Acupuncture, a therapeutic treatment defined as the insertion of needles into the body at specific points (ie, acupoints), has growing in popularity world-wide to treat various diseases effectively, especially acute and chronic pain. In parallel, interest in the physiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture analgesia, particularly the neural mechanisms have been increasing. Over the past decades, our understanding of how the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system process signals induced by acupuncture has developed rapidly by using electrophysiological methods. However, with the development of neuroscience, electrophysiology is being challenged by calcium imaging in view field, neuron population and visualization in vivo. Owing to the outstanding spatial resolution, the novel imaging approaches provide opportunities to enrich our knowledge about the neurophysiological mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia at subcellular, cellular, and circuit levels in combination with new labeling, genetic and circuit tracing techniques. Therefore, this review will introduce the principle and the method of calcium imaging applied to acupuncture research. We will also review the current findings in pain research using calcium imaging from in vitro to in vivo experiments and discuss the potential methodological considerations in studying acupuncture analgesia.
Calcium ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Analgesia/methods* ; Acupuncture Points ; Technology

Bladder cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide, with a high rate of recurrence and mortality, which is the ninth most common malignancy globally. Cystoscopy remains the gold standard for clinical bladder cancer diagnosis, but its invasive nature can lead to bacterial infection and inflammation. Urine cytology is a non-invasive and simple diagnostic method, but it has lower sensitivity in detecting low-grade bladder cancer and may yield false negative results. Therefore, identifying ideal diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers is crucial for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of bladder cancer. Aptamers, characterized as single-stranded DNA or RNA with unique three-dimensional conformations, exhibit the ability to identify various targets, ranging from small molecules to tumor cells. Aptamers, also known as chemical antibodies, are generated by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) process and can function similarly to traditional antibodies. They hold numerous advantages over antibodies, such as ease of modification, low immunogenicity, and rapid tissue penetration and cell internalization due to their nucleic acid molecule structure. Since their discovery in the 1990s, aptamers have been widely used in biochemical analysis, disease detection, new drug research and other fields. This article provides an overview of aptamer selection and characterization for bladder cancer, discussing the research advancements involving aptamers in diagnosing and treating this disease. It covers aptamers obtained through different SELEX methods, including protein-SELEX, cell-SELEX, tissue-SELEX, and aptamers from other cancer SELEX; the detection in blood samples and urine samples; and application in targeted therapy and immunotherapy for bladder cancer. Currently, several aptamers capable of identifying bladder cancer have been generated, serving as molecular probes that have played a pivotal role in the early detection and treatment of bladder cancer. Bladder cancer perfusion therapy is well-suited for aptamer drug therapy because it does not require internal circulation, making it a suitable clinical indication for aptamer drug development. In addition, bladder cancer can be detected and monitored by collecting urine samples from patients, making it a preferred disease for clinical conversion of aptamers. While aptamers show promise, there is still much room for development compared with antibodies. There are still many clinically applied cancer biomarkers without corresponding aptamers, and more aptamers targeting different biomarkers should be selected and optimized to improve the sensitivity and accuracy for cancer detection and therapy. The field of aptamers urgently needs successful commercial products to promote its development, and home rapid detection/monitoring, imaging and targeted therapy of bladder cancer by infusion may be the breakthrough point for future application of aptamers.

Objective To study the protective effect of Irisin in doxorubicin(Dox)induced-Cardiomyopathy and its possible mechanism.Methods AC 16 cells were used to construct Dox injury model and divided into control group(AC 16 cells were cultured with complete medium),Irisin group(AC16 cells were treated with 10 ng·L-1 Irisin for 24 h),Dox group(AC 16 cells were treated with 4 μmol·L-1 Dox for 24 h),Dox+Irisin group(AC 16 cells were pretreated with 10 ng·L-1 Irisin for 2 h,and then treated with 4 pmol·L-1 Dox for 24 h).Cell counting kit-8(CCK-8),terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling(TUNEL)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)were used to detect the proliferation,apoptosis and mortality of AC 16 cells.Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)signaling pathway and apoptotic factors B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2),Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax)and caspase-9 protein.Mito-Tracker Red CMXRos probe was used to detect mitochondrial membrane potential.Results In the contrl group,Irisin group,Dox group,Dox+Irisin group,the rate of apoptosis were(0.97±0.09)％,0,(42.80±6.70)％,(11.74±1.79)％;the expression of Bax protein were 0.85±0.01,0.36±0.02,1.15±0.07,0.37±0.11;the expression of caspase-9 protein were 0.52±0.02,0.59±0.03,1.11±0.02,0.67±0.08;the expression of Bcl-2 protein were 1.01±0.04,1.05±0.25,0.43±0.02 and 0.99±0.30;the probability of mitochondrial damage were(0.02±0.01)％,(0.5±0.15)％,(38.6±2.39)％,(1.58±0.54)％.The difference of the above indexes between the contrl group and the Dox group were statistically significant(all P＜0.05);the difference between Dox group and Dox+Irisin group were statisically significant(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Irisin could reduce the expression level of Bax,caspase-9,p-NF-κB,and p-mTOR caused by Dox,increase the expression level of Bcl-2,ameliorate the myocardial damage caused by Dox,and reduce cardiotoxicity.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction(POCD)is one of the common complications in the perioperative period,and it has a high incidence in elderly patients,and the large production of neuroinflammatory factors under surgical stimulation is the main cause of postoperative POCD.As an ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine of γ-aminobutyric acid receptor agonist,remimazolam can play a sedative-hypnotic and anxiolytic role in clinical practice,and can reduce inflammatory factors in the central nervous system and improve postoperative cognitive dysfunction by inhibiting neuroinflammatory response and oxidative stress.This article reviews the protective effect and mechanism of remimazolam on postoperative cognitive function,so as to provide a basis for the clinical use of remimazolam.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an acquired clonal hematopoietic stem cell disease caused by abnormal expression of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) on the cell membrane due to mutations in the phosphatidylinositol glycan class A(PIGA) gene. It is commonly characterized by intravascular hemolysis, repeated thrombosis, and bone marrow failure, as well as multiple systemic involvement symptoms such as renal dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, swallowing difficulties, chest pain, abdominal pain, and erectile dysfunction. Due to the rarity of PNH and its strong heterogeneity in clinical manifestations, multidisciplinary collaboration is often required for diagnosis and treatment. Peking Union Medical College Hospital, relying on the rare disease diagnosis and treatment platform, has invited multidisciplinary clinical experts to form a unified opinion on the diagnosis and treatment of PNH, and formulated the Expert Consensus of Multidisciplinary Diagnosis and Treatment for Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (2024), with the hope of promoting the standardization of PNH diagnosis and treatment.

