Effects of electroacupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) on arrhythmia during myocardial infarction in a rat model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at Neiguan (PC6) on arrhythmia during acute myocardial ischemia-reperfusion and the expression of connexin 43 (Cx43) in rats. Methods: A total of 40 Sprague-Dawley male rats were used. Ten rats were randomly selected as the blank group, and the remaining 30 rats were randomly divided into a model group and an EA group, with 15 rats in each group. Before modeling, rats in the EA group received one session of EA intervention at bilateral Neiguan (PC6) for 30 min; the other groups were treated with the same grasping and anesthesia for 30 min without intervention. PowerLab physiological recorder was used to record electrocardiograph within 30 min of infarction. After the experiment, cardiac tissue and serum were collected from rats. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the morphological changes of myocardial tissue in the ventricular infarction area of rats in each group. The expression of Cx43 protein in the myocardium of each group was detected by Western blotting (WB). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the activity of Na+-K+-ATPase in myocardial tissue and the serum content of endogenous digitalis-like factor (EDLF) in rats. Results: There was no statistical difference in arrhythmia score between the EA group and the model group, but the total duration and average duration of arrhythmia in the EA group were decreased (P<0.01). HE staining showed that compared with the blank group, myocardial cells in the model group were disorganized and seriously damaged. The pathological changes in the EA group were similar to those in the model group, but the damage was relatively minor. The results of WB showed that compared with the blank group, the Cx43 expression in myocardial tissue of the model group was decreased (P<0.01); compared with the model group, the Cx43 expression in the EA group was increased (P<0.01); compared with the blank group, the Na+-K+-ATPase activity in myocardial tissue of the model group was significantly decreased (P<0.01); compared with the model group, the Na+-K+-ATPase activity in the EA group was increased (P<0.01). ELISA results showed that compared with the blank group, the serum EDLF content in the model group was significantly increased (P<0.01); compared with the model group, the EDLF content in the EA group was decreased (P<0.01). Conclusion: EA at Neiguan (PC6) can delay and reduce the onset of arrhythmia during myocardial infarction in the rat model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion. Its mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of the Cx43 expression in myocardial tissue, improvement of the activity of Na+-K+-ATPase in myocardial tissue, and increase in the content of serum EDLF.

Electroacupuncture for myocardial ischemia injury in rats via AMPK-HDAC5-HIF-1α signaling / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the impact of electroacupuncture (EA) on the AMPKα-HDAC5-HIF-1α signaling in the heart of the rats with myocardial ischemia (MI) via detecting the expressions of AMP-activated protein kinase α (AMPKα), histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5), hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).@*METHODS@#Thirty-six healthy male SD rats were randomized into a sham operation group (6 rats), a sham + EA group (6 rats), a model group (12 rats) and an EA group (12 rats). We ligated the left anterior descending artery (LAD) for MI model, and exposed the heart of rats after opening the chest without ligation for the rats in the sham operation gorup and the sham + EA group. On the 2nd day after LAD ligation, EA was applied at "Neiguan" (PC 6) with 2 Hz/15 Hz and 1.5-2 mA for 30 min in the EA group and sham+EA group, once a day for 4 days. The same fixation was used in the sham operation group and the model group, without EA. Myocardial infarction area was observed by TTC staining and serum cardiac troponin T (cTnT) was detected by radioimmunoassay. The expression of VEGF mRNA was detected by real time PCR. The protein expressions of AMPKα, HDAC5, HIF-1α and VEGF were detected by western blot.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the sham operation group, 4 days after LAD ligation, the myocardial infarction was obvious and the expression of serum cTnT increased in the model group (0.05). After EA for 4 days, the myocardial infarction area and cTnT expression decreased in the EA group (both <0.01); the VEGF mRNA and protein expressions and AMPKα, HDAC5, HIF-1α protein expressions increased (<0.05, <0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#EA could regulate the AMPKα-HDAC5-HIF-1α signaling in myocardial tissue, which may activate VEGF expression for angiogenesis signaling, reduce myocardial infarction area so as to achieve cardioprotective effect.

Effects of electroacupuncture at different time during reperfusion on the expression of Bcl-2 and Beclin1 in myocardial tissue in rats with myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at different time during reperfusion on the expression of autophagy-related protein Bcl-2 and Beclin1 in myocardial tissue in rats with myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI), and to explore the autophagy-related mechanism of EA on protecting MIRI.@*METHODS@#A total of 72 SD rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, a model group, a RA group, a RB group, a RC group and a RD group, 12 rats in each group. Except the sham operation group, the rats in the remaining groups were treated with ligating the left anterior descending artery (LAD) for 30 minutes followed by reperfusion to establish the model of MIRI. The rats in the sham operation group were treated with crossing a line through the LAD. The rats in the model group did not receive treatment. The rats in the RA group, RB group, RC group and RD group were treated with EA at "Neiguan" (PC 6) for 20 min, starting at 0 h, 0.5 h, 1 h, 2 h after reperfusion. Evans Blue-TTC double-staining was employed to evaluate myocardial infarct size; the serum CK-MB was detected by ELISA and the expression of Bcl-2 and Beclin1 protein in myocardial tissue were detected by Western blot.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the model group, the percentage of myocardial infarct size in the RB group, RC group and RD group was decreased significantly (all 0.05); the increasing of Bcl-2 in the RB group was more significant than that in RC group (0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#EA at different time during reperfusion could reduce myocardial infarct size in rats with MIRI, and EA at 0.5 h after reperfusion has best efficacy; this protective effect may be achieved by increasing Bcl-2 expression and reducing Beclin1 expression to inhibit overautophagy during reperfusion.

An autophagic mechanism study on effect of electroacupuncture at different times pretreating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the difference of protective effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at different times pretreating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) and the protein expressions of ULK1 and Beclin-1 in myocardial tissue, so as to explore the relation of the difference and autophagic mechanism.@*METHODS@#Sixty-three male SD rats were randomized into 7 groups, a sham group, a model group, an EA pretreating for 1 d (EA-1d) group, an EA pretreating for 2 d (EA-2d) group, an EA pretreating for 3 d (EA-3d) group, an EA pretreating for 4 d (EA-4d) group, an EA pretreating for 5 d (EA-5d) group, 9 rats in each group. All the rats in the pretreating groups were treated with EA 1-5 days before MIRI surgery. EA (2 Hz/100 Hz, 2 mA) was used at bilateral "Neiguan (PC 6)" for 20 min. All the rats except for those in the sham group was underwent left thoracotomy and ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery for 30 minutes followed by 4 hours of reperfusion to establish the MIRI model. The same operation was performed in the sham group except for the ligation of the LAD. Throughout the experiment, electrocardiogram was continuously monitored. The myocardial infarct sizes were assessed by Evans blue and triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. The serum concentrations of cardiac troponinⅠ(cTnⅠ) was detected by ELISA. The expressions of ULK1 and Beclin-1 in the heart tissues were analyze by Western blot.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the sham group, the concentrations of cTnⅠ and the protein expressions of ULK1 and Beclin-1 increased in the model group (all <0.05). Compared with the model group, the infarct sizes decreased in the EA-1d, EA-2d, EA-3d, EA-4d and EA-5d groups (all <0.05), with less risk sizes in the EA-3d, EA-4d and EA-5d groups (all <0.05). The levels of cTnⅠin the EA-4d and EA-5d groups decreased ( both <0.05); the expressions of ULK1 protein decreased in the EA-1d, EA-2d, EA-3d, EA-4d and EA-5d groups (all <0.05); the expressions of Beclin-1 protein decreased in the EA-2d, EA-3d, EA-4d and EA-5d groups (all <0.05). The infarct sizes in the EA-4d and EA-5d groups were lower than that in the EA-1d group (both 0.05). The cTnⅠconcentration in the EA-4d group was less than that in the EA-1d group (<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Pretreatment with EA for 1-5 days can improve the infarct size in MIRI, with better effect of the pretreatment for 4-5 days. The cardioprotective effect may be related to the inhibition of autophagy. But the difference of the protective effects is not related to the protein expressions of ULK1 and Beclin-1.

Effects of electroacupuncture on inflammatory response of cardiac muscle tissue in mice with acute myocardial ischemia / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on inflammatory reaction of acute myocardial ischemia (MI) in mice, and to explore its action mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty adult male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a control group, a sham operation group, a model group and an EA group, 10 mice in each one. The model was established in the model group and EA group by ligating the left anterior descending branch of coronary artery. The mice in the EA group were treated with EA at "Neiguan" (PC 6) with 2 mA of intensity and 2 Hz /100 Hz of frequency; EA was given 30 min per treatment, once a day for totally 5 days. The mice in the control group and model group were treated with immobilization and no EA was given. The mice in the sham operation group were not treated with ligating at the left anterior descending branch of coronary artery, but the remaining procedure was identical to the model group. The electrocardiogram was recorded and △ST was calculated to evaluate the model. TTC and HE staining methods were applied to evaluate the infarct size and pathologic change of myocardial tissue, respectively. Western blot method was applied to test the protein expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-8 (IL-8).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the sham operation group, the S-T segments in the model group and EA group were increased obviously after modeling (both <0.01), indicating the MI model was established successfully. The TTC and HE staining results indicated, compared with the sham operation group, the model group had larger infarction size (<0.01), more myocardial fibers injury and inflammatory infiltration; compared with the model group, the infarction size of the EA group was significantly reduced (<0.01), and the myocardial fibers injury and inflammatory infiltration were improved. Compared with the control group, the protein expression levels in the sham operation group were similar (all >0.05); compared with the sham operation group, the expression levels of TNF-α, NF-κB p65, IL-1β and IL-8 were significantly increased in the model group (<0.01, <0.05); compared with the model group, the expression levels of TNF-α, NF-κB p65, IL-1β and IL-8 were significantly reduced in the EA group (all <0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>EA might reduce the protein expression levels of TNF-α, NF-κB p65, IL-1β and IL-8 in cardiac muscle tissue to inhibit inflammatory reaction and achieve myocardial protective effect in mice with acute myocardial ischemia.</p>

Effects of electroacupuncture on the expression of adenosine receptors in the heart tissue of myocardial ischemia rats / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the impact of electroacupuncture (EA) on the protein expression of adenosine receptors in the heart of the rats with myocardial ischemia (MI).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty healthy male SD rats were divided randomly into a control group (=6), a model group (=12) and an EA group (=12). We ligated the left anterior descending artery (LAD) for MI model in the model group and EA group, and exposed the heart after opening the chest without ligation in the control group. EA, 2 Hz /15 Hz and 1.5-2 mA, was applied at bilateral"Neiguan"(PC 6) in the EA group for 20 min, once a day for continuous 5 days. No intervention except grabbing and fixation was used in the control group and model group. We applied 2% TTC staining to observe the infarct size of myocardium, colorimetry to analyze serum lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), radio-immunity assessment to detect cardiac troponin T (cTnT), Western blot to evaluate the adenosine A1 receptor (A1AR), A2aAR, A2bAR and A3AR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After treatment, myocardial infarction of (27.56±3.24)% was obvious in the model group; the myocardial infarction in the EA group was (21.04±3.61)%, with statistical significance (<0.05). The expressions of serum LDH, CK, CK-MB and cTnT levels in the model group increased compared with those in the control group (all<0.01), and the expressions of LDH, CK, CK-MB and cTnT levels in the EA group decreased compared with those in the model group (<0.05，<0.01). The A1AR expression in the model group was not different from that in the control group (>0.05), and A2aAR、A2bAR、A3AR expressions decreased (<0.05,<0.01). A2aAR and A2bAR expressions in the EA group increased compared with those in the model group (both<0.01), and there was no statistical significance between A1AR and A3AR expressions (both>0.05). .</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>EA may achieve cardioprotective effect by regulating the expressions of A2aAR and A2bAR in myocardial tissue, which induce the corresponding signal cascade for reducing myocardial infarction area.</p>

Top-cited academic articles in acupuncture and moxibustion research / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To identify the 100 top-cited articles published in journals dedicated to acupuncture & moxibustion research and analyze their characteristics so as to explore its academic state.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>All the articles were collected from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, January 1, 1943 to December 25, 2016), Web of Science (January 1, 1950 to December 25, 2016), WANFANG Database (January 1, 1998 to December 25, 2016). The top-cited articles were selected and analyzed with regard to publication year, number of citations, journals, authors, country or region, institution, title, type and subject.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>One hundred and two articles were included, 43 Chinese articles and 59 English articles, cited between 146 and 505 times, and the average number of citation was 222. Of the 10 articles cited in the top 10, China and the United States had 4 articles respectively. These articles appeared in 44 journals, 24 articles in Chinese&, followed by 8 articles in. All the articles belonged to 9 countries and regions, 47 articles from mainland China and 21 articles from the United State. Of the 14 institutes whose article number ranked at top 10, Tianjing University of TCM had 8 articles. The first authors published most papers were professorand Cherkin DC, each of whom had 4 articles. All the articles were categorized into basic science article (n=27), clinical research (n=33) and literature study (n=42). The main topics were pain diseases and brain impairment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>This analysis of high cited articles reveals academic trends and directions of acupuncture and moxibustion.and moxibustion are more and more recognized by mainstream medicine in the world, but the academic dominance of China has been increasingly challenged by the United States, Germany and so on.</p>

