Tai Chi versus conventional exercise for improving cognitive function in older adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Studies have shown that Tai Chi and conventional exercise can modify the brain through distinct mechanisms, resulting in different brain adaptations. Therefore, it is conceivable to speculate that these two exercise modalities may have different effects on improving cognitive function. This study was a parallel group, assessor-blinded, pilot randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of Tai Chi and conventional exercise on improving cognitive function in older persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A total of 34 adults aged ≥ 50 years with MCI were randomized (1:1:1) to the Tai Chi group (TC, n = 10, 3 sessions of 60-min Yang-style Tai Chi training per week for 24 weeks), conventional exercise group (EX: n = 12, 3 sessions of 60-min fitness training per week for 24 weeks), or control group (CON: n = 12, no intervention). Global cognitive function assessed by the Hong Kong version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-HK) and performance in various cognitive domains were examined at baseline, and 12 and 24 weeks of the intervention. Both exercise groups showed improved global cognitive function as measured by MoCA-HK compared with the control group after 12 and 24 weeks of the intervention, (all P < 0.001). Only TC achieved clinically relevant improvement on global cognitive function at week 12. Both exercise groups achieved clinically relevant improvements at the end of the interventions at week 24. Compared with EX, TC exhibited greater improvements on global cognitive function indicated by MoCA-HK after 12 weeks of the intervention (P < 0.001) and cognitive flexibility indicated by part B/A ratio score of the Trail Making Test throughout the study (all P < 0.05). Both interventions were equally effective in improving the other examined cognitive domains. Further studies are needed to substantiate the superior long-term benefits of Tai Chi on global cognitive function compared with conventional exercise, and dissect the underlying mechanisms of the two exercises on improving cognitive domains and the corresponding brain adaptations. Trial registration: This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (Trial registration number: NCT04248400; first registration date: 30/01/2020).

Enhanced Sensitivity of Salmonella to Antimicrobial Blue Light Caused by Inactivating rfaC Gene Involved in Lipopolysaccharide Biosynthesis.

Salmonella is a global foodborne pathogen that causes human diseases ranging from mild gastroenteritis to severe systemic infections. Recently, antimicrobial blue light (aBL) showed effective bactericidal activity against a variety of bacteria (e.g., Salmonella) with varying efficiency. However, the antimicrobial mechanism of aBL has not been fully elucidated. Our previous report showed that the outer membrane (OM) is a key target of aBL. The major component of the OM, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), may play a role in aBL bactericidal effect. Therefore, the influence of LPS truncation on the sensitivity of Salmonella Typhimurium SL1344 to aBL was investigated for the first time. First, the rfaC gene in the SL1344 strain likely involved in linking lipid A to the core region of LPS was inactivated and the influence on LPS structure was verified in the mutant strain SL1344ΔrfaC. SL1344ΔrfaC showed a significant increase in sensitivity to aBL, and the bactericidal efficiency exceeded 8 log CFU at an aBL dose of 383 J/cm2, while that of its parental SL1344 strain approached 4 log CFU. To discover the possible mechanism of higher sensitivity, the permeability of OM was determined. Compared to SL1344, SL1344ΔrfaC showed 2.7-fold higher permeability of the OM at 20 J/cm2, this may explain the higher vulnerability of the OM to aBL. Furthermore, the fatty acid profile was analyzed to reveal the detailed changes in the OM and inner membrane of the mutant. Results showed that the membrane lipids of SL1344ΔrfaC were markedly different to SL1344, indicating that change in fatty acid profile might mediate the enhancement of OM permeability and the increased sensitivity to aBL in SL1344ΔrfaC. Hence, we concluded that disruption of rfaC in Salmonella Typhimurium led to the formation of truncated LPS and thus enhanced the permeability of the OM, which contributed to the increased sensitivity to aBL.

