The status of acupuncture-moxibustion is more and more recognized by mainstream medicine in the world in recent years, and literature regarding acupuncture-moxibustion with high impact factor (IF) published in the worldwide mainstream medicine journals is also gradually growing by years. To understand the situation of related literature, literature regarding acupuncture-moxibustion with IF of more than 10 in Science Citation Index (SCI) during the recent 5 years was retrieved. The number, the types, the diseases involved, the publishing states of the acquired articles and the source, the citation, the IF of the publishing journals were analyzed and summarized. Additionally, some of the research foci, the new research tendencies and the deficiencies of research were discussed. The thoughts and suggestions are expected to be provided for further research of acupuncture.
Acupuncture Therapy ; statistics & numerical data ; Bibliometrics ; Humans ; Journal Impact Factor ; Moxibustion ; statistics & numerical data ; Publications ; statistics & numerical data

Objective To study the changes of posterior corneal elevation with one-year follow-up by using Allegro Oculyzer anterior segment diagnostic system in patients who had undergone laser in situ keratomileusis with femtosecond laser (FS-LASIK) for myopia. Methods Ninety eyes of forty-five patients who had undergone FS-LASIK for myopia were included in our study . The spherical equivalent of ametropia was-10.63D to -1.63D. The preoperative and postoperative corneal tomography (including 1, 3, 6 and 12 month after operation ) were collected by Allegro Oculyzer in the posterior corneal elevation and the thickness at central corneal thinnest point of each eye were measured , and the differences of the posterior corneal elevation were calculated. The data were analyzed with ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis. Results There were no statistically significant differences in the changes of posterior corneal elevation from the preoperative time to the any postoperative follow-up time (F = 1.50, P > 0.05). There were no statistically significant changes of the posterior corneal elevation from the 1st month to 12th month postoperatively (F = 1.47, P > 0.05). There were statistically significant differences in the changes of thickness at central corneal thinnest point from the preoperative to the 12th month postoperative (F = 369.10, P <0.01). At postoperative time, the posterior corneal elevation was not correlated with several factors including spherical equivalent , ablation depth , residual bed thickness, ablation percentage per total corneal thickness and (corneal flap thickness + ablation depth) /thinnest point preoperative corneal thickness (P > 0.05). Conclusion After strictly followed surgical indications in FS-LASIK, the posterior corneal elevation can keep good stability and has no significant change. Thickness of central cornea thinnest point increases gradually and tends to stablity at the 3th months after surgery.

Advances in mechanism and application of the heating effect in breeding of microorganism are reviewed in this paper. Heat produces mutagenesis effect and screening effect. Heating mutagenesis effect is occurred through the substitution of G-C base pair induced by heat, and heating screening effect produces higher forward mutation rate induced by other mutagens.

OBJECTIVETo measure the stability of Evans procedure and Chrisman-Snook technique in the treatment of II degree lateral collateral ligament of ankle joint, and provide basis for treatment and prognosis.

METHODSFrom July 2008 to June 2009,18 frozen corpes were collected, including 10 males and 8 females, with an average age of fresh 39.3 +/- 11.2 years. The frozen corpes were randomly divided into three group, including normal controls(group A), Evans procedure (group B) and Chrisman-Snook technique ( group C), 6 specimens in each group. Anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament were cut off to cause II degree lateral collateral ligament in group B and C. Evans procedure or Chrisman-Snook technique were applied to restore lateral collateral ligament, and measure biomechnics. The displacement of tibiotalar joint and subtalar joint were observed.

RESULTS(1) The lateral stress results of tibiotalar joint showed the displacement by Evans procedure (group B) was greater than other groups (P < 0.0001). There were no significant differences between group A and C (P > 0.05). (2) The lateral stress results of subtalar joint showed the displacement by Evans procedure (group B) was greater than other groups (P< 0.0001). There were no significant differences between group A and C (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAnkle instability is caused by ankle joint lateral collateral ligament injury. Chrisman-Snook technique is better than Evans procedure in stability on the early stage of ankle joint restoration, and conform to principle of biomechanics.

Adult ; Ankle Joint ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Female ; Humans ; Lateral Ligament, Ankle ; diagnostic imaging ; injuries ; surgery ; Male ; Mechanical Phenomena ; Prognosis ; Radiography ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods

Objective: To investigate the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on the behaviors of rat with anxiety disorder, and the expressions of hippocampal neurotransmitters including 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA), and the expressions of hippocampal B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2 associated X (Bax).Methods: Forty-six male Wistar rats were randomly divided into a control group (n=10), a model group (n=12), an EA group (n=12), and a drug group (n=12). Except the control group, the other three groups were established into rat models of anxiety disorder using uncertain empty bottle stimulation. Rats in the EA group and the drug group received corresponding interventions for 15 consecutive days [EA group was given EA at Baihui (GV 20) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6); the drug group was given aqueous solution of alprazolam via intragastric administration]. After intervention, all four groups received open-field test (OFT) and elevated plus-maze (EPM) for behavioral evaluations. The expressions of 5-HT, NE and DA in hippocampus were determined by fluorescence spectroscopy (FS) while the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins in hippocampus were determined by Western blot (WB). Results: The OFT horizontal scores in the control group, EA group and drug group were significantly higher than that in the model group (all P<0.05), and the difference between the EA group and the drug group was statistically insignificant (P>0.05); the OFT vertical scores in the model group, EA group and drug group were significantly lower than the score in the control group (all P<0.05). The EPM percent of open-arm entries (OE％) in the control group, EA group and drug group was higher than that in the model group (P<0.05), and the differences among these three groups were statistically insignificant (P>0.05); though the percent of open-arm total time (OT％) in the EA group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05), the difference was statistically insignificant when compared with the drug group (P>0.05), and it was significantly higher than that in the model group (P<0.05). The expression of 5-HT in the EA group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05); the expression of 5-HT in the EA group was significantly lower than that in the model group (P<0.05); the difference between the EA group and the drug group was statistically insignificantly (P>0.05). The expression of NE in the model group was significantly higher than that in the other three groups (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference among these three groups (P>0.05). The expression of DA in the EA group was significantly higher than that in the control group and the drug group (both P<0.05), while the difference between the EA group and the model group was statistically insignificant (P>0.05). The expression of Bax in the model group was significantly higher than that in the other three groups (all P<0.05), whereas the expression of Bcl-2 in the model group was significantly lower than that in the other three groups (all P<0.05), and the differences in both Bax and Bcl-2 among the other three groups were statistically insignificant (all P>0.05). Bax/Bcl-2 in the EA group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05) and lower than that in the model group (P<0.05), and the difference was statistically insignificant when compared with the drug group (P>0.05). Conclusion: EA shows promising effects in attenuating rats' anxiety disorder, which may be achieved by the down-regulation of the expressions of 5-HT and NE in the hippocampus and/or inhibition of hippocampal neuronal apoptosis. The efficacy is comparable to that of intervention with alprazolam.

BACKGROUNDTo study characteristics of peripheral T cell subsets in 94 children with chronic hepatitis B and to elucidate its relationships with clinical status and hepatic pathology.

METHODSPeripheral T cell subsets were detected using flow cytometric analysis with specific monoclonal antibodies staining in 94 patients with HBV infection. The authors simultaneously detected their serum ALT, markers of HBV infection and examined liver biopsy material for pathological changes.

RESULTSIn patients with serious liver lesion, the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells was significantly higher than those with mild lesion (1.41+/-0.54 vs 1.08+/-0.35, P less than 0.05), which seemed to be associated with the various liver lesions among the patients. In female cases, the levels of CD4+ T cells and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ T cells were higher than their counterpart in male cases (33.1+/-5.39 vs 28.8+/-6.28, 1.28+/-0.32 vs 1.02+/-0.36, P less than 0.05), but the level of CD8+ T cells was lower than those in males (26.79+/-4.66 vs 30.51+/-7.17, P less than 0.05). There was no obvious correlation between T cell subsets and circulating HBV viral load, the size of spleen among the HBV-infected children.

