Comparative efficacy of different noninvasive brain stimulation protocols on upper-extremity motor function and activities of daily living after stroke: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

The objectives of the study were to systematically evaluate the rehabilitation effect of noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) on upper extremity motor function and activities of daily living in stroke patients and to prioritize various stimulation protocols for reliable evidence-based medical recommendations in patients with upper extremity motor dysfunction after stroke. Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and CBM were searched to collect all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of NIBS to improve upper extremity motor function in stroke patients. The retrieval time was from the establishment of all databases to May 2023. According to the Cochrane system evaluation manual, the quality of the included studies was evaluated, and the data were extracted. Statistical analysis was carried out by using RevMan 5.3, R 4.3.0, and Stata 17.0 software. Finally, 94 RCTs were included, with a total of 5546 patients. Meta-analysis showed that NIBS improved the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) score (mean difference (MD) = 6.51, 95% CI 6.20 ~ 6.82, P < 0.05), MBI score (MD = 7.69, 95% CI 6.57 ~ 8.81, P < 0.05), ARAT score (MD = 5.06, 95% CI 3.85 ~ 6.27, P < 0.05), and motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude. The modified Ashworth scale score (MD =  - 0.37, 95% CI - 0.60 to - 0.14, P < 0.05), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (MD =  - 2.17, 95% CI - 3.32 to - 1.11, P < 0.05), incubation period of MEP (MD =  - 0.72, 95% CI - 1.06 to - 0.38, P < 0.05), and central motor conduction time (MD =  - 0.90, 95% CI - 1.29 to - 0.50, P < 0.05) were decreased in stroke patients. Network meta-analysis showed that the order of interventions in improving FMA scores from high to low was anodal-transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) (surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) = 83.7%) > cathodal-tDCS (SUCRA = 80.2%) > high-frequency (HF)-repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) (SUCRA = 68.5%) > low-frequency (LF)-rTMS (SUCRA = 66.5%) > continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) (SUCRA = 54.2%) > bilateral-tDCS (SUCRA = 45.2%) > intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) (SUCRA = 34.1%) > sham-NIBS (SUCRA = 16.0%) > CR (SUCRA = 1.6%). In terms of improving MBI scores, the order from high to low was anodal-tDCS (SUCRA = 88.7%) > cathodal-tDCS (SUCRA = 85.4%) > HF-rTMS (SUCRA = 63.4%) > bilateral-tDCS (SUCRA = 56.0%) > LF-rTMS (SUCRA = 54.2%) > iTBS (SUCRA = 32.4%) > sham-NIBS (SUCRA = 13.8%) > CR (SUCRA = 6.1%). NIBS can effectively improve upper extremity motor function and activities of daily living after stroke. Among the various NIBS protocols, anodal-tDCS demonstrated the most significant intervention effect, followed by cathodal-tDCS and HF-rTMS.

Circuit-based neuromodulation enhances delayed recall in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of circuits-based paired associative stimulation (PAS) in adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).

METHODS

We conducted a parallel-group, randomised, controlled clinical trial. Initially, a cohort of healthy subjects was recruited to establish the cortical-hippocampal circuits by tracking white matter fibre connections using diffusion tensor imaging. Subsequently, patients diagnosed with aMCI, matched for age and education, were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to undergo a 2-week intervention, either circuit-based PAS or sham PAS. Additionally, we explored the relationship between changes in cognitive performance and the functional connectivity (FC) of cortical-hippocampal circuits.

RESULTS

FCs between hippocampus and precuneus and between hippocampus and superior frontal gyrus (orbital part) were most closely associated with the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT)_N5 score in 42 aMCI patients, thus designated as target circuits. The AVLT_N5 score improved from 2.43 (1.43) to 5.29 (1.98) in the circuit-based PAS group, compared with 2.52 (1.44) to 3.86 (2.39) in the sham PAS group (p=0.003; Cohen's d=0.97). A significant decrease was noted in FC between the left hippocampus and left precuneus in the circuit-based PAS group from baseline to postintervention (p=0.013). Using a generalised linear model, significant group×FC interaction effects for the improvements in AVLT_N5 scores were found within the circuit-based PAS group (B=3.4, p=0.017).

CONCLUSIONS

Circuit-based PAS effectively enhances long-term delayed recall in adults diagnosed with aMCI, which includes individuals aged 50-80 years. This enhancement is potentially linked to the decreased functional connectivity between the left hippocampus and left precuneus.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ChiCTR2100053315; Chinese Clinical Trial Registry.

A bibliometric analysis of brachial plexus injury from 1980 to 2022

Background

Brachial plexus injury is a common severe peripheral nerve injury with high disability. At present, the bibliometric analysis of brachial plexus injury is basically unknown.

Methods

This article analyzes the data retrieved to the web of science and uses the R language (version 4.2), Citespace (version 6.1.R3 Advanced), Vosviewer (Lei deng university) to make a scientific map. Specifically, we analyze the main publication countries, institutions, journals where the article is published, and the cooperative relationship between different institutions, the relationship between authors, main research directions in this field, and current research hotspots.

Results

From 1980 to 2022, the total number of publications is 1542. In terms of countries where articles were published, 551 records were published in the United States, accounting for 35% of the total. With 74 articles, Fudan University ranks first in the world in terms of the number of articles issued by the institution, followed by 72 articles from Mayo Clinic. The magazine with the largest number of articles is JOURNAL OF HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME, which has published 87 articles in total. GU YD (Gu Yu-Dong) team (Fudan University) and spinner RJ (Robert J Spinner) team (Mayo clinic) are in a leading position in this field. Nerve transfer and nerve reconstruction have been a hot topic of brachial plexus injury. "Spinal nerve root repair and reimplantation of avulsed ventral roots into the spinal cord after brachial plexus injury" has the strongest citation bursts.

Conclusion

Research on brachial plexus injury shows a trend of increasing heat. At present, there is a lack of communication and cooperation between scholars from different countries. Nerve transfer and nerve reconstruction are the current and future research directions in the treatment of brachial plexus injury.

Limbic system plasticity after electroacupuncture intervention in knee osteoarthritis rats

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is characterized by debilitating pain. Electroacupuncture (EA), a traditional Chinese medical therapy, has shown promise in KOA pain management. This study investigated the therapeutic potential of EA in KOA and its impact on limbic system neural plasticity. Sixteen rats were randomly assigned into two groups: EA group and sham-EA group. EA or sham-EA interventions were administered at acupoints ST32 (Futu) and ST36 (Zusanli) for three weeks. Post-intervention resting-state fMRI was scanned, assessing parameters including Amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), functional connectivity (FC) and nodal characterizations of network within limbic system. The results showed that EA was strategically directed towards the limbic system, resulting in discernible alterations in neural activity, FC, and network characteristics. Our findings demonstrate that EA had a significant impact on the limbic system neural plasticity in rats with KOA, presenting a novel nonpharmacological approach for KOA treatment.

White matter fiber integrity and structural brain network topology: implications for balance function in postischemic stroke patients

Previous studies have suggested that ischemic stroke can result in white matter fiber injury and modifications in the structural brain network. However, the relationship with balance function scores remains insufficiently explored. Therefore, this study aims to explore the alterations in the microstructural properties of brain white matter and the topological characteristics of the structural brain network in postischemic stroke patients and their potential correlations with balance function. We enrolled 21 postischemic stroke patients and 21 age, sex, and education-matched healthy controls (HC). All participants underwent balance function assessment and brain diffusion tensor imaging. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were used to compare the fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity of white matter fibers between the two groups. The white matter structural brain network was constructed based on the automated anatomical labeling atlas, and we conducted a graph theory-based analysis of its topological properties, including global network properties and local node properties. Additionally, the correlation between the significant structural differences and balance function score was analyzed. The TBSS results showed that in comparison to the HC, postischemic stroke patients exhibited extensive damage to their whole-brain white matter fiber tracts (P < 0.05). Graph theory analysis showed that in comparison to the HC, postischemic stroke patients exhibited statistically significant reductions in the values of global efficiency, local efficiency, and clustering coefficient, as well as an increase in characteristic path length (P < 0.05). In addition, the degree centrality and nodal efficiency of some nodes in postischemic stroke patients were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). The white matter fibers of the entire brain in postischemic stroke patients are extensively damaged, and the topological properties of the structural brain network are altered, which are closely related to balance function. This study is helpful in further understanding the neural mechanism of balance function after ischemic stroke from the white matter fiber and structural brain network topological properties.

Effects of individual metabolic brain network changes co-affected by T2DM and aging on the probabilities of T2DM: protective and risk factors

Neuroimaging markers for risk and protective factors related to type 2 diabetes mellitus are critical for clinical prevention and intervention. In this work, the individual metabolic brain networks were constructed with Jensen-Shannon divergence for 4 groups (elderly type 2 diabetes mellitus and healthy controls, and middle-aged type 2 diabetes mellitus and healthy controls). Regional network properties were used to identify hub regions. Rich-club, feeder, and local connections were subsequently obtained, intergroup differences in connections and correlations between them and age (or fasting plasma glucose) were analyzed. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to explore effects of network changes on the probability of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The elderly had increased rich-club and feeder connections, and decreased local connection than the middle-aged among type 2 diabetes mellitus; type 2 diabetes mellitus had decreased rich-club and feeder connections than healthy controls. Protective factors including glucose metabolism in triangle part of inferior frontal gyrus, metabolic connectivity between triangle of the inferior frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate cortex, degree centrality of putamen, and risk factors including metabolic connectivities between triangle of the inferior frontal gyrus and Heschl's gyri were identified for the probability of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Metabolic interactions among critical brain regions increased in type 2 diabetes mellitus with aging. Individual metabolic network changes co-affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus and aging were identified as protective and risk factors for the likelihood of type 2 diabetes mellitus, providing guiding evidence for clinical interventions.

Focal ischemic stroke modifies microglia-derived exosomal miRNAs: potential role of mir-212-5p in neuronal protection and functional recovery

BACKGROUND

Ischemic stroke is a severe type of stroke with high disability and mortality rates. In recent years, microglial exosome-derived miRNAs have been shown to be promising candidates for the treatment of ischemic brain injury and exert neuroprotective effects. Mechanisms underlying miRNA dysregulation in ischemic stroke are still being explored. Here, we aimed to verify whether miRNAs derived from exosomes exert effects on functional recovery.

METHODS

MiR-212-5p agomir was employed to upregulate miR-212-5p expression in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) as well as an oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) in vitro. Western blot analysis, qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining and other methods were applied to explore the underlying mechanisms of action of miR-212-5p.

RESULTS

The results of our study found that intervention with miR-212-5p agomir effectively decreased infarct volume and restored motor function in MCAO/R rats. Mechanistically, miR-212-5p agomir significantly reduced the expression of PlexinA2 (PLXNA2). Additionally, the results obtained in vitro were similar to those achieved in vivo.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the present study indicated that PLXNA2 may be a target gene of miR-212-5p, and miR-212-5p has great potential as a target for the treatment and diagnosis of ischemic stroke.

