Mechanism of Acupuncture in Treating Obesity: Advances and Prospects.

Obesity is a common metabolic syndrome that causes a significant burden on individuals and society. Conventional therapies include lifestyle interventions, bariatric surgery, and pharmacological therapies, which are not effective and have a high risk of adverse events. Acupuncture is an effective alternative for obesity, it modulates the hypothalamus, sympathetic activity and parasympathetic activity, obesity-related hormones (leptin, ghrelin, insulin, and CCK), the brain-gut axis, inflammatory status, adipose tissue browning, muscle blood flow, hypoxia, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) to influence metabolism, eating behavior, motivation, cognition, and the reward system. However, hypothalamic regulation by acupuncture should be further demonstrated in human studies using novel techniques, such as functional MRI (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), electroencephalogram (EEG), and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Moreover, a longer follow-up phase of clinical trials is required to detect the long-term effects of acupuncture. Also, future studies should investigate the optimal acupuncture therapeutic option for obesity. This review aims to consolidate the recent improvements in the mechanism of acupuncture for obesity as well as discuss the future research prospects and potential of acupuncture for obesity.

The Role of Reactive Oxygen Species, Inflammation, and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Response in the Finasteride Protective Effect against Benign Prostate Hyperplasia.

PURPOSE: Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is a common age-related chronic condition. Its pathogenesis involves androgen imbalance, inflammation, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. This study aims to assess the protective effect of finasteride, a 5α-reductase inhibitor, against testosterone propionate (TP)-induced BPH in rats and explore its potential mechanism of action. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TP-induced BPH rats received either saline or finasteride (1 mg/kg) orally once a day for 7 weeks. Prior to sacrificing the animals, blood samples were collected. After sacrifice, prostate and tissue around the prostate were dissected from seminal vesical for further analysis. Body weight, prostate weight, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), 5α-reductase type 2 (5-AR2), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were measured. In addition, HIF-1α, VEGF, MMP-2 expressions in prostate, oxidative stress, inflammation, and ER stress responses were analyzed to understand the mechanism of action of finasteride. RESULTS: Finasteride administration inhibited prostate enlargement, DHT, 5-AR2, and PSA levels in BPH rats. Additionally, finasteride inhibited angiogenesis markers such as HIF-1α, VEGF, and MMP-2. Moreover, components of oxidative stress, inflammation, and ER stress responses were significantly regulated by finasteride treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that finasteride prevents BPH-associated symptoms by regulating angiogenesis, reactive oxygen species, ER stress responses, and inflammation, another mechanism to explain the effect of the 5α-reductase against BPH.

Drivers and mechanisms of spontaneous plant community succession in abandoned PbZn mining areas in Yunnan, China.

The drivers and mechanisms underlying succession and the spontaneous formation of plant communities in mining wasteland remain largely unknown. This study investigated the use of nature-based restoration to facilitate the recovery of viable plant communities in mining wasteland. It was found that scientific analyses of spontaneously formed plant communities in abandoned mining areas can provide insights for nature-based restoration. A chronosequence ("space for time") approach was used to establish sites representing three successional periods with six successional stages, and 90 quadrats were constructed to investigate changes in plant species and functional diversity during succession in abandoned PbZn mining areas. A total of 140 soil samples were collected to identify changes in soil properties, including plant nutrient and heavy metal concentrations. Then, this paper used structural equation models to analyze the mechanisms that drive succession. It was found that the functional diversity of plant communities fluctuated substantially during succession. Species had similar functional traits in early and mid-succession, but traits tended to diverge during late succession. Soil bulk density and soil organic matter gradually increased during succession. Total nitrogen (N), pH, and soil Zn concentrations first increased and then decreased during succession. Concentrations of Mn and Cd gradually decreased during succession. During early succession, soil organic matter was the key factor driving plant colonization and succession. During mid-succession, soil Zn functioned as an environmental filter factor limiting the rates of succession in mining wasteland communities. During late succession, soil bulk density and competition for nutrient resources contributed to more balanced differentiation among plant species. This thesis proposed that a nature-based strategy for the stabilization of abandoned mining lands could facilitate effective plant community restoration that promotes ecosystem services and functioning.

Recent advances in the applications of graphene materials for the oil and gas industry.

Graphene is a material formed with carbon atoms connected by sp2 hybridization. It is extremely strong and very ductile, and is superhydrophobic and superlipophilic. It has important application prospects in materials science, micro and nano processing, energy, aerospace and biomedicine. Graphene also has some applications in the petroleum industry. As nanoscale materials, graphene-based materials can plug nano-pores and prevent water intrusion into clay minerals during the drilling process, they are suitable for sliding between layers and can be used as lubricants due to the two-dimensional structure. The adsorption properties of graphene-based materials allow them to improve the treatment rate when treating oily wastewater. This paper compiles recent advances in the application of graphene and its derivatives in oilfield extraction, including improving drilling fluid performance, enhanced oil recovery and oily wastewater treatment. We compare the performance advantages of graphene-based materials over other additives, and summarize the mechanism of action of graphene-based materials. The shortcomings of current research are identified and future research and improvement directions are envisaged.

USP5 knockdown alleviates lung cancer progression via activating PARP1-mediated mTOR signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: With the rapidly increasing morbidity and mortality, lung cancer has been considered one of the serious malignant tumors, affecting millions of patients globally. Currently, the pathogenesis of lung cancer remains unclear, hindering the development of effective treatment. This study aims to investigate the mechanisms of lung cancer and develop an effective therapeutic approach for intervention in preventing lung cancer progress. METHODS: The USP5 levels are detected in lung cancerous and paracancerous tissue by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting methods to explore their roles in lung cancer progression. MTT, colony assay, and transwell chamber approaches are employed to measure cell viability, proliferation, and migration, respectively. Further, flow cytometry experiments are performed to examine the effect of USP5 on lung cancer. Finally, the investigations in vivo are executed using the mice subcutaneous tumor model to identify the effect of USP5 in promoting lung cancer development. RESULTS: Notably, USP5 is highly expressed in lung cancer, USP5 overexpression promoted the proliferation and migration in the lung cancer cell lines, H1299 and A549, while knockdown of USP5 inhibited these via regulating the PARP1-mediated mTOR signaling pathway. Furthermore, the subcutaneous tumors model was established in C57BL/6 mice, and the volume of subcutaneous tumors was significantly reduced after silencing USP5, while increased after USP5 overexpression and decreased significantly with shRARP1 treatment at the same time. CONCLUSIONS: Together, USP5 could promote the progression of lung cancer cells by mTOR signaling pathway and interacting with PARP1, indicating that USP5 may become a new target for lung cancer treatment.

A novel hyperbranched polyethyleneimine-graphene composite as shale inhibitor for drilling fluid.

One of the principal conundrums in drilling operations is addressing wellbore instability caused by shale hydration. Therefore, it is crucial to develop high-performance shale inhibitors. In this work, a hyperbranched polyethyleneimine/graphene composite (HPEI-G) was prepared by blending at 60 °C, and it was then used as a shale inhibitor. The inhibition performance of HPEI-G was verified using mud making test, linear swelling test and sedimentation test. The mechanism of HPEI-G was researched and determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), particle size distribution test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The compatibility of HPEI-G with the basic water-based drilling mud (WBM) was also verified. It can be observed from the results of the linear swelling test that 0.5 wt% HPEI-G reduced the swelling rate of montmorillonite (MMT) to 30.36%, and 1 wt% of KCl only decreased the swelling rate of MMT to 43.83%. In addition, HPEI-G is compatible with WBDF. The inhibition mechanism of HPEI-G included chemical adsorption and physical blockage. HPEI-G was adsorbed on the surface and interlayer of MMT by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic attraction, reducing the diffuse electric double layer to inhibit the hydration of MMT. The sheets of graphene in HPEI-G allowed it to stick on the surface of the shale and plug the nanopores of the shale, preventing the access of water. The inhibition effect of HPEI-G over a temperature range from room temperature to 150 °C was considered to be excellent.

An Improved Load Forecasting Method Based on the Transfer Learning Structure under Cyber-Threat Condition.

Smart grid is regarded as an evolutionary regime of existing power grids. It integrates artificial intelligence and communication technologies to fundamentally improve the efficiency and reliability of power systems. One serious challenge for the smart grid is its vulnerability to cyber threats. In the event of a cyber attack, grid data may be missing; subsequently, load forecast and power planning that rely on these data cannot be processed by generation centers. To address this issue, this paper proposes a transfer learning-based framework for smart grid scheduling that is less reliant on local data while capable of delivering schedules with low operating cost. Specifically, the proposed framework contains (1) a power forecasting model based on transfer learning which can provide high quality load prediction with limited training data, (2) a novel adaptive time series prediction method with modeling time series from a covariate shift perspective that aims to train the forecasting model with a strong generalization capability, and (3) a day-ahead optimal economic power scheduling model considering a shared energy storage station.

Magnetometry based on the effect of laser-induced plasmas in a sodium-containing environment.

The magneto-optical resonance response of sodium atoms generated by a high-energy solid-state pulse Nd:YAG laser is studied in different external magnetic fields. We investigate the resonance fluorescence signal of sodium atoms in a simulated sea fog environment based on the laser-induced plasma (LIP) effect. By ionizing an NaCl solution spray to generate sodium atoms in an atmospheric environment, we build a Bell-Bloom magneto-optical resonance system under laboratory conditions. With the help of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and extinction spectrum, we obtain sodium atoms with a lifetime of 250 µs. A narrowband tunable continuous wave (CW) 589-nm laser tuned at the D2 line with a modulation frequency around the Larmor frequency is used as the pump beam to polarize sodium atoms in the test magnetic field. We find that the magneto-optical resonance signals vary with different external magnetic fields and the positions of the resonance signal are consistent with the theoretical values. An intrinsic magnetometric sensitivity of 620.4 pT in a 1-Hz bandwidth is achieved.

Acupuncture for menstruation-related migraine prophylaxis: A multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture, an alternative medicine therapy, as a preventive treatment for menstruation-related migraine (MRM). Patients and methods: This was a prospective, multicenter, double-dummy, participant-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial conducted in China between 1 April 2013, and 30 April 2014. The participants were enrolled from four study centers and randomized to into either the acupuncture group, which received 24 sessions of acupuncture at traditional acupoints plus placebo, or the medication group, which received sham acupuncture plus naproxen. The primary endpoint was change from the baseline average number of migraine days per perimenstrual period over cycles 1-3. The secondary endpoints included changes from the baseline average number of migraine days outside the perimenstrual period, mean number of migraine hours during and outside the perimenstrual period, mean visual analog scale score during and outside the perimenstrual period, ≥50% migraine responder rate, and the proportion of participants who used acute pain medication over cycles 1-3 and 4-6. Results: A total of 172 women with MRM were enrolled; 170 in the intention-to-treat analyses. Our primary outcome reported a significant between-group difference that favored the acupuncture group (95% CI, 0.17-0.50; P < 0.001), with the average reduction of migraine days per perimenstrual period from the baseline was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.82-1.07) in the acupuncture group and 0.61 (95% CI, 0.50-0.71) in the medication group over cycles 1-3. Conclusion: This study showed that compared to medication, acupuncture reduces the number of migraine days experienced by patients with MRM. For patients who received the acupuncture treatment over three cycles, the preventive effect of the therapy was sustained for six cycles. Clinical trial registration: [https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN57133712], identifier [ISRCTN15663606].

Surgical treatment of lung metastasis in patients with refractory gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: A retrospective study.

PURPOSE: The lungs are the most common site of metastasis in patients with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. We investigated surgical management and prognostic factors of patients with refractory gestational trophoblastic neoplasia to assess the value of lung metastasis resection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The clinical data of patients with refractory gestational trophoblastic neoplasia and lung metastasis treated at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2005 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Surgical characteristics and survival outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 213 patients with refractory gestational trophoblastic neoplasia and lung metastasis were screened, and 148 patients who underwent unilateral lung resection were analyzed. Patients' median age was 32 years. Lobectomy was performed in 65.5% of patients, while wedge resection was performed in 34.5%. The rate of postoperative complications was 12.2%. The pathological rate was 66.2%. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery showed better surgical characteristics than thoracotomy did. Compared with lobectomy, wedge resection had a shorter operative time, shorter duration of chest tube placement, shorter postoperative hospital stay, and fewer postoperative complications. The median follow-up period was 36 months. During follow-up, 90.5% of patients achieved complete remission. The 5-year disease-free and overall survival rates were 80.4% and 92.6%, respectively. More previous chemotherapy courses and failure to achieve normal ß-human chorionic gonadotropin levels postoperatively were predictors of poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment of lung metastasis is valuable and safe for patients with refractory gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. The minimally invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic approach and wedge resection are recommended.

