[Effect of Tiaoshen Qianyang acupuncture on blood pressure and sleep quality in patients with stroke-related sleep disorders complicated with hypertension].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Tiaoshen Qianyang acupuncture on morning blood pressure, sleep quality and post-stroke nerve function recovery in patients with stroke-related sleep disorders (SSD) complicated with hypertension. METHODS: A total of 120 patients were randomized into an observation group (60 cases) and a control group (60 cases, 1 case dropped off). Both groups were treated with Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture (Neiguan [PC 6], Shuigou [GV 26], Sanyinjiao [SP 6], Jiquan [HT 1], Chize [LU 5] and Weizhong [BL 40]). In addition, Tiaoshen Qianyang acupuncture was applied in the observation group, deep needling at Baihui (GV 20) and Sishencong (EX-HN 1) for 5 h. Once a day, 5 times a week, 30 times in total. The morning blood pressure was measured during treatment in the two groups, the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) scores before and after treatment were observed in the two groups. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the morning systolic blood pressure (SBP) after treatment were decreased in the two groups (P<0.05), and the morning diastolic blood pressure (DBP) after treatment was decreased in the observation group (P<0.05). The levels of SBP and DBP after treatment in the observation group were lower than the control group (P<0.05). Compared before treatment, the total score of PSQI and NIHSS score after treatment in the observation group were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), which were lower than the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05), the decreasing rate of NIHSS score in the observation group was higher than the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: On the basis of Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture, Tiaoshen Qianyang acupuncture could improve morning blood pressure and sleep quality for patients with SSD complicated with hypertension, promote the recovery of nerve function.

Acupuncture lowering blood pressure for secondary prevention of stroke: a study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is the prime cause of morbidity and mortality in the general population, and hypertension will increase the recurrence and mortality of stroke. We report a protocol of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (RCT) using blood pressure (BP)-lowering acupuncture add-on treatment to treat patients with hypertension and stroke. METHODS: This is a large-scale, multicenter, subject-, assessor- and analyst-blinded, pragmatic RCT. A total of 480 patients with hypertension and ischemic stroke will be randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group will receive "HuoXueSanFeng" acupuncture combined with one antihypertensive medication in addition to routine ischemic stroke treatment. The control group will only receive one antihypertensive medication and basic treatments for ischemic stroke. HuoXueSanFeng acupuncture will be given for six sessions weekly for the first 6 weeks and three times weekly for the next 6 weeks. A 9-month follow-up will, thereafter, be conducted. Antihypertensive medication will be adjusted based on BP levels. The primary outcome will be the recurrence of stroke. The secondary outcomes including 24-h ambulatory BP, the TCM syndrome score, the Short Form 36-item Health Survey (SF-36), the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), as well as the Barthel Index (BI) scale will be assessed at baseline, 6 weeks and 12 weeks post initiating treatments; cardiac ultrasound, carotid artery ultrasound, transcranial Doppler, and lower extremity ultrasound will be evaluated at baseline and 12 weeks after treatment. The safety of acupuncture will also be assessed. DISCUSSION: We aim to determine the clinical effects of controlling BP for secondary prevention of stroke with acupuncture add-on treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02967484 . Registered on 13 February 2017; last updated on 27 June 2017.

Protection of SK-N-MC cells against ß-amyloid peptide-induced degeneration using neuron growth factor-loaded liposomes with surface lactoferrin.

A liposomal system with surface lactoferrin (Lf) was developed for delivering neuron growth factor (NGF) across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and improving the viability of neuron-like SK-N-MC cells with deposited ß-amyloid peptide (Aß). The Lf-grafted liposomes carrying NGF (Lf/NGF-liposomes) were applied to a monolayer of human brain-microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) regulated by human astrocytes (HAs) and to fibrillar Aß1-42-insulted SK-N-MC cells. An increase in cholesterol mole percentage enhanced the particle size, absolute value of zeta potential, and physical stability, however, reduced the entrapment efficiency and release rate of NGF. In addition, an increase in Lf concentration increased the particle size, surface nitrogen percentage, NGF permeability across the BBB, and viability of HBMECs, HAs, and SK-N-MC cells, however, decreased the absolute value of zeta potential, surface phosphorus percentage, and loading efficiency of Lf. After treating with Lf/NGF-liposomes, a higher Aß concentration yielded a lower survival of SK-N-MC cells. The current Lf/NGF-liposomes are efficacious drug carriers to target the BBB and inhibit the Aß-induced neurotoxicity as potential pharmacotherapy for Alzheimer's disease.

Neuronal differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells in hybrid polyester scaffolds with heparinized surface.