Morphological alterations of contralesional hemisphere relate to functional outcomes after stroke

The present study aimed to investigate poststroke morphological alterations contralesionally and correlations with functional outcomes. Structural magnetic resonance images were obtained from 27 poststroke patients (24 males, 50.21 ± 10.97 years) and 20 healthy controls (13 males, 46.63 ± 12.18 years). Voxel-based and surface-based morphometry analysis were conducted to detect alterations of contralesional grey matter volume (GMV), cortical thickness (CT), gyrification index (GI), sulcus depth (SD), and fractal dimension (FD) in poststroke patients. Partial correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between regions with significant structural differences and scores of clinical assessments, including Modified Barthel Index (MBI), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper Extremity (FMA-UE), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Correction for multiplicity was conducted within each parameter and for all tests. GMV significantly decreased in the contralesional motor-related, occipital and temporal cortex, limbic system, and cerebellum lobe (P < 0.01, family-wise error [FWE] correction). Lower CT was found in the contralesional precentral and lingual gyrus (P < 0.01, FWE correction), while lower GI found in the contralesional superior temporal gyrus and insula (P < 0.01, FWE correction). There were significant correlations between GMV of contralesional lingual gyrus and MBI (P = 0.031, r = 0.441), and BBS (P = 0.047, r = 0.409) scores, and GMV of contralesional hippocampus and FMA-UE scores (P = 0.048, r = 0.408). In conclusion, stroke patients exhibited wide grey matter loss and cortical morphological changes in the contralesional hemisphere, which correlated with sensorimotor functions and the ability of daily living.

Association of PFN1 Gene Polymorphisms with Bone Mineral Density, Bone Turnover Markers, and Osteoporotic Fractures in Chinese Population

Recent studies have discovered an association between the PFN1 gene and Paget's disease. However, it is currently unknown whether the PFN1 gene is related to osteoporosis. This study was performed to investigate the association of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PFN1 gene with Bone Mineral Density (BMD) as well as bone turnover markers and osteoporotic fractures in Chinese subjects. A total of 2836 unrelated Chinese subjects comprising 1247 healthy subjects and 1589 osteoporotic fractures patients (Fracture group) were enrolled in this study. Seven tagSNPs (rs117337116, rs238243, rs6559, rs238242, rs78224458, rs4790714, and rs13204) of the PFN1 gene were genotyped. The BMD of the lumbar spine 1-4 (L1-4), femoral neck, and total hip as well as bone turnover markers, such as β-C-Terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (β-CTX) and Procollagen type 1 N-terminal Propeptide (P1NP), were measured. The association between 7 tagSNPs and BMD and bone turnover markers was analyzed in 1247 healthy subjects only. After age matching, we selected 1589 osteoporotic fracture patients (Fracture group) and 756 nonfracture controls (Control group, selected from 1247 healthy subjects) for a case-control study, respectively. For the case-control study, we used logistic regression to investigate the relationship between 7 tagSNPs and osteoporotic fractures risk. In the All group, the PFN1 haplotype GAT was associated with the β-CTX (P = 0.007). In the Female group, the PFN1 haplotype GAT was associated with the β-CTX (P = 0.005). In the Male group, the rs13204, the rs78224458, and the PFN1 haplotype GAC were associated with the BMD of the L1-4 (all P = 0.012); the rs13204, the rs78224458, and the PFN1 haplotype GAC were associated with the BMD of the femoral neck (all P = 0.012); the rs13204 and rs78224458 were associated with the BMD of the total hip (both P = 0.015); and the PFN1 haplotype GAT was associated with the β-CTX (P = 0.013). In the subsequent case-control study, the rs13204 and rs78224458 in the male group were associated with the risk of L1-4 fracture (P = 0.016 and 0.010, respectively) and total hip fracture (P = 0.013 and 0.016, respectively). Our study reveals that PFN1 gene polymorphisms are associated with BMD in Chinese males and β-CTX in Chinese people and confirmed the relationship between PFN1 gene polymorphisms and Chinese male osteoporotic fractures in a case-control study.

Altered Neural Pathways and Related Brain Remodeling: A Rat Study Using Different Nerve Reconstructions

BACKGROUND

Function recovery is related to cortical plasticity. The brain remodeling patterns induced by alterations in peripheral nerve pathways with different nerve reconstructions are unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To explore brain remodeling patterns related to alterations in peripheral neural pathways after different nerve reconstruction surgeries.

METHODS

Twenty-four female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent complete left brachial plexus nerve transection, together with the following interventions: no nerve repair (n = 8), grafted nerve repair (n = 8), and phrenic nerve transfer (n = 8). Resting-state functional MR images of brain were acquired at the end of seventh month postsurgery. Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and functional connectivity (FC) were compared among 3 groups. Behavioral observation and electromyography assessed nerve regeneration.

RESULTS

Compared with brachial plexus injury group, ALFF and ReHo of left entorhinal cortex decreased in nerve repair and nerve transfer groups. The nerve transfer group showed increased ALFF and ReHo than nerve repair group in left caudate putamen, right accumbens nucleus shell (AcbSh), and right somatosensory cortex. The FC between right somatosensory cortex and bilateral piriform cortices and bilateral somatosensory cortices increased in nerve repair group than brachial plexus injury and nerve transfer groups. The nerve transfer group showed increased FC between right somatosensory cortex and areas including left corpus callosum, left retrosplenial cortex, right parietal association cortex, and right dorsolateral thalamus than nerve repair group.

CONCLUSION

Entorhinal cortex is a key brain area in recovery of limb function after nerve reconstruction. Nerve transfer related brain remodeling mainly involved contralateral sensorimotor areas, facilitating directional "shifting" of motor representation.

Evidence of neuroplasticity with brain-computer interface in a randomized trial for post-stroke rehabilitation: a graph-theoretic study of subnetwork analysis

Background

Brain-computer interface (BCI) has been widely used for functional recovery after stroke. Understanding the brain mechanisms following BCI intervention to optimize BCI strategies is crucial for the benefit of stroke patients.

Methods

Forty-six patients with upper limb motor dysfunction after stroke were recruited and randomly divided into the control group or the BCI group. The primary outcome was measured by the assessment of Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper Extremity (FMA-UE). Meanwhile, we performed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in all patients, followed by independent component analysis (ICA) to identify functionally connected brain networks. Finally, we assessed the topological efficiency of both groups using graph-theoretic analysis in these brain subnetworks.

Results

The FMA-UE score of the BCI group was significantly higher than that of the control group after treatment (p = 0.035). From the network topology analysis, we first identified seven subnetworks from the rs-fMRI data. In the following analysis of subnetwork properties, small-world properties including γ (p = 0.035) and σ (p = 0.031) within the visual network (VN) decreased in the BCI group. For the analysis of the dorsal attention network (DAN), significant differences were found in assortativity (p = 0.045) between the groups. Additionally, the improvement in FMA-UE was positively correlated with the assortativity of the dorsal attention network (R = 0.498, p = 0.011).

Conclusion

Brain-computer interface can promote the recovery of upper limbs after stroke by regulating VN and DAN. The correlation trend of weak intensity proves that functional recovery in stroke patients is likely to be related to the brain's visuospatial processing ability, which can be used to optimize BCI strategies.

Clinical Trial Registration

The trial is registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, number ChiCTR2000034848. Registered 21 July 2020.

Modulation of Brain Network Topological Properties in Knee Osteoarthritis by Electroacupuncture in Rats

Introduction

Osteoarthritis is a chronic, ongoing disease that affects patients, and pain is considered a key factor affecting patients, but the brain changes during the development of osteoarthritis pain are currently unclear. In this study, we used electroacupuncture (EA) to intervene the rat model of knee osteoarthritis and analyzed the changes in topological properties of brain networks using graph theory.

Methods

Sixteen SD rat models of right-knee osteoarthritis with anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) were randomly divided into electroacupuncture intervention group and control group. The electroacupuncture group was intervened on Zusanli (ST36) and Futu (ST32) for 20 min each time, five times a week for 3 weeks, while the control group was applied sham stimulation. Both groups were measured for pain threshold. The small-world properties and node properties of the brain network between the two groups after the intervention were statistically analyzed by graph theory methods.

Results

The differences are mainly in the changes in node attributes between the two groups, such as degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and so on in different brain regions (P<0.05). Both groups showed no small-world characteristics in the brain networks of the two groups. The mechanical thresholds and thermal pain thresholds were significantly higher in the EA group than in the control group (P<0.05).

Conclusion

The study demonstrated that electroacupuncture intervention enhanced the activity of nodes related to pain circuit and relieved pain in osteoarthritis, which provides a complementary basis for explaining the effect of electroacupuncture intervention on pain through graphical analysis of changes in brain network topological properties and helps to develop an imaging model for pain affected by electroacupuncture.

Efficacy of image-enhanced endoscopy for colorectal adenoma detection: A multicenter, randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Improved adenoma detection at colonoscopy has decreased the risk of developing colorectal cancer. However, whether image-enhanced endoscopy (IEE) further improves the adenoma detection rate (ADR) is controversial.

AIM

To compare IEE with white-light imaging (WLI) endoscopy for the detection and identification of colorectal adenoma.

METHODS

This was a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial. Participants were enrolled between September 2019 to April 2021 from 4 hospital in China. Patients were randomly assigned to an IEE group with WLI on entry and IEE on withdrawal (n = 2113) or a WLI group with WLI on both entry and withdrawal (n = 2098). The primary outcome was the ADR. The secondary endpoints were the polyp detection rate (PDR), adenomas per colonoscopy, adenomas per positive colonoscopy, and factors related to adenoma detection.

RESULTS

A total of 4211 patients (966 adenomas) were included in the analysis (mean age, 56.7 years, 47.1% male). There were 2113 patients (508 adenomas) in the IEE group and 2098 patients (458 adenomas) in the WLI group. The ADR in two group were not significantly different [24.0% vs 21.8%, 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.99-1.23, P = 0.09]. The PDR was higher with IEE group (41.7%) than with WLI group (36.1%, 1.16, 95%CI: 1.07-1.25, P = 0.01). Differences in mean withdrawal time (7.90 ± 3.42 min vs 7.85 ± 3.47 min, P = 0.30) and adenomas per colonoscopy (0.33 ± 0.68 vs 0.28 ± 0.62, P = 0.06) were not significant. Subgroup analysis found that with narrow-band imaging (NBI), between-group differences in the ADR, were not significant (23.7% vs 21.8%, 1.09, 95%CI: 0.97-1.22, P = 0.15), but were greater with linked color imaging (30.9% vs 21.8%, 1.42, 95%CI: 1.04-1.93, P = 0.04). the second-generation NBI (2G-NBI) had an advantage of ADR than both WLI and the first-generation NBI (27.0% vs 21.8%, P = 0.01; 27.0% vs 21.2.0%, P = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

This prospective study confirmed that, among Chinese, IEE didn’t increase the ADR compared with WLI, but 2G-NBI increase the ADR.

Effects of cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation based on multisensory integration to brain network connectivity in stroke patients: study protocol for a randomized doubled blind clinical trial

INTRODUCTION

Brain has a spontaneous recovery after stroke, reflecting the plasticity of the brain. Currently, TMS is used for studies of single-target brain region modulation, which lacks consideration of brain networks and functional connectivity. Cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation (ccPAS) promotes recovery of motor function. Multisensory effects in primary visual cortex(V1) directly influence behavior and perception, which facilitate motor functional recovery in stroke patients. Therefore, in this study, dual-targeted precise stimulation of V1 and primary motor cortex(M1) on the affected hemisphere of stroke patients will be used for cortical visuomotor multisensory integration to improve motor function.

METHOD

This study is a randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trial over a 14-week period. 69 stroke subjects will be enrolled and divided into sham stimulation group, ccPAS low frequency group, and ccPAS high frequency group. All groups will receive conventional rehabilitation. The intervention lasted for two weeks, five times a week. Assessments will be performed before the intervention, at the end of the intervention, and followed up at 6 and 14 weeks. The primary assessment indicator is the 'Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity ', secondary outcomes were 'The line bisection test', 'Modified Taylor Complex Figure', 'NIHSS' and neuroimaging assessments. All adverse events will be recorded.

DISCUSSION

Currently, ccPAS is used for the modulation of neural circuits. Based on spike-timing dependent plasticity theory, we can precisely intervene in the connections between different cortices to promote the recovery of functional connectivity on damaged brain networks after stroke. We hope to achieve the modulation of cortical visuomotor interaction by combining ccPAS with the concept of multisensory integration. We will further analyze the correlation between analyzing visual and motor circuits and explore the alteration of neuroplasticity by the interactions between different brain networks. This study will provide us with a new clinical treatment strategy to achieve precise rehabilitation for patient with motor dysfunction after stroke.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This trial was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry with code ChiCTR2300067422 and was approved on January 16, 2023.

Paeoniflorin exhibits anti-Helicobacter pylori activity by regulating macrophage activity

BACKGROUND

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) often causes gastritis, gastric ulcer, and other stomach diseases. At present, there are many drugs available to kill H. pylori, but they are mainly Western medicines, not suitable for long-term use, and often associated with relapse. Traditional Chinese medicines have few side effects, but their mechanism of action is not completely clear.

AIM

To analyze the anti-H. pylori activity and mechanisms of action of paeoniflorin (PF).

METHODS

Six Kunming mice and four New Zealand rabbits were selected to prepare PF-containing serum. Mouse peritoneal macrophages were collected and divided into a study group, a control group, and a blank group. The study group was supplemented with 5% drug-containing serum, and the control group was supplemented with drug-free serum. Both groups were treated with H. pylori 11637, and the cells was collected 6 h after treatment. The contents of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in macrophages of each group were detected by ELISA. The expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), Toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2), and Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) was detected by Western blot analysis. The relative mRNA expression of HSP70, TLR2, and TLR4 in mouse macrophages was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

The contents of MCP-1, IL-1β, and TNF-α in the control group were significantly higher than those in the blank group, and the contents of MCP-1, IL-1β, and TNF-α in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The protein expression of iNOS, TLR4, and TLR2 in macrophages of the control group was significantly higher than that in the blank group, and the expression of iNOS, TLR4, and TLR2 in the macrophages of the study group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The relative expression of TLR4 and TLR2 mRNA in macrophages of the control group was higher than that of the blank group, and the relative expression of TLR4 and TLR2 mRNA in the macrophages of the study group was lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The expression of HSP70 mRNA and protein in macrophages of the control group was higher than that of the blank group, and the expression of HSP70 mRNA and protein in macrophages of the study group was lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Paeoniflorin can inhibit the secretion of inflammatory cytokines and HSP70 by macrophages by regulating their activity. The anti-inflammatory effect may be related to the inhibition of the TLR2/4 signaling pathway.

Mapping the long-term delayed recall-based cortex-hippocampus network constrained by the structural and functional connectome: a case-control multimodal MRI study

Background

Connectome mapping may reveal new treatment targets for patients with neurological and psychiatric diseases. However, the long-term delayed recall based-network with structural and functional connectome is still largely unknown. Our objectives were to (1) identify the long-term delayed recall-based cortex-hippocampus network with structural and functional connectome and (2) investigate its relationships with various cognitive functions, age, and activities of daily living.

Methods

This case-control study enrolled 131 subjects (73 amnestic mild cognitive impairment [aMCI] patients and 58 age- and education-matched healthy controls [HCs]). All subjects completed a neuropsychological battery, activities of daily living assessment, and multimodal magnetic resonance imaging. Nodes of the cortical-hippocampal network related to long-term delayed recall were identified by probabilistic fiber tracking and functional connectivity (FC) analysis. Then, the main and interaction effects of the network on cognitive functions were assessed by a generalized linear model. Finally, the moderating effects of the network on the relationships between long-term delayed recall and clinical features were analyzed by multiple regression and Hayes’ bootstrap method. All the effects of cortex-hippocampus network were analyzed at the connectivity and network levels.

Results

The result of a generalized linear model showed that the bilateral hippocampus, left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus, right supplementary motor area, left lingual gyrus, left superior occipital gyrus, left superior parietal gyrus, left precuneus, and right temporal pole (superior temporal gyrus) are the left and right cortex-hippocampus network nodes related to long-term delayed recall (P < 0.05). Significant interaction effects were found between the Auditory Verbal Learning Test Part 5 (AVLT 5) scores and global properties of the left cortex-hippocampus network [hierarchy, clustering coefficient, characteristic path length, global efficiency, local efficiency, Sigma and synchronization (P < 0.05 Bonferroni corrected)]. Significant interaction effects were found between the general cognitive function/executive function/language and global properties of the left cortex-hippocampus network [Sigma and synchronization (P < 0.05 Bonferroni corrected)].

Conclusion

This study introduces a novel symptom-based network and describes relationships among cognitive functions, brain function, and age. The cortex–hippocampus network constrained by the structural and functional connectome is closely related to long-term delayed recall.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13195-023-01197-7.

Endoscopic mucosal resection of gastrointestinal polyps with a novel low-temperature plasma radio frequency generator: a non-inferiority multi-center randomized control study

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of novel plasma radio frequency generator and its single-use polypectomy snares for endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) of gastrointestinal (GI) polyps.

METHODS

A total of 217 patients with 413 GI polyps were recruited from four centers in China. Patients were assigned to experimental or control groups using a central randomization method. The experimental group used the novel plasma radio frequency generator and its matched single-use polypectomy snares (Neowing, Shanghai), while the control group used the high-frequency electrosurgical unit (Erbe, Germany) and disposable electrosurgical snares (Olympus, Japan). The primary endpoint was the en bloc resection rate, and the non-inferiority margin was set at 10%. Secondary endpoint included operation time, coagulation success rate, intraoperative and postoperative bleeding rate, and perforation rate.

RESULTS

The en bloc resection rate was 97.20% (104/107) in the experimental group and 95.45% (105/110) in the control group (P = 0.496). The operation time was 29.14 ± 20.21 min in the experimental group and 30.26 ± 18.74 min in the control group (P = 0.671). The average removal time of a single polyp in the experimental group was 7.52 ± 4.45 min, which was slightly shorter than that in the control group 8.90 ± 6.67 min, with no statistical difference (P = 0.076). The intraoperative bleeding rates of the experimental group and control group were 8.41% (9/107) and 10.00% (11/110), respectively (P = 0.686). No intraoperative perforation occurred in either group. The postoperative bleeding rates of the experimental group and the control group were 1.87% (2/107) and 4.55% (5/110), respectively (P = 0.465). No postoperative perforation occurred in the experimental group (0/107), while one case of delayed perforation occurred in the control group (1/110, 0.91%). There was no statistical difference between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Endoscopic mucosal resection of GI polyps with the novel plasma radio frequency generator is safe and effective, and non-inferior to the conventional high-frequency electrosurgical system.

Noninvasive Brain Stimulation for Neurorehabilitation in Post-Stroke Patients

Characterized by high morbidity, mortality, and disability, stroke usually causes symptoms of cerebral hypoxia due to a sudden blockage or rupture of brain vessels, and it seriously threatens human life and health. Rehabilitation is the essential treatment for post-stroke patients suffering from functional impairments, through which hemiparesis, aphasia, dysphagia, unilateral neglect, depression, and cognitive dysfunction can be restored to various degrees. Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is a popular neuromodulatory technology of rehabilitation focusing on the local cerebral cortex, which can improve clinical functions by regulating the excitability of corresponding neurons. Increasing evidence has been obtained from the clinical application of NIBS, especially repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). However, without a standardized protocol, existing studies on NIBS show a wide variation in terms of stimulation site, frequency, intensity, dosage, and other parameters. Its application for neurorehabilitation in post-stroke patients is still limited. With advances in neuronavigation technologies, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, and functional MRI, specific brain regions can be precisely located for stimulation. On the basis of our further understanding on neural circuits, neuromodulation in post-stroke rehabilitation has also evolved from single-target stimulation to co-stimulation of two or more targets, even circuits and the network. The present study aims to review the findings of current research, discuss future directions of NIBS application, and finally promote the use of NIBS in post-stroke rehabilitation.

Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on post-stroke patients with cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is one of the common symptoms in stroke survivors, by which their quality of life and rehabilitation progress are severely limited. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been proven to regulate cognition in a non-invasive way. However, the inconsistency in its effectiveness on PSCI reported in previous studies cannot be ruled out. A critical and comprehensive systematic review of rTMS on PSCI patients is necessary.

METHODS

Trials published before the end of February 2022 on rTMS and PSCI were systematically retrieved from PubMed, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, Embase and SCOPUS. High-quality literature was selected following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, with their references being screened. Meta-analysis of data was carried out using RevMan 5.4 software.

RESULTS

Ten trials involving 347 participants were included in the current review. Global cognition as measured by MMSE or MoCA (SMD=0.54; 95% CI=0.31, 0.76; P < 0.00001; I² = 38%) and modified Barthel index (MD=9.00; 95% CI=2.93, 15.06; P = 0.004; I² = 0%) were significantly improved by rTMS compared to sham stimulation in PSCI patients. Performance of the digit symbol test, rivermead behavioral memory test and attention in PSCI patients were also significantly improved. Subgroup analyses showed that significant differences were found in both MoCA and MMSE among PSCI patients by rTMS. MoCA was significantly improved by high frequency rTMS, while both MoCA and MMSE were significantly improved targeting on left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

CONCLUSION

rTMS provides a non-invasive and effective technique for the treatment of post-stroke patients with cognitive impairment.

Cross-modality comparison between structural and metabolic networks in individual brain based on the Jensen-Shannon divergence method: a healthy Chinese population study

The study aimed to investigate the consistency and diversity between metabolic and structural brain networks at individual level constructed with divergence-based method in healthy Chinese population. The ¹⁸F-FDG PET and T1-weighted images of brain were collected from 209 healthy participants. The Jensen-Shannon divergence (JSD) was used to calculate metabolic or structural connectivities between any pair of brain regions and then individual brain networks were constructed. The global and regional topological properties of both networks were analyzed with graph theoretical analysis. Regional properties including nodal efficiency, degree, and betweenness centrality were used to define hub regions of networks. Cross-modality similarity of brain connectivity was analyzed with differential power (DP) analysis. The default mode network (DMN) had the largest number of brain connectivities with high DP values. The small-worldness indexes of metabolic and structural networks in all participants were greater than 1. The structural network showed higher assortativity and local efficiency than metabolic network, while hierarchy and global efficiency were greater in the metabolic network (all P < 0.001). Most of hubs in both networks were symmetrically spatial distributed in the regions of the DMN and subcortical nuclei including thalamus and amygdala, etc. The human brain presented small-world architecture both in perspective of individual metabolic and structural networks. There was a structural substrate that supported the brain to globally and efficiently integrate and process metabolic interaction across brain regions. The cross-modality cooperation or specialization in both networks might imply mechanisms of achieving higher-order brain functions.

Effect of aging on the cerebral metabolic mechanism of electroacupuncture treatment in rats with traumatic brain injury

Objective

Aging has great influence on the clinical treatment effect of cerebrovascular diseases, and evidence suggests that the effect may be associated with age-related brain plasticity. Electroacupuncture is an effective alternative treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI). In the present study, we aimed to explore the effect of aging on the cerebral metabolic mechanism of electroacupuncture to provide new evidence for developing age-specific rehabilitation strategies.

Methods

Both aged (18 months) and young (8 weeks) rats with TBI were analyzed. Thirty-two aged rats were randomly divided into four groups: aged model, aged electroacupuncture, aged sham electroacupuncture, and aged control group. Similarly, 32 young rats were also divided into four groups: young model, young electroacupuncture, young sham electroacupuncture, and young control group. Electroacupuncture was applied to "Bai hui" (GV20) and "Qu chi" (LI11) for 8 weeks. CatWalk gait analysis was then performed at 3 days pre- and post-TBI, and at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after intervention to observe motor function recovery. Positron emission computed tomography (PET/CT) was performed at 3 days pre- and post-TBI, and at 2, 4, and 8 weeks after intervention to detect cerebral metabolism.

Results

Gait analysis showed that electroacupuncture improved the forepaw mean intensity in aged rats after 8 weeks of intervention, but after 4 weeks of intervention in young rats. PET/CT revealed increased metabolism in the left (the injured ipsilateral hemisphere) sensorimotor brain areas of aged rats during the electroacupuncture intervention, and increased metabolism in the right (contralateral to injury hemisphere) sensorimotor brain areas of young rats.

Results

This study demonstrated that aged rats required a longer electroacupuncture intervention duration to improve motor function than that of young rats. The influence of aging on the cerebral metabolism of electroacupuncture treatment was mainly focused on a particular hemisphere.

Combined robot motor assistance with neural circuit-based virtual reality (NeuCir-VR) lower extremity rehabilitation training in patients after stroke: a study protocol for a single-centre randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Improving lower extremity motor function is the focus and difficulty of post-stroke rehabilitation treatment. More recently, robot-assisted and virtual reality (VR) training are commonly used in post-stroke rehabilitation and are considered feasible treatment methods. Here, we developed a rehabilitation system combining robot motor assistance with neural circuit-based VR (NeuCir-VR) rehabilitation programme involving procedural lower extremity rehabilitation with reward mechanisms, from muscle strength training, posture control and balance training to simple and complex ground walking training. The study aims to explore the effectiveness and neurological mechanisms of combining robot motor assistance and NeuCir-VR lower extremity rehabilitation training in patients after stroke.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This is a single-centre, observer-blinded, randomised controlled trial. 40 patients with lower extremity hemiparesis after stroke will be recruited and randomly divided into a control group (combined robot assistance and VR training) and an intervention group (combined robot assistance and NeuCir-VR training) by the ratio of 1:1. Each group will receive five 30 min sessions per week for 4 weeks. The primary outcome will be Fugl-Meyer assessment of the lower extremity. Secondary outcomes will include Berg Balance Scale, Modified Ashworth Scale and functional connectivity measured by resting-state functional MRI. Outcomes will be measured at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1) and follow-ups (T2-T4).

ETHICS, REGISTRATION AND DISSEMINATION

The trial was approved by the Ethics Committee of Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Chinese Traditional Medicine (Grant No. 2019-014). The results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal or at a conference.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ChiCTR2100052133.

Nanodevices for deep cartilage penetration

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease and is the main cause of chronic pain and functional disability in adults. Articular cartilage is a hydrated soft tissue that is composed of normally quiescent chondrocytes at a low density, a dense network of collagen fibrils with a pore size of 60-200 nm, and aggrecan proteoglycans with high-density negative charge. Although certain drugs, nucleic acids, and proteins have the potential to slow the progression of OA and restore the joints, these treatments have not been clinically applied owing to the lack of an effective delivery system capable of breaking through the cartilage barrier. Recently, the development of nanotechnology for delivery systems renders new ideas and treatment methods viable in overcoming the limited penetration. In this review, we focus on current research on such applications of nanotechnology, including exosomes, protein-based cationic nanocarriers, cationic liposomes/solid lipid nanoparticles, amino acid-based nanocarriers, polyamide derivatives-based nanocarriers, manganese dioxide, and carbon nanotubes. Exosomes are the smallest known nanoscale extracellular vesicles, and they can quickly deliver nucleic acids or proteins to the required depth. Through electrostatic interactions, nanocarriers with appropriate balance in cationic property and particle size have a strong ability to penetrate cartilage. Although substantial preclinical evidence has been obtained, further optimization is necessary for clinical transformation. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The dense cartilage matrix with high-negative charge was associated with reduced therapeutic effect in osteoarthritis patients with deep pathological changes. However, a systematic review in nanodevices for deep cartilage penetration is still lacking. Current approaches to assure penetration of nanosystems into the depth of cartilage were reviewed, including nanoscale extracellular vesicles from different cell lines and nanocarriers with appropriate balance in cationic property and size particle. Moreover, nanodevices entering clinical trials and further optimization were also discussed, providing important guiding significance to future research.

High-order Brain Networks Abnormalities in Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head Patients: An Independent Component Analysis of Resting-state fMRI

BACKGROUND

Patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head  commonly present with sensorimotor anomalies. With independent component analysis, it is possible to explore the intrinsic alternations in highly specific functional networks. We used independent component analysis to examine the intrinsic changes and interactive connectivity between related functional resting-state networks.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to strengthen the theoretical basis of brain plasticity after osteonecrosis of the femoral head to provide new insights into clinical treatment.

STUDY DESIGN

Observational study.

SETTING

School of rehabilitation science of a university.

METHODS

Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from 14 patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head and 20 healthy controls. All the data underwent preprocessing and analysis of the intrinsic brain functional connectivity within and between resting-state networks.

RESULTS

Nine resting-state networks were identified via independent component analysis. When compared to healthy controls, the osteonecrosis of the femoral head patients showed abnormal activity in these networks. With respect to the internetwork interactions, increased functional connectivity  was detected between the sensorimotor network and right frontoparietal network and between the dorsal attention network and frontoparietal network bilaterally.

LIMITATIONS

This study was a cross-sectional design. A longitudinal study of the dynamic changes in multinetwork functional connectivity can help to elucidate the central mechanisms of osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

CONCLUSIONS

This study investigated the alterations in resting-state network functional connectivity in osteonecrosis of the femoral head patients. Examining the large-scale functional reorganization in osteonecrosis of the femoral head patients may be helpful for us to understand the pathological mechanisms underlying dysfunction and shed light on potential behavioral treatments for osteonecrosis of the femoral head based on functional magnetic resonance imaging in clinical practice. Understanding the mechanisms of the disease may shed light on potential behavioral treatments for patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head based on functional magnetic resonance imaging findings.

Flexor carpi radialis H-reflex in different body positions in patients with post-stroke

Background

Spinal stretch reflex (SSR) hyperexcitability reflected by the H-reflex has been reported in more strongly affected extremities after stroke. The H-reflex in the lower extremities is modulated by body position normally and alternatively modulated post-stroke.

Objective

This study aimed to preliminarily explore how upper extremity (UE) H-reflexes are modulated by body position after stroke, which remains unknown.

Materials and methods

Three patients after stroke with hemiparesis/hemiplegia were included. Bilateral flexor carpi radialis (FCR) H-reflexes were examined in the supine position while standing. Other clinical evaluations include the modified Ashworth scale (MAS) and postural stability measurement.

Results

The three cases herein showed that (1) SSR excitability was higher in more strongly affected UEs than less-affected UEs, (2) down-modulation of SSR excitability occurred in less-affected UEs in static standing compared with the supine position, but modulation of SSR excitability in more-affected UEs varied, and (3) bilateral UE SSR excitability in case 3 was down-modulated the most. Moreover, case 3 showed no difference in muscle tone of the more affected UE between supine and standing positions, and case 3 showed the best postural stability.

Conclusion

Spinal stretch reflex hyperexcitability in strongly affected UEs could commonly occur in different phases of recovery after stroke. Down-modulation of SSR excitability could occur in less-affected UEs in the standing position compared with the supine position, while modulation of SSR excitability might be altered in strongly affected UEs and vary in different phases of recovery. There could be some correlation between postural control and UE SSR hyperexcitability. The H-reflex may help to offer a new perspective on rehabilitation evaluation and interventions to promote UE motor control after stroke.

Brain Metabolic Network Redistribution in Patients with White Matter Hyperintensities on MRI Analyzed with an Individualized Index Derived from 18F-FDG-PET/MRI

OBJECTIVE

Whether metabolic redistribution occurs in patients with white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is unknown. This study aimed 1) to propose a measure of the brain metabolic network for an individual patient and preliminarily apply it to identify impaired metabolic networks in patients with WMHs, and 2) to explore the clinical and imaging features of metabolic redistribution in patients with WMHs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study included 50 patients with WMHs and 70 healthy controls (HCs) who underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/MRI. Various global property parameters according to graph theory and an individual parameter of brain metabolic network called "individual contribution index" were obtained. Parameter values were compared between the WMH and HC groups. The performance of the parameters in discriminating between the two groups was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The correlation between the individual contribution index and Fazekas score was assessed, and the interaction between age and individual contribution index was determined. A generalized linear model was fitted with the individual contribution index as the dependent variable and the mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean) of nodes in the whole-brain network or seven classic functional networks as independent variables to determine their association.

RESULTS

The means ± standard deviations of the individual contribution index were (0.697 ± 10.9) × 10-3 and (0.0967 ± 0.0545) × 10-3 in the WMH and HC groups, respectively (p < 0.001). The AUC of the individual contribution index was 0.864 (95% confidence interval, 0.785-0.943). A positive correlation was identified between the individual contribution index and the Fazekas scores in patients with WMHs (r = 0.57, p < 0.001). Age and individual contribution index demonstrated a significant interaction effect on the Fazekas score. A significant direct association was observed between the individual contribution index and the SUVmean of the limbic network (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The individual contribution index may demonstrate the redistribution of the brain metabolic network in patients with WMHs.

Effectiveness of robot-assisted virtual reality mirror therapy for upper limb motor dysfunction after stroke: study protocol for a single-center randomized controlled clinical trial

Background

Upper limb motor dysfunction is a common sequela of stroke, and its clinical efficacy needs to be improved. This protocol describes a trial to verify the clinical efficacy of robot-assisted virtual reality mirror therapy (RAVRMT) in improving upper limb motor dysfunction in stroke patients, and to explore the central mechanism by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Methods

This trial will be a single-center, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled clinical study. Thirty-two eligible patients will be randomly divided into 2 groups according to the ratio of 1:1, namely virtual reality mirror therapy (VRMT) group and robot-assisted virtual reality mirror therapy (RAVRMT) group. The interventions will be performed once a day for 4 weeks. Primary outcome is Fugl–Meyer motor function assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE), secondary outcomes are the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), activities of daily living (ADL), quality of life (QOL), the pain visual analogue scale (VAS-pain) and fMRI. Adverse events will be recorded, and severe adverse events will be used as criteria to discontinue the intervention.

Discussion

Combined application of robot-assisted therapy and virtual reality mirror therapy could theoretically activate mirror neuron system and reward circuits to a greater extent, but further high-quality research is needed. The results of this trial will determine whether RAVRMT could better improve upper limb motor dysfunction after stroke and explore its central mechanism using fMRI.

Trial registration

This trial was prospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ChiCTR2200061721; 01 July 2022).

[Effects and mechanism of diammonium glycyrrhizinate on liver injury in severely scalded rats]

Objective: To investigate the effects and mechanism of diammonium glycyrrhizinate (DG) on liver injury in severely scalded rats. Methods: The experimental research method was used. Fifty-four female Sprague-Dawley rats aged 7-9 weeks were divided into sham injury group with simulated injury on the back, and simple scald group and scald+DG group with scald of 30% total body surface area on the back, with 18 rats in each group. Rats in sham injury group were not specially treated after injury, and rats in simple scald group and scald+DG group were rehydrated for antishock. Besides, rats in scald+DG group were injected intraperitoneally with 50 mg/kg DG at post injury hour (PIH) 1, 25, and 49. Rats in the three groups were collected, the serum content of liver function injury related indexes including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total protein, and albumin was measured by automatic biochemical assay analyzer, and serum content of ornithine carbamoyl transferase (OCT) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method at PIH 24, 48, and 72; hepatic histopathological changes at PIH 72 were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining; the mRNA expressions of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78), activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), and protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) in liver tissue were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction at PIH 24, 48, and 72. The protein expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, GRP78, PERK, and ATF4 in liver tissue were detected by Western blotting at PIH 72 in sham injury group and PIH 24, 48, and 72 in simple scald group and scald+DG group. The number of samples was 6 in each group at each time point. Data were statistically analyzed with analysis of variance for factorial design, one-way analysis of variance, and Bonferroni test. Results: Compared with that in sham injury group, the serum content of AST, ALT, and LDH was significantly increased (P<0.01), and the serum content of total protein and albumin was significantly decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01) of rats in simple scald group at all post-injury time points. Compared with those in simple scald group, the serum AST content of rats in scald+DG group at PIH 24 was decreased significantly (P<0.05); the serum AST, ALT, and LDH content of rats in scald+DG group at PIH 48 was decreased significantly (P<0.01), and the serum total protein content was increased significantly (P<0.01); the serum AST, ALT, and LDH content of rats in scald+DG group at PIH 72 was decreased significantly (P<0.01), and the serum total protein and albumin content was increased significantly (P<0.01). At PIH 24, 48, and 72, the serum OCT content of rats in simple scald group was (48.5±3.9), (40.8±2.4), and (38.7±2.0) U/L, which was significantly higher than (15.1±2.5), (15.7±2.6), and (16.4±3.7) U/L in sham injury group (P<0.01), and (39.0±4.5), (31.8±2.0), and (22.1±2.6) U/L in scald+DG group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). At PIH 72, the cells in liver tissue of rats in sham injury group had normal morphology and regular arrangement, with no obvious inflammatory cell infiltration; the cells in liver tissue of rats in simple scald group had disordered arrangement, diffuse steatosis, and moderate inflammatory cell infiltration; the cells in liver tissue of rats in scald+DG group arranged regularly, with scattered steatosis and a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration. Compared with those in sham injury group, the Bcl-2 mRNA (P<0.05 or P<0.01) and protein expressions of liver tissue were significantly decreased, and the mRNA (P<0.01) and protein expressions of Bax were significantly increased in rats in simple scald group at PIH 24, 48, and 72. Compared with those in simple scald group, the mRNA (P<0.05) and protein expressions of Bax in liver tissue of rats in scald+DG group were decreased significantly at PIH 48; the mRNA (P<0.01) and protein expressions of Bax in liver tissue of rats in scald+DG group were significantly decreased, and the mRNA (P<0.01) and protein expressions of Bcl-2 were significantly increased at PIH 72. Compared with those in sham injury group, the mRNA (P<0.05 or P<0.01) and protein expressions of ATF4, GRP78, and PERK in liver tissue were significantly increased in rats in simple scald group at all post-injury time points. Compared with those in simple scald group, the mRNA (P<0.01) and protein expressions of ATF4 in liver tissue of rats in scald+DG group at PIH 48 were significantly decreased, and the mRNA (P<0.05 or P<0.01) and protein expressions of ATF4, GRP78, and PERK were significantly decreased in liver tissue of rats in scald+DG group at PIH 72. Conclusions: DG can effectively reduce the degree of liver injury in rats after severe scald, and the mechanism may involve alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitigating mitochondrial damage.

Alteration of brain functional networks induced by electroacupuncture stimulation in rats with ischemia–reperfusion: An independent component analysis

Motor dysfunction is the major sequela of ischemic stroke. Motor recovery after stroke has been shown to be associated with remodeling of large-scale brain networks, both functionally and structurally. Electroacupuncture (EA) is a traditional Chinese medicine application that has frequently been recommended as an alternative therapy for ischemic stroke and is reportedly effective for alleviating motor symptoms in patients. In the present study, the effect of EA on the alterations of functional resting state networks (RSNs) was explored after middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) injury using resting-state functional MRI. Rats were randomly assigned to three groups, including the sham group, MCAO/R group and MCAO/R+EA group. The ladder rung walking test was conducted prior to and after modeling to assess behavioral changes. RSNs were identified based on the independent component analysis (ICA) performed on the fMRI data from groups. EA treatment effectively reduced the occurrence of contralateral forelimb foot faults. Furthermore, our results suggested the disrupted function of the whole-brain network following ischemic stroke and the modulatory effect of acupuncture. The sensorimotor network (SMN), interoceptive network (IN), default mode network (DMN) and salience network (SN) were related to the therapeutic effect of EA on stroke recovery. Collectively, our findings confirmed the effect of EA on motor function recovery after cerebral ischemia reperfusion and shed light on the assessment of EA intervention-induced effects on brain networks. This study provides neuroimaging evidence to explain the therapeutic effects of EA in ischemic stroke and will lay the groundwork for further studies.

Altered effective connectivity in the emotional network induced by immersive virtual reality rehabilitation for post-stroke depression

Post-stroke depression (PSD) is a serious complication of stroke that significantly restricts rehabilitation. The use of immersive virtual reality for stroke survivors is promising. Herein, we investigated the effects of a novel immersive virtual reality training system on PSD and explored induced effective connectivity alterations in emotional networks using multivariate Granger causality analysis (GCA). Forty-four patients with PSD were equally allocated into an immersive-virtual reality group and a control group. In addition to their usual rehabilitation treatments, the participants in the immersive-virtual reality group participated in an immersive-virtual reality rehabilitation program, while the patients in the control group received 2D virtual reality rehabilitation training. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, modified Barthel Index (MBI), and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) data were collected before and after a 4-week intervention. rsfMRI data were analyzed using multivariate GCA. We found that the immersive virtual reality training was more effective in improving depression in patients with PSD but had no statistically significant improvement in MBI scores compared to the control group. The GCA showed that the following causal connectivities were strengthened after immersive virtual reality training: from the amygdala, insula, middle temporal gyrus, and caudate nucleus to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; from the insula to the medial prefrontal cortex; and from the thalamus to the posterior superior temporal sulcus. These causal connectivities were weakened after treatment in the control group. Our results indicated the neurotherapeutic use of immersive virtual reality rehabilitation as an effective non-pharmacological intervention for PSD; the alteration of causal connectivity in emotional networks might constitute the neural mechanisms underlying immersive-virtual reality rehabilitation in PSD.

Recent Advances in Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)-Responsive Polyfunctional Nanosystems 3.0 for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an inflammatory and degenerative joint disease with severe effects on individuals, society, and the economy that affects millions of elderly people around the world. To date, there are no effective treatments for OA; however, there are some treatments that slow or prevent its progression. Polyfunctional nanosystems have many advantages, such as controlled release, targeted therapy and high loading rate, and have been widely used in OA treatment. Previous mechanistic studies have revealed that inflammation and ROS are interrelated, and a large number of studies have demonstrated that ROS play an important role in different types of OA development. In this review article, we summarize third-generation ROS-sensitive nanomaterials that scavenge excessive ROS from chondrocytes and osteoclasts in vivo. We only focus on polymer-based nanoparticles (NPs) and do not review the effects of drug-loaded or heavy metal NPs. Mounting evidence suggests that polyfunctional nanosystems will be a promising therapeutic strategy in OA therapy due to their unique characteristics of being sensitive to changes in the internal environment.

[Effects and molecular mechanism of exogenous L-carnitine on excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated hepatic pyroptosis in severely scald rats]

Objective: To investigate the effects and molecular mechanism of exogenous L-carnitine on hepatic pyroptosis mediated by excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress in severely scald rats. Methods: The experimental research method was adopted. According to the random number table (the same group method below), fifteen female Sprague Dawley rats aged 6-8 weeks were divided into sham-injury group, scald alone group, and scald+carnitine group (with 5 rats in each group), and full-thickness scald of 30% total body surface area were made on the back of rats in scald alone group and scald+carnitine group, and rats in scald+carnitine group were additionally given intraperitoneal injection of L-carnitine. At post injury hour (PIH) 72, The levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine dehydrogenase (ALT) of biochemical indicators of liver injury were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer with the sample number of 5. At PIH 72, liver tissue damage was detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining. At PIH 72, The mRNA levels of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), cysteine aspartic acid specific protease 1 (caspase-1), gasderminD (GSDMD), and interleukin 1β(IL-1β) in liver tissue as pyroptosis-related markers and glucose regulatory protein 78 (GRP78) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) in liver tissue as endoplasmic reticulum stress-related markers were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Protein expression levels of GRP78, CHOP, NLRP3, caspase-1, caspase-1/p20, GSDMD-N, and cleaved IL-1β in liver tissue were detected by Western blotting, and the sample numbers were all 5. HepG2 cells as human liver cancer cells were divided into dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) group, 0.1 μmol/L tunicamycin (TM) group, 0.2 μmol/L TM group, 0.4 μmol/L TM group, and 0.8 μmol/L TM group and were treated accordingly. After 24 h of culture, cell viability was detected by cell counting kit 8, and the intervention concentration of TM was screened, and the sample number was 5. HepG2 cells were divided into DMSO group, TM alone group, and TM+carnitine group, and treated accordingly. After 24 h of culture, the protein expression levels of GRP78, CHOP, NLRP3, caspase-1, caspase-1/p20, GSDMD-N, and cleaved IL-1β in cells were detected by Western blotting, and the sample numbers were all 3. Data were statistically analyzed with one-way analysis of variance and least significant difference-t test. Results: At PIH 72, the AST and ALT levels of serum in scald alone group were (640±22) and (157±8) U/L, which were significantly higher than (106±13) and (42±6) U/L in sham-injury group, respectively, with t values of -46.78 and -25.98, respectively, P<0.01. The AST and ALT levels of serum in scald+carnitine group were (519±50) and (121±10) U/L, which were significantly lower than those in scald alone group, respectively, with t values of 4.93 and 6.06, respectively, P<0.01. At PIH 72, the morphology of liver tissue of rats in sham-injury group were basically normal with no obvious inflammatory cell infiltration; compared with those in sham-injury group, the liver tissue of rats in scald alone group showed a large number of inflammatory cell infiltration and disturbed cell arrangement; compared with that in scald alone group, the liver tissue of rats in scald+carnitine group showed a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration. At PIH 72, the mRNA expression on levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, GSDMD, and IL-1β in liver tissue of rats in scald alone group were significantly higher than those in sham-injury group (with t values of 34.42, 41.93, 30.17, and 15.68, respectively, P<0.01); the mRNA levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, GSDMD, and IL-1β in liver tissue of rats in scald+carnitine group were significantly lower than those in scald alone group (with t values of 34.40, 37.20, 19.95, and 7.88, respectively, P<0.01). At PIH 72, the protein expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, caspase-1/p20, GSDMD-N, and cleaved IL-1β in liver tissue of rats in scald alone group were significantly higher than those in sham-injury group (with t values of 12.28, 26.92, 5.20, 10.02, and 24.78, respectively, P<0.01); compared with those in scald alone group, the protein expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, caspase-1/p20, GSDMD-N, and cleaved IL-1β in liver tissue of rats in scald+carnitine group were significantly decreased (with t values of 10.99, 27.96, 12.69, 8.96, and 12.27, respectively, P<0.01). At PIH 72, the mRNA levels of GRP78 and CHOP in liver tissue of rats in scald alone group were significantly higher than those in sham-injury group (with t values of 21.00 and 16.52, respectively, P<0.01), and the mRNA levels of GRP78 and CHOP in liver tissue of rats in scald+carnitine group were significantly lower than those in scald alone group (with t values of 8.92 and 8.21, respectively, P<0.01); the protein expression levels of GRP78 and CHOP in liver tissue of rats in scald alone group were significantly higher than those in sham-injury group (with t values of 22.50 and 14.29, respectively, P<0.01), and the protein expression levels of GRP78 and CHOP in liver tissue of rats in scald+carnitine group were significantly lower than those in scald alone group (with t values of 14.29 and 5.33 respectively, P<0.01). After 24 h of culture, the cell survival rates of 0.1 μmol/L TM group, 0.2 μmol/L TM group, 0.4 μmol/L TM group, and 0.8 μmol/L TM group were significantly decreased than that in DMSO group (with t values of 4.90, 9.35, 18.64, and 25.09, respectively, P<0.01). Then 0.8 μmol/L was selected as the intervention concentration of TM. After 24 h of culture, compared with that in DMSO group, the protein expression levels of GRP78 and CHOP in cells in TM alone group were significantly increased (with t values of 10.48 and 17.67, respectively, P<0.01), and the protein expression levels of GRP78 and CHOP in TM+carnitine group were significantly lower than those in TM alone group (with t values of 8.08 and 13.23, respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01). After 24 h of culture, compared with those in DMSO group, the protein expression levels of NLRP3 and GSDMD-N in cells in TM alone group were significantly increased (with t values of 13.44 and 27.51, respectively, P<0.01), but the protein expression levels of caspase-1, caspase-1/p20, and cleaved IL-1β in cells were not significantly changed (P>0.05); compared with that in TM alone group, the protein expression levels of NLRP3 and GSDMD-N in cells in TM+carnitine group were significantly decreased (with t values of 20.49 and 21.95, respectively, P<0.01), but the protein expression levels of caspase-1, caspase-1/p20, and cleaved IL-1β in cells were not significantly changed (P>0.05). Conclusions: In severely scald rats, exogenous L-carnitine may play a protective role against liver injury by inhibiting the pathways related to excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated pyroptosis.

Percutaneous Transforaminal Endoscopic Debridement and Drainage with Accurate Pathogen Detection for Infectious Spondylitis of the Thoracolumbar and Lumbar Spine

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we aimed to analyze the clinical outcomes of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic debridement and drainage (PTEDD) with accurate pathogen detection for patients with infectious spondylitis of the thoracolumbar and lumbar spines.

METHODS

From January 2017 to February 2019, a consecutive series of 43 patients with infectious spondylitis of the thoracolumbar and lumbar spine were surgically treated with PTEDD. Organism culture, next-generation DNA sequencing, and pathological examination of the sample extracted from the infectious site were performed for accurate microbiological diagnosis. All patients were followed up for 24-36 months. Clinical and radiological outcomes were analyzed preoperatively and postoperatively.

RESULTS

Surgeries were completed successfully on all 43 patients under local infiltration anesthesia. Positive culture of the responsible organism was obtained in 33 cases (76.7%). Among the 43 patients who underwent next-generation DNA sequencing, 42 (97.7%) had positive results. Corresponding antibiotic medication was given based on the pathogen detection. The modified Macnab criteria were found to be excellent in 32 patients (74.4%) and good in 11 (25.6%). Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging showed that the abscess and infectious area were reduced significantly at 3 months and had disappeared or almost disappeared at the final follow-up. Spontaneous fusion was obtained in 30 patients (69.8%). No patients required revision or conversion to open debridement and reconstruction.

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with infectious spondylitis of the thoracolumbar and lumbar spine, PTEDD is an effective and safe treatment. Next-generation DNA sequencing is a much more sensitive method for detecting the responsible organisms.

Identification of thrombin as a key regulator of chondrocyte catabolic activity through RNA-Seq and experimental verification

The present study was designed to explore the relationship between thrombin and catabolic activity in chondrocytes. Primary rat chondrocytes were cultured for 24 h with rat serum (RS), rat plasma (RP), or rat plasma supplemented with thrombin (RPT). RNA-sequencing was then performed. Cell proliferation was analyzed by EdU uptake, CCK-8 assays and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of proliferation-related genes. Heatmaps were used to visualize differences in gene expression. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analyses of up- and down-regulated differentially expressed genes were conducted. Molecular probes were used to label the endoplasmic reticulum in chondrocytes from three treatment groups. Immunofluorescence and Safranin O staining were used to assess type II collagen (Col2a1) expression and proteoglycan synthesis, whereas Lox expression was assessed by immunocytochemistry. The expression of enzymes involved in the synthesis and maturation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components and chemokines were measured by qPCR while matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) levels were evaluated by Western blotting. Relevant nodules were selected through further PPI network analyses. A total of 727 and 1162 genes were up- and down-regulated based on the Venn diagrams comparison among groups. Thrombin was thus able to promote chondrocyte proliferation and a shift towards fibrotic morphology, while upregulating MMPs and chemokines linked to ECM degradation. In addition, thrombin decreased the enzyme expression involved in the synthesis and maturation of ECM.

Brain Function and Upper Limb Deficit in Stroke With Motor Execution and Imagery: A Cross-Sectional Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Background

Motor imagery training might be helpful in stroke rehabilitation. This study explored if a specific modulation of movement-related regions is related to motor imagery (MI) ability.

Methods

Twenty-three patients with subcortical stroke and 21 age-matched controls were recruited. They were subjectively screened using the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ). They then underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing three repetitions of different motor tasks (motor execution and MI). Two separate runs were acquired [motor execution tasks (ME and rest) and motor imagery (MI and rest)] in a block design. For the different tasks, analyses of cerebral activation and the correlation of motor/imagery task-related activity and KVIQ scores were performed.

Results

During unaffected hand (UH) active grasp movement, we observed decreased activations in the contralateral precentral gyrus (PreCG), contralateral postcentral gyrus (PoCG) [p &lt; 0.05, family wise error (FWE) corrected] and a positive correlation with the ability of FMA-UE (PreCG: r = 0.46, p = 0.028; PoCG: r = 0.44, p = 0.040). During active grasp of the affected hand (AH), decreased activation in the contralateral PoCG was observed (p &lt; 0.05, FWE corrected). MI of the UH induced significant activations of the contralateral superior frontal gyrus, opercular region of the inferior frontal gyrus, and ipsilateral ACC and deactivation in the ipsilateral supplementary motor area (p &lt; 0.05, AlphaSim correction). Ipsilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activity negatively correlated with MI ability (r = =–0.49, p = 0.022). Moreover, we found significant activation of the contralesional middle frontal gyrus (MFG) during MI of the AH.

Conclusion

Our results proved the dominant effects of MI dysfunction that exist in stroke during the processing of motor execution. In the motor execution task, the enhancement of the contralateral PreCG and PoCG contributed to reversing the motor dysfunction, while in the MI task, inhibition of the contralateral ACC can increase the impaired KVIQ ability. The bimodal balance recovery model can explain our results well. Recognizing neural mechanisms is critical to helping us formulate precise strategies when intervening with electrical or magnetic stimulation.

