[Intervention of auricular point sticking on perioperative psychological stress in patients with anorectal diseases].

OBJECTIVE: To explore and quantify the intervention effect of auricular point sticking on perioperative psychological stress in patients with anorectal diseases. METHODS: Eighty patients who underwent anorectal surgery were randomly divided into an observation group (40 cases) and a control group (40 cases). The routine preoperative guidance, preoperative visits, and informed of the postoperative condition were received in the control group. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, auricular point sticking was immediately applied at Shenmen (TF4), Shen (CO10), Wei (CO4), Gan (CO12), Pi (CO13), Pizhixia (AT4), E (AT1), Nie (AT2) and Zhen (AT3) in the observation group.The patients were pressed by themselves, 3 to 5 min per point each time, 5 times a day, and the contralateral auricular points were replaced every 2 or 3 days until 1 week after surgery. The Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA), Hamilton depression scale (HAMD), and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) scores were compared between the two groups before and 7 days after surgery. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the total HAMA scores between after and before surgery in the observation group (P>0.05). The total HAMA score in the control group was higher than that before surgery (P<0.05). The total HAMA score in the observation group after surgery was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the total HAMD scores between the two groups before and after surgery (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the total HAMD scores between the two groups after the surgery (P>0.05). The scores of somatic anxiety factor in the two groups were higher than those before surgery (P<0.05). The scores of somatic anxiety factor in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The scores of psychotic anxiety factors in the two groups were lower than those before surgery (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the score of psychotic anxiety factors between the two groups (P>0.05). The total score of PSQI in the two groups was lower than that before surgery (P<0.05), and the total score of PSQI in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Auricular point sticking can effectively improve some psychological stress problems during perioperative period in patients with anorectal diseases.

Maturation of buffalo oocytes in vitro with acetyl-L-carnitine improves cryotolerance due to changes in mitochondrial function and the membrane lipid profile.

The effects of acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC) supplementation during IVM on subsequently vitrified buffalo oocytes were evaluated, followed by determination of the mitochondrial DNA copy number, measurement of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and identification of the lipid profile of oocyte membranes as markers of oocyte quality after vitrification. Supplementation with ALC during IVM significantly improved the rates of oocyte cleavage and morula and blastocyst formation, and increased MMP after vitrification compared with unsupplemented vitrified oocytes (P<0.05). Using a bidirectional orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminant analysis based on positive ion matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry data, five phospholipid ions (m/z 728.7 (phosphatidylcholine (PC) 32:3), 746.9 (PC 32:5), 760.6 (PC 34:1), 768.8 (PC P-36:3) and 782.6 (PC 36:4); P<0.05) were identified as significantly more abundant in fresh oocytes than in unsupplemented vitrified oocytes. Meanwhile, three phospholipid ions (m/z 734.6 (PC 32:0), 760.6 (PC 34:1), and 782.6 (PC 36:4); P<0.05) were more abundant in ALC-supplemented vitrified oocytes than in unsupplemented vitrified oocytes. Therefore, supplementation with ALC during IVM may improve buffalo oocyte quality after vitrification by enhancing mitochondrial function and altering the phospholipid composition of vitrified oocyte membranes.

Treatment with acetyl-l-carnitine during in vitro maturation of buffalo oocytes improves oocyte quality and subsequent embryonic development.

Oocyte quality is one of the important factors in female fertility, in vitro maturation (IVM), and subsequent embryonic development. In the present study, we assessed whether acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC) supplementation during in vitro maturation of buffalo oocytes could improve oocyte quality and subsequent embryonic development. To determine the optimal level of ALC supplementation, we matured cumulus-oocyte complexes in maturation medium supplemented with 0, 2.5, and 5 mM ALC. The oocytes with a polar body were selected for parthenogenetic activation (PA) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). We found that oocytes matured in 2.5 mM ALC had significantly higher PA blastocyst rate (P < 0.05) and blastocyst cell number than those of unsupplemented oocytes (P < 0.05) and a significantly higher IVF blastocyst rate than that of oocytes matured in 5 mM ALC (P < 0.05). In all further experiments, we supplemented the maturation medium with 2.5 mM ALC. We then tested whether ALC supplementation could improve various markers of oocytes and cumulus cells. We compared cell proliferation; concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS), intracellular ATP, estradiol, and progesterone; mitochondrial distribution; mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA); and expression levels of four genes encoding oocyte-derived factors (GDF9, BMP15) and steroid hormones (StAR, P450scc) between the supplemented and unsupplemented oocytes and cumulus cells. Cumulus cells matured with ALC supplementation were more prolific than those matured without ALC supplementation (P < 0.05). Oocytes treated with ALC had lower concentrations of intracellular ROS (P < 0.05) and a higher rate of diffuse mitochondrial distributions (P < 0.05) than those of untreated oocytes. Additionally, the mtDNA was higher in the ALC-treated oocytes (P < 0.05) and cumulus cells (P < 0.05) than that in the untreated cells. The ALC-treated maturation medium had a higher postmaturation concentration of estradiol than that of the untreated medium (P < 0.05). Finally, the gene expression levels of P450scc and GDF9 were greater in ALC-treated oocytes and cumulus cells than those in untreated cells (P < 0.05). Therefore, in buffalo, our results suggest that ALC affects mitochondrial function, regulates oocyte-derived paracrine factors, and increases the production of steroid hormones, leading to increased quality of matured oocytes and improved embryonic development in vitro.