BACKGROUND:Cervical rotation-traction manipulation is effective and safe in the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy,and has been widely used in clinical work.However,its effects on the biomechanics of cervical vertebra and intervertebral disc and the area of intervertebral foramen have not been systematically clarified. OBJECTIVE:Based on the finite element analysis technique,a relevant research and analysis were carried out to provide digital evidence for the mechanism of effect of cervical rotation-traction manipulation in the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy. METHODS:The CT image data of a volunteer with no neck diseases were selected as the finite element model material at its left-handed physiological limit position.The initial construction of the finite element model was completed by Mimics 19.0 software,Geomagic Studio 2013 software,Hypermash 14.0 software,and ANSYS Workbench 2020 R2 software,respectively.Based on the literature,the grid division of cervical structure and the assignment of elastic modulus and elastic coefficient were completed.Based on the previous work of the team,the mechanical effects of cervical rotation-traction manipulation were simulated on the model.Effects of cervical rotation-traction manipulation on the mechanical parameters of each vertebral body and intervertebral disc in C3-T1 segment and on the cervical lateral foramen area were analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)During cervical rotation-traction manipulation,the stress of bone structure was significantly higher than that of soft tissue such as intervertebral disc.(2)When operating the technique,the stress at the top of each cervical vertebra was higher,the stress at the bottom was lower,and the stress at the facet joint and transverse process was lower.The stress at the top of the intervertebral disc was lower,the stress at the bottom was higher,but the highest point of the intervertebral disc stress was outside the top.(3)In addition,after loading the lifting force,the projected area of the C6/C7 intervertebral foramen increased significantly compared with that before loading.(4)It is indicated that the cervical rotation-traction manipulation has the mechanical characteristics of changing the stress structure of the cervical spine itself,and can expand the C6/7 intervertebral cervical foramen area on the opposite side of the patient's cervical rotation,so as to achieve the purpose of treating cervical spondylotic radiculopathy.

Artemisia argyi is the leaves of compositae plants of A. argyi Lévl. et Vant.， which is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used in China. The analysis was carried out by consulting traditional medical classics， modern standard norms and literature， and using Cytoscape software to sort out and visualize the evolution of the processing and the efficacy of processed products. The processing of A. argyi was first made in the Han dynasty and was popular in the Song and Ming dynasties. There were many processing methods in ancient times， including net processing， cutting， frying， processing with auxiliary material （vinegar， wine， salt， charcoal， rice water， sulfur， medicinal juice， jujube mud processing） and other processing methods （baking， winching， making herbs into wool）. Modern common processing methods included purification， vinegar processing， charcoal processing and making herbs into wool， which are relatively simple compared with ancient processing methods. There were obvious differences in the efficacy and application of raw and processed products of A. argyi. Although the processing effects of A. argyi in ancient and modern times were mainly to reduce toxic side effects and enhance the effects of warming meridians and hemostasis， only the purified A. argyi， vinegar-processed A. argyi and vinegar-processed A. argyi charcoal could be seen in the present studies， other processed products had not been inherited and studied， and the processing mechanism was still unclear. It is suggested that in the later exploration and research， researchers can establish a multi-dimensional standard research system based on the characteristics of the medicinal plant A. argyi and the processing characteristics of A. argyi decoction pieces in order to systematically explore the transformation rules before and after processing， and clearly explain the scientific connotation.