[Meridian differentiation of low back pain in Neijing (Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor)].

There are various contents about diagnosis and treatment of low back pain in Neijing (Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor), which are closely related to meridians and collaterals, forming a complete theoretical system of meridian differentiation for low back pain. Its theory and application are interpreted in this paper from five main aspects, including 18 meridians and collaterals densely distributing in the tendons and bones of the waist, the pathogenesis of low back pain lying in the disorders of the meridian qi and blood, the nature of low back pain being reflected by the color and shape of meridians and collaterals, the disordered meridians of low back pain being first identified based on syndrome differentiation, the acupuncture prescription being selected according to meridian differentiation. The purpose of this paper is to guide clinical practice, explore the advantages and characteristics of meridian differentiation, and provide theoretical reference and evidence for promoting the standardization of TCM.

[Hypothalamic Transcription Profiles Associated with Twirling-reducing Needling in Rats with Stress-induced Prehypertension].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of twirling-reducing needling on changes of profile of differentially-expressed genes in the hypothalamus in rats with stress-induced prehypertension (SI-PHT), so as to explore its mechanism under-lying improvement of prehypertension. METHODS: Wistar male rats were randomly divided into blank control group (n=12), model group (n=12) and acupuncture group (n=10). The SI-PHT model was established by planta-electric-shock stimulation (30 V, 5 s) plus noise stimulation (80-100 db, 50 ms), twice daily, continuously for 11 days. Manual acupuncture stimulation (twirling-reducing needling) was applied to bilateral "Taichong" (LR 3) and "Quchi" (LI 11) for about 1 min (60 cycles/min), followed by retaining the needles for 20 min during modeling preparation, once daily for 11 days. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) and behavior changes were recorded before intervention and on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 11th day during modeling. The expression (Fold change,|FC| ≥ 1.5) profile of genes in the hypothalamus was analyzed using Affymetrix GeneChip Rat Gene 2.0 ST Array, followed by analyzing the differentially-expressed genes involving the related biological process,molecular function, and signaling pathways by using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), separately. RESULTS: After modeling, the systolic pressure levels were remarkably increased from the 3rd day to the 11th day in both model and acupuncture groups relatively to their respective baseline levels (P<0.01), and were significantly lower in the acupuncture group than in the model group (P<0.01) from the 5th day to the 11th day. Meanwhile, 93 genes were up-regulated and 153 down-regulated in the model group relative to the control group (P<0.05,|FC| ≥ 1.5), while in comparison with the model group, 59 genes were up-regulated and 86 down-regulated in the acupuncture group (P<0.05,|FC| ≥ 1.5). The expression levels of the 40 differen-tially-expressed genes (24 up-regulated and 16 down-regulated) in the model group were evidently reversed after acupuncture stimulation (P<0.05,|FC| ≥ 1.5). After acupuncture stimulation, the expression of acyl-CoA synthetase medium-chain family member 3 (Acsm 3) gene was down-regulated, and chorionic gonadotropin-alpha (Cgα), crystal (Cry) αB and thyroid stimulating hormone beta (Tshß) genes and the autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) pathway were up-regulated (P<0.05,|FC| ≥ 1.5), suggesting an involvement of fatty acid biosynthetic processing, G-protein coupled receptor protein signaling, and hormone activity, etc. in acupuncture-induced blood-pressure lowering. CONCLUSIONS: Twirling-reducing needling of acupuncture can lower blood pressure in prehypertension rats, which may be related to its effects in regulating expression of Acsm 3, Cgα, CryαB, Tshß genes and in activating AITD pathway.