Auricular acupuncture for persistent insomnia and anxiety associated with COVID-19: a case report

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with various psychological symptoms. We report a case of a female patient who was diagnosed with persistent insomnia and anxiety associated with COVID-19, which was successfully treated with nine treatment sessions of auricular acupuncture. This case report provides preliminary evidence to support further research into auricular acupuncture as a potential therapy for persistent insomnia and anxiety associated with COVID-19

Development and validation of risk prediction and neural network models for dilated cardiomyopathy based on WGCNA

BackgroundDilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a progressive heart condition characterized by ventricular dilatation and impaired myocardial contractility with a high mortality rate. The molecular characterization of DCM has not been determined yet. Therefore, it is crucial to discover potential biomarkers and therapeutic options for DCM.MethodsThe hub genes for the DCM were screened using Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) and three different algorithms in Cytoscape. These genes were then validated in a mouse model of doxorubicin (DOX)-induced DCM. Based on the validated hub genes, a prediction model and a neural network model were constructed and validated in a separate dataset. Finally, we assessed the diagnostic efficiency of hub genes and their relationship with immune cells.ResultsA total of eight hub genes were identified. Using RT-qPCR, we validated that the expression levels of five key genes (ASPN, MFAP4, PODN, HTRA1, and FAP) were considerably higher in DCM mice compared to normal mice, and this was consistent with the microarray results. Additionally, the risk prediction and neural network models constructed from these genes showed good accuracy and sensitivity in both the combined and validation datasets. These genes also demonstrated better diagnostic power, with AUC greater than 0.7 in both the combined and validation datasets. Immune cell infiltration analysis revealed differences in the abundance of most immune cells between DCM and normal samples.ConclusionThe current findings indicate an underlying association between DCM and these key genes, which could serve as potential biomarkers for diagnosing and treating DCM

Even Visually Intact Cell Walls in Waterlogged Archaeological Wood Are Chemically Deteriorated and Mechanically Fragile : A Case of a 170 Year-Old Shipwreck

Structural and chemical deterioration and its impact on cell wall mechanics were investigated for visually intact cell walls (VICWs) in waterlogged archaeological wood (WAW). Cell wall mechanical properties were examined by nanoindentation without prior embedding. WAW showed more than 25% decrease of both hardness and elastic modulus. Changes of cell wall composition, cellulose crystallite structure and porosity were investigated by ATR-FTIR imaging, Raman imaging, wet chemistry, C-13-solid state NMR, pyrolysis-GC/MS, wide angle X-ray scattering, and N-2 nitrogen adsorption. VICWs in WAW possessed a cleavage of carboxyl in side chains of xylan, a serious loss of polysaccharides, and a partial breakage of beta -O-4 interlinks in lignin. This was accompanied by a higher amount of mesopores in cell walls. Even VICWs in WAW were severely deteriorated at the nanoscale with impact on mechanics, which has strong implications for the conservation of archaeological shipwrecks.Peer reviewe

Even Visually Intact Cell Walls in Waterlogged Archaeological Wood Are Chemically Deteriorated and Mechanically Fragile: A Case of a 170 Year-Old Shipwreck

Structural and chemical deterioration and its impact on cell wall mechanics were investigated for visually intact cell walls (VICWs) in waterlogged archaeological wood (WAW). Cell wall mechanical properties were examined by nanoindentation without prior embedding. WAW showed more than 25% decrease of both hardness and elastic modulus. Changes of cell wall composition, cellulose crystallite structure and porosity were investigated by ATR-FTIR imaging, Raman imaging, wet chemistry, 13C-solid state NMR, pyrolysis-GC/MS, wide angle X-ray scattering, and N2 nitrogen adsorption. VICWs in WAW possessed a cleavage of carboxyl in side chains of xylan, a serious loss of polysaccharides, and a partial breakage of β-O-4 interlinks in lignin. This was accompanied by a higher amount of mesopores in cell walls. Even VICWs in WAW were severely deteriorated at the nanoscale with impact on mechanics, which has strong implications for the conservation of archaeological shipwrecks

Evaluating the efficacy and acceptability of vagus nerve stimulation for fibromyalgia: a PRISMA-compliant protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundFibromyalgia has imposed substantial burdens on patients’ health and well-being, yet effective therapeutic options for this condition remain limited. Recently, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has emerged as a promising therapy for fibromyalgia. Nonetheless, despite the increasing number of randomized clinical trials (RCTs), current evidence remains inconclusive. Therefore, this protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis aims to synthesize the existing evidence to clarify the efficacy and acceptability of VNS for treating fibromyalgia.MethodsA comprehensive search for eligible RCTs will be conducted across nine bibliographic databases, namely PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, AMED, PsycINFO, PEDro, Chinese BioMedical Literature Database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wangfang database. Data obtained from the included studies will be synthesized quantitively using RevMan 5.4.1 for meta-analyses. The methodological soundness of included RCTs will be assessed via the Cochrane’s updated risk of bias tool (version 2.0). Additionally, sensitivity analyses, publication bias assessment, and subgroup analyses will be conducted as appropriate. Finally, we will utilize the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system to evaluate the certainty for the body of evidence.ConclusionThe findings of our study are anticipated to ascertain the efficacy and acceptability of VNS as a promising treatment option for fibromyalgia. This will not only fill current research gap but also identify potential areas for future research. The findings will provide essential guidance for evidence-based treatment decisions for fibromyalgia, benefiting both patients and clinicians

The Impact of Spatial Structure on Economic Efficiency of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Megalopolis in China

This study constructs a theoretical model and empirical framework concerning how spatial structure affects economic efficiency using data on the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) megaregion between 2008 and 2017. The study finds the following: ① the development of the internal spatial structure of the BTH urban agglomeration is unequal. The populations of most cities in the urban agglomeration are still in a dispersed state. Although urban populations have tended to agglomerate around multiple subcenter units in the cities, the trend towards population agglomeration around city centers is not found to be significant. ② The total factor productivity (TFP) of the BTH urban agglomeration was not high in most years between 2008 and 2017, showing a fluctuating downward trend overall. The TFP of the urban agglomeration showed differential regional patterns. The decline of TFP growth in the BTH urban agglomeration is mainly due to declining technological progress, technological efficiency, and scale efficiency. Resource input remains the major driving force behind the development of the BTH megaregion. ③ Concerning how the spatial structure of the urban agglomeration affected economic efficiency, the study finds that primacy, urban Gini index, urban population size, human capital, informatization level, industrial structure, and science and technology levels have positive effects on economic efficiency, whereas dispersion, governmental role, economic openness, and land input have negative effects. This study has several policy implications. Achieving coordinated and integrated development of the BTH urban agglomeration will require constructing a scientific and regional spatial system, improving the development levels of regional central cities, divesting Beijing of noncapital functions, and reshaping the industrial layout of the BTH megaregion in an orderly manner, while continuously improving the internal hierarchical structure of urban agglomeration and strengthening intercity economic connections

Experimental study on the slip evolution of planar fractures subjected to cyclic normal stress

Abstract The frictional rupture mechanisms of rock discontinuities considering the dynamic load disturbance still remain unclear. This paper investigates the transitional behaviors of slip events happened on a planar granite fracture under cyclic normal stress with different oscillation amplitudes. The experimental results show that the activations of fast slips always correlate with unloading of normal stress. Besides, the intensive normal stress oscillation can weaken the shear strength which is recoverable when the normal stress return to constant. The rupture patterns are quantified by stress drop, slip length and slip velocity. With the effect of small oscillation amplitudes, the slip events show chaotic shapes, compared to the regular and predictable style under constant normal stress. When the amplitude is large enough, the big and small slip events emerge alternately, showing a compound slip style. Large amplitude of the cyclic normal stress also widens the interval differences of the slip events. This work provides experimental supports for a convincible link between the dynamic stress disturbance and the slip behavior of rock fractures

The Detection Rate of Postpartum Depression in Advanced Maternal Age in China: a Meta-analysis

Background With the rapid development of economy and the change of fertility concept in modern population, the number of advanced maternal age is increasing year by year. Compared with appropriate maternal age, advanced maternal age is more likely to suffer from depressive symptoms due to personal, family, work, and other reasons. Objective To systematically evaluate the detection rate of postpartum depression in advanced maternal age (≥35 years at delivery) in China to provide relevant evidence for early prevention and intervention. Methods CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for articles on the detection rate of postpartum depression in advanced maternal age in China by combining subject terms and free terms from inception to July 2023. The process of literature screening, data extraction and quality assessment were carried out by two researchers independently. Stata 16.0 software was used for data analysis. Results A total of 21 studies were included, with a total sample size of 5 163. The results of Meta-analysis showed that the overall detection rate of postpartum depression in advanced maternal age in China was 20.0% (95%CI=17.4%-22.6%). The subgroup analysis revealed that the detection rate of postpartum depression was 19.5% (95%CI=13.8%-25.3%) in women < 40 years old, 40.3% (95%CI=11.4%-69.3%) in women ≥ 40 years old, 19.7% (95%CI=11.7%-27.7%) in women with high school education level or higher, 30.7% (95%CI=19.1%-42.3%) in women with high school education level or lower, 21.1% (95%CI=14.4%-27.9%) in primipara, 16.2% (95%CI=12.9%-19.6%) in multipara, 16.4% (95%CI=12.2%-20.6%) in natural childbirth, 27.8% (95%CI=20.9%-34.8%) in cesarean section, 20.7% (95%CI=15.6%-25.8%) in women with male newborn and 27.3% (95%CI=20.5%-34.0%) in women with female newborn; there were 38.7% (95%CI=22.6%-54.8%) women with pregnancy complications, 11.7% (95%CI=7.6%-15.8%) women without pregnancy complications, 29.5% (95%CI=17.9%-41.1%) women with adverse pregnancy and childbirth history, 27.7% (95%CI=16.6%-38.8%) women without adverse pregnancy and childbirth history, 18.0% (95%CI=16.5%-19.4%) published the year before 2020, 19.5% (95%CI=18.0%-21.0%) published the year after 2020, 20.4% (95%CI=18.2%-22.6%) in the north and 18.2% (95%CI=17.0%-19.4%) in the south, 20.0% (95%CI=18.5%-21.5%) in the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score ≥ 13 and 16.9% (95%CI=15.2%-18.5%) in the EPDS score ≥ 10. The Egger's test (t=1.76, P=0.095) and the Begg's test (Z=1.48, P=0.147) indicated no significant publication bias. Conclusion The detection rate of postpartum depression is higher for advanced maternal age in China, including women ≥ 40 years old, with high school education level or lower, primipara, cesarean section, female newborn, pregnancy complications and adverse pregnancy and childbirth history, publish year after 2020, areas of the north, EPDS score ≥ 13, attention should be paid to the psychological status of advanced maternal age, and corresponding prevention and intervention measures should be formulated

Hygroscopicity of Waterlogged Archaeological Wood from Xiaobaijiao No.1 Shipwreck Related to Its Deterioration State

Waterlogged archaeological wood (WAW) artifacts, made of natural biodegradable polymers, are important parts of many precious cultural heritages. It is of great importance to understand the hygroscopic behavior of WAW in different deterioration states for the development of optimal drying processes and choices of safe storage in varying conditions. This was investigated in a case-study using two Hopea (Giam) and two Tectona (Teak) WAW samples collected from the Xiaobaijiao No.1 shipwreck. The deterioration state of WAW was evaluated by the maximum water content (MWC) method and by the cell morphological structure. Both Hopea and Tectona WAW could be classified into moderately and less decayed WAW. The hygroscopic behavior of moderately and less decayed WAW was then comparatively investigated using Dynamic Vapor Sorption (DVS) measurements alongside two sorption fitting models. Compositional analysis and hydroxyl accessibility measurements of WAW cell walls were shown to correlate with the hygroscopicity of WAW in different deterioration states. It was concluded that moderately decayed WAW possessed higher hygroscopicity and hysteresis than less decayed WAW because of the lower relative content of polysaccharides and the higher relative content of lignin, including the slow hydrolysis of O-acetyl groups of xylan and the partial breakage of β-O-4 interlinks, accompanied by an increased hydroxyl accessibility. This work helps in deciding on which consolidation measures are advised for shipwreck restauration, i.e., pretreatments with specific consolidates during wood drying, particularly for wooden artifacts displayed in museums.ISSN:2073-436