Hunyuan moxibustion for diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome of spleen and kidney yang deficiency: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the therapeutic effect between Hunyuan moxibustion and oral western medication on diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome（IBS-D）of spleen and kidney yang deficiency.@*METHODS@#Sixty patients with IBS-D of spleen and kidney yang deficiency were randomly divided into a Hunyuan moxibustion group and a western medication group, 30 cases each group. The Hunyuan moxibustion group was treated with Hunyuan moxibustion at Guanyuan（CV 4），40 min each time, once a day; in the western medication group，loperamide hydrochloride capsules (2 mg each time, 3 times a day) and bacillus licheniformis live capsules (0.5 g each time, 3 times a day) were given orally.Both groups were treated for 20 days. The scores of irritable bowel syndrome（IBS）symptom severity scale（IBS-SSS）, IBS quality of life scale (IBS-QOL) and TCM symptom grading quantitative were observed before and after treatment, and the clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated in the two groups.@*RESULTS@#After treatment，each item scores and total scores of IBS-SSS in the two groups were lower than those before treatment（P<0.05）, and the total scores of IBS-QOL were higher than those before treatment (P<0.05)；each item score and total score of IBS-SSS in the Hunyuan moxibustion group were lower than those in the western medication group (P<0.05), and the total score of IBS-QOL in the Hunyuan moxibustion group was higher than that in the western medication group (P<0.05).After treatment, each item score and total score of TCM symptom grading quantitative in the Hunyuan moxibustion group were lower than those before treatment (P<0.05), the abdominal pain, diarrhea, lack of appetite scores and total score in the western medication group were lower than those before treatment (P<0.05)；and the abdominal pain, soreness and weakness of waist and knees, fear to cold and cold limbs scores and total score in the Hunyuan moxibustion group were lower than those in the western medication group (P<0.05).The total effective rate was 90.0%（27/30）in the Hunyuan moxibustion group, which was higher than 73.3%（22/30）in the western medication group (P<0.05). No adverse reactions occurred in both groups during treatment.@*CONCLUSION@#Hunyuan moxibustion can effectively improve the symptom severity and quality of life in patients with IBS-D of spleen and kidney yang deficiency, especially in improving the symptoms of abdominal pain, soreness and weakness of waist and knees, fear to cold and cold limbs.Its therapeutic effect is superior to western medication.

Macrophage M1 polarization mediated via the IL-6/STAT3 pathway contributes to apical periodontitis induced by Porphyromonas gingivalis

Abstract Objective: To investigate the involvement of IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway activation in macrophage polarization and bone destruction related to apical periodontitis (AP) stimulated by Porphyromonas gingivalis. Methodology: Macrophage polarization, IL-6/STAT3 expression, and the presence of P. gingivalis were detected in human AP tissues via RT-qPCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry staining. Murine bone marrow derived macrophages were isolated and cultured with P. gingivalis W83 in vitro, and levels of macrophage IL-6 expression, STAT3 phosphorylation, and macrophage polarization with or without the selective STAT3 phosphorylation inhibitor Stattic (5 μM) were detected via ELISA, western blotting, RT-qPCR, and flow cytometry, respectively. P. gingivalis-induced murine AP models were constructed, and bone destruction and macrophage polarization in the apical region were evaluated. Transwell co-culture systems were used to investigate the effects of macrophages infected with P. gingivalis on osteogenesis and osteoclastogenesis. Results: P. gingivalis was detected in human AP tissues that highly expressed IL-6/STAT3, and the M1 subtype of macrophages was more abundant in these tissues. P. gingivalis infection induced IL-6 expression, STAT3 phosphorylation, and M1 polarization of macrophages, while 5 μM of Stattic partially abolished these activation effects. Systemic STAT3 blockade via oral administration of Stattic at a dose of 25 mg kg-1 alleviated murine periapical bone resorption and apical infiltration of M1 macrophages induced by P. gingivalis infection in vivo. Furthermore, macrophages infected with P. gingivalis promoted bone destruction via secretion of IL-6, TNF-α, and RANKL, which hinder pre-osteoblast expression of Runx2 and accelerate pre-osteoclast expression of NFAT2. Conclusions: The activation of IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway is involved in mediating macrophages M1 polarization in the P. gingivalis induced apical inflammatory context and may also be intimately involved in the bone loss caused by P. gingivalis infection, directing the M1 macrophage infiltration during the progression of AP.

The prescription rule analysis of the New Theory on Spleen Dampness Syndrome by Academician TONG Xiaolin / 数字中医药（英文）

@#Objective To analyze the basic characteristics, drug features, prescription rules, and drug-symptom relationships of patients in the splenic deficiency and impairment stage, by data mining of medical records under the New Theory on Spleen Dampness Syndrome (Pi Dan Xin Lun, 《脾瘅新论》). Methods Medical records listed in the “New Theory on Spleen Dampness Syndrome – Understanding and Treatment of Metabolic Syndrome from the Perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine”, and which were diagnosed with the spleen dampness syndrome at the splenic deficiency and impairment stage, during January 2004 and December 2016 were selected. These patients’ data, including basic information, clinical symptoms, laboratory examination results, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and western medicine diagnoses, treatment methods, prescriptions, etc., were collected. The collected data were subsequently compiled into a medical record database using the Epidata 3.1 data management software, followed by the use of Apriori algorithm provided in the SPSS Modeler 14.2 statistical software to investigate the association rules between drug-drug, drug-symptom, and drug-western medicine indices. Results (i) A total of 51 medical records were included, involving 17 types of syndromes. Among them, the top three with frequency ≥ 3 included “Phlegm and blood stasis, and thoracic obstruction” “Deficiency-weakness of the spleen Qi, and static blood blocking collaterals”, and “Deficiency-weakness of the spleen Qi, and static blood blocking collaterals”. Alternatively, of the 14 treatment methods, the top three treatments with frequency of ≥ 3 included “Activating Yang and eliminating turbidity, and removing phlegm and dredging channel blockage” “Strengthening the spleen and benefiting Qi, and eliminating phlegm to activate the channels”, and “Warming Yang and benefiting Qi, and expelling cold to remove obstructions”. Among the 15 prescriptions, the top three used with frequency ≥ 3 included Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Tang (黄芪桂枝五物汤), Gualou Xiebai Banxia Tang (瓜蒌薤白半夏汤), and Ganjiang Huangqin Huanglian Renshen Tang (干姜黄芩黄连人参汤). Lastly, of the 83 drugs used for a total of 476 times, those with frequency ≥ 15 included Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma), Huangqi (Astragali Radix), Jiudahuang (Wine-processed Rhei Radix et Rhizoma), Jixueteng (Spatholobi Caulis), Shengjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens), Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix), and Guizhi (Cinnamomi Ramulus). (ii) For the drug-drug associations, under the criteria of support ≥ 15% and confidence = 100%, seven second-order association rules, seven third-order rules, and six fourth-order roles were identified. The top-ranking rule of each was “Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix) → Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma)” “Ganjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma) + Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix) → Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma)”, and “Baishao (Paeoniae Radix Alba) + Guizhi (Cinnamomi Ramulus) + Jixueteng (Spatholobi Caulis) → Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix)”, respectively. Alternatively, the drug-symptom associations were analyzed under the criteria of support ≥ 5% and confidence = 100%, which derived eight second-order association rules, 31 third-order rules, and 30 fourth-order rules. The top-ranking association rule of each order was “Huangqi (Astragali Radix) → Limb edema” “Guizhi (Cinnamomi Ramulus) + Jixueteng (Spatholobi Caulis) → Limb numbness and pain”, and “Guizhi (Cinnamomi Ramulus) + Jixueteng (Spatholobi Caulis) + Huangqi (Astragali Radix) → Limb numbness and pain”, respectively. Similarly, the drug-western medicine index associations were investigated under the criteria of support ≥ 5% and confidence = 100%, and five second-order association rules, 16 third-order rules, and 16 fourth-order rules were identified. In this category, the top-ranking association rule of each order was “Qinpi (Fraxini Cortex) → Uric acid” “Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma) + Ganjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma) → Glycated hemoglobin”, and “Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma) + Ganjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma) + Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix) → Glycated hemoglobin”, respectively. Conclusion Through association rule mining, this study objectively and quantitatively demonstrated the drug-drug, drug-symptom, and drug-physicochemical index associations of patients with the spleen dampness syndrome at the splenic deficiency and impairment stage treated by Academician TONG Xiaolin. The results indicated that treatment for these patients adopted the “state-target” syndrome differentiation method. The drug combination was characterized by “small prescriptions”, targeting both the patient’s symptoms and signs (syndrome target) and western medicine indices (treatment target). This study could provide references for future research on the academic thoughts and medical experience of Academician TONG Xiaolin.

The influencing factors of opening of college sports resources in the background of national public fitness services / Os fatores que influenciam a abertura de recursos esportivos universitários no contexto do serviço público de educação física nacional / Factores que influyen en la apertura de los recursos deportivos en las universidades

ABSTRACT There are some problems such as few and old equipment in urban community sports fitness facilities, which makes it difficult for community fitness resources to continue to meet the fitness needs of community residents. The opening of university sports resources can alleviate the problem of residents' fitness difficulty to a certain extent. In order to explore the problems faced by the opening of university sports resources, this study established the analytic hierarchy process model based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and Delphi law in the background of national public service of fitness, and combined with the questionnaire survey method to study the influencing factors of opening of college sports. The model modified by the Delphi method contains 6 first-level and 22 second-level influencing factors. It is found that the most important factor in the first level is the hardware factor of college sports resources, and the most important factor of the second level is the spatial layout of university sports resources. The results show that improving the hardware facilities of university sports resources, improving the management mode of sports resources, and increasing the targeted financial subsidies and tax reduction and exemption are helpful to enhance the willingness to open sports resources and improve the quality of opened sports resources. It is hoped that this study can promote the opening of college sports resources and promote the continuous improvement of the service level of sports resources.

RESUMO Há alguns problemas, tais como equipamentos antiquados e em menores quantidades em instalações esportivas na Comunidade urbana, o que dificulta que os recursos de exercícios físicos continuem atendendo as necessidades de atividades físicas dos moradores das comunidades. A abertura de recursos desportivos universitários pode atenuar, em certa medida, o problema da dificuldade dos moradores de praticar atividades físicas. A fim de explorar os problemas enfrentados pela abertura dos recursos desportivos universitários, este estudo estabeleceu o modelo de processo hierárquico analítico baseado no processo hierárquico analítico (Analytic Hierarchy Process — AHP) e na Lei Delphi no contexto do serviço público nacional de atividades físicas, combinado com o método de inquérito por questionário para estudar os fatores que influenciam a abertura dos recursos esportivos universitários. O modelo modificado pelo método Delphi contém 6 fatores influenciadores de primeiro nível e 22 fatores influenciadores de segundo nível. Constata-se que o fator de primeiro nível mais importante é o fator físico dos recursos esportivos universitários, e o fator de segundo nível mais importante é a disposição espacial dos recursos esportivos universitários. Os resultados mostram que a melhoria das instalações físicas dos recursos desportivos universitários, a melhoria do modo de gestão dos recursos desportivos e o aumento dos subsídios financeiros e a redução e isenção de impostos são úteis para aumentar a disponibilidade da abertura dos recursos desportivos e melhorar a qualidade dos recursos desportivos abertos. Espera-se que este estudo possa promover o processo de abertura dos recursos esportivos universitários e promover a melhoria contínua do nível de serviço de recursos esportivos.

RESUMEN Explorar los problemas que enfrenta la apertura de los recursos deportivos universitarios, este estudio estableció el proceso de jerarquía analítica (PJA) y la ley Delphi en el contexto del servicio público nacional de educación física, y los combinó con la encuesta por cuestionario para estudiar los factores que influyen en la apertura de los deportes universitarios. El modelo modificado por el método Delphi contiene 6 factores de influencia de primer nivel y 22 de segundo nivel. Encontramos que el factor más importante en el primer nivel es el factor hardware de los recursos deportivos universitarios, y el factor más importante del segundo nivel es la distribución espacial de los recursos deportivos universitarios. Los resultados muestran que mejorar las instalaciones de hardware de los recursos deportivos universitarios, mejorar el modo de gestión de los recursos deportivos y aumentar los subsidios financieros específicos y la reducción y exención de impuestos son útiles para mejorar la disposición a abrir recursos deportivos y mejorar la calidad de los recursos deportivos abiertos. Esperamos que este estudio pueda promover la apertura de recursos deportivos universitarios y promover la mejora continua del nivel de servicio de los recursos deportivos.

Therapeutic effect of long-snake moxibustion combined with western medication on diarrhea type irritable bowel syndrome of spleen and kidney / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the therapeutic effect between long-snake moxibustion combined with western medication and simple medication on diarrhea type irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) of spleen and kidney @*METHODS@#A total of 60 patients with IBS-D of spleen and kidney @*RESULTS@#Compared before treatment, the symptom scores of abdominal pain, defecation frequency, mucous stool and appetite reduction were decreased (@*CONCLUSION@#Long-snake moxibustion combined with western medication can effectively treat the IBS-D of spleen and kidney

Correlation between the Position of the Pituitary Stalk as Determined by Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Its Location as Determined at the Time of Surgical Resection of Pituitary Adenomas

Objective@#: An important factor during pituitary adenoma surgery is to preserve pituitary stalk (PS) as this plays a role in reduction of the risk of postoperative diabetes insipidus. The hypothalamic-hypophyseal tract (HHT) projects through the PS to the posterior pituitary gland. To reconstruct white matter fiber pathways, methods like diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography have been widely used. In this report we attempted to predict the position of PS using DTI tractography and to assess its intraoperative correlation during surgery of pituitary adenomas. @*Methods@#: DTI tractography was used to tract the HHT in nine patients before craniotomy for pituitary adenomas. The DTI location of the HHT was compared with the PS position identified at the time of surgery. DTI fiber tracking was carried out in nine patients prior to the planned craniotomy for pituitary adenomas. In one patient, the PS could not be identified during the surgery. In the other eight patients, a comparison was made between the location of the HHT identified by DTI and the position of the PS visualized at the time of surgery. @*Results@#: The position of the HHT identified by DTI showed consistency with the intraoperative position of the PS in seven patients (88.9% concordance). @*Conclusion@#: This study shows that DTI can identify the position of the HHT and thus the position of the PS with a high degree of reliability.

Mechanism research of srtA gene on the oxidation tolerance of Streptococcus mutans / 口腔疾病防治

Objective@#To investigate the effects of srtA on the oxidation tolerance of the Streptococcus mutans UA159 strain and to explore the potential mechanism.@*Methods@#The oxidation tolerance in the planktonic state and biofilm state were compared among UA159, the srtA-deleted strain and the complementary strain through oxidative tolerance experiments. The RNA-sequencing data from both the exponential and stationary phases of UA159 and the srtA-deleted strain were obtained by using the Illumina HiSeq 4 000 sequencing platform to determine the impact of srtA knockout on S. mutans genomic transcription. We compared the differences in the transcriptional expression of oxidative tolerance-related genes between the UA159 strain and the srtA gene deletion strain and further explored the intrinsic relationship between the changes in oxidative tolerance and the genetic transcriptome. qPCR was used to verify the changes in the expression level of oxidation tolerance-related genes.@*Results @#The oxidation tolerance of the srtA-deleted strain decreased significantly in both the planktonic state and the biofilm state compared to that of UA159 (P < 0.05). A total of 33 oxidation tolerance-related genes were differentially expressed according to transcriptome sequencing. There was no significant change in the expression of peroxide synthesis- and metabolic-related enzyme genes, but in the stationary phase samples, the two-component signal transcription systems lrgA, lrgB, and lytT were significantly downregulated (2.2- to 2.4-fold) in the srtA-deleted strain. qPCR further confirmed that in both the exponential and stationary phases, lrgB and lytT expression in the planktonic state was reduced 11.01-53.51-fold, while the expression of the other two-component system-encoding gene vicK was reduced by 6.57-10.88-fold (P < 0.001).@*Conclusion@#SrtA gene deletion did not change the expression level of peroxide synthesis-related and metabolic enzyme-encoding genes but downregulated the expression of the associated transcription regulation factors to reduce the oxidation tolerance of S. mutans.

Research progress in immunotherapy for glioblastoma / 药学学报

Glioma is the most common primary intracranial tumor, among which glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant subtype. Because of its high heterogeneity and invasiveness, GBM can't be completely removed by surgical resection and is also resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Even after a standard therapy, the median survival time is only 14.6 months, the five-year survival rate is less than 10%, and the relapse of GBM is common. Immunotherapy, a new treatment paradigm, treats cancer through regulating the autologous immune system and the tumor microenvironment. As a promising method to improve the prognosis of GBM, immunotherapy has attracted more and more attention. This paper gives a review to the difficulty, the mainly existing strategies and the bottlenecks in GBM immunotherapy, aiming at providing new direction to improve the prognosis of GBM patients.

Study on HPLC fingerprint of Callicarpa nudiflora and determination of ten components / 中国中药杂志

This study is to establish the HPLC fingerprint and determine eight components of Callicarpa nudiflora, and provide a scientific basis for the identification and quality control. The Waters sunfire C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 µm) was used and the detection wavelength was 330 nm . The column temperature was 30 °C. The mobile phases were acetonitrile (A) and 0.1% formic acid (B) eluting in a gradient program at a flow rate of 1.0 mL · min(-1). The chromatographic fingerprint similarity evaluation system for tradition Chinese medicine(2012) was used for analysis. C. nudiflora from different samples were of high similarity in fingerprint and the separation of ten components was good. There was an obvious difference between other samples and C. nudiflora leaves. In quantitative analysis, the ten components showed good regression(R2 > 0 999 0) with linear ranges, and their recoveries were in the range of 96.0%-105.0%. The established qualitative and quantitative methods are highly specific, simple and accurate, which can be used for the identification and quality control of C. nudiflora.

Induction of dendritic cells from intra-operative lost blood and their effects on CIK against liver cancer cells in vitro / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the practical possibility of inducing dendritic cells (DCs) from mononuclear cells in the lost blood during operation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, and attempted to find a new source of precursor cells for the personalized immunotherapy based on DCs.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Collected lost blood during hepatectomy from 9 HCC patients and human cord blood from 8 cases of healthy donors undergoing caesarean section. Their mononuclear cells were divided into monocytes and nonadherent lymphocytes. RhGM-CSF and rhIL-4 were administered to induce the monocytes differentiation into DCs, and then loaded with different antigens (lysate antigen of autologous liver cancer cells and cell line SMMC-7721 cells). The lymphocytes were induced into cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK) with IL-2, CD3-Ab, gamma-IFN and PHA. MTT assay was performed to detect the proliferation rate of T lymphocytes mediated by DC and the cytotoxicity of CIK to liver cancer cells.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>DCs induced from monocytes of the intra-operative lost blood possessed typical morphology and phenotypes. Compared with the DCs from cord blood, the DCs from intra-operative lost blood expressed lower level of surface markers, but both could effectively induce proliferation of CIK and enhance the cytotoxicity of activated CIK against liver cancer cells at similar levels. When the DCs from lost blood and their counterpart from cord blood were both loaded with autologous tumor cell antigen, the proliferation rates of CIK were (388.9 +/- 137.3)% and (315.1 +/- 44.5)%, respectively, and the killing rates against tumor cells were (87.1 +/- 8.0)% and (90.0 +/- 5.1)%, respectively. When the two similar DC groups were loaded with lysate antigen of SMMC-7721 cells, the proliferation rates of CIK were (239.9 +/- 48.7)% and (226.3 +/- 32.3)%, respectively, and the killing rates against tumor cells were (76.4 +/- 7.9)% and (81.1 +/- 4.3)%, respectively. There were no significant differences between those two DC groups. The data also showed that the proliferation and cytotoxicity of CIK induced by DCs loaded with autologous antigen were higher than that of DCs loaded with SMMC-7721 antigen.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Mononuclear cells separated from intra-operative lost blood of HCC patients can be induced into mature DCs, which can effectively activate CIK and significantly increase its killing effect on the liver cancer cells, and may become a new source of DCs to study and develop vaccines for clinical application.</p>