Effects of virtual reality-based cognitive interventions on cognitive function and activity of daily living among stroke patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: To examine the effects of virtual reality-based cognitive interventions on cognitive function and activities of daily living among stroke patients, and to identify the optimal design for such intervention. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane, CINANL, JBI-EBP and Web of Science from inception to October 2023. METHODS: Methodological quality was assessed by Risk of Bias Tool. Meta-analyses were assessed by Review Manager 5.4. Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore the influence of study design. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was adopted to assess the certainty of evidence. RESULTS: Twenty-five randomized controlled trials (1178 participants) were included. Virtual reality-based cognitive interventions demonstrated moderate-to-large effects in improving global cognitive function (SMD = 0.43; 95% CI [0.01, 0.85]), executive function (SMD = 0.84; 95% CI [0.25, 1.43]) and memory (SMD = 0.65; 95% CI [0.15, 1.16]) compared to control treatments. No significant effects were found on language, visuospatial ability and activities of daily living. Subgroup analyses indicated one-on-one coaching, individualized design and dynamic difficulty adjustment, and interventions lasting ≥ 6 weeks had particularly enhanced effects, especially for executive function. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual reality-based cognitive interventions improve global cognitive function, executive function and memory among stroke patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PATIENT CARE: This review underscores the broad cognitive advantages offered by virtual technology, suggesting its potential integration into standard stroke rehabilitation protocols for enhanced cognitive recovery. IMPACT: The study identifies key factors in virtual technology interventions that effectively improve cognitive function among stroke patients, offering healthcare providers a framework for leveraging such technology to optimize cognitive outcomes in stroke rehabilitation. REPORTING METHOD: PRISMA 2020 statement. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022342668.

Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on neuropsychiatric symptoms and psychological well-being on people with subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are highly prevalent in individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and are strongly linked to accelerated cognitive decline and dementia onset. While mindfulness-based interventions have shown promise in improving psychological well-being in clinical and community settings, their efficacy for individuals in these pre-dementia stages remains unclear. This meta-analysis examined the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on NPS and psychological outcomes in these preclinical cohorts. METHODS: Eligible studies were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, JBI EPB, Web of Science, and Cochrane library. Two independent researchers conducted the literature search and data extraction. Cochrane Risk-of-Bias Assessment Tool was used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. Quality of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE approach. Intervention effects were estimated by Hedge's g and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: A total of 18 randomized controlled trials (including 974 participants from 21 studies) were included in the meta-analysis. The results demonstrated statistically significant immediate post-intervention effects of mindfulness-based interventions on anxiety (g = -0.30, 95% CI -0.49 to -0.11), stress (g = -0.58, 95% CI -0.91 to -0.24), and quality of life (g = 0.50, 95% CI 0.12-0.87). However, no significant effects were found for depression, apathy, mindfulness, and stress-related biomarkers. Follow-up data analysis also did not reveal significant effects for depression and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this meta-analysis suggest that mindfulness-based interventions may improve anxiety, stress, and quality of life in individuals with SCD and MCI. However, more rigorous randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and evaluation using physiological parameters are needed to establish more definitive conclusions. Future interventions could consider incorporating cognitive training and health education to address the specific needs of the pre-dementia population. REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO: CRD42022359906.

Mechanism of gambogenic acid in resisting angiogenesis of lung cancer in vitro / 中国中药杂志

