[Clinical observation of electroacupuncture with different frequencies in treatment of hemiplegic shoulder pain after stroke].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy on hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP) after stroke treated with electroacupuncture (EA) under different frequencies. METHODS: A total of 105 patients with HSP after stroke were randomly divided into a manual acupuncture group (35 cases, 2 cases dropped off), an EA continuous wave group (35 cases, 3 cases dropped off) and an EA disperse-dense wave group (35 cases). The conventional rehabilitation therapy was delivered in the three groups. Additionally, acupuncture was applied to Jianyu (LI 15), Jianzhen (SI 9), Jianliao (TE 14) and Jianqian (Extra) etc. on the affected side in the manual acupuncture group. In the EA continuous wave group and the EA disperse-dense wave group, besides the treatment as the manual acupuncture group, the electric stimulation was attached to two pairs of acupoints, i.e. Jianyu (LI 15) and Jianliao (TE 14), and Quchi (LI 11) and Shousanli (LI 10), with 15 Hz continuous wave, and 2 Hz/ 100 Hz disperse-dense wave, respectively. The treatment was given once daily, 5 times a week, for 4 weeks consecutively. The score of visual analogue scale (VAS) before treatment and after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment, as well as the passive range of motion (PROM) of shoulder forward flexion and PROM of shoulder abduction, muscle strength of the upper limb, the score of modified Barthel index (MBI) and the score of Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) before and after treatment were observed in each group. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, VAS scores were reduced after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment in each group (P<0.05); and VAS scores after 4 weeks of treatment were lower than those after 2 weeks of treatment (P<0.05). After 2 and 4 weeks of treatment, VAS score in either the EA continuous wave group or the EA disperse-dense wave group was lower compared with the manual acupuncture group (P<0.05). After 4 weeks of treatment, VAS score in the EA disperse-dense wave was lower than that of the EA continuous wave group (P<0.05). Compared with before treatment, PROM of the shoulder forward flexion and abduction on the affected side after treatment was enlarged (P<0.05), the muscle strength of the upper limb was increased (P<0.05), and the scores of MBI and FMA were increased (P<0.05) in the patients of each group. After treatment, in the EA continuous wave group and the EA disperse-dense wave group, PROM of the shoulder forward flexion on the affected side was higher (P<0.05), the muscle strength of the upper limb was stronger (P<0.05) when compared with the manual acupuncture group; and the scores of MBI and FMA in the EA disperse-dense wave group were higher than those of the manual acupuncture group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture is superior to manual acupuncture in the analgesic effect and comprehensive rehabilitation effect in the patients with HSP after stroke. The therapeutic effect obtained by electroacupuncture with 2 Hz/100 Hz disperse-dense wave is better than that with 15 Hz continuous wave.

Distribution and source identification of polychlorinated naphthalenes in bees, bee pollen, and wax from China.

Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) are highly toxic and persistent organic pollutants that can cause adverse effects in the environment and on human health. PCNs have been detected in remote areas because of their long-range transportation. Bees and bee products are commonly used as biomonitors for various pollutants in the environment. However, information on PCNs in apiaries is scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrences of PCNs in bees and bee products from apiaries located in different geographical regions of China, and to identify potential pollution sources and assess exposure risks to humans. Our results showed that the average Σ75PCNs concentrations in bees, pollen, and wax were 74.1, 96.3, and 141 pg/g dry weight, respectively. The homologue and congener profiles of PCNs in bees, pollen, and wax were similar, and di- and tri-chlorinated naphthalenes (>60%) were the predominant homologues. The concentrations and distributions of PCNs in bees, pollen, and wax varied among different geographical regions, but their occurrences were correlated with PCN metallurgical sources in China. The health risks of PCNs in pollen were evaluated, and both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of PCNs exposure to humans through the diet were low.

Canonical Wnt signaling is required for Panax notoginseng saponin-mediated attenuation of the RANKL/OPG ratio in bone marrow stromal cells during osteogenic differentiation.

Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) are known to regulate the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). In the present study, we investigated whether PNS could promote the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs through modulating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathways, which are implicated in BMSCs osteogenesis. We found that PNS enhanced the mRNA expression of OPG, ß-catenin, and cyclin D1 while decreased the mRNA expression of RANKL and PPARγ2. The actions of PNS on BMSCs were reversed (or partially) by DKK-1, a classical inhibitor of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. These results suggest that PNS stimulating bone formation by promoting the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, and could also protect the skeletal system by decreasing bone resorption through reduction of RANKL/OPG expression via Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathways.

Panax notoginseng saponins promote osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells through the ERK and P38 MAPK signaling pathways.

The Chinese medicinal herb, Panax notoginseng, has long been used to treat bone fractures and Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) could promote bone formation. Here, we investigated whether PNS could promote osteogenesis of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) through modulating the MAPK signaling pathways, which are implicated in BMSC osteogenesis. We found that PNS markedly increased the mineralization of BMSCs by alizarin red S assays and stimulate alkaline phosphatase activity of these cells. Additionally, PNS significantly increased the mRNA levels of alkaline phosphatase, core-binding factor a1, and bone sialoprotein while decreasing PPARγ2 mRNA levels. Furthermore, inhibitors of ERK, PD98059, and p38, SB203580 inhibited the osteogenesis-potentiating effects by PNS. PNS stimulated the activation of ERK and p38 as evidenced by increased phosphorylation of these proteins, which was inhibited by PD98059 and SB203580. Our findings indicate that PNS could promote BMSC osteogenesis by activating the ERK and p38 signaling pathways.

Panax notoginseng saponins potentiate osteogenesis of bone marrow stromal cells by modulating gap junction intercellular communication activities.

AIMS: The Chinese medicinal herb, Panax notoginseng, has long been used to treat bone fractures and Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) could promote bone formation. We investigated the effects of PNS on gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) and osteogenesis-associated genes in rat bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). METHODS AND RESULTS: Our MTT assays demonstrated that PNS enhanced BMSC proliferation under basal medium culture in vitro. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assays and alizarin Red staining showed that PNS stimulated ALP activity and calcium deposition by BMSCs. Measurement of the traversing of Lucifer yellow through intercellular junctions revealed that PNS significantly stimulated GJIC activities. RT-PCR assays further showed that PNS augmented the increase in the mRNA levels of ALP, core-binding factor a1, and bone sialoprotein while decreasing the mRNA level of PPARγ2. PNS also reduced RANKL levels and increased osteoprotegerin levels. Gap junction inhibitor, 18a-glycyrrhetinic acid, could partially reverse the actions of PNS on BMSCs. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that PNS could promote osteogenesis of BMSCs by targeting osteogenesis-associated genes, which could be mediated by their actions on GJIC.