Effect of acupuncture combined with low frequency rTMS on comorbid mild-to-moderate depressive disorder and insomnia: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the impacts of acupuncture on depressive mood and sleep quality in patients with comorbid mild-to-moderate depressive disorder and insomnia, and explore its effect mechanism.@*METHODS@#A total of 60 patients with comorbid mild-to-moderate depressive disorder and insomnia were randomly divided into an observation group (30 cases, 1 case dropped off) and a control group (30 cases, 2 cases dropped off). In the observation group, acupuncture and low frequency repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) were combined for the intervention. Acupuncture was applied to Baihui (GV 20), Yintang (GV 24+), Neiguan (PC 6) and Yanglingquan (GB 34), etc., the needles were retained for 30 min; and the intradermal needles were embedded at Xinshu (BL 15) and Danshu (BL 19) for 2 days. After acupuncture, the rTMS was delivered at the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R-DLPFC), with 1 Hz and 80% of movement threshold, lasting 30 min in each treatment. In the control group, the sham-acupuncture was adopted, combined with low frequency rTMS. The acupoint selection and manipulation were the same as the observation group. In the two groups, acupuncture was given once every two days, 3 times weekly; while, rTMS was operated once daily, for consecutive 5 days a week. The duration of treatment consisted of 4 weeks. Hamilton depression scale-17 (HAMD-17) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) scores were observed before and after treatment, as well as 1 month after the treatment completion (follow-up period) separately. Besides, the levels of nerve growth factor (BDNF) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the serum were detected before and after treatment in the two groups.@*RESULTS@#After treatment and in follow-up, the HAMD-17 scores were lower than those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the scores in the observation group were lower than the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the total scores and the scores of each factor of PSQI were reduced in the two groups in comparison with those before treatment except for the score of sleep efficiency in the control group (P<0.05); the total PSQI score and the scores for sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep efficiency and daytime dysfunction in the observation group were all lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). In the follow-up, except for the scores of sleep duration and sleep efficiency in the control group, the total PSQI score and the scores of all the other factors were reduced compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05); the total PSQI score and the scores of sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency and daytime dysfunction in the observation group were lower than the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the levels of serum BDNF and GABA were increased in comparison with those before treatment in the observation group (P<0.05), and the level of serum BDNF was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture relieves depressive mood and improves sleep quality in patients with comorbid mild-to-moderate depressive disorder and insomnia. The effect mechanism may be related to the regulation of BDNF and GABA levels and the promotion of brain neurological function recovery.

Mechanism of Xuebijing Injection in treatment of sepsis-associated ARDS based on network pharmacology and in vitro experiment / 中国中药杂志

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and molecular mechanism of Xuebijing Injection in the treatment of sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS) based on network pharmacology and in vitro experiment. The active components of Xuebijing Injection were screened and the targets were predicted by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP). The targets of sepsis-associated ARDS were searched against GeneCards, DisGeNet, OMIM, and TTD. Weishengxin platform was used to map the targets of the main active components in Xuebijing Injection and the targets of sepsis-associated ARDS, and Venn diagram was established to identify the common targets. Cytoscape 3.9.1 was used to build the "drug-active components-common targets-disease" network. The common targets were imported into STRING for the building of the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network, which was then imported into Cytoscape 3.9.1 for visualization. DAVID 6.8 was used for Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment of the common targets, and then Weishe-ngxin platform was used for visualization of the enrichment results. The top 20 KEGG signaling pathways were selected and imported into Cytoscape 3.9.1 to establish the KEGG network. Finally, molecular docking and in vitro cell experiment were performed to verify the prediction results. A total of 115 active components and 217 targets of Xuebijing Injection and 360 targets of sepsis-associated ARDS were obtained, among which 63 common targets were shared by Xuebijing Injection and the disease. The core targets included interleukin-1 beta(IL-1β), IL-6, albumin(ALB), serine/threonine-protein kinase(AKT1), and vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA). A total of 453 GO terms were annotated, including 361 terms of biological processes(BP), 33 terms of cellular components(CC), and 59 terms of molecular functions(MF). The terms mainly involved cellular response to lipopolysaccharide, negative regulation of apoptotic process, lipopolysaccharide-mediated signaling pathway, positive regulation of transcription from RNA polyme-rase Ⅱ promoter, response to hypoxia, and inflammatory response. The KEGG enrichment revealed 85 pathways. After diseases and generalized pathways were eliminated, hypoxia-inducible factor-1(HIF-1), tumor necrosis factor(TNF), nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB), Toll-like receptor, and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways were screened out. Molecular docking showed that the main active components of Xuebijing Injection had good binding activity with the core targets. The in vitro experiment confirmed that Xuebijing Injection suppressed the HIF-1, TNF, NF-κB, Toll-like receptor, and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways, inhibited cell apoptosis and reactive oxygen species generation, and down-regulated the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in cells. In conclusion, Xuebijing Injection can regulate apoptosis and response to inflammation and oxidative stress by acting on HIF-1, TNF, NF-κB, Toll-like receptor, and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways to treat sepsis-associated ARDS.

