Acupuncture-Neuroimaging Research Trends over Past Two Decades: A Bibliometric Analysis / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To identify topics attracting growing research attention as well as frontier trends of acupuncture-neuroimaging research over the past two decades.@*METHODS@#This paper reviewed data in the published literature on acupuncture neuroimaging from 2000 to 2020, which was retrieved from the Web of Science database. CiteSpace was used to analyze the publication years, countries, institutions, authors, keywords, co-citation of authors, journals, and references.@*RESULTS@#A total of 981 publications were included in the final review. The number of publications has increased in the recent 20 years accompanied by some fluctuations. Notably, the most productive country was China, while Harvard University ranked first among institutions in this field. The most productive author was Tian J with the highest number of articles (50), whereas the most co-cited author was Hui KKS (325). Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (92) was the most prolific journal, while Neuroimage was the most co-cited journal (538). An article written by Hui KKS (2005) exhibited the highest co-citation number (112). The keywords "acupuncture" (475) and "electroacupuncture" (0.10) had the highest frequency and centrality, respectively. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) ranked first with the highest citation burst (6.76).@*CONCLUSION@#The most active research topics in the field of acupuncture-neuroimaging over the past two decades included research type, acupoint specificity, neuroimaging methods, brain regions, acupuncture modality, acupoint specificity, diseases and symptoms treated, and research type. Whilst research frontier topics were "nerve regeneration", "functional connectivity", "neural regeneration", "brain network", "fMRI" and "manual acupuncture".

A study on factors associated with age of Alzheimer's disease onset / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the distribution characteristics of age of Alzheimer's disease (AD) onset and influencing factors. Methods: Based on the follow-up data of Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative from 2005 to 2022, participants with normal cognition (CN) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at baseline survey, and those with progression to AD during follow-up period were selected as study subjects. Univariate analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were performed to explore the associations of gender, race, number of ApoE ε4 genes carried, family history, years of education and marital status with the age of AD onset. Results: A total of 405 participants, with an average age of (74.0±6.9) years at baseline survey, progressed to AD during follow up period. The age of AD onset was (76.6±7.5) years, and age of onset in men was about 1.9 years later than women. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that for each increase in ApoE ε4 gene number, the age of AD onset was about 0.344 years earlier. The age of AD onset was 4.007 years earlier for those with MCI at baseline survey compared with those with CN. Years of education were not significantly associated with the age of onset of AD (P>0.05). Conclusion: Those who carry ApoE ε4 gene, and have MCI at baseline survey might have earlier age of AD onset.

Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill Allieviates Heart Failure via Extracellula Matrix-Receptor Interaction Pathways Based on RNA-Seq Transcriptomics and Experimental Studies / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the protective mechanisms of Chinese medicine Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pills (STDP) on heart failure (HF).@*METHODS@#Isoproterenol (ISO)-induced HF rat model and angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced neonatal rat cardiac fibroblast (CFs) model were used in the present study. HF rats were treated with and without STDP (3 g/kg). RNA-seq was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography. Hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's stainings were taken to assess cardiac fibrosis. The levels of collagen I (Col I) and collagen III (Col III) were detected by immunohistochemical staining. CCK8 kit and transwell assay were implemented to test the CFs' proliferative and migratory activity, respectively. The protein expressions of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, Col I, and Col III were detected by Western blotting.@*RESULTS@#The results of RNA-seq analysis showed that STDP exerted its pharmacological effects on HF via multiple signaling pathways, such as the extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction, cell cycle, and B cell receptor interaction. Results from in vivo experiments demonstrated that STDP treatment reversed declines in cardiac function, inhibiting myocardial fibrosis, and reversing increases in Col I and Col III expression levels in the hearts of HF rats. Moreover, STDP (6, 9 mg/mL) inhibited the proliferation and migration of CFs exposed to Ang II in vitro (P<0.05). The activation of collagen synthesis and myofibroblast generation were markedly suppressed by STDP, also the synthesis of MMP-2 and MMP-9, as well as ECM components Col I, Col III, and α-SMA were decreased in Ang II-induced neonatal rats' CFs.@*CONCLUSIONS@#STDP had anti-fibrotic effects in HF, which might be caused by the modulation of ECM-receptor interaction pathways. Through the management of cardiac fibrosis, STDP may be a compelling candidate for improving prognosis of HF.

Transition rules of cognitive frailty and influencing factors in the elderly in China / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the transition rules of cognitive frailty and its influencing factors in the elderly in China and provide evidence for the early intervention of cognitive frailty. Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study with 3 round consecutive survey (2011, 2013, 2015) and the state of the subjects were classified into four categories: robust-normal cognitive, cognitive impairment, physical frailty, and cognitive frailty. A multi-state Markov model was established to explore the transition rules of cognitive frailty and its influencing factors. Results: A total of 3 470 older adults were included, and 350 (10.09%) had cognitive frailty at baseline. After two years, the probability of cognitive frailty in the cognitive impairment population was higher than that in people with physical frailty (31.6% vs. 7.6%). Persons with cognitive frailty were more likely to become physical frailty (29.7% vs. 15.6%). Being women (HR=1.599, 95%CI: 1.058-2.417), comorbidity (HR=3.035, 95%CI: 1.090-8.450), and depression (HR=1.678, 95%CI: 1.153-2.441) were the risk factors associated with cognitive frailty in the elderly, while being educated (HR=2.367, 95%CI: 1.567-3.575) was a protective factor for the transition of cognitive frailty to physical frailty. Conclusions: The prevalence of cognitive frailty is relatively high in the elderly in China. Those with cognitive impairment have a higher probability of cognitive frailty. Gender, education level, comorbidity, and depression are the main influencing factors for the occurrence and transition of cognitive frailty.

Research on predicting the risk of mild cognitive impairment in the elderly based on the joint model / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To construct and compare the dynamic prediction models of the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the elderly based on six different cognitive function scales. Methods: Based on longitudinal data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative from 2005 to 2020, Mini-mental state examination (MMSE), functional activities questionnaire (FAQ), Alzheimer's disease assessment scale-cognitive (ADAS-Cog) 11, ADAS-Cog13, ADAS delayed word recall (ADASQ4), and Rey auditory verbal learning test (RAVLT)_immediate were used as longitudinal cognitive function evaluation indicators to assess the longitudinal changes in cognitive function. The joint model was used to analyze association between indicators variation trajectory and survival outcome MCI, and construct the risk prediction model of MCI in the elderly, the linear mixed model was constructed the longitudinal sub-model which described the evolution of a repeated measure over time, a proportional hazards model was constructed the survival sub-model, and the two sub-models were connected through the correlation parameter (α). The areas under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the predictive efficacy of the model in the follow-up period of (t, t+Δt). The starting point t was selected at the 30th, 42nd, and 54th month, and the Δt was selected as 15 and 21 months. Based on the prediction model, an example of the research object was selected for dynamic individual predictions of the risk of MCI. Results: Finally, 544 older adults (aged 60 years and above) with normal baseline cognitive status were included, of which 119 cases (21.9%) had MCI during the follow-up process were regarded as the case group, and 425 cases remained normal as the control group. The joint model suggests that the longitudinal trajectories of the six evaluation indicators are all related to the risk of MCI (P<0.001). The risk of MCI decreased by 32.3% (HR=0.677, 95%CI: 0.541-0.846) and 10.8% (HR=0.892, 95%CI: 0.865-0.919) for each one-point increase of MMSE and RAVLT_immediate longitudinal scores. The risk of MCI increased by 53.2% (HR=1.532, 95%CI: 1.393-1.686), 36.2% (HR=1.362, 95%CI: 1.268-1.462), 23.2% (HR=1.232, 95%CI: 1.181-1.285), and 85.1% (HR=1.851, 95%CI:1.629-2.104) for each one-point increase of FAQ, ADAS-Cog11, ADAS-Cog13, and ADASQ4 longitudinal scores. AUC results show that RAVLT_immediate (0.760 2) and ADASQ4 (0.755 8) have higher average prediction efficiency, followed by ADAS-Cog13 (0.743 7), ADAS-Cog11 (0.715 3), FAQ (0.700 8) and MMSE (0.629 5). ADASQ4 joint model was used to provide a dynamic individual prediction of the risk of MCI. The average probability of MCI after five years of follow-up and ten years of follow-up in the example individuals were 8% and 40%, respectively. Conclusions: The RAVLT_immediate and ADASQ4 scales, which are only for memory tests, have high accuracy in predicting the risk of MCI. Using the RAVLT_immediate and ADASQ4 scales as longitudinal cognitive function evaluation indicators to construct a joint model, the results can provide a basis for realizing MCI risk prediction for the elderly.

Single-cell transcriptome analysis of T cells in thyroid and peripheral blood of patients with Hashimoto′s thyroiditis / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective:To construct single-cell transcription landscape of T cell in peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) and thyroid tissue of patients with Hashimoto ′s thyroiditis(HT), and to analyze the changes in the proportion and functionality of T cell clusters in HT disease state.Methods:Single cell RNA sequencing was performed on PBMCs and thyroid tissue from 5 HT patients. Single cell RNA sequencing data of PBMCs from 5 healthy individuals were retrieved from public databases. After preliminary clustering, the clusters expressing CD3E were extracted and clustering again, and the names of each cluster were determined according to the known cell markers. The proportion of each cell subtype was compared, and the differentially expressed genes in different samples were analyzed.Results:After quality control, the 71 533 T cells were classified into 19 cell clusters. Among them, the proportion and function of C1_CD4 + Naive T cell clusters, C3_CD4 + Treg cell clusters, C7_CD8 + Naive T cell clusters, C8_GNLY -CD8 + T cell clusters, C10_RORC + CD8 + T cell clusters, C11_ GZMK + CD8 + T cell clusters, C12_CCL4 + CD8 + T cell clusters, and C18_PTGDS + NK cell clusters in thyroid tissue of HT patients were significantly different from those in PBMCs of healthy controls and HT patients. Conclusion:The proportion of multiple T cells in thyroid tissue of HT patients were significantly different from those in PBMCs. Among them, the proportion of three of CD8 + T cell subsets with high expression of cell killing-related genes in thyroid tissue T cells of HT patients is higher than that in PBMCs T cells, and it is statistically significant. In addition, the functionality of various T cells in the thyroid tissue of HT patients are also significantly different from those in PBMCs. A cluster of GZMK + CD8 + T cells showes significantly lower expression of genes related to PD1 pathway in thyroid tissues of HT patients compared with cells in PBMCs of HT patients, also a cluster of CCL4 + CD8 + T cells showes significantly lower expression of genes related to IL-12 pathway.

Application of Tiaoshen Jianpi acupuncture and moxibustion in hospice care for terminal cancer patients / 中国针灸

To analyze the application feasibility of Tiaoshen Jianpi acupuncture and moxibustion in hospice care for terminal cancer patients. Tiaoshen Jianpi acupuncture and moxibustion adjusts the spirit to regulate emotions and fortifies the spleen to supplement and boost foundation of acquired (postnatal) constitution. And it could relieve adverse reactions after radiotherapy and chemotherapy, alleviate pain and regulate emotions in hospice care for terminal cancer patients, so as to promote the progress of hospice care for terminal cancer patients.

Nano-components derived from Descurainiae Semen Carbonisatum and its hemostatic mechanism / 药学学报

A novel sort of nano-component was extricated and isolated from Descurainiae Semen Carbonisatum (DSC), and its hemostatic component was considered through pharmacological experiments. A muffle furnace was used to prepare DSC at 250 ℃, 300 ℃ and 350 ℃, and the DSC dialysate at each temperature was obtained by the extraction and separation method. Low-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) were utilized to characterize the nano-components. Ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV-Vis), fluorescence spectroscopy (FL) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were utilized to measure its optical characteristics and functional group information. The anti-hemorrhagic effects were evaluated by liver bleeding tests and the related hemostatic mechanisms of the obtained nano-components were further assessed by detecting blood coagulation and PLT quantity to discuss the hemostasis mechanism. The experiments complied with the Animal Ethics Committee of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. TEM results showed that there was a novel type of nano-component in the DSC dialysate bag, which was named DSC nano-components (DSC-NCs). The experimental results of liver bleeding in mice showed that DSC-NCs prepared at 250 ℃, 300 ℃, and 350 ℃ could reduce the bleeding time of mice liver. Among them, DSC-NCs prepared at 350 °C had the best effect. In addition, DSC-NCs prepared at various temperatures can also reduce the prothrombin time (PT) value, increase the fibrinogen (FIB) value and the platelet (PLT) value to varying degrees. DSC-NCs have a certain hemostatic effect, which may be related to the activation of the exogenous coagulation system, the increase of FIB value and the increase of platelet content. This provides a new research direction for exploring the treatment of bleeding diseases, and provides a new perspective for the potential application of DSC-NCs in the medical field.

Effect of formyl peptide receptor 2 in recurrent spontaneous abortion through p38 MAPK pathway / 解剖学报

Objective To explore the express of formyl peptide receptor 2(FPR2) in villi of recurrent spontaneous abortion ( RSA) , the effect on proliferation, migration and invasion of trophoblast, and the mechanism to clarify the effect of FPR2 on trophoblast function and explore its role and mechanism in recurrent spontaneous abortion. Methods Clinical villus specimens of 30 nonnal and 30 RSA patients were collected. Immunohistochemical staining, Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the location and expression of FPR2 in villi of patients with RSA and nonnal pregnant women. CRISPR/Cas-9 technique was used to knock down FPR2 in HTR-8/SVneo cells, CCK-8 assay, wound healing and Transwell assays were used to detennine the ability of cell viability, migration and invasion. Immunofluorescent staining and Western blotting were used to analyze the changes of phosphorylated p38 MAPK ( p-p38 MAPK)/p38 MAPK protein expression after applying with p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 alone or in combination. Results The expression of FPR2 in villi of patients with RSA increased. FPR2 knock-down improved the biological functions of HTR-8/Svneo cells such as proliferation, migration and invasion significantly. The expression of p-p38 MAPK was up-regulated significantly by FPR2 knock-down, and the ability enhancement of migration and invasion of trophoblasts was reversed partially by SB203580 which inhibits p38 MAPK pathway. FPR2 knock-down caused the change of p38 MAPK signaling pathway related to proteins. Conclusion FPR2 is highly expressed in trophoblasts of RSA patients, and inhibits the migration and invasion of trophoblasts through p38 MAPK signaling pathway, which ma)' play an important role in RSA.

The effect of Moutan cortex carbonisata nano-components on the blood-cooling and hemostatic / 药学学报

At present, the research of Moutan cortex carbonisata (MCC) mainly focuses on the changes of chemical composition before and after charcoal production, and there is a lack of material basic research directly related to the efficacy at home and abroad. In this study, Moutan cortex, as a precursor, and was calcined to MCC at high temperature. The Moutan cortex carbonisata nano-components (MCC-NCs) were extracted and separated from MCC to explore its cooling-blood and hemostatic effects. In the experiment, the MCC was calcined at a high temperature in a muffle furnace (350 ℃, 1 h), and then MCC-NCs were extracted for MCC, and characterized by transmission electron microscopy and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In addition, the study evaluated the blood-cooling and hemostatic effects of MCC-NCs. The results showed that MCC-NCs have a size distribution of 0.80-2.8 nm, a lattice spacing of 0.26 nm. MCC-NCs are mainly composed of C, O and N elements and have abundant surface functional groups such as OH, C=O, C-N and C=C. The fluorescence yield of MCC-NCs was 7.18%. The experiments complied with the Animal Ethics Committee of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. The result indicated that pretreatment MCC-NCs can significantly (P < 0.05) reduce the high, medium, and low viscosity of whole blood and plasma viscosity, and reduce hematocrit, red blood cell distribution width, hemoglobin and red blood cell level. In addition, MCC-NCs significantly reduced the levels of activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time and fibrinogen (P < 0.05). The pathological examination results showed that MCC-NCs can significantly reduce lung tissue damage, reduce bleeding and inflammatory cell infiltration. At the same time, it can also significantly reduce the symptoms of gastric mucosal bleeding. In conclusion, the results indicated that MCC-NCs has significantly the effect of blood cooling and hemostasis, and its hemostatic effect is mainly related to the activation of endogenous coagulation pathway or fibrinogen system, which provided a novel strategy for exploring the material basis of traditional Chinese medicine for hemostasis.

Correlation between curative effect and 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in treatment of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome with acupuncture for regulating / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the curative effect on diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) between acupuncture for regulating @*METHODS@#A total of 231 patients with IBS-D were randomized into an acupuncture group (154 cases) and a western medication group (77 cases) at the ratio of 2 to 1. In the acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied to acupoint regimen for regulating @*RESULTS@#After treatment and in follow-up, the total scores of IBS-SSS in the patients of the two groups were all reduced as compared with those before treatment (@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture for regulating

The Effect and Mechanism of Novel Telomerase Inhibitor Nilo 22 on Leukemia Cells / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the cytotoxic effect and its mechanism of the micromolecule compound on the leukemia cells.@*METHODS@#The cytotoxic effects of 28 Nilotinib derivatives on K562, KA, KG, HA and 32D cell lines were detected by MTT assays, and the compound Nilo 22 was screen out. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle on leukemia cells were detected by flow cytometry. The effect of compound screened out on leukemogenesis potential of MLL-AF9 leukemia mice GFP@*RESULTS@#Nilo 22 serves as the most outstanding candidate out of 28 Nilotinib derivatives, which impairs leukemia cell lines, but spares normal hematopoietic cell line. Comparing with Nilotinib, Nilo 22 could induce the apoptosis of GFP@*CONCLUSION@#Nilo 22 shows a significant cytotoxic effect on mice and human leukemia cells, especially for drug resistance cells. Nilo 22 is a promising anti-leukemia agent to solve the common clinical problems of drug resistance and relapse of leukemia.

Whole-mount intramuscular nerve distribution pattern of medial and lateral plantar muscles and its clinical significance / 解剖学报

Objective To reveal the whole-mount distribution pattern of intramuscular nerves in the medial and lateral plantar muscles and to explore its clinical significance. Methods Twenty-four adult cadavers were dissected to remove the medial and lateral groups of the plantar muscles. The distribution pattern of the intramuscular nerves was demonstrated by modified Sihler' s staining. Results The nerve branch for adductor hallucis muscle entered the muscle from the deep surface of the insertion of the muscle, while those nerve branches for abductor hallucis, flexor hallucis brevis, abductor digiti minimi and flexor digiti minimi brevis muscles entered the muscle from the deep side of the origin of the muscle. There were one lunate and one rectangular intramuscular nerve dense regions (INDRs) in the abductor hallucis muscle; two reniform INDRs in the transverse head of the adductor hallucis muscle, one reniform and one rectangular INDRs in the oblique head of the adductor hallucis muscle; there were two rectangle INDRs in the flexor hallucis brevis, abductor digiti minimi and flexor digiti minimi brevis muscles. These five muscles were divided into two neuromuscular compartment, but the percentage position of INDR and the center of INDR on muscle length in each muscle were different. Conclusion These result may provide morphological guidance for surgical operation to avoid nerve injury, the selection and matching of muscle transplantation and the injection of botulinum toxin A to block the spasticity of these muscles.

Microscopic histochemical comparison during mountain-agarwood formation / 中国中药杂志

Mountain-agarwood plays an important role in ethnic medicine in China for its pharmaceutical value. Modern pharmacological researches demonstrated that mountain-agarwood was effective for its anti-myocardial ischemia, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and analgesic effects. Mountain-agarwood derives from the peeled roots, stems or twigs of Syringa pinnatifolia which belongs to Syringa genus. It often depends on the purple substance and fragrance to estimate the formation of mountain-agarwood. However, the mechanism of mountain-agarwood formation has not been reported. To observe the microcosmic change in the process during the formation of mountain-agarwood, this study described the microscopic and histochemical characteristics of mountain-agarwood formation through histochemical staining. Our results showed that a significant difference of the distribution of tyloses existed during mountain-agarwood formation. It was observed that inchoate mountain-agarwood had more starch granules and viable cells than mountain-agarwood formed with high level or low level. The amount of polysaccharide and degree of lignification were increased during the mountain-agarwood formation. The results indicated that the mountain-agarwood, which meets the quality requirements for pharmaceutical use, contained the following characteristics: a large amount of purple tyloses in heartwood; yellow-brown tyloses distributing in heartwood and sapwood which were less in the latter; lignification with high level; a few viable cells; lots of polysaccharide and few starch granules in xylem rays cell. This study is aimed to reveal the change of histochemical characteristics during mountain-agarwood formation, and lay the foundation for exploring the mechanism of mountain-agarwood formation.

Effect of Serum Free Light Chain Ratio and Normalization Ratio after Treatment on Diagnosis and Prognosis of Patients with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the value of serum free light chain (sFLC) κ/λ ratio (sFLCR) on the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma(MM), and explore the effect of sFLCR normalization on the prognosis of patients after 4 courses of induction therapy.@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 43 newly diagnosed MM patients from January 2014 to January 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. Immunoturbidimetry was used to detect the expression levels of sFLC κ and λ. According to the ratio of involved and uninvolved sFLC, using 100 as a boundary, the MM patients were divided into the high ratio group (sFLCR≥100 or ≤0.01) and the low ratio group (0.010.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Patients in the high ratio group at the initial diagnosis have worse renal function, later stage of disease, lower deep remission rate, earlier disease progression, shorter survival time, and worse clinical prognosis.

Therapeutic observation on herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion for dysmenorrhea due to deficiency cold / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion for dysmenorrhea due to deficiency cold. Methods: A total of 70 patients with dysmenorrhea who met the inclusion criteria were randomized into a mild moxibustion group and a herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group by the random number table, with 35 cases in each group. Shenque (CV 8), Zhongji (CV 3) and bilateral Zigong (EX-CA 1) were selected for both groups. The treatment continued for 3 menstrual cycles. The visual analog scale (VAS) and COX menstrual symptom scale (CMSS) were scored in both groups before treatment, after treatment and at the end of the 3rd menstrual cycle after treatment. The clinical efficacy was evaluated at the end of the 3rd menstrual cycle after treatment. Results: After treatment, the clinical efficacy of the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group had the tendency to be superior to that of the mild moxibustion group, while there was no statistically significant difference in the overall efficacy between the two groups (P>0.05). The VAS and CMSS scores after treatment and at the follow-up were significantly lower than those before treatment in both groups (all P<0.05). At the follow-up, the VAS scores in both groups had no significant intra-group differences from those after treatment (both P>0.05). The CMSS scores in both groups were significantly lower than those after treatment (both P<0.05). The VAS scores at the follow-up of both groups had no statistical differences from those after treatment (both P>0.05). After treatment, the CMSS score in the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group was significantly lower than that in the mild moxibustion group (P<0.05). At the follow-up, there were no statistical differences in the CMSS score between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: The herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion has the same therapeutic efficacy for dysmenorrhea as the mild moxibustion; the two moxibustion methods can significantly improve the concomitant symptoms of dysmenorrhea, and the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion is little better.

Emodin ameliorates diabetic neuropathic pain through inhibiting up-regulation of TRPV1 and pro-inflammatory cytokines in dorsal root ganglions in rats

@#Background & Objective: Peripheral neuropathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes and leads to sensory symptoms, including diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP). Emodin has potential analgesic effect for the treatment of pain-related diseases. However, the analgesic effect of emodin on DNP and its possible mechanism remains unknown. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of emodin on STZ-induced DNP in rats and its potential molecular mechanism. Methods: To determine the analgesic effect of emodin on DNP, a mouse model of STZ-induced DNP was established. The pain-related behaviors were evaluated by von Frey test, and hot plate test. The mRNA and protein expression of several TRP channels was detected by qRT-PCR and western blot methods, and the level of inflammatory cytokines was determined by ELISA. Results: The mechanical and thermal pain thresholds were significantly decreased in DNP rats. A single injection of emodin treatment significantly reduced DNP. Further results demonstrated that emodin inhibited the up-regulation of Trpv1 mRNA in the DRG of DNP rats. Our data also indicated that emodin significantly reduced the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in the DRG of DNP rats. Conclusions: Emodin ameliorates mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in DNP rats by down-regulating the expression of TRPV1 in DRG and the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6. Emodin serves as a potent analgesic reagent for treatment and prevention of DNP.

Protective Mechanisms of Suxiao Jiuxin Pills () on Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in vivo and in vitro / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the protective mechanism of Chinese medicine Suxiao Jiuxin Pills (, SXJ) on myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury.@*METHODS@#Mouse myocardial I/R injury model was created by 30-min coronary artery occlusion followed by 24-h reperfusion, the mice were then divided into the sham group (n=7), the I/R group (n=13), the tirofiban group (TIR, positive drug treatment, n=9), and the SXJ group (n=11). Infarct size (IS), risk region (RR), and left ventricle (LV) were analyzed with double staining methods. In addition, H9C2 rat cardiomyocytes were cultured with NaSO to simulate I/R in vitro. The phosphorylation of extracellular regulated protein kinases1/2 (ERK1/2), protein kinase B (AKT), glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β), and protein expression of GATA4 in nucleus were detected with Western blot assay.@*RESULTS@#The ratio of IS/RR in SXJ and TIR groups were lower than that in I/R group (SXJ, 22.4% ±6.6%; TIR, 20.8%±3.3%; vs. I/R, 35.4%±3.7%, P<0.05, respectively). In vitro experiments showed that SXJ increased the NaSO-enhanced phosphorylation of AKT/GSK3β and nuclear expression of GATA4.@*CONCLUSION@#SXJ prevents myocardial I/R injury in mice by activating AKT/GSK3β and GATA4 signaling pathways.

Economic evaluation on strategy for preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B in Zhejiang Province / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective@#To evaluate the cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness of current strategy for preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of hepatitis B virus.@*Methods@#A decision tree model with the Markov process was developed and simulated over the lifetime of a birth cohort in Zhejiang Province in 2016. The current PMTCT strategy was compared with universal vaccination and non-vaccination. Costs were assessed from social perspective. Benefits were the savings from reduced costs associated with disease and effectiveness were measured by quality-adjusted of life-years (QALY) gained. The net present value (NPV), cost-benefit ratio (BCR) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were calculated. Univariate and Probabilistic Sensitivity Analyses (PSA) were performed to assess parameter uncertainties. The parameters of costs and utilities value of hepatitis B-related disease came from the results of the field survey, which were obtained by face-to-face questionnaire survey combined with inpatient medical records, including eight county and municipal hospitals in Jinhua, Jiaxing and Taizhou. A total of 626 outpatients and 523 inpatient patients were investigated. The annual total costs of infection was calculated by combining the costs of outpatient and inpatient.@*Results@#The PMTCT strategy showed a net-gain as 38 323.78 CNY per person, with BCR as 21.10, which was higher than 36 357.80 CNY per person and 13.58 respectively of universal vaccination. Compared with universal vaccination, the PMTCT strategy would save 2 787.07 CNY per additional QALY gained for every person, indicating that PMTCT would be cost-saving. The most important parameters that could affect BCR and ICER were the vaccine coverage rate and costs of hepatitis B related diseases respectively. The PSA showed the PMTCT strategy was preferable as it would gain more QALY and save costs.@*Conclusions@#The PMTCT strategy appeared as highly cost-beneficial and highly cost-effective. High vaccination rate was a key factor of high economic value.

Progress in epidemiological research on relationship between psychological and social factors and stroke / 中华流行病学杂志

Stroke has caused a heavy disease burden across the world, and it has become a worldwide public health problem. Several studies have assessed the relationship between psychological and social factors and risk of stroke so far. This paper summarizes the progress in epidemiological research on the relationship between psychological and social factors (depression, psycho-social stress, anxiety, loneliness, psychological distress, social support, social isolation, and social network) and the risk for stroke, the results of these studies were inconsistent. Most studies showed an association between these factors and the incidence of stroke, but there were still some studies showing no such association.