Effects of preventative moxibustion on AMPK and mTOR in myocardial tissue in rats with exhaustive exercise / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effects of preventative moxibustion on adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in myocardial tissue in rats with exhaustive exercise, and to explore the action mechanism of preventative moxibustion for myocardial injury by exhaustive exercise.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighteen SD male rats were randomly divided into a blank group, an exhaustive exercise group and a moxibustion group, 6 rats in each one. Rats in the blank group were treated with immobilization for 5 min per day, without any intervention. Rats in the exhaustive exercise group were treated with no intervention in the first 10 days. Rats in the moxibustion group were treated with moxibustion at "Zusanli" (ST 36) and "Guanyuan" (CV 4), 5 cones for each acupoint, for 10 days.On 11th day, rats in the exhaustive exercise group and moxibustion group were sacrificed to collect sample after exhaustive swimming, and time of exhaustive exercise was recorded. HE staining was used to observe the inflammatory changes of myocardial tissue; colorimetric method was used to measure lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malonaldehyde (MDA); immune suppression method was used to measure the content of creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) in serum; Elisa method was used to measure the content of troponinT (cTnT) in serum; western blot method was applied to measure the content of AMPKα2 and mTOR in myocardial tissue.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The time of exhaustive exercise was (4 831.17±689.88) s in the moxibustion group, which was longer than (3 509.50±1 232.49) s in the exhaustive exercise group (<0.05); HE staining indicated structure of the myocardium was clear and inflammatory cell infiltration was reduced in the moxibustion group. Compared with the blank group, the contents of serum LDH, CK-MB, cTnT were increased in the exhaustive exercise group (all<0.05); MDA content was increased and SOD activity was decreased (both<0.05); the AMPK α2 content in myocardial tissue was increased and the mTOR content was decreased (both<0.05). Compared with the exhaustive exercise group, the contents of serum LDH, CK-MB, cTnT were reduced in the moxibustion group (all<0.05); MDA content was decreased and SOD activity was increased (both<0.05); the AMPKα2 content in myocardial tissue was increased, and the mTOR content was decreased (both<0.05); AMPKα2 and mTOR were negatively correlated (=-0.764,<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Preventative moxibustion is likely to regulate the expression of AMPK and mTOR to induce signaling pathway to recover myocardial injury by exhaustive exercise.</p>

Effects of acupuncture on 1528 patients with obesity complicated with hyperlipidemia in different obesity levels / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture on obesity complicated with hyperlipidemia, and to explore the therapeutic differences among patients with different obesity levels.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 1528 patients of obesity complicated with hyperlipidemia were enrolled into the study. According to the clinical symptoms and signs, they were treated with acupuncture according to the syndrome differentation. According to their obesity levels (A), body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (F%) before treatment, they were assigned into a mild obesity group, a moderate obesity group and a severe obesity group. The obesity index of body weight, A, BMI and F%, the blood lipid levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) and high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) were observed before and after treatment. The total efficacy, weight loss effect and lipid-lowering effect were evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>① The constituent ratio of severe obesity in male patients overweighted that of female patients (<0.01), and the obesity was positively correlated with age and disease duration (=0.145 and 0.164, both<0.01). ② After treatment, the total effective rate was 98.9% (461/466), the weight loss rate was 99.4% (463/466) and lipid-lowering rate was 99.1% (462/466) in the mild obesity group, which were the all highest among three groups, indicating the lower obesity level achieved the better acupuncture efficacy. ③ Acupuncture can significantly regulate the obesity index and blood lipid levels (all<0.01); the obesity was negatively correlated with BMI and HDL-C (all<0.01), and positively correlated with F%, TC, TG and LDL-C (all<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Acupuncture has dual effects on obesity and hyperlipidemia, which is significantly effective for patients with different obesity levels; acupuncture has the optimal effect on mild obesity, and had the optimal regulation on F% and blood lipid levels on severe obesity; acupuncture has superior overall regulation effects on obesity complicated with hyperlipidemia.</p>

Analysis on the academic cultivation of young TCM scholars based on Professor LIU Zhicheng's academic track / 中国针灸

In view of the public academic papers of Professor LIU Zhicheng, his academic track is analyzed, including validating effect, exploring mechanism, improving efficacy, expanding disease variety, deepening mechanism, optimizing program and seeking breakthrough. On this basis, combined with the self-character of TCM, the potential path for the academic cultivation of young scholars is refined: focusing on clinical practice, confirming clinical efficacy, deepening mechanism exploration, improving clinical therapeutic effect, optimizing clinical program, extending clinical disease spectrum, inheriting, seeking, breaking through, innovating, expecting and topping over. It is believed that during the academic cultivation, the importance is to form the stable research direction and continuity, organize research team, absorb actively new knowledge and thoughts, and adopt multidisciplinary cross and coordination so as to achieve the greater success ultimately.

Impacts on neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in patients of chronic stable angina pectoris treated with acupuncture at Neiguan (PC 6) / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the clinical efficacy on chronic stable angina pectoris treated with acupuncture at Neiguan (PC 6) and explore the impacts of acupuncture on peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the patients of stable angina pectoris.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty patients of chronic stable angina pectoris met the inclusive criteria were randomized into an acupuncture group (15 cases) and a medication group (15 cases), and a healthy control group (15 cases of the same ages) was set up separately. In the acupuncture group, at the same time of the basic medication, acupuncture was applied to bilateral Neiguan (PC 6), once every two days, 3 days a week, totally for 4 weeks. In the medication group, the basic medication was applied, without acupuncture intervention. In the healthy control group, no any intervention was applied. The attack frequency of angina pectoris, dose of nitrogly-cerin, the evaluation of visual analogue scale (VAS), Seattle angina questionnaire (SAQ), the six-minute walking test (6MWT), the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and the self-rating depression scale (SDS) were observed before and after treatment in the subjects. Additionally, the peripheral blood cells were detected to analyze specifically the changes in NLR before and after treatment and observe the relationship between NLR and clinical efficacy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the medication group, the attack frequency of angina pectoris was reduced within 30 days (P<0.01); the dose of nitroglycerin was reduced (P<0.01); VAS was reduced (P<0.01) and SAQ was increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group. The differences in 6 MWT, SAS and SDS were not significant between the two groups after treatment (all P>0.05). Additionally, compared with the medication group, in 30 days of acupuncture, NLR was reduced apparently in the acupuncture group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Acupuncture relieves the clinical symptoms of chronic stable angina pectoris, but has not apparent effects on motor ability and psychological health. Corresponding to that before treatment, the decreased NRL in the patients of acupuncture group suggests the potential good prognosis on coronary heart disease after acupuncture.</p>

Discussion on Protective Effects of Histone Modiifcations for Myocardial Ischemia by Acupuncture / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

Protective effects of acupuncture on myocardial ischemia in each stage have been confirmed increasingly, while there was no in-depth research in terms of histone modifications. Histone modification is an important part of epigenetics. It is also the focus of molecular biology and basic medical research. In this paper, the relationship of histone modifications and gene expression of heart was first explained. Then, the recent research progress of modified histones, which was the direct alteration of gene expression induced by histone modifications on the degree and prognosis of myocardial ischemic injury, was reviewed. This investigation introduced epigenetic regulation in the protection mechanism of myocardial ischemia by acupuncture. It provided new ideas and directions for the study of molecular mechanism of acupuncture efficacy.

Law of acupoint selection in acupuncture treatment for insomnia based on data mining method / 中国针灸

The modern statistical and data mining technology is used to analyze the law of the acupoint selection in the treatment of insomnia with acupuncture and moxibustion. The clinical literature on the treatment of insomnia with acupuncture and moxibustion in recent 10 years is collected from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Excel software is applied to establish the database of acupuncture prescriptions for insomnia so as to conduct the descriptive analysis, association rule analysis and clustering analysis on the data. In the treatment of insomnia with acupuncture and moxibustion, Shenmen (HT 7) is of the highest frequency and most acupoints were selected from the Governor Vessel. The commonly used acupoints are located on the head, face, neck and nape region. The combination of the local acupoints with the distal ones is predominated. The crossing points among the specific points present the advantage in the treatment. The association: rule analysis indicates the highest, correlation among Taixi (KI 3), Sishencong (EX-HN 1) and Shenmen (HT 7). The clustering analysis results in 6 effective clusters and 10 pairs of key points and summarizes the common law of the acupoint combination for insomnia. All of these provide the reference to the treatment of insomnia with acupuncture and moxibustion.

Analysis on Acupoint Selection Principle of Acute Gouty Arthritis Treatment Based on Data Mining / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

This study was aimed to analyze acupoint selection principle for acute gouty arthritis treatment. Literatures on acupuncture treatment of acute gouty arthritis were collected from CNKI in recent 20 years. Excel software was used in the establishment of database on main acupoints for acute gouty arthritis treatment. On Windows 8 platform, SPSS 17.0 and Clementine 12.0 software were used in the descriptive analysis, association rules analysis and cluster analysis. The results showed that the top three acupionts with the highest frequency of application were Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Zusanli (ST 36), and Y inlingquan (SP 9). The meridian used with the highest frequency was the spleen meridian of foot Taiyin. The result of association rules analysis showed that Sanyinjiao (SP 6)-Xuehai (SP 10)-Quchi (LI 11) was the most relational one. The cluster analysis indicated the top four core cluster groups including Xiangu (ST 43)-Neiting (ST 44)-Xingjian (LR 2), Xuehai (SP 10)-Hegu (LI 4)-Quchi (LI 11), Taibai (SP 3)-Y inbai (SP 1)-Dadu (SP 2)-Fenglong (ST 40), and Zhubin (KI 9)-Zhigou (TE 6)-Gongsun (SP 4)-Bafeng (EX-LE 10). It was con-cluded that the clinical acupoint selection and combination principle in acute gouty arthritis treatment were analyzed through large amount of data. It can provide evidences and references for acupuncture clinical practice.

The influence of acupuncture on neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation in the hippocampus of the senescence-accelerated mouse prone-8 / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective To investigate the influence of acupuncture therapy on neural stem cell (NCS) proliferation and differentiation in the hippocampus of the senescence-accelerated prone-8 (SAP8) mouse. Methods Twenty-four SAP8 mice were randomly and equally divided into a model group and an acupuncture group. Twelve senescence-accelerated resistant ( SAR1 ) mice served as the control group. Acupuncture was administered at the Baihui (DU20) point to mice in the acupuncture group once daily for 21 consecutive days. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was used to detect the proliferation and differentiation of NCSs in the hippocampus through double-labeled immunofluoresSAR1 group, the positive cells in the SAP8 group were significantly fewer Compared to the SAP8 group, positive cells markers of neuron or glia cell positive cells appeared. Compared to the SAR1 group, the expression of BrdU/GFAP increased in the SAP8 group, and decreased after acupuncture but not significantly. BrdU/S-100 β cells decreased significantly in the SAP8 group, and increased after acupuncture, but again not significantly. Compared to the SAR1 group BrdU/GalC positive cells increased significantly in the SAP8 group and decreased significantly after acupuncture.Conclusions After acupuncture treatment for 21 days, the differentiation of hippocampal NSCs into oligodendrocytes was inhibited, but there was little effect on their differentiating into neurons and immature astrocytes.

Influence of acupuncture and moxibustion on proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells in olfactory bulb of senescence-accelerated mouse P8 / 生物医学工程学杂志

This study was carried out to defect the effects of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy on the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells in the olfactory bulb of senescence-accelerated mouse P8. Immunofluorescence double staining methods(BrdU/Nestin, BrdU/MAP-2 and BrdU/beta-tubulin III) were used. The results show that both acupuncture and moxibustion could improve proliferation of neural stem cells, but only moxibustion could induce differentiation of neural stem cells into neuron.

Effects of Needles with Different Diameters on the Gastrointestinal Emptying in Mice / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To observe the effects of needles with different diameters on the gastrointestinal function in mice. Methods: Eighteen Kunming mice were randomly divided into group of 0.25 mm needle, group of 0.35 mm needle, and control group. The acupoint of Zusanli (ST 36) was needled once a day for 5 days. The effects of needles with different diameters were observed by measuring the distance of the carbon moved in the intestine. Results: The distance of the carbon moved in the intestine was longer in the acupuncture group than in the control group (P0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture treatment can enhance the peristalsis function of stomach and intestine in mice. The diameter of needle has no effect on the gastrointestinal function.