There have been many reports of clinical and experimental researches of microacupuncture therapy, the relevant systematic works, teaching materials and national standards in recent decades. It shows that microacupuncture system has been formed and its influence has been promoted. While the rapid development of microacupuncture therapy, there are the problems and contradictions on nomenclature, explanation of theoretical basis, optimal indications, and multiple systems and schools, etc. All the above have blocked the clinical application and development. It is considered that we need to unify the nomenclature, condense the theoretical basis, clear the optimal indications, promote the exchange and blend among different schools and sum up the outcomes by systematic review and data mining technique.
Acupuncture Therapy ; instrumentation ; methods ; trends ; Humans ; Needles

The composition of S95-100 field mobile medical system was introduced, and some practices were summarized such as rational grouping, enhanced organization, proper allocation and etc. The problems of the system were analyzed from three aspects of the fixation of the internal devices, the rapid deployment in the plateau and maintenance in field conditions, and some measures were put forward to improve the medical support ability of the system in the plateau.

Objective: To analyse the expression of differential mRNA in the plasma exosomes in patients with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and active tuberculosis (ATB) using high-throughput sequencing, so as to provide insights into differential diagnosis of LTBI and ATB. Methods: The plasma samples were collected from the patients treated at The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, including 16 cases of LTBI and 21 cases of ATB. The exosomes were extracted by Invitrogen extracellular extracts purification kit, and the size and morphology of exosomes were observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The exosomes were identified by Western blotting. Total RNA was extracted from plasma exosomes using high-throughput sequencing, differential expression mRNA was identified, and gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed. Two differential mRNAs with the highest differential expression fold were selected, and five patients with ATB and three patients with LTBI were recruited for verification using real-time quantitative PCR. Results: The sequencing results of plasma exosomes showed that compared with ATB patients, 2 875 differentially expressed mRNAs were detected in exosomes of LTBI patients, of which 1 002 mRNAs were up-regulated and 1 873 mRNAs were down-regulated. The most significant differentially expressed downregulated and upregulated mRNA were M6PR and RGPD5, respectively. GO analysis and KEGG pathway analysis showed that differential mRNAs were enriched in protein serine kinase activity, rRNA binding molecular function, human cytomegalovirus infection, pancreatic cancer, endometrial cancer, insulin signaling pathway and FoxO signaling pathway. The real-time quantitative PCR showed that the expression of differential mRNA was consistent with sequencing. Compared with ATB patients, the relative expression level of M6PR in plasma exosomes in LTBI patients (0.954±0.212) was downregulated compared with that of ATB patients (2.168±0.226), while the relative expression level of RGPD5 (2.126±0.200) was upregulated compared with that of ATB patients (0.588±0.129) (both P<0.05). Conclusions There is a difference in mRNA expression of plasma exosomes between patients with LTBI and ATB. M6PR and RGPD5 may become markers for distinguishing plasma exosomes between LTBI and ATB.

Objective:To observe different efficacies of low-frequency electroacupuncture (EA) on pancreatic endocrine system in male and female patients with simple obesity due to spleen deficiency-related dampness.Methods:A total of 80 simple obesity patients were assigned to a male group (n=37) and a female group (n=43). Both groups received a 30-minute low-frequency EA at Yinlingquan (SP 9), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Zusanli (ST 36), Fenglong (ST 40), Quchi (LI 11), Tianshu (ST 25), Zhongwan (CV 12), Shuifen (CV 9), Qihai (CV 6) and Guanyuan (CV 4). The treatment was done once a day, and 10 times made up a course of treatment. Patients in both groups were treated for 2 courses. Then the changes in body mass index (BMI), serum insulin, insulin antibodies and leptin level in the two groups were observed and analyzed.Results:After treatment, the BMI, serum insulin, insulin antibodies and leptin levels were significantly reduced in both groups (P<0.01 orP<0.05); the BMI and serum insulin concentration were more significantly reduced in the male group than those in the female group (bothP<0.01); and the leptin level was more significantly reduced in the female group than that in the male group (P<0.01).Conclusion: EA can significantly regulate BMI and pancreatic endocrine system in both men and women with simple obesity; however, there is a gender difference: better effect for men in reducing BMI and serum insulin and better effect for women in reducing serum leptin level.

