Immunomodulatory Effects of Yu-Ping-Feng Formula on Primary Sjögren's Syndrome: Interrogating the T Cell Response.

Ethnopharmacological treatments have shown beneficial effects in the clinical practice of autoimmune disorders. However, the underlying mechanism of immunomodulatory effects remains challenging, given the complicate composition of herbal medicines. Here, we developed an immunological approach to interrogate the T helper cell response.

N, N-Dimethyltryptamine, a natural hallucinogen, ameliorates Alzheimer's disease by restoring neuronal Sigma-1 receptor-mediated endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria crosstalk.

Background: Aberrant neuronal Sigma-1 receptor (Sig-1r)-mediated endoplasmic reticulum (ER)- mitochondria signaling plays a key role in the neuronal cytopathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The natural psychedelic N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a Sig-1r agonist that may have the anti-AD potential through protecting neuronal ER-mitochondrial interplay.

Methods: 3×TG-AD transgenic mice were administered with chronic DMT (2 mg/kg) for 3 weeks and then performed water maze test.

Suppression of apoptosis impairs phalangeal joint formation in the pathogenesis of brachydactyly type A1.

Apoptosis occurs during development when a separation of tissues is needed. Synovial joint formation is initiated at the presumptive site (interzone) within a cartilage anlagen, with changes in cellular differentiation leading to cavitation and tissue separation. Apoptosis has been detected in phalangeal joints during development, but its role and regulation have not been defined.

Modulating the default mode network: Antidepressant efficacy of transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoints stimulation targeting the insula.

Background: Transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoint stimulation (TECAS) is a novel non-invasive therapy for major depressive disorder (MDD) that stimulates acupoints innervated by the trigeminal and auricular vagus nerves. However, there are few neuroimaging studies involving the TECAS for the treatment of MDD. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the treatment response and neurological effects of TECAS using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy in lumbar disc herniation with posterior ring apophysis fracture: A case report in a 15-year-old child.

Rationale: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) with posterior ring apophysis fracture (PRAF) is rather rare in children, and in all age-stratified LDH patients, the incidence of RAF was 5.3% to 7.5%.

Genipin-activating PPARγ impedes CCR2-mediated macrophage infiltration into postoperative liver to suppress recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma.

A high postoperative tumour recurrence rate has significantly rendered a poorer prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. The aim of this study is to identify a natural compound genipin as a potential and effective candidate to suppress the postoperative recurrence of HCC. Clinical analysis revealed that infiltration of macrophage into the adjacent tissue but not HCC predicted patients' poor prognosis on recurrence-free survival.

Scoliosis in osteogenesis imperfecta: identifying the genetic and non-genetic factors affecting severity and progression from longitudinal data of 290 patients.

Background: Scoliosis is widely prevalent among osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) patients, and is progressive with age. However, factors affecting scoliosis in OI are not well known.

Methods: We retrospectively retrieved longitudinal radiographic and clinical records of consecutive OI patients seeking treatments at our hospital from 2014 to 2022, graded their pre-operative spinal conditions into four outcome groups, estimated their progression rates, and descriptively and inferentially analyzed the genetic and non-genetic factors that may affect the outcomes and progression rates.

Hypertrophic chondrocytes at the junction of musculoskeletal structures.

Hypertrophic chondrocytes are found at unique locations at the junction of skeletal tissues, cartilage growth plate, articular cartilage, enthesis and intervertebral discs. Their role in the skeleton is best understood in the process of endochondral ossification in development and bone fracture healing. Chondrocyte hypertrophy occurs in degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis.

Clinicopathological analysis of extraneural sporadic haemangioblastoma occurring in the tongue.

Haemangioblastoma is a morphologically distinctive tumour with uncertain histogenesis, typically occurring in the cerebellum, brain stem or spinal cord and less commonly in extraneural locations. Here, we present a case of haemangioblastoma occurring in the tongue, which is the first reported case in terms of the pathogenic site. The tumour was morphologically indistinguishable from central nervous system haemangioblastoma, that is, neoplastic stromal cells with cytoplasmic vacuolisation and abundant small vessels.

Acupuncture for chemotherapy-associated insomnia in breast cancer patients: an assessor-participant blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trial.

Background: Insomnia is a highly prevalent symptom occurred during and post-chemotherapy. Acupuncture may have beneficial effects in the management of chemotherapy-associated insomnia. This study was conducted to determine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in improving chemotherapy-associated insomnia in breast cancer patients.

Transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoint stimulation versus escitalopram for mild-to-moderate depression: An assessor-blinded, randomized, non-inferiority trial.

Aim: Transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoint stimulation (TECAS) is a novel non-invasive therapy that stimulates acupoints innervated by the trigeminal and auricular vagus nerves. An assessor-blinded, randomized, non-inferiority trial was designed to compare the efficacy of TECAS and escitalopram in mild-to-moderate major depressive disorder.

Methods: 468 participants received two TECAS sessions per day at home (n = 233) or approximately 10-13 mg/day escitalopram (n = 235) for 8 weeks plus 4-week follow-up.

Minocycline, a classic antibiotic, exerts psychotropic effects by normalizing microglial neuroinflammation-evoked tryptophan-kynurenine pathway dysregulation in chronically stressed male mice.

