Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for postpartum hypogalactia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Postpartum hypogalactia (PH) is prominent during lactation and may negatively impact the mother's or infant's health. Acupuncture is widely used to increase maternal breast milk production. However, the effects of acupuncture on PH remain unclear. Therefore, this review aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in individuals with PH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Articles on potentially eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture for PH published from database inception to October 2023 were retrieved from the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, EBSCO, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, WanFang, and VIP databases. Two reviewers independently screened the records, extracted essential information, and evaluated the methodological quality of the RCTs using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias (RoB) tool. The primary outcome was a change in serum prolactin (PRL) levels before and after treatment. Secondary outcomes included milk secretion volume (MSV), total effective rate (TER), mammary fullness degree (MFD), and exclusive breastfeeding rate (EBR). Meta-analyses were performed using RevMan v5.4. Finally, the quality of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation tool. RESULTS: This study included 19 RCTs involving 2,400 participants. The included studies were classified as having an unclear to high RoB. Our findings indicated that, overall, acupuncture showed a significant effect in increasing serum PRL levels (standardized mean differences [SMDs] = 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.50, 1.68), MSV (SMD = 1.69, 95% CI: 0.53, 2.86), TER (relative risk [RR] = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.42), and EBR (RR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.07, 3.78) compared to that in the control group; however, no difference in MFD (SMD = 1.17, 95% CI: -0.09, 2.42) was observed. In the subgroup analysis, acupuncture combined with Chinese herbs or conventional treatment was significantly more effective in increasing serum PRL levels, MSV, and TER than did Chinese herbs or conventional treatment alone. Moreover, acupuncture alone resulted in significantly higher serum PRL levels compared to Chinese herbs; however, this benefit was not observed for TER and MFD. The quality of evidence was critically low. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture may effectively increase milk secretion in women with PH. However, owing to the low quality of evidence, further rigorously designed studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

Research status and trends of physical activity on depression or anxiety: a bibliometric analysis.

Background: Anxiety and depression are prevalent mental disorders. As modern society continues to face mounting pressures, the incidence of anxiety and depression is on the rise. In recent years, there has been an increasing breadth of research exploring the relationship between anxiety, depression, and physical activity (PA). However, the current research progress and future development trends are unclear. The purpose of this study is to explore the research hotspots and development trends in this field, and to provide guidance for future studies and to provide some reference for clinicians. Methods: We searched the relevant literature of Web of Science Core Collection from the establishment of the database to August 15, 2023. CiteSpace, VOSviewer and Bibliometrix Packages based on the R language were used to analyze the number of publications, countries, institutions, journals, authors, references, and keywords. Results: A total of 1,591 studies were included in the analysis, and the research in the field of PA on anxiety or depression has consistently expanded. The USA (304 publications), Harvard University (93 publications), and the journal of affective disorders (97 publications) were the countries, institutions, and journals that published the highest number of articles, respectively. According to the keywords, students and pregnant women, adult neurogenesis, and Tai Chi were the groups of concern, physiological and pathological mechanisms, and the type of PA of interest, respectively. Conclusion: The study of PA on anxiety or depression is experiencing ongoing expansion. Clinicians can consider advising patients to take mind-body exercise to improve mood. In addition, future researchers can explore the mind-body exercise and its impact on anxiety or depression, PA and anxiety or depression in specific populations, and adult neurogenesis of various exercise in anxiety or depression.

Supplements for cognitive ability in patients with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease: a protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

INTRODUCTION: Considering the increasing incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) worldwide, there is an urgent need to identify efficacious, safe and convenient treatments. Numerous investigations have been conducted on the use of supplements in this domain, with oral supplementation emerging as a viable therapeutic approach for AD or MCI. Nevertheless, given the multitude of available supplements, it becomes imperative to identify the optimal treatment regimen. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Eight academic databases and three clinical trial registries will be searched from their inception to 1 June 2023. To identify randomised controlled trials investigating the effects of supplements on patients with AD or MCI, two independent reviewers (X-YZ and Y-QL) will extract relevant information from eligible articles, while the risk of bias in the included studies will be assessed using the Rob 2.0 tool developed by the Cochrane Collaboration. The primary outcome of interest is the overall cognitive function. Pair-wise meta-analysis will be conducted using RevMan V.5.3, while network meta-analysis will be carried out using Stata 17.0 and ADDIS 1.16.8. Heterogeneity test, data synthesis and subgroup analysis will be performed if necessary. The GRADE system will be employed to assess the quality of evidence. This study is scheduled to commence on 1 June 2023 and conclude on 1 October 2023. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not required for systematic review and network meta-analysis. The results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal or at a conference. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO (CRD42023414700).