Methods: The study included patients who underwent LIF. The demographic characteristics and radiographic and surgical data were collected and evaluated. The included patients were divided into control group and FJOA group based on the preoperative adjacent facet joint Pathria grade. Preoperative and last follow-up LBP Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score, leg pain (LP) VAS, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and RASD were evaluated and compared. The improvement rates in VAS and ODI were calculated and compared between the two groups. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of LBP relief and incidence of RASD. Results: In total, 197 patients (control group, 86; FJOA group, 111) were included, and the median follow-up was 46 months. The VAS and ODI in both groups significantly improved after surgery. At the last follow-up, the FJOA group had higher VAS and lower VAS improvement rates of LBP than the control group (p<0.05). However, no significant difference in the LP VAS and ODI was found between the two groups. The incidence of RASD in the FJOA group was significantly higher than that in the control group (48.6% vs. 30.2%, p=0.034). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative adjacent FJOA was significantly associated with LBP relief (odds ratio [OR], 0.691; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.498–0.958) and the postoperative incidence of RASD (OR, 1.406; 95% CI, 1.020–1.939). Conclusions The preoperative FJOA in the adjacent segments was significantly associated with LBP following LIF. Patients with preoperative FJOA were more likely to have RASD following lumbar fusion surgery.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer among women worldwide, and therefore, improved approaches for its early detection are urgently needed. As microRNAs (miRNAs) are increasingly recognized as critical regulators in tumorigenesis and possess excellent stability in plasma, this study focused on using miRNAs to develop a method for identifying noninvasive biomarkers. METHODS: To discover critical candidates, differential expression analysis was performed on tissue-originated miRNA profiles of 409 early breast cancer patients and 87 healthy controls from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. We selected candidates from the differentially expressed miRNAs and then evaluated every possible molecular signature formed by the candidates. The best signature was validated in independent serum samples from 113 early breast cancer patients and 47 healthy controls using reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The miRNA candidates in our method were revealed to be associated with breast cancer according to previous studies and showed potential as useful biomarkers. When validated in independent serum samples, the area under curve of the final miRNA signature (miR-21-3p, miR-21-5p, and miR-99a-5p) was 0.895. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 97.9% and 73.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The present study established a novel and effective method to identify biomarkers for early breast cancer. And the method, is also suitable for other cancer types. Furthermore, a combination of three miRNAs was identified as a prospective biomarker for breast cancer early detection.
Area Under Curve ; Biomarkers ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinogenesis ; Data Mining ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Female ; Genome ; Humans ; Methods ; MicroRNAs* ; Plasma ; Prospective Studies ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcription ; Sensitivity and Specificity

ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect of tanshinone I (T-I) on hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI) in mice. MethodsA total of 36 C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into sham-operation group, ischemia-reperfusion (IR) group, IR+T-I (5 mg/kg) group, IR+T-I (10 mg/kg) group, IR+T-I (20 mg/kg) group, and IR+T-I (40 mg/kg) group, with 6 mice in each group. Each group was given intraperitoneal injection. The mice in the sham-operation group and the IR group were injected with an equal volume of the solvent olive oil; the mice in the IR+T-I groups were administered once a day for 7 consecutive days, a model of 70% HIRI was established at 2 hours after the last administration, and serum and liver samples were collected after 6 hours of reperfusion. Related kits were used to measure the serum level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and the content of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), caspase-3, and reduced glutathione (GSH) in liver tissue; HE staining was used to observe liver histopathology; the TUNEL method was used to measure the level of hepatocyte apoptosis; immunohistochemistry was used to measure the protein expression of caspase-3 and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the IR group, the IR+T-I (20mg/kg) group had significant reductions in the serum levels of ALT (192.48±23.67 U/L vs 336.90±41.52 U/L, P＜0.01) and AST (123.19±9.16 U/L vs 206.90±18.81 U/L, P＜0.01), and thus 20 mg/kg was determined as the optimal concentration. Compared with the IR group, the IR+T-I (20 mg/kg) group had significant reductions in MDA (1.34±0.21 μmol/mg vs 3.48±0.95 μmol/mg, P＜0.05) and caspase-3 (0.69±0.97 μmol/mg vs 1.04±0.35 μmol/mg, P＜0.05) and significant increases in SOD (274.47±30.53 U/mg vs 160.29±27.37 U/mg, P＜0.05) and GSH (2.12±0.27 μmol/mg vs 1.03±0.42 μmol/mg, P＜0.05). HE staining showed that the IR group had disordered structure of hepatic lobules and focal or extensive degeneration and necrosis of hepatocytes; compared with the IR group, the IR+T-I (20 mg/kg) group had a reduction in the area of hepatocyte necrosis and a basically complete structure of the liver. Immunohistochemistry showed that compared with the IR group, the IR+T-I (20 mg/kg) group had significant reductions in the number of apoptotic hepatocytes and the protein expression of caspase-3 and a significant increase in the protein expression of HO-1. ConclusionT-I exerts a protective effect against HIRI in mice by inhibiting liver oxidative stress response and hepatocyte apoptosis.

