HMGB1/TREM2 positive feedback loop drives the development of radioresistance and immune escape of glioblastoma by regulating TLR4/Akt signaling.

BACKGROUND: Radioresistance and immune escape are crucial reasons for unsatisfactory therapeutic effects of glioblastoma (GBM). Although triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-2 (TREM2) involved in forming immunosuppressive microenvironment, but the underlying mechanism and its roles in mediating cancer radioresistance remain unclear, moreover, the efficient delivery of drugs targeting TREM2 to GBM encounters serious challenges. Hence, this study aimed to elucidate the effect and mechanisms of targeted TREM2 silencing on reversing the radioresistance and immune escape of GBM aided by a glutathione-responsive biomimetic nanoparticle (NP) platform. METHODS: Radioresistant GBM cell lines and TREM2 stable knockdown GBM cell lines were firstly established. RNA sequencing, colony formation assay, western blot, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and co-immunoprecipitation assay were used to detect the molecular mechanisms of TREM2 in regulating the radioresistance and immune escape of GBM. The glutathione-responsive biomimetic NP, angiopep-2 (A2)- cell membrane (CM)-NP/siTREM2/spam1, was then constructed to triply and targeted inhibit TREM2 for in vivo study. Orthotopic GBM-bearing mouse models were established to evaluate the anti-GBM effect of TREM2 inhibition, multiplex immunofluorescence assay was conducted to detect the infiltration of immune cells. RESULTS: TREM2 was a regulator in accelerating the radioresistance and immune escape of GBM through participating in DNA damage repair and forming a positive feedback loop with high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) to cascade the activation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling. A2-CM-NP/siTREM2/spam1 was successfully synthesized with excellent passive targeting, active targeting and homologous targeting, and the in vivo results exhibited its remarkable anti-GBM therapeutic effect through promoting the infiltration of type 1 helper T cells and CD8+T cells, reducing the infiltration of type 2 helper T cells and regulatory T cells, repolarizing macrophages to M1-type, and decreasing the secretion of pro-tumor and immunosuppressive cytokines. CONCLUSIONS: Targeting TREM2 therapy is a promising avenue for optimizing radiotherapy and immunotherapy to improve the prognosis of GBM patients.

Nanosilicates facilitate periodontal regeneration potential by activating the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway in periodontal ligament cells.

The recent development of nanobiomaterials has shed some light on the field of periodontal tissue regeneration. Laponite (LAP), an artificially synthesized two-dimensional (2D) disk-shaped nanosilicate, has garnered substantial attention in regenerative biomedical applications owing to its distinctive structure, exceptional biocompatibility and bioactivity. This study endeavors to comprehensively evaluate the influence of LAP on periodontal regeneration. The effects of LAP on periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) on osteogenesis, cementogenesis and angiogenesis were systematically assessed, and the potential mechanism was explored through RNA sequencing. The results indicated that LAP improved osteogenic and cementogenic differentiation of PDLCs, the regulatory effects of LAP on PDLCs were closely correlated with activation of PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. Moreover, LAP enhanced angiogenesis indirectly via manipulating paracrine of PDLCs. Then, LAP was implanted into rat periodontal defect to confirm its regenerative potential. Both micro-CT and histological analysis indicated that LAP could facilitate periodontal tissue regeneration in vivo. These findings provide insights into the bioactivity and underlying mechanism of LAP on PDLCs, highlighting it might be a potential therapeutic option in periodontal therapy.

External field induced defect transformation in circular confined Gay-Berne liquid crystals.

