Background: Dry-electrode-based transcranial direct current stimulation is a new type of non-invasive brain stimulation system which relieves chronic low back pain and improves related muscle movement, in a way that overcomes the drawback of conventional systems. Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of dry-electrode-based transcranial direct current stimulation in relieving chronic low back pain and altering pain-related low back muscles movement, by using pain assessment tool and surface electromyographic topography. Methods: We conducted a prospective, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled study. 60 patients with non-specific chronic low back pain were randomly and evenly allocated into tDCS and sham groups. Each group accepted a single 20-minute stimulation at 2 mA on the primary motor cortex. Numeric rating scale for pain intensity assessment and root-mean-square difference parameter from surface electromyographic topography were measured before and after stimulation. The current direction in brain using finite element method was simulated to verify the current distribution under dry stimulation electrode. Results: After stimulation, the pain intensity in the tDCS group significantly decreased, while it did not show evident change in the sham group. However, change of root-mean-square difference parameters between tDCS and sham groups showed no significant difference. Simulation results based on finite element method showed most of current focused on primary motor cortex while peak value of current density was 0.225 A/m2. Conclusions: Dry-electrode-based transcranial direct current stimulation can lower pain perception in patients with chronic low back pain. The analgesic mechanism can affect the top-down modulation pathway of pain.

The postoperative pain intensity in patients receiving surgery could reduce after a single session of anodal M1-tDCS compared to sham M1-tDCS. The effect to the top-down dimension of postoperative pain might account for the analgesic effect of M1-tDCS, which reflecting slow oscillations in left prefrontal EEG.

Creation of bio-multifunctional wound dressings with potent hemostatic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and angiogenesis features for bolstering the healing of full-thickness wounds is sought after for clinical applications. We created bio-multifunctional composite sponges by coupling alginate and chitosan with Sargassum pallidum polysaccharides through electrostatic interactions, calcium ion (Ca2+) crosslinking, and lyophilization. Alginate/chitosan (AC) sponges with different concentrations of Sargassum pallidum polysaccharides were obtained and termed AC, ACS—1%, ACS—2.5%, and ACS—5%. ACS—1% and ACS—2.5% sponges exhibited uniform porosity, high water vapor transmission rate, high water absorption, as well as good hemostatic and antibacterial abilities. ACS—2.5% sponges facilitated wound closure and promoted angiogenesis and re-epithelialization in the dermis. These data suggest that ACS sponges containing a certain amount of Sargassum pallidum polysaccharides could be employed for treatment of full-thickness skin wounds.

We investigated the regulatory roles of miR-141 and RICTOR genes in osteoporosis (OP) and explored the potential therapeutic value of miR-141 in OP by targeting RICTOR gene. The role of miR-141 and RICTOR genes as regulators in ovariectomized (OVX) rats was determined using RT-qPCR assays in osteoporosis models of OVX rats. and their expression levels in OVX rats and related clinical features were further analyzed. The functional role of miR-141/RICTOR pathway was investigated using plasmids. miR-141 was lowly expressed in OVX rats, while RICTOR gene was highly expressed. Bioconductivity prediction analysis revealed potential regulatory sites for miR-141 and RICTOR. Promotion of miR-141 or inhibition of RICTOR expression levels using miR-141 mimic/ si-RNA RICTOR in OVX rats reduced ALP activity as well as expression levels of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL), bone gla protein (BGP) and tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), while promoting osteoprotegerin production. Healthy rats with elevated RICTOR expression levels showed same symptoms of OVX, whereas miR-141 mimic injection improved the OP symptoms in rats. Our data suggest that miR-141 regulate ALP activity as well as osteoprotegerin, RANKL, BGP and TRAP levels by targeting RICTOR gene, impacting the development of OP.