BACKGROUND: There is a gap in understanding the effects of different acupoints and treatment methods (acupuncture and moxibustion) on microcirculatory changes in the lumbar region. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the thermal effects of acupuncture at Weizhong (BL40), with acupuncture at Chize (LU5) and moxibustion at both acupoints as control interventions. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS: In this randomized controlled trial, 140 healthy participants were equally divided into four groups: acupuncture at BL40 (Acu-BL40), acupuncture at LU5 (Acu-LU5), moxibustion at BL40 (Mox-BL40) and moxibustion at LU5 (Mox-LU5). Participants underwent a 30-minute session of their assigned treatment. Infrared thermal imaging was used to collect temperature data on the areas of interest for analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary measure was the change in average temperature of the observed area after the intervention. The secondary measures included periodic temperature changes every 5 min and the temperature changes of the Governor Vessel and Bladder Meridian in the observed area after the intervention. RESULTS: Significant interactions were observed between treatments and acupoints affecting temperature (P < 0.001). The Acu-BL40 group showed a notably higher increase in mean temperature after 30 min compared to the Acu-LU5 and Mox-BL40 groups, with increases of 0.29 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.17 to 0.41) and 0.24 (95% CI = 0.08 to 0.41) °C, respectively. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at BL40 acupoint can significantly increase the mean temperature in the observed area, highlighting the specific thermal effect of acupuncture compared to moxibustion in the lumbar area. This suggests a potential therapeutic benefit of acupuncture at BL40 for managing lumbar conditions. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05665426). Please cite this article as: Zheng SY, Wang XY, Lin LN, Liu S, Huang XX, Liu YY, Yu XS, Pan W, Fang JQ, Liang Y. Lumbar temperature change after acupuncture or moxibustion at Weizhong (BL40) or Chize (LU5) in healthy adults: A randomized controlled trial. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(2): 145-151.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Body Temperature ; Healthy Volunteers ; Lumbosacral Region/physiology* ; Moxibustion ; Adolescent

Polymer magnetic microspheres are a new type of composite functional materials,which have the advantages of stable structure,diverse modification methods,and magnetic response.These characteristics make polymer magnetic microspheres have the advantages of high sensitivity,high-specificity and fast response when detecting logo carriers or modified materials,and shows great application prospects in the fields of biomedicine and medical diagnosis.In this review,the basic properties of polymer magnetic microspheres were summarized,the research progresses of magnetic microspheres in the fields of biomedicine and medical diagnosis were emphatically introduced,and the improvement of preparation methods and development trends in the future were prospected.

Hot melt extrusion(HME)technology employs thermodynamic and kinetic principles to mix pharmaceutical polymers with crystalline drugs at high temperatures and extrude them,embedding drug molecules within the polymer matrix to form solid dispersions.Due to its solvent-free nature,capability for one-step processing,and support for continuous operation,HME has garnered significant attention in the pharmaceutical industry in recent years.This article introduced the basic principles and development history of HME technology and its marketed drugs.It reviewed the research progress of HME technology in improving drug solubility,masking taste,controlled release,targeted release,oral dispersible films,implant formulations,semi-solid formulations,and 3D printed formulations.Additionally,the article summarized the advantages and limitations of HME technology and provided an outlook on its future development.