Normally, defects in two-dimensional, circular, confined liquid crystals can be classified into four types based on the position of singularities formed by liquid crystal molecules, i.e., the singularities located inside the circle, at the boundary, outside the circle, and outside the circle at infinity. However, it is considered difficult for small aspect ratio liquid crystals to generate all these four types of defects. In this study, we use molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the defect formed in Gay-Berne, ellipsoidal liquid crystals, with small aspect ratios confined in a circular cavity. As expected, we only find two types of defects (inside the circle and at the boundary) in circular, confined, Gay-Berne ellipsoids under static conditions at various densities, aspect ratios, and interactions between the wall and liquid crystals. However, when introducing an external field to the system, four types of defects can be observed. With increasing the strength of the external field, the singularities in the circular, confined system change from the inside to the boundary and the outside, and the farthest position that the singularities can reach depends on the strength of the external field. We further introduce an alternating, triangular wave, external field to the system to check if we can observe the transformation of different defects within an oscillating period. We find that the position of the singularities greatly depends on the oscillating intensity and oscillating period. By changing the oscillating intensity and oscillating period of the external field, the defect types can be adjusted, and the transformation between different defects can be easily observed. This provides a feasible way to modulate liquid crystal defects and investigate the transformation between different defects.

Nanosilicate-functionalized nanofibrous membrane facilitated periodontal regeneration potential by harnessing periodontal ligament cell-mediated osteogenesis and immunomodulation.

Although various new biomaterials have enriched the methods for periodontal regeneration, their efficacy is still controversial, and the regeneration of damaged support tissue in the periodontium remains challenging. Laponite (LAP) nanosilicate is a layered two-dimensional nanoscale, ultrathin nanomaterial with a unique structure and brilliant biocompatibility and bioactivity. This study aimed to investigate the effects of nanosilicate-incorporated PCL (PCL/LAP) nanofibrous membranes on periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) in vitro and periodontal regeneration in vivo. A PCL/LAP nanofibrous membrane was fabricated by an electrospinning method. The characterization of PCL/LAP nanofibrous membrane were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrum of X-ray (EDS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and tensile test. The proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of PDLCs on the PCL/LAP nanofibrous membrane were evaluated. A PDLCs and macrophage coculture system was used to explore the immunomodulatory effects of the PCL/LAP nanofibrous membrane. PCL/LAP nanofibrous membrane was implanted into rat calvarial and periodontal defects, and the regenerative potential was evaluated by microcomputed topography (micro-CT) and histological analysis. The PCL/LAP nanofibrous membrane showed good biocompatibility and bioactivity. It enhanced the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of PDLCs. The PCL/LAP nanofibrous membrane also stimulated anti-inflammatory and pro-remodeling N2 neutrophil formation, regulated inflammatory responses and induced M2 macrophage polarization by orchestrating the immunomodulatory effects of PDLCs. The PCL/LAP nanofibrous membrane promoted rat calvarial defect repair and periodontal regeneration in vivo. LAP nanosilicate-incorporated PCL membrane is capable of mediating osteogenesis and immunomodulation of PDLCs in vitro and accelerating periodontal regeneration in vivo. It could be a promising biomaterial for periodontal regeneration therapy.

Colloidal cubic diamond photonic crystals through cooperative self-assembly.

Colloidal cubic diamond crystals with low-coordinated and staggered structures could display a wide photonic bandgap at low refractive index contrasts, which makes them extremely valuable for photonic applications. However, self-assembly of cubic diamond crystals using simple colloidal building blocks is still considerably challenging, due to their low packing fraction and mechanical instability. Here we propose a new strategy for constructing colloidal cubic diamond crystals through cooperative self-assembly of surface-anisotropic triblock Janus colloids and isotropic colloidal spheres into superlattices. In self-assembly, cooperativity is achieved by tuning the interaction and particle size ratio of colloidal building blocks. The pyrochlore lattice formed by self-assembly of triblock Janus colloids acts as a soft template to direct the packing of colloidal spheres into cubic diamond lattices. Numerical simulations show that this cooperative self-assembly strategy works well in a large range of particle size ratio of these two species. Moreover, photonic band structure calculations reveal that the resulting cubic diamond lattices exhibit wide and complete photonic bandgaps and the width and frequency of the bandgaps can also be easily adjusted by tuning the particle size ratio. Our work will open up a promising avenue toward photonic bandgap materials by cooperative self-assembly employing surface-anisotropic Janus or patchy colloids as a soft template.

A chiral smectic phase induced by an alternating external field.