Effectiveness of Curcuma longa extract versus placebo for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of all types of Curcuma longa extract versus placebo for knee osteoarthritis (OA) treatment. The research was conducted by using the databases of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library through April 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the effect of Curcuma longa extract with placebo for patients with knee OA were considered eligible. The pooled results were expressed as mean differences or relative risks with 95% confidence intervals. A total of 10 RCTs with 783 patients were eligible for this meta-analysis. The pooled analysis showed that Curcuma longa extract was associated with significantly better pain relief and functional improvement compared with placebo for knee OA. Moreover, the smallest effect sizes of VAS for pain and WOMAC total score exceeded the minimum clinically important differences (MCIDs). Current evidence indicates that, compared with placebo, Curcuma longa extract has more benefit in pain relief and functional improvement for symptomatic knee OA. However, considering the potential heterogeneity in the included studies, more future high-quality RCTs with large sample sizes are necessary to confirm the benefits of Curcuma longa extract on knee OA.

Rehabilitation regimen for non-surgical treatment of Achilles tendon rupture: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

OBJECTIVES: To compare re-rupture rate, functional and quality-of-life outcomes, return to sports and work, complications, and resource use in patients treated non-surgically with different rehabilitation regimens for Achilles tendon rupture. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search in PubMed, Embase, Scopus and the Cochrane Library through May 2020 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that included patients treated non-surgically for Achilles tendon rupture. All analyses were stratified according to rehabilitation protocols. RESULTS: Eight RCTs with a total of 978 patients were included. There was no significant difference about re-rupture rate (P=0.38), return to sports (P=0.85) and work (P=0.33), functional outcome (P=0.34), quality of life (P=0.50), and complication rate (P=0.29) between early weight bearing with functional ankle motion and traditional ankle immobilisation with non-weight bearing. Similarly, no significant difference in re-rupture rate (P=0.88), return to sports (P=0.45) and work (P=0.20), functional outcome (P=0.26), and complication rate (P=0.49) was seen between ankle immobilisation with non-weight bearing and early weight bearing without functional ankle motion. CONCLUSIONS: Traditional ankle immobilisation with non-weight bearing was not found to be superior to early weight bearing with or without functional ankle motion for patients treated non-surgically for Achilles tendon rupture. Clinicians may consider early weight bearing in functional brace as a safe and cost-effective alternative to non-weight bearing with plaster casting.

SIRT1/FOXO3a axis plays an important role in the prevention of mandibular bone loss induced by 1,25(OH)2D deficiency.

It has been reported that 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] deficiency leads to the loss of mandibular bone, however the mechanism is unclear. We investigated whether the Sirt1/FOXO3a signaling pathway is involved in this process. Using a 1,25(OH)2D deficiency model induced by genetic deletion in mice of 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1α hydroxylase [1α(OH)ase-/- mice]. We first documented a sharp reduction of expression levels of Sirt1 in the 1α(OH)ase-/- mice in vivo. Next, we demonstrated dose-dependent upregulation of Sirt1 by treatment with exogenous 1,25(OH)2D3in vitro. We then identified a functional VDR binding site in the Sirt1 promoter. By crossing Prx1-Sirt1 transgenic mice with 1α(OH)ase-/- mice we demonstrated that the overexpression of Sirt1 in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) greatly improved the 1α(OH)ase-/- mandibular bone loss phenotype by increasing osteoblastic bone formation and reducing osteoclastic bone resorption. In mechanistic studies, we showed, in 1α(OH)ase-/- mice, decreases of Sirt1 and FoxO3a, an increase in oxidative stress as reflected by a reduction of the antioxidant enzymes peroxiredoxin1 (Prdx1), SOD1 and SOD2 expression, and an increase of markers for osteocyte senescence and senescence associated secretory phenotypes (SASP), including ß-galactosidase (ß-gal), p16, p53 and p21. The targeted overexpression of Sirt1 in the 1α(OH)ase-/- mice restored the expression levels of these molecules. Finally, we demonstrated that a Sirt1 agonist can upregulate FOXO3a activity by increasing deacetylation and nuclear translocation. Overall, results from this study support the concept that targeted increases in Sirt1/FOXO3a signaling levels can greatly improve the bone loss caused by 1,25(OH)2D deficiency.

