Search

Objective:Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Harms (ASH) is a traditional herbal medicine widely known for its antifatigue and antistress effects, as well as tonifying qi, invigorating spleen and kidney, and tranquilizing the mind. Recent evidence suggests that ASH has a therapeutic effect on major depressive disorder (MDD), but its mechanism is still unclear. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of ASH on MDD and potential therapeutic mechanisms.Materials and Methods: The chemical compound potential target network was predicted based on network pharmacology. Simultaneously, chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model mice were orally administrated ASH with three dosages (400, 200, and 100 mg/kg) for 6 weeks, and hepatic metabolomics based on gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was carried out to identify differential metabolites and related metabolic pathways. Next, the integrated analysis of metabolomics and network pharmacology was applied to find the key target. Finally, molecular docking technology was employed to define the combination of the key target and the corresponding compounds.Results: A total of 13 metabolites and four related metabolic pathways were found in metabolomics analysis. From the combined analysis of network pharmacology and metabolomics, six targets (DAO, MAOA, MAOB, GAA, HK1, and PYGM) are the overlapping targets and two metabolic pathways (glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism and starch and sucrose metabolism) are the most related pathways. Finally, DAO, MAOA, MAOB, GAA, HK1, and PYGM were verified bounding well to their corresponding compounds including isofraxidin, eleutheroside B1, eleutheroside C, quercetin, kaempferol, and acacetin.Conclusion: Based on these results, it was implied that the potential mechanism of ASH on MDD was related to the regulation of metabolism of several excitatory amino acids and carbohydrates, as well as the expression of DAO, MAOA, MAOB, GAA, HK1, and PYGM.

The coordination of motor function in the spinal cord depends on selective connections between distinct classes of motor neurons and their target muscles. However, knowledge regarding the anatomical connections between the superficial limb skeletal muscles and the motor neurons that innervate them is limited. In this study, with a combination of the multiple retrograde tracing method with 3DISCO clearing, we explored the spatial distribution of different motor neuron pools targeting specific superficial muscles of the forelimbs or hindlimbs in mouse spinal cords, which were dominated by the radial, median, ulnar, or sciatic nerve. This study reveals the precise interrelationship among different motor neuron pools innervating limb muscles under the same space and time. The data will help to further understand the neural loop and muscular motor coordination.

Convolutional precoding in polarization-adjusted convolutional (PAC) codes can reduce the number of minimum weight codewords (a.k.a error coefficient) of polar codes. This can result in improving the error correction performance of (near) maximum likelihood (ML) decoders such as sequential decoders and sphere decoders. However, PAC codes cannot be decoded by sphere decoding. The reason is twofold: 1) Sphere decoding of polar codes is performed from the last bit - due to the lower rectangular shape of the polar transform. Whereas the shape of PAC codes generator matrix is no longer triangular. 2) One may modify the precoding matrix to get a lower-triangular shape. However, this may reduce the minimum distance of the code due to the formation of unwanted cosets. This work proposes a selective convolutional precoding scheme with transposed precoding matrix to reduce the error coefficient while avoiding the reduction in the minimum distance. The numerical results show the improvement of block error rate by 0.2-0.6 dB, depending on the code rate, in medium and high SNR regimes.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between the signal/noise quotient value and knee function scores has not been extensively studied. Thus, we aimed to investigate the correlation between graft maturity and knee function after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.METHODS: In this retrospective study, we included patients (n=50; 28 male patients; age, 31.0 years) who underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with autogenous tendons between August 2016 and August 2018. At 6 months and 2 years postoperatively, the signal/noise quotient values of the tibia and femur, indicating graft maturity, were measured using magnetic resonance imaging. The Tegner, Lysholm, and International Knee Documentation Committee scores were used to evaluate knee function. Mean signal/noise quotient values of the grafts’ femoral and tibial ends were considered the final signal/noise quotient values. The correlation between the signal/noise quotient value at 6 months postoperatively and knee function score at 2 years postoperatively was analyzed. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for 24–28 months. The International Knee Documentation Committee, Lysholm, and Tegner scores of the knee joint at 6 months and 2 years postoperatively were significantly higher than the preoperative scores, and those at 2 years postoperatively were significantly higher than those at 6 months postoperatively. The signal/noise quotient value for all patients at 6 months postoperatively was negatively correlated with the Lysholm, International Knee Documentation Committee, and Tegner scores at 2 years postoperatively.CONCLUSION: The signal/noise quotient value based on magnetic resonance imaging in the early stage after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction can predict knee function in the later stage.