Influences of Propofol, Ciprofol and Remimazolam on Dreaming During Anesthesia for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: A Randomized Double-Blind Parallel-Design Trial.

Purpose: To compare the influences of propofol, ciprofol and remimazolam on dreaming during painless gastrointestinal endoscopy. Methods: This study was a single-center, prospective, parallel-design, double-blind, randomized clinical trial. Between May 2023 and October 2023, patients undergoing elective painless gastrointestinal endoscopy were recruited and randomly allocated into one of the three groups. Demographic data, intraoperative information, incidence of dreaming, insufficient anesthesia and intraoperative awareness, type of dream, patient satisfaction score, adverse events, and improvement of sleep quality were collected. Results: The difference in incidence of dreaming among the three groups was not significant (33.33% vs 48.33% vs 41.67%, p=0.061). The number of patients with intraoperative hypotension in the propofol group was larger than that of the remimazolam group (32 vs 12, p=0.001). However, the cases of intraoperative hypotension between propofol group and ciprofol group or ciprofol group and remimazolam group were comparable (32 vs 22, p=0.122; 22 vs 12, p=0.064). The percentage of insufficient anesthesia between propofol group and remimazolam group was significant (13.33% vs 1.67%, p=0.001), while no statistical difference was detected between propofol group and remimazolam group or ciprofol group and remimazolam group (13.33% vs 5.00%, p=0.025; 5.00% vs 1.67%, p=0.150). The ability of propofol to improve sleep quality at 1st post-examination day was significantly better than that of remimazolam (86.21% vs 72.88%, p=0.015), while it was not significant between propofol group and ciprofol group or ciprofol group and remimazolam group (86.21% vs 80.36%, p=0.236; 72.88% vs. 72.88%, p=0.181). Incidence of intraoperative awareness, intraoperative hypoxia, type of dream, satisfaction score, adverse events during recovery, and sleep improvement on the 7th post-examination day was not significant among the groups. Conclusion: Anesthesia with propofol, ciprofol and remimazolam, respectively, for gastrointestinal endoscopy did not induce statistical difference in the incidence of dreaming, despite that all of them are more likely to induce pleasant dreams.

Radiomics analysis of pancreas based on dual-energy computed tomography for the detection of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To utilize radiomics analysis on dual-energy CT images of the pancreas to establish a quantitative imaging biomarker for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and methods: In this retrospective study, 78 participants (45 with type 2 diabetes mellitus, 33 without) underwent a dual energy CT exam. Pancreas regions were segmented automatically using a deep learning algorithm. From these regions, radiomics features were extracted. Additionally, 24 clinical features were collected for each patient. Both radiomics and clinical features were then selected using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) technique and then build classifies with random forest (RF), support vector machines (SVM) and Logistic. Three models were built: one using radiomics features, one using clinical features, and a combined model. Results: Seven radiomic features were selected from the segmented pancreas regions, while eight clinical features were chosen from a pool of 24 using the LASSO method. These features were used to build a combined model, and its performance was evaluated using five-fold cross-validation. The best classifier type is Logistic and the reported area under the curve (AUC) values on the test dataset were 0.887 (0.73-1), 0.881 (0.715-1), and 0.922 (0.804-1) for the respective models. Conclusion: Radiomics analysis of the pancreas on dual-energy CT images offers potential as a quantitative imaging biomarker in the detection of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The Relationship Between Perioperative Use of Esketamine and Postpartum Depression Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Purpose: To determine whether perioperative esketamine use decreases the risk of postpartum depression (PPD). Methods: Online search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase was conducted to identify relevant studies. Key words for search included, but were not limited to, postpartum depression, esketamine, and clinical trials. The mean and standard deviation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores were extracted from the studies as primary parameters. Results: The literature search identified 226 articles, of which 5 met the criteria and were enrolled in the study. In total, 886 patients in the studies were taken into analysis. The EPDS scores in the esketamine group were lower than those of the control group at the early stage of puerperium (WMD=-2.05, 95% CI: -3.77, -0.34, p=0.019), whereas there was no significant difference at the middle and later stages (WMD=-1.41, 95% CI: -2.86, 0.04, p=0.056). The sensitivity analyses indicated that the result for the early stage was stable, whereas it was unreliable for the middle and later stages. The results of the Egger's test indicated no publication bias. Conclusion: Perioperative use of esketamine contributes to a lower risk of PPD at the early stage of puerperium but not at the middle and later stages. To further verify this conclusion, more high-quality studies are required.

