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Objective To observe the effects of wheat grain moxibustion for"Huantiao"on sciatic nerve function,pathological morphology of sciatic nerve stem and expressions of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway expression in spinal cord tissue of rats with sciatic nerve injury(SNI);To explore the possible mechanism of wheat grain moxibustion for the treatment of SNI.Methods Totally 24 SD male rats were randomly divided into blank group,sham-operation group,model group and wheat grain moxibustion group,with 6 rats in each group.The model group and the wheat grain moxibustion group used a rat model with sciatic nerve clamping injury.From the 7th day after modeling,the rats were treated with moxibustion on the affected side of"Huantiao"for 6 strokes each time,once a day,for consecutive 10 days.The sciatic nerve function index(SFI)of rats on the 7th day after modeling and after intervention were observed,mechanical withdraw threshold(MWT)in rats were measured using a fiber optic pain gauge,ELISA was used to detect NO and iNOS content in spinal cord tissue,HE staining was used to observe the morphology of sciatic nerve stem,the expression of TLR4,NF-κBp65,p-NF-κBp65,MyD88,IκBα and p-IκBα in spinal cord tissue were detected by Western blot.Results Compared with the sham-operation group,the SFI and MWT of the rats in the model group significantly decreased(P<0.01),the arrangement of nerve fibers in sciatic nerve stem was disordered,with a significant increase in the number of Schwann cells and a large number of vacuolar degeneration,the content of NO,iNOS and the expression of TLR4,p-NF-κBp65,MyD88,p-IκBα protein in spinal cord tissue significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the SFI and MWT of the rats in the wheat grain moxibustion group increased significantly(P<0.01),the damage of sciatic nerve stem was reduced,with orderly cell arrangement,a decrease in the number of Schwann cells,and a decrease in axonal demyelination and cellular vacuolar degeneration,the content of NO,iNOS and the expression of TLR4,p-NF-κBp65,MyD88,p-IκBα in spinal cord tissue significantly decreased(P<0.05).Conclusion Wheat grain moxibustion for"Huantiao"can down-regulate TLR4,p-NF-κBp65,MyD88 and p-IκBα protein expressions in spinal cord tissue of SNI rats,reduce the secretion of NO and iNOS,thereby relieve pain and damaged nerve tissue inflammation response.
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Cerebral hemorrhage is an acute cerebrovascular disease with high morbidity and mortality,and its pathogenesis is very complicated.The Janus tyrosine protein kinase(JAK)/signal transduction and activator of transcription(STAT)signaling pathway are critical in the development of cerebral hemorrhage.Acupuncture has proved to be effective in the treatment of cerebral hemorrhage.This article took the JAK/STAT signaling pathway as the starting point to review the research on the mechanism of acupuncture treatment for cerebral hemorrhage in recent years.It summarized its effects in inhibiting inflammatory reactions,reducing brain edema,inhibiting cell apoptosis,promoting nerve and vascular regeneration,and promoting neural function remodeling,providing reference for relevant research.
