Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound repair in mandibular condylar cartilage injury rabbit model.

OBJECTIVES: Beneficial effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound(US) have been reported for knee articular cartilage injury. It is unclear whether the same effect could be observed on mandibular condylar cartilage. This study was designed to explore the efficacy of ultrasound cartilage repair via autophagy regulation. METHODS: A total of 18 adult rabbits were divided into a sham operation group (exposure to condylar articular surface only), operation without US group (only cartilage surgery), and operation with US group (received ultrasonic therapy daily on day 4 after cartilage surgery). The rabbits were then sacrificed to construct a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) cartilage injury model and HE staining was conducted to observe pathological changes of cartilage in each group. Expression of FGF18, FGFR4, beclin1, ATG3 and ATG7 in rabbit TMJ cartilage were detected using RT-PCR and western blotting. Finally, protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis was used to observe the interaction among the network of important biomarkers in this injury model. RESULTS: Compared to the operation without US group, the severity of cartilage injury was decreased in the operation with US group according to HE staining. The expression of autophagy biomarkers, beclin1, ATG3, ATG7, FGF18 and FGFR4, in operation with US group were up-regulated compared with those in sham operation group and operation without US group p < 0.05). In PPI analysis, ATG3, ATG7, PIK3C3, PIK3R4, BECN1 were identified as hub nodes connecting with most proteins network. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest US has therapeutic potential for the treatment of mandibular condylar cartilage injury, and may affect chondrocyte autophagy.

Effect of Tai Chi for the prevention or treatment of osteoporosis in elderly adults: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis (OP) has been defined as a degenerative bone disease characterised by low bone mass and microstructural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to fragility and an increased risk of fractures, especially of the hip, spine and wrist. Exercise has been shown to benefit the maintenance of bone health and improvement of muscle strength, balance and coordination, thereby reducing the risk of falls and fractures. However, prior findings regarding the optimal types and regimens of exercise for treating low bone mineral density (BMD) in elderly people are not consistent. As an important component of traditional Chinese Qigong exercises, Tai Chi (TC) is an ancient art and science of healthcare derived from the martial arts. The objective of this study is to attempt to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the existing studies on TC exercise as an intervention for the prevention or treatment of OP in elderly adults and to draw more useful conclusions regarding the safety and the effectiveness of TC in preventing or treating OP. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Eight electronic databases (Science Citation Index, PubMed Database, Embase (Ovid) Database, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Chinese databases, including Chinese BioMedical Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database and the Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database) will be searched from the beginning of each database to 1 April 2018. Potential outcomes of interest will include rates of fractures or falls, BMD at the total hip and the total spine, bone formation biomarkers, bone resorption biomarkers, bone biomarkers, health-related quality of life and adverse events. Only randomised controlled trials comparing TC exercise against each other or non-intervention will be included. The Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool will be used for quality assessment. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required as the study will be a review of existing studies. This review may help to elucidate whether TC exercise is effective for the prevention or treatment of OP in elderly adults. The findings of the study will be published in a peer-reviewed publication and will be disseminated electronically or in print. We will share the findings in the fourth quarter of 2018. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018084950.

The effects of aerobic exercise on the structure and function of DMN-related brain regions: a systematic review.

Physical activity may play a role in both the prevention and slowing of brain volume loss and may be beneficial in terms of improving the functional connectivity of brain regions. But much less is known about the potential benefit of aerobic exercise for the structure and function of the default mode network (DMN) brain regions. This systematic review examines the effects of aerobic exercise on the structure and function of DMN brain regions in human adulthood. Seven electronic databases were searched for prospective controlled studies published up to April 2015. The quality of the selected studies was evaluated with the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing the risk of bias. RevMan 5.3 software was applied for data analysis. Finally, 14 studies with 631 participants were identified. Meta-analysis revealed that aerobic exercise could significantly increase right hippocampal volume (SMD = 0.26, 95% CI 0.01-0.51, p = 0.04, I2 = 7%, 4 studies), and trends of similar effects were observed in the total (SMD = 0.12, 95% CI -0.17 to 0.41, p = 0.43, I2 = 0%, 5 studies), left (SMD = 0.12, 95% CI -0.13 to 0.37, p = 0.33, I2 = 14%, 4 studies), left anterior (SMD = 0.12, 95% CI -0.16 to 0.40, p = 0.41, I2 = 74%, 2 studies) and right anterior (SMD = 0.10, 95% CI -0.17 to 0.38, p = 0.46, I2 = 76%, 4 studies) hippocampal volumes compared to the no-exercise interventions. A few studies reported that relative to no-exercise interventions, aerobic exercise could significantly decrease the atrophy of the medial temporal lobe, slow the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) volume loss, increase functional connectivity within the hippocampus and improve signal activation in the cingulate gyrus and ACC. The current review suggests that aerobic exercise may have positive effects on the right hippocampus and potentially beneficial effects on the overall and other parts of the hippocampus, the cingulate cortex and the medial temporal areas of the DMN. Moreover, aerobic exercise may increase functional connectivity or activation in the hippocampus, cingulate cortex and parahippocampal gyrus regions of the DMN. However, considering the quantity and limitations of the included studies, the conclusion could not be drawn so far. Additional randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with rigorous designs and longer intervention periods are needed in the future.