Case reports and clinical trials remain the primary tools of research in this sector, but their inadequacy is highlighted by the absence of large-scale, multi-center clinical trials and animal experimentation. This deficiency is further complicated by systemic challenges in inter-institutional collaboration and experimental design, thereby demanding improved cooperation and enhanced experimental methodologies amongst researchers.
Recent years have witnessed the rapid evolution of acupuncture's application in treating Bell's palsy, marked by a surge in research focusing on integrated approaches with traditional Chinese medicine. Key areas of investigation include the impact of acupuncture on the prognosis of facial palsy, the underlying mechanisms of acupuncture in enhancing facial nerve function, and the effectiveness of electroacupuncture. The current research landscape in this domain is predominantly characterized by case reports and clinical trials, leaving a significant gap in large-scale, multi-center clinical trials and animal studies. This is further complicated by the persisting challenges in institutional cooperation and experimental design, necessitating enhanced collaboration and refined experimental design practices.
Osteoarthritis (OA), a frequent clinical disease, is recognized by the breakdown of articular cartilage, the hardening of the subchondral bone, the formation of cysts, and the development of bone spurs. Exosomes are increasingly the focus of academic inquiry in osteoarthritis research, with significant progress made in recent years. However, there is a gap in the quantitative analysis of the published work in this research domain. Whole Genome Sequencing This article, focusing on the treatment of osteoarthritis, sought to analyze the current research landscape and identify future hotspots for exosomes in osteoarthritis using bibliometric tools over the past decade.
Research papers of relevance to this area, published from 2012 to 2022, were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection database (WOSSCC). To perform bibliometric analysis, we utilized VosViewer, CiteSpace, an online analytical platform, and the R package Bibliometrix.
In this investigation, a collection of 484 publications was analyzed, including 319 articles and 165 review papers, stemming from 51 nations and 720 institutions. In this field of research, IRCCS Ist Ortoped Galeazzi, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Sun Yat-sen University are recognized as the leading institutions.
In terms of article contributions, they held the lead.
It boasts the highest citation count among all journals. From the pool of 2664 scholars who contributed to the study, Ragni E, De Girolamo L, Orfei CP, and Colombini A published the highest volume of articles. In the realm of co-citation analysis, Zhang, SP excels as the most cited author. This research is centered on mesenchymal stem cells, biomaterials, inflammation, and regenerative medicine, with those being the focal points.
Exosomes within the realm of osteoarthritis are analyzed in this pioneering bibliometric study. Recent years' research was surveyed, revealing frontiers and areas of intense activity in this domain. SBE-β-CD MSC-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos) are key to osteoarthritis treatment, and exosomal biomaterials are a leading-edge area of research, providing valuable models for research in this field.
This constitutes the inaugural bibliometric study focusing on exosomes and osteoarthritis. Recent research endeavors were assessed to understand the current status of the field, and crucial innovative directions and leading research hotspots were pinpointed. In the treatment of osteoarthritis, the vital role of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos) is stressed, and the cutting-edge potential of exosomal biomaterials in the research domain is highlighted. This investigation provides a useful framework for those involved in this field of study.
Potential exists for diet-derived aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) ligands to ensure the proper functioning of the gut. Although a wide range of bioactive compounds are present in food, the identification of novel functional ligands that demonstrably improve gastrointestinal health remains a significant challenge. A novel AHR modulator in the cultivated white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) is predicted, identified, and subsequently characterized in this study. A methylated analog of benzothiazole, determined through molecular networking, was present in white button mushrooms, subsequently isolated and identified as 2-amino-4-methyl-benzothiazole (2A4). AHR-dependent transcriptional responses in cellular systems indicated that 2-amino-4-methyl-benzothiazole possesses agonistic activity, resulting in elevated CYP1A1 expression levels. This research challenges the previous finding of overall antagonistic activity in vivo for whole white button mushroom extract. This underscores the importance of determining the separate impacts of each chemical component within a complete food. The experimental results strongly suggest that white button mushrooms contain the compound 2-amino-4-methyl-benzothiazole, which acts as a previously unknown AHR modulator. This study demonstrates the promising potential of molecular networking to uncover new receptor modulators from naturally occurring substances.
In the recent years, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has underscored the importance of inclusion, diversity, access, and equity (IDA&E) in infectious disease (ID) clinical practice, medical education, and research with clearly articulated priorities. With the goal of ensuring adherence to these principles, the IDSA IDA&E Task Force was launched in 2018. A discussion about the best practices of IDA&E for ID fellows' education was held by the IDSA Training Program Directors Committee in 2021. Recruitment, clinical training, didactics, and faculty development were the focus of specific goals and strategies sought by committee members. The ideas discussed at the meeting are compiled in this article, intended as a reference document for ID training program directors navigating this subject.
Abnormalities in cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) are present in the structural and functional MRI connectivity metrics. Previous studies demonstrated a high level of consistency in the whole-brain structural connectivity measures for patients with SVD, while exhibiting low reproducibility in whole-brain functional connectivity. The lower reproducibility of functional networks in SVD cases raises a critical question: is this a targeted effect on certain networks or a generalized problem affecting all networks in affected patients? For this case-control study, 15 subjects with SVD and 10 age-matched controls underwent two distinct scans using diffusion tensor imaging and resting-state fMRI. Connectivity matrices were built, combining structural and functional data. The default mode, fronto-parietal, limbic, salience, somatomotor, and visual networks were isolated from these matrices. Average connectivity within each connection type was calculated to evaluate their reproducibility. Reproducibility of regional structural networks exceeded that of functional networks; all structural networks, except the salience network derived from SVD, exhibited ICC values exceeding 0.64. medial ball and socket Control participants demonstrated superior reproducibility of functional networks, with ICC values exceeding 0.7, compared to the significantly lower reproducibility observed in the SVD group, where ICC values remained below 0.5. The default mode network exhibited the most consistent results for both the control and SVD groups. The degree of reproducibility in functional networks was influenced by disease status; specifically, singular value decomposition (SVD) analyses revealed lower reproducibility in diseased subjects compared to controls.
A combination of preclinical and clinical trial research, including meta-analysis, indicated the potential for acupuncture to enhance cognitive performance in individuals with cerebral small vessel disease. A study of acupuncture's influence on cerebral blood flow was conducted on subjects with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), juxtaposed against a control group of healthy elderly individuals.
Ten subjects possessing cerebrovascular small vessel disease (CSVD) and ten age-matched controls lacking or exhibiting only minor cerebrovascular small vessel disease were gathered. Thirty minutes of acupuncture were applied to individuals in both groups. We evaluated the impact of our acupuncture treatment on cerebral blood flow using transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD). The middle cerebral artery (MCA) peak systolic velocity (PSV) and pulsatility index (PI) were evaluated.
A 20-minute measurement demonstrated a maximum 39% increase in PSV.
During the course of the acupuncture session, the CSVD group displayed no significant change in PI, in sharp contrast to the observed 0.005 change in PI in the other group. For the control group, the acupuncture procedure yielded no discernible variation in PSV; nevertheless, a noteworthy decrement in PI, with a maximum decrease of 22%, was experienced at the 20-minute time point.
To guarantee distinctiveness and structural variety, the following sentences are recast, maintaining the essence of the initial message while achieving a completely different sentence structure. During and following the procedure, there were no reported adverse events.
The subjects of this study, who possessed established moderate to severe CSVD, experienced an increase in cerebral blood flow due to our acupuncture prescription, with no demonstrable changes in distal vascular resistance. Subjects without or with insignificant cerebrovascular small vessel disease (CSVD) might experience a decrease in cerebral small vessel distal vascular resistance. Subsequent analysis, featuring a wider spectrum of subjects, is imperative to validate the conclusions drawn from this study.
Based on this study, our acupuncture prescription demonstrated an association with an increase in cerebral blood flow in patients with established moderate to severe cerebrovascular disease, without any noticeable change in distal vascular resistance. Subjects with either no or insignificant cerebrovascular small vessel disease may potentially have their cerebral small vessel distal vascular resistance reduced.