Current role of magnetic resonance imaging on assessing and monitoring the efficacy of phototherapy.

Phototherapy, also known as photobiological therapy, is a non-invasive and highly effective physical treatment method. Its broad use in clinics has led to significant therapeutic results. Phototherapy parameters, such as intensity, wavelength, and duration, can be adjusted to create specific therapeutic effects for various medical conditions. Meanwhile, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), with its diverse imaging sequences and excellent soft-tissue contrast, provides a valuable tool to understand the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of phototherapy. This review explores the clinical applications of commonly used phototherapy techniques, gives a brief overview of how phototherapy impacts different diseases, and examines MRI's role in various phototherapeutic scenarios. We argue that MRI is crucial for precise targeting, treatment monitoring, and prognosis assessment in phototherapy. Future research and applications will focus on personalized diagnosis and monitoring of phototherapy, expanding its applications in treatment and exploring multimodal imaging technology to enhance diagnostic and therapeutic precision and effectiveness.

Can digital transformation promote the green innovation quality of enterprises? Empirical evidence from China.

Digital transformation constitutes a crucial component of the digital economy and represents a microcosmic manifestation, playing a vital role in advancing enterprise sustainable development from the perspective of green innovation quality. Using the panel data of Chinese listed companies from 2011 to 2020, the study examines the impact of digital transformation on the quality of green innovation. The study finds that digital transformation significantly increases the green innovation quality of enterprises. Moreover, the positive effect of digital transformation on green innovation quality is strengthened by the executive with digital knowledge experience and in regions with high-level intellectual property protection. The study findings contribute to digitalization research and the literature on green innovation, and provide suggestions for managers and policymakers seeking to improve the quality of environmental sustainability through digital transformation in developing economies.

Effects of a high-fat and high-carbohydrate diet on appetite regulation and central AMPK in the hypothalamus of blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala).

Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a sensor of cellular energy changes and controls food intake. This study investigates the effect of a high-calorie diet (high fat diet [HFD], high carbohydrate diet [HCD] and high energy diet [HED]) on appetite and central AMPK in blunt snout bream. In the present study, fish (average initial weight 45.84 ± 0.07 g) were fed the control, HFD, HCD and HED in four replicates for 12 weeks. At the end of the feeding trial, the result showed that body mass index, specific growth rate, feed efficiency ratio and feed intake were not affected (p > 0.05) by dietary treatment. However, fish fed the HFD obtained a significantly higher (p < 0.05) lipid productive value, lipid gain and lipid intake than those fed the control diet, but no significant difference was attributed to others. Also, a significantly higher (p < 0.05) energy intake content was found in fish-fed HFD, HCD and HED than those given the control diet. Long-term HFD and HCD feeding significantly increased (p < 0.05) plasma glucose, glycated serum protein, advanced glycation end product, insulin and leptin content levels than the control group. Moreover, a significantly lower (p < 0.05) complex 1, 2 and 3 content was found in fish-fed HFD and HCD than in the control, but no differences (p > 0.05) were attributed to those in HED. Fish-fed HED significantly upregulated (p < 0.05) hypothalamic ampα 1 and ampα 2 expression, whereas the opposite trend was observed in the hypothalamic mammalian target of rapamycin than those in HFD and HCD compared to the control. However, hypothalamic neuropeptide y, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (pparα), acetyl-coa oxidase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 were significantly upregulated (p < 0.05) in the HCD group, while the opposite was seen in cholecystokinin expression compared to those in the control group. Our findings indicated that the central AMPK signal pathway and appetite were modulated according to the diet's energy level to regulate nutritional status and maintain energy homoeostasis in fish.

Selective Inhibition of Kinase Activity in Mammalian Cells by Bioorthogonal Ligand Tethering.

Enzymes are critical for cellular functions, and malfunction of enzymes is closely related to many human diseases. Inhibition studies can help in deciphering the physiological roles of enzymes and guide conventional drug development programs. In particular, chemogenetic approaches enabling rapid and selective inhibition of enzymes in mammalian cells have unique advantages. Here, we describe the procedure for rapid and selective inhibition of a kinase in mammalian cells by bioorthogonal ligand tethering (iBOLT). Briefly, a non-canonical amino acid bearing a bioorthogonal group is genetically incorporated into the target kinase by genetic code expansion. The sensitized kinase can react with a conjugate containing a complementary biorthogonal group linked with a known inhibitory ligand. As a result, tethering of the conjugate to the target kinase allows selective inhibition of protein function. Here, we demonstrate this method by using cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PKA-Cα) as the model enzyme. The method should be applicable to other kinases, enabling their rapid and selective inhibition.