Aim To identify the underlying target of bullatine A(BA)against rheumatoid arthritis(RA)u-sing limited proteolysis-small molecule mapping(LiP-SMap)drug target proteomics and to provide a scientif-ic basis for clinical application of Aconiti brachypodi Radix in the treatment of RA.Methods LiP-SMap drug target proteomics was employed to perform bioin-formatics analysis for comparing and validating the dif-ferential protein expression after BA intervention.A collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)model was estab-lished in DBA/1 mice using bovine type Ⅱ collagen.The mice were then divided into the CIA model group,methotrexate-positive control group(MTX group),and BA groups(10 mg·kg-1 and 20 mg·kg-1)based on their clinical scores.After drug intervention,the thera-peutic efficacy against RA was assessed by joint index scores and foot thickness measurements.Histopatholog-ical changes in the arthritic joints of CIA mice were e-valuated using hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was employed to detect inflammatory cytokines interleukin-17(IL-17)and total IgG and IgG3 anti-collagen-spe-cific antibodies levels from the serum of CIA mice.Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression levels of intracellular Th17 cells(IL-17+CD4+T cells)and Th1 cells(IFN-γ+CD4+T cells).Fluorescent quanti-tative PCR was performed to detect the expression of genes related to differential proteins.Results The proteomic analysis identified Serpinb1a as a protein with strong binding affinity to BA,and KEGG enrich-ment analysis indicated IL-17 signaling pathway was a crucial pathway of BA in against RA.BA treatment significantly reduced clinical scores and foot thickness,improved local arthritis symptoms in CIA mice,and al-leviated inflammatory cell infiltration into arthritic joints(P＜0.05).Differential protein validation re-sults showed that BA had strong affinity with Serpinb1a(-5.92 kJ·mol-1)and downregulated the expres-sion of Serpinb1a mRNA.Furthermore,the administra-tion of BA markedly reduced serum IL-17 A levels from CIA mice,inhibited the expression of intracellular IL-17 A and IFN-γ cytokines in splenic CD4+T cells(P＜0.05),and significantly downregulated the transcrip-tional expression of IL-17F(P＜0.05).Conclusion BA exhibits therapeutic effects on collagen-induced arthritis,and its mechanism of action may involve the regulation of Serpinb1a and the IL-17 signaling path-way.

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of membrane anatomy in laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer.Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted,involving 33 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer guided by membrane anatomy(observation group)from April 2023 to April 2024,compared with 35 patients who underwent traditional total mesorectal excision(control group)from March 2022 to March 2023.Surgical indicators(duration of surgery,intraoperative blood loss,and number of lymph nodes dissected)and postoperative recovery were compared between the two groups.Results There was no statistically significant difference in the operation time between the two groups[(173.8±14.7)min in the observation group vs.(179.1±15.3)min in the control group,t=-1.437,P=0.156].There were also no statistically significant differences in the postoperative hospital stay[(9.4±1.4)d vs.(9.8±2.4)d,t=-0.859,P=0.394]and in the incidence of various complications[12.1%(4/33)vs.20.0%(7/35),χ2=0.778,P=0.378].The intraoperative blood loss in the observation group was significantly less than that in the control group[(34.6±10.8)ml vs.(81.0±14.3)ml,t=-15.156,P=0.000].The number of lymph nodes dissected in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group(19.8±1.3 vs.12.4±1.9,t=18.684,P=0.000).The time to first flatus after surgery in the observation group was shorter than that in the control group[(50.4±6.5)h vs.(55.2±8.9)h,t=-2.557,P=0.013].The postoperative drainage time in the observation group was shorter than that in the control group[(5.9±1.1)d vs.(6.5±1.0)d,t=-2.532,P=0.014].A total of 66 cases were followed up for 8-39 months,with a median time of 25 months.The observation group had no metastasis,local recurrence,or death,while the control group had 1 case of liver metastasis,1 case of local recurrence,and 1 case of death from other systemic diseases.Conclusions The application of membrane anatomy in laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer can ensure complete mesorectal excision,expand the surgical field of view,minimize intraoperative bleeding,and enhance the thoroughness of lymph node dissection,thereby improving surgical quality.However,it fails to shorten the operation time.

Aim To identify the underlying target of bullatine A(BA)against rheumatoid arthritis(RA)u-sing limited proteolysis-small molecule mapping(LiP-SMap)drug target proteomics and to provide a scientif-ic basis for clinical application of Aconiti brachypodi Radix in the treatment of RA.Methods LiP-SMap drug target proteomics was employed to perform bioin-formatics analysis for comparing and validating the dif-ferential protein expression after BA intervention.A collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)model was estab-lished in DBA/1 mice using bovine type Ⅱ collagen.The mice were then divided into the CIA model group,methotrexate-positive control group(MTX group),and BA groups(10 mg·kg-1 and 20 mg·kg-1)based on their clinical scores.After drug intervention,the thera-peutic efficacy against RA was assessed by joint index scores and foot thickness measurements.Histopatholog-ical changes in the arthritic joints of CIA mice were e-valuated using hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was employed to detect inflammatory cytokines interleukin-17(IL-17)and total IgG and IgG3 anti-collagen-spe-cific antibodies levels from the serum of CIA mice.Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression levels of intracellular Th17 cells(IL-17+CD4+T cells)and Th1 cells(IFN-γ+CD4+T cells).Fluorescent quanti-tative PCR was performed to detect the expression of genes related to differential proteins.Results The proteomic analysis identified Serpinb1a as a protein with strong binding affinity to BA,and KEGG enrich-ment analysis indicated IL-17 signaling pathway was a crucial pathway of BA in against RA.BA treatment significantly reduced clinical scores and foot thickness,improved local arthritis symptoms in CIA mice,and al-leviated inflammatory cell infiltration into arthritic joints(P＜0.05).Differential protein validation re-sults showed that BA had strong affinity with Serpinb1a(-5.92 kJ·mol-1)and downregulated the expres-sion of Serpinb1a mRNA.Furthermore,the administra-tion of BA markedly reduced serum IL-17 A levels from CIA mice,inhibited the expression of intracellular IL-17 A and IFN-γ cytokines in splenic CD4+T cells(P＜0.05),and significantly downregulated the transcrip-tional expression of IL-17F(P＜0.05).Conclusion BA exhibits therapeutic effects on collagen-induced arthritis,and its mechanism of action may involve the regulation of Serpinb1a and the IL-17 signaling path-way.

Hot melt extrusion(HME)technology employs thermodynamic and kinetic principles to mix pharmaceutical polymers with crystalline drugs at high temperatures and extrude them,embedding drug molecules within the polymer matrix to form solid dispersions.Due to its solvent-free nature,capability for one-step processing,and support for continuous operation,HME has garnered significant attention in the pharmaceutical industry in recent years.This article introduced the basic principles and development history of HME technology and its marketed drugs.It reviewed the research progress of HME technology in improving drug solubility,masking taste,controlled release,targeted release,oral dispersible films,implant formulations,semi-solid formulations,and 3D printed formulations.Additionally,the article summarized the advantages and limitations of HME technology and provided an outlook on its future development.

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of membrane anatomy in laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer.Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted,involving 33 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer guided by membrane anatomy(observation group)from April 2023 to April 2024,compared with 35 patients who underwent traditional total mesorectal excision(control group)from March 2022 to March 2023.Surgical indicators(duration of surgery,intraoperative blood loss,and number of lymph nodes dissected)and postoperative recovery were compared between the two groups.Results There was no statistically significant difference in the operation time between the two groups[(173.8±14.7)min in the observation group vs.(179.1±15.3)min in the control group,t=-1.437,P=0.156].There were also no statistically significant differences in the postoperative hospital stay[(9.4±1.4)d vs.(9.8±2.4)d,t=-0.859,P=0.394]and in the incidence of various complications[12.1%(4/33)vs.20.0%(7/35),χ2=0.778,P=0.378].The intraoperative blood loss in the observation group was significantly less than that in the control group[(34.6±10.8)ml vs.(81.0±14.3)ml,t=-15.156,P=0.000].The number of lymph nodes dissected in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group(19.8±1.3 vs.12.4±1.9,t=18.684,P=0.000).The time to first flatus after surgery in the observation group was shorter than that in the control group[(50.4±6.5)h vs.(55.2±8.9)h,t=-2.557,P=0.013].The postoperative drainage time in the observation group was shorter than that in the control group[(5.9±1.1)d vs.(6.5±1.0)d,t=-2.532,P=0.014].A total of 66 cases were followed up for 8-39 months,with a median time of 25 months.The observation group had no metastasis,local recurrence,or death,while the control group had 1 case of liver metastasis,1 case of local recurrence,and 1 case of death from other systemic diseases.Conclusions The application of membrane anatomy in laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer can ensure complete mesorectal excision,expand the surgical field of view,minimize intraoperative bleeding,and enhance the thoroughness of lymph node dissection,thereby improving surgical quality.However,it fails to shorten the operation time.

With the development of radiotherapy technology, the role of radiotherapy in the treatment of primary liver cancer has been gradually recognized. In recent years, precision radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma has become a research hotspot. A number of clinical trials have shown that precision radiotherapy can significantly improve clinical prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. In this article, the research progress and existing problems of radiotherapy in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma were reviewed, aiming to provide literature support for the application of radiotherapy in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.