Data mining-based clinical profiles of substance use-related emergency department utilizers.

OBJECTIVE: Substance-use is a prevalent presentation to the emergency department (ED); however, the clinical characterization of patients who are treated and discharged without admission for further treatment is under-investigated. The study aims to define and characterize the clinical profiles of this patient population. METHODS: Patients' presentations were examined by clinical data mining (chart review) of ED records of substance use-related events of individuals discharged without admission for further treatment. Records (N = 199) from three major hospitals in New York City from March and June 2017 were randomly sampled with primary diagnosis of alcohol, opioid-related and other psychoactive substance-use presentations. Qualitative thematic coding of clinical presentation with inter-rater reliability was performed. Quantitative distinctive validity tested independence through Pearson's chi-squared and analysis of variance using Fisher's F-test. RESULTS: Six distinct clinical profiles were identified, including, High Utilizers (chronically intoxicated with comorbid health conditions) (36.7%), Single Episode (20.1%), Service Request (14.1%), Altered Mental Status (13.6%), Overdose (9.0%), and Withdrawal (7.5%). The profiles differed (p < 0.05) in age, housing status, payor, mode of arrival, referral source, index visit time, prescribed treatment, triage acuity level, psychiatric history, and medical history. Differences (p < 0.05) between groups across clinical profiles in age and pain level at triage were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The identified clinical profiles represent the broad spectrum and complex nature of substance use-related ED utilization, highlighting critical factors of psychosocial and mental-health comorbidities. These findings provide a preliminary foundation to support person-centered interventions to decrease substance use-related ED utilization and to increase engagement/linkage of patients to addiction treatment.

Association between Decreased ITGA7 Levels and Increased Muscle α-Synuclein in an MPTP-Induced Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN), reducing dopaminergic levels in the striatum and affecting motor control. Herein, we investigated the potential relationship between integrin α7 (ITGA7) and α-synuclein (α-syn) in the muscle of methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced mice and C2C12 cells. To characterize the pathology of PD, we examined the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the SN of the midbrain. Compared with the control group, MPTP-treated mice showed a significant decrease in TH expression in the SN, accompanied by a significant decrease in muscle ITGA7 expression. Compared with the control group, α-syn expression was increased in the MPTP group. Furthermore, the pattern of α-syn expression in the MPTP group was similar to the ITGA7 expression pattern in the control group (linear forms). To determine the relationship between ITGA7 and PD, we examined the expression of ITGA7 and α-syn after ITGA7 knockdown using siRNA in C2C12 cells. ITGA7 expression significantly decreased while α-syn expression significantly increased in siRNA-treated C2C12 cells. These results suggest that decreased ITGA7 muscle expression could increase α-syn expression. Moreover, α-syn accumulation, induced by decreased muscle ITGA7, might contribute to PD pathology.

Association of decreased triadin expression level with apoptosis of dopaminergic cells in Parkinson's disease mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) represent a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) of the midbrain. However, its cause remains unknown and Triadin (TRDN) function in the brain is also unknown. To examine the relationship between TRDN and PD, the expression levels of protein related to PD in TRDN knockdown status were studied in the SH-SY5Y cells. Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed to examine the apoptosis effect on dopaminergic cells by decreased TRDN, and the levels of the proteins related to apoptosis were also confirmed. RESULTS: This study confirmed decreased TRDN expression level (P < 0.005) at the SN in a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced PD mouse model and identified the functional features of TRDN. Our results showed a relationship between TRDN expression and PD in that reduced TRDN level induced PD-like characteristics. Interestingly, there was TRDN expression in the regions where dopaminergic cells are in the SN, and the expression patterns of TRDN and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) were similar. Decreased TRDN level also induced apoptotic characteristics and the Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis results showed that apoptosis increased (P < 0.05) as the TRDN small interfering RNA concentration increased. The cytotoxicity assay revealed that cell viability also decreased (P < 0.0005) in the same condition as that in the Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased TRDN level could be related with the apoptotic death of dopaminergic cells at the SN in PD, and TRDN administration could give a positive effect on PD by reducing apoptotic cell death.