Clinical study of acupuncture treatment on motor aphasia after stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To study the safety and effectiveness of the Heart-Gallbladder acupuncture treatment for motor aphasia after stroke via clinical studies. METHODS: Sixty valid patients were divided into two groups randomly with a ratio of 1:1. The treatment group was the Heart-Gallbladder acupuncture group and the control group was the conventional acupuncture group. The two groups underwent testing before and after treatments, which included: the Aphasia Battery of Chinese (ABC), the Chinese functional communication profile (CFCP), and the Boston diagnostic aphasia examination (BDAE). RESULTS: All the BDAE, CFCP and ABC results showed a significant difference between the two groups after treatment (P< 0.05), indicating that the Heart-Gallbladder acupuncture treatment for motor aphasia after stroke can reduce the degree of aphasia and improve patients' daily communication skills more than the conventional acupuncture treatment. The Heart-Gallbladder acupuncture treatment is better than the conventional acupuncture treatments for motor aphasia after stroke, with significantly improved scores for fluency, repetition, naming, and reading. CONCLUSIONS: Both the Heart-Gallbladder acupuncture and the conventional acupuncture are effective in the treatment of motor aphasia after stroke. Nevertheless, when compared to the conventional acupuncture, the Heart-Gallbladder acupuncture had better efficacy and it is safe as well.

Metabolic engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC13032 to produce S-adenosyl-L-methionine.

As an important biological methyl group donor, S-adenosyl-L-methionine is used as nutritional supplement or drug for various diseases, but bacterial strains that can efficiently produce S-adenosyl-L-methionine are not available. In this study, Corynebacterium glutamicum strain HW104 which can accumulate S-adenosyl-L-methionine was constructed from C. glutamicum ATCC13032 by deleting four genes thrB, metB, mcbR and Ncgl2640, and six genes metK, vgb, lysC(m), hom(m), metX and metY were overexpressed in HW104 in different combinations, forming strains HW104/pJYW-4-metK-vgb, HW104/pJYW-4-SAM2C-vgb, HW104/pJYW-4-metK-vgb-metYX, and HW104/pJYW-4-metK-vgb-metYX-hom(m)-lysC(m). Fermentation experiments showed that HW104/pJYW-4-metK-vgb produced more S-adenosyl-L-methionine than other strains, and the yield achieved 196.7 mg/L (12.15 mg/g DCW) after 48h. The results demonstrate the potential application of C. glutamicum for production of S-adenosyl-L-methionine without addition of L-methionine.

A new illicinolide from leaves of Illicium micranthum Dunn.

The ethyl acetate extract from leaves of Illicium micranthum Dunn exhibited radical scavenging ability on DPPH radical-scavenging assay. Further phytochemical investigation led to the isolation of a new sesquiterpenoid, illicinolide C (1), and eight known compounds (2-9). The structural elucidations of the compounds were based on spectroscopic methods and by comparison of their spectroscopic data with those reported in the references. Except compound 9, all the other compounds were isolated from I. micranthum Dunn for the first time, while compounds 1 and 2 were new to the Illiciaceae family.

Effects of different glycerol feeding strategies on S-adenosyl-l-methionine biosynthesis by P(GAP)-driven Pichia pastoris overexpressing methionine adenosyltransferase.

Methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) was overexpressed within Pichia pastoris employing the promoter of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (P(GAP)), to biosynthesize S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM). Effects of five glycerol feeding tactics on MAT activity were first investigated. Strategies A-C were based on limited feeding correlated with dissolved oxygen (DO) at 50.0%, 25.0% and 0.0%, respectively. For strategies D and E, unlimited supplementation was executed by pulsed feeding mode. Gradual decline (2-0%) (w:v) of the residual glycerol level was shown between any two pulses in strategy D, while a nearly stable content (2%) throughout fed-batch cultivation with strategy E. With shifting strategies A-E in alphabetical order, gradual improvements of MAT activities were achieved, with the maximum of 9.05Ug(-1) dried biomass for strategy E, since the specific glycerol consumption rate (F(G)) ascended due to the elevated specific oxygen uptake rate (qO(2)). The success was ascribed to the enhancement of oxygen transfer rate (OTR), because 2% glycerol improved oxygen saturation content in broth (C*) and volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (k(L)a). Strategy E also led to the highest values of ATP and biomass besides MAT. Consequently, the highest SAM yield and volumetric level were obtained at 0.058gg(-1) and 9.26gl(-1), respectively.