Effect of Suanzaoren Decoction on molecular levels of bile acids in serum, liver, and ileum of insomnia mice / 中国中药杂志

To explore the mechanism of Suanzaoren Decoction in the treatment of insomnia from endogenous bile acid regulation, the present study investigated the hepatoprotective effect of Suanzaoren Decoction and the molecular changes of bile acids in the serum, liver, and ileum of insomnia model mice and Suanzaoren Decoction treated mice. The insomnia model in mice was established by the sleep deprivation method. After Suanzaoren Decoction(48.96 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)) intervention by gavage for 7 days, the related indicators, such as water consumption, food intake, body weight, aspartate aminotransferase(AST), alanine transaminase(ALT), and total bile acid(TBA) were detected, and the pathological changes of the liver and ileum were observed. The molecular levels and distribution of 23 bile acids in the serum, liver, and ileum were analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS combined with principal component analysis(PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA). The results showed that Suanzaoren Decoction could improve the decreased water consumption and food intake, weight loss, and increased AST and ALT in the model group, and effectively reverse the injury and inflammation in the liver and ileum. The bile acids in the liver of the insomnia model mice were in the stage of decompensation, and the bile acids in the serum, liver, and ileum of the mice decreased or increased. Suanzaoren Decoction could regulate the anomaly of some bile acids back to normal. Seven bile acids including glycoursodeoxycholic acid(GUDCA), glycodesoxycholic acid(GDCA), tauro-α-MCA(T-α-MCA), α-MCA, taurodeoxycholate(TDCA), T-β-MCA, and LCA were screened out as the main discriminant components by PLS-DA. It is concluded that Suanzaoren Decoction possesses the hepatoprotective effect and bile acids could serve as the biochemical indicators to evaluate the drug efficacy in the treatment of abnormal liver functions caused by insomnia. The mechanism of Suanzao-ren Decoction in soothing the liver, resolving depression, tranquilizing the mind, and improving sleep may be related to the molecular regulation of bile acid signals.

Vitamin D and cognitive function / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Cognitive impairment includes several clinical processes from mild cognitive impairment to dementia, and now it has been a serious public health problem, as there is no effective treatment, it has caused a heavy economic and psychological burden on the family and society, therefore, it seems important to find effective intervention means.Vitamin D is an essential nutrient element for the human body, more and more evidences show that it also participates in many extraskeletal biological reactions, such as nervous system regulatory processes, in addition to calcium and phosphorus metabolism.Several researches have revealed that Vitamin D deficiency is associated with impaired cognition, the mechanisms mediating this link are poorly understood, what's more, for further clinical application, we need to solve the problems like choosing the suitable populations and drug dosage, therefore, this article summarizes and analyzes the effects of serum Vitamin D levels on the cognitive function of different populations, the research progress of Vitamin D intervention research and its possible mechanism of action, hoping to provide references for the clinical application of Vitamin D in the treatment of cognitive impairment.The results show that Vitamin D deficiency is related to the decline of cognitive function in different populations, and Vitamin D can improve cognitive function through reducing Aβ toxicity, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress and other mechanisms, its supplementation is expected to be an important measure of treating cognitive impairment, in the future, large-scale longitudinal cohort studies are needed to determine the optimal dosage and duration of treatment.

