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Fei-Yi Zhao,1– 3,* Li Li,4,* Peijie Xu,5,* Wen-Jing Zhang,3,* Gerard A Kennedy,2 Zhen Zheng,2 Yan-Mei Wang,3 Li-Ping Yue,1 Yuen-Shan Ho,6 Qiang-Qiang Fu,7 Russell Conduit2 1Department of Nursing, School of International Medical Technology, Shanghai Sanda University, Shanghai, 201209, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia; 3Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200071, People’s Republic of China; 4Shanghai Changning Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200335, People’s Republic of China; 5School of Computing Technologies, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia; 6School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, SAR, People’s Republic of China; 7Yangpu Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200090, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yuen-Shan Ho, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, SAR, People’s Republic of China, Tel +852 2766-6410, Fax +852 2364-9663, Email janice.ys.ho@polyu.edu.hk Qiang-Qiang Fu, Yangpu Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200090, People’s Republic of China, Tel + 86 021-6569 0520, Fax + 86 021-6569 6249, Email qiangqiang.fu@tongji.edu.cnBackground: Acupuncture is popular in the treatment of mental illness. This study determined its feasibility and role in managing postpartum depression (PPD) using a network meta-analysis.Methods: We systematically searched seven databases up to May 2024 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) appraising acupuncture’s efficacy and safety against waitlist-control, placebo, standard control, or as an add-on treatment. Cochrane criteria were followed.Results: Thirteen studies encompassing 872 participants underwent analysis. Both pairwise and network meta-analysis indicated that acupuncture, psychotherapy, and antidepressants were comparable in clinical efficacy rate and in reducing Hamilton Depression Scale and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores. Acupuncture and psychotherapy also effectively mitigated concurrent anxiety symptoms. Combining acupuncture with antidepressants augmented therapeutic efficacy and reduced reported gastrointestinal adverse effects associated with antidepressant use. Acupuncture combined with psychotherapy offered similar benefits with superior safety profile. However, the quality of evidence ranged from very low to low due to significant risks of bias and limited sample sizes. The efficacy of psychotherapy and the combination of acupuncture and psychotherapy might be underestimated, as most RCTs used supportive therapy or individual counseling as positive controls instead of recommended approaches like interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) per PPD guidelines.Conclusion: Current evidence precludes strong recommendations of administering acupuncture in PPD. Rigorous RCTs are essential to validate promising outcomes observed in comparisons between acupuncture, antidepressants, and their combined application. It remains inconclusive whether acupuncture’s antidepressive effect is specific or non-specific. Given that psychotherapy is a recommended first-line treatment, investigating the potential efficacy enhancement of combining acupuncture with IPT/CBT is paramount to ascertain the preferred therapeutic approach for PPD.Keywords: postpartum depression, acupuncture, antidepressants, interpersonal psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, clinical trials

Fei-Yi Zhao,1,2,* Gerard A Kennedy,3– 5,* Julia Gilbert,3,* Russell Conduit,4,* Peijie Xu,6 Li-Ping Yue,1 Wen-Jing Zhang,2 Yan-Mei Wang,2 Yuen-Shan Ho,7 Qiang-Qiang Fu,8 Zhen Zheng4 1Department of Nursing, School of International Medical Technology, Shanghai Sanda University, Shanghai, 201209, People’s Republic of China; 2Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200071, People’s Republic of China; 3Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University, Mount Helen, VIC, 3353, Australia; 4School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia; 5Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, 3084, Australia; 6School of Computing Technologies, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia; 7School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China; 8Yangpu Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200090, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yuen-Shan Ho, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China, Tel +852 2766-6410, Fax +852 2364-9663, Email janice.ys.ho@polyu.edu.hk Qiang-Qiang Fu, Yangpu Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200090, People’s Republic of China, Tel + 86 021-6569 0520, Fax + 86 021-6569 6249, Email qiangqiang.fu@tongji.edu.cnBackground: Growing demand exists for high-quality Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) care, particularly through Nurse-led TCM clinics (TCM-NLCs). Nurses with extensive experience in TCM departments represent a potential workforce for this healthcare model. This qualitative study aims to investigate the willingness of these candidates to engage in TCM-NLCs, with a specific focus on their main concerns and apprehensions when facing new challenges.Methods: Individual semi-structured face to face interviews were conducted with senior nurses from two TCM hospitals in Shanghai. Each participant had a minimum of three years of work experience in a TCM related department. Conventional qualitative content analysis was utilized.Results: Fourteen participants were interviewed and data saturation was achieved. Nurses exhibited strong interest in practicing in TCM-NLCs. They believed that such innovative TCM nursing service model not only extends nursing role, provides greater empowerment and opportunities for professional development but also meets patients’ diverse healthcare needs, reduces reliance on other healthcare providers such as doctors, and increases hospital revenue. However, challenges such as deficiencies in evidence-based TCM nursing education, the absence of standardized practice guidelines, and limited prescriptive privileges were identified as primary obstacles to engaging in TCM-NLCs practice, potentially undermining the specialization of this advanced nursing practice model.Conclusion: Although the nurses interviewed were highly motivated, they generally lacked confidence to practice independently in TCM-NLCs. A pressing priority is to address their concerns by providing appropriate resources as well as education and policy support to enhance their competency and ensure their practice autonomy, therefore building a more qualified pool of professionals for advanced TCM nursing practice.Keywords: nurse-led clinic, nurse career development, traditional Chinese medicine nursing, qualitative study, advanced nursing practice, specialist nurses

Fei-Yi Zhao,1– 3,* Wen-Jing Zhang,3,* Gerard A Kennedy,1,4,5 Russell Conduit,1 Zhen Zheng,1 Qiang-Qiang Fu6 1School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia; 2Department of Nursing, School of International Medical Technology, Shanghai Sanda University, Shanghai, 201209, People’s Republic of China; 3Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200071, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Science, Psychology and Sport, Federation University, Mount Helen, Victoria, Australia; 5Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia; 6Department of General Practice, Yangpu Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200090, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhen ZhengSchool of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, PO Box 71, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, AustraliaTel +61 3 9925 7167Fax +61 3 9925 7178Email zhen.zheng@rmit.edu.auQiang-Qiang FuDepartment of General Practice, Yangpu Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200090, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 21-6569 0520Fax +86 21-6569 0520-813Email 286852271@qq.comObjective: To summarize and critically assess the reliability of the methodological quality and outcome measures from systematic reviews (SRs)/meta-analyses (MAs) and provide an overall verdict about the therapeutic value of acupuncture for perimenopausal insomnia (PMI).Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature search for SRs/MAs of seven major databases (English and Chinese). For each included review, the methodological quality was appraised according to the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2), the evidence quality was classified on the basis of the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), and reporting quality was evaluated complying with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2009 (PRISMA-2009). Veritas plots were used to quantify the quality of included SRs/MAs.Results: Nine SRs/MAs were deemed eligible for the present overview. Considering the assessment of results from the AMSTAR-2 checklist, the methodological quality of one SR/MA was considered low, and the remaining eight were critically low. Major methodological deficiencies were concentrated on item 2 (the lack of protocol and/or registration information), item 7 (the lack of a list of excluded studies), and item 10 (the lack of reports on funding sources for individual studies included in the SRs/MAs). For the GRADE system, of the 25 outcomes, only three (12%) were rated as moderate-quality, while the remaining 22 were rated between low- and very low-quality. The PRISMA-2009 statement indicated three major reporting quality limitations in most SRs/MAs, namely: 1) only search terms without specific retrieval strategy; 2) incomplete descriptions for study characteristics, particularly the specific dosage and frequency of interventions in treatment/control groups; and 3) inadequate investigation and explanation of the source of high heterogeneity among original randomized control trials included. According to Veritas plots, quality rank scores of included SRs/MAs ranged from 3.3 to 8.3, with an average score of 6.4 ± 1.7.Conclusion: Acupuncture appears to be beneficial for PMI management, but the quality of evidence is weakened by the unsatisfactory quality of both SRs/MAs and original trials included.Keywords: acupuncture, perimenopausal insomnia, systematic review, meta-analysis, methodological quality, quality of evidence

Fei-Yi Zhao,1– 3 Qiang-Qiang Fu,4 Sarah J Spencer,1,5 Gerard A Kennedy,1,6,7 Russell Conduit,1 Wen-Jing Zhang,2 Zhen Zheng1 1School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia; 2Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200071, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Nursing, School of International Medical Technology, Shanghai Sanda University, Shanghai, 201209, People’s Republic of China; 4Yangpu Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200090, People’s Republic of China; 5ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale Biophotonics, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia; 6School of Science, Psychology and Sport, Federation University, Mount Helen, Victoria, Australia; 7Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, AustraliaCorrespondence: Wen-Jing ZhangDepartment of Psychiatry, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200071, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 021-6605 0366Email 1072@szy.sh.cn.comZhen ZhengSchool of Health and Biomedical Sciences, College of Science, Engineering and Health, RMIT University, P.O. Box 71, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, AustraliaTel +61 9925 7167Fax +61 3 9925 7178Email zhen.zheng@rmit.edu.auAbstract: Comorbid depression and insomnia are ubiquitous mental complaints among women going through the perimenopausal stage of life and can result in major decline in quality of life. Antidepressive agents combined with/without hypnotics, and/or hormone therapy are currently the most common treatment for perimenopausal depression (PMD) and insomnia (PMI). Balancing the benefits of these pharmacotherapies against the risk of adverse events (AEs) is a difficult task for both clinicians and women. There has been a growing body of research regarding the utilization of acupuncture for treatment of PMD or PMI, whereas no studies of acupuncture for comorbid PMD and PMI have appeared. In this review, we summarize the clinical and preclinical evidence of acupuncture as a treatment for PMD or PMI, and then discuss the potential mechanisms involved and the role of acupuncture in helping women during this transition. Most clinical trials indicate that acupuncture ameliorates not only PMD/PMI but also climacteric symptoms with minimal AEs. It also regulates serum hormone levels. The reliability of trials is however limited due to methodological flaws in most studies. Rodent studies suggest that acupuncture prolongs total sleep time and reduces depression-like behavior in PMI and PMD models, respectively. These effects are possibly mediated through multiple mechanisms of action, including modulating sex hormones, neurotransmitters, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis/hypothalamic-pituitary-ovary axis, oxidative stress, signaling pathways, and other cellular events. In conclusion, acupuncture is a promising therapeutic strategy for comorbid depression and insomnia during perimenopause. Neuroendocrine modulation is likely to play a major role in mediating those effects. High-quality trials are required to further validate acupuncture’s effectiveness.Keywords: acupuncture, perimenopause, insomnia, depression, comorbid, mechanisms

In structures with special geometry lattices, variations in stacking sequences are ubiquitous, yielding many novel structures and functionalities. Despite a wealth of intriguing properties and wide-ranging applications, there remains a considerable gap in understanding the correlation between special geometry lattices and functionalities in borides. Here, we design and synthesize a new superconducting boride Nb 2 IrB 2 , with a body-centered orthorhombic structure, consisting of alternating two-dimensional [Nb-Ir-Nb] triple-triangular-lattice-layers and B fragment layers. Advanced aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy observations show variable stacking configurations between [Nb-Ir-Nb] triple-triangular-lattice layers that can be tuned through synthesis conditions. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the coherent low-energy boundary interface plane of {101} between [11̅1] and [010] domains is responsible for the variable stacking behaviors. Energetically favorable structures are thereby reasonably proposed, based on nanoscale imperfect structure units. These findings provide valuable insights for designing and exploring new structures and functionalities within boride systems involving special geometry lattices.

We report here a step-economic and cost-effective cross-electrophile coupling of aryl thianthrenium salts with widely available aryl bromides, which proceeded effectively via C-S bond activation at ambient temperature in THF in the presence of a palladium catalyst, magnesium turnings, and lithium chloride to enable the facile assembly of a wide array of structurally diverse biaryls in modest to good yields with good functional group compatibility. In addition, the gram-scale reaction could also be realized.

Background: Natural products are widely used for primary insomnia (PI). This systematic review with trial sequential analysis (TSA) aimed to summarize evidence pertaining to the effectiveness and safety of Zao Ren An Shen (ZRAS) prescription, a commercial Chinese polyherbal preparation, for treating PI. Methods: Controlled clinical trials appraising ZRAS compared to controls or as an add-on treatment were systematically searched across seven databases until January 2024. Cochrane ROB 2.0 and ROBINS-I tools were adopted to determine risk of bias. Quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE framework. Results: We analyzed 22 studies, involving 2,142 participants. The effect of ZRAS in reducing Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores was found to be comparable to benzodiazepines [ MD = 0.39, 95% CI (-0.12, 0.91), p = 0.13] and superior to Z-drugs [ MD = -1.31, 95% CI (-2.37, -0.24), p = 0.02]. The addition of ZRAS to hypnotics more significantly reduced polysomnographically-recorded sleep onset latency [ MD = -4.44 min, 95% CI (-7.98, -0.91), p = 0.01] and number of awakenings [ MD = -0.89 times, 95% CI (-1.67, -0.10), p = 0.03], and increased total sleep time [ MD = 40.72 min, 95% CI (25.14, 56.30), p < 0.01], with fewer adverse events than hypnotics alone. TSA validated the robustness of these quantitative synthesis results. However, the quality of evidence ranged from very low to low. The limited data available for follow-up did not support meta-synthesis. Conclusion: While ZRAS prescription shows promising effectiveness in treating PI, the overall quality of evidence is limited. Rigorously-designed randomized control trials are warranted to confirm the short-term efficacy of ZRAS and explore its medium-to-long-term efficacy. Systematic Review Registration: (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display&#95;record.php?RecordID=471497), identifier (CRD42023471497)., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zhao, Xu, Kennedy, Zheng, Zhang, Zhu, Ho, Yue, Fu and Conduit.)

Background: Gastrointestinal neoplasm (GN) significantly impact the global cancer burden and mortality, necessitating early detection and treatment. Understanding the evolution and current state of research in this field is vital., Aim: To conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of publications from 1984 to 2022 to elucidate the trends and hotspots in the GN risk assessment research, focusing on key contributors, institutions, and thematic evolution., Methods: This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of data from the Web of Science Core Collection database using the "bibliometrix" R package, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace. The analysis focused on the distribution of publications, contributions by institutions and countries, and trends in keywords. The methods included data synthesis, network analysis, and visualization of international collaboration networks., Results: This analysis of 1371 articles on GN risk assessment revealed a notable evolution in terms of research focus and collaboration. It highlights the United States' critical role in advancing this field, with significant contributions from institutions such as Brigham and Women's Hospital and the National Cancer Institute. The last five years, substantial advancements have been made, representing nearly 45% of the examined literature. Publication rates have dramatically increased, from 20 articles in 2002 to 112 in 2022, reflecting intensified research efforts. This study underscores a growing trend toward interdisciplinary and international collaboration, with the Journal of Clinical Oncology standing out as a key publication outlet. This shift toward more comprehensive and collaborative research methods marks a significant step in addressing GN risks., Conclusion: This study underscores advancements in GN risk assessment through genetic analyses and machine learning and reveals significant geographical disparities in research emphasis. This calls for enhanced global collaboration and integration of artificial intelligence to improve cancer prevention and treatment accuracy, ultimately enhancing worldwide patient care., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: A novel technique was explored using an airbag-selective portal vein blood arrester that circumvents the need for an intraoperative assessment of anatomical variations in patients with complex intrahepatic space-occupying lesions., Methods: Rabbits undergoing hepatectomy were randomly assigned to 4 groups: intermittent portal triad clamping (PTC), intermittent portal vein clamping (PVC), intermittent portal vein blocker with an airbag-selective portal vein blood arrester (APC), and without portal blood occlusion (control). Hepatic ischemia and reperfusion injury were assessed by measuring the 7-day survival rate, blood loss, liver function, hepatic pathology, hepatic inflammatory cytokine infiltration, hepatic malondialdehyde levels, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen levels., Results: Liver damage was substantially reduced in the APC and PVC groups. The APC animals exhibited transaminase levels similar to or less oxidative stress damage and inflammatory hepatocellular injury compared to those exhibited by the PVC animals. Bleeding was significantly higher in the control group than in the other groups. The APC group had less bleeding than the PVC group because of the avoidance of portal vein skeletonization during hepatectomy. Thus, more operative time was saved in the APC group than in the PVC group. Moreover, the total 7-day survival rate in the APC group was higher than that in the PTC group., Conclusion: Airbag-selective portal vein blood arresters may help protect against hepatic ischemia and reperfusion injury in rabbits undergoing partial hepatectomy. This technique may also help prevent liver damage in patients requiring hepatectomy., (© 2024. Huazhong University of Science and Technology.)

