During the operation of warm needling, the needle may be tilted and bent to a large degree, which will cause high temperature of moxibustion on the skin surface around, and even burns in patients. To solve this problem, the team developed a balance fixator for acupuncture needle that can be used at acupoints in various parts of the body, such as on the abdomen, waist, limbs and face. The device is composed of 3 parts, including three (or more)-bifurcated sleeve, cushion pad, and circular fixed base-plate, forming an integrated structure. The three (or more)-bifurcated sleeve increases the contact area with the filiform needle body, which can quickly and easily reduce the curvature of the needle body and fix the filiform needle. According to the different locations of acupoints in clinical practice, the cushion pad is designed as three types, i.e. rectangle, large circle, and small circle. It can not only balance needle body, but also prevent skin burns to a certain extent. This device is simple to manufacture, lightweight in material, and environmental friendly; and is applicable to a simple and safe operation in clinical practice.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Acupuncture Points ; Needles ; Equipment Design

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the primary fibrogenic cells in the liver, and their activation plays a crucial role in the development and progression of hepatic fibrosis. Here, we report that retinoid X receptor-alpha (RXRα), a unique member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is a key modulator of HSC activation and liver fibrosis. RXRα exerts its effects by modulating calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β (CaMKKβ)-mediated activation of AMP-activated protein kinase-alpha (AMPKα). In addition, we demonstrate that K-80003, which binds RXRα by a unique mechanism, effectively suppresses HSC activation, proliferation, and migration, thereby inhibiting liver fibrosis in the CCl₄ and amylin liver NASH (AMLN) diet animal models. The effect is mediated by AMPKα activation, promoting mitophagy in HSCs. Mechanistically, K-80003 activates AMPKα by inducing RXRα to form condensates with CaMKKβ and AMPKα via a two-phase process. The formation of RXRα condensates is driven by its N-terminal intrinsic disorder region and requires phosphorylation by CaMKKβ. Our results reveal a crucial role of RXRα in liver fibrosis regulation through modulating mitochondrial activities in HSCs. Furthermore, they suggest that K-80003 and related RXRα modulators hold promise as therapeutic agents for fibrosis-related diseases.

OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluated the effects of deep acupuncture at Weizhong acupoint (BL40) on bladder function and brain activity in a rat model of overactive bladder (OAB), and investigated the possible mechanisms around the acupuncture area that initiate the effects of acupuncture. METHODS: Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups, comprising a control group, model group, group treated with deep acupuncture at BL40, group treated with shallow acupuncture at BL40, group treated with acupuncture at non-acupoint next to BL40, and group treated with acupuncture at Xuanzhong (GB39). Urodynamic evaluation was used to observe the urination, and functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to observe the brain activation. The mechanism of acupuncture at BL40 in regulating bladder function was explored by toluidine blue staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the mechanism was verified by stabilizing mast cells (MCs) or blocking tibial nerve. RESULTS: Deep acupuncture at BL40 significantly increased the intercontraction interval in OAB rats and enhanced the mean amplitude of low frequency fluctuation of primary motor cortex (M1), periaquaductal gray matter (PAG), and pontine micturition center (PMC). It also increased the zero-lag functional connectivity between M1 and PAG and between PAG and PMC. Shallow acupuncture at BL40 and acupuncture at non-acupoint or GB39 had no effect on these indexes. Further studies suggested that deep acupuncture at BL40 increased the number and degranulation rate of MCs as well as the contents of 5-hydroxytryptamine, substance P, and histamine in the tissues around BL40. Blocking the tibial nerve by lidocaine injection or inhibiting MC degranulation by sodium cromoglycate injection obstructed the effects of acupuncture on restoring urinary function and modulating brain activation in OAB rats. CONCLUSION Deep acupuncture at BL40 may be more effective for inhibiting OAB by promoting degranulation of MCs around the acupoint and stimulating tibial nerve, thereby regulating the activation of the brain area that controls the lower urinary tract. Please cite this article as: Liu X, Zhang CY, Du XY, Li SS, Wang YQ, Zheng Y, Deng HZ, Fang XQ, Li JY, Wang ZQ, Xu SF, Mi YQ. Acupuncture at Weizhong (BL40) attenuates acetic acid-induced overactive bladder in rats by regulating brain neural activity through the modulation of mast cells and tibial nerves. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(1): 46-55.
Animals ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive/physiopathology* ; Mast Cells/physiology* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Female ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture Points ; Rats ; Brain/physiopathology* ; Tibial Nerve/physiopathology* ; Acetic Acid ; Urinary Bladder/physiopathology*

Objective To explore the acupoint selection rules of acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of female menopausal obesity and to provide reference for clinical acupuncture treatment of female menopausal obesity based on data mining techniques.Methods Clinical literature on acupuncture treatment of female menopausal obesity was searched by computer in CNKI,Wanfang,VIP,SinoMed,and PubMed database,and the time limit of searching was from the establishment of database to the date of 1 August 2023,and the literature was screened and extracted according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.The association rule analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Moderler 18.0 software,and cluster analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0 software.Results A total of 50 literature meeting the requirements were screened out,and 83 groups of acupoint prescriptions were extracted.Descriptive analysis showed that the intervention measures of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of female menopausal obesity were mainly acupoint catgut embedding,electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture.The top 7 acupoints with the highest frequency were Sanyinjiao(SP6),Zusanli(ST36),Shenshu(BL23),Tianshu(ST25),Guanyuan(RN4),Zhongwan(RN12)and Qihai(RN6).Stomach meridian of foot yangming,conception vessel,bladder meridian of foot taiyang and spleen meridian of foot taiyin are the most commonly selected meridians.In terms of specific acupoints,the main acupoints are intersection points,front-mu points and back-shu points.The acupoints are mainly distributed in the chest and abdomen,lower limbs and waist and back.By using data mining technology,the core acupoint pair of acupuncture and moxibustion for menopausal obesity is'Zusanli-Sanyinjiao',and the core acupoint prescription is'Zusanli,Sanyinjiao,Zhongwan,Tianshu,Shenshu,Guanyuan,Qihai';cluster analysis found 7 types of clinical acupoint clustering.Conclusion Acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of female menopausal obesity focuses on tonifying the essence of the kidney and restoring the qi mechanism and characteristics of acupoint selection of spleen and stomach qi.

Severe cerebrovascular disease is a kind of severe cerebrovascular disease involving disturbance of consciousness,which corresponds to the viscera of stroke in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).Rooted in the TCM classics such as Huang Di Nei Jing(The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic)and Shang Han Lun(Treatise on Cold Damage),Professor WU Hai-Ke studied the TCM pathogenesis theory recorded in the chapter of Profound and Important Theory in Plain Questions(Su Wen)carefully.Based on its clinical practice and inherited the traditional four diagnostic methods of inspection,auscultation-olfaction,interrogation,and palpation,Professor WU Hai-Ke simplified and created the six-differentiation method for the syndrome differentiation of patients with severe cerebrovascular disease:distinguishing the mind to learn the progression of the disease,distinguishing the complexion to know the exuberance or decline of qi and blood,distinguishing the tongue picture to predict the aggravation or relief of the disease,distinguishing the pulse condition to judge the prognosis,distinguishing the breath to know the deficiency or excess of zang-fu organs,and distinguishing cold-heat to identify the exterior,interior,yin and yang.The six-differentiation method highlights the significance of mind,complexion,tongue picture,pulse condition,breath,and cold-heat in the syndrome differentiation of patients with severe cerebrovascular disease.The clinical information of six-differentiation method is easy to obtain,and the method presents the characteristics and advantages of TCM diagnostic methods in the syndrome differentiation of patients with severe cerebrovascular disease,which will provide reference for the establishment of clinical diagnosis and treatment norms of TCM for severe cerebrovascular disease.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of different types of anomalous origin of the coronary artery.Methods:A case-series study was conducted.Based on the clinical data of children diagnosed with anomalous origin of the coronary artery at Shanghai Children′s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from January 2013 to January 2023, the diseases of different types of anomalous origin of the coronary artery were summarized.Results:A total of 177 children with anomalous origin of the coronary artery were treated.Among them, 122 children developed the anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA), including 54 males and 68 females, with a median age of 1.2 years; 6 children developed the anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ARCAPA), including 3 males and 3 females, with a median age of 4.3 years; 9 children developed the anomalous left coronary artery from the right coronary sinus (ALCA), including 6 males and 3 females, with a median age of 9.5 years; 40 children developed the anomalous right coronary artery from the left coronary sinus (ARCA), including 24 males and 16 females, with a median age of 7.7 years.Most children diagnosed with ALCAPA had onset within 1 year of age, with chronic heart failure as the main manifestation, and young children were often accompanied by severe mitral regurgitation.A total of 111 children underwent surgery, and 11 children died.Six children with ARCAPA had no obvious clinical symptoms and were treated by operation according to the principle of double coronary circulation after diagnosis.Nine children with ALCA started with syncope, chest pain or abdominal pain after exercise.Eight of the children underwent surgical treatment, including 1 who received a heart transplant.Of the 40 children with ARCA, 23 children had clinical manifestations, with chest tightness, syncope, and chest pain after exercise as chief complaints; 16 children were tested positive for treadmill exercise before surgery; and a total of 13 children received surgical treatment.Conclusions:Different types of anomalous origin of the coronary artery vary in severity.The clinical manifestations of the anomalous origin of the left coronary artery are generally serious, and most of such patients have the risk of cardiac insufficiency or sudden death.Once diagnosed, surgical treatment should be performed timely.The clinical manifestations of the anomalous origin of the right coronary artery are relatively mild, and only a few may have serious consequences, which are usually treated according to the principle of individualization or double coronary circulation.

Objective To analyze the ability of micro-implant nails placed in different locations in the posterior re-gion to improve the hard and soft tissues of the labiodental region in patients with gummy smiles to provide a reference for clinicians.Methods This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee,and informed consent was ob-tained from the patients.Thirty young female patients with anterior tooth protrusions and gummy smiles were included in the retrospective study;18 patients had micro-implant nails implanted between the premolars(group A),and 12 pa-tients had implant nails placed between the roots of the premolar and the molar and an intraoperatively placed rocking-chair archwire(group B).The preoperative and postoperative distances from the incisal end of the upper mesial incisors to the lower point of the upper lip(U1-Stms),the vertical distance from the incisal end of the upper mesial incisors to the palatal plane(U1-PP),the vertical distance from the point of the alveolar ridge to the palatal plane(Spr-PP),the dis-tance from the incisal end of the upper mesial incisors to the point of the alveolar margin(U1-Spr),and the vertical dis-tance from the point of the proximal middle buccal cusp of the maxillary first molar to the palatal plane of the maxillary first molar(U6-PP)were measured in the cephalometric lateral radiographs of the two groups;additionally,the amount of hard and soft tissues of the upper anterior region exposedduring smiling and the maximum amount of gingiva exposed during smiling were assessed from the smile photograph.Results After correction,the lip-dentition relationship im-proved significantly in both groups,with an average reduction of 2.6 mm in U1-Stms,2.4 mm in U1-PP,1.4 mm in Spr-PP,and 0.9 mm in U1-Spr in Group A.In group B,the U1-Stms was reduced by an average of 2.3 mm,the U1-PPs by an average of 1.6 mm,the Spr-PPs by 1.4 mm,and the U1-Spr by 0.2 mm.The difference between pre-and postoperative U6-PP in both groups was not significant(P＞0.05).Group A had greater ?U1-PP and ?U1-Spr changes than group B(P＜0.05).There was no difference between the two groups in terms of ?U1-Stms or ?Spr-PP(P＞0.05).The amount of soft and hard tissue exposed and maximum amount of gingiva exposed in the upper anterior region of the smile were reduced in 30 patients postoperatively,with group A having anaverage reduction of 70.19%of the preoperative amount of soft and hard tissue exposed in the upper anterior region and an average reduction of 24.12%of the preoperative max-imum amount of gingiva exposed,and group B having an average reduction of 76.12%of the preoperative amount of hard and soft tissue exposed in the upper anterior region and an average reduction of 31.88%of the preoperative maxi-mum gingiva exposed after the operation.The difference in the ratio between the two groups was not statistically sig-nificant(P＞0.05).Conclusion For patients with proptosis and gummy smiles,placing micro-implant nails between the roots of maxillary premolars can effectively lead to retraction and intrusion of anterior teeth to improve the lip-denti-tion relationship and improve gummy smile,and placing micro-implant nails between the roots of the maxillary second premolar and the first molar together with the use of rocking chair arches can also achieve a good therapeutic effect.

