Non-canonical amino acids uncover the significant impact of Tyr671 on Taq DNA polymerase catalytic activity.

Responsible for synthesizing the complementary strand of the DNA template, DNA polymerase is a crucial enzyme in DNA replication, recombination and repair. A highly conserved tyrosine (Tyr), located at the C-terminus of the O-helix in family A DNA polymerases, plays a critical role in enzyme activity and fidelity. Here, we combined the technology of genetic code extension to incorporate non-canonical amino acids and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to uncover the mechanisms by which Tyr671 impacts substrate binding and conformation transitions in a DNA polymerase from Thermus aquaticus. Five non-canonical amino acids, namely l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA), p-aminophenylalanine (pAF), p-acetylphenylalanine (pAcF), p-cyanophenylalanine (pCNF) and p-nitrophenylalanine (pNTF), were individually incorporated at position 671. Strikingly, Y671pAF and Y671DOPA were active, but with lower activity compared to Y671F and wild-type. Y671pAF showed a higher fidelity than the Y671F, despite both possessing lower fidelity than the wild-type. Metadynamics and long-timescale MD simulations were carried out to probe the role of mutations in affecting protein structure, including open conformation, open-to-closed conformation transition, closed conformation, and closed-to-open conformation transition. The MD simulations clearly revealed that the size of the 671 amino acid residue and interactions with substrate or nearby residues were critical for Tyr671 to determine enzyme activity and fidelity.

A review of traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis using machine learning: Inspection, auscultation-olfaction, inquiry, and palpation.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an essential part of the Chinese medical system and is recognized by the World Health Organization as an important alternative medicine. As an important part of TCM, TCM diagnosis is a method to understand a patient's illness, analyze its state, and identify syndromes. In the long-term clinical diagnosis practice of TCM, four fundamental and effective diagnostic methods of inspection, auscultation-olfaction, inquiry, and palpation (IAOIP) have been formed. However, the diagnostic information in TCM is diverse, and the diagnostic process depends on doctors' experience, which is subject to a high-level subjectivity. At present, the research on the automated diagnosis of TCM based on machine learning is booming. Machine learning, which includes deep learning, is an essential part of artificial intelligence (AI), which provides new ideas for the objective and AI-related research of TCM. This paper aims to review and summarize the current research status of machine learning in TCM diagnosis. First, we review some key factors for the application of machine learning in TCM diagnosis, including data, data preprocessing, machine learning models, and evaluation metrics. Second, we review and summarize the research and applications of machine learning methods in TCM IAOIP and the synthesis of the four diagnostic methods. Finally, we discuss the challenges and research directions of using machine learning methods for TCM diagnosis.

Development and application of the practical training instrument of warming needle moxibustion with quantifiable evaluation. / ä¸€ç§å¯é‡åŒ–è¯„ä»·çš„æ¸©é’ˆç¸å®žè®­æ•™å­¦ä»ªçš„ç ”åˆ¶ä¸Žå®žè·µ.

Based on summarizing the essential procedures and elements of traditional manipulation techniques of warming needle moxibustion and determining the quantitative parameters and indicators for evaluating the operation of this acupuncture technique, a training instrument of warming needle moxibustion was developed and adopted in the curriculum teaching of practice. It showed that this instrument could quantify the speed of fixing mugwort ball on the needle handle, the number of the prepared mugwort ball, the duration for anti-vibration, the frequency of anti-vibration and the burning time of mugwort ball. The instrument could objectively evaluate the skills of warming needle moxibustion and the effects of fixing mugwort ball. Besides, it may provide the references to improve the protocol of the future research. The development and application of the practical training instrument of warming needle moxibustion is conductive to cultivate the standardization and accuracy of the technique operation in students, and it is significant for objectif-ying the teaching course of warming needle and teaching assessment, as well as for diversifying the teaching modes. Moreover, it plays an exemplary role in the practical training of other acupuncture and moxibustion techniques.

