This work was supported by the National Nature Foundation of China (grant number 82004504) and the Chinese Medicine Administration of Sichuan Province (grant number 2021MS199).

1. Software installation
<ol>
	<li>RevMan software installation
	<ol>
		<li>Go to RevMan&#39;s official website (see Table of Materials), and according to the configuration of the computer system, select the compatible software version, and download it in the form of an exe file.</li>
		<li>Double-click to run the exe file: Next &#62; Select the appropriate installation path &#62; Next &#62; Finish.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>EndNote software installation
	<ol>
		<li>Go to EndNote&#39;s official website (see Table of Materials) to download the installation package compatible with the computer&#39;s version as a ZIP file.</li>
		<li>Decompress the ZIP file within a local folder. Double-click to start the installer.</li>
		<li>Configure the installation options: Next &#62; Welcome to Endnote X9 &#62; I would like a 30-day free trail &#62; Next &#62; I accept the license agreement &#62; Next &#62; Typical &#62; Next &#62; Finish.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>
2. Literature search and screening
<ol>
	<li>Create the retrieval strategy. Determine the search terms according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The details of the retrieval strategy for this study are provided in Supplementary File 1.</li>
	<li>Perform a literature search through various databases (common databases: Pubmed, CBM, Web of Science, CNKI, Cochrane Library, VIP, Embase, and Wan fang; see Table of Materials). Take PubMed as an example:
	<ol>
		<li>Go to the PubMed database website.</li>
		<li>Enter the retrieval strategy based on the Pubmed search rules. 
		NOTE: In this study, the query might be (&#34;insomnia&#34; OR &#34;restlessness&#34; OR &#34;sleeplessness&#34; OR &#34;wakefulness&#34; OR &#34;inability to sleep&#34;) AND (&#34;Medicine, Chinese Traditional&#34; OR &#34;Traditional Chinese Medicine&#34; OR &#34;Zhong Yi Xue&#34; OR &#34;Chinese Traditional Medicine&#34; OR &#34;Chinese patent medicine&#34; OR &#34;Shugan Jieyu Capsules&#34;). In this query, the operator &#34;AND&#34; indicates that the studies must have all the keywords, the operator &#34;OR&#34; indicates that the studies must have at least one of the keywords, and the parentheses indicate the order of these logical operations. The literature search time for this study was up to February 21, 2022 (Supplementary Figure 1A).</li>
		<li>Download all the retrieved literature: Save &#62; PubMed &#62; Create file (Supplementary Figure 1B).</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Perform the literature screening. 
	NOTE: Take Pubmed as an example using Endnote.
	<ol>
		<li>Import the retrieved literature: File &#62; Import &#62; Options &#62; Import Options &#62; PubMed (NLM) &#62; Import (Supplementary Figure 2A).</li>
		<li>Create inclusion and exclusion groups: My Groups &#62; Create group set or Create group. For example, the exclusion groups contain inappropriate interventions, inappropriate patients, duplication of literature, etc. (Supplementary Figure 2B).</li>
		<li>Remove the duplicates: All References &#62; References &#62; Find Duplicates &#62; Cancel. Then, all the duplicate literature is selected. Drag all the selected documents to the left side of the &#34;Trash&#34; to exclude them. After automatically eliminating the duplicate literature, manually check again to eliminate any duplicate literature (Supplementary Figure 2C).</li>
		<li>For literature screening, firstly, read the titles and abstracts of the studies to delete any that do not meet the inclusion criteria, and then further read the full texts to determine whether each study is included.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Consider performing a manual search of the referenced works in the selected studies to increase the search&#39;s exhaustiveness.</li>
	<li>Consider reaching out to the corresponding authors of the literature to request any missing or unclear data to maximize study inclusion and avoid uncertainty in the data collection. 
	NOTE: The literature search and screening must be performed by two or more independent researchers. Final decisions should be made after discussion, or a third researcher must judge in the case of disagreement.</li>
	<li>Use Microsoft Word to create a PRISMA flowchart44 documenting the number of studies retrieved or excluded for each reason (Supplementary File 2).</li>
</ol>
3. Data extraction
<ol>
