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BackgroundPost-stroke depression is a common complication of stroke, with a high incidence rate and low recognition rate. Many patients do not receive effective intervention at the onset, which affects subsequent treatment outcomes. Post-stroke depression not only impacts the patient's mental well-being but also increases the risk of stroke recurrence and poor prognosis. Therefore, it has become a significant public health concern. Acupuncture has gained significant popularity in the treatment of post-stroke depression. However, there are inconsistent clinical research results regarding its efficacy and safety. This systematic review aims to gather and critically assess all available evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of post-stroke depression in patients.MethodsWe will conduct thorough searches for relevant studies in multiple electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Database, Wan-fang Data and China Biomedical Database). Our search scope will encompass studies published from the inception of each database until September 2023. To evaluate the potential bias in all the included studies, we will adhere to the guidelines offered in the Cochrane Handbook. The total effective rate will be the primary outcome. To conduct a systematic review, we will employ RevMan 5.4 software.ResultsThis study will obtain efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of post-stroke depression.ConclusionsThe conclusions of this study will provide evidence-based perspectives that can guide clinical decision-making regarding the practicality and recommended timing of using acupuncture to treat post-stroke depression. Furthermore, this study will help advance the clinical application of acupuncture treatment for post-stroke depression and enhance its efficacy while ensuring patient safety.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. While specific genetic mutations have been linked to 5-10% of breast cancer cases, other environmental and epigenetic factors influence the development and progression of the cancer. Since unique mutations patterns have been observed in individual cancer samples, identification and characterization of the distinctive breast cancer molecular profile is needed to develop more effective target therapies. Until recently, identifying genetic cancer mutations via personalized DNA sequencing was impractical and expensive. The recent technological advancements in next-generation DNA sequencing, such as the semiconductor-based Ion Torrent sequencing platform, has made DNA sequencing cost and time effective with more reliable results. Using the Ion Torrent Ampliseq Cancer Panel, we sequenced 737 loci from 45 cancer-related genes to identify genetic mutations in 105 human breast cancer samples. The sequencing analysis revealed missense mutations in PIK3CA, and TP53 genes in the breast cancer samples of various histologic types. Thus, this study demonstrates the necessity of sequencing individual human cancers in order to develop personalized drugs or combination therapies to effectively target individual, breast cancer-specific mutations.

Gastric cancer is the one of the major causes of cancer-related death, especially in Asia. Gastric adenocarcinoma, the most common type of gastric cancer, is heterogeneous and its incidence and cause varies widely with geographical regions, gender, ethnicity, and diet. Since unique mutations have been observed in individual human cancer samples, identification and characterization of the molecular alterations underlying individual gastric adenocarcinomas is a critical step for developing more effective, personalized therapies. Until recently, identifying genetic mutations on an individual basis by DNA sequencing remained a daunting task. Recent advances in new next-generation DNA sequencing technologies, such as the semiconductor-based Ion Torrent sequencing platform, makes DNA sequencing cheaper, faster, and more reliable. In this study, we aim to identify genetic mutations in the genes which are targeted by drugs in clinical use or are under development in individual human gastric adenocarcinoma samples using Ion Torrent sequencing. We sequenced 737 loci from 45 cancer-related genes in 238 human gastric adenocarcinoma samples using the Ion Torrent Ampliseq Cancer Panel. The sequencing analysis revealed a high occurrence of mutations along the TP53 locus (9.7%) in our sample set. Thus, this study indicates the utility of a cost and time efficient tool such as Ion Torrent sequencing to screen cancer mutations for the development of personalized cancer therapy.

Lung cancer is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. While smoking is by far the leading cause of lung cancer, other environmental and genetic factors influence the development and progression of the cancer. Since unique mutations patterns have been observed in individual cancer samples, identification and characterization of the distinctive lung cancer molecular profile is essential for developing more effective, tailored therapies. Until recently, personalized DNA sequencing to identify genetic mutations in cancer was impractical and expensive. The recent technological advancements in next-generation DNA sequencing, such as the semiconductor-based Ion Torrent sequencing platform, has made DNA sequencing cost and time effective with more reliable results. Using the Ion Torrent Ampliseq Cancer Panel, we sequenced 737 loci from 45 cancer-related genes to identify genetic mutations in 76 human lung cancer samples. The sequencing analysis revealed missense mutations in KRAS, EGFR, and TP53 genes in the breast cancer samples of various histologic types. Thus, this study demonstrates the necessity of sequencing individual human cancers in order to develop personalized drugs or combination therapies to effectively target individual, breast cancer-specific mutations.

The adhesion of water droplets to leaves is important in controlling rainfall interception, and affects a variety of hydrological processes. Leaf water drop adhesion (hereinafter, adhesion) depends not only on droplet formulation and parameters but also on the physical (leaf roughness) and physico-chemical (surface free energy, its components, and work-of-adhesion) properties of the leaf surface. We selected 60 plant species from Shaanxi Province, NW China, as experimental materials with the goal of gaining insight into leaf physical and physico-chemical properties in relation to the adhesion of water droplets on leaves. Adhesion covered a wide range of area, from 4.09 to 88.87 g/m(2) on adaxial surfaces and 0.72 to 93.35 g/m(2) on abaxial surfaces. Distinct patterns of adhesion were observed among species, between adaxial and abaxial surfaces, and between leaves with wax films and wax crystals. Adhesion decreased as leaf roughness increased (r = -0.615, p = 0.000), but there were some outliers, such as Salix psammophila and Populus simonii with low roughness and low adhesion, and the abaxial surface of Hyoscyamus pusillus and the adaxial surface of Vitex negundo with high roughness and high adhesion. Meanwhile, adhesion was positively correlated with surface free energy (r = 0.535, p = 0.000), its dispersive component (r = 0.526, p = 0.000), and work of adhesion for water (r = 0.698, p = 0.000). However, a significant power correlation was observed between adhesion and the polar component of surface free energy (p = 0.000). These results indicated that leaf roughness, surface free energy, its components, and work-of-adhesion for water played important roles in hydrological characteristics, especially work-of-adhesion for water.

PURPOSE:This study investigates the neck/shoulder pain (NSP) and low back pain (LBP) among current high school students in Shanghai and explores the relationship between these pains and their possible influences, including digital products, physical activity, and psychological status. METHODS:An anonymous self-assessment was administered to 3,600 students across 30 high schools in Shanghai. This questionnaire examined the prevalence of NSP and LBP and the level of physical activity as well as the use of mobile phones, personal computers (PC) and tablet computers (Tablet). The CES-D (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression) scale was also included in the survey. The survey data were analyzed using the chi-square test, univariate logistic analyses and a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS:Three thousand sixteen valid questionnaires were received including 1,460 (48.41%) from male respondents and 1,556 (51.59%) from female respondents. The high school students in this study showed NSP and LBP rates of 40.8% and 33.1%, respectively, and the prevalence of both influenced by the student's grade, use of digital products, and mental status; these factors affected the rates of NSP and LBP to varying degrees. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that Gender, grade, soreness after exercise, PC using habits, tablet use, sitting time after school and academic stress entered the final model of NSP, while the final model of LBP consisted of gender, grade, soreness after exercise, PC using habits, mobile phone use, sitting time after school, academic stress and CES-D score. CONCLUSIONS:High school students in Shanghai showed high prevalence of NSP and LBP that were closely related to multiple factors. Appropriate interventions should be implemented to reduce the occurrences of NSP and LBP.

Deer products from sika deer (Cervus nippon) and red deer (C. elaphus) are considered genuine and used for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) materials in China. Deer has a very high economic and ornamental value, resulting in the formation of a characteristic deer industry in the prescription preparation of traditional Chinese medicine, health food, cosmetics, and other areas of development and utilization. Due to the high demand for deer products, the products are expensive and have limited production, but the legal use of deer is limited to only two species of sika deer and red deer; other wild deer are prohibited from hunting, so there are numerous cases of mixing and adulteration of counterfeit products and so on. There have been many reports that other animal (pig, cow, sheep, etc.) tissues or organs are often used for adulteration and confusion, resulting in poor efficacy of deer traditional medicine and trade fraud in deer products. To authenticate the deer products in a rapid and effective manner, the analysis used 22 deer products (antler, meat, bone, fetus, penis, tail, skin, and wool) that were in the form of blind samples. Total DNA extraction using a modified protocol successfully yielded DNA from the blind samples that was useful for PCR. Three candidate DNA barcoding loci, cox1, Cyt b, and rrn12, were evaluated for their discrimination strength through BLAST and phylogenetic clustering analyses. For the BLAST analysis, the 22 blind samples obtained 100% match identity across the three gene loci tested. It was revealed that 12 blind samples were correctly labeled for their species of origin, while three blind samples that were thought to originate from red deer were identified as C. nippon, and seven blind samples that were thought to originate from sika deer were identified as C. elaphus, Dama dama, and Rangifer tarandus. DNA barcoding analysis showed that all three gene loci were able to distinguish the two Cervus species and to identify the presence of adulterant species. The DNA barcoding technique was able to provide a useful and sensitive approach in identifying the species of origin in deer products.

The dosage sprayed upon per unit area is an important index to measure the effects of pesticide application. Owing to the fact that parameters such as flight height, flight speed, and spray swath can change at any given time, it is impossible to ensure a consistent amount of pesticide application per unit area during the course of aerial variable spray. In order to ensure a consistent amount of pesticide application per unit area, a set of control models of aerial variable spray using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was proposed, and the corresponding control system was developed based on the technology of aerial variable spray. According to the change of flight parameters, this system was able to adjust the opening degree of solenoid valve through the control model of aerial variable spray. After that, the amount per unit time would change to ensure a consistent amount of pesticide application per unit area, which effectively avoided the phenomenon of uneven pesticide application and improved the accuracy. According to the actual demand for the area in need of pesticide application, the operator can manually control the amount of pesticide applied and change the dosage sprayed upon per unit area to achieve a better effect. Through field tests, it was verified that the system has high accuracy of variable control. The deviation range was between 0.11% and 9.79%, which met the demands of agricultural aviation pesticide application. Furthermore, the system had strong stability for working continuously for more than 6 h at 30°C to meet the environmental requirements of pesticide application via UAV. All the data related to the pesticide application were stored in this system, which provided a reference for the further study of the precision technology in pesticide application. The model proposed in this paper also provided a theoretical basis for the technology development of aerial variable spray.

To analyze three row orientations (south-north, east-west, southwestern 20°) and two row spacings ('65 + 65', '160 + 40'), we investigated the effect of row orientation and planting pattern on photosynthetic performance, physiological and biochemical indicators related to the aging of leaves. Results revealed that during maturity stage, in north-south and east-west, the initial fluorescence (Fo) at '65 + 65' were higher than those under'160 + 40'; the maximum quantum yield of PS2 photochemistry(ΦP0), basal quantum yield of non-photochemical processes in PS2(ΦN0)of the lower leaves and photosynthetic rate of the upper and ear leaves under'160 + 40'were higher than those under'65 + 65'. The polyphenoloxidase (POD) activities of leaves at different positions under '160 + 40' were higher than that under'65 + 65', while the malondialdehyde (MDA) content was lower. The photosynthesis rate, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity of leaves at different positions under southwestern 20° '160 + 40' were higher than others. Whilst MDA content '160 + 40' were lower. Therefore, in De Hui City, Jilin Province, southwestern 20° '160 + 40' delayed leaf senescence at the late stage of growth of maize, as well as the effect of increasing maize yield was most obvious.

AimsStress granules (SGs) are transient cytoplasmic mRNA and protein complexes that form in eukaryotic cells under stress. SGs are related to multiple diseases, but there are no reports of the existence of SGs in atrial fibrillation (AF).Methods and resultsCell models of AF were established by field stimulation at 600 times per minute. HL-1 cells, cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts were transfected with G3BP1-cDNA plasmid by Lipofectamine 2000. The presence of SGs was detected by immunofluorescence analysis against GTPase-activating protein SH3 domain binding protein 1 (G3BP1) and poly(A)-binding protein 1 (PABP-1) and electron microscopy. Stable HL-1 cell lines transfected with lentivirus overexpressing G3BP1were constructed to further induce the formation of SGs in AF. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and calcium overload in tachypaced HL-1 cells were studied by flow cytometry. The effects of G3BP1 overexpression on cardiac fibroblast proliferation and the protein expression level of collagen I/III and fibronectin-1 were also studied. Additionally, we detected protein synthesis in general and in single cells by puromycin incorporation in paced HL-1 cells. Here, we first showed that SGs are present in both tachypaced mouse cardiomyocytes and HL-1 atrial cells, although the presence is partial and at a low level. G3BP1 overexpression promoted SG formation, inhibited the rapid pacing-induced increase in ROS level, and attenuated calcium overload in HL-1 cells (all PConclusionsSGs are rapidly induced and present partially in AF, and G3BP1 overexpression promotes SG formation and confers cytoprotection against oxidative stress, calcium overload and atrial fibrosis in AF.

Only when Aquilaria spp. or Gyrinops spp. trees are wounded, due to insect attack, or microbial invasion, agarwood can be successfully induced. In the present study, a fungus which can induce agarwood formation efficiently was isolated and a suitable method for its application to induce agarwood formation was developed. Rigidoporus vinctus was isolated from the inner layers from infectious A. sinensis trees. When the fermentation liquid of fungi inoculated back to A. sinensis tree, agarwood was found to be induced. In addition, a novel method called trunk surface agarwood-inducing technique (Agar-Sit) was developed to produce agarwood with R. vinctus. The alcohol soluble extract content of the agarwood, up to 38.9%, far higher than the requirement (10%) in Chinese Pharmacopoeia and the six characteristic compounds of agarwood used as Chinese Medicinal Materials were all detected. Their relative percentages of the sesquiterpenes in the essential oil were 22.76%. This is the first report of the Agar-Sit and also the application of R. vinctus in agarwood induction. According to the results, when the combination of Agar-Sit and R. vinctus is used agarwood can be induced with high yield and good quality.

The objective of the present study was to conduct an intervention study which aimed to improve emotion recognition for Chinese children with ASD by using animated vehicles with real emotional faces. A total of 21 children participated in the current study; participants consisted of 14 children (2 girls) with a formal diagnosis of ASD and 7 typically developing children. Participants were measured on emotional vocabulary and situation-facial expression matching before and after the intervention. Results indicated that the intervention significantly improved ASD children's emotion recognition compared to their pre-intervention scores. Our findings suggest that this emotional recognition intervention using animated vehicles (i.e. The Transporters) is an effective early intervention for Chinese children with ASD.

During the prenatal period, the number variation of chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y accounts for more than 80% of the clinically significant chromosomal abnormalities diagnosed. Rapid tests for prenatal diagnosis of these abnormalities can improve pregnancy management and alleviate parental anxiety. Here, we present a molecular alternative method for detecting common aneuploidies.This method is based on co-amplification of segmental duplications located on two different chromosomes using a single pair of primers. Segmental duplications have a high degree of sequence identity, but have single-nucleotide differences in some regions. These sequence differences can be quantified using melting curve analysis of dual-labeled probes to estimate the relative dosages of different chromosomes. We designed two quadruplex real-time PCR assays to detect aneuploidies of chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y.We examined 75 aneuploid DNA samples and 56 unaffected DNA control samples using these two assays and correctly identified all samples. Four cases of unbalanced translocation were also accurately detected. The observed averaged ratio for each chromosomal disorder was similar to the theoretically expected value.Our real-time assay is a robust, rapid, and easy to conduct technique for prenatal diagnosis of common aneuploidies, representing a competitive alternative for use in diagnostic laboratories.

The current meta-analysis aimed to summarize the available evidence for the efficacy and serious adverse events (AEs) associated with use of metronomic chemotherapy (MCT) in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC).Electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE database, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane database) were systematically searched for articles related to the use of MCT in MBC patients. Eligible studies included clinical trials of MBC patients treated with MCT that presented sufficient data related to tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and grade 3/4 AEs. A meta-analysis was performed using a random effects model.This meta-analysis consists of 22 clinical trials with 1360 patients. The pooled objective response rate and clinical benefit rate of MCT were 34.1% (95% CI 27.4-41.5) and 55.6% (95% CI 49.2-61.9), respectively. The overall 6-month PFS, 12-month OS, and 24-month OS rates were 56.8% (95% CI 48.3-64.9), 70.3% (95% CI 62.6-76.9), and 40.0% (95% CI 30.6-50.2), respectively. The pooled incidence of grade 3/4 AEs was 29.5% (95% CI 21.1-39.5). There was no statistically significant difference observed in any endpoint between subgroups defined by concomitant anti-cancer therapies or chemotherapy regimens. After excluding one controversial study, we observed a trend showing lower toxicity rates with the use of MCT alone compared to use of MCT with other anti-cancer therapies (P = 0.070).Metronomic chemotherapy may be effective for use in patients with metastatic breast cancer. MCT used alone is possibly equally effective and less toxic than combination therapies. Well-designed RCTs are needed to obtain more evidence.