fixation-and-operational-method-for-abdominal-massage-in-t2dm-mice

Fixation and Operational Method for Abdominal Massage in T2DM Mice

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a rapidly growing global public health issue, affecting over 500 million people worldwide. Although abdominal massage ...

Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine

To observe the effect of acupuncture (Acupunct) on cerebral infarction volume and expression of poly ADP ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1), apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and endonuclease G (Endo-G) in the cerebral cortex tissue at different time-points after cerebral ischemia (CI) in acute cerebral infarction rats, so as to explore its underlying mechanisms in prolonging time window of thrombolysis.

[Effect of acupuncture on neurological function, cerebral infarction volume, thrombolysis time window and cerebral cell apoptosis signaling pathway in cerebral infarction rats].

Chronic cerebral ischemia induces white matter injury (WMI) contributing to cognitive decline. Both astrocytes and microglia play vital roles in the demyelination and remyelination processes, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the influence of the chemokine CXCL5 on WMI and cognitive decline in chronic cerebral ischemia and the underlying mechanism.

Astrocytic CXCL5 hinders microglial phagocytosis of myelin debris and aggravates white matter injury in chronic cerebral ischemia.

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion leads to white matter injury (WMI), which subsequently causes neurodegeneration and even cognitive impairment. However, due to the lack of treatment specifically for WMI, novel recognized and effective therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. In this study, we found that honokiol and magnolol, two compounds derived from Magnolia officinalis, significantly facilitated the differentiation of primary oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) into mature oligodendrocytes, with a more prominent effect of the former compound. Moreover, our results demonstrated that honokiol treatment improved myelin injury, induced mature oligodendrocyte protein expression, attenuated cognitive decline, promoted oligodendrocyte regeneration, and inhibited astrocytic activation in the bilateral carotid artery stenosis model. Mechanistically, honokiol increased the phosphorylation of serine/threonine kinase (Akt) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) by activating cannabinoid receptor 1 during OPC differentiation. Collectively, our study indicates that honokiol might serve as a potential treatment for WMI in chronic cerebral ischemia.

Compound from Magnolia officinalis Ameliorates White Matter Injury by Promoting Oligodendrocyte Maturation in Chronic Cerebral Ischemia Models.

This study aimed to conduct a survival analysis of thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients treated with radical chemoradiotherapy and identify prognostic variables from among the hematological and radiation parameters. Cases of patients with ESCC receiving definitive chemoradiotherapy at Jiangsu Cancer Hospital between January 2018 and September 2020 were screened. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the effect of hematological and radiation parameters on the overall survival (OS). The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was calculated by dividing the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) by the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) in the week prior to radical chemoradiotherapy. Variables associated with radiation were gathered based on dose-volume histograms (DVH). X-tile software was used to determine the optimal cutoff values for pretreatment NLR and posttreatment ALC nadir. Associations between lymphopenia and dose-volume parameters were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. The study included 104 ESCC patients. The median follow-up of surviving patients was 45.0 months (interquartile range: 40.2-52.2), with 1- and 3-year OS rates of 88.0% and 62.7%, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated a significant survival benefit in patients with low baseline NLR (≤ 2.2), high ALC nadir (> 0.24*10/L), and desirable radiation parameters for the heart and thoracic vertebrae. Increased dose-volume parameters of the heart, lungs, and thoracic vertebrae were correlated with a high probability of radiation-induced lymphopenia (RIL) risk ( < 0.05). Baseline NLR and RIL are significantly related to survival outcomes in ESCC patients. Optimization of radiation parameters of cardiopulmonary and thoracic vertebrae can be effective in the prevention of RIL.

Impact of hematological and radiation parameters on the clinical prognosis of esophageal cancer patients treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy.

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion is one of the pathophysiological mechanisms contributing to cognitive decline by causing white matter injury. Microglia phagocytosing myelin debris in a timely manner can promote remyelination and contribute to the repair of white matter. However, milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor-factor 8 (MFG-E8), a microglial phagocytosis-related protein, has not been well studied in hypoperfusion-related cognitive dysfunction. We found that the expression of MFG-E8 was significantly decreased in the brain of mice after bilateral carotid artery stenosis (BCAS). MFG-E8 knockout mice demonstrated more severe BCAS-induced cognitive impairments in the behavioral tests. In addition, we discovered that the deletion of MFG-E8 aggravated white matter damage and the destruction of myelin microstructure through fluorescent staining and electron microscopy. Meanwhile, MFG-E8 overexpression by AAV improved white matter injury and increased the number of mature oligodendrocytes after BCAS. Moreover, in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that MFG-E8 could enhance the phagocytic function of microglia via the αβ/αβ/Rac1 pathway and IGF-1 production to promote the differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells into mature oligodendrocytes. Interestingly, we found that MFG-E8 was mainly derived from astrocytes, not microglia. Our findings suggest that MFG-E8 is a potential therapeutic target for cognitive impairments following cerebral hypoperfusion.

MFG-E8 Alleviates Cognitive Impairments Induced by Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion by Phagocytosing Myelin Debris and Promoting Remyelination.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease in the central nervous system caused by T cell activation mediated by peripheral macrophages, resulting in severe neurological deficits and disability. Due to the currently limited and expensive treatments for MS, we here introduce an economic Chinese medicine extract, (5R)-5-Hydroxytriptolide (LLDT-8), which shows low toxicity and high immunosuppressive activity. We used the widely accepted mouse model of MS, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), to examine the immunosuppressive effect of LLDT-8 in vivo. Through the RNA-sequence analysis of peripheral macrophages in EAE mice, we discovered that LLDT-8 alleviates the symptoms of EAE by inhibiting the proinflammatory effect of macrophages, thereby blocking the activation and proliferation of T cells. In all, we found that LLDT-8 could be a potential treatment for MS.

LLDT-8 ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by mediating macrophage functions in the priming stage.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) stands among the top prevalent cancers worldwide and holds a prominent position as a major contributor to cancer-related mortality globally. Absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2), a constituent of the interferon-inducible hematopoietic interferon-inducible nuclear antigens with 200 amino acid repeats protein family, contributes to both cancer progression and inflammasome activation. Despite this understanding, the precise biological functions and molecular mechanisms governed by AIM2 in CRC remain elusive. Consequently, this study endeavors to assess AIM2's expression levels, explore its potential antitumor effects, elucidate associated cancer-related processes, and decipher the underlying signaling pathways in CRC. Our findings showed a reduced AIM2 expression in most CRC cell lines. Elevation of AIM2 levels suppressed CRC cell proliferation and migration, altered cell cycle by inhibiting G1/S transition, and induced cell apoptosis. Further research uncovered the participation of P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (P38MAPK) in AIM2-mediated modulation of CRC cell apoptosis and proliferation. Altogether, our achievements distinctly underscored AIM2's antitumor role in CRC. AIM2 overexpression inhibited proliferation and migration and induced apoptosis of CRC cells via activating P38MAPK signaling pathway, indicating AIM2 as a prospective and novel therapeutic target for CRC.

Absent in melanoma 2 attenuates proliferation and migration and promotes apoptosis of human colorectal cancer cells by activating P38MAPK signaling pathway.

Microglia-mediated neuroinflammation is the major contributor to the secondary brain injury of ischemic stroke. NLRP3 is one of the major components of ischemia-induced microglial activation. Echinatin, a chalcone found in licorice, was reported to have the activity of anti-inflammation and antioxidant. However, the relative study of echinatin in microglia or ischemic stroke is still unclear.

Echinatin protects from ischemic brain injury by attenuating NLRP3-related neuroinflammation.

This study aims to analyze the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) blockade plus chemotherapy in real-world applications. Additionally, we report survival outcomes with a median follow-up of 40.1 months.

Efficacy, safety, and survival of neoadjuvant immunotherapy plus chemotherapy in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A real-world retrospective study.

Microglia-mediated inflammation is a critical factor in the progression of ischemic stroke. Consequently, mitigating excessive microglial activation represents a potential therapeutic strategy for ischemic injury. Thymol, a monophenol derived from plant essential oils, exhibits diverse beneficial biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, with demonstrated protective effects in various disease models. However, its specific effects on ischemic stroke and microglial inflammation remain unexplored.

Thymol improves ischemic brain injury by inhibiting microglia-mediated neuroinflammation.

Several studies have shown that the survival outcomes of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) are not inferior to surgery alone in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This study aimed to compare survival outcomes of ESCC treated with immunochemotherapy (ICT) followed by surgery or definitive CRT and to explore subgroups of patients who could benefit from one treatment strategy.

Comparison of immunochemotherapy followed by surgery or chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell cancer.

Explore the efficacy and safety of involved-field irradiation (IFI) combined with S-1 as definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) for locally advanced elderly esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), under the premise of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).

Zhi Zhang

School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina,
and School of Health Preservation and Rehabilitation,
School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, and School of Health Preservation and Rehabilitation

Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine

Fixation and Operational Method for Abdominal Massage in T2DM Mice

Zhi Zhang

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina,and School of Health Preservation and Rehabilitation,School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, and School of Health Preservation and Rehabilitation

Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine

Fixation and Operational Method for Abdominal Massage in T2DM Mice

School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina,
and School of Health Preservation and Rehabilitation,
School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, and School of Health Preservation and Rehabilitation