Neuroprotection of exercise: P2X4R and P2X7R regulate BDNF actions.

The neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which acts as a transducer, is responsible for improving cerebral stroke, neuropathic pain, and depression. Exercise can alter extracellular nucleotide levels and purinergic receptors in central nervous system (CNS) structures. This inevitably activates or inhibits the expression of BDNF via purinergic receptors, particularly the P2X receptor (P2XR), to alleviate pathological progression. In addition, the significant involvement of sensitive P2X4R in mediating increased BDNF and p38-MAPK for intracerebral hemorrhage and pain hypersensitivity has been reported. Moreover, archetypal P2X7R blockade induces mouse antidepressant-like behavior and analgesia by BDNF release. This review summarizes BDNF-mediated neural effects via purinergic receptors, speculates that P2X4R and P2X7R could be priming molecules in exercise-mediated changes in BDNF, and provides strategies for the protective mechanism of exercise in neurogenic disease.

Acupuncture for obesity：study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a major public health issue in China and around the world. While acupuncture is often used in clinical practice, there is a lack of conclusive evidence for its weight-loss effect. Thus we will conduct a parallel, randomised, sham-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for treating obesity. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A total of 160 eligible participants with obesity will be randomly assigned to the verum acupuncture group or sham acupuncture group at a ratio of 1:1. All participants will be treated three times a week for a duration of 12 weeks, and followed up for another 16 weeks. The primary outcome is the percentage change in body weight from baseline to Week 12. The secondary outcomes include body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (BF%), blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, insulin, glycosylated haemoglobin A1c, blood lipids, and physical functioning score on the Short Form 36 Health Survey. Other secondary outcomes including psychological and social functions will also be evaluated using the body image scale, psychological function scale, and social function scale of the BODY-Q, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. BMI, WC, BF% and blood pressure will be evaluated at Week 0, 4, 8, 12 and 28. Other secondary outcomes will be measured at Week 0, 12 and 28, respectively. Adverse events will be recorded in detail during the trial. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval of this trial was granted by the Ethics Committee of Chengdu Sport University (2023-102). Written informed consent will be obtained from study participants before enrolment. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200062092).

Efficacy and safety of anisodine hydrobromide injection for acute ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anisodine hydrobromide (Ani) injection in the treatment of AIS. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) based on Ani injection for the treatment of AIS were retrieved from both Chinese and English databases. The retrieval period was from the databases' inception to May 2023. The Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool was used to assess the methodological quality. The outcome indicators were analyzed using RevMan 5.3 software. Results: We included the findings of 11 RCTs encompassing 1,337 patients with AIS. Our meta-analysis revealed that Ani injection supplementation significantly reduced the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [MD = -1.53, 95%CI = (-1.94, -1.12), p < 0.00001], modified Rankin Scale [MD = -0.89, 95%CI = (-0.97, -0.81), p < 0.00001], and the relative time to peak [SMD = -0.81, 95%CI = (-1.08, -0.55), p < 0.00001] significantly. Additionally, Ani injection significantly increased the Barthel Index [MD = 10.65, 95%CI = (4.30, 17.00), p = 0.001], relative cerebral blood volume [SMD = 0.28, 95%CI = (0.02, 0.53), p = 0.03], and clinical efficacy [RR = 1.2, 95%CI = (1.08, 1.34), p = 0.001]. No statistically significant difference in the rate of adverse events was observed between the Ani injection supplemental group and the control group. Conclusion: Based on currently published evidence, Ani injection was found to be effective and safe in improving AIS outcome. Nevertheless, limitations of the included RCTs still exist, and thus, more multi-center, large-sample, high-quality RCTs are required to further verify the efficacy and safety of Ani injection in patients with AIS. Systematic Review Registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023427591], identifier [PROSPERO 2023 CRD42023427591].

Nutrient weight against sarcopenia: regulation of the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/FOXO pathway in quinoa metabolites.

Sarcopenia is characterized by the loss of muscle mass and strength, and one of its major molecular mechanisms is muscle protein turnover. Quinoa, the grain-like food crop, is a health nutrient used to treat diseases that predispose individuals to muscle wasting, including cardiovascular disorders, diabetes mellitus, and cancer. Quinoa secondary metabolites have recently been demonstrated to regulate protein turnover (including protein synthesis and degradation), a main biological process within muscle cells, through diverse signals (such as the p38 MAPK, TNF-α, and IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/FOXO pathways). Here, we describe how quinoa functions in the main pathway of protein synthesis and degradation, screen promising pharmacological components in nutritional applications, and provide guidance for the effects of quinoa products in sarcopenia.

Application of traditional Chinese therapy in sports medicine.

Chinese herbs have been used as dietary supplements to improve exercise performance. However, evidence-based studies for the use of Chinese herbs in sports remain scarce. Traditional Chinese therapy (TCT), a form of traditional Chinese non-pharmacological intervention, has remained in use for thousands of years in sports medicine. TCT is beneficial for sports injuries and in enhancing skill development, and is becoming increasingly popular among athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and individuals who regularly exercise. The therapeutic effects of TCT have been demonstrated by clinical and experimental studies, but using these modalities still is associate with potentially adverse effects. Further well-designed studies are necessary to confirm the efficacy of TCT in sports medicine. This review aims to summarize the application of TCT, discuss the issues surrounding TCT clinical research, and provide suggestions for applying traditional Chinese methods in the field of sports medicine.

Freestanding Ferroelectric Bubble Domains.

