Addition of venetoclax to myeloablative conditioning regimens for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in high-risk AML.

BACKGROUND: Venetoclax monotherapy is an effective option for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Venetoclax has also been used in non-myeloablative conditioning allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for high-risk AML with a tolerable toxicity profile. However, the efficacy and safety of a venetoclax-containing myeloablative conditioning (MAC) allo-HSCT regimen for high-risk AML have not been evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a MAC regimen containing venetoclax for high-risk AML. STUDY DESIGN: From 25 February 2021 to 4 September 2022, a total of 31 patients with high-risk AML who underwent allo-HSCT and a MAC regimen with venetoclax were analyzed. RESULTS: At the time of transplantation, 21 patients were in first complete remission (CR1), 4 were in a second complete remission (CR2), and 6 in non-remission (NR). Twenty-four patients (77.4%) were minimal residual disease (MRD)-positive before transplant. The FLT3-ITD gene mutation was present in 51.6% of patients. NUP98 rearrangement, MLL rearrangement or MLL-PTD and DEK::CAN fusion genes were found in 5 (16.1%), 7(22.6%) and 2 (6.5%) patients, respectively. Twenty-nine (93.6%) patients underwent haploidentical allo-HSCT. The median follow-up time was 278 days (range: 52-632 days). The 100-day cumulative incidence of grade 3 to 4 acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was 16.1% (95%CI, 7.2-36.0%). The 180-day cumulative incidence of moderate to severe chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) was 7.1% (95%CI, 1.9-26.9%). Cumulative incidence of 100-day cytomegalovirus (CMV) viraemia and 100-day Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viraemia was 61.6% (95%CI, 46.5-81.4%) and 3.2% (95%CI, 0.4-22.2%), respectively. The 600-day overall survival (OS) and leukemia-free survival (LFS) were 80.9% (95%CI, 63.5-93.6%) and 81.3% (95%CI, 64.2-93.7%), respectively. The 600-day relapse incidence (RI) and non-relapse mortality (NRM) was 6.9% (95%CI, 1.8-26.3%) and 11.7% (95%CI, 3.9-35.0%). CONCLUSION: Our study shows that the addition of venetoclax to a MAC allo-HSCT was feasible, safe and effective for high-risk AML patients.

Clonorchis sinensis infection induces hepatobiliary injury via disturbing sphingolipid metabolism and activating sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 2.

Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) infection induces severe hepatobiliary injuries, which can cause inflammation, periductal fibrosis, and even cholangiocarcinoma. Sphingolipid metabolic pathways responsible for the generation of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and its receptor S1P receptors (S1PRs) have been implicated in many liver-related diseases. However, the role of S1PRs in C. sinensis-mediated biliary epithelial cells (BECs) proliferation and hepatobiliary injury has not been elucidated. In the present study, we found that C. sinensis infection resulted in alteration of bioactive lipids and sphingolipid metabolic pathways in mice liver. Furthermore, S1PR2 was predominantly activated among these S1PRs in BECs both in vivo and in vitro. Using JTE-013, a specific antagonist of S1PR2, we found that the hepatobiliary pathological injuries, inflammation, bile duct hyperplasia, and periductal fibrosis can be significantly inhibited in C. sinensis-infected mice. In addition, both C. sinensis excretory-secretory products (CsESPs)- and S1P-induced activation of AKT and ERK1/2 were inhibited by JTE-013 in BECs. Therefore, the sphingolipid metabolism pathway and S1PR2 play an important role, and may serve as potential therapeutic targets in hepatobiliary injury caused by C. sinensis-infection.

ß2-Adrenergic Receptor Enhances the Alternatively Activated Macrophages and Promotes Biliary Injuries Caused by Helminth Infection.

The autonomic nervous system has been studied for its involvement in the control of macrophages; however, the mechanisms underlying the interaction between the adrenergic receptors and alternatively activated macrophages (M2) remain obscure. Using FVB wild-type and beta 2 adrenergic receptors knockout, we found that ß2-AR deficiency alleviates hepatobiliary damage in mice infected with C. sinensis. Moreover, ß2-AR-deficient mice decrease the activation and infiltration of M2 macrophages and decrease the production of type 2 cytokines, which are associated with a significant decrease in liver fibrosis in infected mice. Our in vitro results on bone marrow-derived macrophages revealed that macrophages from Adrb2-/- mice significantly decrease M2 markers and the phosphorylation of ERK/mTORC1 induced by IL-4 compared to that observed in M2 macrophages from Adrb2+/+ . This study provides a better understanding of the mechanisms by which the ß2-AR enhances type 2 immune response through the ERK/mTORC1 signaling pathway in macrophages and their role in liver fibrosis.

[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.

[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.

[Data Mining-revealed Characteristics of Clinical Application of Scalp Acupuncture].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the regularity and characteristics of clinical application of scalp acupuncture therapy for different types of clinical conditions so as to provide a reference for clinical practice. METHODS: In the present study, "head acupuncture" and"scalp acupuncture" were used as the keywords to search papers and academic dissertations having definite standards for diagnosis and therapeutic effect assessment and published in journals and academic conferences collected in database China National Knowledge Internet(CNKI) from January 1 of 1959 to December 31 of 2016, 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 indications of disease categories, involved medical departments, needle-insertion methods, needle manipulation techniques, academic schools, and clinical efficacy of scalp acupuncture therapy. RESULTS: As a result, a total of 587 papers met our including criteria were analyzed. The scalp acupuncture therapy was widely employed in the treatment of various clinical conditions of different departments, with the application frequency being the internal medicine (438 times), surgery (75 times), pediatrics (44 times), etc. Of the indicated 102 types of clinical problems, 55 belong to the internal medicine, constituting of 53.92%, particularly the cerebral apoplexy and its sequelae with the top application frequency being 102 and 115 times, respectively. In terms of needle inserting methods mentioned in partial papers (most papers do not mention), fingernail-pressing-aided needle insertion, needle-twirling insertion, fingers-squeezed-needle insertion, particularly the swiftly rotating needle insertion and rapid needle-propelling insertion were most commonly used.Regarding the needle manipulation method, rapid needle twirling technique was frequently employed, usually at a frequency of approximately 200 times per min. In regard to the academic schools, JIAO Shun-fa's scalp acupuncture system was most frequently used, followed by the international standardized scalp acupuncture. The therapeutic effect of scalp acupuncture is effective in the treatment of different conditions of various departments, especially those of the dermatology and gynecology. CONCLUSION: Scalp acupuncture has superiority in the treatment disorders of the internal medicine and has been demonstrated to have positive effects for many types of problems, particularly for apoplexy and its sequelae. Rapid needle-propelling insertion and rapid needle-twirling technique are often employed.

[Rule of Clinical Application of Auricular Acupuncture Based on Data Mining].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the rule of clinical application of auricular acupuncture therapy by data mining in order to guide clinical practice. METHODS: The data base about single auricular acupuncture therapy for different clinical diseases was established by collection, sorting, screening, recording, collation, data extraction, statistic analysis on data samples from journals, academic theses dissertations published in near 60 years. The application rules of auricular therapy including its predominant diseases, stimulus modality, therapeutic effect, and angle of needling were summarized by data mining technique. RESULTS: Auricular acupuncture therapy has been widely and mostly used in the internal medicine department, accounting for 48.56%. Of stimulus modalities, auricular point paste and pressure is applied with the highest frequency, accounting for 64%. The highest effective rate is found in the surgery department diseases(81.41%). Pressure is the most effective stimulus in the internal medi-cine department, and bloodletting combined with paste and pressure in the surgery department, auricular point injection in the gynecology and pediatrics departments, bloodletting in the ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology department, and auricular point incision in the dermatology department. Auricular point injection has remarkable effect. Bloodletting combined with paste and pressure has nearly the same effect as bloodletting in the same medical department except dematology department. Otherwise, angle of needling is rarely studied. CONCLUSIONS: Auricular therapy is widely used and has remarkable effect in treating diseases by using different stimulus modalities. Whereas the angle of needling is rarely studied and future investigation is needed.

