ZHU Lian is a deceased famous acupuncture and Moxibustion specialist, the first director and the founder of institute of Acupuncture-Moxibustion of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. This article discusses the thought and idea of education and teaching of acupuncture-moxibustion from the following three aspects: diversified education and training mode, teaching idea of new acupuncture-moxibustion with a lot of characteristics, and the founding of professional acupuncture-moxibustion college. All above have both distinct characteristics of the times and positively enlightening significance of reality.
Acupuncture ; education ; history ; Acupuncture Therapy ; history ; China ; Education, Medical ; history ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Teaching ; history

OBJECTIVETo explore the repair of Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction (XSLJZD) on interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) and gap junction (GJ) in the gastric muscular layer of rats of Pi-qi deficiency syn- drome (PQDS).

METHODSPQDS was established using purgative method with bitter and cold drugs in 30 healthy Wistar rats. After successful modeling they were randomly divided into the treatment group and the model group, 15 in each group. Another 15 healthy Wistar rats were recruited as the healthy control group. Rats in the treatment group were gastric administered with XSLJZD at 2 mL/100 g body weight, once daily for 14 successive days. Equal volume of normal saline was gastrically administered to those in the healthy control group and the model group. The gastric muscle tissues were taken out before modeling, before intervention, and after intervention, respectively. Ultrastructural changes of ICC and GJ were observed using transmission electron microscope (TEM). The number and distribution of Connexin43 (Cx43) were detected using immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSResults of TEM indicated that compared with the healthy control group, both ICC and GJ in the model group showed obvious injury. ICC and GJ were apparently repaired after intervention in the treatment group. Compared with the same group before modeling, the integrated optical density (IOD) of the Cx43 expression significantly decreased in the model group before and after intervention (P <0.05). Compared with before intervention, the IOD of the Cx43 expression significantly increased in the treatment group (P <0.05). Compared with the healthy control group, the IOD of the Cx43 expression significantly decreased in the model group before and after intervention (P <0.05). Compared with the model group, the IOD of the Cx43 expression significantly increased in the treatment group (P <0.05).

CONCLUSIONSUltrastructures of ICC and GJ in the gastric muscular layer of rats of PQDS were obviously damaged. XSLJZD could repair the structural damage of ICC and GJ in the gastric muscle tissues of rats of PQDS.

Animals ; Connexin 43 ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Gap Junctions ; Interstitial Cells of Cajal ; drug effects ; Leydig Cells ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth ; Qi ; Rats, Wistar ; Syndrome

Objective To investigate the relationship between the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in the perihematomal tissues in human hypertensive,intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and brain edema formation following ICH.Methods Paraffin-embedded brain tissues of 39 human fatal cases of ICH from the perihematomal tissues,1—3 cm away from the margin of the hemorrhagic lesion,as well as tissues from the corresponding area at the opposite side as controls,were stained with HE and immunohistochemistry staining.The expressions of MMP-9 and ICAM-1 in the pefihematomal tissues were analyzed with the SPSS 11.5 system.Results ①With MMP-9 immunohistochemical staining positive capillaries in the perihematomal tissues were identified at 2 h ((1.2? 0.8)/HP).The number of MMP-9 positive capillaries began to rise at 5—10 h ((4.1?0.8)/HP) reaching the peak at 45—48 h ((10.6?1.4)/HP,P

Objective To construct an adenoviral vector carrying the gene encoding ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). Methods The gene fragment encoding CNTF was amplified from pMEG-CNTF plasmid by PCR and the Psp-CNTF-IRES-GFP and PDC316-CNTF-IRES-GFP plasmids were constructed. Using PDC316-CNTF-IRES-GFP and PBHG plasmids, the Ad-CNTF-IRES-GFP vector was constructed, and the constructed vector was amplified, purified and identified in 293-LP cells. Ectopic overexpression of CNTF was induced using the constructed vector in human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to investigate the role of CNTF in promoting remyelination. Results The Ad-CNTF-IRES-GFP vector was successfully constructed with a pfu of 2.3x1011. CNTF concentration in the MSCs transfeeted with Ad-CNTF-IRES-GFP vector was 20-fold higher than that in either non-transfected or Ad-EGFP-transfected MSCs. Conclusion The constructed Ad-CNTF-IRES-GFP vector allows CNTF overexpression in human MSCs by 20 folds, which provides a strategy for gene therapy targeting CNTF.

Objective To evaluate the safety of high pressure injection of iodine contrast material into the external jugular vein.Methods 50 cases who accepted the CM injection via upper extremity veins were chosen as the control group,40 cases injected CM via external jugular vein were assigned to the observation group all of whose upper extremity veins were difficult to puncture.We designed an evaluation table to compare the two different high pressure vein injection methods,the observation indexes included:success rate of puncture,total time spend of puncture process,leakage ratio,dose of CM,injection speed,lag time,image quality,adverse effect incidence,heart rate and blood pressure changes before and after injection.Results There was 1puncture failure in the control group,the success rate of puncture was 98％ with no leakage cases.There was no puncture failure in the observation group except for two remaining needles slipped off after successful puncture.The variations of heart rate before and after puncture were[ (3.25 ± 11.53 ) beats/min vs( - 1.31±7.91) beats/min ],diastolic pressure[ ( - 6.75 ± 24.24 ) mm Hg vs( 3.04 ± 8.82 ) mm Hg ] in the control group and observation group,respectively,with no significant difference( t =1.59,- 1.91; both P ＞ 0.05 ).However,the changes of systolic pressure were[ ( - 2.60 ± 13.09 ) mm Hg vs ( 7.39 ± 13.52 ) mm Hg ],with statistically significant difference( t =- 2.52,P ＜ 0.05 ).No iodine contrast material related adverse effects happened in the two groups.The image quality were very high; Choosing external jugular vein puncture could improve the success rate of puncture,shorten the total time spend of puncture process and ease the pain of the patients,and the only added job was to adjust the dose of iodine contrast material and the lag time of screening.Conclusions Iodine injection via external jugular vein route is safe for patients with normal cardiac function,and it is an important method for those with poor vein condition.

The authors preliminarily analyze and compare influence of different stages of attack and remission, different syndrome types, and age of the patient, duration of illness, state of illness on the therapeutic effects of acupuncture and moxibustion for treatment of bronchial asthma by analysis and summarization of 381 clinical papers about acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of bronchial asthma. It is found that most studies hold that acupuncture has better therapeutic effect on asthma at acute stage, and moxibustion has a better effect at the remission stage. Acupuncture and moxibustion have a better effect on cold asthma than hot asthma, and the shorter the course of disease and the younger, the better the effect, conversely, the effect is worse. Mild asthma is the main indication of acupuncture and moxibustion, but considerable more clinical studies show that above factors have no obvious influence on the therapeutic effect, even show contrary to this result. It is indicated that in the studies from now on, only strictly design and fully consider the effects of various factors, can scientifically reveal various disease factors influencing therapeutic effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on bronchial asthma, and expound the indications of different acupuncture and moxibustion methods for treatment of bronchial asthma.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Age Factors ; Asthma ; pathology ; therapy ; Disease Progression ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVEThrough maternal inheritance, to explore the genetic structures and relationships of Dong, Gelao, Tujia and Yi ethnic population in Guizhou of China.

METHODSThe mtDNA D-loop hypervariable segment I (HVS I ) in 108 samples of four ethnic populations were sequenced. Then, the nucleotide diversity was estimated and a phylogenetic tree was constructed by Neighbor-Joining method.

RESULTSIn the detected 497 bp fragments, 86 polymorphic sites were found, and 82 different haplotypes were identified. The phylogenetic tree of four ethnic populations showed: Yi, Tujia and Gelao clustered more closely than Dong did.

CONCLUSIONYi and Tujia population are very closely related, the reason may be that they either originate from a common ancestry or frequently undergo the gene exchanges and admixtures. The genetic relationship between Tujia and Gelao population is nearer, perhaps because they have settled in the adjacent regions. Dong and Yi population show the farthest genetic relationship, this is probably due to their different historical origins and geographic segregation.

Base Sequence ; China ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; chemistry ; classification ; genetics ; Ethnic Groups ; genetics ; Genetic Variation ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid

OBJECTIVETo explore the expression of the nucleostemin (NS) gene in prostate cancer (PCa) tissues and its clinical significance.

METHODSWe detected the NS expression in PCa, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) tissues by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, and analyzed the correlation between the expression of the NS protein and the clinical variables of PCa.

RESULTSThe NS mRNA level was markedly higher in the PCa than in the BPH tissues. The rates of strongly positive, positive and weakly positive expressions of the NS protein were 48.8%, 36.6% and 12.2% in PCa, 4.0%, 32.0% and 56.0% in BPH, and 5.0%, 25.0% and 60.0% in HGPIN, respectively. The expression level of the NS protein was significantly higher in PCa than in BPH and HGPIN (P < 0.05). The expression of the NS gene was negatively correlated with the degree of cell differentiation in the PCa tissues, the worse the differentiation, the higher the NS expression level.