Comparison of Effects of Propofol Combined with Different Doses of Esketamine for ECT in the Treatment of Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol.

Objective: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mood disorder. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has a significant effect on treatment-resistant MDD. Esketamine may have potential advantages in improving the efficacy of ECT, and the strong affinity of this compound for NMDAR renders it a viable therapeutic option for the management of depression. This study aims to compare the effects of different doses of esketamine combined with propofol anesthesia versus propofol anesthesia alone in ECT, aiming to provide further insights for optimizing ECT and enhancing comprehensive treatment outcomes for depression. Study Design and Methods: This study was a prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind trial involving subjects and evaluators. One hundred eleven patients scheduled for ECT were randomly assigned to three groups. In Group P, propofol at 1mg/kg was administered intravenously. In Group P+E, propofol at a dosage of 0.5mg/kg and esketamine at a dosage of 0.5mg/kg was administered intravenously. Patients in Group P+SE received propofol at a dosage of 0.75mg/kg and esketamine at a dosage of 0.25mg/kg. The same anesthesia protocol was used for the same patient until the end of the last treatment. The primary outcome measures were the Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), and the Digit symbol substitution test (DSST). Secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay, readmission rate, hemodynamic status, recovery, and adverse events. Discussion: This study aimed to compare the effects of propofol combined with different doses of esketamine for ECT. The results may provide a better choice for ECT anesthesia.

The Effectiveness of Low-dose Esmketamine Versus Remifentanil Adjunct to Propofol for Sedation in Patients Undergoing Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation for Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Objectives: To access the effectiveness of propofol-esketamine versus propofol-remifentanyl in patients undergoing radiofrequency Thermocoagulation for Trigeminal Neuralgia of gasserian ganglion. Methods: In this clinical trial, 80 patients were candidates for RFT were randomly divided into two groups (n= 40). These patients aged from 21 to 81 years old. Before the start of the procedure, both groups received propofol TCI with a target level of 1.5 µgml-1. The intervention group (group E) received esketamine 0.15 mgkg-1, and the control group (group R) received remifentanyl 1.0 µgkg-1. The patients, the anesthetists and the surgeons were unaware of the medication regimen. Sedation level (based on a MOAA/S), blood pressure, oxygen saturation, the dosage of propofol, recovery time (based on Aldrete scores), postoperation pain (based on NRS), surgeons and patient satisfaction, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PQSI) were recorded. Results: Data from 80 patients were analyzed. The sedative effects were equal in the two groups (P = .680) and the MOAA/s scores of both groups were basically maintained at or below 2 points, however, the dosage of propofol in group E was significantly less than that in group R [5.3mgkg-1h-1 (5.0 to 5.7) vs 5.8 mgkg-1h-1 ( 5.3 to 6.3), P = .000]. The group E had higher blood pressure levels during the procedure (PSBP = .002, PDBP = .023). Surgeons and patient satisfaction (Ps = .164, Pp = .580), recovery time (P = .228),The NRS values after 24hrs (P = .777)and PQSI showed no significant differences between the two groups (P = .133). Conclusions: Low-dose esketamine reduces the total amount of propofol necessary for sedation and incidence of respiratory depression during RFT of gasserian ganglion in American Society of Anesthesiologists I to III patients without affecting recovery time, satisfaction of surgeons and patients, cardiovascular adverse events, when compared with remifentanil.

Efficacy of Intravenous Administration of Esketamine in Preventing and Treating Rebound Pain After Thoracic Paravertebral Nerve Block: A Prospective Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Purpose: Investigating the efficacy of intraoperative fractionated intravenous esketamine in the prevention of rebound pain after cessation of thoracic paravertebral nerve blockade. Methods: One hundred and twenty patients who underwent elective thoracoscopic lobectomy were selected for the study and were randomly divided into two groups, the esketamine group was given 0.5 mg/kg and 0.3 mg/kg of esketamine at the induction of anaesthesia and 30 minutes before the end of the operation, respectively, and the control group was given an equal amount of saline. The incidence of rebound pain (RP) 7 days after surgery and postoperative recovery were compared between the two groups. Results: The NRS pain scores at 24 and 48 hours postoperatively in the esketamine group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative rebound pain was significantly lower in the esketamine group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The consumption of sufentanil was less in the esketamine group in the postoperative 48 hours (P < 0.05). Postoperative recovery was compared between the two groups and the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Intravenous esketamine reduces postoperative pain scores, decreases the incidence of rebound pain after cessation of thoracic paravertebral block, and reduces opioid consumption.