Objective To evaluate which factors may affect magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)performance in the detection of pathologic complete response(pCR)after neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC).Methods This retrospective study involved 89 patients diagnosed with invasive breast carcinoma who received NAC at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from July 2019 to December 2021.Breast MRI was performed before and after NAC.Based on the pathological results obtained surgery after the completion NAC and using Miller-Payne classification as the evaluation standard,the patients were divided into two subgroups:pCR and non-pathological complete response(npCR).Chi-square test was used to compare the MRI characteristics of pre-NAC lesions between the two groups.ROC curve analysis was made to analyze the accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value of MRI after NAC;the diagnostic performance of MRI in predicting pCR in different tumor subtypes was analyzed.We made univariate and multivariate analyses of factors affecting radiographic complete response(rCR)and pCR concordance.Results MRI analysis after NAC showed rCR in 20 cases(22.5％)and pCR in 28 cases(31.5％).Considering rCR as a"positive"result of MRI analysis,MRI assessment was accurate in 79 cases,including 19 true positive cases and 60 true negative cases.MRI assessment was inaccurate in 10 cases,including 9 false negative cases and 1 false positive case.The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value of MRI assessment of pCR were 67.86％,98.36％,88.76％,95.00％,and 86.96％.MRI had the lowest diagnostic efficiency in evaluating pCR of ERBB2+breast cancer after NAC.Single factor analysis showed that estrogen receptor(ER),clinical stage,background parenchymal enhancement,and maximum tumor diameter all affected the consistency of rCR and pCR(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the independent influencing factor affecting the consistency of rCR and pCR was clinical stage.Conclusion MRI demonstrated good accuracy in predicting pCR after NAC in the breast cancer patients examined.Pre-treatment MRI characteristics and tumor subtypes may be related to the diagnostic accuracy of post-NAC MRI in breast cancer patients.

Objective To observe the alteration of thoracic and lumbar physiological curvature in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis(AIS)and the difference of physiological curvature between different types of scoliosis.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 305 adolescent patients taken full spine X-ray in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2021.The patients were divided into normal group and scoliosis group.The normal group was composed of 179 patients,79 males and 100 females,aged 10 to 18 years old with an average of(12.84±2.10)years old,with cobb agle less than 10 degrees.The scol-iosis group was composed of 126 patients,33 males and 93 females,aged 10 to 18 years old with an average of(13.92±2.20)years old.The gender,age,Risser sign,thoracic kyphosis(TK)and lumbar lordosis(LL)in 2 groups were compared,and the TK and LL were also compared between different genders,different degrees of scoliosis and different segments of scoliosis.Re-sults The female ratio(P=0.001)and age(P＜0.001)in scoliosis group were higher than them in normal group;the ratio of low-grade ossification was higher in normal group than in scoliosis group(P=0.038).TK was significantly smaller in scoliosis group than in normal group(P＜0.001),but there was no significant difference in LL between the 2 groups(P=0.147).There were no significant difference in TK and LL between male and female.The TK was significantly bigger in mild AIS patients than in moderate AIS patients(P＜0.05),but there was no significant difference in LL between mild and moderate patients(P＞0.05).The TK and LL in different segments scoliosis were not found significant difference.Conclusion The physiological curvature of thoracic and lumbar spine is independent of gender.The thoracic physiological curvature becomes smaller in AIS patients,but lumbar curvature remains unchanged.The thoracic physiological curvature in mild AIS patients is greater than that in moderate AIS patients,but the lumbar curvature is almost unchanged between mild and moderate scoliosis and is similar with that in normal adolescent.The alteration of thoracic and lumbar physiological curvature in AIS patients may be related to relative an-terior spinal overgrowth,and the specific detailed mechanism needs to be further studied.