	<li>Create an Excel extraction spreadsheet containing a list of specific information to be extracted for each literature. For example, this information could include the first author, year of publication, sample size (experimental group/control group), gender, patient age, intervention, duration of treatment, and medication use in the experimental and control groups.</li>
	<li>Ensure that two reviewers independently conduct the data extraction and make the final decision after discussion or after a judgment by a third researcher when there is disagreement.</li>
	<li>Summarize the outcome indicators that reflect the effectiveness and safety of the treatment of insomnia with Shugan Jieyu capsules in the two groups. Extract the sample size and composition ratio for the outcome indicators of dichotomous variables; however, extract the mean and standard deviation for continuous variables. 
	&#8203;NOTE: When two or more included studies mention the same outcome index, extract the specific data of that outcome index. For example, this could include the total clinical effectiveness rate, PSQI score, adverse effects, etc.</li>
</ol>
4. Risk of bias assessment and quality of evidence
<ol>
	<li>Use the Cochrane Risk Assessment Manual45 to evaluate the risk of bias (RoB) of the included literature.
	<ol>
		<li>Divide the evaluation grades into unclear, low, and high risk based on seven aspects: random sequence generation, blinding of participants and personnel, allocation concealment, incomplete outcome data, blinding of outcome assessment, selective reporting45, and other biases (other biases refer to the potential risk of bias in the included studies, such as in relation to the age of the participants, co-interventions, etc.).</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Produce quality evaluation charts.
	<ol>
		<li>Create a new file. Open the RevMan software: File &#62; New &#62; Next, and then select an appropriate type of systematic evaluation: systematic evaluation &#62; Intervention review &#62; fill in the title &#62; Next &#62; Full review &#62; Finish (Supplementary Figure 3A).</li>
		<li>Add the included literature: Studies and references &#62; References to studies &#62; Included studies &#62; Add Study (Supplementary Figure 3B). Enter the study ID (e.g., Xiao Juan 2017)24.</li>
		<li>Enter the quality evaluation results: Tables &#62; Characteristics of studies &#62; Characteristics of included studies. Select the literature to be evaluated, and enter the evaluation result and basis for each item (Supplementary Figure 3C). 
		NOTE: If the RoB is &#34;Unclear risk&#34;, enter &#34;Unclear risk&#34; in the text box after it; otherwise, it cannot be displayed in the quality evaluation chart.</li>
		<li>Create a graph of the RoB: Figures &#62; Add Figure &#62; Risk of bias graph or Risk of bias summary &#62; Save (Supplementary Figure 4A).</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Use the GRADE guidelines46 to assess the quality of evidence, and generate a summary sheet in which the results of each study included in the meta-analysis are classified based on evidence quality. 
	NOTE: The overall quality is downgraded according to five factors (risk of bias, indirectness, imprecision, inconsistency, and publication bias) and upgraded according to three factors (large effect size, negative bias, and dose-effect relationships). The GRADE guidelines classify the quality of evidence as high, medium, low, and very low, reflecting the degree of confidence that the effect estimates are correct.</li>
	<li>Ensure that two reviewers independently assess the risk of bias and quality of the evidence and that disagreements are resolved by discussion or by an adjudicator.</li>
</ol>
5. Meta-analysis
<ol>
	<li>Start the meta-analysis by using RevMan software: Data and analyses &#62; Add Comparison, then add a comparison and enter the name of the control group &#62; Finish.</li>
	<li>Add the outcome indicators: Add Outcome &#62; select the variable type (&#34;Dichotomous&#34; for dichotomous variables; &#34;Continuous&#34; for continuous variables) &#62; Next, and then enter the outcome indicators (e.g., &#34;Total clinical effectiveness&#34;, &#34;PSQI overall score&#34;) &#62; Finish (Supplementary Figure 4B).</li>
	<li>Add the study data: Add Study Data, then select the literature &#62; Finish (Supplementary Figure 5A).</li>
	<li>Create forest plots47: Enter the extracted data &#62; FE or RE &#62; Forest Plot&#160;(Supplementary Figure 5B). 
	NOTE: Due to the non-homogeneity of the population and intervention, random effect models were used to combine all the effect sizes in this study.</li>
</ol>

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The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

In the present study, a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of Shugan Jieyu capsules for treating insomnia was conducted, and the following results were observed. In the experimental group, using Shugan Jieyu&#160;capsules in combination with conventional Western medicine improved the overall clinical effectiveness for patients with insomnia and resulted in higher PSQI scores. Additionally, the Shugan Jieyu capsules group showed improvements in clinical outcomes, such as sleep latency, night awakenin...

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty in falling asleep, difficulty in maintaining sleep, and premature or intermittent waking1, which can cause discomfort and disrupt daily functioning. According to the China Sleep Study Report (2022), over 300 million Chinese people suffered from sleep disorders in 2021, with a prevalence of insomnia among adults as high as 38.2%2.
Western medicine for insomnia treatment typically involves psychological therapies or medication3. Psychotherapies, such as simple insomnia behavior therapy and cognitive insomnia behavior therapy, aim to modify the behaviors that contribute to sleep difficulties. Sedative-hypnotic drugs, which act quickly to induce sleep, are also commonly used to treat insomnia4. However, these drugs can have toxic side effects, including respiratory depression, hypotension, and excessive sedation. The prolonged usage of these drugs can lead to dependence, resulting in significant harm and burden to the patients and their families5,6,7. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), insomnia is referred to as &#34;no sleep&#34; or &#34;sleeplessness&#34; and is believed to result from deficiencies in organs such as the liver, kidneys, spleen, and heart, as well as dysfunction of the heart and mind8. In the history of traditional Chinese medicine, several experts have described the mechanisms underlying insomnia; specifically, insomnia is thought to occur due to disorder of the function of the internal organs, the loss of harmony between the qi and blood, and the disorder of yin and yang, which lead to a loss of nourishment or the disturbance of the heart and mind. The basic pathological alternation of insomnia is the loss of yang and yin9. Utilizing the active ingredients of TCM and following the principles of TCM compounding for complex conditions, research10,11,12,13 has shown that TCM plays a critical role in preventing and treating insomnia. One example of a TCM treatment for insomnia is the Shugan Jieyu capsule14, which comprises Hypericumperforatum L15,16 and Acanthopanax senticosus17.
Acanthopanax senticosus18,19, a traditional Chinese herb, has been used for tonifying the middle qi and kidney and calming the mind. It has been found to effectively improve symptoms such as insomnia, excessive dreaming, and neurasthenia. Hypericum perforatum20, another traditional Chinese herb, has demonstrated antidepressant properties, with its active components potentially possessing similar antidepressant effects to tricyclic antidepressants (TCAS) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), but with better tolerability. The combination of Hypericum perforatum and Acanthopanax senticosus has been found to regulate neurotransmitters, improve neuronal synaptic plasticity, and clinically relieve insomnia caused by mental illness; indeed, it improves the sleep quality and cognitive function of patients with liver-depression type insomnia21,22. Syndrome differentiation is a unique characteristic of TCM. The Shugan Jieyu capsule containing Hypericum perforatum and Acanthopanax senticosus is formulated to treat insomnia caused by stagnation of liver qi. It has been reported to be effective in improving the condition and safety of patients21,22. Combining these two herbs has been proven to relieve depression, calm the mind, soothe the liver, and strengthen the spleen23,24,25. However, there currently needs to be more conclusive evidence regarding the clinical effectiveness and safety of Shugan Jieyu capsules in treating insomnia.
There are various forms of Chinese herbal medicine for treating insomnia, including decoction, patent medicine, plaster, and auricular point sticking26. Previous research has examined the effect of traditional Chinese herbs on insomnia using meta-analyses. It has been found that traditional Chinese herbs significantly improve the symptoms of patients with primary insomnia, are superior to placebo, and have promising potential for research and development27,28. This study aims to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of the Shugan Jieyu capsule in treating insomnia through a systematic evaluation and meta-analysis in order to provide clinical evidence and guidance for using these capsules.
The inclusion criteria for this study were defined using the population, intervention or exposure, comparison, outcome(s) (PICO) framework29. The inclusion criteria for this study were as follows: (1) randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or semi-RCTs that enrolled patients diagnosed with insomnia30; (2) studies in which the experimental group received Western medicine in combination with Shugan Jieyu capsules, while the control group received Western medicine alone (Western medicines include alprazolam tablets31, risperidone32, estazolam tablets33, aripiprazole orally disintegrating tablets34, mirtazapine35, escitalopram oxalate tablets36, eszopiclone tablets37, zopiclone tablets38, and fluoxetine dispersible tablets39); (3) studies published in Chinese or English; (4) studies in which the primary outcomes were the overall clinical effectiveness and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)40. According to the &#34;Diagnostic Effectiveness Criteria for Chinese Medicine Evidence&#34;41 and the &#34;Guidelines for Clinical Research on New Chinese Medicines&#34;42, effective clinical outcomes are defined as patients being clinically documented as cured or showing efficacious results. The secondary outcomes identified include sleep latency, sleep duration, nighttime awakening, nightmares with excessive dreaming, daytime sleepiness, lack of energy, and sleep quality, all evaluated by the PSQI scale and the frequency of adverse events. Among these outcome measures, sleep latency, sleep duration, nighttime awakening, nightmares, daytime sleepiness, lack of energy, and sleep quality are all evaluated using the PSQI scale43.
The exclusion criteria were defined according to the PICO framework. The exclusion criteria for this study were as follows: (1) studies unrelated to insomnia; (2) duplicate published research; (3) non-randomized controlled trials; (4) non-clinical patient studies, such as preclinical and animal model studies; and (5) case reports, comments, conferences, reviews, and dissertations.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Endnote</td>
			<td>Clarivate</td>
			<td>Free trial version</td>
			<td>EndNote is a widely used reference management tool to help you collect, organize, and share your references. Official website: https://endnote.com/downloads</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microsoft Excel</td>
			<td>Microsoft</td>
			<td>Official Version</td>
			<td>Microsoft Excel, a spreadsheet software with an intuitive interface, excellent computing capabilities and charting tools, is one of the most popular data processing software for personal computers.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microsoft Word</td>
			<td>Microsoft</td>
			<td>Official Version</td>
			<td>Microsoft Word offers a number of easy-to-use document creation tools, as well as a rich set of features for creating complex documents, as well as text formatting or image manipulation.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Revman</td>
			<td>Cochrane collaboration</td>
			<td>Official Version</td>
			<td>Review Manager (RevMan) is the international Cochrane Collaboration&#39;s proprietary software for systematic reviewers to produce and maintain Cochrane systematic reviews. Official website: https://training.cochrane.org/online-learning/core-software-cochrane-reviews/revman/revman-5-download/download-and-installation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Database websites</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CBM</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>http://www.sinomed.ac.cn/</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CNKI</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>https://www.cnki.net/</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cochrane Library</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>https://www.cochranelibrary.com/</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Embase</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>https://www.embase.com/</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pubmed</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>VIP</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>http://www.cqvip.com/</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Wan fang</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>https://www.wanfangdata.com.cn/</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Web of Science</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>http://www.webofscience.com/</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