Acupuncture Alleviates CUMS-Induced Depression-Like Behaviors by Restoring Prefrontal Cortex Neuroplasticity.

Purpose: To explore the therapeutic efficiency of acupuncture and the related molecular mechanism of neural plasticity in depression. Methods: Chronic unpredictable mild stress- (CUMS-) induced rats were established for the depression animal model. There were a total of four rat groups, including the control group, the CUMS group, the CUMS+acupuncture group, and the CUMS+fluoxetine group. The acupuncture group and the fluoxetine group were given a 3-week treatment after the modeling intervention. The researcher performed the open-field, elevated plus maze, and sucrose preference tests to evaluate depressive behaviors. The number of nerve cells, dendrites' length, and the prefrontal cortex's spine density were detected using Golgi staining. The prefrontal cortex expression, such as BDNF, PSD95, SYN, and PKMZ protein, was detected using the western blot and RT-PCR. Results: Acupuncture could alleviate depressive-like behaviors and promote the recovery of the neural plasticity functions in the prefrontal cortex, showing the increasing cell numbers, prolonging the length of the dendrites, and enhancing the spine density. The neural plasticity-related proteins in the prefrontal cortex, including BDNF, PSD95, SYN, and PKMZ, were all downregulated in the CUMS-induced group; however, these effects could be partly reversed after being treated by acupuncture and fluoxetine (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture can ameliorate depressive-like behaviors by promoting the recovery of neural plasticity functions and neural plasticity-related protein upregulation in the prefrontal cortex of CUMS-induced depressed rats. Our study provides new insights into the antidepressant approach, and further studies are warranted to elucidate the mechanisms of acupuncture involved in depression treatment.

Plants of the Genus Mahonia as a Potential Traditional Chinese Medicine for the Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a prevalent multiple neurodegenerative disease, has gained attention, particularly in the aging population. However, presently available therapies merely focus on alleviating the symptoms of AD and fail to slow disease progression significantly. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to ameliorate symptoms or interfere with the pathogenesis of aging-associated diseases for many years based on disease-modifying in multiple pathological roles with multi-targets, multi-systems and multi-aspects. Mahonia species as a TCM present potential for anti-inflammatory activity, antioxidant activity, anti-acetylcholinesterase activity, and antiamyloid- beta activity that was briefly discussed in this review. They are regarded as promising drug candidates for AD therapy. The findings in this review support the use of Mahonia species as an alternative therapy source for treating AD.

The Number of Intraoperative Intestinal Venous Circulating Tumor Cells Is a Prognostic Factor for Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Purpose: To assess the association between intestinal venous blood (IVB) circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and clinicopathological parameters in stage I-III colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Methods: Participants were retrospectively retrieved, who were admitted to our hospital or took annual physical exams between December 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018. A negative enrichment-immunofluorescence in situ hybridization (NE-imFISH) technique was used to isolate and identify CTCs. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Youden index values were used to determine the critical CTC cutoff value for the diagnosis of CRC. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank methods were used to conduct survival analyses, and multivariate Cox regression analyses were employed for multivariate corrections to comprehensively evaluate the value of CTCs in the diagnosis of CRC. Relationships between IVB CTCs, clinicopathological parameters, and prognosis were then analyzed based upon patient postoperative follow-up data. Results: In total, we retrieved 282 patients including 48 healthy controls, 72 patients with benign colorectal tumors, and 162 CRC patients. CRC patients exhibited significantly higher numbers of CTCs relative to control patients or those with benign disease. CTC numbers in CRC patient peripheral blood (PB) and IVB were closely associated with tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging (P < 0.01), carbohydrate antigen-125 (CA-125) levels (P < 0.001), and KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma virus oncogene) mutation status (P < 0.001). The disease-free survival (DFS) of patients in the CTC-negative group was significantly longer than that of patients in the CTC-positive group (24.60 ± 13.31 months vs. 18.70 ± 10.19 months, P < 0.05), with the same being true with respect to their overall survival (OS) (30.60 ± 12.44 months vs. 35.25 ± 11.57 months, P < 0.05). A multivariate analysis revealed that the detection ≥2 CTCs/3.2 ml was independently associated with poorer DFS and OS. CTC counts were independently predictive of CRC patients TNM staging, CA-125, and KRAS mutation status in both univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. Conclusion: CTCs are valuable biomarkers that can be monitored to predict CRC patient disease progression.

Quality evaluation of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chen using supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry and chemical pattern recognition.

An efficient supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry (SFC-MS) method was developed for the quality evaluation of Panax Notoginseng (Burk) F.H. Chen (P. notoginseng) by combination with chemical pattern recognition (CPR). Design of experiments (DoE) was applied to obtain optimal SFC-MS conditions. Several CPR methods including hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were employed to establish a classification model based on the peak areas and contents of 12 components in P. notoginseng in order to evaluate the quality difference according to the collecting time (Chunqi and Dongqi) and medicinal parts (fibrous root, rhizome, branch root, and main root). PLS-DA has proved to be a satisfactory method with accurate discrimination of the selected samples. The characteristic variables based on the variable importance in projection (VIP) values were selected using PLS-DA. Three characteristic components (ginsenoside Rg2, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Rb1) with higher VIP values (>1) were chosen to further build the CPR model. Subsequently, the model was verified by testing another set of samples and the results indicated that the established model was satisfactory. PLS-DA models based on the peak areas of the 12 selected analytes in 30 batches of P. notoginseng could give accurate classification. The obtained results demonstrate that the developed method using SFC-MS and PLS-DA has a great potential for the quality assessment of P. notoginseng.

Three-Pronged Attack by Hybrid Nanoplatform Involving MXenes, Upconversion Nanoparticle and Aggregation-Induced Emission Photosensitizer for Potent Cancer Theranostics.

Inspired by the excellent photothermal conversion ability and inherent nanomedicine platform property of MXenes, efficient reactive oxygen species production and prominent fluorescence emission feature of aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active photosensitizers (PSs), as well as the extending excitation wavelength capability of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), a versatile nanoplatform comprised of Ti3 C2 nanosheets (NSs), AIE-active PSs and UCNPs is intelligently fabricated. This three-pronged strategy takes advantages of each component simultaneously, and realizes fluorescence imaging/photoacoustic imaging/photothermal imaging triple-modal imaging-guided photothermal/photodynamic synergetic therapy under 808 nm laser irradiation. The introduction of UCNPs actualizes the long wavelength-activation of AIE-active PSs, which significantly increases the tissue penetration depth. Spatially isolation of AIE-active PSs and Ti3 C2 NSs is beneficial for suppressing the fluorescence quenching effect of Ti3 C2 NSs, bringing about ultimately brilliant fluorescence. The covalently bonded polymer surface endows the nanoplatform with excellent physiological stability and efficient tumor accumulation. These outputs reveal a win-win cooperation of multiple inorganic/organic nanocomposites for phototheranostics, and present great potential for future clinical translations.

Research and development of traditional medicines in low- and middle-income countries: A case study of artemisinin discovery in China.

Though traditional medicines have been developed through practice for thousands of years, limited research has discussed the research and development (R&D) pattern of traditional medicines. China's discovery of artemisinin accumulated valuable experiences to explore traditional medicine under low-resource settings. With limited R&D resources, China mobilized all domestic research units at different levels and departments to develop artemisinin collaboratively. The discovery of artemisinin not only based on valuable experiential wisdom of traditional medicine, but also relied on excellent synergy among all units. In this study, we reviewed the story of how artemisinin was discovered in China, summarized key factors for new drug development from traditional medicines under limited resources, and raised suggestions to utilize traditional medicines in low- and middle-income countries. This case suggested that the vitality of traditional medicine could be extended by promoting new drug development based on modern methods and collaboration.

The Study of Steaming Durations and Temperatures on the Chemical Characterization, Neuroprotective, and Antioxidant Activities of Panax notoginseng.

Panax notoginseng (PN) is one of the most valuable traditional Chinese medicines and has extensive pharmacological effects. Recent studies demonstrated that PN exhibited pharmacological effect related to Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, whether steaming process can boost its anti-AD activity is still unexplored. To fill this gap, effects of steaming durations and temperatures on the chemical characterization, neuroprotective and antioxidant activities of PN were systematically investigated in this study. HPLC fingerprint coupled with quantitative analysis demonstrated striking conversion of original saponins to less polar ones with the increase in the steaming time and temperature. In the viewpoint of anti-AD activity on neuroprotective and antioxidant effects, several steamed PN samples (110°C-6/8/10 h, 120°C -4/6 h samples) displayed a significant increase both in cell viability and oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) values compared with the no steamed one (P < 0.01 or P < 0.005). Steaming temperature had the greater impact on the change of chemical composition and anti-AD activity of PN. Moreover, the spectrum-effect relationship analysis revealed that the transformed saponins were partially responsible for the increased neuroprotective and antioxidant effects of steamed PN. Therefore, steamed PN could be used as a potential crude drug for prevention and treatment of AD.

Sodium tanshinone â ¡A sulfonate injection as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of heart failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Sodium tanshinone ⅡA sulfonate (STS) injection has been widely used to treat heart failure over the past years in China. However, to the best of our knowledge, neither systematic review nor meta-analysis on the efficacy of STS injection as adjunctive therapy for heart failure has been reported. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to summarize relevant evidence from the published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the efficacy of STS injection as adjunctive therapy for heart failure. METHODS: RCTs on STS injection as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of heart failure were screened from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Sino-Med, PubMed, Google Scholar, Medline, China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Cochrane Library, Embase and Chinese Science Citation Database until July 2021. Two authors independently performed the literature searching, data extraction, and quality evaluation. The meta-analysis was carried out by RevMan 5.3. Based on the methodological quality, years of publication, and sample size of the included RCTs, sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were investigated. RESULTS: Fourteen RCTs with a total of 1368 patients were identified in this study. Results from this meta-analysis showed that STS injection as adjunctive therapy was superior to western medicine alone for the treatment of heart failure in improving the total effective rate (RR = 1.23; 95% CI, 1.17 to 1.29; p < 0.00001) and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; MD = 6.34; 95% CI 5.25 to 7.43; p < 0.00001), meanwhile reducing the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD; MD = -4.79; 95% CI, -6.44 to -3.15; p < 0.00001), left ventricular end-systolic dimension (LVESD; MD = -3.98; 95% CI, -5.79 to -2.17; p < 0.0001) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP; MD = -118.75; 95% CI, -175.36 to -62.15; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that STS injection as adjunctive therapy seemed to be more effective than western medicine alone in treating heart failure. However, due to the poor methodological quality of the included RCTs, further well-designed RCTs are required to confirm the efficacy of STS injection.

Xueshuantong Improves Functions of Lymphatic Ducts and Modulates Inflammatory Responses in Alzheimer's Disease Mice.

Recent studies have revealed significant contributions of lymphatic vessels (LVs) to vital functions of the brain, especially related to clearance of waste from the brain and immune responses in the brain. These studies collectively indicate that enhancing the functions of LVs may improve brain functions during brain aging and in Alzheimer's disease (AD) where LV functions are impaired. However, it is currently unknown whether this enhancement can be achieved using small molecules. We have previously shown that a widely used Chinese herbal medicine Xueshuantong (XST) significantly improves functions and reduces pathology in AD transgenic mice associated with elevated cerebral blood flow (CBF). Here, we show that XST partially rescues deficits in lymphatic structures, improves clearance of amyloid-ß (Aß) from the brain, and reduces the inflammatory responses in the serum and brains of transgenic AD mice. In addition, we showed that this improvement in the lymphatic system occurs independently of elevated CBF, suggesting independent modulation and limited interaction between blood circulation and lymphatic systems. Moreover, XST treatment leads to a significant increase in GLT-1 level and a significantly lower level of MMP-9 and restores AQP4 polarity in APP/PS1 mice. These results provide the basis for further exploration of XST to enhance or restore LV functions, which may be beneficial to treat neurodegenerative diseases or promote healthy aging.

[Effect of acupuncture on analgesia and sedation in elderly patients with severe pneumonia during invasive mechanical ventilation].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the analgesic and sedative effects of acupuncture in elderly patients with severe pneumonia during invasive mechanical ventilation. METHODS: A total of 188 elderly patients with severe pneumonia were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 94 cases in each group. Both groups were treated with routine nursing and treatment of severe pneumonia such as invasive mechanical ventilation, analgesia and sedation. Based on these, the observation group was treated with acupuncture at Neiguan (PC 6), Hegu (LI 4), Yintang (GV 29) and Baihui (GV 20), twice a day until the mechanical ventilation was offline. The critical care pain observation tool (CPOT) score and Richmond agitation-sedation score (RASS) were observed before treatment and 0.5 h after analgesia and sedation; the average time of reaching the standard, the reaching standard rate of shallow sedation and analgesia within 0.5 h and 72 h as well as the dosage of analgesic and sedative drugs and compilations were compared between the two groups. The mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR) and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) were observed before treatment and 0.5 h, 1 h and 2 h after analgesia and sedation. The levels of partial pressure of blood oxygen (PaO2), partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) and lactic acid (Lac) were observed before treatment and 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, 120 h and 144 h after analgesia and sedation. The white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil percentage (NEUT%), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and creatinine (Cr) were observed before treatment and 72 h after analgesia and sedation. The tracheal intubation time and ICU hospitalization time were compared between two groups. RESULTS: At the time point of 0.5 h after treatment, the CPOT and RASS scores in the two groups were lower than those before treatment (P<0.05); the average time of reaching the standard in the observation group was shorter than that in the control group (P<0.01); the 30 min reaching standard rates of CPOT and RASS scores as well as the rate of reaching the shallow sedation and analgesia within 72 h in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). The dosage and duration of dexmedetomidine, propofol and butorphanol in the observation group were less than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the occurrence times of hypotension, respiratory depression, bradycardia, constipation as well as average tracheal intubation time and average ICU hospitalization time in the observation group were less than those in the control group (P<0.05). After 0.5 h, 1 h and 2 h of treatment, the HR and RR were lower than those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), MAP and SpO2 were higher than those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05); the MAP 0.5 h after treatment in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05); the HR after 1 h and 2 h of treatment in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). Compared before treatment, the levels of PaCO2 and Lac were reduced and the levels of PaO2 were increased 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, 120 h and 144 h after treatment in both groups (P<0.05); compared before treatment, the WBC, NEUT%, hs-CPR, ALT and Cr were reduced 72 h after treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the hs-CRP in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture has analgesic and sedative effect in elderly patients with severe pneumonia during invasive mechanical ventilation, which could reduce the dosage of sedative and analgesic drugs and the occurrence of complications, improve blood oxygen, and has good safety.

Acupuncture Can Play an Antidepressant Role by Regulating the Intestinal Microbes and Neurotransmitters in a Rat Model of Depression.

BACKGROUND Acupuncture, which has many good effects and few adverse effects, is widely recognized as an alternative therapy for depression in clinical practice. This study aimed to explore the mechanism of acupuncture in antidepressant treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this experiment, Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control, chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), acupuncture, and fluoxetine groups. The CUMS, acupuncture, and fluoxetine groups were orphaned and subjected to chronic unpredictable stress for 6 weeks, and the acupuncture and fluoxetine groups were treated with their respective intervention in weeks 4-6. The body weight of rats was monitored weekly. After behavioral tests were completed, serum, feces, and hippocampal tissue of rats were collected. RESULTS The results showed that the acupuncture and fluoxetine treatments could alleviate the behavioral changes caused by CUMS. The treatments increased the total distance of rat crossing in the open-field test, prolonged the activity time of the open cross maze in the open arm, and improved the rate of sucrose consumption in the sucrose preference test. In addition, both the decreased level of dopamine (DA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in serum and hippocampus caused by CUMS were improved after the treatments with acupuncture and fluoxetine, and the decreased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling and the astrocytes in the hippocampus caused by CUMS were increased after the treatments with acupuncture and fluoxetine. Acupuncture and fluoxetine also decreased the ß isoform of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in the hippocampus, which was increased by CUMS. Furthermore, acupuncture regulated intestinal microbial disorders caused by CUMS, which reduced the relative abundance ratio of Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes in rats. CONCLUSIONS Our experimental results indicate that acupuncture can alleviate depression-like performance in CUMS rats by regulating intestinal microbes and neurotransmitters.

