The Effect of Acupuncture on Brain Iron Deposition and Body Iron Metabolism in Vascular Cognitive Impairment: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) persistently impairs cognition and the ability to perform activities of daily living, seriously compromising patients' quality of life. Previous studies have reported that disorders of serum iron metabolism and iron deposition in the brain can lead to inflammation, abnormal protein aggregation and degeneration, and massive neuronal apoptosis in the central nervous system, which in turn leads to a progressive decline in cognitive processes. Our previous clinical studies have found acupuncture to be a safe and effective intervention for treating VCI, but the specific mechanisms require further exploration.

Effect of electroacupuncture on proBDNF/mBDNF and synaptic plasticity in rats with learning and memory impairment after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.

Objectives: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Baihui" (GV20) and "Shenting" (GV24) on the rats' behavior and the transforming precursor of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (proBDNF) into mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (mBDNF) in the hippocampus of rats with learning and memory impairment induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (IR), so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of learning and memory ability.

Methods: SD rats were randomly divided into blank, sham operation, model, and EA groups, with 6 rats in each group. The model of IR was established by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery.

Effect of electroacupuncture of Governor Vessel on mitochondrial fusion and proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells in spinal cord injury rats.

Objectives: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Dazhui" (GV14) and "Jizhong"(GV6) of the Governor Vessel (GV) on mitochondrial fusion and neural stem cell (NSC) proliferation and differentiation in the spinal cord of rats with spinal cord injury (SCI), so as to investigate its mechanisms underlying improvement of SCI.

Methods: SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation, model and EA groups, with 15 rats in each group. The SCI model was established by using a precision impactor.

Needle retaining after electroacupuncture combined with cognitive training for post-stroke cognitive impairment: a multi-center randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of needle retaining after electroacupuncture combined with cognitive training and electroacupuncture combined with cognitive training in the treatment of post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI).

Methods: A total of 206 patients with PSCI were randomized into a needle retaining group (103 cases, 9 cases dropped out) and an electroacupuncture group (103 cases, 6 cases dropped out). In addition to the conventional basic medical treatment and the rehabilitation treatment, in the needle retaining group, electroacupuncture at Shenting (GV 24) and Baihui (GV 20) was applied, with continuous wave of 50 Hz in the first 15 min and with disperse-dense wave of 2 Hz/50 Hz in the last 15 min, the needles were continuously retained for 1 h after electroacupuncture, during which cognitive training was adopted; in the electroacupuncture group, cognitive training was performed after the same electric stimulation exerted for 30 min, without additional needles retaining.

[Electroacupuncture improves learning and memory impairment and enhances hippocampal synaptic plasticity through BDNF/TRKB/CREB signaling pathway in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury rats].

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture on brain-derived neurotrophin factor (BDNF) / tyrosine kinase receptor B (TRKB) / cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein (CREB) pathway, synaptic plasticity marker protein and synaptic ultrastructure in the hippocampus of rats with learning and memory impairment induced by cerebral ischemia reperfusion (IR), so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of cognitive impairment after stroke.

Methods: SD rats were randomly divided into blank, sham operation, model, and EA groups, with 12 rats in each group. The model of IR was established by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery.

Bibliometric analysis: Research trends of acupuncture treatment to cognitive impairment in recent 15 years.

Objectives: Acupuncture therapy has been used for cognitive impairment-related diseases, however, there are still few studies on the overall trend of acupuncture therapy on cognitive impairment based on bibliometric analysis. The purpose of this study was to explore the research trend of the impact of acupuncture on cognitive impairment in the past 15 years, analyze the research trends and hotspots, and provide new ideas and theoretical basis for future research directions.

Methods: From the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), the relevant literature on the treatment of cognitive impairment with acupuncture from 2007 to 2022 was retrieved.

Acupuncture ameliorates breast cancer-related fatigue by regulating the gut microbiota-gut-brain axis.

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common side effect of chemotherapy for breast cancer (BC). Acupuncture treatment has an anti-fatigue effect and can regulate gut microbiota disturbance in fatigue patients. Related studies have shown that the gut microbiota-gut-brain axis is closely related to the occurrence of CRF.

Electroacupuncture of Baihui and Shenting ameliorates cognitive deficits Pten/Akt pathway in a rat cerebral ischemia injury model.

Cerebral ischemic stroke is a huge threat to the health and life of many people. Electroacupuncture (EA) at Baihui (GV20) and Shenting (GV24) acupoints can notably alleviate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (CIRI). However, the molecular basis underlying the effectiveness of EA at the GV20 and GV24 acupoints for CIRI remains largely unknown.

Effects of Functional Acupuncture on Upper Limb Spasticity After Ischemic Stroke: A Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Parallel Clinical Trial.

Background: Upper limb spasticity (ULS) is a common complication after stroke, which seriously affects the quality of life and rehabilitation of patients. There are different treatment methods for post-stroke spasticity (PSS). Our group found that functional acupuncture (FA) can effectively improve forearm spasticity and hand dysfunction after stroke, but the efficacy of ULS needs to be further verified.

The Clinical Observation and Mechanism of Acupuncture on Cancer-Related Fatigue of Breast Cancer Based on "Gut-Brain Axis": Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a painful, persistent feeling of physical and cognitive subjective fatigue related to cancer or cancer remedy. The occurrence of CRF may be related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenaline (HPA) axis, inflammatory mediator theory, and gut microbiota.

Observation of curative effect on meridian theory-based extracorporeal shock wave therapy for non-specific low back pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Non-specific low back pain (NLBP) is a major global socioeconomic burden, and the prevalence of NLBP is still on the rise. At present, there is no ideal drug to cure this disease. This may be the reason why patients often use complementary therapies.

