Acupuncture Modulation of Chronic Neuropathic Pain and Its Association With Brain Functional Properties.

Chronic neuropathic pain has been one of the prominent causes of disability, and acupuncture has shown promise in treatment. The present study aimed to characterize acupuncture modulation of chronic neuropathic pain and explore the related functional brain changes. Sixty chronic sciatica patients were divided into acupuncture- or sham acupuncture groups and received 10 sessions of treatment during 4 weeks.

Long-term spaceflight composite stress induces depressive behaviors in model rats through disrupting hippocampus synaptic plasticity.

Introduction: Long-term spaceflight composite stress (LSCS) can cause adverse effects on human systems, including the central nervous system, which could trigger anxiety and depression.

Aims: This study aimed to identify changes in hippocampus synaptic plasticity under LSCS.

Methods: The present study simulated the real long-term space station environment by conducting a 42-day experiment that involved simulating microgravity, isolation, noise, circadian rhythm disruptions, and low pressure.

T Lymphocyte Subsets Profile and Toll-Like Receptors Responses in Patients with Herpes Zoster.

Purpose: Herpes zoster (HZ) is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and 20% of healthy humans and 50% of people with immune dysfunction have a high probability of suffering from HZ. This study aimed to screen dynamic immune signatures and explore the potential mechanism during HZ progression.

Patients And Methods: Peripheral blood samples from 31 HZ patients and 32 age-sex-matched healthy controls were collected and analyzed.

Novel Sulfonylurea Derivatives as Potential Antimicrobial Agents: Chemical Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Computational Study.

Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a worldwide health threat and has already tormented humanity during its long history, creating an urgent need for the development of new classes of antibacterial agents. In this study, twenty-one novel sulfonylurea derivatives containing phenyl-5-vinyl and pyrimidinyl-4-aryl moieties were designed and synthesized, among which, nine compounds exhibited inhibitory potencies against Gram-positive bacterial strains: MRSA (Chaoyang clinical isolates), ATCC6538, vancomycin-resistant -309 (VRE-309), and ATCC 6633. Especially, and demonstrated inhibitory activities against the four bacterial strains with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.

Long-pulsed neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser versus cryotherapy for the treatment of cutaneous warts: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Observational studies have shown promising therapeutic effects of long-pulsed neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (LP-Nd:YAG) laser on warts.

Objective: To evaluate whether LP-Nd:YAG laser was superior to cryotherapy for cutaneous warts.

Methods: In this study, 150 adult patients with warts were randomized equally to receive laser or cryotherapy every 3 to 4 weeks, for a maximum of 4 sessions.

Aberrant resting-state cerebral blood flow and its connectivity in primary dysmenorrhea on arterial spin labeling MRI.

Purpose: This study aimed to clarify the resting-state cerebral blood flow alteration patterns induced by primary dysmenorrhea, investigate the relationships between cerebral blood flow alterations and clinical parameters of patients with primary dysmenorrhea, and explore whether brain regions with abnormal cerebral blood flow also feature functional connectivity changes.

Methods: Arterial spin labeling imaging and clinical parameters were acquired in 42 patients with primary dysmenorrhea and 41 healthy controls during their menstrual phases. Differences in cerebral blood flow were compared between the two groups, and the clusters with significant group differences were selected as the regions of interest for further statistical analyses.

Syndrome Differentiation of Chinese Medicine in Mars 500 Long-Term Closed Environment.

Objective: To summarize and elucidate the characteristics and evolvement of Chinese medicine (CM) patterns reflecting the physical and mental conditions of participants in the Mars 500 long-term closed environment.

Methods: The DS01-T Digital TCM Four-Diagnostic Instrument and CM Inquiring Diagnostic Questionnaire were used to collect information from 6 participants in the Mars 500 International Joint Research Project, through diagnostic methods of observation, palpation and inquiry according to CM theory. During the 520 days of the experiment, data collection was performed 37 times; a total of over 400 digital images of tongues and facial complexion and over 20,000 data were collected.

Recombinant adenovirus of SEA and CD80 genes driven by MMRE and mouse TERT promoter induce effective antitumor immune responses against different types of tumor cells in vitro and in vivo.

Staphylococcus enterotoxin A (SEA) is a powerful immunostimulant and can stimulate T cells bearing certain T-cell receptor β-chain variable regions when bound to major histocompatibility complex II molecules. SEA is widely used in research of antitumor therapy. The low affinity T-cell receptor (TCR) interaction with SEA in the absence of MHC class II antigens is sufficient for the induction of cytotoxicity but requires additional CD28/B7 signaling to result in proliferation of resting T cells.

Evaluation of the health status of six volunteers from the Mars 500 project using pulse analysis.

Objective: To comprehensively evaluate the health status of 6 volunteers from the Mars 500 Project through analyzing their pulse graphs and determining the changes in cardiovascular function, degree of fatigue and autonomic nervous function.

Methods: Six volunteers were recruited; all were male aged 26-38 years (average 31.83±4.

Syndrome Differentiation Analysis on Mars500 Data of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Mars500 study was a psychological and physiological isolation experiment conducted by Russia, the European Space Agency, and China, in preparation for an unspecified future manned spaceflight to the planet Mars. Its intention was to yield valuable psychological and medical data on the effects of the planned long-term deep space mission. In this paper, we present data mining methods to mine medical data collected from the crew consisting of six spaceman volunteers.

Inhibition of autophagy recovers cardiac dysfunction and atrophy in response to tail-suspension.

Aims: Physical inactivity during space flight or prolonged bed rest may cause cardiac dysfunction and atrophy, but the exact mechanism that governs the regulation of myocardial dysfunction and cardiac atrophy remains poorly understood. Autophagy, a protein degradation pathway, has recently been shown to be involved in the regulation of cardiac dysfunction and atrophy. In this study, we investigated the relationships between dysfunction and inactivity-induced atrophy and autophagy in rat cardiac tissue.

Impact of 60 days of 6° head down bed rest on cardiopulmonary function, and the effects of Taikong Yangxin Prescription as a countermeasure.

Objective: To study the changes in cardiopulmonary function induced by mid/long-term simulated microgravity with 6° head down bed rest (HDBR), and the effects of Taikong Yangxin Prescription (, TYP) as a countermeasure.

Methods: Fourteen healthy male volunteers were randomly divided into a control group and a Chinese medicine (CM) group (7 in each group) by a random digital table based on their body weight. Both groups underwent 6° HDBR for 60 days.

[Differential plasma protein profiles in patients with hyperlipidemia & atherosclerosis of different patterns of phlegm-stasis syndrome].

Objective: To investigate the differential plasma protein profiles in patients with hyperlipidemia & atherosclerosis (H&A) of different patterns of phlegm-stasis syndrome (PSS) for seeking their biomarker proteins.

Methods: Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and gel screening graphical analysis were performed on plasma proteins got from 146 patients; corresponding protein spots were fetched from the gel for two-stage mass-spectrometric analysis by quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry; then the differential proteins for PSS were discriminated by Fisher discriminate analysis.

Results: Excepting two uncertain proteins, 7 differential proteins were screened out from the 11 differentially expressed plasma protein spots with variability over 100% in the inter-block matching.

[Relationship between plasma protein expression profiles and states of Zang-Fu organs in patients with phlegm or blood stagnation syndromes due to hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the plasma biomarker proteins and the states of Zang-Fu organs in patients with phlegm or blood stagnation syndromes due to hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis.

Methods: The states of Zang-Fu organs in 146 patients with hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis were diagnosed by syndrome differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine. The plasma proteins from these patients were separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE).

[Molecular detection of specific HPV types in Condylomata acuminata].

To detect HPV in genital warts (Condylomata acuminata, CA) for infection rate and association of specific HPV types between males and females, and to provide support for the development of HPV vaccines, we designed HPV type-specific oligonucleotide primers to amplify DNA fragments encoding L1 viral capsule protein. SSP-PCR was conducted in duplication for each CA sample from male and female patients. DNA of TA-cloned HPV was used as positive control, and deionized H2O was used as negative control.

[Relationship between human herpesvirus 6 infection and oral squamous cell carcinoma].

Objective: To study the relationship between human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods: The serum anti-HHV-6 antibody titers from oral squamous cell carcinoma patients and control subjects were detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay. HHV-6 DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from oral squamous cell carcinoma patients and control subjects was amplified by PCR with primers from sequence of HHV-6 and the specificity was confirmed by Southern-blot hybridization with an internal probe oligonucleotide.

[Development and application of an indirect immunofluorescence assay for the detection of serum immunoglobulin G to human herpesvirus 6].

Aim: To establish an indirect immunofluorescence assay(IFA) for detection of serum IgG antibody against human herpesvirus 6(HHV-6).

Methods: Cord blood mononuclear cells infected by HHV-6 strain CN(5) were used to prepare cell antigen smear, so as to establish an IFA and make an epidemical investigation on serum specimens of child-bearing age, women.

Results: The specificity of the IFA for HHV-6 was confirmed by absorption assay(test).