腹针疗法治疗冠心病介入术后合并焦虑抑郁障碍患者疗效及对患者焦虑、躯体症状的影响

摘要 目的：探讨腹针疗法治疗冠心病介入术后合并焦虑抑郁障碍患者疗效及对焦虑、躯体症状的影响。方法：选择2021年8月-2022年5月在广东省中医院诊治的冠心病介入术后合并焦虑抑郁障碍患者120例作为研究对象,根据1:1平行对照原则把患者分为试验组与对照组各60例。对照组给予常规治疗,试验组在对照组治疗的基础上给予腹针疗法治疗,试验组与对照组都治疗观察4周。结果：试验组与对照组治疗后的焦虑与抑郁评分明显低于治疗前,试验组明显低于对照组（P<0.05）。试验组与对照组治疗后的心绞痛积分明显高于治疗前,试验组明显高于对照组（P<0.05）。治疗后,两组中医症候积分较治疗前低,试验组也明显低于对照组（P<0.05）。试验组治疗期间的便秘、嗜睡、头晕、心动过速等不良反应发生率为3.3 %,对照组为21.7 %,试验组与对照组对比有明显差异（P<0.05）。结论：腹针疗法治疗冠心病介入术后合并焦虑抑郁障碍患者能促进缓解焦虑抑郁症状还可减少不良反应,改善心绞痛症状,降低中医症候积分。     

温针灸联合平衡针刀对椎动脉型颈椎病患者椎动脉血流、颈椎关节活动度及生活质量的影响

摘要 目的：探讨椎动脉型颈椎病（CSA）患者应用温针灸联合平衡针刀治疗对椎动脉血流、颈椎关节活动度及生活质量的影响。方法：选取首都医科大学附属北京中医医院于2020年1月-2023年1月收治的150例CSA患者,按治疗方案的不同进行分组,对照组（75例）行温针灸治疗,研究组（75例）行温针灸联合平衡针刀治疗,对比两组疗效、生活质量、颈椎关节活动度、颈椎功能、椎动脉血流指标。结果：研究组96.00%（72/75）治疗总有效率高于对照组81.33%（61/75）（P＜0.05）;研究组治疗后左椎动脉收缩期峰值血流速度、右椎动脉收缩期峰值血流速度高于对照组（P＜0.05）;研究组治疗后3周屈伸活动角度、旋转活动角度高于对照组（P＜0.05）;研究组治疗后1周、2周及3周NDI评分较对照组均更低（P＜0.05）;研究组治疗后健康调查简表（SF-36）各项评分高于对照组（P＜0.05）。结论：CSA应用温针灸联合平衡针刀治疗,可改善颈椎关节活动度,促进颈椎功能恢复,有利于椎动脉血流状况改善,并提高生活质量。     

Interpretation of metameric architecture in dominant shrubs of the Chilean matorral

Summary The seasonal progression of phenophases in 21 shrub species of the Chilean matorral was analyzed. Five modules or basic units that are responsible for the aboveground architecture of the plants were characterized. These modules appear to be organized in seven different spatial arrangements. In drought-deciduous species a module type with an absolute short shoot with limited apical growth, leafy or spiny, predominated. In evergreen species long shoot and temporal leafy short shoot module types were more frequent. The spatial arrangement of morphologically different modules and the temporal sequence of their formation allow a dynamic interpretation of the modular architecture of the plants.     

The MDMX Acidic Domain Uses Allovalency to Bind Both p53 and MDMX

Autoinhibition of p53 binding to MDMX requires two short-linear motifs (SLiMs) containing adjacent tryptophan (WW) and tryptophan-phenylalanine (WF) residues. NMR spectroscopy was used to show the WW and WF motifs directly compete for the p53 binding site on MDMX and circular dichroism spectroscopy was used to show the WW motif becomes helical when it is bound to the p53 binding domain (p53BD) of MDMX. Binding studies using isothermal titration calorimetry showed the WW motif is a stronger inhibitor of p53 binding than the WF motif when they are both tethered to p53BD by the natural disordered linker. We also investigated how the WW and WF motifs interact with the DNA binding domain (DBD) of p53. Both motifs bind independently to similar sites on DBD that overlap the DNA binding site. Taken together our work defines a model for complex formation between MDMX and p53 where a pair of disordered SLiMs bind overlapping sites on both proteins.     

Forces-induced pinpoint denaturation of short DNA

A method that can pinpoint control DNA denaturation is reported. In the single molecule experiment using spFRET, DNA adhered on a quartz surface is acted upon by both a weak laser field force and a fast temporal mechanical force. The experiment showed that increasing strengths of laser power result in increasing percentage of denatured DNA; different mechanical forces produce different numbers of DNA opening. Besides the method’s simplicity and convenience for DNA melting, its crucial advantage and potential application is the ability to denature DNA at specified locations, i.e., a weak laser and a fast temporal mechanical force can be used in pinpoint denaturation of short DNA.     

Comparative Genetics of Functional Trinucleotide Tandem Repeats in Humans and Apes

Several human neurodegenerative disorders are caused by the expansion of polymorphic trinucleotide repeat regions. Many of these loci are functional short tandem repeats (STRs) located in brain-expressed genes, and their study is thus relevant from both a medical and an evolutionary point of view. The aims of our study are to infer the comparative pattern of variation and evolution of this set of loci in order to show species-specific features in this group of STRs and on their potential for expansion (therefore, an insight into evolutionary medicine) and to unravel whether any human-specific feature may be identified in brain-expressed genes involved in human disease. We analyzed the variability of the normal range of seven expanding STR CAG/CTG loci (SCA1, SCA2, SCA3-MJD, SCA6, SCA8, SCA12, and DRPLA) and two nonexpanding polymorphic CAG loci (KCNN3 and NCOA3) in humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. The study showed a general conservation of the repetitive tract and of the polymorphism in the four species and high heterogeneity among loci distributions. Humans present slightly larger alleles than the rest of species but a more relevant difference appears in variability levels: Humans are the species with the largest variance, although only for the expanding loci, suggesting a relationship between variability levels and expansion potential. The sequence analysis shows high levels of sequence conservation among species, a lack of correspondence between interruption patterns and variability levels, and signs of conservative selective pressure for some of the STR loci. Only two loci (SCA1 and SCA8) show a human specific distribution, with larger alleles than the rest of species. This could account, at the same time, for a human-specific trait and a predisposition to disease through expansion.This article contains online supplementary material.     

Proteasome modulating agents induce rAAV2-mediated transgene expression in human intestinal epithelial cells

Intestinal gene transfer offers promise as a therapeutic option for treatment of both intestinal and non-intestinal diseases. Recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 2, rAAV2, based vectors have been utilized to transduce lung epithelial cells in culture and in human subjects. rAAV2 transduction of intestinal epithelial cells, however, is limited both in culture and in vivo. Proteasome-inhibiting agents have recently been shown to enhance rAAV2-mediated transgene expression in airway epithelial cells. We hypothesized that similar inhibition of proteasome-related cellular processes can function to induce rAAV2 transduction of intestinal epithelial cells. Our results demonstrate that combined treatment with proteasome-modulating agents MG101 (N-acetyl-L-leucyl-L-leucyl-L-norleucine) and Doxorubicin synergistically induces rAAV2-mediated luciferase transgene expression by >400-fold in undifferentiated Caco-2 cells. In differentiated Caco-2 monolayers, treatment with MG101 and Doxorubicin induces transduction preferentially from the basolateral cell surface. In addition to Caco-2 cells, treatment with MG101 and Doxorubicin also results in enhanced rAAV2 transduction of HT-29, T84, and HCT-116 human intestinal epithelial cell lines. We conclude that MG101 and Doxorubicin mediate generic effects on intestinal epithelial cells that result in enhanced rAAV2 transduction. Use of proteasome-modulating agents to enhance viral transduction may facilitate the development of more efficient intestinal gene transfer protocols.     

A novel method for the intracellular delivery of siRNA using microbubble-enhanced focused ultrasound

Short interfering RNA (siRNA) has attracted much attention for clinical use in various diseases. However, its delivery, especially through the cell membrane, continues to present a challenge. Advances in ultrasound- and ultrasound contrast-agent technologies have made it possible to change transiently the permeability of the cell membrane and, using a focused ultrasound transducer, to narrow and focus the ultrasound energy on a small target, thereby avoiding damage to surrounding tissue. In this in vitro study, we demonstrate that it is possible to deliver siRNA intracellularly via microbubble-enhanced focused ultrasound. Although further optimization is necessary, our novel method for siRNA transduction represents a powerful tool for using siRNA in vivo and possibly in the clinical setting.     

Entamoeba invadens: restriction of ploidy by colonic short chain fatty acids

The DNA content of Entamoeba parasites appears to be regulated by an unusual mechanism. This conclusion, however, was based on experiments that examined parasites grown in media that did not contain short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) normally found in the colonic lumen. Since one of these SCFAs, butyrate, is known to affect DNA replication in eukaryotic cells, we examined the effect of SCFAs on Entamoeba trophozoite DNA content. Similar to reports from others, we found that Entamoeba invadens trophozoite cultures grown in conventional medium (TYI-S-33) contained cells with 2N, 4N, 8N, and 16N amounts of DNA. In contrast, cultures grown in TYI medium containing colonic SCFAs added in place of glucose contained a minor population with 2N, a major population with 4N, and very few cells with higher amounts of DNA. SCFAs also prevented the normal increase in the number of nuclei per cell in trophozoites that were induced to encyst. These results suggest that E. invadens trophozoite stage parasites growing in the intestine in the presence of high amounts of SCFAs have a ploidy range restricted to 2N/4N. Axenic growth of trophozoites in the absence of SCFAs, however, appears to allow trophozoites to increase the amount of DNA per cell, which they must do during the normal encystment process.