Decrease in ITGA7 Levels Is Associated with an Increase in α-Synuclein Levels in an MPTP-Induced Parkinson's Disease Mouse Model and SH-SY5Y Cells.

We investigated the potential association between integrin α7 (ITGA7) and alpha-synuclein (α-syn) in a methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced Parkinson's disease (PD) mouse model. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), ITGA7, and α-syn expression in the substantia nigra (SN) of the brain were observed to examine the pathological characteristics of PD. To determine the relationship between ITGA7 and PD, the expression of TH and α-syn was investigated after ITGA7 siRNA knockdown in SH-SY5Y cells. The ITGA7 microarray signal was decreased in the SN of the MPTP group, indicating reduced ITGA7 expression compared to that in the control. The expression patterns of ITGA7 in the control group and those of α-syn in the MPTP group were similar on immunohistochemical staining. Reduction in ITGA7 expression by ITGA7 siRNA administration induced a decrease in TH expression and an increase in α-syn expression in SH-SY5Y cells. The decreased expression of ITGA7 significantly decreased the expression of bcl2 and increased the bax/bcl2 ratio in SH-SY5Y cells. These results suggest that reduced ITGA7 expression may be related to increased α-syn expression and apoptosis of dopaminergic cells in an MPTP-induced PD mouse model. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show an association between ITGA7 and PD.

Acupuncture Inhibits the Increase in Alpha-Synuclein in Substantia Nigra in an MPTP- Induced Parkinsonism Mouse Model.

Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, is caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). It is characterized by the formation of intracytoplasmic Lewy bodies that are primarily composed of the protein alpha-synuclein (α-syn), along with dystrophic neurites. Acupuncture stimulation results in an enhanced survival of dopaminergic neurons in the SN in Parkinsonism animal models. We investigated the role of acupuncture in inhibiting the increase in α-syn expression that is related to dopaminergic cell loss in the SN in a chronic 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) Parkinsonism mouse model. In this model, acupuncture stimulation at GB34 and LR3 attenuated the decrease in tyrosine hydroxylase in the SN. Moreover, acupuncture stimulation attenuated the increase in α-syn in SN. Acupuncture stimulation also maintained the phosphorylated α-syn on serine 129 at levels similar to the control group. Our findings indicate that the MPTP-mediated increase in α-syn, and the acupuncture-mediated inhibition of the increase in α-syn, may be responsible for the neuroprotective effects of acupuncture in the SN following damage induced by MPTP.

Pharmacological risk factors associated with hospital readmission rates in a psychiatric cohort identified using prescriptome data mining.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, over 14% of individuals hospitalized for psychiatric reasons have readmissions to hospitals within 30 days after discharge. Predicting patients at risk and leveraging accelerated interventions can reduce the rates of early readmission, a negative clinical outcome (i.e., a treatment failure) that affects the quality of life of patient. To implement individualized interventions, it is necessary to predict those individuals at highest risk for 30-day readmission. In this study, our aim was to conduct a data-driven investigation to find the pharmacological factors influencing 30-day all-cause, intra- and interdepartmental readmissions after an index psychiatric admission, using the compendium of prescription data (prescriptome) from electronic medical records (EMR). METHODS: The data scientists in the project received a deidentified database from the Mount Sinai Data Warehouse, which was used to perform all analyses. Data was stored in a secured MySQL database, normalized and indexed using a unique hexadecimal identifier associated with the data for psychiatric illness visits. We used Bayesian logistic regression models to evaluate the association of prescription data with 30-day readmission risk. We constructed individual models and compiled results after adjusting for covariates, including drug exposure, age, and gender. We also performed digital comorbidity survey using EMR data combined with the estimation of shared genetic architecture using genomic annotations to disease phenotypes. RESULTS: Using an automated, data-driven approach, we identified prescription medications, side effects (primary side effects), and drug-drug interaction-induced side effects (secondary side effects) associated with readmission risk in a cohort of 1275 patients using prescriptome analytics. In our study, we identified 28 drugs associated with risk for readmission among psychiatric patients. Based on prescription data, Pravastatin had the highest risk of readmission (OR = 13.10; 95% CI (2.82, 60.8)). We also identified enrichment of primary side effects (n = 4006) and secondary side effects (n = 36) induced by prescription drugs in the subset of readmitted patients (n = 89) compared to the non-readmitted subgroup (n = 1186). Digital comorbidity analyses and shared genetic analyses further reveals that cardiovascular disease and psychiatric conditions are comorbid and share functional gene modules (cardiomyopathy and anxiety disorder: shared genes (n = 37; P = 1.06815E-06)). CONCLUSIONS: Large scale prescriptome data is now available from EMRs and accessible for analytics that could improve healthcare outcomes. Such analyses could also drive hypothesis and data-driven research. In this study, we explored the utility of prescriptome data to identify factors driving readmission in a psychiatric cohort. Converging digital health data from EMRs and systems biology investigations reveal a subset of patient populations that have significant comorbidities with cardiovascular diseases are more likely to be readmitted. Further, the genetic architecture of psychiatric illness also suggests overlap with cardiovascular diseases. In summary, assessment of medications, side effects, and drug-drug interactions in a clinical setting as well as genomic information using a data mining approach could help to find factors that could help to lower readmission rates in patients with mental illness.

