OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of stuck acupuncture combined with facial acupuncture for facial cosmetology. METHODS: A total of 22 female patients with symptoms of facial aging were treated with stuck acupuncture combined with facial acupuncture. Stuck acupuncture was applied at bilateral Taiyang (EX-HN5) through Xiaguan (ST7), Jiache (ST6) through Daying (ST5) and Yingxiang (LI20)，once a week. Facial acupuncture was applied at Yintang (GV24⁺), ashi points (nasolabial fold) and bilateral Yangbai (GB14), Quanliao (SI18), Sibai (ST2), Xiaguan (ST7), Dicang (ST4), Jiache (ST6), Daying (ST5), Renying (ST9), twice a week. Four weeks were required. The global aesthetic improvement scale (GAIS) score after treatment, wrinkle severity rating scale (WSRS) score before and after treatment were observed. The quantitative analysis of skin characteristics was performed before and after treatment. RESULTS: After treatment, of the 22 patients, 3 cases had complete improvement, 15 cases had obvious improvement, 4 cases had partial improvement, 0 case had no improvement. The WSRS score and scores of wrinkles, textures and pores were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.01). CONCLUSION Stuck acupuncture combined with facial acupuncture could effectively improve the symptoms of facial aging.
Humans ; Female ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Face ; Acupuncture Points ; Skin Aging ; Treatment Outcome ; Aged

Based on the theory of the five-body constituents from Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic), the approach and methods of acupuncture for facial aging are explored. Acupuncture for facial aging can be guided by the concept of the five-body constituents, targeting the facial "skin, flesh, vessels, tendons, and bones", and utilizing five different types of needles-facial needles, needle knives, filiform needles, retaining needles, and elongated needles and filiform needles-to maximize their respective advantages in treating facial aging. Facial needles are applied to the "skin" by selecting facial acupoints or local ashi points (at wrinkle or pigmentation sites). Needle knives are used for the "flesh" to perform longitudinal dredging and transverse dissection of the facial muscle layers. Filiform needles target the "vessels" with needling at Renying (ST9) to improve facial complexion. Retaining needles act on the "tendons" with needling from Taiyang (EX-HN5) to Xiaguan (ST7), and Jiache (ST6) to Daying (ST5), using clockwise twisting to generate a retaining needle sensation and lifting to achieve an overall facial lifting effect.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Face ; Skin Aging ; Acupuncture Points ; Aging

Objective:To investigate the effect of up-regulation of microRNA-31(miRNA-31)on the osteogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells(DPSCs),and to elucidate its possible mechanism.Methods:The DPSCs in logarithmic growth phase were divided into control group(no treatment),NC group(transfected with random sequence control),Agomir group(transfected withmiR-31 mimic agomiR-31),and combination group(transfected with miR-31 mimic agomiR-31 and added with XAV939).After 48 h of transfection,real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)was used to detect the expression levels of miR-31 in the DPSCs in various groups.MTT assay was used to detect the proliferation abilities of the DPSCs in various groups.Alizarin red staining was used to detect calcium deposition in the DPSCs in various groups.Alkaline phosphatase(ALP)staining was used to detect the degree of osteogenic differentiation of the DPSCs in various groups.Western blotting method was used to detect the expression levels of proteins related to the wingless-type MMTV integration site family(Wnt)/β-catenin signaling pathway in the DPSCs in various groups.Results:There were no significant differences in the miR-31 expression level,the cell proliferation abilities at 24,48 and 72 h,the ratio of calcified region,and the ALP ability between control group and NC group(P＞0.05).Compared with control group and NC group,the expression level of miR-31,the cell proliferation abilities at 24,48 and 72 h,the ratio of calcified region,and the ALP activity in the DPSCs in Agomir group were increased(P＜0.05).Compared with Agomir group,the expression level of miR-31,the cell proliferation abilities at 24,48 and 72 h,the ratio of calcified region,and the ALP activity in the DPSCs in combination group were decreased(P＜0.05).There were no significant difference in the expression levels of glycogen synthase kinase 3β(GSK-3β),β-catenin and Runt-associated transcription factor 2(Runx2)in the DPSCs between control group and NC group(P＞0.05).Compared with control group and NC group,the expression level of GSK-3β protein in the DPSCs in Agomir group was decreased(P＜0.05),and the expression levels of β-catenin and Runx2 proteins in the DPSCs were increased(P＜0.05).Compared with Agomir group,the expression level of GSK-3β protein in the DPSCs in combination group was increased(P＜0.05),while the expression levels of β-catenin and Runx2 proteins were decreased(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Up-regulation of miR-31 can promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs,and its mechanism may be related to the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Objective To explore the protective effect of L-carnitine on myocardial systolic dysfunction in sepsis and its underlying mechanism.Methods A mouse sepsis model was established by cecal ligation and puncture(CLP).Ten-week-old male SPF-grade C57BL/6 mice(body weight 20～30 g)were randomly divided into 5 groups via random number table:Sham group,Sepsis group,L-carnitine group,L-carnitine+Etomoxir(Eto)group,and Eto group.Echocardiography assessed cardiac function,ELISA measured serum creatine kinase isoenzyme MB(CK-MB)levels,and 72-hour survival rates were recorded to evaluate L-carnitine's effects on cardiac function.Cardiomyocytes were isolated,and a cell microtensiometer was used to detect cardiomyocyte contractile function and calcium transients.Myocardial tissues were collected from each group,and ELISA was used to determine the contents of triglyceride(TG),free fatty acid(FFA),and adenosine triphosphate(ATP).An in vitro sepsis model was constructed by stimulating HL-1 cardiomyocytes with lipopolysaccharide(LPS)for 12 hours,which was divided into 5 groups:control(CTRL)group,LPS group,L-carnitine group,L-carnitine+Eto group,and Eto group.ELISA was used to detect the contents of TG,FFA,and ATP as well as the activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A(CPT1A)in cardiomyocytes.A cellular energy metabolism analysis system was employed to measure fatty acid oxidation capacity,and Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of CPT1A in cardiomyocytes.BODIPY-FL-C16(green fluorescently labeled palmitic acid)was utilized to detect the distribution of fatty acids in the cytoplasm and mitochondria via immunofluorescence technology,thereby observing the ability of cells to transport fatty acids into mitochondria.Results Compared with the Sham group,cardiac function was significantly impaired in the Sepsis group,as evidenced by decreased ejection fraction and mean arterial pressure(P<0.05),along with elevated levels of the cardiac injury marker CK-MB(P<0.05).Treatment with L-carnitine significantly improved myocardial function,restored blood pressure in septic mice,and increased their survival rate from 12.50%to 81.25%(P<0.05).Compared with the Sham group,the contractile function and calcium transients of acutely isolated single cardiomyocytes were significantly reduced in the Sepsis group(P<0.05),while L-carnitine treatment remarkably restored the contractile function and calcium release capacity of septic cardiomyocytes(P<0.05).Both in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that TG and FFA levels were significantly increased(P<0.05),and ATP levels was significantly decreased(P<0.05)in the Sepsis and LPS groups—effects significantly reversed by L-carnitine treatment.Compared with the CTRL group,the basal oxidation rate and maximum oxidation capacity of fatty acids in cardiomyocytes of the LPS group were significantly reduced(P<0.05),and L-carnitine treatment notably improved these indicators.Compared with the CTRL group,the expression and activity of CPT1A in cardiomyocytes of the LPS group were significantly decreased(P<0.05),while L-carnitine treatment significantly increased the expression and activity of CPT1A(P<0.05).In LPS group cardiomyocytes,green fluorescently labeled palmitic acid primarily formed numerous granular/clumpy aggregates in the cytoplasm with minimal mitochondrial colocalization.In the L-carnitine group,the green fluorescent granules in the cytoplasm of cardiomyocytes were smaller,and colocalization with mitochondria was increased.However,the L-carnitine+Eto group exhibited similar phenomena to the LPS group.In addition,both in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that treatment with the CPT1A inhibitor Eto reversed the effect of L-carnitine.Compared with the L-carnitine group,the ATP content in the L-carnitine+Eto group was significantly decreased(P<0.05),while the FFA content was significantly increased(P<0.05).Conclusion L-carnitine facilitates fatty acid entry into mitochondria for β-oxidation via a CPT1A-dependent mechanism,thereby ameliorating fatty acid oxidation dysfunction in septic cardiomyocytes and improving myocardial contractile function.

ObjectiveTo analyze the traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） patterns in patients with spasmodic torticollis and provide reference for standardized differentiation and clinical treatment. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in the spasmodic torticollis outpatient clinic and dystonia ward of the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from June 2022 to December 2023. The general information including gender， age， duration of disease and type， and the TCM four examinations data such as symptoms， tongue manifestation and pulse manifestation of 198 patients with spasmodic torticollis were obtained by means of on-site questionnaires. Descriptive frequency analysis， factor analysis， and cluster analysis were performed， and the distribution of major TCM patterns were summarized based on the clinical information. ResultsA total of 198 patients with spasmodic torticollis were included， of which 89 （44.95%） were male and 109 （55.05%） were female， with an average age of 40.70±0.96 years and an average course of disease of 24.78±2.32 months. A total of 296 symptoms/signs were obtained， with a cumulative frequency of 6756 times， of which 58 symptoms/signs had a frequency ≥20%， and the top three were neck and back stiffness （83.84%）， condition related to emotions （74.75%） and irritability （72.73%）. Factor analysis of 58 symptoms/signs showed that factor rotation converged after 51 iterations， resulting in 20 common factors with a cumulative contribution of 64.03%. The top three syndrome elements related to the location of the disease were liver， channels， tendons and bones， and those related nature of the disease were dominated by qi stagnation， blood stasis and yin deficiency. The cluster analysis of the 20 common factors showed that the main TCM patterns were internal stirring of liver wind syndrome， liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome， turbid phlegm obstruction syndrome， and pathogen congested in the channels syndrome. Among the 198 patients， 81 were diagnosed with internal stirring of liver wind syndrome， 60 with liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome， 37 with turbid phlegm obstruction syndrome， and 20 with pathogen congested in the channels syndrome.There was no statistically significant difference in the distribution of TCM patterns among patients of different genders， age groups， and duration of disease （P＞0.05）. ConclusionSpasmodic torticollis is mainly located in the liver， mostly with internal stirring of liver wind syndrome， liver-kidney yin deficiency syndrome， turbid phlegm obstruction syndrome， and pathogen congested in the channels syndrome.

Objective To predict the core targets and action pathways of Hedysari Radix based on UPLC-MS/MS and network pharmacology methods,and to verify the results of network pharmacology by molecular docking and molecular dynamics techniques.This article aims to investigate immune regulation mechanism of effective components absorbed into blood from Hedysari Radix.Methods Qualitative quantification of effective components absorbed into blood from Hedysari Radix were operated by using UPLC-MS/MS technique.The corresponding targets of effective components absorbed into blood from Hedysari Radix were screened by TCMSP and HERB databases.Targets of immune-related disease were obtained through DisGeNET,OMIM,TTD,and MalaCards databases.The network of"components absorbed into blood from Hedysari Radix-immune-related diseases"was then constructed.GO and KEGG enrichment analysis and mapped the PPI network were performed.Molecular docking and molecular dynamics techniques were applied for validation.Results A total of 8 prototype components absorbed into blood,synergistically acting on 101 targets,were identified by UPLC-MS/MS.They mediated 538 biological processes including immune response,positive regulation of gene expression,receptor binding,and cytokine activity.Meanuhile,116 signaling pathways,such as HIF-1,Toll-like receptor,JAK-STAT,T cell receptor,PI3K-Akt,and FoxO etc.were involved.The core targets were MAPK14,PTGS2,MMP9,PPARG,CCND1,etc..The results of molecular docking showed that formononetin and calycosin had strong docking binding activity with MAPK14.And molecular dynamics simulations further demonstrated that the binding between MAPK14 and formononetin or calycosin had good structural stability and binding affinity.Conclusion The results of serum pharmacochemistry,network pharmacology and molecular dynamics were verified to reveal the material basis and mechanism of Hedysari Radix in regulating immunity.The aim of this study is to provide scientific basis for its immunomodulatory mechanism.

Primary liver cancer is a common malignant digestive system tumor, with hepatocellular carcinoma being the most common pathological type. Radiomics significantly boosts the efficiency of predictions by accurately capturing the intrinsically heterogeneous features of tumors that are difficult to discern with the human eye in imaging images. This article outlines the background and concepts of radiomics, introduces its latest research progress in various aspects, such as diagnosis and differential diagnosis, prediction of pathological molecular subtypes, efficacy evaluation, and survival prediction, and further discusses its limitations and prospects in HCC.

68Ga-DOTATATE/18F-FDG two-day low-dose total-body PET/CT imaging is increasingly employed to facilitate the diagnosis,prognosis,and heterogeneity assessment of neuroendocrine neoplasms.We present a consensus on operational guideline for a two-day combined imaging from experts in low-dose/ultra-low-dose total-body PET/CT from several domestic medical institutions.

Objective To investigate the difference of surgical effect of exclusion,simple continuous suture and circular suture suspension in TAPP for the treatment of false hernia sac in patients with direct inguinal hernia.Method From May 2020 to May 2022,120 patients diagnosed with direct inguinal hernia and treated with TAPP in our hospital were retrospectively.The false hernia sacs were divided into three groups according to different methods of treatment patients treated with false hernia sac exclusion were included in group A,those treated with simple continuous suture were included in group B,and those treated with circular suture suspension were included in group C.There were 40 patients in each group.The perioperative indicators(operation time,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative hospital stay,hospitalization cost)and postoperative effects(chronic pain,seroma,incision or mesh infection,foreign body traction feeling)were compared among the three groups.Results All 120 patients successfully completed TAPP surgery.There was no significant difference in general condition,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative hospital stay,wound or mesh infection and chronic pain among the three groups(P＞0.05).The operation time of group B and C was longer than that of group A,and the incidence of seroma was significantly lower than that of group A,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The incidence of foreign body traction in group A and group C was lower than that in group B,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The hospitalization cost of group B and group C was lower than that of group A,with statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).Conclusion In clinical practice,direct hernia and false hernia sac often need to be treated.In direct hernia TAPP operation,simple continuous suture method and circular suture suspension method have the effect of improving the condition of the false hernia sac,but in terms of economy and postoperative effect,the circular suture suspension method can benefit patients more.

Objective:To improve the teaching quality of Medical Microbiology by optimizing the teaching method,adjusting the teaching content and reforming the assessment model.Methods:The students of grade 2020 and 2021 of the same major were divided into the control group and the reform group.The control group received the traditional teaching method.The reform group received the"online + offline"blended teaching method,which integrates online learning resources and ideological and political education into the theoretical content of the curriculum.And the whole process assessment system was applied to the teaching method.The teaching quality was evaluated by the whole process examination results and questionnaire survey.Results:Compared with the control group,the score in the reform group was significantly improved(P＜0.01).Results of the questionnaire survey showed that students'satisfaction with the mixed teaching method reached 97.5% .The integration of hot issues of microbiology and curriculum ideological and political education significantly improved students'learning interest,and more students wanted to engage in the work of microbiology related fields in the future.Conclusion:The practice results show that optimizing the teaching method,adjusting the teaching content and reforming the assessment mode can stimulate the students'learning interest,improve the students'independent learning ability and improve the teaching quality.