Current status and new progress of drug therapy for premature ejaculation / 现代泌尿外科杂志

Premature ejaculation (PE) is the most common male sexual dysfunction with a high incidence, which seriously affects the relationship between a husband and wife and family harmony. Drug therapy is a first-line treatment for PE patients with premature ejaculation, and has achieved good efficacy, but the clinically available drugs are single and the abandonment rate is high. Coupled with the ineffective treatment of some patients, new drug research and development is imminent. This paper systematically reviews the current status of drug treatment for premature ejaculation, focusing on the research and development of new drugs and research progress in order to provide a reference for clinicians.

Thalamocortical Circuit Controls Neuropathic Pain via Up-regulation of HCN2 in the Ventral Posterolateral Thalamus / 神经科学通报·英文版

The thalamocortical (TC) circuit is closely associated with pain processing. The hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) 2 channel is predominantly expressed in the ventral posterolateral thalamus (VPL) that has been shown to mediate neuropathic pain. However, the role of VPL HCN2 in modulating TC circuit activity is largely unknown. Here, by using optogenetics, neuronal tracing, electrophysiological recordings, and virus knockdown strategies, we showed that the activation of VPL TC neurons potentiates excitatory synaptic transmission to the hindlimb region of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1HL) as well as mechanical hypersensitivity following spared nerve injury (SNI)-induced neuropathic pain in mice. Either pharmacological blockade or virus knockdown of HCN2 (shRNA-Hcn2) in the VPL was sufficient to alleviate SNI-induced hyperalgesia. Moreover, shRNA-Hcn2 decreased the excitability of TC neurons and synaptic transmission of the VPL-S1HL circuit. Together, our studies provide a novel mechanism by which HCN2 enhances the excitability of the TC circuit to facilitate neuropathic pain.

Effect of esketamine on long-term cognitive dysfunction induced by propofol anesthesia in developing rats and the role of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway / 中华麻醉学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the effect of esketamine on long-term cognitive dysfunction induced by propofol anesthesia in the developing rats and the role of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/serine-threonine protein kinase (Akt) signaling pathway.Methods:Forty-eight clean-grade healthy Sprague-Dawley rats of either sex, aged 7 days, weighing 10-15 g, were divided into 4 groups ( n=12 each) using a random number table method: fat emulsion group (C group), propofol group (P group), esketamine + propofol group (EP group), and PI3K inhibitor LY294002 + esketamine + propofol group (LYEP group). Medium/long-chain fat emulsion injection 100 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected in C group. Propofol was intraperitoneally injected at a dose of 50 mg/kg, followed by an additional dose of 50 mg/kg after the righting reflex was restored (40-60 min later) in P group. In group EP, esketamine 10 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected, followed by propofol administration using the same method as previously described in P group. In LYEP group, LY294002 25 μg was injected via the lateral ventricle, 30 min later ketamine 10 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected, and then propofol was given using the same method as previously described in P group. Six rats in each group were randomly sacrificed at 2 h after emergence for microscopic examination of pathological changes of hippocampal neurons and for determination of Akt, phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt), Bax, and cleaved caspase-3 in the hippocampal tissues (using Western blot). The remaining 6 rats in each group were subjected to Y-maze test to evaluate their learning and memory abilities at 30 days after birth. The p-Akt/Akt ratio was calculated. Results:Compared with C group, the p-Akt/Akt ratio in the hippocampal tissues was significantly decreased, the expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 was up-regulated, the number of training sessions required for learning was increased, the correct response rate was decreased ( P<0.05), and the pathological damage to neurons in hippocampal CA1 region was found in P, EP and LYEP groups. Compared with P group, the p-Akt/Akt ratio in the hippocampal tissues was significantly increased, the expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 was down-regulated, the number of training sessions required for learning was decreased, the correct response rate was increased ( P<0.05), and the pathological damage to neurons in hippocampal CA1 region was significantly attenuated in EP and LYEP groups. Compared with EP group, the p-Akt/Akt ratio in the hippocampal tissue was significantly decreased, and the expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 was up-regulated, the number of training sessions required for learning was increased, the correct response rate was decreased ( P<0.05), and the pathological damage to neurons in hippocampal CA1 region was aggravated in LYEP group. Conclusions:Esketamine can alleviate long-term cognitive impairment caused by propofol anesthesia in the developing rats, and the mechanism may be related to activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and inhibition of apoptosis in neurons.

Research progress of the modernization of TCM tongue diagnosis / 国际中医中药杂志

Tongue diagnosis is one of the diagnostic methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), but its development has always been restricted by the lack of objective quantitative indicators. With the rapid development of computer technology and the advent of the algorithm era, the modernization of TCM tongue diagnosis has gradually become a hot research spot. This paper annalyses the literature and related patents of the modernization of tongue diagnosis and summarizes the R&D progress and application of tongue diagnosis as well as related instruments. It is found that domestic and foreign scholars focus on tongue diagnosis related research and attach importance to the formulation of relevant international standards. Tongue collection and analysis technology continues to develop; tongue diagnostic instruments are also gradually enriched. At present, their applications are extended to family self-use, but they are still mainly used in teaching, scientific research and other fields, involving the clinical efficacy evaluation of TCM, clinical case classification and health management, and there is still much room for development. In the future, we should strengthen the communication between multi-regional research centers, promote the communication among talents in different fields, constantly make up for the deficiencies and promote the development of tongue diagnosis research.

Clinical observation of radiofrequency thermocoagulation of lumbar sympathetic ganglia combined with pregabalin in treatment of complex regional pain syndrome / 重庆医学

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency thermocoagulation of lumbar sympathetic ganglia combined with pregabalin in the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome(CRPS).Methods 26 patients with lower limb CRPS were selected and treated by the radiofrequency thermocoagulation of lumbar sympathetic ganglia combined with oral pregabalin capsule.The visual analogue scale (VAS)and the quality of sleep(QS)were adopted to evaluate the pain change before treatment and on 1,7,14,28,56 d after treatment.The temperature change of lower limb skin and the occurrence situation of adverse reactions were recorded.Results Compared with before treatment,the scores of VAS and QS at different time points after treatment were decreased significantly (P <0.05),the skin temperature of affected lower limb after treatment was increased significantly (P <0.05).The total effective rates on 28,56 d after treatment were 88.46% and 96.15% respectively.The adverse reactions were mainly dizziness and somnolence.No severe complications such as vascular,neural and intra-abdominal organs injury were found in the treatment process.Conclusion The radiofrequency thermocoagulation of lumbar sympathetic ganglia combined with pregabalin in the treatment of CRPS can rapidly alleviate pain,improve the patients′quality of sleep and living.

Numerical simulation and heat transfer in sand therapy in Uyghur medicine / 中南大学学报(医学版)

Objective To investigate the mechanism of heat transfer process in sand therapy in Uyghur medicine. Methods A mathematical model was developed to describe the heat transfer process between human body and the sand during sand therapy. Temperature field was numerically simulated and analyzed based on this model. Results Temperature field in both human tissues and sand was calculated. The surface temperature of the sand and skin surface changed significantly at the beginning of the sand therapy, while sand temperature (5 cm deep) almost kept constant. The skin temperature dramatically increased at the beginning of the sand therapy and then slightly dropped. When sand was deeper than 10 cm, the thickness of sand would not influence the temperature field in human tissues during sand therapy. High initial temperature of sand might cause harmful skin burn. Threshold skin burn occurred if initial temperature of sand was higher than 64.6 ℃ and if the therapy lasted more than 30 minutes.Conclusion Temperature fieled in human tissues varies significantly with the initial temperature of sand, thickness of sand, and duration of therapy.

A study of heating effects of therapeutic sand on skin as used in the Uyghur medicine / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective To study the heating effect on skin of the therapeutic sand used in the Uyghur medicine. Methods We have continuously collected data of the dynamically changing surface body temperature during the course of sand therapy. Having applied the surface skin response equations, we calculated the situational effects on surface skin tissue by examining different temperature fields and time segments. All the data was collected by a 2 700 type multichannel data collection apparatus. Results It was found that, in the period of mid June to mid August every year, the air temperature of the sand therapy facility was 40?2.3℃ at the time 15∶00 to 18∶00 in the afternoon and the sand used as a medicinal poultice could be maintained at the temperature of 38?4.6℃ at the depth of 20 cm from the surface of the sand. During the process of sand therapy, the skin surface temperature rises rapidly, up to 39℃,but the skin surface temperature falls subsequently, as the heat stimulates perspiration and the cooling effect of evaporation takes place to 36?0.32℃. Two to three hours later, the surface skin temperature gets stable and maintained at 36?0.6℃. Conclusion When the sand temperature reached 43℃, it could not hurt the skin and tissue, because the body temperature could balance with sand temperature at an ideal temperature for the skin. The ideal time for sand therapy is during the period from June and August, at 15∶00~18∶00 every day. When the air temperature reaches 40?2.3℃, the sand temperature will be below 38?4.6℃. Under these conditions the human body should be buried under the sand at the depth of 20 cm for a period of one half to one hour to achieve therapeutic effects.