One-Step Hydrothermal Synthesis of SnO2@Carbon Composites with Super Lithium Ions Storage Performances.

Tin oxide (SnO2) based anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) have drawn much attention for their high theoretical capacity and energy density, but suffer from a large volume change and resulting a rapid capacity fading during charging/discharging cycles. To optimize the status, herein, SnO2/carbon composites are synthesized using SnCl4 · 5H2O and glucose with different mass ratio as raw materials via a simple one-step hydrothermal process, following calcination under Ar gas atmosphere. As comparison, pure SnO2 is synthesized as the same as SnO2/carbon composites without glucose and calcination in air. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were used to investigate the lithium ions storage behavior in pure SnO2 and the SnO2@carbon composites. The EIS results indicate that pure SnO2 has much larger electronic transfer resistance and smaller diffusion coefficient of Li+ resulting worst electrochemical performances, while carbon can substantially enhance the electronic conductivity of the composites and resulting better cycle stability and rate capability of the composite anodes. Moreover, the stability and capacity of the composites are different from each other due to diverse carbon content, surface area and particle size, in which, SnO2-24%C exhibits better lithium storage performances. The initial discharge/charge capacities are up to 1650 and 890 mAh g-1 at the current density of 0.2 A g-1, and the reversible capacity even still maintains at 800 mAh g-1 after 60 cycles. The super electrochemical performances are attributed to that the proper content of carbon clusters as a support can buffer volume expansion of SnO2 during cycling, enhance the electrode conductivity and accelerate the diffusion of Li+ ions in the composite. The results implying that the composite with proper carbon content has a wide application prospect for anode material of LIBs.

[Protective effect of Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture on drug-induced liver injury].

The model of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) induced by acetaminophen (APAP) in mice was established to investigate the anti-oxidation and anti-ferroptosis mechanisms of Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture on DILI. C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups: control group, model group, positive group, and low and high-dose Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture groups (0.12, 0.24 g·kg⁻¹). Mice were intragastrically administration with Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture (0.12, 0.24 g·kg⁻¹) once per day for 21 consecutive days, and at the same time, mice were weighted every day. The mice were injected intraperitoneally with 600 mg·kg⁻¹ of APAP to establish a mouse model of acute DILI after 16 h from the last administration of Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture. After 6 h from APAP challenge, the experimental animals were weighted and sacrificed to collect blood and liver tissue samples. And then, the effect of Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture on liver weight and the liver weight ratio of mice were examined; the content of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the serum and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) in the liver tissue were measured. Prostaglandinendoperoxide synthase 2(ptgs2) mRNA level in liver tissues was detected by Q-PCR, and protein expression levels of SLC7A11 and GPX4 in liver tissues were detected by Western blot. Moreover, HE staining, immunohistochemical assay and TUNEL staining were used to observe pathological changes of the liver tissue sections. It is found that Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture could relieve APAP-induced liver enlargement and inhibit hepatic weight ratio increase. Compared with model group, the mice in Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture groups showed decreases in the content of ALT, AST and MDA, and increases in the content of GSH and NADPH. What is more, Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture could down-regulate ptgs2 mRNA level and up-regulate SLC7A11 and GPX4 protein levels. All of the results lead to a conclusion that Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture plays a protective effect on DILI in mice, which may be associated with the inhibition of ferroptosis.

Highly expressed lncRNA CCND2-AS1 promotes glioma cell proliferation through Wnt/ß-catenin signaling.

Glioma is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults. Long-non coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recently shown to play important roles in regulating numerous biological processes both in physiologic and pathologic condition. However, the role of lncRNAs in glioma remains largely unknown. In this study, we firstly found that lncRNA CCND2-AS2 is significantly up regulated in malignant glioma tissues and cell lines. Both loss- and gain-functions assays show that CCND2-AS1 promotes glioma cells proliferation and growth. In addition, we also revealed that highly expressed CCND2-AS1 could enhance Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in glioma. Taken together, our findings revealed a novel lncRNA CCND2-AS1 promotes glioma cell proliferation through Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and CCND2-AS1 might function as a potential novel therapeutic target for the treatment of glioma.

A differentially conserved residue (Ile42) of GH42 ß-galactosidase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus BgaB is involved in both catalysis and thermostability.

