For thousands of years, moxibustion has been used for various diseases in China and other Asian countries. Despite the recent surge in Chinese herbal studies, few randomized controlled trials have been conducted on this modality, possibly due to the lacking of suitable double blinding methodology. This is a review of extant sham moxa devices and an introduction to a recently developed device that needs further validation.

Objective To evaluate the influence of Jinsanzhen therapy (A 3-point acupuncture method created by prof.JIN) on the motor function and activities of daily life of the apoplectic hemiplegia patients.Methods Totally 135 apoplectic hemiplegia patients were randomized into three groups:Jinsanzhen group,Rehabilitation group,and Jinsanzhen plus rehabilitation group,with 45 cases in each.The degree of hemiplegia motor function and activities of daily life of the patients was assessed with Fugl-Meyer assessment (FM) and Barthel index before,14 and 28 days after treatment.Results After 14 and 28 days' treatment,the FM value and Barthel index score of all the three groups are significantly increased (P

The prosthesis is forced by pneumatic artificial muscle, which can swing like human legs by inputting signals such as square waves and trigonal waves.Its swing performance is tested under such triggerings in order to find out a best motivating curve rendering the prosthesis performance almost the same as what human legs do. Compared with the normal human pace graph, the curve matches very well in the ascending edge but quite a discrepancy in the end of descending edge. According analyzing the reasons of the discrepancies, we could know how to ameliorate the design of the next generation of the bionic legs.

Knee joint is the largest and most complex joint of human body. Knee prosthesis, as the core component of lower limb, has a great expectation on simulated properties. Based on bionics, this study was designed to analyze kinematic characteristics of simulated knee joint, such as the sliding and rolling ratio of the knee as well as the instantaneous center curve, in order to further investigate an ideal simulated knee joint which was highly similar to normal knee joint. Movement regularity of human knee joint was simplified to introduce biomechanical model of knee joint so as to analyze and deduce formula of sliding ratio, rolling ratio, and instantaneous center curve. The calculation results were compared with parameters of human knee joint, suggesting a high coincidence between simulated and human knee joint. This provides an evidence for analyzing stability of motion and further studying structure and function of simulated knee joint, and this also provides basis for further research artificial simulated leg.

BACKGROUND: Traditional cancellous bone porosity detection methods such as direct method,gas expansion method,mercury injection method,density and osmotic suction measurement have many disadvantages,such as low efficiency,labor-intensive and complexity.OBJECTIVE: To process cancellous bone chips using MATLAB image processing method to calculate cancellous bone porosity.METHODS: Using MATLAB image processing method,the stained cancellous bone images were subjected to uneven lighting removal,image enhancement,binarization,removing interference objectives to obtain binary two-dimensional matrix.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Slice image was composed of bone and pore space.The slice image was segmented to calculate its porosity.This solves the problem of the inequality of light intensity and other interferences in image information that affect the statistics.The image processing and analysis methods of bone slices were performed using MATLAB,which can be used for cancellous bone porosity measurements and be used to explore the distribution and variation of porosity.Selecting different regions to calculate the different porosity of each area can be used to analyze the distribution of the pore.This method provides a method for the study of trabecular bone structure.

One new sesquiterpene was isolated from the fermentation broth of Streptomyces sp. and the structure was elucidated by spectral analysis as caryolane-1, 6beta-diol (1). An intermediate 1alpha, 6beta, 11-eudesmanetriol (2) in the biosynthesis of geosmin was also found in this strain which proved sequence for the reactions, especially bicyclization preceding dealkylation.

BACKGROUND: It was uncertain that the migration, differentiation and survival of transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) into myocardium after the acute myocardial infarction. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the migration, differentiation and survival of rabbit transplanted autologous BMSCs in myocardium after the acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: Rabbit BMSCs were isolated and labeled by DAPI in vitro. Rabbit left anterior descending branch was ligated to establish acute myocardial infarction models. Following successful model establishment, 30 New Zealand rabbits were assigned to BMSC and control groups (n = 15). In the BMSC group, autologous BMSCs were infused into the surrounding sites of the infracted region by 4 points 1 hour following coronary artery ligation. In the control group, the same region was injected with an equal volume of saline. Injection volume was 30 μL in each point. Five animals from each group were sacrificed 10 minutes, 3 days and 4 weeks following transplantation. The heart was obtained to undergo frozen sections. The distribution of DAPI-labeled BMSCs was observed using fluorescence microscope. Immunofluorescence method was used to examine the troponin Ⅰ and α-actin. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: DAPI-labeled BMSCs with blue nuclei were distributed extensively in the myocardium of the cell transplantation group, ovoid in shape and arranged in parallel with the cardiac muscle fibers. Troponin Ⅰ and α-actin were positive immunofluorescently in the cytoplasm of the labeled BMSCs. Results indicated that transplanted BMSCs in the ischemic myocardium could differentiate into myocardial cells under stimulation of local microenvironment.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of 650 nm-10.6 μm combined laser in patients with knee Osteoarthritis (OA) and to determine whether the combined laser provides greater pain relief and improved function compared with red light. Methods: Forty-eight patients with knee OA were randomly allocated to two groups (24 per group), receiving 20 rain irradiation with 650 nm -10.6 μm combined laser or red light emitting diode respectively on point Dubi (ST 35) 3 times a week for the first course (2 weeks) and twice a week for the second one (4 weeks). The main outcome measures were WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) scores. In addition, patients' global assessment, adverse effects and validation of patient blinding were analyzed. Results: All the patients completed the first course, but 12 were lost during the second one. Due to the high dropout rate by the second course, only the data acquired from the first course could be analyzed. No differences of general data of patients and WOMAC scores were found in between-group comparison before treatment (P>0.05). The WOMAC scores of patients in both combined laser group and red light group reduced significantly compared to baseline by the end of the first course (P<0.01). There were no significant differences on the reduction rate of WOMAC scores between two groups (P>0.05). Neither the patients' global assessment nor the dropout rate showed statistical differences between two groups (P>0.05). There was no difference between two groups in patients correctly guessing the treatment assignment (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the reduction rate of WOMAC scores and the patients' global assessment between patients who guessed their assignment (P>0.05). Conclusion: Both combined laser and red light irradiation are beneficial to patients with knee OA. But as the statistical indifferences between two groups, the authors can't conclude from this study whether the combined laser is more effective.

Objective To evaluate the safety of magnesium borate ore powder (MBOP) as a molluscicide, especially for the arsenic content in the soil samples from the fields used MBOP over more than one year. Method The arsenic in the soil samples was assayed by using the AgDDTC method recommended by the government. Result In all of the soil samples, the arsenic contents did not exceed the national health criterion. However, the arsenic in the MBOP treated soil samples was higher than that in the control one′s. Conclusion The application of MBOP as a molluscicide in the fields does cause some side effects on the environment.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the develop mental toxicity of muscone to embryos. METHODS With zebrafish embryos as a model,The 3 h post fertilization (hpf)embryos were exposed to muscone at 5,10,20,40,80 and 160 μmol·L -1 culture solutions for 96 h and inspected daily with mi-croscopy for larval morphology.The drug solution was replaced every 24 h.Spontaneous move ments were checked at 24 hpf.Heart rate at 48 hpf,hatching rate,e mbryo deformity rate and mortality rate were evaluated.The expression of sepn1 was determined with real-ti me quantitative PCR technique at 96 hpf.RESULTS The 24 hpf spontaneous move ments showed no significant difference.At 48 hpf, spine curvature,pericardial ede ma,yolk sac ede ma,and abnormal swi mming were observed.In addition, the 48 hpf heart beats(10 s)was decreased fro m 26.5 ±1 .0 to 18.0 ±1 .9(P <0.01 ).At 48 hpf , hatching rate of 5 ~40 μmol·L -1 decreased(P <0.05),while of 160 μmol·L -1 increased (P <0.05) co mpared with muscone 0 μmol·L -1 .Muscone had little effect on hatching rate at other ti me points;Mal-formation rate and mortality rate at higher concentrations were up to 100%.The sepn1 gene expression at 96 hpf in the exposure groups decreased co mpared with that of control group(P <0.01 ).CONCLU-SION Muscone had toxic effects on the develop ment of zebrafish embryos,including spine curvature, abnormal swi mming,and pericardial ede ma.These effects may be related to the inhibition of sepn1 gene expression by muscone.