Du-moxibustion ameliorates depression-like behavior and neuroinflammation in chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced mice.

BACKGROUND: Neuroinflammation is involved in the advancement of depression. Du-moxibustion can treat depression. Here, we explored whether Du-moxibustion could alleviate neuroglia-associated neuro-inflammatory process in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mice. METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were distributed into five groups. Except for the CON group, other four groups underwent CUMS for four consecutive weeks, and Du-moxibustion was given simultaneously after modeling. Behavioral tests were then carried out. Additionally, Western blot was conducted to measure the relative expression levels of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). Immunofluorescence was employed to evaluate the positive cells of ionized calcium binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba-1) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Furthermore, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were analyzed using an ELISA assay. RESULTS: We found that CUMS induced depression-like behaviors, such as reduced sucrose preference ratio, decreased locomotor and exploratory activity, decreased the time in open arms and prolonged immobility. Furthermore, versus the CON group, the expression of HMGB1, TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB, positive cells of Iba-1, IL-1ß and TNF-α were increased but positive cells of GFAP were decreased in CUMS group. However, the detrimental effects were ameliorated by treatment with CUMS+FLU and CUMS+DM. LIMITATIONS: A shortage of this study is that only CUMS model of depression were used, while other depression model were not included. CONCLUSIONS: Du-moxibustion alleviates depression-like behaviors in CUMS mice mainly by reducing neuroinflammation, which offers novel insights into the potential treatment of depression.

Global biomarker trends in Parkinson's disease research: A bibliometric analysis.

As the second most common neurodegenerative disease globally, Parkinson's disease (PD) affects millions of people worldwide. In recent years, the scientific publications related to PD biomarker research have exploded, reflecting the growing interest in unraveling the complex pathophysiology of PD. In this study, we aim to use various bibliometric tools to identify key scientific concepts, detect emerging trends, and analyze the global trends and development of PD biomarker research.The research encompasses various stages of biomarker development, including exploration, identification, and multi-modal research. MOVEMENT DISORDERS emerged as the leading journal in terms of publications and citations. Key authors such as Mollenhauer and Salem were identified, while the University of Pennsylvania and USA stood out in collaboration and research output. NEUROSCIENCES emerged as the most important research direction. Key biomarker categories include α-synuclein-related markers, neurotransmitter-related markers, inflammation and immune system-related markers, oxidative stress and mitochondrial function-related markers, and brain imaging-related markers. Furthermore, future trends in PD biomarker research focus on exosomes and plasma biomarkers, miRNA, cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, machine learning applications, and animal models of PD. These trends contribute to early diagnosis, disease progression monitoring, and understanding the pathological mechanisms of PD.

Association of serum oleic acid level with depression in American adults: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: As the most abundant fatty acid in plasma, oleic acid has been found to be associated with multiple neurological diseases; however, results from studies of the relationship between oleic acid and depression are inconsistent. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed 4,459 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2014. The following covariates were adjusted in multivariable logistic regression models: age, sex, race/ethnicity, education level, marital status, body mass index, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol status, metabolic syndrome, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and total cholesterol. RESULTS: Serum oleic acid levels were positively associated with depression. After adjusting for all covariates, for every 1 mmol/L increase in oleic acid levels, the prevalence of depression increased by 40% (unadjusted OR: 1.35, 95%CI: 1.16-1.57; adjusted OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.03-1.90). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that oleic acid may play a role in depression. Further research is needed to investigate the potential benefits of changing oleic acid levels for the treatment and prevention of depression.

Du-Moxibustion in a Mouse Model of Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a progressively worsening and disabling form of arthritis that primarily affects the axial skeleton. This disease mainly involves the spine and the sacroiliac joint. Fusion of the spine and the sacroiliac joint may occur in the later stage of the disease, resulting in spinal stiffness and kyphosis, as well as difficulty in walking, which seriously affects the quality of work and daily living activities and imposes a heavy burden on the patient, the family, and society. Increasing attention has been paid to non-pharmacotherapy as an alternative therapy for AS. Moxibustion is an ancient therapeutic technique used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Du-moxibustion therapy, a unique and innovative external treatment developed on the basis of ordinary moxibustion, has a definite therapeutic effect on AS. Du-moxibustion skillfully combines the compatible techniques of TCM to integrate meridians, acupoints, Chinese herbal medicine, and moxibustion. This paper describes the operation procedures and precautions to be taken during Du-moxibustion in experimental mice in detail to provide an experimental basis for the study of the mechanism of Du-moxibustion in the treatment of AS.

Frontiers in chronic fatigue syndrome research: An analysis of the top 100 most influential articles in the field.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complex constellation of symptoms that significantly reduces the quality of life among affected individuals and increases public health expenditures. We conducted a search on the Web of Science Core Collection database and selected the top 100 cited articles in the field of CFS. Several literature analysis tools, including CiteSpace 6.1.R6, VOSviewer 1.6.19, and Scimago Graphica 1.0.30, were utilized to integrate the most influential research papers and academic journals in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the CFS field. The top 100 highly-cited publications were published in 67 reputable journals, with contributions from 250 institutions across 26 countries/regions involved in CFS research. This demonstrates the extensive attention and coverage of CFS research by high-quality academic journals and institutions, highlighting the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary nature of CFS studies. The journal with the highest publication volume and total citations was Lancet. The top 5 co-occurring keywords were chronic fatigue syndrome, cognitive behavior therapy, epidemiology, definition, and disorders, indicating the ongoing attention researchers have devoted to the diagnostic criteria and clinical studies of CFS. Cluster analysis results suggested that primary care, infectious retrovirus, gene expression, and metabolomics may become the focal points and trends in future CFS research. The prospective research directions in this field include the search for biological markers, with a particular focus on immunology; the advancement of diagnostic techniques; the screening of risk genes associated with CFS; and the conduct of epidemiological investigations.

Frontiers of monkeypox research: An analysis from the top 100 most influential articles in the field.

Background: Monkeypox (MPX) has made recurrence after decades as a neglected zoonotic disease. More nations have reported endemic monkeypox in the past decade than in the previous forty. The World Health Organization has warned that the world may face another significant challenge after dealing with COVID-19, a pandemic, and the Monkeypox outbreak. Early appraisal of monkeypox research and development allows researchers to anticipate solutions for large outbreaks. We conducted a bibliometric analysis of this study's top 100 cited papers to identify regional research patterns. Methods: Our method was to search the SCI-Expanded database on Web of Science (WOS) for the top 100 papers that were cited in MPX on this database. We examined relevant literature from different years, journals, countries/regions, institutions, authors, and keywords.In order to create knowledge maps, we used the programs VOSviewer, Citespace, Scimago Graphica and the bibliometric online analysis platform. After compiling the relevant literature in Excel, we could estimate the field's focus and trends. Results: A total of 47 journals from 36 countries and regions published the top 100 cited papers between 1999 and 2023. The majority of articles were published in EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES, while the highest average number of citations per paper were found in the NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. The UNITED STATES contributed the most publications, followed by ENGLAND and SWITZERLAND. As far as the total number of publications goes, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in the USA, the National Institute of Health in the USA, and the World Health Organization each contributed the most papers. The major categories are immunology, virology and infectious diseases. The top five keywords were infection, Congo, virus, smallpox, and transmission. The cluster analysis suggests MPX research will focus on safe and effective vaccines and epidemic prevention. Conclusion: By using bibliometric analysis, MPX researchers can quickly and visually identify their research focus and boundaries. Although studies suggest that antiviral medicine is the best treatment, creating an effective vaccine might lessen and avoid MPX pandemics in the long term. Our findings imply that safe and effective vaccines may be the focus and trends for future MPX research. International coordination for case monitoring and identification is essential to understand monkeypox disease's ever-changing epidemiology.

Frontiers of ankylosing spondylitis research: an analysis from the top 100 most influential articles in the field.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that frequently results in disability. It has a negative impact on patients' quality of life and puts an enormous budgetary and societal burden on society. The most effective treatment for AS has grown to be a significant issue worldwide. In order to pinpoint research focus and trends in this region, we performed a bibliometric analysis of the top 100 cited papers in this study. We searched the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-Expanded) on the Web of Science (WOS) and selected the top 100 cited papers based on AS. The pertinent literature from various years, journals, nations/regions, institutions, authors, keywords, and references were then examined. To construct knowledge maps, we used the VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Scimago Graphica programs. Excel was then used to compile the information from the pertinent literature that we had retrieved, and we were able to make predictions about the focus and trends that were currently occurring in the field. Between 1999 and 2019, the top 100 cited papers appeared in 23 journals from 36 different nations and regions. Annals of the rheumatic diseases published the majority of the articles, while Lancet had the highest average number of citations per paper. Germany contributed the most publications, followed by the Netherlands and the USA. In terms of the total number of publications, Rheumazentrum Ruhrgebiet contributed the most papers, followed by University Hospital Maastricht and Leiden University. The three major categories are Rheumatology, Medicine, General & Internal, and Genetics & Heredity, whereas the top 5 co-occurrence of keywords included rheumatoid arthritis, double-blind, disease activity, efficacy, and infliximab. The cluster analysis results indicate that inflammation and immunology, safe and effective therapies, and placebo-controlled trials may be focus and trends for future AS research. Bibliometric analysis can swiftly and visually identify the focus and boundaries of AS research. Our findings imply that inflammation and immunology, safe and effective therapies, and placebo-controlled trials may be focus and trends for future AS research.

Baicalin suppresses neuron autophagy and apoptosis by regulating astrocyte polarization in pentylenetetrazol-induced epileptic rats and PC12 cells.

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder worldwide, but its entire pathology remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore the antiepileptic effect of baicalin (BAL), the main bioactive component of scutellaria. We isolated astrocytes from neonatal rats and astrocytes were identified by glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunostaining. The viability and phenotype of astrocytes were determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and immunofluorescence staining, respectively. For investigating the effect of BAL on the autophagy in A1 astrocytes treated PC12 cells, expression of light chain 3B (LC3-B) and sequestosome 1 (P62) was analyzed by immunofluorescence staining and apoptosis by acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining, respectively. For animal experiments, pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced epileptic model was used to explore the antiepileptic effect of BAL. The results showed that BAL reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced complement C3 (C3, a marker of A1 astrocytes) + A1 cells and decreased autophagy and apoptosis in PC12 cells. Further findings showed seizure grade and latency were positively correlated with GFAP+/C3 + A1 cells' infiltration in interstitial astrocytes. After BAL treatment, epileptogenesis was ameliorated with decreased A1 astrocytes in the brain and improved behavioral performance. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that the levels of interleukin-1α (IL-1α) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were reduced in the cerebral interstitial site in the BAL group compared to the PTZ group. Western blotting analysis showed that BAL treatment reduced expression of C3, inward rectifier potassium channel Kir4.1, aquaporin-4 (AQP4) in the frontal cortex and Caspase-3, BCL2-associated X protein (Bax) in the hippocampus. In conclusion, these findings suggest that BAL can prevents cognitive and emotional disorders and has antiepileptic effects in rats, which may be associated with suppresses neuron autophagy and apoptosis in the hippocampus via regulate astrocyte phenotypes.

Baicalin Rescues Cognitive Dysfunction, Mitigates Neurodegeneration, and Exerts Anti-Epileptic Effects Through Activating TLR4/MYD88/Caspase-3 Pathway in Rats.

PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the beneficial effects of anti-epileptic mechanisms of baicalin (BA) on cognitive dysfunction and neurodegeneration in pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced epileptic rats. METHODS: First, PTZ-induced epileptic rats were administered intraperitoneally a sub-convulsive dose of PTZ (40 mg/kg) daily, and the seizure susceptibility (the degree of seizures and latency) was evaluated using Racine's criterion. Then, classical behavioral experiments were performed to test whether BA ameliorated cognitive dysfunction. Neurodegeneration was assessed using Fluoro Jade-B (FJB), and NeuN staining was used to determine whether BA offered a neuroprotective role. After BA had been proven to possess anti-epileptic effects, its possible mechanisms were analyzed through network pharmacology. Finally, the key targets for predictive mechanisms were experimentally verified. RESULTS: The epileptic model was successfully established, and BA had anti-epileptic effects. Epileptic rats displayed significant cognitive dysfunction, and BA markedly ameliorated cognitive dysfunction. Further, we also discovered that BA treatment mitigated neurodegeneration of the hippocampus CA3 regions, thereby ameliorated cognitive dysfunction of epileptic rats. Subsequent network pharmacology analysis was implemented to reveal a possible mechanism of BA in the anti-epileptic process and the TLR4/MYD88/Caspase-3 pathway was predicted. Finally, experimental studies showed that BA exerted an anti-epileptic effect by activating the TLR4/MYD88/Caspase-3 pathway in PTZ-induced epileptic rats. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, BA had a protective effect against PTZ-induced seizures. BA improved cognitive dysfunction and exerted a neuroprotective action. The anti-epileptic effects of BA may be potentially through activation of the TLR4/MYD88/Caspase-3 pathway.

Baicalin ameliorates chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depression through the BDNF/ERK/CREB signaling pathway.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) can activate the extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK)/cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) cascade revealing an important role in antidepressant effects. Here, we studied the neuroprotective effect of baicalin (BA) in mice with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced via a BDNF/ERK/CREB signaling pathway. Depression was induced via six weeks of CUMS in male ICR mice, and drug therapy was given simultaneously for the last three weeks. Cognitive dysfunctions were then evaluated via sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT), Morris water maze test (MWM), tail suspension test (TST), and novelty suppressed feeding test (NSF). Western blot and real-time PCR were then used to detect the relative expression of ERK, CREB, p-ERK, and p-CREB. Integrated optical density (IOD) tests of p-ERK and p-CREB were then evaluated via immunofluorescence. The behavior results showed that the cognitive dysfunctions increased in the CUMS group versus the control (CON) group (p < 0.01). There were decreases in fluoxetine (FLU) and BA groups (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). The protein ratios of p-ERK/ERK, p-CREB/CREB and ERK mRNA, and CREB mRNA expression decreased in the CUMS group (p < 0.01) and markedly increased in the FLU and BA groups (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). The IOD value of the p-ERK and p-CREB in the CUMS group was decreased versus the CON group (p < 0.01), and these changes were improved via BA and FLU treatment (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). This study indicated that BA can improve cognitive functions and has antidepressant effects in mice, which may be associated with activation of the BDNF/ERK/CREB signaling pathway in the hippocampus.

Baicalin promotes hippocampal neurogenesis via the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in a chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced mouse model of depression.

Hippocampal neurogenesis is known to be related to depressive symptoms. Increasing evidence indicates that Wnt/ß-catenin signaling regulates multiple aspects of adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Baicalin is a major flavonoid compound with multiple pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and neuroprotective effects. The current study aimed to explore the antidepressant effects of baicalin and its possible molecular mechanisms affecting hippocampal neurogenesis via the regulation of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. A chronic mild unpredictable stress (CUMS) model of depression was used in the study. The CUMS-induced mice were treated with baicalin (50 and 100 mg/kg) for 21 days, orally, and the fluoxetine was used as positive control drug. The results indicated that baicalin alleviated CUMS-induced depression-like behaviour, and improved the nerve cells' survival of the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) in CUMS-induced depression of model mice and increased Ki-67- and doublecortin (DCX)-positive cells to restore CUMS-induced suppression of hippocampal neurogenesis. The related proteins in the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, which declined in the CUMS-induced depression model of mice, were upregulated after baicalin treatment, including Wingless3a (Wnt3a), dishevelled2 (DVL2), and ß-catenin. Further study found that the phosphorylation rate of glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK3ß) and ß-catenin nuclear translocation increased, as the levels of the ß-catenin target genes cyclinD1, c-myc, NeuroD1, and Ngn2 upregulated after baicalin treatment. In conclusion, these findings suggest that baicalin may promote hippocampal neurogenesis, thereby exerting the antidepressant effect via regulation of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.