[Observation on the efficacy of post-stroke dysphagia treated with He's santong acupuncture therapy through surface electromyography: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical therapeutic effect on post-stroke dysphagia treated with He's santong (triple promotion) acupuncture therapy through surface electromyography (sEMG). METHODS: A total of 60 patients with post-stroke dysphagia were divided into a routine treatment group and a He's santong acupuncture therapy group, using blocked randomization, 30 cases in each one. In the routine treatment group, the secondary prevention and swallowing rehabilitation training were adopted. In the He's santong acupuncture therapy group, on the base of the treatment as the routine treatment group, weitong (mild promotion, routine acupuncture at bilateral Fengchi ï¼»GB20ï¼½, Fengfu ï¼»GV16ï¼½, Yifeng ï¼»TE17ï¼½, Lianquan ï¼»CV23ï¼½, Jia-lianquan ï¼»Extraï¼½, Fenglong ï¼»ST40ï¼½ and Tongli ï¼»HT5ï¼½, needle retaining for 30 min, 5 treatments a week), wentong (warm promotion, pricking with fire needle at bilateral GB20 and CV23, twice a week) and qiangtong (strong promotion, blood-letting with three-edge needle at Jinjin ï¼»EX-HN12ï¼½, Yuye ï¼»EX-HN13ï¼½ and Yanhoubi ï¼»Extraï¼½, twice a week) treatment was added. The therapy was given consecutively for 4 weeks in each group. The score of fiberoptic endoscopic examination of swallowing (FEES) and Rosenbek-penetration-aspiration scale (PAS), the score of swallowing grading scale, the score of the modified Mann assessment of swallowing ability (MMASA) and the peak amplitude of sEMG were recorded before and after treatment in patients. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, the score of FEES and PAS after treatment was decreased (P<0.05), the scores of swallowing grading scale and MMASA after treatment were increased in both routine treatment group and He's santong acupuncture therapy group (P<0.05), the peak amplitude of sEMG was increased (P<0.05) in the He's santong acupuncture therapy group and decreased (P<0.05) in the routine treatment group. Compared with the routine treatment group, the score of FEES and PAS was decreased (P<0.05), the scores of swallowing grading scale and peak amplitude of sEMG were increased in the He's santong acupuncture therapy group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: He's santong acupuncture therapy is obviously effective on post-stroke dysphagia, which may be related to its effects in increasing the contraction of swallowing-related muscles and improving the peak amplitude of hyoid muscle group.

New Degree of Freedom in Determining Superior Piezoelectricity at the Lead-Free Morphotropic Phase Boundary: The Invisible Ferroelectric Crossover.

The morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) in lead-free ferroelectrics, starting from a quadruple point (QP), often displays large piezoelectric responses due to the flattened free-energy profiles. In this work, we found that the QP composition rendering most flattened energy profiles could also exhibit abnormally low piezoelectric constants in Hf-doped BaTiO3. Such an anomaly in the strength of piezoelectricity can be ascribed to the progressive influence of additional strain heterogeneity induced by the substitution of Hf4+ for Ti4+ in BaTiO3, which was overlooked previously. An intermediate level of strain heterogeneity can form an invisible ferroelectric crossover consisting of both micro- and nanodomains, resulting in a large elastic softening and high piezoelectricity. With a further increase in the level of strain heterogeneity, the extinction of regular ferroelectric domain structures and pinned polar dynamics resulted in the feeble piezoelectric outputs near the QP composition. Impressively, a giant d33 of ∼610 pC/N has been accordingly obtained through employing a ferroelectric crossover at off-QP composition in Zr-doped BaTiO3, further underpinning the critical role of uncovered ferroelectric crossover on piezoelectricity along MPB. This work offers another degree of freedom in the design of high-performance eco-friendly piezoelectric ceramics.

Application of intraoperative nerve monitoring for recurrent laryngeal nerves in minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy.

BACKGROUND: Mediastinal lymphadenectomy is of great importance during esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury is a severe complication caused by lymphadenectomy along the RLN. Intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) can effectively identify the RLN and reduce the incidence of postoperative vocal cord paralysis (VCP). Here, we describe the feasibility and effectiveness of IONM in minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy. METHODS: A total of 150 patients who underwent minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy from 2016 to 2020 were enrolled in this study. We divided the patients into two groups: a neuromonitoring group (IONM, n = 70) and a control group (control, n = 80). Clinical data, surgical variables, and postoperative complications were retrospectively analyzed and compared. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in baseline data between the two groups. Postoperative VCP occurred in six cases (8.6%) in the IONM group, which was lower than that in the control group (21.3%, P = 0.032). Postoperative pulmonary complications were found in five cases (7.1%) and 14 in the control group (18.8%, P = 0.037). The postoperative hospital stay in the IONM group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (8 vs. 12, median, P < 0.001). The number of RLN lymph nodes harvested in the IONM group was higher than that in the control group (13.74 ± 5.77 vs. 11.03 ± 5.78, P = 0.005). The sensitivity and specificity of IONM monitoring VCP were 83.8% and 100%, respectively. A total of 66.7% of patients with a reduction in signal showed transient VCP, whereas 100% with a loss of signal showed permanent VCP. CONCLUSION: IONM is feasible in minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy. It showed advantages for distinguishing RLN and achieving thorough mediastinal lymphadenectomy with less RLN injury. Abnormal IONM signals can provide an accurate prediction of postoperative VCP incidence.

A comparison of bronchial blocker under artificial pneumothorax and double-lumen endobronchial tube for lung isolation in thoracoscopic enucleation of oesophageal leiomyoma.

BACKGROUND: Oesophageal leiomyomas are one of the most common benign oesophageal tumours. This retrospective, observational study summarized and compared the clinical outcomes of thoracoscopic enucleation of oesophageal leiomyoma between single-lumen endotracheal intubation with a bronchial blocker and double-lumen endotracheal intubation. METHODS: A total of 36 patients who underwent thoracoscopic enucleation of oesophageal leiomyoma at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between 2014 and 2020 were retrospectively analysed. Fifteen patients received single-lumen endotracheal intubation combined with a right bronchial blocker (SLT-B group), and twenty-one patients received double-lumen endotracheal intubation (DLT group). Clinical data, surgical variables, and postoperative complications were analysed and compared. RESULTS: The average tumour size in all patients was 4.3 ± 2.0 cm. The average tumour size among symptomatic patients was significantly larger than that among asymptomatic patients (5.1 ± 2.0 cm vs 3.7 ± 1.7 cm, P < 0.05). Patients in the SLT-B group had a significantly larger average tumour size than patients in the DLT group (5.4 ± 2.1 cm vs 3.5 ± 1.4 cm, P < 0.05). The SLT-B group had a significantly shorter operation time and shorter total hospital stay than the DLT group. No mucosal injury, conversion to thoracotomy, or other operative complications occurred in the SLT-B group. In the follow-up, no recurrence, dysphagia, or regurgitation was found in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with traditional double-lumen intubation, artificial pneumothorax-assisted single-lumen endotracheal intubation combined with a bronchial blocker for thoracoscopic oesophageal leiomyoma enucleation can achieve complete removal of larger tumours, with fewer complications and shorter hospital stays.

Application of Right Bronchial Occlusion under Artificial Pneumothorax in the Thoracic Phase of Minimally Invasive McKeown Esophagectomy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of single-lumen endotracheal intubation combined with right bronchial occlusion (SLET) under artificial pneumothorax in minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy. METHODS: A total of 165 patients who underwent minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy at Peking Union Medical College Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. In all, 48 patients received double-lumen endotracheal intubation (DLET group), and 117 patients received SLET-B (SLET-B group). Clinical data, intraoperative hemodynamics, surgical variables, and postoperative complications were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: Compared with the DLET group, a shorter intubation time and lower tube dislocation rate were found in the SLET-B group. In the thoracic phase, with the application of artificial pneumothorax, patients in the SLET-B group had lower partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) and end-tidal carbon dioxide pressure (PetCO2) values and higher pH than those in the DLET group. Patients in the SLET-B group had shorter thoracic phase times and hospital stays and less intraoperative hemorrhage than those in the DLET group. The numbers of thoracic and bilateral recurrent laryngeal lymph nodes harvested were significantly higher in the SLET-B group. CONCLUSION: SLET under artificial pneumothorax is feasible and safe in minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy.

Determining 5HT7R's Involvement in Modifying the Antihyperalgesic Effects of Electroacupuncture on Rats With Recurrent Migraine.

Electroacupuncture (EA) is widely used in clinical practice to relieve migraine pain. 5-HT7 receptor (5-HT7R) has been reported to play an excitatory role in neuronal systems and regulate hyperalgesic pain and neurogenic inflammation. 5-HT7R could influence phosphorylation of protein kinase A (PKA)- or extracellular signal-regulated kinase1 / 2 (ERK1 / 2)-mediated signaling pathways, which mediate sensitization of nociceptive neurons via interacting with cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). In this study, we evaluated the role of 5-HT7R in the antihyperalgesic effects of EA and the underlying mechanism through regulation of PKA and ERK1 / 2 in trigeminal ganglion (TG) and trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC). Hyperalgesia was induced in rats with dural injection of inflammatory soup (IS) to cause meningeal neurogenic inflammatory pain. Electroacupuncture was applied for 15 min every other day before IS injection. Von Frey filaments, tail-flick, hot-plate, and cold-plated tests were used to evaluate the mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. Neuronal hyperexcitability in TNC was studied by an electrophysiological technique. The 5-HT7R antagonist (SB269970) or 5-HT7R agonist (AS19) was administered intrathecally before each IS application at 2-day intervals during the 7-day injection protocol. The changes in 5-HT7R and 5-HT7R-associated signaling pathway were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot, immunofluorescence, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analyses. When compared with IS group, mechanical and thermal pain thresholds of the IS + EA group were significantly increased. Furthermore, EA prevented the enhancement of both spontaneous activity and evoked responses of second-order trigeminovascular neurons in TNC. Remarkable decreases in 5-HT7R mRNA expression and protein levels were detected in the IS + EA group. More importantly, 5-HT7R agonist AS19 impaired the antihyperalgesic effects of EA on p-PKA and p-ERK1 / 2. Injecting 5-HT7R antagonist SB-269970 into the intrathecal space of IS rats mimicked the effects of EA antihyperalgesia and inhibited p-PKA and p-ERK1 / 2. Our findings indicate that 5-HT7R mediates the antihyperalgesic effects of EA on IS-induced migraine pain by regulating PKA and ERK1 / 2 in TG and TNC.

Patients with Dipper and Nondipper High-Normal Blood Pressure Were Associated with Left Ventricular Mass.

PURPOSE: High-normal blood pressure has been suggested to associate with target organ damage and higher left ventricular mass index (LVMI). Our aim is to find the association between people with high-normal blood pressure and their left ventricular mass index. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Given a total of 181 people with office blood pressure, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, 35 of them are normotensive (BP < 130/85 mm Hg), and 146 people with high-normal blood pressure (BP 130-139/85-89 mm Hg), divide the high-normal blood pressure group into dipper and nondipper according to their ABPM in 24 hours. All of them were performed with echocardiography to calculate LVMI. RESULTS: After adjusting for potential confounding factors, mean systolic blood pressure (BP) of the nondipper group is (119 + 9) mmHg in 24 h, which is significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in the dipper group (116 + 11) mmHg, indicating the mean systolic BP is associated with the dipper type (p < 0.05); furthermore, the higher nocturnal blood pressure is associated with the nondipper group significantly (p < 0.05), and LVMI ((121 ± 11) g/m2) of the nondipper group is also significantly higher than in the dipper group's LVMI ((108 ± 12) g/m2) (p < 0.05). The multivariate linear regression analyses revealed significant and independent associations of LVMI with these factors: triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), and coefficient of variation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in 24 hours. CONCLUSION: After multiple relevant clinical confounding factors were adjusted, patients with dipper and nondipper high-normal blood pressure had higher LVMI. Abnormalities in circadian blood pressure variability may be associated with the left ventricular hypertrophy.

Preoperative Prognostic Nutritional Index is a Significant Predictor of Survival in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients.

Background: Preoperative assessment of patients is meaningful to predict survival in patients with malignant tumors. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is one of the most significant factors related to the prognosis in various types of cancer; however, its role in esophageal cancer is still inconclusive. The aim of this study was to identify the prognostic value of PNI in predicting overall survival (OS) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods: This retrospective study included 4146 ESCC patients, 3812 who underwent esophagectomy for ESCC. Other 334 had no surgery. The Preoperative PNI was measured before any therapies and calculated as 10 × serum albumin (g/dL) + 0.005 × total lymphocyte count (per mm3). We classified the patients into three categories according to the PNI, >50, 45-50, and <45.Results: Our study showed that PNI was associated with age (P<0.0001), gender(P<0.001),tumor length (P<0.0001), T grade (P = 0.001), N staging (P = 0.017),and M staging (P<0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed that PNI was a significant predictor of overall survival Lower PNI vs. Higher PNI group had significantly increased the hazard ratio of ESCC survival (OR = 1.2, 95% CI= 1.05-1.5, p = 0.01). The Kaplan-Meier curve suggested that high PNI group will significantly increase the OS in both surgical and non-surgical group.Conclusion: PNI is a useful predictive factor for long-term survival in ESCC. The survival rate of ESCC can be discriminated between three groups, PNI, >50, 45-50, and <45. The prognostic value of PNI can be applied for both surgical and non-surgical ESCC patients.