Objective Based on HPLC fingerprinting and chemometrics,to evaluate the quality of Schefflera kwangsiensis Merr.from Guangxi.Methods HPLC was used to establish fingerprints of Schefflera kwangsiensis Merr.from ten different origins,and gradient elution was carried out with methanol-0.1％phosphoric acid aqueous solution as mobile phase.Cluster analysis(CA),principal component analysis(PCA)and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA)were applied to evaluate quality.Results The fingerprints of Schefflera kwangsiensis Merr.from ten different origins were established by HPLC,a total of 22 common peaks were calibrated,with a similarity range of 0.922-0.999.Four chromatographic peaks were identified as rhodopsin,4,5-bis-O-caffeoylquinic acid,caffeic acid,and naringin.The samples were classified into four types according to the CA and OPLS-DA.PCA identified four principal components with a cumulative contribution rare of 95.39％.Conclusion The quality of Schefflera kwangsiensis Merr.can be comprehensively evaluated by fingerprinting combined with CA,PCA and OPLS-DA analysis.The Study can provide a reference for improving the quality control and assessment of Schefflera kwangsiensis Merr.

Objective To understand the respiratory protection competency of staff in hospitals.Methods Staff from six hospitals of different levels and characteristics in Beijing were selected,including doctors,nurses,medical technicians,and servicers,to conduct knowledge assessment on respiratory protection competency.According to exposure risks of respiratory infectious diseases,based on actual cases and daily work scenarios,content of respira-tory protection competency assessment was designed from three aspects:identification of respiratory infectious di-seases,transmission routes and corresponding protection requirements,as well as correct selection and use of masks.The assessment included 6,6,and 8 knowledge points respectively,with 20 knowledge points in total,all of which were choice questions.For multiple-choice questions,full marks,partial marks,and no mark were given respective-ly if all options were correct,partial options were correct and without incorrect options,and partial options were correct but with incorrect options.Difficulty and discrimination analyses on question of each knowledge point was conducted based on classical test theory.Results The respiratory protection competency knowledge assessment for 326 staff members at different risk levels in 6 hospitals showed that concerning the 20 knowledge points,more than 60％participants got full marks for 6 points,while the proportion of full marks for other questions was relatively low.Less than 10％participants got full marks for the following 5 knowledge points:types of airborne diseases,types of droplet-borne diseases,conventional measures for the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infec-tion with respiratory infectious diseases,indications for wearing respirators,and indications for wearing medical protective masks.Among the 20 knowledge questions,5,1,and 14 questions were relatively easy,medium,and difficult,respectively;6,1,4,and 9 questions were with discrimination levels of ≥0.4,0.30-0.39,0.20-0.29,and ≤0.19,respectively.Conclusion There is still much room for hospital staff to improve their respiratory protection competency,especially in the recognition of diseases with different transmission routes and the indications for wearing different types of masks.

Objective:To analyze the clinicopathological features of gastric oxyntic gland neo-plasms.Methods:Forty-nine cases of stomach oxyntic gland neoplasms including oxyntic gland adenoma(OGA)and gastric adenocarcinoma of the fundic gland type(GA-FG)diagnosed in the Sec-ond Hospital of Shandong University from January 2016 to December 2020 were selected.The clini cal information,endoscopic appearance,histological features and immunophenotype were analyzed retrospectively,and followed up.Results:Age of the gastric oxyntic gland neoplasm patients ranged from 19 to 83 years old,with an average age of(57.3±2.4)years old.The male-to-female ratio was 24:25.Most of the lesions were located in the gastric body(27/49)and fundus(15/49).There were four endoscopic phenotypes:flat bulging,polypoid,flat and depression.In some lesions,there were dilated dendritic vessels.48 cases were single onset.The mean maximum diameter of lesions was(3.9±0.5)mm(1.0～7.0 mm).Seven cases showed submucosal invasion,and the inva-sion depth was less than 500 μm.The tumor consists of the dense glandular and the glandular con-nects to form a strip shape,which is irregularly branched and labyrinthlike under the microscope.These tumor cells were well differentiated and the morphology was similar to oxyntic gland cells.The chief cells were the predominant cells.The nucleus was mildly enlarged with slight pleomorphism and the mitosis was uncommon.The oxyntic gland neoplasms of the stomach were diffusely posi-tive for Mucin-6(MUC6)(100％)and Pepsinogen Ⅰ(83％),focally positive for H+/K+-ATPase(58％).Conclusions:The stomach oxyntic gland neoplasm is a new histology type with unique clinico-pathological features.The incidence of this neoplasm is low and the prognosis is good but it still needs long-term follow-up.