Inhibition Effect of Triphenylmethane Dyes for the Corrosion of Carbon Steel in CO2-Saturated NaCl Corrosion Medium.

Carbon dioxide corrosion presents a significant challenge in the oil and gas field. This study simulates the corrosive environment characteristics of oil and gas fields to investigate the corrosion inhibition properties of three triphenylmethane dyes. The inhibitive performance and mechanisms of these dyes were analyzed through weight loss and electrochemical testing, revealing that crystal violet (CV) exhibited a superior inhibition effectiveness over malachite green (MG) and Fuchsine basic (FB). At a concentration of 150 ppm in a CO2-saturated 5% NaCl solution at 25 °C, CV achieved an impressive maximum inhibition efficiency of 94.89%. With the increase in temperature, the corrosion rate slightly decreased, and the corrosion rate was 92.94% at 60 °C. The investigated CV acted as a mixed-type corrosion inhibitor and its protection obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The corrosion morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLMS). Quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations were employed to validate the corrosion inhibition mechanisms, providing guidance for the further application of these dyes in corrosion control.

A hybrid GA-PSO strategy for computing task offloading towards MES scenarios.

As a new type of computing paradigm closer to service terminals, mobile edge computing (MEC), can meet the requirements of computing-intensive and delay-sensitive applications. In addition, it can also reduce the burden on mobile terminals by offloading computing. Due to cost issues, results in the deployment density of mobile edge servers (MES) is restricted in real scenario, whereas the suitable MES should be chosen for better performance. Therefore, this article proposes a task offloading strategy under the sparse MES density deployment scenario. Commonly, mobile terminals may reach MES through varied access points (AP) based on multi-hop transmitting mode. The transmission delay and processing delay caused by the selection of AP and MES will affect the performance of MEC. For the purpose of reducing the transmission delay due to system load balancing and superfluous multi-hop, we formulated the multi-objective optimization problem. The optimization goals are the workload balancing of edge servers and the completion delay of all task offloading. We express the formulated system as an undirected and unweighted graph, and we propose a hybrid genetic particle swarm algorithm based on two-dimensional genes (GA-PSO). Simulation results show that the hybrid GA-PSO algorithm does not outperform state-of-the-art GA and NSA algorithms in obtaining all task offloading delays. However, the workload by standard deviation approach is about 90% lower than that of the GA and NSA algorithms, which effectively optimizes the performance of load balancing and verifies the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Global Epidemic of Ebola Virus Disease and the Importation Risk into China: An Assessment Based on the Risk Matrix Method.

Objective: To analyze the global epidemic status of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) and assess the importation risk into China. Methods: Data from World Health Organization reports were used. We described the global epidemic status of EVD from 1976-2021, and assessed and ranked the importation risk of EVD from the disease-outbreaking countries into China using the risk matrix and Borda count methods, respectively. Results: From 1976-2021, EVD mainly occurred in western and central Africa, with the highest cumulative number of cases (14,124 cases) in Sierra Leone, and the highest cumulative fatality rate (85%) in the Congo. Outbreaks of EVD have occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea since 2018. The importation risk into China varies across countries with outbreaks of disease. The Democratic Republic of the Congo had an extremely high risk (23 Borda points), followed by Guinea and Liberia. Countries with a moderate importation risk were Nigeria, Uganda, Congo, Sierra Leone, Mali, and Gabon, while countries with a low importation risk included Sudan, Senegal, and Co^te d'Ivoire. Conclusion: China is under the risk of EVD importation with the globalization and severe epidemic status of EVD. Key attention need to be paid to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, and Liberia. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent and prepare in advance for importation risk in China.

Global trends and regional differences in incidence and mortality of cardiovascular disease, 1990-2019: findings from 2019 global burden of disease study.

AIMS: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and is linked with a regional economic burden. We analysed and compared global trends as well as regional and sociodemographic differences in CVD incidence and mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: We obtained data to annual incident cases, deaths, age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs), and age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) of CVD during 1990-2019 from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study. To quantify the temporal trends, we calculated changes in the incident cases and deaths as well as the estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) of age-standardized rates. Globally, CVD incident cases increased by 77.12% from 31.31 million in 1990 to 55.45 million in 2019; deaths rose by 53.81% from 12.07 million in 1990 to 18.56 million in 2019. The overall ASIR [EAPC, -0.56; 95% confidence interval (CI), -0.59 to -0.53] and ASMR (EAPC, -1.46; 95%CI, -1.51 to -1.40) decreased in this period. Against the global trend of ASIR falling, an increasing trend was found in Uzbekistan (EAPC, 1.24; 95%CI, 0.97-1.50), Tajikistan (EAPC, 0.49; 95%CI, 0.47-0.52), and Zimbabwe (EAPC, 0.42; 95%CI, 0.33-0.50). The number of CVD incident cases increased remarkably in low (108.3%), low-middle (114.81%), and middle (117.85%) sociodemographic index regions in 1990-2019. CONCLUSION: Despite the increased number of CVD cases and deaths after adjusting for changes in population age, we observed a consistent decrease in age-standardized incidence and mortality in most countries. However, specific regions-especially low to middle SDI regions-present worrying increases in CVD cases and deaths.

This study analysed the global landscape, long-term trends, and national and regional differences in CVD incidence and mortality from 1990 to 2019. The absolute number of CVD incident cases and deaths remains an increasing worldwide­especially in low, low-middle, and middle SDI regions­in the years 1990­2019. CVD burden attributable to incidence and mortality are rising globally, but the age-standardized incidence and mortality rates are declining when considering the population's aging.

Global Epidemic of Ebola Virus Disease and the Importation Risk into China: An Assessment Based on the Risk Matrix Method / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the global epidemic status of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) and assess the importation risk into China.@*METHODS@#Data from World Health Organization reports were used. We described the global epidemic status of EVD from 1976-2021, and assessed and ranked the importation risk of EVD from the disease-outbreaking countries into China using the risk matrix and Borda count methods, respectively.@*RESULTS@#From 1976-2021, EVD mainly occurred in western and central Africa, with the highest cumulative number of cases (14,124 cases) in Sierra Leone, and the highest cumulative fatality rate (85%) in the Congo. Outbreaks of EVD have occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea since 2018. The importation risk into China varies across countries with outbreaks of disease. The Democratic Republic of the Congo had an extremely high risk (23 Borda points), followed by Guinea and Liberia. Countries with a moderate importation risk were Nigeria, Uganda, Congo, Sierra Leone, Mali, and Gabon, while countries with a low importation risk included Sudan, Senegal, and Co

Salvianolic acid A contributes to cartilage endplate cell restoration by regulating miR-940 and miR-576-5p / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate whether Salvianolic acid A (SAA) can restore cartilage endplate cell degeneration of intervertebral discs and to identify the mechanism via regulation of micro-RNA.@*METHODS@#Cartilage endplate cells were isolated from lumbar intervertebral disc surgical samples and were treated with serum containing a series of concentrations of SAA (2, 5, and 10 ?M) for 24, 48, and 72 h to identify a proper dose and treatment time of SAA. The effect SAA on interlenkin-1β (IL-1β)-induced extracellular matrix degradation of cartilage endplate cells were analyzed by Alcian blue staining and assessment of the expression levels of ADAMTS-5, MMP3 and Col2a1. Further, the potential target miRNAs were preliminarily screened by micro-RNA sequencing combining qRT-PCR and Western blot, and then, the miRNAs mimics and inhibitors were used to verify the regulatory effect of SAA on potential target miRNAs.@*RESULTS@#The 10 μM SAA treatment for 48 h significantly enhanced the viability of cartilage endplate cells, and increased Col2a1 expression and glycosaminoglycan accumulation that were repressed by IL-1β, and reduced the effect of IL-1β on ADAMTS-5, and MMP3. Screening analysis based on micro-RNA sequencing and Venny analysis identified the downstream micro-RNAs, including miR-940 and miR-576-5p. Then, the miR-940-mimic or miR-576-5p-mimic were transfected into CEPCs. Compared with the SAA group, the expression of ADAMTS-5 and MMP3 increased significantly and the expression of COL2A1 obviously decreased after overexpression of miR-940 or miR-576-5p in CEPCs.@*CONCLUSION@#Salvianolic acid A attenuated the IL-1β-induced extracellular matrix degradation of cartilage endplate cells by targeting regulate the miR-940 and the miR-576-5p.

[Retention Effect of Heavy Metals in Rivers of a Typical Mountainous City by Cascade Weirs: A Case Study of Liangtan River in Chongqing].

Contaminants such as heavy metals in rivers are partially retained in the sediments at the bottom as a result of the altered water regime within the cascade weirs. The associated heavy metals in the sediments can affect surface water quality and ecology for a long period. In May 2020, sediments were collected in a typical mountainous river (Liangtan River) with cascade weirs in the main urban area of Chongqing. The accumulation of sediments in each river section, the content of heavy metals, and other basic physicochemical indicators in the samples were monitored. The results showed that the average ω(As), ω(Cd), ω(Cu), ω(Hg), ω(Ni), and ω(Pb) in the sediments of the main stream of Liangtan River were (4.66±4.78), (0.361±0.256), (32.30±14.38), (0.069±0.039), (33.47±15.37), and (26.34±11.52) mg·kg-1, respectively. A large coefficient of spatial variation regarding the content of heavy metals in the sediments across the sampling sites was observed owing to the uneven spatial distribution of pollution sources and the destruction of river connectivity by cascade weirs. The modified geoaccumulation index (Im) showed that Cd was the most polluted heavy metal element in the sediments. Of the monitored river sections, 12.50% approached or were at moderate pollution levels, and these sections were mainly found in the upstream and downstream reaches of Liangtan River with relatively concentrated construction lands. The potential ecological risk assessment index method (RI) and the sediment quality guideline method (SQGs) showed that, in addition to Cd and Hg with a high pollution level and strong toxicity, Ni in the sediments also posed a potential threat to the ecological safety of surface water due to its high background content in the watershed. The total amounts of As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Pb retained in the sediments by cascade weirs were estimated to be 446.10, 47.28, 4997.80, 10.81, 5135.68, and 4048.16 kg, respectively, in which Cd, Ni, and Pb were identified to be the major threats to the ecological safety of surface water over a long period. The upper reaches prior to the weirs with the most retained heavy metals and the easier formation of an anaerobic environment are suggested to be the key areas for investigation of the endogenous release of heavy metals. Source apportionment of heavy metals in river sediments through the combination of principal component analysis and cluster analysis revealed that Cd, Cu, and Pb mainly originated from residential/industrial point source pollution. Hg mainly originated from agricultural non-point source pollution, whereas As and Ni mainly originated from natural soil erosion.

[Spatial Distribution and Influential Factors of Nutrients in Rivers of a Typical Mountainous City: A Case Study of the Qingshuixi River in Chongqing].

Surface water pollution seriously restricts the development of the city and results in the citizens yearning for a better life. Mountainous cities have their own characteristics in surface water environment and pollution compared with those of plain cities due to their unique topography. In August and October 2019, surface water and sediments were collected in a typical river (Qingshuixi River) in the main urban area of Chongqing. These samples were analyzed for nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus as well as other basic physicochemical indicators. The results showed that the surface water of the Qingshuixi River was inferior to Category V at present, and it was also at a serious pollution level according to the comprehensive pollution index evaluation system. Among all the water quality indices, NH4+ and TP showed the most serious pollution. The tributaries of the Qingshuixi River exhibited higher surface water quality than that of the main stream, and the water quality during the rainfall season was better than that during the non-rainy season. Pollution sources, tailwater/tributary inflow, and river self-purification capacity determined the spatial distribution of nutrients in the surface water of the mainstream of the Qingshuixi River. Point sources such as the direct discharge of source sewage and pollution overflow in the middle and lower reaches were the most important sources of surface water pollution in the mainstream of the Qingshuixi River. Non-point source pollution had a limited impact on water quality. The "sink" or "source" role transformation of river sediments would occur under different water volume conditions in the river, reflecting the complexity of endogenous pollution. Surface water quality of the main stream showed a gradual improvement tendency along the downstream due to the dilution of the tail water/tributary inflow and the increased self-purification capability of the surface water in the mountainous rivers due to the increased DO content. To summarize, this study suggests that the water environment of the Qingshuixi River should be improved in comprehensive ways, which might be reducing the input of point source pollution by the deployment of the municipal pipe network in key areas, upgrading the sewage treatment plants to decrease pollutant concentrations or fluxes or channel dredging at the reaches with low DO content, etc.

Distribution Characteristics of Cadmium and Arsenic in the Typical Vegetable Soil and the Sediment of its Irrigation Sources in Xijiang River Basin at the End of the Farming Slack Period.

We collected the farmland soil and the sediment, carried out sample speciation detection and distribution analyses, explored environmental self-purification on the distribution of Cd and As of agricultural sources. There were significant differences between total Cd and total As and between speciation distribution in the orders of magnitude. Total Cd (mean content was 1.74 mg kg-1) and total As (mean content was 32.31 mg kg-1) in all the samples were higher than the background contents. Cd distribution in the farmland soil was not significantly affected by geographical locations. As cumulative effect in riverside farmland soil was stronger, river irrigation and flooding may input more As, transformation mechanism of As may be exogenous input, binding and passive release. The bio-available proportions and risk assessment criteria of Cd were larger than As, the ecological risk of local Cd was higher than As, suggested to increase risk monitoring of Cd.

Flexible ureteroscopy with ultrasound guidance for the treatment of parapelvic renal cysts: A complementary approach for locating the cystic wall.

BACKGROUND: Flexible ureteroscopic incision and drainage is a relatively new surgical method for treating parapelvic cysts. Considering that the intraoperative localization of the cyst may fail with a flexible ureteroscope, we use an innovative ultrasound-guided method to locate the cystic wall during flexible ureteroscopic surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 17 consecutive cases of parapelvic renal cysts treated by ultrasound-guided flexible ureteroscopy between March 2017 and May 2020. The differences between the simple flexible ureteroscopic technique and ultrasound-guided flexible ureteroscopic technique were compared. The surgical procedures, postoperative complications, results and patient follow-ups were evaluated. RESULTS: The cyst wall was seen clearly in 10 patients with ureteroscopic vision. Another 7 patients underwent ultrasound-guided flexible ureteroscopic surgery since it was difficult to identify the cyst wall. The mean operative time was 25.9 ± 8.7 min and 37.1 ± 10.1 min for the conventional and modified techniques, respectively (P = 0.004); the mean time to search for cysts was 17.6 ± 5.8 min and 26.5 ± 8.4 min, respectively (P = 0.002); and the mean incision time was 7.1 ± 4.9 min and 12.1 ± 5.6 min, respectively (P = 0.000). All of the patients were followed-up for 12 months, and no serious complications or recurrence were observed. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that it is feasible and safe to treat parapelvic renal cysts by ultrasound-guided flexible ureteroscopic incision and drainage. The small sample size and need for further studies were the limitations of our work.

Research progress in mechanism of Chinese herbal compounds and monomers in delaying lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration / 中国中药杂志

Traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in the treatment of degenerative bone and joint diseases, and its widely used in clinical practice. In recent years, many scholars have conducted a large number of basic studies on the delay of intervertebral disc degeneration by herbal compound and monomeric components from different perspectives. In order to further elucidate its mechanism of action, this paper summarizes the in vivo and in vitro experimental studies conducted at the level of both herbal compound and single components, respectively, in order to provide references for the basic research on the treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration by Chinese medicine. A summary shows that commonly used herbal compound prescriptions include both classical prescriptions such as Duhuo Jisheng Decoction, as well as clinical experience prescriptions such as Yiqi Huoxue Recipe. Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata, Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix, and Eucommiae Cortex were used most frequently. Tonic for deficiency and blood stasis activators were used most frequently. The most utilized monomeric components include icariin, ginsenoside Re, salvianolic acid B and aucubin. The main molecular mechanisms by which herbal compound and monomeric components delay of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration include improving the intervertebral disc microenvironment, promoting the synthesis of aggregated proteoglycans and type Ⅱ collagen in the intervertebral disc, reducing the degradation of the extracellular matrix, and inhibiting apoptosis in the nucleus pulposus cells, etc. The main signaling pathways involved include Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, MAPK-related signaling pathway, mTOR signaling pathway, Fas/FasL signaling pathway, PI3 K/Akt signaling pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, JAK/STAT signaling pathway, and hedgehog signaling pathway, etc.