The onset of cardiac fibrosis post myocardial infarction greatly impairs the function of heart. Recent advances of cell transplantation showed great benefits to restore myocardial function, among which the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has gained much attention. However, the underlying cellular mechanisms of MSC therapy are still not fully understood. Although paracrine effects of MSCs on residual cardiomyocytes have been discussed, the amelioration of fibrosis was rarely studied as the hostile environment cannot support the survival of most cell populations and impairs the diffusion of soluble factors. Here in order to decipher the potential mechanism of MSC therapy for cardiac fibrosis, we investigated the interplay between MSCs and cardiac myofibroblasts (mFBs) using interactive co-culture method, with comparison to paracrine approaches, namely treatment by MSC conditioned medium and gap co-culture method. Various fibrotic features of mFBs were analyzed and the most prominent anti-fibrosis effects were always obtained using direct co-culture that allowed cell-to-cell contacts. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a well-known anti-fibrosis factor, was demonstrated to be a major contributor for MSCs' anti-fibrosis function. Moreover, physical contacts and tube-like structures between MSCs and mFBs were observed by live cell imaging and TEM which demonstrate the direct cellular interactions.
Adipose Tissue ; cytology ; Animals ; Cell Communication ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Movement ; Cell Survival ; Coculture Techniques ; Fibrosis ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; cytology ; Myocardium ; pathology ; Myofibroblasts ; cytology ; Phenotype ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

AIM: To understand the current status and differences in visual acuity of children of the same age from different regions of Xi'an, and to take an effective basis for the prevention of children's myopia.METHODS: Random stratified sampling was used to select the uncorrected distance visual acuity and computed dioptric data of 41 285 children aged 6-12 from 6 towns, 10 urban and rural areas and 112 country schools screened by Xi'an Central Hospital in December 2022.RESULTS: The myopia detection rate in different regions of Xi'an is 47.16% in towns, 38.59% in urban and rural areas, and 32.29% in the country, and the total myopia rate is 37.50%. The myopia rate of 6-12 years old in towns is higher than that in urban and rural areas, and that of urban and rural areas is higher than that of country; the myopia rate of girls is higher than that of boys; myopia rate increases with age; mild myopia: the myopia rate in towns is significantly higher than that of the urban and rural areas and the country; high myopia: the myopia rate in the country is significantly higher than that of the towns and the urban and rural areas. The total rate of deficient hyperopia reserves in different regions of Xi'an is 92.08% in towns, 93.67% in urban and rural areas, and 90.92% in the country, and the total rate of deficient hyperopia reserves is 92.09%. The rate of deficient hyperopia reserves at the age of 6-12 is higher in the urban and rural areas than in the towns, and higher in the towns than in the country; the total rate of deficient hyperopia reserve is higher in girls than in boys; it is the peak period of the development of hyperopia reserve rate before the age of 8.CONCLUSION: The total myopia rate and the total vision reserve deficiency rate of 6-12 years old in different regions of Xi'an are different, and 8-9 years old is the accelerated period of myopia development, and the peak of deficient hyperopia reserve is before the age of 8 years old. With the growth of age, the myopia rate shows a certain growth trend, and the rate of deficient hyperopia reserve shows a decreasing trend after reaching the peak. The total myopia rate and insufficient acuity reserve rate of girls are higher than those of boys.