Glutamine Supplementation on Burn Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

To evaluate the effect of glutamine supplement on patients with burns, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis via synthesizing up-to-date studies. Databases including PubMed, Cochrane Central Register, EMBASE, Google scholar, Wanfang data, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched up to October 2023 to find randomized trials evaluating glutamine supplement on patients with burns. The main outcomes included hospital stay, in-hospital mortality, infection, and wound healing. Twenty-two trials that randomized a total of 2170 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled the length of hospital stay was shortened by glutamine supplement (weighted mean differences [WMD] = -7.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] -10.53 to -5.36, I2 = 67.9%, 16 trials). Both pooled wound healing rates (WMD = 9.15, 95% CI 6.30 to 12.01, I2 = 82.7%, 6 studies) and wound healing times (WMD = -5.84, 95% CI -7.42 to -4.27, I2 = 45.7%, 7 studies) were improved by glutamine supplement. Moreover, glutamine supplement reduced wound infection (risk ratios [RR] = 0.38, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.69, I2 = 0%, 3 trials), but not nonwound infection (RR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.05, I2 = 39.6%, 9 trials). Neither in-hospital mortality (RR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.22, I2 = 36.0%, 8 trials) nor the length of intensive care unit stay (WMD = 1.85, 95% CI -7.24 to 10.93, I2 = 78.2%, 5 studies) was improved by glutamine supplement. Subgroup analysis showed positive effects were either influenced by or based on small-scale, single-center studies. Based on the current available data, we do not recommend the routine use of glutamine supplement for burn patients in hospital. Future large-scale randomized trials are still needed to give a conclusion about the effect of glutamine supplement on burn patients.

Causal relationship between coffee intake and neurological diseases: a Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Previous observational studies focused on the association of coffee consumption and neurological disease. However, it is not known whether these associations are causal. METHODS: We used Mendelian randomization (MR) study to assess the causal relationship of coffee intake with the risk of neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, stroke, and migraine. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which had genetic statistical significance with coffee intake were used as instrumental variable (IV). Genetic instruments were stretched from the MRC-IEU (MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit) analysis on the UK Biobank. We performed MR analyses using the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method as the main approach. Sensitivity analyses were further performed using MR-Egger and MR-PRESSO to assess the robustness. RESULTS: In the MR analysis, 40 SNPs were selected as IV, the F statistics for all SNPs ranged from 16 to 359. In IVW approach, our results provide genetic evidence supporting a potential causal association between coffee intake and a lower risk of migraine (OR = 0.528, 95% CI = 0.342-0.817, P = 0.004) and migraine with aura (OR = 0.374, 95% CI = 0.208-0.672, P = 0.001). However, we found no significant association between coffee intake and other neurological diseases along with their subtypes in this MR study. CONCLUSION: Using genetic data, our MR study found significant evidence supporting a causal association between coffee intake and migraine. This suggests that coffee consumption is likely a trigger or a prevention strategy for migraine.

Rearranged Homoadamantane-Type Polycyclic Polyprenylated Acylphloroglucinols from Hypericum pseudohenryi.

Hypseudohenones A-C (1-3), the first rearranged homoadamantane-type polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols, were isolated from Hypericum pseudohenryi. Their structures with an unprecedented tricyclo[4.3.1.13,8]undecane-2,4,10-trione core were determined by spectroscopic analysis, quantum-chemical calculations, and X-ray crystallography. A method for determining the relative configuration at C-3 was established by the peak shape of H-28 or J-value of H-3/H-28. Moreover, 2-3 exhibited significant AChE inhibitory activity, and the interactions of 2-3 with AChE were evaluated by molecular docking.

Acupuncture Pretreatment Reduces Skeletal Muscle Inflammatory Response in EIMD Rats by Activating cGAS-STING-NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

Acupuncture pretreatment (AP) has a good skeletal muscle protective effect. The present study investigated whether acupuncture pretreatment could improve ultrastructural changes and skeletal muscle inflammation in exercising skeletal muscle injury. Eighty-eight male SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group (C), an exercise group (E), and an acupuncture pretreatment group (AP). Among them, the E and AP groups were divided into five subgroups of 0h, 12h, 24h, 48h, and 72h according to the extraction time after exercise, with 11 groups and eight rats in each group. The study involved simulating skeletal muscle injury caused by intermittent downhill running centrifugal exercise. The researchers used various methods to observe changes in mitochondrial structure and cGAS-STING-NF-κB p65 protein content of classical inflammatory response signaling pathway. These methods included transmission electron microscopy to observe skeletal muscle, Western Blot to detect changes in protein content, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR method) to detect cytoplasmic mtDNA gene fragment ND1, D-LOOP and cGAS-STING- NF-κB p65 protein RNA. The aim was to investigate the changes in NF-κB p65 protein RNA. Changes in NF-κB p65 protein RNA content and mtDNA gene fragment ND1 and D-LOOP content; changes in serum IL-8 and IFN-ß content were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); WB, RT-qPCR, ELISA assays aimed to study the skeletal muscle injury and mitochondrial structural damage in group E relationship skeletal muscle tissue level, cytoplasmic mtDNA fragment gene ND1, and D-LOOP content in skeletal muscle tissue of group E. In comparison to group C, the levels of cGAS-STING-NF-κB p65 protein expression and mRNA, and the serum levels of IL-8 and IFN-ß were significantly higher in group E . However, the acupuncture pretreatment group (AP) reduced the extent of damage to skeletal muscle mitochondria and the levels of cytoplasmic mtDNA fragment genes ND1 and D-LOOP. Also, the high expression of cGAS-STING-NF-κB p65 protein, mRNA, and the levels of IL-8 and IFN-ß were inhibited in the AP group. The results indicated that AP ameliorated exercise-induced skeletal muscle injury and reduced skeletal muscle inflammation produced after centrifugal exercise. This was achieved by inhibiting the overexpression of the cGAS-STING-NF-κB signaling pathway.

Effect of mild moxibustion with moxa stick and infrared mild moxibustion on skin blood perfusion at Waiguan (TE 5). / è‰¾æ¡æ¸©å’Œç¸ä¸Žçº¢å¤–çº¿æ¸©å’Œç¸å¯¹å¤–å ³ç©´çš®è‚¤è¡€æµçŒæ³¨é‡çš„å½±å“.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the changes of skin blood flow perfusion at Waiguan (TE 5) caused by mild moxibustion with moxa stick and infrared mild moxibustion using laser speckle contrast imaging technology, and to compare the microcirculatory effect during and after both moxibustion methods and explore the dose-response relationship of moxibustion. METHODS: Twenty-four healthy participants were treated with mild moxibustion with moxa stick and infrared mild moxibustion at left Waiguan (TE 5). The record started when the skin temperature reached (44±1) °C, and both moxibustion methods were provided within this temperature range. The 20-minute moxibustion process was divided into four stages (5, 10, 15, and 20 min) using interpolation method, and each participant completed eight interventions with a minimum 24-hour interval between different interventions. The skin surface temperature of the left Waiguan (TE 5) was monitored when both moxibustion interventions were given for 10 min using a TES1306 thermocouple thermometer. The skin microcirculatory blood perfusion units (MBPU) of left Waiguan (TE 5) was measured using a PSIN-01087 laser speckle blood flow imager 1 min before moxibustion, at 5, 10, 15, 20 min during moxibustion and continuously for 20 min after moxibustion in each intervention. RESULTS: The skin surface temperature of the left Waiguan (TE 5) remained within the range of (44±1) °C during both moxibustion methods, with no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). Compared with that before moxibustion, the MBPU of the left Waiguan (TE 5) was increased significantly at 5, 10, 15, and 20 min of both moxibustion methods (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with moxibustion for 10, 15 and 20 min, the MBPU of the left Waiguan (TE 5) of moxibustion for 5 min was lower in both moxibustion methods (P<0.01). For both moxibustion methods with the same moxibustion course, the MBPU of the left Waiguan (TE 5) 20 min after intervention was significantly higher than that at 1 min before moxibustion (P<0.001), and there was no significant difference in MBPU between 1 min before moxibustion and 20 min after moxibustion among different groups (P>0.05). Within the same moxibustion method, the MBPU of the left Waiguan (TE 5) 20 min after moxibustion with the intervention of 5 min was lower compared to that of 10, 15, and 20 min of moxibustion (P<0.001), with no significant differences between 10, 15, and 20 min of moxibustion (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: When controlling the skin temperature at Waiguan (TE 5) within (44±1) °C, infrared mild moxibustion has similar effects on skin microcirculatory blood perfusion as traditional mild moxibustion with moxa sticks. From a dose-response perspective, microcirculation reached a stable state after 10 min of moxibustion, and moxibustion interventions lasting for more than 10 min shows better therapeutic effects.

[Current status and trend of acupuncture-moxibustion for myofascial pain syndrome: a visual analysis of knowledge graph based on CiteSpace and VOSviewer].

Bibliometric and scientific knowledge graph methods were used to analyze the research status and hot spots of acupuncture-moxibustion in treatment of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) and explore its development trend. The articles of both Chinese and English versions relevant to MPS treated by acupuncture-moxibustion were searched in CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, SinoMed and WOS from the database inception to March 20, 2023. Using Excel2016, CiteSpace6.2.R2 and VOSviewer1.6.18, the visual analysis was conducted by means of the cooperative network, keyword co-occurrence, keyword timeline, keyword emergence, etc. From Chinese databases and WOS database, 910 Chinese articles and 300 English articles were included, respectively. The annual publication volume showed an overall rising trend. Literature output of English articles was concentrated in Spain, China, and the United States, of which, there was less cross-regional cooperation. In the keyword analysis, regarding acupuncture-moxibustion therapy, Chinese articles focused on "acupuncture", "electroacupuncture" and "acupotomy"; while, "dry needling" and "injection" were dominated for English one. Clinical study was the current hot spot in Chinese databases, in comparison, the randomized controlled double-blind clinical trial was predominant in WOS. Both Chinese and English articles were limited in the report of mechanism research. The cooperation among research teams should be strengthened to conduct comparative research, dose-effect research and effect mechanism research with different methods of acupuncture-moxibustion involved so that the evidences can be provided for deeper exploration.

[Development and application of visual analysis teaching software for acupoint compatibility laws].

A user-friendly teaching software for visual analysis of acupoint compatibility laws has been developed based on the principles of partial order mathematics. This software is designed to provide auxiliary teaching of structured organization and visualization of law knowledge of compatibility data of acupuncture and moxibustion prescriptions from ancient texts, textbooks, and clinical case records. The software is installed as a plugin in the Microsoft Office Excel, allowing the generation of visually appealing graphs and associated rules that align with the cognitive patterns of teachers and students majoring in acupuncture and moxibustion. Its aim is to facilitate the discovery and analysis of underlying patterns and structured knowledge embedded in acupoint compatibility data, thus contributing to the enhancement of teaching effectiveness in acupoint compatibility.

Effect of pulp cell wall polysaccharides on citrus fruit with different mastication traits.

Mastication trait is a primary quality attribute of citrus fruit, influencing consumer demands and industrial processing conditions. However, the underlying causes of differences in mastication traits of citrus remain unclear. In this study, microscopy, spectroscopy and diffraction techniques were applied to investigate the physicochemical properties of Hongmeiren (HMR), Satsuma (WM) and Nanfeng tangerine (NF) with superior, moderate and inferior mastication traits, respectively. Ultrastructure indicated that NF had more neatly arranged and regularly shaped cells than HMR and WM. The monosaccharide composition of NF revealed that multi-branched Na2CO3-soluble pectin (NSF) enhanced intercellular adhesion. Additionally, FT-IR analysis revealed more intense vibrations of O2-H····O6 intramolecular hydrogen bonds within NF cellulose, which resulted in a higher crystallinity of cellulose (73.75%) than HMR (32.53%) and WM (43.76%). Overall, the high content and crystallinity of cellulose, the multi-branched NSF and the high content of hemicellulose contributed to the inferior mastication trait of citrus fruit.

Seed morphology of Hypericum (Hypericaceae) in China and its taxonomic significance.

The seed morphology of 40 taxa within the genus Hypericum (Hypericaceae) from China, representing 9 sections of the genus, was examined using both Light and Scanning Electron Microscopy to evaluate the taxonomic relevance of macro- and micro-morphological features. Details articulating variation in seed size, color, shape, appendages, and seed coat ornamentation are described, illustrated, and compared, and their taxonomic importance is discussed. Seeds were generally brown in color and cylindric-ellipsoid to prolonged cylindric in shape. Seed size displayed wide variation, ranging from 0.37-1.91 mm in length and 0.12-0.75 mm in width. Seed appendages were observed as a characteristic morphological feature. Seed surface ornamentation has high phenotypic plasticity, and four types (reticulate, foveolate, papillose, and ribbed) can be recognized. In general, seed color and shape have limited taxonomic significance. However, some other features represent informative characters that can be used efficiently in distinguishing the studied taxa at the section and/or species levels. The findings illustrate that considerable taxonomic knowledge can be obtained by investigating the seed features of Hypericum, and the use of Scanning Electron Microscopy can reveal inconspicuous morphological affinities among species and play a role in taxonomic and systematic studies of the genus Hypericum. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Macro- and micro-morphological features of seeds of 40 Hypericum taxa from China were examined using Light and Scanning Electron Microscopy, providing the first broad study regarding seed morphology for Hypericum from China. Details and variations of seed size, shape, color, surface ornamentation, and appendages are fully presented. Seed features and their variation have important taxonomic significance at the section and/or species levels within Hypericum.

[Post-stroke dysphagia treated with four-step acupuncture therapy for opening orifices and benefiting throat combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy on post-stroke dysphagia treated with four-step acupuncture therapy for opening orifices and benefiting throat combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation. METHODS: Sixty patients with post-stroke dysphagia were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, with 30 cases in each group. The neuromuscular electrical stimulation was adopted in the control group. Besides the treatment as the control group, in the observation group, the four-step acupuncture therapy for opening orifices and benefiting throat was supplemented. Step 1: the three areas of scalp acupuncture on the affected side were stimulated. Step 2: pricking method was operated on the posterior pharyngeal wall. Step 3: bleeding technique was operated at Jinjin (EX-HN 12) and Yuye (EX-HN 13). Step 4: deep insertion of needle was operated at three-pharynx points. The needles were retained for 30 min at the three areas of scalp acupuncture and the three-pharynx points. The intervention of each group was delivered once daily, 6 times a week, at the interval of 1 day. One course of treatment was 1 week and 4 successive courses were required. The rating of Kubota water swallow test, the score of standardized swallowing assessment (SSA) and the rating of Rosenbek penetration- aspiration scale (PAS) were observed before and after treatment in patients of the two groups. The incidence of clinical complications and clinical efficacy were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with those before treatment, the rating of Kubota water swallow test, the scores of SSA and the rating of PAS of patients in the two groups were decreased after treatment (P<0.01), and the values of the observation group were lower than those of the control group after treatment (P<0.05). The incidence of clinical complications in the observation group was 13.3% (4/30), lower than 36.7% (11/30) in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate in the observation group was 93.3% (28/30), which was better than 70.0% (21/30) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The four-step acupuncture therapy for opening orifices and benefiting throat combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation can improve the swallowing function of patients with post-stroke dysphagia and reduce the incidence of clinical complications.

Structurally diverse spirocyclic polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols from Hypericum ascyron Linn. and their anti-tumor activity.

Ten spirocyclic polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols (PPAP), hunascynols A-J (1-10), and 12 known analogs were isolated from the aerial parts of Hypericum ascyron Linn. Compounds 1 and 2, which share a 1,2-seco-spirocyclic PPAP skeleton, could be derived from spirocyclic PPAP, with a common octahydrospiro[cyclohexan-1,5'-indene]-2,4,6-trione core, through a cascade of Retro-Claisen, keto-enol tautomerism, and esterification reactions. Aldolization of normal spirocyclic PPAP yielded 3, which has a caged framework with a 6/5/6/5/6 ring system. The structures of these compounds were determined using spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The inhibitory activities of all isolates were tested in three human cancer cell lines and a zebrafish model. Compounds 1 and 2 displayed moderate cytotoxicity against HCT116 cells (IC50 6.87 and 9.86 µM, respectively). The mechanisms of these compounds were evaluated using Western blot assays. Compounds 3 and 5 inhibited the growth of sub-intestinal vessels in zebrafish embryos. Further, the target genes were screened using real-time PCR.

Dipeptide-polysaccharides hydrogels through co-assembly.

Self-assembling dipeptide hydrogels are attracting attention in food, materials, and biomedicine. However, there are still limitations such as weak hydrogel properties. Herein, we introduced two types of polysaccharides (Arabic gum and citrus pectin) into an alkyl-chain modified dipeptide (C13-tryptophan-tyrosine (C13-WY)) to generate co-assembled C13-WY-arabic gum and C13-WY-pectin hydrogels. The co-assembled hydrogels exhibited enhanced mechanical properties and stability. The G' value of C13-WY-arabic gum and C13-WY-pectin hydrogels was 3 and 10 times larger than that of C13-WY hydrogel, respectively. The addition of Arabic gum and citrus pectin led to the co-assembly and molecular rearrangement. Moreover, co-assembled hydrogels showed more ß-sheet structure and hydrogen bonds. Importantly, the self-/co-assembled hydrogels showed low cytotoxicity. We utilized these hydrogels for the encapsulation of docetaxel and they showed a high embedding rate and slow-release. Our findings provide a novel strategy for the development of stable supramolecular peptide hydrogels with good biocompatibility through simple co-assembly.

Design of Near-Infrared-Triggered Metallo-Photosensitizers via a Self-Assembly-Induced Vibronic Decoupling Strategy.

Development of highly efficient near-infrared (NIR)-excited photosensitizers is hampered by the fast nonradiative vibrational relaxation process regulated by the energy gap law. Here, from the fundamental perspective we propose that the intermolecular coupling of well-designed photosensitizers has the potential to facilitate exciton delocalization and hence reduce the exciton-vibration coupling, thereby boosting their phototherapeutic efficacy via inhibition of the vibrational relaxation pathway. Such conceived NIR-excited metallo-photosensitizers (IrHA1 and IrHA2) were prepared and studied for experimental validation. The resulting iridium complexes exhibited a little singlet oxygen (1O2) production in the monomeric state, but produced substantially enhanced 1O2 generation efficiency via benefiting from the exciton-vibration decoupling in the self-assembly state. Particularly, IrHA2 exhibits an unprecedented high 1O2 quantum yield of 54.9% (FDA-approved NIR dye indocyanine green: ΦΔ = 0.2%) under 808 nm laser irradiation with negligible heat generation, probably attributed to the suppression of vibronic couplings from the stretching mode of the acceptor ligand. In phototherapy, IrHA2-NPs with high biocompatibility and low dark toxicity can induce substantial tumor regression with 92.9% tumor volume reduction in vivo. This self-assembly-induced vibronic decoupling strategy would offer an effective approach to the design of high-performance NIR-excited photosensitizers.

Quantitative analysis of the Tuina manipulation parameters based on Ding's rolling manipulation.

BACKGROUND: In the present scenario, there is no unified measurement standard for the five basic requirements of the Tuina manipulation, such as "lasting, uniform, gentle, powerful and penetrating", and the descriptions that are solely based on the words are difficult to interpret. As a result, a quantitative study of the Tuina manipulation can aid in the development of a unified standard for Tuina manipulation, thereby assisting the transmission and advancement of the Tuina science. OBJECTIVE: Using the Tuina manipulation data gloves and data collection system, and taking Ding's rolling manipulation as the research object, the present study explored the necessity and significance of quantitative research on the inheritance and development of traditional Tuina manipulation. METHODS: Using the Tuina experts as the research object, the manipulation characteristics and parameter signs of Ding's rolling manipulation were collected and analyzed by employing the "Tuina manipulation data gloves and data collecting system". RESULTS: ⟀ The force waveforms, peaks and minima of each detection point altered regularly, and the force values of the front and back pendulum waveforms varied significantly with small differences in the waveform height. ⟁ The Tuina force values of the experts were concentrated in 0.70-0.85 kg, the frequency was concentrated at 120-160 times/min, and the period was about 0.4 s. ⟂ The peak, minimum, and mean of the ai1 channel was greater than ai4, all of which were statistically significant (P< 0.05). The ai6 peak, minimum, and mean were greater than ai3 and statistically significant (P< 0.05). The ai2 peak was greater than ai5, which was not statistically significant (P> 0.05). The ai2 minimum was greater than ai5, and the ai2 mean was less than ai5, all of which were statistically significant (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: It was found that the objectification studies of the experts performing Tuina practices should be based on real clinical process. Furthermore, the results of the quantitative study can present the quantitative characteristics of the expert's parameters, as well as the details of the manipulation process. Thus, the quantitative study of the parameters is of great significance in the transmission and development of the expert's manipulation.

Clinical efficacy of vibration stimulation therapy to relieve acute exercise fatigue.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that local vibration stimulation therapy was effective in relieving fatigue, and the effects of different modes of vibration stimulation therapy were further investigated. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effects of different vibration stimulation modes on relieving acute exercise fatigue based on the multiphysiological indicators such as heart rate variability (HRV), skin conductance level (SCL), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) subjective scale. METHODS: Sixty participants selected from the dragon boat team of the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were divided into acupoint stimulation group (20 participants), muscle stimulation group (20 participants), and control group (20 participants) by complete randomization. RESULTS: (1) RPE: both stimulation groups showed a significant increase compared to the control group. (2) Heart rate values: the difference between muscle stimulation group and control group was statistically significant; (3) SCL: the two stimulation groups had significantly higher and statistically significant differences in SCL (max) and SCL (mean) values compared to the control group; the muscle stimulation group had statistically significant differences in SCL (min) compared to the control group, and the acupoint stimulation group had statistically significant differences in SCL (v) compared to the control group; (4) HRV (hf): The difference between the acupoint stimulation group and the muscle stimulation group was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: (1) Both stimulation groups are part of vibration therapy, which can relieve sympathetic tension and regulate the vegetative nervous system's relaxation effect. (2) The meridian-vessel theory may be related to the acupoint stimulation group. The low-level visceral regulation centers in the spinal nerve segment region, where the acupoints are located, trigger changes in autonomic tone and enhance parasympathetic nerve activity to relieve acute motor fatigue. (3) The muscle stimulation group may be due to the 30-Hz vibration frequency's ability to raise muscle epidermal temperature, which increases blood flow and reflexively inhibits sympathetic excitation.

Manual acupuncture for neuromusculoskeletal disorders: The selection of stimulation parameters and corresponding effects.

As a minimally invasive method of physical stimulation, manual acupuncture (MA) is used globally as a sort of therapy for neuromusculoskeletal disorders. In addition to selecting appropriate acupoints, acupuncturists should also determine the stimulation parameters of needling, such as the manipulation (lifting-thrusting or twirling), needling amplitude, velocity, and stimulation time. At present, most studies focus on acupoint combination and mechanism of MA, the relationship between stimulation parameters and their therapeutic effects, as well as the influence on mechanism of action are relatively scattered, and lack of systematic summary and analysis. This paper reviewed the three types of stimulation parameters of MA, their common options and values, corresponding effects and potential mechanisms of action. The purpose of such efforts is to provide a useful reference for the dose-effect relationship of MA and the quantification and standardization of its clinical treatment of neuromusculoskeletal disorders to further promote the application of acupuncture in the world.

[Design and development of a novel infrared mild moxibustion device].

To make up for the shortcomings of traditional mild moxibustion, according to the principle and technical operation characteristics of traditional mild moxibustion, combined with temperature control technology, a novel infrared mild moxibustion device is developed, which is capable of real-time accurate temperature control. This novel infrares mild moxibustion device is composed of a host computer and an infrared radiation head. The host computer includes four modules: power supply, human-computer interaction interface, micro control unit (MCU) and drive circuit. The infrared radiation head mainly includes an infrared heater and a temperature sensor. This novel infrared mild moxibustion device is easy to operate. The electrothermal heating tablet can generate infrared radiation of 3 000-13 000 nm. After the temperature of the infrared heater is stabilized, the range of temperature change is ±0.50 ℃, realizing the goal of precise temperature control. In addition, it can operate moxibustion treatment at multiple acupoints at the same time, which is conducive to the dose-effect evaluation of mild moxibustion.