meta-analysis of the effectiveness and safety of shugan jieyu capsules for the treatment of insomnia

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of Shugan Jieyu capsules for treating insomnia by searching seven databases up to February 21, 2022. The study was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The quality of the studies was assessed using the risk of bias assessment tool. This article describes in detail how to retrieve and screen the literature. The detailed steps for conducting the meta-analysis are also included in the protocol. Fourteen studies were found to be eligible, including 1,283 insomnia patients (644 with and 639 without Shugan Jieyu capsules at baseline). The meta-analysis showed a better total clinical effectiveness (odds ratio [OR]: 5.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.56 to 9.15) and a lower Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score (mean difference [MD]: &#8722;2.95, 95% CI: &#8722;4.97 to &#8722;0.93) with combined Shugan Jieyu capsules and Western medicine compared to Western medicine alone. The secondary outcomes showed that the Shugan Jieyu capsule group had significantly reduced adverse reactions and improvements in sleep duration, night awakening, nightmares with excessive dreaming, daytime sleepiness, and low energy. Further multicenter randomized trials must be encouraged to provide more concrete evidence on whether Shugan Jieyu capsules are beneficial in routine clinical practice.

Search results 
A total of 1,117 studies were identified from databases, including 204 in Chinese and 913 in English. After eliminating 392 duplicates, 725 studies remained. After reading the titles and abstracts, 31 studies remained. Eventually, 14 studies were included through reading the full texts. The search process and selection procedure are shown in Figure 1.
Study characteristics 
The characteristics of the incl...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness and Safety of Shugan Jieyu Capsules for the Treatment of Insomnia at JoVE.com

Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness and Safety of Shugan Jieyu Capsules for the Treatment of Insomnia

The presented protocol describes an investigation strategy and systematic review to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of Shugan Jieyu capsules for treating insomnia.

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of Shugan Jieyu capsules for treating insomnia by ...

meta-analysis-effectiveness-safety-shugan-jieyu-capsules-for

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910 Views.  Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Questo protocollo mostra l'intero processo di meta-analisi, compresa la ricerca e lo screening della letteratura, l'estrazione dei dati, la valutazione del rischio di bias, la qualità delle prove e la meta-analisi. La meta-analisi è un metodo di ricerca per una valutazione sistematica e completa e un'analisi quantitativa di risultati di ricerca multipli e indipendenti all'interno dello stesso scopo, risolvendo il problema dell'incoerenza tra più risultati di ricerca. Vai al database di Pub...

Video: Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness and Safety of Shugan Jieyu Capsules for the Treatment of Insomnia

The Measurement and Treatment of Suppression in Amblyopia

Amblyopia, a developmental disorder of the visual cortex, is one of the leading causes of visual dysfunction in the working age population. Current estimates put the prevalence of amblyopia at approximately 1-3%1-3, the majority of cases being monocular2. Amblyopia is most frequently caused by ocular misalignment (strabismus), blur induced by unequal refractive error (anisometropia), and in some cases by form deprivation.
Although amblyopia is initially caused by abnormal visual input in infancy, once established, the visual deficit often remains when normal visual input has been restored using surgery and/or refractive correction. This is because amblyopia is the result of abnormal visual cortex development rather than a problem with the amblyopic eye itself4,5 . Amblyopia is characterized by both monocular and binocular deficits6,7 which include impaired visual acuity and poor or absent stereopsis respectively. The visual dysfunction in amblyopia is often associated with a strong suppression of the inputs from the amblyopic eye under binocular viewing conditions8. Recent work has indicated that suppression may play a central role in both the monocular and binocular deficits associated with amblyopia9,10 .
Current clinical tests for suppression tend to verify the presence or absence of suppression rather than giving a quantitative measurement of the degree of suppression. Here we describe a technique for measuring amblyopic suppression with a compact, portable device11,12 . The device consists of a laptop computer connected to a pair of virtual reality goggles. The novelty of the technique lies in the way we present visual stimuli to measure suppression. Stimuli are shown to the amblyopic eye at high contrast while the contrast of the stimuli shown to the non-amblyopic eye are varied. Patients perform a simple signal/noise task that allows for a precise measurement of the strength of excitatory binocular interactions. The contrast offset at which neither eye has a performance advantage is a measure of the "balance point" and is a direct measure of suppression. This technique has been validated psychophysically both in control13,14 and patient6,9,11 populations.
In addition to measuring suppression this technique also forms the basis of a novel form of treatment to decrease suppression over time and improve binocular and often monocular function in adult patients with amblyopia12,15,16 . This new treatment approach can be deployed either on the goggle system described above or on a specially modified iPod touch device15.

Amblyopia is a developmental disorder of the visual cortex that is often accompanied by strong suppression of one eye. We present a new technique for measuring and treating interocular suppression in patients with amblyopia that can be deployed using virtual reality goggles or a portable iPod Touch device.

Amblyopia, a developmental disorder of the visual cortex, is one of the leading causes of visual dysfunction in the working age population. Current ...

The Goeckerman Regimen for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease affecting approximately 2-3% of the population. The Goeckerman regimen consists of exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) light and application of crude coal tar (CCT). Goeckerman therapy is extremely effective and relatively safe for the treatment of psoriasis and for improving a patient's quality of life. In the following article, we present our protocol for the Goeckerman therapy that is utilized specifically at the University of California, San Francisco. This protocol details the preparation of supplies, administration of phototherapy and application of topical tar. This protocol also describes how to assess the patient daily, monitor for adverse effects (including pruritus and burning), and adjust the treatment based on the patient's response. Though it is one of the oldest therapies available for psoriasis, there is an absence of any published videos demonstrating the process in detail. The video is beneficial for healthcare providers who want to administer the therapy, for trainees who want to learn more about the process, and for prospective patients who want to undergo treatment for their cutaneous disease.

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease. The Goeckerman regimen, formulated for the treatment of psoriasis, consists of exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) light and application of crude coal tar (CCT). The following protocol is for the administration of Goeckerman therapy for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a  chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease affecting approximately 2-3%  of the population. The Goeckerman regimen consists of ...

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cancer Drug Sensitization In Vitro and In Vivo

Due to the high level of heterogeneity and mutations inherent in human cancers, single agent therapies, or combination regimens which target the same pathway, are likely to fail. Emphasis must be placed upon the inhibition of pathways that are responsible for intrinsic and/or adaptive resistance to therapy. An active field of investigation is the development and testing of DNA repair inhibitors that promote the action of, and prevent resistance to, commonly used chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We used a novel protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of BRCA2 inhibition as a means to sensitize tumor cells to the DNA damaging drug cisplatin. Tumor cell metabolism (acidification and respiration) was monitored in real-time for a period of 72 hr to delineate treatment effectiveness on a minute by minute basis. In combination, we performed an assessment of metastatic frequency using a chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model of extravasation and invasion. This protocol addresses some of the weaknesses of commonly used in vitro and in vivo methods to evaluate novel cancer therapy regimens. It can be used in addition to common methods such as cell proliferation assays, cell death assays, and in vivo murine xenograft studies, to more closely discriminate amongst candidate targets and agents, and select only the most promising candidates for further development.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cancer Drug Sensitization In Vitro and In Vivo

Here, real-time monitoring of tumor cell metabolism, combined with an in vivo chicken embryo chorio-allantoic membrane (CAM) model of metastasis, are used to evaluate novel anti-cancer targets/agents for their ability to sensitize tumor cells to DNA damaging chemotherapeutics.

