Acupuncture for atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory skin disease that impacts patients' quality of life and imposes substantial economic burdens on their families. Acupuncture holds promise as a viable treatment option for atopic dermatitis. This review aimed to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on atopic dermatitis.

Delivery-mediated exosomal therapeutics in ischemia-reperfusion injury: advances, mechanisms, and future directions.

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) poses significant challenges across various organ systems, including the heart, brain, and kidneys. Exosomes have shown great potentials and applications in mitigating IRI-induced cell and tissue damage through modulating inflammatory responses, enhancing angiogenesis, and promoting tissue repair. Despite these advances, a more systematic understanding of exosomes from different sources and their biotransport is critical for optimizing therapeutic efficacy and accelerating the clinical adoption of exosomes for IRI therapies.

Neuronal innervation regulates the secretion of neurotrophic myokines and exosomes from skeletal muscle.

Myokines and exosomes, originating from skeletal muscle, are shown to play a significant role in maintaining brain homeostasis. While exercise has been reported to promote muscle secretion, little is known about the effects of neuronal innervation and activity on the yield and molecular composition of biologically active molecules from muscle. As neuromuscular diseases and disabilities associated with denervation impact muscle metabolism, we hypothesize that neuronal innervation and firing may play a pivotal role in regulating secretion activities of skeletal muscles.

Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for prevention of postoperative urinary retention: A systematic review.

Introduction: Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) has been proposed for postoperative urinary retention (POUR). This meta-analysis evaluated the effect of TEAS in preventing POUR.

Methods: Databases were searched until February 6, 2023.

Mind In Vitro Platforms: Versatile, Scalable, Robust, and Open Solutions to Interfacing with Living Neurons.

Motivated by the unexplored potential of in vitro neural systems for computing and by the corresponding need of versatile, scalable interfaces for multimodal interaction, an accurate, modular, fully customizable, and portable recording/stimulation solution that can be easily fabricated, robustly operated, and broadly disseminated is presented. This approach entails a reconfigurable platform that works across multiple industry standards and that enables a complete signal chain, from neural substrates sampled through micro-electrode arrays (MEAs) to data acquisition, downstream analysis, and cloud storage. Built-in modularity supports the seamless integration of electrical/optical stimulation and fluidic interfaces.

Intracerebral Nanoparticle Transport Facilitated by Alzheimer Pathology and Age.

Nanoparticles have emerged as potential transporters of drugs targeting Alzheimer's disease (AD), but their design should consider the blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity and neuroinflammation of the AD brain. This study presents that aging is a significant factor for the brain localization and retention of nanoparticles, which we engineered to bind with reactive astrocytes and activated microglia. We assembled 200 nm-diameter particles using a block copolymer of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and CD44-binding hyaluronic acid (HA).

Phlorizin, a novel caloric restriction mimetic, stimulates hypoxia and protects cardiomyocytes through activating autophagy via modulating the Hif-1α/Bnip3 axis in sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction.

Background: Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory syndrome that can lead to multiple organ dysfunction and life-threatening complications. Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction (SIMD) has been confirmed to be present in half of patients with septic shock, increasing their mortality rate to 70-90%. The pathogenesis of SIMD is complex, and no specific clinical treatment has yet been developed.

Acupuncture for gait disturbance of patients with subacute and chronic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

Introduction: Hemiparetic gait is one of the most common sequelae of a stroke. Acupuncture has shown potential in correcting hemiplegic gait patterns and improving motor function recovery after stroke. However, controversial findings and a lack of supportive evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture for post-stroke hemiplegia.

Clinical efficacy of the shallow puncture and more-twirling acupuncture method in migraine treatment and its effects on serum 5-HT and β-EP levels.

Background: The incidence rate for migraine is 12% worldwide, and recurrence is common, which seriously affects the physical and mental health of patients.

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of Shallow Puncture and More Twirling method of acupuncture in treating migraine and its impact on serum 5-HT and β-EP.

Methods: A total of 76 patients with migraine were randomized into a control group and acupuncture group with 38 cases in each.

3,4-benzopyrene aggravates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury-induced pyroptosis through inhibition of autophagy-dependent NLRP3 degradation.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are produced during combustion of organic matter, such as during cigarette smoking, and they exist widely in the environment. Exposure to 3,4-benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), as the most widely studied PAHs, relates to many cardiovascular diseases. However, the underlying mechanism of its involvement remains largely unclear.

Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for the prevention of postoperative delirium in elderly surgical patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the preventive effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on postoperative delirium in elderly surgical patients.

Methods: PubMed, CENTRAL, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang databases were searched for randomized controlled trials regarding the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on preventing postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing any type of surgery. The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative delirium.

Shexiang Baoxin Pill attenuates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury by activating autophagy via modulating the ceRNA-Map3k8 pathway.

