Effects of moxibustion on intestinal barrier function and TLR4/NF-κB p65 signaling pathway in obese rats. / è‰¾ç¸å¯¹è‚¥èƒ–å¤§é¼ è‚ é“å±éšœåŠŸèƒ½åŠTLR4/NF-κB p65信号通路的影响.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the effects of moxibustion on intestinal barrier function and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65) signaling pathway in obese rats and explore the mechanism of moxibustion in the intervention of obesity. METHODS: Fifty-five Wistar rats of SPF grade were randomly divided into a normal group (10 rats) and a modeling group (45 rats). In the modeling group, the obesity model was established by feeding high-fat diet. Thirty successfully-modeled rats were randomized into a model group, a moxibustion group, and a placebo-control group, with 10 rats in each one. In the moxibustion group, moxibustion was applied at the site 3 cm to 5 cm far from the surface of "Zhongwan" (CV 12), with the temperature maintained at (46±1 ) ℃. In the placebo-control group, moxibustion was applied at the site 8 cm to 10 cm far from "Zhongwan" (CV 12), with the temperature maintained at (38±1) ℃. The intervention was delivered once daily for 8 weeks in the above two groups. The body mass and food intake of the rats were observed before and after intervention in each group. Using ELISA methool, the levels of serum triacylglycerol (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were detected and the insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was calculated. HE staining was used to observe the morphology of colon tissue. The mRNA expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), Occludin, Claudin-1, TLR4 and NF-κB p65 in the colon tissue was detected by quantitative real-time PCR; and the protein expression of ZO-1, Occludin, Claudin-1, TLR4 and NF-κB p65 was detected by Western blot in the rats of each group. RESULTS: Compared with the normal group, the body mass, food intake, the level of HOMA-IR, and the serum levels of TC, TG and LPS were increased in the rats of the model group (P<0.01); those indexes in the moxibustion group were all reduced when compared with the model group and the placebo-control group respectively (P<0.01, P<0.05). Compared with the normal group, a large number of epithelial cells in the mucosa of colon tissue was damaged, shed, and the inflammatory cells were infiltrated obviously in the interstitium in the rats of the model group. When compared with the model group, in the moxibustion group, the damage of the colon tissue was recovered to various degrees and there were few infiltrated inflammatory cells in the interstitium, while, the epithelial injury of the colon tissue was slightly recovered and the infiltrated inflammatory cells in the interstitium were still seen in the placebo-control group. The mRNA and protein expressions of ZO-1, Occludin and Caudin-1 were decreased in the model group compared with those in the normal group (P<0.01). When compared with the model group and the placebo-control group, the mRNA and protein expressions of these indexes were increased in the moxibustion group (P<0.01, P<0.05). In the model group, the mRNA and protein expressions of TLR4 and NF-κB p65 were increased when compared with those in the normal group (P<0.01), and the mRNA and protein expressions of these indexes were reduced in the moxibustion group when compared with those in the model group and the placebo-control group (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Moxibustion can reduce the body mass and food intake, regulate the blood lipid and improve insulin resistance in the rats of obesity. It may be related to alleviating inflammatory response through improving intestinal barrier function and modulating the intestinal TLR4/NF-κB p65 signaling pathway.

Influences of long-duration NO exposure on CO2 adsorption on coals: insights into oxy-coal burning flue gas storage in coal reservoirs.

Introducing oxy-coal burning flue gas into coal reservoirs has the advantages of mitigating emissions of CO2, NOx, and SO2, and producing in-situ coalbed methane (CBM). Given the characteristics of the geologic time scale for fluid sequestration, the long-duration NO exposure was conducted for various ranks of coal matrices to access the potential impacts of NO exposure on CO2 storage. Afterwards, the changes in critical physico-chemical properties and adsorbability of various ranks of coal matrices to CO2 because of long-duration NO exposure were revealed. Finally, the implications to implement oxy-coal burning flue gas sequestration in unmineable coal reservoirs with CBM production were indicated. The results demonstrate that the long-duration interaction with NO reduces the number of micro- and meso-pores of various ranks of coals, especially those with diametres below 4.00 nm. Moreover, the long-duration NO exposure reduces the oxygen-containing functional groups while significantly increasing the amine/amide-N for all the coals. The aforementioned alterations in the surface chemistry property imply that the coal matrix is capable of chemically adsorbing NO, thereby achieving its stable storage in target coal reservoirs. Given the electron donor-acceptor interactions between amine/amide-N and CO2, the NO exposure can elevate the CO2 storage capability of various ranks of coals under typical reservoir temperature and pressure. In summary, introducing oxy-coal burning flue gas into coal reservoirs is capable of stably storing critical gaseous pollutants and simultaneously enhancing the CO2 storage potential of coal reservoirs, thereby updating the existing oxy-coal burning technology and CO2 sequestration in unmineable coal reservoirs with the enhanced CBM recovery technology.

Acupuncture for cancer pain: a scoping review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Background: Due to the effectiveness and safety, acupuncture, one of the traditional therapies of Chinese medicine, has been widely used in clinical practice globally. A few systematic review or meta-analyses have proved its effectiveness and safety towards patients with cancer pain, while there are no syntheses among those evidence. The aim of this scoping review is to summarize the evidence from systematic reviews of acupuncture for the treatment of cancer pain and evaluate the breadth and methodological quality of these evidence as well. Methods: The scoping review process was guided by the methodology framework of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA ScR) and "Arkseyand O'Malley six-stage framework". Electronic searches were carried out in several online databases from inception to Jan 2022. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that involve any type of acupuncture for patients with cancer pain will be included. A pair of reviewers independently screened full texts. Moreover, review characteristics were extracted, and methodological quality was assessed using the AMSTAR 2 tool. Results: Twenty-five systematic reviews and meta-analyses were included. Manual acupuncture is the most frequently included types of test group intervention (48%), followed by acupuncture + medicine (28%), and auricular acupuncture (12%). All the reviews have declared that acupuncture is an effective method for cancer pain treatment. Eleven reviews (44%) aiming at evaluating the safety also have confirmed that acupuncture is safe for treating cancer pain. However, most included studies were conducted in China. With certain geographical limitations, the findings were not representative within the region. The results of our review may owe to the synthesis of all kinds of cancer pain, and only 2 reviews described the type of cancer pain in detail. Conclusions: This scoping review synthesizes and evaluates existing evidence of acupuncture for cancer pain. From this scoping review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, there are clear recommendations for future studies: expanding the region of research in the world and trying to conduct the study of different types of cancer pain in details as much as possible. Evidences of acupuncture for cancer pain can inform clinical decision-making. Systematic review registration: https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-1-0073/, identifier INPLASY202210073.

Sciatic nerve schwannoma complicated by nerve bundle membrane effusion: Two case reports and a literature review.

Schwannoma is a benign tumor that originates from Schwann cells in the peripheral nerve tunica or bundle of nerves and grows along the longitudinal axis of the nerve. Schwannoma can occur in multiple anatomic locations but rarely in the sciatic nerve. To our knowledge, there are no previous reports in the literature related to schwannoma combined with effusion of the nerve bundle membranes. Here, we report two cases of sciatic nerve schwannoma combined with nerve bundle membrane effusion, and the relationship between them is uncertain. We have boldly speculated about this uncertain relationship by combining the two patients' imaging manifestations to help determine the mechanism of schwannoma or effusion generation as well as a clinical treatment.

Impact of Early Oral Feeding on Nasogastric Tube Reinsertion After Elective Colorectal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Colorectal cancer is a common malignant tumor appearing in the gastrointestinal tract. Surgical resection is recognized as the best means to improve patient survival. However, it is controversial whether early oral feeding (EOF) after elective colorectal resection demonstrates safety and efficacy in concerned clinical outcomes. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and CNKI from inception to September 2021. Two authors independently screened the retrieved records and extracted data. EOF was defined as feeding within 24 h after surgery, while traditional oral feeding (TOF) was defined as feeding that started after the gastrointestinal flatus or ileus was resolved. The primary outcome was nasogastric tube insertion, and the secondary outcomes were the length of hospital stay and total complications. Categorical data were combined using odds ratio (OR), and continuous data were combined using mean difference (MD). Results: We screened 10 studies from 34 records after full-text reading, with 1,199 patients included in the analysis. Nasogastric tube reinsertion (OR 1.69; 95% CI 1.08 to 2.64, p=0.02) was more frequent in the EOF group, and older ages (>60 years) were associated with higher risk of nasogastric tube reinsertion (OR 2.05; 95% CI 1.05 to 3.99, p = 0.04). Reduced length of hospital stay (MD -1.76; 95% CI -2.32 to -1.21; p < 0.01) and the rate of total complications (OR 0.49; 95% CI 0.37 to 0.65, p < 0.01) were observed in EOF compared with TOF. Conclusions: EOF was safe and effective for patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery, but the higher rate of nasogastric tube reinsertion compared with TOF should not be ignored.

Smaller particular matter, larger risk of female lung cancer incidence? Evidence from 436 Chinese counties.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have reported the effects of PM2.5 and PM10 on human health, however, it remains unclear whether particular matter with finer particle size has a greater effect. OBJECTIVES: This work aims to examine the varying associations of the incidence rate of female lung cancer with PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 in 436 Chinese cancer registries between 2014 and 2016. METHODS: The effects of PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 were estimated through three regression models, respectively. Mode l only included particular matter, while Model 2 and Model 3 further controlled for time and location factors, and socioeconomic covariates, respectively. Moreover, two sensitivity analyses were performed to investigate the robustness of three particular matte effects. Then, we examined the modifying role of urban-rural division on the effects of PM1, PM2.5 and PM10, respectively. RESULTS: The change in the incidence rate of female lung cancer relative to its mean was 5.98% (95% CI: 3.40, 8.56%) for PM1, which was larger than the values of PM2.5 and PM10 at 3.75% (95% CI: 2.33, 5.17%) and 1.57% (95% CI: 0.73, 2.41%), respectively. The effects of three particular matters were not sensitive in the two sensitivity analyses. Moreover, urban-rural division positively modified the associations of the incidence rate of female lung cancer with PM1, PM2.5 and PM10. CONCLUSIONS: The effect on the incidence rate of female lung cancer was greater for PM1, followed by PM2.5 and PM10. There were positive modifying roles of urban-rural division on the effects of three particular matters. The finding supports the argument that finer particular matters are more harmful to human health, and also highlights the great significance to develop guidelines for PM1 control and prevention in Chinese setting.

Effects of moxibustion on reproduction and metabolism of polycystic ovary syndrome: a protocol for meta-analysis and systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age. Recently, moxibustion, as a complementary and alternative therapy, has been commonly used in assisted reproduction and improvement of metabolic abnormalities in patients with PCOS. Currently, intervention efficacy of the use of moxibustion in PCOS treatment still remains controversial due to lack of high-quality evidence. Consequently, this study protocol was designed to objectively review and evaluate the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion treatment for PCOS. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Electronic searches will be carried out from inception to May 2021 in the online databases of The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Chinese Biomedical Literature, Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. The Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Center and Clinical Trials will be used for searching ongoing trials. Randomised controlled trials and the first period in randomised cross-over trials involving any type of moxibustion for patients with PCOS will be included. Primary outcomes will be the ovulation rate, pregnancy rate and sex hormone levels, and secondary outcomes will be changes in clinical symptoms and metabolic indicators, total effective rate and the incidences of side effects and adverse events. Briefly, two reviewers will independently conduct study selection and data extraction, and the risk of bias will be assessed. Prior to the formal meta-analysis, the heterogeneity of included studies will be assessed. Review Manager Statistical Software (RevMan) V.5.3 will be used for data processing. Finally, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation method will be applied to evaluate the quality of evidence. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not necessary since this study is designed as a systematic review. This study will be disseminated by a peer-review journal or conference presentation.

[Network meta-analysis on the effects of the acupuncture-related therapy on ovulation rate and pregnancy rate in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To review systematically the safety and effectiveness of acupuncture-related therapies on ovulation rate and pregnancy rate in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: From PubMed, EMbase, the Cochrane Library, China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database and VIP database, the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on PCOS were retrieved in the period from the date of database establishment to January 8, 2018. Two researchers screened the articles, extracted the data and assessed the bias risk of the eligible trials independently. Using Stata 13.0 and WinBUGS 1.4.3 software, the data were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 39 RCTs were collected, including 4605 cases of PCOS and 14 kinds of acupuncture-related therapies and the comprehensive therapies. The short-term therapeutic effects were observed. The results of mesh meta-analysis showed: regarding the ovulation rate, the effects of the acupuncture-medication therapy were better than western medication. The top 6 therapeutic measures were the treatment with acupoint thread-embedding therapy and medication (93.3%), the treatment with moxibustion and Chinese herbal medicine (91.4%), moxibustion (74.5%), the treatment with acupuncture and medication (65.7%), the treatment with acupuncture-moxibustion and auricular point therapy (61.9%) and the treatment with acupuncture and auricular point therapy (49.6%). Regarding the pregnancy rate, the effects of the acupuncture-medication therapy were better than western medication. The top 6 therapeutic measures were the treatment with acupuncture and auricular point therapy (91.5%), the treatment with moxibustion and Chinese herbal medication (86.9%), the treatment with acupuncture-moxibustion and auricular point therapy (81.1%), the treatment with acupoint thread-embedding therapy and medication (69.4%), the treatment with acupuncture and medication (66.1%) and the treatment with placebo and western medication (58.7%). CONCLUSION: Among acupuncture-related therapies, the combined treatment is more advantageous than single therapy and its safety is superior to western medication. The combined therapies are various in advantages. Because of the limitation of the present researches, it needs a large scale of RCTs with rational design, high quality and proper methods to verify this research conclusion.