Using simple achiral building blocks modulated by an external field to achieve chiral liquid crystal phases remains a challenge. In this study, a chiral helix liquid crystal phase is obtained for a simple Gay-Berne ellipsoid model under an alternating external field by using molecular dynamics simulations. Our results show that the chiral helix liquid crystal phase can be observed in a wide range of external field strengths when the oscillation period is smaller than the rotational characteristic diffusion timescale of ellipsoids. In addition, we find that the pitch and tilt angle of the helix structure can also be adjusted by changing the strength and oscillation period of the applied alternating external field. This may provide a feasible route for the regulation of chiral liquid crystal phases by an alternating external field.

Status analysis of keyhole bottom in laser-MAG hybrid welding process.

The keyhole status is a determining factor of weld quality in laser-metal active gas arc (MAG) hybrid welding process. For a better evaluation of the hybrid welding process, three different penetration welding experiments: partial penetration, normal penetration (or full penetration), and excessive penetration were conducted in this work. The instantaneous visual phenomena including metallic vapor, spatters and keyhole of bottom surface were used to evaluate the keyhole status by a double high-speed camera system. The Fourier transform was applied on the bottom weld pool image for removing the image noise around the keyhole, and then the bottom weld pool image was reconstructed through the inverse Fourier transform. Lastly, the keyhole bottom was extracted from the de-noised bottom weld pool image. By analyzing the visual features of the laser-MAG hybrid welding process, mechanism of the closed and opened keyhole bottom were revealed. The results show that the stable opened or closed status of keyhole bottom is directly affected by the MAG droplet transition in the normal penetration welding process, and the unstable opened or closed status of keyhole bottom would appear in excessive penetration welding and partial penetration welding. The analysis method proposed in this paper could be used to monitor the keyhole stability in laser-MAG hybrid welding process.

Modeling for detecting weld defects based on magneto-optical imaging.

A magneto-optical (MO) imaging nondestructive testing (NDT) method for ferromagnetic weldments has been proposed. The mechanism of MO imaging was analyzed by the Faraday MO effect, magnetic domain theory, and magnetic hysteresis loops. Then, the relation between MO images and their corresponding excitation voltages was investigated. To explain the MO imaging system, magnetic domain distribution models of various welding states were established. These models are excited by two kinds of magnetic fields. One is the external magnetic field (Hex), and the other is a weldment remanence field (Mr) after Hex is removed. Relations of magnetic field excitation voltages, thickness of the spacer plate, and the corresponding MO images were also researched, which indicates the proposed NDT method can be used to detect incomplete penetration defect. Then, an experiment that uses MO imaging to detect the defects of high-strength steel (HSS) weldment was performed. Experimental results proved this method can detect crack, sag, and incomplete penetration of weldment effectively. Finally, a series of welded joint MO images of the HSS weldment were captured, which are used as the input data of the defect classification model established by using principal component analysis and an error backpropagation neural network, and the accuracy of this classification model can achieve 92.8%.

[Bioactive materials in periodontal regeneration].

Bioactive materials are a type of biomaterials that can generate special biological or chemical reactions on the surface or interface of materials. These reactions can impact the interaction between tissues and materials, stimulate cell activity, and guide tissue regeneration. In recent years, bioactive materials have been widely used in periodontal tissue regeneration. This review aims to consolidate the definition and characteristics of bioactive materials, as well as summarize their utilization in periodontal tissue regeneration. These findings shed new light on the application of bioactive materials in this field.

Overview of tumor immunotherapy based on approved drugs.

Tumor immunotherapy has become a new hotspot for cancer treatment. Various immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic viruses (OVs), cytokines, and cancer vaccines, have been used to treat tumors. They operate through different mechanisms, along with certain toxicities and side effects. Understanding the mechanisms by which immunotherapy modulates the immune system is essential for improving the efficacy and managing these adverse effects. This article discusses various currently approved cancer immunotherapy mechanisms and related agents approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, and the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency. We also review the latest progress in immune drugs approved by the National Medical Products Administration, including monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, OVs, and chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy, to help understand the clinical application of tumor immunotherapy.

Clinical outcomes of pelvic bone marrow sparing radiotherapy for cervical cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Background: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer. We investigated how additional bone marrow sparing (BMS) affects the clinical outcomes. Methods: We queried MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, Google Scholar, Sinomed, CNKI, and Wanfang databases for articles published in English or Chinese between 2010/01/01 and 2023/10/31. Full-text manuscripts of prospective, randomised trials on BMS in cervical cancer patients treated with definitive or postoperative CRT were included. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using Cochrane Collaboration's RoB tool. Random-effects models were used for the meta-analysis. Results: A total of 17 trials encompassing 1297 patients were included. The majority were single-centre trials (n = 1268) performed in China (n = 1128). Most trials used CT-based anatomical BMS (n = 1076). There was a comparable representation of trials in the definitive (n = 655) and postoperative (n = 582) settings, and the remaining trials included both.Twelve studies reported data on G ≥ 3 (n = 782) and G ≥ 2 (n = 754) haematologic adverse events. Both G ≥ 3 (OR 0.39; 95 % CI 0.28-0.55; p < 0.001) and G ≥ 2 (OR 0.29; 95 % CI 0.18-0.46; p < 0.001) toxicity were significantly lowered, favouring BMS. Seven studies (n = 635) reported data on chemotherapy interruptions, defined as receiving less than five cycles of cisplatin, which were significantly less frequent in patients treated with BMS (OR 0.44; 95 % CI 0.24-0.81; p = 0.016). There was no evidence of increased gastrointestinal or genitourinary toxicity.There were no signs of significant heterogeneity. Four studies were assessed as high RoB; sensitivity analyses excluding these provided comparable results for main outcomes. The main limitations include heterogeneity in BMS methodology between studies, low representation of populations most affected by cervical cancer, and insufficient data to assess survival outcomes. Conclusions: The addition of BMS to definitive CRT in cervical cancer patients decreases hematologic toxicity and the frequency of interruptions in concurrent chemotherapy. However, data are insufficient to verify the impact on survival and disease control.

Distributed Time-Varying Convex Optimization With Dynamic Quantization.

In this work, we design a distributed algorithm for time-varying convex optimization over networks with quantized communications. Each agent has its local time-varying objective function, while the agents need to cooperatively track the optimal solution trajectories of global time-varying functions. The distributed algorithm is motivated by the alternating direction method of multipliers, but the agents can only share quantization information through an undirected graph. To reduce the tracking error due to information loss in quantization, we apply the dynamic quantization scheme with a decaying scaling function. The tracking error is explicitly characterized with respect to the limit of the decaying scaling function in quantization. Furthermore, we are able to show that the algorithm could asymptotically track the optimal solution when time-varying functions converge, even with quantization information loss. Finally, the theoretical results are validated via numerical simulation.

Optimal synchronization in pulse-coupled oscillator networks using reinforcement learning.

Spontaneous synchronization is ubiquitous in natural and man-made systems. It underlies emergent behaviors such as neuronal response modulation and is fundamental to the coordination of robot swarms and autonomous vehicle fleets. Due to its simplicity and physical interpretability, pulse-coupled oscillators has emerged as one of the standard models for synchronization. However, existing analytical results for this model assume ideal conditions, including homogeneous oscillator frequencies and negligible coupling delays, as well as strict requirements on the initial phase distribution and the network topology. Using reinforcement learning, we obtain an optimal pulse-interaction mechanism (encoded in phase response function) that optimizes the probability of synchronization even in the presence of nonideal conditions. For small oscillator heterogeneities and propagation delays, we propose a heuristic formula for highly effective phase response functions that can be applied to general networks and unrestricted initial phase distributions. This allows us to bypass the need to relearn the phase response function for every new network.

Two Enhances the Cisplatin Sensitivity of Cervical Cancer Cells via Suppression of c-MET Expression.

Background: The drug resistance of chemotherapeutic agents leads to unsatisfactory survival rates for cervical cancer (CC) patients. We aimed to explore the effect of FOXP2 on the sensitivity of CC cells to cisplatin (DDP) and its mechanism in Changde, China in 2018. Methods: A Total of 6 cervical cancer tissue samples including 3 patients with cisplatin sensitivity and 3 patients with cisplatin resistance, who received DDP-based treatment, were obtained from Changde First People's Hospital, Changde City during 2021, and FOXP2 level was detected by Western blot. The expression levels of FOXP2 and c-MET (hepatocyte growth factor receptor, c-MET) in cells were determined by q-PCR and Western blot analysis. The cell survival, apoptosis, and clone formation were analyzed by flow cytometry, MTT assay, or clone formation assay. Dual-luciferase reporter assays and Chromatin immunoprecipitation were applied to verify the regulation between FOXP2 and c-MET. Results: FOXP2 was downregulated in cisplatin-resistant cervical cancer tissues and cells compared with control. FOXP2 overexpression in SiHa/DDP cells inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis, whereas down-regulation of FOXP2 in SiHa cells had the opposite result. FOXP2 enhanced chemosensitive to DDP in CC cells. FOXP2 is negatively correlated with c-MET expression level in SiHa and SiHa/DDP cells. Mechanistically, FOXP2 binds to the promoter region of c-MET to regulate its expression in CC cells negatively. Overexpression of c-MET can attenuate the enhancement of DDP-induced apoptosis caused by FOXP2 overexpression. Conclusion: This is a novel study on the role of FOXP2 in promoting the DDP sensitivity of CC cells by inhibiting c-MET. The FOXP2/c-MET signaling axis uncovered in the present study may be a novel therapeutic target for the DDP therapy resistance of CC.

Efferocytosis: An accomplice of cancer immune escape.

The clearance of apoptotic cells by efferocytes such as macrophages and dendritic cells is termed as "efferocytosis", it plays critical roles in maintaining tissue homeostasis in multicellular organisms. Currently, available studies indicate that efferocytosis-related molecules and pathways are tightly associated with cancer development, metastasis and treatment resistance, efferocytosis also induces an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and assists cancer cells escape from immune surveillance. In this study, we reviewed the underlying mechanisms of efferocytosis in mediating the occurrence of cancer immune escape, and then emphatically summarized the strategies of using efferocytosis as therapeutic target to enhance the anti-tumor efficacies of immune checkpoint inhibitors, hoping to provide powerful evidences for more effective therapeutic regimens of malignant tumors.

The status of surrogacy in China.

China's birth rates hit a record low in 2021. The high demand for having children has spawned a massive market for surrogacy, which, however, is a dilemma in China involving a series of moral and legal issues under the current circumstances. First, special populations, including infertile patients, families who have lost their sole child, and homosexuals, wanted to have children, giving rise to surrogacy. Then, the development of and innovation in assisted reproductive technology allowed surrogacy to mature. A high return offsets a high risk, and consequently, an underground surrogacy market has emerged, causing various social issues for the Chinese Government, such as civil disputes, gender disproportion, crime, and the spread of disease. At the same time, surrogacy violates moral ethics, traditional Chinese culture, and the rights and interests of vulnerable groups.

[Clinical research of acupuncture therapy combined with domperidone in treatment of diabetic gastroparesis of liver stagnation and spleen deficiency].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of shuanggu yitong acupuncture therapy (the therapy for both replenishment and unblocking) combined with domperidone on diabetic gastroparesis (DGP) of liver stagnation and spleen deficiency pattern and explore its effect mechanism. METHODS: DGP patients differentiated as liver stagnation and spleen deficiency pattern were divided into a control group (n=42) and an observation group (n=42) according to the random number table. The patients in the control group took domperidone tablets orally, 10 mg each time, 3 times a day for 28 days. In the observation group, on the base of the treatment as the control group, shuanggu yitong acupuncture therapy was applied to Baihui (GV20), Shenting (GV24), Zhongwan (CV12), bilateral Zusanli (ST36), Hegu (LI4)and Taichong (LR3), stimulated for 30 min in each treatment. Acupuncture was given once daily, 3 times a weeks for 28 days consecutively. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (2 h PBG) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were detected before and after treatment in the patients of two groups separately. The score of symptom severity index of gastroparesis (GCSI), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome score and gastric emptying rate were assessed in the patients of two groups. Using ELISA, radioimmunoassay and colorimentry methods, the contents of motilin in plasma, gastrin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and interferon-gamma (INF-γ) in serum, as well as the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum were determined in the two groups. The clinical curative effect was evaluated. RESULTS: After treatment, the levels of FBG, 2 h PBG and HbA1c, the scores of GCSI and TCM syndrome, the contents of motilin in plasma, gastrin, TNF-α and MDA, as well as the activity of ROS in serum were all reduced when compared with those before treatment in each group (P<0.05, P<0.01), while gastric emptying rate and SOD activity in the serum were higher than those before treatment (P<0.05, P<0.01). After treatment, the serological content of INF-γ was lower than that before treatment in the control group (P<0.05), and the contents of IL-6 and IL-1ß were reduced than those before treatment in the observation group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the levels of FBG, 2 h PBG and HbA1c, the scores of GCSI and TCM symptoms, the contents of motilin in plasma, gastrin, TNF-α, MDA, IL-6 and IL-1ß, and the activity of ROS in serum in the observation group were all lower significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01), while the SOD activity and gastric emptying rate in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). The total effective rate was 90.5% (38/42) in the observation group, better than the control group (73.8%, 31/42, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Shuanggu yitong acupuncture therapy combined with domperidone remarkably relieves the clinical symptoms and improves the gastric emptying rate, effectively reduces motilin and gastrin and regulates oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in the patients with DGP of liver stagnation and spleen deficiency.

[Electroacupuncture of "Biaoben acupoints" relieves kidney injury by suppressing oxidative stress in diabetic nephropathy rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of combined "Biao"- and "Ben"-acupoint (for treating symptoms and root causes of the disease, respectively) on the expression of kidney forkhead box O1 (FoxO1) and peroxi-some proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) in diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats, so as to explore its potential mechanisms underlying improvement of DN. METHODS: Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control (n=10), DN model (n=12), EA (n=11), EA+inhibitor (AS1842856 targeting FoxO1, n=11) and inhibitor (n=11) groups. The DN model was established by high fat and high glucose diet for 6 weeks and intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg). EA (2 Hz, 1 mA) was applied to bilateral "Zusanli"(ST36), "Guanyuan"(CV4), "Fenglong" (ST40) and "Zhongwan"(CV12) for 15 min, once every other day for 8 weeks. The body mass was recorded, and blood glucose detected. The serum was sampled for detecting creatinine (Scr) content with Jaffe's assay, urea nitrogen (BUN) content with urease method. Urine albumin (ALB) and renal reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents were detected with ELISA, renal superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity with xanthine oxidase method, and renal malondialdehyde (MDA) content with thiobarbituric acid method. The renal subcellular structure was observed under transmission electron microscopy, and the expression levels of PGC-1α and FoxO1 proteins in the kidney tissue were detected using Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the normal control group, the levels of body mass, SOD activity, and FoxO1 and PGC-1α protein expression were significantly reduced (P<0.01), while the contents of blood glucose, and serum Scr and BUN, urine ALB, renal MDA and ROS levels significantly increased in the model group (P<0.01). In comparison with the model group, the levels of body mass, SOD activity, and FoxO1 and PGC-1α expression were significantly increased in the three treatment groups except SOD, expression of FoxO1 and PGC-1α in the inhibitor group (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the contents of blood glucose, Scr, BUN, ALB, MDA and ROS were obviously decreased in the three treatment groups except ALB and ROS in the inhibitor group (P<0.01, P<0.05). The therapeutic effect of EA was notably superior to that of EA+inhibitor and inhibitor in increasing body mass, SOD activity, and FoxO1 and PGC-1α expression levels (P<0.05, P<0.01), and in down-regulating blood glucose, BUN, ALB and ROS levels (P<0.05, P<0.01), suggesting a reduction of the therapeutic effect of EA after administration of the inhibitor AS1842856 of FoxO1. Results of electron microscopy showed diffusely thickened and vague basement membrane, increased mesangial matrix, fused foot process, and reduced volume of endothelial cells with pykno-tic nucleus of the kidney tissue in the model group, which was obviously milder in both EA and EA+inhibitor groups particularly in the EA group. CONCLUSION: EA increases the expression of FoxO1 and PGC-1α in the kidneys of DN rats, thereby reducing the oxidative stress response and protecting the kidneys.

[Thumb-tack needle based on Biaoben Genjie theory for dry eye: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of thumb-tack needle and sodium hyaluronate eye drops for dry eye. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with dry eye were randomly divided into a thumb-tack needle group and a western medication group, 30 cases in each group. Based on Biaoben Genjie theory, thumb-tack needle was applied at Zhiyin (BL 67), Lidui (ST 45), Fuyang (BL 59), Yanglao (SI 6), Jingming (BL 1) and Cuanzhu (BL 2) in the thumb-tack needle group, 2 times a week. In the western medication group, 0.1% sodium hyaluronate eye drops were applied, 3 times a day. Both groups were treated for 4 weeks. Before and after treatment, TCM symptom score, tear film break-up time (BUT), SchirmerⅠtest (SⅠT), corneal fluorescein sodium staining (FL) score and 36-item short form health survey (SF-36) score were observed, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the total scores and each item score of TCM symptom in the two groups were decreased compared with before treatment (P<0.05); except for score of visual fatigue and photophobia, the total score and each item score of TCM symptom in the thumb-tack needle group were lower than the western medication group (P<0.05). After treatment, the BUT, SⅠT and SF-36 scores were increased and the FL scores were decreased in the two groups (P<0.05); the BUT, SⅠT and SF-36 score were higher than the western medication group (P<0.05), and the FL score was lower than the western medication group (P<0.05) in the thumb-tack needle group. The total effective rate in the thumb-tack needle group was 93.3% (28/30), which was higher than 80.0% (24/30) in the western medication group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Thumb-tack needle based on Biaoben Genjie theory could effectively relieve clinical symptoms of dry eye patients, prolong tear film break-up time, increase tear secretion, improve tear film function and quality of life, and its curative effect is better than sodium hyaluronate eye drops.

[Clinical efficacy and time-effect relationship of dynamic qi acupuncture for acute lumbar sprain].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of dynamic qi acupuncture for acute lumbar sprain, and to explore the differences of different needle retention time on the improvement of pain, lumbar mobility and lumbar dysfunction. METHODS: A total of 160 patients with acute lumbar sprain were randomly divided into an observation group A (40 cases, 4 cases dropped off), an observation group B (40 cases, 2 cases dropped off), an observation group C (40 cases, 4 cases dropped off) and a medication group (40 cases, 6 cases dropped off). The patients in the observation group A, the observation group B and the observation group C were treated with acupuncture at "lumbago point" and Sanjian (LI 3) on the left side, and during the needles were kept for 10, 20 and 30 min respectively, the patients were required to take tolerable lumbar active activities, once a day; the patients in the medication group were treated with celecoxib capsules, 0.2 g each time, twice a day. All the patients were treated for 5 d. Before and after treatment, the scores of numerical rating scale-11 (NRS-11), lumbar range of motion (ROM) and modified Oswestry disability index (ODI) were observed, and the clinical efficacy of each group was evaluated. RESULTS: After treatment, the scores of NRS-11, ROM and ODI in each group were decreased compared before treatment (P<0.01). The decreased degree of NRS-11, ROM and ODI in each observation group was greater than that in the medication group (P<0.05), and the decreased degree of ROM and ODI in the observation group B and the observation group C was greater than that in the observation group A (P<0.05). The total effective rates were 94.4% (34/36) in the observation group A, 94.7% (36/38) in the observation group B and 97.2% (35/36) in the observation group C, respectively, which were higher than 79.4% (27/34) in the medication group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Dynamic qi acupuncture with needle retention for 10, 20 and 30 min all could effectively improve the pain, lumbar mobility and lumbar dysfunction in patients with acute lumbar sprain. If the lumbar dysfunction is severe, needle retention for 20 min or more is recommended.