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Jiang-Peng Cao,1– 3 Yuan-Hao Du,1,2,4 Lan-Yu Jia,5 Xiu-Mei Yin,1– 3 Li-Hong Yang,1,2 Lin-Ling Chen,6 Tao Jiang,1,2 Man Zhang,4 Tian Qiu1– 3 1Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 2National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 3Graduate School, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 4School of acupuncture & moxibustion and Tuina, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Geriatric medicine, Tianjin Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huzhou Central Hospital, Huzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yuan-Hao Du, Email jpjs_cn@sina.comBackground: Cerebral blood flow and vascular structures serve as the fundamental components of brain metabolism and circulation. Acupuncture, an alternative and complementary medical approach, has demonstrated efficacy in treating cerebral ischemic stroke (CIS). Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying the impact of acupuncture on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) function remain uncertain. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the alterations in VSMC function following acupuncture stimulation in CIS models.Methods: The databases PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and EMBASE were queried until November 2022 using a predetermined search strategy. The FORMAT BY SYRCLE guidelines were adhered to, and the risk of bias of the included studies was evaluated using the Risk of Bias tool developed by the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation. The random-effects model was employed to estimate the standardized mean difference (SMD).Results: Eighteen articles are included in this review. Acupuncture showed significant positive effects on the region cerebral blood flow (SMD=8.15 [95% CI, 4.52 to 11.78]) and neurological deficiency (SMD=− 3.75 [95% CI, − 5.54 to − 1.97]). Descriptive analysis showed a probable mechanism of acupuncture stimulation in CIS rats related to VSMC function. Limitations and publication bias were presented in the studies.Conclusion: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, our findings indicate that acupuncture stimulation has the potential to improve regional cerebral blood flow and alleviate neurological deficits, possibly by regulating VSMC function. However, it is important to exercise caution when interpreting these results due to the limitations of animal experimental design and methodological quality.Keywords: acupuncture therapy, vascular smooth muscle cell, vasomotor, cerebral ischemic stroke, systematic review

Jian Pei Zhao,1 Li Li Chen2 1Department of Anus & Intestine Surgery, HwaMei Hospital, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315010, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Hematology and Oncology, The First People’s Hospital of Taizhou, Taizhou 318020, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Li Li ChenDepartment of Hematology and Oncology, The First People’s Hospital of Taizhou, No. 218, Hengjie Road, Huangyan District, Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 15105868468Email wangyuz1234567@sina.comPurpose: Recently, studies have demonstrated that a novel circular RNA (circRNA), circMAT2B, can promote cell proliferation and can thus contribute to the growth and development of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the precise mechanisms underlying in circMAT2B-induced colorectal cancer (CRC) cell proliferation are not yet fully understood.Materials and Methods: Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was conducted to evaluate circMAT2B expression in 70 CRC tissues and 70 matched adjacent normal tissues, CRC cell lines and human colonic epithelial cell line (NCM460). The direct interaction between miR-610 and circMAT2B or E2F1 was verified using luciferase reporter assay and biotinylated RNA Pull-down assay. Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation assay, flow cytometry were utilized to examine the effect of circMAT2B, miR-610 and E2F1 on cell proliferation. Western blot was conducted to evaluate E2F1 expression.Results: In our study, circMAT2B was found to be upregulated in CRC tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, the silencing of circMAT2B significantly inhibited proliferation. Hence, in order to investigate the mechanism underlying the oncogenic properties of circMAT2B in CRC, a bioinformatics analysis (circular RNA Interactome, https://circinteractome.nia.nih.gov/) was performed to screen the putative interacting microRNAs of circMAT2B. miR-610 was identified to be one of the potential targeted miRNAs of circMAT2B. Luciferase reporter and RNA pulldown assay confirmed a direct interaction between circMAT2B and miR-610. Moreover, circMAT2B expression was negatively correlated with the expression of miR-610 in CRC tissues (r=− 0.5131, p< 0.0001). Furthermore, we demonstrated circMAT2B upregulated expression levels of the miR-610 target gene E2F1, which is involved in cell proliferation, is overexpression in a broad range of human cancer including CRC. Further studies suggested that E2F1 upregulation could significantly reverse the si-circMAT2B-mediated inhibition of proliferation.Conclusion: circMAT2B is upregulated in CRC tissues and cell lines. Moreover, circMAT2B promoted CRC proliferation by regulating the miR-610/E2F1 axis, which may serve as a potential therapeutic target for CRC treatment.Keywords: circMAT2B, miR-610, E2F1, colorectal cancer, proliferation

You-Lan Min,1,* Ting Su,2,* Yong-Qiang Shu,3 Wen-Feng Liu,1 Ling-Long Chen,3 Wen-Qing Shi,1 Nan Jiang,2 Pei-Wen Zhu,1 Qing Yuan,1 Xiao-Wei Xu,1 Lei Ye,1 Yi Shao1 1Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Province Clinical Ophthalmology Institute, Nanchang 330006 Jiangxi, China; 2Eye Institute of Xiamen University, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Xiamen 361102, Fujian, China; 3Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006 Jiangxi, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Objective: Previous studies have demonstrated that strabismus or amblyopia can result in markedly brain function and anatomical alterations. However, the differences in spontaneous brain activities of strabismus with amblyopia (SA) patients still remain unclear. This current study intended to use the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) technique to investigate the intrinsic brain activity changes in SA subjects. Patients and methods: A total of 16 patients with SA (6 males and 10 females) and 16 healthy controls (HCs; 6 males and 10 females) similarly matched in age, gender, and education status were recruited and examined with the resting-state functional MRI. The spontaneous brain activity changes were investigated using the ALFF technique. The receiver operating characteristic curve was performed to classify the mean ALFF signal values of the SA patients from HCs. The correlations between the ALFF values of distinct brain regions and the clinical manifestations in SA patients were evaluated in terms of the Pearson’s correlation analysis. Results: Compared with HCs, SA patients had significantly decreased ALFF in the left cerebellum posterior lobe, left middle frontal gyrus, and bilateral thalamus. In contrast, SA patients showed increased ALFF values in the right superior frontal gyrus, right precuneus, left cuneus, and bilateral precentral gyrus. Nonetheless, there was no linear correlation between the mean ALFF values in brain regions and clinical features. Conclusion: Diverse brain regions including vision-related and motion-related areas exhibited aberrant intrinsic brain activity patterns, which imply the neuropathologic mechanisms of oculomotor disorder and vision deficit in the SA patients. Keywords: strabismus, amblyopia, functional MRI, ALFF, spontaneous brain activity

PengMing Sun,1,* XiaoDan Mao,1,* Min Gao,2 MeiMei Huang,1 LiLi Chen,1 GuanYu Ruan,1 WeiYi Huang,1 Elena Ioana Braicu,3 Jalid Sehouli3 1Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Fujian Provincial Maternity and Children’s Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350001, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Gynecology Oncology, Beijing Cancer Hospital, Beijing 100142, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Gynecology, Campus Virchow Clinic, Charité Medical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: To explore the targeted therapy of estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα) in endometrial cancer (EC) cells and its potential mechanisms.Methods: The mRNA and protein expression levels of ERRα and estrogen receptor α (ERα) were detected by qPCR and Western blotting in RL-952, AN3-CA, HEC-1A, and HEC-1B EC cell lines. After treatment with the ERRα-specific antagonist XCT790 or infection with lentivirus-mediated small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting the ERRα (siRNA-ERRα), cell proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated by MTS assay and flow cytometry. After treatment with siRNA-ERRα, the expression profiles of transcription factors (TFs) were analyzed by protein/DNA arrays in EC cells.Results: The relative mRNA levels of ERRa in RL-952 (1±0.0831) and AN3-CA (1.162±0.0325) were significantly higher than those in HEC-1A (0.3081±0.0339) and HEC-1B (0.1119±0.0091) (P

Ling-Bo Liang, Lan-Lan Chen, En-Qiang Chen, Juan Liao, Hong Tang Center of Infectious Disease, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China Background and aims: The aims of this study were to explore the correlation between chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) drug-resistant mutation profiles and the efficacy of nucleoside analog rescue therapy in patients with initial antiviral treatment failure.Patients and methods: Patients with initial antiviral therapy failure were recruited between January 2011 and January 2013 from the Division of Infectious Disease, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China. Following drug-resistant mutation testing, eligible patients received nucleoside analog rescue therapy for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was rescue therapy efficacy, and the secondary endpoint was adverse events.Results: We recruited 168 patients with chronic HBV infection who had initial antiviral treatment failure. Eighty-nine patients (52.98%) experienced virological breakthrough (group A); 79 patients (47.02%) had partial/null response (group B). Among the patients, 102 (102/168, 60.7%) carried at least one HBV drug resistance mutation. The prevalence of genotypic resistance was significantly higher in group A than in group B (P

Sana’ MH Al Aqqad, Li Li Chen, Asrul Akmal Shafie, Mohamed Azmi Hassali, Balamurugan Tangiisuran Pharmacy Practice Research Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia Background: Nursing home residents are mainly older people with multiple diseases and taking multiple medications. The quality use of medication and its association with health related quality of life (HRQoL) have not been reported in Malaysia. This study aims to investigate the association between the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and the changes observed in the HRQoL among older nursing home residents. Methods: A prospective follow up study was conducted at four nongovernmental organization nursing homes in Penang, Malaysia. Older residents (≥65 years old) taking at least one prescribed medication were included. Residents with PIMs were identified by using Screening Tool of Older Person's potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria. HRQoL was assessed using EuroQol-5 dimension (EQ-5D) and EuroQol-visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) at baseline and after a 3-month follow up. The association of PIMs with HRQoL was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The median age of the 211 participants was 77 years (interquartile range 72–82 years) and the median number of prescription medicines was four (interquartile range three to six). The prevalence of PIMs was 23.7% and 18.6% at baseline and 3 months later, respectively. The most commonly prescribed PIMs in decreasing order were first generation antihistamine, prescriptions of duplicate drug class, glibenclamide with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and anticholinergic to treat extrapyramidal side effects of neuroleptic medications. At baseline, there was no significant difference among residents with or without PIMs in each bracket of EQ-5D, EQ-5D index, or EQ-VAS scores. Comparison of the differences in the mean score index of EQ-5D between baseline and after 3 months also showed no statistically significant differences. Conclusion: PIMs were found to be relatively common among older nursing home residents. However, no significant changes were observed in HRQoL among these residents. Further studies with a bigger sample size and longer follow up period are required to establish this association. Keywords: elderly, health related quality of life, patient safety

Hyphenated identity is a term that references the multiple socially bound features that individuals use to think about themselves. This article examines cultural and linguistic considerations in the understanding of hyphenated identity and discusses the merit of the concept for clinical use in speech-language pathology. The sources used consist of scientific articles, fictional works, and personal observations and communication. The conclusion is that hyphenated identity can be a useful way to think about clients in our modern society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]