Background: The pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion is complex, involving multiple regulatory genes and environmental factors, and requiring the simultaneous regulation of multiple targets. Meanwhile, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has certain advantages in the comprehensive treatment of multi-site, multi-target conditions and overall regulation of this condition. This study explores the effect of the well-known TCM, the Shexiang Baoxin Pill (SBP) on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice.

Empowering engineered muscle in biohybrid pump by extending connexin 43 duration with reduced graphene oxides.

Engineered skeletal muscle act as therapeutics invaluable to treat injured or diseased muscle and a "living" material essential to assemble biological machinery. For normal development, skeletal myoblasts should express connexin 43, one of the gap junction proteins that promote myoblast fusion and myogenesis, during the early differentiation stage. However, myoblasts cultured in vitro often down-regulate connexin 43 before differentiation, limiting myogenesis and muscle contraction.

Sodium-Glucose Co-transporter-2 Inhibitor of Dapagliflozin Attenuates Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury by Limiting NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Modulating Autophagy.

The sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor dapagliflozin improves cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes in a manner that is partially independent of its hypoglycemic effect. These observations suggest that it may exert a cardioprotective effect by another mechanism. This study explored the effects of dapagliflozin on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in a mouse model.

Engineering of biomaterials for tumor modeling.

Development of biomaterials mimicking tumor and its microenvironment has recently emerged for the use of drug discovery, precision medicine, and cancer biology. These biomimetic models have developed by reconstituting tumor and stroma cells within the 3D extracellular matrix. The models are recently extended to recapitulate the tumor microenvironment, including biological, chemical, and mechanical conditions tailored for specific cancer type and its microenvironment.

A Single, Acute Astragaloside IV Therapy Protects Cardiomyocyte Through Attenuating Superoxide Anion-Mediated Accumulation of Autophagosomes in Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, characterized by myocardial cell death (e.g., apoptosis) and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide (O ) and hydrogen peroxide (HO), is a serious threat to human health and property.

Vector spatiotemporal solitons in cold atomic gases with linear and nonlinear PT symmetric potentials.

Realizing vector spatiotemporal solitons that are stable in high dimensions is a long-standing goal in the study of nonlinear optical physics. Here, a scheme is proposed to generate three-dimensional (3D) vector spatiotemporal solitons in a cold atomic system with linear and nonlinear parity-time (PT) potentials by utilizing electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). We investigate the existence and stability of these vector 3D semilunar solitons (SSs) and vortex solitons (VSs) supported by the linear and nonlinear PT potentials.

Screening and Identification of Potential Hub Genes in Myocardial Infarction Through Bioinformatics Analysis.

Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a common cause of death worldwide. It is characterized by coronary artery occlusion that causes ischemia and hypoxia of myocardial cells, leading to irreversible myocardial damage.

Materials And Methods: To explore potential targets for treatment of MI, we reorganized and analyzed two microarray datasets (GSE4648 and GSE775).

Metformin suppresses inflammation and apoptosis of myocardiocytes by inhibiting autophagy in a model of ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Metformin (Met) is a major widely used oral glucose lowering drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It is reported that metformin could regulate autophagy in various diseases of cardiovascular system including in I/R injury, diabetic cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Autophagy plays a controversial role in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, and this research was performed to explore the cardioprotective effect of Met on I/R injury and discuss the underlying mechanism of autophagy in it.

H NMR-based metabolomics analyses in children with Helicobacter pylori infection and the alteration of serum metabolites after treatment.

Background And Aims: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection can occur in early childhood, without eradication therapies such infection can persist throughout life and cause many different diseases. This study investigated the metabolic characteristics and explored the underlying mechanism of children with H.

An infant presenting with extreme hypertriglyceridemia diagnosed as glycogen storage disease type Ia.

Background Marked hypertriglyceridemia in infancy is extremely rare. Patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia in early life may be unmasked by a primary or secondary cause. Case presentation A female infant was born in a good condition with normal Apgar scores.

Role of Multivalent Interactions in Dynamic-Template-Directed Assembly of Conjugated Polymers.

Dynamic-template-directed assembly is a promising method to enhance molecular ordering and electronic properties of solution-coated polymer semiconductor thin films over a large area. In this work, we establish that multicomponent dynamic templates of complementary chemistries can promote polymer crystallization through cooperative multivalent interactions. We investigate this phenomenon using a combination of templating substrates including a fluoropolymer, a hydrogen-bonded liquid, and an ionic liquid (IL).

Synthesis and Self-Assembly of Multistimulus-Responsive Azobenzene-Containing Diblock Copolymer through RAFT Polymerization.

This paper gathered studies on multistimulus-responsive sensing and self-assembly behavior of a novel amphiphilic diblock copolymer through a two-step reverse addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization technique. N-Isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) macromolecular chain transfer agent and diblock copolymer (poly(NIPAM--Azo)) were discovered to have moderate thermal decomposition temperatures of 351.8 and 370.