Dreaming during gastrointestinal endoscopy under propofol, ciprofol, or remimazolam anesthesia: study protocol for a parallel-design double-blind, single-center trial.

BACKGROUND: Dreaming sometimes occurs during sedation. It has been reported that factors such as different anesthetics, depth of anesthesia, age, sex, and preoperative psychological state may affect dreams. Ciprofol and remimazolam are novel choices for painless endoscopy. Herein, we aimed to investigate dreaming during gastrointestinal endoscopy under propofol, ciprofol, and remimazolam anesthesia respectively. METHODS: This is a prospective, parallel-design double-blind, single-center clinical trial. Three hundred and sixty subjects undergoing elective painless gastroscopy, colonoscopy, or gastroenteroscopy will be enrolled. Eligible subjects will undergo propofol-, ciprofol-, or remimazolam-induced anesthesia to finish the examination. Interviews about the modified Brice questionnaire will be conducted in the recovery room. Incidence of dreaming is set as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include type of dreams, improvement of sleep quality, evaluation of patients, incidence of insufficient anesthesia, and intraoperative awareness. Safety outcomes are the incidences of hypotension and hypoxia during examination and adverse events during recovery. DISCUSSION: This study may observe different incidences of dreaming and diverse types of dreams, which might lead to different evaluations to the anesthesia procedure. Based on the coming results, anesthesiologists can make a better medication plan for patients who are going to undergo painless diagnosis and treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on May 18, 2023 (registration number ChiCTR2300071565).

Effect of magnesium sulfate perioperative infusion on postoperative catheter-related bladder discomfort in male patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of gastrointestinal cancer: a prospective, randomized and controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic radical resection of gastrointestinal cancer is associated with a high incidence of postoperative catheter-related bladder discomfort (CRBD). Studies on the benefits of magnesium sulfate intravenous infusion during the perioperative period post-laparoscopic surgery are yet lacking. METHODS: A total of 88 gastrointestinal cancer male patients scheduled for laparoscopic radical resection were randomly divided into two groups: normal saline (control) and magnesium. In the magnesium group, a 40 mg/kg loading dose of intravenous magnesium sulfate was administered for 10 min just after the induction of anesthesia, followed by continuous intravenous infusion of 15 mg/kg/h magnesium sulfate until the end of the surgery; the control group was administered the same dose of normal saline. Subsequently, 2 µg/kg sufentanil was continuously infused intravenously by a postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) device. The primary outcome was the incidence of CRBD at 0 h after the surgery. The secondary outcomes included incidence of CRBD at 1, 2, and 6 h postsurgery, the severity of CRBD at 0, 1, 2, and 6 h postsurgery. Remifentanil requirement during surgery, sufentanil requirement within 24 h postsurgery, the postoperative numerical rating scale (NRS) score at 48 h after the surgery, magnesium-related side effects and rescue medication (morphine) requirement were also assessed. RESULTS: The incidence of CRBD at 0, 1, 2, and 6 h postoperatively was lower in the magnesium group than the control group (0 h: P = 0.01; 1 h: P = 0.003; 2 h: P = 0.001; 6 h: P = 0.006). The incidence of moderate to severe CRBD was higher in the control group at postoperative 0 and 1 h (0 h: P = 0.002; 1 h: P = 0.028), remifentanil requirement during surgery were significantly lower in the magnesium group than the control group. Sufentanil requirements during the 24 h postoperative period were significantly lower in the magnesium group than the control group. The NRS score was reduced in the magnesium group compared to the control group in the early postoperative period. Magnesium-related side effects and rescue medication (morphine) did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous magnesium sulfate administration reduces the incidence and severity of CRBD and remifentanil requirement in male patients undergoing radical resection of gastrointestinal cancer. Also, no significant side effects were observed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chictr.org.cn ChiCTR2100053073. The study was registered on 10/11/2021.

The Effects of Different Puncture Points on Labor Analgesia Onset: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: Parturients suffer severe pain during the stages of labor, especially the first and second. Epidural anesthesia is an effective method to alleviate labor pain. L2-3, L3-4 and L4-5 spaces have been reported to be the recommendable puncture points owing to the adequate analgesia effect and high safety. However, the speed of pain alleviation via the three points has hardly been determined, which is of great importance to parturients. Thus, the aim of this study is to compare the onset time of parturients' painless uterine contraction after epidural labor analgesia through different puncture points. Study Design and Methods: It is a prospective, randomized, controlled, and subject- and assessor-blinded study. Totally, 150 subjects scheduled for vaginal delivery are going to be randomly assigned into the L2-3 and L3-4 group. Puncture point in L2-3 group is lumbar 2-3 space, while in L3-4 group it is lumbar 3-4 space. Analgesia initiation and maintenance are the same between the two groups. Primary outcome will be percentage of painless uterine contraction 15 min after epidural labor analgesia initiation. Secondary outcomes will be the sensory blocking level, motor blocking score, adverse effects of parturients, drug liquid consumption in unit interval, apgar score and degree of satisfaction of the parturients. Discussion: This study estimates the onset time of parturients' painless uterine contraction after epidural labor analgesia through L2-3 or L3-4 space. The results may provide a better choice to relieve labor pain as soon as possible.

Correlation of the spin state and catalytic property of M-N4 single-atom catalysts in oxygen reduction reactions.

The rational design of high-performance catalysts for oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) is of great importance for large-scale applications in the field of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells and the green synthesis of H2O2. The effect of spin states of paramagnetic metal ions on the selectivity of ORRs is significant for single-atom catalysts (SACs). In this work, via spin-polarization density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we systematically investigated the popular paramagnetic metal-nitrogen graphene (M-N4-C, M = Mn, Fe, and Co) SACs to mainly focus on the correlation of spin states and catalytic performance (e.g. activity and selectivity). Both thermodynamically and kinetically, it was found that Co-N4-C (S = 1/2) has excellent 2e- oxygen reduction performance (hydrogen peroxide production) with an ultralow overpotential of 0.03 V, and the hydrogenation of OOH* is the rate-determining step (RDS) with an energy barrier of 1.20 eV. The 4e- ORR tends to occur along the OOH dissociation pathway (O* + OH*) on Co-N4-C (S = 3/2), in which OOH* decomposition is the RDS with an energy barrier of 1.01 eV. It is proved that the spin magnetic moment is the key factor to regulate the ORR property via multi-angle electronic analysis. The spin states of catalysts play a crucial role in the activity and selectivity of ORRs mainly by manipulating the bond strength between OOH and catalysts. This will provide new insights for the rational design of ORR catalysts with magnetic metals.

Rational design of bimetallic MXene solid solution with High-Performance electrocatalytic N2 reduction.

Electrocatalytic N2 reduction reaction (eNRR) was an effective alternative method for green synthesis of NH3. By combining the first-principal Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and Monte Carlo (MC) simulation, we systematacially investigated 24 types equal-ratio bimetallic MXene solid solution, involving 88 different catalysts. Our focus was on the catalytic performance of these materials in eNRR. The computational result indicate that MoW(3Mo) has high stability, selectivity (93.8 % against the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)) and activity (UL = -0.26 V), which is significantly better than that of monometal Mo2CO2 and W2CO2. This improvement in catalytic properties is attributed to the unique electronic structure (e.g. d-band center, charge) of bimetallic MXene solid solution. In explicit solvent conditions, the microenvironment of hydrogen bond in aqueous liquid thermodynamically promotes the catalytic property for eNRR and reduce the catalytic property of HER side reaction, but the kinetic barrier is also increased due to the effect of the hydrogen-bond microenvironment on proton migration. Overall, the obtained bimetallic MXene solid solution MoW(3Mo) exhibits excellent catalytic performance in eNRR.

3D deep learning versus the current methods for predicting tumor invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma based on high-resolution computed tomography images.

Background: Different pathological subtypes of lung adenocarcinoma lead to different treatment decisions and prognoses, and it is clinically important to distinguish invasive lung adenocarcinoma from preinvasive adenocarcinoma (adenocarcinoma in situ and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma). This study aims to investigate the performance of the deep learning approach based on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) images in the classification of tumor invasiveness and compare it with the performances of currently available approaches. Methods: In this study, we used a deep learning approach based on 3D conventional networks to automatically predict the invasiveness of pulmonary nodules. A total of 901 early-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment at Shanghai Chest Hospital between November 2015 and March 2017 were retrospectively included and randomly assigned to a training set (n=814) or testing set 1 (n=87). We subsequently included 116 patients who underwent surgical treatment and intraoperative frozen section between April 2019 and January 2020 to form testing set 2. We compared the performance of our deep learning approach in predicting tumor invasiveness with that of intraoperative frozen section analysis and human experts (radiologists and surgeons). Results: The deep learning approach yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.946 for distinguishing preinvasive adenocarcinoma from invasive lung adenocarcinoma in the testing set 1, which is significantly higher than the AUCs of human experts (P<0.05). In testing set 2, the deep learning approach distinguished invasive adenocarcinoma from preinvasive adenocarcinoma with an AUC of 0.862, which is higher than that of frozen section analysis (0.755, P=0.043), senior thoracic surgeons (0.720, P=0.006), radiologists (0.766, P>0.05) and junior thoracic surgeons (0.768, P>0.05). Conclusions: We developed a deep learning model that achieved comparable performance to intraoperative frozen section analysis in determining tumor invasiveness. The proposed method may contribute to clinical decisions related to the extent of surgical resection.

Pruning the Communication Bandwidth between Reinforcement Learning Agents through Causal Inference: An Innovative Approach to Designing a Smart Grid Power System.

Electricity demands are increasing significantly and the traditional power grid system is facing huge challenges. As the desired next-generation power grid system, smart grid can provide secure and reliable power generation, and consumption, and can also realize the system's coordinated and intelligent power distribution. Coordinating grid power distribution usually requires mutual communication between power distributors to accomplish coordination. However, the power network is complex, the network nodes are far apart, and the communication bandwidth is often expensive. Therefore, how to reduce the communication bandwidth in the cooperative power distribution process task is crucially important. One way to tackle this problem is to build mechanisms to selectively send out communications, which allow distributors to send information at certain moments and key states. The distributors in the power grid are modeled as reinforcement learning agents, and the communication bandwidth in the power grid can be reduced by optimizing the communication frequency between agents. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a model for deciding whether to communicate based on the causal inference method, Causal Inference Communication Model (CICM). CICM regards whether to communicate as a binary intervention variable, and determines which intervention is more effective by estimating the individual treatment effect (ITE). It offers the optimal communication strategy about whether to send information while ensuring task completion. This method effectively reduces the communication frequency between grid distributors, and at the same time maximizes the power distribution effect. In addition, we test the method in StarCraft II and 3D environment habitation experiments, which fully proves the effectiveness of the method.

Carnosol alleviates sevoflurane-induced cognitive dysfunction by mediating NF-κB pathway in aged rats.

Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction (POCD) is a neurological disorder of unconsciousness due to cognitive regression after surgical anesthesia. However, the specific mechanism has not yet been clarified. Sevoflurane (SEV) is one of the most commonly used anesthetics in clinical practice, and how SEV mediates the generation of POCD is unclear. Carnosol, a natural ingredient, has been reported to have various beneficial effects such as anti-inflammatory, immune enhancement, and so forth, but how it ameliorates SEV-mediated neurotoxicity remains unclear. This study aimed to induce a POCD model in aged rats by SEV and to elucidate how Carnosol ameliorated SEV-mediated neurotoxicity. The effects of Carnosol on the expression of inflammatory factors in rat hippocampus mediated by SEV were determined by enzyme-linked immunoassay and polymerase chain reaction experiments; the effects of Carnosol on the expressions of Iba-1 and glial fibrillary acidic protein after SEV-mediated activation of rat microglia were clarified by immunofluorescence and Western blotting (WB); The effects of Carnosol on SEV-mediated neuronal apoptosis were studied by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling and WB; the specific signaling pathways regulated by Carnosol were elucidated by WB. The results showed that Carnosol can improve the cognitive dysfunction and reduce neuroinflammation in aged rats induced by SEV; Carnosol can reduce the activation of microglia and inhibit neuronal apoptosis in aged rats induced by SEV; Carnosol can phosphorylate p65 and nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor, alpha regulates the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) pathway. Carnosol can attenuate SEV-induced neuroinflammation, prevent microglial activation and inhibit neuronal apoptosis by modulating the NF-κB pathway.

Effects of the Ultrasound-Guided Stellate Ganglion Block on Hemodynamics, Stress Response, and Gastrointestinal Function in Postoperative Patients with Colorectal Cancer.

Objective: The aim of the study was to study the effects of the ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block on hemodynamics, stressful response, and postoperative gastrointestinal functions in patients with colorectal cancer. Methods: A total of 100 patients with colorectal cancer hospitalized from January 2021 to December 2021 were selected. After anesthesia induction, the right stellate ganglion block was performed under ultrasound guidance in the research group and the general anesthesia was performed in the control group. The heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), epinephrine, cortisol, self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), Ramsay sedation score (RSS), postoperative bowel sound recovery time, anal exhaust time, and the incidence of gastrointestinal adverse reactions 24 hours after operation were studied pre-and post-24-hour anesthesia induction. Results: Following 24-hour operation, the HR and MAP values were largely reduced (p < 0.05). Following 24-hour operation, epinephrine and cortisol became obviously higher (p < 0.05). After 24-hour operation, the levels of epinephrine and cortisol in the research group were greatly lower. The score of the SAS in the study cohort was less than that of the controls (p < 0.05). The RSS of the research group was obviously increased (p < 0.05). The recovery time of intestinal sound and the anal exhaust time of the study cohort became remarkably shorter (p < 0.05). The incidence of gastrointestinal adverse reactions 24 hours after operation of the study cohort was much less common (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block can reduce the fluctuation of blood circulation during radical resection of colorectal cancer, reduce postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction and stress reaction, relieve patients' anxiety, and contribute to the recovery of gastrointestinal function.

Salvia miltiorrhiza-asarum ointment combined with Chinese medical massage alleviates symptoms of osteoarthritis in a rat model through the Notch1/ matrix metalloproteinase-13 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effect of salvia miltiorrhiza-asarum ointment (SMAO) plus Chinese medical massage on knee osteoarthritis in a rat model. METHODS: Hulth's method was used to establish a Sprague-Dawley rat model of knee osteoarthritis (OA). The levels of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13), collagen-II, aggrecan, interleukin (IL)-1ß, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-6 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The joint space was assessed by a Perlove X-ray system. Histopathology was examined by hematoxylin-eosin and Safranin O staining. The mRNA and protein expression levels of Notch1, MMP-13, collagen-II, and aggrecan were measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: SMAO plus Chinese medical massage significantly decreased the levels of MMP-13, IL-1ß, TNF-α, and IL-6, and increased serum collagen-II and aggrecan levels. Pathological injury of the knee joint was improved by SMAO treatment. mRNA and protein expression of Notch1 and MMP-13 was remarkably downregulated, but collagen-II and aggrecan levels were significantly upregulated in cartilage tissues. CONCLUSION: SMAO combined with Chinese medical massage effectively relieves OA symptoms, which may involve inhibiting inflammation through the Notch1/MMP-13 signaling pathway.

Low concentration of Bupivacaine ameliorates painful diabetic neuropathy by mediating miR-23a/PDE4B axis in microglia.

Bupivacaine (Bup) has a certain research basis in pain-related diseases, but it has not been studied in painful diabetic neuropathy. In this study, we investigated the role of Bupivacaine in painful diabetic neuropathy. Mouse model with painful diabetic neuropathy was established, and then treated with different concentrations of Bupivacaine. The blood glucose level in the tail vein and the changes in body weight was measured. The mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia and thermal allodynia was assessed by pain behavioral tests. Microglia were treated with high glucose (HG) and different concentrations of Bupivacaine. The levels of inflammatory cytokines were detected by using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Dual luciferase reporter assay explored the relationship between miR-23a and phosphodiesterase 4 B (PDE4B). The results displayed that Bupivacaine ameliorated the mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia, and thermal allodynia in mice with painful diabetic neuropathy, and is more effective at low concentration. Moreover, low concentration of Bupivacaine inhibited inflammation and promoted miR-23a expression in mice with painful diabetic neuropathy and in microglia induced by HIGH GLUCOSE. Overexpression of miR-23a reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines by down-regulating PDE4B expression. Knockdown of miR-23a reversed the inhibition effect of Bupivacaine on microglial inflammation. These results revealed that low concentration of Bupivacaine inhibited microglial inflammation through down-regulating PDE4B via miR-23a, thereby attenuated painful diabetic neuropathy.

A Canopy Information Measurement Method for Modern Standardized Apple Orchards Based on UAV Multimodal Information.

To make canopy information measurements in modern standardized apple orchards, a method for canopy information measurements based on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) multimodal information is proposed. Using a modern standardized apple orchard as the study object, a visual imaging system on a quadrotor UAV was used to collect canopy images in the apple orchard, and three-dimensional (3D) point-cloud models and vegetation index images of the orchard were generated with Pix4Dmapper software. A row and column detection method based on grayscale projection in orchard index images (RCGP) is proposed. Morphological information measurements of fruit tree canopies based on 3D point-cloud models are established, and a yield prediction model for fruit trees based on the UAV multimodal information is derived. The results are as follows: (1) When the ground sampling distance (GSD) was 2.13-6.69 cm/px, the accuracy of row detection in the orchard using the RCGP method was 100.00%. (2) With RCGP, the average accuracy of column detection based on grayscale images of the normalized green (NG) index was 98.71-100.00%. The hand-measured values of H, SXOY, and V of the fruit tree canopy were compared with those obtained with the UAV. The results showed that the coefficient of determination R2 was the most significant, which was 0.94, 0.94, and 0.91, respectively, and the relative average deviation (RADavg) was minimal, which was 1.72%, 4.33%, and 7.90%, respectively, when the GSD was 2.13 cm/px. Yield prediction was modeled by the back-propagation artificial neural network prediction model using the color and textural characteristic values of fruit tree vegetation indices and the morphological characteristic values of point-cloud models. The R2 value between the predicted yield values and the measured values was 0.83-0.88, and the RAD value was 8.05-9.76%. These results show that the UAV-based canopy information measurement method in apple orchards proposed in this study can be applied to the remote evaluation of canopy 3D morphological information and can yield information about modern standardized orchards, thereby improving the level of orchard informatization. This method is thus valuable for the production management of modern standardized orchards.

MicroRNA-144 relieves chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain via targeting RASA1.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to participate in development of neuropathic pain. However, the role of microRNA-144 (miR-144) in neuropathic pain remains unclear. In the present study, we established a neuropathic pain mouse model via chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induction. The successful establishment of this model was confirmed via evaluation of paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL). By using this model, we found that miR-144 was significantly downregulated in CCI-induced neuropathic pain mice. In addition, intrathecal injection of miR-144 agomiR alleviated mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in neuropathic pain mice as shown by the increased of PWT and PWL. Moreover, miR-144 negatively regulated neuroinflammation by decreasing the expression of proinflammatory mediators, including TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α), IL (interleukin)-1ß, and IL-6, thus facilitating the inhibition of neuropathic pain development. Mechanistically, RASA1 (RAS P21 Protein Activator 1) was downregulated following the injection of agomiR-144, and was verified to be a target of miR-144. Furthermore, overexpression of RASA1 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-144 on neuropathic pain. Therefore, the present study suggested that miR-144 has the potential to be explored as therapeutic target for treatment of neuropathic pain.

Effect of intrathecal dexmedetomidine on cesarean section during spinal anesthesia: a meta-analysis of randomized trials.

OBJECTIVE: Intrathecal dexmedetomidine has been used in spinal anesthesia during cesarean sections. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate the effect of intrathecal dexmedetomidine on the adverse reactions of spinal anesthesia during cesarean section. METHODS: We searched for relevant studies using PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane library. After screening studies and extracting data, we performed a meta-analysis on the effect of intrathecal dexmedetomidine during cesarean section. RESULTS: A total of 278 patients from 4 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The incidence of shivering in the dexmedetomidine groups was significantly lower than that in the placebo groups during cesarean section (RR=0.40, 95% CI [0.25, 0.65], P=0.0002). Intrathecal dexmedetomidine had no effect on nausea and vomiting (RR=1.08, 95% CI [0.68, 1.71], P=0.74), bradycardia (RR=1.33, 95% CI [0.31, 5.76], P=0.70), and hypotension during cesarean section (RR=0.78, 95% CI [0.59, 1.03], P=0.08). CONCLUSION: Intrathecal dexmedetomidine can effectively reduce the occurrence of shivering during cesarean section, but it does not affect the occurrence of nausea and vomiting, bradycardia or hypotension.