OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of acupuncture-moxibustion on idiopathic facial palsy (IFP) at acute phase and recovery phase. METHODS: According to whether received acupuncture-moxibustion at acute phase or not, 198 IFP patients were divided into an early-phase intervention group (118 cases) and a non-early-phase intervention group (80 cases). With the propensity score matching employed, 70 cases were included in each group. On the basis of the conventional treatment of western medicine, acupuncture-moxibustion was supplemented in the two groups. In the early-phase intervention group, acupuncture-moxibustion was delivered at the acute phase (duration of illness≤7 days); in the non-early-phase intervention group, acupuncture-moxibustion was operated at the recovery phase (duration of illness>7 days). At the acute phase, warm needling was performed at Yifeng (TE17), Xiaguan (ST7), Hegu (LI4) and Zusanli (ST36) on the affected side; and at the recovery phase, electroacupuncture was delivered at Cuanzhu (BL2), Sizhukong (TE23) and Yangbai (GB14), etc. on the affected side, with the disperse-dense wave and 2 Hz/100 Hz of frequency. The intervention was operated for 30 min each time, once every two days, three treatments weekly and for 4 weeks. Before treatment, 1 week and 4 weeks of treatment, the House-Brackmann (H-B) facial nerve function grade, the score of Sunnybrook facial nerve function, and the score of facial disability index (FDI) were compared between the two groups. The clinical effect in 1 and 4 weeks of treatment and safety were evaluated. RESULTS: In 1 and 4 weeks of treatment, the H-B grade was improved when compared with that before treatment in each group (P<0.05), and in 4 weeks of treatment, H-B grade in the early-phase intervention group was superior to that of the non-early-phase intervention group (P<0.05). In 1 and 4 weeks of treatment, Sunnybrook scores and the scores of physical function of FDI were elevated in comparison with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05); and in 4 weeks of treatment, the elevation of these two indexes in the early-phase intervention group was greater than that of the non-early-phase intervention group (P<0.05). In 4 weeks of treatment, the scores of social function in FDI were reduced when compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05). In 4 weeks of treatment, the total effective rate (97.1%, 68/70) in the early-phase intervention group was higher than that (87.1%, 61/70) of the non-early-phase intervention group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Acupuncture-moxibustion therapy starting at the acute phase is more beneficial to the functional recovery of the impaired facial nerve than at the recovery phase in the IFP patients.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Moxibustion ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Treatment Outcome ; Facial Paralysis/therapy* ; Cohort Studies ; Aged ; Bell Palsy/therapy* ; Adolescent

Antibody-drug conjugates(ADCs)are commonly heterogeneous and require extensive assessment of exposure-efficacy and exposure-safety relationships in preclinical and clinical studies.In this study,we report the generation of a monoclonal antibody against monomethyl auristatin E(MMAE)and the development,validation,and application of sensitive and high-throughput enzyme-linked immunosor-bent assays(ELISA)to measure the concentrations of MMAE-conjugated ADCs and total antibodies(tAb,antibodies in ADC plus unconjugated antibodies)in cynomolgus monkey sera.These assays were suc-cessfully applied to in vitro plasma stability and pharmacokinetic(PK)studies of SMADC001,an MMAE-conjugated ADC against trophoblast cell surface antigen 2(TROP-2).The plasma stability of SMADC001 was better than that of similar ADCs coupled with PEG4-Val-Cit,Lys(m-dPEG24)-Cit,and Val-Cit linkers.The developed ELISA methods for the calibration standards of ADC and tAb revealed a correlation be-tween serum concentrations and the OD450 values,with R2 at 1.000,and the dynamic range was 0.3-35.0 ng/mL and 0.2-22.0 ng/mL,respectively;the intra-and inter-assay accuracy bias％ranged from-12.2％to-5.2％,precision ranged from-12.4％to-1.4％,and the relative standard deviation(RSD)was less than 6.6％and 8.7％,respectively.The total error was less than 20.4％.The development and validation steps of these two assays met the acceptance criteria for all addressed validation parameters,which suggested that these can be applied to quantify MMAE-conjugated ADCs,as well as in PK studies.Furthermore,these assays can be easily adopted for development of other similar immunoassays.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) combined with stereotactic body radiation therapy(SBRT) in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients with bone metastasis.Methods:The clinical data of 80 RCC patients with bone metastasis in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from April 2010 to April 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Among them, 64 patients were medium or high risk according to the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium(IMDC) score. Twenty-four patients received TKI therapy alone(Group A), and the other 56 cases received TKIs combined with SBRT to bone metastastic lesions (Group B).Results:The median follow-up period was 20.7 months (4.8-115.6 months), 70 patients received second or third-line targeted drug therapy, and 4 patients in group A and 15 patients in group B received TKI plus immunotherapy. Fifty-four patients had symptoms of bone pain before radiotherapy, 46 patients were satisfied with the analgesic effect after SBRT treatment. Twelve patients got complete response (CR) after bone lesions, and 32 patients achieved partial response (PR). Forty patients died of disease progression during follow-up. The median OS was: 20.7 months vs not reached(Group A vs. Group B), and the 2-y OS and 5-y OS were 50% vs. 62%, and 19% vs. 56%, respectively ( P=0.006). There were only 2 patients (3.6%) had grade 3 SBRT related adverse events. Conclusions:SBRT combined with TKIs improved the quality of life and prolonged the overall survival of RCC patients with bone metastasis.

