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Neointimal hyperplasia is the major cause of carotid stenosis after vascular injury, which restricts the long-term efficacy of endovascular treatment and endarterectomy in preventing stenosis. Ginsenoside Re (Re) is a major active ingredient of ginseng having multifaceted pharmacological effects on the cardiovascular system, and is a potential treatment for restenosis. In this study, we demonstrated that Re treatment significantly inhibited vascular injury-induced neointimal thickening, reduced the intimal area and intima/media (I/M) ratio, increased the lumen area, and inhibited pro-inflammatory cytokines. In cultured A7R5 cells, Re inhibited LPS-induced proliferation and migration as evidenced by suppressed colony formation and shortened migration distance, accompanied by the downregulated expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Re promoted VSMC apoptosis induced by balloon injury in vivo and LPS challenge in vitro. Moreover, Re inhibited autophagy in VSMCs evoked by balloon injury and LPS as supported by reduced LC3II and increased p62 expressions. Suppression of autophagy with the specific autophagy inhibitor spautin-1 efficiently inhibited LPS-induced cell proliferation and inflammation and promoted caspase-3/7 activities. Mechanistically, we found that Re attenuated Ras/ERK1/2 expression in VSMCs in vivo and in vitro. The MEK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 showed similar effects to Re on cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and the levels of autophagy and cytokines. In conclusion, we provided significant evidence that Re inhibited vascular injury-induced neointimal thickening probably by promoting VSMC apoptosis and inhibiting autophagy via suppression of the Ras/MEK/ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of negative pressure wound therapy compared with conventional wound dressings on closed incisions in orthopaedic trauma surgery. A systematic literature search up to October 2021 was done and 12 studies included 3555 subjects with closed incisions in orthopaedic trauma surgery at the start of the study: 1833 of them were provided with negative pressure wound therapy and 1722 were conventional wound dressings. They were reporting relationships about the effect of negative pressure wound therapy compared with conventional wound dressings on closed incisions in orthopaedic trauma surgery. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the effect of negative pressure wound therapy compared with conventional wound dressings on closed incisions in orthopaedic trauma surgery using the dichotomous and continuous methods with a random or fixed-effect model. Negative pressure wound therapy had significantly lower deep surgical site infection (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.48-0.88, P = .005), superficial surgical site infection (OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.11-0.49, P = .31), and wound dehiscence (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.21-0.80, P = .009) compared with conventional wound dressings in subjects with closed incisions in orthopaedic trauma surgery. However, negative pressure wound therapy had no significant effect on the length of hospital stay (MD, 0.29; 95% CI, -2.00- 2.58, P = .80) compared with conventional wound dressings in subjects with closed incisions in orthopaedic trauma surgery. Negative pressure wound therapy had significantly lower deep surgical site infection, superficial surgical site infection, and wound dehiscence; however, negative pressure wound therapy had no beneficial effect on the length of hospital stay compared with conventional wound dressings in subjects with closed incisions in orthopaedic trauma surgery. Further studies are required to validate these findings.

Background This study investigated cognitive and emotional functioning in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders (DICCD). Methods Thirty patients with ADHD, 26 with DICCD, 22 with ADHD+DICCD were recruited from the outpatient department of Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, plus 20 healthy controls (HC). Differences between the groups in cognitive and emotional functioning were examined using Golden’s Stroop and Emotional Stroop tests. For Emotional Stroop Mean reaction time (RT) of positive word (POS) and negative word (NEG) with color congruence (C) or incongruence (I) were recorded as POS-C, POS-I, NEG-C and NEG-I, respectively. Results For Golden’s interference scores (IGs), both errors and RTs in the ADHD group were higher than in the other groups. Longer mean RTs of POS-C, POS-I, NEG-C and neural word (NEU) of the ADHD group, and NEG-I of ADHD+DICCD and DICCD groups were observed compared to HC. After 12 weeks of methylphenidate treatment, differences between ADHD subgroups and HC on Golden’s Stroop RT disappeared, but differences in Golden’s Stroop errors and Emotional Stroop mean RTs remained. The ADHD+DICCD group showed longer mean RTs in NEG-C, NEG-I and NEU of the Emotional Stroop test than the ADHD group. Conclusions Our study shows that regardless of emotional responding, deficit in cognitive control is the core symptom of ADHD. However, emotionally biased stimuli may cause response inhibitory dysfunction among DICCD with callous-unemotional traits, and the comorbidity of ADHD and DICCD tends to account for the negative emotional response characteristic of DICCD. These deficits may be eliminated by medication treatment in ADHD, but not the ADHD with comorbid DICCD. Our results support the notion that ADHD with comorbid DICCD is more closely related to DICCD than to ADHD.

Highlights • We provide the possible methods for psychological crisis intervention during the outbreak period of new coronavirus pneumonia from experience in Shanghai. As we mentioned: an effective PCI surely requires the two-pronged approaches, online and onsite psychotherapy are recommended ., Since the middle of December 2019, human-to-human transmission of novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) has occurred among close contacts. At the same time, greater attention should be paid to psychological crisis intervention (PCI) among affected populations, for the timely prevention of inestimable damage from a secondary psychological crisis. PCI has been initiated via remote (telephone and internet) and onsite medical services to help medical workers, patients, and others affected to overcome any psychological difficulties. This paper outlines experiences based on the work of the Shanghai Medical Team.

AIM FMS-like receptor tyrosine kinase 3 (Flt3) has been reported to be increased in cardiomyocytes responding to ischaemic stress. This study was to determine whether Flt3 activation could ameliorate pressure overload-induced heart hypertrophy and fibrosis, and to elucidate the mechanisms of action. METHODS In vivo cardiac hypertrophy and remodelling experiments were conducted by infusing angiotensin II (Ang II) chronically in male C57BL/6 mice. Flt3-specific ligand (FL) was administered intraperitoneally every two days (5 µg/mouse). In vitro experiments on hypertrophy, apoptosis and autophagy mechanism were performed in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) and H9c2 cells with adenovirus vector-mediated overexpression of Flt3. RESULTS Our results demonstrated that following chronic Ang II infusion for 4 weeks, the mice exhibited heart hypertrophy, fibrosis, apoptosis and contractile dysfunction. Meanwhile, Ang II induced autophagic responses in mouse hearts, as evidenced by increased LC3 II and decreased P62 expression. These pathological alterations in Ang II-treated mice were significantly ameliorated by Flt3 activation with FL administration. In NRCMs and Flt3-overexpressed H9c2 cells, FL attenuated Ang II-induced pathological autophagy and inactivated AMPK/mTORC1/FoxO3a signalling, thereby efficiently mitigating cell hypertrophy and apoptosis. Conversely, the AMPK activator metformin or the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin reversed the effects of FL on the alterations of autophagy, hypertrophy and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes induced by Ang II. CONCLUSION Flt3 activation ameliorates cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis and contractile dysfunction in the mouse model of chronic pressure overload, most likely via suppressing AMPK/mTORC1/FoxO3a-mediated autophagy. These results provide new evidence supporting Flt3 as a novel therapeutic target in maladaptive cardiac remodelling.

Background. The cross-sectional study is aimed at investigating the relationship between cortisol, testosterone, and metabolic characteristics among male schizophrenics. Methods. 174 patients were grouped based on their risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) into the non-MetS, high-risk-MetS (HR-MetS), or MetS groups. Metabolic indices (body mass index (BMI), mean arterial pressure (MAP), cholesterol, triglyceride, and fasting blood glucose (FBG)) were associated with cortisol and testosterone levels using correlation analysis. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to associate the correlations between the WHO Quality of Life–BREF (WHOQOL–BREF) score and the five metabolic indices. Results. The WHOQOL–BREF score for the non-MetS group significantly differed from the scores of the HR-MetS and MetS groups. The triglyceride level was positively correlated with the cortisol level, while all five metabolic indices were negatively correlated with testosterone level. Stepwise regression analysis produced a model predicting WHOQOL–BREF scores with four variables including MAP, intelligence quotient (IQ), FBG, and age. The correlation analysis then showed that there was a weak linear correlation between the testosterone level and all five metabolic indices. Conclusions. Among the five metabolic indices, the risks of hypertension and hyperglycemia are correlated with the quality of life in male schizophrenics rather than those of obesity or hyperlipidemia.

The neural networks that constitute corticostriatothalamocortical circuits between prefrontal cortex and subcortical structure provide a heuristic framework for bridging gaps between neurocircuitry and executive dysfunction in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). “Cool” and “Hot” executive functional theory and the models of dual pathway are supposed to be applied within the neuropsychology of ADHD. The theoretical model elaborated response inhibition and delayed gratification in ADHD. We aimed to review and summarize the literature about the circuits on ADHD and ADHD-related comorbidities, as well as the effects of neurocircuitry on the executive dysfunction in ADHD.

The neurocircuitries that constitute the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuit provide a framework for bridging gaps between neuroscience and executive function in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but it has been difficult to identify the mechanisms for regulating emotional problems from the understanding of ADHD comorbidity with disruptive behavior disorders (DBD). Research based on “cool” and “hot” executive functional theory and the dual pathway models, which are thought of as applied response inhibition and delay aversion, respectively, within the neuropsychological view of ADHD, has shed light on emotional responding before and after decontextualized stimuli, while CSTC circuit-related domains have been suggested to explain the different emotional symptoms of ADHD with or without comorbid DBD. This review discusses the role of abnormal connections in each CSTC circuit, especially in the emotion circuit, which may be responsible for targeted executive dysfunction at the neuroscience level. Thus, the two major domains – abstract thinking (cool) and emotional trait (hot) – trigger the mechanism of onset of ADHD.

The prefrontal cortex is the superlative structure of brain that needs the longest developmental and maturational duration that highlights the region of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in neuroimaging studies. Prefrontal cortex functions generate enormously complex and its abundant feedback neurocircuitries with subcortical structures such as striatum and thalamus established through dual neural fibers. These microneurocircuitries are called corticostriatothalamocortical (CSTC) circuits. The CSTC circuits paly an essential role in flexible behaviors. The impaired circuits increase the risk of behavioral and psychological symptoms. ADHD is an especial developmental stage of paediatric disease. It has been reported that the CSTC circuits dysfunctions in ADHD are related to homologous symptoms. This study aimed to review the symptoms of ADHD and discuss the recent advances on the effects of the disease as well as the new progress of treatments with each circuit.