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

Objective To explore the mechanism of lepirudine in inhibiting thrombin activation by regulating the Notch signaling pathway for the treatment of acute pulmonary embolism.Methods SD rats were randomly divided into sham group,model group and experimental group,with 10 rats in each group.Acute pulmonary embolism model was established by autologous thrombosis in model group and experimental group.Experimental group was intraperitoneally injected with lepiludine(2.0 mg·kg-1)at 24 h,0.5 h before and 24 h after modeling,respectively,while sham group and model group were intraperitoneally injected with 0.9％NaCl at the same time point.The contents of platelet P-selectin 62(CD62P),platelet granule membrane protein-140(GMP-140),N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP)and cardiac troponin T(cTnT)in rat plasma were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The contents of thromboxane B2(TXA2)and prostacyclin(PGI2)in rat plasma were detected by RIA.The protein expression levels of Notch receptor protein 1(Notch1)and Notch ligand protein 1(JAGGED1)in lung tissue of rats were detected by Western blot.Results The plasma CD62P content in sham group,model group and experimental group were(9.31±1.31),(25.03±2.66)and(11.42±2.21)ng·mL-1;the contents of GMP-140 were(43.23±5.61),(114.33±14.02)and(73.44±6.97)ng·mL-1;the contents of NT-proBNP were(14.71±1.93),(20.57±3.46)and(11.07±3.06)ng·mL-1;cTnT content were(81.07±9.77),(233.24±27.61)and(134.76±15.00)pg·mL-1;TXA2 content were(231.06±17.33),(378.69±29.10)and(268.61±24.15)pg·mL-1;PGI2 content were(147.25±16.44),(104.37±11.62)and(136.09±13.40)pg·mL-1;the relative expression levels of Notch1 protein in lung tissue were 1.24±0.21,0.51±0.06 and 0.87±0.09;the relative expression levels of JAGGED1 protein were 1.02±0.15,0.17±0.02 and 0.28±0.06.Compared with sham group and experimental group,there were statistically significant differences in the above indexes in model group(P＜0.01,P＜0.001).Conclusion Lepirudine can inhibit thrombin activation in the treatment of acute pulmonary embolism by activating the Notch signaling pathway.

Objective To develop an intelligent horizontal rotating cell culture device with high modularity,easy operation,easy disinfection,low cost and high stability.Methods The cell culture device consisted of a rotating culture module,a dirve module,a control module and control software,with the shells of all the modules being manufactured by 3D printing.The rotating culture module was composed of a tubular electrospun scaffold,a cell culture chamber,a magnetic coupling rotor and polypropylene pipeline;the drive module was made up of a N20 reduction motor and a magnetic coupling rotor;the control module included an ESP-8266 chip and a printed circuit board;the control software was developed with Blinker IoT platform and C++language.The device was used to culture human intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells to verify its effects.Results Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy images showed that a uniform and continuous cell layer was formed on the surface of the tubular electrospun scaffold.Conclusion The intelligent horizontal rotating cell culture device achieves uniform growth of cells on the inner surface of tubular electrospun scaffolds,and can be used as an effective platform for cell culture on tubular scaffolds.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(9):41-45]

The concept of'harmony'is the soul of traditional Chinese culture,which has a profound impact on the formation and development of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).TCM is rooted in traditional Chinese culture,and the mode of thinking in TCM is in line with traditional Chinese culture.Based on the harmony culture,TCM has developed a unique view of health,disease and therapeutics.From the view of the harmony culture and by combining with years of clinical experience in treating dermatosis,Chinese medical master XUAN Guo-Wei has applied the concept of'harmony'in the TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment system in clinic,and has developed the academic thoughts of harmonizing therapy for removing toxins for the diagnosis and treatment of dermatosis.The thoughts of harmonizing therapy for removing toxins includes four aspects,namely harmonizing yin and yang,harmonizing healthy qi and pathogenic qi,harmonizing water and fire(i.e.,clod and hot),and harmonizing the administration of formula and drugs,aiming to remove toxins and expel pathogens and value the harmony.The thoughts of harmonizing therapy for removing toxins will beneficial to the comprehensive understanding of the unique health-disease-therapeutics concept in TCM,and will be helpful for managing the doctor-patient relationship,which is of enlightening significance to the modern clinical practice with TCM.

