Stimulation Group Research Articles

Short-term efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in SCA3: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study

ObjectiveSpinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is the most common autosomal dominant ataxia globally. No effective treatment is currently available for SCA3. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive form of brain stimulation, demonstrated to improve symptoms in patients with neurodegenerative cerebellar ataxias. The present study investigated whether treatment with rTMS over the cerebellum for 15 consecutive days improved measures of ataxia in SCA3 patients. MethodsA double-blind, prospective, randomized, sham-controlled trial was carried out on 44 SCA3 patients. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: real or sham stimulation. Each participant underwent 30 minutes of 1Hz rTMS stimulation (a total of 900 pulses) for 15 consecutive days. The primary outcome measure was the score on the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS), and secondary outcomes were from the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). ResultsNausea was the only adverse effect reported by 2 participants from the sham and real group. After 15 days of treatment, there was a significant improvement in all performance scores in both real and sham stimulation groups. However, compared to the sham group, the improvements were significantly larger in the real group for the ICARS (P = 0.002), SARA (P = 0.001), and BBS (P = 0.001). InterpretationA 15 days treatment with rTMS over the cerebellum improves the symptoms of ataxia in SCA3 patients. Our results suggest that rTMS is a promising tool for future rehabilitative approaches in SCA3.

Efficacy of Fu's Subcutaneous Needling in Treating Soft Tissue Pain of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Fu's subcutaneous needling (FSN) is a new acupuncture technique that produces a long-lasting effect in soft-tissue injuries. In patients with degenerative knee osteoarthritis (OA), myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) are common in the lower-limb muscles. In this randomized clinical trial, we evaluated the immediate, 1-week and 2-week effectiveness of FSN therapy in the treatment of degenerative knee OA. We randomly divided 32 patients with knee OA into the FSN group (mean age: 65.73 ± 6.79 years) or the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) group (mean age: 62.81 ± 5.72 years). The pressure pain threshold (PPT) and tissue hardness (TH) of the muscle and tendon attachment sites, knee range of motion, and physical ability (average walking speed) were measured. The subjective pain intensity index, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities OA Index (WOMAC), and Lequesne index were used to determine the efficacy of FSN on MTrP-induced soft-tissue pain compared with that of TENS. A significantly greater improvement in pain qualities in the VAS (p < 0.05) was found in the FSN group. Moreover, in muscle and tendon qualities (including PPT and TH), a significant difference in the PPT of the quadriceps muscle (p < 0.05) was also observed among the immediate treatments in the FSN group. As for the functional index questionnaire assessment, the FSN group exhibited significant improvements among the immediate, 1-week and 2-week efficacies in terms of WOMAC (p < 0.05) and Lequesne index scores (p < 0.05). FSN was effective in treating soft-tissue pain in degenerative knee OA in terms of alleviating pain, strengthening walking ability, and improving overall functional performance. Pain relief was the primary benefit of FSN and a significant correlation between pain relief and knee joint mobility improvement was found. ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration and Results System (registration number: NCT04356651).

Clinical Pediatric Exercise Laboratories, Reactive Balance, Sleep, and Muscle Stimulation Considerations

Clinical Pediatric Exercise Laboratories, Reactive Balance, Sleep, and Muscle Stimulation Considerations

High-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation enhances unfamiliar face matching of high resolution and pixelated faces

Face identification is useful for social interactions and its impairment can lead to severe social and mental problems. This ability is also remarkably important in applied settings, including eyewitness identification and ID verification. Several studies have demonstrated the potential of Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation (tRNS) to enhance different cognitive skills. However, research has produced inconclusive results about the effectiveness of tRNS to improve face identification. The present study aims to further explore the effect of tRNS on face identification using an unfamiliar face matching task. Observers firstly received either high-frequency bilateral tRNS or sham stimulation for 20 min. The stimulation targeted occipitotemporal areas, which have been previously involved in face processing. In a subsequent stage, observers were asked to perform an unfamiliar face matching task consisting of unaltered and pixelated face pictures. Compared to the sham stimulation group, the high-frequency tRNS group showed better unfamiliar face matching performance with both unaltered and pixelated faces. Our results show that a single high-frequency tRNS session might suffice to improve face identification abilities. These results have important consequences for the treatment of face recognition disorders, and potential applications in those scenarios whereby the identification of faces is primordial.

Efficacy of median nerve electrical stimulation on the recovery of patients with consciousness disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To identify whether median nerve stimulation (MNS) may be a potential candidate for the treatment of consciousness disorders via a systematic review and meta-analysis. PubMed, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese VIP Information, Wanfang, and SinoMed databases were searched. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Disability Rating Scale (DRS), electroencephalogram (EEG), days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and cerebral blood flow measures were compared between the median nerve stimulation and control groups. The meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager software. We identified 2244 studies, of which 23 (with data from 1856 patients) qualified for the analysis. MNS improved GCS scores (mean difference [MD] = 2.15), EEG scores (MD = 1.61), cerebral mean blood flow velocity (MD = 4.23), and cerebral systolic blood flow velocity (MD = 10.51). Furthermore, it decreased DRS scores (MD = -1.77) and days in the ICU (MD = -2.02). The effects of MNS on GCS scores increased with longer treatments (1 week, MD = 1.03; 1 month, MD = 2.35) and were better with right MNS (right, MD = 2.36; bilateral, MD = 1.72). MNS may promote recovery from consciousness disorders.

Comparing the Efficacy of Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation With Conventional Medical Management in Patients With Chronic Postsurgical Inguinal Pain: Post Hoc Analyzed Results of the SMASHING Study

ObjectivesApproximately 10% of patients who undergo inguinal hernia repair or Pfannenstiel incision develop chronic (> three months) postsurgical inguinal pain (PSIP). If medication or peripheral nerve blocks fail, a neurectomy is the treatment of choice. However, some patients do not respond to this treatment. In such cases, stimulation of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) appears to significantly reduce chronic PSIP in selected patients. Materials and MethodsIn this multicenter, randomized controlled study, DRG stimulation was compared with conventional medical management (CMM) (noninvasive treatments, such as medication, transcutaneous electric neurostimulation, and rehabilitation therapy) in patients with PSIP that was resistant to a neurectomy. Patients were recruited at a tertiary referral center for groin pain (SolviMáx, Eindhoven, The Netherlands) between March 2015 and November 2016. Suitability for implantation was assessed according to the Dutch Neuromodulation Association guidelines. The sponsor discontinued the study early owing to slow enrollment. Of 78 planned patients, 18 were randomized (DRG and CMM groups each had nine patients). Six patients with CMM (67%) crossed over to DRG stimulation at the six-month mark. ResultsFifteen of the 18 patients met the six-month primary end point with a complete data set for a per-protocol analysis. Three patients with DRG stimulation had a negative trial and were lost to follow-up. The average pain reduction was 50% in the DRG stimulation and crossover group (from 6.60 ± 1.24 to 3.28 ± 2.30, p = 0.0029). Conversely, a 13% increase in pain was observed in patients with CMM (from 6.13 ± 2.24 to 6.89 ± 1.24, p = 0.42). Nine patients with DRG stimulation experienced a total of 19 adverse events, such as lead dislocation and pain at the implantation site. ConclusionsDRG stimulation is a promising effective therapy for pain relief in patients with PSIP resistant to conventional treatment modalities; larger studies should confirm this. The frequency of side effects should be a concern in a new study. Clinical Trial RegistrationThe Clinicaltrials.gov registration number for the study is NCT02349659.

Full-scale anaerobic digestion of sewage sludges: Fate evaluation of pharmaceuticals and main metabolites

The occurrence and behavior of pharmaceuticals especially in sewage sludge have attracted great attention nowadays due to the intensive application of sewage sludge in agriculture in terms of the potential adverse effects of pharmaceuticals. Although anaerobic digestion is a well-developed and widely applied treatment process in terms of stabilization of sewage sludges and removal of organics, the treatment performances of this technology for different pharmaceutical subgroups are still not well known. In this study, the occurrence and seasonal variations of 45 pharmaceutical compounds consisting of 27 parent compounds and 18 main metabolites from 10 different therapeutic groups were investigated both in thickened and digested sludge generated in a large-scale urban wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). In this way, the seasonal removal performances of full-scale anaerobic digesters for parent compounds and metabolites have been determined and compared simultaneously. While the total pharmaceutical concentrations in the thickened sludge varied between 21.1 and 177.6 μg/kg seasonally, it was determined in the range of 21.5 and 88.8 μg/kg in the digested sludge. In the thickened sludge, the predominant group was found as antibiotics (35.9 %), while in the digested sludge, it was determined as anticonvulsants (31.3 %). Besides, seasonal relationships of parent compounds and metabolites both in thickened and digested sludges were evaluated statistically in terms of both occurrence and removal. In general, although the capacities for sorption onto sewage sludges were found as different, removal patterns of both parent compounds and metabolites in anaerobic digesters have been determined as quite similar. The removal performance of the anaerobic digesters showed great differences based on the investigated pharmaceutical subgroups. Although varies seasonally, while antibiotic (up to 82.9 %), NSAID (up to 70.9 %), and nerve stimulant (up to 89.6 %) groups tended to be treated in anaerobic digesters, negative removal efficiencies were determined for anticonvulsant (up to −242.9 %), steroid hormone (up to −155.3 %) and antidepressant (up to −5010 %) groups. While the total pharmaceutical treatment performances of anaerobic sludge digesters varied between −78 % (in summer) and 65 % (in winter) seasonally, it has been determined as 28.5 % annually. Therefore, it has been determined in this study that the pharmaceutical treatment performance of full-scale anaerobic digesters is not effective enough.

A true response of the brain network during electroacupuncture stimulation at scalp acupoints: An fMRI with simultaneous EAS study.

The aim of this study was to explore simultaneous brain network responses to electroacupuncture stimulation (EAS) at scalp acupoints by accounting for placebo effects. Sixty healthy subjects were recruited and randomly divided into two groups: Group 1 and Group 2. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed in Group 1 with sham acupuncture stimulation at acupoints Shenting (GV24) and Touwei (ST8) without EAS. Group 2 underwent verum EAS at the same acupoints during fMRI. Independent component analysis was used to analyze the fMRI data. Full-factor statistical analysis was used to compare the differences in fMRI data between the two groups and evaluate the changes in functional connectivity in brain networks after verum electrical stimulation (Group 1 [after sham electrical current stimulation - before sham electrical current stimulation] - Group 2 [after verum electrical current stimulation - before verum electrical current stimulation]) (p<.001, extent threshold k=20 voxels). Six brain networks were identified. Significant increased functional connectivity was observed in the right and left executive control networks, sensorimotor network, and attention network, while decreased functional connectivity was mainly found in the default mode network. There were no statistically significant differences in the salience network. fMRI with simultaneous EAS provides a method to explore brain network responses due to EAS at scalp acupoints. The networks responsible for cognition are differentially activated by EAS in a coordinated manner.

Short term effects of anodal cerebellar vs. anodal cerebral transcranial direct current stimulation in stroke patients, a randomized control trial.

Balance and gait impairments are major motor deficits in stroke patients that require intensive neuro-rehabilitation. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation is a neuro-modulatory technique recently used in stroke patients for balance and gait improvement. Majority of studies focusing on tDCS have assessed its effects on cerebral motor cortex and more recently cerebellum as well but to our best knowledge the comparison of stimulating these two regions in stroke patients is not investigated so far. The current study aimed to compare the effect of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation on cerebellar and cerebral motor cortex M1 in stroke patients. This double-blinded, parallel, randomized, sham controlled trial included 66 patients with a first-ever ischemic stroke were recruited into three groups; Cerebellar stimulation group (CbSG), M1 Stimulation Group (MSG), and Sham stimulation group (SSG). A total of three sessions of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation were given on consecutive days in addition to non-immersive virtual reality using Xbox 360 with kinect. Anodal tDCS with an intensity of 2 mA was applied for a duration of 20 min. Primary outcome measures berg balance scale (BBS), timed up and go test (TUG), BESTest Balance Evaluation-Systems Test (BESTest) and secondary outcomes measures montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), mini mental state examination (MMSE), Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool (JHFRAT), twenty five feet walk test (25FWT), six minute walk test (6MWT), and tDCS Adverse Effects was assessed before initiation of treatment (T0) and at the end of third session of stimulation (T1). The results of between group's analysis using mean difference showed a significant difference with p-value <0.05 for balance (BBS, TUG, BESTest), walking ability (6MWT, 25FWT), risk of fall (JHFRAT). Cognitive function did not show any significant change among the groups for MoCA with p-value >0.05 but MMSE was improved having significant p-value (p = 0.013). However, 6MWT and 25FWT showed non-significant results for both between group and within group analysis. In pairwise comparison both the cerebellar and cerebral stimulation groups showed Significant difference with p-value <0.05 in comparison to sham stimulation; BBS (cerebellar vs. sham p ≤ 0.001, cerebral vs. sham p = 0.011), TUG (cerebellar vs. sham p = 0.001, cerebral vs. sham p = 0.041), Bestest (cerebellar vs. sham p = 0.007, cerebral vs. sham p = 0.003). Whereas for JHFRAT only cerebellar stimulation in comparison to sham and motor cortex stimulation showed significant improvements (cerebellar vs. M1 p = 0.037, cerebellar vs. sham p = 0.037). MMSE showed significant improvement in M1 stimulation (M1 vs. cerebellar p = 0.036, M1 vs. sham p = 0.011). Findings of the study suggest anodal tDCS stimulation of the cerebellum and cerebral motor cortex both improves gait, balance and risk of fall in stroke patients. However, both stimulation sites do not induce any notable improvement in cognitive function. Effects of both stimulation sites have similar effects on mobility in stroke patients.

The Effects of Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Stimulation of Nucleus Accumbens on Neuronal Gene Expression and Brain Tissue in High Alcohol-Preferring Rats.

We investigated the effect of low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) on gene expression related to alcohol dependence and histological effects on brain tissue. We also aimed at determining the miRNA-mRNA relationship and their pathways in alcohol dependence-induced expression changes after focused ultrasound therapy. We designed a case-control study for 100days of observation to investigate differences in gene expression in the short-term stimulation group (STS) and long-term stimulation group (LTS) compared with the control sham group (SG). The study was performed in our Experimental Research Laboratory. 24 male high alcohol-preferring rats 63 to 79days old, weighing 270 to 300g, were included in the experiment. LTS received 50-day LIFU and STS received 10-day LIFU and 40-day sham stimulation, while the SG received 50-day sham stimulation. In miRNA expression analysis, it was found that LIFU caused gene expression differences in NAc. Significant differences were found between the groups for gene expression. Compared to the SG, the expression of 454 genes in the NAc region was changed in the STS while the expression of 382 genes was changed in the LTS. In the LTS, the expression of 32 genes was changed in total compared to STS. Our data suggest that LIFU targeted on NAc may assist in the treatment of alcohol dependence, especially in the long term possibly through altering gene expression. Our immunohistochemical studies verified that LIFU does not cause any tissue damage. These findings may lead to new studies in investigating the efficacy of LIFU for the treatment of alcohol dependence and also for other psychiatric disorders.

Interleukin-9 promotes the activation of hepatic stellate cells in mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum

To investigate the effects of interleukin-9 (IL-9) in the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum. Primary HSCs were isolated from mice 7 weeks post-infection with S. japonicum using the in situ liver perfusion and density gradient centrifugation, and cultured in vitro. HSCs were randomly assigned to the PBS control group and IL-9 stimulation group (stimulation with 20 ng/mL IL-9). HSCs were harvested 48 h and 72 h poststimulation, and the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), type I collagen (Col I) and type III collagen (Col III) was determined in HSCs using Western blotting. Following stimulation with 20 ng/mL IL-9 for 48 h, the expression of α-SMA [(0.87 ± 0.02) vs. (0.69 ± 0.01); t = 17.39, P < 0.01], Col I [(0.74 ± 0.02) vs. (0.65 ± 0.01); t = 9.56, P < 0.01] and Col III [(0.94 ±0.04) vs. (0.75 ± 0.03); t = 6.15, P < 0.01] was significantly greater in HSCs in the IL-9 stimulation group than in the PBS control group. Following stimulation with 20 ng/mL IL-9 for 72 h, the expression of α-SMA was significantly greater in HSCs in the IL-9 stimulation group than in the PBS control group[(0.76 ± 0.02) vs. (0.58 ± 0.02); t = 12.52, P < 0.01]; however, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of Col I [(0.68 ± 0.02) vs. (0.66 ± 0.02); t = 1.15, P > 0.05] or Col III expression [(0.75 ± 0.01) vs. (0.72 ± 0.02); t = 2.22, P > 0.05]. IL-9 promotes the activation of HSCs in mice infected with S. japonicum.

Pregnancy Outcomes in Double Stimulation versus Two Consecutive Mild Stimulations for IVF in Poor Ovarian Responders.

To compare pregnancy outcomes between double stimulation (DouStim) and two consecutive mild stimulations in poor ovarian responders, this study retrospectively analyzed 281 patients diagnosed as having poor ovarian response (POR) who underwent oocytes retrieval for in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) from January 2018 to December 2020. They were divided into two groups: the DouStim group (n = 89) and the two consecutive mild stimulations group (n = 192). The results illustrated that there were no significant differences in the number of oocytes and 2PNs between the two groups. The number of frozen embryos [1 (0, 2) versus 1(0, 2)] was significantly lower and the proportion of patients without frozen embryos (39.3% versus 26.0%) was significantly higher in the DouStim group than in the two consecutive mild stimulations group (p &lt; 0.05). There were no significant differences in the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and the cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) between the two groups (p &gt; 0.05). The intra-subgroup comparison showed that in young POR patients under 35 years old, there were no significant differences in clinical indicators and pregnancy outcomes (p &gt; 0.05). In elderly POR patients aged 35 years and above, the number of frozen embryos [1 (0, 1.5) versus 1 (0.25, 2)] (p &lt; 0.01) was significantly lower in the DouStim group than in the two consecutive mild stimulations group, but the pregnancy outcomes were not significantly different (p &gt; 0.05). In conclusion, the DouStim protocol is inferior to the two consecutive mild stimulations protocol in terms of the number of frozen embryos, which mainly occurs in elderly patients, but there is no difference in pregnancy outcomes between the two protocols.

Non-invasive brain stimulation therapy on neurological symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis: A network meta analysis

The aim of the study was to evaluate non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) [including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial electrical stimulation (tES)] on neurological symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Ovid MEDLINE until February 2022. And we evaluated the included studies for methodological quality by the Cochrane bias risk assessment tool and assessed the studies' certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. We performed network meta analysis (NMA) by using Stata 15 and ranked the results of the NMA by using the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) ranking chart. Twenty seven clinical trials were finally included (N = 596, 66.4% women). For the immediate effects, rTMS over M1 yielded the most optimal scheme for fatigue reduction among all the interventions compared to the sham stimulation groups [MD = -0.85, 95% CI (-1.57, -0.14)] (SUCRA = 82.6%). iTBS over M1 yielded the most signifcant reduced pain level than the sham groups did [MD = -1.26, 95% CI (-2.40, -0.11)] (SUCRA = 98.4%). tDCS over F3 was the best protocol of NIBS to improve quality of life (QOL) [MD = 1.41, 95% CI = (0.45,2.36)] (SUCRA = 76.7%), and iTBS over M1 may significantly reduce spasticity compared to sham stimulation [MD = -1.20, 95% CI = (-1.99, -0.41)] (SUCRA = 90.3%). Furthermore, rTMS, tRNS, and tDCS on certain areas may improve PwMS accuracy, response time, manual dexterity, pain relief and QOL, but does not show statistically significant differences. The evidence assessed using GRADE is very low. Based on the NMA and SUCRA ranking, we can conclude that symptoms including fatigue, pain, spasticity, and QOL can be improved by following NIBS protocol after treatment. Nonetheless, most of the included studies lack a good methodology, and more high-quality randomized clinical trials are needed.

Repetitive Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Motor Imagery Changes Resting-State EEG Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation is a novel non-invasive technique for applying repetitive magnetic stimulation to the peripheral nerves and muscles. Contrarily, a person imagines that he/she is exercising during motor imagery. Resting-state electroencephalography can evaluate the ability of motor imagery; however, the effects of motor imagery and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation on resting-state electroencephalography are unknown. We examined the effects of motor imagery and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation on the vividness of motor imagery and resting-state electroencephalography. The participants were divided into a motor imagery group and motor imagery and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation group. They performed 60 motor imagery tasks involving wrist dorsiflexion movement. In the motor imagery and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation group, we applied repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation to the extensor carpi radialis longus muscle during motor imagery. We measured the vividness of motor imagery and resting-state electroencephalography before and after the task. Both groups displayed a significant increase in the vividness of motor imagery. The motor imagery and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation group exhibited increased β activity in the anterior cingulate cortex by source localization for electroencephalography. Hence, combined motor imagery and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation changes the resting-state electroencephalography activity and may promote motor imagery.

Transcriptional expression of CXCL10 and STAT1 in lupus nephritis and the intervention effect of triptolide

ObjectiveThis study screened out the key genes associated with the occurrence and development of lupus nephritis (LN) using bioinformatics methods, and then explored the expression of key genes in LN and the inhibitory effect of triptolide.MethodsThe GEO2R online tool in the GEO database was used to perform differential analysis of gene expression in LN tissues and normal kidney tissues. The GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), STRING, and Cytoscape software were used to build a protein–protein interaction network (PPI) to screen out the Hub gene. Mouse glomerular mesangial cells (MMC) were randomly divided into a control group, an interferon-γ (IFN-γ) stimulation group, and a triptolide intervention group. The relative expression of CXCL10 mRNA in each group was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RT-PCR). CXCL10 secretion was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and Western blot was used to detect the expression of the JAK/STAT1 signaling pathway–related proteins STAT1 and p-STAT1 in each group.ResultsBioinformatics showed that there were 22 DEGs expression differences in the GEO database. The GO enrichment analysis showed that biological process (BP) such as the type I interferon signaling pathway, innate immune response, IFN-γ-mediated signaling pathway, virus defense response, and immune response were significantly regulated by DEGs. Through the combination of String database analysis and cytoscape software, it was found that STAT1 and CXCL10 are closely related to LN. Experimental results showed that IFN-γ induces the expression of CXCL10 mRNA and protein by activating the JAK/STAT1 signaling pathway, while triptolide inhibits the expression of CXCL10 mRNA and protein by inhibiting the JAK/STAT1 signaling pathway.ConclusionSTAT1 and CXCL10 are the key genes in the occurrence and development of LN. IFN-γ induces the expression of CXCL10 by activating the JAK/STAT1 signaling pathway, while triptolide inhibits the expression of CXCL10 by blocking the JAK/STAT1 signaling pathway. Inhibition of the JAK/STAT1 signaling pathway and CXCL10 expression is expected to become a potential target for the treatment of LN.Key Points• Bioinformatics showed that there were 22 DEGs expression differences in the GEO database.• Through the combination of String database analysis and Cytoscape software, it was found that STAT1 and CXCL10 are closely related to LN.• Experimental results showed that IFN-γ induces the expression of CXCL10 mRNA and protein by activating the JAK/STAT1 signaling pathway, while triptolide inhibits the expression of CXCL10 mRNA and protein by inhibiting the JAK/STAT1 signaling pathway.

Detection of brown adipose tissue in rats with acute cold stimulation using quantitative susceptibility mapping.

Detection of brown adipose tissue in rats with acute cold stimulation using quantitative susceptibility mapping.

Acoustic Stimulation Improves Memory and Reverses the Contribution of Chronic Sleep Deprivation to Pathology in 3xTgAD Mice

Acoustic stimulation during sleep is believed to enhance slow waves, which are critical to memory consolidation. However, clinical trials of acoustic stimulation have yielded mixed results concerning its effectiveness in improving human memory. A few studies have implied that acoustic stimulation ameliorates the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in mice with normal sleep. Here, we explored the effect of acoustic stimulation on 3xTgAD mice suffering from chronic sleep deprivation, as these data may shed light on the potential use of acoustic stimulation in AD patients with insomnia. Methods: Twenty-four 8-month-old 3xTgAD mice were randomly and equally divided into three groups: the normal sleep group (S group), the sleep deprivation group (SD group), and the acoustic stimulation group (AS group). During a 14-day sleep intervention, the SD and AS groups received 6 h of sleep deprivation per day, and the AS group also received acoustic stimulation in the dark phase. Then, the mice underwent Morris water maze (MWM) tests and arterial spin labelling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and were sacrificed for pathological evaluation. Results: The three groups showed similar stress levels. The S and AS groups exhibited better spatial memory, better brain perfusion, and milder amyloid β (Aβ) and tau pathology than the SD group, although no significant discrepancies were found between the S and AS groups. Conclusion: Acoustic stimulation may exert a protective effect in 3xTgAD mice by improving spatial memory, enhancing the blood supply of the brain, and reversing the contribution of chronic sleep deprivation to Aβ and tau pathology to mimic the effect of normal sleep patterns.

Distinct roles of the medial prefrontal cortex in advantageous and disadvantageous inequity aversion

Human beings have a strong preference for the fair distribution of resources in situations of both advantageous and disadvantageous inequity. Neuroimaging studies have shown that the process of advantageous and disadvantageous inequity aversion involves distinct brain regions. However, little is known about the causal roles of the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) in these two types of inequity aversion. To clarify the roles of the dmPFC in both types of inequity aversion, 70 subjects were recruited and randomly assigned to two anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) groups: tDCS over the dmPFC and tDCS over the primary visual cortex. Participants then completed a dictator game, which was used to measure the aversion to inequity. This study found that tDCS over the dmPFC decreased the aversion to disadvantageous inequity, but not that to advantageous inequity, and the treatment effect was modulated by equity cost. These results show that the dmPFC plays different roles in these two types of inequity aversion.

Comparing transcranial direct current stimulation and transcranial random noise stimulation over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left inferior frontal gyrus: Effects on divergent and convergent thinking.

The essential role of creativity has been highlighted in several human knowledge areas. Regarding the neural underpinnings of creativity, there is evidence about the role of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) on divergent thinking (DT) and convergent thinking (CT). Transcranial stimulation studies suggest that the left DLPFC is associated with both DT and CT, whereas left IFG is more related to DT. However, none of the previous studies have targeted both hubs simultaneously and compared transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and random noise stimulation (tRNS). Additionally, given the relationship between cognitive flexibility and creativity, we included it in order to check if the improvement in creativity may be mediated by cognitive flexibility. In this double-blind, between-subjects study, 66 healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups (N = 22) that received a transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), or sham for 20 min. The tDCS group received 1.5 mA with the anode over the left DLPFC and cathode over the left IFG. Locations in tRNS group were the same and they received 1.5 mA of high frequency tRNS (100-500 Hz). Divergent thinking was assessed before (baseline) and during stimulation with unusual uses (UU) and picture completion (PC) subtests from Torrance Creative thinking Test, whereas convergent thinking was evaluated with the remote association test (RAT). Stroop test was included to assess cognitive flexibility. ANCOVA results of performance under stimulation (controlling for baseline performance) showed that there were significant differences in PC (F = 3.35, p = 0.042, = 0.10) but not in UU (F = 0.61, p = 0.546) and RAT (F = 2.65, p = 0.079) scores. Post-hoc analyses showed that tRNS group had significantly higher scores compared to sham (p = 0.004) in PC. More specifically, tRNS showed higher performance in fluency (p = 0.012) and originality (p = 0.021) dimensions of PC compared to sham. Regarding cognitive flexibility, we did not find any significant effect of any of the stimulation groups (F = 0.34, p = 0.711). Therefore, no further mediation analyses were performed. Finally, the group that received tDCS reported more adverse effects than sham group (F = 3.46, p = 0.035). Altogether, these results suggest that tRNS may have some advantages over tDCS in DT.

Prolonged inhibition of bladder function is evoked by low-amplitude electrical stimulation of the saphenous nerve in urethane-anesthetized rats.

To better understand the effects of saphenous nerve (SN) stimulation on bladder function, we investigated the duration of electrical stimulation as a key variable in eliciting urodynamic changes. SN stimulation is a novel approach to electrically modulating bladder function. In previous animal studies, bladder-inhibitory responses were evoked by low-amplitude (25 μA) stimulus pulses applied in short-duration (10min) trials and at frequencies between 10 and 20 Hz. Experiments were performed in urethane-anesthetized rats that were separated into three groups: intravesical saline infusion + SN stimulation (group A), intravesical 0.1% acetic acid infusion + SN stimulation (group B), and intravesical saline infusion + no SN stimulation (group C). Changes in bladder function- basal bladder pressure (P base ), contraction amplitude (ΔP), and inter-contraction interval (T ICI )-were measured in response to stimulation trials applied for different durations (10, 20, and 40 min). Trials were also repeated at frequencies of 10 and 20 Hz. In group A, longer-duration (40 min) stimulation trials applied at 10Hz evoked overflow incontinence (OI) episodes that were characterized by significant changes in P base (122.7 ± 9.1%, p=0.026), ΔP (-60.8 ± 12.8%, p=0.044), and T ICI (-43.2 ± 13.0%, p=0.031). Stimulation-evoked OI was observed in 5 of 8 animals and lasted for 56.5 ± 10.7min. In contrast, no significant changes in bladder function were observed in either group B or group C. Our findings show that longer-duration trials consisting of electrical pulses applied at 10Hz are important stimulation parameters that elicit inhibitory bladder responses in anesthetized rodents.