CONCLUSIONThe characteristics of peripheral T cell subsets probably suggests the immune disorder occurred in these children with hepatitis B compared with healthy controls and its mechanism needs further investigation.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; immunology ; pathology ; Humans ; Infant ; Liver ; pathology ; Male ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; immunology

Objective: To explore whether acupuncture can improve sleep disturbance, cognitive impairment and emotional disorders caused by sleep deprivation, and its association with the attenuation of oxidative stress injury in prefrontal cortex. Methods: Fifty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group (n=10), a model group (n=14), a manual acupuncture (MA) group (n=14), and a sham-MA group (n=14). All the groups were established as sleep deprivation models via the modified multiple platform method, except for the control group. Rats in both the MA group and the sham-MA group received corresponding intervention, respectively. After modeling and intervention, the four groups received three behavioral tests, namely sleep monitoring, by comprehensive lab animal monitoring system (CLAMS), Morris water maze (MWM) test and open-field test (OFT), followed by oxygen free radical level test and Western blot (WB) detection for the expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2. Results: The MA group derived more sleep time within 24 h than either the model group or the sham-MA group (both P<0.05). On MWM orientation navigation test day 1, there were no significant differences in escape latency among the control, MA and sham-MA groups (P>0.05), and the escape latency was significantly shorter in these three groups than that in the model group (all P<0.05). On test day 4, the escape latency was markedly shorter in the MA group than that in either the model group or the sham-MA group (both P<0.05); meanwhile, the MA group showed significantly better performance compared with these two groups in space probe test (both P<0.05). In OFT, compared with the control group, there was a significant decline in the horizontal movement score in the other three groups (all P<0.05), and the decrease was more significant in the model group and the sham-MA group than that in the MA group (both P<0.05). The superoxide dismutase (SOD) content was markedly higher and the malondialdehyde (MDA) content was markedly lower in the MA group than those in the model group and the sham-MA group (all P<0.05). Compared with the model group and the sham-MA group, the expression of Bax was significantly lower and the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly higher in the MA group (all P<0.05). Conclusion: MA therapy can lengthen the sleep time in sleep-deprived rats and improve learning and memory impairments induced by sleep deprivation, and the underlying mechanism may be associated with the enhancement of antioxidant capacity in the prefrontal cortex and the inhibition of hippocampal neuronal apoptosis.

BACKGROUNDIt has been confirmed that the concentration of cefepime in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) could reach the 10% of its concentration in plasma, exceeding the inhibitory concentration to 90% of organisms (MIC(90)) for common bacteria. However, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration ability of cefepime is still unclear. The aim of this study was to measure the CSF concentration of cefepime in patients after neurosurgical operations, and to determine the penetration of the drug through an incomplete BBB.

METHODSEight patients who received ventricular drainage (VD group) and 5 who underwent lumbar puncture drainage (LPD group) were enrolled into this study. Cefepime (2 g) was injected intravenously in 30 minutes after the neurosurgeries. The concentrations of cefepime in the CSF and plasma were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) at different time points.

RESULTSThe CSF concentrations of cefepime at different time points in the VD group were significantly higher than those in the LPD group (P < 0.05). In the VD group, the concentration of cefepime in CSF reached the peak ((22.54 +/- 14.06) microg/ml) at 1 to 2 hours after the injection, while in the LPD group at 4 hours ((5.61 +/- 3.73) microg/ml). In both groups, the peak was higher than the MIC(90) of most common bacteria in intensive care unit. The ratio of CSF to plasma cefepime concentrations ranged from 0.30 to 2.14 in the VD group and 0.03 to 1.14 in the LPD group.

CONCLUSIONAfter neurosurgeries, CSF concentration of cefepime can reach a therapeutic level. Thus, the drug could be used to prevent and treat postoperative intracranial infection.

Anti-Bacterial Agents ; cerebrospinal fluid ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Cephalosporins ; cerebrospinal fluid ; Humans ; Neurosurgical Procedures

OBJECTIVETo observe the association between plasma endothelin (ET) concentration and blood pressure level in essential hypertensive (EH) patients with or without complications and possible impact of statins on ET concentration.

