Effects of Fu's subcutaneous needling on clinical efficacy and psychological cognitive characteristics in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Low back pain (LBP) is a major global public health problem. Evidence shows that LBP is also related to cognitive, psychological, and lifestyle factors. Fu's subcutaneous needling (FSN) has been used for the treatment of musculoskeletal problems for many years. This prospective randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and fear avoidance beliefs of FSN in the treatment of patients with chronic non-specific LBP. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ninety participants with chronic non-specific LBP were randomly divided into the FSN and the traditional acupuncture (TA) groups (n = 45) and received either FSN or TA treatment for three consecutive days from December 2021 to March 2023. The primary outcome was pain intensity measured by the visual analogue scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes were trunk extensor endurance (TEE), lumbar range of motion (ROM), and the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ). Outcome measurements were made before the first treatment and after each treatment. Follow-up assessments of VAS and FABQ scores were conducted one month after treatment. RESULTS: The FSN group had significantly lower VAS and FABQ scores at each time point after intervention compared to the TA group (P < 0.01). The scores of TEE and lumbar ROM were higher in the FSN group than those in the TA group (P < 0.01). Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant time effects, group effects, and interaction effects for VAS, TEE, lumbar ROM, and FABQ in both groups (P < 0.01). One month after treatment, the FSN group had significantly lower VAS and FABQ scores compared to the TA group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study suggested that FSN was superior to TA in terms of clinical efficacy and fear-avoidance beliefs in the treatment of chronic non-specific LBP. FSN could be used as an effective clinical treatment.

Linking soil phosphorus availability and phosphatase functional genes to coastal marsh erosion: Implications for nutrient cycling and wetland restoration.

Accelerated marsh erosion caused by climate change and human activity may have important implications for nutrient cycling and availability. However, how erosion affects phosphorus (P) transformation and microbial function in subtropical coastal marshes remains largely unknown. Here we assessed soil P fractions, availability and the phoD-harboring bacterial community along a marsh erosion gradient (non-eroded, lightly eroded, and heavily eroded). We showed that marsh erosion caused a shift in P fractions, leading to a decrease in P availability and a reduction in concentrations of labile P, moderately labile P, and stable P by 20 %, 9 %, and 17 % respectively. The abundance and diversity of phoD phosphatase genes decreased dramatically along the erosion gradient and were lower at heavily eroded sites than at non-eroded sites. Marsh erosion reshaped phoD gene community composition, and Corallococcus, Amycolatopsis, and Phaeobacter were identified as the dominant phoD-harboring microbes. Notably, marsh erosion reduced the complexity and stability of the phoD-harboring bacterial network, and heavily eroded sites have fewer network edges and nodes than non-eroded sites. The dynamics of soil P fractions, availability, and phoD-harboring bacterial communities driven by marsh erosion are largely shaped by substrate availability and soil properties (e.g., nutrients, pH, electrical conductivity, and moisture). Additionally, strong linkages between P availability and the abundance and diversity of phosphatase genes following erosion, suggest that phosphatase drives P mineralization and dissolution, and erosion weakens the regulation of P transformation by reshaping the phoD phosphatase gene community. Our findings indicate that marsh erosion alters soil P fractions and phoD-harboring bacterial communities, which weakens microbial regulation of P transformation and availability, thereby significantly reducing soil P pools and availability. Our findings broaden understanding of the impacts of coastal erosion on nutrient balance and ecosystem function, offering valuable perspectives that could inform wetland restoration and coastal management strategies.

A Retrospective Study on the Efficacy of Two Different Rehabilitation Interventions on KOA: Shock Wave Therapy vs. Electroacupuncture Therapy.

OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we retrospectively reviewed the difference in clinical effectiveness of shock wave therapy and electroacupuncture therapy on knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: A total of 128 treatment cases of knee osteoarthritis patients were extracted from the medical record system of Shenzhen Longhua District Central Hospital during the period from January 1, 2018, to January 30, 2020. The cases were divided into three groups for different treatments: shock wave group (n = 54), electroacupuncture group (n = 41), and control group (n = 33). The shock wave group was given shock wave therapy combined basis clinical treatment; meanwhile, the electroacupuncture group was given electroacupuncture on the basis of actual clinical treatment. The control group was given conventional topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Voltaren). Osteoarthritis index scale, NRS scale, and WHOQOL-BREF were observed before treatment, after 2 weeks, and 4 weeks after treatment. RESULTS: This study found that the osteoarthritis index scale and NRS scale of the shock wave group and the electroacupuncture group were lower than those before treatment; it had significant difference (P < 0.001). In WHOQOL-BREF, the shock wave group and the electroacupuncture group improved significantly four weeks after treatment (P < 0.001), which was statistically different from the conventional group (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Physical and rehabilitation medicine treatment (shock wave therapy) and traditional medical treatment (electroacupuncture) have better clinical effects on knee osteoarthritis, compared with conventional treatment. Shock wave and electric acupuncture have no apparent adverse reaction, suggesting that the treatment is safe and effective.

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosome miR-542-3p suppresses inflammation and prevents cerebral infarction.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral infarction ranks as the second leading cause of disability and death globally, and inflammatory response of glial cells is the main cause of brain damage during cerebral infarction. METHODS: Studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can secrete exosomes and contribute to cerebral disease. Here, we would explore the function of MSC-derived exosome in cerebral infarction. RESULTS: Microarray indicated a decrease of miR-542-3p and an increase of Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mice comparing with sham mice. And luciferase and RIP analysis indicated a binding of miR-542-3p and TLR4. Then, we injected AAV9-miR-542-3p into paracele of sham or MCAO mice. Functional analysis showed that AAV9-miR-542-3p inhibited infarction area and the number of degenerating neurons and suppressed inflammatory factors' expression and inflammatory cell infiltration. As well, transfection of miR-542-3p mimics into HA1800 cells underwent oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD). Similarly, overexpression of miR-542-3p alleviated OGD induced cell apoptosis, ROS, and activation of inflammation response. Moreover, miR-542-3p could be packaged into MSCs and secreted into HA1800 cells. The extractive exosome-miR-21-3p treatment relieved MCAO- or OGD-induced cerebral injury and inflammation through targeting TLR4. CONCLUSION: These results confirmed that MSC-derived exosome miR-542-3p prevented ischemia-induced glial cell inflammatory response via inhibiting TLR4. These results suggest possible therapeutic strategies for using exosome delivery of miR-542-3p to cure cerebral ischemic injury.

Microglia exosomal miRNA-137 attenuates ischemic brain injury through targeting Notch1.

Microglia are the resident immune cells in the central nervous system and play an essential role in brain homeostasis and neuroprotection in brain diseases. Exosomes are crucial in intercellular communication by transporting bioactive miRNAs. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the function of microglial exosome in the presence of ischemic injury and related mechanism. Oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-treated neurons and transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (TMCAO)-treated mice were applied in this study. Western blotting, RT-PCR, RNA-seq, luciferase reporter assay, transmission electron microscope, nanoparticle tracking analysis, immunohistochemistry, TUNEL and LDH assays, and behavioral assay were applied in mechanistic and functional studies. The results demonstrated that exosomes derived from microglia in M2 phenotype (BV2-Exo) were internalized by neurons and attenuated neuronal apoptosis in response to ischemic injury in vitro and in vivo. BV2-Exo also decreased infarct volume and behavioral deficits in ischemic mice. Exosomal miRNA-137 was upregulated in BV2-Exo and participated in the partial neuroprotective effect of BV2-Exo. Furthermore, Notch1 was a directly targeting gene of exosomal miRNA-137. In conclusion, these results suggest that BV2-Exo alleviates ischemia-reperfusion brain injury through transporting exosomal miRNA-137. This study provides novel insight into microglial exosomes-based therapies for the treatment of ischemic brain injury.