Alternative therapies in health and medicine最新文献

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the clinical characteristics of patients with prostate cancer with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentrations of less than 4 ng/mL (normal PSA) to provide clinical insights regarding diagnosis and treatment.

Methods: We recruited 35 patients with prostate cancer with normal PSA who were admitted to Xi'an People's Hospital from January 2013 to January 2018, and further determined their clinical characteristics, serum PSA concentration, prostate volume, tumor pathology, surgical margins, seminal vesicle invasion, lymph node metastasis, Gleason score, TNM staging, risk classification, and survival, and described the patients' interventions and treatments. All patients and their families signed informed consent forms before enrollment.

Results: In our study, we observed a 3-year survival rate of 77.14% for patients with prostate cancer and normal PSA concentrations. This outcome can be attributed to several clinical characteristics, including the absence of obvious clinical presentation, a high detection rate of seminal vesicle invasion, as well as high Gleason scores and risk levels. The primary outcome, 3-year survival rate, reflects the long-term prognosis of this specific patient subgroup. We also conducted correlation analyses to better understand the relationships between these clinical characteristics and patient survival.

Background: Delaying the formation of atherosclerosis and reducing cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury remain pressing issues. Melatonin (MLT) possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, rendering it a promising candidate for clinical application in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. While numerous in vivo experiments have elucidated the regulatory mechanisms of MLT in animal models and clinical trials have preliminarily demonstrated the excellent therapeutic potential of MLT in CAD, several key questions remain unanswered. In this review, the authors elucidate the mechanisms underlying CAD's occurrence, progression, and prognosis; delineate the pathways through which MLT exerts its effects; and present compelling evidence supporting its efficacy in CAD. In addition, the authors also describe unresolved issues in the treatment of CAD with MLT, thus providing scholars with directions for future research.

Objective: To investigate the clinical effects of applying a prospective nursing model combined with humanistic care in patients with acute stroke.

Methods: A total of 160 patients with acute stroke who received treatment at The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from July 2019 to July 2021 were selected as the study subjects. According to different nursing methods, the patients were divided into a control group of 80 patients, who received basic routine nursing care, and an observation group of 80 patients, who received a prospective nursing model combined with humanistic care. Hemodynamic status, the concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor, concentrations, SF-36 Survey scores, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and Self-Rating Depression Scale scores, and nursing satisfaction were compared between the 2 groups.

Results: The hemodynamic status of the patients in the observation group, as measured by heart rate, arterial pressure, and blood oxygen saturation, was significantly improved compared with patients in the control group (P < .05). The concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor were significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (P < .05). The SF-36 Survey scores were higher in the observation group than in the control group (P < .05). The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and Self-Rating Depression Scale scores were lower in the observation group than in the control group (P < .05). Nursing satisfaction was higher in the observation group than in the control group (P <.05).

Conclusion: The application of a prospective nursing model combined with humanistic care in patients with acute stroke can effectively reduce concentrations of inflammatory factors, improve blood oxygen saturation, alleviate negative emotions such as depression and anxiety, and enhance the patients' quality of life and nursing satisfaction. Therefore, this model is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of laccase domain-containing 1 (LACC1) on the model of anesthesia-induced cognitive disorder and its underlying mechanisms.

Methods: We collected and analyzed data from 24 patients with postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) through microarray analysis. In the animal model, mice were exposed to 1.3% isoflurane in a humidified atmosphere with 30% oxygen as the carrier gas. Additionally, PC12 cells were stimulated with 2% isoflurane.

Results: In mice subjected to anesthesia, both mRNA and protein expression levels of LACC1 were up-regulated. Moreover, LACC1 expression was increased in the anesthesia-induced cognitive disorder model. In vitro, LACC1 promoted the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, LACC1 was found to exacerbate cognitive impairment in mice under anesthesia. The induction of RIP2 expression mediated this effect via the ROS-NOD2 pathway. The regulation of ROS-NOD2 played a critical role in controlling the impacts of LACC1 in both in vivo and in vitro models.

Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that LACC1 contributes to nerve injury in the anesthesia-induced cognitive disorder model by inhibiting the ROS-NOD2/RIP2 signaling pathway. This discovery offers a novel perspective for understanding anesthesia-induced cognitive disorders.

Objective: To investigate the effects of task-oriented biomechanical sensors-balance training on lower limb motor function and gait balance function in stroke patients with hemiplegia.

Methods: Researchers divided 106 stroke patients with hemiplegia into observation and control groups. All received essential rehabilitation training treatment. The observation group's rehabilitation consisted of task-oriented biomechanical sensors-balance training. The modified Ashworth Scale score, FuGL-Meyer Motor Function Scale score, and other indicators measured the results of the two groups.

Results: The Berg balance scale score and FuGL-Meyer Motor Function Scale score in the observation group were higher than in the control group (P < .05). The modified Ashworth Scale score of the triceps calf muscle in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < .05). The observation group's step length, step frequency, maximum angle of hip extension, and knee flexion exceeded those of the control group. In contrast, the maximum angle of knee extension was smaller than those in the control group (P < .05).

Conclusion: Basic rehabilitation training combined with task-oriented biomechanical perception-balance training can improve the lower limb motor function of stroke patients with hemiplegia.

Objective: Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is a spindle cell neoplasm that rarely occurs in orbit. This study aimed to report the clinical, imaging, and pathological features of three patients with recurrent orbital SFTs.

Methods: Clinical, imaging, and pathological data of the three patients were retrospectively reviewed, and the results were compared with those of previously reported cases with recurrent orbital SFT.

Results: One female and two male patients (mean age, 54 years old) were included in this study. The present cases and literature review showed that the average time to recurrence in patients who aged under 50 years old was shorter than that in those who aged over 50 years old. The most common site for recurrent orbital SFT was the retrobulbar area of the orbit (23.8%). Imaging examinations showed consistent intensity of MRI signals before and after recurrence. Immunohistochemical results of all cases revealed the expressions of CD34. The mitotic rate increased in 4/8 cases, and the percentage of Ki-67-positive cells was elevated in 5/16 cases.

Conclusion: These results suggested that young patients were more likely subjected to recurrent orbital SFT. The postoperative pathological diagnosis revealed that patients with recurrent orbital SFT had more nuclear abnormalities and mitotic activity, as well as a higher percentage of Ki-67-positive cells, indicating that orbital recurrent SFT tended to be malignant according to both morphological features and immunohistochemistry results.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the specific neurological mechanisms underlying the effects of electroacupuncture at Shenmen (Heart 7) with Neiguan (Pericardium 6) acupoints in patients with primary insomnia (PI). We sought to understand these mechanisms by comparing changes in areaal homogeneity (ReHo) before and after treatment in PI patients and healthy controls (HC).

Methods: Between November 2019 and November 2021, we recruited 17 primary insomnia patients (PI group) and 20 matched healthy controls (HC group) as study subjects from Zhaoqing First People's Hospital. Before electroacupuncture treatment, all participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) assessments. Resting-state magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were conducted before and after two sessions of electroacupuncture at Shenmen and Neiguan acupoints.

Results: Before treatment, primary insomnia patients showed higher PSQI (χ2=1.964; P = .017), HAMA (χ2=2.016; P = .027), and HAMD scores (χ2=2.367; P = .013) compared to healthy controls, and increased ReHo values were observed in the left amygdala, bilateral middle temporal gyrus, and left posterior cingulate gyrus in PI patients, while decreased ReHo values were found in the left posterior cingulate gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, and right precuneus. After treatment, ReHo values increased in the left superior frontal gyrus, right parahippocampal gyrus, and right cingulate gyrus, while they decreased in the left amygdala and right angular gyrus. Primary insomnia disrupts brain areas in the default network, salience network, and parts of the affective cognitive network.

Conclusion: Electroacupuncture at Shenmen and Neiguan acupoints partially activated impaired brain areas in patients with primary insomnia, leading to improvements in mental status and sleep quality. This offers a novel perspective for the clinical treatment of primary insomnia.

Background: Asl-us-Soos (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) has been used as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of respiratory, digestive, and neurological disorders since ancient times in Unani Medicine. Its therapeutic uses have been documented in Unani pharmacopeia, classical textbooks, and manuscripts based on experience in clinical practices. Asl-us-Soos (AS) and its compound preparations are recommended in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as Dhat al-Janb (pleurisy), Dhat al-Ri'a (pneumonia), Jamod us Sadr (pulmonary apoplexy), Diq al-Nafas (asthma), Sil (thiasis), and Diq (pulmonary tuberculosis).

Objectives: This review aimed to provide insight into ethno-medicinal uses, pharmacological activities, and phytochemical profile of AS. The review also highlights the prospects in the development of potential drug molecules for various respiratory ailments.

Methods: This review is based on a search of authentic Unani classical literature and major databases such as Science Direct, Medline (via PubMed), Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science. The studies published between January 2001 and February 2022 were included in this study.

Results: This review found that AS had medicinal uses in various respiratory disorders. Its roots are used as single drug and compound formulations for the treatment of dry cough, bronchial asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia. In addition, AS contains active phytoconstituents such as glycyrrhizin (glycyrrhizic acid), isoliquiritigenin, glabridin, and licochalcone A. They have been extensively studied using in vitro and in vivo models and were found to exhibit pharmacological effects in pulmonary tuberculosis, pulmonary carcinoma, emphysema, bronchial asthma, pneumonia, and upper respiratory tract infections. Moreover, glycyrrhizin has been found to possess therapeutic potential against COVID-19.

Conclusion: This review concludes that AS is a potent anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, expectorant, and antitussive drug. This plant could be an important source for the development of new drug compounds for various respiratory diseases.