Value of monitoring serum t-PINP/β-CTX ratio and 25 (OH) D levels in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis after surgery for differentiated thyroid cancer in elderly women / 中华内分泌外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the level change of serum total n-terminal propeptide of type Ⅰ precollagen (t-PINP) /type Ⅰ collagen carboxy-terminal peptide (beta-CTX) ratio, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25 (OH) ) ratio, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in elderly women with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) after surgery and its value in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis (OP) .Methods:From Jan. 2020 to May. 2021, 112 elderly female postoperative DTC patients treated with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression in Department of Endocrinology of Wenzhou Hospital of Integrative Medicine were collected for a prospective study, and the incidence of OP after 1 year of treatment was counted, and according to the incidence of OP, they were divided into incidence group ( n=78) and non-incidence group ( n=34). The general information, thyroid parameters [TSH, free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) ], bone mineral density (BMD), and serum t-titrosine (BMD) were compared between the two groups. SPSS22.0 software was used, and the counting data was described by examples χ2 test. Grade data was expressed in u, Ridit test was used, measurement data was described in mean±standard deviation ( ±s), t test was used, Pearson correlation coefficient model was used to analyze postoperative thyroid index and serum t-PINP/β- Correlation between CTX ratio and 25 (OH) D level, and serum t-PINP after 1 year of treatment was analyzed through interaction/β- The role of CTX ratio and 25 (OH) D level in OP occurrence. Results:The incidence of OP after 1 year of TSH suppression treatment in 112 elderly female post-DTC patients in this study was 69.64% (78/112) ; serum TSH levels (0.63±0.19) mIU/ml after 1 year of treatment in patients who developed OP were lower than those in patients who did not develop OP (0.81±0.22) mIU/ml, and serum FT3 (6.15±1.71) pmol/ml and FT4 levels (24.63±4.28) pmol/ml were higher than those of patients without OP (4.32±1.29) pmol/ml and (20.36±3.70) pmol/ml ( t1=4.391, t2=5.581, t3=5.050,all P<0.05) .Serum t-PINP/β-CTX ratio (130.27±18.09) and 25 (OH) D level (20.18±4.15) ng/ml after 1 year of treatment in patients with OP were lower than those in patients without OP (148.56±20.37) and (23.36±4.36) ng/ml ( t1=4.733, t2=3.672, both P<0.05) ; serum TSH levels were positively correlated with serum t-PINP/β-CTX ratio and 25 (OH) D levels, and serum FT3 and FT4 levels were negatively correlated with serum t-PINP/β-CTX ratio and 25 (OH) D levels after 1 year of treatment in patients with OP ( P<0.05) ; low serum t-PINP/β-CTX ratio after 1 year of treatment expression, and low 25 (OH) D levels showed a positive interaction in OP occurrence in a superphase multiplicative model ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:Serum t-PINP/β-CTX ratio and 25 (OH) D level are closely associated with the occurrence of OP after DTC in elderly women, and postoperative monitoring can help prevent and treat OP.

Selenium-deficient diet induces inflammatory response in the pig adrenal glands by activating TLR4/NF-κB pathway via miR-30d-R_1.

Selenium (Se) is an important trace element to maintain the body's dynamic balance. Lack of Se can cause inflammation. Studies have shown that inflammation often leads to disorders of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, but the mechanism by which Se deficiency causes inflammation of the porcine adrenal glands is still unclear. In order to study the effect of Se deficiency on the adrenal glands of pigs, we obtained Se-deficient pig adrenal glands through a low-Se diet. The results of mass spectrometry showed that the Se content in the Se-deficient group was only one-tenth of the control group. We detected the expression of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and downstream factors by qRT-PCR and Western blotting, and found that the lack of Se affected the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. It is known that miR-155-3p, miR-30d-R_1, and miR-146b have all been verified for targeting relationship with TLR4. We confirmed by qRT-PCR that miR-30d-R_1 decreased most significantly in the Se-deficient pig model. Then we tested 25 selenoproteins and some indicators of oxidative stress. It is confirmed that Se deficiency reduces the antioxidant capacity and induces oxidative stress in pig adrenal tissue. In short, a diet lacking Se induces oxidative stress in pig adrenal tissues and leads to inflammation through the miR-30d-R_1/TLR4 pathway. This study provides a reference for the prevention of adrenal inflammation in pigs from a nutritional point of view.

MicroRNA-223 triggers inflammation in porcine aorta by activating NLRP3 inflammasome under selenium deficiency.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element in organism. Se deficiency can cause many diseases, including vascular disease. Studies have shown that inflammation is the main inducement of vascular disease, microRNA (miRNA) can influence inflammation in various ways, and Se deficiency can affect miRNAs expression. To study the mechanism of aorta damage caused by Se deficiency, we constructed a Se deficiency porcine aorta model and found that Se deficiency can significantly inhibit miR-223, which downregulates the expression of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family 3 (NLRP3). Subsequently, we found that in Se deficiency group, NLRP3, and its downstream (caspase-1, apoptosis-related spot-like protein [ASC], IL-18, IL-1ß) expression was significantly increased. In vitro, we cultured pig iliac endothelium cell lines, and constructed miR-223 knockdown and overexpression models. NLRP3 messenger RNA and protein levels were significant increased in the knockdown group, and decreased in the overexpression group. The results of this study show that Se deficiency in porcine arteries can induce inflammation through miR-223/NLRP3.

Selenium deficiency causes immune damage by activating the DUSP1/NF-κB pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress in chicken spleen.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element and its deficiency can lead to immune dysfunction. Many studies have investigated the immune damage caused by Se deficiency in chickens, but its mechanism still needs to be explored. In this study, we fed 1-day-old Hyline male chickens with Se deficient diets (the Se content was 0.008 mg kg-1 of diet) and a basal diet (the Se content was 0.15 mg kg-1 of diet). The spleen was collected at the sixth week and used for subsequent experiments. The pathological analysis showed that Se deficiency leads to the destruction of the normal nuclear structure of the spleen cell, and we can observe obvious chromatin condensation and nuclear debris. We constructed a transcriptome database and analyzed the abundance of various genes in the spleen by transcriptome sequence. The analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGS) showed significant changes in 337 genes, including 210 up-regulations and 127 down-regulations after feeding Se deficient diets. Se deficiency can significantly change oxidative stress and inflammatory response genes in chicken spleen. This study confirmed that Se deficiency increased the IL-2 levels, whereas it down-regulated IL-17, IFN-γ and Foxp3, which indicates that the immune dysfunction of the spleen and Th1/Th2 is imbalanced. We also found that Se deficiency down-regulated some related genes for endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ transport, leading to endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS). Moreover, we determined that Se deficiency triggered the low expression of DUSP1/NF-κB. In summary, our results indicate that Se deficiency can inhibit the spleen immune function of chickens by regulating the DUSP1/NF-κB pathway and ERS, leading to spleen damage in chickens. Based on transcriptomics research, our results will help further study the harmful effects of Se deficiency.

Senile insomnia treated with integrated acupuncture and medication therapy: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the efficacy difference in the treatment of senile insomnia among western, medication, acupuncture and the integrated therapy of acupuncture and western medication.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety-eight patients of senile insomnia were randomized into a western medication group (30 cases), an acupuncture group (35 cases) and an integrated acupuncture and medication group (35 cases). In the western medication group, estazolam 1mg was prescribed, taken 30 min before going to bed, oryzanol 20 mg, oral administration, three times a day, for 4 weeks totally. In the acupuncture group, the simple acupuncture therapy was applied at Shenmen (HT 7), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Anmian (Extra), Baihui (GV 20) and Sishencong (EX-HN 1), as well as the supplementary points selected according to the differentiation. The acupuncture treatment was given once a day, 5 treatments a week, for 4 weeks totally. In the integrated acupuncture and medication group, the western medication was combined with acupuncture. The dosage and usage of western medication were same as those in the western medication group; and acupoints in acupuncture treatment were same as those in the acupuncture group. The treatment lasted for 4 weeks in the three groups. Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and clinical efficacy were observed before treatment, after 4 weeks' treatment and in 4 weeks after discontinuity of treatment in the three groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Four weeks after treatment, the clinical curative rates were 3. 3% (1/30), 21. 2% (7/33) and 25. 7% (9/35) in the western medication group, the acupuncture group and the integrated acupuncture and medicines group separately. The total effective rates were 70. 0%(21/30), 93. 9%(31/33) and 97. 1%(34/35) in the three groups separately. The curative rates and the total effective rates in the integrated acupuncture and medication group and the acupuncture group were higher than those in the western medication group separately (all, P<0. 01). PSQI scores after 4 Weeks' treatment were all improved as compared with those before treatment in the three groups (all P<0. 05). PSQI score in either the integrated acupuncture and medication group or the acupuncture group was lower than that in the western medication group, indicating the significant difference (both P< 0. 05). Four weeks after discontinuity of treatment, the efficacy was stable in the acupuncture group and the integrated acupuncture and medication group. PSQI score did not change as compared with that in the 4th week of treatment. The score in the western medication group ran back, close to that before treatment (P>0. 05). During the treatment, a few patients had dry mouth in the western medication group. The adverse reactions were not discovered in the other two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The integrated therapy of acupuncture and medication achieves the quick efficacy on senile insomnia and rapidly relieves the symptoms, with quite high clinical curative rate and total effective rate obtained. The long-term efficacy is better than that of western medication. The integrated therapy is the first option among the three therapeutic programs.</p>

Clinical Observations on the Efficacy of Scalp Acupuncture plus Moxibustion in Treating Post-stroke Should Hand Syndrome / 上海针灸杂志

Objective To investigate the efficacy of scalp acupuncture plus moxibustion in treating post-stroke should hand syndrome. Method Seventy-three patients were divided into two groups. the treatment group of 42 patients received scalp acupuncture plus moxibustion and the control group, conventional acupuncture. The therapeutic effects and pre-and post-treatment Fugl-Meyer upper limb motor function scores were compared between the two groups. Result The total efficacy rate was 88.1%in the treatment group and 74.2%in the control group;there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P＜0.01). The total efficacy rate was higher in the treatment group than in the control group. The Fugl-Meyer upper limb motor function score increased in both groups after treatment (P＜0.01). The posttreatment Fugl-Meyer upper limb motor function score was higher in the treatment group than in the control group (P＜0.01). Conclusion The results suggest that scalp acupuncture plus moxibustion has a better therapeutic effect on post-stroke should hand syndrome. The therapeutic effect is better in the patients with disease duration under six months than in those over six months.