M-N3 Configuration on Boron Nitride Boosts Singlet Oxygen Generation via Peroxymonosulfate Activation for Selective Oxidation.

Singlet oxygen (1O2) is an essential reactive species responsible for selective oxidation of organic matter, especially in Fenton-like processes. However, due to the great limitations in synthesizing catalysts with well-defined active sites, the controllable production and practical application of 1O2 remain challenging. Herein, guided by theoretical simulations, a series of boron nitride-based single-atom catalysts (BvBN/M, M=Co, Fe, Cu, Ni and Mn) were synthesized to regulate 1O2 generation by activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS). All the fabricated BvBN/M catalysts with explicit M-N3 sites promoted the self-decomposition of the two PMS molecules to generate 1O2 with high selectivity, where BvBN/Co possessed moderate adsorption energy and d-band center exhibited superior catalytic activity. As an outcome, the BvBN/Co-PMS system coupled with membrane filtration technology could continuously transform aromatic alcohols to aldehydes with nearly 100 % selectivity and conversion rate under mild conditions, suggesting the potential of this novel catalytic system for green organic synthesis.

A novel CSN5/CRT O-GlcNAc/ER stress regulatory axis in platinum resistance of epithelial ovarian cancer.

Background: High levels of COP9 signalosome subunit 5 (CSN5) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) are associated with poor prognosis and are implicated in mediating platinum resistance in EOC cells. The underlying mechanisms, however, remained undefined. This study aimed to elucidate the molecular process and identify potential therapeutic targets. Methods: RNA-sequencing was used to investigate differentially expressed genes between platinum-resistant EOC cells with CSN5 knockdown and controls. O-GlcNAc proteomics were employed to identify critical modulators downstream of CSN5. The omics findings were confirmed through qRT-PCR and immunoblotting. In vitro and in vivo experiments assessed the sensitivity of resistant EOCs to platinum. Results: We demonstrated an involvement of aberrant O-GlcNAc and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress disequilibrium in CSN5-mediated platinum resistance of EOC. Genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of CSN5 led to tumor regression and surmounted the intrinsic EOC resistance to platinum both in vitro and in vivo. Integration of RNA-sequencing and O-GlcNAc proteomics pinpointed calreticulin (CRT) as a potential target of aberrant O-GlcNAc modification. CSN5 upregulated O-GlcNAc-CRT at T346 to inhibit ER stress-induced cell death. Blocking T346 O-GlcNAc-CRT through CSN5 deficiency or T346A mutation resulted in Ca2+ disturbances, followed by ER stress overactivation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and ultimately cell apoptosis. Conclusion: This study reveals that CSN5-mediated aberrant O-GlcNAc-CRT acts as a crucial ER stress checkpoint, governing cell fate response to stress, and emphasizes an unrecognized role for the CSN5/CRT O-GlcNAc/ER stress axis in platinum resistance of EOC.

Chinese patent medicine as a complementary and alternative therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aims to document Chinese Patent Medicines (CPMs) for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, explore whether CPMs can improve patients' health outcomes, and set priorities in addressing research gaps in this area. METHODS: Following the framework of PRISMA-SCr, we proposed the research questions based on PICOS principle, and searched the CPMs for T2DM from three drug lists, followed by a systematic search of the literature in eight databases from their inception to June 22, 2023. Then, we developed the eligibility criteria and systematically reviewed the relevant studies, retained the studies about CPMs for T2DM, extracted the related data, and identified the differences across studies in structured charts. RESULTS: A total of 25 types of CPMs were extracted from the three drug lists. Radix astragali appeared most frequently (19 times) among the herbal medicinal ingredients of CPMs. A total of 449 articles were included in the full-paper analysis ultimately, all of which were about 20 types of CPMs, and there were no related reports on the remaining five CPMs. Except about a quarter (25.39 %, 114/449) using CPMs alone, the remaining studies all involved the combination with oral hypoglycemics for T2DM. Biguanides are the most common drugs used in combination with CPMs (50.14 %, 168/335). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) is the most frequently reported outcomes in efficacy evaluation (82.41 %, 370/449). CONCLUSION: There are a total of 25 types of CPMs currently available for T2DM patients. However, the volume of related evidence on these CPMs varies. It is necessary to standardize the combined use of CPMs and conventional medicine and select appropriate outcomes in future studies.

Development and Validation of Pretreatment Serum Total Bilirubin as a Biomarker to Predict the Clinical Outcomes in Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a predominantly aggressive neoplasm isolated to the central nervous system or vitreoretinal space. Bilirubin is an important biomarker reflecting hepatic function and oxidative stress status that is associated with the occurrence and development of various tumors. However, its prognostic role in PCNSL has yet to be evaluated. Therefore, we conducted a prospective-retrospective study to analyze the predictive value of serum total bilirubin (STB) in PCNSL patients. The association between the pretreatment STB and clinical outcomes in PCNSL was developed in the discovery cohort (retrospective [n = 44] and prospective [n = 45]) and validated in an independent retrospective cohort (n = 69). A generalized additive model, Kaplan-Meier curve, and Cox analysis were applied. In the discovery cohort, the STB showed a linear relationship with overall survival (OS, p = 0.011) and progression-free survival (PFS, p = 0.0476). The median STB level of 12.0 µmol/L was determined as the cutoff value to predict the clinical outcomes with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) values of 0.9205 and 0.8464 for OS and PFS, respectively. The median STB level resulted in similar accuracy for predicting the clinical outcomes in the validation cohort with AUROC values of 0.8857 and 0.8589 for OS and PFS, respectively. In both the discovery and validation cohorts, the Kaplan-Meier survival curve and Cox regression analysis showed that the upper median STB groups showed significantly worse OS than the lower median STB groups. In conclusion, the pretreatment STB could be considered a novel biomarker to predict the clinical outcomes in patients with PCNSL receiving high-dose methotrexate-based combination immunochemotherapy.

Clinical value of serum and tissue AGR2 for diagnosis and prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Purpose: To clarify the value of AGR2 for diagnosis and prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Methods: Serum AGR2 from 203 subjects were detected by ELISA, while CA125 and HE4 were determined by enhanced chemiluminescence immunoassay. The diagnostic efficacy was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Tissue microarray was employed to compare tissue AGR2. Results: Combined detection of AGR2, CA125 and HE4 improved the diagnostic specificity in the discrimination of EOC from healthy controls. Serum AGR2 was significantly higher, while CA125 and HE4 were significantly lower in EOC patients post-operatively. Low AGR2 expression may predict poorer prognosis. Conclusion: Incorporation of AGR2 improved the specificity of CA125 and HE4 in EOC diagnosis, and may act as a tumor suppressor whose low expression in EOC patients predicted poorer outcomes.

Hydroxyl Radical-Mediated Efficient Photoelectrocatalytic NO Oxidation with Simultaneous Nitrate Storage Using A Flow Photoanode Reactor.

The selective conversion of dilute NO pollutant into low-toxic product and simultaneous storage of metabolic nitrogen for crop plants remains a great challenge from the perspective of waste management and sustainable chemistry. This study demonstrates that this bottleneck can be well tackled by refining the reactive oxygen species (ROS) on Ni-modified NH2 -UiO-66(Zr) (Ni@NU) using nickel foam (NF) as a three-dimensional (3D) substrate through a flow photoanode reactor via the gas-phase photoelectrocatalysis. By rationally refining the ROS to ⋅OH, Ni@NU/NF can rapidly eliminate 82 % of NO without releasing remarkable NO2 under a low bias voltage (0.3 V) and visible light irradiation. The abundant mesoporous pores on Ni@NU/NF are conducive to the diffusion and storage of the formed nitrate, which enables the progressive conversion NO into nitrate with selectivity over 99 % for long-term use. Through calculation, 90 % of NO could be recovered as the nitrate species, indicating that this state-of-the-art strategy can capture, enrich and recycle the pollutant N source from the atmosphere. This study offers a new perspective of NO pollutant treatment and sustainable nitrogen exploitation, which may possess great potential to the development of highly efficient air purification systems for industrial and indoor NOx control.