Age-Related Changes in Topological Properties of Individual Brain Metabolic Networks in Rats

Normal aging causes profound changes of structural degeneration and glucose hypometabolism in the human brain, even in the absence of disease. In recent years, with the extensive exploration of the topological characteristics of the human brain, related studies in rats have begun to investigate. However, age-related alterations of topological properties in individual brain metabolic network of rats remain unknown. In this study, a total of 48 healthy female Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were used, including 24 young rats and 24 aged rats. We used Jensen-Shannon Divergence Similarity Estimation (JSSE) method for constructing individual metabolic networks to explore age-related topological properties and rich-club organization changes. Compared with the young rats, the aged rats showed significantly decreased clustering coefficient (Cp) and local efficiency (Eloc) across the whole-brain metabolic network. In terms of changes in local network measures, degree (D) and nodal efficiency (Enod) of left posterior dorsal hippocampus, and Enod of left olfactory tubercle were higher in the aged rats than in the young rats. About the rich-club analysis, the existence of rich-club organization in individual brain metabolic networks of rats was demonstrated. In addition, our findings further confirmed that rich-club connections were susceptible to aging. Relative to the young rats, the overall strength of rich-club connections was significantly reduced in the aged rats, while the overall strength of feeder and local connections was significantly increased. These findings demonstrated the age-related reorganization principle of the brain structure and improved our understanding of brain alternations during aging.

Alteration of the Individual Metabolic Network of the Brain Based on Jensen-Shannon Divergence Similarity Estimation in Elderly Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The aim of this study was to investigate the interactive effect between aging and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on brain glucose metabolism, individual metabolic connectivity, and network properties. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, 83 patients with T2DM (40 elderly and 43 middle-aged) and 69 sex-matched healthy control subjects (HCs) (34 elderly and 35 middle-aged) underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance scanning. Jensen-Shannon divergence was applied to construct individual metabolic connectivity and networks. The topological properties of the networks were quantified using graph theoretical analysis. The general linear model was used to mainly estimate the interaction effect between aging and T2DM on glucose metabolism, metabolic connectivity, and network. There was an interaction effect between aging and T2DM on glucose metabolism, metabolic connectivity, and regional metabolic network properties (all P < 0.05). The post hoc analyses showed that compared with elderly HCs and middle-aged patients with T2DM, elderly patients with T2DM had decreased glucose metabolism, increased metabolic connectivity, and regional metabolic network properties in cognition-related brain regions (all P < 0.05). Age and fasting plasma glucose had negative correlations with glucose metabolism and positive correlations with metabolic connectivity. Elderly patients with T2DM had glucose hypometabolism, strengthened functional integration, and increased efficiency of information communication mainly located in cognition-related brain regions. Metabolic connectivity pattern changes might be compensatory changes for glucose hypometabolism.

Dysfunction in the Interaction of Information Between and Within the Bilateral Primary Sensory Cortex

Background

Interhemispheric and intrahemispheric long-range synchronization and information communication are crucial features of functional integration between the bilateral hemispheres. Previous studies have demonstrated that disrupted functional connectivity (FC) exists in the bilateral hemispheres of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), but they did not clearly clarify the phenomenon of central dysfunctional connectivity. This study aimed to further investigate the potential mechanism of the weakened connectivity of primary somatosensory cortex (S1) based on a precise template.

Methods

Patients with CTS (n = 53) and healthy control subjects (HCs) (n = 23) participated and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scanning. We used FC to investigate the statistical dependency of the whole brain, effective connectivity (EC) to analyze time-dependent effects, and voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) to examine the coordination of FC, all of which were adopted to explore the change in interhemispheric and intrahemispheric S1.

Results

Compared to the healthy controls, we significantly found a decreased strength of the two connectivities in the interhemispheric S1_hand, and the results of EC and VMHC were basically consistent with FC in the CTS. The EC revealed that the information output from the dominant hemisphere to the contralateral hemisphere was weakened.

Conclusion

This study found that maladjusted connections between and within the bilateral S1 revealed by these methods are present in patients with CTS. The dominant hemisphere with deafferentation weakens its effect on the contralateral hemisphere. The disturbance in the bilateral S1 provides reliable evidence to understand the neuropathophysiological mechanisms of decreased functional integration in the brains of patients with CTS.

Cerebral Metabolic Analysis of Patients With Colorectal Cancer and Chronic Enteritis: Inquiry Into Gut-Brain Crosstalk

Gut-brain crosstalk has been demonstrated previously. However, brain metabolic patterns of colorectal cancer and chronic enteritis remain unclear. A better understanding of gut-brain crosstalk from a radiological perspective is necessary. We conducted a retrospective study in which we acquired ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in 45 colorectal cancer cases, 45 age- and sex-matched chronic enteritis patients, and 45 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We calculated a scaled sub-profile pattern based on principal component analysis and metabolic connectivity to explore the brain metabolic model and analyzed correlations between various brain regions and cancer to identify potential neuroimaging markers for non-pharmaceutical therapies. We found a characteristic cerebral metabolic pattern in colorectal cancer patients, which mainly involved visceral sensation and both affective and cognitive psychological processes. The metabolic patterns of patients with colorectal cancer and chronic enteritis were similar but not identical. The metabolic connectivity of the postcentral gyrus and paracentral lobule was found to be significantly different between the controls and patients with colorectal cancer (p < 0.05, false discovery rate correction). The maximal standard uptake value of the cancer focus in colorectal cancer patients was negatively correlated with the dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus (p < 0.05). Patients with colorectal cancer may show abnormal glucose cerebral metabolism characterized by “point-line-surface.” This preliminary study revealed the cerebral metabolic characteristics and neurobiological mechanisms of colorectal cancer and chronic enteritis (ChiCTR2000041020; registered December 16, 2020).

Similarities and differences between rat and mouse chondrocyte gene expression induced by IL-1β

Background

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent degenerative joint disease. In vitro experiments are an intuitive method used to investigate its early pathogenesis. Chondrocyte inflammation models in rats and mice are often used as in vitro models of OA. However, similarities and differences between them in the early stages of inflammation have not been reported.

Objective

This paper seeks to compare the chondrocyte phenotype of rats and mice in the early inflammatory state and identify chondrocytes suitable for the study of early OA.

Methods

Under similar conditions, chondrocytes from rats and mice were stimulated using the same IL-1β concentration for a short period of time. The phenotypic changes of chondrocytes were observed under a microscope. The treated chondrocytes were subjected to RNA-seq to identify similarities and differences in gene expression. Chondrocytes were labelled with EdU for proliferation analysis. Cell proliferation-associated proteins, including minichromosome maintenance 2 (MCM2), minichromosome maintenance 5 (MCM5), Lamin B1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and Cyclin D1, were analysed by immunocytochemical staining, cell immunofluorescence, and Western blots to verify the RNA-seq results.

Results

RNA-seq revealed that the expression patterns of cytokines, chemokines, matrix metalloproteinases, and collagen were similar between the rat and mouse chondrocyte inflammation models. Nonetheless, the expression of proliferation-related genes showed the opposite pattern. The RNA-seq results were further verified by subsequent experiments. The expression levels of MCM2, MCM5, Lamin B1, PCNA, and Cyclin D1 were significantly upregulated in rat chondrocytes (P < 0.05) and mouse chondrocytes (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Based on the findings, the rat chondrocyte inflammation model may help in the study of the early pathological mechanism of OA.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13018-021-02889-2.

A comparative analysis of the osteogenic capacity of osteoblasts from newborn and two-week-old rats

AIM

To compare the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts between newborn rats (1d group) and two-week-old rats (14d group) and to clarify the mechanism underlying these effects.

METHOD

The endogenous expression of osteogenic marker genes was detected by qPCR, including ALP, OCN, Col1a1, and Runx2. The osteoblasts proliferation was evaluated by EdU assay and Western Blotting [PCNA and Cyclin D1]. ALP activities in osteoblasts were detected using a PNPP kit, ALP staining and qPCR. Mineralized nodule formation and intracellular calcium levels were assessed by Alizarin Red staining and calcium colorimetric assay respectively while OCN, Col1a1 and Runx2 levels in osteoblasts were analyzed by immunostaining. Osteogenesis-associated pathways including Wnt/β-Catenin, Akt/PPAR and Smad were analyzed via Western Blotting.

RESULT

Endogenous ALP, OCN, Col1a1, and Runx2 expression levels were significantly higher in osteoblasts from 14d group than those from 1d group. After treatment with osteogenic induction medium, osteoblast proliferation, ALP activity, mineralized nodule formation, and intracellular calcium levels were markedly increased in osteoblasts from 1d group, with similar results also being observed for the expression of OCN, Col1a1, and Runx2. Wnt3a, β-catenin, p-Akt, p-Smad1/5/8, and p-Smad5 protein levels were also higher in osteoblasts from 1d group relative to those from 14d group, while the expression of PPARγ was lower.

CONCLUSION

The superior osteogenic differentiation capacity in osteoblasts was associated with the higher activation levels of Wnt/β-Catenin, Akt/PPAR and Smad signaling pathways, and the enhanced proliferative activity in osteoblasts from 1d group.

Age-related alterations of brain metabolic network based on [18F]FDG-PET of rats

Using animal models to study the underlying mechanisms of aging will create a critical foundation from which to develop new interventions for aging-related brain disorders. Aging-related reorganization of the brain network has been described for the human brain based on functional, metabolic and structural connectivity. However, alterations in the brain metabolic network of aging rats remain unknown. Here, we submitted young and aged rats to [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose with positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) and constructed brain metabolic networks. The topological properties were detected, and the network robustness against random failures and targeted attacks was analyzed for age-group comparison. Compared with young rats, aged rats showed reduced betweenness centrality (BC) in the superior colliculus and a decreased degree (D) in the parietal association cortex. With regard to network robustness, the brain metabolic networks of aged rats were more vulnerable to simulated damage, which showed significantly lower local efficiency and clustering coefficients than those of the young rats against targeted attacks and random failures. The findings support the idea that aged rats have similar aging-related changes in the brain metabolic network to the human brain and can therefore be used as a model for aging studies to provide targets for potential therapies that promote healthy aging.

Corticocortical paired associative stimulation for treating motor dysfunction after stroke: study protocol for a randomised sham-controlled double-blind clinical trial

INTRODUCTION

Stroke survivors can have a high disability rate with low quality of daily life, resulting in a heavy burden on family and society. Transcranial magnetic stimulation has been widely applied to brain injury repair, neurological disease treatment, cognition and emotion regulation and so on. However, there is still much to be desired in the theories of using these neuromodulation techniques to treat stroke-caused hemiplegia. It is generally recognised that synaptic plasticity is an important basis for functional repair after brain injury. This study protocol aims to examine the corticocortical paired associative stimulation (ccPAS) for inducing synaptic plasticity to rescue the paralysed after stroke.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The current study is designed as a 14-week double-blind randomised sham-controlled clinical trial, composed of 2-week intervention and 12-week follow-up. For the study, 42 patients who had a stroke aged 40-70 will be recruited, who are randomly assigned either to the ccPAS intervention group, or to the control group at a 1:1 ratio, hence an equal number each. In the intervention group, ccPAS is practised in conjunction with the conventional rehabilitation treatment, and in the control group, the conventional rehabilitation treatment is administered with sham stimulation. A total of 10 interventions will be made, 5 times a week for 2 weeks. The same assessors are supposed to evaluate the participants' motor function at four time points of the baseline (before 10 interventions), treatment ending (after 10 interventions), and two intervals of follow-up (1 and 3 months later, respectively). The Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity is used for the primary outcomes. The secondary outcomes include changes in the assessment of Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), electroencephalogram (EEG) and functional MRI data. The adverse events are to be recorded throughout the study.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Yueyang Hospital. All ethical work was performed in accordance with the Helsinki declaration. Written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Study findings will be disseminated in the printed media.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2000036685.

