A spinal neural circuit for electroacupuncture that regulates gastric functional disorders.

Objective: Acupuncture therapies are known for their effectiveness in treating a variety of gastric diseases, although the mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully understood. This study tested the effectiveness of electroacupuncture (EA) at acupoints Zhongwan (RN12) and Weishu (BL21) for managing gastric motility disorder (GMD) and investigated the underlying mechanisms involved.

Methods: A GMD model was used to evaluate the impact of EA on various aspects of gastric function including the amplitude of gastric motility, electrogastrogram, food intake, and the rate of gastric emptying.

Establishment and external validation of an early warning model of diabetic peripheral neuropathy based on random forest and logistic regression.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to investigate the risk factors for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and to establish an early diagnostic prediction model for its onset, based on clinical data and biochemical indices.

Methods: Retrospective data were collected from 1,446 diabetic patients at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine and were split into training and internal validation sets in a 7:3 ratio. Additionally, 360 diabetic patients from the Second Affiliated Hospital were used as an external validation cohort.

Characterization of the neural circuitry of the auditory thalamic reticular nucleus and its potential role in salicylate-induced tinnitus.

Introduction: Subjective tinnitus, the perception of sound without an external acoustic source, is often subsequent to noise-induced hearing loss or ototoxic medications. The condition is believed to result from neuroplastic alterations in the auditory centers, characterized by heightened spontaneous neural activities and increased synchrony due to an imbalance between excitation and inhibition. However, the role of the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), a structure composed exclusively of GABAergic neurons involved in thalamocortical oscillations, in the pathogenesis of tinnitus remains largely unexplored.

Multi-feature, Chinese-Western medicine-integrated prediction model for diabetic peripheral neuropathy based on machine learning and SHAP.

Background: Clinical studies have shown that diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) has been on the rise, with most patients presenting with severe and progressive symptoms. Currently, most of the available prediction models for DPN are derived from general clinical information and laboratory indicators. Several Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) indicators have been utilised to construct prediction models.

Studies on the humic acid structure and microbial nutrient restriction mechanism during organic-inorganic co-composting.

The effects of inorganic fertilizer addition method on the organic-inorganic co-composting process, especially the structure of humic acid and the mechanism of microbial nutrient restriction, are unclear. In this article, the effects of one-time and fractional addition of inorganic fertilizer on the structure of humic acid, extracellular enzyme activity, extracellular enzyme stoichiometry and the culturable growth-promoting bacteria during organic-inorganic co-composting were determined. The results showed that the addition of inorganic fertilizer promoted the humification degree of compost.

Low-level inflammation, immunity, and brain-gut axis in IBS: unraveling the complex relationships.

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder, and it has been shown that the etiology of irritable bowel syndrome is a multifactorial complex of neurological, inflammatory, and immunological changes. There is growing evidence of low-grade chronic inflammation in irritable bowel patients. The peripheral action response of their intestinal immune factors is integrated into the central nervous system, while the microbiota interacts with the brain-gut axis contributing to the development of low-grade chronic inflammation.

Effect on Satisfactory Seizure Control and Heart Rate Variability of Thread-Embedding Acupuncture for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: A Patient-Assessor Blinded, Randomized Controlled Trial.

This randomized controlled trial investigates the efficacy of thread-embedding acupuncture (TEA) compared to sham TEA in treating drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). Fifty-four DRE outpatients were randomly divided into two groups: TEA (27 patients) and sham TEA (27 patients). Both groups received four sessions of TEA or sham TEA, spaced four weeks apart, targeting GV20, GV14, BL15, BL18, ST40, and GB34 acupoints.

Danzhi Jiangtang capsule reduces renal injury in rats with diabetes induced by high fat diet and streptozotocin downregulating toll-like receptor 4-nuclear factor-κB pathway and apoptosis.

Objective: To investigate the effect and mechanisms of Danzhi Jiangtang capsule (, DJC) on renal injury in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes of rats.

Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with high fat diet for 6 weeks followed by streptozotocin (STZ, 35 mg/kg) injection. These rats were then treated with DJC (270, 540 and 1080 mg/kg) daily for 8 weeks.

A neural circuit for gastric motility disorders driven by gastric dilation in mice.

Introduction: Symptoms of gastric motility disorders are common clinical manifestations of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), and are triggered and exacerbated by stress, but the neural pathways underpinning them remain unclear.

Methods: We set-up a mouse model by gastric dilation (GD) in which the gastric dynamics were assessed by installing strain gauges on the surface of the stomach. The neural pathway associated with gastric motility disorders was investigated by behavioral tests, electrophysiology, neural circuit tracing, and optogenetics and chemogenetics involving projections of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) from the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) to acetylcholine (ChAT) neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV).

A central amygdala input to the dorsal vagal complex controls gastric motility in mice under restraint stress.

Psychological and physiological stress can cause gastrointestinal motility disorders. Acupuncture has a benign regulatory effect on gastrointestinal motility. However, the mechanisms underlying these processes remain unclear.

Targeting the gut-microbiota-brain axis in irritable bowel disease to improve cognitive function - recent knowledge and emerging therapeutic opportunities.

The brain-gut axis forms a bidirectional communication system between the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and cognitive brain areas. Disturbances to this system in disease states such as inflammatory bowel disease have consequences for neuronal activity and subsequent cognitive function. The gut-microbiota-brain axis refers to the communication between gut-resident bacteria and the brain.

Differences in microbial diversity and environmental factors in ploughing-treated tobacco soil.

During agricultural production, plowing affects the existing traits of the planted soil, including environmental factors (physicochemical properties and soil enzymatic activity) and microbial community, but whether deep tillage and conventional tillage cause differences in soil microecology are unknown. In this study, the 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology was combined with soil environmental factor detection to analyze the differences in microbial diversity of smokey soils at different depths. As a result, the composition and structure of microbial community varied in different soil depth after plowing.

Enhanced production of iturin A by strengthening fatty acid synthesis modules in .

Iturin A is a biosurfactant with various applications, and its low synthesis capability limits its production and application development. Fatty acids play a critical role in cellular metabolism and target product syntheses, and the relationship between fatty acid supplies and iturin A synthesis is unclear. In this study, we attempted to increase iturin A production strengthening fatty acid synthesis pathways in .

Acupuncture relieves the visceral pain of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome rats by regulating P2X4 expression.

Objectives: We researched the effect and mechanism of acupuncture treatment for visceral pain in rats with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D).

Methods: We set up a rat model of IBS-D with chemical and chronic- and acute-pressure stimulations. Then, the IBS-D rats were treated with acupuncture or 5-BDBD, and the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture in IBS-D rats was assessed by means of the Bristol scale, diarrhea index, abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) score, mast cell count and histologic staining.

The Effect of Yiqi Huoxue Tongluo Decoction on Spinal Cord Microglia Activation and ASK1-MKK3-p38 Signal Pathway in Rats with Diabetic Neuropathic Pain.

Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is one of the most common chronic peripheral neuropathies in diabetes mellitus (DM). . To observe the underlying mechanism of the effects of Yiqi Huoxue Tongluo Decoction (YQHX) on DNP rats.

Soil Conditioner Affects Tobacco Rhizosphere Soil Microecology.

Reasonable fertilization management can increase nutrient content and enzyme activity in rhizosphere soil, and even increase soil microbial richness. However, different fertilizers could raise distinct influences on the soil properties, including soil environmental factors (physicochemical properties and enzymatic activities) and microbial community. Here, the effects of two soil amendments (microbial fertilizer and woody peat) on environmental factors and microbial community structure in tobacco rhizosphere soil were evaluated, with the correlations between microbes and environmental factors explored.

Selenium atoms induce organic doped systems to produce pure phosphorescence emission.

A host-guest system is constructed using a guest containing two selenium atoms. The selenium atoms can increase the spin-orbit coupling constant and the conjugation degree, thereby increasing the emission wavelength, and making the materials show only phosphorescence emission.

Effects of School Resumption on College Students' Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The current study aimed to investigate the effects of school resumption on college students' mental health during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We used the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) to assess stress, depression, and anxiety, respectively, between same-age college students returning to school and those not returning to school. Of 1,598 students who completed the baseline survey (S1), 836 students completed a follow-up survey 10 months after school resumption (S2).

Effect of straw biochar amendment on tobacco growth, soil properties, and rhizosphere bacterial communities.

Biochar is an effective soil conditioner. However, we have limited understanding of biochar effects on the tobacco growth and bacterial communities in rhizosphere. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different straw biochar amendment (0, 2, 10, and 50 g/kg dry soil) on tobacco growth, soil properties, and bacterial communities in rhizosphere by pot trials.

[Acupuncture intervention induced improvement of oxidative stress by regulating PKCβ/P66shc signaling in obese diabetic rats].

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Zusanli"(ST36)-"Sanyinjiao"(SP6) on glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin resistance (IR) in obese diabetic rats, so as to explore its mechanism underlying improvement of obesity diabetes.

Methods: SPF male rats were randomly divided into normal control, model, meridian-acupoint EA (acupoint), non-meridian non-acupoint EA (non-acupoint), and medication (metformin) groups, with 10 rats in each group. The diabetes model was established by feeding the rats with high-fat diet for 8 weeks.

Uncovering the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome by exploring the gut-brain axis: a narrative review.

Objective: To improve the pathophysiological understanding of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by exploring the gut-brain axis.

Background: Disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs) are gastrointestinal (GI) disorders in which alterations in bowel functions occur. IBS, which is one of the most studied DGBIs, is linked with abdominal distress or pain without obvious structural or biochemical anomalies.

Acupuncture for functional gastrointestinal disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: The therapeutic effect of acupuncture treatments (AT) on functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) is contentious. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for FGIDs.

Methods: The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PUBMED, Web of Science, Wanfang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and VIP Database were searched through December 31, 2019 with no language restrictions.

Huang-Pu-Tong-Qiao Formula Ameliorates the Hippocampus Apoptosis in Diabetic Cognitive Dysfunction Mice by Activating CREB/BDNF/TrkB Signaling Pathway.

Background: Huang-Pu-Tong-Qiao formula (HPTQ), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula used to improve cognitive impairment. However, the underlying neuroprotective mechanism of HPTQ treated for diabetic cognitive dysfunction (DCD) remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective mechanism of HPTQ in DCD mice based on molecular docking.