Primary insomnia (PI) is an increasing concern in modern society. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia is the first-line recommendation, yet limited availability and cost impede its widespread use. While hypnotics are frequently used, balancing their benefits against the risk of adverse events poses challenges. This review summarizes the clinical and preclinical evidence of acupuncture as a treatment for PI, discussing its potential mechanisms and role in reliving insomnia. Clinical trials show that acupuncture improves subjective sleep quality, fatigue, cognitive impairments, and emotional symptoms with minimal adverse events. It also positively impacts objective sleep processes, including prolonging total sleep time, improving sleep efficiency, reducing sleep onset latency and wake after sleep onset, and enhancing sleep architecture/structure, including increasing N3% and REM%, and decreasing N1%. However, methodological shortcomings in some trials diminish the overall quality of evidence. Animal studies suggest that acupuncture restores circadian rhythms in sleep-deprived rodents and improves their performance in behavioral tests, possibly mediated by various clinical variables and pathways. These may involve neurotransmitters, brain-derived neurotrophic factors, inflammatory cytokines, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, gut microbiota, and other cellular events. While the existing findings support acupuncture as a promising therapeutic strategy for PI, additional high-quality trials are required to validate its benefits., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Hydroxylation of aryl sulfonium salts could be realized by utilizing acetohydroxamic acid and oxime as hydroxylative agents in the presence of cesium carbonate as a base, leading to a variety of structurally diverse hydroxylated arenes in 47-95% yields. In addition, the reaction exhibited broad functionality tolerance, and a range of important functional groups (e.g., cyano, nitro, sulfonyl, formyl, keto, and ester) could be well amenable to the mild reaction conditions.

Objective: To explore the application effects of application of rehabilitation care decision-making scheme based on case management model in severe burn patients. Methods: The study was a non-randomized historical control study. Thirty patients who met the inclusion criteria and received routine rehabilitation nursing in the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University (the Third Military Medical University, hereinafter referred to as the hospital) from April 2021 to March 2022 were included in routine rehabilitation nursing group (26 males and 4 females, aged 48.50 (31.75, 56.25) years), and 30 patients who met the inclusion criteria and received case management rehabilitation nursing in the hospital from April 2022 to March 2023 were included in case management rehabilitation nursing group (22 males and 8 females, aged 46.00 (36.75, 55.25) years). The length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, total hospitalization day, and total hospitalization cost of the patients in two groups were recorded. At admission, convalescence, discharge, and 6 months after injury, the patients' life quality was evaluated by the concise burn specific health scale, the sleep quality was evaluated by the Pittsburgh sleep quality index, and the functional independence was evaluated by the functional independence rating scale. At convalescence, discharge, and 6 months after injury, the patients' scar status was evaluated by the Vancouver scar scale. At 6 months after injury, a third-party satisfaction questionnaire was used to investigate the efficacy satisfaction of patients. Results: The length of ICU stay and total hospitalization day of patients in case management rehabilitation nursing group were both significantly shorter than those in routine rehabilitation nursing group (with Z values of -1.97 and -1.99, respectively, P <0.05), and the total hospitalization cost was less than that in routine rehabilitation nursing group ( Z =-1.99, P <0.05). At discharge and 6 months after injury, the life quality scores of patients in case management rehabilitation nursing group were significantly higher than those in routine rehabilitation nursing group (with t values of -3.19 and -4.43, respectively, P <0.05), while the sleep quality scores were significantly lower than those in routine rehabilitation nursing group (with Z values of -2.18 and -3.33, respectively, P <0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in cognitive function scores of functional independence of patients between the 2 groups at admission, convalescence, discharge, and 6 months after injury ( P >0.05). The exercise function scores and total scores of functional independence of patients in case management rehabilitation nursing group at convalescence, discharge, and 6 months after injury were significantly higher than those in routine rehabilitation nursing group (with Z values of -4.37, -2.73, -4.10, -4.37, -2.64, and -4.06, respectively, P <0.05). The scar pigmentation scores of patients in case management rehabilitation nursing group at 6 months after injury were significantly lower than those in routine rehabilitation nursing group ( Z =-2.05, P <0.05), and the scar vascularity scores of patients in case management rehabilitation nursing group at discharge and 6 months after injury in case management rehabilitation nursing group were significantly lower than those in routine rehabilitation nursing group (with Z values of -3.16 and -2.07, respectively, P <0.05). The scar pliability scores (with Z values of -3.16, -2.45, and -4.38, respectively, P <0.05), thickness scores (with Z values of -2.56, -2.35, and -4.70, respectively, P <0.05), and total scores (with Z values of -3.77, -3.04, and -3.13, respectively, P <0.05) of patients in case management rehabilitation nursing group at convalescence, discharge, and 6 months after injury were significantly lower than those in routine rehabilitation nursing group. At 6 months after injury, the efficacy satisfaction scores of patients in case management rehabilitation nursing group were 4.00 (3.00, 4.25), which were significantly higher than 3.00 (2.00, 4.00) in routine rehabilitation nursing group ( Z =-2.72, P <0.05). Conclusions: The implementation of rehabilitation care decision-making scheme based on case management model can optimize the cost efficiency, improve the effectiveness of clinical treatment, and enhance the life quality and satisfaction of the curative effect of severe burn patients.

Background: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) interventions may prove to be an attractive option for the treatment of depression. The aim of this scientometric analysis is to determine the global scientific output of research regarding managing depression with CAM and identify the hotspots and frontiers within this theme., Methods: Publications regarding the utilization of CAM for treating depression were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection from 1993 to 2022, and analyzed and visualized by Bibliometrix R -package, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace., Results: A total of 1,710 publications were acquired. The number of annual publications showed an overall rapid upward trend, with the figure peaking at 179 in 2021. The USA was the leading research center. Totally 2,323 distinct institutions involving 7,638 scholars contributed to the research theme. However, most of the cooperation was limited to within the same country, institution or research team. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine was the most productive periodical. The CAM therapies of most interest to researchers were acupuncture and body-mind techniques, such as yoga, meditation and mindfulness. Systematic review and meta-analysis are commonly used methods. "Inflammation," "rating scale" and "psychological stress" were identified as the most studied trend topics recently., Conclusion: Managing depression with evidence-based CAM treatment is gaining attention globally. Body-mind techniques and acupuncture are growing research hotspots or emerging trending topics. Future studies are predicted to potentially investigate the possible mechanisms of action underlying CAM treatments in reducing depression in terms of modulation of psychological stress and inflammation levels. Cross-countries/institutes/team research collaborations should be encouraged and further enhanced., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhao, Xu, Zheng, Conduit, Xu, Yue, Wang, Wang, Li, Li, Zhang, Fu and Kennedy.)

Nanoparticles-based glues have recently been shown with substantial potential for hydrogel adhesion. Nevertheless, the transformative advance in hydrogel-based application places great challenges on the rapidity, robustness, and universality of achieving hydrogel adhesion, which are rarely accommodated by existing nanoparticles-based glues. Herein, we design a type of nanohesives based on the modulation of hydrogel mechanics and the surface chemical activation of nanoparticles. The nanohesives can form robust hydrogel adhesion in seconds, to the surface of arbitrary engineering solids and biological tissues without any surface pre-treatments. A representative application of hydrogel machine demonstrates the tough and compliant adhesion between dynamic tissues and sensors via nanohesives, guaranteeing accurate and stable blood flow monitoring in vivo. Combined with their biocompatibility and inherent antimicrobial properties, the nanohesives provide a promising strategy in the field of hydrogel based engineering., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

The study investigated the effects of compound fibers composed of psyllium husk powder (PHP, 0.3%) and methylcellulose (MC, 0, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, and 1.2%) on the storage stability, rheology, and microstructure of sodium caseinate emulsions. Results showed that the emulsion stability was enhanced with the increased concentrations of MC, especially at the concentration of 1.2%. The oil droplet size in the emulsions was decreased as the concentrations of compound fibers increased, which was further confirmed by the optical microscope analysis. The rheological measurements and cryo-scanning electron microscopy results indicated that compound fibers improved the viscosity of the emulsions, and formed a strong three-dimensional network structure. The results of confocal laser scanning microscope and surface protein concentration measurements showed that compound fibers were evenly distributed into the oil droplet surface. The above results demonstrate that compound fibers are an effective thickener and emulsifier in enhancing the stability properties of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions stabilized by sodium caseinate., Competing Interests: L-WY was employed by Nanjing Yurun Food Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Fu, Zhou, Shi, Wang and Yang.)

Background and Objective: Whilst acupuncture is widely used for treating psychosomatic diseases, there is little high-quality evidence supporting its application in comorbid perimenopausal depression (PMD) and insomnia (PMI) which are common complaints during climacteric. This feasibility, patient-assessor-blinded, randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial addresses this gap by investigating the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on depressed mood and poor sleep in women with comorbid PMD and PMI., Methods: Seventy eligible participants were randomly assigned to either real-acupuncture (RA) or sham-acupuncture (SA) groups. Either RA or SA treatment were delivered in 17 sessions over 8 weeks. The primary outcomes for mood and sleep were changes on 17-items Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D 17 ) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, from baseline to 16-week follow-up. Secondary outcome measures involved anxiety symptoms, perimenopausal symptoms, quality of life, participants' experience of and satisfaction with the acupuncture treatment. Blood samples were taken to measure reproductive hormone levels. Intention-To-Treat and Per-Protocol analyses were conducted with linear mixed-effects models. The James' and Bang's blinding indices were used to assess the adequacy of blinding., Results: Sixty-five participants completed all treatment sessions, and 54 and 41 participants completed the eight- and 16-week follow-ups, respectively. At post-treatment and 8-week follow-up, the RA group showed a significantly greater reduction in PSQI scores than the SA group did; although the reduction of HAM-D 17 scores in RA group was significant, the change was not statistically different from that of SA. There were no significant mean differences between baseline and 16-week follow-up in either HAM-D 17 or PSQI in either group. There were no significant between-group differences in serum reproductive hormone levels. All treatments were tolerable and no serious adverse events were reported, and the blinding was successful., Conclusion: Acupuncture is safe and can contribute to clinically relevant improvements in comorbid PMD and PMI, with satisfactory short-and medium-term effects. Whether the anti-depressive benefit of acupuncture is specific or non-specific remains to be determined. No evidence was found for any longer-term benefit of acupuncture compared to sham at 16 weeks. Further research is required to elucidate mechanisms underlying the short to medium term effects of acupuncture., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhao, Zheng, Fu, Conduit, Xu, Wang, Huang, Jiang, Zhang and Kennedy.)

Objective: To explore the clinical application effect of sequential nursing on the management of new skin on face and neck after deep burns. Methods: The retrospective case-control research approach was used. From January to December 2019, 109 patients who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University (the Third Military Medical University) within 1 week after deep burn wound healing on the face and neck. Fifty-five patients who were admitted to the hospital from January to June and received comprehensive treatment and conventional nursing were included in conventional nursing group (27 males and 28 females, aged 21-65 (40±17) years), and fifty-four patients who were admitted to the hospital from July to December and received comprehensive treatment and sequential nursing were included in sequential nursing group (29 males and 25 females, aged 18-57 (37±11) years). The scores of pigmentation, vascularity, pliability, and thickness in Vancouver scar scale (VSS), the total score of VSS, the score of itch's impact on sleep in the four-item itch questionnaire (FIIQ), and the total score of FIIQ of patients were counted in the two groups before the first treatment (hereinafter referred to as treatment) and 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after treatment. The treatment effective rate and the score of patients' satisfaction with the treatment effect in one year after treatment and the occurrence of adverse reaction during the treatment were counted. Data were statistically analyzed with independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and chi-square test. Results: The scores of pigmentation, vascularity, pliability, and thickness in VSS and the total VSS score of patients between the two groups before treatment were close ( P >0.05). The pliability score in VSS and total VSS score after 3 months of treatment, the score of vascularity in VSS and total VSS score after 6 months of treatment, and the scores of pigmentation, vascularity, pliability, and thickness in VSS and total VSS score of patients after 1 year of treatment in sequential nursing group were significantly lower than those in conventional nursing group (with Z values of -2.51, -3.37, -2.05, -3.28, -3.12, -5.86, -4.63, -5.56, -6.76, respectively, P <0.05 or P <0.01). The score of itch's impact on sleep in FIIQ after 3 months of treatment of patients in sequential nursing group was significantly lower than that in conventional nursing group ( Z =-4.17, P <0.01), and the total scores of FIIQ after 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year of treatment of patients in sequential nursing group were significantly lower than those in conventional nursing group (with Z values of -6.56, -5.53, -5.84, respectively, P <0.01). After 1 year of treatment, the treatment effective rate of patients in sequential nursing group was 96.3% (52/54), which was significantly higher than 81.8% (45/55) in conventional nursing group ( χ 2 =5.83, P< 0.05), and the score of patients' satisfaction with the treatment effect in sequential nursing group was significantly higher than that in conventional nursing group ( Z =-4.49, P <0.01). During the treatment period, there was no adverse reaction in patients in sequential nursing group, but there were 3 patients with pruritus and peripheral erythema on the wound in conventional nursing group, which were improved after dressing changes. Conclusions: Sequential nursing can effectively improve the prevention and management of new skin scars in patients after deep burns on the face and neck, improve the itching, the efficiency of treatment, and the satisfaction of patients with the treatment effect.

Objective: To investigate the dynamic characteristics of brain spontaneous activity in betel quid dependence (BQD) chewers and its relationship with clinical indexes. Method: This study was conducted in Hainan General Hospital from April to December 2019 and the data of 53 BQD chewers (37 males and 16 females, aged 20 to 58(38±11) years) and 37 healthy controls (HC) (24 males and 13 females, aged 23-57(42±12) years) were collected. All these subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scan. The dynamic characteristics of resting fMRI indexes, including dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo) and degree centrality (DC) of these subjects were calculated using the sliding time window method, parameters such as age and dynamic local consistency were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between dynamic indexes, betel quid dependence score (BQDS) and disease duration in BQD group. Results: BQD chewers showed decreased dynamic ALFF in the left orbital prefrontal cortex (0.138±0.041 vs 0.171±0.070), the right temporal pole superior temporal gyrus (0.277±0.070 vs 0.319±0.086) and the right inferior parietal lobule (0.223±0.052 vs 0.259±0.088) than HC (all P <0.05). For regional homogeneity, BQD chewers showed a decrease dynamic ReHo in the right inferior temporal gyrus (0.055±0.008 vs 0.061±0.009), the orbital prefrontal cortex (0.058±0.005 vs 0.063±0.008), the right inferior frontal gyrus (0.081±0.006 vs 0.087±0.011), the right superior occipital gyrus (0.056±0.007 vs 0.062±0.008), the left precentral gyrus (0.068±0.008 vs 0.074±0.008), and the left superior frontal gyrus (0.058±0.008 vs 0.064±0.009) than HC (all P <0.05). BQD chewers showed an increase dynamic ReHo in the right precuneus (0.095±0.009 vs 0.089±0.008) ( P <0.05). There was no significant difference in DC between the two groups (all P >0.05). The relationships between three dynamic ALFF and BQDS ( r =-0.104, -0.015, -0.119), seven dynamic ReHo and BQDS ( r =-0.099, -0.141, -0.055, -0.078, -0.027, -0.111, -0.090), three dynamic ALFF and disease duration ( r =-0.122, -0.095, -0.171), and seven dynamic ReHo and disease duration ( r =0.242, -0.252, 0.035, 0.056, 0.047, 0.081, 0.169) were not statistically significant (all P >0.05). Conclusions: BQD chewers showed a decrease dynamic ReHo and/or ALFF in multiple brain regions dominated by prefrontal cortex, and an increase dynamic ReHo in the right precuneus.

