therapy does not pro-tect endothelial function obviously in MHD patients.
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Objective To evaluate the relationship between the concentration of pentane in the exhaled air and degree of the lung injury in non-heart-beating (NHB) rabbits.Methods Twenty-four healthy male Japanese white rabbits weighing 2.4-3.0 kg were randomly divided into 4 groups ( n =6 each):A,B,C and D groups.The NHB model was established by exsanguination through the femoral artery.The exhaled gases were collected and lung tissues were removed at 0,30,60 and 120 min after cardiac arrest in A,B,C and D groups respectively.The concentration of pentane in the exhaled gases was detected immediately using the gas chromatography-mass spectrography.The wet to dry (W/D) lung weight ratio and content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in lung tissues were measured.The lung injury score (LIS) was recorded.The maximal volume ( Vmax ) of the lung was recorded when the airway pressure reached 30 cm H2O.Results Compared with groups A and B,the exhaled pentane concentration was significantly increased in group C,and the W/D ratio,content of MDA and LIS were significantly increased,while Vmax was significantly decreased in group D ( P < 0.05).Compared with group C,W/D ratio and LIS were significantly increased in group D ( P < 0.05 ).Conclusion The concentration of exhaled pentane can not reflect the degree of the lung injury in NHB rabbits.