Phased Expression of Gene and Protein of NogoA and NgR in Rats with Spinal Cord Injury and Time Window of Electroacupuncture / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective To investigate the phased expression of gene and protein of NogoA and its receptor (NgR) that affects axon growth of spinal cord injury (SCI), and to explore the time window effect of electroacupuncture on SCI rats. Methods A total of 144 female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to sham operation group (group A, n=48) and model group (n=96). In the model group, Allen's method was used to establish SCI rats model, and they were further subdivided into model control group (group B, n=48) and electroacupuncture group (group C, n=48). Group C received electroacupuncture on Dazhui (GV14), Yaoyangguan (GV3), bilateral Ciliao (BL32) and Zu-sanli (ST36) with loose-tight wave, for 20 minutes every day, one day, seven days and 14 days after modeling. The rats at every interventional therapy time were randomly subdivided into two subgroups, which accepted sev-en or 14 days of treatment. Groups A and B were killed and the injured spinal cord tissue was extracted one day, three days, seven days, 14 days and 28 days after modeling, group C at the corresponding time. The hind limb motor function was assessed with BBB score before all of rats were killed. Four samples at every time in each group were randomly selected to detect the expression of mRNA and protein of NogoA and NgR at different stage of SCI using reverse transcription real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting. Results The BBB score began to increase 14 days after modeling, and significantly increased until 28 days after model-ing (P<0.05), compared with one day, three days and seven days after modeling in group B. The BBB score in-creased in group C than in group B at all the time points (P<0.05), except 14 days after electroacupuncture one day after modeling. The BBB score was higher as electroacupuncture intervening seven days and 14 days after modeling than that at one day after modeling in group C, and no significant difference was found between seven days and 14 days of treatment at either electroacupuncture time point (P>0.05). The expression of gene and pro-tein of NogoA and NgR in group B was in the increasing tendency after SCI, and was at the peak until 21 days af-ter modeling, and was higher in group B than in group A at each time point (P<0.01). The expression of gene and protein of NogoA decreased at all the time points in group C than in group B (P<0.05), except seven days of elec-troacupuncture intervening one day after modeling in the expression of NogoA mRNA (P>0.05). The expression of gene and protein of NogoA and NgR was lower as electroacupuncture intervening 14 days after modeling than one day after modeling in group C (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression of gene and protein of NogoA and NgR between electroacupuncture intervening 14 days and seven days after modeling, and seven days and one day after modeling (P>0.05); as well as between seven days and 14 days of treatment at each time point (P>0.05). Conclusion Elerctroacupuncture could improve the hind limb motor function, which may associate with the inhibition of the expression of gene and protein of NogoA and NgR in injured spinal cord of rats after SCI. Elerctroacu-puncture is effective in the treatment of SCI at the early time, however, it is much better in the recovery stage.

Evaluation of the post-effect of acupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP 6) under sleep deprivation by resting-state amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation: a fMRI study / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To discuss the central modulating mechanism of Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) differences of the functional brain regions between SP 6 and sham acupoint.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixteen volunteers accepted right Sanyinjiao (SP 6) (SP 6 group) or right sham (sham group) acupuncture for two times after 24 h sleep deprivation (SD), there was two weeks between two acupunctures. The needle was retained for 4 minutes and the brain fMRI scanning was performed by 3.0 TMR every time. The ALFF consequent data was processed by REST. One-sample t-test and two-pair t-test were performed by SPM5.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>SP 6 group mainly caused ALFF change in inferior parietal lobule, posterior cingulated while sham group in precuneus, posterior cingulated. SP 6 group increased ALFF in left fusiform temporal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus with no decreased regions compared with sham group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Retaining needle dose influence the activity of the brain region during resting-state in both group, especially the mood-related regions. And its mechanism is probably that the relevant effect is carried out by regulating function to target organs of complex brain network comprised of relevant functional center and related brain region. There are differences between SP 6 and Sham acupoint.</p>

Preliminary study on force feedback of acupuncture in virtual reality based on the visible human / 中国医疗器械杂志

This paper discusses the application of virtual reality technology in the 3-D visible human body and acupuncture research. Based on the 3-D visible human fused with the localization information and hierarchy of acupoints, the paper analyzes the force against the needle and haptic rendering during the needle manipulation according to the physical properties of different tissues. A haptic model is constructed to demonstrate the force behaviors during acupuncture, and the force will be produced and passed to the manipulator by a force feedback device. It enriches the contents of 3-D visible human project, provides a dynamic simulation instrument for acupuncture teaching, and supplies a platform for acupuncture research.

Brief analysis on scientifity of the international scalp acupuncture / 中国针灸

By comparing and analyzing the similarity among the international scalp acupuncture, JIAO's scalp acupuncture and ZHU's scalp acupuncture, it is believed that the international scalp acupuncture is a combination of traditional acupuncture and other scalp acupuncture on the basis of channel theory of TCM, and this combination is worthy of discussion. However JIAO's scalp acupuncture lacks scientific evidence. So, the international scalp acupuncture following most contents of JIAO's scalp acupuncture is worthy of discussion.

Three-D visualization study on the acupoint of Jianliao (TE 14) based on the operational platform of Voxel-man / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To discuss the problem difficult to be presented for nerves and blood vessels in the 3D reconstruction of acupoints through studying 3D reconstruction of Jianliao (TE 14).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Muscles and other tissues were segmented by applying cointeractive segmentation method based on chromatic characteristic space; the nerve and blood vessels can be reconstructed by establishing mathematics model, and the needle-inserting animation of Jianliao (TE 14) could be obtained by running script file.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>During the course of 3D needle-inserting animation of Jianliao (TE 14), the spatial location between all kinds of tissues including the nerve and blood vessels and the needle body could be systematically observed.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The difficulty of presenting the nerve and blood vessels in the study on 3D reconstruction of acupoints can be resolved by establishing mathematics model. The generation of 3D animation for acupoints with the nerve and blood vessels is benefit to acupuncture teaching and study on the essence of acupoints and channels.</p>