The Comparative Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine Exercise Therapies in Elderly People With Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the elderly is a health problem worldwide. Studies have confirmed that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) exercise therapies can improve MCI. However, which therapy is the best and their impacts on brain function remain controversial and uncertain.

Effects of Optimized Acupuncture and Moxibustion Treatment on Depressive Symptoms and Executive Functions in Patients With Post-Stroke Depression: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Post-stroke depression (PSD), a common neuropsychiatric comorbidity after stroke, has a negative impact on the functional recovery and quality of life of survivors. It lacks effective therapeutic drugs with good curative effects and few adverse reactions. Preliminary experiments have shown that the optimized acupuncture and moxibustion treatment (OAMT), including acupuncture, moxibustion, and auricular intradermal acupuncture, improved depressive symptoms and neurological deficits in patients with PSD.

Effects of Exercise on Parkinson's Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Brain Imaging Studies.

Background: Exercise is increasingly recognized as a key component of Parkinson's disease (PD) treatment strategies, but the underlying mechanism of how exercise affects PD is not yet fully understood.

Objective: The activation likelihood estimation (ALE) method is used to study the mechanism of exercise affecting PD, providing a theoretical basis for studying exercise and PD, and promoting the health of patients with PD.

Methods: Relevant keywords were searched on the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases.

[Acupoint selection rules of post-stroke cognitive impairment treated with acupuncture based on ancient and modern medical record cloud platform].

Objective: To analyze the acupoint selection rules of post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) treated with acupuncture by ancient and modern medical record cloud platform (V1.5).

Methods: The published randomized controlled trial (RCT) literature of PSCI treated with acupuncture was retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science, and the data was extracted to establish prescription database.

Interactive Effects of Endophyte, Dormancy-Breaking Treatments and Geographic Origin on Seed Germination of .

Background: the cool-season grass (drunken horse grass) is an important species in the northwest grasslands of China. This grass engages in a symbiotic relationship with endophytes, which affect host plants by increasing growth, repelling herbivores, and increasing tolerance to stressful environments.

Methods: in this work, we evaluated the interaction effects of the endophyte on various dormancy-breaking treatments on A.

Using Surface Electromyography to Evaluate the Efficacy of Governor Vessel Electroacupuncture in Poststroke Lower Limb Spasticity: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Parallel Trial.

. Lower limb spasticity is a common complication after stroke, which seriously affects the quality of life and rehabilitation of patients. There are different treatment methods for poststroke spasticity.

Effects of different acupuncture treatment methods on post-stroke cognitive impairment: study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: Cognitive impairment is a common dysfunction after stroke that seriously affects the overall recovery of patients. Cognitive rehabilitation training is currently the main treatment to improve cognitive function, but its curative effect is limited. Acupuncture is a core component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and some previous clinical studies have shown that it might be effective in treating post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI), but further evidence from large-sample studies is needed.

Baduanjin exercise for patients with knee osteoarthritis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common chronic degenerative disorder with an increasingly prevalence among the older individuals and the leading cause of pain in the elderly. Baduanjin, one of the ancient traditional Chinese mind-body exercise routine, has been recognized to have clinical benefits for KOA. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Baduanjin for patients with KOA through this systematic review and meta-analysis.

The comparative effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine exercise therapies in elderly people with mild cognitive impairment: A protocol for a network meta-analysis.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the elderly is a health problem worldwide. Several clinical trials indicated that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) exercise therapies can effectively improve MCI, such as Tai Ji, Baduan jin exercise, Liuzi jue, and finger exercise. However, there is still controversy over which therapy is the best for elderly MCI patients.

Hypoglycemic agents for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in Western countries, and strongly associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Several studies have shown that hypoglycemic agents are effective for NAFLD combined with T2DM. However, there is still controversy over which hypoglycemic agent is the best for NAFLD combined with T2DM patients.

Portable Smartphone-based Colorimetric Analyzer with Enhanced Gold Nanoparticles for On-site Tests of Seafood Safety.

Saxitoxin (STX) is one of the paralytic shellfish poisons (PSP) that endanger people's health. It is necessary to develop methods for the on-site rapid detection for STX in order to prevent safety accidents. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is timesaving and effective, but it is not suitable for large-scale in-field tests due to the expensiveness of commercial ELISA kits and the bulkiness of a microtiter plate reader (MTPR).

A Dual Functional Cardiomyocyte-based Hybrid-biosensor for the Detection of Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning and Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Toxins.

Okadaic acid (OA) and saxitoxin (STX) are typical toxins of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) and paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), respectively, which are highly toxic marine toxins threatening human health and environmental safety. OA is a potent inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatases that can cause cellular death, while STX is an inhibitor of sodium channel that can lead to neurological damage. In this work, a dual functional cardiomyocyte-based biosensor was proposed to detect DSP and PSP toxins by monitoring the viability and electrophysiology of cardiomyocytes.

Cloning and Characterization of Promoters of the Fungal Immunomodulatory Protein Genes from Ganoderma spp. (Agaricomycetes) and Their Response to Methyl Jasmonate and Salicylic Acid.

Ganoderma mushrooms for medicinal use contain various bioactive compounds, but the genetic elements available for these medicinal mushrooms are still limited. In this study we cloned and analyzed the promoters of fungal immunomodulatory protein (FIP) genes from G. lucidum and G.

Portable Microplate Analyzer with a Thermostatic Chamber Based on a Smartphone for On-site Rapid Detection.

A microplate method provides an efficient way to use modern detection technology. However, there are some difficulties concerning on-site detection, such as being non-portable and time-consuming. In this work, a novel portable microplate analyzer with a thermostatic chamber based on a smartphone was designed for rapid on-site detection.