This study presents the differentiation capability of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in heparinized binary scaffolds composed of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(ß-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). The neuronal differentiation of iPS cells in scaffolds with surface heparin was characterized with immunochemical staining. The results revealed that an increase in the weight percentage of PCL and in the gel concentration enhanced the porosity of scaffolds. Based on the carbon quantity, an increase in the grafting concentration of heparin raised the content of sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen on the scaffolding surface. In addition, a higher grafting concentration of heparin yielded a weaker expression of stage-specific embryonic antigen 1 in constructs, indicating that the grafted heparin accelerated differentiation and reduced the number of phenotypic iPS cells after cultivation. When the grafting concentration of heparin increased, the staining against ßIII tubulin exhibited a stronger fluorescent intensity, demonstrating that iPS cells in constructs differentiated toward neurons. The heparinized PCL-PHB scaffolds can be efficient biomaterials in guiding the differentiation of iPS cells for nerve tissue engineering.

Low-temperature decomposition of methanol on Au nanoclusters supported on a thin film of Al2O3/NiAl100.

With a variety of surface probe techniques, we investigated low-temperature decomposition of methanol on Au nanoclusters formed by vapor deposition onto an ordered Al(2)O(3)/NiAl(100) thin film. Upon adsorption of methanol on the Au clusters (with mean diameter 1.5-3.8 nm and height 0.45-0.85 nm) at 110 K, some of the adsorbed methanol dehydrogenates directly into carbon monoxide (CO); the produced hydrogen atoms (H) begin to desorb near 125 K whereas most of the CO desorbs above 240 K. The reaction exhibits a significant dependence on the Au coverage: the produced CO increases in quantity with the Au coverage, reaches a maximum at about 1.0-1.5 ML Au, whereas decreases with further increase of the Au coverage. The coverage-dependence is rationalized partly by an altered number of reactive sites associated with low-coordinated Au in the clusters. At least two kinds of reactive sites for the low-temperature decomposition are distinguished through distinct C-O stretching frequencies (2050 cm(-1) and 2092 cm(-1)) while the produced CO co-adsorbs with H and methanol.

Temperature-dependent structuring of Au-Pt bimetallic nanoclusters on a thin film of Al2O3/NiAl(100).

Au-Pt bimetallic nanoclusters on a thin film of Al(2)O(3)/NiAl(100) undergo significant structural evolution on variation of the temperature. Au and Pt deposited sequentially from the vapor onto thin-film Al(2)O(3)/NiAl(100) at 300 K form preferentially bimetallic nanoclusters (diameter ≦ 6.0 nm and height ≦ 0.8 nm) with both Au and Pt coexisting at the cluster surface, despite the order of metal deposition. These bimetallic clusters are structurally ordered, have a fcc phase and grow with their facets either (111) or (001) parallel to the θ-Al(2)O(3)(100) surface. Upon annealing the clusters to 400-500 K, the Au atoms inside the clusters migrate toward the surface, resulting in formation of a structure with a Pt core and an Au shell. Annealing the sample to 500-650 K reorients the bimetallic clusters--all clusters have their (001) facets parallel to the oxide surface--and induces oxidation of Pt. Such annealed bimetallic clusters become encapsulated with the aluminium-oxide materials and a few Au remain on the surface.

Non-woven and aligned electrospun multicomponent luminescent polymer nanofibers: effects of aggregated morphology on the photophysical properties.

In this paper, the morphology and photophysical properties of non-woven and aligned ES nanofibers prepared from the ternary blends of poly(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl) (PFO) / poly(2,3-dibutoxy-1,4-phenylene vinylene) (DB-PPV) / poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) using a single-capillary spinneret are reported. Various PFO and DB-PPV phase-separated structures in the ES nanofibers were found by two different solvents: ellipsoidal DB-PPV (10-40 nm) and fiber-like PFO (20-40 nm) in the PMMA using chloroform, while fiber-like DB-PPV (10-20 nm) and fiber-like PFO (20-30 nm) using chlorobenzene. Such different PFO and DB-PPV structures resulted in various energy transfer/emission colors in the ES nanofibers. Moreover, highly aligned luminescence PFO/DB-PPV/PMMA blend ES nanofibers prepared from chlorobenzene showed a much higher polarized emission than the non-woven and the emission colors changed from blue to greenish-blue to green as the DB-PPV composition increased. The different polarized emission characteristics between PFO and DB-PPV in the ES nanofibers also led to varied emission colors at different angles. The present study suggests the morphologies and emission characteristics of the multicomponent ES nanofibers could be efficiently tuned through solvent types and blend ratios of semiconducting polymers.