The effect of acupuncture on oxidative stress in animal models of vascular dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence showed that acupuncture may improve cognitive function by reducing oxidative stress, key to the pathogenesis in vascular dementia (VaD), but this is yet to be systematically analysed. This study aimed to summarize and evaluate the effect of acupuncture on oxidative stress in animal models of VaD. METHOD: Eight databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane library, CNKI, Wan Fang, CBM, and VIP were searched since their establishment until April 2023, for studies that reported the effect of acupuncture on oxidative stress in VaD animal models. Relevant literature was screened, and information was extracted by two reviewers. The primary outcomes were the levels of oxidative stress indicators. The methodological quality was assessed via the SYRCLE Risk of Bias Tool. Statistical analyses were performed using the RevMan and Stata software. RESULTS: In total, 22 studies with 747 animals were included. The methodology of most studies had flaws or uncertainties. The meta-analysis indicated that, overall, acupuncture significantly reduced the expression of pro-oxidants including reactive oxygen species (standardized mean differences [SMDs] = -4.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -6.26, -2.31), malondialdehyde (SMD = -2.27, 95% CI: -3.07, -1.47), nitric oxide (SMD = -0.85, 95% CI: -1.50, -0.20), and nitric oxide synthase (SMD = -1.01, 95% CI: -1.69, -0.34) and enhanced the levels of anti-oxidants including super oxide dismutase (SMD = 2.80, 95% CI: 1.98, 3.61), glutathione peroxidase (SMD = 1.32, 95% CI: -0.11, 2.76), and catalase (SMD = 1.31, 95% CI: 0.05, 2.58) in VaD animal models. In subgroup analyses, acupuncture showed significant effects on most variables. Only partial modelling methods and treatment duration could interpret the heterogeneity of some outcomes. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture may inhibit oxidative stress to improve cognitive deficits in animal models of VaD. Nevertheless, the methodological quality is unsatisfactory. More high-quality research with a rigorous design and further experimental researches and clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: This study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023411720).

Spatiotemporal responses of habitat quality to land use changes in the source area of Pearl River, China.

Habitat quality assessment provides an effective interface for exploring the mechanisms linking land use change and biodiversity. We used InVEST model to assess the spatial and temporal variations of habitat quality in the Pearl River source area from 2000 to 2020, and to examine the impacts of land use change on habitat quality. The results showed that during the study period, construction land had the largest change, with an area increase of 321.48 km2, and the area of grassland decreased most significantly. Habitat quality in the Pearl River source area was generally at a high level, with a small downward trend. The low value areas were concentrated in the town centers and main agricultural production areas, while habitat quality was high in the mountainous areas in the south and north region. The cold spots of habitat quality change had the most significant aggregation effect in the Quzhan Basin along the Nanpan River. The number of hot spots was small and scattered. Among the various types of nature reserves, habitat quality of Jiache Nature Reserve in Huize County was the lowest, and that of Zhujiangyuan Nature Reserve had a slight decreasing trend, mainly due to the transformation of grassland to cropland. The contribution of habitat quality degradation driven by land function change was 5.6 times as that of improvement. The encroachment of urban and rural construction space into grassland ecological space and agricultural production space was the dominant factor driving the reduction of habitat quality in the Pearl River source area. The contribution of construction land expansion decreased from 69.9% (2000-2010) to 46.7% (2010-2020). The expansion of construction land was the main cause for the degradation of habitat quality. The degradation threat from arable land expansion overtook the traffic network construction as the secondary threat source from 2010 to 2020. It was necessary to increase control of nature reserves in the Pearl River source area and to implement land use regulation strictly to guarantee no net loss and integrity of the ecosystem.

Comparative transcriptome analysis provides insight into nitric oxide suppressing lignin accumulation of postharvest okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) during cold storage.

In plants, NO has been proved the function of improving abiotic stress resistance. However, the role of NO in the lignin metabolism of okra under cold stress has not been clarified. Here, histochemical staining and lignin content analysis showed that cold stress promoted the lignin accumulation of cold stored okra pods, and NO inhibited the lignin accumulation and delayed lignification process. To better understand the roles of NO in okra cold stress resistance mechanism, the full-length transcriptome data of 'Hokkaido' was analyzed. The SNP-treated okra transcriptome and cPTIO-treated okra transcriptome were obtained. A total of 41957 unigenes were screened out from three groups at 10 d, among which, 33, 78 and 18 DEGs were found in ddH2O-treat, SNP-treat and cPTIO-treat group, respectively. Transcriptomic data suggested that the genes involved in lignin biosynthesis showed downregulation under SNP treatment. Transcriptomic data and enzyme activity showed that exogenous NO significantly promoted the biosynthesis of endogenous NO by enhancing NOS activity. Transcriptomic data and plant hormone data showed that NO played an important role in the process of inhibiting the ethylene and ABA synthesis mechanism of okra and thereby reducing the endogenous ethylene and ABA content under chilling stress. Relevant physiological data showed that NO helped to the protection of ROS scavenging system and removed the MDA and H2O2 induced by cold stress. These results provided a reference for studying the molecular mechanism of nitric oxide delaying the lignification of okra, and also provided a theoretical basis for postharvest storage of vegetables.

UV-B Radiation Largely Promoted the Transformation of Primary Metabolites to Phenols in Astragalus mongholicus Seedlings.

: Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation (280-320 nm) may induce photobiological stress in plants, activate the plant defense system, and induce changes of metabolites. In our previous work, we found that between the two Astragalus varieties prescribed by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Astragalus mongholicus has better tolerance to UV-B. Thus, it is necessary to study the metabolic strategy of Astragalus under UV-B radiation further. In the present study, we used untargeted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and targeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS techniques) to investigate the profiles of primary and secondary metabolic. The profiles revealed the metabolic response of Astragalus to UV-B radiation. We then used real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to obtain the transcription level of relevant genes under UV-B radiation (UV-B supplemented in the field, λmax = 313 nm, 30 W, lamp-leaf distance = 60 cm, 40 min·day-1), which annotated the responsive mechanism of phenolic metabolism in roots. Our results indicated that supplemental UV-B radiation induced a stronger shift from carbon assimilation to carbon accumulation. The flux through the phenylpropanoids pathway increased due to the mobilization of carbon reserves. The response of metabolism was observed to be significantly tissue-specific upon the UV-B radiation treatment. Among phenolic compounds, C6C1 carbon compounds (phenolic acids in leaves) and C6C3C6 carbon compounds (flavones in leaves and isoflavones in roots) increased at the expense of C6C3 carbon compounds. Verification experiments show that the response of phenolics in roots to UV-B is activated by upregulation of relevant genes rather than phenylalanine. Overall, this study reveals the tissues-specific alteration and mechanism of primary and secondary metabolic strategy in response to UV-B radiation.

A Comparative Metabolomics Analysis Reveals the Tissue-Specific Phenolic Profiling in Two Acanthopanax Species.

Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. Maxim.) Harms (ASH) and Acanthopanax sessiliflorus (Rupr. Maxim.) Seem (ASS), are members of the Araliaceae family, and both are used in Asian countries. These herbals have drawn much attention in recent years due to their strong biological activity, with innocuity and little side effects. However, the common and distinct mode of compound profiles between ASH and ASS is still unclear. In this study, a high performance liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) method was developed to simultaneously quantify the seven major active compounds, including protocatechuate, eleutheroside B, eleutheroside E, isofraxidin, hyperoside, kaempferol and oleanolic acid. Then the targeted metabolomics were conducted to identify 19 phenolic compounds, with tight relation to the above mentioned active compounds, including nine C6C3C6-type, six C6C3-type and four C6C1-type in the two Acanthopanax species studied here. The results showed that the seven active compounds presented a similar trend of changes in different tissues, with more abundant accumulation in roots and stems for both plants. From the view of plant species, the ASH plants possess higher abundance of compounds, especially in the tissues of roots and stems. For phenolics, the 19 phenols detected here could be clearly grouped into five main clusters based on their tissue-specific accumulation patterns. Roots are the tissue for the most abundance of their accumulations. C6C3C6-type compounds are the most widely existing type in both plants. In conclusion, the tissue- and species-specificity in accumulation of seven active compounds and phenolics were revealed in two Acanthopanax species.

A rapid method for sensitive profiling of bioactive triterpene and flavonoid from Astragalus mongholicus and Astragalus membranaceus by ultra-pressure liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.

Astragalus is one of the most popular Chinese herbal. Control of Astragalus quantity is most important, since that various varieties and ages largely affect bioactive metabolites and different pharmacological effects. Astragalus mongholicus and Astragalus membranaceus are both major sources of Astragalus according to the provisions in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Thus, a sensitive and rapid UPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of l-Phenylalanine, Isoliquiritigenin, Liquiritigenin, Daidzein, Formononetin, Ononin, Calycosin, Calycosin-7-glucoside, Cycloastragenol, Astragaloside I, Astragaloside II, Astragaloside III and Astragaloside IV was established in this study. The detection was accomplished by MRM scanning in the positive ionization mode. Calibration curves offered linear ranges with r2 > 0.999. The method was successfully validated for the linearity, intra-day and inter day precisions, accuracy, recovery, matrix effect and stability. Then this method was successfully applied to detect the contents of 13 target flavonoids and triterpenoids metabolites in different organs and ages of A. mongholicus and A. membranaceus. Significant organs-, ages- and varieties- specificity of the 13 target metabolites were observed and discussed. The results provided basis and support for further exploration of the distribution of bioactive metabolites, namely flavonoids and triterpenoids, in different organs and ages of two Astragalus varieties. This method should be applicable to various Astragalus matrices for the quantitative analysis of the target flavonoids and triterpenoids.