Objective To investigate the effects of abdominal massage combined with electroacupuncture point-through-point method on the expressions of circadian clock genes of Clock,BMAL1,PER1 and neurotransmitters contents of ACh and Glu in insomnia rats and its possible mechanism.Methods Totally 50 SD male rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,abdominal massage group,electroacupuncture point-through-point group and combination group,with 10 rats in each group.Except for the normal group,an insomnia rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of p-chlorophenylalanine.Abdominal massage group received abdominal massage;electroacupuncture point-through-point group was treated with flat acupuncture,"Baihui"through"Shenting","Sanyinjiao"through"Yinlingquan"(bilateral),"Shenmen"through"Neiguan"(bilateral),the electroacupuncture instrument dilatational wave,frequency of 1 Hz/20 Hz was connected;the combination group was treated with electroacupuncture through acupoints after abdominal massage;1 time/d for each treatment group,a total of 7 days.The normal group and model group were not intervened.HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of neurons in hypothalamic tissue,the expression of Clock,BMAL1 and PER1 mRNA were detected by RT-qPCR,the expressions of Clock,BMAL1 and PER1 in hypothalamic tissue were detected by immunohistochemical staining,the expression of Clock,BMAL1 and PER1 protein in hypothalamic tissue were detected by Western blot,the contents of ACh and Glu in serum were detected by ELISA.Results Compared with the normal group,the model group rats had a longer sleep latency,shorter sleep duration,severe damage to the cellular structure of the hypothalamic tissue,and a vacuolar like change,with a decrease in the number of neuronal cells,the expressions of Clock and BMAL1 mRNA and protein in hypothalamic tissue increased,while the expressions of PER1 mRNA and protein decreased;the contents of serum ACh and Glu increased,with statistical significance(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the abdominal massage group,electroacupuncture point-through-point group,and combination group could all shorten the sleep latency,prolong sleep duration,and improve the morphology of hypothalamic neurons,reduce the expressions of Clock and BMAL1 mRNA and protein in hypothalamic tissue,up-regulate the expressions of PER1 mRNA and protein,and reduce the contents of serum ACh and Glu,with statistical significance(P<0.05),the combination group showed the most obvious effects(P<0.05).Conclusion Abdominal massage combined with electroacupuncture point-through-point method can improve insomnia.Its mechanism may be related to the regulation of circadian clock genes Clock,BMAL1,PER1 mRNA and protein expression,as well as neurotransmitter content.

Objective To explore the funding situation and hot research directions of NSFC(National Natural Science Foundation of China)projects in the discipline of acupoints and meridians from 1991 to 2022;To provide reference for this discipline to apply for the NSFC.Methods National Natural Science Foundation of China was login in to query website.The acupoints and meridians discipline project from 1991 to 2022 were retrieved.The project leader,project name,supporting unit,province,funding category,funding amount,keywords and other information were extracted.The data were input to Excel 2023 to establish a database,and descriptive analysis of project funding situation was performed.Target keywords were extracted,and the word table was classified and uploaded to the micro-word cloud online to draw the word cloud map to analyze the research hotspots.Results From 1991 to 2022,the number of projects funded by the NSFC for acupoints and meridians was 173.The funding category was mainly general projects,and the supporting units were mainly TCM colleges and universities and scientific research institutions.The main research directions were meridian essence,acupoint-viscera/body related effects and mechanism of action,and the signal molecules and related pathways were the entry points.Conclusion From 1991 to 2022,the NSFC-funded acupoints and meridians disciplines are mainly based on general projects,mainly concentrated in scientific research institutions and TCM colleges and universities,with uneven regional distribution.The essence of meridians and collaterals,acupoints-viscera/body-related effects and mechanisms(mechanisms)are the key research directions.