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ObjectiveTo explore the effect of moxa cone moxibustion on N-acetyl aspartate/total creatinine (NAA/tCr) and choline/total creatinine (Cho/tCr) in the bilateral hippocampus (HIP) and bilateral posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG) in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using hydrogen proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) and to provide imaging basis for moxa cone moxibustion treatment for MCI.MethodsOne hundred eight patients with MCI were served as the MCI group, and 67 age-matched subjects were enrolled as the normal control group. The MCI group was randomized and allocated into acupoint group, drug group, and sham acupoint group, with 36 cases in each group. Some patients in each group withdrew. Finally, 25 cases were included in the acupoint group, 24 cases in the drug group, and 20 cases in the sham acupoint group. The drug group was treated with oral donepezil hydrochloride. The acupoint group and sham acupoint group received moxa cone moxibustion treatment. Mini-mental state exam (MMSE) and Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scores were recorded before intervention, at the end of the first and the second months of intervention, and in the 5th month of follow-up. The NAA/tCr and Cho/tCr ratios in the HIP and PCG were bilaterally measured by 1H-MRS before and after intervention.ResultsBefore intervention, compared with the normal control group, the MMSE and MoCA scores, the Cho/tCr ratio in the right HIP, the NAA/tCr ratio in the bilateral HIP, and the NAA/tCr ratio in the left PCG in the three treatment groups decreased significantly (both p < 0.01), and the NAA/tCr ratio in the right PCG significantly reduced in the acupoint and drug groups (p < 0.05). After two months of treatment, compared with the normal control group, there were no differences in the MoCA scores, the NAA/tCr, and Cho/tCr ratios in the bilateral PCG and bilateral HIP in the three treatment groups (p > 0.05). However, the MMSE scores in the drug group decreased when compared with the acupoint group and normal control group (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). The scores of MMSE and MoCA in the acupoint group and sham acupoint group at all time points were better than those in the drug group, which were similar to those in the normal control group.ConclusionOur findings suggest that moxibustion could improve the cognitive function of patients with MCI. The mechanism may be related to the improvement of abnormal brain metabolism in HIP and PCG.

The development and fabrication of high-performance renewable 3D objects with moderate elongation and high mechanical strength via 3D printing are highly desirable in the ongoing transition toward ...

Elastomer materials integrated with high mechanical strength and excellent self-healing ability can be used as substrates in electronic skins, soft robots, and electrical devices. However, simultaneously enhancing the mechanical and self-healing properties of elastomers is still a great challenge because the self-healing ability of polymer materials is usually antagonistic to its mechanical strength. Herein, a novel healable polyurethane elastomer was developed using a double-network (DN) structure system. In the DN system, a loosely cross-linked chemical network was obtained via a photo-curable acrylic double bond, acting as a robust molecular framework and maintaining the elasticity of the polymer. Simultaneously, the physical cross-linked network produced by quadruple H-bonds of ureidopyrimidinone (UPy) units can not only achieve rapid reformation after fracture but also dissipate strain energy as a weak dynamic bond, endowing the elastomer with excellent self-healing ability and high stretchability. Owing to the accurate design, the synthesized elastomer exhibits excellent properties, including high tensile stress (13.71 MPa), high stretchability (∼500%), exceptional resilience and self-healing ability (90%). The robust healable elastomer enables the easy fabrication of composite conductors, which the prominent performance suggests as a great potential of the healable flexible sensor in next-generation wearable stretchable electronic devices, soft robots, and strain sensors.