Objective: The scientific community knows little about the long-term influence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on olfactory dysfunction (OD). With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing worldwide, the risk of imported cases remains high. In China, it is necessary to understand OD in imported cases., Methods: A prospective follow-up design was adopted. A total of 11 self-reported patients with COVID-19 and OD from Xi'an No. 8 Hospital were followed between August 19, 2021, and December 12, 2021. Demographics, clinical characteristics, laboratory and radiological findings, and treatment outcomes were analyzed at admission. We surveyed the patients via telephone for recurrence and sequelae at the 1-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up., Results: Eleven patients with OD were enrolled; of these, 54.5% (6/11) had hyposmia and 45.5% (5/11) had anosmia. 63.6% (7/11) reported OD before or on the day of admission as their initial symptom; of these, 42.9% (3/7) described OD as the only symptom. All patients in the study received combined treatment with traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, and 72.7% (8/11) had partially or fully recovered at discharge. In terms of OD recovery at the 12-month follow-up, 45.5% (5/11) reported at least one sequela, 81.8% (9/11) had recovered completely, 18.2% (2/11) had recovered partially, and there were no recurrent cases., Conclusions: Our data revealed that OD frequently presented as the initial or even the only symptom among imported cases. Most OD improvements occurred in the first 2 weeks after onset, and patients with COVID-19 and OD had favorable treatment outcomes during long-term follow-up. A better understanding of the pathogenesis and appropriate treatment of OD is needed to guide clinicians in the care of these patients., (Copyright © 2022 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Background: Platelet endothelial aggregation receptor-1 (PEAR1) rs12041331 has been reported to affect agonist-stimulated platelet aggregation, but it remains unclear whether this variant plays a role in recurrent stroke. Here we assess the clinical relevance of PEAR1 rs12041331 in acute minor ischemic stroke (AMIS) and transient ischemic attack (TIA) Chinese patients treated with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). Methods: We recruited 273 consecutive minor stroke and TIA patients, and Cox proportional hazard regression was used to model the relationship between PEAR1 rs12041331 and thrombotic and bleeding events. Results: Genotyping for PEAR1 rs12041331 showed 49 (18.0%) AA homozygotes, 129 (47.3%) GA heterozygotes, and 95 (34.7%) GG homozygotes. No association was observed between PEAR1 rs12041331 genotype and stroke or composite clinical vascular event rates (ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, TIA, myocardial infarction, or vascular death) or bleeding events regardless if individuals carried one or two copies of the A allele. Our results suggested that rs12041331 genetic polymorphism was not an important contributor to clinical events in AMIS and TIA patients in the setting of secondary prevention. Conclusions: Our data do provide robust evidence that genetic variation in PEAR1 rs12041331 do not contribute to atherothrombotic or bleeding risk in minor stroke and TIA patients treated with DAPT., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Zhang, Gu, Fu, Chen, Xue, Jiang, Kong, Li and Yue.)

Background: Many women with perimenopausal insomnia (PMI) have sought alternative therapies such as acupuncture because of concerns about risks associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and/or psychotropic drugs. This systematic review aimed to clarify if acupuncture alone or combined with standard Western pharmacotherapy (HRT and/or psychotropic drugs) is more effective in ameliorating PMI in comparison to pharmacotherapy alone., Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of PMI treatment via acupuncture alone or combined with Western pharmacotherapy versus Western pharmacotherapy were searched for from eleven databases from inception to March 2020. Cochrane criteria were followed., Results: Fifteen studies involving 1410 women were analyzed. Meta-analysis indicated that acupuncture significantly reduced the global scores of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) [MD = -2.38, 95% CI (-3.38, -1.37), p  < 0.01] and Kupperman Index [MD = -5.95, 95% CI (-10.68, -1.21), p  = 0.01], compared with hypnotics. Acupuncture combined with hypnotics was more effective than hypnotics alone in decreasing PSQI scores [MD = -3.13, 95% CI (-5.43, -0.83), p  < 0.01]. Too few RCTs were available to investigate the clinical efficacy differences between acupuncture and HRT/psychotropic drugs other than hypnotics., Conclusions: Despite limited evidence, in comparison to hypnotics, acupuncture was associated with significant improvements in PMI, and reductions of other menopausal symptoms. This finding suggests that acupuncture may be a useful addition to treatment for PMI., Competing Interests: None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to declare in this study., (Copyright © 2021 Fei-Yi Zhao et al.)

Background: The efficacy of acupuncture for treating primary insomnia (PI) has been explored in several meta-analyses where the outcomes measures were based on subjective self-reported sleep rating scales. Sleep state misperception is common in PI and self-reports underestimate sleep duration and quality. No systematic reviews or meta-analyses have investigated the efficacy of acupuncture in improving objective sleep measures in PI., Objective: To perform a systematic review to determine whether objective sleep parameters are improved by acupuncture in patients with PI., Methods: Randomized controlled trials treating PI via verum-acupuncture versus sham-/placebo-acupuncture or waitlist control were searched for in English [MEDLINE (via PubMed), Sciverse ScienceDirect, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), AMED, Springer, EMBASE (Elsevier), Ebsco Medline, and PsycINFO (ProQuest)] and Chinese (SinoMed, CNKI, Wanfang and CQVIP) databases, from the dates of the databases' inception to January 2020. The parameters of polysomnography (PSG), actigraphy, or micromovement sensitive mattress/pillow sleep monitoring systems were considered as the primary outcome measures. Revman 5.3 and Stata 16.0 software were used to conduct the meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was examined by using I 2 statistics and publication bias was assessed via Egger's test., Results: Eleven studies involving 775 patients met the inclusion criteria. The results of meta-analysis suggested that acupuncture can increase total sleep time [MD = 55.29, 95%CI (29.16, 81.42), p < 0.01], increase sleep efficiency [MD = 8.96, 95%CI (3.97, 13.95), p < 0.01], decrease wake after sleep onset [MD = -49.54, 95%CI (-82.98, -16.09), p < 0.01], and reduce number of awakening times [MD = -6.29, 95%CI (-10.75, -1.82), p < 0.01] compared with either sham-/placebo-acupuncture or waitlist control. Subsequent analysis indicated a superior effect for verum-acupuncture in comparison with sham-/placebo-acupuncture or waitlist-control when the recommended lowest threshold dosage (12 sessions) was met. Despite positive outcomes, most studies reviewed were heterogeneous and at risk of bias due to methodological issues., Conclusions: Despite limited evidence, acupuncture was significantly associated with improvements in several objective sleep parameters (increases in total sleep time and sleep efficiency, and reductions in wake after sleep onset and number of awakening times) as well as subjective sleep quantity and quality in patients with PI. A minimum therapeutic threshold dosage (≥12 sessions) is recommended. Well-designed RCTs using PSG are required to clarify the influence of acupuncture on sleep architecture/structure and to promote better application of acupuncture as a treatment for PI., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To explore the efficacy of microwave ablation (MWA) in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules, and analyze related influencing factors., Methods: The clinical and ultrasound data of 115 patients with 115 benign thyroid nodules treated with MWA were retrospectively analyzed. The volume of nodules at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure was obtained, and the volume reduction rate (VRR) at each time point was calculated. With VRR > 90% as the criterion for nodule cure, binary logistic regression was employed to screen the factors that affect the efficacy., Results: ① At 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure, the volume of nodules continued to decrease, the VRR gradually increased, and the differences at each time point were statistically significant ( p  < 0.05). A total of 29 (25.21%) nodules disappeared completely at 12 months after the procedure; ② Multivariate stepwise logistic regression showed that there was a statistically significant difference for the internal component of nodules, enhancement mode, and immediate volume after the procedure in determining the ablation efficacy ( p  < 0.05); ③ The ROC curve was plotted for predicting the efficacy of MWA, with the results showing that the AUC, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 0.82, 67.50, 88.00, 79.10%, respectively; ④ 11 cases (9.56%) had side effects, 10 cases (8.70%) had minor complications, and three cases (2.61%) had major complications., Conclusion: MWA is safe and effective in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules. The internal component of nodules, enhancement mode, and immediate volume after the procedure are independent factors that affect the efficacy of ablation.

Interface is the Achilles' heel in flexible electronics, where slipping, delamination, or cracking resulting from the intrinsic mechanical property mismatch of different materials might fail the device or cause degradation. Robust connections with strong interfacial strength and low interfacial impedance are highly desired in all kinds of flexible devices, especially when they require stretchability. Here, a new strategy of employing homogeneity is proposed to facilely achieve robust connection without introducing a third-party interlayer. The key to this strategy is implementing different functions in the same component materials, and in this work, this strategy is demonstrated by exploring the uniformity of carbon nanotube (CNT) in thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomer. Tuning the uniformity of CNT in TPU elastomer, two kinds of CNT-TPU composites (CTCs) are fabricated. They present contrasting properties of conductivity (281 folds), Young's modulus (7.1 folds), and strain sensitivity (15.7 folds) with the same weight fraction of CNT (15 wt %), and thus they can respectively act as strain sensor and interconnector in all-CNT-based stretchable strain monitoring electronics. The interlocking effect caused by spontaneous entanglement of surface polymer chains and the reconstruction of percolation network at the interface during drying confer the connection with robustness. The practical value of this strategy has been exemplified by the fabrication of a robust epidermis device via additive manufacturing. This epidermis device is patterned in a fractal motif for conformal contact and can sensitively monitor body motions and radial artery pulse.

The effect of susceptibility to in vitro oxidation on the degradation of myosin isolated from beef muscles via μ-calpain or caspase-3 was examined, and the measurement of the oxidation sites of myosin heavy chains was performed. Myosin was incubated with hydroxyl free radical-generating systems, which were composed of 0.01 M FeCl 3 , 0.1 M ascorbic acid, and 0, 25, 50, and 100 μM H 2 O 2 at 37 °C for 20 min. The oxidized myosin then reacted with μ-calpain or caspase-3 at 37 °C for 30 min, respectively. The results showed that protein oxidation systems in vitro resulted in different levels of myosin oxidation, leading to significant changes in the secondary structure of myosin ( P < 0.05). The sodium dodecyl dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting results showed that in vitro oxidation promoted myosin degradation via μ-calpain or caspase-3. Proteomics research suggested that the number of myosin oxidation sites increased constantly with the increase of oxidation levels. Oxidation sites of myosin were mainly cysteine, methionine, arginine, histidine, tyrosine, lysine, and asparagine. These results indicated that oxidation using H 2 O 2 in the range of 0-100 μM could increase the degradation of myosin via μ-calpain and caspase-3 due to increased exposure of the oxidation sites of myosin.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common health condition affecting senile people and leads to severe cognitive dysfunctions. Acupuncture has been shown to be a possible alternative natural remedy for AD in some animal studies., Objective: To perform a systematic review to identify the effect of verum-acupuncture compared with sham-acupuncture on learning and memory performance among animal models of AD., Methods: Experimental animal studies of treating AD via verum- and sham- acupuncture were searched in nine electronic databases, including Sciverse ScienceDirect, PubMed, Springer, Ebsco Medline, AMED, EMBASE (Elsevier), Scopus (Elsevier), PsycINFO (ProQuest), and OVID from the dates of the databases' inception to June 2019. The Morris water maze test was considered as an outcome measure. The software Revman 5.3 and Stata 16.0 were used to conduct the meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was examined by using I 2 statistics. The publication bias was assessed via Begg's test by Stata 16.0., Results: Twelve studies involving 229 animals met the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies had a moderate quality according to SYRCLE's risk of bias tool for animal studies. The results of the meta-analysis indicated that verum-acupuncture could reduce the escape latency (MD = -12.90, 95% CI (-17.08, -8.71), p < 0.001) and increase the time spent in the original platform quadrant (MD = 7.28, 95% CI (4.23, 10.33), p < 0.001) and frequency of the crossing former platform (MD = 2.01, 95% CI (1.53, 2.50), p < 0.001) compared with the sham-acupuncture., Conclusions: Acupuncture is effective in improving cognitive functions in AD animal models, and this benefit is more than just a placebo effect. Further clinical trials are needed to confirm the findings., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Fei-Yi Zhao et al.)

A novel approach for the detection and separation of toxic ions was successfully developed via the introduction of competitive reactions into a long-alkyl-chained acylhydrazone-based coumarin supramolecular polymer, chemosensor OGC (3%, n-BuOH/H 2 O), which showed sequential detection and separation of CN - , Fe 3+ and S 2- , Ag + in the gel state with high selectivity and sensitivity. Moreover, the ion-responsive films were prepared for the convenient and continuous detection of CN - , Fe 3+ and S 2- , Ag + in water solution.

The anode oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is known to largely limit the efficiency of electrolyzers owing to its sluggish kinetics. While crystalline metal oxides are promising as OER catalysts, their amorphous phases also show high activities. Efforts to produce amorphous metal oxides have progressed slowly, and how an amorphous structure benefits the catalytic performances remains elusive. Now the first scalable synthesis of amorphous NiFeMo oxide (up to 515 g in one batch) is presented with homogeneous elemental distribution via a facile supersaturated co-precipitation method. In contrast to its crystalline counterpart, amorphous NiFeMo oxide undergoes a faster surface self-reconstruction process during OER, forming a metal oxy(hydroxide) active layer with rich oxygen vacancies, leading to superior OER activity (280 mV overpotential at 10 mA cm -2 in 0.1 m KOH). This opens up the potential of fast, facile, and scale-up production of amorphous metal oxides for high-performance OER catalysts., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A simple selective colorimetric and fluorimetric chemosensor RD based on Rhodamine B hydrazone derivatives was designed and synthesized, which showed both colorimetric and fluorescence responses for cyanide and Cu 2+ in aqueous solution with specific selectivity and high sensitivity. In the presence of cyanide, the sensor exhibited a visible color change from colorless to pale yellow by naked-eyes and rapidly produced a strong yellow fluorescence in aqueous solution. The detection limit on fluorescence response of RD sensor to CN - is down to 3.54×10 -7 M. In addition, compared to other metal ions such as Fe 3+ , Hg 2+ , Ag + , Ca 2+ , Cu 2+ , Co 2+ , Ni 2+ , Cd 2+ , Pb 2+ , Cr 3+ , Zn 2+ and Mg 2+ in aqueous solutions, RD could show both colorimetric and fluorescence responses rapidly for Cu 2+ . Notably, this sensor can be used as a molecular switch controlled by CN - and H + cyclically. Test strips based on RD were fabricated that could be used as a convenient and efficient CN - and Cu 2+ test kits. RD could detect cyanide in germinated potato, bitter almond and tap water. This chemosensor enabled detection of two ions, which do not need to rely on two different sensors., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

By rationally introducing multi-self-assembly driving forces and coordination binding sites into the same molecule, a designed functional gelator, G, was synthesized. Next, a novel supramolecular polymer material, OGV (1% DMSO), was constructed and used for the ultrasensitive detection and separation of multianalytes in gel states. Interestingly, OGV showed a fluorescent ultrasensitive response for the Hg2+ and Fe3+ ions in water. Moreover, by introducing these metal ions into the OGV, stable metal ion-coordinated supramolecular metallogels (HgG and FeG) were formed, which could sense CN- and H2PO4- in water with high selectivity and sensitivity.

Copper nanowires (Cu NWs) are among ideal candidates for fabricating various advanced nanodevices, especially flexible electronics and transparent conductive electrodes. However, although many efforts have been made, the commercialization of Cu NWs is still difficult. Herein, we report an in situ seed-mediated two-step strategy to synthesize well-defined Cu NWs in high yield. In the first step, that is, seed formation process, most Cu ions (85%) in situ transform to nondecahedral Cu nanodots (NDs). These Cu NDs can promote the formation of decahedral multiply twinned particles (DMTPs) and the subsequent growth of Cu NWs by selectively inhibiting the spontaneous ripening of nanoparticle (NP) byproducts in the second step. The amount and quality of Cu NDs play an important role in high-yield production of Cu NWs, and the yield was successfully increased to 2.4 times higher than that of the conventional methods. Furthermore, an effective shaking-rotating purification technique was developed to fully separate Cu NWs from the final product solution. After scaling up the reaction, 50 g of high-quality Cu NWs can be produced with a uniform size and high aspect ratio at a very low material cost of $ 0.99/g. These promising results not only provide a high-yield and low-cost synthetic route but also can promote the widespread commercialization of Cu NWs in advanced nanodevices.

Background: Although the mechanism of chronic migraine (CM) is unclear, it might be related to central sensitization and neuronal persistent hyperexcitability. The tyrosine phosphorylation of NR2B (NR2B-pTyr) reportedly contributes to the development of central sensitization and persistent pain in the spinal cord. Central sensitization is thought to be associated with an increase in synaptic efficiency, but the mechanism through which NR2B-pTyr regulates synaptic participation in CM-related central sensitization is unknown. In this study, we aim to investigate the role of NR2B-pTyr in regulating synaptic plasticity in CM-related central sensitization., Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to seven inflammatory soup (IS) injections to model recurrent trigeminovascular or dural nociceptor activation, which is assumed to occur in patients with CM. We used the von Frey test to detect changes in mechanical withdrawal thresholds, and western blotting and immunofluorescence staining assays were performed to detect the expression of NR2B-pTyr in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC). NR2B-pTyr was blocked with the Src family kinase inhibitor 4-amino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(t-butyl)-pyrazolo [3,4-d] pyrimidine (PP2) and the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein to detected the changes in calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP), and the synaptic proteins postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95), synaptophysin (Syp), synaptotagmin1 (Syt-1). The synaptic ultrastructures were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the dendritic architecture of TNC neurons was observed by Golgi-Cox staining., Results: Statistical analyses revealed that repeated infusions of IS induced mechanical allodynia and significantly increased the expression of NR2B Tyr-1472 phosphorylation (pNR2B-Y1472) and NR2B Tyr-1252 phosphorylation (pNR2B-Y1252) in the TNC. Furthermore, the inhibition of NR2B-pTyr by PP2 and genistein relieved allodynia and reduced the expression of CGRP, SP, PSD95, Syp and Syt-1 and synaptic transmission., Conclusions: These data indicate that NR2B-pTyr might regulate synaptic plasticity in central sensitization in a CM rat model. The inhibition of NR2B tyrosine phosphorylation has a protective effect on threshold dysfunction and migraine attacks through the regulation of synaptic plasticity in central sensitization.

Introduction: Recurrent miscarriage (RM) affects 5% of women, it has an adverse emotional impact on women. Because of the complexities of early development, the mechanism of recurrent miscarriage is still unclear. We hypothesized that abnormal placenta leads to early recurrent miscarriage (ERM). The aim of this study was to identify ERM associated factors in human placenta villous tissue using proteomics. Investigation of these differences in protein expression in parallel profiling is essential to understand the comprehensive pathophysiological mechanism underlying recurrent miscarriage (RM)., Methods: To gain more insight into mechanisms of recurrent miscarriage (RM), a comparative proteome profile of the human placenta villous tissue in normal and RM pregnancies was analyzed using iTRAQ technology and bioinformatics analysis used by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software., Results: In this study, we employed an iTRAQ based proteomics analysis of four placental villous tissues from patients with early recurrent miscarriage (ERM) and four from normal pregnant women. Finally, we identified 2805 proteins and 79,998 peptides between patients with RM and normal matched group. Further analysis identified 314 differentially expressed proteins in placental villous tissue (≥1.3-fold, Student's t-test, p < 0.05); 209 proteins showed the increased expression while 105 proteins showed decreased expression. These 314 proteins were analyzed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and were found to play important roles in the growth of embryo. Furthermore, network analysis show that Angiotensinogen (AGT), MAPK14 and Prothrombin (F2) are core factors in early embryonic development. We used another 8 independent samples (4 cases and 4 controls) to cross validation of the proteomic data., Discussion: This study has identified several proteins that are associated with early development, these results may supply new insight into mechanisms behind recurrent miscarriage., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Protein oxidation is widespread in biochemical systems. The objective of the study was to investigate the differences in protein oxidation, μ-calpain activity, desmin proteolysis and protein solubility of beef psoas major (PM) and semi-membranosus (SM) muscles under three packaging systems during postmortem ageing. At 24 h postmortem, beef muscles were packaged respectively in air-permeable film overwrap (AP), vacuum pack (VP) or modified atmosphere (MAP, 80% O 2 + 20% CO 2 ), and then displayed for 10 days at 4 °C., Results: Carbonyl group values and thiol group content were significantly influenced by packaging type and storage time. The SM muscles from AP and MAP showed greater μ-calpain activity compared to VP. Desmin of PM and SM from AP and MAP samples showed decreased proteolysis compared with VP., Conclusion: The results suggested that the inhibition of μ-calpain activity of beef samples from AP and MAP could be closely associated with protein oxidation which further lowered the level of desmin degradation compared to VP. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) are a type of glia from the mammalian olfactory system, with neuroprotective and regenerative properties. β-Amyloid peptides are a major component of the senile plaques characteristic of the Alzheimer brain. The amyloid beta (Aβ) precursor protein is cleaved to amyloid peptides, and Aβ 25-35 is regarded to be the functional domain of Aβ, responsible for its neurotoxic properties. It has been reported that Aβ 25-35 triggers reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative damage, altering the structure and function of mitochondria, leading to the activation of the mitochondrial intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Our goal is to investigate the effects of OECs on the toxicity of aggregated Aβ 25-35 , in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. For such purpose, SH-SY5Y cells were incubated with Aβ 25-35 and OEC-conditioned medium (OECCM). OECCM promoted the cell viability and reduced the apoptosis, and decreased the intracellular ROS and the lipid peroxidation. In the presence of OECCM, mRNA and protein levels of antioxidant enzymes (SOD1 and SOD2) were upregulated. Concomitantly, OECCM decreased mRNA and the protein expression levels of cytochrome c, caspase-9, caspase-3, and Bax in SH-SY5Y cells, and increased mRNA and the protein expression level of Bcl-2. However, OECCM did not alter intracellular Ca 2+ concentration in SH-SY5Y cells. Taken together, our data suggest that OECCM ameliorates Aβ 25-35 -induced oxidative damage in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells by inhibiting the mitochondrial intrinsic pathway. These data provide new insights into the functional actions of OECCM on oxidative stress-induced cell damage.

Nanocomposites consisting of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were fabricated by solution coagulation method. Morphology analysis indicated that CNC dispersed well in PBS matrix and rheological analysis suggested that PBS and CNC showed strong interactions. Thermal analysis indicated that the nanocomposites showed slightly increased glass transition temperature, significantly enhanced crystallization temperature and different melting behavior, compared to neat PBS. Study on crystallization indicated that small loading of CNC could significantly increase overall crystallization rate of PBS, meanwhile the crystallization mechanism and crystal structure remained unchanged. The significant enhancement in overall crystallization was attributed to the increased nucleation ability by incorporation of well dispersed CNC nanoparticles. Tensile testing indicated that the tensile strength and modulus were gradually improved with increasing CNC content, while the elongation at break decreased and even brittle fracture occurred when the content of CNC increased to 1.0wt%., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Improving heteroatomic interactions via alloying or forming heterogeneous catalysts is of importance to the enhancement in terms of electrocatalytic activity and stability. In this work, a simple galvanic replacement reaction was utilized to synthesize low Pt-based quaternary nanotubes (NTs). It is easy to obtain PtPdRuTe NTs with different composition and controlled shape using ultrathin Te nanowires (NWs) as sacrificial templates for its high activity. The NT wall thickness and formed NPs on the surface are closely related with the composition, especially Pd content. The optimized incorporation of Pd atoms into ternary PtRuTe NTs formed a uniform protecting PtPd surface and modified the Pt electronic structure to improve the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) performance. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals a larger extent of electron transfer from neighboring atoms to Pt on PtPdRuTe, consequently leading to a weaker bonding of the intermediate on Pt. As a result, the quaternary PtPdRuTe NTs exhibit enhanced activity and stability toward efficient MOR.

This study was designed to investigate the protective effects of extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD3) against amyloid beta (Aβ 25-35 )-induced damage in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for this beneficial effect. SH-SY5Y cells overexpressing SOD3 were generated by adenoviral vector-mediated infection and Aβ 25-35 was then added to the cell culture system to establish an in vitro model of oxidative stress. Cell viability, the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), the expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes, the levels of lipid peroxidation malondialdehyde (MDA), the expression of mitochondrial apoptosis-related genes and calcium images were examined. Following Aβ 25-35 exposure, SOD3 overexpression promoted the survival of SH-SY5Y cells, decreased the production of ROS, decreased MDA and calcium levels, and decreased cytochrome c, caspase-3, caspase-9 and Bax gene expression. Furthermore, SOD3 overexpression increased the expression and activity of antioxidant enzyme genes and Bcl-2 expression. Together, our data demonstrate that SOD3 ameliorates Aβ 25-35 -induced oxidative damage in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells by inhibiting the mitochondrial pathway. These data provide new insights into the functional actions of SOD3 on oxidative stress-induced cell damage.

