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.

Circularly polarized luminescence in quantum dot-based materials.

Quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as fantastic luminescent nanomaterials with significant potential due to their unique photoluminescence properties. With the rapid development of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials, many researchers have associated QDs with the CPL property, resulting in numerous novel CPL-active QD-containing materials in recent years. The present work reviews the latest advances in CPL-active QD-based materials, which are classified based on the types of QDs, including perovskite QDs, carbon dots, and colloidal semiconductor QDs. The applications of CPL-active QD-based materials in biological, optoelectronic, and anti-counterfeiting fields are also discussed. Additionally, the current challenges and future perspectives in this field are summarized. This review article is expected to stimulate more unprecedented achievements based on CPL-active QD-based materials, thus further promoting their future practical applications.

Self-Powered and Self-Healable Extraocular-Muscle-Like Actuator Based on Dielectric Elastomer Actuator and Triboelectric Nanogenerator.

Although dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are promising artificial muscles for use as visual prostheses in patients with oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP), high driving voltage coupled with vulnerable compliant electrodes limits their safe long-term service. Herein, a self-healable polydimethylsiloxane compliant electrode based on reversible imine bonds and hydrogen bonds is prepared and coated on an acrylic ester film to develop a self-healable DEA (SDEA), followed by actuation with a high-output triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) to construct a self-powered DEA (TENG-SDEA). Under 135.9 kV mm-1 , the SDEA exhibits an elevated actuated strain of 50.6%, comparable to the actuation under DC power. Moreover, the mechanically damaged TENG-SDEA displays a self-healing efficiency of over 90% for 10 cycles. The TENG ensures the safe using of TENG-SDEAs and an extraocular-muscle-like actuator with oriented motion ability integrated by several TENG-SDEAs is constructed. Additionally, the SDEA is directly used as a flexible capacitive sensor for real-time monitoring of the patient's muscle movement. Accordingly, a medical aid system based on a conjunction of the extraocular-muscle-like actuator and a flexible capacitive sensor is manufactured to help the patients suffering from ONP with physical rehabilitation and treatment.

Effect of electroacupuncture at the acupoints for Tiaozang Xingshen on cerebral metabolism in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus-associated cognitive dysfunction. / "调脏醒神"电针对2åž‹ç³–å°¿ç— ç›¸å ³è®¤çŸ¥åŠŸèƒ½éšœç¢æ‚£è€ è„‘å† ä»£è°¢çš„å½±å“.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the cerebral metabolism in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus-associated cognitive dysfunction (T2DACD) and explore the mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) at the acupoints for Tiaozang Xingshen (adjusting zangfu function and rescuing the spirit) in treatment of T2DACD, using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. METHODS: Fifteen patients with T2DACD (observation group) and 22 healthy subjects (control group) were enrolled. In the observation group, the patients were treated with EA for Tiaozang Xingshen at Baihui (GV 20) and Shenting (GV 24), and bilateral Feishu (BL 13), Pishu (BL 20), Shenshu (BL 23), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Hegu (LI 4) and Taichong (LR 3). EA was operated with disperse-dense wave, 2 Hz/100 Hz in frequency and 0.1 mA to 1.0 mA in current intensity; 30 min each time, once daily. One course of EA consisted of 5 treatments, at the interval of 2 days and the intervention lasted 8 courses. Before treatment in the control group, before and after treatment in the observation group, the score of Montreal cognitive assessment scale (MoCA), the score of clinical dementia rating (CDR), Flanker paradigm, Stroop paradigm, Nback paradigm, the score of self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), the score of self-rating depression scale (SDS), and the score of Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD) were evaluated separately; the glycolipid metabolic indexes (fasting plasma glucose [FPG], glycosylated hemoglobin type A1c [HbA1c], total cholesterol [TC], triacylglycerol [TG], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C] and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C]) were determined；with the magnetic resonance spectroscopy technique adopted, the metabolites in the basal ganglia area were detected. The correlation analysis was performed for the metabolite values with MoCA score, CDR score , Flanker paradigm, Stroop paradigm, and Nback paradigm. RESULTS: Before treatment, compared with the control group, in the observation group, MoCA score was lower (P<0.001), CDR score and the levels of FPG and HbA1c were higher (P<0.001); the reaction times of Flanker non-conflict, Flanker conflict, Stroop neutrality, Stroop congruence, Stroop conflict, and 1-back were prolonged (P<0.05, P<0.001), and the accuracy of Flanker conflict, Stroop conflict, and 1-back decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01); the ratio of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) to creatine (Cr) in the left basal ganglia area was dropped (P<0.001), and that of myo-inositol (MI) to Cr in the right side increased (P<0.05). In the observation group after treatment, compared with the levels before treatment, MoCA score was higher (P<0.001), the scores of CDR, SAS and HAMD were reduced (P<0.01, P<0.05), the reaction times of Flanker conflict and Stroop conflict shortened (P<0.001, P<0.05), and the accuracy of Flanker conflict and 1-back increased (P<0.001, P<0.05); the ratio of NAA to Cr in the left basal ganglia area and that of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) to Cr in the right increased (P<0.05), that of MI to Cr in the right decreased (P<0.05). Before treatment, in the observation group, the ratio of MI to Cr in the right basal ganglia area was positively correlated with the reaction time of Stroop congruence (r=0.671, P=0.012) and this ratio was positively correlated with the reaction time of Stroop conflict (r=0.576, P=0.039). CONCLUSIONS: Electroacupuncture for "adjusting zangfu function and rescuing the mind" improves the cognitive function of T2DACD patients, which may be related to the regulation of NAA, MI and GABA levels in the basal ganglia.

