OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of acupuncture on improving ovarian hypofunction in aged rats from two perspectives: the overall regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis and the local ovarian follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)/cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway. METHODS: Six 3-month-old female SPF-grade Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were selected as the blank group. Another twelve 9-month-old female SD rats were randomly divided into a model group and an acupuncture group, with six rats in each. The acupuncture group received acupuncture at "Baihui" (GV20), "Guanyuan" (CV4), and bilateral "Ciliao" (BL32) for 20 min per session, once every other day, for a total of 10 sessions. Vaginal smear tests were performed daily to observe the estrous cycle of the rats. Ovarian morphology was observed using HE staining, and follicles at various stages were counted. ELISA was used to detect levels of serum FSH, luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E₂), anti-müllerian hormone (AMH), hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), pituitary FSH and LH, and ovarian cAMP. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect the protein expression of ovarian cAMP protein kinase catalytic subunit, FSH receptor (FSHR), and P450. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to measure mRNA expression levels of FSHR and P450 in ovarian tissue. RESULTS: Compared with the blank group, the model group showed an increased rate of estrous cycle disorder (P<0.01), reduced granulosa cell layers with blurred boundaries and disordered arrangement, decreased numbers of developing follicles at all stages, and increased numbers of atretic follicles (P<0.01); the serum levels of FSH and LH were increased (P<0.01), while E₂ and AMH levels were decreased (P<0.01); the hypothalamic GnRH and pituitary FSH and LH levels were elevated (P<0.01), and ovarian cAMP level was decreased (P<0.01); the positive expression and protein expression of ovarian P450, cAMP protein kinase catalytic subunit, and FSHR were reduced (P<0.01), and ovarian FSHR and P450 mRNA expression was decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the acupuncture group showed a reduced rate of estrous cycle disorder (P<0.01), clear granulosa cell margins, increased numbers of primordial and secondary follicles, and decreased numbers of atretic follicles (P<0.01); the serum FSH and LH levels were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), while E₂ and AMH levels were increased (P<0.05, P<0.01); the hypothalamic GnRH and pituitary FSH and LH levels were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), and ovarian cAMP level was increased (P<0.01); the positive expression and protein expression of ovarian P450, cAMP protein kinase catalytic subunit, and FSHR were elevated (P<0.01), and ovarian FSHR and P450 mRNA expression was increased (P<0.01). CONCLUSION Acupuncture could delay ovarian hypofunction in aged rats, possibly through regulating the HPO axis and the FSH/cAMP signaling pathway.
Animals ; Female ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone/genetics* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Ovary/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Humans ; Cyclic AMP/metabolism* ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/metabolism* ; Aging/metabolism* ; Hypothalamus/metabolism* ; Pituitary Gland/metabolism* ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone/metabolism*

Objective To explore the effects of Buyang Huanwu Decoction on neuronal cell apoptosis after cerebral ischemia based on mediating Cav1 in regulating Wnt pathway.Methods Male wild-type(WT)and Cav1-/-(KO)C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into sham-operation group,model group and Buyang Huanwu Decoction group(18.5 g/kg).Cerebral ischemia model was prepared using middle cerebral artery occlusion method,and drug intervention was given for 14 days.Neurobehavioral score was performed,HE staining was used to observe the morphology of ischemic cortical area of brain tissue,TUNEL staining was used to detect neuronal apoptosis in ischemic cortical area,immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of apoptosis related proteins and Wnt1,glycogen synthase kinase 3β(GSK3β)and β-catenin protein in ischemic cortical area.Results Compared with the same genotype sham-operation group,the neurobehavioral score of the model group mice significantly increased,neuronal cells in the ischemic cortical area showed vacuolar changes,with nuclear condensation and widened intercellular spaces,the apoptosis rate of nerve cells significantly increased,with increased expressions of Bax,GSK3β and decreased expressions of Bcl-2,Wnt1 and β-catenin(P<0.01).Compared with the same genotype model group,the neurobehavioral score of mice in Buyang Huanwu Decoction group were significantly decreased,the pathological damage of the ischemic cortical area improved,the apoptosis rate of nerve cells decreased,the expressions of Bax and GSK3β decreased,and the expressions of Bcl-2,Wnt1 and β-catenin increased(P<0.01).Compared with the WT model group,the KO model group showed an increase in neurobehavioral score,aggravated damage in ischemic cortical area,significantly increased neuronal apoptosis rate,and increased expression of GSK3β(P<0.05).Compared with the WT Buyang Huanwu Decoction group,the KO Buyang Huanwu Decoction group showed an increase in neurobehavioral score,aggravated damage in ischemic cortical area,significantly increased neuronal apoptosis rate,increased expressions of Bax and GSK3β,and decreased expressions of Bcl-2,Wnt1 and β-catenin(P<0.01).Conclusion Buyang Huanwu Decoction can inhibit neuronal cell apoptosis after cerebral ischemia,and its mechanism may be related to regulating the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins by mediating Cav1 to regulate the Wnt signaling pathway.

Objective:To explore the clinical significance of event-related potential P300 in the diagnosis and treatment of cognitive function in patients with chronic insomnia combined with anxiety and depression.Methods:Sixty patients with chronic insomnia complicated with anxiety and depression treated in Wuhan First Hospital from October 2020 to March 2021 were selected as the observation group, and 60 healthy volunteers were selected as the control group in the same period.Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) and Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) were used to evaluate the anxiety and depression status of patients.Mini mental state examination (MMSE) and Montreal cognitive assessment scale (MoCA) were used to evaluate the cognitive function of the subjects.All subjects were tested for P300 event-related potential, and the latency and amplitude of P300 event-related potential were recorded.SPSS 25.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Independent sample t-test was used for comparison between groups.Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between cognitive function and P300 event-related potential. Results:The scores of HAMA ((16.65±5.10), (9.30±4.42)) and HAMD ((18.07±3.97), (8.48±3.21)) in the observation group were higher than those in the control group ( t=8.438, 14.545, both P<0.05), and the MoCA score (22.35±4.25) was lower than that(25.65±2.29) in the control group ( t=-5.291, P<0.05). In the eight dimensions of MoCA, the scores of visual space and executive ability ((3.38±1.46), (4.63±0.69)), naming ((2.37±0.78), (2.65±0.48)), language ((2.17±0.96), (2.53±0.81)) and delayed recall ((2.58±1.45), (4.17±0.85))in the observation group were lower than those in the control group ( t=-5.991, -2.394, -2.259, -7.292, all P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the latencies of P300 (N1, N2, P3) in the observation group were significantly prolonged ( t=3.281, 4.342, 4.492, all P<0.01). The latencies of P300 (N1, N2, P3) were positively correlated with HAMD score ( r=0.242, 0.301, 0.311, all P<0.05). The latencies of P300 (N2, P3) were positively correlated with HAMA score ( r=0.205, 0.207, both P<0.05). The latencies of P300 (N2, P3) were negatively correlated with the delayed recall score of MoCA ( r=-0.197, -0.236, both P<0.05). Conclusion:There are different degrees of cognitive impairment in patients with chronic insomnia combined with anxiety and depression.P300 in patients with chronic insomnia combined with anxiety and depression shows prolonged latency.P300 latency is related to depression, anxiety and cognition in patients with chronic insomnia combined with anxiety and depression.Event-related potential P300 may be used as a neurophysiological objective evaluation tool for cognitive impairment in patients with chronic insomnia combined with anxiety and depression.

Indonesia is an island country in Southeast Asia. In 2014, Indonesia established the National Health Insurance System (NHIS), and until 2019, the NHIS hadcovered 82% residents. The leading causes of death in Indonesia were stroke, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, tuberculosis and cirrhosis. In 1996, the Indonesian Ministry of Health allowed acupuncturists to enter Indonesian medical institutions to practice acupuncture. After that acupuncture was included in college education as a major course. However, there are still some problems, such as insufficient policy and legislation support of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), imperfect education and talent training system of TCM, and low acceptance of TCM theories. Therefore, it is recommended that the local societies and organizations could actively promote the government’s legislation on TCM; local TCM schools could build a team of excellent teachers, improve teaching quality, and cultivate local TCM talents; strengthen the cooperation and exchanges of traditional medicine between the two countries to promote the spread and development of TCM in Indonesia.

Statins are a kind of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, which are commonly used to reduce cholesterol level, and prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In recent years, more and more researches have showed that statins could inhibit angiogenesis through inhibiting the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of cancer cells, and could promote cancer cells apoptosis and synergetically enhance the effect of radiotherapy and chemotherapy to play a potential anti-tumor role. This paper reviews the domestic and foreign research progresses of the anti-tumor mechanisms of statins.

In recent years, acupuncture has been used widely as an adjuvant treatment for the in vitro fertilization (IVF). " " published in on May 15, 2018, the research findings do not support the use of acupuncture to improve the rate of live births among the women undergoing IVF. In order to avoid the misunderstanding of the scholars at home and abroad for the clinical effects of acupuncture on IVF assistance, the authors put forward the doubts after the analysis from the following 3 aspects, including the acupuncture scheme, outcomes and result explanation. Additionally, the thinking and suggestions are proposed for the future development of the clinical trials of acupuncture IVF assistance in terms of selecting the proper participants, being abided by the standards of the evidence-based medicine, designing multi-acupuncture schemes and setting up the rational control, as well as conducting the overall analysis of the trial data.
Acupuncture ; American Medical Association ; Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Humans ; Live Birth ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; United States