The glycoside hydrolase family 42 (GH42) of thermophilic microorganisms consists of thermostable ß-galactosidases that display significant variations in their temperature optima and stabilities. In this study, we compared the substrate binding modes of 2 GH42 ß-galactosidases, BgaB from Geobacillus stearothermophilus and A4-ß-Gal from Thermus thermophilus A4. The A4-ß-Gal has a catalytic triad (Glu312-Arg32-Glu35) with an extended hydrogen bond network that has not been observed in BgaB. In this study, we performed site-saturation mutagenesis of Ile42 in BgaB (equivalent to Glu312 in A4-ß-Gal) to study the effects of different residues on thermostability, catalytic function, and the extended hydrogen bond network. Our experimental results suggest that substitution of Ile42 with polar AA enhanced the thermostability but decreased the catalytic efficiency of BgaB. Polar AA substitution for Ile42 simultaneously affected thermostability, catalytic efficiency, and the hydrogen bond network, suggesting that Ile42 is responsible for functional discrimination between members of the GH42 family. These observations could lead to a novel strategy for investigating the functional evolution of the GH42 ß-galactosidases.

[Use of parallel factor and two dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy correlation technique for measurement of reaction between MDA and cooked ground meat].

The fluorescence characteristics of oxidation reaction between MDA and cooked ground meat were analyzed by front face three dimensional synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, parallel factor and two dimensional correlation technique. The results showed that the reaction system has two synchronous fluorescence peaks, one is Ex 292 nm and deltalambda 50 nm, assigned to the fluorescence characteristics of tryptophan residues in proteins; the other is Ex 400 nm, delta 70 nm, corresponding with the fluorescence characteristics of MDA-protein adducts formed during oxidation; The synchronous fluorescence landscape was analyzed using PARAFAC. The loading profiles of 1st and 2nd components had an optimal lambda 50 and 70 nm, respectively. During oxidation reaction, the synchronous fluorescence intensity of tryptophan gradually decreased, while the synchronous fluorescence intensity of MDA-protein adducts gradually increased. Two dimensional correlation synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy technique showed that the variation ratio of fluorescence intensity of tryptophan preceded that of MDA-protein adducts.

[Effect of deep needling "Tianshu" (ST25) on colonic motility in rats with slow transit constipation].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture of "Tianshu"(ST25) at different depths on colonic transportation function, expressions of colonic substance P (SP) and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in rats with slow transit constipation (STC), so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of STC．. METHODS: Fifty male Wistar rats were selected and randomly divided into control，STC model，conventional acupuncture，deep needling group 1 and deep needling group 2 groups，with 10 rats in each group．The STC model was established by gavage of 1 mg/mL compound diphenoxylate suspension (10 mg/kg), once every other day for 21 days, and rats of the control group were given the same dose of distilled water by gavage．EA (2 Hz, 2 mA) was applied to "Tianshu"(ST25), with the acupuncture needle inserted to a depth of 3 mm for rats of the conventional acupuncture group, 4.5 mm for those of deep needling group 1, and 10 mm for those of the deep needling group 2. The acupuncture needle was twirled for 1 min, then retained for 15 min each time, once a day for 15 consecutive days．Following modeling, rats of the 4 groups and the control group received gavage of active carbon 2 mL (100 g/L) for observing the excretion time of the first black stool grain to assess the intestinal transit function. The colonic myoelectric activities (frequency and amplitude) were recorded by using BIOPAC multichannel physiograph. The immunoactivity of SP and c-kit (a transmembrane protein kinase for identification of ICC) of colonic musculature was detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Compared with the control group，the time of excretion of the first black stool grain, and the amplitude of colonic electromyogram (EMG) were significantly increased (P<0.01), while the frequency of EMG, expressions of SP and c-kit (ICC) were significantly decreased in the model group (P<0.01). In contrast to the model group, both deep needling group 1 and 2 had a decrease in the time of excretion of the first black stool grain, and amplitude of intestinal EMG, and an increase of frequency of intestinal EMG, and immunoactivity of SP and c-kit (P<0.01). The effect of deep needling 2 is superior to that of deep needling 1 in reducing the time of excretion of the first black stool grain (P<0.05), lowering the amplitude of EMG of the gut smooth muscle (P<0.05) and in increasing the frequency of EMG (P<0.05) and the expressions of SP and c-kit (P<0.05). No significant changes were found in the levels of frequency and amplitude of EMG, and expressions of SP and c-kit after routine needling in comparison with the model group (P>0.05), except the excretion time of the first black stool grain (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Deep needling at ST25 at depth of 4.5 mm and 10 mm，especially at depth of 10 mm，has a significant effect in promoting gut motility to ameliorate constipation in rats with STC, which may be related to its function in up-regulating the expressions of SP and ICC activity.

[Rapid identification of hogwash oil by using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy].

To identify hogwash oil quickly, the characteristic delta lambda of hogwash oil was analyzed by three dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy with parallel factor analysis, and the model was built up by using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy with support vector machines (SVM). The results showed that the characteristic delta lambda of hogwash oil was 60 nm. Collecting original spectrum of different samples under the condition of characteristic delta lambda 60 nm, the best model was established while 5 principal components were selected from original spectrum and the radial basis function (RBF) was used as the kernel function, and the optimal penalty factor C and kernel function g were 512 and 0.5 respectively obtained by the grid searching and 6-fold cross validation. The discrimination rate of the model was 100% for both training sets and prediction sets. Thus, it is quick and accurate to apply synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy to identification of hogwash oil.

A Spinel Tin Ferrite with High Lattice-Oxygen Anchored on Graphene-like Porous Carbon Networks for Lithium-Ion Batteries with Super Cycle Stability and Ultra-fast Rate Performances.

A new type of nano-SnFe2O4 with stable lattice-oxygen and abundant surface defects anchored on ultra-thin graphene-like porous carbon networks (SFO@C) is prepared for the first time by an interesting freezing crystallization salt template method. The functional composite has excellent rate performance and long-term cycle stability for lithium-ion battery (LIB) anodes due to the stable structure, improved conductivity, and shortened migrating distance for lithium-ions, which are derived from the higher lattice-oxygen of SnFe2O4, abundant porous carbon networks and surface defects, and smaller nanoparticles. Under the ultra-high current density of 10, 15, and 20 A g-1 cycling for 1000 times, the SFO@C can provide high reversible capacities of 522.2, 362.5, and 361.1 mAh g-1, respectively. The lithium-ion storage mechanism of the composite was systematically studied for the first time by in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), ex situ XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The results indicate that the existence of Li2O and metallic Fe during the lithiation/delithiation process is a key reason for reducing the initial lithium-ion storage reversibility but increasing the rate performance and capacity stability in the subsequent cycles. DFT calculations show that lithium-ions are more easily adsorbed on the (111) crystal plane with a much lower adsorption energy of -7.61 eV than other planes, and the Fe element is the main acceptor of electrons. Moreover, the kinetics investigation indicates that the lithium-ion intercalation and deintercalation in SFO@C are mainly controlled by the pseudocapacitance behavior, which is favorable to enhancing the rate performance. The research provides a new strategy for designing LIB electrode materials with a stable structure and outstanding lithium-ion storage performance.

[Effect of electroacupuncture of "Tianshu"(ST25) at different frequencies on electromyography and immunoactivity of SP and VIP of colon in rats with slow transit constipation].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of bilateral "Tianshu"(ST25) at different frequencies on the first black stool discharge time, colonic electromyography (EMG) and immunoactivity of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and substance P (SP) in the colon tissue in rats with slow transit constipation (STC), so as to choose a better stimulating frequency in the treatment of STC. METHODS: A total of 50 male Wistar rats were randomized into control, model, 2 Hz-EA, 100 Hz- EA, and 2 Hz/100 Hz-EA groups, with 10 rats in each group. The STC model was established by intraperitoneal injection of compound diphenoxylate suspension fluid (10 mg/kg). EA was applied to bilateral ST25 for 30 min, once a day for 14 consecutive days. The discharge time for the first black stool was recorded after gavage of mixed suspension fluid of active carbon (2 mL) for assessing the gastrointestinal motility. The colonic EMG was recorded by using a pair of silver electrodes and bioelectric amplifier. The expression of SP and VIP in the colonic tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Following mode-ling, the colonic EMG amplitude, the discharge time for the first black stool and VIP immunoactivity were significantly increased (P<0.01), and the EMG frequency and SP immunoactivity were significantly decreased （P<0.01） in the model group compared with the control group. Compared with the model group, the increase of the discharge time for the first black stool, EMG amplitude and VIP immunoactivity, the decrease of EMG frequency and SP immunoactivity were reversed in the 3 EA groups (P<0.01, P<0.05). The therapeutic effect of 100 Hz-EA was notably weaker than that of both 2 Hz-EA and 2 Hz/100 Hz-EA in up-regulating EMG frequency and SP immunoactivity and in down-regulating the discharge time for the first black stool, EMG amplitude and VIP immunoactivity (P<0.05, P<0.01). There was no significant difference between the 2 Hz/100 Hz-EA and 2 Hz-EA groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: EA can accelerate colonic EMG activities, which may be associated with its functions in down-regulating VIP immunoactivity and up-regulating SP immunoactivity in the colonic tissues. The therapeutic effects of 2 Hz/100 Hz-EA and 2 Hz-EA are better than that of 100 Hz-EA.

[Studies on the oxidation of tyrosine induced by hydroxyl radical with fluorescence spectroscopic method].

Dityrosine is a marker of tyrosine oxidation. To study effecting factors of hydroxyl radical on tyrosine oxidation, synchronous fluorescence spectra with two dimensional correlation was used. The results showed that the peak position and intensity of dityrosine changed while pH value varied. In the system of tyrosine oxidation, with the increment of tyrosine concentration, the concentration of dityrosine decreased. With the increment of hydrogen peroxide concentration, the concentration of dityrosine increased. The oxidation reaction was prone to taking place in acid conditions while difficult to develop in basic conditions. With the development of oxidation reaction, the fluorescence intensity of dityrosine increased and then decreased. Two dimentional correlation synchronous fluorescence spectra showed that the variation in the intensity at 292 nm preceded that of 281, 300 and 374 nm. Thus, fluorescence spectroscopy was simple and easy for studying tyrosine oxidation induced by hydroxyl radical.

[Research status and thinking of auricular acupuncture theory].

In this paper, the articles of auricular acupuncture in recent 20 years are sorted out and analyzed, and the theory and mechanism of auricular acupuncture in different schools are summarized and compared. Eight theories are included totally, i.e. meridian-collateral theory and zangfu theory of classic TCM, as well as neurodoctrine, neurohumoral theory, embryology theory, holography theory, biological cybernetics and chronobiology theory in modern times. Each of them has its own rationality.Hereafter, through more rigour scientific deign and in accordance with clinical and experimental studies, auricular acupuncture theory should be explored more scientifically and universally so as to provide the theoretic guidance and evidences for clinical treatment with auricular acupuncture, and then to improve the clinical therapeutic effect and promote the application of auricular acupuncture.

Synergistic effects of flake-like ZnO/SnFe2O4/nitrogen-doped carbon composites on structural stability and electrochemical behavior for lithium-ion batteries.

In order to improve the electrochemical performance and relieve volume expansion of pure SnFe2O4 anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), we synthesized a novel ZnO/SnFe2O4/nitrogen-doped carbon composites (ZSFO/NC) with flake-like polyhedron morphology by using ZIF-8 as a sacrificial template. Remarkably, it exhibited an initial charge/discharge capacities of 1078.3/1507.5 mAh g-1 with a high initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) of 71.2%, and maintained a steady charge/discharge capacities of 1495.7/1511.8 mAh g-1 at 0.2 A g-1 after 300 cycles. The excellent rate performance of 435.6 mAh g-1 at a higher current density of 10.0 A g-1 and superior reversible capacity of 532.3/536.2 mAh g-1 after 500 cycles at 2.0 A g-1 were obtained. It revealed that the nitrogen-doped carbon matrix and peculiar structure of ZSFO/NC not only effectively buffered large volume expansion upon (de)lithiation through the synergistic interface action between ZnO, SnFe2O4 and NC, but also improved capacity of the composite by large contribution of surface pseudo-capacitance. The excellent charge-discharge performance showed that ZSFO/NC composite has a great potential for LIBs due to the synergistic effect of the multi-components.

Composition characteristics of the gut microbiota in infants and young children of under 6 years old between Beijing and Japan.

BACKGROUND: The composition of intestinal flora in Chinese and Japanese has been reported in many studies but that in infants aged 0-6 years old has not been studied yet. METHODS: The distribution characteristics of the fecal flora of infants in Beijing (n=84) and Japan (n=53) were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. RESULTS: This study showed the higher relative abundance of Erysipelotrichaceae_ UCG-003 and Anaerostipes in male group that of Ruminiclostridium, Eubacterium, Senegalimassilia and Senegalimassilia in female group, especially Senegalimassilia, which was not detected in male group. Defecation trait groups indicated significantly higher relative abundance of Bifidobacterium in abnormal bowel trait group than that in the normal group (P<0.05). The feeding groups' analysis showed significantly higher relative abundance of Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus and lower abundance of Bacteroides and Lacetospirillaceae in the breast-feeding group than that in the formula feeding and mixed-feeding groups. The relative abundance of Parasutterella and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-003 in the halitosis group was significantly higher than that in the normal group. The comparison of cold and fever group and normal group indicated significantly higher relative abundance of Erysipelatoclostridium and lower relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae _UCG-001 in the fever and cold group than that in the normal group (P<0.05). The regional comparison of intestinal flora of Beijing and Japan showed significant increase in the relative abundance of Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Prevotella, megamonas and Veillonella in the intestinal flora of 0-6 years old infants in Beijing. CONCLUSIONS: These findings improve the understanding of intestinal bacterial and viral communities of infants from the two Asian countries.

ErbB4 regulate extracellular dopamine through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway.

ErbB4 loss-of-function in catecholaminergic neurons induces catecholamine dyshomeostasis. Despite ErbB4's significant role in neuropathology, the signaling pathways that regulate these changes are still widely unknown. In this study, we attempt to identify the downstream pathway of ErbB4 that regulates catecholamine homeostasis. The SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line was used as the in vitro model for catecholaminergic neurons. Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and pharmacological and genetic manipulations by agonist/antagonist or small interference RNA were used to investigate the relationship between ErbB4 and extracellular catecholamines. We confirmed that ErbB4 is abundantly expressed in undifferentiated and retinoic acid-differentiated catecholaminergic cells from the SH-SY5Y cell line. ErbB4 inhibition increase the ratio of phosphorylated p38 to total p38 in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Consistent with previous in vivo observations in mice, ErbB4 deficiency led to increases in extracellular dopamine and norepinephrine levels. However, the resulting increase in extracellular dopamine, but not norepinephrine, could be suppressed by p38 inhibitor SB202190. Our results suggest that both extracellular dopamine and norepinephrine homeostasis could be regulated by ErbB4 in human catecholaminergic cells, and ErbB4 may regulate extracellular dopamine, but not norepinephrine, through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway, thus indicating different regulatory pathways of dopamine and norepinephrine by ErbB4 in catecholaminergic neurons.

[Comparison and analysis on different academic schools of scalp acupuncture].

The scalp acupuncture therapy, an important component of the microneedle system of the acupuncturology, is effective in the treatment of multiple types of diseases. In the present paper, we made a comparative analysis about the theoretical basis, acupoint location and main clinical indications of the ten academic schools of scalp-acupuncture, including FANG Yun-peng's Scalp Acupuncture, JIAO Shun-fa's Scalp Acupuncture, ZHU Ming-qing's Scalp Acupuncture, etc. which are widely used in clinic at present after collecting the related articles published in recent 60 years from databases of CNKI, Wanfang and VIP, and relevant books. These nine academic schools are similar in clinical indications (such as neurological disorders, brain-derived di-seases) and in needle inserting angle and depth, and different in the needling manipulations, needlingmethods, needle retaining time, theoretical basis, attending diseases of the same one stimulated region, and the position and yin or yang of holograms. The main problems facing the scalp acupuncture are non-uniform positioning method, non-uniform needling method, and non-uniform indications of the same scalp acupoint. Up to now, it remains unclear that which academic school is better in the therapeutic efficacy, thus, we should strengthen clinical research to find out its inherent law in diagnosis and treatment, constantly optimize the needle scheme, determine the best scalp-acupoint position and best needling manipulations, quantize and standardize the related issues, and accelerate the integration of the different academic schools, so as to improve clinical curative effect and to further promote the application and popularization, serving the patients in a better way.

Comparative study of synthesis and characterization of YAG:Yb3+ nanoparticles using different precipitator by co-precipitation method.

Irregular club-shape nanoparticles of Yb3+ doped Y3Al5O12 were synthesized by the co-precipitation method using different precipitator, such as ammonium hydrogen carbonate, hexamethylene tetramine and urea. The reaction mechanism of different precipitator and the effect on the particle size and dispersion of Y3Al5O12:Yb3+ powders were investigated, and the influence of ammonium sulfate as the dispersant in the reaction system was also discussed. The results show that the large and agglomerated Y3Al5O12:Yb3+ powders were obtained from urea compared to that uniform particle size and dispersion one from ammonium hydrogen carbonate and hexamethylene tetramine. Moreover, ammonium sulfate is beneficial to enhance the dispersion of the particles for ammonium hydrogen carbonate and to form the club-shape morphology of Y3Al5O12:Yb3+ crystals for hexamethylene tetramine. The photoluminescence property investigation shows that the near-infrared emission intensity of the powders increased with the calcining temperature as well as the particle size and dispersion of as-prepared particles for all the precipitators.

Synthesis and characterization of monodispersed SiO2@Y3Al5O12:Er3+ core-shell particles.

Submicron core-shell structure particles SiO2@Y3Al5O12:Er3+, which silica spherical particles was coated with an yttrium aluminum garnet (Y3Al5O12) layer doped with Er3+, were prepared by the modified Pechini-Type sol-gel method for the first time. The structure and morphology of samples were detected by the X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) measurement, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. The results indicate that well-crystallized garnet nanocrystallines were formed on the surface of the silica particles. The luminescent spectra in near infrared and visible region of the core-shell structured SiO2@Y3Al5O12:Er3+ powders were also investigated and compared with those of the pure Y3Al5O12:Er3+ and the Er3+ doped silicate glass. The results show that mono-dispersed SiO2@Y3Al5O12:Er3+ core-shell spherical particles with the near infrared, red and green luminescent emissions under the excitation of 980 nm laser diode have been successfully synthesized.

[Regularities of clinical application of hand acupuncture therapy to treatment of various diseases based on data mining].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the regularities of clinical application of hand acupuncture therapy to the treatment of diseases of different departments by using data mining technique, so as to provide a reference for clinical practice. METHODS: We searched papers, academic dissertations and case reports (published in journals from Jan 1, 1953 to December 31, 2017) from databases of China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), VIP, and Wanfang, and also searched papers from medical books about hand acupuncture treatment of different diseases/illness by using keywords of "hand acupuncture" and "hand acupoints"， followed by constructing a database after sorting, screening, recording, extracting, and statistical analysis by using a computer. Then, the data mining was conducted for summarizing the characteristics and rules of the hand acupuncture therapy in clinical application. RESULTS: The hand acupuncture therapy in Chinese medical journals was found to be applied to various clinical departments, with the frequency from high to low successively being 16 types of diseases (37.21%) in the surgery, 15 diseases (34.88%) in the internal medicine, 2 diseases (4.65%) in the pediatrics, 8 diseases (18.60%) in the ophthalmology-otorhinolaryngology, 1 disease (2.33%) in the genecology and 1 disease (2.33%) in the dermatology. In the treatment of diseases, the cure plus markedly effective rate of hand acupuncture was found to be highest for diseases of the pediatrics (90.65%), and was 88.45% surgery, 78.06% internal medicine, 89.96% ophthalmology-otorhinolaryngology, 60.61% gynecology, and 67.73% dermatology, respectively. When hand acupuncture used, the acupoints of the hand region on both sides, healthy side and affected side were often selected, and movement exercise was often used in combination, particularly for problems of the surgery. In the collected medical records and 6 acupuncture books, the hand acupuncture was employed for treatment of 34 and 123 kinds of diseases or problems, respectively, with the tissue injury, lumbocrural pain being most frequently seen in the records, and abdominal pain, lumbocrural, chest obstruction, etc. most frequently seen in the acupuncture books. CONCLUSION: Hand acupuncture therapy is widely used in the treatment of many clinical problems of different departments, such as tissue injury, leg pain, etc. of the surgery; abdominal pain, asthma, etc. of the internal medicine; infantile enuresis, diarrhea, etc. of the pediatrics. Acupoints of the hand on the unilateral side are frequently employed and may have a better therapeutic effect.

[Features of clinical application of eye acupuncture therapy revealed by data mining].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the features, dominant indications and application regularities of eye acupuncture therapy in clinical practice. METHODS: We first collected original articles, academic dissertations, conference articles, and case reports from databases of CNKI, Wanfang, and Chinese biomedical literature (CBM) from Jan. 1 of 1980 to Dec. 31 of 2017, and medical records from medical books of Zhonghua Yan Zhen (Chinese Eye Acupuncture Therapy), Yanzhen Shijian Lu (Records of Application of Eye Acupuncture Therapy), and Peng Jing-shan's Yanzhen Liaofa Yanjiu (Peng Jing-shan's Eye Acupuncture Therapy) by using keyword of "eye acupuncture". Then, we established an "Eye-acupuncture Database" after sorting, screening, typing-in, checking, and extraction of the collected data by SQL server 2005 and 2005 Analysis Services (SASS), followed by analysis of the dominant indications, needling methods, needle manipulations, principles for acupoint selection, and clinical effect. RESULTS: Among the 850 articles retrieved, 178 were eligible to be subjected to analysis, including 42 disorders/diseases in 7 categories. The eye acupuncture therapy has the highest application frequency for 19 types of disorders/diseases of the internal medicine, such as sequela of apoplexy, hiccup, insomnia, vertigo, hypertension, etc., followed by head and body pain (7 types: headache, lumbago, sciatica, shoulder pain, etc.), disorders of the ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology (deafness, squinting eyes, dry eye syndrome, amblyopia, etc.), traumatic injury, gynecopathy, acute pain (biliary colic, renal colic). The effect rate was 95.87% for disorders of the gynecopathy, 95.54% for head and body pain, 94.53% for traumatic skin injury, 92.16% for emergency, 91.98% for disorders of the five sense organs, 91.43% for problems of the internal medicine, etc. Regarding the principle of acupoint selection, acupoints were chosen mainly according to the meridian running (146 articles), local region of the eye (14 articles) and diseased location (153 articles). A total of 157 articles have a marked description about the needling methods, including horizontal needling (81 articles), intra-orbital straight needling (22 articles), extra-orbital oblique needling (13 articles), etc. The duration of needle retaining was mostly from 15 to 30 minutes, and the handle-scraping was frequently adopted (34 articles), and the overall treatment frequency ranged from 11 to 20 times. In regard to the medical records, a total of 53 types of disorders were involved, including 37 types of the internal medicine such as stroke sequelae (34 articles), facial paralysis (11 articles), etc. The acupoints were selected according to the local region of eye (129 articles), the needle insertion involved horizontal needling (102 articles), and cured rate reported was higher than 90%. CONCLUSION: Eye acupuncture therapy is widely used for a variety of disorders and has a positive effect, particularly for stroke sequelae and various acute and chronic pain problems.

[Exploration of dominant diseases and clinical application characteristics of wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy based on data mining technology].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the literature regarding wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy by data mining technology, and the dominant diseases of wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy were summarized to provide reference for evaluation of specificity effect of wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy. METHODS: The journal articles regarding wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy from the CNKI, WANFANG, and VIP since January 1, 1975 to December 31, 2017, and the medical cases regarding wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy in Practical Wrist-Ankle Acupuncture Therapy and Microacupuncture System Diagnosis and Treatment were retrieved. Based on the disease types of wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy in the journal articles and medical cases, the association rules method of data mining technology was applied to calculate frequent itemsets. The self-developed database platform for wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy was used to extract and summarize the information to explore the rules of clinical application. RESULTS: The scope of disease involved a total of 7 disease entities in the literature regarding wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy. In the journal articles, there were 83 disease types and the most common surgical diseases were soft tissue injury and periarthritis of shoulder, the frequency were 34 and 24 times respectively. The total effective rates of wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy were 92.74% in internal medicine, 91.39% in surgery, 91.51% in gynecology, 90.88% in dermatology, 96.20% in pediatric, 89.05% in ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology and 88.78% in psychiatry. In the medical cases of wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy, there were 118 disease types and the most common diseases were pain and Bi syndrome, herpes zoster was also a common disease. Psychiatric diseases used more wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy, and the common diseases were anxiety and mania. CONCLUSION: Wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy is widely used in treatment of clinical diseases and has significant therapeutic effects. It is mostly used in the treatment of surgery, internal medicine (neurology particularly), dermatology (herpes zoster particularly). Besides, the wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy is also applicable in the treatment of diseases of ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology, gynecology, pediatric and psychiatry.