Proteomics and its application in the research of acupuncture: An updated review.

As a complementary and alternative therapy, acupuncture is widely used in the prevention and treatment of various diseases. However, the understanding of the mechanism of acupuncture effects is still limited due to the lack of systematic biological validation. Notably, proteomics technologies in the field of acupuncture are rapidly evolving, and these advances are greatly contributing to the research of acupuncture. In this study, we review the progress of proteomics research in analyzing the molecular mechanisms of acupuncture for neurological disorders, pain, circulatory disorders, digestive disorders, and other diseases, with an in-depth discussion around acupoint prescription and acupuncture manipulation modalities. The study found that proteomics has great potential in understanding the mechanisms of acupuncture. This study will help explore the mechanisms of acupuncture from a proteomic perspective and provide information to support future clinical decisions.

Prognostic analysis of anoikis-related genes in bladder cancer: An observational study.

Anoikis is proved to play a crucial role in the development of cancers. However, the impact of anoikis on the prognosis of bladder cancer (BLCA) is currently unknown. Thus, this study aimed to find potential effect of anoikis in BLCA. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-BLCA and GSE13507 cohorts were downloaded from TCGA and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases, respectively. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened between BLCA and normal groups, which intersected with anoikis-related genes to yield anoikis-related DEGs (AR DEGs). Univariate COX, rbsurv, and multivariate COX analyses were adopted in order to build a prognostic risk model. The differences of risk score in the different clinical subgroups and the relevance between survival rate and clinical characteristics were explored as well. Finally, chemotherapy drug sensitivity in different risk groups was analyzed. In total, 78 AR DEGs were acquired and a prognostic signature was build based on the 6 characteristic genes (CALR, FASN, CSPG4, HGF, INHBB, SATB1), where the patients of low-risk group had longer survival time. The survival rate of BLCA patients was significantly differential in different groups of age, stage, smoking history, pathologic-T, and pathologic-N. The IC50 of 56 drugs showed significant differences between 2 risk groups, such as imatinib, docetaxel, and dasatinib. At last, the results of real time quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) demonstrated that the expression trend of CALR, HGF, and INHBB was consistent with the result obtained previously based on public databases. Taken together, this study identified 6 anoikis-related characteristic genes (CALR, FASN, CSPG4, HGF, INHBB, SATB1) for the prognosis of BLCA patients, providing a scientific reference for further research on BLCA.

"Adjusting internal organs and dredging channelon" electroacupuncture glycolipid metabolism disorders in NAFLD mice by mediating the AMPK/ACC signaling pathway.

To investigate the effect mechanism of electroacupuncture based on the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) /acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) signaling pathway to improve glycolipid metabolism disorders in db/db mice. 10 db/m mice with normal genotype were used as the normal control group without diabetes (Con), and 30 db/db mice were divided randomly into three groups: Pathological model mice (Mod), Acupuncture + ACC antagonist group (Acu + ACC), and Acupuncture + AMPK antagonist group (Acu + AMPK). Con and Mod did not receive any special treatment, only as a control observation. The latter two groups of mice received electroacupuncture treatment for 4 weeks. Mouse triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), and cholesterin(CHO) levels were detected by colorimetric assay. Enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) was used to detect insulin(INS) levels. Liver histopathologic changes and hepatic glycogen synthesis were observed by HE and PAS staining. The mRNA and protein expression of insulin receptor substrate-1(IRS1), Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT), AMPK, and ACC were detected by Western blot and qRT-PCR.The results show that compared with Mod, TG, LDL, CHO, and INS levels of Acu + AMPK and Acu + ACC mice were significantly reduced (P < 0.05), and the HDL levels were significantly increased (P < 0.05), the steatotic degeneration of mice hepatocytes was reduced to different degrees, and the hepatocyte glycogen particles were increased, and the latter two groups had a decrease in AKT, ACC mRNA expression was reduced (P < 0.05), PI3K protein expression was increased, and AKT and ACC protein expression was reduced (P < 0.05), in addition, protein expression of AMPK was increased and IRS1 protein expression was reduced in Acu + ACC (P < 0.05). The study showed that electroacupuncture improves glucose-lipid metabolism disorders in db/db mice, and this mechanism is related to the AMPK/ACC signaling pathway.

Fiber optic-based integrated system for in vivo multiscale pharmacokinetic monitoring.

This paper presents the development of a fiber-optic-based fluorescence detection system for multi-scale monitoring of drug distribution in living animals. The integrated system utilized dual laser sources at the wavelengths of 488 nm and 650 nm and three photomultiplier channels for multi-color fluorescence detection. The emission spectra of fluorescent substances were tracked using the time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy module to continuously monitor their blood kinetics. The fiber bundle, consisting of 30,000 optic filaments, was designed for wide-field mesoscopic imaging of the drug's interactions within organs. The inclusion of a gradient refractive index (GRIN) lens within the setup enabled fluorescence confocal laser scanning microscopy to visualize the drug distribution at the cellular level. The system performance was verified by imaging hepatic and renal tissues in mice using cadmium telluride quantum dots (CdTe QDs) and R3. By acquiring multi-level images and real-time data, our integrated system underscores its potential as a potent tool for drug assessment, specifically within the realms of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic investigations.

Objectivization study of acupuncture Deqi and brain modulation mechanisms: a review.

Deqi is an important prerequisite for acupuncture to achieve optimal efficacy. Chinese medicine has long been concerned with the relationship between Deqi and the clinical efficacy of acupuncture. However, the underlying mechanisms of Deqi are complex and there is a lack of systematic summaries of objective quantitative studies of Deqi. Acupuncture Deqi can achieve the purpose of treating diseases by regulating the interaction of local and neighboring acupoints, brain centers, and target organs. At local and neighboring acupoints, Deqi can change their tissue structure, temperature, blood perfusion, energy metabolism, and electrophysiological indicators. At the central brain level, Deqi can activate the brain regions of the thalamus, parahippocampal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, insular, middle temporal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, etc. It also has extensive effects on the limbic-paralimbic-neocortical-network and default mode network. The brain mechanisms of Deqi vary depending on the acupuncture techniques and points chosen. In addition, Deqi 's mechanism of action involves correcting abnormalities in target organs. The mechanisms of acupuncture Deqi are multi-targeted and multi-layered. The biological mechanisms of Deqi are closely related to brain centers. This study will help to explore the mechanism of Deqi from a local-central-target-organ perspective and provide information for future clinical decision-making.

Metabolomics of Mice with Type 2 Diabetes and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Treated by Acupuncture.

Introduction: To investigate the effects of acupuncture on endogenous metabolites in the liver of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mice-based metabolomics. Methods: Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) metabolomics combined with multivariate statistical analysis and univariate analysis were used to analyze the changes of endogenous metabolites in the liver of mice in each group and to provide new clinical ideas for acupuncture in the treatment of glycolipid metabolism disorders caused by T2DM and NAFLD. Results: After 4 weeks of continuous treatment, fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin (INS), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) decreased significantly in mice in the acupuncture treatment group (ATG), and the content of liver glycogen increased significantly. Based on 1H-NMR metabolomic analysis, a total of 47 metabolites were identified in the liver of T2DM with NAFLD mice, of which eight metabolites: UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, adenosine, glutamate, isoleucine, ATP, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, NADP+, and leucine were significantly altered by acupuncture treatment. Through the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, it is found that acupuncture has an intervention effect on five metabolic pathways, mainly involving amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, and oxidative stress. Conclusion: Our study shows that acupuncture can regulate the liver metabolism mode of T2DM in NAFLD mice. It can reduce blood glucose and lipid accumulation in the liver, and these findings provide a new idea and theoretical basis for acupuncture in the treatment of diseases related to glucose and lipid metabolism.

Transthoracic single-port-assisted laparoscopic gastrectomy versus laparoscopic transhiatal approach for Siewert type II adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction: a single-center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The surgical approach for patients with Siewert type II AEG remains controversial. Several studies have described a new laparoscopic radical resection approach of Siewert type II AEG through the left diaphragm. However, the technical safety and feasibility of the new surgical approach compared with the transhiatal approach have not yet been tested. STUDY DESIGN: We retrospectively reviewed patients with AEG who underwent TSLG and LTH operations in the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine between January 2017 and April 2021. Histologically confirmed AEG and D2 lymphadenectomy with curative R0 patients were included, and patients with Siewert I/III AEG or distant metastasis were excluded. Blood loss, the amount of harvested lymph node, and complications related to surgery were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 99 patients with Siewert type II AEG were analyzed, 44 in the TSLG group and 55 in the LTH group. There was no difference in clinicopathological features between the two groups. The more harvested lymph node (23.33 ± 11.41 vs. 32.18 ± 12.85, p < 0.01), lower mediastinal lymph node (1.07 ± 2.08 vs. 3.25 ± 3.31, p < 0.01), and longer proximal margin length (3.08 ± 1.19 vs. 4.47 ± 0.95 cm, p < 0.01) were observed in the TSLG group. The rate of cure (R0 gastrectomy) in the TSLG group was higher than that in the LTH group (100% vs. 89.09%, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The TSLG approach is associated with improved surgical views, simplified lymphatic dissection in the inferior mediastinum, and more reliable margins. TSLG surgery may be an effective addition to LTH surgery, particularly when lower mediastinal lymph node metastases are suspected.