Multivariate Pattern Analysis in Identifying Neuropathic Pain Following Brachial Plexus Avulsion Injury: A PET/CT Study

BACKGROUND

Neuropathic pain following brachial plexus avulsion injury (BPAI) induces plastic changes in multiple brain regions associated with somatosensory function, pain, or cognition at the group level. The alternation of the whole pattern of resting-state brain activity and the feasibility of a brain imaging, information-based diagnosis of pain following BPAI is poorly investigated.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether brain pattern alternation can  identify neuropathic pain from healthy controls at an individual level and the specific regions that can be used as diagnostic neuroimaging biomarkers.

STUDY DESIGN

Controlled animal study.

SETTING

The research took place in the school of rehabilitation science of a university and affiliated hospitals.

METHODS

A total of 48 female Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 180 g-200 g were randomly assigned to either the BPAI group (n = 24) or normal control group (n = 24). A neuropathic pain rat model following BPAI was established in the BPAI group and a mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) test was performed to verify the presence of neuropathic pain. Micro-positron emission tomography with [Fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG-PET) was used to obtain the whole brain metabolic activity scans. Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) was performed with a linear support vector machine (SVM) analysis both in PRoNTo toolbox (based on regions of interests) and SearchlightSearchlight approach (based on voxels within the region).

RESULTS

Compared with baseline status, MWT of the left (intact) forepaw was significantly reduced in the BPAI group (P < 0.001). The accuracy of a whole brain image that correctly discriminated BPAI from normal controls rats was 87.5% with both the PRoNTo toolbox and SearchlightSearchlight method. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations (P < 0.05) between MWT and the standard taken values of brain regions including the left olfactory nucleus, right entorhinal cortex in the PRoNTo toolbox, and bilateral amygdala, right piriform cortex and right ventral hippocampus in Searchlight method.

LIMITATIONS

The alternation of metabolic connectivity among regions and functional connectivity among different networks were not investigated in the present study.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicated that MVPA based on the PET scans of rats' brains  could successfully identify neuropathic pain from health condition at the individual level and predictive regions could potentially be provided as neuroimaging biomarkers for the neuropathic pain following BPAI.

Electroacupuncture treatment improves motor function and neurological outcomes after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

Electroacupuncture (EA) has been widely used for functional restoration after stroke. However, its role in post-stroke rehabilitation and the associated regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we applied EA to the Zusanli (ST36) and Quchi (LI11) acupoints in rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion. We found that EA effectively increased the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and its receptor tyrosine kinase B, synapsin-1, postsynaptic dense protein 95, and microtubule-associated protein 2 in the ischemic penumbra of rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion. Moreover, EA greatly reduced the expression of myelin-related inhibitors Nogo-A and NgR in the ischemic penumbra. Tyrosine kinase B inhibitor ANA-12 weakened the therapeutic effects of EA. These findings suggest that EA can improve neurological function after middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion, possibly through regulating the activity of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tyrosine kinase B signal pathway. All procedures and experiments were approved by the Animal Research Committee of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China (approval No. PZSHUTCM200110002) on January 10, 2020.

Brain Structural Changes in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Patients: From the Perspectives of Structural Connectivity and Structural Covariance Network

BACKGROUND

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common peripheral entrapment neuropathy. However, CTS-related changes of brain structural covariance and structural covariance networks (SCNs) patterns have not been clearly studied.

OBJECTIVE

To explore CTS-related brain changes from perspectives of structural connectivity and SCNs.

METHODS

Brain structural magnetic resonance images were acquired from 27 CTS patients and 19 healthy controls (HCs). Structural covariance and SCNs were constructed based on gray matter volume. The global network properties including clustering coefficient (Cp), characteristic path length (Lp), small-worldness index, global efficiency (Eglob), and local efficiency (Eloc) and regional network properties including degree, betweenness centrality (BC), and Eloc of a given node were calculated with graph theoretical analysis.

RESULTS

Compared with HCs, the strength of structural connectivity between the dorsal anterior insula and medial prefrontal thalamus decreased (P < .001) in CTS patients. There was no intergroup difference of area under the curve for Cp, Lp¸ Eglob, and Eloc (all P > .05). The real-world SCN of CTS patients showed a small-world topology ranging from 2% to 32%. CTS patients showed lower nodal degrees of the dorsal anterior insula and medial prefrontal thalamus, and higher Eloc of a given node and BC in the lateral occipital cortex (P < .001) and the dorsolateral middle temporal gyrus (P < .001) than HCs, respectively.

CONCLUSION

CTS had a profound impact on brain structures from perspectives of structural connectivity and SCNs.

Effective connectivity decreases in specific brain networks with postparalysis facial synkinesis: a dynamic causal modeling study

Currently, the treatments for postparalysis facial synkinesis are still inadequate. However, neuroimaging mechanistic studies are very limited and blurred. Instead of mapping activation regions, we were devoted to characterizing the organizational features of brain regions to develop new targets for therapeutic intervention. Eighteen patients with unilateral facial synkinesis and 19 healthy controls were enrolled. They were instructed to perform task functional magnetic resonance imaging (eye blinking and lip pursing) examinations and resting-state scans. Then, we characterized group differences in task-state fMRI to identify three foci, including the contralateral precentral gyrus (PreCG), supramarginal gyrus (SMG), and superior parietal gyrus (SPG). Next, we employed a novel approach (using dynamic causal modeling) to identify directed connectivity differences between groups in different modes. Significant patterns in multiple regions in terms of regionally specific actions following synkinetic movements were demonstrated, although the resting state was not significant. The couplings from the SMG to the PreCG (p = 0.03) was significant in the task of left blinking, whereas the coupling from the SMG to the SPG (p = 0.04) was significant in the task of left smiling. We speculated that facial synkinesis affects disruption among the brain networks, and specific couplings that are modulated simultaneously can compensate for motor deficits. Therefore, behavioral or brain stimulation technique treatment could be applied to alter reorganization within specific couplings in the rehabilitation of facial function.

Surface-based map plasticity of brain regions related to sensory motor and pain information processing after osteonecrosis of the femoral head

Pain is one of the manifestations of hip disorder and has been proven to lead to the remodeling of somatotopic map plasticity in the cortex. However, most studies are volume-based which may lead to inaccurate anatomical positioning of functional data. The methods that work on the cortical surface may be more sensitive than those using the full brain volume and thus be more suitable for map plasticity study. In this prospective cross-sectional study performed in Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China, 20 patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head (12 males and 8 females, aged 56.80 ± 13.60 years) and 20 healthy controls (9 males and 11 females, aged 54.56 ± 10.23 years) were included in this study. Data of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were collected. The results revealed that compared with healthy controls, compared with the healthy controls, patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) showed significantly increased surface-based regional homogeneity (ReHo) in areas distributed mainly in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, frontal eye field, right frontal eye field, and the premotor cortex and decreased surface-based ReHo in the right primary motor cortex and primary sensory cortex. Regions showing significant differences in surface-based ReHo values between the healthy controls and patients with ONFH were defined as the regions of interests. Seed-based functional connectivity was performed to investigate interregional functional synchronization. When the areas with decreased surface-based ReHo in the frontal eye field and right premotor cortex were used as the regions of interest, compared with the healthy controls, the patients with ONFH displayed increased functional connectivity in the right middle frontal cortex and right inferior parietal cortex and decreased functional connectivity in the right precentral cortex and right middle occipital cortex. Compared with healthy controls, patients with ONFH showed significantly decreased cortical thickness in the para-insular area, posterior insular area, anterior superior temporal area, frontal eye field and supplementary motor cortex and reduced volume of subcortical gray matter nuclei in the right nucleus accumbens. These findings suggest that hip disorder patients showed cortical plasticity changes, mainly in sensorimotor- and pain-related regions. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (approval No. 2018-041) on August 1, 2018.

Metabolic Brain Network Analysis With 18F-FDG PET in a Rat Model of Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain has been found to be related to profound reorganization in the function and structure of the brain. We previously demonstrated changes in local brain activity and functional/metabolic connectivity among selected brain regions by using neuroimaging methods. The present study further investigated large-scale metabolic brain network changes in 32 Sprague–Dawley rats with right brachial plexus avulsion injury (BPAI). Graph theory was applied in the analysis of 2-deoxy-2-[18F] fluoro-D-glucose (¹⁸F-FDG) PET images. Inter-subject metabolic networks were constructed by calculating correlation coefficients. Global and nodal network properties were calculated and comparisons between pre- and post-BPAI (7 days) status were conducted. The global network properties (including global efficiency, local efficiency and small-world index) and nodal betweenness centrality did not significantly change for all selected sparsity thresholds following BPAI (p > 0.05). As for nodal network properties, both nodal degree and nodal efficiency measures significantly increased in the left caudate putamen, left medial prefrontal cortex, and right caudate putamen (p < 0.001). The right entorhinal cortex showed a different nodal degree (p < 0.05) but not nodal efficiency. These four regions were selected for seed-based metabolic connectivity analysis. Strengthened connectivity was found among these seeds and distributed brain regions including sensorimotor area, cognitive area, and limbic system, etc. (p < 0.05). Our results indicated that the brain had the resilience to compensate for BPAI-induced neuropathic pain. However, the importance of bilateral caudate putamen, left medial prefrontal cortex, and right entorhinal cortex in the network was strengthened, as well as most of their connections with distributed brain regions.

Discovery and characterization of flavonoids in vine tea as catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors

Vine tea has been used as a traditionally functional herbal tea in China for centuries, which exhibits paramount potential for chronic metabolic diseases. Herein, the inhibitory potential of vine tea toward human catechol-O-methyltransferase (hCOMT) was investigated. A practical bioactivity-guided fractionation combined with chemical profiling strategy was developed to identify the naturally occurring hCOMT inhibitors. Five flavonoids in vine tea displayed moderate to strong inhibition on hCOMT with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.96 μM to 42.47 μM, in which myricetin was the critically potent constituent against hCOMT. Inhibition kinetics assays and molecular docking simulations showed that myricetin could bind to the active site of COMT and inhibited COMT-catalyzed 3-BTD methylation in a mixed manner. Collectively, our findings not only suggested that the strong hCOMT inhibition of vine tea has guiding significance in the drug exposure of catechol drugs, but also identified a promising lead compound for developing more efficacious hCOMT inhibitors.