Diabetes and its complications that seriously threaten the health and life of human, has become a public health problem of global concern. Glycemic control remains a major focus in the treatment and management of patients with diabetes. The traditional lifestyle interventions, drug therapies, and surgeries have benefited many patients with diabetes. However, due to problems such as poor patient compliance, drug side effects, and limited surgical indications, there are still patients who fail to effectively control their blood glucose levels. With the development of bioelectronic medicine, neuromodulation techniques have shown great potential in the field of glycemic control and diabetes intervention with its unique advantages. This paper mainly reviewed the research advances and latest achievements of neuromodulation technologies such as peripheral nerve electrical stimulation, ultrasound neuromodulation, and optogenetics in blood glucose regulation and diabetes intervention, analyzed the existing problems and presented prospects for the future development trend to promote clinical research and application of neuromodulation technologies in the treatment of diabetes.
ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in the treatment of refractory epilepsy in children and the key factors affecting its efficacy. MethodsThe clinical data of 22 children with drug-resistant epilepsy who received VNS treatment in the Second People's Hospital of Hunan Province from January 2016 to April 2023 were analyzed. The average seizure reduction rate, effective rate and McHugh grade were used to evaluate the efficacy of VNS after at least 1 year follow-up. Patients with an attack reduction rate of ≥50% were defined as respondents, and Mann-Witney U test and χ2 test were used, respectively, to conduct univariate and multifactor Logistics regression analysis with statistically significant indicators (P<0.05). ResultsAmong the 22 patients, the average attack reduction rate was 12.66% at 1 month, 26.10% at 3 months, 37.47% at 6 months, 48.18% at 9 months and 54.38% at 12 months. The effective rate was 5.00%, 9.00%, 36.00%, 50.00% and 68.00%, respectively. 12 months after operation, there were 3 cases of grade I, 12 cases of grade II, 7 cases of grade III, and 0 cases of grade V. Unifactorial and multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the curative effect of epilepsy in children was related to the seizure type, among which the curative effect of general seizure was better than that of focal seizure (OR=0.062, P=0.014), and the curative effect of myoclonic seizure and tonic seizure was better than that of other types in general seizure. ConclusionThe clinical effect of VNS in the treatment of refractory epilepsy in children is time cumulative, and the surgical effect of myoclonic seizures and tonic seizures in general seizures is better.
ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in patients with refractory magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-negative epilepsy and to evaluate potential clinical predictors. MethodsA retrospective collection of efficacy data was conducted on 24 patients with intractable MRI-negative epilepsy treated with VNS, who were followed up for more than six months, at Beijing Tiantan Hospital and Beijing Fengtai Hospital from January 2016 to September 2023. Patients were divided into two subgroups based on their response to VNS: responders (≥50% reduction in seizure frequency) and non-responders (<50% reduction in seizure frequency). The relationship between preoperative clinical data and VNS efficacy was further analyzed to identify potential predictors of VNS efficacy. ResultsA total of 24 patients were included, with an average age of (14.26±8.39) years old. Seizure frequency was reduced by more than 50% in 37.5% of patients, and 8.3% of patients achieved seizure-free after VNS treatment. Preoperative seizure frequency and interictal epileptiform discharge type were significantly associated with VNS efficacy (P<0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that a monthly seizure frequency of less than 100 and focal interictal epileptiform discharges were independent predictors of VNS efficacy (P<0.05). ConclusionVNS is an effective treatment for patients with refractory MRI-negative epilepsy. Lower monthly seizure frequency and focal interictal epileptiform discharges are potential predictors of VNS efficacy. These findings provide important references for clinicians in selecting and evaluating patients for VNS treatment.
Vagus nerve stimulation was first used in the treatment of refractory epilepsy and depression, and its indications have expanded in recent years. The brain-gut axis is a bidirectional communication network pathway connecting the gut to the brain, maintaining homeostatic balance of the gut microbiota and shaping brain function. The vagus nerve plays an important role in brain-gut axis mechanisms in neurological disorders, which may be an important rationale for vagus nerve stimulation in the treatment of related diseases. Recent studies have shown that vagus nerve stimulation modulates the intestinal microenvironment and the intestinal microbiota, but the specific mechanisms of this alteration need further investigation. Fecal transplants or oral probiotics combined with vagus nerve stimulation may become an important therapeutic tool in the future, especially to improve the efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy; the gut microbiota may also be a predictive target for the efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy.