Application of in vivo brain imaging technology in the basic research of acupuncture-moxibustion for encephalopathy. / æ´»ä½“è„‘æˆåƒæŠ€æœ¯åœ¨é’ˆç¸è„‘ç— åŸºç¡€ç ”ç©¶ä¸­çš„åº”ç”¨.

Acupuncture-moxibustion is remarkably effective on encephalopathy, but its mechanism is unclear. With the continuous development of imaging technology, the in vivo brain imaging technology has been used increasingly in life science research and it also becomes a more effective tool for the basic research of acupuncture-moxibustion in treatment of encephalopathy. The paper summarizes the application of its technology in the basic research of acupuncture-moxibustion for encephalopathy and the characteristics of imaging, as well as the advantages and shortcomings. It is anticipated that the references may be provided for the basic research of acupuncture-moxibustion in treatment of encephalopathy and be conductive to the modernization of acupuncture-moxibustion.

[Current situation and outlook of acupuncture-moxibustion translational medicine under the background of multi-disciplinary intersection innovation].

The common development of multi-disciplinary intersection is a hot spot in the research of acupuncture- moxibustion translational medicine. This article analyzes the current situation and reasons for slow development of acupuncture-moxibustion translational medicine, takes acupuncture-moxibustion for depressive disorder as an example, takes acupuncture and moxibustion literature, clinical evidence-based, biological mechanism and medical equipment research and development as the main line, expounds potential strategies to promote the development of acupuncture-moxibustion translational medicine under the background of multi-disciplinary intersection innovation, and discusses the future research direction of acupuncture-moxibustion translational medicine.

Mortality and years of life lost of colorectal cancer in China, 2005-2020: findings from the national mortality surveillance system.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth cause of cancer death in China. We aimed to provide national and subnational estimates and changes of CRC premature mortality burden during 2005-2020. METHODS: Data from multi-source on the basis of the national surveillance mortality system were used to estimate mortality and years of life lost (YLL) of CRC in the Chinese population during 2005-2020. Estimates were generated and compared for 31 provincial-level administrative divisions in China. RESULTS: Estimated CRC deaths increased from 111.41 thousand in 2005 to 178.02 thousand in 2020; age-standardized mortality rate decreased from 10.01 per 100,000 in 2005 to 9.68 per 100,000 in 2020. Substantial reduction in CRC premature mortality burden, as measured by age-standardized YLL rate, was observed with a reduction of 10.20% nationwide. Marked differences were observed in the geographical patterns of provincial units, and they appeared to be obvious in areas with higher economic development. Population aging was the dominant driver which contributed to the increase in CRC deaths, followed by population growth and age-specific mortality change. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial discrepancies were observed in the premature mortality burden of CRC across China. Targeted considerations were needed to promote a healthy lifestyle, expand cost-effective CRC early screening and diagnosis, and improve medical treatment to reduce CRC mortality among high-risk populations and regions with inadequate healthcare resources.

Norepinephrine in the dentate gyrus is involved in spatial learning and memory alteration induced by chronic restraint stress in aged rats.

The role of norepinephrine of the hippocampal dentate gyrus in spatial learning and memory alteration induced by chronic restraint stress (CRS, 3 h/day, 6 weeks) was investigated in aged rats. Spatial learning and memory were assessed by the Morris water maze (MWM), and the extracellular concentration of norepinephrine and amplitude of field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) were measured in the dentate gyrus during MWM test in freely-moving rats. Next, the involvement of ß-adrenoceptors in spatial learning and memory of CRS rats was examined by microinjection of its antagonist (propranolol) into the dentate gyrus. In addition, we observed the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein and activation of cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) in the dentate gyrus. Compared with the control group, the basal level of norepinephrine, BDNF expression and CREB activation in the dentate gyrus were increased, and the spatial learning and memory abilities were enhanced in CRS rats. In the control group, the norepinephrine concentration and fEPSP amplitude in the dentate gyrus were increased on the second to fourth days of MWM test, and these responses were significantly enhanced in CRS rats. Furthermore, in CRS rats, propranolol significantly decreased the spatial learning and memory abilities, and attenuated the fEPSP response during MWM test, and the BDNF expression and CREB activation in the dentate gyrus. Our results suggest that norepinephrine activation of ß-adrenoceptors in the hippocampal dentate gyrus is involved in spatial learning and memory enhancement induced by CRS in aged rats, in part via modulations of synaptic efficiency and CREB-BDNF signaling pathway.

Pneumonitis and pneumonitis-related death in cancer patients treated with programmed cell death-1 inhibitors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: We conducted a meta-analysis of published clinical trials to determine the relationship between the risks of pneumonitis and pneumonitis-related death and programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor treatment in patients with cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined clinical trials from the Medline and Google Scholar databases. Data from original studies and review articles were also cross-referenced and evaluated. Randomized Phase II and Phase III trials of pembrolizumab and nivolumab treatment in patients with cancer were eligible for the analysis. Information about the participants, all-grade and high-grade pneumonitis, and pneumonitis-related death was extracted from each study and analyzed. RESULTS: After the exclusion of ineligible studies, 12 clinical trials were included in the analysis. The odds ratio (OR) for all-grade pneumonitis after PD-1 inhibitor treatment was 4.59 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.51-8.37; P<0.00001), and the OR for high-grade pneumonitis after PD-1 inhibitor treatment was 3.83 (95% CI: 1.54-9.48; P=0.004). The OR for pneumonitis-related death after PD-1 inhibitor treatment was 2.47 (95% CI: 0.41-14.81; P=0.32). Moreover, the OR for all-grade pneumonitis after nivolumab/ipilimumab combination therapy versus nivolumab monotherapy was 3.54 (95% CI: 1.52-8.23; P=0.003), and that for high-grade pneumonitis after nivolumab/ipilimumab combination therapy versus nivolumab monotherapy was 2.35 (95% CI: 0.45-12.13; P=0.31). Treated cancer appeared to have no effect on the risk of pneumonitis. CONCLUSION: Our data showed that PD-1 inhibitors were associated with increased risks of all-grade and high-grade pneumonitis compared with chemotherapy or placebo controls in patients with cancer. However, we noted no significant difference between patients treated with a PD-1 inhibitor and patients treated with control regimens with respect to the risk of pneumonitis-related death.

Huannao Yicong Decoction () extract reduces inflammation and cell apoptosis in Aß1-42-induced Alzheimer's disease model of rats.

OBJECTIVE: Huannao Yicong Decoction (, HYD), an effective herbal formula against Alzheimer's disease (AD), has been proven to have neuroprotective action in amyloid ß-protein1-42 (Aß1-42)-induced rat model. This study was designed to characterize mechanisms by which HYD leads to suppression of inflflammation and apoptosis in the brains of Aß1-42-induced rat. METHODS: A total of 72 rats were divided into 6 groups, which were referred to as: sham operation group, model group, donepezil-treated group, HYD low-dose group (HYDL), HYD middle-dose group (HYDM) and HYD high-dose group (HYDH). Rats in HYDL, HYDM and HYDH were injected with Aß1-42 at the CA1 region of hippocampus to form AD model and were fed the HYD extract at different dose of 3.78, 7.56 and 18.90 g crude drug/kg. The behavioral changes of rats were evaluated by Morris water maze (MWM) before sacrififice. Pathological changes of the brain tissue were evaluated using hematoxylin eosin (HE) staining. The levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured by radioimmunoassay. The levels of Aß and proteins that are associated with apoptosis such as B-cell lymphoma-2 protein (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), cysteine-aspartic protease (caspase)-3, -8, -9 and -12 in serum were measured by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Compared with the sham operation group, the spatial learning and memory abilities of AD rats were signifificantly decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01; Expressions of IL-1, TNF-α, Aß and apoptosis-signaling proteins caspase-3, -8, -9, -12 were signifificantly up-regulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax were signifificantly decreased in the model group (P<0.01). When treated with HYD extract, the spatial learning and memory abilities of AD-model rats were significantly increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01), IL-1, TNF-α, Aß, caspase-3, -8, -9 and -12 were down-regulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax were reduced (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: HYD extract can improve the learning and memory ability defificits, alleviate the inflflammatory response and pathological manifestations induced by Aß1-42 injection in the rat model of AD. HYD down-regulates the levels of IL-1, TNF-α and Aß, and decreases the rate of apoptosis by modulating apoptosis-signaling-related proteins such as caspase-3, -8, -9, and -12.

More dialectical thinking, less creativity? The relationship between dialectical thinking style and creative personality: the case of China.

People use dialectical thinking to be holistic, reconcile contradictions, and emphasize changes when processing information and managing problems. Using a questionnaire survey, this study examined the relationship between dialectical thinking and creative personality in the Chinese culture, which encourages a holistic and collective thinking style. Undergraduates majoring in different subjects and adults in different professions were surveyed. The results showed that 1) compared with undergraduates majoring in art and adults from the design industry, undergraduates majoring in other disciplines significantly showed the least creative personality; 2) the highest score for dialectical thinking was found in the group of undergraduates who majored in other disciplines, followed by the adult group, and the undergraduates majoring in art had the lowest score; and 3) A negative relationship between dialectical thinking and creative personality was found mostly in the UMA group. The limitations of this study and suggestions for future research are discussed.