Modulation of Gluteus Medius Strength by Yang Qiao Mai Stimulation: A Multiple Case Report

Yang Qiao Mai, one of the eight channels known as extraordinary meridians, is used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to relieve tension in the lateral muscles of the legs. According to TCM, each extraordinary vessel has main points, coalescent points, and one single master point (BL62 Shenmai for Yang Qiao Mai), which can influence the entire path of the meridian. We performed a test which involved measuring the changes in abduction strength of the gluteus medius following stimulation with a new type of photobiomodulation device, which delivers a very low level of modulated light on the BL62 Shenmai acupuncture point. Twenty-two healthy volunteers were measured, stimulated, and the measurement repeated 30 minutes after the first measurement. In addition to showing a regulatory effect of the stimulation, the test confirmed that a modulated red-light emission with a stimulus duration of 20 s for a total delivered energy of 0.35 mJ can induce an acupuncture-like response, even in the short term. The difference between the two body sides generally results as being around 6 Kg: this figure appears to be a physiological limit, probably due to an anatomical compensation of the body asymmetries. These results offer a new insight into the interpretation of the signaling process along the meridians, and appears to involve the return to homeostasis of the extracellular soft tissue matrix promoted by the photon flow.

The Need for Testing—The Exercise Challenge Test to Disentangle Causes of Childhood Exertional Dyspnea

Exertional dyspnea is a common symptom in childhood which can induce avoidance of physical activity, aggravating the original symptom. Common causes of exertional dyspnea are exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), dysfunctional breathing, physical deconditioning and the sensation of dyspnea when reaching the physiological limit. These causes frequently coexist, trigger one another and have overlapping symptoms, which can impede diagnoses and treatment. In the majority of children with exertional dyspnea, EIB is not the cause of symptoms, and in asthmatic children it is often not the only cause. An exercise challenge test (ECT) is a highly specific tool to diagnose EIB and asthma in children. Sensitivity can be increased by simulating real-life environmental circumstances where symptoms occur, such as environmental factors and exercise modality. An ECT reflects daily life symptoms and impairment, and can in an enjoyable way disentangle common causes of exertional dyspnea.

Maximum Level of COVID-19 Vaccination in Rich and Democratic Countries, and in Other Political Systems

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations play a main role in the immunization program of countries to decrease the numbers of COVID-19 related infected individuals and deaths. However, countries, after a certain share of people vaccinated against COVID-19 have to cope with vaccine hesitancy and resistance in population. One of the fundamental problems is the detection of the max share of people vaccinable between countries without the introduction of any rule that affects basic aspects of individual freedoms of people in public and private life. The study here confronts this problem with a global analysis based on N=150 countries, using relationships between socioeconomic, institutional and political variables, and levels of vaccination. Results reveal that the share of people vaccinated increases with the level of development (and democratization) of countries, achieving the maximum level of about 70%; beyond this level, the share of vaccination starts to decrease across countries. Moreover, findings reveal that governments with Monarchy and Parliamentary Monarchy have average share of people vaccinated higher than Mixed Executives. These main findings suggest that in developed and democratic countries the maximum level of vaccination has a physiological limit, but many Western (democratic) countries are applying restriction rules (e.g., green pass/vaccine passport) to overcome this max level reducing and regulating, at the same time, many aspects of public and private life of individuals. Discussion explains these sociopolitical phenomena with aspects of politics of fear, focused on deaths of COVID-19, and of strong leaders having domestic and international support that apply rules in contexts of social insecurity with consequential reduction of equity, trust and solidarity and increase of socioeconomic issues. All these results here could aid policymakers to prepare sustainable policy responses against COVID-19 in society without distressing basics of democracy with rules of autocratic systems that can generate economic and social deterioration, and problems for mental health and economic conditions of people in society.

Treatment of Nail Fold Hypertrophy by Combining Conservative Techniques

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Hypertrophy of the nail folds is a common condition. It occurs by alteration of shape, partial loss, or absence of the nail, resulting in loss of the nail fold physiological limit. This can also occur by the friction of the nail with the nail fold. Consequently, there is an increase in the volume of the lateral or distal nail fold and a decrease in the space of the nail bed and the nail plate. Management of this onychodystrophy may be conservative or surgical. <b><i>Case Presentation:</i></b> We present a case of distal nail embedding after trauma, submitted to conservative treatment. Combined techniques were required as trichloroacetic acid application, rolled cotton padding maneuver, artificial resin nail technique, and orthesis. After 14 months, good functional and aesthetic results were obtained, with correction of the anatomical shape of the nail unit. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The conservative techniques for hypertrophy of the nail folds are a useful option with good functional and aesthetic results. The indication must be precise, considering the history of the patient and after discarding bone alterations by image exams. The disadvantage of the method is the long treatment time and constant visits to the doctor’s office.

Strategies to lower fibroblast growth factor-23 bioactivity

Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) is a circulating hormone derived from the bone whose release is controlled by many factors and exerts a multitude of systemic actions. There are congenital and acquired disorders of increased and decreased FGF23 levels. In chronic kidney disease, elevations of FGF23 levels can be 1000-fold above the upper physiological limit. It is still under debate whether this high FGF23 in chronic kidney disease is a biomarker or causally related to morbidity and mortality. Data from human association studies supports pathogenicity, while experimental data is less robust. Knowledge of the biology and pathobiology of FGF23 have generated a whole plethora of means to reduce FGF23 bioactivity at many levels that will be useful for therapeutic translations. This manuscript summarize these approaches and addressed several critical questions that still need to be addressed.

Comparative analysis of biological activity of probiotic preparations based on Enzymesporine

In the article the influence of using the microencapsulated probiotic preparation Enzymesporine with an enzyme in comparison with analogues that do not have an enzyme (microencapsulated and non-encapsulated) in pigs of Genesus selection is considered. The activity on intestinal digestion, growth and weight gain, and on hematological and biochemical parameters is studied. The period of life of pigs during the experiment was 48-98-148 days. In the course of the performed experiment on pigs of Genesus selection, after the usage of reliable results. The increase in the life weight and daily weight gain in the period from the 48th to the 148th day of life has been confirmed. That indicates the advantages of the microencapsulated probiotic preparation Enzymesporine with an enzyme over microencapsulated and non-encapsulated analogues without an enzyme. The general analysis of blood showed that the animals that received microencapsulated Enzymesporine with an enzyme. Along with that the content of erythrocytes and hemoglobin reached the upper physiological limit, which is significantly higher than that in the control groups. During the determination of biochemical parameters of blood a significant increase of the amount of total protein and albumins in experimental animals was detected up to 148 days of animals’ life. A significantly high level of immunoglobulins was observed throughout the experiment in the tested animals. When comparing with the control group, that indicates a high resistance to diseases and a high immune status of pigs.

Repurposing Prolactin as a Promising Immunomodulator for the Treatment of COVID-19: Are Common Antiemetics the Wonder Drug to Fight Coronavirus?

Prolactin (PRL), the well-known lactogenic hormone, plays a crucial role in immune function given the fact that long term hypoprolactinemia (serum prolactin level below normal) can even lead to death from opportunistic infection. High blood PRL level is known to provide an immunological advantage in many pathological conditions (with some exceptions like autoimmune diseases) and women, because of their higher blood PRL level, get an advantage in this regard. It has been reported that by controlled enhancement of blood PRL level (within the physiological limit and in some cases a little elevated above the normal to induce mild hyperprolactinemia) using dopamine antagonists such immune-stimulatory advantage can led to survival of the patients in many critical conditions. Here it is hypothesized that through controlled augmentation of blood PRL level using dopamine antagonists like domperidone/metoclopramide, which are commonly used drugs for the treatment of nausea and vomiting, both innate and adaptive immunity can be boosted to evade or tone down COVID-19. The hypothesis is strengthened from the fact that at least seven little-understood salient observations in coronavirus patients can apparently be explained by considering the role of enhanced PRL in line with the proposed hypothesis and hence, clinical trials (both therapeutic and prophylactic) on the role of enhanced PRL on the course and outcome of coronavirus patients should be conducted accordingly.

The emergence of heat and humidity too severe for human tolerance

Humans’ ability to efficiently shed heat has enabled us to range over every continent, but a wet-bulb temperature (TW) of 35°C marks our upper physiological limit, and much lower values have serious health and productivity impacts. Climate models project the first 35°C TW occurrences by the mid-21st century. However, a comprehensive evaluation of weather station data shows that some coastal subtropical locations have already reported a TW of 35°C and that extreme humid heat overall has more than doubled in frequency since 1979. Recent exceedances of 35°C in global maximum sea surface temperature provide further support for the validity of these dangerously high TW values. We find the most extreme humid heat is highly localized in both space and time and is correspondingly substantially underestimated in reanalysis products. Our findings thus underscore the serious challenge posed by humid heat that is more intense than previously reported and increasingly severe.

Severe pulmonary regurgitation mimicking constrictive pericarditis: a case report—the sac or the content? That is the question

Background Constrictive pericarditis (CP) is a pathological condition of the pericardium, resulting from fibrosis, scarring, and calcification of the pericardium. Other conditions have been reported to mimic ‘constrictive physiology’ despite the presence of an intact pericardium. However, there has been no report of pulmonary regurgitation (PR) mimicking the haemodynamic characteristics of CP. Case summary A 51-year-old woman was admitted to our institute because of severe right-sided heart failure. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed severe PR concomitant with significant dilatation of the right-sided heart. Septal bounce and the respiratory reciprocation of the transmitral and transtricuspid inflow velocities were also observed, indicating exacerbated ventricular interdependence. Cardiac catheter examination demonstrated elevated right atrial pressure with a prominent y descent, dip, and plateau waveform in the right ventricular pressure, and equalization of the diastolic pressure of all cardiac chambers, which are quite consistent with CP. On surgical inspection, however, there was no pericardial thickening or adhesion, indicating no obvious signs of CP. Discussion Pericardial constriction results from the relative relationship between intrapericardial volume and pericardial reserve. When the intrapericardial volume exceeds the physiological limit, the cardiac chambers compete with each other in a fixed pericardial space. In this case, prominent dilation of the right-sided chambers caused by severe PR resulted in overstretching of the pericardium above the pericardial reserve, which led to a characteristic haemodynamic picture that resembled CP. Thus, it is important to recognize the diagnostic pitfall in the preoperative evaluation of a ‘CP mimic physiology’.

Altitudinal upwards shifts in fungal fruiting in the Alps

Many plant and animal species are changing their latitudinal and/or altitudinal distributions in response to climate change, but whether fungi show similar changes is largely unknown. Here, we use historical fungal fruit body records from the European Alps to assess altitudinal changes in fungal fruiting between 1960 and 2010. We observe that many fungal species are fruiting at significantly higher elevations in 2010 compared to 1960, and especially so among soil-dwelling fungi. Wood-decay fungi, being dependent on the presence of one or a few host trees, show a slower response. Species growing at higher elevations changed their altitudinal fruiting patterns significantly more than lowland species. Environmental changes in high altitudes may lead to proportionally stronger responses, since high-altitude species live closer to their physiological limit. These aboveground changes in fruiting patterns probably mirror corresponding shifts in belowground fungal communities, suggesting parallel shifts in important ecosystem functions.