Sex differences in acupuncture effectiveness in animal models of Parkinson's disease: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Many animal experimental studies have been performed to investigate the efficacy of acupuncture in Parkinson's disease (PD). Sex differences are a major issue in all diseases including PD. However, to our knowledge, there have been no reviews investigating sex differences on the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for animal PD models. The current study aimed to summarize and analyze past studies in order to evaluate these possible differences. METHOD: Each of 7 databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, 3 Korean medical databases, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure) was searched from its inception through March 2015 without language restrictions. RESULTS: We included studies of the use of acupuncture treatment in animal models of PD. A total of 810 potentially relevant articles were identified, 57 of which met our inclusion criteria. C57/BL6 mice were used most frequently (42 %) in animal PD models. Most of the studies were carried out using only male animals (67 %); only 1 study (2 %) was performed using solely females. The further 31 % of the studies used a male/female mix or did not specify the sex. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our review suggest that acupuncture is an effective treatment for animal PD models, but there is insufficient evidence to determine whether sex differences exist. Future studies of acupuncture treatment for PD should use female animal models because they reflect the physiological characteristics of both males and females to fully evaluate the effect and the safety of the treatment for each sex.

Neuroprotective changes in degeneration-related gene expression in the substantia nigra following acupuncture in an MPTP mouse model of Parkinsonism: Microarray analysis.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the death of dopamine-generating cells in the substantia nigra (SN). Acupuncture stimulation results in an enhanced survival of dopaminergic neurons in the SN in Parkinsonism animal models. The present study investigated changes in gene expression profiles measured using whole transcript array in the SN region related to the inhibitory effects of acupuncture in a chronic 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) Parkinsonism model. In this model, acupuncture stimulation at GB34 and LR3 attenuated the decrease in tyrosine hydroxylase in the SN region; stimulation at non-acupoints did not suppress this decrease. Gene array analysis revealed that 22 (10 annotated genes: Cdh1, Itih2, Mpzl2, Rdh9, Serping1, Slc6a13, Slc6a20a, Slc6a4, Tph2, and Ucma) probes that were up-regulated in MPTP animals relative to controls were exclusively down-regulated by acupuncture stimulation. In addition, 17 (two annotated genes: 4921530L21Rik and Gm13931) probes that were down-regulated in MPTP animals compared to controls were exclusively up-regulated by acupuncture stimulation. These findings indicate that the 39 probes (12 annotated genes) affected by MPTP and acupuncture may be responsible for the inhibitory effects of acupuncture on degeneration-related gene expression in the SN following damage induced by MPTP intoxication.

Standardizing therapeutic parameters of acupuncture for pain suppression in rats: preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Despite acupuncture's wide and successful use, it is still considered as lacking scientifically rigorous evidence, especially with respect to its effectiveness. To address this problem, it is necessary to re-examine the practice of acupuncture using scientific methodology. The standardization of acupuncture practices may offer a solution. As a preliminary step towards the standardization of acupuncture stimulation in animal experiments, this study attempted to clarify the various therapeutic parameters that contribute to acupuncture's efficacy. METHODS: This study identified specific acupoints, temporal point of needling, rotation of the needle, duration of acupuncture, and diameter of the needle as the parameters, through formalin test. In this test, acupuncture was performed on either the ST36 or LR2 point immediately after pain induction and 5 minutes after pain induction. RESULTS: The formalin test yielded no significant suppression of pain in the case of ST36 and LR2 acupuncture stimulation immediately following pain induction. When acupuncture was applied 5 minutes after pain induction, however, the ST36 stimulation resulted in a significant decrease in pain, while the LR2 stimulation produced no change. The duration of acupuncture, but not the diameter of the needle, was also significant. As for the rotation of the needle, there was no significant difference in the pain reduction achieved in the rotation and non-rotation groups. CONCLUSIONS: We determined that specific acupoint, temporal point of needling, and duration of treatment are important factors in the inhibition of pain. These finding strongly suggest that in animal experiments, the application of a set of appropriate therapeutic parameters can significantly influence the outcome.

Acupuncture on GB34 activates the precentral gyrus and prefrontal cortex in Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture is increasingly used as an additional treatment for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, brain activation in response to acupuncture in a group of 12 patients with PD was compared with a group of 12 healthy participants. Acupuncture was conducted on a specific acupoint, the right GB 34 (Yanglingquan), which is a frequently used acupoint for motor function treatment in the oriental medical field. RESULTS: Acupuncture stimulation on this acupoint activates the prefrontal cortex, precentral gyrus, and putamen in patients with PD; areas that are known to be impaired in patients with PD. Compared with healthy participants, patients with PD showed significantly higher brain activity in the prefrontal cortex and precentral gyrus, especially visible in the left hemisphere. CONCLUSIONS: The neuroimaging results of our study suggest that in future acupuncture research; the prefrontal cortex as well as the precentral gyrus should be treated for symptoms of Parkinson's disease and that GB 34 seems to be a suitable acupoint. Moreover, acupuncture evoked different brain activations in patients with Parkinson's disease than in healthy participants in our study, stressing the importance of conducting acupuncture studies on both healthy participants as well as patients within the same study, in order to detect acupuncture efficacy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: KCT0001122 at cris.nih.go.kr (registration date: 20140530).

The MMPI-2 in chronic psychiatric illness.

While previous studies on the MMPI-2 in patients with schizophrenia and depression have used mixed samples of both early stage and chronic psychiatric patients. Here, it is investigated whether chronicity itself might have a differential effect on the MMPI-2 profiles of these patients and whether demoralization 'associated with long-term illness' affects the scales of the MMPI-2. Thirty long-term patients with schizophrenia, 30 long-term patients with depression, and 30 healthy participants completed the MMPI-2. Groups were compared on Clinical Scales and on the Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales. Patients with schizophrenia differed from patients with depression on 14 MMPI-2 scales and from healthy controls on 10 scales, generally showing mean UT-scores < 65, indicating a subjective experience of (near) normal functioning. Patients with depression differed from healthy controls on 17 scales mostly with UT-scores > 65, indicating impaired functioning. Demoralization was higher in patients with depression than in patients with schizophrenia and both psychiatric groups differed from the healthy control group. It is concluded that long-term patients with depression show impaired functioning and high demoralization, while long-term patients with schizophrenia surprisingly show near normal functioning and less demoralization.

Neuroprotective effect of trans-cinnamaldehyde on the 6-hydroxydopamine-induced dopaminergic injury.

The anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of trans-cinnamaldehyde (TCA) were investigated on the inflammatory cells and the dopaminergic degeneration in mice. TCA inhibited the up-regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory BV2 microglial cells. To investigate the TCA efficacy on the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced dopaminergic degeneration in mice, an intracerebroventricular injection of 6-OHDA was given to the mice, and TCA (30 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally administered. At 7 d after the 6-OHDA injection, 6-OHDA led to a severe loss of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive dopaminergic neurons in the striatum and substantia nigra (SN). On the other hand, TCA dramatically maintained the number of TH-positive dopaminergic neurons in the striatum and SN regions of the 6-OHDA-treated mice, which indicates that TCA is able to inhibit the 6-OHDA-induced reduction of TH expression in the dopaminergic neurons in the striatum and SN regions. TCA also inhibited the induction of iNOS and COX-2 in the 6-OHDA model, similarly as shown in the LPS-induced inflammatory BV2 microglial cells. These results indicate that TCA has a neuroprotective effect on dopaminergic neurons and that this effect may be associated with the inhibition of inflammatory responses. These findings suggest that TCA may be a therapeutic candidate for the prevention of inflammation-mediated neurodegenerative diseases.