Objective To explore the value of multi-modal MRI in the differential diagnosis of pure fibroadenosis and mixed fibroadenosis in the breast. Methods Forty female patients who underwent 3.0 T MRI within 1 week before sugery and confirmed as breast fibroadenosis by pathology in the General Hospital of the PLA Rocket Force from January 2014 to May 2016 were retrospectively analyzed in this study. There were 20 cases of pure fibroadenosis which including mass type and non-tumor type, 10 cases per type. Twenty cases of mixed fibrous adenosis which including 4 cases of mass type and 16 cases of non-mass type. According to the breast imaging reporting and data system-MRI standard, conventional MRI features, time intensity curve (TIC) types and ADC values of the lesions were observed. MRI features and ages of pure fibroadenosis and mixed fibroadenosis were compared using χ2 test (qualitative data) and independent sample t test (quantitative data), P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Statistically significant parameters were then used to perform logistic regression analysis to evaluate predictive value . The efficacy of each MRI parameter in the differential diagnosis of pure fibroadenosis and mixed fibroadenosis was analyzed by ROC. Results Statistically significant differencein the size(P<0.05) but no differences in the shape, T2WI manifestation, marginal, internal enhancement, early enhancement curve, and late enhancement (P>0.05) were observed between pure fibroadenosis and mixed fibroadenosis. There was no significant differences in distribution, internal enhancement, early enhancement curve and late enhancement curve between non-tumor type pure fibroadenosis and mixed fibroadenosis (P>0.05). There were significant differences in age, ADC value and peak signal intensity(P<0.05) while no significant differences in early enhancement rate, maximum enhancement rate and peak time (P>0.05) between patients with pure fibroadenosis and mixed fibroadenosis. Logistic regression analysis suggested that the peak signal intensity was closely related to age. It revealed a positive correlation between ADC value, peak signal intensity and the possibility of mixed fibroadenosis. The regression coefficient value, Wals value, and P value of the ADC value were 3.652, 4.363 and 0.034, respectively. The regression coefficient value, Wals value, and P value of the peak signal intensity were 0.005, 5.463 and 0.019, respectively. The area under ROC curve of ADC value, peak signal intensity, ADC value combined with peak signal intensity were 0.697, 0.701 and 0.786, respectively. Conclusions Significantly differences of peak signal intensity and ADC value were observed in mixed fibroadenosis compared with pure fibroadenosis. The combination of ADC value and peak signal intensity had the highest efficacy in predicting pure and mixed fibroadenosis.

Aim To investigate the effect of Ginsen-oside Rh2 on apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cell SW480,and to explore the possible mechanism of it. Methods The proliferation activity of SW480 treated with Ginsenoside Rh2 was measured CCK-8 assay.Ap-optosis rates were evaluated by FCM.Hoechst 33258 staining was used to observe cell nucleus morphologi-cal;change SW480 cells were treated with Ginsenoside Rh2,and the protein expressions of Bcl-2,Bax,p53, cleaved caspase-3 ,PI3 K,AKT,P-AKT,GSK-3β,P-GSK-3βwere detected by Western blot;SW480 cells were treated with LY294002,Rh2,LY294002+Rh2, the expressions of PI3 K,AKT,P-AKT,GSK-3β,P-GSK-3βwere detected by Western blot.Results The proliferation of SW480 cells was significantly inhibited by Ginsenoside Rh2 in dose-dependent and time-de-pendent manner.FCM showed the inducing apoptosis effect of Ginsenoside Rh2 was significantly different from that of control group.Hoechst 33258 staining in-dicated clearly cell apoptosis in Ginsenoside Rh2 treat-ment groups.Western blot showed Ginsenoside Rh2 decreased expression of Bcl-2,increased expression of Bax,p53 and cleaved caspase-3,PI3K/AKT/GSK-3βpathway proteins PI3 K,P-AKT,P-GSK-3βdecreased obviously,AKT and GSK-3βwere not changed signifi-cantly in SW480.SW480 cells were separately treated with LY294002,Rh2,LY294002 +Rh2,there were no significant difference in AKT and GSK-3βprotein a-mong all groups,and the expression of PI3 K,P-AKT, P-GSK-3βdecreased more obviously in LY294002 +Rh2 group compared with LY294002 and Rh2 alone. Conclusion Rh2 induces colorectal cancer cell apop-tosis through PI3 K/AKT/GSK-3βpathway,which ac-tivates p53 and cleaved caspase-3,and destroys the balance of Bcl-2/Bax.

Aim To study on the diuretic effect of a phenylphthalazines compound PU1424 and its influence on electrolyte balance, glucose and lipid metabolism, hepatic and renal functions.Methods Male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into solvent control group,PU1424 treated group and HCTZ treated group.Urine was collected per 6 h and blood samples were collected at the end of drug administration.Urinary osmolality was measured by Freezing Point Osmometer;urea concentration was measured by Urea Detection Kit;ion level, blood glucose level, blood lipid level, hepatic and renal function were analyzed by Automatic Biochemical Analyzer.Results Compared to the solvent control group, and urine output of rats treated with PU1424 and HCTZ was increased as 1.52 times and 1.78 times and water intake increased as 1.42 times and 1.56 times respectively.Urine osmolalities were decreased as 61.5% and 50.4% of the control group, and urine urea concentration was decreased as 57.1% and 56.8% of the control group.Urinary electrolytes were decreased by administration of PU1424 and HCTZ compared to the intact plasma electrolytes.The blood glucose levels and blood lipid levels of rats treated with PU1424 had no changes, while the blood glucose and total cholesterol were increased by administration of HCTZ.The urea nitrogen, creatinine, alkaline phosphatase and total protein were intact by administration of PU1424 and HCTZ except the alanine/straw ration increased by HCTZ.Conclusion New diuretic candidate compound PU1424 displays significant diuretic effect with electrolyte balance, blood glucose level, blood lipid level, hepatic and renal function intact.

AIM: To investigate the effects of transient receptor potential channel 6 (TRPC6) on the proliferation of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) induced by IL-1β.METHODS: The mRNA expression of TRPC6 in synovial tissues from RA or OA patients was studied by RT-qPCR.RA-FLS were cultured by enzyme digestion and tissue adhesion methods.The method of flow cytometry was applied to identify the RA-FLS.RA-FLS were treated with different concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 μg/L) of IL-1β for 36 h.The cell viability was examined by CCK-8 assay.RA-FLS were incubated with IL-1β (16 μg/L) for different time (12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 h), and the cell viability was measured by CCK-8 assay.The interference efficiency of TRPC6-siRNA was determined by RT-qPCR and Western blotting.After incubation in the presence or absence of IL-1β medium, the cell viability, the percentage of EdU-positive cells and the percentage of (G2/M+S) phase were measured by CCK-8 assay, EdU labeling assay and flow cytometry, respectively.RESULTS: The mRNA expression of TRPC6 was found in synovial tissue with higher levels in RA patients than that in OA patients.TRPC6-siRNA significantly decreased the mRNA and protein expression of TRPC6 (P<0.05).When RA-FLS were treated with IL-1β, the proliferation of RA-FLS was increased (P<0.05).The differences of the cell viability, the percentage of EdU-positive cells and the (G2/M+S) phase percentage between TRPC6-siRNA group and blank control group or NC-siRNA group were significant, in the presence of IL-1β (P<0.05).However, they were not significant in the absence of IL-1β.CONCLUSION: TRPC6 is involved in the proliferation of RA-FLS induced by IL-1β.Silencing of TRPC6 gene inhibits the growth of RA-FLS induced by IL-1β.

The application of placebo acupuncture in randomized controlled trials in the past 10 years (2004-2014) in foreign countries was systematically reviewed to summarize the design of placebo acupuncture; according to category of diseases, advantages and disadvantages were analyzed to explore an ideal placebo acupuncture set. By retrieval in PubMed, EMBASE and OVID databases, the clinical study literature which met the inclusion criteria was searched, and the category of diseases, design of placebo acupuncture and clinical efficacy were analyzed. Totally 29 articles were included. The pain was the leading disease in category of diseases; the most commonly used application of placebo acupuncture design was telescopiform sliding blunt needle, accounting for 45. 16%; the treatment locations were non-acupoints mostly; in the needling depth, approximately 60. 00% selected non-penetrating needling and 26. 67% selected superficial needling; 28 articles indicated that acupuncture and placebo acupuncture had clinical effects, accounting for 96. 55%; 37. 93% of articles indicated acupuncture was superior to placebo acupuncture and 37. 93% of articles indicated acupuncture was not superior to placebo acupuncture. It is concluded that the design of placebo acupuncture should consider multiple factors, including main symptoms, operability, security, blinding and specific effects, and the objective indices should be selected for outcome evaluation.
Acupuncture Therapy ; instrumentation ; methods ; standards ; Humans ; Internationality ; Needles ; Placebo Effect ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; standards