The aim of this paper was to observe the effect of gambogenic acid on angiogenesis of lung cancer and its preliminary mechanism. After culturing lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells, the conditioned medium was treated with gambogenic acid and then used to culture human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to establish the indirect contact cell co-culture system. A two-dimensional culture model of HUVEC was established with matrigel to observe the effect of gambogenic acid on angiogenesis. DAPI staining was used to observe the morphological changes in HUVEC cells after treatment with gambogenic acid under the fluorescence microscope. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and flow cytometry analysis were used to determine gambogenic acid's effect on HUVEC cell apoptosis rate. The protein expressions of PI3K, p-PI3K, Akt, p-Akt were measured by Western blot. PTEN-siRNA was transfected into cells, and RT-PCR was used to detect the expression levels of PI3K and Akt genes. Gambogenic acid can significantly inhibit angiogenesis, and its inhibitory effect was dose-dependent. DAPI staining showed apoptotic morphological features of HUVEC cells under fluorescence microscope. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining showed that gambogenic acid induced apoptosis in HUVECs. The results of Western blot showed that the expressions of p-PI3K and p-Akt protein were down-regulated with gambogenic acid, while the expressions of PI3K and Akt protein was insignificant. The results of RT-PCR indicated that the expressions of PI3K and Akt protein were up-regulated by PTEN siRNA. Gambogenic acid can inhibit angiogenesis in lung cancer in vitro, and the mechanism of inhibiting angiogenesis may be related to the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Study of gambogenic acid-induced apoptosis of melanoma B16 cells through PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To discuss the mechanism of gambogenic acid (GNA) in inducing the apoptosis of melanoma B16 cells.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The inhibitory effect of GNA on the proliferation of B16 cells was measured by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The effect of GNA on B16 cells was detected by the Hoechst 33258 staining. The transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultra-structure changes of B16 cells. The changes in PI3K, p-PI3K, Akt, p-Akt, p-mTOR, PTEN proteins were detected by the Western blotting to discuss the molecular mechanism of GNA in inducing the apoptosis of B16 cells.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>GNA showed a significant inhibitory effect in the growth and proliferation of melanoma B16 cells. The cell viability remarkably decreased with the increase of GNA concentration and the extension of the action time. The results of the Hoechst 33258 staining showed that cells processed with GNA demonstrated apparent apoptotic characteristics. Under the transmission electron microscope, B16 cells, after being treated with GNA, showed obvious morphological changes of apoptosis. The Western blot showed a time-dependent reduction in the p-PI3K and p-Akt protein expressions, with no change in p-PI3K and p-Akt protein expression quantities. The p-mTOR protein expression decreased with the extension of time, where as the PTEN protein expression showed a time-dependent increase.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>GNA could inhibit the proliferation of melanoma B16 cells and induce their apoptosis within certain time and concentration ranges. Its mechanism in inducing the cell apoptosis may be related to PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways.</p>

Amplification and typing of Sta56 gene of Orientia tsutsugamushi from Shandong province / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To clarify the gene type of Orientia tsutsugamushi (Ot) from Shandong province.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Nested-polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) was used to identify the gene type of 23 isolated Ot strains, 2 pools of homogenized leptotrombidium (L.) scutellare, 10 blood specimens of scrub typhus patients, and at the same time to compare with the international reference strains Gilliam, Karp, Kato. Sequencing analysis of the Sta56 gene was also used to further identify the precise gene types.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 35 samples, 33 had the same products in the amplification of template Ot-DNA. They all belonged to Kawasaki strains endemic in Japan while 2 (FXS4 and LHGM2 strain) belonged to Karp strains. The Sta56 gene sequence homologies to Japan Kawasaki strain of the 2 representative strains (B-16 and FXS2 strain) of the 33 samples were 94.22%, 95.21% respectively, but they were less than 75.87% to other prototype strains; The homologies to Karp strain of FXS4 and LHGM2 strain were 83.03%, 96.45% respectively. B-16 and FXS2 strain were designated as of types strain Japan Kawasaki, FXS4 and LHGM2 as Karp strain.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results indicated that the dominant Ot strains in Shandong Province were similar to Kawasaki strains, but Karp strains also existed.</p>

Study on gamma-synuclein gene in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the relationship between idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) and two polymorphisms (C243G and A377T) of the gamma-synuclein gene in a Chinese Han population of Shanghai area.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Polymorphic genotyping was performed with PCR-RPLP technique. Association analysis was carried out in 145 unrelated idiopathic PD patients and 184 age-matched healthy controls.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The authors failed to detect any distributional difference of the C243G and A377T polymorphisms of the gamma-synuclein gene between PD cases and control subjects, nor did they find any association.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These data do not support that gamma-synuclein gene C243G and A377T polymorphisms are involved in idiopathic PD onset in the Han population of Shanghai area.</p>

Dopamine beta hydroxylase gene polymorphism and Parkinson's disease / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the correlation between the polymorphism of dopamine beta hydroxylase(DBH) gene and the susceptibility of Shanghai Chinese Han population to Parkinson's disease(PD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Association study was performed in 144 PD patients and 188 healthy control subjects matched for age, sex and origin. Polymorphism of DBH gene was analyzed with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The allelic frequency of A2 allele of DBH gene was significantly higher in PD patients than in controls(P<0.01).The risk of suffering from PD increased (OR=1.82) in the individual with A2 allele. And the genotypic frequency of A2/A2 was significantly higher in PD patients(OR=2.11, P<0.01),too. On the other hand, the allelic frequency of A1 allele and the genotypic frequency of A1/A2 genotype of DBH gene in PD patients were significantly lower(A1 alleles: OR=0.54, P<0.01; A1/A2 genotypes: OR=0.45, P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The polymorphism in DBH gene might play an important role in the susceptibility of Shanghai Chinese Han population to PD.</p>