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Autophagy plays an important role in the development of Parkinson disease (PD). Previous studies showed that autophagy could protect cells from α-synuclein toxicity and promote functional coupling of mitochondria. But it is still a question whether modulating autophagy can be used to treat PD. In traditional Chinese medicine, a specific Chinese herbal complex called Bu Shen Jie Du Fang (BSJDF) has a long history of treating motor impairments similar to Parkinson disease, while its mechanism is still unclear. As a pilot study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and its mechanism of Bu Shen Jie Du Fang in an MPP+-induced cell model of Parkinson's disease. And the phase contrast microscope (PCM) revealed that the BSJDF group had the greatest surviving cell counts compared with all other treated cell groups except the normal group. And Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK8) assays showed a similar result. In BSJDF group, 3.7 ×107 cells/dish was identified by hemocytometer counts, which was significantly higher than other groups except the normal cells (p<0.05). In the BSJDF group, autophagy can be observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Protein expression of Atg12 and LC3 in the BSJDF group was upregulated compared to the PD model group (p<0.05). Atg12 mRNA expression was also upregulated in the BSJDF group (p<0.05). In conclusion, our study indicated that the therapeutic mechanisms of BSJDF may be mediated by stimulating autophagy, and modulating autophagy can be used to treat PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we focused on the estimation of the global critical current density, super-current path, grain connectivity and their relationships with the faults volume fraction in the MgB2 bulks prepared by a modified PIT (powder in tube) method. Campbell's method was applied for the purpose of acquiring the penetrating AC magnetic flux profile and the characteristic of AC magnetic field vs. penetration depth from the specimen's surface. A computer simulation on the penetrating AC flux profile in MgB2 bulks with certain amount of randomly distributed voids, oxidized grains and other faults was also carried out. The global critical current density obtained by Campbell's method turned out to be smaller than that obtained from the SQUID measurement, implying that the global super-current was reduced by the existence of various kinds of faults and the lack of the electrical connectivity between grains. It was verified that the relationship between the global critical current characteristics and the faults contained in MgB2 specimens can be quantitatively clarified by comparing the simulated critical current densities and other factors with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we focused on the estimation of the global critical current density, super-current path, grain connectivity and their relationships with the faults volume fraction in the MgB2 bulks prepared by a modified PIT (powder in tube) method. Campbell's method was applied for the purpose of acquiring the penetrating AC magnetic flux profile and the characteristic of AC magnetic field vs. penetration depth from the specimen's surface. A computer simulation on the penetrating AC flux profile in MgB2 bulks with certain amount of randomly distributed voids, oxidized grains and other faults was also carried out. The global critical current density obtained by Campbell's method turned out to be smaller than that obtained from the SQUID measurement, implying that the global super-current was reduced by the existence of various kinds of faults and the lack of the electrical connectivity between grains. It was verified that the relationship between the global critical current characteristics and the faults contained in MgB2 specimens can be quantitatively clarified by comparing the simulated critical current densities and other factors with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) complicated by lung cancer has been increasing yearly worldwide. The overlapping effects of these two diseases leads to difficulties in clinical treatment and care. Single-care modalities fail to meet the clinical-care requirements of these complex diseases for both psychological and physical treatment., Objective: The study intended to evaluate the clinical efficacy of integrated nursing plus a psychological intervention for patients with TB complicated by lung cancer., Design: The research team conducted a randomized controlled study., Setting: The study took place at the Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University in Baoding, Hebei, China., Participants: Participants were 60 patients with pulmonary TB complicated by lung cancer who received treatment at the hospital between January 2022 and December 2022., Interventions: The research team randomly assigned participants to one of two groups, each with 30 participants: (1) the control group, who received integrated nursing and (2) the intervention group who received integrated nursing plus a psychological intervention., Outcome Measures: The research team evaluated: (1) short-term clinical efficacy; (2) quality of life, using the Medical Outcomes Study's (MOS') 36-item Short-form Health Survey (SF-36); (3) levels of anxiety and depression, using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), respectively; and (4) nursing satisfaction., Results: No significant differences existed between the groups in demographic or clinical characteristics at baseline (P > .05). Compared to the control group, the intervention group's; (1) short-term clinical efficacy was significantly higher (P = .035); (2) scores on the SF-36 were significantly higher (all P < .001; (3) scores on the SAS and SDS were significantly lower (both P < .001); and (4) nursing satisfaction was significantly higher (P = .000)., Conclusions: Integrated nursing plus psychological intervention can improve the quality of life of patients with TB complicated by lung cancer, alleviate their negative emotions, and enhance nursing satisfaction, thereby promoting patients' recoveries.

Autophagy plays an important role in the development of Parkinson disease (PD). Previous studies showed that autophagy could protect cells from α -synuclein toxicity and promote functional coupling of mitochondria. But it is still a question whether modulating autophagy can be used to treat PD. In traditional Chinese medicine, a specific Chinese herbal complex called Bu Shen Jie Du Fang (BSJDF) has a long history of treating motor impairments similar to Parkinson disease, while its mechanism is still unclear. As a pilot study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and its mechanism of Bu Shen Jie Du Fang in an MPP + -induced cell model of Parkinson's disease. And the phase contrast microscope (PCM) revealed that the BSJDF group had the greatest surviving cell counts compared with all other treated cell groups except the normal group. And Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK8) assays showed a similar result. In BSJDF group, 3.7 ×10 7 cells/dish was identified by hemocytometer counts, which was significantly higher than other groups except the normal cells (p<0.05). In the BSJDF group, autophagy can be observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Protein expression of Atg12 and LC3 in the BSJDF group was upregulated compared to the PD model group (p<0.05). Atg12 mRNA expression was also upregulated in the BSJDF group (p<0.05). In conclusion, our study indicated that the therapeutic mechanisms of BSJDF may be mediated by stimulating autophagy, and modulating autophagy can be used to treat PD.