ASAP2 interrupts c-MET-CIN85 interaction to sustain HGF/c-MET-induced malignant potentials in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Sustained activation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-MET signaling is a major driver of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression, but underlying mechanism is unclear. ArfGAP With SH3 Domain, Ankyrin Repeat And PH Domain 2 (ASAP2) can reportedly activate GTPases and promote receptor tyrosine kinase signaling. However, the exact role of ASAP2 in HCC, especially for c-MET activation, also remains elusive. METHODS: ASAP2 expression levels in HCC tissues and cells were quantified using qRT-PCR, western blot (WB) analysis, and immunohistochemistry staining. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were performed to evaluate cell proliferation rates. Flow cytometry assays were conducted to assess apoptosis rates. Wound healing and Transwell assays were performed to determine cell migration and invasion capacities. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related marker expression levels were also examined. Subcutaneous implantation and tail vein injection models were applied for in vivo growth and metastasis evaluations, respectively. Bioinformatics analyses of The Cancer Genome Atlas and STRING datasets were performed to explore ASAP2 downstream signaling. Co-immunoprecipitation and Cycloheximide chasing experiments were performed to assess protein-protein interactions and protein half-life, respectively. RESULTS: ASAP2 had higher expression levels in HCC tissues than in normal liver, and also predicted poor prognosis. Knocking down ASAP2 significantly impaired cell proliferation, migration, and invasion capacities, but promoted apoptosis in HCC cells in vitro. However, overexpression of ASAP2 achieved the opposite effects. In vivo experiments confirmed that ASAP2 could promote HCC cell growth and facilitate lung metastasis. Interestingly, ASAP2 was essential for triggering EMT. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis demonstrated that c-MET signaling was greatly enriched in ASAP2-high HCC cases. Additionally, c-MET signaling activity was significantly decreased following ASAP knockdown, evidenced by reduced c-MET, p-AKT, and p-ERK1/2 protein levels. Importantly, ASAP2 knockdown effectively attenuated HGF/c-MET signaling-induced malignant phenotypes. c-MET and ASAP2 expression levels were positively correlated in our cohort. Mechanistically, ASAP2 can directly bind to CIN85, thereby disrupting its interaction with c-MET, and can thus antagonize CIN85-induced c-MET internalization and lysosome-mediated degradation. Notably, knocking down CIN85 can rescue the observed inhibitory effects caused by ASAP2 knockdown. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the importance of ASAP2 in sustaining c-MET signaling, which can facilitate HCC progression.

A curtain purification system based on a rabbit fur-based rotating triboelectric nanogenerator for efficient photocatalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds.

Efficient removal of air pollution caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM) through distributed energy collected from the environment is an effective strategy to achieve both energy conservation and better air quality. Herein, a curtain purification system based on a rabbit fur-based rotary triboelectric nanogenerator (RR-TENG) and a collaborative photocatalysis technology was designed for indoor air purification. The high electrostatic field from RR-TENG enhances formaldehyde adsorption, while it can also efficiently adsorb PM2.5 simultaneously. More interestingly, the ultrahigh electric field provided by RR-TENG promotes the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs of the g-C3N4/TiO2 composite photocatalyst, generating more superoxide radicals (⋅O2-), hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH), and holes (h+) and thereby improving the photocatalytic efficiency. In a simulated reaction chamber of 9 L, the formaldehyde removal rate of the system can reach 79.2% within 90 min and RR-TENG rapidly reduces PM2.5 from 999 µg m-3 to 50 µg m-3 within 60 s. This study proposes a curtain purification system integrating the function of energy collection and photocatalytic purification, which can be applied for improving air quality and human health.

Auricular therapy for primary dysmenorrhea: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a common problem among women. It is defined as any degree of perceived cramping pain during menstruation without any evident pathology. Auricular therapy (AT), a widely used alternative medical treatment method as part of traditional Chinese acupuncture, lacks reliable evidence to support its safety and effectiveness for PD. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy and safety of AT in PD and to investigate possible factors impacting the particular efficacy of AT in PD by meta-regression. METHODS: This protocol followed the PRISMA guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols. The following 9 sources will be searched for randomized control trials of AT for PD: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals (VIP) database and WanFang Database from inception to January 1, 2023. Primary outcomes include visual rating scales and clinical efficacy rates, while secondary outcomes include endocrine hormone indicators related to PD and adverse events. Two reviewers will work independently on study selection, data extraction, and coding, including the risk of bias assessment in the included studies. While conducting a meta-analysis, Review Manager version 5.3 will be employed. Otherwise, a descriptive analysis will be performed. The results will be displayed as a risk ratio with 95% confidence intervals for dichotomous data as well as weight mean difference or standardized mean difference with 95% confidence intervals for continuous data. RESULTS: This study's protocol will investigate the efficacy and safety of AT in the treatment of PD in a systematic way. CONCLUSION: This systematic evaluation will objectively and systematically assess the efficacy and safety of AT in PD based on the available evidence, as well as provides clinicians with evidence to support the treatment of the disease.

Application of fMRI techniques in the study of acupuncture for gynecological diseases: A review.

Acupuncture therapy, as a characteristic of Chinese medical therapy, has a long history and remarkable effect in the treatment of gynecological diseases, and so far, it has formed a complete treatment system, but its efficacy and mechanism of action remain unclear. Functional magnetic resonance imaging, a visual technique, provides an objective basis for the study of acupuncture in the treatment of gynecological diseases. This paper summarizes the current status of acupuncture in the treatment of gynecological diseases and summarizes the progress of functional magnetic resonance imaging research related to acupuncture in the treatment of gynecological diseases in the past 10 years, mainly including the common types of gynecological diseases in acupuncture clinics, and the commonly used acupuncture points. This study is expected to provide literature support for subsequent research on the central mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of gynecological diseases.

Tailoring the Asymmetric Structure of NH2 -UiO-66 Metal-Organic Frameworks for Light-promoted Selective and Efficient Gold Extraction and Separation.

Designing adsorption materials with high adsorption capacities and selectivities is highly desirable for precious metal recovery. Desorption performance is also particularly crucial for subsequent precious metal recovery and adsorbent regeneration. Herein, a metal-organic framework (MOF) material (NH2 -UiO-66) with an asymmetric electronic structure of the central zirconium oxygen cluster has an exceptional gold extraction capacity of 2.04 g g-1 under light irradiation. The selectivity of NH2 -UiO-66 for gold ions is up to 98.8 % in the presence of interfering ions. Interestingly, the gold ions adsorbed on the surface of NH2 -UiO-66 spontaneously reduce in situ, undergo nucleation and growth and finally achieve the phase separation of high-purity gold particles from NH2 -UiO-66. The desorption and separation efficiency of gold particles from the adsorbent surface reaches 89 %. Theoretical calculations indicate that -NH2 functions as a dual donor of electrons and protons, and the asymmetric structure of NH2 -UiO-66 leads to energetically advantageous multinuclear gold capture and desorption. This adsorption material can greatly facilitate the recovery of gold from wastewater and can easily realize the recycling of the adsorbent.

TPX2 promotes ovarian tumorigenesis by interacting with Lamin A/C and affecting its stability.

OBJECTIVE: Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the fatal gynecologic malignancies. However, there are no effective prognostic or therapeutic indicators for OC. Herein, we aim to reveal the potential function of targeting protein for Xklp2 (TPX2) in OC progression. METHODS: Immunohistochemical and bioinformatic analyses were used to evaluate the level of TPX2 in OC samples. Effects of TPX2 on cell proliferation, cell apoptosis and ROS production were evaluated in vivo and in vitro. Mass spectrometry, Co-IP and immunofluorescence assays were performed to identify and verify protein-protein interactions. RESULTS: Our data showed that pathological overexpression (OE) of the TPX2 in OC could manifest a poor prognosis. Functional studies demonstrated that TPX2 silencing led to the suppression of cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo through an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and apoptosis, while TPX2 OE exhibited the opposite effect. Furthermore, by mass spectrometric analysis, we identified a novel interacting partner, Lamin A/C, for TPX2. Mechanistically, TPX2 regulated Lamin A/C's stability by modulating the level of phospho-Lamin A/C (Ser 22). CONCLUSION: Our findings thus suggest that TPX2 may be a promising therapeutic target for OC.

Acupuncture for Crohn's disease: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic recurrent gastrointestinal disorder with a high incidence of inflammation due to intestinal inflammation. Acupuncture is commonly used as an alternative therapy for patients with CD. The aim of this study was to design a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol, to provide guidance for the establishment of systematic evaluation and meta-analysis on the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on CD. METHODS: We will search PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and 4 Chinese databases: China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database, VIP database, and Chinese Biomedical Database to obtain randomized controlled trials of CD treated with acupuncture from inception to November 5, 2022. Primary outcome include CD symptoms severity and clinical efficacy, secondary outcome indicators include laboratory indicators or inflammatory markers, severity of endoscopic lesions, quality of life, and safety outcomes. We will analyze the data using RevMan V.5.4 software. Two reviewers will assess the risk of bias and study quality by the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool and GRADE methods, respectively. RESULTS: This systematic review and meta-analysis protocol will analyze the efficacy, symptom improvement, quality of life, and safety of acupuncture therapy for CD. CONCLUSION: This protocol outlines the planned scope and methodology of a forthcoming systematic review and meta-analysis to provide guidelines for a rigorous assessment of the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of CD.

Proposed new prognostic model using the systemic immune-inflammation index for primary central nervous system lymphoma: A prospective-retrospective multicohort analysis.

Purpose: The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) has been considered a novel prognostic biomarker in several types of lymphoma. Our aims were to determine the best statistical relationship between pretreatment SII and survival and to combination of SII and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center model (MSKCC) to derive the best prognostic mode in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). Methods: Pretreatment SII and clinical data in 174 newly diagnosed PCNSL patients were included from two retrospective discovery cohorts (n = 128) and one prospective validation cohort (n = 46). A generalized additive model, Kaplan-Meier curve, and Cox analysis were performed. The high risk versus low risk of SII-MSKCC for the PCNSL cutoff point (0-1 vs. 2-4) was determined by the minimum P-value approach. Results: The SII showed a U-shaped relationship with the risk of overall survival (OS; P = 0.006). The patients with low SII or high SII had poorer OS and progression-free survival (PFS) than those with median SII. For PFS and OS, SII-MSKCC was a better predictor than MSKCC alone. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the SII-MSKCC score was 0.84 for OS and 0.78 for PFS in the discovery cohorts. The predictive value of the SII-MSKCC score (OS, 0.88; PFS, 0.95) was verified through the validation cohort. Multivariable Cox analysis and Kaplan-Meier curve showed excellent performance for SII-MSKCC, with significant separation of two groups and better performance than MSKCC alone. Conclusions: We propose a new prognostic model using SII, age, and Karnofsky score that outperforms MSKCC alone and enables individualized estimates of patient outcome.

Prognostic significance of pretreatment red blood cell distribution width in primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system for 3P medical approaches in multiple cohorts.

Background/aims: Predicting the clinical outcomes of primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system (PCNS-DLBCL) to methotrexate-based combination immunochemotherapy treatment in advance and therefore administering the tailored treatment to the individual is consistent with the principle of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM/3PM). The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) has been reported to be associated with the clinical outcomes of multiple cancer. However, its prognostic role in PCNS-DLBCL is yet to be evaluated. Therefore, we aimed to effectively stratify PCNS-DLBCL patients with different prognosis in advance and early identify the patients who were appropriate to methotrexate-based combination immunochemotherapy based on the pretreatment level of RDW and a clinical prognostic model. Methods: A prospective-retrospective, multi-cohort study was conducted from 2010 to 2020. We evaluated RDW in 179 patients (retrospective discovery cohorts of Huashan Center and Renji Center and prospective validation cohort of Cancer Center) with PCNS-DLBCL treated with methotrexate-based combination immunochemotherapy. A generalized additive model with locally estimated scatterplot smoothing was used to identify the relationship between pretreatment RDW levels and clinical outcomes. The high vs low risk of RDW combined with MSKCC score was determined by a minimal P-value approach. The clinical outcomes in different groups were then investigated. Results: The pretreatment RDW showed a U-shaped relationship with the risk of overall survival (OS, P = 0.047). The low RDW (< 12.6) and high RDW (> 13.4) groups showed significantly worse OS (P < 0.05) and progression-free survival (PFS; P < 0.05) than the median group (13.4 > RDW > 12.6) in the discovery and validation cohort, respectively. RDW could predict the clinical outcomes successfully. In the discovery cohort, RDW achieved the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.9206 in predicting the clinical outcomes, and the predictive value (AUC = 0.7177) of RDW was verified in the validation cohort. In addition, RDW combined with MSKCC predictive model can distinguish clinical outcomes with the AUC of 0.8348 for OS and 0.8125 for PFS. Compared with the RDW and MSKCC prognosis variables, the RDW combined with MSKCC scores better identified a subgroup of patients with favorable long-term survival in the validation cohort (P < 0.001). RDW combined MSKCC score remained to be independently associated with clinical outcomes by multivariable analysis. Conclusions: Based on the pretreatment RDW and MSKCC scores, a novel predictive tool was established to stratify PCNS-DLBCL patients with different prognosis effectively. The predictive model developed accordingly is promising to judge the response of PCNS-DLBCL to methotrexate-based combination immunochemotherapy treatment. Thus, hematologists and oncologists could tailor and adjust therapeutic modalities by monitoring RDW in a prospective rather than the reactive manner, which could save medical expenditures and is a key concept in 3PM. In brief, RDW combined with MSKCC model could serve as an important tool for predicting the response to different treatment and the clinical outcomes for PCNS-DLBCL, which could conform with the principles of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13167-022-00290-5.

