The painless needle insertion technique, summarized by Professor WU Lian-zhong during his decades of acupuncture clinical practice is introduced in this article, which is characterized as soft, flexible, fast, plucking and activating antipathogenic qi. The Sancai (three layers) lifting and thrusting manipulation technique is adopted by Professor WU for getting the qi sensation. And features of 10 kinds of needling sensation such as soreness, numbness, heaviness, distension, pain, cold, hot, radiation, jumping and contracture are summarized. Finger force, amplitude, speed and time length are also taken as the basis of reinforcing and reducing manipulations. Moreover, examples are also given to explain the needling technique on some specific points which further embodies Professor WU's unique experiences and understandings on acupuncture.
Acupuncture Therapy ; history ; methods ; China ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; Needles

Objective To study the effect of age and sex on circadian rhythms of renin-angiotensin system(RAS) .Methods 96 SPRD rats were divided into three groups.The levels of renin(Ren)activity,angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ)and angiotensin-converting-enzyme(ACE)in plasma or serum were respectively determined.Results The plasma or serum levels of renin,ACE,and angiotensin-Ⅱ in adult male group(D group)were significantly increased in comparison with elderly male group(M group)and elderly female group(F group).There were not significantly different between F group and M group in the levels of Ren activity,AngⅡ and ACE.The three substances presented typical circadian rhythms in three groups(P

In order to clarify material basis of effective parts of liangxue tongyu prescription, blood-heat and blood-stasis rat model induced by dry yeast was established. The changes of rectal temperature, blood viscosity and plasma viscosity were used to evaluate the cooling-blood and activating-blood effects of liangxue tongyu prescription and its parts. Compared with the model group, the extract from liangxue tongyu prescription, its volatile oil and n-butanol part could significantly reduce rectal temperature (P<0.01), and also reduce blood viscosity and plasma viscosity to various degrees (P<0.01 or P<0.05). So volatile oil and n-butanol part were primarily identified as effective parts of liangxue tongyu prescription. By using GC-MS with normalization method of area to analyze volatile oil of liangxue tongyu prescription, 70 compounds were identified, accounting for about 92.54%, mainly as β-asarone, paeonol, α-asarone and shyobunone. 42 compounds such as peony glycosides, tannins, and iridoid glycosides were identified by HPLC-MS techniques and standard comparison. The study determined the effective parts of liangxue tongyu prescription and clarified the chemical composition providing the foundation for further studies on material basis of liangxue tongyu prescription.
Acetophenones ; chemistry ; Animals ; Anisoles ; chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Oils, Volatile ; chemistry ; Rats ; Tannins ; chemistry

Objective To explore the value of color doppler ultrasonography by bed side in the early diagnosis of HIE in full term neonates.Methods The changes of cerebral parenchymal and cerebral arterial blood stream parameter on 35 cases of neonates clinically diagnosed HIE of mild and moderate degree and 40 cases of normal newborns on the 24,48 and 72 hours after birth were observed by color doppler ultrasonography by bed side.Results 1.The cerebral parenchyma was even echo in normal newborns,but it was maldistributed and reinforced in mild asphyxia neonates and it was more serious in moderate degree.The echo of cerebral parenchyma in mild degree was near normal in 48 hours after birth,while the echo of cerebral parenchyma in moderate degree was still maldistributed and reinforced in 48 and 72 hours after birth.2.There was obvious changes in the cerebral arterial blood stream parameter and hemodynamics of the asphyxia newborns compared with normals.The systolic peak velocity(Vs)and end diastolic velocity(Vd)of the cerebral arteries in mild and moderate degree were obviously lower than that of control group in 24,48 hours after birth(Pa0.05).3.Resistance index(RI)of the cerebral arteries in mild and moderate degree were higher than that of control group in 24,48 hours after birth(Pa0.05).Conclusion Color doppler ultrasonography by bed side is a convenient,noninvasive method for diagnosing HIE.