Bubble-like domains, typically a precursor to the electrical skyrmions, arise in ultrathin complex oxide ferroelectric-dielectric-ferroelectric heterostructures epitaxially clamped with flat substrates. Here, it is reported that these specially ordered electric dipoles can also be retained in a freestanding state despite the presence of inhomogeneously distributed structural ripples. By probing local piezo and capacitive responses and using atomistic simulations, this study analyzes these ripples, sheds light on how the bubbles are stabilized in the modified electromechanical energy landscape, and discusses the difference in morphology between bubbles in freestanding and as-grown states. These results are anticipated to be the starting point of a new paradigm for the exploration of electric skyrmions with arbitrary boundaries and physically flexible topological orders in ferroelectric curvilinear space.

Review of Clinical Trials on the Effects of Tai Chi Practice on Primary Hypertension: The Current State of Study Design and Quality Control.

The modulation of Tai Chi in physiological function and psychological status attracts sustaining attention. This paper collected original articles regarding the effects of Tai Chi practice on modulating primary hypertension from 7 electronic databases (PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, Wanfang Database, and China Science and Technology Journal Database) from their dates of origin to October 1st, 2020. A total of 45 articles were included. The literature analyses have shown that the benefits of Tai Chi practice for blood pressure management have been identified in all of the included 45 studies, and Tai Chi exercise has shown significant efficacy in improving hypertension clinical symptoms and quality of life, compared to the majority of control interventions, though there are also some methodological issues, including small sample sizes, lack of exact randomization methods and quality control criteria, and lack of specific standards used to measure the characteristics of Tai Chi practice. In the future, the inclusion of additional design standards, stricter quality controls, and evaluation measures for the features of Tai Chi practice is required in trials evaluating its effects on hypertension.

Detection and identification of breast cancer volatile organic compounds biomarkers using highly-sensitive single nanowire array on a chip.

A single nanowire array on a chip with different materials of Palladium, Polypyrrole and Zinc Oxide has been fabricated using electrochemical deposition method. The fabricated single nanowire array has been demonstrated for highly sensitive and specific diagnosis of breast cancer by detecting four volatile organic compound biomarkers: Heptanal, Acetophenone, Isopropyl Myristate and 2-Propanol. The demonstrated sensing limits for Heptanal, Acetophenone, Isopropyl Myristate and 2-propanol using individual Palladium, Polypyrrole and Zinc Oxide nanowires were 8.982 ppm, 798 ppb, 134 ppm, and 129.5 ppm, respectively, and the corresponding sensitivities of resistance change were in the range of 0.3%-5% which indicated excellent sensing performance of the single nanowires. The response time for Palladium, Polypyrrole and Zinc Oxide nanowires to achieve maximum conductance change was less than 200 seconds while also illustrating excellent signal repeatability. With the principal component analysis of the resistance change versus time in each detection period of the nanowire array, the smell prints for the four volatile organic compounds biomarkers of Breast Cancer are discriminated in the 3-D plots.

Rapid real-time electrical detection of proteins using single conducting polymer nanowire-based microfluidic aptasensor.

Single polypyrrole (PPy) nanowire-based microfluidic aptasensors were fabricated using a one-step electrochemical deposition method. The successful incorporation of the aptamers into the PPy nanowire was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy image. The microfluidic aptasensor showed responses to IgE protein solutions in the range from 0.01 nM to 100 nM, and demonstrated excellent specificity and sensitivity with faster response and rapid stabilization times (~20 s). At the lowest examined IgE concentration of 0.01 nM, the microfluidic aptasensor still exhibited ~0.32% change in the conductance. The functionality of this aptasensor was able to be regenerated using an acid treatment with no major change in sensitivity. In addition, the detection of cancer biomarker MUC1 was performed using another microfluidic aptasensor, which showed a very low detection limit of 2.66 nM MUC1 compared to commercially available MUC1 diagnosis assay (800 nM).

Molecular structure, expression, cell and tissue distribution, immune evolution and cell proliferation of the gene encoding bovine (Bos taurus) TNFSF13 (APRIL).

A novel bovine cDNA has been isolated by EST assembly and subsequently confirmed by using RT-PCR and designated bovine A Proliferation-Inducing Ligand belonging to TNF family (bAPRIL). The open reading frame (ORF) of this cDNA covers 753 bp, encoding 250 amino acids. The functional soluble part of bAPRIL (bsAPRIL) shows 97% and 92% identity with its pig and human counterparts, respectively, at the level of the primary protein structure. The bAPRIL genomic sequence consists of six exons and five introns, is approximately 1.8 kb in size, and maps to bovine chromosome 19q. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis revealed that bAPRIL is predominantly expressed in bovine lymphoid tissues spleen. The predicted three-dimensional (3D) structure of the bsAPRIL monomer analyzed by "comparative protein modelling" revealed that it is very similar to its mouse counterpart. The bsAPRIL and EGFP/bsAPRIL were efficiently expression in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and its expression was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting analysis. After purification, the EGFP/bsAPRIL fusion protein obtained similar fluorescence spectrum to those of EGFP. Laser scanning confocal microscopy analysis showed EGFP/bsAPRIL could bind to its receptor. In vitro, bsAPRIL could promote the proliferation of bovine or mouse splenic B cells together with/without SAC or anti-mouse IgM. Furthermore, compared to mouse soluble APRIL, the bovine soluble APRIL has the similar proliferation to mouse B cell. Those findings indicated that bsAPRIL plays an important role in proliferation of bovine B cells and has functional cross-reactivity among cow and other mammalians. Therefore, APRIL may be a potential immunologic factor for enhancing immunological efficacy in animals.