Fast analysis of alkaloids from different parts of Mahonia bealei (Fort.) Carr. studied for their anti-Alzheimer's activity using supercritical fluid chromatography.

In this study, a rapid and highly efficient method was developed for the separation of eight isoquinoline alkaloids using supercritical fluid chromatography. The separation conditions were carefully optimized including stationary phases, additives, backpressure, and temperature. Compared to high-performance liquid chromatography, the use of supercritical fluid chromatography could provide a 13 times faster separation. Subsequently, the method was validated and applied for the determination of eight alkaloids from different parts of Mahonia bealei (Fort.) Carr. (stem, root, leaf, and seed). The results indicated a good repeatability with relative standard deviations for overall precisions lower than 3.2%. The limit of detection was between 0.4 and 2.3 µg/mL while limit of quantitation ranged from 1.5 to 7.5 µg/mL. Recovery ranged from 95.7 to 102.5% indicating a validity of recovery. The content of total eight alkaloids was the highest in stem (66.0 µg/g) and root (65.1 µg/g) compared to leaf or seed. Moreover, anti-acetylcholinesterase activity for those extracts was evaluated by Ellman's colorimetric assay. As a result, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of the extracted samples was in the following decreasing order: stem > root > leaf or seed. In conclusion, the results indicated that supercritical fluid chromatography could be a useful tool for quality control of Mahonia bealei (Fort.) Carr. containing alkaloids as active compounds.

Acupuncture Relieves Stress-Induced Depressive Behavior by Reducing Oxidative Stress and Neuroapoptosis in Rats.

Oxidative stress is closely related to the occurrence of depression. Acupuncture has been proved to be an effective method for treating depression. In order to explore the mechanism of the antidepressant effect of acupuncture, this study performed acupuncture prevention on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) depression model rats, and observed the effect of acupuncture on hippocampal oxidative stress and Nrf2 signaling pathway. Male SD rats were randomly divided into control group, CUMS group, acupuncture group, and fluoxetine group (n = 10/group). Fluoxetine, a common antidepressant, was used as a positive control drug in this study. In the fluoxetine group, rats were given fluoxetine (2.1 mg/kg) intragastrically once a day for 28 days. The acupoints of Shangxing (GV23) and Fengfu (GV16) were applied in acupuncture group, once every other day for 14 times in total. Behavioral tests and biological detections were used to evaluate the effects of the interventions and the changes of factors related to oxidative stress, Nrf2 pathway, and neuronal apoptosis. The results showed that both acupuncture and fluoxetine could increase sugar preference rate in SPT and decrease immobility time in FST in depression model rats. It also significantly decreased oxidative stress products such as ROS and H2O2, and elevated the protein and mRNA expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1. From Nissl's staining, there were more abundant nerve cells in two intervention groups compared with CUMS group. Plus, acupuncture down-regulated the expression levels of Bax and caspase-3 and up-regulated the expression of Bcl-2. Our findings indicate that acupuncture improved depression-like behaviors of CUMS rats. And CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors in rats were related to oxidative stress and neuronal apoptosis in hippocampus. Acupuncture showed antidepressant effects in reducing oxidative stress products via regulating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway so that prevented neuronal apoptosis.

The reproductive regulation of LPXRFa and its receptor in the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis of the spotted scat (Scatophagus argus).

Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) plays a critical role in regulating gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), gonadotropin hormone (GtH), and steroidogenesis. The Lpxrfa (the piscine ortholog of GnIH) system has been found to regulate fish reproduction. To gain insight into the role of Lpxrfa in the regulation of spotted scat (Scatophagus argus) reproduction, spotted scat Lpxrfa (ssLpxrfa), and its receptor (ssLpxrfa-r) were cloned and analyzed. Tissue distribution and expression patterns at the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG axis) of sslpxrfa and sslpxrfa-r mRNA were also investigated during gonadal development of spotted scat. The open reading frame (ORF) of the sslpxrfa was 606 bp encoding 201 amino acids and includes a putative signal peptide and two mature ssLpxrfa peptides with LPXRFamide motif at their C-terminus. The sslpxrfa-r ORF was 1449 bp encoding 482 amino acids and contracted a seven-hydrophobic transmembrane (TM) domain structure. The tissue distribution showe d that the sslpxrfa was highly expressed in hypothalami, gill, and the gonads. In addition, sslpxrfa-r was highly expressed in hypothalami, pituitaries, and the gonads. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) revealed that sslpxrfa had the highest expression in the hypothalami and pituitaries, and the lowest expression in the gonads in stage V. During gonadal development, the expression of sslpxrfa-r was gradually increased in the hypothalami but reduced in the gonads. However, no obvious trend was observed in the pituitaries. The expression of sslpxrfa and sslpxrfa-r decreased significantly after injection with 17ß-estradiol (E2). However, the expression of both sslpxrfa and sslpxrfa-r was not changed after injection with 17α-methyltestosterone(17α-MT) in the hypothalami. In addition, no changes were observed in the expression of fshß and lhß in the pituitaries after injecting ssLpxrfa-1. However, ssLpxrfa-2 could downregulate the expression of sbgnrh and fshß in the hypothalami and pituitaries, respectively. Taken together, these findings suggested that ssLpxrfa may participate in E2 feedback in reproduction and regulate the reproductive axis of spotted scat.

The efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder is common, chronic mental disorder, which is characterized by recurrent, unwanted, or intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors or mental action. Acupuncture and moxibustion, as a popular form of complementary and alternative therapy, have the advantages of low side effects, high safety, and low cost. The research showed that acupuncture and moxibustion have a good clinical efficacy on obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, there is no literature to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. Thus, this study is aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion for obsessive-compulsive disorder patients, providing reliable evidence for clinical application. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder will be searched in the databases including PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, Web of science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI), WanFang, the Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, and China biomedical literature database (CBM) from inception to June, 2020. In addition, Baidu, Google Scholar, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and Chinese Clinical Trials Registry will be searched to obtain the gray literature and relevant data that have not yet been published. Two qualified researchers will extract data and assess the risk of bias from included studies dependently. Statistical analysis is performed in RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: The efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for obsessive-compulsive disorder will be assessed based on the total effective rate, Hamilton Anxiety Scale score, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score, Clinical Global Impression score, side effects, and so on. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder is expected to provide reliable evidence for clinical application. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The private information from individuals will not publish. This systematic review also will not involve endangering participant rights. Ethical approval is not required. The results may be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated in relevant conferences. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/CDGTW.

[Effects of Biochar on Bioavailability of Two Elements in Phosphorus and Cadmium-Enriched Soil and Accumulation of Cadmium in Crops].

Using phosphorus and cadmium enriched soil (total Cd is 0.94 mg·kg-1, total phosphorus is 0.86 g·kg-1) and low cadmium accumulation genotype Jinqiuhong 3 as experimental materials, we set up four treatments: absolute control (only NK inorganic fertilizer), relative control (CKp, NPK inorganic fertilizer), biochar (only NK inorganic fertilizer), and biochar+phosphate fertilizer (BC-CKp). The availability of phosphorus and heavy metal Cd in soil, the biomass, Cd accumulation characteristics of edible parts of plants, and the basic characteristics of soil were investigated. The results showed that the content of available Cd in soil decreased by 8.23% and 5.68% by BC and BC-CKp treatment with biochar compared with CK0 and CKp treatment without biochar, respectively. At the same time, the content of available phosphorus in soil significantly increased 11.60-16.26 mg·kg-1 of biochar. The content of available Cd in CKp and BC-CKp treated with exogenous phosphate fertilizer was significantly lower than that in CK0 and BC treatments without phosphate fertilizer by 31.43% and 33.29%, respectively. In addition to CK0 treatment, the Cd content of edible parts of Brassica campestris bolting crops in the other three treatment groups (CKp, BC, and BC-CKp) did not exceed the limit value of Cd of the China Food Safety National Standard (GB 2762-2017) of 0.1 mg·kg-1. The results showed that the dual functions of heavy metal Cd passivation and phosphorus activation could be realized by injecting biochar into moderate and mild Cd contaminated soil with phosphorus enrichment at the same time. Under the condition of no additional use of phosphorus fertilizer, planting vegetable crop genotypes with weak absorption and low accumulation of Cd can not only ensure an increase in biomass of edible parts but can also ensure that the heavy metal Cd content in edible parts meets the national standard of food safety.