Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) has been intensively used to assess alterations of inter-regional functional connectivity in patients with stroke, but the regional properties of brain activity in stroke have not yet been fully investigated. Additionally, no study has examined a frequency effect on such regional properties in stroke patients, although this effect has been shown to play important roles in both normal brain functioning and functional abnormalities. Here we utilized R-fMRI to measure the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo), two major methods for characterizing the regional properties of R-fMRI, in three different frequency bands (slow-5: 0.01-0.027 Hz; slow-4: 0.027-0.73 Hz; and typical band: 0.01-0.1 Hz) in 19 stroke patients and 15 healthy controls. Both the ALFF and ReHo analyses revealed changes in brain activity in a number of brain regions, particularly the parietal cortex, in stroke patients compared with healthy controls. Remarkably, the regions with changed activity as detected by the slow-5 band data were more extensive, and this finding was true for both the ALFF and ReHo analyses. These results not only confirm previous studies showing abnormality in the parietal cortex in patients with stroke, but also suggest that R-fMRI studies of stroke should take frequency effects into account when measuring intrinsic brain activity.

Rationale:Spasticity is a widespread problem in chronic stroke. To date, no study has reported the long-term (up to 1 year) outcomes of acupuncture in combination with constraint-induced movement therapy in patients with chronic stroke. This report describes the successful addition of acupuncture on spasticity and arm function in a patient with chronic stroke and arm paresis.Patient concerns:At screening, the patient was unable to voluntarily extend her interphalangeal or metacarpophalangeal joints beyond the 10 degrees required for constraint-induced movement therapy. However, the BTX type A injection couldn’t be used as she had ever suffered a severe allergic reaction in the injection of BTX type A for facial anti-wrinkle.Diagnoses:A 40-year-old female experienced arm paresis after an infarction in the right posterior limb of the internal capsule 2 years before the intervention.Interventions:The BTX type A injection couldn’t be used as she had ever suffered a severe allergic reaction in the injection of BTX type A for facial anti-wrinkle, so the patient received 1 hour of acupuncture as an alternative therapy before 5 hours of constraint-induced movement therapy for 12 weekdays.Outcomes:All outcome measures (Modified Ashworth Scale, Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Action Research Arm Test, Motor Activity Log) substantially improved over the 1-year period. Moreover, during the observation period, the patient's muscle tone and arm function did not worsen.Lessons:As a result of a reduction in spasticity, a reduction of learned nonuse behaviors, or use-dependent plasticity after the combined therapy, the arm functions include volitional movements and coordination or speed of movements in the paretic arm have been improved. However, we can not rule out the possibility of an influence of the passage of time or the Hawthorne effect. The costs of the treatment of stroke may be reduced, if this combined therapy proved useful in future controlled studies.

Background Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the predementia phase of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The intestinal microbiome is altered in MCI and AD, and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 gene polymorphism is a risk factor for the progression of MCI to AD. This study aims to investigate the improvement in cognitive function of MCI patients with and without ApoE ε4 due to acupuncture and the changes in gut microbiota community composition and abundance in MCI. Methods This randomized assessor-blind controlled study will enrol MCI patients with and without the ApoE ε4 gene (n = 60/60). Sixty subjects with the ApoE ε4 gene and 60 subjects without the ApoE ε4 gene will be randomly allocated into treatment and control groups in a 1:1 ratio. Intestinal microbiome profiles will be evaluated by 16 S rRNA sequencing of faecal samples and compared between the groups. Results/conclusions Acupuncture is an effective method to improve cognitive function in MCI. This study will provide data on the relationship between the gut microbiota and the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with MCI from a new angle. This study will also provide data on the relationship between the gut microbiota and an AD susceptibility gene by integrating microbiologic and molecular approaches. Trial registration www.chictr.org.cn, ID: ChiCTR2100043017, recorded on 4 February 2021.

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