Objective: To explore the molecular biological mechanism of acupuncture in intervening visual deprivation.
Methods: Forty-eight 2-week old Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, and 6 acupuncture groups (group C1: acupuncture at the unaffected side in early stage; group C2: acupuncture at the affected side in early stage; group D1: acupuncture at the unaffected side in mid-stage; group D2: acupuncture at the affected side in mid-stage; group E1: acupuncture at the unaffected side in late stage; group E2: acupuncture at the affected side in late stage) by the random number table, 6 rats in each group. Rats in the normal group didn’t receive any interventions. The rat model of deprivation amblyopia was established by unilateral eyelid suture in the model group and each acupuncture group. After successful modeling, rats in model group didn’t receive any treatments; rats in the acupuncture groups received acupuncture intervention which began respectively on the 3rd, 12th and 21st day after modeling. Pattern visual evoked potential (P-VEP) and N-methy D-aspartatreceptor-1 (NMDAR1) mRNA expression in visual cortex area 17 were detected at the end of acupuncture intervention in each group.
Results: After the intervention, the P-VEP waveform was significantly changed, with a significantly delayed P100 value (P<0.01) and significantly decreased amplitude of N45-P100 in the model group versus the normal group (P<0.01); the P-VEP waveform was significantly improved, with obviously earlier P100 (P<0.01) and increased amplitude of N45-P100 (P<0.05) in each acupuncture group versus the model group. The improvement effect of acupuncture on the P-VEP waveform in group C1 and C2 was more significant than that in group D1, D2, E1 and E2. The expression of NMDAR1 mRNA of the rat visual cortex area 17 in the model group was significantly lower than that in the normal group (P<0.01); and the expression of NMDAR1 mRNA in the visual cortex area 17 of each acupuncture group was significantly higher than that in the model group (P<0.05); the effect of acupuncture on NMDAR1 mRNA expression in group C1 and C2 was more significant than that in group D1, D2, E1 and E2; and the effect of acupuncture on NMDAR1 mRNA expression was better in group C2 than in group C1 (P<0.05); there was no significant difference in the expression of NMDAR1 mRNA between group D1 and D2, neither between E1 and E2 (P>0.05).
Conclusion: P-VEP waveform is abnormal and NMDAR1 mRNA expression in visual cortex area 17 is decreased in rats with monocularly-deprived amblyopia. Acupuncture in the sensitive period can significantly regulate the abnormal P-VEP waveform and the down-regulate the NMDAR1 mRNA expression of the visual cortex of rats with monocularly-deprived amblyopia. Early treatment in the sensitive period should be the key to obtaining the curative effect.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder appearing after the body suffers from life-threatening or strong mental trauma. Acupuncture and moxibustion has good efficacy to PTSD caused by recent disaster events. This article summarized domestic research on mechanism of acupuncture intervention in PTSD in recent years, in order to analyze and conclude the neurobiological mechanism of acupuncture intervention in PTSD, and offer some references for the research on efficacy and clinical application of acupuncture intervention in PTSD.

Background The conventional therapies for childhood amblyopia mainly include optometry,occluding therapy,atropine application,fine eyesight training,instrument or regular comprehensive therapy,but the clinical effectiveness of each method had its limitation.Chinese herbs have been used to the treatment of childhood amblyopia,however,their effects are still in controversy.Objective This study was to assess the evidence of efficacy of Chinese herbs combined with moderate methods for childhood amblyopia.Methods The published papers of randomized controlled trials (RCT) and controlled clinical trials (CCT) of Chinese herbs combined with moderate comprehensive therapy for childhood amblyopia from 2000 to 2015 were searched in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI),Wanfang database and PubMed database with computer.The methodology quality of included papers was evaluated according to the criteria of Cochrane and advanced Jadad scale.Data synthesis was facilitated using Reviewer Manager 5.1 software.The overall effect,or odds ratio (OR) of the treatment was analyzed by fixed effective model.Results Thirty-three RCT or CCT papers meeting inclusion criteria were included with the total sample size 6 666,and matched demography was showed in 25 papers;referential diagnosis criteria and effective criteria were described in 29 papers and 30 papers,respectively.Advanced Jadad scale showed 6,3 and 1-2 scores in 1,2 and 30 papers,respectively.The evidence showed that the total effectiveness of treatment within the group receiving Chinese herbs combined with conventional methods was higher than that in conventional group,with a statistically significant difference between groups (polled fixed effects model [OR] =3.92,95％ confidence interval [CI]:3.30-4.64,Z=15.74,P＜0.01).Conclusions The total effectiveness rate of Chinese herbs combined with conventional methods for childhood amblyopia is superior to only conventional treatment,indicating that Chinese herbs is effective for childhood amblyopia.More well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm the effect.

