Chronobiological disruptions: unravelling the interplay of shift work, circadian rhythms, and vascular health in the context of stroke risk.

Shift work, particularly night shifts, disrupts circadian rhythms and increases stroke risk. This manuscript explores the mechanisms connecting shift work with stroke, focusing on circadian rhythms, hypertension, and diabetes. The circadian system, controlled by different mechanisms including central and peripheral clock genes, suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), and pineal gland (through melatonin production), regulates body functions and responds to environmental signals.

Stroke rehabilitation: from diagnosis to therapy.

Stroke remains a significant global health burden, necessitating comprehensive and innovative approaches in rehabilitation to optimize recovery outcomes. This paper provides a thorough exploration of rehabilitation strategies in stroke management, focusing on diagnostic methods, acute management, and diverse modalities encompassing physical, occupational, speech, and cognitive therapies. Emphasizing the importance of early identification of rehabilitation needs and leveraging technological advancements, including neurostimulation techniques and assistive technologies, this manuscript highlights the challenges and opportunities in stroke rehabilitation.

Differences in risk factors for flare-ups in patients with lumbar radicular pain may depend on the definition of flare.

Objectives: The objective was to determine whether specific physical activity (PA) or psychological stress factors are associated with different definitions of flare-ups (pain-defined flares [PDFs]: periods of increased pain lasting at least 2 h, when pain intensity is distinctly worse than it has been recently; and non-pain-defined flares [NPDFs]: obviously uncomfortable feelings, such as fatigue, loss of function, or emotional/psychosocial fluctuations, without major fluctuations in pain intensity based on 11-point scales) among people with lumbar radicular pain.

Methods: This was a case-crossover study. Participants with acute or subacute lumbar radicular pain completed serial face-to-face or online assessments for 6 weeks at 3-day intervals to determine whether they experienced sciatica flare-ups (PDF/NPDF) after specific types of PA or psychological stresses.

LIPUS inhibits inflammation and catabolism through the NF-κB pathway in human degenerative nucleus pulposus cells.

Background: Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) is a safe and noninvasive rehabilitative physical therapy with anti-inflammatory effects. The current study investigated the effect of LIPUS on the inflammation of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells and its underlying mechanism.

Methods: Human NP cells were acquired from lumbar disc herniation tissue samples and cultured for experiments.

Anticoagulant management by low-dose of low molecular weight heparin in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation following hemorrhagic transformation and complicated with venous thrombosis: Five case reports and literature review.

For patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) following hemorrhagic infarction (HI)/hemorrhage transformation (HT) and complicated with venous thrombosis, the management of anticoagulation is controversial. Our study intends to explore the safety and effectiveness of using low-dose of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) to treat NVAF patients with HI (or HT) and complicated with venous thrombosis.Between January 2018 and January 2019, NVAF related acute ischemic stroke patients with HT/HI, hospitalized in the department of neurology or rehabilitation in our hospital, are enrolled retrospectively.

Pain correlates with social integration in individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury: A cross-sectional survey.

Objective: To describe the relationship between pain and social integration following spinal cord injury using comprehensive evaluation of pain-related clinical characteristics and different aspects of social integration.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Participants: A total of 318 participants with American Spinal Cord Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) Grades A, B, C or D and > 3 months post-injury.

Mitochondrial pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress participate in the photosensitizing effectiveness of AE-PDT in MG63 cells.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising treatment in cancer therapy, with a photosensitizer activated by visible light. Aloe-emodin (AE) is a promising photosensitive agent. In this study, the photosensitizing effects and possible mechanisms of AE-PDT in MG63 cells were evaluated.

SDF‑1/CXCR4 axis induces apoptosis of human degenerative nucleus pulposus cells via the NF‑κB pathway.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a major cause of lower back pain, and increased cell apoptosis is a key characteristic of IVDD. The present study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanism of the stromal cell‑derived factor‑1 (SDF‑1)/C‑X‑C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) axis on apoptosis in human degenerative nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs). The expression levels of SDF‑1 and CXCR4 in human intervertebral discs (IVD) were determined using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis.

SIRT1 alleviates senescence of degenerative human intervertebral disc cartilage endo-plate cells via the p53/p21 pathway.

Cartilage end plates (CEP) degeneration plays an integral role in intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration resulting from nutrient diffusion disorders. Although cell senescence resulting from oxidative stress is known to contribute to degeneration, no studies concerning the role of senescence in CEP degeneration have been conducted. SIRT1 is a longevity gene that plays a pivotal role in many cellular functions, including cell senescence.

SIRT1 Inhibits the Catabolic Effect of IL-1β Through TLR2/SIRT1/NF-κB Pathway in Human Degenerative Nucleus Pulposus Cells.

Background: Low back pain (LBP), one of the most prominent problems worldwide, lacks effective disease-modifying medical therapy. Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a major cause of LBP, and proinflammatory cytokines are the key factors involved in the development of IVDD-induced back pain. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is implicated in the molecular control of aging and immune responses in various diseases; however, its effect on IVDD is not clearly understood.

SIRT1 protects against apoptosis by promoting autophagy in degenerative human disc nucleus pulposus cells.

SIRT1 could protect degenerative human NP cells against apoptosis, and there were extensive and intimate connection between apoptosis and autophagy. Up to now, the role of autophagy in the process of human IVD degeneration is unclear. We sought to explore the relationship between autophagy and human IVD degeneration and to understand whether autophagy is involved in the protective effect of SIRT1 against apoptosis in NP cells.

[Purification and biological osteoinductive activity analysis of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 9 by eukaryotic expression].

The present paper is aimed to explore the biological osteoinductive activity of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 9 (rhBMP-9) by various biological technologies. In this study, we firstly obtained hBMP-9 cDNA by PCR and inserted it into vector pcDNA4/His Max to reconstruct hBMP-9 eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA4/His Max-BMP-9. Recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (rCHO) cell line expressing high-level rhBMP-9 was reconstructed by co-transfecting the expression vectors pcDNA4/His* Max-hBMP-9 and plasmid pSV2-dhfr into dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr)-deficient CHO cells and the subsequent gene amplification by the methotrexate.

[Restoring phenotype of dedifferentiated normal nucleus pulposus cells by resveratrol].

Objective: To investigate the effects of in-vitro monolayer culture and three-dimensional (3-D) alginate microsphere culture on the differentiation of normal human nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs), and to discuss the regulatory mechanism of restoring the phenotype of dedifferentiated NPCs by culturing resveratrol (RES) in 3-D alginate microsphere.

Methods: Normal human nucleus pulposus tissues were harvested for culture and identification of NPCs from 6 patients with burst lumbar vertebra fracture. NPCs at passages 1, 3, 5, and 7 in the in-vitro monolayer culture were harvested to observe the morphology, cell aging, and proteoglycan expression.

SIRT1 inhibits apoptosis of degenerative human disc nucleus pulposus cells through activation of Akt pathway.

Many studies have demonstrated that SIRT1, an NAD(+)-dependent deacetylase, reduces apoptosis in several different cells. However, the role of SIRT1 in apoptosis of disc nucleus pulposus (NP) cells remains unclear. The present study was performed to determine whether degenerative human NP would express SIRT1, and to investigate the role of SIRT1 in NP cells apoptosis.

[Determination of longistylin A and longistylin C in Cajanus cajan].

Objective: To establish quality control criteria for medicinal herb Cajanus cajan based on the determination of longistylin A and longistylin C, two bioactive and specific stilbenes of the plant.

Method: Longistylin A and longistylin C were obtained from the leaves of C. cajan by silica gel column chromatography and identified as marker compounds of this plant by spectroscopic analysis.