Acupuncture Analgesia in Patients with Postoperative Neck Pain: A Protocol for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background. There is a yearly increase in pain after neck surgery, which is accompanied by high consumption of opioids. However, the opioid addiction epidemic is one of the most serious public health problems worldwide. Therefore, it is important to find suitable alternatives for opioids. Acupuncture therapy has been found effective for some types of pain control. This protocol aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of pain after neck surgery. Methods and Analysis. We will search eight electronic databases from their inception to April 2022. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using manual acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, or electroacupuncture as major therapy will be included, regardless of whether the study was published in Chinese or English. The selection of studies and data extraction will be independently completed by at least two experienced reviewers with a master's degree. The methodological quality of the included studies will be assessed by the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. For the meta-analysis, Review Manager Statistical (RevMan V.5.3) software will be used. The results will be presented as the risk ratio (RR) for the binary data and the mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) for the continuous data. Ethics and Dissemination. This protocol for a systematic review will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication and presented at a relevant conference, and there is no need to obtain formal ethical approval. Trial Registration Number. PROSPERO registration number CRD42021281722.

Scheme optimization of acupoints compatibility and influence factors of the effect.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture may be a clinically effective treatment for insomnia. We will perform a multicenter, large-scale, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial to compare the differences in the clinical efficacy between the use of singleacupoints and compatibilityacupoints in the treatment of primary insomnia. METHODS/DESIGN: A total of 333 participants will be randomly assigned to 2 acupoint treatment groups or 1 nonacupoint control group in a 1:1:1 ratio by a central stochastic system. The acupuncture groups are: the single acupoint group: Shenmen (HT7); and he compatibility acupoint group: Shenmen (HT7), Baihui (DU20), and Sanyinjiao (SP6). The observation period of this trial will be 10 weeks. All patients will be followed for 1 week before randomization (baseline phase). After randomization, the patients will receive 30 minutes of electro-acupuncture once per day for 5 weeks. In the fourth week after the treatment, follow-up will be performed once. The primary outcome will be the Pittsburgh sleep quality index score at 1 week before randomization and 2 and 8 weeks after randomization. The secondary outcomes will include data from sleep diaries, Athens insomnia scale scores, ShortForm-36 Health Survey scores, electroencephalogram technology results and polysomnogram) results. Patients will be required to complete a sleep diary every day during the treatment period. Patients will also undergo electroencephalogram technology and polysomnogram 1 week before randomization and 5 weeks after randomization. The other secondary outcomes will be measured 1 week before randomization and 5 and 9 weeks after randomization. DISCUSSION: This trial will be helpful in identifying whether acupuncture at compatibility acupoints is more effective than acupuncture at single acupoints. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials.govNCT02448602, Registered 5May 2015, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02448602?term=NCT02448602&rank=1.

Study on acupuncture in the treatment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy based on rs-fMRI: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Studies have shown that acupuncture has significant therapeutic effects on painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN) yet the precise mechanism of action underpinning these effects remains controversial. Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) is an advanced imaging technique that can be used to monitor changes in the activity of the brain, particularly in PDPN. However, the data from several studies remain inconclusive and there is currently no systematic review and meta-analysis for the use of rs-fMRI in PDPN. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In this study, we will select all eligible studies published on or before 30 June 2021. Four English and four Chinese databases will be searched, specifically, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang database, China Science Technology Journal Database (VIP) and China Doctor/Master Dissertations Full-text Database. Only clinical trials and the first cycle of a cross-over trial linked to acupuncture for PDPN will be included in the analysis. The main outcomes include the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation, regional homogeneity, functional connectivity of the brain, bilateral superficial peroneal nerve sensory nerve conduction velocity, bilateral dorsal current perception threshold values and the degree of subjective pain. The secondary outcomes include biochemical indicators, the degree of depression and anxiety and changes in efficiency. The study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment will be performed by two investigators. For statistical analyses, Review Manager V.5.4 software will be used. If necessary, heterogeneity testing, data synthesis, and subgroup analysis will be performed. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Our systematic review and meta-analysis will be based on published literature for data extraction and will not include the use of individual patient data and so no ethical approval required. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021211644.

The effectiveness of acupoint application of traditional Chinese medicine in treating primary dysmenorrhea: A protocol for meta-analysis and data mining.

BACKGROUND: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a functional disease of the female reproductive system, which has adverse effects on patients' physical and mental health and quality of life. At present, acupoint application of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as adjuvant therapy is undergoing clinical trials in different medical centers. However, there is no systematic review or meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of acupoint application of TCM in the treatment of PD. There is also a lack of systematic evaluation and analysis of acupoints and herbs. METHODS: All randomized controlled trials related to acupoint catgut embedding therapy on PD will be searched in the following electronic databases: Cochrane Central Registry of controlled trials, PubMed, Wed of Science, EMBASE, Science Net, China Biomedical Literature Database, China Science Journal Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wan-Fang Database, from inception to May, 2021 were searched without language restrictions. The primary outcomes contain visual analog score, The Cox Menstrual Symptom Scale, while the secondary outcomes consist of adverse events and the recurrence rate. Two reviewers will independently perform data selection, data synthesis, and quality assessment. Data meeting the inclusion criteria will be extracted and analyzed by Revman v.5.3 software. Two reviewers will evaluate the study using the Cochrane collaborative bias risk tool. We will use the scoring method to assess the overall quality of the evidence supporting the main results. We will also use Spass software (version 19.0) for complex network analysis to explore the potential core prescription of acupoint application of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of PD. RESULTS: This study will analyze the clinical effective rate, functional outcomes, quality of life, improvement of clinical symptoms of PD, and effective prescriptions of acupoint application for patients with PD. CONCLUSION: Our findings will provide evidence for the effectiveness and potential treatment prescriptions of acupoint application for patients with PD.PROSPERO registration number: CRD 42021244357.

Effects of Stimulating Local and Distal Acupoints on Diabetic Gastroparesis: A New Insight in Revealing Acupuncture Therapeutics.

One of the most important aspects of clinical acupuncture practice, like diabetic gastroparesis, is the selection of suitable acupoints. Furthermore, it is critical to examine the therapeutic impact differences between distal and local acupoints, as well as the prescription of their combination. In this study, diabetic gastroparesis rats were treated by needling Zhongwan (CV12) and Zusanli (ST36), and then used Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography-CT (SPECT-CT) technology to assess the effects of promoting gastric motility. In addition, morphological observation, immunohistochemical examination, and biomarker assays, such as determination of growth factor 1, motilin, and ghrelin contents in serum samples, were performed to better understand the impact of certain various acupuncture treatments. All of the therapies improved the symptoms of diabetic gastroparesis rats, according to the findings. Stimulating these acupoints, on the other hand, can have a different therapeutic effect. In addition, needling local and distal acupoints together can have an antagonistic or synergistic impact on specific physiological and biochemical indexes such as gastric motility, ghrelin, gastrin, and growth factor 1, among others. Our findings demonstrated the benefits of acupoints and acupuncture in the management of diabetic gastroparesis, as well as a new insight into acupuncture therapeutics.