Publications by authors named "Junlian Liu"

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.

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Depression is a common mental disorder, the effective treatment of which remains a challenging issue worldwide. The clinical pathogenesis of depression has been deeply explored, leading to the formulation of various pathogenic hypotheses. Among these, the monoamine neurotransmitter hypothesis holds a prominent position, yet it has significant limitations as more than one-third of patients do not respond to conventional treatments targeting monoamine transmission disturbances.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study aimed to assess how simulated long-term spaceflight composite stress affects the hippocampus in rats by conducting whole-transcriptome sequencing and comparing the findings between control and stress groups.
  • Researchers discovered significant changes in various types of RNA, including 276 DEmRNAs and 139 DElncRNAs in the LSCS group, suggesting alterations in gene expression due to stress.
  • The analysis also identified key signaling pathways, specifically the PI3K-Akt and MAPK pathways, and constructed a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network highlighting important genetic interactions related to the hippocampus's response to stress.
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Long-term spaceflight composite stress (LSCS) can cause adverse effects on human systems, especially the central nervous system. This study aimed to identify the underlying mechanisms of the protective effect of Baoyuan Jieyu Formula (BYJYF) on LSCS-induced depressive-like behavior and memory deficits. In this experiment, we simulated the real space station environment for a period of 42 days.

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The environment on the space station is quite unique compared to Earth, which is a composite of multiple stressors, such as microgravity, isolation, confinement, noise, circadian rhythm disturbance, and so on. During prolonged space missions, astronauts have to stay in such extreme environments for long periods, which could induce adverse effects on both their physical and mental health. In some circumstances, this kind of long-term spaceflight composite stress (LSCS) could also induce depression and cognitive impairment in various ways, including dysregulating the neuroplasticity of the brains of astronauts, which should be attached to great importance.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Background/aims: The effect and underlying mechanism of microgravity on myocardium still poorly understood. The present study aims to reveal the effect and underlying mechanism of tail-suspension-induced microgravity on myocardium of rats.

Methods: Tail-suspension was conducted to simulate microgravity in rats.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explored how Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata (a traditional Chinese medicine) could treat osteoarthritis using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and lab experiments.
  • Researchers established osteoclast models using specific factors and evaluated how Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata affected certain enzyme activities linked to bone health.
  • The findings highlighted that this herbal remedy inhibits specific enzyme activity related to bone resorption, identifying 14 active components and 126 targets associated with osteoarthritis, suggesting its potential therapeutic benefits.
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The application of voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) analysis to study the central mechanism of migraine has been limited. Furthermore, little is known about inter-hemispheric functional connectivity (FC) alterations during resting state in female patients with migraine. This study aimed to investigate potential interictal VMHC impairments in migraine without aura (MwoA) patients and the relationship between connectivity alterations and clinical parameters.

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As the representatives of closely related Chinese medicinal materials (CMMs) originated from Rutaceae family, (AFI), (AF), (CRPV), and (CRP) have better functions in regulating qi and promoting gastrointestinal motility. However, differences in the quality of closely related CMMs have not yet been revealed until now. Herein, this study focused on the systematic differentiation and in-depth understanding of closely related CMMs by a strategy integrating chemometrics and network pharmacology.

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During space flight, astronauts are exposed to various influences of extreme environments and susceptible to develop depression-like behavior. Thus, this study aims to explore the molecular biological mechanism of the cause of depression-like behavior and reveal the effect of Baoyuan Jieyu Formula (BYJYF) on ameliorating depression-like behavior. Here, rats exposed to simulated long-term spaceflight composite stress (LSCS) reduced the sucrose preference rate (P <0.

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Purpose: In the early stage, bioinformatics analysis revealed that the expression of long-chain non-coding RNA LINC00963 in glioma tissues was remarkably increased, but its biological effects on glioma and the potential molecular mechanisms have not been reported. This study aimed to conduct a preliminary discussion on the impact of LINC00963 on glioma, so as to provide new ideas for the treatment of this cancer.

Methods: GEPIA database was consulted to determine the expression level of LINC00963 in gliomas.

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Confined experiments are carried out to simulate the closed environment of space capsule on the ground. The Chinese Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) is designed including a closed-loop system supporting 4 healthy volunteers surviving for 180 days, and we aim to reveal the temporal characteristics of the oropharyngeal and nasal microbiota structure in crewmembers stayed 180 days in the CELSS, so as to accumulate the information about microbiota balance associated with respiratory health for estimating health risk in future spaceflight. We investigated the distribution of microorganisms and their dynamic characteristics in the nasal cavity and oropharynx of occupants with prolonged confinement.

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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.

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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.

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Purpose: This study aimed to report the occurrence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in a 90-day head-down bed rest experiment and evaluate the potential relationship between BPPV-related seizures and bone metabolic changes.

Methods And Design: Five cases of lateral semicircular canal (LSC) BPPV were diagnosed during a 90-day head-down bed rest experiment. Five age-matched subjects who participated in this experiment and never felt dizziness or vertigo were assigned as controls.

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Background: Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast, which could become pathogenic in various stressful environmental factors including the spaceflight environment. In this study, we aim to explore the phenotypic changes and possible mechanisms of C. albicans after exposure to spaceflight conditions.

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Background And Objectives: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by T cell-mediated attack on the hair follicle. Although there are a wide range of therapies, the majority of them are not satisfactory due to side effects or limited efficacy. In this study, we sought to evaluate the efficacy, influence factors, and safety of 308-nm excimer lamp with minoxidil in the treatment of AA.

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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.

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Increasing evidence indicates the occurrence of cognitive impairment in astronauts under spaceflight compound conditions, but the underlying mechanisms and countermeasures need to be explored. In this study, we found that learning and memory abilities were significantly reduced in rats under a simulated long-duration spaceflight environment (SLSE), which includes microgravity, isolation confinement, noises, and altered circadian rhythms. Dammarane sapogenins (DS), alkaline hydrolyzed products of ginsenosides, can enhance cognition function by regulating brain neurotransmitter levels and inhibiting SLSE-induced neuronal injury.

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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.

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