CONCLUSIONThe NS gene is highly expressed in PCa tissues and may have an important role in the adverse differentiation and malignant proliferation of prostate cancer.

Aged ; Carrier Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; GTP-Binding Proteins ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Nuclear Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo explore the role of HOXB2 gene in the proliferation of primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and the protective effects of VEGF on the endothelia against radiation injury.

METHODSHUVECs were isolated, cultured, subcultured and identified. (1) Liposome coated oligodeoxynucleotide (odn) and homeoboxB2 antisense oligodeoxyncleotide (HOXB2asodn) were prepared prepared in the concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.5 mg/L for the stimulation of HUVEC. (3)H-TdR incorporation test and MTT method were employed to determine the proliferation activity of HUVECs after activation. The cell cycle analysis of HUVECs was determined by flow cytometry. The expression level of HOXB2mRNA within HUVECs was detected by RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction). (2) HUVECs were separately treated with the addition of VEGF in concentration of 50 microg/L, by radiation in the dose of 6 Gy or 12 Gy (60)Co gamma gamma ray, or radiation with 12 Gy (60)Co gamma gamma ray followed by the addition of VEGF in dose of 50 microg/L. The cellular morphology was observed and the cellular proliferation activity was determined by MTT method.

RESULTS(1) The proliferation activity of HUVECs could be markedly inhibited by liposome coated HOXB2asodn in comparison to liposome-odn (P < 0.05 or 0.001), and the inhibition effect was positively correlated with the increase in asodn concentration. The cell ratio in S phase and the expression level of the HOXB2mRNA could be lowered by asodn in dose of 2.5 mg/L (P < 0.05 or 0.001). (2) Radiation by (60)Co gamma ray could lead to the nuclear enlargement, vacuolation in the cytoplasm, multiplicity of nucleus and nuclear swelling. The proliferative activity of HUVECs was increased from 0.365 +/- 0.047 and 0.487 +/- 0.022 without radiation to 0.557 +/- 0.042 and 0.648 +/- 0.021 24 and 48 hours after 6 Gy radiation However it was decreased to 0.263 +/- 0.038 and 0.306 +/- 0.024 (P < 0.01) after 12 Gy (60)Co gamma ray radiation. Nevertheless, the cell morphology was obviously improved and the proliferation was enhanced by the addition of VEGF after 12 Gy radiation.

CONCLUSIONHOXB2 gene played important roles in the biological activities of HUVECs. Small dose (6 Gy) gamma-radiation could promote, but large dose (12 Gy) could decrease the mRNA expression of HOXB2 gene in HUVECs. In addition, VEGF could protect HUVECs against radiation injury.

Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Endothelial Cells ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Endothelium, Vascular ; cytology ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Genes, Homeobox ; genetics ; Homeodomain Proteins ; genetics ; Humans ; Liposomes ; pharmacology ; Oligonucleotides, Antisense ; genetics ; Radiation Injuries ; Transcription Factors ; genetics ; Umbilical Veins ; cytology ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) transfected with recombinant adenovirus-mediated ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) gene in C57BL/6 mice with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE).

METHODSAn adenovirus vector containing CNTF gene Ad-CNTF-IRES-GFP was constructed and transfected in the MSCs (MSC-CNTF). After examination of CNTF expression, the transfected cells were transplanted in C57BL/6 mice with MOG 35-55-induced EAE, which were monitored for the changes in the symptoms scores. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), inteferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-12P35 (IL-12P35), and IL-10 in the peripheral blood of the mice were detected, and the number of MSC-CNTF cells in the spleen and spinal cord was counted. CD3+ T cell infiltration and TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma expressions in the lesions were also observed after the cell transplantation.

RESULTSCNTF gene transfection resulted in significantly increased CNTF expression in the MSCs. The mice receiving MSC-CNTF transplantation exhibited significantly improved symptoms with shortened disease course and lessened disease severity. The cell transplantation also resulted in significantly decreased peripheral blood TNF-alpha levels, ameliorated CD3+T cell infiltrations and lowered TNF-alpha expression in the lesions, while the levels of IFN-gamma underwent no significant changes.

CONCLUSIONTransplantation of CNTF gene-transfected MSCs results in decreased peripheral blood TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma levels and reduced inflammatory cells, CD3-positive cells and TNF-alpha expression in the lesion of EAE, therefore providing better effect than MSCs in relieving the symptoms of EAE in mice.

Adenoviridae ; genetics ; metabolism ; Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; metabolism ; Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; therapeutic use ; Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental ; therapy ; Female ; Genetic Therapy ; Interferon-gamma ; blood ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Random Allocation ; Stromal Cells ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Transfection ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood