A Bibliometric Analysis for Low-Intensity Ultrasound Study Over the Past Three Decades.

Low-intensity ultrasound (LI-US) is a non-invasive stimulation technique that has emerged in recent years and has been shown to have positive effects on neuromodulation, fracture healing, inflammation improvement, and metabolic regulation. This study reports the conclusions of a bibliometric analysis of LI-US. Input data for the period between 1995 and 2022, including 7209 related articles in the field of LI-US, were collected from the core library of the Web of Science (WOS) database. Using these data, a set of bibliometric indicators was obtained to gain knowledge on different aspects: global production, research areas, and sources analysis, contributions of countries and institutions, author analysis, citation analysis, and keyword analysis. This study combined the data analysis capabilities provided by the WOS database, making use of two bibliometric software tools: R software and VOS viewer to achieve analysis and data exploration visualization, and predicted the further development trends of LI-US. It turns out that the United States and China are co-leaders while Zhang ZG is the most significant author in LI-US. In the future, the hot spots of LI-US will continue to focus on parameter research, mechanism discussion, safety regulations, and neuromodulation applications.

Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Attenuates Postoperative Neurocognitive Impairment and Salvages Hippocampal Synaptogenesis in Aged Mice.

Postoperative neurocognitive impairment is an urgent problem with global aging accelerating. The prevention and treatment of postoperative neurocognitive impairment have been widely investigated but lack effective strategies. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), a non-invasive tool, has shown an effect on neuroprotection, but whether it could attenuate the postoperative neurocognitive impairment and the underlying mechanisms remains unknown. An experimental setup for LIPUS stimulation of the hippocampus was well established. A laparotomy model in aged mice was applied, and a Morris water maze was used to assess cognitive function. RT-qPCR and western blotting were used to detect levels of Piezo1, synapse-associated proteins in the hippocampus, respectively. Immunofluorescent staining was also used to determine the neural activation and Piezo1 expression. The results showed that LIPUS increased synapse-related proteins of the hippocampus and attenuated cognitive impairment in aged mice. Meanwhile, LIPUS suppressed the overexpression of Piezo1 in the hippocampus. We further found that LIPUS promoted Calpain1 activity and increased extracellular regulated protein kinases (Erk) phosphorylation. Our results suggested that LIPUS could improve cognitive impairment and increase hippocampal synaptogenesis through the Piezo1-mediated Calpain1/ Erk pathway. LIPUS could be used as an effective physical intervention to alleviate postoperative cognitive dysfunction in the aged population.

Potential Serum Biomarkers for Postoperative Neurocognitive Disorders Based on Proteomic Analysis of Cognitive-Related Brain Regions.

Postoperative neurocognitive disorders (po-NCD), including postoperative delirium (POD) and delayed neurocognitive recovery (dNCR), are common in geriatric surgical patients. However, the ideal diagnostic biomarkers to predict individual risks of po-NCDs have not been identified. In this study, proteomic analysis was used to detect dysregulated proteins in three cognitive-related brain regions, the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and temporal lobe, of aged dNCR rats. The common affected proteins in these three brain regions were further verified by real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Furthermore, serum samples from aged rats with dNCR and elderly hip fracture patients with POD were also assessed with enzyme linked immunosorbent assays to investigate the biomarker potential of these dysregulated proteins. The increased expression levels of haptoglobin, caseinolytic protease (ClpP), and alpha-2 macroglobulin (A2M) as well as decreased expression levels of 14-3-3ß/α and biliverdin reductase-A (BVR-A) were validated by proteomic analysis in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and temporal lobe of aged dNCR rats. The increased expression of haptoglobin and decreased expression of 14-3-3ß/α were further demonstrated in the three brain regions by western blotting. Moreover, increased levels of S100A6 and BVR-A in the hippocampus, S100A6 in the prefrontal cortex, and A2M in the temporal lobe were also observed. More intriguingly, both decreased serum 14-3-3ß/α and increased A2M in geriatric POD patients as well as decreased serum ClpP in aged dNCR rats were verified. These results not only indicate potential diagnostic biomarkers for po-NCD but also provide directions for further pathological investigations. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier [ChiCTR1900027393].