Decoupling of Medical Public-Private Partnership Efficiency and Pollution to Improve Public Health: A Three-Stage DEA Analysis.

This study investigates the spatiotemporal evolution of the efficiency of medical public-private partnerships (PPPs) and the decoupling of environmental pollution to promote public health, balanced development, and environmentalism. Based on the 2011-2020 data of medical PPPs in China, the results of a three-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) and decoupling model show that, firstly, the spatiotemporal evolution of PPP efficiency of China in healthcare has forward periodic twists and turns, and alternating peaks and valleys, which fall into two stages: extensive development, and transformation and upgrading. Secondly, this development is either a type of stable, steady or a surge increase. Thirdly, PPP efficiency and environmental pollution show a weak decoupling state. That is, Northeast China (NEC) and Southwest China (SWC) are in a state of increasing connection, whereas Northwest China (NWC) is in an expanding negative decoupling state. The remaining regions are in a weak decoupling state. This study recommends the mode of ecology-oriented development (EOD) to promote a high-quality, integrated development of PPPs in medicine and healthcare that are especially conducive to a "green economy." There should be a more coordinated development across regions in China as well.

[Effect of electroacupuncture on angiopoietin-1 in spinal cord of rats with neuropathic pain].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the behavior, histomorphology and the expression of angiopoietin-1 (Angpt-1) in rats with spinal nerve injury, so as to explore its mechanism on neuropathic pain. METHODS: Forty-five male SD rats were randomly divided into sham, model and EA groups (n=15 rats in each group). Spinal nerve ligation (SNL) of the L5 lumbar vertebra was performed to establish a rat model of neuropathic pain. The rats in the EA group were given EA at "Zusanli" (ST36) and "Kunlun" (BL60) of the operation side with continuous wave at a frequency of 2 Hz and an intensity of 1.5 mA once a day, 30 minutes each time for 7 days. The sham group only exposed L5 spinal nerves without ligation. Mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were observed and recorded before modeling and on days 3,5,7,10,12 and 14 after modeling. L4-L6 segments of spinal cord were taken and the morphological changes of spinal dorsal horn were observed by HE staining. The changes of spinal dorsal horn nerve fiber structure were observed by silver plating staining. Angpt-1 expression was detected by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Compared with the sham group, the model group had significant reductions in MWT and TWL at each time point (P<0.01); compared with the model group, the EA group had significant increases in MWT and TWL on days 10,12 and 14 after intervention (P<0.05, P<0.01). HE staining showed that in the model group, the spinal dorsal horn showed degeneration and necrosis of neurons, nuclear fixation and shrinkage, and loose surrounding tissues. The degree of tissue damage of the EA group was milder than that of the model group. The silver staining results showed the model group had obvious neuronal fibrillary tangles, while there were fewer neuronal fibrillary tangles in the EA group. Compared with the sham group, the Angpt-1 expression in the model group was significantly decreased (P<0.01), and compared with the model group, the EA group had a significant increase in the expression of Angpt-1 (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: EA can promote the recovery of nerve function in SNL rats by up-regulating Angpt-1 expression.

[Influence of electroacupuncture on the expression of AMPA receptor subunit GluR1 in the spinal injured area of the rats with acute spinal cord injury].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the influence of electroacupuncture (EA) on the expression of AMPA receptor subunit GluR1 in the rats with acute spinal cord injury (SCI) and explore the potential effect mechanism of EA in treatment of acute SCI. METHODS: A total of 80 SD rats were randomly divided into five groups, i.e. a sham-operation group, a model group, an AMPA antagonist (DNQX) group, an EA group and a DNQX+EA group, 16 rats in each group. The modified Allen's impacting method was adopted to prepare the rat model of acute SCI at T10. In the DNQX group, the intrathecal injection of 10 µL DNQX solution with a concentration of 1 nmol/µL was administered in 0.5 h after modeling success. In the EA group, EA (disperse-dense wave, 2 Hz/100 Hz in frequency, 0.5 mA in output current) was given at "Dazhui" (GV 14) and "Mingmen" (GV 4) in 0.5 h, 12 h and 24 h after modeling success for 30 min and totally 3 times. In the DNQX + EA group, the interventions in the above two groups were managed. The Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor rating score (BBB) was applied to evaluate the changes of locomotor function in the rats before modeling and in 6 h, 24 h and 48 h after modeling successively. Using the hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, the histopathological changes in the spinal anterior horn were observed in the spinal injured area. The immunofluorescence method was adopted to determine the number of GluR1 positive neuron of the spinal anterior horn. The Western blot method was used to determine the protein expression of GluR1 in the injured area. RESULTS: Compared to the sham-operation group in 6 h, 24 h and 48 h after modeling, the BBB scores were all significantly decreased in the model group (P<0.001) at the corresponding points. The BBB score was increased in each of intervention groups, but without statistical difference as compared with the model group (P>0.05). In the model group, it was found that the boundary between gray matter and white matter in the spinal anterior horn was blurred, the interstitial space enlarged, the neuron volume obviously shrunken, the cytoplasm decreased, the red stain deepened and some neuron nuclei fixed and shrunk. In the EA group, the morphology of the spinal anterior horn in the injured area was improved obviously, which was similar in the DNQX group and the DNQX + EA group. Compared with the sham-operation group, the GluR1 protein expression in the spinal injury area was increased (P<0.001) and the number of GluR1 positive neurons elevated (P<0.001) in the spinal anterior horn in the model group. Compared with the model group, in the EA group, the DNQX group and the DNQX + EA group, GluR1 protein expression was decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01) and the number of GluR1 positive neurons in the spinal anterior horn reduced (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The intervention with EA at "Dazhui" and "Mingmen" promotes the repair of the injured nerve in the spinal anterior horn probably through inhibiting GluR1 expression in the spinal injured area in the rats with acute SCI.

Influence of electroacupuncture on the expression of AMPA receptor subunit GluR1 in the spinal injured area of the rats with acute spinal cord injury / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the influence of electroacupuncture (EA) on the expression of AMPA receptor subunit GluR1 in the rats with acute spinal cord injury (SCI) and explore the potential effect mechanism of EA in treatment of acute SCI.@*METHODS@#A total of 80 SD rats were randomly divided into five groups, i.e. a sham-operation group, a model group, an AMPA antagonist (DNQX) group, an EA group and a DNQX+EA group, 16 rats in each group. The modified Allen's impacting method was adopted to prepare the rat model of acute SCI at T@*RESULTS@#Compared to the sham-operation group in 6 h, 24 h and 48 h after modeling, the BBB scores were all significantly decreased in the model group (@*CONCLUSION@#The intervention with EA at "Dazhui" and "Mingmen" promotes the repair of the injured nerve in the spinal anterior horn probably through inhibiting GluR1 expression in the spinal injured area in the rats with acute SCI.

Effects of electroacupuncture at different acupoints on the histomorphology of neurogenic bladder and the expression of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels in interstitial cells of Cajal in a rat model of suprasacral spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effects of electroacupuncture at different acupoints on the histomorphology of neurogenic bladder and the expression of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels in interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in a rat model of suprasacral spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: A incomplete suprasacral SCI rat model was induced using a MASCIS impactor. Rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, SCI model group, Ciliao treatment group or Guanyuan treatment group. The histomorphology of bladder cells was observed after hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of bladder tissue sections. The expression of HCN channel proteins in ICC cells was detected by western blot and immunofluorescence, and HCN channel mRNA expression was measured using real-time PCR. RESULTS: In terms of histomorphology, the level of bladder cells after SCI increased significantly, and marked inflammation and edema were observed. Electroacupuncture treatment at the Ciliao acupoint significantly reduced inflammation and edema, whilst electroacupuncture treatment at the Guanyuan point partially reduced inflammation and edema. In terms of HCN channel protein and mRNA expression, western blotting, immunofluorescence and real-time PCR all confirmed that HCN channel expression after SCI was significantly upregulated, while electroacupuncture treatment at the Ciliao and Guanyuan acupoints inhibited HCN channel expression. CONCLUSIONS: Electroacupuncture treatment at the Ciliao acupoint significantly reduced histomorphological abnormalities in ICCs, and inhibited the expression of HCN channel proteins after SCI.

[Effect of electroacupuncture on the morphological changes of the spinal dorsal horn and the expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in the injured spinal cord of rats with neuropathic pain].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture stimulation at "Zusanli"(ST36) and "Kunlun"(BL60) on the morphological changes of the spinal dorsal horn and the expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) in the injured spinal cord of rats with neuropathic pain. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham model group, model group, electroacupuncture group, and medication group, with 10 rats in each group. Spinal nerve ligation of the L5 lumbar vertebra was performed to establish a rat model of neuropathic pain. The rats in the electroacupuncture group were given electroacupuncture at ST36 and BL60 of the operation side with dilatational wave at a frequency of 2 Hz/100 Hz and an intensity of 1.5 mA once a day, 30 minutes each time, and those in the medication group were given intraperitoneal injection of 100 mg/mL Gabapentin solution (100 mg/kg) once a day; the one-week intervention was started at one week after surgery. Mechanical withdraw threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were observed and recorded before modeling and on days 1,3,5,7,10,12 and 14 after modeling, and the motor function of the affected hindlimb was scored. Methenamine silver stain was used to observe the morphological changes of the spinal dorsal horn, and Western blot was used to measure the relative protein expression of p38MAPK and phospho-p38MAPK(p-p38MAPK) in L4-L6 spinal segments. RESULTS: Compared with the sham model group, the model group had significant reductions in MWT and TWL at each time point (P<0.001) and a significant increase in motor function score (P<0.001); compared with the model group, the electroacupuncture group and the medication group had significant increases in MWT and TWL and a significant reduction in motor function score after treatment (P<0.05). The model group had obvious neuronal fibrillary tangles, particle vacuolar degeneration, and vacuoles containing argyrophilic grains in the cytoplasm of neural cells under a light microscope, while there were fewer neuronal fibrillary tangles in the electroacupuncture group and reduced vacuolar degeneration in the medication group. Compared with the sham model group, the model group had significant increases in the protein expression of p-p38MAPK in the spinal dorsal horn (P<0.001), and compared with the model group, the electroacupuncture group and the medication group had significant reductions in the protein expression of p-p38MAPK in the spinal dorsal horn(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture stimulation at ST36 and BL60 can increase pain threshold, improve the motor function of the affected hindlimb, and improve the necrosis of neurofibrils in the spinal dorsal horn in rats with neuropathic pain, possibly by regulating the expression of p-p38MAPK in the spinal dorsal horn.

Study on mechanism of "Epimedii Folium-Paeoniae Radix Alba" in treatment of lumbar disc herniation based on network pharmacology / 中国中药杂志

The aim of this paper was to investigate the key targets and mechanism of "Epimedii Folium-Paeoniae Radix Alba" in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation by means of network pharmacology. The currently recognized databases and analysis software at home and abroad were used to construct the network from drugs and diseases. The chemical components of Epimedii Folium and Paeo-niae Radix Alba were collected by using databases such as TCMSP, while their active components were determined and the action targets were predicted according to threshold screening and literature reports. The genes for lumbar disc herniation were collected by using GeneCards, OMIM, and DisGeNET databases. The drug targets were mapped to disease targets, and protein interaction network analysis for key targets, GO function enrichment analysis and KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis were performed. Finally, 23 active components of Epimedium Folium and 13 active components of Paeoniae Radix Alba were determined, and a total of 624 drug targets were obtained. After standardization, 214 drug targets were obtained. In addition, 306, 2 and 5 related targets of lumbar disc herniation were collected from GeneCards, OMIM, and DisGeNET database, respectively, and a total of 293 disease targets were obtained after deduplication. After the mapping of drug target and disease target, 44 common targets were obtained. PPI protein interaction network analysis showed that IL-6, TNF, AKT1, MAPK1, and VEGFA may be the core targets for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. GO enrichment analysis identified 56 items(P<0.05), among which biological processes mainly included immune response, apoptosis, etc.; cell components mainly included extracellular space, extracellular region, etc.; molecular functions mainly included cytokine activity, metallopeptidase activity and so on. Through KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, 91 signaling pathways related to inflammation, metabolism, and senescence were identified, mainly including IL-17 signaling pathway and TNF signaling pathway and so on. "Epimedii Folium-Paeoniae Radix Alba" showed the characteristics of multi-channel and multi-target for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. This study preliminarily explored the key targets for its role and the biological processes and signaling pathways involved. It was found that it may play a therapeutic role by affecting inflammation and immune regulation, which laid the foundation for further experimental verification.

Optimal Seismic Reflectivity Inversion: Data-driven ℓ p -loss-ℓ q -regularization Sparse Regression.

Seismic reflectivity inversion is widely applied to improve the seismic resolution to obtain detailed underground understandings. Based on the convolution model, seismic inversion removes the wavelet effect by solving an optimization problem. Taking advantage of the sparsity property, the ℓ 1 norm is commonly adopted in the regularization terms to overcome the noise/interference vulnerability observed in the ℓ p -losses minimization. However, no one has provided a deterministic conclusion that ℓ1 norm regularization is the best choice for seismic reflectivity inversion. Instead of using an unproved fixed regularization norm, we propose an optimal seismic reflectivity inversion approach. Our method adaptively adopts a ℓ p -loss-ℓ q -regularization (i.e. ℓ p,q regularization) for p = 2, 0 < q < 1 to estimate a more accurate and detailed reflectivity profile. In addition, we employ a K fold cross-validation based approach to obtain the optimal damping factor λ to further improve the seismic inversion results. The letter starts with the introduction of non-convex constraint for seismic inversion, and the necessity of the ℓ q norm regularization. Then the majorization-minimization and cross validation algorithms are briefly described. The performance of the proposed seismic inversion approach is evaluated through synthetic examples and a field example from the Bohai Bay Basin, China.

[Influence of electroacupuncture of "Dazhui" (EX-B2) and "Mingmen" (GV4) on NR2B expression in anterior horns of spinal cord in rats with acute spinal cord injury].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the influence of eletroacupuncture (EA) at "Dazhui" (EX-B2) and "Mingmen" (GV4) on expression of NR2B subunit of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA) in the injured anterior horn (AH) area of rats with acute spinal cord injury (SCI), so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of neural repair. METHODS: A total of 96 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly and equally divided into four groups: sham operation (sham), model, medication (Methyl-prednisone, MP) and EA (n＝24 in each group). The acute SCI model was established by using a MASCIS spinal cord impactor. EA (2 Hz, 0.5 mA) was applied to EX-B2 and GV4 for 30 min, once at 0.5 h, 12 and 24 h after SCI. Rats of the medication group were treated by tail intravenous injection of MP 30 mg/kg within 15 min (impact therapy) and 5.4 mg•kg－1•h－1 (maintaining treatment) 45 min thereafter for 23 h. The Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) rating scale (0 to 21 points) was used to assess changes of locomotor function 6, 24 and 48 h after SCI. Histopathological changes of the injured spinal cord AH region were observed after sectioning and hematoxylin-eosin (H.E.) staining, and the expression levels of NR2B mRNA and protein of AH were measured by quantitative real-time PCR, Western blot and immunofluorescence, respectively. RESULTS: After SCI, the BBB scores at 6, 24 and 48 h were significantly decreased in the model group compared with those of the sham group (P<0.001), but had no remarkable changes in both medication and EA groups after the intervention in comparison with those of the model group (P>0.05). After modeling, the histopathological changes (blurred border of the grey-white matter, cellular karyopyknosis, deepening of the cytoplasmic red stain, and rupture, dissolution and disordered arrangement of myelinated nerve fibers) in the injury area of the spinal cord in the model group were apparent, the number of NR2B positive neurons and the relative expression levels of NR2B mRNA and protein were significantly increased in the model group relevant to the sham group (P<0.05). In contrast to the model group, the injured severity of the spinal cord AH region was relatively milder, and the expression levels of NR2B mRNA and protein were considerably down-regulated in both EA and MP groups (P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences between the EA and MP groups in the expression levels of NR2B mRNA and protein (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: EA at EX-B2 and GV4 may inhibit the expression of NR2B mRNA and protein in acute SCI rats, which may contribute to its action in promoting nerve repair of the injured ventricolumna area of the thoracic spinal cord.