Neurocognitive correlates of psychological resilience: Event-related potential studies.

BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest in exploring the neurocognitive mechanisms that may underlie psychological resilience. However, how the bottom-up automatic information processing relates to trait resilience has received less attention. We aimed to explore the relationship between trait resilience and trait-like automatic information processing in healthy adults. METHODS: Eighty-four healthy adults were recruited to explore whether and how resilience was related to sensory sensitivity by event-related potentials (ERPs). Resilience was measured by Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Sensory sensitivity, more specifically, sensitivity of automatic mismatch detection was measured by two ERPs components, i.e., the mismatch negativity (MMN) with a passive auditory oddball paradigm and the error-related negativity (ERN) with an auditory Go/NoGo task. Using the multiple linear regression analyses, the relationship between self-reported resilience and the sensitivity of automatic mismatch detection (MMN/ERN amplitude/latency) was explored. RESULTS: The results showed that psychological resilience was positively correlated with both MMN and ERN latencies, i.e., higher resilience scores were associated with delayed MMN and ERN latencies. However, resilience was not significantly correlated with MMN and ERN amplitudes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that relatively higher resilience might link with less sensory sensitivity as reflected by slower automatic detection to mismatch information in the environment.

Rehabilitation Effects of Acupuncture on the Diaphragm Dysfunction in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Diaphragm dysfunction is a significant extrapulmonary effect in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is manifested by changes in diaphragm structure and reduced diaphragm strength. Acupuncture is a traditional rehabilitation technique in China, which has been used in rehabilitation for COPD. But whether acupuncture can improve the diaphragm function of COPD patients remains to be verified. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the rehabilitation effects of acupuncture on diaphragm dysfunction in patients with COPD. Methods: The authors retrieved in CNKI, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Ebsco, Web of Science, from inception to November 2020, for relevant randomized control trials. Two researchers independently screened the articles and extracted the data. The quality of the included studies was evaluated by Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. The primary outcome measures were maximal inspiratory pressure and the scale for accessory respiratory muscle mobilization, the secondary outcome measures were pulmonary function-related indicators and arterial blood gas indicators. Results: Nine articles were finally obtained. Seven studies added acupuncture to standard treatment for patients with diaphragm dysfunction in COPD and found statistically significant changes in the maximum inspiratory pressure and the scale for accessory respiratory muscle mobilization. Two studies have proved that use acupuncture combined with other Traditional Chinese Medicine methods in the rehabilitation for COPD can effectively improve the diaphragm strength and diaphragmatic motor performance. Seven studies showed that acupuncture has obvious improvement in pulmonary ventilation function. Seven studies reported significant differences in arterial blood gas pre- to post-intervention. Conclusion: This systematic review found that acupuncture can effectively enhance the diaphragm strength, relieve respiratory muscle fatigue, it can also play a promoting role in improving lung function, hypoxia, and carbon dioxide retention, as well as preventing and alleviating respiratory failure. The generalizability of these results is limited by the design of the included studies.

Effect of 12-week pulmonary rehabilitation on cognitive function in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: study protocol for a single-center randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Cognitive impairment, an important complication in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), seriously affects self-management of the disease and quality of life (QoL). As an exercise-based intervention programme, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR)-especially aerobic exercise (mainly mind-body exercise) and resistance exercise (RE)-has been proposed for its potential effectiveness in improving cognitive function. However, there is still a lack of strong evidence for PR's effectiveness. In this study, we expect to clarify the effects of pulmonary-based Qigong exercise and elastic band-based RE on cognitive function in patients with COPD and to fill in the relevant evidence blanks. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study is a single-centre randomised controlled trial with assessor and data analyst blinding. We will recruit 108 participants with stable COPD starting on 23 December 2019, and randomly allocate them into the pulmonary-based Qigong exercise group, elastic band-based RE group, pulmonary-based Qigong exercise and elastic band-based RE combined group, or control group at a 1:1:1:1 ratio. Participants in intervention groups will perform 30 min of exercise two times per day, 5 days a week, for 12 weeks. The primary outcome will be the global cognitive function as assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and auditory event-related potential P300. Secondary outcomes will include the specific cognitive domains-attention, memory, executive function, verbal fluency and mental-processing speed; psychological functions and QoL. Exploratory outcomes will include grey matter volume and levels of inflammatory mediators. Outcomes will be measured before and after the interventions. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval has been granted by the Ethics Committee of Yue-Yang Integrative Medicine Hospital, an affiliate of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China (Grant No. 2019-141). Written informed consent will be obtained from each participant before any procedures are performed. The findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at academic conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR1900026869; pre-results.

Evaluation of isokinetic muscle strength of upper limb and the relationship with pulmonary function and respiratory muscle strength in stable COPD patients.

Background: Upper limb muscle strength plays an important role in respiratory and pulmonary function, and limited research focuses on the role of strength and endurance of the elbow extensor and flexor. This study was conducted to accurately assess upper limb muscle function and quantified associations with pulmonary function and respiratory muscle strength in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, patients with stable COPD treated in Yue-Yang Integrative Medicine Hospital from March 2014 to March 2016 were recruited. All participants underwent a pulmonary function test (forced expiratory volume in first second/forced vital capacity, FEV1/FVC; percentage value of predicted FEV1, FEV1%pred), a respiratory muscle strength test (maximal inspiratory pressure, MIP; maximal expiratory pressure, MEP), and an isokinetic test of dominant upper limb after a 24-hr interval (peak torque, PT; PT/body weight, PT/BW; total work, TW; endurance ratio, ER). Results: A total of 88 patients with stable COPD (age: 65.5±8.7 years) were recruited, of which 73% (64 patients) were male. In the multiple stepwise regression analysis, sex remained as significant impactors in the final model for FEV1%pred (adjusted R2=0.243, P<0.001). Elbow flexor PT/BW and ER, sex, and BMI remained as significant impactors in the final model for FEV1/FVC (adjusted R2=0.255, P<0.01). Elbow flexor TW remained as significant impactors for MIP (adjusted R2=0.112, P=0.001), while elbow extensor PT and PT/BW and sex remained as significant impactors for MEP (adjusted R =0.385, P<0.01). Conclusion: In stable COPD, pulmonary function and respiratory muscle strength are associated with upper limb muscle strength. In particular, elbow flexor endurance is likely an important impactor for pulmonary function and inspiratory muscle strength, while elbow extensor strength is of importance for expiratory muscle strength.

Effects of home-based prescribed pulmonary exercise by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) not only affects pulmonary function but also leads to skeletal muscle dysfunction. The various characteristics of different forms of traditional Chinese exercise lead to inconsistent clinical effects in COPD patients. Hence, the present study carefully combined and rearranged liuzijue, wuqinxi, baduanjin, and yijinjing into a pulmonary exercise program targeting COPD patients. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a single-blind, randomized controlled trial. A random number table will be generated by an independent person. Each number will be placed in a sealed opaque envelop to blind assignment. All outcome assessors will be blinded to group assignment. COPD patients between 40 and 80 years of age, with stable medical treatment and no regular participation in regular exercise in the last 6 months will be included. All participants will be recruited from the Respiratory Medicine Department of Yue-Yang Integrative Medicine Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. All participants will continue to follow their medical treatment. They will be randomly assigned to one of four groups in a 1:1:1:1 ratio: (1) usual care (control group, CG), (2) pulmonary exercise group (PG), (3) resistance exercise group (RG), or (4) combined pulmonary exercise and resistance exercise group (PRG). CG participants will receive medical treatment only. PG participants will perform 60 min of exercise twice a day 7 days a week for 3 months, with 1 day's exercise per week at hospital under guidance and supervision. RG participants will perform 60 min of resistance exercise once a day, three times a week for 3 months, with 1 day's exercise per week at hospital under guidance and supervision. PRG participants will perform 60 min of prescribed pulmonary exercise combined with resistance exercise for 3 months. The outcomes include the isokinetic strength of peripheral skeletal muscle, surface electromyography, 6-min walking distance, 30-s arm curl test, pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength, dyspnea, body composition, physical activity, quality of life, and Chronic Disease Self-Efficacy Scale. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will compensate for the current inadequate understanding of prescribed pulmonary exercise and may provide a new, simple, convenient, and effective home-based exercise intervention for COPD patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-1800017405 . Registered on 28 July 2018.

Green and efficient extraction of four bioactive flavonoids from Pollen Typhae by ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvents extraction.

Recently, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been recognized as a novel class of sustainable solvents to replace common organic solvents. In this study, a highly and efficient extraction technique for determination of four bioactive flavonoids from Pollen Typhae using a combination of ultrasound-assisted extraction and natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) was developed. A series of DESs containing various hydrogen bond acceptors combined with different hydrogen bond donors were synthesized and screened for high extraction efficiencies based on the flavonoids extraction yields. The extraction conditions including composition of DES, water content in DES, liquid-solid ratio, and extraction time were statistically optimized by single-factor experiment. As a result, DES composed of choline chloride and 1,2-propanediol (ChPri) at 1:4 M ratio, 30% of aqueous solution, 50:1 mg mL-1 for solid-liquid ratio, and 35 min for extraction time were selected as the most effective process for extraction of flavonoids in Pollen Typhae. Under the optimal conditions, the target compounds recoveries were in the range of 86.87%-98.89%. Meanwhile, DESs showed greater extraction efficiency for extraction of quercetin, naringenin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin from Pollen Typhae comparing with conventional solvents such as methanol and 75% of aqueous ethanol. Comparing DESs to the conventional organic solvents, in addition to their reduced environmental impacts, they proved to provide higher extraction efficiency for flavonoids, and therefore have a great potential as possible alternatives to those organic solvents in extraction of Chinese herbal medicines.

The effects of visual imagery on face identification: an ERP study.

The present study tested the hypothesis that the effects of mental imagery on subsequent perception occur at a later matching stage in perceptual identification, but not in the early perceptual stage as in perceptual detection. The behavioral results suggested that the effect of visual imagery on visual identification is content-specific, i.e., imagining a congruent face facilitates face identification, whereas a mismatch between imagery and perception leads to an interference effect. More importantly, the ERP results revealed that a more negative N2 response to the subsequent visual face stimuli was elicited over fronto-central sites in the mismatch and no-imagery conditions as compared to that in the match condition, with the early P1 and N170 components independent of manipulations. The latency and distribution of the neural effects demonstrate that the matching step, but not the earlier perceptual process, is affected by the preceding visual imagery in the context of face identification. We discuss these results in a broader context that the imagery-perception interaction may depend on task demand.