To investigate whether low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), oxidized LDL (OX-LDL) and VLDL (OX-VLDL) could induce the cultured human endothelial cells (ECs) to express high levels of macrophage inflammatory protein lα (MIP-lα) and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) mRNA. LDL and VLDL were isolated from normal human blood donors by density gradient ultracentrifugation and oxidized by Cu2+. The cultured human umbilical vein ECs were incubated with native LDL, VLDL, OX- LDL and OX-VLDL respectively, for 24 h, and in the control group no lipoproteins were added. Total cellular RNA was extracted from the cultured ECs by guanidinium isothiocyanate method. The expression of MIP-lα and VCAM-1 mRNA was detected by dot blotting analysis with two probes of digoxigenin-labeled MIP-lα and VCAM-1 cDNA fragments. The results showed that the cultured ECs could express MIP-lα and VCAM-1 mRNA. Incubation of ECs with LDL and VLDL led to a slightly increased expression of MIP-1α and VCAM-1 mRNA, whereas exposure of ECs to OX-LDL and OX-VLDL resulted in a significant increase ofMIP-1α mRNA expression that was 3. 2- and 2. 5-fold as much as that of the control group, respectively, and the VCAM-1 mRNA expression was increased as well, which was 2. 6- and 2. 17-fold as much as that of the control group respectively. It was suggested that lipoproteins especially oxidized lipoproteins could induce the expression of MIP-1α and VCAM-1 mRNA in ECs, which might play an important role in the recruitment of monocytes into the intima.

Objective We aimed to explore the clinical efficacy of precise electro-acupuncture stimulation in the pterygopalatine fossa for the treatment of chronic sinusitis.Methods In total,40 patients with chronic sinusitis who visited the Xiyuan Hospital,China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences between January 2022 and January 2023 were selected.The subjects were randomly divided into two groups:the treatment group(receiving precise electro-acupuncture in the pterygopalatine fossa)and the control group(receiving standard western medical treatment),with 20 cases in each groups.The treatments were administered twice a week for a period of 12 weeks.The effectiveness of the treatments was evaluated through computed tomography(CT)of the sinus changes and the Lund-Mackay scoring system.Results In cases of total opacity and partial opacity,there were significant differences between the two patient groups before and after treatment(P<0.05).Intra-group comparison revealed statistically significant improvements in both groups before and after treatment(P<0.05).The treatment group exhibited significant improvement in various sinus conditions(P<0.05),while in the control group,a significant improvement was only observed in the left maxillary sinus(P<0.05).Inter-group comparison also demonstrated that the treatment group's improvements were superior to those of the control group across multiple indicators(P<0.05).Conclusion The precise electro-acupuncture stimulation technique in the pterygopalatine fossa demonstrated significant therapeutic effects in the treatment of chronic sinusitis,with superior outcomes with respect to radiological changes compared to standard western medicine treatment.