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Objective To observe the effects of electroacupuncture(EA)at"Hegu"and"Taichong"on the expressions of cytochrome C(Cyt-C)and Caspase-9 in the hippocampus of rats with chronic pain and depression comorbidity(CPDC);To explore its potential mechanism for the treatment of CPDC.Methods A total of 60 SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group,model group,medication group and EA group,with 15 rats in each group.The CPDC model was induced by twice injection of complete Freund's adjuvant into the plantar of the left hind paw.EA group was applied to bilateral"Hegu"and"Taichong"for 20 min,the medication group were treated with duloxetine suspension 10 mg/kg by gavage for 14 days.The mechanical paw withdrawal threshold and thermal withdrawal latency were measured on day 7,14,21 and 28 after the first injection,tail suspension test and sucrose preference test were performed on day 14 and 28,Nissl staining was used to observe hippocampal neurons and the number of Nissl body,the protein expressions of Cyt-C and Caspase-9 in hippocampal tissue were detected by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.Results Compared with the sham-operation group,the mechanical paw withdrawal threshold and thermal withdrawal latency of the model group significantly decreased(P<0.01),the tail suspension immobility time increased(P<0.01),the percentage of sucrose preference decreased(P<0.01),the neurons were thinly arranged,the neurons were damaged and lost,and the number of Nissl body were less(P<0.01),the apoptotic rate of hippocampal neurons increased(P<0.01),the expression of Cyt-C,Caspase-9 and cleaved-Caspase-9/Caspase-9 ratio in hippocampal tissue increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the mechanical paw withdrawal threshold and thermal withdrawal latency of the EA group and medication group significantly increased(P<0.01),the tail suspension immobility time decreased(P<0.01),the percentage of sucrose preference increased(P<0.01),the loss of neurons in hippocampus was reduced,the cells were arranged neatly,and the nucleoli were clear,the number of Nissl body increased(P<0.01),the apoptotic rate of hippocampal neurons decreased(P<0.01),and the expression of Cyt-C,Caspase-9 and cleaved-Caspase-9/Caspase-9 ratio in hippocampal tissue decreased(P<0.01).Conclusion EA at"Hegu"and"Taichong"can alleviate pain and depression in CPDC rats,which may be related to inhibiting the expressions of Cyt-C and Caspase-9 in hippocampal tissue and inhibiting the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons,thus playing a neuroprotective effect.
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Objective To observe the effects of plantar injection of complete Freund's adjuvant(CFA)on pain-depressive behavior and changes in hippocampal monoamine neurotransmitters in rats to establish an animal model of related comorbidity.Methods Sixteen male,8-week-old,SPF-grade healthy SD rats were randomly divided into model and control groups with eight rats in each group.In the model group,rats were anesthetized and injected with 100 μL CFA in the left hind paw to induce the comorbid chronic inflammatory pain and depression model.In the control group,rats were injected with the same volume of saline.Pain thresholds were measured using the Von Frey hair and thermal radiation instrument,and depression-like behaviors were assessed using the open field test(OFT),tail suspension test(TST),and forced swim test(FST).Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to measure 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT),dopamine(DA),and norepinephrine(NE)in rat hippocampal tissue.Histological changes in the hippocampal area were observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining.Results Compared with the control group,the mechanical withdrawal threshold and thermal withdrawal latency in the model group were significantly decreased at 3,7,and 14 days(P<0.01).The total distance in the OFT was significantly reduced at 7 and 14 days(P<0.01),and the time spent in the center zone was significantly decreased at 14 days(P<0.01).Immobility time in the TST was significantly increased at 14 days(P<0.01),and the immobility time in the FST was significantly increased at 7 and 14 days(P<0.05,P<0.01).5-HT,DA,and NE contents in hippocampal tissue of the model group rats were significantly reduced compared with those in the control group(P<0.01),and hippocampal tissue in the model group showed pathological changes,including irregular neuronal shapes,loose and disordered arrangement,increased intercellular space,some unclear cell nuclei,and some neuronal contraction and apoptosis.Conclusions Injection of 100 μL CFA into the footpad causes pain hypersensitivity,depression-like behavior,significant reductions in monoaminergic neurotransmitters in the hippocampus,and histological changes in the hippocampus,effectively simulating the manifestations of comorbid pain and depression,and is an experimental model to study the pathological mechanisms of comorbid chronic inflammatory pain and depression.
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Objective: To reveal the therapeutic effect of acupuncture-moxibustion therapy for the treatment of post-stroke shoulder pain. Methods: Ninety patients with post-stroke acupuncture-moxibustion therapy (AM), acupuncture-moxibustion plus Chinese herbal decoction (AMCH), and Chinese herbal decoction (CH) respectively. Results: In the comparison of the therapeutic effects and blood viscosity, there was significant difference between the AM and CH group, as well as between the AMCH and CH group (P＜0.01); the difference was not significant between the AM and AMCH group. Conclusion:Acupuncture-moxibustion is an effective therapy in the treatment of the post-stroke shoulder pain, and it can also reduce the blood viscosity in short-term.