The correlation between meridians and zangfu organs is one of the core contents of the theory of zangfu organs and meridians, which has significant research value and clinical application potential. In this paper, the research literature on correlation between meridians and zangfu organs in the past five years is sorted out and summarized, and it is found that more clinical application basis is added in meridian-diagnosis, and a new situation of high-quality evidence-based medicine is opened in the aspect of meridian-treatment. In terms of internal connection and biological mechanism, the neurobiological characteristics and regulatory mechanism represented by "heart meridian-heart" are illustrated. The research model of the relationship between the meridians-zangfu organs and the brain, which combines the functional connection of the brain network in clinic and the basic neural circuit mechanism under the premise of the "effect law", is clearly proposed.
Meridians ; Humans ; Brain/physiology*

A novel fumigation moxibustion device has been designed to enable adjustable and controllable moxa smoke temperature, maintaining a relatively stable fumigation temperature while improving the utilization efficiency of moxa smoke. The device consists of five main components: a temperature control chamber, fumigation outlet, temperature measurement module, moxa smoke filtration chamber, and elastic band. It is compact, refined, and easy to operate. The device allows users to set the desired fumigation temperature according to therapeutic needs and simultaneously filters and eliminates residual moxa smoke after treatment. This design addresses the challenges of traditional fumigation moxibustion therapy, including unstable moxa smoke temperature, difficulty in regulation, low utilization efficiency, and high dependence on manual operation. It contributes to the promotion and application of fumigation moxibustion therapy and supports the establishment of a standardized moxibustion system.
Moxibustion/methods* ; Humans ; Equipment Design ; Fumigation ; Temperature

OBJECTIVES: To clarify the role of hippocampal glutamate system in regulating HPA axis in mediating the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at the heart meridian for improving myocardial injury in rats with acute myocardial ischemia (AMI). METHODS: Male SD rats were randomized into sham-operated group, AMI group, EA group, and L-glutamic acid+EA group (n=9). Rat models of AMI were established by left descending coronary artery ligation, and EA was applied at the "Shenmen-Tongli" segment; the rats in L-glutamic acid+EA group were subjected to microinjection of L-glutamic acid into the bilateral hippocampus prior to AMI modeling and EA treatment. Cardiac functions of the rats were evaluated using echocardiography, and ECG and heart rate variation (HRV) were analyzed using PowerLab and LabChart. Pathological changes in the myocardial tissue was examined using HE staining, and serum levels of myocardial enzymes were detected with ELISA. Myocardial expressions of TH and GAP43 were detected with immunohistochemistry, and colocalization of VGLUT1, VGLUT2 and c-fos were observed using immunofluorescence staining; the expressions of VGLUT1, VGLUT2, NMDAR1 and NMDAR2B were detected using Western blotting. RESULTS: The rat models of AMI showed significantly decreased LVEF and LVFS and increased serum levels of myocardial enzymes in positive correlation with the HPA axis. Numerous TH- and GAP43-positive cells were observed in the hippocampus, where the expressions of NE and E, neurons colabeled with VGLUT1, VGLUT2 and c-fos, and expressions of VGLUT1, VGLUT2, NMDAR1, NMDAR2B and Glu increased significantly. All these changes were significantly improved by interventions with EA as compared with those in AMI and L-Glutamate+EA groups. CONCLUSIONS In rats with AMI, EA at the heart meridian can regulate excessive glutamate release in the hippocampus, thereby inhibiting HPA axis hyperactivity and reducing sympathetic nerve activity to protect the myocardial tissue.
Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Rats ; Glutamic Acid/metabolism* ; Myocardial Ischemia/physiopathology* ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/physiopathology* ; Pituitary-Adrenal System/physiopathology* ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/metabolism*

Objective:To evaluate the therapeutic effect of glycyrrhetinic acid on cough variant asthma (CVA) mice based on molecular docking technique; To explore the possibility of its treatment for cough variant asthma.Methods:The software of Autodock Vina was used for molecular docking. The mice were divided into control group, model group, prednisone acetate group, glycyrrhetinic acid high-, medium-, and low-dosage groups according to the random number table method, with 8 mice in each group. Except for the blank control group, all other groups were induced by egg protein to establish cough variant asthma models. Glycyrrhetinic acid high-, medium-, and low-dosage groups were orally administered glycyrrhetinic acid suspension at 20, 10, and 5 mg/kg, while the prednisone acetate group was orally administered prednisone acetate at 5 mg/kg. The blank control group and model group were orally administered equal volumes of physiological saline, once per day for 14 consecutive days. The animal asthma behavior was observed after drug administration. The secretion of bronchial mucus in lung tissue were observed by AB-PAS staining and the index of spleen were recorded. The protein expressions of Gata3, IL-4 and IL-13 in the spleen tissue were determined by Western blot.Results:Molecular docking results showed that glycyrrhetinic acid had good binding ability to Th2-related factors Gata3, IL-4 and IL-13. Results of animal experiment showed that compared with the model group, the mucus secretion decreased in glycyrrhetinic acid groups, the index of the spleen of mice obviously decreased, protein expression levels of IL-4 and IL-13 in the spleen tissue of mice in glycyrrhetinic acid high-, medium-, and low-dosage groups decreased ( P<0.05), and Gata3 in glycyrrhetinic acid medium- and low-dosage groups decreased ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Glycyrrhetinic acid can correct the shift of Th2 in the immune system of cough variant asthma mice and has a certain therapeutic effect.

Objective To observe the effects of electroacupuncture(EA)on glutamate(Glu),metabotropic glutamate receptor 2/3(mGluR2/3)and apoptosis related proteins expression in hippocampus in rats with acute myocardial ischemia(AMI);To explore the mechanism of EA against AMI.Methods Totally 50 SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group,model group,EA group and inhibitor group,with 10 rats in each group.Except for the sham-operation group,the rats were treated with ligation at the left anterior descending coronary artery to establish AMI model.The rats in the EA group was treated with EA at"Shenmen"and"Tongli",30 minutes each time,once a day for 3 consecutive days.The rats in the inhibitor group were treated with injection of LY341459 via the lateral ventricle 30 min after modeling.HE staining was used to observe myocardial tissue morphology,and ELISA was used to detect Caspase-3 activity in myocardial tissue and Glu content in hippocampal tissue,immunofluorescence staining was used to detect mGluR2/3 expression in hippocampal tissue,TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptosis in hippocampal tissue cells,Western blot was used to detect the expressions of PI3K,Akt,and Caspase-3 protein in hippocampal tissue.Results Compared with the sham-operation group,the myocardial cells of the model group rats showed sparse and swelling with severe infiltration of inflammatory cells;the activity of Caspase-3 in myocardial tissue significantly increased,and the Glu content,positive expression of mGluR2/3,number of apoptotic cells in hippocampal tissue significantly increased(P<0.01),and the expressions of PI3K and Akt proteins in hippocampal tissue were significantly decreased,while the expression of Caspase-3 protein significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,myocardial cell edema and inflammatory cell infiltration were reduced in the EA group and inhibitor group,the activity of Caspase-3 in myocardial tissue was significantly decreased,the Glu content,positive expression of mGluR2/3,and number of apoptotic cells in hippocampal tissue were significantly reduced(P<0.01),the expressions of PI3K and Akt proteins in hippocampal tissue significantly increased,while the expression of Caspase-3 protein significantly decreased(P<0.01).Conclusion EA can improve myocardial injury in AMI rats,and its mechanism may be related to activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway,inhibition of hippocampal mGluR2/3 overexpression,reduction of Glu accumulation,inhibition of apoptosis of hippocampal neurons and reduction of neurotoxicity.