Acupuncture for cancer patients with nausea and vomiting: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Nausea and vomiting are among the most common adverse effects experienced by cancer patients undergoing treatment worldwide. Their treatment with pharmacologic therapy can often be complicated by medication interactions and other unwanted side effects. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis protocol is to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture therapy for treating nausea and vomiting in patients with cancer. METHODS: Three electronic databases and 2 clinical registry platforms will be searched from inception to May 2022: the MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase via Ovid, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials via the Cochrane Library, the World Health Organisation International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and National Institutes of Health Clinical trials.gov. Search terms will include nausea, vomiting, cancer, and acupuncture. Two researchers will independently select studies, extract data and assess the risk of bias. The primary outcome will be the incidence of nausea and/or vomiting or other validated outcome measures. Meta-analysis will be carried out using RevMan V.5.4. The quality of evidence from randomized clinical trials will be evaluated with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation System tool. RESULTS: The results will provide a high-quality synthesis of evidence for clinicians in the field of oncology. CONCLUSION: The conclusion is expected to provide evidence to determine whether acupuncture is an effective and safe treatment for cancer patients with nausea and vomiting.

Efficacy of acupuncture on cardiovascular complications in patients with diabetes mellitus in Korea: A nationwide retrospective cohort.

OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study is to investigate whether acupuncture could be an effective complementary treatment for reducing the risk of macrovascular complications in diabetic patients currently taking antidiabetic medications using a nationwide population-based database. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess the efficacy of acupuncture on cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients using data from patients between 40 and 79 years of age, newly diagnosed with diabetes between 2003 and 2006, found in the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) in Korea. From the data, we identified 21,232 diabetic patients who were taking antidiabetic medication between 2003 and 2006. The selected patients were divided into two groups-those who received acupuncture at least three times and those who received no acupuncture (non-acupuncture) in the year following their diagnosis of diabetes. After 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM), each group had 3350 patients, and the observation ceased at the occurrence of a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), which was defined as either myocardial infarction, stroke, or death due to cardiovascular cause. RESULTS: After PSM, the acupuncture group had a lower incidence of MACE (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.81-0.94; P = 0.0003) and all-cause mortality (HR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.70-0.84; P < 0.0001) than the non-acupuncture group; the HRs for stroke-related mortality (HR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.56-1.00; P = 0.0485), ischemic heart disease mortality (HR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.34-0.84; P = 0.006) and circulatory system disease mortality (HR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.55-0.82; P < 0.0001) were lower in the acupuncture group than in the non-acupuncture group in the secondary analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that diabetic patients receiving acupuncture treatment might have a lower risk of MACE, all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. This population-based retrospective study suggests beneficial effects of acupuncture in preventing macrovascular complications associated with diabetes. These findings call for further prospective cohort or experimental studies on acupuncture treatment for cardiovascular complications of diabetes. Please cite this article as: Jung H, Won T, Kim GY, Jang J, Yeo S, Lim S. Efficacy of acupuncture on cardiovascular complications in patients with diabetes mellitus in Korea: A nationwide retrospective cohort. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(2): 176-183.

Sex differences in amygdala subregions: evidence from subregional shape analysis.

Each subregion of the amygdala is characterized by a distinct cytoarchitecture and function. However, most previous studies on sexual dimorphism and aging have assessed differences in the structure of the amygdala at the level of the amygdala in its entirety rather than at the subregional level. Using an amygdala subregional shape analysis, we investigated the effects of sex, age, and the sex × age interaction on the subregion after controlling for intracranial volume. We found the main effect of age in the subregions and the effect of sex in the superficial nucleus, which showed that men had a larger mean radius than women. We also found a sex × age interaction in the centromedial nucleus, in that the radius of the centromedial nucleus showed a steeper decline with age in women compared with men. Regarding the amygdala volume as a whole, we found only an age effect and did not find any other significant difference between genders. The sex difference in the amygdala subregion and its relevance to the circulating gonadal hormone were discussed.

Anti-rheumatic, and analgesic effects by the parent tuberous roots of Aconitum jaluense in adjuvant induced arthritis rats.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to test the anti-rheumatic effects of A. jaluense tubers in acute and chronic arthritis rats, and to assign its ingredients through UHPLC-TOF/MS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subcutaneous injection of carrageenan for acute arthritis and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) for chronic arthritis was carried out in the hind paw of SD rats. The paw volume was measured by a plethysmometer thermal hyperalgesia was tested using a thermal plantar tester, and mechanical hyperalgesia was evaluated by ankle flexion evoked vocalizations. The expression of c-Fos in the brain hippocampus was measured with the avidin-biotin-peroxidase technique. The ingredients were assigned by UHPLC-TOF/MS, chromatography was performed by UHPLC system with DAD detector and BEH C18 column, and spectroscopy was conducted by ESI-MS system. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The 80% ethanoic extract of A. jaluense tubers showed an acute anti-inflammatory effect by suppressing the edema volume in the hind paw of carrageenan-stimulated rats. In addition, A. jaluense tubers exerted an anti-rheumatic activity by reducing the secondary swelling volume from an immunological reaction in the left hind paw of CFA-induced chronic arthritis rats. Additionally, oral treatment with the 80% ethanoic extract -showed potent analgesic effects in the arthritis rats by recovering the paw withdrawal latency stimulated by the thermal hyperalgesia and by reducing the vocalization scores evoked by ankle flexion on both hind paws. Moreover, its treatment also indicated an anti-psychiatric effect by controlling the c-Fos protein expression of the brain hippocampus in CFA-stimulated arthritis rats. These results suggested that these therapeutic effects were exhibited by less toxic mono-esterified diterpenoid alkaloids (MDAs), and nontoxic non-esterified diterpenoid alkaloids (NDAs). CONCLUSION: A. jaluense tubers may act as viable therapeutic or preventive candidates for acute and chronic arthritis, particularly, for immune-inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis to suppress the pain and psychiatric condition.

Neuroprotective changes of striatal degeneration-related gene expression by acupuncture in an MPTP mouse model of Parkinsonism: microarray analysis.

Acupuncture at acupoints GB34 and LR3 has been reported to inhibit nigrostriatal degeneration in Parkinsonism models, yet the genes related to this preventive effect of acupuncture on the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system remain elusive. This study investigated gene expression profile changes in the striatal region of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced Parkinsonism models after acupuncture at the acupoints GB34 and LR3 using a whole transcript genechip microarray (Affymetrix genechip mouse gene 1.0 ST array). It was confirmed that acupuncture at these acupoints could inhibit the decrease of tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine transporter in the nigrostriatal region of the MPTP model while acupuncture at the non-acupoints could not counteract this decrease. Genechip gene array analysis (fold change cutoff 1.3 and P < 0.05) showed that 12 of the 69 probes up-regulated in MPTP when compared to the control were down-regulated by acupuncture at the acupoints. Of these 12 probes, 11 probes (nine annotated genes) were exclusively down-regulated by acupuncture only at the acupoints; the Gfral gene was excluded because it was commonly down-regulated by acupuncture at both the acupoints and the non-acupoints. In addition, 28 of the 189 probes down-regulated in MPTP when compared to the control were up-regulated by acupuncture at the acupoints. Of these 28 probes, 19 probes (seven annotated genes) were exclusively up-regulated by acupuncture only at the acupoints while nine probes were commonly up-regulated by acupuncture at both the acupoints and the non-acupoints. The regulation patterns of representative genes in real-time RT-PCR correlated with those of the genes in the microarray. These results suggest that the 30 probes (16 annotated genes), which are affected by MPTP and acupuncture only at the acupoints, are responsible for exerting in the striatal regions the inhibitory effect of acupuncture at the acupoints on MPTP-induced striatal degeneration.