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*

Hyaluronan and proteoglycan link protein 1(Hapln1)supports active cardiomyogenesis in zebrafish hearts,but its regulation in mammal cardiomyocytes is unclear.This study aimed to explore the potential regulation of Hapln1 in the dedifferentiation and proliferation of cardiomyocytes and its therapeutic value in myocardial infarction with human induced pluripotent stem cell(hiPSC)-derived car-diomyocytes(CMs)and an adult mouse model of myocardial infarction.HiPSC-CMs and adult mice with myocardial infarction were used as in vitro and in vivo models,respectively.Previous single-cell RNA sequencing data were retrieved for bioinformatic exploration.The results showed that recombinant human Hapln1(rhHapln1)promotes the proliferation of hiPSC-CMs in a dose-dependent manner.As a physical binding protein of Hapln1,versican interacted with Nodal growth differentiation factor(NODAL)and growth differentiation factor 11(GDF11).GDF11,but not NODAL,was expressed by hiPSC-CMs.GDF11 expression was unaffected by rhHapln1 treatment.However,this molecule was required for rhHapln1-mediated activation of the transforming growth factor(TGF)-β/Drosophila mothers against decapentaplegic protein(SMAD)2/3 signaling in hiPSC-CMs,which stimulates cell dedifferentiation and proliferation.Recombinant mouse Hapln1(rmHapln1)could induce cardiac regeneration in the adult mouse model of myocardial infarction.In addition,rmHapln1 induced hiPSC-CM proliferation.In conclusion,Hapln1 can stimulate the dedifferentiation and proliferation of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes by promoting versican-based GDF11 trapping and subsequent activation of the TGF-β/SMAD2/3 signaling pathway.Hapln1 might be an effective hiPSC-CM dedifferentiation and proliferation agent and a po-tential reagent for repairing damaged hearts.

Objective To explore the diagnostic efficacy of serum 14-3-3β protein combined with fractional exhaled nitric oxide(FeNO)and conventional ventilatory lung function parameters in diagnosing bronchial asthma(referred to as"asthma")in children.Methods A prospective study included 136 children initially diagnosed with asthma during an acute episode as the asthma group,and 85 healthy children undergoing routine health checks as the control group.The study compared the differences in serum 14-3-3β protein concentrations between the two groups,analyzed the correlation of serum 14-3-3β protein with clinical indices,and evaluated the diagnostic efficacy of combining 14-3-3β protein,FeNO,and conventional ventilatory lung function parameters for asthma in children.Results The concentration of serum 14-3-3β protein was higher in the asthma group than in the control group(P<0.001).Serum 14-3-3β protein showed a positive correlation with the percentage of neutrophils and total serum immunoglobulin E,and a negative correlation with conventional ventilatory lung function parameters(P<0.05).Cross-validation of combined indices showed that the combination of 14-3-3β protein,FeNO,and the percentage of predicted value of forced expiratory flow at 75%of lung volume had an area under the curve of 0.948 for predicting asthma,with a sensitivity and specificity of 88.9%and 93.7%,respectively,demonstrating good diagnostic efficacy(P<0.001).The model had the best extrapolation.Conclusions The combination of serum 14-3-3β protein,FeNO,and the percentage of predicted value of forced expiratory flow at 75%of lung volume can significantly improve the diagnostic efficacy for asthma in children.

Platycodonis Radix is the dry root of Platycodon grandiflorum of Campanulaceae, which has a variety of pharmacological effects and is a commonly used bulk Chinese medicine. In this study, the chloroplast genome sequences of six P. grandiflorum from different producing areas has been sequenced with Illumina HiSeq X Ten platform. The specific DNA barcodes were screened, and the germplasm resources and genetic diversity were analyzed according to the specific barcodes. The total length of the chloroplast genome of 6 P. grandiflorum samples was 172 260-172 275 bp, and all chloroplast genomes showed a typical circular tetrad structure and encoded 141 genes. The comparative genomics analysis and results of amplification efficiency demonstrated that trnG-UCC and ndhG_ndhF were the potential specific DNA barcodes for identification the germplasm resources of P. grandiflorum. A total of 305 P. grandiflorum samples were collected from 15 production areas in 9 provinces, for which the fragments of trnG-UCC and ndhG_ndhF were amplificated and the sequences were analyzed. The results showed that trnG-UCC and ndhG_ndhF have 5 and 11 mutation sites, respectively, and 5 and 7 haplotypes were identified, respectively. The combined analysis of the two sequences formed 13 haplotypes (named Hap1-Hap13), and Hap4 is the main genotype, followed by Hap1. The unique haplotypes possessed by the three producing areas can be used as DNA molecular tags in this area to distinguish from the germplasm resources of P. grandiflorum from other areas. The haplotype diversity, nucleotide diversity and genetic distance were 0.94, 4.79×10^-3 and 0.000 0-0.020 3, respectively, suggesting that the genetic diversity was abundant and intraspecific kinship was relatively close. This study laid a foundation for the identification of P. grandiflorum, the protection and utilization of germplasm resources, and molecular breeding.

italic>Acanthopanax senticosus is one of the genuine regional herb in Northeast China. In this study, we identified the germplasm resources of commercial A. senticosus samples based on atpI and atpB_rbcL according to the previous chloroplast genome sequencing results, and determinated the content of syringin by HPLC to evaluated the quality of commercial samples. A total of 80 A. senticosus samples were collected from 47 cities in 24 provinces. DNA was extracted to amplify the products of atpI and atpB_rbcL by PCR. The results showed that 7 haplotypes (H2, H5, H8, H10, H12, H14, H23) were formed by the combined analysis of the two gene fragments. H2 from Yichun in Heilongjiang, Shangzhi in Harbin, Suihua in Heilongjiang, Fushun in Liaoning, Benxi in Liaoning, Changbai in Jilin and Jingyu in Jilin were the dominant genotype, representing 58.75% of the total samples. H14 and H23 were the unique haplotypes of the producing area. It is speculated that the commercial A. senticosus samples with haplotypes of H14 and H23 are from Raohe, Shuangyashan, Heilongjiang and Mingshui, Suihua, Heilongjiang, respectively. HPLC analysis indicated that the content of syringin in 73.96% of the samples met the Pharmacopoeia standards. There was a significant difference in the content of syringin among the samples, ranging from 0.003 7% to 0.524 5%, with a difference of 0.520 8%, indicating that the quality of the samples in the market of A. senticosus was uneven. However, there were no significant differences in the contents of syringin in the commercial A. senticosus among different haplotypes. The content of syringin in the haplotype H23 in the market sample is relatively high, so it may be a germplasm with better quality. This study researched the germplasm resources and medicinal materials quality of commercial A. senticosus samples and will help guide the commercial circulation, reasonable medication of A. senticosus, and the screening of excellent germplasm.

In order to improve the level of refined management of medical consumables, a hospital used radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to map the unique device identification barcode of medical devices to the supply-processing-distribution (SPD) code, generating a medical consumables RFID tag code with dual code carrier function and a unique serial number. The " three streams in one" mutual integration management mode of hospital information flow, material flow and financial flow was constructed, which realized the whole lifecycle traceability of medical consumables, effectively improved the intelligence and accuracy of inventory control, further optimized the integration function of medical consumables industry and finance, and provided strong data support for the decision-making analysis of hospital operation and management.

N6-methyladenosine(m6A)is the most abundant modification of RNA methylation,dynamically regulated by"writer"and"eraser",regulating the expression of target genes by modulating key biological processes such as mRNA splicing,stability,and translation,after being recognized and combined by"reader".Recent studies have revealed that m6A modifica-tion can regulate the expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters,consequently affecting the body's drug meta-bolic rate or intracellular drug concentrations,and ultimately in-fluencing therapeutic outcomes.This article reviews the research progress of the molecular mechanism of m6A modification regula-ting drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters,so as to pro-vide a new idea for rational and personalized clinicaldrug use.

Objective To establish a health education program for home emergency management of acute complications of diabetes in the elderly.Methods The program was drafted by literature review and panel discussion.The final draft was formed after two rounds of correspondence from 13 experts.Results The recovery rate of the two rounds of expert correspondence was 100%,and the expert authority coefficient was 0.98.The Kendall's harmony coefficients of the two rounds of correspondence were 0.263 and 0.212 respectively(both P<0.001).The established health education program included indicators of three categories:early stage of acute complications of diabetes at home(understanding the inducing factors),emergency warning(quick and early identification in case of emergency),and emergency treatment at home.Conclusion The contents of the health education program are systematic and reliable and meet the needs of health education for home emergency management of the elderly with diabetes.
Humans ; Aged ; Delphi Technique ; Health Education ; Diabetes Mellitus/therapy* ; Diabetes Complications

italic>Atractylodes chinensis has important medicinal and economic values. In this study, the chloroplast genome sequences of four A. chinensis samples from different producing areas were sequenced using the Illumina platform. The specific DNA barcodes were screened and the germplasm resources of A. chinensis samples from different producing areas and the genetic diversity of the population were analyzed basing on the specific barcodes. The whole chloroplast genomes of the four A. chinensis samples had a typical cyclic tetrad structure, with 112 genes annotated. The comparative genomics results indicated that ccsA and trnC-GCA_petN were potential specific DNA barcodes for intraspecific identification of A. chinensis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of ccsA and trnC-GCA_petN was performed on 256 samples from 14 areas in 9 provinces, and the amplification efficiency was 100%. Sequence analysis showed that ccsA and trnC-GCA_petN had 11 and 22 variant positions, which could identify 16 and 22 haplotypes, respectively. The combined sequence analysis identified 39 haplotypes, named Hap1-Hap39, of which the most abundant and widely distributed genotype was Hap9. Haplotype diversity (H_d) = 0.896 and nucleotide diversity (Pi) = 0.002 22 indicated high genetic diversity at the species level in A. chinensis. The genetic distances of the haplotypes were 0.000 00-0.004 88, indicating that there were small genetic differences among the haplotypes. The results of phylogenetic tree analysis showed that 39 haplotypes had very close genetic relationship, and formed two obvious branches with other groups of the same genus except Atractylodes macrocephala. This study plays an important role in the identification of the origin of A. chinensis and the protection and breeding of germplasm resources.

Aim To explore the effect of artesunate (ART) on the function of breast cancer cells during the progression of breast cancer and the possible mechanism of action. Methods MCF-7 (30 μmol • L-