Objective To investigate the effects of galectin-3(Gal3)on skin abscess development and activation of mast cells(MC)in mice infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA).Methods Wild type mice and Gal3-knockout(Gal3-/-)mice,at 6～8 weeks of age,were divided into four groups:Wild type mice+PBS group,Wild type mice+MRSA group,Gal3-/-mice+PBS group,Gal3-/-mice+MRSA group,were subcutaneously injected with MRSA or the same volume of phosphate buffer saline,with five mice per group.The development and pathological changes of skin abscess were monitored and recorded.The bacterial load in skin tissues was compared,and the expression of associated cytokines,degranulation of MC,and the distribution of MC activation marker 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT)were detected.Results The skin of Wild type mice showed progressive abscesses after subcutaneous infection with MRSA,but the Gal3-/-mice showed smaller abscess areas.Compared to the Wild type mice+MRSA group,the Gal3-/-mice+MRSA group showed lower bacterial loading in the skin tissues(P＜0.01)and fewer infiltrating inflammatory cells with histopathological observation.The expression of cytokines,including IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-33,TGF-β,and IL-10,were significantly lower in Gal3-/-mice than Wild type mice(P＜0.05).The toluidine blue staining showed a large number of degranulated MCs in the skin tissues of the wild type mice+MRSA group,whereas only a few degranulated MCs were observed in the Gal3-/-mice+MRSA group.It was further found that the expression of 5-HT in Gal3-/-mice+MRSA group was significantly lower than that in wild-type mice+MRSA group with immunohistochemical staining.Conclusion Gal3 deficiency reduced the activation and degranulation of mouse skin MC after MRSA infection,resulting in changes to inflammatory responses and alleviating the severity of skin tissue abscesses.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the damage mechanism of pathogenic E.coli on mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells(BMEC cells)and mouse alveolar macrophages(MH-S cells),as well as the lung and brain of healthy mice.In this study,BMEC cells and MH-S cells were infected with pathogenic E.coli strains,and cell morphological changes were observed.Plate counting method was used to detect the adhesion and invasion ability of the strains to cells and the number of bacteria in the lungs and brains of mice.RT-qPCR was used to detect the ex-pression of TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 genes in cells and mouse organs at different time periods.West-ern blot was used to detect the expression of p-NF-κB,p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 proteins related to inflammation in cells and mouse organs after infection.The results showed that the cell culture medium of the infection group was turbid,the cell vision became dark and blurred,some cells shrank and died,and more fragments were produced.The adhesion rate and invasion rate of BMEC cells at 3 h were significantly lower than those at 6 h(P＜0.050),and the adhesion rate and inva-sion rate of MH-S cells at 3 h were significantly higher than those at 6 h(P＜0.010).Infected mice had a large area of swelling and bleeding in the brain,and the lungs had different degrees of swell-ing and bleeding.The bacterial load in the brain and lung was the highest at 12 h.Compared with the control group,the mRNA expression levels of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α in the infection group were significantly increased at 3 h and 6 h(P＜0.050),and the mRNA expression levels of inflam-matory factors in BMEC cells and MH-S cells were the highest at 6 and 3 h,respectively.The mR-NA expression of inflammatory factors in the brain and lung of infected mice showed a trend of in-creasing first and then decreasing with time,with the highest expression at 12 h after infection.The expression levels of p-NF-κB protein in BMEC cells,MH-S cells,lung and brain tissues of mice in the infection group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.001),and the expression levels of p-JAK2 protein and p-STAT3 protein were significantly lower than those in the control group(P＜0.050).The above results showed that pathogenic E.coli could adhere and invade BMEC cells and MH-S cells,colonize in lung and brain tissues of mice,promote the expres-sion of NF-κB protein in cells and tissues,inhibit the expression of JAK2 protein and STAT3 pro-tein,and then stimulate cells and tissues to produce inflammatory response.

A fixation device for experimental rat in moxibustion was developed. Using this device, the points for moxibustion can be fully exposed, and the temperature of moxibustion be relatively constant. This fixation device consists of three parts: fixation seat, fixation clip and moxa-stick holder; characterized as the flexible fixation and easy operation. The device is advantaged at simultaneous operation of moxibustion at many points and supports the point combinations. It makes up for the shortcomings of the existing fixation devices, reduces the workload of moxibustion in experimental rat and improves the work efficiency and experimental safety of experimenters.
Animals ; Rats ; Moxibustion/methods* ; Equipment Design ; Acupuncture Points ; Humans ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective:To evaluate a novel distraction reductor in the surgical treatment of unstable distal radius fractures with metaphyseal volar comminution.Methods:From January 2019 to December 2020, 27 patients with unstable distal radius fracture complicated with metaphyseal volar comminution were treated at Department of Orthopaedics, Zhoupu Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences. They were 6 males and 21 females, with an age of (69.4±9.4) years. All fractures were unilateral and closed, involving the right side in 17 cases and the left side in 10 cases. All patients were treated by internal fixation with an anatomical locking plate through the volar approach and the novel distraction reductor was used to reduce the fracture ends. Regular imaging examinations were performed to evaluate the reduction, maintenance and union of fractures after surgery. One year after operation, the curative efficacy was assessed by evaluation of the range of wrist motion, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score, Gartland-Werley score and Bartra radiology score.Results:All the operations went on successfully with a duration of (92.3±8.9) min. All the incisions healed primarily. The follow-up time was (15.9±2.9) months. The radial height, palmar tilt, ulnar inclination and articular surface step-off immediately after operation [(11.23±1.51) mm, 12.10°±3.44°, 20.54°±3.44°, and (0.95±0.42) mm] were not significantly lost compared with those one year after operation [(11.22±1.55) mm, 12.07°±3.44°, 20.51°±3.33°, and (0.93±0.40) mm] (all P>0.05). One year after operation, the range of wrist motion was good with dorsiflexion of 59.7°±5.5°, palm flexion of 63.0°±9.1°, pronation of 66.5°±5.5°, supination of 61.2°±5.6°, radial deviation of 22.7°±4.8°, and ulnar deviation of 30.3°±6.1°; DASH score was 13.5±5.5; Bartra radiology score was 88.6±6.5, giving an excellent and good rate of 88.9% (24/27);Gartland-Werley score was 2.7±2.1, giving an excellent and good rate of 92.6% (25/27). Follow-ups observed no poor fracture healing, internal fixation failure, tendon or nerve injury or traumatic arthritis. Conclusion:In the surgical treatment of unstable distal radius fractures with metaphyseal volar comminution, the novel distraction reductor can lead to ideal reduction of displaced fractures and effectively correct the shortening caused by volar cortex comminution to achieve satisfactory functional effects in clinic.

Objective To explore the relationship between serum iron(SI)metabolism and glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods A total of 170 T2DM patients hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology,Lanzhou University First Hospital from 2019 to 2021 were included.During the same period,30 healthy individuals from physical examination center were selected as the normal control(NC)group.Based on HbA1c control,T2DM patients were divided into subgroups with good blood glucose control(H1,HbA1c＜7%,n=39),poor glucose control(H2,7%＜HbA1c＜9%,n=63)and very poor glucose control(H3,HbA1c＞9%,n=68).According to the level of blood lipids,T2DM patients were divided into subgroups with normal blood lipids(L1,n=36)and high blood lipids(L2,n=134).Results Compared with NC group,age,SBP,DBP,BMI,serum ferritin(SF),FPG,FIns,HOMA-IR,TyG,TG,LDL-C and SUA increased inT2DM group(P＜0.05),while SI,TF,total iron binding capacity(TIBC),DI,HDL-C and eGFR decreased(P＜0.05).The levels of TF and TIBC in H3 subgroup were lower than those in H1 subgroup(P＜0.05).LDL-C of L2 subgroup was higher than that of L1 subgroup(P＜0.05),while HDL-C was lower than that of L1 subgroup(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that SF was positively correlated with HbA1c,TyG,TG and SUA(P＜0.05),and negatively correlated with HDL-C and eGFR(P＜0.05).TF was positively correlated with HDL-C and eGFR(P＜0.05),but negatively correlated with age,SBP,DBP,TyG and SUA(P＜0.05).Multiple linear regression analysis showed that SF and FPG were influencing factors for HbA1c in T2DM patients.Conclusion SI metabolism is closely related to glucose and lipid metabolism in T2DM patients.