In Silico Network Analysis of Ingredients of Cornus officinalis in Osteoporosis.

BACKGROUND Cornus officinalis (CO), also known as 'Shanzhuyu', is one of the most common traditional Chinese herbs used against osteoporosis. Although previous studies have found that CO has beneficial effects in alleviating osteoporosis, its mechanisms remain unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this study, we applied system bioinformatic approaches to investigate the possible therapeutic mechanisms of CO against osteoporosis. We collected the active ingredients of CO and their targets from the TCMSP, BATMAN-TCM, and ETCM databases. Next, we obtained the osteoporosis targets from differentially expressed mRNAs from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) gene series (GSE35958). Next, the shared genes of the CO pharmacological targets and osteoporosis-related targets were selected to construct the protein-protein interaction network, based on the results from the STRING database. Subsequently, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were carried out by using the clusterProfiler package in R software. RESULTS In all, there were 58 unique CO compounds and 518 therapeutic targets. Based on the GO and KEGG enrichment results of 98 common genes, we selected the top 25 terms, based on the terms' P values. We found that the anti-osteoporotic effect of CO may mostly involve the regulation of calcium metabolism and reactive oxygen species, and the estrogen signaling pathway and osteoclast differentiation pathway. CONCLUSIONS We found the possible mechanisms of CO in treating osteoporosis may be based on multiple targets and pathways. We also provided a theoretical basis and promising direction for investigating the exact anti-osteoporotic mechanisms of CO.

Design, Development, and Characterization of BreathForce: A Respiratory Training System for Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries.

In this effort, we report the development of a portable inspiratory-expiratory training device for use in rehabilitation of participants with cardiovascular and respiratory motor deficits. The device uses existing airway restriction components to establish a manually adjustable respiratory training apparatus and includes an integrated pressure sensor with custom software to direct and track therapy sessions. The battery-powered system promotes proven rehabilitation methodologies performed at the clinic in a platform to be translated to the home for participants with spinal cord injuries.

Effect of epidural stimulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord on voluntary movement, standing, and assisted stepping after motor complete paraplegia: a case study.

BACKGROUND: Repeated periods of stimulation of the spinal cord and training increased the ability to control movement in animal models of spinal cord injury. We hypothesised that tonic epidural spinal cord stimulation can modulate spinal circuitry in human beings into a physiological state that enables sensory input from standing and stepping movements to serve as a source of neural control to undertake these tasks. METHODS: A 23-year-old man who had paraplegia from a C7-T1 subluxation as a result of a motor vehicle accident in July 2006, presented with complete loss of clinically detectable voluntary motor function and partial preservation of sensation below the T1 cord segment. After 170 locomotor training sessions over 26 months, a 16-electrode array was surgically placed on the dura (L1-S1 cord segments) in December 2009, to allow for chronic electrical stimulation. Spinal cord stimulation was done during sessions that lasted up to 250 min. We did 29 experiments and tested several stimulation combinations and parameters with the aim of the patient achieving standing and stepping. FINDINGS: Epidural stimulation enabled the man to achieve full weight-bearing standing with assistance provided only for balance for 4·25 min. The patient achieved this standing during stimulation using parameters identified as specific for standing while providing bilateral load-bearing proprioceptive input. We also noted locomotor-like patterns when stimulation parameters were optimised for stepping. Additionally, 7 months after implantation, the patient recovered supraspinal control of some leg movements, but only during epidural stimulation. INTERPRETATION: Task-specific training with epidural stimulation might reactivate previously silent spared neural circuits or promote plasticity. These interventions could be a viable clinical approach for functional recovery after severe paralysis. FUNDING: National Institutes of Health and Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

GC-MS of volatile components of Schisandra chinensis obtained by supercritical fluid and conventional extraction.

In this paper, the volatile compounds of Schisandra chinensis obtained by different extraction techniques including supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), steam distillation (SD), Soxhlet extraction (SE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) were investigated for the first time. The sample preparation procedure for GC-MS analysis of the volatile compounds was optimized and then 37, 45, 27 and 37 compounds were identified in the samples obtained by SFE, SD, SE and UAE methods, respectively. As the therapeutic effect of the traditional Chinese medicine is usually based on multifarious essential components or the combination of them instead of only one component, the volatile compounds were compared in groups with the extracts by SE, SD and UAE. This would be more reasonable to evaluate the effects of an alternative technique to extracting multifarious essential components. Among the identified components in the SFE extract, 32 compounds were the same as that by three conventional methods, accounting for 90.5% of the volatile compounds identified. However, as the volatile compounds were classed into groups, it was easy to see that the Schisandra chinensis oil extracted by SFE was made up largely of aromatics and sesquiterpenoids (52.1 and 27.6%, respectively), with less amounts of monoterpenoids and other compounds, distinguishing SFE from the conventional extractions.