METHODSFrom Sep 2007 to Mar 2009, 149 patients with EH were analyzed [44 EH, 40 EH complicated by left ventricular hypertrophy (EH-LVH), 36 EH complicated by atrial fibrillation (EH-AF), and 29 EH complicated by lacunar infarction (EH-LI)], 30 healthy persons were selected as controls. EH patients were randomly divided into routine treatment group (calcium antagonists, ACEI, diuretics, beta-receptor blocker for 8 weeks) and simvastatin intervention group (routine treatment + simvastatin 40 mg/d for 8 weeks), plasma ET concentrations before and after drug intervention were measured.

RESULTS(1) ET concentration was higher in EH group than that in control group [(71.42 +/- 6.62) pg/ml vs. (45.52 +/- 8.28) pg/ml, P < 0.01]. ET concentration was higher in EH-LVH group, EH-AF group and EH-LI group than that in EH group [(97.67 +/- 10.53) pg/ml, (102.15 +/- 12.96) pg/ml, (103.49 +/- 9.91) pg/ml vs. (71.42 +/- 6.62) pg/ml, P <0.01]. The degrees of elevated blood pressure was positively correlated with ET concentrations(all P < 0.001). (2) The left atrial diameters of EH-AF group were positively correlated with ET concentration (r = 0.684, P < 0.001). The left ventricular mass index of EH-LVH group were positively correlated with ET concentration (r = 0.545, P < 0.001). (3) The percentages of class 3 hypertension in EH-LVH group, EH-AF group and EH-LI group were higher than that in EH group (57.5%, 50.0%, 62.1% vs. 25.0%, all P < 0.05). (4) Blood pressure in class 3 hypertension patient treated with simvastatin decreased more significantly than that in routine treatment group (P < 0.05). (5) ET concentration of class 2 hypertension patient treated with simvastatin decreased significantly than that in routine treatment group (P < 0.05). ET concentrations of class 3 hypertension patient treated with simvastatin and routine treatment patient decreased significantly after treatment (P < 0.05), and the former was lower (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe level of ET were positively correlated with the severity of EH. Simvastatin could decrease the ET levels of patients with EH and blood pressure levels of patients with class 3 hypertension. It suggested that therapeutic alliance of antihypertensive drugs and statins could be benefit to patients with EH.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antihypertensive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Blood Pressure ; Endothelins ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Hypertension ; blood ; complications ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Simvastatin ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of puerarin on the neural function and the histopathological changes after ischemic spinal cord injury in rabbits.

METHODSThirty male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups as follows: puerarin group (n=10) receiving intravenous infusion of 30 mg/kg puerarin for 10 minutes, control group (n=10) receiving intravenous infusion of the same volume of normal saline as puerarin for 10 minutes, and sham operation group (n=10) undergoing only the surgical exposure of the abdominal aorta. Temporary spinal cord ischemia was induced by infrarenal aortic occlusion for 20 minutes and followed by reperfusion. The neural status was scored with the Tarlov criteria at 8, 12, 24 and 48 hours after reperfusion. All the animals were killed at 48 hours after reperfusion and the spinal cords (L5) were removed immediately for histopathological study.

RESULTSThe neural function scores at 8, 12, 24 and 48 hours after reperfusion were higher in the puerarin group and sham operation group than those in the control group (P<0.05). More normal motor neurons in the anterior horn of spinal cord were present in the puerarin group and sham operation group than those in the control group (P<0.01). There was a strong correlation between the final neural function scores and the number of normal motor neurons in the anterior horn of spinal cord (r=0.839, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSPuerarin can significantly ameliorate the neural function and the histopathological damages after transient spinal cord ischemia in rabbits.

Animals ; Isoflavones ; pharmacology ; Male ; Motor Neurons ; pathology ; Rabbits ; Spinal Cord Ischemia ; drug therapy ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Vasodilator Agents ; pharmacology