OBJECTIVETo explore the efficacy and the reproductive endocrinal mechanism of herbal-partitioned moxibustion in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea.

METHODSOne hundred and seventy-one cases of primary dysmenorrhea were randomized into an herbal-partitioned moxibustion group (group A), an starch-partitioned moxibustion group (group B) and an acupuncture group (group C), 57 cases in each one. In the group A, moxibustion isolated with herbal medicine was applied to Shenque (CV 8). In the group B, moxibustion isolated with starch was used at Shenque (CV 8). In the group C, acupuncture was given at Sanyinjiao (SP 6). The changes of estradiol (E2), progesterone (P) and prostaglandin levels (PGF2alpha) were observed before and after treatment, and the therapeutic effects were compared among the 3 groups.

RESULTSThe therapeutic effect in the group A was better than those in the other two groups [compared the cured rate: 89.8% (44/49) vs 60.0% (30/50), 60.4% (32/53), both P < 0.05]. In the group A, E2 level [(110.99 +/- 12.90) pg/mL vs (83.94 +/- 8.91) pg/mL, P < 0.05] and PGF2alpha level [(24.58 +/- 3.01) pg/mL vs (14.34 +/- 1.48) pg/mL, P < 0.01] were decreased and P level was increased [(4.65 +/- 0.68) ng/mL vs (6.68 +/- 0.95) pg/mL, P < 0.05]. In the group B and C, PGF2alpha level were reduced. Concerning to the regulating of E2 and PGF2alpha levels, the results in the group A were better than those in the group B and C [(-30.16 +/- 10.20) pg/mL vs (10.79 +/- 15.01) pg/mL, (22.81 +/- 12.22) pg/mL; (-13.10 +/- 2.40) pg/mL vs (-6.52 +/- 1.88) pg/mL, (-3.14 +/- 1.19) pg/mL, (see text) P < 0.05]. Concerning to the regulation of P level, the results in the group A and B were better than that in the group C (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe herbal-partitioned moxibustion achieves the significant efficacy on primary dysmenorrhea, which could be related to regulating the reproductive endocrinal level. It decreases E2 and PGF2alpha levels and increases P level.

Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Dinoprost ; metabolism ; Dysmenorrhea ; metabolism ; therapy ; Estradiol ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; Progesterone ; metabolism ; Young Adult

Arrival of qi, an important component of traditional theory of acupuncture and moxibustion, is the key factor in determining clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture. The authors summarize the indication of qi-arrival, correlativity of qi-arrival with clinical therapeutic effect and its action mechanism through reviewing modern clinical research. At present, there is more subjective in the study on qi-arrival, so the key problem in research on qi-arrival is how the qi-arrival state is measured by an objective quantization standard. The cerebral function imaging, a new technique, may be used in objectification research on qi-arrival.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Qi ; Research

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture massage for primary dysmenorrhea and its influence on prostaglandin F2alpha level in menstrual fluid.

METHODSNinety patients with primary dysmenorrhea were assigned equally to the acupuncture group, the massage group and the control group (oral administrated with Somiton tablet). The treatment course was 3 menstrual cycles. The effect in relieving menalgia was evaluated using numerical rating scale (NRS) before and after treatment and change of PGF2alpha content in menstrual fluid was tested as well.

RESULTSThe NRS score was 0.60 +/- 0.67 in the acupuncture group and 0.53 +/- 0.63 in the massage group respectively, significantly lower than that in the control group, which was 2.30 +/- 1.73 (P < 0.01). The PGF2alpha level after treatment was significantly lower in the acupuncture group (176.58 +/- 17.85 ng/L) and the massage group (171.32 +/- 17.15 ng/L) than that in the control group (220.56 +/- 54.47 ng/L), respectively (P <0.01). There showed no difference in the two aspects between the acupuncture group and the massage group (P >0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture and massage has a reliable therapeutic effect on primary dysmenorrhea, which is superior to that of Somiton tablet, and its mechanism might be exerted by regulating PGF2alpha level in menstrual fluid.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Decidua ; metabolism ; Dinoprost ; metabolism ; Dysmenorrhea ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Massage

Currently, the randomized controlled trial (RCT) becomes the generally accepted golden standard for clinical trials. It can be classified into two types based on different design, that is, the explanatory randomized controlled trial (ERCT) and the pragmatic randomized controlled trial (PRCT). In designing a clinical trial, researcher may select either of them according to the goal of research. The design feature of PRCT and its application in designing clinical trials of acupuncture were introduced in this paper. Further attention should be paid on resolvent of how to apply PRCT in combining with other design methods organically to work out clinical trial scheme with high quality and consistent with the characteristics of acupuncture as possible, for evaluating the effect of acupuncture more accurately and objectively, so as to promote the international application and development of acupuncture therapy.
Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Biomedical Research ; Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; methods

OBJECTIVETo study the expression of stomatin like protein-2 (SLP-2) at mRNA and protein levels in two kinds of malignant epithelial tumors, including laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and invasive breast cancer, and to study the relations of SLP-2 expression and clinicopathologic parameters with the prognosis.

METHODSRT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of SLP-2 mRNA and protein in LSCC and their normal counterparts (46 and 10 pair, respectively). Immunohistochemistry was carried on tissue array constructed from LSCC (104 cases) and breast cancer (263 cases), respectively. The association between SLP-2 expression and clinicopathologic parameters was analyzed.

RESULTSLSCC showed a higher expression of SLP-2 than that of their normal counterparts (negative expression) at mRNA (83%, 38/46) and protein (7/10) level. Immunohistochemical analysis of LSCC showed that compared with negative expression in normal laryngeal epithelium (0/20), a higher SLP-2 expression was detected in LSCC (36/104, P=0.000) and associated with the advanced clinical stage (P<0.01) and lymph node metastasis (P=0.003). Immunohistochemical study of invasive breast cancer demonstrated that compared with negative expression in normal breast tissue (0/10), more than one half of the cases showed a high SLP-2 expression (52.5%, 138/263, P=0.000) in breast cancer, which correlated with the tumor size (P=0.020), lymph node metastasis (P<0.01), advanced clinical stage (P<0.01), distant metastasis (P=0.002) and HER2/neu protein expression (P=0.037). Survival analysis showed a shorter overall survival probability in patients with a high SLP-2 expression. It was considered that lymph node metastasis, positive HER2/neu expression, and high-level SLP-2 expression may act as the independent prognostic factors for those tumors.

CONCLUSIONSA high expression level of SLP-2 may be associating with the development of invasion and metastasis in LSCC and breast cancer, and SLP-2 is also considered working as an independent factor indicating a poor prognosis clinically in breast cancer.

Adult ; Blood Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; metabolism ; Survival Analysis

Objective - To analyze the prevalence and influencing factors of work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) Methods among painters in the manufacturing industry. A total of 639 painters from one shipbuilding enterprise, one automobile manufacturing enterprise and three wooden furniture manufacturing enterprises in Guangdong Province were selected as the research subjects using typical sampling method. The Chinese version of Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire was Results used to investigate the prevalence of WMSDs in the past one year, and the influencing factors were analyzed. The total prevalence rate of WMSDs among painters in the manufacturing industry was 37.4%. The prevalence of WMSDs in different vs vs P industries from high to low was shipbuilding, automobile and furniture manufacturing (50.0% 38.7% 29.0%, <0.01). The prevalence of WMSDs in different parts of the body from high to low was neck, ankle/foot, shoulder, low back, upper back, knee, vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs P hand/wrist, hip/leg and elbow (20.7% 19.2% 17.4% 15.8% 14.1% 13.8% 13.5% 9.5% 6.6%, <0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that working in uncomfortable postures was a risk factor for neck, ankle/ P P foot and shoulder WMSDs (all <0.01); long time head turning was a risk factor for neck and shoulder WMSDs (both <0.05); P overweight and obesity, and bending and turning frequently at the same time were risk factors for ankle/foot WMSDs (all <0.05); P adequate rest time was a protective factor for neck and ankle/foot WMSDs (both <0.01); participated in physical exercise more P than once a week was a protective factor of neck and shoulder WMSDs in painters (all <0.05), after excluding the influence of Conclusion confounding factors. The prevalence of WMSDs in manufacturing painters was high, and the main body parts E mail 4813545@qq.com E mail wangzhongxu2003@163.com· · 中国职业医学 年 月第 卷第 期 ， ， ， 482 2022 10 49 5 Chin Occup Med October 2022 Vol.49 No.5 involved were neck, ankle/foot and shoulder. The influencing factors include individual factors, poor ergonomics factors and unreasonable work organization.

OBJECTIVETo study the association of the changes of serum insulin, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor binding proteins(IGFBPs), body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumference ratio(WHR) with the genesis of colorectal cancer.

METHODSSera from 244 colorectal cancer patients before operation, 371 patients after operation and 150 healthy subjects were assayed for insulin, leptin, IGF-1, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-3 by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. SPSS 13.0 statistics software was applied to analyze the data.

RESULTSThe serum levels of insulin, IGF-1 and the ratio of IGF-1/ IGFBP-3 in colorectal cancer patients before and after surgical treatment were significantly higher than those in controls. The serum levels of IGFBP-3 in patients before and after operation were significantly lower than those in controls, and the differences were significant(P=0.015,P=0.001, respectively). The BMI in colorectal carcinoma patients was not significantly different to the healthy controls(P>0.05). The WHR in colorectal carcinoma patients was higher than that in healthy subjects, and the difference was significant(P=0.003, P=0.035 respectively). The WHR in colon cancer patients was different to that in rectal cancer patients(P=0.046). The WHR and BMI in colon carcinoma patients were positively correlated with the serum insulin level and the value of IGF/IGFBP3. The WHR and BMI were negatively correlated with IGFBP3. The WHR and BMI were not correlated with IGF-1 and IGFBP1.

CONCLUSIONSThe serum insulin, IGF-1 levels and the value of IGF-1/IGFBP-3 are significantly increased in colorectal cancer patients, and serum IGFBP-3 level is markedly decreased, which may be related to the genesis of colorectal cancer, but are not correlated with the progress and improvement of colorectal cancer. Central adipositas may be a risk factor for the genesis of colon cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Body Mass Index ; Case-Control Studies ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin ; blood ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1 ; blood ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 ; blood ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; metabolism ; Leptin ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Waist-Hip Ratio

Needle retention is one of the important links in clinical acupuncture, thus, ancient medical scholars emphasized its value. This paper summarizes and evaluates the recent literature about needle retention time in terms of course of disease, category of disease, patient's condition and acupuncture location. The modern researches verify and develop the knowledge of needle retention in ancient times. However, study designs of randomized controlled trial for evidence-based medicine are not many, most of which are observational studies. In the future, clinical research need to apply scientific design based on Chinese medicine theory to investigate the principles of needle retention and the optimized needle retention time. This will consequently guide the standardization and systemization of acupuncture in clinical practice.
Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo study the expression of stomatin-like protein-2 (SLP-2) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and analyze the correlation between SLP-2 expression and clinicopathological features.

METHODSThe expression of SLP-2 protein in ESCC tissues (18 and 220 cases respectively) was detected by Western blot and IHC. The association between SLP-2 expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed.

RESULTSCompared with normal epithelium, 13 cases of ESCC tissues showed a higher expression of SLP-2 on the protein level (72.2%, 13/18). IHC analysis on tissue microarray revealed that the expression rate of SLP-2 protein in ESCC was 54.1% and in normal esophageal mucosa was 3.6%, showing a significant difference (P < 0.001). SLP-2 high-level expression correlates with the extent of ESCC invasion (P = 0.033), but not with other clinicopathologic characteristics (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSLP-2 as a novel cancer-related gene may play an important role in tumorigenesis of ESCC. The overexpression of SLP-2 may be closely associated with the invasion of esophageal cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Blood Proteins ; metabolism ; physiology ; Blotting, Western ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; metabolism ; physiology ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Invasiveness

OBJECTIVETo determine whether transforming growth factor betal (TGF-beta1)/Smad signaling pathway mediates p53-dependent apoptosis in hepatoma cell lines.

METHODSThree human hepatic carcinoma cell lines, HepG2, Huh-7, and Hep3B, were used in this study. TGF-beta1-induced apoptosis in hepatic carcinoma cell lines was analyzed using TUNEL assay. For identifying the mechanism of apoptosis induced by TGF-beta1, cell lines were transfected with a TGF-beta1-inducible luciferase reportor plasmid containing Smad4 binding elements. After transfection, cells were treated with TGF-beta1, then assayed for luciferase activity.

RESULTSThe apoptosis rate of HepG2 cell lines (48.51% +/- 8.21%) was significantly higher than control (12.72% +/- 2.18%, P <0.05). But TGF-beta1 was not able to induce apoptosis of Huh-7 and Hep3B cell lines. The relative luciferase activity of TGF-beta1-treated HepG2 cell lines (4.38) was significantly higher than control (1.00, P < 0.05). But the relative luciferase activity of TGF-beta1-treated Huh-7 and Hep3B cell lines less increased compared with control.

CONCLUSIONSHepG2 cells seem to be highly susceptible to TGF-beta1-induced apoptosis compared with Hep3B and Huh-7 cell lines. Smad4 is a central mediator of TGF-beta1 signaling transdution pathway. TGF-beta1/Smad signaling pathway might mediate p53-dependent apoptosis in hepatoma cell lines.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Genes, Reporter ; Genes, p53 ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Luciferases ; metabolism ; Plasmids ; Signal Transduction ; Smad4 Protein ; metabolism ; Transfection ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; pharmacology