Objective To observe the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture at the interiorly-exteriorly related meridians plus rehabilitation training in treating post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome. Methods Sixty eligible patients with post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 30 in each group. The treatment group was intervened by acupuncture at the interiorly-exteriorly related meridians plus rehabilitation training, while the control group was by rehabilitation training alone. After 2 treatment courses, the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), visual analogue scale (VAS) and edema score were observed and compared. Results The FMA, VAS, and edema scores were significantly changed in both groups after intervention (P＜0.01). There were significant differences in comparing the FMA, VAS, and edema scores between the two groups after intervention (P＜0.05). The total effective rate was 83.3%in the treatment group versus 76.7%in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05). Conclusion Acupuncture at the interiorly-exteriorly related meridians plus rehabilitation is an effective method in treating post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome.

Objective:To investigate the effects of alum ice nanoemulsion on VEGF and TGF-β1 in hypertrophic scar based on Notch signaling pathway.Methods:Totally 144 SD rats were divided into blank control group, model group, triamcinolone acetonide group and alum ice nanoemulsion low-, medium- and high-dose groups according to random number table method, with 24 rats in each group. Except for the blank control group, the rats in other groups were prepared with deep Ⅱ ° burn models. 24 hours after the successful modeling, the model group was given the same amount of normal saline, the rats in alum ice nanoemulsion low-, medium- and high-dose groups were given 8.15, 6.30 and 32.60 mg/ml alum ice nanoemulsion respectively, and the triamcinolone acetonide group was given triamcinolone acetonide twice a day, 0.2 ml each time, for 35 consecutive days. At 14, 21, 28 and 35 d, the collagen fiber surface density was calculated by VG staining. The protein expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), Notch1 and Jagged1 were detected by Western Blot. The expressions of Notch1 mRNA and Jagged1 mRNA were detected by RT-PCR.Results:Compared with model group, triamcinolone acetonide and different doses of alum ice nanoemulsion groups could decrease collagen fiber surface density, protein expressions of VEGF, TGF-β1, Notch1, Jagged1 and mRNA expressions of Notch1, Jagged1 in different degrees ( P<0.05). Compared with the triamcinolone acetonide group, the collagen fiber surface density, protein expressions of VEGF, TGF-β1, Notch1 and Jagged1 and mRNA expressions of Notch1, Jagged1 in the alum ice nanoemulsion medium-dosage group decreased ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Alum ice nanoemulsion can inhibit hypertrophic scar formation, and its mechanism is related to down-regulating Notch signal pathway related molecules Notch1, Jagged1 protein and mRNA levels, and then down-regulating VEGF and TGF-β1 protein expressions.

OBJECTIVES: Hypertrophic scar (HS) is the most common pathological scar in clinical practice. During its formation, angiogenesis-related factors show dynamic expression. Modern studies have found that Notch signaling pathway has an extremely important role in maintaining the construction and remodeling of vascular endothelial cells and vascular network. The correlation between Notch signaling pathway and angiogenesis in hypertrophic scar has been rarely reported. This study aims to investigate correlation between Notch signaling pathway and the expression of angiogenic factors in a proliferative scar model. METHODS: A total of 81 Sprague Dawley rats (SPF grade) were randomly assigned into a blank control group, a model group, and a blocker group. In the blocker group, a 2 cm diameter circular scald head was placed on the back of the rats for 10 s at 75 ℃ by using a constant temperature and pressure electrothermal scalding apparatus to form a rat deep II° burn model, and a hyperplastic scar model rat was obtained after natural healing of the wound skin (21 to 23 day epithelialization). A syringe was used to inject a needle from the normal skin around the scar at the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 14th days after modeling. The γ-secretase inhibitor was injected locally at 2 mg/kg in a dilution of 0.1 mL at the base of the scar. The rats in the model group was injected with the same amount of saline after modeling; the rats in the blank control group was injected with the same amount of saline. Nine rats in each group was randomly killed by air embolization at the 21st, 28th, and 35th days, respectively. The protein expressions of collagen type I (COL-I) and collagen type III (COL-III) were detected by immunohistochemistry. The protein expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiopoietin 1 (Ang1), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) were detected by Western blotting. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical results showed that, at the 21st,28th, and 35th days, the protein expressions of COL-I and COL-III in the model group were up-regulated compared with the blank control group (all CONCLUSIONS In the Sprague Dawley rat proliferative scar model, inhibition of Notch signaling pathway could attenuate the expressions of COL-I and COL-III, reduce traumatic scar proliferation, down-regulate the expressions of VEGF, Ang1, TGF-β1, and MMP-2, and inhibit angiogenesis. The expressions of angiogenesis-related factors appeare to be up-regulated during the formation of proliferative scar. When the Notch signaling pathway is inhibited, the up-regulated angiogenic factors show a decreasing trend and the proliferative scar is alleviated, which suggests that Notch signaling pathway may affect the formation of hyperplastic scar by regulating the expression of angiogenic factors.
Animals ; Cicatrix, Hypertrophic/pathology* ; Endothelial Cells ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of Chaihu Qinggantang （CHQGT） in the treatment of granulomatous lobular mastitis （GLM） in the rat model. MethodSixty female rats were divided into a normal group， a model group， a prednisolone group （0.001 8 g·kg^-1）， and three CHQGT low-dose， medium-dose， and high-dose groups （4.5， 8.9， 17.8 g·kg^-1）. The tissue homogenates mixed with GLM lesion tissue and Fritner's reagent were used for modeling. After modeling， the treatment groups were given corresponding treatment factors， and the normal group and the model group were given the equal volume of normal saline. The changes in mammary gland of rats were observed after 14 d. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the histopathological changes in breast samples. The mRNA expressions of NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome， Caspase-1， and interleukin-1β （IL-1β） were detected by real-time quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. The protein expressions of NLRP3， Caspase-1， IL-1β， and IL-18 were detected by Western bolt. ResultAs compared with the normal group， the breasts of rats in the model group were obviously swelling， and mammary gland inflammation index was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Pathological changes included the formation of granuloma centered on the lobule of mammary gland with a large number of inflammatory cells such as lymphocytes and plasma cells. The mRNA expressions of NLRP3， Caspase-1， and IL-1β， and the protein expressions of NLRP3， Caspase-1， IL-1β， and IL18 in the model group were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the treatment groups improved breast swelling， and the CHQGT medium and high-dose groups and the prednisolone group reduced inflammation index to some extent after treatment （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The inflammation degree of mammary gland was significantly improved， and inflammatory cells such as macrophages， lymphocytes， and plasma cells were reduced to varying degrees in pathological aspects. The mRNA expressions of NLRP3， Caspase-1， and IL-1β， and the protein expressions of NLRP3， Caspase-1， IL-1β， and IL-18 in the CHQGT high-dose group and the prednisolone group were significantly down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionCHQGT inhibits inflammation and treats GLM in rats. The mechanism is possibly related to the inhibition of NLRP3/IL-1β signaling pathway， which provides a new target for the prevention and treatment of GLM by Qingxiao method.

Breast cancer has become the malignant tumor with the highest incidence rate. Although the emergence of new drugs has prolonged the overall survival of breast cancer patients， it still possesses a high recurrence and metastasis rate due to tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance. Glucose is the main source of energy metabolism for breast cancer cells， and the glucose metabolism of breast cancer cells is significantly different from that of normal breast cells. The high energy demand and rapid growth of breast cancer cells make their demand for glucose much higher than that of normal cells. Moreover， even under aerobic conditions， the glycolytic effect of breast cancer cells will be significantly enhanced to meet the high energy metabolism demand of breast cancer cells. The main reason for the enhanced glycolytic effect of breast cancer cells is the enhanced activity of glycolysis-related enzymes and regulatory factors， including pyruvate kinase， hexokinase， phosphofructokinase， lactate dehydrogenase， and glucose transporter protein. The metabolism process of glycolysis in breast cancer cells can be regulated by interfering with the activity of these enzymes and regulatory factors， thus inhibiting the proliferation of breast cancer， promoting apoptosis， and reversing drug resistance， invasion， and metastasis. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a long history of treating breast cancer and has made significant achievements in the aspects of anti-recurrence， metastasis， and drug resistance. In recent years， more and more research related to the intervention of aerobic glycolysis in breast cancer by TCM monomers， single-flavored TCM， and compounds has been conducted and has made great achievements. In addition， a large number of in vivo and in vitro experiments have shown that aerobic glycolysis is an important potential target for the treatment of breast cancer by TCM， but there is a lack of a comprehensive review and summary. On this basis， this paper elaborated on the roles of key targets in aerobic glycolysis and breast cancer and summarized the relevant studies on the treatment of breast cancer by intervention of glycolysis with TCM， with a view to providing new ideas for further research.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ; Transcriptome ; Immunotherapy ; Biomarkers, Tumor