[Basic Regularities and Characteristics of Compound Reinforcing--reducing Manipulation of Acu- puncture Revealed by Data Mining].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the regularities and features of compound reinforcing-reducing manipulation of acupuncture filiform needles in the treatment of clinical conditions or diseases by using data mining technique, so as to guide clinical practice. METHODS: At first, the data base about the reinforcing-reducing manipulation (CRRM) of filiform needles for different clinical problems was established by collection, sorting, screening, recording, collation, data extraction of the related original papers published in journals and conferences and related academic dissertations from Jan. 1 of 1950 to Jan. 31 of 2015 by using key words of "acupuncture" "moxibustion" "needling" "filiform needle", and according to the included and excluded standards. RESULTS: A total of 130 835 papers met the included standards were collected. Outcomes of data mining in the present study showed that (1) the ORRM is most frequently applied in the internal medicine, followed by surgery, gynecology, ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology, dermatology, and pediatrics, successively, mostly for lumbago and leg pain; (2) the heat-producing needling manipulation is the most frequently applied technique, followed by cool-producing needling, dragon-tiger warring, yang occluding in yin, yin occluding in yang techniques; (3) the highest effective rate of CRRM is for problems of the pediatrics, followed by those of the internal medicine, surgery, ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology, dermatology, and gynecology; (4) the most fre- quently used acupoints are Zusanli (ST 36), then Sanyinjiao (SP 6), stimulated by heat-producing needling, and Zusanli (ST 36), then Quchi (LI 11), stimulated by cool-producing needling, and Huantiao (GB 30), stimulated by dragon-tiger warring needling. CONCLUSION: The compound reinforcing-reducing manipulation of acupuncture is most frequently applied to problems in the inter- nal medicine, predominately for lumbago and leg pain, and the best effectiveness is for pediatric conditions. The heat-producing needling and cool-producing needling are most frequently applied at Zusanli (ST 36) and the dragon-tiger warring manipulation is most frequently applied at Huantiao (GB 30).

[Effect of Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Etoposide-induced Nalm-6 Cell Apoptosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSC) on VP16-induced apoptosis of Nalm-6 cells. METHODS: hUC-MSC were isolated and identified using morphological observation and flow cytometry, then Nalm-6 cells were treated with hUC-MSC with or without VP16. Apoptosis and cell cycle were assayed by FACS. The mRNA levels of apoptosis-related genes BCL-2, BAX and caspase-3 were detected by quantitative RT-PCR, and the protein levels of BCL-2, BAX and caspase-3 were examined by Western blot. RESULTS: FACS showed that hUC-MSC inhibited the proliferation and decreased apoptosis of Nalm-6 cells resulted from VP16. The quantitative RT-PCR showed that hUC-MSC increased the mRNA expression level of BCL-2 and decreased the expression level of BAX and caspase-3 (P < 0.05). Western blot showed that the protein expression level of BCL-2 increased, and expression level of BAX and caspase-3 decreased in Nalm-6 cells after co-culture with hUC-MSC (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: hUC-MSC may protect Nalm-6 cells from apoptosis induced by VP16 through regulation of BCL-2, BAX and caspase-3.

The Expression of MicroRNA-155 in Plasma and Tissue Is Matched in Human Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Tumor-associated microRNAs have been detected in cancer, though whether plasma microRNA-155 (miR-155) could be a potential biomarker for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) prognosis is unclear. We aimed to determine how miR-155 can be used to predict the clinical characteristics of patients with LSCC and correctly diagnose them. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected tissue samples and peripheral blood samples before and after treatment from 280 LSCC cases and 560 controls. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR was employed in this study to compare the relative expression of miR-155. RESULTS: A total of 280 LSCC patients and 560 age- and sex-matched controls were included in the study. The miR-155 level was more up-regulated in LSCC tissue than in the non-tumor tissues (13.6 ± 2.4 vs. 3.1 ± 0.80, p<0.001). Additionally, a significantly higher miR-155 level in plasma samples from LSCC patients than in those of the controls (8.9 ± 1.25 vs. 1.8 ± 0.8, p<0.001) was reported. Tissue miR-155 showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.933, with a sensitivity of 82.6% and a specificity of 89.2%. The AUC for plasma miR-155 was 0.757, with a sensitivity of 58.4% and a specificity of 69.5%. When early LSCC in TNM I stage was considered, tissue miR-155 showed an area under the curve of 0.804, with a sensitivity of 85.2% and a specificity of 87.3%. CONCLUSION: The expression of tissue and plasma miR-155 were significantly up-regulated in patients with LSCC. Our work will serve as a basis for further investigation, preferably large-scale validation in clinical trials.