Nonconventional Fluorescence-Based Circularly Polarized Luminescent Core/Shell Particles: Maleic Anhydride Copolymer as the Core and Chiral Helical Polyacetylene as the Shell.

Chiroptical micro/nanomaterials with circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) properties have aroused ever-increasing attention. However, the variety of such materials is seriously limited in self-assembly systems from small organic molecules. Herein, we report an unprecedented, facile strategy to achieve monodispersed polymer-based CPL-active core/shell particles using maleic anhydride copolymer as core and chiral helical polyacetylene as shell. Noticeably, the obtained core/shell particles carry no conventional fluorescent units, but can show intense blue-emitting nonconventional fluorescence with both aggregation-induced emission and concentration-enhanced emission performance. In particular, it is interesting that excitation-dependent CPL emission behavior is further observed in the core/shell particles, with the highest luminescence dissymmetry factor of 5 × 10-3. The present work provides a versatile platform with wide universality for constructing polymeric CPL nano/microarchitectures.

Difference analysis of different parts of chicory based on HPLC fingerprint and multi-component content determination.

Objective: To establish HPLC fingerprints of different parts of chicory stems, leaves, roots, flowers and seeds, and compare the similarities and differences of chemical components in different parts, so as to provide a scientific basis for the comprehensive utilization of chicory. Methods: To establish the HPLC fingerprint of chicory, the chromatographic column was chosen with Agilent ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C18, the mobile phase was methanol (A) - 0.2% formic acid (B), the flow rate was 1 mL/min, the column temperature was 30 °C, and the detection wavelength was 254 nm. The Similarity Evaluation System of Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2012 Edition) was used to evaluate the similarity of different parts of decoction pieces, and the determination method of multi-component content was established based on fingerprint identification chromatographic peaks, and the determination results were analyzed. Results: The HPLC fingerprinting method of chicory was established. Sixteen chromatographic peaks were identified and 10 of them were identified as: caftaric acid (1), esculin (2), chlorogenic acid (3), esculetin (4), caffeic acid (5), cichoric acid (8), hyperoside (11), rutin (12), isochlorogenic acid C (14) and luteolin (16). The similarity of different parts was 0.084-0.701. At the same time, the total content of detected chemical components was ranked as flower > leaf > stem > root > seed. Roots did not contain caftaric acid, rutin, and luteolin, flowers did not contain luteolin, and seeds did not contain caftaric acid, cichoric acid, and luteolin. The content of cichoric acid in leaves was the most, and esculin in flowers was the most. Conclusion: The results of HPLC fingerprint and multi-component content determination revealed the similarity and difference of different parts of chicory from chemical composition, indicating that there were certain differences in different parts of chicory. The established HPLC fingerprinting method can provide a reference for quality control and evaluation of different parts of the chicory.

lncRNA LINC000466 Predicts the Prognosis and Promotes the Progression of Triple-negative Breast Cancer via Modulating miR-539-5p.

BACKGROUND: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most malignant subtypes of breast cancer with an unsatisfied prognosis. Effective biomarkers could predict the risk and improve patients' survival. Whether LINC00466 possesses the potential to serve as a biomarker of the progression and prognosis of TNBC was evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 122 TNBC patients were included in this study and provided paired clinical tissues. The expression of LINC00466 in TNBC was evaluated by RT-qPCR and evaluated the clinical significance with a series of statistical analyses. The biological effects and the mechanism were investigated in TNBC cells with CCK8, Transwell, and luciferase reporter assays. RESULTS: LINC00466 was significantly upregulated in TNBC and showed close association with the clinical features of patients, which indicates the development, and severity of patients. LINC00466 functioned as a prognostic biomarker predicting the survival of patients and a tumor promoter improving the proliferation, migration, and invasion of TNBC cells through sponging miR-539-5p. CONCLUSION: LINC00466 promotes the progression of TNBC via regulating miR-539-5p. The inhibition of LINC00466 might be a novel therapeutic strategy for TNBC.

An efficient algorithm for collaborative learning model predictive control of nonlinear systems.

This paper contributes to an efficiently computational algorithm of collaborative learning model predictive control for nonlinear systems and explores the potential of subsystems to accomplish the task collaboratively. The collaboration problem in the control field is usually to track a given reference over a finite time interval by using a set of systems. These subsystems work together to find the optimal trajectory under given constraints in this study. We implement the collaboration idea into the learning model predictive control framework and reduce the computational burden by modifying the barycentric function. The properties, including recursive feasibility, stability, convergence, and optimality, are proved. The simulation is presented to show the system performance with the proposed collaborative learning model predictive control strategy.

Scheme optimization of acupoints compatibility and influence factors of the effect.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture may be a clinically effective treatment for insomnia. We will perform a multicenter, large-scale, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial to compare the differences in the clinical efficacy between the use of singleacupoints and compatibilityacupoints in the treatment of primary insomnia. METHODS/DESIGN: A total of 333 participants will be randomly assigned to 2 acupoint treatment groups or 1 nonacupoint control group in a 1:1:1 ratio by a central stochastic system. The acupuncture groups are: the single acupoint group: Shenmen (HT7); and he compatibility acupoint group: Shenmen (HT7), Baihui (DU20), and Sanyinjiao (SP6). The observation period of this trial will be 10 weeks. All patients will be followed for 1 week before randomization (baseline phase). After randomization, the patients will receive 30 minutes of electro-acupuncture once per day for 5 weeks. In the fourth week after the treatment, follow-up will be performed once. The primary outcome will be the Pittsburgh sleep quality index score at 1 week before randomization and 2 and 8 weeks after randomization. The secondary outcomes will include data from sleep diaries, Athens insomnia scale scores, ShortForm-36 Health Survey scores, electroencephalogram technology results and polysomnogram) results. Patients will be required to complete a sleep diary every day during the treatment period. Patients will also undergo electroencephalogram technology and polysomnogram 1 week before randomization and 5 weeks after randomization. The other secondary outcomes will be measured 1 week before randomization and 5 and 9 weeks after randomization. DISCUSSION: This trial will be helpful in identifying whether acupuncture at compatibility acupoints is more effective than acupuncture at single acupoints. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials.govNCT02448602, Registered 5May 2015, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02448602?term=NCT02448602&rank=1.

The effectiveness of acupoint herbal patching for functional dyspepsia: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Functional dyspepsia (FD) has gradually developed into a multiple disease of the digestive system that most patients may be accompanied by mental and emotional disorders, such as insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Acupoint herbal patching (AHP) is usually used as an alternative therapy for patients with FD. This study aimed to design a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the effects of AHP on FD. METHODS: We will search the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, the Chinese Scientific Journal Database, the Wan-Fang Database, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure for randomized controlled trials of FD treated by AHP from inception to June 30, 2021. The primary outcome measures contain clinical effective rate, the symptom score of FD, and secondary outcome measures consist of quality of life, incidence of adverse events, and recurrence rate. We will use RevMan V.5.3 software to analyze data. Two reviewers will evaluate the risk of bias and the quality of the studies by the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach, separately. RESULTS: This systematic review protocol will analyze the effectiveness, quality of life, improvement of the symptom, and safety of AHP therapy for FD. CONCLUSION: The findings of this systematic review will provide evidence to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of AHP for FD.

Efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture treatment in the prevention of negative moods in healthy young men after 30 h of total sleep deprivation: study protocol for a single-center, single-blind, parallel-arm, randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Sleep deprivation (SD) among young adults is a major public health concern. In humans, it has adverse effects on mood and results in serious health problems. Faced with SD, persons may take precautionary measures to try and reduce their risk. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) for the prevention of negative moods after SD. In addition, we will do a comparison of the effects of EA on mood after SD at different time points. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be performed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine in China. The Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture 2010 will be strictly adhered to. Forty-two healthy male volunteers will be distributed into acupoints electroacupuncture (AE) group, non-acupoints electroacupuncture (NAE) control group, or blank control group. This trial will comprise 1-week baseline (baseline sleep), 1-week preventative treatment, 30-h total sleep deprivation (TSD), and 24-h after waking follow-up period. Participants in the AE group and the NAE control group during the preventative treatment period will be administered with EA treatment once daily for 1 week. Participants in the blank control group will not be administered with any treatment. The primary outcome will be the Profile of Mood States (POMS) Scale. Secondary outcome measures will include changes in the Noldus FaceReader (a tool for automatic analysis of facial expressions) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) Scale. Total sleep deprivation will be 30 h. During the 30-h TSD period, participants will be subjected to 11 sessions of assessment. Adverse events will be recorded. DISCUSSION: This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of EA for the prevention of negative moods after SD. The results of this trial will allow us to compare the effects of EA on mood after SD at different time points. Moreover, the findings from this trial will be published in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Chi2000039713 . Registered on 06 November 2020.

Flash extraction of the active constituents and its antitumor activity from rehmanniae radix, achyranthes bidentatae radix, dioscoreae rhizoma and chrysanthemi flos.

In this study, we applied the Flash extraction (FE) for the first time to the extraction of active ingredients of Sidahuaiyao (including Rehmanniae Radix, Achyranthes Bidentatae Radix, Dioscoreae Rhizoma, and Chrysanthemi Flos), and the content of active ingredients (catalpinoside, ecdysterone, chlorogenic acid and diosgenin) was determined by HPLC, and compared with Soxhlet extraction (SE) and ultrasonic extraction (UE). The results show that under the same solvent ratio, FE is used to extract the largest amount of different active ingredients. Compared with SE and UE, the extraction amount increases by 20.8% -92%. It is demonstrated for the first time that using FE to extract the active ingredients from Sidahuaiyao produced the highest extraction efficiency. In addition, we evaluated the anticancer activities of the main components. Three cancer cells and one normal cells were used to detect the anti-proliferative activity by MTT assay. The results showed that diosgenin had the strongest inhibitory effect on MCF-7 cells with IC50 value of 19.28±0.36µM. In short, we optimized the extraction process of Sidahuaiyao, and evaluated the anti-cancer activity of the main components, which provided a scientific theoretical basis for the application of Sidahuaiyao.

Nanoporous Graphene via a Pressing Organization Calcination Strategy for Highly Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Generation.

Nanoporous graphenes (NPGs) have recently attracted huge attention owing to their designable structures and diverse properties. Many important properties of NPGs are determined by their structural regularity and homogeneity. The mass production of NPGs with periodic well-defined pore structures under a solvent-free green synthesis poses a great challenge and is largely unexplored. A facile synthetic strategy of NPGs via pressing organization calcination (POC) of readily available halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is developed. The gram-scale synthesized NPGs have ordered structures and possess well-defined nanopores, which can be easily exfoliated to few layers and oxidized in controllable approaches. After being decorated with oxygen species, the oxidized NPGs with tunable catalytic centers exhibit high activity, selectivity, and stability toward electrochemical hydrogen peroxide generation.

Study on acupuncture in the treatment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy based on rs-fMRI: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Studies have shown that acupuncture has significant therapeutic effects on painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN) yet the precise mechanism of action underpinning these effects remains controversial. Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) is an advanced imaging technique that can be used to monitor changes in the activity of the brain, particularly in PDPN. However, the data from several studies remain inconclusive and there is currently no systematic review and meta-analysis for the use of rs-fMRI in PDPN. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In this study, we will select all eligible studies published on or before 30 June 2021. Four English and four Chinese databases will be searched, specifically, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang database, China Science Technology Journal Database (VIP) and China Doctor/Master Dissertations Full-text Database. Only clinical trials and the first cycle of a cross-over trial linked to acupuncture for PDPN will be included in the analysis. The main outcomes include the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation, regional homogeneity, functional connectivity of the brain, bilateral superficial peroneal nerve sensory nerve conduction velocity, bilateral dorsal current perception threshold values and the degree of subjective pain. The secondary outcomes include biochemical indicators, the degree of depression and anxiety and changes in efficiency. The study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment will be performed by two investigators. For statistical analyses, Review Manager V.5.4 software will be used. If necessary, heterogeneity testing, data synthesis, and subgroup analysis will be performed. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Our systematic review and meta-analysis will be based on published literature for data extraction and will not include the use of individual patient data and so no ethical approval required. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021211644.

The effectiveness of acupoint application of traditional Chinese medicine in treating primary dysmenorrhea: A protocol for meta-analysis and data mining.

BACKGROUND: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a functional disease of the female reproductive system, which has adverse effects on patients' physical and mental health and quality of life. At present, acupoint application of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as adjuvant therapy is undergoing clinical trials in different medical centers. However, there is no systematic review or meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of acupoint application of TCM in the treatment of PD. There is also a lack of systematic evaluation and analysis of acupoints and herbs. METHODS: All randomized controlled trials related to acupoint catgut embedding therapy on PD will be searched in the following electronic databases: Cochrane Central Registry of controlled trials, PubMed, Wed of Science, EMBASE, Science Net, China Biomedical Literature Database, China Science Journal Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wan-Fang Database, from inception to May, 2021 were searched without language restrictions. The primary outcomes contain visual analog score, The Cox Menstrual Symptom Scale, while the secondary outcomes consist of adverse events and the recurrence rate. Two reviewers will independently perform data selection, data synthesis, and quality assessment. Data meeting the inclusion criteria will be extracted and analyzed by Revman v.5.3 software. Two reviewers will evaluate the study using the Cochrane collaborative bias risk tool. We will use the scoring method to assess the overall quality of the evidence supporting the main results. We will also use Spass software (version 19.0) for complex network analysis to explore the potential core prescription of acupoint application of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of PD. RESULTS: This study will analyze the clinical effective rate, functional outcomes, quality of life, improvement of clinical symptoms of PD, and effective prescriptions of acupoint application for patients with PD. CONCLUSION: Our findings will provide evidence for the effectiveness and potential treatment prescriptions of acupoint application for patients with PD.PROSPERO registration number: CRD 42021244357.

Study on acupuncture improving insomnia comorbid with depression and anxiety based on rs-fMRI: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Long term insomnia and low sleep quality often lead to depression, anxiety and other negative emotions, and often interact with each other. Many studies have confirmed the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of insomnia comorbid with emotional disorders, but its specific mechanism needs to be further explored. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance (rsfMRI) is an important means to study the changes of brain activity. However, the results are inconsistent and lack of systematic evaluation and analysis. METHODS: Nine databases will be searched, including PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCOhost-medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Database and Wan-Fang Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database from inception to January 2021. And screening clinical registration platform related research, in order to obtain more relevant studies. The outcomes include the change of rs-fMRI, sleep quality, depression, and anxiety. Quality assessment of the included studies will be performed according to the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Evidence quality will be assessed by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) method. RevMan software (Version 5.3) and stata13.1will be used for statistical analyses. Subgroup analysis will be performed if necessary. If the data is insufficient, qualitative synthesis will be conducted instead of quantitative synthesis. RESULTS: This study will analyze the effect of acupuncture on the brain activity changes, improvement of sleep quality and clinical symptoms of anxiety and depression with insomnia comorbid with emotional disorders. CONCLUSION: This study used meta-analysis method to explore the characteristics of acupuncture on brain activity changes in insomnia comorbid with emotional disorders, so as to provide effective evidence for clarifying its pathogenesis.

The Synthesis of Hexaazatrinaphthylene-Based 2D Conjugated Copper Metal-Organic Framework for Highly Selective and Stable Electroreduction of CO2 to Methane.

2D conjugated MOFs have attracted significant interests in recent years owing to their special structural features and promising physical and chemical properties. These intriguing attributes, to a large extent, stem from the nature of incorporated ligands. The available ligands for the construction of 2D conjugated MOFs are still limited, especially those that have heteroatoms included and exposed to the pores. In this work, we designed and synthesized a highly symmetric hexaazatrinaphthylene (HATNA)-based ligand with two different coordination sites. Through selective coordination, a highly crystalline and porous 2D conjugated copper metal-organic framework was constructed. Due to the synergic effects of HATNA and copper catecholate node, this HATNA-based 2D conjugated MOF can mediate the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methane with high selectivity of 78 % at high current density of 8.2 milliamperes per square centimetre (mA cm-2 ) for long durability over 12 hours.

The effectiveness of acupoint herbal patching for functional constipation: Protocol for a meta-analysis and data mining.

BACKGROUND: Functional constipation is a common functional problem of the digestive system that has a negative impact on physical, mental health of patients and quality of life. At present, acupoint herbal patching as an adjuvant therapy is currently undergoing clinical trials in different medical centers. However, no relevant systematic review or meta-analysis has been designed to evaluate the effects of acupoint herbal patching on functional constipation. There is also a lack of systematic evaluation and analysis of acupoints and herbs. METHODS: We will search the following 8 databases from their inception to November 15, 2020, without language restrictions: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Embase, the Web of Science, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, the Chinese Scientific Journal Database, the Wan-Fang Database and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure. The primary outcome measures will be clinical effective rate, functional outcomes, and quality of life. Data that meets the inclusion criteria will be extracted and analyzed using RevMan V.5.3 software. Two reviewers will evaluate the studies using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. We will use the GRADE approach to assess the overall quality of evidence supporting the primary outcomes. We will also use Spass software (Version19.0) for complex network analysis to explore the potential core prescription of acupoint herbal patching for functional constipation. RESULTS: This study will analyze the clinical effective rate, functional outcomes, quality of life, improvement of clinical symptoms of functional constipation, and effective prescriptions of acupoint herbal patching for patients with functional constipation. CONCLUSION: Our findings will provide evidence for the effectiveness and potential treatment prescriptions of acupoint herbal patching for patients with functional constipation. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD 42020193489.

Tuina for spasticity of poststroke: protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Spasticity is a common complication of poststroke, tuina is a widely used rehabilitation treatment, although there is a lack of supportive evidence on efficacy and safety for patients with poststroke spasticity. The aim of this systematic review is to assess and synthesis evidence of efficacy and safety of tuina for spasticity of poststroke. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A comprehensive electronic search of EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Wiley, Springer, PEDro, Chinese Science Citation Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Scientific and Journal Database (VIP), Wanfang Database (Wanfang), Japanese medical database (CiNii), Korean Robotics Institute Summer Scholars and Thailand Thai-Journal Citation Index Centre will be conducted to search literatures of randomised controlled trials of tuina for spasticity of poststroke survivors range from the establishment to 1 January 2020.There is no time of publication limitations. The primary outcome will be measured with the Modified Ashworth Scale, and the second outcome will include Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale, surface electromyogram RMS value, the Modified Barthel Index, Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale, quality of life 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey and Visual Analogue Scale. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions will be used to assess the risk of bias, and GRADE will be used to access the confidence in cumulative evidence. The protocol will be conducted according to approach and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols 2015. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval will not be required, for no primary data of individual patients were collected. We will publish the findings in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020163384.

Enhanced Proton Conductivity of Imidazole-Doped Thiophene-Based Covalent Organic Frameworks via Subtle Hydrogen Bonding Modulation.

Anhydrous proton-conductive materials have attracted great attention in recent years. Doping imidazole as a proton carrier in porous materials, especially pure organic crystalline covalent organic frameworks (COFs), is a promising solution. However, the influence of the hydrogen donor ability of imine functional groups in COFs on the proton conduction has largely been unexplored. Herein, a series of iso-reticular thiophene-based COFs has been synthesized with a similar pore structure and surface area. Different amounts of imidazole were infiltrated to the COFs by vapor diffusion in a highly controlled manner. The introduction of thiophene rings increases the hydrogen bonding donation ability of the imine linker, which resulted in an enhanced proton conductivity of the imidazole-doped COFs by one order of magnitude. The formation of hydrogen bonding between the imine group and imidazole was demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations.