A predictive model for postoperative progressive haemorrhagic injury in traumatic brain injuries.

BACKGROUND: Progressive haemorrhagic injury after surgery in patients with traumatic brain injury often results in poor patient outcomes. This study aimed to develop and validate a practical predictive tool that can reliably estimate the risk of postoperative progressive haemorrhagic injury (PHI) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHODS: Data from 645 patients who underwent surgery for TBI between March 2018 and December 2020 were collected. The outcome was postoperative intracranial PHI, which was assessed on postoperative computed tomography. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model, univariate analysis, and Delphi method were applied to select the most relevant prognostic predictors. We combined conventional coagulation test (CCT) data, thromboelastography (TEG) variables, and several predictors to develop a predictive model using binary logistic regression and then presented the results as a nomogram. The predictive performance of the model was assessed with calibration and discrimination. Internal validation was assessed. RESULTS: The signature, which consisted of 11 selected features, was significantly associated with intracranial PHI (p < 0.05, for both primary and validation cohorts). Predictors in the prediction nomogram included age, S-pressure, D-pressure, pulse, temperature, reaction time, PLT, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, FIB, and kinetics values. The model showed good discrimination, with an area under the curve of 0.8694 (95% CI, 0.8083-0.9304), and good calibration. CONCLUSION: This model is based on a nomogram incorporating CCT and TEG variables, which can be conveniently derived at hospital admission. It allows determination of this individual risk for postoperative intracranial PHI and will facilitate a timely intervention to improve outcomes.

Osteal Tissue Macrophages Are Involved in Endplate Osteosclerosis through the OSM-STAT3/YAP1 Signaling Axis in Modic Changes.

Modic changes (MCs) are radiographic manifestations of lumbar degenerative diseases. Various types of MCs are often associated with endplate osteosclerosis. Osteal tissue macrophages (Osteomacs) were reported to be crucial for bone homeostasis and bone repair, but whether osteomacs participate in the endplate osteosclerosis in MCs remained unclear. In this study, we tried to explore the critical role of osteomacs in regulating osteogenesis in MCs. We collected MCs from patient samples and developed a Propionibacterium acnes-induced rat MCs model, using microcomputed tomography and immunohistochemistry to detect the endplate bone mass and distribution of osteomacs. In patients' MCs, osteomacs increased in endplate subchondral bone, especially in Modic type II. Endplate in Modic type III presented a stable osteosclerosis. In rat MCs model, osteomacs increased in the bone hyperplasia area but not in the inflammation area of the endplate region, whereas the distribution of osteomacs was consistent with the area of osteosclerosis. To further explore the functions of osteomacs in vitro, we isolated osteomacs using MACS technology and found osteomacs secreted oncostatin M (OSM) and strongly promoted osteoblast differentiation rather than osteoclast through the mechanism of OSM-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation and interaction of STAT3 and Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1). STAT3 phosphorylation inhibition or YAP1 knockdown attenuated OSM-mediated osteoblast differentiation. Finally, we confirmed that blockade of OSM in vivo using anti-OSM-neutralizing Ab prevented endplate osteosclerosis in rat MCs model. Taken together, these findings confirmed that endplate osteosclerosis in MCs was accompanied by an increased number of osteomacs, which regulated osteogenesis via the OSM-STAT3/YAP1 signaling axis.

Intraspecific Mitochondrial DNA Comparison of Mycopathogen Mycogone perniciosa Provides Insight Into Mitochondrial Transfer RNA Introns.

Mycogone perniciosa is the main causative agent of wet bubble disease, which causes severe damage to the production of the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus around the world. Whole-genome sequencing of 12 isolates of M. perniciosa was performed using the Illumina sequencing platform, and the obtained paired-end reads were used to assemble complete mitochondrial genomes. Intraspecific comparisons of conserved protein-coding genes, transfer RNA (tRNA) and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, introns, and intergenic regions were conducted. Five different mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes were detected among the tested isolates, ranging from 89,080 to 93,199 bp in length. All of the mtDNAs contained the same set of 14 protein-coding genes and 2 rRNA and 27 tRNA genes, which shared high sequence similarity. In contrast, the number, insertion sites, and sequences of introns varied greatly among the mtDNAs. Eighteen of 43 intergenic regions differed among the isolates, reflecting 65 single nucleotide polymorphisms, 76 indels, and the gain/loss of nine long fragments. Intraspecific comparison revealed that two introns were located within tRNA genes, which is the first detailed description of mitochondrial tRNA introns. Intronic sequence comparison within the same insertion sites revealed the formation process of two introns, which also illustrated a fast evolutionary rate of introns among M. perniciosa isolates. Based on the intron distribution pattern, a pair of universal primers and four pairs of isolate-specific primers were designed and were used to identify the five mtDNA types. In summary, the rapid gain or loss of mitochondrial introns could be an ideal marker for population genetics analysis.

Importance of the epiphyseal ring in OLIF stand-alone surgery: a biomechanical study on cadaveric spines.

PURPOSES: To explore the function of endplate epiphyseal ring in OLIF stand-alone surgery using a biomechanical model to reduce the complications of endplate collapse and cage subsidence. METHODS: In total, 24 human cadaveric lumbar function units (L1-2 and L3-4 segments) were randomly assigned to two groups. The first group was implanted with long fusion cages which engaged with both inner and outer regions of epiphyseal ring (Complete Span-Epiphyseal Ring, CSER). Those engaged with only the inner half of epiphyseal ring were the second group (Half Span-Epiphyseal Ring, HSER). Each group was divided into two subgroups [higher cage-height (HH) and normal cage-height (NH)]. Specimens were fixed in testing cups and compressed at approximately 2.5 mm/s, until the first sign of structural failure. Trabecular structural damage was analyzed by Micro-CT, as well as the difference of bone volume fraction (BV/TV), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) et al. in different regions. RESULTS: Endplate collapse was mainly evident in the inner region of epiphyseal ring, where trabecular injury of sub-endplate bone was most concentrated. Endplate collapse incidence was significantly higher in HSER than CSER specimens (P = 0.017). A structural failure occurred at a lower force in HSER (1.41 ± 0.34 KN) compared with CSER (2.44 ± 0.59 KN). HH subgroups failed at a lower average force than NH subgroups. Micro-CT results showed a more extensive trabecular fracture in HSER specimens compared to CSER specimens, especially in HH subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Endplate collapse is more likely to occur with short half span cages than complete span cages, and taller cages compared with normal height cages. During OLIF surgery, we should choose cages matching intervertebral disc space height and place the cages spanning over the whole epiphyseal ring to improve support strength.

The correlation between the change of Hounsfield units value and Modic changes in the lumbar vertebral endplate.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the changes of Hounsfield units (HU) value in different types of Modic changes (MCs) and to analyze the correlation between the change of HU value and area ratio of MCs region, bone mineral density (BMD), and degree of intervertebral disc degeneration. METHODS: One hundred fifty-eight endplates with MCs were included and analyzed. HU values of MCs regions and adjacent vertebral corresponding regions without MCs were measured. The area ratio of MCs region was defined as the area of MCs divided by the area of endplate or the vertebral sagittal plane. BMD was measured by Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Degree of intervertebral disc degeneration was evaluated based on Pfirrmann classification. According to the types of variables, descriptive statistics, Kolmogorove-Smirnov test, paired t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Independent-Samples T Test, and Pearson correlation analysis were used. RESULTS: The HU values in any types of MCs are significantly higher than that of adjacent vertebral corresponding regions without MCs (P < 0.001). The HU value of the type III MCs is higher than that of the type I and type II MCs. HU value was positively correlated with BMD. In the levels with Grade V disc degeneration, the area ratio of MCs region was significant increased. CONCLUSIONS: HU values of the vertebral endplate and bone marrow were increased in most MCs regions with all types of MCs. HU value of endplates had a significantly positive correlation with BMD. Higher area ratio of MCs region is associated with more severe intervertebral disc degeneration.

On building a diabetes centric knowledge base via mining the web.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes has become one of the hot topics in life science researches. To support the analytical procedures, researchers and analysts expend a mass of labor cost to collect experimental data, which is also error-prone. To reduce the cost and to ensure the data quality, there is a growing trend of extracting clinical events in form of knowledge from electronic medical records (EMRs). To do so, we first need a high-coverage knowledge base (KB) of a specific disease to support the above extraction tasks called KB-based Extraction. METHODS: We propose an approach to build a diabetes-centric knowledge base (a.k.a. DKB) via mining the Web. In particular, we first extract knowledge from semi-structured contents of vertical portals, fuse individual knowledge from each site, and further map them to a unified KB. The target DKB is then extracted from the overall KB based on a distance-based Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm. RESULTS: During the experiments, we selected eight popular vertical portals in China as data sources to construct DKB. There are 7703 instances and 96,041 edges in the final diabetes KB covering diseases, symptoms, western medicines, traditional Chinese medicines, examinations, departments, and body structures. The accuracy of DKB is 95.91%. Besides the quality assessment of extracted knowledge from vertical portals, we also carried out detailed experiments for evaluating the knowledge fusion performance as well as the convergence of the distance-based EM algorithm with positive results. CONCLUSIONS: In this paper, we introduced an approach to constructing DKB. A knowledge extraction and fusion pipeline was first used to extract semi-structured data from vertical portals and individual KBs were further fused into a unified knowledge base. After that, we develop a distance based Expectation Maximization algorithm to extract a subset from the overall knowledge base forming the target DKB. Experiments showed that the data in DKB are rich and of high-quality.

Low virulence bacterial infections in cervical intervertebral discs: a prospective case series.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cross-sectional case series study. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of low virulence disc infection and its associations with characteristics of patients or discs in the cervical spine. BACKGROUND: Low virulence bacterial infections could be a possible cause of intervertebral disc degeneration and/or back pain. Controversies are continuing over whether these bacteria, predominantly Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), represent infection or contamination. However, the current studies mainly focus on the lumbar spine, with very limited data on the cervical spine. METHODS: Thirty-two patients (20 men and 12 women) who underwent anterior cervical fusion for degenerative cervical spondylosis or traumatic cervical cord injury were enrolled. Radiological assessments included X-ray, CT, and MRI of the cervical spine. Endplate Modic changes, intervertebral range of motion, and disc herniation type were evaluated. Disc and muscle tissues were collected under strict sterile conditions. Samples were enriched in tryptone soy broth and subcultured under anaerobic conditions, followed by identification of the resulting colonies by the PCR method. RESULTS: Sixty-six intervertebral discs were excised from thirty-two patients. Positive disc cultures were noted in eight patients (25%) and in nine discs (13.6%). The muscle biopsy (control) cultures were negative in 28 patients and positive in 4 patients (12.5%); three of whom had a negative disc culture. Seven discs (10.6%) were positive for coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CNS) and two discs were positive for P. acnes (3.0%). A younger patient age and the extrusion or sequestration type of disc herniation, which represented a complete annulus fibrous failure, were associated with positive disc culture. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that CNS is more prevalent than P. acnes in degenerative cervical discs. The infection route in cervical discs may be predominantly through an annulus fissure. Correlation between these infections and clinical symptoms is uncertain; therefore, their clinical significance needs to be investigated in the future. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

Activation of AMPK participates hydrogen sulfide-induced cyto-protective effect against dexamethasone in osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells.

Long-time glucocorticoids (GCs) usage causes osteoporosis. In the present study, we explored the potential role of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) against dexamethasone (Dex)-induced osteoblast cell damage, and focused on the underlying mechanisms. We showed that two H2S-producing enzymes, cystathionine ß-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE), were significantly downregulated in human osteonecrosis tissues as well as in Dex-treated osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. H2S donor NaHS as well as the CBS activator S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) inhibited Dex-induced viability reduction, death and apoptosis in MC3T3-E1 cells. NaHS activated adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling, which participated its cyto-protective activity. AMPK inhibition by its inhibitor (compound C) or reduction by targeted-shRNA suppressed its pro-survival activity against Dex in MC3T3-E1 cells. Further, we found that NaHS inhibited Dex-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and ATP depletion. Such effects by NaHS were again inhibited by compound C and AMPKα1-shRNA. In summary, we show that H2S inhibits Dex-induced osteoblast damage through activation of AMPK signaling. H2S signaling might be further investigated as a novel target for anti-osteoporosis treatment.

Improving C1 Pedicle Screw Placement for Atlantoaxial Instability with Ultrasonic Bone Burr Assistance.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the ultrasonic bone burr (UBB) in facilitating C1 pedicle screw placement for atlantoaxial instability treatment, compared to the conventional high-speed drill (HSD) technique. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients undergoing posterior screw-rod fixation for atlantoaxial instability between December 2017 and July 2023. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the tools used for screw placement: UBB and HSD. Data on surgical duration, estimated blood loss, spinal cord and arterial injury incidence, screw placement accuracy, neurological status measured by the Japanese Orthopedic Association score, and fusion rates were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Thirteen patients received C1 pedicle screw placement via UBB facilitation, while 8 were treated using the HSD approach. The UBB group showed a significant reduction in blood loss and operation time compared to the HSD group (P = 0.002 and P < 0.001, respectively). No spinal cord or arterial injuries occurred in either group. Optimal screw placement was confirmed in all UBB cases versus 87.5% in the HSD group (P = 0.139). Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in Japanese Orthopedic Association scores with no intergroup difference. The fusion rate was 100% in the UBB group and 87.5% in the HSD group, not statistically different (P = 0.381). CONCLUSIONS: UBB is a viable alternative for C1 pedicle screw placement, associated with reduced blood loss and shorter operation time, while achieving comparable clinical outcomes to the conventional HSD method. Nevertheless, further research with a larger sample size is needed.

Aberrant concordance among dynamics of spontaneous brain activity in patients with migraine without aura: A multivariate pattern analysis study.

Background: Alterations in the static and dynamic characteristics of spontaneous brain activity have been extensively studied to investigate functional brain changes in migraine without aura (MwoA). However, alterations in concordance among the dynamics of spontaneous brain activity in MwoA remain largely unknown. This study aimed to determine the possibilities of diagnosis based on the concordance indices. Methods: Resting-state functional MRI scans were performed on 32 patients with MwoA and 33 matched healthy controls (HCs) in the first cohort, as well as 36 patients with MwoA and 32 HCs in the validation cohort. The dynamic indices including fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation, regional homogeneity, voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity, degree centrality and global signal connectivity were analyzed. We calculated the concordance of grey matter volume-wise (across voxels) and voxel-wise (across time windows) to quantify the degree of integration among different functional levels represented by these dynamic indices. Subsequently, the voxel-wise concordance alterations were analyzed as features for multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) utilizing the support vector machine. Results: Compared with that of HCs, patients with MwoA had lower whole-grey matter volume-wise concordance, and the mean value of volume-wise concordance was negatively correlated with the frequency of migraine attacks. The MVPA results revealed that the most discriminative brain regions were the right thalamus, right cerebellar Crus II, left insula, left precentral gyrus, right cuneus, and left inferior occipital gyrus. Conclusions: Concordance alterations in the dynamics of spontaneous brain activity in brain regions could be an important feature in the identification of patients with MwoA.

Induction of cervical disc degeneration and discogenic pain by low concentration Propionibacterium acnes infection: an in vivo animal study.

BACKGROUND: Although cervical intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is closely associated with neck pain, its cause remains unclear. In this study, an animal model of cervical disc degeneration and discogenic neck pain induced by a low concentration of Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes-L) is investigated to explore the possible mechanisms of cervical discogenic pain. METHODS: Cervical IVD degeneration and discitis was induced in 8-week-old male rats in C3-C6 IVDs through the anterior intervertebral puncture with intradiscal injections of low and high concentrations of P. acnes (P. acnes-L, n = 20 and P. acnes-H, n = 15) or Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus, n = 15), compared to control (injection with PBS, n = 20). The structural changes in the cervical IVD using micro-CT, histological evaluation, and gene expression assays after MRI scans at 2 and 6 weeks post-modeling. The P. acnes-L induced IVD degeneration model was assessed for cervical spine MRI, histological degeneration, pain-like behaviors (guarding behavior and forepaw von Frey), nerve fiber growth in the IVD endplate region, and DRG TNF-α and CGRP. RESULTS: IVD injection with P. acnes-L induced IVD degeneration with decreased IVD height and MRI T2 values. IVD injection with P. acnes-H and S. aureus both lead to discitis-like changes on T2-weighted MRI, trabecular bone remodeling on micro-CT, and osseous fusion after damage in the cartilage endplate adjacent to the injected IVD. Eventually, rats in the P. acnes-L group exhibited significant nociceptive hypersensitivity, nerve fiber ingrowth was observed in the IVD endplate region, inflammatory activity in the DRG was significantly increased compared to the control group, and the expression of the pain neurotransmitter CGRP was significantly upregulated. CONCLUSION: P. acnes-L was validated to induce cervical IVD degeneration and discogenic pain phenotype, while P. acnes-H induced was identified to resemble septic discitis comparable to those caused by S. aureus infection.

Laminectomy for the Removal of Thoracic Ossification of the Ligamentum Flavum (TOLF) Using Ultrasonic and Conventional Osteotomes.

Thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (TOLF) is a common cause of progressive thoracic myelopathy. TOLF is typically treated with surgical decompression. A variety of surgical techniques, including laminoplasty, laminectomy, and lamina fenestration, are used for the effective treatment of TOLF. However, traditional methods are associated with a substantial risk of perioperative complications, including dural laceration and/or iatrogenic spinal cord injury. Therefore, it is important to develop an efficient and secure surgical technique for TOLF. Herein, we describe a method for laminectomyperformed at the thoracic spine using an ultrasonic osteotome combined with a conventional osteotome. This technique can reduce intraoperative complications. This is a relatively safe and easy-to-learn method that should be recommended for the treatment of TOLF.

Disc degeneration is easily occurred at the same and adjacent cephalad level in cervical spine when Modic changes are present.

OBJECTIVE: This research aimed to evaluate the influence of Modic changes (MCs) on disc degeneration at the same and adjacent cephalad levels in the cervical spine. METHODS: This research retrospectively reviewed 1036 patients with neck pain, upper limb pain, or numbness who were treated at our out-patient clinic and underwent cervical MRI and cervical anteroposterior/lateral radiography from Jan, 2016 to Jan, 2021. MCs and disc degeneration parameters at same and nearby cephalad levels of MCs were evaluated. Discs were divided into the MCs, adjacent, and control groups, and the association between MCs and disc degeneration at the same and adjacent cephalad levels was investigated. RESULTS: Of the 1036 patients whose MRI scans were reviewed, 986 met the inclusion criteria (503 women and 483 men; average age, 62.8 years; scope of 35-79 years). The prevalence of MCs in the cervical spine was 13.0% (128/986). Type I, II, III changes were observed in 38 (29.69%), 82 (64.06%), and 8 (6.25%) patients, respectively. MCs were most frequently identified at the C5-6 (59/986; 5.98%) and C6-7 (38/986; 3.85%) levels. Disc with MCs showed worse outcomes with regard to disc degeneration grade, anterior osteophyte formation than the adjacent and control groups (p < 0.05), whereas they were more severe in the adjacent group compared to normal group. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that MCs increased disc degeneration at the same and nearby cephalad levels in cervical spine, and the severity of degeneration at the same segment was more serious than that at the cephalad level.

Prediction of Single-Event Effects in FDSOI Devices Based on Deep Learning.

Single-event effects (SEE) are an important index of radiation resistance for fully depleted silicon on insulator (FDSOI) devices. The research into traditional FDSOI devices is based on simulation software, which is time consuming, requires a large amount of calculation, and has complex operations. In this paper, a prediction method for the SEE of FDSOI devices based on deep learning is proposed. The characterization parameters of SEE can be obtained quickly and accurately by inputting different particle incident conditions. The goodness of fit of the network curve for predicting drain transient current pulses can reach 0.996, and the accuracy of predicting the peak value of drain transient current and total collected charge can reach 94.00% and 96.95%, respectively. Compared with TCAD Sentaurus software, the simulation speed is increased by 5.10 × 102 and 1.38 × 103 times, respectively. This method can significantly reduce the computational cost, improve the simulation speed, and provide a new feasible method for the study of the single-event effect in FDSOI devices.

Emergency surgery for a patient with a thoracic spinal epidural abscess: a case report and literature review.

A man in his early 40s visited the Emergency Department because of no motor function in his lower limbs for 10 hours. Magnetic resonance imaging of his thoracic spine showed that the thoracic spinal canal (T2-T6) was occupied, and the thoracic spinal cord was compressed. In view of the severe symptoms, we quickly completed preoperative preparations and performed a thoracic laminectomy within 24 hours of paralysis of both lower limbs. Postoperatively, the patient underwent rehabilitation exercise. Four weeks later, the patient's lower limbs had full 5/5 strength. We reviewed the related literature to summarize the clinical guidelines with spinal surgeons. Timely diagnosis of thoracic spinal epidural abscess, early surgical treatment, and anti-infection management and rehabilitation exercise are essential for the full recovery of lower limb muscle strength.

[Effects of Simulated Acid Rain and Nitrogen Deposition on Soil Bacterial Community Structure and Diversity in the Masson Pine Forest].

By analyzing the effects of acid rain and nitrogen deposition on the structure and diversity of soil bacterial communities, the response mechanism of Masson pine forests to environmental stress was investigated, providing a theoretical reference basis for resource management and conservation in Tianmu Mountain National Nature Reserve. Four treatments of the simulated acid rain and nitrogen deposition were set up in 2017 to 2021 in Tianmu Mountain National Nature Reserve (pH value of 5.5 and 0 kg·(hm2·a)-1, CK; pH value of 4.5 and 30 kg·(hm2·a)-1, T1; pH value of 3.5 and 60 kg·(hm2·a)-1, T2; pH value of 2.5 and 120 kg·(hm2·a)-1, T3). The differences in soil bacterial community composition and structure among treatments and their influencing factors were analyzed by collecting soils from four treatments, using the Illumina MiSeq PE300 second-generation high-throughput sequencing platform. The results showed that acid rain and nitrogen deposition significantly reduced soil bacterial α-diversity (P<0.05) in a Masson pine forest. The Masson pine forest soils consisted of 36 phylum groups of mycota, with Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Chloroflexi as the main bacterial phyla (relative abundance>1%) in the Masson pine forest soils. Flavobacterium, Nitrospira, Haliangium, Candidatus_Koribacter, Bryobacter, Occallatibacter, Acidipla, Singulisphaera, Pajaroellobacter, and Acidothermus, which showed significant changes in relative abundance under the four treatments, could be used as indicator species for changes in soil bacterial communities under acid rain and nitrogen deposition stress. Soil pH and total nitrogen were influential factors in the diversity of soil bacterial communities. As a result, acid rain and nitrogen deposition increased the potential ecological risk, and the loss of microbial diversity will change the ecosystem function as well as reduce the stability of the ecosystem.