Association between 8473T>C polymorphism in the cyclooxygenase-2 gene and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: No studies have examined the relationship between COX-2 8473T>C polymorphism and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chinese population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 296 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and 300 age and gender-matched healthy controls recruited were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Cancer risk associated with the genotypes was estimated as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) using unconditioned logistic regression. RESULTS: There was significant difference in the distribution of COX-2 8473T>C polymorphism genotype between nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients and healthy controls (P=0.027). When the TT genotype was used as the reference group, the CC genotype was associated with significantly decreased risk for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (adjusted OR=0.67, 95% CI=0.33-0.83; P=0.01). Under the recessive model of inheritance, the CC genotype was associated with significantly decreased risk for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (adjusted OR=0.43, 95% CI=0.37-0.81; P=0.007). Furthermore, the C allele was associated with significantly decreased risk for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (adjusted OR=0.48, 95% CI=0.39-0.85; P=0.009). CONCLUSION: These data suggested that COX-2 8473T>C polymorphism was associated with reduced risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

MicroRNA-103/107 Regulate Programmed Necrosis and Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury Through Targeting FADD.

RATIONALE: Necrosis is one of the main forms of cardiomyocyte death in heart disease. Recent studies have demonstrated that certain types of necrosis are regulated and programmed dependent on the activation of receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase (RIPK) 1 and 3 which may be negatively regulated by Fas-associated protein with death domain (FADD). In addition, microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs have been shown to play important roles in various biological processes recently. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that microRNA-103/107 and H19 can participate in the regulation of RIPK1- and RIPK3-dependent necrosis in fetal cardiomyocyte-derived H9c2 cells and myocardial infarction through targeting FADD. METHODS AND RESULTS: Our results show that FADD participates in H2O2-induced necrosis by influencing the formation of RIPK1 and RIPK3 complexes in H9c2 cells. We further demonstrate that miR-103/107 target FADD directly. Knockdown of miR-103/107 antagonizes necrosis in the cellular model and also myocardial infarction in a mouse ischemia/reperfusion model. The miR-103/107-FADD pathway does not participate in tumor necrosis factor-α-induced necrosis. In exploring the molecular mechanism by which miR-103/107 are regulated, we show that long noncoding RNA H19 directly binds to miR-103/107 and regulates FADD expression and necrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal a novel myocardial necrosis regulation model, which is composed of H19, miR-103/107, and FADD. Modulation of their levels may provide a new approach for preventing myocardial necrosis.

[Basic Characteristics of Simplex Reinforcing and Reducing Manipulations of Filiform Acupuncture Needle in Clinical Practice Based upon Data Mining].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the regularities and features of clinical application of simplex reinforcing or reducing manipulation of filiform acupuncture needles by data mining in order to guide clinical decision in a better way. METHODS: A database about simplex reinforcing and reducing manipulations of filiform acupuncture needle was established first after collection, sorting, screening, type-in, and collation of the related papers, academic dissertations and theses of academic conferences published from January 1st of 1950 to January 31 of 2015 by using key word "acupuncture" "acupuncture and moxibustion" "needle manipulation" and "filiform needle" from database of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, a full-text database of Chinese journals), followed by data extraction and statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1 304 articles were found to meet the standards formulated in the present study. Among them, 800 papers belong to the internal medicine covering apoplectic sequelae (153 papers), apoplexy (52), headache (63) and insomnia (60), 271 to surgery involving soft tissue injury (63) and backleg pain (46); 93 to five-sense-organs involving nasosinusitis (14), 64 gynecology involving dysmenorrhea (13), 41 to dematology involving struma (20), and 35 to pediatrics covering five kinds of tardy growth and five flaccid syndromes(8). These 1 304 papers contain 2 542 of simplex reinforcing and reducing manipulations, including 895 of twirling-thrusting reducing, 611 of twirling-rotating reinforcing, 571 of lifting-thrusting reducing, 303 of lifting-thrusting reinforcing, 32 of reinforcing and 32 of reducing in cooperation wihpatients' respiration, 23 open-close reducing, 12 open-close reinforcing, 21 reducing and 16 of reinforcing achieved by inserting the needle along or against the meridian, 14 rapid-slow reinforcing, and 12 rapid-slow reducing. Regarding the acupoint selection, distal and local acupoints are most frequently used, followed by symptoms-determined and syndrome-determined, respectively. The acupuncture needle retained time was from 0 min to 45 mn, and the therapeutic effect was relatively better for post-stroke. The totally therapeutic effects of the simplex reinforcing and reducing manipulations were 96.07% for problems of demotology, 94.19% for gynecology, 96. 58% for surgery, 92.85% for pediatrics, 91.78% for five-sense organs and 93. 70% for internal medicine, respectively. CONCLUSION: Simplex reinforcing and reducing manipulations of acupuncture has a definite effect in the treatment of different problems particularly in the internal medicine and surgery. Often, the twirling-rotating and lifting-thrusting reinforcing and reducing manipulations of acupuncture are employed in clinical practice.

[Diseases treated by moxibustion and fire needling in clinical practice based on data mining: a comparison study].

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the specificity of diseases treated by moxibustion and fire needling in clinical practice, so as to provide references for clinical treatment. METHODS: With data mining of modern computer technique, journal and literature databases regarding moxibustion and fire needling were established, respectively. Literature regarding moxibustion and fire needling for the past 60 years has been collected, screened, included, reviewed and abstracted. The utility rate of moxibustion and fire needling in each department was calculated, frequency of diseases in clinical practice was summarized, and diseases which had differences in clinical practice in each department were screened; also the advantages of disease categories and clinical practice between two kinds of therapies in each department were compared. RESULTS: (1) The utility rate of moxibustion was highest in department of internal medicine and surgery, which were 43.6% and 28.1%, respectively; the utility rate of fire needling was highest in surgery and dermatological department, which were 53.7% and 23.8%, respectively. (2) According to the comparison and analysis on diseases treated by two therapies in clinic, among 26 kinds of gynecology diseases that were treated by moxibustion, 20 kinds were not involved with fire needling; among 22 kinds of pediatrics diseases that were treated by moxibustion, 20 kinds were not involved with fire needling. It was certain that the difference of the two therapies in clinical application was more significant in gynecology and pediatrics than that in the rest four departments. (3) Among the diseases which had differences in clinical practice in each department, the ones involved with moxibustion alone were insomnia, distention and fullness, consumptive fatigue in the department of internal medicine, blood-vessel Bi, stiff neck and hernia in surgery department, urticarial, skin Bi and skin cancer in dermatological department, malposition, infertility and amenorrhea in gynecology department, diarrhea, indigestion and stomachache in pediatrics department, blepharoptosis, blurred vision and dryness syndrome in ENT department; the ones involved with fire needling alone were numbness, coldness syndrome and acute renal colic in the department of internal medicine, lipoma, soft tissue injury and papilloma in surgery department, bromhidrosis, freckle and erysipelas in dermatological department, uterine fibroid in gynecology department, umbilical polyp in pediatrics department, auricle pseudocyst, starred nebula and phlegmatic mass in ENT department. CONCLUSION: Moxibustion is frequently applied in department of internal medicine and surgery, while fire needling is frequently used in surgery and dermatological department; the application of moxibustion is broader than that of fire needling in gynecology and pediatrics department. Among the diseases which have differences in clinical practice in each department, moxibustion is commonly seen for clinical symptoms featured with deficiency syndrome, while fire needling is commonly applied for the diseases that have obvious local symptoms.

[Data mining-based research on regularities and characteristics of application of moxibustion therapy for different clinical disorders].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the regularities and characteristics of application of moxibustion therapy for different clinical problems or diseases by using data mining technique. METHODS: A database on moxibustion therapy was established first by collection, sorting, screening, recording, collation, data extraction of the related literatures published in recent 60 years. By analyzing the appearance-frequency of clinical disorders treated by moxibustion and their effective rates, the regularities and characteristics were summed up. RESULTS: Moxibustion therapy has been used to treat 193 types of clinical disorders or diseases up to now, mostly in internal medicine for 72 types (accounting for 37%). Of the collected 2 516 articles about moxibustion therapy, 1 107 are for problems of the internal medicine, accounting for 44% ; those of facial paralysis and uroschesis are 139 and 108 respectively. The second and third mostly seen articles are surgery and gynecology respectively. Analysis on the therapeutic effect showed that moxibustion therapy is effective for relieving many types of clinical conditions or diseases, particularly those of pediatrics, surgery and dermatology. By taking both the appearing frequency and efficacy into account, analysis on the therapeutic effect shows that a total of 29 types of clinical disorders are preferably treated by moxibustion, including 12 types (41. 4%) attributed to the department of internal medicine, 10 types (34. 5%) to the department of surgery, 2 types to the department of dermatology, 3 types to the department of gynecology, one to the pediatrics and one to the department of five-organs. CONCLUSION: Moxibustion therapy is effective for many clinical disorders, particularly for those of the department of internal medicine and surgery.

[Acupoint catgut-embedding therapy: superiorities and principles of application].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the superiorities of acupoint catgut-embedding therapy, discuss its law of clinical application and provide scientific decision-making for clinical treatment. METHODS: Literatures on acupoint catgut-embedding therapy in the recent 40 years were selected, input, examined and verified, picked up and analyzed by establishing database with the modern computer technology. RESULTS: (1) One thousand and seventy-five literatures were input. It shows that the acupoint catgut-embedding therapy has an extensive application in all departments, especially in the internal department, accounting for 48.54% (50/103) of the total disease category. It has the most extensive application on treatment of epigastric pain, with the frequency of 102 times, and obesity of 74 times. The next is surgery, accounting for 14.56% (15/103). The major application is on low back pain and leg pain with the frequency of 79 times. Psoriasis, with the frequency of 30 times, holds the major application in dermatological department. And blepharoplasty, with the frequency of 30 times, gains the most application in department of ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology. (2) In the included literatures, selection of adjacent acupoints and distal acupoints are held as the major method of acupoint selection. The adjusted lumbar puncture needle is taken as the major tool for the acupoint catgut-embedding therapy. And catguts of different sizes are adopted for the operation. (3) Analysis of the therapeutic effect shows that acupoint catgut-embedding therapy has obvious effect in all departments, especially in surgery and dermatology, with the total effective rate over 90%. CONCLUSION: Epigastric pain, obesity, epilepsy, asthma, abdominal pain, facial paralysis and constipation of the internal medicine, low back pain and leg pain of the surgical department, psoriasis of the dermatological department and blepharoplasty of the department of ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology are considered as the dominant diseases for acupoint catgut-embedding therapy.

[Basic rules and characteristics of acupoint application therapy based upon data mining].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the basic characteristics of effects of acupoint application therapy in order to guide clinical decision better. METHODS: A database on acupoint application therapy was established first by collection, sorting, screening, recording, collation, data extraction, and statistical analyses of the related literature published in recent 60 years, and using modern computer system. Then, its predominant indications and application rules in clinical practice were analyzed using data mining techniques. RESULTS: Outcomes of data mining showed that the acupoint application therapy was extensively utilized in the treatment of a variety of diseases or clinical conditions (142 in total) in different clinical departments, particularly in the internal medicine which contains 51 types of clinical conditions or diseases (accounting for 35.92%). Among them, the top 3 are asthma, cough, and abdominal pain, with the appearance frequency being 161, 79 and 45 times (= articles) in the domestic journals, respectively. The second one is the paediatric department, containing 30 kinds of diseases or clinical conditions (accounting for 21.13%). Among them, cough (106 articles), asthma (104 articles) and diarrhoea (82 articles) are frequently seen. The surgery department takes the third place, involving 27 disorders (accounting for 19.01%), with lumbago-leg pain being the most (31 articles). In the departments of ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology, 14 types of disorders (accounting for 9.86%) have been reported, with nasosinusitis being the most (56 papers). This therapy has also been used to treat 10 types of gynecopathy (7.04%) and 10 kinds of dermopathy (7.04%), with dysmenorrhea (37 articles) and shingles (6 articles) being the most. For acupoint application, complex prescriptions of Chinese herbal medicines in the forms of paste and cataplasm are frequently adopted, but with fewer application of enhancer of cutaneous penetration. Regarding the utilized acupoint, local points are often chosen. In the light of the collected papers, the highest effective rate is for dermopathy, followed by surgical problems, gynecopathy, paediatric conditions, and disorders of the internal medicine, ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology. CONCLUSION: Acupoint application therapy has been used for 142 kinds of disorders of different clinical departments, with the dominant indications being asthma, cough, abdominal pain, facial paralysis and constipation in the internal medicine, cough, asthma and diarrhoea in the paediatrics, lumbago-leg pain in the surgery, nasosinusitis in the otorhinolaryngology, and dysmenorrhea of gynecopathy.

Vaccination with immunoglobulin frame region-derived nonapeptide elicits cellular immune response against lymphoma in human leukocyte antigen-A2.1 transgenic mice.

The epitope in the frame region (FR) of the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IgHV) is a potential target for lymphoma immunotherapy. Our previous work identified a FR-derived nonapeptide (QLVQSGAEV) capable of in vitro eliciting anti-lymphoma specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in lymphocytes from human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A2.1 donors. Here we used HLA-A2.1 transgenic mice and SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency) mice to confirm the ability of these specific CTLs against lymphomas. We immunized transgenic mice with nonapeptide conjugated to the adjuvant of PADRE (pan HLA DR-binding epitope). The specificity of the elicited CTLs from the immunized transgenic mice was identified by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay and pentamer staining. The elicited CTLs specifically attacked lymphomas with surface IgHV1 in vitro. Adoptive transfer of the CTLs to SCID mice loaded with QLVQSGAEV(+)/HLA-A2.1(+) lymphoma cells effectively inhibited tumor growth. Our results indicate that the relatively constant epitope in the IgHV FR may be useful for immunotherapy of lymphomas with the same IgHV subfamily.

[Role of HLA protein three-dimensional conformation difference in unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation].

This study was purposed to investigate the value of Histocheck and HLA-Matchmaker softwares in evaluating influence of HLA protein three dimensional conformation among individuals on outcome of unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (URHSCT). Data of the HLA-A/B/C/DRB1/DQB1 genotypes from 62 cases of URHSCT (HLA-allele 10/10 match 30 cases, 9/10 match 32 cases) were input into Histocheck and HLA-Matchmaker softwares respectively. The relationship between the software dissimilar scores and the 1 year overall survival (OS), incidence of aGVHD of III-IV grade and relapse rate was analyzed. The results showed that (1) with increase of the Histocheck scores, incidence of aGVHD of III-IV increased from 0% to 20% (p = 0.25), while no or mild aGVHD occurred in 70% cases with the high scores. For the relapsed cases, there was no significant difference between the cases with low scores and with highest scores (relapse rate 20%) except that 9 cases had no relapse in the group with higher score (11 - 20). (2) the analysis using HLA matchmaker software showed that incidence of aGVHD of III-IV grade increased with the increase of numbers of mismatch Eplets, arranging from 0% to 30%, the incidence of moderate aGVHD reduced (p = 0.019), whereas 60% cases in highest scores group had moderate aGVHD. No relapse occurred in the group with higher scores (≥ 3) (n = 10), whereas high relapse rate appeared in the lower score group (20%, p = 0.54). It is concluded that the value of Histocheck and HLA-Mtchmaker software for analysing the outcome of URHSCT may be similar despite of different calculating methods; for the certain pair of recipient and donor, correlation of the two score systems with incidence of aGVHD and relapse rate is similar, but with less accuracy; The HLA Matchmaker software appears better than Histocheck software in terms of correlation.