Application and inheritance of moxibustion in modern acupuncture-moxibustion school / 中国针灸

The characteristics of moxibustion of the representative successors of each acupuncture and moxibustion school were analyzed, and the application and inheritance of moxibustion in

Evaluation of Astragali Radix quality grade based on appearance characteristics and internal ingredients / 中国中药杂志

This study is to provide the basis of establishing a quality evaluation system, based on the differences in appearance and internal components of Astragali Radix from different sources. The diameter of 18 batches of Astragali Radix, the content of alcohol(water) extract and 7 kinds of flavonoids were determined. The peak area ratio of flavonoid aglycon to aglycone was calculated. PCA and CA were carried out by synthesizing various indexes. The results of PCA and CA showed that Astragali Radix was obviously clustered into three types. Alcohol extract, formononetin/formosan glycosides,(pilose isoflavones+astragalus flavonoid A)/pilose isoflavone glucoside are the most significant differences in the variable importance projection index(VIP) of Astragali Radix. Combining the diameter, alcohol(water) extract, flavonoid aglycon to aglycone peak area ratio can provide an analysis method for the establishment of the grade evaluation system of Astragali Radix.

Effect of Zuoguiwan on Wnt/β-catenin Signaling Pathway in Ovariectomized Osteoporosis Model Rats / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To observe the effect of Zuoguiwan on bone metabolism and Wnt/<italic>β</italic>-catenin signaling pathway in ovariectomized osteoporotic rats model， and to explore the molecular biological mechanism of Zuoguiwan in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Method:The rat model of postmenopausal osteoporosis was established by bilateral ovariectomy， 60 female SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group， model group， positive group （estradiol valerate tablet 0.05 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） and low， middle and high dose groups of Zuoguiwan （5.5，11，22 g·kg^-1·d^-1）.After successful establishment of the model in the 13^th week， intragastric administration （<italic>ig</italic>） was given once a day for a total of 12 weeks. After administration， the histomorphological changes of femur in rats were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， the bone mineral density （BMD） and bone mineral content（BMC） of femur were measured by dual energy X-ray apparatus， and the biomechanical properties of bone were measured by MTS Acumen3 biomechanical testing system. The contents of bone alkaline phosphatase （BALP）， bone glaprotein（BGP），estradiol （E₂） ，and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase （TRAP）， type Ⅰ procollagen N-terminal propeptide （PINP） in serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Western blot was used to detect the protein level of Wnt2，<italic>β</italic>-catenin，low density lipoprotein related receptor protein 5 （LRP5） and the phosphorylation level of glycogen synthase kinase-3<italic>β</italic>（GSK-3<italic>β</italic>） in rat tibia. Result:Compared with sham operation group， the maximum load and stiffness of BMD，BMC， in the model group decreased significantly（<italic>P</italic><0.01）， the contents of E₂ and PINP in serum decreased significantly（<italic>P</italic><0.01）， the content of BALP，BGP，TRAP increased significantly（<italic>P</italic><0.01）， the expression levels of Wnt2，p-GSK-3<italic>β </italic>Ser9，LRP5 and <italic>β</italic>-catenin protein in bone tissue decreased significantly（<italic>P</italic><0.01）， the trabecula of femur became thinner and thinner， the number of bone trabeculae decreased. Compared with model group， the maximum load and stiffness of BMD，BMC， in estradiol group and Zuoguiwan group were significantly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.05，<italic>P</italic><0.01）， the contents of serum E₂ and PINP were significantly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.05，<italic>P</italic><0.01）， the content of BALP，BGP，TRAP was significantly decreased （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， and the expression level of Wnt2，p-GSK-3<italic>β</italic> Ser9，LRP5， <italic>β</italic>-catenin protein in bone tissue was significantly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.05，<italic>P</italic><0.01） ， the trabeculae of femur became thicker， the number increased， the structure was basically clear. Conclusion:Zuoguiwan has a certain preventive and therapeutic effect on osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats， and its mechanism may be related to increasing the level of estrogen， activating Wnt/<italic>β</italic>-catenin signaling pathway， up-regulating the expression of Wnt2 and LRP5 protein， inhibiting the activity of GSK-3<italic>β</italic>， reducing the degradation of <italic>β</italic>-catenin， coordinating the dynamic coupling balance between bone formation and bone resorption， correcting the disorder of bone metabolism and improving bone morphology.

Progress and prospect of machine learning in research of acupuncture and moxibustion / 中国针灸

The application progress of machine learning in research of acupuncture and moxibustion was reviewed from three aspects: mining of acupuncture and moxibustion prescription and indications, acupuncture efficacy prediction and its influencing factors, acupoint specificity and acupuncture manipulation research, and the existing problems in current research and future research trends were discussed. It is believed that the appropriate machine learning algorithm should be selected to build the model according to the research purpose and data characteristics in the future research; attention should be paid to feature design, feature selection and feature cleaning; sample data collection should be a priority, and data sharing platform and standardized data collection should be developed to improve the data quality.

Anticancer activity and underlying mechanism of neogambogic acid / 中国天然药物

Garcinia, a kind of dry resin secreted by Garcinia hanburyi Hook. F. G., is a traditional Chinese medicine with various biological functions such as detoxification, anti-inflammatory, and anthelmintic activities. Recent studies suggest that garcinia has potential anticancer activity. Increasing evidences indicate that the main active monomer gambogic acid isolated from garcinia can inhibit the growth of various cancer cells. Neogambogic acid is an isolated compound with a similar chemical structure as gambogic acid. Preliminary studies show that the neogambogic acid can selectively inhibit the growth of various cancer cells, and has a broader antitumor activity and lower toxicity than gambogic acid. In this review, we summarize the advances made in the investigation of the anti-tumor effect of neogambogic acid in recent years.

Anticancer activity and underlying mechanism of neogambogic acid / 中国天然药物

Garcinia, a kind of dry resin secreted by Garcinia hanburyi Hook. F. G., is a traditional Chinese medicine with various biological functions such as detoxification, anti-inflammatory, and anthelmintic activities. Recent studies suggest that garcinia has potential anticancer activity. Increasing evidences indicate that the main active monomer gambogic acid isolated from garcinia can inhibit the growth of various cancer cells. Neogambogic acid is an isolated compound with a similar chemical structure as gambogic acid. Preliminary studies show that the neogambogic acid can selectively inhibit the growth of various cancer cells, and has a broader antitumor activity and lower toxicity than gambogic acid. In this review, we summarize the advances made in the investigation of the anti-tumor effect of neogambogic acid in recent years.

Curcumin combined with electroacupuncture promotes the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor after cerebral infarction / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective To investigate the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) after cerebral infarction and treatment with curcumin combined with electroacupuncture.Methods Middle cerebral artery occlusion was successfully introduced to simulate cerebral infarction in 60 healthy,male Wistar rats.They were then randomly divided into a control group,an electroacupuncture group,a curcumin group and a curcumin combined with electroacupuncture group (the observation group),each of 15.After the modeling,the four groups were given the planned interventions for 2 weeks,with the control group receiving no intervention.All of the rats were sacrificed after neurobehavioral scoring and immunological staining of brain tissue from the infarction area was used to detect the expression of BDNF and NGF.Results The average Bederson score in the observation group was significantly lower than those of the other groups.Cells expressing BDNF and NGF were significantly more numerous in the observation group than in the other three groups.Conclusion Curcumin combined with electroacupuncture can significantly improve the expression of BDNF and NGF in the infarcted area,and this may play a neuroprotective role.

Effect of nano-SiO2 exposure on spatial learning and memory and LTP of hippocampal dentate gyrus in rats / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of nano-SiO2 on spatial learning and memory.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-four male rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group (C group), low dose group (L group) and high dose group (H group). The rats were intragastrically administrated with nanometer particles at 25 and 100 mg/kg body weight every day for 4 weeks. After exposure, the ability of learning and memory of rats was tested by Morris water maze, and electrophysiological brain stereotactic method was used to test long-tear potentiation (LTP) in dentate gyrus (DG) of the rats.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The increase rate of body weight in H group was reduced significantly compared with C group ( P < 0.05). In the space exploration experiment of Morris water maze test, the escape latency of H group was longer than that of C group (P < 0.05). The rats of H group spent less time in finding the target quadrant (P < 0.05) . The rate of LP induction of H group was significantly lower than that of C group (P < 0.05). After high fre quency stimulation (HFS), The changes of amplitude of population spike (PS) of L group and H group were lower than those of C group significantly (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Nano-SiO₂may result in impairment of spatial learning and memory ability by reducing the rate of LTP induction and the increase of PS in hippocampus.</p>

Effect of Vitamin E Supplementation on Intestinal Barrier Function in Rats Exposed to High Altitude Hypoxia Environment

The study was conducted to investigate the role of vitamin E in the high altitude hypoxia-induced damage to the intestinal barrier in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control (Control), high altitude hypoxia (HH), and high altitude hypoxia+vitamin E (250 mg/kg BW*d) (HV) groups. After the third day, the HH and HV groups were placed in a hypobaric chamber at a stimulated elevation of 7000 m for 5 days. The rats in the HV group were given vitamin E by gavage daily for 8 days. The other rats were given equal volume saline. The results showed that high altitude hypoxia caused the enlargement of heart, liver, lung and kidney, and intestinal villi damage. Supplementation with vitamin E significantly alleviated hypoxia-caused damage to the main organs including intestine, increased the serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) (p< 0.05), diamino oxidase (DAO) (p< 0.01) levels, and decreased the serum levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) (p< 0.01), interleukin-4 (IL-4) (p<0.001), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) (p<0.01) and malondialdehyde (MDA) (p<0.001), and decreased the serum erythropoietin (EPO) activity (p<0.05). Administration of vitamin E significantly increased the S-IgA (p<0.001) in ileum and significantly improved the expression levels of occludin and IkappaBalpha, and decreased the expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha and 2 alpha (HIF-1alpha and HIF-2alpha), Toll-like receptors (TLR4), P-IkappaBalpha and nuclear factor-kappaB p65(NF-kappaB P65) in ileum compared to the HH group. This study suggested that vitamin E protectis from intestinal injury caused by high altitude hypoxia environment. These effects may be related to the HIF and TLR4/NF-kappaB signaling pathway.

Randomized study of sinusoidal chronomodulated versus flat intermittent induction chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil followed by traditional radiotherapy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 癌症

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus radiotherapy is the most common treatment regimen for advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Whether chronomodulated infusion of chemotherapy can reduce its toxicity is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the toxic and therapeutic effects of sinusoidal chronomodulated infusion versus flat intermittent infusion of cisplatin (DDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) followed by radiotherapy in patients with locoregionally advanced NPC. Patients with biopsy-diagnosed untreated stages III and IV NPC (according to the 2002 UICC staging system) were randomized to undergo 2 cycles of sinusoidal chronomodulated infusion (Arm A) or flat intermittent constant rate infusion (Arm B) of DDP and 5-FU followed by radical radiotherapy. Using a "MELODIE" multi-channel programmed pump, the patients were given 12-hour continuous infusions of DDP (20 mg/m2) and 5-FU (750 mg/m2) for 5 days, repeated every 3 weeks for 2 cycles. DDP was administered from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm, and 5-FU was administered from 10:00 pm to 10:00 am each day. Chronomodulated infusion was performed in Arm A, with the peak deliveries of 5-FU at 4:00 am and DDP at 4:00 pm. The patients in Arm B underwent a constant rate of infusion. Radiotherapy was initiated in the fifth week, and both arms were treated with the same radiotherapy techniques and dose fractions. Between June 2004 and June 2006, 125 patients were registered, and 124 were eligible for analysis of response and toxicity. The major toxicity observed during neoadjuvant chemotherapy was neutropenia. The incidence of acute toxicity was similar in both arms. During radiotherapy, the incidence of stomatitis was significantly lower in Arm A than in Arm B (38.1% vs. 59.0%, P = 0.020). No significant differences were observed for other toxicities. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 88.9%, 82.4%, and 74.8% for Arm A and 91.8%, 90.2%, and 82.1% for Arm B. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year progression-free survival rates were 91.7%, 88.1%, and 85.2% for Arm A and 100%, 94.5%, and 86.9% for Arm B. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year distant metastasis-free survival rates were 82.5%, 79.1%, and 79.1% for Arm A and 90.2%, 85.2%, and 81.7% for Arm B. Chronochemotherapy significantly reduced stomatitis but was not superior to standard chemotherapy in terms of hematologic toxicities and therapeutic response.