Objective Visual electrophysiology and optical correlation tomography angiography(OCTA)were used to investigate differences in preoperative retinal function in patients with type 2 diabetic cataract(DC)without obvious retinopathy(NDR)and to determine the clinical application of whole-process blood glucose man-agement(WBGM)for improving postoperative vision in DC patients.Methods This study investigated the preop-erative and postoperative visual electrophysiology(N75,P100,photopic FERG,and scotopic FERG),peripapil-lary retinal nerve fiber layer(pRNFL)and peripapillary capillary vessel density(ppVD)data,as well as trends in these data changes during blood glucose management intervention.Results As the course of T2DM progressed,FBG and HbA1c increased,the N75 and P100 lategraduancy periods of patients gradually lengthened,and the photopic FERG,scotopic FERG,pRNFL,and ppVD values decreased at each postoperative time point.At the same time,the best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)of patients after surgery gradually decreased(P<0.05).Compared with that at 1 week after surgery,the BCVA of Group A(without whole-process blood glucose manage-ment)gradually increased at 1 month and 3 months after surgery but showed a downward trend at 1 year after sur-gery.The BCVA of Group B(with whole-process blood glucose management)gradually stabilized at 1 month after surgery,and at all time points after surgery,the BCVA of Group B was better than that of Group A.The results showed that N75 and P100 in Group A were greater than those in Group B,while the photopic and scotopic FERG,pRNFL,and ppVD(%)in Group A were lower than those in Group B.In addition,N75 and P100 in Group A showed a gradual prolongation trend at various time points after surgery,while photopic FERG,scotopic FERG,pRNFL,and ppVD(%)showed a gradually decreasing trend.However,the above data in Group B gradu-ally stabilized at 3 months after DC surgery,approaching the preoperative level of the group(P<0.05).In the state of whole blood glucose management,although N75 and P100 both reached their longest durations at 1 week af-ter surgery,N75,P100,photopic FERG,scotopic FERG,and pRNFL showed a gradually decreasing trend at 1 month and 3 months after surgery,while ppVD(%)gradually increased(P<0.05).At various time points from 3 months to 1 year after surgery,the overall trend of the above indicators remained stable and close to the preoperative values(P>0.05).Conclusion According to the results of the quantitative analysis of visual electrophysiology and OCTA,in DC patients without obvious retinopathy and with the worsening of diabetes,retinal function decreased,but whole-process blood glucose management effectively restored retinal function and improved visual quality after surgery.

Objective To explore the impact of artificial intelligence(AI)-assisted computing systems on the success rate of surgery,stereoscopic vision,and quality of life in patients with intermittent exotropia.Methods A total of 108 children(216 eyes)with intermittent exotropia who visited Ziyang Hospital of West China Hospital,Sichuan University from March 2021 to April 2023 were collected and randomly divided into Group A and Group B,with 54 children(108 eyes)in each group.Group A used the traditional calculation method,while Group B used the AI-assisted calculation method to determine the surgical volume of strabismus in children by the angles of strabismus at 6m and 33 cm.The success rate of surgery,postoperative angle of strabismus,stereoscopic visual function,horizontal and vertical perceptual eye positions,and quality of life[Child Intermittent Exotropia Questionnaire(CIXTQ)score]were compared between the two groups at 1 day,1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery.Results At 1 day,1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery,the success rate of surgery in Group B was significantly higher than that in Group A(all P＜0.05).Compared with the val-ues at 1 day after surgery,the angles of strabismus at 6 m and 33 cm in the two groups were significantly reduced at 1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery(all P＜0.05);Group B had significantly lower angles of strabismus at 6 m and 33 cm than Group A at 1 day,1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery(all P＜0.05).At 1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery,the central and far stereoscopic visions of children in the two groups gradually increased,with the increase rate in Group B being significantly higher than that in Group A(Finter-group=76.59,P＜0.05);the proportion of children without stereoscopic vision in both groups gradually decreased,with a decrease rate in Group B being significantly higher than that in Group A(Finter-group=137.74,P＜0.05).At 1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery,the horizon-tal and vertical perceptual eye positions in Group B showed a significant descend range compared with those in Group A(all P＜0.05).At 1 day,1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery,the exotropia displacement of children in both groups gradually increased,and the displacement of children in Group B was significantly smaller than that in Group A at 1 month,3 months and 6 months postoperatively(all P＜0.05).At 1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery,the CIX-TQ scores of children in the two groups increased gradually,with CIXTQ scores in Group B being significantly higher than those of Group A(all P＜0.05).Conclusion AI-assisted computing systems can effectively improve the success rate of intermittent exotropia surgery,enhance the establishment of stereoscopic visual function,improve visual quality,and sig-nificantly improve the quality of life of children.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.