Activation of G-protein-coupled receptor 183 initiates inflammatory pain via macrophage CCL22 secretion.

Chronic pain is a major public health problem with limited effective therapeutic options. G-protein-coupled receptors play a significant role in pain modulation; however, whether and how G-protein-coupled receptor 183 participates in pain regulation remain unclear. In the present study, we found that G-protein-coupled receptor 183 expression was specifically upregulated in the hind paws of mice in various inflammatory pain models. Activation of G-protein-coupled receptor 183 induced acute pain, whereas inhibition or silencing of this receptor alleviated mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) model. Mechanistically, activating G-protein-coupled receptor 183 triggers pain responses via the upregulation of C-C motif chemokine 22(CCL22) in macrophages while blocking the CCL22 receptor C-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) attenuates pain hypersensitivity. Taken together, our findings indicate that the G-protein-coupled receptor 183-CCL22 axis has a critical role in the development and maintenance of inflammatory pain.

Acupuncture combined with cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) in patients with insomnia: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Insomnia affects physical and mental health due to the lack of continuous and complete sleep architecture. Polysomnograms (PSGs) are used to record electrical information to perform sleep architecture using deep learning. Although acupuncture combined with cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) could not only improve sleep quality, solve anxiety, depression but also ameliorate poor sleep habits and detrimental cognition. Therefore, this study will focus on the effects of electroacupuncture combined with CBT-I on sleep architecture with deep learning. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This randomised controlled trial will evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of electroacupuncture combined with CBT-I in patients with insomnia. Participants will be randomised to receive either electroacupuncture combined with CBT-I or sham acupuncture combined with CBT-I and followed up for 4 weeks. The primary outcome is sleep quality, which is evaluated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The secondary outcome measures include a measurement of depression severity, anxiety, maladaptive cognitions associated with sleep and adverse events. Sleep architecture will be assessed using deep learning on PSGs. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This trial has been approved by the institutional review boards and ethics committees of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sun University (2021763). The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals. The results of this trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference abstracts or posters. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CTR2100052502.

Electroacupuncture for Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.

Background: Previous studies have shown that electroacupuncture (EA) has a positive effect on motor and sensory function in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). This review evaluated the effectiveness of EA for improvement in activities of daily living in patients with SCI. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang Data, and VIP databases using a search strategy according to the guidelines of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Review of Interventions up to 30th September 2020. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of EA in patients with SCI were included. We analyzed the data using RevMan (version 5.3) and graded the quality of evidence using GRADE profiler 3.6.1. Results: This meta-analysis included 10 RCTs with 712 patients. Three studies revealed that the functional independence measure score for SCI patients in the EA group was higher than that in the control group (mean difference [MD] = 13.46, 95% CI: 8.00 to 18.92, P < 0.00001). Five studies showed that the modified Barthel index in the EA group was higher than that in the control group (MD = 6.92, 95% CI: 4.96 to 8.89, P < 0.00001). Five studies showed that the American Spinal Injury Association-motor score (ASIA-motor score) in the EA group was higher than that in the control group (standard MD = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.75 to 1.18, P < 0.00001). Three studies reported the ASIA-tactile and pain scores and also reported that the scores in the EA group were higher than those in the control group, with high homogeneity (tactile I2 = 86%, P = 0.0008; pain I2 = 54%, P = 0.11). The quality of evidence for the use of EA for improvement in motor and sensory function in SCIs was moderate according to the GRADE system. Conclusion: This review suggested that EA improves activities of daily living and motor function in patients with SCI, with a moderate level of evidence.

Electroacupuncture promotes the survival and synaptic plasticity of hippocampal neurons and improvement of sleep deprivation-induced spatial memory impairment.

AIMS: This study aimed to investigate whether electroacupuncture (EA) promotes the survival and synaptic plasticity of hippocampal neurons by activating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tyrosine receptor kinase (TrkB)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) signaling, thereby improving spatial memory deficits in rats under SD. METHODS: In vivo, Morris water maze (MWM) was used to detect the effect of EA on learning and memory, at the same time Western blotting (WB), immunofluorescence (IF), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to explore the plasticity of hippocampal neurons and synapses, and the expression of BDNF/TrkB/Erk signaling. In vitro, cultured hippocampal neurons were treated with exogenous BDNF and the TrkB inhibitor K252a to confirm the relationship between BDNF/TrkB/Erk signaling and synaptic plasticity. RESULTS: Our results showed that EA mitigated the loss of hippocampal neurons and synapses, stimulated hippocampal neurogenesis, and improved learning and memory of rats under SD accompanied by upregulation of BDNF and increased phosphorylation of TrkB and Erk. In cultured hippocampal neurons, exogenous BDNF enhanced the expression of synaptic proteins, the frequency of the postsynaptic currents, and the phosphorylation of TrkB and Erk; these effects were reversed by treatment with K252a. CONCLUSIONS: Electroacupuncture alleviates SD-induced spatial memory impairment by promoting hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity via activation of BDNF/TrkB/Erk signaling, which provided evidence for EA as a therapeutic strategy for countering the adverse effects of SD on cognition.