Comparative efficacy of acupuncture, venesection, and physical therapy on chronic low back pain outcomes: a randomized clinical trial.

Objective: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) imposes considerable financial and social burden with poor response to medical and surgical treatments. Alternatively, acupuncture and venesection(Fasd) are traditionally used to alleviate nociceptive and musculoskeletal pains. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and the safety of acupuncture and venesection on CLBP and patient functionality. Methods: The current study was a single-blinded, randomized clinical trial with balanced allocation, conducted in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Medicine, in 2022. One hundred five CLBP patients who had no back pain-attributable structural or major diseases were randomly allocated into three parallel arms and received either physical therapy (PTG), acupuncture (APG), or venesection (VSG). Pain severity and functional aspects were evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) during the study. VAS and ODI scores were defined as the primary outcomes. Results: Ninety-five patients were reviewed in the final analysis (PTG=33, APG=30, VSG=31). Demographic data showed equal group distribution. Statistical analysis showed all procedures had reduced VAS score immediately after the first session, after the last session, and after follow-up; however, APG and VSG values were significantly lower (P<0.05). Pain reduction results in follow-up period were more sustainable in APG and VSG as compared to PTG (P<0.01). ODI results revealed global improvement after the last session of the treatment in all groups, while APG had more significant results (P<0.05). During the follow-up period, ODI still tended to decrease in VSG, non-significantly increased in APG, and significantly increased in PTG. Only two patients reported fainting after receiving venesection. Conclusion: Considering the pain and functional scores, both acupuncture and venesection can reproduce reliable results. Acupuncture and venesection both have sustained effects on pain and daily function of the patients even after treatment termination, while physical therapy had more relapse in pain and functional limitations.

Efficacy and safety comparison of infrared laser moxibustion and traditional moxibustion in knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a Zelen-design randomized controlled non-inferiority clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is the most common chronic degenerative joint disease and places a substantial burden on the public health resources in China. The purpose of this study is to preliminarily evaluate whether infrared laser moxibustion (ILM) is non-inferior to traditional moxibustion (TM) in the treatment of KOA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the designed Zelen-design randomized controlled non-inferiority clinical trial, a total of 74 patients with KOA will be randomly allocated to one of two interventions: ILM treatment or TM treatment. All participants will receive a 6-week treatment and a follow-up 4 weeks after treatment. The primary outcomes will be the mean change in pain scores on the numeric rating scale (NRS) measured at baseline and the end of last treatment at week 6. The secondary outcomes will be the pain scores on the NRS from weeks 1 to 5 after the start of treatment and the changes from baseline to endpoints (weeks 6 and 10) in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), SF-36, knee circumference, and 6-min walking test. In addition, safety assessment will be performed throughout the trial. CONCLUSION: The results of our study will help determine whether a 6-week treatment with ILM is non-inferior to TM in patients with KOA, therefore providing evidence to verify if ILM can become a safer alternative for TM in clinical applications in the future. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trial Registration Platform (ChiCTR2200065264); Pre-results. Registered on 1 November 2022.

[Effects of moxa smoke through olfactory pathway on learning and memory ability in rapid aging mice].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of moxa smoke through olfactory pathway on learning and memory ability in rapid aging (SAMP8) mice, and to explore the action pathway of moxa smoke. METHODS: Forty-eight six-month-old male SAMP8 mice were randomly divided into a model group, an olfactory dysfunction group, a moxa smoke group and an olfactory dysfunction + moxa smoke group, with 12 mice in each group. Twelve age-matched male SAMR1 mice were used as the blank group. The olfactory dysfunction model was induced in the olfactory dysfunction group and the olfactory dysfunction + moxa smoke group by intraperitoneal injection of 3-methylindole (3-MI) with 300 mg/kg, and the moxa smoke group and the olfactory dysfunction + moxa smoke group were intervened with moxa smoke at a concentration of 10-15 mg/m3 for 30 min per day, with a total of 6 interventions per week. After 6 weeks, the emotion and cognitive function of mice was tested by open field test and Morris water maze test, and the neuronal morphology in the CAI area of the hippocampus was observed by HE staining. The contents of neurotransmitters (glutamic acid [Glu], gamma-aminobutyric acid [GABA], dopamine [DA], and 5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) in hippocampal tissue of mice were detected by ELISA. RESULTS: The mice in the blank group, the model group and the moxa smoke group could find the buried food pellets within 300 s, while the mice in the olfactory dysfunction group and the olfactory dysfunction + moxa smoke group took more than 300 s to find them. Compared with the blank group, the model group had increased vertical and horizontal movements (P<0.05) and reduced central area residence time (P<0.05) in the open field test, prolonged mean escape latency on days 1-4 (P<0.05), and decreased search time, swimming distance and swimming distance ratio in the target quadrant of the Morris water maze test, and decreased GABA, DA and 5-HT contents (P<0.05, P<0.01) and increased Glu content (P<0.05) in hippocampal tissue. Compared with the model group, the olfactory dysfunction group had increased vertical movements (P<0.05), reduced central area residence time (P<0.05), and increased DA content in hippocampal tissue (P<0.05); the olfactory dysfunction + moxa smoke group had shortened mean escape latency on days 3 and 4 of the Morris water maze test (P<0.05) and increased DA content in hippocampal tissue (P<0.05); the moxa smoke group had prolonged search time in the target quadrant (P<0.05) and increased swimming distance ratio, and increased DA and 5-HT contents in hippocampal tissue (P<0.05, P<0.01) and decreased Glu content in hippocampal tissue (P<0.05). Compared with the olfactory dysfunction group, the olfactory dysfunction + moxa smoke group showed a shortened mean escape latency on day 4 of the Morris water maze test (P<0.05). Compared with the moxa smoke group, the olfactory dysfunction + moxa smoke group had a decreased 5-HT content in the hippocampus (P<0.05). Compared with the blank group, the model group showed a reduced number of neurons in the CA1 area of the hippocampus with a disordered arrangement; the olfactory dysfunction group had similar neuronal morphology in the CA1 area of the hippocampus to the model group. Compared with the model group, the moxa smoke group had an increased number of neurons in the CA1 area of the hippocampus that were more densely packed. Compared with the moxa smoke group, the olfactory dysfunction + moxa smoke group had a reduced number of neurons in the CA1 area of the hippocampus, with the extent between that of the moxa smoke group and the olfactory dysfunction group. CONCLUSION: The moxa smoke could regulate the contents of neurotransmitters Glu, DA and 5-HT in hippocampal tissue through olfactory pathway to improve the learning and memory ability of SAMP8 mice, and the olfactory is not the only effective pathway.

Moxibustion ameliorated age-related alterations in neurological behavior and gut microbiota in mice.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the anti-aging effects of moxibustion on age-related alterations in middle-aged mice. METHODS: Thirty, 9-month-old, male ICR mice were randomly divided into the moxibustion and control groups (N = 15). Mice in the moxibustion group were given mild moxibustion at the Guanyuan acupoint for 20 minutes every other day. After 30 treatments, neurobehavior tests, lifespan, gut microbiota composition and splenic gene expression were observed in the mice. RESULTS: Moxibustion improved the locomotor activity as well as motor function, activated the SIRT1-PPARα signaling pathway, ameliorated age-related alterations in gut microbiota, and affected the expression of genes related to energy metabolism in spleen. CONCLUSION: Moxibustion ameliorated age-related alterations in neurobehavior and gut microbiota in middle-aged mice.

[Development and application of a new digital electric fire needle instrument].

In view of the limitations of the high operational difficulty, safety hazards and adverse reactions of traditional fire needle, and unclear treatment parameters of existing electric fire needles, a new digital electric fire needle instrument was designed and developed in this study. This instrument is a gun type structure, consisting of a gun body, a power supply interface on the gun body, a display unit and a drive unit, a heating unit, a cooling unit, a positioning unit, and a needle inserting unit in the gun body. This instrument can digitally realize the regulation of parameters such as fire needle inserting temperature, depth and speed, and it has the advantageous features of intelligent needle burning, precise positioning, and safe and easy operation. This instrument meets the needs of more patients, medical professionals and scientific researchers, and is conducive to promoting the development of fire needle acupuncture therapy.

[Comparison of the four pairs of "phleps" in ancient Greek medicine and the eleven "mai" in Mawangdui silk manuscripts].

Using the philological method, the comparison was conducted between the internal canals of human body, meaning the four pairs of "phleps" in the ancient Greek medicine, and the eleven "mai" (meridians, vessels, channels) of Mawangdui silk manuscripts. It is believed that they refer to the initial understanding on the connecting passages of the human body in Western medicine and Chinese medicine respectively. Although they have their own unique characteristics, there are many similarities in running courses, related indications, diagnosis and treatment, as well as theoretic foundation. Both of them represent the duality of tangible blood vessels and intangible pathways, reflecting the common cognitive mode of human body and diseases in early human medicine, with the similar characteristics, e.g.analogy, examining the exterior to deduce the conditions in the interior, holistic connection and natural balance. The four pairs of "phleps" of ancient Greek medicine, with the preliminary features of meridians, were substituted by the blood circulation theory afterwards; whereas, the eleven "mai" of Mawangdui silk manuscripts were developed into a twelve-meridian system. These different evolution paths and outcomes may be associated with the distinct medical philosophies and cultural backgrounds between ancient Greek medicine and Chinese medicine. This summary provides a new approach and new perspectives for the study on the regularity of the early human medical origin, especially the origin of meridians.

Moxibustion for treating patients with post-stroke depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To assess the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion for post-stroke depression (PSD). METHODS: A search was conducted in the following English and Chinese databases: Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature (CBM), VIP and Wanfang. The outcomes included Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), effective rate, and Modified Edinburgh-Scandinavian Stroke Scale (MESSS) scale. The formulation of search strategy, data extraction, and quality evaluation of involved studies was performed according to Cochrane handbook guidelines. The software RevMan 5.4 and Stata 16 were used for data analysis. The evidence quality of each outcome was evaluated by GRADEpro guideline development tool (GDT). RESULTS: A total of 14 trials with 863 participants were included. A certain risk of bias of unclear or high was detected in the included studies. Compared with the control group, adding moxibustion could change the value of HAMD [standardized mean difference (SMD) =-1.17; 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.55 to -0.79; I2=85.5%; P<0.01] and the effective rate [risk ratio (RR) =1.22; 95% CI: 1.13 to 1.32; I2=0.0%; P=0.56], and the differences in the MESSS scale (SMD =-0.72; 95% CI: -1.06 to -0.38; I2=0.0%; P=0.80) had statistical differences. The certainty was low in effective rate, and very low in HAMD and MESSS. Besides, moxibustion was shown to be generally safe. DISCUSSION: This review found that moxibustion may be an effective intervention for PSD. However, the results of this study have a certain limitation. The benefits of moxibustion for PSD need to be confirmed in the future by more high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Quality grade classification of China commercial moxa floss using electronic nose: A supervised learning approach.

Moxa floss is the primary material used in moxibustion, an important traditional Chinese medicine therapy that uses ignited moxa floss to apply heat to the body for disease treatment. Till date, there is no available data regarding quality control of different grades of moxa floss. The objectives of this study were to explore the probative value of the electronic nose (e-nose) in differentiating different quality grades of commercial moxa floss sold in China, and to investigate if data mining techniques could be used to optimize the sensor array while retaining classification accuracy of the samples. The e-nose with 12 metal oxide semiconductor type sensors was used to analyze the odor profiles of 15 commercial moxa floss samples of different quality grades. Feature selection algorithms using principal component analysis (PCA) and BestFirst (BC) coupled with correlation-based feature subset selection (CfsSubsetEval) method were used to obtain the most efficient feature subsets. Results for the BC feature selection method identified 3 optimized sensors (S2, S6, and S11), suggesting that aromatic compounds relate more to the identification of the samples. Radial basis function (RBF), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and random forests (RF) performed well in discriminating the samples, retaining prediction accuracies above 85%, which achieved cost-effectiveness and operational simplicity, while retaining prediction accuracy. The e-nose could be a rapid and nondestructive method for objective preliminary classification of quality grades of moxa floss and may be used for future studies related to moxa products safety and quality.

[Progress of researches on mechanisms of needling and moxibustion sensations and their related sensation transmission].

There are some records about the needling and moxibustion sensations in Chinese ancient medical literature, in which, the concept of Deqi (qi arrival) and its relationship with the production of therapeutic effects were put forward. The generation of needling or moxibustion sensations is one of the symbol for qi reaching the affected site during the manipulation and is also related to the treatment outcomes. In the present paper, we reviewed current situations about the mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion stimulation induced sensations and their relation to the propagated sensation (PS) published in recent 10 years from the following four aspects: 1) the patterns of manifestation of needling sensations (including general sensations, and specific sensations, as well as the practitioner's hand felt heavy, tight, hard-going senses, etc.) and moxibustion sensations (local superficial and deep warmth); 2) modern anatomical and physiological basis (skin, loose and dense connective tissue, free nerve ending, various receptors); 3) neurohumoral mechanism of acupuncture stimulation induced PS phenomenon (mechanical receptors, afferent and efferent nerve fibers, neural center, various neurotransmitters/modulators, chemical substances, etc.); 4) neurohumoral mechanism of moxibustion stimulation induced channel transmission (transient receptor potential vanilloid receptors－heat sensitive receptors, heat-shock protein, immunocytes, etc.). Additionally, the authors also put forward some suggestions about future researches on acupuncture-moxibustion sensations.

Influence of storage duration and processing on chromatic attributes and flavonoid content of moxa floss.

OBJECTIVE: Moxibustion is an important traditional Chinese medicine therapy using heat from ignited moxa floss for disease treatment. The purpose of the present study is to establish a reproducible method to assess the color of moxa floss, discriminate the samples based on chromatic coordinates and explore the relationship between chromatic coordinates and total flavonoid content (TFC). METHODS: Moxa floss samples of different storage years and production ratios were obtained from a moxa production factory in Henan Province, China. Chromatic coordinates (L*, a* and b*) were analyzed with an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer and the chroma (C*) and hue angle (h°) values were calculated. TFC was determined by a colorimetric method. Data were analyzed with correlation, principal component analysis (PCA). RESULTS: Significant differences in the chromatic values and TFC were observed among samples of different storage years and production ratios. Samples of higher production ratio displayed higher chromatic characteristics and lower TFC. Samples of longer storage years contained higher TFC. Preliminary separation of moxa floss production ratio was obtained by means of color feature maps developed using L*-a* or L*-b* as coordinates. PCA allowed the separation of the samples from their storage years and production ratios based on their chromatic characteristics and TFC. CONCLUSION: The use of a colorimetric technique and CIELAB coordinates coupled with chemometrics can be practical and objective for discriminating moxa floss of different storage years and production ratios. The development of color feature maps could be used as a model for classifying the color grading of moxa floss.

[Effect of Electroacupuncture Intervention at Different Time-points on Levels of HSP 70, MDA, SOD and GSH-PX of Liver in Rats with Simulated Weightlessness].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture intervention at different time-points on the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), the content of malonaldehyde (MDA) and expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70) of liver tissue in rats with simulated weightlessness, so as to explore its mechanism underlying improvement of liver injury in rats with simulated weightlessness. METHODS: Twenty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, pre-acupuncture group and EA group, 5 rats in each. The model of simulated weightlessness was established by tail suspension for 4 week. One week before the tail suspension, the rats in the pre-acupuncture group were treated with electroacupuncture (EA) at "Shenshu" (BL 23), "Pishu"(BL 20) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) for 30 min before treatment, once a day for 7 days. The rats in the EA group received tail suspension and acupuncture intervention at the same time. EA was applied for 30 min per treatment, once every other day for 14 times. Immunohistochemical staining was used to assay the expression of HSP 70 in the liver tissue. The activities of SOD and GSH-PX and content of MDA in liver tissues were examined by means of colourimetric method. Results Compared with the control group,the expression of HSP 70 and the content of MDA in the liver tissue were increased significantly (P < 0.01), and the activity of SOD and GSH-PX was notably reduced (P < 0.05) in the model group. Compared with the model group, the content of HSP 70 was significantly reduced in the pre-acupuncture group (P < 0.01). There were no significant changes in the levels of SOD, GSH-PX, MDA and HSP 70 in the EA group (P > 0.05). In comparison with the pre-acupuncture group, the activity of GSH-PX was lower (P < 0.05) and the content of MDA was higher (P < 0.05) in the EA group. CONCLUSION: EA-pretreatment can suppress the increase of liver HSP 70 immunoactivity in rats with simulated weightlessness, being likely to improve the antioxidant ability of liver.

[Effects of controllable dynamic inhaled exposure of moxa smoke on LDL-r, ICAM-1 and morphology of heart tissue in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the change of lipid metabolism and vascular endothelium as well as morphology of heart tissue in rats who were long-time exposed to moxa smoke with different concentrations in order to provide reference for safety assessment of moxa smoke on cardiovascular system. METHODS: One hundred and sixty-eighty Wistar rats were randomly divided into a control group, a low-concentration group, a median-concentration group and a high-concentration group, 42 rats in each one. The rats were exposed to moxa smoke with concentration of 0%, 10%, 40% and 70%, respectively, for 20 min per day. After continuous intervention for six months, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied to measure the level of low density lipoprotein-receptor (LDL-r) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in blood serum in each group; the slices of heart tissue were stained with hematoxylin-eosin staining method to observe morphology change of heart tissue. RESULTS: (1) After the intervention of moxa smoke, the levels of LDL-r and ICAM-1 in the low-concentration group were not statistically different from those in the control group (both P > 0.05); the level of LDL-r in the median-concentration group was significantly increased, which was statistically different from that in the control group [(3.87 +/- 0.27) mg/mL vs (2.12 +/- 0.13) mg/mL, P < 0.01], however, the content of ICAM-1 was not obviously changed; although the level of LDL-r in the high-concentration group was presented with an escalating trend, it was not statistically different from that in the control group (P > 0.05) while the level of ICAM-1 was obviously increased (P < 0.01). (2) Under the light microscope, the abnormalities of cardiac muscle fibers and myocardial cell in each group were not been observed. CONCLUSION: The long-time intervention of low-concentration moxa smoke has no significant effects on lipid metabolism and vascular endothelium of rats, indicating that clinical application of low-concentration moxa smoke is relatively safe. The long-time intervention of moderate-concentration moxa smoke could significantly increase the clearance rate of cholesterol, implying the beneficial regulation of moxa smoke on lipid metabolism. The high-concentration moxa smoke could induce certain damage to vascular endothelium but its mechanism is in need of further research. The pathologic change of heart tissue could not be induced by moxa smoke with any concentration.

Can moxibustion, an ancient treatment modality, be evaluated in a double-blind randomized controlled trial? - a narrative review.

For thousands of years, moxibustion has been used for various diseases in China and other Asian countries. Despite the recent surge in Chinese herbal studies, few randomized controlled trials have been conducted on this modality, possibly due to the lacking of suitable double blinding methodology. This is a review of extant sham moxa devices and an introduction to a recently developed device that needs further validation.

[Effect of electroacupuncture on morphological changes and myocardial metabolism in rats undergoing simulated weightlessness].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of "Neiguan" (PC 6) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) on morphological changes, myocardial energy metabolism in rats undergoing simulated weightlessness. METHODS: A total of 40 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control, weightlessness model, Neiguan (PC 6) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) groups (10 rats/group). EA was applied to PC 6 and SP 6 acupoints for 30 min, once every other day. The morphological changes were observed by light microscopy after H. E. staining. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and ATPase activities in the left ventricular myocardium were measured by colorimetry. RESULTS: In weightlessness rats, myocardial pathological changes as loose arrangement, breakage and lytic necrosis of myocardial fibers were found, these changes were obviously improved in rats of both PC 6 and SP 6 groups. Compared with the control group, the ATPase activity was significantly decreased, while the LDH activity was significantly increased in the model group (P<0.05). After EA intervention, the ATPase activity was obviously increased in the SP 6 group (P<0. 05), and LDH activity was apparently reduced in both PC 6 and SP 6 groups (P<0. 05). No significant changes were found in myocardial SDH activity after modeling and EA of the two acupoints (P>0. 05). CONCLUSION: EA intervention has functions in up-regulating ATP activity and suppressing the myocardial LDH activity in weightlessness rats, which may be related to its effect in improving myocardial pathological changes.

[Effect of acupuncture at different time points on kidney function and oxygen free radical metabolism in rats with simulated weightlessness].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of pre-acupuncture and immediate acupuncture on kidney function and oxygen free radical metabolism in rats with simulated weightlessness. METHODS: Twenty male clean-grade Wister rats were randomly divided into a normal control group, a model group, a pre-acupuncture group and an immediate acupuncture group, 5 rats in each one. The rats in the normal control group did not receive any treatment but free activities for 4 weeks. The rats in the rest groups received 4-week tail suspension to establish the model of simulated weightlessness. One week before the tail suspension, the rats in the pre-acupuncture group were treated with electroacupuncture at "Shenshu" (BL 23), "Pishu" (BL 20) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) for 30 min per treatment, once a day for 7 days. The rats in the immediate acupuncture group received tail suspension and acupuncture at the same time; during the tail suspension, the electroacupuncture was applied at "Shenshu" (BL 23), "Pishu" (BL 20) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) for 30 min per treatment, once every other day for 14 days. The colorimetric method was used to measure the content of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in serum as well as activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and content of malonaldehyde (MDA) in renal tissue in each group. RESULTS: Compared with the normal control group, the content of BUN in the model group was increased significantly (P<0.01), the activity of SOD and GSH-PX in nephridial tissue was significantly reduced (both P<0.01), and the content of MDA was increased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the content of BUN in the pre-acupuncture group and immediate acupuncture group was significantly reduced (P<0.01, P<0.05), the activity of GSH-PX in the pre-acupuncture group was obviously increased (P<0.05) and the content of MDA in the immediate acupuncture group was increased significantly (P<0.01). Compared with the immediate acupuncture group, the content of MDA in the pre-acupuncture group was lower (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The pre-acupuncture and immediate acupuncture both have the capacity to improve the kidney function and anti-oxygen free radical injury in rats with simulated weightlessness, however, the capacity to increase the protection ability of the kidney and eliminate free radical in the pre-acupuncture group is superior to that in the immediate acupuncture group, which is likely to be related with improving antioxidant ability of kidney.

[A new herbs traceability method based on DNA barcoding-origin-morphology analysis--an example from an adulterant of 'Heiguogouqi'].

The fruit of Lycium ruthenicum is a common folk medicine in China. Now it is popular for its antioxidative effect and other medical functions. The adulterants of the herb confuse consumers. In order to identify a new adulterant of L. ruthenicum, a research was performed based on NCBI Nucleotide Database ITS Sequence, combined analysis of the origin and morphology of the adulterant to traceable varieties. Total genomic DNA was isolated from the materials, and nuclear DNA ITS sequences were amplified and sequenced; DNA fragments were collated and matched by using ContingExpress. Similarity identification of BLAST analysis was performed. Besides, the distribution of plant origin and morphology were considered to further identification and verification. Families and genera were identified by molecular identification method. The adulterant was identified as plant belonging to Berberis. Origin analysis narrowed the range of sample identification. Seven different kinds of plants in Berberis were potential sources of the sample. Adulterants variety was traced by morphological analysis. The united molecular identification-origin-morphology research proves to be a preceding way to medical herbs traceability with time-saving and economic advantages and the results showed the new adulterant of L. ruthenicum was B. kaschgarica. The main differences between B. kaschgarica and L. ruthenicum are as follows: in terms of the traits, the surface of B. kaschgarica is smooth and crispy, and that of L. ruthenicum is shrinkage, solid and hard. In microscopic characteristics, epicarp cells of B. aschgarica thickening like a string of beads, stone cells as the rectangle, and the stone cell walls of L. ruthenicum is wavy, obvious grain layer. In molecular sequences, the length of ITS sequence of B. kaschgarica is 606 bp, L. ruthenicum is 654 bp, the similarity of the two sequences is 53.32%.

[Effects of long-term intervention of moxa smoke on T lymphocyte subsets and CD4+ CD25+ Treg in peripheral blood of Wistar rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cellular immune regulation of the long-term intervention of moxa smoke. METHODS: Thirty-two Wistar rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a low concentration group, a medium concentration group and a high concentration group, 8 cases in each group. In addition to the blank group, rats in the other groups were exposed to the corresponding concentration moxa smoke for 20 min every day, the T lymphocyte subsets and proportion of the CD4+ CD25+ Treg in CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood were tested by flow cytometry after 6 months. RESULTS: Compared with the blank group, the proportions of CD3+ CD4+, CD3+ CD8+ T cells and CD3+ CD4/CD3+ CD8+ in the other 3 moxa smoke groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05), while the proportions of the CD4+ CD25+ Treg in CD4+ T cells were significantly lower (P < 0.05), but no statistically significant differences among those 3 moxa smoke intervention groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Long-term moxa smoke intervention has no significant effect on the proportions of CD3+ CD4+, CD3+ CD8+ T cells and CD3+ CD4+/CD3+ CD8+, but it can decrease the proportions of the CD4+ CD25+ Treg in CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood of rats. The way produced by pretreatment with moxa smoke may play immunomodulatory effect.

Moxibustion inhibits interleukin-12 and tumor necrosis factor alpha and modulates intestinal flora in rat with ulcerative colitis.

AIM: To investigate the effect of moxibustion on intestinal flora and release of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) from the colon in rat with ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: A rat model of UC was established by local stimulation of the intestine with supernatant from colonic contents harvested from human UC patients. A total of 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following groups: normal (sham), model (UC), herb-partition moxibustion (HPM-treated), and positive control sulfasalazine (SA-treated). Rats treated with HPM received HPM at acupuncture points ST25 and RN6, once a day for 15 min, for a total of 8 d. Rats in the SA group were perfused with SA twice a day for 8 d. The colonic histopathology was observed by hematoxylin-eosin. The levels of intestinal flora, including Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Bacteroides fragilis (B. fragilis), were tested by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to detect bacterial 16S rRNA/DNA in order to determine DNA copy numbers of each specific species. Immunohistochemical assays were used to observe the expression of TNF-α and IL-12 in the rat colons. RESULTS: HPM treatment inhibited immunopathology in colonic tissues of UC rats; the general morphological score and the immunopathological score were significantly decreased in the HPM and SA groups compared with the model group [3.5 (2.0-4.0), 3.0 (1.5-3.5) vs 6.0 (5.5-7.0), P < 0.05 for the general morphological score, and 3.00 (2.00-3.50), 3.00 (2.50-3.50) vs 5.00 (4.50-5.50), P < 0.01 for the immunopathological score]. As measured by DNA copy number, we found that Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, which are associated with a healthy colon, were significantly higher in the HPM and SA groups than in the model group (1.395 ± 1.339, 1.461 ± 1.152 vs 0.045 ± 0.036, P < 0.01 for Bifidobacterium, and 0.395 ± 0.325, 0.851 ± 0.651 vs 0.0015 ± 0.0014, P < 0.01 for Lactobacillus). On the other hand, E. coli and B. fragilis, which are associated with an inflamed colon, were significantly lower in the HPM and SA groups than in the model group (0.244 ± 0.107, 0.628 ± 0.257 vs 1.691 ± 0.683, P < 0.01 for E. coli, and 0.351 ± 0.181, 0.416 ± 0.329 vs 1.285 ± 1.039, P < 0.01 for B. fragilis). The expression of TNF-α and IL-12 was decreased after HPM and SA treatment as compared to UC model alone (4970.81 ± 959.78, 6635.45 ± 1135.16 vs 12333.81 ± 680.79, P < 0.01 for TNF-α, and 5528.75 ± 1245.72, 7477.38 ± 1259.16 vs 12550.29 ± 1973.30, P < 0.01 for IL-12). CONCLUSION: HPM treatment can regulate intestinal flora and inhibit the expression of TNF-α and IL-12 in the colon tissues of UC rats, indicating that HPM can improve colonic immune response.

Regional homogeneity analysis on acupoint specificity with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.

BACKGROUND: The mechanism of acupuncture analgesia in craniotomy has been widely studied. However, the theoretical basis for selection of acupoints has not been examined. In this study, we used the regional homogeneity method blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals to determine changes in brain activity in response to transcutaneous electrical stimulation on acupoints and non-acupoints in resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHODS: Twelve healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. BOLD fMRI scanning of the brain was performed for 306 seconds before and 30 minutes after transcutaneous electrical stimulation on acupoints UB63 (Jinmen), LV3 (Tai chong), ST36 (Zusanli), and GB40 (Qiuxu). The procedure was repeated after one week with stimulation on non-acupoints (one was 9 above BL67, the second was 12 above BL67 (Kunlun), the third was 7 above KI3, and the fourth was 10 above KI3 (Taixi)). RESULTS: The regional homogeneity in the acupoint group was increased in the left thalamus, caudate, putamen, lentiform nucleus (BA19, 30, 39), postcentral gyrus, precentral gyrus (BA3, 4, 30, 32), calcarine fissure, middle temporal gyrus (BA30), right superior temporal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus (BA38), cuneus, and precuneus (BA7, 19) when compared to the non-acupoint group. The regional homogeneity of the acupoint group was decreased in the left cerebellum posterior lobe, middle frontal gyrus (BA10), double-side precuneus (BA7), and the postcentral gyrus (BA40). CONCLUSIONS: The brain region activated following acupoint stimulation is the ipsilateral pain-related brain region, which may relate to the therapeutic effect of acupuncture on pain relief. Further acupoint stimulation causes different central nervous responses compared to non-acupoint stimulation.