OBJECTIVETo explore the essence of acupoints by studying its anatomical characteristics and classification.

METHODSBased on numerous previous anatomic researches of acupoints, an adult male and a female corpses infused with red rubber at the location of acupoints were selected in order to observe the level and sectional anatomy of the acupoints, especially the specificity of the known structural distribution of acupoints.

RESULTS(1) The distribution of acupoints has two primary elements. Firstly, it is neurovascular bundles or connective tissue containing abundant nerves and blood vessels, which has the function of qi and blood infusion. It is considered as the acupoint kernel. Secondly, it is the cleft or the tunnel that formed by bones, muscles or fascia, which is also held as the acupoint shell. Different conditions of the human body can influence the opening and closing of the shell, control as well as regulate the function of the kernel so as to regulate the qi and blood circulation. (2) Based on anatomical characteristics, acupoints can be classified into 3 types: the type of cleft, the type of tunnel, and the terminal type. Points of the cleft and tunnel types can be mainly found in the twelve regular meridians which are composed of the kernel and the shell. The points of terminal type are on the Conception Vessel, the Governor Vessel and auricular point, the superficial fascia is the confluence of cerebro-spinal nerve terminal ramus and its concomitant vessels, and it is the site where the qi and blood of meridians distribute to the body surface.

CONCLUSIONAcupoints is the pore formed by bone, muscle or fascia where neurovascular bundles or connective tissue containing abundant nerves and blood vessels pass through and the position where the terminal branch of cranial and spinal nerves and their accompanying by blood vessels emerge and converge at the supiyeficial layer of central body axis. Acupoints are the nodes and terminal point where the zang-fu organs and meridians and qi and blood infused to body surface.

Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Connective Tissue ; anatomy & histology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Meridians ; Muscles ; anatomy & histology ; Skin ; anatomy & histology ; Skull ; anatomy & histology

To attempt a rigorous definition of the structure of the accessory spleen (AS) in the Chinese hamster, we examined twenty-one animals, and found AS in 5 animals (23.8%), which were over 7-month-old. The AS had no connection with the main spleen and was seen as a dark red oval organ (0.7 mm x 1.5 mm), which was embedded in the adipose tissue near the tail of the pancreas. It was demarcated from the adipose tissue and some pancreatic tissue. The organ was encapsulated by thin collagenous connective tissue and smooth muscle fibers, and contained lymphatic nodules, reticular fibers, nodular central arterioles, macrophages and megakaryocytes. Notably the incidence of AS appeared to increase with age in the Chinese hamsters.
Adipose Tissue/anatomy & histology ; Age Factors ; Animals ; Connective Tissue/anatomy & histology ; Cricetinae ; Cricetulus/*anatomy & histology ; Erythrocytes/cytology ; Lymphocytes/cytology ; Muscle, Smooth/anatomy & histology ; Pancreas ; Spleen/*anatomy & histology/cytology

In order to comprehensively understand current situation about studies on channels and to open train of thought for the study, the relative literatures are analyzed and summarized from morphology, biophysics, biochemistry and so on. Probe into existing models of channel lines from nerves, blood vessels and nerves, gap junction, connective tissue; summarize biophysical characte-ristics of channels from temperature, loose connective tissue, biopressure effect, coherence electromagnetic field, etc.; and summarize biochemical characteristics of channels from ion concentration, exhalant of CO2, extracellular matrix and enzymology on the channel lines. Although the studies have not revealed essence of channel lines, these results reflect survey of studies on tissue structures and biological characteristics of channel lines at present.
Acetylcholinesterase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Body Temperature Regulation ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Carbon Dioxide ; metabolism ; Connective Tissue ; anatomy & histology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Meridians

Biological tissues generally exhibit nonlinearity, anisotropy, quasi-incompressibility and viscoelasticity about material properties. Simulating the behaviour of elastic objects in real time is one of the current objectives of virtual surgery simulation which is still a challenge for researchers to accurately depict the behaviour of human tissues. In this paper, we present a classification of the different deformable models that have been developed. We present the advantages and disadvantages of each one. Finally, we make a comparison of deformable models and perform an evaluation of the state of the art and the future of deformable models.
Computer Graphics ; Computer Simulation ; Connective Tissue ; anatomy & histology ; Elasticity ; Finite Element Analysis ; Models, Biological ; Surgical Procedures, Operative

Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion has been widely accepted as a useful therapeutics all over the world, but its mechanism has not been fully defined. For this purpose, a reticular framework of whole-body fascia and connective tissues has been established by means of digitized virtual human technique. The virtual acupoints represented three-dimensionally were compared with the sites for stimulation in practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) acupuncture therapy. The results showed that the fascial network constituted by the connective tissues may be the anatomical basis for acupuncture therapy. We found that the acupoints were mainly located where thick connective tissues were present. In this fascial network, sensitive nerve endings, active cells and lymphatic vessels abounded in the sites with thick connective tissue, and needling at these sites induced definite biological effects. In light of biological phylogeny and embryo development, we believe that the connective tissue network may constitute a new functional system in the human body, the Self-supervision and control system (Fasciology), which provides a theoretical base for acupuncture therapy.
Acupuncture ; methods ; Acupuncture Points ; Connective Tissue ; anatomy & histology ; Fascia ; anatomy & histology ; Female ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Meridians ; Models, Anatomic ; Models, Neurological

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of acupuncture with different filiform needles on structure of fascial connective tissues, cellular activity, arrangement and content of collagen fibers in acupoint area of rats.

METHODSA total of 32 SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a thin needle group, a medium needle group and a thick needle group, 8 rats in each one. Except for the blank group, rats in the remaining groups were treated with horizontal acupuncture at "Zhongwan" (CV 12) towards Conception Vessel with different filiform needles, and twirling mild reinforcing-reducing method was applied, once a day. Rats in the blank group were treated with identical anesthesia, grasping and fixation. After 3-day intervention, the fascial connective tissue of acupoint area was collected. HE staining, immumohistochemical staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and MASSON staining were adopted to observe the morphology of fascial connective tissues, expression of PCNA in cells and arrangement and expression of collagenous fiber.

RESULTSAfter acupuncture in each group, the consistency of morphology of fascial connective tissues and arrangement of collagenous fiber were changed; the expression of PCNA protein in the fascial connective tissue in each group was significantly increased (P<0. 01, P<0. 05). The area distribution of collagenous fiber were changed, and that in the thin needle group was insignificantly increased compared with that in the blank group (P>0. 05), and that in the medium needle group and thick needle group were reduced compared with that in the blank group (both P<0. 05).

CONCLUSIONSAcupuncture with different filiform needles can change the local tissue morphology of acupoints, strengthen cell activity and adjust the exyression of collagenous fiber protein, which may be one of the cellular biomechanics principles of the acupuncture therapy's "regulating meridians" effects. However, the stimulation is produced by different fifiform needles, and the complex relationships exist between cells and collagen fibers.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; instrumentation ; methods ; Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; Collagen ; genetics ; metabolism ; Connective Tissue ; anatomy & histology ; metabolism ; Fascia ; anatomy & histology ; cytology ; metabolism ; Male ; Meridians ; Needles ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley