Personalized music therapy combined with medication as treatment for tinnitus.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of personalized music therapy in combination with medication as a treatment for tinnitus. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed a total of 200 patients who were admitted to the Department of Otorhinolaryngology in our hospital from June 2018 to June 2019, with tinnitus as their primary complaint. Patients were divided into four groups based on their individual treatment methods: medication group (patients received medication only, n=40), tinnitus masking (TM) group (patients received medication plus TM, n=38), tinnitus re-training (TRT) group (patients received medication plus TRT, n=35), and personalized group (patients received medication plus personalized music therapy, n=30). The pure-tone audiometry (PTA), loudness visual analogue scale (VAS), and tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) for each patient were analyzed. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in the THI and VAS scores of all groups before and after treatment (p<0.05). Following nine and twelve months of treatment, the THI and VAS scores of the TRT group and the personalized group were significantly lower than those of the other two groups (p<0.05). The THI and VAS scores of the personalized group were significantly lower than those of the TRT group (p<0.05). Additionally, THI and VAS scores were statistically different at various measurement time points in each group (p<0.05). The clinical effective rate (85.37%) of the personalized group was higher than that of the other three groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TM, TRT, or personalized music therapy, when combined with medication, are effective in treating patients with tinnitus. Among these methods, personalized music therapy may be the superior treatment after nine months of treatment.

[Drought and Heat Stress-Mediated Modulation of Alternative Splicing in the Genes Involved in Biosynthesis of Metabolites Related to Tea Quality].

Alternative splicing (AS) regulates mRNAs at the post-transcriptional level to affect both their amounts and the protein function. However, little is known about the roles of AS in regulation of biosynthesis of amino acids, flavonoids, and volatile compounds in tea plants. In this study, we used Iso-seq and transcriptome deep sequencing (RNA-seq) to identify AS events, and analyzed the expression of respective mRNAs in tea plants under drought (DS), heat stress (HS), and their combination (HD). By RT-PCR, we validated the AS events in nine genes involved in the biosynthesis of amino acids and flavonoids. The genes accumulating AS transcripts under DS, HS, and HD conditions included those encoding for anthocyanidin reductase (ANR), dihydrofavonol-4-reductase-like (DFRA), and chalcone isomerase (CHI). Similarly, genes directly or indirectly involved in the biosynthesis of volatile compounds such as lipoxygenase (LOX), terpenoid/terpene synthase (TPS), and 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR) also had AS events. Our study revealed that AS might specifically regulate the biosynthesis of amino acids in tea plants under stressful conditions. Moreover, we suggest that the AS events within the ANR and DFRA transcripts might play an important role in the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis under DS, HS, and HD conditions. This study improved our understanding of the genetic drivers of the changes in the content of bioactive ingredients of tea plants subjected to abiotic stresses.

[Differentiate and analyses between the term "horizontal insertion of needle" and relative terms].

In Terminology of Chinese medicine, as a canonical name, also known as "hengci" or "yanpici" , "pingci" (horizontal insertion of needle) was explained that the needling method which the body of needle and the acupoint skin about 15 angle. Through literature study, this explanation was found that correspond to hengci and yanpici, and the other terms such as "zhizhenci" , "wozhenci" , "hengzhen" , "hengci" , "yanpici" , "pingzhenci" and "pixiaci" are all synonyms. However, the primary meaning of canonical name pingci in original document -Bianque Shenying Zhenjiu Yulong Jing(, The Jade Dragon Manual of Bianque on the Spirited Response of Acupuncture and Moxibustion) was completely different with the modern explanation, it means that after insertion of needles without considering reinforcing or reducing methods, only thought about "deqi" , which was the even reinforcing-reducing method in embryo, and had nothing to do with the angle of the needles. Therefore, it is worth discussing that "pingci" and its corresponding or relative terms carefully in practice.

[A Qualitative Proteome-Wide Lysine Succinylation Profiling of Tea Revealed its Involvement in Primary Metabolism].

Lysine succinylation of proteins has potential impacts on protein structure and function, which occurs on post-translation level. However, the information about the succinylation of proteins in tea plants is limited. In the present study, the significant signal of succinylation in tea plants was found by western blot. Subsequently, we performed a qualitative analysis to globally identify the lysine succinylation of proteins using high accuracy nano LC-MS/MS combined with affinity purification. As a result, a total of 142 lysine succinylation sites were identified on 86 proteins in tea leaves. The identified succinylated proteins were involved in various biological processes and a large proportion of the succinylation sites were presented on proteins in the primary metabolism, including glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, TCA cycle and glycine, serine and threonine metabolism. Moreover, 10 new succinylation sites were detected on histones in tea leaves. The results suggest that succinylated proteins in tea plants might play critical regulatory roles in biological processes, especially in the primary metabolism. This study not only comprehensively analyzed the lysine succinylome in tea plants, but also provided valuable information for further investigating the functions of lysine succinylation in tea plants.

Distribution of trigeminothalamic and spinothalamic-tract neurons showing substance P receptor-like immunoreactivity in the rat.

Trigeminothalamic and spinothalamic-tract neurons provided with substance P receptor (SPR) were examined in the rat by SPR immunofluorescence histochemistry combined with Fluoro-Gold (FG) fluorescent retrograde labeling. After FG injection in the thalamic regions, FG-labeled cells with SPR-like immunoreactivity were seen mainly in laminae I and III of the medullary and spinal dorsal horns and lateral spinal nucleus. In these regions, about one-fourth to one-third of FG-labeled cells showed SPR-like immunoreactivity.

Immunohistochemical localization of mu-opioid receptors in the central nervous system of the rat.

Of the three major types of opioid receptors ( mu, delta, kappa) in the nervous system, mu-opioid receptor shows the highest affinity for morphine that exerts powerful effects on nociceptive, autonomic, and psychological functions. So far, at least two isoforms of mu-opioid receptors have been cloned from rat brain. The present study attempted to examine immunohistochemically the distribution of mu-opioid receptors in the rat central nervous system with two kinds of antibodies to recently cloned mu-opioid receptors (MOR1 and MOR1B). One antibody recognized a specific site for MOR1, and the other bound to a common site for MOR1 and MOR1B. Intense MOR1-like immunoreactivity (LI) was seen in the 'patch' areas and subcallosal streak in the striatum, medial habenular nucleus, medial terminal nucleus of the accessory optic tract, interpeduncular nucleus, median raphe nucleus, parabrachial nuclei, locus coeruleus, ambiguous nucleus, nucleus of the solitary tract, and laminae I and II of the medullary and spinal dorsal horns. Many other regions, including the cerebral cortex, amygdala, thalamus, and hypothalamus, also contained many neuronal elements with MOR1-LI. The distribution pattern of the immunoreactivity revealed with the antibody to the common site for MOR1 and MOR1B (MOR1/1B-LI) was almost the same as that of MOR1-LI. Both MOR1-LI and MOR1/1B-LI were primarily located in neuronal cell bodies and dendrites. However, the immunoreactivities were observed in the accessory optic tract, fasciculus retroflexus, solitary tract, and primary afferent fibers in the superficial layers of the medullary and spinal dorsal horns. The presynaptic location of MOR1-LI and MOR1/1B-LI was confirmed by lesion experiments: Enucleation, placing a lesion in the medial habenular nucleus, removal of the nodose ganglion, or dorsal rhizotomy resulted in a clear reduction of the immunoreactivities, respectively, in the nuclei of the accessory optic tract, some subnuclei of the interpeduncular nucleus, nucleus of the solitary tract, or laminae I and II of the spinal dorsal horn. The results indicate that the mu-opioid receptors are widely distributed in the brain and spinal cord, mainly postsynaptically and occasionally presynaptically. Opioids, including morphine, may inhibit the excitation of neurons via the postsynaptic mu-opioid receptors, and also suppress the release of neurotransmitters and/or neuromodulators from axon terminals through the presynaptic mu-opioid receptors.

Progesterone stimulates calcitonin gene expression in the uterus during implantation.

Implantation of the mammalian embryo into the wall of the uterus is regulated by a timely interplay of the ovarian hormones, estrogen and progesterone. These hormones orchestrate a set of modifications in the uterine endometrium that transforms it from a nonreceptive to a receptive phase allowing the implantation of the developing blastocyst. The molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this complex process, however, remain largely unknown. To investigate the endocrine basis of uterine receptivity, we employed a gene expression screen technique to identify factors whose expressions are modulated in the rat uterus in response to estrogen and progesterone at the onset of implantation. Here we report that the expression of calcitonin, a peptide hormone involved in calcium homeostasis, is markedly enhanced in the uterus during pregnancy. By Northern blot analysis, we show that the synthesis of calcitonin messenger RNA is induced at the time of implantation. Immunocytochemistry with calcitonin antibody demonstrates further that the peptide is localized in the glandular epithelial cells of the uterus. The antiprogestin drug RU486, which is known to block implantation, abolishes calcitonin expression, suggesting a regulatory role for progesterone in this process. Consistent with this observation, progesterone significantly stimulates calcitonin messenger RNA and protein synthesis in the uteri of ovariectomized animals. Our study, therefore, identifies calcitonin as a stage- and cell-specific marker of progesterone action in the uterus during pregnancy. Estrogen exhibits no significant effect on calcitonin expression when administered alone to ovariectomized animals. However, a low dose of estrogen synergizes with progesterone, and a high dose antagonizes progesterone-mediated gene induction. Both estrogen and progesterone, therefore, modulate calcitonin gene expression in the uterus. The stage-specific regulation of calcitonin is apparently determined by the relative concentrations and the sequences of appearance of these two hormones and possibly other as yet unknown regulatory factors during pregnancy. We propose that calcitonin, a known regulator of calcium levels in the bone and kidney, may play an important regulatory role in the uterus of pregnant animals during the early events leading to implantation of the embryo.

[Combination therapy of advanced choriocarcinoma--an analysis of 60 patients].

From Jan. 1973 to Dec. 1984, 60 patients with advanced choriocarcinoma were treated in our hospital. 34 of them were stage IIIB and 26 stage IV. There were 36 patients with lobulated pulmonary metastases and 13 with brain metastases. The 4-drug chemotherapy (methotrexate or fluorouracil, kengsengmycin, vincristine and nitrogen mustard) was used as the main treatment, supplemented by surgery or irradiation. In those with lobulated pulmonary metastatic foci and lesions in the brain, the 4-drug chemotherapy was used before, during or after split course irradiation. Generally, radiation with a total dose of 4,000 rad (2,000 rad/12 D, interval of 4 weeks, 2,000 rad/12 D) was given after 3-4 courses of chemotherapy. The 1, 3 and 5 year survival rates were 85.7%, 78.6% and 79.4%, respectively. Lobulated pulmonary lesions as treated with 4-drug chemotherapy plus split course irradiation gave a 3 year survival rate of 88.0% (22/25). 7 of 8 with brain metastases treated by the same modality gave complete remission. 5 have survived for more than 3 years. In this series, the combination therapy of advanced choriocarcinoma, role of irradiation for this tumor and individualization in treatment are discussed. The authors believe that the 4-drug chemotherapy for advanced choriocarcinoma is superior to the other regiment and, when combined with split course irradiation is very effective in lobulated pulmonary and brain metastases.