Objective:To explore the severe complications, such as blindness, brain infarction and even death caused by cosmetic autologous fat filler injection and their underlying mechanisms.Methods:From May 2022 to October 2023, 64 male New Zealand rabbits were selected in the clinical laboratory of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine and divided into 8 groups with 8 rabbits in each group. They were divided into grinding fat group, fat granule group, fat lipid group and normal saline group, and each group was further divided into 0.2 ml group and 0.4 ml group. Fat was cut from the rabbit groin, then chopped or treated with collagenase I, and centrifuged to separate fat lipids and fat particles, as well as other tissues. The rabbit facial artery was exposed along the incision below the mandibular angle, and 0.2 or 0.4 ml of chopped fat, fat particles, and lipids were retrogradely injected into the facial artery in each group, and then the incision was closed under the microscope. Ophthalmic and neurological symptoms were observed and recorded after surgery, and visual electrophysiology and fundus microscopy were performed to verify visual acuity and fundus artery obstruction.Results:Two weeks after surgery, the incidence of ophthalmic symptoms in the 0.2 ml injection group was 100% in the grinding fat group, 62.5% in the fat granule group, 0 in the lipid group and 0 in the normal saline group. The complication rates of 0.4 ml embolic injection were 100%, 87.50%, 12.5% and 0, respectively. The incidence of neurological symptoms was 62.5%, 25.0%, 0 and 0, respectively. Mortality rates were 37.5%, 12.5%, 0 and 0 after injection of 0.2 ml, and 100%, 50%, 0 and 0 after injection of 0.4 ml, respectively.Conclusions:Animal models have shown that grinding adipose tissue without collagenase I treatment is more likely to cause serious complications, simple lipid entry into blood vessels does not block relevant arteries, and fat volume is positively correlated with the incidence of postoperative complications.

Invasive fungal infections threaten the lives and health of humans, especially immunodeficient patients or hospitalized patients with serious underlying diseases, and impose a heavy economic burden on society. The emergence of drug-resistant fungi, the formation of biofilms, and the limits and side effects of existing antifungal drugs increase the difficulty of clinical treatment, and there is an urgent need for the development of novel antifungal drugs. Therefore, based on previous kinase chemical library antifungal activity screening studies, this paper further investigates the activity of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor 3-[5-chloro-2-({2-methoxy-4-[4-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)hexahydropyridin-1-yl]phenyl}amino)pyrimidin-4-yl]-1H-indole (HG-14-10-04, HG) against various fungi and elucidates its mechanism of action. The in vitro antifungal activity of HG was evaluated by micro liquid-dilution method, time-killing curve, mycelium formation and biofilm formation assays. The results showed that HG exhibited inhibitory and even fungicidal effects against sensitive and resistant Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Cryptococcus neoformans, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata and Candida parapsilosis (MICs = 8-16 μg·mL^-1); HG significantly inhibited the mycelium and biofilm formation, and destroyed the mature biofilm; and it exhibited synergistic antifungal effects with amphotericin B. The antifungal mechanism of HG was investigated by flow cytometry and transmission electron microscopy, etc. Sequencing analysis showed a total of 1 041 differentially expressed genes, of which 666 were up-regulated and 375 were down-regulated. According to the GO functional classification results, the up-regulated genes were mainly involved in ribosome production, oxidation-reduction and other functions, while the down-regulated genes were mainly involved in the synthesis of carbohydrate, glycoproteins, glycolipids and their metabolism, GPI anchor synthesis, and cytoskeleton and other functions. In addition, HG could significantly increase the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), induce the fungal necrosis, block the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase, and change the ultrastructure of the fungi, especially the structure of the fungal cell wall. Therefore, the enhanced inhibitory and fungicidal activity of HG may be related to the elevation of ROS, alteration of cellular ultrastructure (especially cell wall structure) and cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. Further optimization of its structure will provide a basis for the discovery of novel antifungal drugs or lead compounds.

The latest epidemiological data suggests that the situation of adult diabetes in China is severe, and metabolic diseases have become significant chronic illnesses that have a serious impact on public health and social development. After more than six years of practice, the National Metabolic Management Center(MMC) has developed distinctive approaches to manage metabolic patients and has achieved a series of positive outcomes, continuously advancing the standardized diagnosis and treatment model. In order to further improve the efficiency, based on the first edition, the second edition guideline was composed by incorporating experience of the past six years in conjunction with the latest international and domestic guidelines.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effects of low- and intermediate-dose factor Ⅷ (F Ⅷ) prophylaxis in Chinese adult patients with severe hemophilia A. Methods: Thirty adult patients with severe hemophilia A who received low- (n=20) /intermediate-dose (n=10) F Ⅷ prophylaxis at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital affiliated with Nanjing University Medical College were included in the study. The annual bleeding rate (ABR), annual joint bleeding rate (AJBR), number of target joints, functional independence score of hemophilia (FISH), quality of life score, and health status score (SF-36) before and after preventive treatment were retrospectively analyzed and compared. Results: The median follow-up was 48 months. Compared with on-demand treatment, low- and intermediate-dose prophylaxis significantly reduced ABR, AJBR, and the number of target joints (P<0.05) ; the improvement in the intermediate-dose prophylaxis group was better than that in the low-dose prophylaxis group (P<0.05). Compared with on-demand treatment, the FISH score, quality of life score, and SF-36 score significantly improved in both groups (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05) . Conclusion: In Chinese adults with severe hemophilia A, low- and intermediate-dose prophylaxis can significantly reduce bleeding frequency, delay the progression of joint lesions, and improve the quality of life of patients as compared with on-demand treatment. The improvement in clinical bleeding was better with intermediate-dose prophylaxis than low-dose prophylaxis.
Humans ; Hemophilia A/drug therapy* ; Factor VIII/therapeutic use* ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Hemarthrosis/prevention & control* ; Hemorrhage/drug therapy*

Chinese patent medicines(CPMs) are unique therapeutic drugs in China. Establishing and improving the evaluation criteria is an important measure to promote the high-quality development of CPMs. Based on the "evaluation criteria of high-grade CPMs with quality as the core index" established by our group in 2018, the "high-quality evaluation criteria for CPMs based on whole process control" was proposed in the present study in 2022. The scope of application and basic principles of the new criteria were clarified. A quality evaluation scoring table was established in the new criteria, including five parts: raw material selection, production process, quality control, efficacy evaluation, and brand building. The technical evaluation indexes involved have increased from 20% in the original criteria to 70% in the new criteria, and efficacy evaluation has been added in the new criteria. The subjective evaluation indicators account for a large proportion in the original criteria, which is prone to bias. The improved criteria overcome this shortcoming. It is expected that the new criteria as a basis can play a better role in the selection of high-quality products of CPMs, guide enterprises and institutions to participate actively in the evaluation and research of high-quality CPMs, and promote the high-quality development of CPMs.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Nonprescription Drugs ; Chlorobenzenes ; China

Hair follicle (HF), one of the skin appendages, has received a lot of attention to be a new target and pathway for drug delivery. The development of hair follicle targeted drug delivery system (HFTDDS) through percutaneous permeation is particularly important for skin diseases derived from HF such as acne, hair loss, and folliculitis for their on-site action. This review describes the structure and physiological function of HF, the microenvironment of HF, and factors affecting HF permeation. Multiple nanoformulations used to improve the HF permeation and technologies to characterize the HF permeation were introduced. The latest advance of HFTDDS based on nanoformulations were systematically summarized and analyzed in the treatment of acne and hair loss. Finally, the challenges of formulating HFTDDS were discussed. The review is expected to provide some ideas and references for developing delivery systems for treating skin diseases derived from HF.