In reviewing and analyzing the study on the clinical selection of the acupoints for peptic ulcer in the recent ten years,it was found out that peptic ulcer was mostly treated by combination of multiple acupoints clinically,by the combination of Front-mu point and Back-shu point of the spleen and stomach,and the combination of Front-mu point and Back-shu point of the spleen and stomach with Lower He-sea point,indicating that Front-mu point and Back-shu point of the spleen and stomach and Lower He-sea point have the important functions in the treatment of peptic ulcer.

AIM: To establish a sensitive and specific HPLC method for controlling the quality of Radix Paeoniae Alba. METHODS: HPLC method was applied for quality assessment of Radix Paeoniae Alba.Column: Hypersil C_(18) column(4.61 mm?200 mm,51 ?m);flow-rate: 1.0 mL/min;column temperature: 25?C.mobile phase: acetonitrile(A) and H_2O(acidified to 0. 05% with phosphoric acid)(B).The concentrations of solvent A were 95%,86%,86% and 65% at 0,25,35,60 min,respectively. RESULTS: The HPLC chromatographic fingerprinting of Radix Paeoniae Alba,showing 14 characteristic peaks,was established from 21 batches of Radix Paeoniae Alba products.The results of similarity analysis was the same as that of herarchical cluster analysis. CONCLUSION: The chromatographic fingerprinting of Radix Paeoniae Alba with high specificity can be used to control its quality and ensure consistency between batches.

Objective The chemical components of lyophilized powder of Sinisan were analyzed by the method of RP-HPLC.Methods HPLC Method was applied for quality assessment on lyophilized powder of Sinisan.Column: Kromasil C18 column(250 mm ? 4.6 mm,5 ?m);wavelength: 210 and 240 nm;flow-rate: 1.0 mL/min;column temperature: 28 ℃.Mobile phase: acetonitrile(A) and H2O(acidified to pH=3 with phosphoric acid)(B).Concentration of lyophilized powder of Sinisan was resolved into different parts and analyzed by the same method,the variation of the chemical components was analyzed.Results At 240 nm,21 peaks were detected and two of them were confirmed to be from Bupleurum chinense,three from Paeonla lactiflora,ten from Citrus aurantium,and five from Glycyrrhiza uralensis.At 210 nm,24 peaks were detected and one of them was confirmed to be from B.chinense,four from P.lactiflora,fourteen from C.aurantium,and five form G.uralensis.Conclusion This method can be used to establish the fingerprint chromatograph of lyophilized powder of Sinisan and elucidate the variation of chemical components completely.

Objective To assess the therapeutic efficacy of trigger points (TrPs) combined with acupoints by acupuncture for subjective tinnitus (ST);To discuss the correlation of TrPs acupuncture inactivation and the releasing of symptom. Methods Sixty patients with ST were randomly divided into trial group and control group, 30 cases in each group. Those in trial group were acupunctured by TrPs combined with acupoints, and those in control group received regular acupuncture treatment. The scores of tinnitus severity assessment were available for effect evaluation after 3 treatment course. The size and tenderness degree of TrPs contraction knots were checked, and TrPs local thermal infrared spectrum was compared by infrared camera. Results The post-treatment tinnitus severity scores had significant difference compared with pre-therapy in each group (P<0.01). The total effective percentage of trial group with 93.33%(28/30) was obviously higher than control group with 86.67%(26/30) (P<0.05). The post-treatment and pre-therapy contraction knots size, tenderness and temperature difference of TrPs within trial groups had a very significant difference (P<0.01), and difference of tenderness and temperature of patients’ TrPs had a positive correlation with the difference of tinnitus severity scores before and after treatment (P<0.01). The contraction knots area of TrPs had not significant correlation with the difference of tinnitus severity scores (P>0.05). Conclusion TrPs combined with acupoints by acupuncture for ST patients are better than conventional acupoints in improving clinical symptoms. The deactivation of TrPs is closely related to tinnitus symptoms, therefore, temperature and tenderness of TrPs can be employed to assist in the diagnosis, or evaluated the tinnitus severity and therapeutic efficacy.