The dysregulation of tryptophan-kynurenine pathway (TKP) is extensively involved in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease, depression, and neurodegenerative disorders. Minocycline, a classic antibiotic, may exert psychotropic effects associated with the modulation of TKP. In this study, we examined the effects of minocycline in improving behaviour and modulating TKP components in chronically stressed male mice.

Patient-reported outcomes in a Chinese cohort of osteogenesis imperfecta unveil psycho-physical stratifications associated with clinical manifestations.

Background: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare congenital disorder of the skeletal system, inflicting debilitating physical and psychological distress on patients and caregivers. Over the decades, much effort has been channeled towards understanding molecular mechanisms and developing new treatments. It has recently become more apparent that patient-reported outcome measurements (PROM) during treatment, healing and rehabilitation are helpful in facilitating smoother communication, refining intervention strategies and achieving higher quality of life.

Hirudin alleviates acute ischemic stroke by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated neuroinflammation: In vivo and in vitro approaches.

Acute ischemic stroke is a severe condition that a vessel supplying blood to the brain is abruptly blocked mostly due to cerebral thrombosis and embolism. There is a dearth of the effective prevention and early intervention strategies. NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-mediated neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke.

Acupuncture for cancer-related insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Cancer-related insomnia is a highly prevalent complaint in cancer patients. However, there is no meta-analytic synthesis explored the efficacy of acupuncture for cancer-related insomnia among cancer patients undergoing active cancer treatments.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to explore the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for insomnia in people diagnosed with cancer.

Transcutaneous Electrical Cranial-Auricular Acupoint Stimulation vs. Escitalopram for Patients With Mild-to-Moderate Depression (TECAS): Study Design for a Randomized Controlled, Non-inferiority Trial.

Background: Previous studies in animals and humans indicated that transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on trigeminal nerve-innervated forehead acupoints can relief the symptoms of depression. However, due to the limited investigations on these two interventions, more research are needed to confirm their efficacy in depression. To improve the efficacy of the single treatment, we combined two treatments and created a novel non-invasive stimulation, transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoint stimulation (TECAS).

Peptide location fingerprinting identifies species- and tissue-conserved structural remodelling of proteins as a consequence of ageing and disease.

Extracellular matrices (ECMs) in the intervertebral disc (IVD), lung and artery are thought to undergo age-dependant accumulation of damage by chronic exposure to mechanisms such as reactive oxygen species, proteases and glycation. It is unknown whether this damage accumulation is species-dependant (via differing lifespans and hence cumulative exposures) or whether it can influence the progression of age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis. Peptide location fingerprinting (PLF) is a new proteomic analysis method, capable of the non-targeted identification of structure-associated changes within proteins.

Comprehensive risk assessments and anesthetic management for children with osteogenesis imperfecta: A retrospective review of 252 orthopedic procedures over 5 years.

Background: Major anesthetic risks arise in orthopedic surgeries for children with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare genetically inherited condition presenting diverse skeletal issues.

Aim: We aimed to investigate anesthetic risks, including difficult airway, hypo- and hyperthermia, blood loss, and pain, in connection with patient, anesthetic, and surgical factors.

Methods: Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to study the anesthetic risks and their predictors.

Phenotypic Spectrum and Molecular Basis in a Chinese Cohort of Osteogenesis Imperfecta With Mutations in Type I Collagen.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare inherited connective tissue dysplasia characterized with skeletal fragility, recurrent fractures and bone deformity, predominantly caused by mutations in the genes or that encode the chains of type I collagen. In the present study, clinical manifestations and genetic variants were analysed from 187 Chinese OI patients, majority of whom are of southern Chinese origin. By targeted sequencing, 63 and 58 OI patients were found carrying mutations in and respectively, including 8 novel and 7 novel variants.

Electroacupuncture Plus Auricular Acupressure on Chemotherapy-Related Insomnia in Patients With Breast Cancer (EACRI): Study Protocol for a Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial.

Objective: Insomnia is a highly prevalent and disturbing symptom in breast cancer patients under or post chemotherapy. If not appropriately treated, it can persist for years after the completion of cancer treatments. Acupuncture has been widely used for alleviating insomnia.

Peptide Location Fingerprinting Reveals Tissue Region-Specific Differences in Protein Structures in an Ageing Human Organ.

In ageing tissues, long-lived extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins are susceptible to the accumulation of structural damage due to diverse mechanisms including glycation, oxidation and protease cleavage. Peptide location fingerprinting (PLF) is a new mass spectrometry (MS) analysis technique capable of identifying proteins exhibiting structural differences in complex proteomes. PLF applied to published young and aged intervertebral disc (IVD) MS datasets (posterior, lateral and anterior regions of the annulus fibrosus) identified 268 proteins with age-associated structural differences.

PRIMUS: Comprehensive proteomics of mouse intervertebral discs that inform novel biology and relevance to human disease modelling.

Mice are commonly used to study intervertebral disc (IVD) biology and related diseases such as IVD degeneration. Discs from both the lumbar and tail regions are used. However, little is known about compartmental characteristics in the different regions, nor their relevance to the human setting, where a functional IVD unit depends on a homeostatic proteome.

Regulation and Role of Transcription Factors in Osteogenesis.

Bone is a dynamic tissue constantly responding to environmental changes such as nutritional and mechanical stress. Bone homeostasis in adult life is maintained through bone remodeling, a controlled and balanced process between bone-resorbing osteoclasts and bone-forming osteoblasts. Osteoblasts secrete matrix, with some being buried within the newly formed bone, and differentiate to osteocytes.