Lymphoma rarely occurs during pregnancy, making this condition difficult to define. Lymphomas that occur in reproductive organs during pregnancy exhibit unique clinical characteristics. Among the limited cases, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) shows a considerably higher incidence rate than Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL); NHL also displays clinical characteristics, such as high aggressiveness, advanced stage, and poor outcome. This study reports on four cases of lymphomas in non-gonadal organs (HL, n =2; NHL, n =2) during pregnancy. The tumors rapidly progressed in all patients during pregnancy but remitted at the end of pregnancy and/or therapy. The two HL cases were nodular sclerosis classical HL and treated with chemotherapy after terminating the pregnancy. One of the NHL cases was primary cutaneous follicular center lymphoma, a B cell-derived indolent lymphoma. The patient was followed up without any therapy after terminating her pregnancy. The other case was a follicular lymphoma grade 3B, which was treated with chemotherapy after delivery. We also conducted a literature review of 165 lymphoma cases occurring during pregnancy reported from 1976 to 2013 to reveal the correlation between pregnancy and lymphoma progression. Immunohistochemistry studies were performed to determine the expression of estrogen/progesterone receptors (ER/PR), and ER was weakly positive and sporadic. We concluded that lymphomas occurring during pregnancy should be managed with a prompt and reasonable treatment. High estrogen level in maternal body may affect lymphoma progression.

This study was designed to investigate the protective effects of extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD3) against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induced damage in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for this beneficial effect. SOD3-overexpressing SH-SY5Y cells were generated by adenoviral vector-mediated infection, and H2O2 was then added into the cell culture system to establish an in vitro model of oxidative stress. Cell viability, the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), the expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes, the levels of lipid peroxidation malondialdehyde (MDA), the expression of mitochondrial apoptosis-related genes, and calcium imaging were examined. Following H2O2 exposure, the over-expression of SOD3 promoted the survival of SH-SY5Y cells; decreased the production of ROS, MDA levels, cytochrome C, caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax gene expression, and calcium levels; and increased the expression and activity of antioxidant enzyme genes and the expression level of Bcl-2. Together, our data demonstrate that SOD3 ameliorates H2O2-induced oxidative damage in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells by inhibiting the mitochondrial pathway and provide new insights into the functional actions of SOD3 on oxidative stress-induced cell damage.

The objective of this study was to examine the differences in calpain system, desmin degradation, pH values and water holding capacity (WHC) between muscles of commercial Meishan and Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire crossbred pigs. Meishan pork presented better WHC evidenced by lower purge loss at days 1 and 3 and less centrifugation loss at day 1 post mortem (P < 0.05). pH values at 45 min post mortem in Meishan pork were significantly higher compared to crossbred pork (P < 0.05). Calpain-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was lower in Meishan pork compared to that from crossbred pork (P < 0.05). Additionally, calpain-1 activity, the ratio of calpain-1 to calpastatin activity and desmin degradation were lower in Meishan pork compared to those from crossbred pork samples (P < 0.05). The results indicate that the calpain system including mRNA expression and activity were different between commercial Meishan and crossbred pork resulting in difference in the degree of desmin degradation during post mortem aging. pH values at 45 min and 24 h post mortem rather than calpain activity and desmin degradation could explain the higher water holding capacity in commercial Meishan pork., (© 2015 Japanese Society of Animal Science.)

Objective: To investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of patients with primary Waldeyer's ring lymphomas (PWRL), and to analyze its therapeutic efficacy and prognostic factors., Methods: A total of 112 patients with PWRL confirmed by pathological and immunohistochemical methods between January 2009 and January 2014 were studied. Clinical data were collected and analyzed retrospectively., Results: PWRL accounted for 3.9% of lymphoma over the same period. Median age of patients with PWRL was 51.5 years old. The affected areas were tonsil, nasopharynx, tongue base and oropharynx, which accounted for 63.4% (71/112), 22.3% (25/112), 5.3% (6/112) and 4.5% (5/112) respectively. The most common pathological types of these four areas were diffused large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma (NKTCL) which accounted for 58% and 15.2%. The overall response rate (CR/CRu = 51.4%; PR = 30.8%) in all patients was 82.2%, the estimated 5-year overall survival (OS) rate were 71.6%. The 5-year OS rate were 94.7% in the group used Rituximab. Meanwhile, chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy could improve the outcome of T-cell PWRL patients and the 5-year OS rate were 88.9%. Age, disease stages, pathological types, IPI scores, LDH level, β2-MG level and the efficacy of initial therapy were prognostic factors with statistical significance. Cox multivariate analysis showed that age of more than 60 years, LDH level, pathological types and the efficacy of the initial therapy were independently associated with OS., Conclusion: PWRL has a relatively good prognosis. The pathological types affect the prognosis directly and guide treatment. Combined modality therapy should be chosen for patients with PWRL. Patients with T-cell PWRL should accept chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy, while rituximab may be better for B-cell PWRL. The efficacy of initial therapy is crucial for the outcome of patients. Age and LDH level are also important prognostic factors.

This article reports a novel scalable method to prepare ultrathin and uniform Pd@Pt nanowires (NWs) with controllable composition and shell thickness, high aspect ratio, and smooth surface, triggered by bromide ions via a galvanic replacement reaction between PtCl6(2-) and Pd NWs. It was found that bromide ions played a vital role in initiating and promoting the galvanic reaction. The bromide ions served as capping and oxidized etching agents, counterbalancing the Pt deposition and Pd etching on the surface to give final Pd@Pt core-shell nanostructures. Such a counterbalance and the formation PtBr6(2-) with lower redox potential could lower the reaction rate and be responsible for full coverage of a smooth Pt shell. The full coverage of Pt deposited on Pd NWs is important for the enhancement of the activity and stability, which depend strongly on the Pt content and Pt shell thickness. Significantly, the Pd@Pt NWs with Pt content of 21.2% (atomic ratio) exhibited the highest mass activity (810 mA mg(-1)(Pt)) and specific activity (0.4 mA cm(-2)). Interestingly, the mass activity (1560 mA mg(-1)(Pt)) and specific activity (0.98 mA cm(-2)) of Pd@Pt (21.2%) NWs increased to 2.45 and 1.95 times the initial values after 60k cycles tests, 8.5 and 9.0 times greater than those of Pt/C catalysts. In addition, these ultrathin NW electrocatalysts with large aspect ratio are easy to form into a freestanding film, which improves the mass transport, electrical conductivity, and structure stability.

The potted Red globe/Beta grapevines were selected to irrigated with NaCl, Na2SO4, NaHCO3, NH4Cl, (NH4)2SO4. Hence, the ions which induced leaf etiolation were screened and the impacts of different salt and alkali on ion distribution in different organs of grapevines were investigated. It was found that NaHCO3 exerted the greatest effects on grapevines, leaf etiolation at 14 days after treatment. By contrast, NaCl and NH4Cl treatments induced leaf etiolation at 28 days after treatment. The Na+ content in all the detected organs were significantly increased under NaHCO3 and NaCl treatment, and Na+ content in root under NaHCO3 treatment was 6.4 times as that in control root. NaHCO3 and NaCl treatments significantly decreased K+ content in the organs with the exception of leaf. NaHCO3 treatment significantly decreased K/Na in different organs, which declined to 0.1 in root. By contrast, NaCl treatment significantly decreased K/Na in the detected organs with exception of stem. Besides, the transport of Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+ to aboveground organs was significantly decreased by NaHCO3 and NaCl treatments. K/Na ratio in the detected organs were decreased under NH4Cl, (NH4) 2SO4 and Na2SO4 treatments, especially under NH4 Cl treatment. Taken together, NaHCO3 was the primary factor resulting in leaf etiolation, followed by NaCl and NH4Cl, while (NH4) 2SO4 and Na2SO4 produced impacts.

A fluorescent polymer dots positive readout and sensitive lateral flow assay (LFA) based on fluorescent quenching has been developed to detect ractopamine (Rac), a chemical residue in food, harmful to human health. Compared with traditional LFA strips, these fluorescent quenching LFA (FQLFA) strips provide a positive correlation method that allows users to obtain results from a weak fluorescent signal. The immunoassay strip scheme is based on the fact that fluorescent polymer dots (FPDs) in close proximity to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) represent a strong fluorescent quenching. We show that the FQLFA strips can be used as a source to quantitatively analyze Rac in phosphate buffers (PB), swine urine and muscle tissue samples. The lowest detection limitation of the FQLFA was 0.16 ng mL(-1). Our results indicated that this novel scheme was more suitable for rapid detection of small molecules., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)