This paper develops a type of x-ray unit which can produce x-ray image suitable for medical diagnosis. The unit is composed of a CCD image sensor with high sensitivity and high resolution, a digital image acquisition board, and a suit of computer software. The software can be applied as the doctor's workstation with the functions of patient register, image process and image management. Some styles of digital radiography technology are introduced briefly, and the principle of the x-ray unit as well as its hardware and software designs are presented particularly.

AIM: To identify proteins involved in insulin stimulation and the molecular mechanism of proliferation and migration in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). METHODS: A series of methods, including 2-D electrophoresis, PDQuest software analysis of 2-DE gels, peptide mass fingerprinting based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and SWISS-PROT database searching, were used to separate and identify the differentially expressed proteins. The difference of some proteins was proved by Western blotting. Proliferation and migration of VSMCs treated with insulin were also observed. RESULTS: DNA synthesis were increased in VSMCs. ~3H-thymidine incorporation in VSMCs from SHR (14.40?0.85) was higher than that in VSMCs from WKY (9.21?0.93, P

Objective To explore the characteristics of trunk muscle activity in persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) in search of better treatments for abnormal posture.Methods Ninety persons with PD of different severity and 8 normal controls were studied using surface electromyography (sEMG).A sixteen-lead sEMG instrument was used to collect sEMG amplitudes from the bilateral thoracic erector spinae,lumbar erector spinae,external oblique and rectus abdominis muscles when the subjects were lying,standing and walking.Results Compared with the control group,a significant increase was observed in the sEMG amplitude of the lumbar erector spinal muscle [(18.56±14.57) μV] and rectus abdominis muscles [(24.00±18.80)μV] of the PD group when lying.Significant relative increases in (P＜0.05),of the external oblique muscles were observed [(27.87± 11.49)μV] when standing (P＜0.05),and in the thoracic erector spinae muscle [(58.74±29.69)μV] and external oblique muscles [(59.01± 25.20) μV] increased when walking (P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the sEMG activity of the external oblique muscles was significantly elevated in PD patients at Hoehn and Yahr stage 1 to 1.5 when walking.One or more of the trunk muscle groups showed significantly greater activity in the PD patients in Hoehn and Yahr stage 2 or 3 in all three positions.Conclusions The sEMG activities of the extensor and flexor muscles increase simultaneously in PD patients.More trunk muscles are involved in PD patients with higher H-Y grades.These findings provide a neurophysiological basis for the customizaton of rehabilitation therapy for patients with Parkinson's disease and for the precise selection of muscles for botulinum toxin injection.

Objective: To evaluate the methodological quality of papers that performed meta-analyzed and systematically reviewed acupoint selections for the treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD) and to identify the ideal acupoint combinations for FD. Methods: Chinese databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), China Biology Medicine (CBM), and Wanfang Database, as well as English databases including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched to retrieve papers about meta-analysis and systematic literature reviews on acupuncture for FD. The time span for the paper retrieval was set from the foundation of the databases to April 30, 2022. The Veritas scores of the papers based on their publication year, study type, Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2), Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), heterogeneity, and publication bias were rated to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Then, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were extracted from those meta-analysis papers or systematic literature reviews for analyzing acupoints frequency, meridian frequency, and association rules with the use of R software (V 4.3.1). Results: Eight meta-analysis papers were included in the study after screening. The mean Veritas scores of the papers based on publication year, type of study, AMSTAR2, PRISMA, heterogeneity, and publication bias were 4.50, 8.00, 4.63, 4.63, 4.50, and 6.13, respectively. The analysis of the scores revealed insufficiencies in the reviews pertaining to the methodology, comprehension of the research strategy, detailed list of excluded studies, sources of funding, assessment of potential bias risks impact on meta-analysis results in each study, explanation of heterogeneity, and identification of potential conflicts of interest. Furthermore, a total of 85 RCTs were obtained from the eight meta-analysis papers involving 85 acupuncture prescriptions and 67 acupoints for subsequent data mining. The most commonly used meridian was Stomach meridian of Foot-Yangming (ST). Zusanli (ST36), Neiguan (PC6), Zhongwan (CV12), Taichong (LR3), Tianshu (ST25), Gongsun (SP4), Weishu (BL21), Pishu (BL20), Neiting (ST44), and Yinlingquan (SP9) topped the list of frequently selected acupoints. Additionally, a total of 28 association rules were identified, including 10 second-order, 15 third-order, and 3 fourth-order association rules. The top-ranking association rules in each order were “Neiguan (PC6) → Zusanli (ST36)” “Zhongwan (CV12) + Neiguan (PC6) → Zusanli (ST36)” and “Zhongwan (CV12) + Taichong (LR3) + Neiguan (PC6) → Zusanli (ST36)”, respectively. Conclusion Acupuncture could alleviate the clinical symptoms of FD. However, the quality of methodology applied in the meta-analysis papers on the subject needs to be improved. Through data mining, a combination of Neiguan (PC6), Zusanli (ST36), Zhongwan (CV12), and Taichong (LR3) was identified as an essential acupoint combination for the treatment of FD.

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic and immunomodulatory effects of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) on adjuvant arthritis(AA) rats. Methods: Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were established with AA by complete Freund's adjuvant method.They were randomly divided into model group and hUC-MSCs group (2×10⁶ cells/mL, 5×10⁶ cells/mL, tail vein injection), and the Yisaipu group (2.8mg/kg, subcutaneous injection), 6 rats in each group.Another 6 male SD rats were used as the control group.After the model was established, the body weight and paw volume were recorded weekly, the whole body score and the arthritis index score were calculated, and the joint swelling number was calculated.The animals were sacrificed after d35, the weight of thymus and spleen were weighed, and the corresponding index was calculated, the histopathological changes of the ankle joint were observed by HE staining.The percentages of CD4⁺ CD44⁺ T cell and CD4⁺ CD62L⁺ T cell were detected by flow cytometry.The levels of TNF-α, IL-1β in the serum of AA rats were detected by ELISA. Results: hUC-MSCs relieved paw volume, the whole body score and arthritis index score, and the joint swelling number in AA rats (F=20.573, 89.092, 14.161, 10.914, all P<0.01). hUC-MSCs reduced thymus index[(0.120±0.032), (0.120±0.031)] and spleen index[(0.250±0.070), (0.240±0.018)] (F=6.339, 4.105, all P<0.01), improved structural damage of ankle joint.hUC-MSCs could regulate the percentage of T cell subsets(CD4⁺ CD62L⁺ )[(7.0±1.4)%, (7.9±2.2)%], (CD4⁺ CD44⁺ )[(15.0±3.6)%, (12.0±1.9)%] in spleen (F=6.331, 12.719, all P<0.01), and down-regulate the levels of TNF-α [(172.0±13.0)ng/L, (150.0±12.0)ng/L] and IL-1β [(75.0±36.0)ng/L, (74.0±20.0)ng/L] in serum (F=8.221, 3.581, all P<0.05) of AA rats by tail vein injection. Conclusion hUC-MSCs can promote the treatment of AA rats by regulating the function of T cells.