Corrigendum: Can oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) create more lumbosacral lordosis in lumbar spine surgery than minimally invasive transforaminal interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF)?

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fsurg.2022.1063354.].

A true response of the brain network during electroacupuncture stimulation at scalp acupoints: An fMRI with simultaneous EAS study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore simultaneous brain network responses to electroacupuncture stimulation (EAS) at scalp acupoints by accounting for placebo effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty healthy subjects were recruited and randomly divided into two groups: Group 1 and Group 2. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed in Group 1 with sham acupuncture stimulation at acupoints Shenting (GV24) and Touwei (ST8) without EAS. Group 2 underwent verum EAS at the same acupoints during fMRI. Independent component analysis was used to analyze the fMRI data. Full-factor statistical analysis was used to compare the differences in fMRI data between the two groups and evaluate the changes in functional connectivity in brain networks after verum electrical stimulation (Group 1 [after sham electrical current stimulation - before sham electrical current stimulation] - Group 2 [after verum electrical current stimulation - before verum electrical current stimulation]) (p <.001, extent threshold k = 20 voxels). RESULTS: Six brain networks were identified. Significant increased functional connectivity was observed in the right and left executive control networks, sensorimotor network, and attention network, while decreased functional connectivity was mainly found in the default mode network. There were no statistically significant differences in the salience network. CONCLUSIONS: fMRI with simultaneous EAS provides a method to explore brain network responses due to EAS at scalp acupoints. The networks responsible for cognition are differentially activated by EAS in a coordinated manner.

Computed tomography in measuring electrode insertion angle and depth for cricopharyngeal muscle electromyography.

Background: Electromyography of the cricopharyngeal muscle (CP-EMG) is one of many assessment tools for dysphagia. The key to performing EMG and BTX injections is to precisely locate the cricopharyngeal muscle with an electrode. One of the main difficulties of electrode insertion is the fact that the CP muscle is located deep within the neck. Since a neck computed tomography (CT) can clearly display the CP muscle, thyroid, and blood vessels in the neck, we speculate that a safe concentric needle electrode insertion path to the cricopharyngeal muscle can be simulated with the assistance of the patient's neck CT which clearly marks the angle and depth of concentric needle electrode insertion. The purpose of this study was to explore simulated electrode insertion angles and insertion depths for cricopharyngeal electromyography based on retrospective CT data and present a method of percutaneous localization of the cricopharyngeal muscle based on CT images of the neck. Methods: One hundred and forty-three neck CT scans performed between January 2019 and November 2020 were included in this study. With the assistance of the angle and straight-line tools found in the Advantage Workstation 4.4 (GE, HealthCare), simulated insertion angles and depths from the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle to the cricopharyngeal muscle were obtained. Results: The 143 CT images originated from participants that included 63 males (44.1%) with an average age of 46.2±13.9 years old. The insertion angle, insertion depth, and neck thickness measured on the CT images were 53.2±10.7˚, 24.2±4.1 mm, and 130.1±17.7 mm, respectively. The insertion angle and depth were significantly greater in males than in females (P<0.05), and the insertion angle increased with the age of participants (P<0.05). A generalized linear model (GLM) showed that insertion angle was positively correlated with neck thickness (ß=0.14; 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.25) and gender (ß=5.08; 95% CI: 1.31 to 8.85), and negatively correlated with age (ß=-5.88; 95% CI: -9.54 to -1.62). Insertion depth was only positively correlated with the neck thickness (ß=0.11; 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.15). Conclusions: This study indicates that age, gender, and neck thickness are influencing factors for insertion angle, while neck thickness is the influencing factor for insertion depth. The simulated concentric needle electrode insertion method based on CT can assist clinical operation to ensure safety and effectiveness of cricopharyngeal electromyography.