Aim To investigate the changes in the ex-pression of WNK1 in spinal cord of a rat model with bone cancer pain. Methods Female SD rats, weig-hing 170 ~200 g, were randomly divided into three groups:normal control group (group C, n=3), sham operation group ( group S, n =3 ) and bone cancer pain group ( group BCP, n =24 ) . Group C was not given any treatment, and group S was injected into the bone marrow of left tibia with 5 μl PBS solution while group BCP with 5 μl WALKER 256 mammary gland cancer cell suspension (approximately 1 × 105 cells). Mechanical paw withdrawal threshold ( MWT ) was measured at d1 before inoculation ( baseline) and d3, 6,9,10,11,12 after inoculation. Group S and C were sacrificed at d 12 while group BCP at d 3 ,6 ,9 ,12 after inoculation and spinal cord ( L4~6 ) were removed at different time points for detection of WNK1 mRNA ex-pression by qRT-PCR and WNK1 protein expression by Western blot. Results Compared with group C and S,group BCP’ s MWT started to decrease since d 3 ( P<0. 05 ) . The mRNA expression of WNK1 in spinal cord was up-regulated(P<0. 05) from d 3 showing an increasing trend over time until d 9 ( peak ) and then down-regulated to d 12 ( P >0. 05 ) while the protein expression upregulated since d6 and also showed an in-creasing trend to d 12 ( P<0. 01 ) . Conclusion The expression of WNK1 in spinal cord of a rat model with bone cancer pain increased abnormally, which may be involved in the occurrence and maintenance of a rat model with bone cancer pain.

Objective To investigate the effect of intrathecal CLP257 on the bone cancer pain in rats.Methods Forty adult female Sprague-Dawley rats,weighing 180-200 g,were divided into 4 groups (n=10 each) using a random number table:sham operation group (group S),bone cancer pain group (group BCP),dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) group,and CLP257 group.Bone cancer pain was induced by inoculating Walker 256 mammary gland carcinoma cell suspension (about 1× 105cells) 10 μl into the medullary cavity of the left tibia.On 7th-9th days after establishment of the model,5％ DMSO 10 μl was injected intrathecally once a day in group DMSO,and 10 μg/μl CLP257 10 μl was injected intrathecally once a day in group CLP257.The mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MWT) was measured on 1 day before establishment of the model (T0),on 1st-6th days after establishment of the model (T1-6),and at 4 h after intrathecal administration on 7th-9th days after establishment of the model (T7-9).After the last intrathecal administration,the L4-6 segments of the spinal cord were removed for determination of the expression of potassium chloride cotransporter 2 (KCC2) protein and mRNA by Western blot and fluorescent quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction,respectively.Results Compared with group S,the MWT was significantly decreased,and the expression of KCC2 protein and mRNA was down-regulated in BCP and DMSO groups,and the MWT was significantly decreased (P＜0.05),and no significant change was found in the expression of KCC2 protein and mRNA in group CLP257 (P＞0.05).Compared with group BCP,the MWT was significantly increased,and the expression of KCC2 protein and mRNA was up-regulated in group CLP257 (P＜0.05),and no significant change was found in the parameters mentioned above in group DMSO (P＞0.05).Conclusion Intrathecal CLP257 can attenuate the bone cancer pain in rats.

Objective Infrared thermal imaging can be applied to the diagnosis and auxiliary diagnosis of some diseases . The aim of this study is to explore acupuncture-induced changes in skin temperature in acupoint areas and whether skin temperature in -creases or decreases in the acupoint areas along meridians . Methods Thirty two female SD rats were randomly and equally divided into four groups:saline control,cold congealing and dysmenorrhea model , Sanyinjiao (SP6), and Guanyuan( CV4).Models were es-tablished in the latter three groups by subcutaneous injection of estradiol benzoate at 0.5 mg for 10 successive days and , 1hour after the last administration , intraperitoneal injection of oxytocin at 2 U, followed by exposure of the rats to-25℃in a freezer 4 hours a day for 5 days.Meanwhile , the control rats received normal saline only and were not exposed to low temperature .Infrared thermal imaging was used to measure the skin temperature at the acupoint areas of SP6, Xuehai (SP10), and CV4 before and at 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min after needling . R esults At 0 to 5 min after nee-dling, the skin temperature of the left SP6 and right SP10 was signifi-cantly decreased in both the SP6 and CV4 groups ( [ -0. 56 ± 0.22]℃and [-0.48 ±0.11]℃, P<0.01), and so was that of the right SP10 ([ -0.64 ±0.21]℃ and [ -0.45 ±0.13]℃, P<0.05).At 5 to 10min, the skin temperature of the right SP6 and SP10 was markedly increased in the SP6 group ([-0.49 ±0.35]℃and [-0 .18 ±0.20]℃, P<0.01), and so was that of the right SP6 in the SP6 group at 20 to 30 min ([ -0.14 ±0.25]℃) as compared with the model and CV4 groups (P<0.01).At 30 to 40 min, the skin temperature of the right SP10 was remarkably elevat-ed in the SP6 group ([ -0.03 ±0.11]℃) in comparison with the model group (P<0.01).No significant differences were observed in the skin temperature of the left SP10 and CV4 at different time points among the four groups (P>0.05). Conclusion The skin temperature of SP6 and SP10 can be regulated by needling both the acupoints of SP 6 and CV4.The increase in the skin temperature of the right SP6 and SP10 in the SP6 group and no change in the CV 4 group indicated dynamic temperature changes in the acupoint area along the meridian after needling.

Objective To explore the effect of different acupuncture stimuli on uterine micro-circulation of dysmenorrheal rats with cold stagnation syndrome. Methods Totally 32 three-month old female SD rats in diestrus were randomly divided into saline control group, model group, A stimuli group, and B stimuli group, 8 rats in each group. Model group and treatment groups were given whole body freezing combined with estradiol benzoate injection method to establish models. A stimuli group was given deep puncture with manipulation, while B stimuli group was treated by shallow puncture without manipulation. Diameter of uterine capillary,micro-vessel, TXB2, and 6-keto-PGF1αlevels were observed in each group. Results Compared with the saline group, capillary diameter in model group was significantly reduced at 5, 10, 20, 30 min time point (P<0.01);micro-vascular diameter was significantly reduced at 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 min time point (P<0.01);plasma 6-keto-PGF1α levels decreased (P<0.01);TXB2/6-keto-PGF1αincreased significantly (P<0.01). Compared with model group, capillary diameter in A stimuli group enlarged at 5, 10, 20, 30 min time point (P<0.05), micro-vascular diameter dilated at 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 min time point (P <0.01), plasma 6-keto-PGF1α level increased (P <0.05), TXB2/6-keto-PGF1αdecreased significantly (P<0.05);micro-vascular diameter in B stimuli group dilated at 20, 30 min time point (P<0.05), plasma TXB2/6-keto-PGF1α decreased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with B stimuli group, capillary diameter in A stimuli group dilated at 5, 10, 20, 30 min time point (P<0.05) and micro-vascular diameter dilated at 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 min time point significantly (P<0.01). Conclusion Dysmenorrheal rats with cold stagnation syndrome show obvious disorder of the uterus micro-circulation and circulation related substances. Both A and B acupuncture stimuli improved uterus micro-circulation of dysmenorrheal rats with cold stagnation syndrome, and its mechanism may be related to the recovery the balance between TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1α.

Objective To observe the analgesic effect of acupuncture at Guanyuan (CV4) and its effect on vasomotor substances in rats with dysmenorrhea due to coagulated cold syndrome. Method The coagulated-cold dysmenorrhea rat model was developed by Estrodiol benzoate and Oxytocin injectin plus physical freezing. The writhing response (writhing latency, writhing frequency, and writhing score) was observed, and the contents of TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1a were detected by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Result Compared with the saline water group, the writhing latency was significantly shortened, the writhing frequency was significantly increased, and the writhing score was more significantly increased in the model group (P<0.01);compared with the model group, the writhing latency was significantly prolonged, the writhing frequency was decreased, and the writhing score was significantly lower in the acupuncture group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with saline water group, the content of plasma 6-keto-PGF1a was significantly lower (P<0.05) and the content of plasma TXB2 showed an increasing tendency (P>0.05) in the model group. Compared with the model group, the content of plasma 6-keto-PGF1a showed an increasing tendency (P>0.05) and the content of plasma TXB2 showed a decreasing tendency (P>0.05) in the acupuncture group. Conclusion The vasomotor substances are obviously disordered in the blood of cold-coagulated dysmenorrhea rat models. Acupuncture at Guanyuan can improve the writhing response and release pain, and meanwhile positively regulate the vasomotor substances such as TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1a. The vasomotor substances are plausibly one of the major substances in the action of acupuncture in preventing and treating dysmenorrhea.

Objective:To clarify the neuroprotective effects of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) derived peptide P2 on in vitro cultured neuron and ischemic stroke rat. Methods:Primary cortical neurons were extracted and cultured, and CCK-8 method was used to observe the protective effect of different concentrations of P2 on cortical neurons under oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) conditions.The levels of apoptosis-related proteins and extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (Erk1/2) were observed by Western blot. Clean grade male SD rats were selected for animal experiments. The middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) method was used to establish the rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. The rats with successful model were divided into sham operation group, MCAO group and MCAO+ P2 group according to the random number table, with 12 rats in each group. After operation, rats in MCAO+ P2 group were subcutaneously injected with 1 mg/kg P2 once a day until 14 days after operation, and rats in the other two groups were subcutaneously injected with 0.9% sodium chloride solution of the same volume.Beam-walking test was used to evaluate the motor function of rats.Immunofluorescence staining and Western blot were used to detect the in-situ apoptosis of neuronal cells and the expression of Erk1/2 in ischemic penumbra of rat brains, respectively. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 22.0.Repeated measurement ANOVA was used to evaluate the beam-walking experimental data, and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze other experimental data among multiple groups.Results:Compared with OGD group, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 μmol/L P2 improved the activity of neurons under OGD conditions, of which 1 μmol/L P2 had the best effect ((2.436±0.284), (1.551±0.410), P<0.05). Western blot showed that the protein levels of bax ((76.120±3.232)%, (88.965±5.208)%, P<0.05), cleaved caspase-3 ((76.736±4.306)%, (97.781±8.111)%, P<0.05) and cleaved caspase-9 ((88.833±6.581)%, (104.962±4.788)%, P<0.05) in 1 μmol/L P2 treated group were all lower than those in OGD group, while the protein levels of bcl-2 ((56.146±3.882)%, (43.170±6.945)%, P<0.05) and phosphorylated Erk1/2 ((73.583±8.557)%, (55. 219±4.615)%, P<0.05) in 1 μmol/L P2 treated group were both higher than those in OGD group. Compared with MCAO group, on the 14th day after P2 intervention, the slip ratio of hindlimb of the paralyzed hind limbs of rats was lower ((23.438±11.540)%, (41.733±13.631)%, P<0.05), the apoptosis rate of neurons around the focus was lower ((13.144±6.485)%, (26. 699±6. 402)%, P<0.05), and the level of phosphorylated Erk1/2 protein in the brain tissues around the infarct focus was higher ((74.062±7.458)%, (53.327±7.093)%, P<0.05). Conclusion:Low doses of neural cell adhesion molecule derived peptide P2 exert neuroprotective effects on OGD neurons and ischemic stroke rats. The underlying mechanism may be related to the activation of Erk.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy of Xu's Shenqiyizhu （SQYZ） decoction combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer-related fatigue （CRF） of stagnated-toxin spleen deficiency type after gastric cancer surgery and explore its possible mechanism. MethodsFifty postoperative gastric cancer patients with CRF of stagnated-toxin spleen deficiency type were selected and randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group by using a random number table，with 25 cases in each group. The control group was treated with FLOT chemotherapy （50 mg·m^-2 docetaxel （iv drip on day 1） + 85 mg·m^-2 oxaliplatin （iv drip on day 1） + 200 mg·m^-2 calcium folinate （iv drip on day 1） + 2 600 mg·m^-2 fluorouracil （iv drip for 24 h on day 1），once every three weeks） and basic and symptomatic supportive treatment. The experimental group was treated with Xu's SQYZ decoction （decocted twice，200 mL taken orally twice a day） in addition to the treatment of the control group. One course of treatment lasted for three weeks，with a total of four courses conducted. Observation was performed on the piper fatigue scale （PFS） scores，karnofsky performance status （KPS） scores，European Organization for Research and Treatment of cancer quality of life questionnaire （EORTC QLQ-C30） scores，traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores，and serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α），interferon-γ （IFN-γ），and interleukin-6 （IL-6）detected via enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） before and after treatment in the two groups. The safety test results before and after treatment for the two groups of patients，as well as the occurrence of adverse events during treatment， were recorded. Transcriptome sequencing data of peripheral blood samples from gastric adenocarcinoma patients and normal individuals were downloaded from the gene expression omnibus （GEO） database，and differentially expressed genes between the tumor and normal groups were identified. Differential gene enrichment analysis was made based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） and Gene Ontology （GO）. The CRF relevance scores of genes were retrieved from the GeneCards database. Results① Compared with that before treatment，the total PFS score in the experimental group was significantly reduced （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group after treatment，the experimental group showed significantly reduced total PFS score （P<0.05）. ② Compared with that before treatment，the KPS score in the experimental group decreased significantly （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group after treatment，the experimental group exhibited a significantly decreased KPS score （P<0.05）. The experimental group demonstrated significantly increased functional scores （physical function，role function，emotional function，social function，and overall health） （P<0.05） and significantly reduced symptom scores （fatigue，shortness of breath，loss of appetite，constipation，and diarrhea） of the EORTC QLQ-C30 scale after treatment compared with before treatment. Compared with the control group after treatment，the experimental group presented significantly increased functional scores （physical function，emotional function，social function，and overall health） （P<0.05） and significantly reduced symptom scores （fatigue，nausea and vomiting，shortness of breath，loss of appetite，and diarrhea） of the EORTC QLQ-C30 scale （P<0.05）. Compared with those before treatment，the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores （eating too little and poor digestion，fatigue and weakness，postprandial bloating，abnormal bowel movements，lassitude and weakness，and total score） in the experimental group were significantly reduced （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group after treatment，the experimental group had significantly reduced traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores （eating too little and poor digestion，fatigue and weakness，nausea and vomiting，and sallow complexion） （P<0.05）， which indicated better efficacy in the experimental group than in the control group （χ²=7.996，P<0.05）. The serum levels of TNF-α，IL-6，and IFN-γ were significantly correlated with each other （P<0.01）. Compared with those before treatment，the levels of serum cytokines TNF-α，IL-6，and IFN-γ in the experimental group were significantly reduced （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group after treatment，the experimental group showed significantly reduced serum levels of cytokines TNF-α，IL-6，and IFN-γ （P<0.05）. ③ There were no significant intra-group and inter-group differences in the safety test results of the two groups before and after treatment. During the treatment period，there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups of patients. ④ Compared with the normal group，the tumor group exhibited a total of 328 significantly up-regulated genes in the peripheral blood （P<0.05），and KEGG and GO analyses showed that they were significantly enriched in signaling pathways such as TNF （P<0.05）. ⑤ TNF，IL6，IFNG， and other cytokine encoding genes may be key pathogenic genes for CRF. ConclusionXu's SQYZ decoction can alleviate symptoms such as fatigue in postoperative chemotherapy patients with gastric cancer and improve their functional status and quality of life. Its mechanism may be related to improving cytokine imbalance.