Due to the high level of heterogeneity and mutations inherent in human cancers, single agent therapies, or combination regimens which target the same ...

Detection of Disease-associated &#945;-synuclein by Enhanced ELISA in the Brain of Transgenic Mice Overexpressing Human A53T Mutated &#945;-synuclein

In addition to established methods like Western blot, new methods are needed to quickly and easily quantify disease-associated &#945;-synuclein (&#945;SD) in experimental models of synucleopathies. A transgenic mouse line (M83) over-expressing the human A53T &#945;S and spontaneously developing a dramatic clinical phenotype between eight and 22 months of age, characterized by symptoms including weight loss, prostration, and severe motor impairment, was used in this study. For molecular analyses of &#945;SD (disease-associated &#945;S) in these mice, an ELISA was designed to specifically quantify &#945;SD in sick mice. Analysis of the central nervous system in this mouse model showed the presence of &#945;SD mainly in the caudal brain regions and the spinal cord. There were no differences in &#945;SD distribution between different experimental conditions leading to clinical disease, i.e., in uninoculated and normally aging transgenic mice and in mice inoculated with brain extracts from sick mice. The specific detection of &#945;SD immunoreactivity using an antibody against Ser129 phosphorylated &#945;S by ELISA essentially correlated with that obtained by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Unexpectedly, similar results were observed with several other antibodies against the C-terminal part of &#945;S. The propagation of &#945;SD, suggesting the involvement of a &#8220;prion-like&#8221; mechanism, can thus be easily monitored and quantified in this mouse model using an ELISA approach.

Detection of Disease-associated &amp;#945;-synuclein by Enhanced ELISA in the Brain of Transgenic Mice Overexpressing Human A53T Mutated &amp;#945;-synuclein

An ELISA offering a novel quantitative approach is described. It specifically detects disease-associated &#945;-synuclein (&#945;SD) in a transgenic mouse model (M83) of synucleinopathy using several antibodies against either the Ser129 phosphorylated &#945;S form or the C-terminal part of the protein.

In addition to established methods like Western blot, new methods are needed to quickly and easily quantify disease-associated &#945;-synuclein (&#945;SD) ...

Network Analysis of Foramen Ovale Electrode Recordings in Drug-resistant Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients

Approximately 30% of epilepsy patients are refractory to antiepileptic drugs. In these cases, surgery is the only alternative to eliminate/control seizures. However, a significant minority of patients continues to exhibit post-operative seizures, even in those cases in which the suspected source of seizures has been correctly localized and resected. The protocol presented here combines a clinical procedure routinely employed during the pre-operative evaluation of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients with a novel technique for network analysis. The method allows for the evaluation of the temporal evolution of mesial network parameters. The bilateral insertion of foramen ovale electrodes (FOE) into the ambient cistern simultaneously records electrocortical activity at several mesial areas in the temporal lobe. Furthermore, network methodology applied to the recorded time series tracks the temporal evolution of the mesial networks both interictally and during the seizures. In this way, the presented protocol offers a unique way to visualize and quantify measures that considers the relationships between several mesial areas instead of a single area.

This protocol describes a procedure to track the evolution of mesial network measures in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients. It is based on the combination of intracranial recordings with a novel numerical technique for data analysis. Specifically, we present a protocol for network analyses of foramen ovale recordings.

Approximately 30% of epilepsy patients are refractory to antiepileptic drugs. In these cases, surgery is the only alternative to eliminate/control ...

Laparoscopy-endoscopy Cooperative Surgery for the Treatment of Gastric Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

In view of the shortcomings of endoscopic or laparoscopic surgeries alone in the treatment of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (G-GISTs), this approach makes an innovative improvement in the treatment of G-GISTs that are less than 5 cm in size. Laparoscopy-endoscopy cooperative surgery (LECS) is used to combine endoscopic and laparoscopic surgeries, fully realizing their respective advantages and avoiding their drawbacks. The main steps are as follows. First, gastroscopy and laparoscopy are combined to confirm the location and boundary of the tumor. Tumor resection is carried out laparoscopically, guided by a gastroscope. The specimen is removed orally and the gastric wound closed laparoscopically. Then, gastroscopy and laparoscopy are combined to determine whether there is wound bleeding, if the suture is satisfactory, and if the gastric cavity is deformed.
LECS has natural advantages in the treatment of G-GISTs that are less than 5 cm in size. The accurate estimation of tumor location and boundary greatly improves the complete resection rate of tumors. The risk of tumor rupture is substantially reduced, and the long-term prognosis of patients is significantly improved. The process allows for accurate resection of the tumor, maximum preservation of normal gastric tissue and organ function, and avoids postoperative gastric deformation. The patient's postoperative rehabilitation is greatly accelerated, and oral feeding can resume on the day of the operation. The specimen is taken out through the mouth to avoid the need for an extended abdominal incision. This greatly reduces the patient's postoperative pain and scarring. The method greatly shortens the postoperative hospital stay (i.e., discharge is possible on the day after the operation), increasing the turnover of hospital beds.

Laparoscopy-endoscopy cooperative surgery is appropriate for the treatment of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors less than 5 cm in size. It can achieve the respective advantages of endoscopic and laparoscopic surgeries while avoiding their drawbacks.

In view of the shortcomings of endoscopic or laparoscopic surgeries alone in the treatment of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (G-GISTs), this ...

Laser-Induced Action Potential-Like Measurements of Cardiomyocytes on Microelectrode Arrays for Increased Predictivity of Safety Pharmacology

Life-threatening drug-induced cardiac arrhythmia is often preceded by prolonged cardiac action potentials (AP), commonly accompanied by small proarrhythmic membrane potential fluctuations. The shape and time course of the repolarizing fraction of the AP can be pivotal for the presence or absence of arrhythmia.
Microelectrode arrays (MEA) allow easy access to cardiotoxic compound effects via extracellular field potentials (FP). Although a powerful and well-established tool in research and cardiac safety pharmacology, the FP waveform does not allow to infer the original AP shape due to the extracellular recording principle and the resulting intrinsic alternating current (AC) filtering.
A novel device, described here, can repetitively open the membrane of cardiomyocytes cultivated on top of the MEA electrodes at multiple cultivation time points, using a highly focused nanosecond laser beam. The laser poration results in transforming the electrophysiological signal from FP to intracellular-like APs (laser-induced AP, liAP) and enables the recording of transcellular voltage deflections. This intracellular access allows a better description of the AP shape and a better and more sensitive classification of proarrhythmic potentials than regular MEA recordings. This system is a revolutionary extension to the existing electrophysiological methods, permitting accurate evaluation of cardiotoxic effect with all advantages of MEA-based recordings (easy, acute, and chronic experiments, signal propagation analysis, etc.).

The combination of laser poration and microelectrode arrays (MEA) allows action potential-like recordings of cultivated primary and stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. The waveform shape provides superior insight into test compounds' mode of action than standard recordings. It links patch-clamp and MEA readout to further optimize cardio safety research in the future.

Life-threatening drug-induced cardiac arrhythmia is often preceded by prolonged cardiac action potentials (AP), commonly accompanied by small ...

Microscopic Cyst Resection for the Treatment of Patients Diagnosed with Epididymal Cyst

Epididymal cysts mostly occur in men aged 20-40 years old. Previous reports have covered concerns about postoperative complexes, including postoperative asoedema, hematoma, sustaining pain, and seminal tract obstruction in patients who have undertaken nonmicroscopic epididymal cyst resection or epididymal resection. Nonmicroscopic epididymal cyst surgery is suggested for patients with childbirth plans as a precaution. The treatment of male epididymal cysts via microtechnology is obviously a beneficial option; we took the lead in carrying out microscopic epididymal exploration and cyst resection surgery in China. From September 2017 to April 2021, 41 young and middle-aged male patients diagnosed with epididymal cysts underwent microtechnology treatment in a program titled &#34;microscopic epididymal exploration and cystectomy&#34;. The postoperative follow-up lasted for 3-50 months. The results confirmed that, as microscopic manipulation largely improved visualization of the subtle tissue structures of the epididymis, the cyst could be clearly dissected apart and completely removed intact under the microscope. Bleeding during the operation was significantly reduced (2-3 mL) and wound drainage was not required. According to follow-up data, microscopic treatment significantly reduced the incidence of postoperative scrotal hematoma, edema, and long-term postoperative pain, thereby promising a higher surgical success rate as well as recurrence prevention. Besides, preliminary experience and reflection suggest that microscopic epididymal exploration and cystectomy provide efficient preservation of the epididymal patency through refined treatment, while a better prognosis can be achieved. We recommend that surgery be carried out before the epididymal cyst develops to 0.8 cm in diameter, for fear that a larger epididymal cyst (&#62;0.9 cm in diameter) could cause the complete destruction of all tubules of the ipsilateral epididymis - a more severe case with damage to the testicular output network.

Here, we present a protocol to treat patients diagnosed with an epididymal cyst using microscopic cyst resection. Based on microscopic manipulation, a largely improved visualization of the subtle tissue structures of the epididymis was obtained, so the cyst could be clearly dissected apart and completely removed intact.

Epididymal cysts mostly occur in men aged 20-40 years old. Previous reports have covered concerns about postoperative complexes, including postoperative ...

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Viral Encephalitis Treatments

The Adjuvant Efficacy of Angong Niuhuang Pill in the Treatment of Viral Encephalitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy of Angong Niuhuang Pill (ANP) as an adjuvant therapy in the treatment of viral encephalitis. Seven databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, SinoMed, CNKI, VIP and WanFang) were included for literature retrieval from inception to July 2023. Randomized controlled trials comparing ANP plus conventional therapy with conventional therapy alone were eligible. Pooled effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for evaluating efficacy and safety. Sensitivity analysis and publication bias assessments were performed for analyzing the inconclusiveness of findings. 13 studies involving 1045 cases were included for meta-analysis. Adjuvant treatment with ANP increased the probability of the total effective rate by 17% compared with conventional treatment (Risk ratios (RR) = 1.17, 95%CI [1.08, 1.27]). The disappearance time of clinical syndromes and signs was significantly decreased after adjuvant treatment with ANP, including the time of defervescence (weighted mean difference (WMD) = -1.59, 95%CI [-2.09, -1.09]), the time of consciousness recovery (WMD = -1.79, 95%CI [-2.06, -1.51]), the time of headache disappearance (WMD = -1.51, 95%CI [-1.93, -1.08]), the time of tic disappearance (WMD = -1.88, 95%CI [-2.39, -1.36]). The adjuvant efficacy of ANP for treating viral encephalitis (VE) appears to improve the total effective rate and shorten the disappearance time of clinical syndromes. More high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to support our findings.

Author Spotlight: Evaluating the Adjuvant Efficacy and Safety of Angong Niuhuang Pill in Viral Encephalitis Treatment

Here, we present a protocol to analyze the effectiveness and safety of Angong Niuhuang Pill in the treatment of viral encephalitis.

This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy of Angong Niuhuang Pill (ANP) as an adjuvant therapy in the treatment of viral encephalitis. Seven ...

Using Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) for Treating Achilles Tendinopathy

A Treatment Protocol for Achilles Tendinopathy with Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy

Achilles tendinopathy is a common musculoskeletal condition characterized by pain, lower muscle strength, gait abnormality, and reduced quality of life. There are two categories of Achilles tendinopathy: insertional Achilles tendinopathy and mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy. Currently, mechanical loading programs are considered the standard of care for the population with Achilles tendinopathy.
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is considered a secondary conservative treatment for tendinopathy as it is effective and safe. It can be used either as a monotherapy or as part of a multimodal treatment plan. ESWT has been extensively studied in orthopedics, where it was shown to intensify fracture healing and successfully treat overuse conditions of tendons and fascia. It is believed that shockwaves have both mechanical and cellular effects that ultimately result in the repair of damaged tendinous tissue and improved function of the Achilles tendon. However, there is a lack of consistency in the literature surrounding the effectiveness, especially the protocols. Therefore, we enrolled 36 patients with a diagnosis of Achilles tendinopathy, using radial ESWT (0.48 mJ/mm2, 2,000 shockwaves, 10 Hz, 1.6&#160;bars, 2 sessions once a week). Freedom from pain was experienced by 16.7% of these participants, and there was a significant decrease in pain in all of them.

Author Spotlight: Effectiveness of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in Achilles Tendinopathy Treatment

Achilles tendinopathy is a common musculoskeletal condition for which loading programs are currently the standard of care. However, the treatment protocols vary. We therefore propose a protocol for Achilles tendinopathy treatment using extracorporeal shockwave therapy.

Achilles tendinopathy is a common musculoskeletal condition characterized by pain, lower muscle strength, gait abnormality, and reduced quality of life. ...