A major side effect of reperfusion therapy after myocardial infarction is myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI). Electroacupuncture (EA) preconditioning has a long history of application in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to investigate whether EA preconditioning alleviates MIRI by regulating the p53/SLC7A11/GPX4 pathway to suppress the ferroptotic biochemical phenotype characterized by iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation. Healthy male SPF rats were randomly divided into nine groups: Ctrl, Sham, MIRI, EA, RSL-3+EA, COTI-2+EA, Erastin+EA, COTI-2+Erastin+EA, and COTI-2+Pantethine+EA. Before MIRI induction, EA pretreatment was applied daily at CV4, bilateral ST36, and bilateral PC6 for 20 min (2 Hz, 1 mA) for 7 consecutive days. Pharmacological interventions were administered intraperitoneally once daily for 7 consecutive days before EA stimulation. The MIRI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min followed by 2 h of reperfusion. Myocardial oxidative stress, ferroptosis-related markers, myocardial injury markers, and cardiomyocyte apoptosis were assessed using corresponding commercial kits, DCFH-DA probe combined with flow cytometry, RhoNox-6 fluorescent probe, Western blot, RT-PCR, ELISA, and TUNEL staining combined with flow cytometry. EA preconditioning inhibited p53 expression, promoted the activation of the SLC7A11/GPX4 pathway, and thereby alleviated myocardial injury. The morphology of cardiomyocytes in EA-pretreated rats was altered, and the apoptosis rate of cardiomyocytes in these rats was also reduced. In addition, administration of Erastin (SLC7A11 inhibitor) showed effects similar to those of COTI-2 (p53 agonist) intervention, whereas pantethine (SLC7A11 agonist) reversed the effects of COTI-2, exerting anti-ferroptotic and cardioprotective effects. As a proof‑of‑concept study with limited sample size per experimental group, our findings preliminarily suggest that EA preconditioning ameliorates MIRI by suppressing the ferroptotic biochemical signature characterized by myocardial iron overload and lipid peroxidation through the p53/SLC7A11/GPX4 pathway. Further studies with larger sample sizes are still needed for validation.
Early life stress (ELS) has been associated with persistent dysfunction across multiple physiological systems in humans, and maternal separation produces such dysfunction in rodent models. The respiratory and urinary tracts appear functionally distinct, yet both may be influenced by candidate overlapping neuro-endocrine, immune, and epigenetic consequences of ELS — a convergence that has received little attention because respiratory medicine, urology, and stress physiology have largely studied these effects in isolation. Our starting point is an experimental observation: in maternal separation rats, bladder-directed low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (Li-ESWT) reduced the elevated bladder weight and also improved anxiety-like behavior, showing that an intervention directed toward the bladder — regional rather than strictly organ-restricted — can be followed by change in a central behavioral endpoint, although the route, direction, and causality were not established. If peripheral-to-central communication of this kind is general, organs other than the bladder that may share elements of ELS-related programming could be similarly accessible. The airway is a plausible candidate: in mouse studies of maternal separation, ELS suppresses regulatory T-cell development and biases airway immunity toward Th2 responses, while separate rat studies report bladder overactivity, altered voiding, and anxiety-like behavior. The two have not been measured in the same animals. We review the candidate shared substrates — hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation, chronic low-grade inflammation (e.g. IL-6, TNF), autonomic/vagal imbalance, microbiome-mediated immune programming along the gut–lung and gut–bladder axes, and epigenetic reprogramming — distinguishing throughout what has been shown in humans from what rests on rodent models. We propose a “psycho-neuro-immune-urinary-respiratory nexus” as a testable framework rather than an established entity, and outline the experimental models, biomarkers, and integrated therapeutic strategies needed to test it.
Yugang Zhang, Lei Zhang, Baozhong Zhang, Min Sun, Yuan Zhuang, Ni Ma
Eccentric training is frequently used to improve explosive performance in athletes; however, findings across different performance dimensions (e.g., jumping and sprinting) remain inconsistent, and intervention heterogeneity is substantial. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effects of eccentric training on explosive performance in athletes. Web of Science, PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus were systematically searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included according to the PICOS framework (healthy athletes; explicitly labeled eccentric training; conventional training as control; outcomes related to explosive performance, including countermovement jump (CMJ) and linear sprint performance over 10 m, 20 m, and 30 m). Only studies explicitly labeled as eccentric training were included; Nordic hamstring exercise and other interventions not explicitly labeled as eccentric training were excluded. Methodological quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale, and meta-analyses were performed using a random-effects model. Eleven RCTs (n = 348; 11–25 years; 6–24 weeks) were included. Pooled results showed that eccentric training significantly improved CMJ performance (MD = 2.92 cm, p = 0.0006). However, no significant improvements were observed for short-distance sprint performance: 10-m and 20-m sprint (MD = −0.10 s, p = 0.11) and 30-m sprint (MD = −0.42 s, p = 0.23). The 10-m sprint meta-analysis showed high heterogeneity, with two studies reporting significant effects and two reporting non-significant effects. Subgroup analysis indicated that eccentric training duration had a moderating effect on CMJ performance (MD = 1.91 cm, p = 0.009). Eccentric training may improve CMJ, a component of jump performance, in athletes, but shows no significant effect on linear sprint performance (20 m and 30 m), with unstable evidence for 10 m. Due to the limited number of included studies, substantial heterogeneity, moderate-to-high risk of bias, and inclusion of only studies explicitly labeled as eccentric training, these conclusions should be interpreted cautiously and cannot be generalized to other explosive performance dimensions or all eccentric training modalities. Future high-quality studies are needed to standardize eccentric training protocols, intervention durations, and outcome measurements, and to perform stratified analyses by outcome dimension. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=1380375 , identifier CRD420261380375.
This study examined associations between spike velocity and anthropometric characteristics, anaerobic performance, and physical fitness in elite sitting volleyball players. Thirty elite sitting volleyball players performed six maximal-effort spike trials and completed assessments of seated anthropometry, arm-crank anaerobic performance, upper-body strength and power, trunk function, and sport-specific movement performance. Pooled Pearson correlations, sex-adjusted partial correlations, sex-specific descriptive analyses, exploratory sex-adjusted regression, and a VS1-only sensitivity analysis were performed. Between-sex comparisons and correlation analyses used Benjamini–Hochberg (BH) false discovery rate (FDR) correction. Men achieved higher spike velocity than women (67.22 ± 6.74 vs. 51.51 ± 6.04 km/h; Hedges’ g = 2.38, BH-adjusted p < 0.001). In the pooled sample, spike velocity showed strong positive correlations with seated vertical grip reach ( r = 0.80), sitting height ( r = 0.76), handgrip strength ( r = 0.75), one-repetition maximum bench press ( r = 0.74), and seated medicine-ball chest-pass distance ( r = 0.70), and moderate positive correlations with hand span ( r = 0.69), seated rotational medicine-ball throw ( r = 0.65), peak power ( r = 0.51), and mean power ( r = 0.51). After adjustment for sex, most of the positive pooled associations were substantially attenuated, and none remained significant after FDR correction. The largest absolute sex-adjusted partial correlations were observed for hand span (partial r = 0.52), seated vertical grip reach (partial r = 0.48), relative peak power (partial r = −0.48), and sitting height (partial r = 0.40). Sex-specific descriptive analyses showed positive anthropometric correlations in both men and women, whereas strength and absolute anaerobic-power associations were less consistent. The exploratory regression including sex, seated vertical grip reach, and seated rotational medicine-ball throw accounted for 71.9% of the variance in spike velocity in this sample (adjusted R ² = 0.687), with seated vertical grip reach retaining a positive coefficient ( B = 0.457, p = 0.010). Excluding three VS2 athletes did not materially alter the findings. Several strong pooled associations were substantially influenced by between-sex differences. Seated anthropometric measures showed the most consistent positive associations across adjusted and sex-specific analyses, but the findings remain associative and exploratory.
