Electroacupuncture attenuates inflammatory pain via peripheral cannabinoid receptor type 1 signaling pathway in mice.

Pain is strongly associated with neuro-immune activation. Thus, the emerging role of the endocannabinoid system in neuro-inflammation is important. Acupuncture has been used for over 2500 years and is widely accepted for the management of pain. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture on the regulation of cannabinoid receptor type 1 within the peripheral nervous system. Inflammatory pain was induced by injecting Complete Freund's adjuvant to induce mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. Electroacupuncture significantly attenuated the mechanical and thermal sensitivities, and AM251, a cannabinoid receptor type 1 antagonist, eliminated these effects. Dual immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that electroacupuncture elevated expression of cannabinoid receptor type 1, co-localized with Nav 1.8. Furthermore, electroacupuncture significantly reduced levels of Nav 1.8 and COX-2 by western blot analysis, but not vice versa as AM251 treatment. Our data indicate that electroacupuncture mediates antinociceptive effects through peripheral endocannabinoid system signaling pathway and provide evidence that electroacupuncture is beneficial for pain treatment.

Imaging components for a robotic casualty evaluation system.

Combat medics have a vital role in the protection of wounded soldiers in the battlespace. However, their duties expose them to great risks. Furthermore, these medics are a limited resource and must be carefully tasked in order to provide maximum benefit to their units. For these reasons, we are applying the American GNC Corporation's (AGNC) Coremicro(R) Robotic System for autonomous evaluation of battlefield casualties. These robots are intended to navigate to a casualty, determine his/her overall health status, and perform limited diagnostic imaging in order to assess the presence of injuries that would prevent or complicate extraction. In this paper, we describe development work on some of the key components of the proposed robotic system, namely the overall concept of operations (ConOps) and initial testing of infrared and ultrasound imaging cameras. When fully deployed, this system will act as a medical force multiplier, enabling improved care of wounded soldiers and protecting the health and safety of military medical personnel.