Objective To explore effects of fresh slices on quality of angelica;To provide a reliable method for scientific evaluation and the effective control of quality of angelica;To compare the quality of fresh slices and pieces of angelica.Methods Extraction method and the chromatographic conditions were optimized on the basis of 2010 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Ferulic acid content was determined by HPLC, with a Kromasil C18 column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5μm) and mobile phase of acetonitrile-0.05% phosphoric acid-water gradient elution at flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, detection wavelength of 316 nm, and the column temperature was 28℃.Results The content of ferulic acid in the fresh slices of angelica was higher than that in angelica pieces. When other external conditions were the same, the content of ferulic acid in the fresh sliced angelica was the highest with 70% methanol extracted for 30 min.Conclusion The method for determination of ferulic acid in angelica is simple, reliable, reproducible, and can be used as an effective way to control quality of angelica.

Objective: To investigate the electrophysiological mechanism of acupuncture for the visual cortex plasticity during the sensitive period. Methods: Fifty 2-week-old Wistar rats were randomly divided into a blank control group, a model group, an early-stage acupuncture group, a middle-stage acupuncture group and a late-stage acupuncture group, 10 rats in each group. Monocular deprivation amblyopia models were prepared in rats except those in the blank control group by unilateral eyelid suture. After successful modeling, no treatment was applied to the rats in the model group. Rats in each acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at bilateral Jingming (BL 1), Cuanzhu (BL 2), Fengchi (GB 20) and Guangming (GB 37), started from the 3rd day, 12th day or 21st day after modeling separately, once a day, for a total of 9 d treatment. The neuronal discharge frequency and action potential inter-spike interval (ISI) in the rat visual cortex area 17 of each group were measured by multi-channel microelectrode array nerve signal technique. Results: The discharge number of neurons in the visual cortex of the model group was significantly lower than that in the blank control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the discharge numbers in the early-stage acupuncture group and the middle-stage acupuncture group were significantly higher than that in the model group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the discharge numbers between the late-stage acupuncture group and the model group (P>0.05). The discharge number in the middle-stage acupuncture group was lower than that in the early-stage acupuncture group (P<0.05), and the discharge number of the late-stage acupuncture group was lower than that in the middle-stage acupuncture group (P<0.05). The ISI sequences of the visual cortex neurons were mainly distributed under 0.3 s in the blank control group, under 15 s in the model group, under 1 s in the early-stage acupuncture group, under 4 s in the middle-stage acupuncture group, and under 10 s in the late-stage acupuncture group, divergent in each group. Conclusion: The neuronal coding appears abnormality in the visual cortex area 17 of monocular deprivation rats, indicating that there is a plasticity change in the visual cortex neurons during the sensitive period. Acupuncture has a significant effect on the abnormal neural coding. The therapeutic efficacy is closely related to the stage to start the treatment. Early stage treatment in the sensitive period is the key to achieving the good efficacy.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease. Moxibustion treatment for RA has significant efficacy, with high security and without dependency. It can alleviate the symptoms and make the body gradually return to normal level of immunity at the same time. This article reviewed the study on mechanism of moxibustion for the treatment of RA in recent years from the aspects of innate immunity, humeral immunity, cellular immunity, cytokines and immune organs, discussed the existing problems in relevant study, and provided a basis for clinic and future research.