Background: The CD38/cyclic ADP?ribose (cADPR) pathway plays a role in various central nervous system diseases and in morphine tolerance, but its role in local anesthetic intoxication is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the role of the CD38/cADPR pathway in ropivacaine?induced convulsion. Methods: Forty male Sprague?Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = 8 per group): sham group, ropivacaine group, ropivacaine+8?Br?cADPR (5 nmol) group, ropivacaine+8?Br?cADPR (10 nmol) group, and ropivacaine+8?Br?cADPR (20 nmol) group (no rats died). Rats were intracerebroventricularly injected with normal saline or 8?Br?cADPR 30 min before receiving an intraperitoneal injection of ropivacaine. Electroencephalography and convulsion behavior scores were recorded. The hippocampus was harvested from each group and subjected to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and cADPR assays, Western blotting analysis, and malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) assays. Results: Intraperitoneal injection of ropivacaine (33.8 mg/kg) induced convulsions in rats. CD38 and cADPR levels increased significantly following ropivacaine?induced convulsion (P = 0.031 and 0.020, respectively, compared with the sham group). Intraventricular injection of 8?Br?cADPR (5, 10, and 20 nmol) significantly prolonged convulsion latency (P = 0.037, 0.034, and 0.000, respectively), reduced convulsion duration (P = 0.005, 0.005, and 0.005, respectively), and reduced convulsion behavior scores (P = 0.015, 0.015, and 0.000, respectively). Intraventricular injection of 8?Br?cADPR (10 nmol) also increased the B?cell lymphoma?2 (Bcl?2)/Bcl?2?associated X protein ratio (P = 0.044) and reduced cleaved Caspase 3/Caspase 3 ratio, inducible nitric oxide synthase, MDAand SOD levels (P = 0.014, 0.044, 0.001, and 0.010, respectively) compared with the ropivacaine group. Conclusions: The CD38/cADPR pathway is activated in ropivacaine?induced convulsion. Inhibiting this pathway alleviates ropivacaine?induced convulsion and protects the brain from apoptosis and oxidative stress.

The concept of needle-acupointomics should be clarified initially in order to discuss the relative researches. The comprehension can be deepened through the aspects of researching methods, content and goals. Proper researching model and analysis method should be selected so as to bring the advantages of the ancient acupuncture literatures, case records and clinical experiences of famous physicians into full play. Only in this way can the domestic needle acupointomics studies achieve a breakthrough.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; instrumentation ; methods ; Animals ; Biomedical Research ; Humans ; Needles

OBJECTIVETo explore the influence on AM fungi infection rate and medicine quality of Pinellia ternate in the condition of three soil impact factors.

METHODSet the orthogonal test of three factors and levels. Determinate the AM fungi infection rate in early stage of mature & stage of mature of P. ternata, and the water content, water soluble extract, butanedioic acid content and alkaloid content of P. ternata tuber that be harvested also had be determinated.

RESULT AND CONCLUSIONWith the P levels to 30 mg x kg(-1) and 90 mg x kg(-1), AM fungi infection was the best when mixed inoculated of EM. Microbial agent inoculated played a decisive role in P. ternata growth and physiological activity, secondary influenced factor was P concentration, and the water stress was the minimal impact. Mixed inoculated of AM fungi and EM treatment with the low P levels (30, 90 mg x kg(-1)) proved better effect on enhancing the water extract content, anedioic acid and alkaloid content, while decreasing the water contents of P. ternata tuber.

Alkaloids ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; standards ; Fungi ; Pinellia ; chemistry ; microbiology ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; standards ; Soil

BACKGROUNDAllergic asthma is associated with airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness caused by dysregulated production of cytokines secreted by allergen-specific helper T-type 2 (Th2) cells. The linker for activation of T cells (LAT) is a membrane-associated adaptor protein, which has been shown to take part in regulating T cell receptor (TCR) signaling and T cell homeostasis. In this study, we established an asthmatic mouse model to examine the changes in LAT levels during allergic airway disease and the effects of LAT transgenic expression on airway inflammation.

METHODST cells from mouse lung tissues were isolated from allergen challenged (ovalbumin (OVA)) and control mice, and the purity of these isolated T cells was examined by fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of the LAT gene and LAT protein, respectively. After an intranasally administered mixture of pCMV-HA-LAT plasmid and Lipofectamine 2000, 24 hours before and 72 hours after allergen challenge, the BALF cell count and the differential cytologies were studied. In addition, IL-4 and IFN-γ levels in the BALF were determined by ELISA, and pathological changes in lung tissues were observed.

RESULTSLAT protein and mRNA expression were decreased in lung T cells in a mouse model of allergen-induced airway disease. After intranasal administration of pCMV-HA-LAT, histopathological examination of the lungs showed that intervention with LAT overexpression prevented mice from developing airway inflammation, and the number of total cells, eosinophils, neutrophils, and lymphocytes in the BALF was reduced significantly compared with the OVA sensitized and challenged group. In addition, the Th2 cytokine IL-4 decreased, while the Th1 cytokine IFN-γ increased compared to the OVA sensitized and challenged group or the OVA sensitized group plus pCMV-HA treatment.

CONCLUSIONThis study demonstrates that LAT might effectively diminish Th2 cytokine responses, lung histopathological changes and lung inflammation to allergen challenge in a model of experimentally induced asthma.

Animals ; Asthma ; immunology ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; immunology ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Female ; Inflammation ; immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; metabolism

OBJECTIVENucleic vaccine of pVVP3IL-18HN expressing apoptin gene, Newcastle disease virus HN gene and IL-18 gene were constructed to observe the combinative antitumor effect of the above three genes.

METHODSEukaryotic expression plasmid pVVP3IL-18HN was constructed by inserting apoptin gene and fragment comprising fused IL-18HN gene and IRES promoter into the downstream of CMV promoter of vector pVAX1. The expression of inserted gene was identified by RT-PCR, indirect immunofluorescence and Western-blot. The recombinant plasmid was introduced into Hep-2 cells by liposome, then suppression rate of Hep-2 of different time and different quantity was calculated according to MTT results.

RESULTThe recombinant plasmid of pVVP3IL-18HN suppressed Hep-2 successfully and its suppression rate was up to 61.9% with 20 microg/ml, incubation of 72 hours.

CONCLUSIONThe nucleic vaccine constructed pVVP3IL-18HN had antitumor effect on Hep-2. It may can be used to the therapy and research of laryngeal carcinoma.

Cancer Vaccines ; biosynthesis ; Gene Expression ; Genetic Vectors ; HN Protein ; genetics ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Interleukin-18 ; genetics ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; immunology ; prevention & control ; Newcastle disease virus ; immunology ; Plasmids ; Transfection ; Vaccines, DNA ; biosynthesis

OBJECTIVETo explore the changes of surface antigen and function of rituximab on dendritic cells derived from patients with Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) to further understand the effective mechanism of immunotherapy.

METHODSThe peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from remission patients with ITP before and after low-dose rituximab infusion, and the PMNCs were stimulated for 5 days by rhGM-CSF and rhlL-4 in 5% CO2 air at 37°C incubator. Then all of DCs were cultured with TNF-α for 48 hours. The morphology of DCs was monitored under inverted microscope daily, and the surface antigens of the DCs were analysed by flow cytometry, meanwhile the levels of IL-12p70 and TGF-β1 in supernatants were detected by ELISA, mix lymphocyte reaction was performed by MTT assay.

RESULTS(1) Rituximab-treated-DCs showed no obvious tree-like protruding compared with untreated-DCs. The former cells were small and most of nucleus were centric. (2) The expressions of HLA-DR, CD80, CD83 and CD86 on rituximab-treated-DCs \[56.37 ± 3.95)%, (36.41 ± 2.82)%, (30.45 ± 4.61)% and (41.98 ± 4.17)%, respectively\] were significantly lower than those untreated-DCs \[(73.71 ± 7.61)%, (55.14 ± 7.30)%, (80.91 ± 7.09)% and (59.03 ± 3.43)%, respectively\](all P < 0.05), the concentration of IL-12p70 was significantly lower, \[(66.87 ± 4.29)% vs (50.17 ± 14.52)%\], while that of TGF-β1 \[(9.70 ± 0.31)%\] higher than the untreated-DCs \[(2.70 ± 0.36)%\] (P < 0.05). (3) The abilities to activate T cells proliferation of rituximab-treated-DCs reduced compared with untreated-DCs.

CONCLUSIONThe surface antigen of ITP-DCs and the concentration of IL-12p70 reduced after the low-dose rituximab infusion. The abilities to activate T cells proliferation reduced while the concentration of TGF-β1 increased. Rituximab may achieve its therapeutic effect on ITP by downregulating the immunoreactivity of DCs.

Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Dendritic Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; secretion ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-12 ; metabolism ; Lymphocyte Activation ; Male ; Rituximab ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Thrombocytopenia ; drug therapy ; immunology ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism