Objective: To investigate the effect of auricular therapy on sleep improvement and the GABAergic system pathway in a rat model of insomnia and to explore its possible mechanism. Methods: According to the random number table, 60 male SD rats were randomly divided into blank control, model, auricular point sticking, auricular bloodletting, and auricular bloodletting combined with sticking groups, with 12 rats per group. Insomnia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of p-chlorophenylalanine. After establishing the insomnia model, 36 rats were treated once a day with auricular point sticking or bloodletting for 5 consecutive days. After the intervention, the general condition and body weight of rats were observed; the righting reflex test was used to detect the sleep latency and duration; HE staining was used to observe the morphology of hypothalamic neuron cells; and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the GABA and glutamate content in rat serum. Immunohistochemistry(IHC) and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to detect GABA ARα1 and GABA ARγ2 protein and mRNA expression in the hypothalamus of rats, and Western blotting(WB) was used to detect GABA ARα1, GABA ARγ2, GAD65/67, GAT-1, and GABA-T protein expression in the hypothalamus of rats. Results: Compared with the blank control group, the model group had a lower body weight, a significantly shorter sleep duration (P<0.05), severe damage to the morphological structure of hypothalamic neurons with disordered cell arrangement, larger intercellular gaps, enlarged cell bodies, and a vacuolated appearance. All the intervention groups had significantly higher body weight and longer sleep duration than the model group (P<0.05). Compared with the other intervention groups, the auricular point sticking group had a longer sleep duration (P<0.05), and the hypothalamic neuron cells in all intervention groups improved, with the auricular point sticking group showing more apparent improvement. The model group had a lower GABA and higher glutamate contents, and GABA ARα1, GABA ARγ2, and GAD65/67 protein expression in the hypothalamus were lower than in the blank control group. In contrast, GAT-1 and GABA-T protein expression was higher, and GABA ARα1 and GABA ARγ2 mRNA expression was lower (P<0.05). The serum GABA content in the auricular point sticking and auricular bloodletting groups was higher, and the serum glutamate content in the auricular point sticking and auricular bloodletting combined sticking groups was lower than in the model group. GABA ARα1 mRNA expression in the hypothalamus of each intervention group was significantly increased, and GABA ARγ2 mRNA expression in the hypothalamus of the auricular point sticking and auricular bloodletting combined sticking groups increased. GABA ARα1(IHC, WB), GABA ARγ2(WB), and GAD65/67 protein expression in the hypothalamus of the auricular point sticking group increased, whereas GAT-1 and GABA-T protein expression decreased. GABA ARα1 and GABA ARγ2 protein expression(IHC, WB) in the hypothalamus of the auricular bloodletting group increased, whereas GABA-T protein expression decreased. GABA ARγ1(IHC) and GABA ARγ2(WB) protein expression in the hypothalamus of the auricular bloodletting combined sticking group increased, whereas GAT-1 and GABA-T protein expression decreased (P<0.05). Compared with in the inventation groups, the serum GABA content in the auricular point sticking group increased, the serum glutamate content decreased, GABA ARα1 and GABA ARγ2 mRNA expression in the hypothalamus increased, and GABA ARα1(IHC), GAD65/67 protein expression increased. In contrast, GABA-T protein expression decreased (P<0.05), and GABA ARγ2 protein expression(IHC) in the hypothalamus of the auricular bloodletting group increased (P<0.05). Conclusion Auricular therapy, particularly auricular point sticking, may have modulated the GABAergic system pathway by upregulating hypothalamic GABA ARα1, GABA ARγ2, and GAD65/67 protein expression while downregulating GAT-1 and GABA-T protein expression to alleviate symptoms in an insomnia rat model.

Objective: To assess the dynamic changes of microcirculation at acupoints in patients with primary dysmenorrhea and cold congelation and blood stasis syndrome using laser speckle blood flow imaging. Methods: Patients with primary dysmenorrhea and cold coagulation and blood stasis syndrome (primary dysmenorrhea group, n=53) and healthy female college students(control group, n=57) who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria from October 2020 to July 2022 were enrolled at Hebei University of Chinese Medicine. On the premenstrual and first day of menstruation, a laser speckle blood flow imaging system was used to measure the microcirculation blood flow perfusion on the surface of acupoints related to the conception, thoroughfare, and governor vessels, and stomach, spleen, and bladder meridians in the abdomen and lumbosacral regions. The dynamic changes in microcirculation were calculated based on the difference in average blood flow perfusion at each acupoint before and after menstruation. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was used to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of dynamic changes in microcirculation on the surface of each acupoint. The microcirculation sensitization rate of acupoints was calculated. Results: Compared with the control group, the dynamic changes in microcirculation at the following acupoints in the primary dysmenorrhea group were increased (P<0.05): conception vessel (Yinjiao[CV7], Qihai[CV6], Shimen[CV5], Guanyuan[CV4]); left thoroughfare vessel (left Huangshu[KI16], left Zhongzhu[KI15], left Siman[KI14], left Qixue[KI13], left Dahe[KI12], left Henggu[KI11]); left stomach meridian (left Tianshu[ST25], left Wailing[ST26], left Qichong[ST30]); left spleen meridian (left Daheng[SP15], left Fujie[SP14]); right thoroughfare vessel (right Huangshu[KI16], right Zhongzhu[KI15], right Siman[KI14], right Qixue[KI13], right Dahe[KI12], right Henggu[KI11]); right stomach meridian (right Wailing[ST26], right Daju[ST27], right Shuidao[ST28], right Guilai[ST29], right Qichong[ST30]); and right spleen meridian (right Fujie[SP14]). The area under the ROC curve of conception vessel (Yinjiao[CV7], Qihai[CV6], Shimen[CV5], Guanyuan[CV4]), thoroughfare vessel (right Siman[KI14], left Huangshu[KI16], right Qixue[KI13], right Zhongzhu[KI15], right Dahe[KI12], left Zhongzhu[KI15], left Siman[KI14], right Huangshu[KI16], left Qixue[KI13], right Henggu[KI11], left Henggu[KI11], left Dahe[KI12]); stomach meridian (left Tianshu[ST25], right Guilai[ST29], left Wailing[ST26], right Shuidao[ST28], right Daju[ST27], right Wailing[ST26], right Qichong[ST30], left Qichong[ST30]), and spleen meridian (left Daheng[SP15], left Fujie[SP14], right Fujie[SP14]) was 0.610-0.682 (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the sensitization rate of some acupoints in the primary dysmenorrhea group increased (P<0.05). Conclusion With the onset of menstruation, the blood flow perfusion of some acupoints in the abdomen (thoroughfare, and conception vessels, and stomach and spleen meridians) of patients with primary dysmenorrhea and cold blood coagulation and blood stasis syndrome increased, and the status of acupoints changed from a resting state to an active state. These acupoints are sensitive in patients with primary dysmenorrhea and cold blood coagulation and blood stasis syndrome and have a certain diagnostic efficacy, providing a basis for further analyzing the efficacy and mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion to treat primary dysmenorrhea with cold blood coagulation and blood stasis syndrome.

Objective:To explore the application value of renal artery resistance index in the diagnosist of intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) in critically ill patients.Methods:89 patients with risk factors of IAH in the intensive care unit of Zhangzhou Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University from February 2022 to June 2022 were retrospective analyzed. The intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) were measured by bladder, and patients divided into IAH group (IAP≥12 mmHg) and non-IAH group (IAP <12 mmHg). The resistance index (RI) of the right renal aorta, segment artery and interlobar artery were measured by color Doppler ultrasound. The difference between the measurement indicators of patients in the IAH and non-IAH groups and the correlation with IAP were analyzed. As for different indicators to predict the diagnostic efficacy of IAH, ROC curve analysis was used to evaluate the effect. And further multivariate logistic regression analysis was to find independent risk predictor.Results:A total of 89 patients were included in the study, including 44 patients with normal IAP and 45 patients diagnosed IAH. There were significant differences in the right renal aorta, segmental artery and interlobar artery RI (all P<0.01). The interlobar artery RI≥0.698 was the highest diagnostic cut-off,area under the curve was 0.914, sensitivity was 82.2%, specificity was 97.7%, and Jordon index was 0.799. The Spearman correlation analysis of IAP and the ultrasonographic measurements revealed a strong correlation between right renal interlobar artery RI and IAP ( r=0.741, P<0.01). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the right renal interlobar artery RI ( OR= 24.472, 95% CI:5.122~116.919, P<0.01) was an independent risk predictor of IAH ( P<0.01). Conclusion:Right renal interlobar artery RI had better diagnostic efficacy of IAH,renal ultrasound could be used as an alternative, non-invasive technique for the diagnosis and follow-up of IAH.

Endo-periodontal lesions(EPLs)involve both the periodontium and pulp tissue and have complicated etiologies and pathogenic mechanisms,including unique anatomical and microbiological characteristics and multiple contributing factors.This etiological complexity leads to difficulties in determining patient prognosis,posing great challenges in clinical practice.Furthermore,EPL-affected teeth require multidisciplinary therapy,including periodontal therapy,endodontic therapy and others,but there is still much debate about the appropriate timing of periodontal therapy and root canal therapy.By compiling the most recent findings on the etiology,pathogenesis,clinical characteristics,diagnosis,therapy,and prognosis of EPL-affected teeth,this consensus sought to support clinicians in making the best possible treatment decisions based on both biological and clinical evidence.

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of the novel Huoxue plaster and the original powder in the treatment of chronic soft tissue injury, and to provide experimental basis for the development and clinical application of hospital preparations. METHODS According to the different drug administration, mice were assigned to the blank group, the matrix group, the positive control group(voltaren group), the original powder raw product group, the original powder product group and the novel plaster group respectively. The writhing inhibition rate, licking time, analgesic rate and pain threshold were measured by the writhing test, formaldehyde pain test, electrical stimulation test and hot plate test. The purpose of these was to assess disparities in the drugs for analgesic purposes. The mice ear swelling test and capillary permeability test were used to determine the swelling degree, swelling inhibition rate and exudation inhibition rate to compare the differences in anti-inflammatory effects. A rat model of chronic soft tissue injury was established. The changes of calf circumference, soft tissue injury appearance score, hemorheology and histopathological observation and inflammatory factor content were compared before and after the reform of prescription and dosage form. RESULTS The novel Huoxue plaster had a significant inhibitory effect on the inflammatory pain induced by acetic acid and formaldehyde in mice, and there was no significant difference compared with the original powder. The analgesic effect of 60 min after administration was better than that of 90 min and 120 min after administration, and there was no significant difference compared with the original powder. The novel Huoxue plaster and the original powder had no significant effect on hot plate pain threshold. The novel Huoxue plaster had a significant anti-inflammatory effect, which could reduce the degree of ear swelling induced by xylene and reduce the inflammatory exudation of capillaries induced by acetic acid, and there was no significant difference compared with the original powder. The novel Huoxue plaster could significantly reduce the circumference and injury symptom index of the swollen leg in rats with chronic soft tissue injury, improve blood circulation and histomorphology, and significantly reduce the contents of PGE2, TNF-α and IL-1β in the injured soft tissue, and there was no significant difference compared with the original powder. CONCLUSION The novel Huoxue plaster has significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, and can be used to treat chronic soft tissue injury. The efficacy of the novel Huoxue plaster is basically the same as that of the original powder.

Objective:The aim is to construct an evaluation framework for clinical research benefits,and provide a reference for the formulate of evaluation standards for clinical research benefits.Methods:The Delphi method was used to carry out expert consultation,and the mean,score of importance,coefficient of variation and coordination,etc.of evaluation indicators were summarized and calculated,to screen evaluation indicators for clinical research benefits.Results:Twenty-three experts in this field were selected for correspondence,and their enthusiasm was 100%in both rounds,the authority coefficients were≥0.90,and Kendall's coefficients of concordance were<0.25(P<0.001).By referring to the mean and coefficient of variation of the indicators,as well as combining them with expert suggestions,an evaluation framework for clinical research benefits was ultimately formed with 2 primary indicators,5 secondary indicators,and 8 tertiary indicators.Conclusion:The evaluation framework for clinical research benefits constructed in this paper can comprehensively evaluate the research benefits,as well as provide a basis for reasonably determining the research risk-benefit ratio and developing quantitative evaluation tools for clinical research benefits.

Objective To investigate the intervention effects and mechanism of icariin on prostate cancer based on network pharmacology and animal experiments.Methods The targets of icariin were predicted using the SwissTargetPrediction database.Protein-protein interaction networks were constructed with the String database,and core targets were screened using Cytoscape 3.9.1.GO and KEGG enrichment analysis on core targets were conducted with the Metascape database to predict the mechanism of action.A PC-3 tumor-bearing mouse model of prostate cancer was established to observe the inhibitory effects of icariin alone and in combination with paclitaxel on tumor growth.Results Network pharmacology predictions suggested that icariin has potential therapeutic effects on prostate cancer,with core targets potentially including serine/threonine kinase 1(AKT1),B-cell lymphoma-2(BCL2),epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR),heat shock protein 90 alpha family class A member 1(HSP90AA1),heat shock protein 90 alpha family class B member 1(HSP90AB1),nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1(NF-κB1),tumor protein p53,etc.Animal experiments found that compared with the model control group,the tumor volume growth in the icariin group and the paclitaxel group was significantly inhibited,and the serum tumor necrosis factor content was significantly reduced,while testosterone levels did not change significantly.Both groups significantly downregulated the mRNA expression of Notch1,Jagged1 and Hes1(P<0.05),with the combined treatment group showing a more significant inhibitory effect.Conclusions Both network pharmacology and animal experimental results confirmed that icariin has a significant inhibitory effect on prostate cancer.One of the mechanisms of its anti-tumor effects may be the significant inhibition of the activated Notch signaling pathway in tumors.

Viral infection can induce endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS)and unfolded protein re-sponse(UPR)in host cells,resulting in perturbation of endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis.To e-lucidate the action mechanism of isochlorogenic acid A(IAA)in regulating peste des petits rumi-nant virus(PPRV)-induced ERS and UPR,MTT assay,indirect immunofluorescence assay and Western blot were used to evaluate the anti-PPRV activity of IAA,and the effects of IAA on PPRV-induced ERS and PERK signaling pathway were studied by Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR.The results showed that the PPRV replication and virus-induced cytopathic in LDG-2 cells were significantly inhibited,and the survival rate of virus-infected cells was significantly in-creased due to IAA treatment.Compared with the virus control group,the expression levels of GRP78 and p-eIF2α,the ratios of p-PERK/PERK and p-eIF2α/eIF2α in IAA treated PPRV-infec-ted cells were significantly decreased.The expression level of GADD153 significantly decreased at 24,36 h,and significantly increased at 48,60 h.Furthermore,treatment with ERS inhibitor 4-PBA could significantly suppress the expression levels of GRP78,PPRV-N protein and GADD153 in PPRV-infected cells,and the ratios of p-eIF2α/eIF2α and p-PERK/PERK in PPRV-infected cells were also significantly decreased caused by treatment with IAA or 4-PBA and IAA combination.These findings implicated that the PPRV-induced ERS could be alleviated by inhibiting activation of the PERK-eIF2α-GADD1 53 signaling pathway,which led to restriction of PPRV replication in host cells.

Viral infection can induce endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS)and unfolded protein reac-tion(UPR)in host cells.This study aims to further explore the effects of ERS induced by pest des petits ruminants virus(PPRV)infection on UPR signaling pathway,virus replication and apopto-sis of host cells.MTT assay,indirect immunofluorescence assay(IFA)and Western blot were used to observe the proliferation of PPRV in goat kidney cells(LDG-2).Western blot and real-time flu-orescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)were used to observe the effects of PPRV infection on the expression levels of GRP78,PERK and its downstream signal molecules,apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2 and Bax.The result indicated that the cell survival rate was significantly declined with evident cytopathic effect at 36 h post-infection,and the expression level of PPRV-N protein tended to be elevated,and was significantly higher than that of cell control at 30 h post-infection.Meanwhile,the expression levels of GRP78,p-eIF2α and GADD153,the ratio of p-PERK/PERK and p-eIF2α/eIF2α were significantly increased.Moreover,the expression levels of PPRV-N protein,GRP78,p-eIF2α and GADD1 53,the ratio of p-eIF2α/eIF2α and p-PERK/PERK were significantly decreased in PPRV-infected cells due to 4-PBA treatment.The expression level of apoptosis-related Bcl-2 was down-regulated,Bax was up-regulated,and the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax was significantly decreased.Therefore,the activation of PERK/eIF2α/GADD153 signaling pathway could be induced by PPRV infection resulting in alleviating of virus-induced ERS,which is beneficial to viral replication.Bloc-king PPRV-induced ERS could inhibit the activation of PERK signaling pathway and virus replica-tion.PPRV infection and prolonged ERS can induce apoptosis of LDG-2 cells.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of anxiety state in patients with primary insomnia(PI). Methods:Randomized controlled trials of acupuncture treatment for PI patients with an anxiety state in Web of Science,Cochrane Library,PubMed,Excerpta Medica Database(EMBASE),China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform(Wanfang),and Chongqing VIP Database(VIP)were retrieved by computer.The retrieval time was from each database's inception to December 30,2022.Data extraction and evaluation were performed for the included studies.The Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was used to assess the risk of bias in each article.Meta-analysis of valid data was performed using the RevMan 5.4 software.If the outcome indicator was a categorical variable,relative risk(RR)was used as the effect size.If it was a continuous variable,mean difference(MD)was used to calculate the effect size.Each effect size was expressed as a 95%confidence interval(CI).P<0.05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference. Results:A total of 18 studies were included,comprising a total of 1198 patients.The findings of the meta-analysis showed that electroacupuncture had a significant advantage in improving the Hamilton anxiety scale(HAMA)score than benzodiazepines[MD=-1.61,95%CI(-2.17,-1.06),P<0.001].Acupuncture was superior to sham acupuncture[MD=-14.90,95%CI(-20.39,-9.41),P<0.001]and benzodiazepines[MD=-3.39,95%CI(-4.67,-2.12),P<0.001]in reducing the self-rating anxiety scale(SAS)score.Acupuncture was superior to sham acupuncture in reducing the insomnia severity index(ISI)score[MD=-5.61,95%CI(-6.63,-4.89),P<0.001].Acupuncture was superior to benzodiazepines[MD=0.84,95%CI(-1.42,-0.25),P=0.005]and sham acupuncture[MD=-8.39,95%CI(-8.39,-7.86),P<0.001]in improving the Pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI)score.Acupuncture had a better effective rate than benzodiazepines[RR=1.16,95%CI(1.08,1.25),P<0.001]and sham acupuncture[RR=8.94,95%CI(4.63,17.25),P<0.001]in treating PI. Conclusion:Acupuncture or electroacupuncture has certain therapeutic advantages over benzodiazepines and sham acupuncture in the treatment of anxiety in PI patients.However,more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed for further verification.