Integrative analysis of the molecular signature of target genes involved in the antitumor effects of cantharidin on hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Cantharidin (CTD) is the active ingredient of Chinese medicine, which has been traditionally used in multiple cancers treatment, especially in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, a comprehensive analysis of the CTD-related molecular mechanism is still necessary to understand its functions in HCC treatment. This study aimed to reveal the novel molecular targets and regulatory networks of CTD in HCC. METHODS: A model of H22 tumour-bearing mice was constructed, and the function of CTD in tumour growth was evaluated. An integrated approach of CTD associated transcriptional profiling and biological systems analysis was used to identify key regulators involved in antitumour pathways. The identified differential expression patterns were supported by the results of Gene Ontology (GO) term and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyse, and by protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction. The relationships between gene expression and tumour immunity were evaluated using Tumour Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER). Prognostic value was analyzed with Kaplan-Meier plotter. RESULTS: In the present study, the therapeutic effect of CTD on HCC was evaluated in vivo. We obtained the CTD-related transcriptional profiles, systematically and intuitively illustrated its possible pharmacological mechanisms in HCC through multiple targets and signalling pathways. These results revealed that the CTD-related differentially expressed genes were involved in autophagy, transcription factors (TFs) related transcriptional regulation, fatty acid metabolism and immune response in HCC. We found that MAPT, TOP2A, CENPF and MEFV were hub genes of CTD targets involved in autophagy regulation. Totally, 14 TFs have been confirmed to be critical for transcriptional regulation, and 33 TF targets were identified as the hub genes in transcriptional mis-regulation pathway in cancer. These TFs were associated with the immune response and immune cell infiltration. In addition, the downregulated genes were significantly enriched in metabolic regulation pathways, especially fatty acid metabolism after CTD treatment. Furthermore, the network of CTD associated miRNAs with these fatty acid metabolism-related targets was constructed in HCC. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results comprehensively elucidated that CTD could act on multiple targets in HCC therapy, affecting autophagy, transcriptional regulation, the immune response and fatty acid metabolism. Our results provide a foundation for the study of the molecular mechanistic of CTD and its clinical application in the treatment of HCC.

Cantharidin suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma development by regulating EZH2/H3K27me3-dependent cell cycle progression and antitumour immune response.

BACKGROUND: Cantharidin (CTD) is a major ingredient of cantharis (Mylabris phalerata Pallas) and has been used extensively in traditional Chinese medicines. It has been shown to exhibit anticancer activity in multiple types of cancer, especially hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there is no systematic study on the relationships among the regulatory networks of its targets in HCC therapy. We focused on histone epigenetic regulation and the influence of CTD on the immune response in HCC. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive analysis of novel CTD targets in HCC based on network pharmacology and RNA-seq approaches. The mRNA levels of target genes were analyzed by qRT-PCR, and the corresponding protein levels were confirmed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemical staining (IHC). ChIP-seq data were visualized by IGV software. The associations of gene transcript levels with the cancer immune score and infiltration level were investigated using TIMER. In vivo, the H22 mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma was established by treatment with CTD and 5-Fu. The immune cell proportions in the blood were elevated in model mice, as shown by flow cytometry. RESULTS: We identified 58 targets of CTD, which were involved in various pathways in cancer, including apoptosis, the cell cycle, EMT and immune pathways. Moreover, we found that 100 EMT-related genes were differentially expressed after CTD treatment in HCC cells. Interestingly, our results confirmed that the EZH2/H3K27me3 -related cell cycle pathway is a therapeutic target of CTD in antitumour. In addition, we evaluated the influence of CTD on the immune response. Our data showed that the significantly enriched gene sets were positively correlated with the chemokine biosynthetic and chemokine metabolic modules. The proportions of CD4+/CD8 + T cells and B cells were increased, but the proportion of Tregs was decreased after treatment with CTD in vivo. Moreover, we found that the expression of the inflammatory factor and immune checkpoint genes PD-1/PD-L1 was significantly reduced in the mouse model. CONCLUSION: We performed a novel integrated analysis of the potential role of CTD in HCC treatment. Our results provide innovative insight into the mechanism by which cantharidin exerts antitumour effects by regulating target genes expression to mediate apoptosis, EMT, cell cycle progression and the immune response in HCC. Based on the effect of CTD on the immune response, it can be used as a potential effective drug to activate antitumour immunity for the treatment of liver cancer.

WHSC1 is involved in DNA damage, cellular senescence and immune response in hepatocellular carcinoma progression.

Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome candidate 1 (WHSC1) is a transcriptional regulatory protein that encodes a histone methyltransferase to control H3K36me2 modification. WHSC1 was upregulated and associated with poor prognosis in HCC. The elevated WHSC1 likely due to the alterations of DNA methylation or RNA modification. WHSC1 perhaps form a chromatin cross talk with H3K27me3 and DNA methylation to regulate transcription factors expression in HCC. Functional analysis indicated that WHSC1 was involved in DNA damage repair, cell cycle, cellular senescence and immune regulations. Furthermore, WHSC1 was associated with the infiltrating levels of B cell, CD4+, Tregs and macrophage cells. Therefore, our findings suggested that WHSC1 might function as a promotor regulator to affect the development and progression of HCC. Thus, WHSC1 could be a potential biomarker in predicting the prognosis and therapeutic target for patients with HCC.

SPATS2 is correlated with cell cycle progression and immune cells infiltration in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The spermatogenesis associated serine rich 2 (SPATS2) is a member of RNA-binding protein in which the abnormal expression is linked with carcinogenesis in serval types of cancer. However, there is no systematic study on the differential expression, prognostic significance, epigenetic regulation, immune infiltration of SPATS2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, we investigated the expression, prognosis, epigenetic regulation, and immune cell infiltration of SPATS2 in HCC. We found that the elevated expression of SPATS2 was unfavorably associated with the clinical pathological stage and prognosis. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that SPATS2 is associated with cell cycle, apoptosis and cancer cell metastasis processes in HCC. Our results confirmed that knockdown of SPATS2 will affect cell cycle, apoptosis and invasion of HCC cell lines. Moreover, the expression of SPATS2 is upregulated by epigenetic regulation, including DNA methylation, m6A and histone modification in HCC. In addition, SPATS2 expression was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration or expression of immune related gene markers in HCC. Taken together, our data demonstrated that SPATS2 is associated with progression and immune infiltration, and could serve as a prognostic biomarker for HCC. In conclusion, these results highlight the potential of SPATS2 to be used as a therapeutic target for HCC.

Silibinin-modified Hydroxyapatite coating promotes the osseointegration of titanium rods by activation SIRT1/SOD2 signaling pathway in diabetic rats.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of Silibinin (SIL)-modified Hydroxyapatite coating on osseointegration in diabetes in vivo and in vitro and explore the mechanism of osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1. RT-qPCR, Immunofluorescence, and Western blot were used to measure the expression level of oxidative Stress Indicators and osteogenic markers proteins. Moreover, CCK-8 assay was conducted to detect cell viability in hyperglycemia. Alizarin red staining and alkaline phosphatase staining were used to examine osteogenic function and calcium deposits. The diabetic rat model receive titanium rod implantation was set up successfully and Von-Gieson staining was used to examine femoral bone tissue around titanium rod. Our results showed that intracellular oxidative stress in hyperglycemia was overexpressed, while FoxO1, SIRT1, GPX1, and SOD2 were downregulated. SIL suppressed oxidative stress to promote osteogenic differentiation. Additionally, it was confirmed that SIL promoted osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 and obviously restored the osseointegration ability of diabetic rats. Further study indicated that SIL exerted its beneficial function through activation SIRT1/SOD2 signaling pathway to restore osteoblast function, and improved the osseointegration and stability of titanium rods in vivo. Our research suggested that the SIL-modulated oxidative Stress inhibition is responsible for the activation of the process of osteogenic differentiation through activation SIRT1/SOD2 signaling pathway in hyperglycemia, providing a novel insight into improving prosthetic osseointegration in diabetic patients. Hyperglycemia impaired the activity and function of MC3T3-E1 and inhibits bone formation by up-regulating intracellular ROS levels through inhibition of SIRT1/SOD2 signaling pathway. Local administrator SIL can improve the activity and function of osteoblasts and enhance osseointegration by reducing intracellular ROS through activation of SIRT1/SOD2 signaling pathway in DM rat models.

The expression of PD-1 and LAG-3 in periapical lesions.

Periapical lesions are the distinct result of chronic root canal infection and could generate severe bone resorption surrounding apical regions. Despite the local cytokine and cell-mediated immune responses, periapical lesions are also characterized by its auto-restrict inflammation. However, the detailed mechanism related to its auto-restriction of immune response is still unclear. Co-inhibitory immune checkpoints are important molecules which could negatively modulate immune response especially in T cell function. In this study we detected the expressional pattern of PD-1/LAG-3 in periapical lesions. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the inflammatory response including up-regulation of TNF-α and the infiltration of T cells, was severe in granuloma and restricted in periapical cyst. PD-1 and LAG-3 both could be detected in granuloma and cyst, while scarcely observed in control group. Exhausted T cells, characterized by PD-1 or LAG-3 positive, accumulated within granuloma and reduced in cyst. Our study revealed that in periapical lesions, T cell exhaustion characterized by PD-1 or LAG-3 positive, might contribute to the auto-restriction of inflammatory response in periapical lesions.

Downregulation of human Wnt3 in gastric cancer suppresses cell proliferation and induces apoptosis.

Aberrant activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathways is closely involved in the occurrence and progression of several types of human malignancies. However, as a fundamental component in this cascade, Wnt3 has not been well understood for the expression level and pathogenic mechanism in gastric carcinogenesis. Here, this research was undertaken to elucidate the important role of Wnt3 in gastric cancer. Wnt3 expression in gastric carcinomas and their respective normal tissues was examined by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. In all cases, Wnt3 expression was significantly elevated in gastric carcinomas compared with normal tissues. Knocking down Wnt3 in MGC-803 gastric cancer cells by small interfering RNAs transfection led to an obvious decrease in both transcript and protein levels. Silence of Wnt3 expression in gastric cancer cells inhibited the expression of ß-catenin and cyclin D1 genes in Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, significantly blocked cellular proliferation, delayed cell cycle, suppressed cell invasion and metastasis, accompanied by a higher apoptosis rate. Together, we conclude that upregulation of Wnt3 plays a crucial role in gastric tumorigenesis by inducing proliferation, migration, and invasion and inhibiting apoptosis of cancer cells, and Wnt3 might be a potential target for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Suhuang antitussive capsule at lower doses attenuates airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation, and remodeling in a murine model of chronic asthma.

Suhuang antitussive capsule (Suhuang), a traditional Chinese medication, is found effective in treating chronic cough and cough variant asthma (CVA). This study aimed to determine the possible effects and underlying mechanisms of Suhuang on chronic ovalbumin (OVA)-induced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), inflammation, and remodeling in mice. Mice were randomly assigned to six experimental groups: control, OVA model with or without Suhuang (low dose: 3.5 g/kg, middle dose: 7.0 g/kg, high dose: 14.0 g/kg), or dexamethasone (2.5 mg/kg). AHR, inflammatory cells, cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), lung pathology, mucus production, and airway remodeling were examined. We found Suhuang treated at lower doses effectively inhibited OVA-induced AHR, airway inflammation, mucus production and collagen deposition around the airway. High dose of Suhuang reduced most of the inflammatory hallmarks while exerted inconsiderable effects on the number of macrophages in BALF and AHR. At all doses, Suhuang significantly reduced the levels of interlukin (IL) -13 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1, but had little effects on IL-4, IL-5, IL-17A and interferon (IFN)-γ. Thus, Suhuang administration alleviates the pathological changes of chronic asthma likely through inhibition of IL-13 and TGF-ß1. Suhuang might be a promising therapy for patients with allergic asthma in the future.

[DNA quantification of blood samples pre-treated with pyramidon].

OBJECTIVE: To study DNA quantification and STR typing of samples pre-treated with pyramidon. METHODS: The blood samples of ten unrelated individuals were anticoagulated in EDTA. The blood stains were made on the filter paper. The experimental groups were divided into six groups in accordance with the storage time, 30 min, 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h and 24h after pre-treated with pyramidon. DNA was extracted by three methods: magnetic bead-based extraction, QIAcube DNA purification method and Chelex-100 method. The quantification of DNA was made by fluorescent quantitative PCR. STR typing was detected by PCR-STR fluorescent technology. RESULTS: In the same DNA extraction method, the sample DNA decreased gradually with times after pre-treatment with pyramidon. In the same storage time, the DNA quantification in different extraction methods had significant differences. Sixteen loci DNA typing were detected in 90.56% of samples. CONCLUSION: Pyramidon pre-treatment could cause DNA degradation, but effective STR typing can be achieved within 24 h. The magnetic bead-based extraction is the best method for STR profiling and DNA extraction.

Heparanase promotes human gastric cancer cells migration and invasion by increasing Src and p38 phosphorylation expression.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers and it remains difficult to cure, primarily because most cancer stem like cells possess higher capability of invasion and metastasis. Heparanase acts as a master regulator of the aggressive tumor phenotype in part by enhancing expression of proteins and activating signaling molecules. There were less associated with heparanase of molecular biology mechanism in human gastric cancer. We first evaluated the endogenous expression of heparanase in human gastric cancer cell lines and found Heparanase expression higher in SGC-7901 than MGC-803. Using the technology of RNAi in SGC-7901 cells down regulated heparanase gene, and reduced SGC-7901 cells migration and invasion. On the other hand, recombinant heparanase protein added in MGC-803 cells enhanced MGC-803 cell migration and invasion. The elevated cell migration and invasion were impaired by treatment of Src inhibitor pp2 or p38 inhibitor SB 203580. We further found that Stable knockdown of heparanase in SGC-7901 cells decreased phosphorylation of Src and p38. The phosphorylation of p38 was inhibited in response to pp2 treatment while the addition of SB 203580 to SGC-7901 cells did not change phosphorylation of Src. These data suggest that heparanase facilitates invasion and migration of human gastric cancer cells probably through elevating phosphorylation of Src and p38.

[Macrozoobenthos community structure and water quality evaluation of Tian'e Zhou Oxbows].

A quarterly investigation of the macrozoobenthos community in Tian'e Zhou Yangtze Oxbows was conducted during January 2011 to October 2011. And water quality was assessed based on the benthic macroinvertebrate community structure. It shows that, a total of 30 macrozoobenthos species were found, among which, Insecta (14 species) , Mollusca (6 species), Oligochaeta (8 species) and others (2 species) accounted for 46.67%, 20.00%, 26.67%, and 6.67% of the total, respectively. The dominant species were Clinotanypus, Cryptochironomus digitatus, Limnodrilus claparedeianus, and Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri. The average annual density and biomass of macrozoobenthos were 558.37 ind · m(-2), and 14.03 g · m(-2), respectively. The density of macrozoobenthos was highest in the winter and lowest in the spring, the biomass was highest in the autumn and lowest in the spring. In ten sampling points, No. 8 had the highest density, 1986.00 ind · m(-2), No. 7 had the highest biomass, 50.22 g · m(-2), and No. 6 had the lowest density and biomass, 98.00 ind · m(-2) and 0.85 g · m(-2). The evaluation with Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H'), Margalef richness index (d), Family-level biotic index (FBI), and integrated pollution index (BI) indicated that the overall water quality of the Tian'e Zhou Oxbow was moderate-heavy pollution (III-IV). As compared to that in 2003-2004 (II), the water quality of Tian'e Zhou Oxbow was somewhat decreased.

Electrospinning-directed one-dimensional alignment of core-shell silica/polymer nanoparticles in nanofibers.

Nanofibers with ordered inorganic nanoparticles inside are great interesting for their potential applications in biomedical and photonics. In this work, yardlong-bean shaped nanofibers were fabricated by the combined technology of surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and coaxial electrospinning process. Initially, the core-shell nanospheres were prepared by surface-initiated ATRP of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) from silica nanoparticles with ATRP initiators on surface. Subsequent coaxial electrospinning allows prepare cross-linked nanofibers with a linear-single-particle-array structure. Removal of the inorganic cores gave rise to nanofibers with uniformly dispersed-close-pore structure, which would be useful to drug delivery and catalyst carrying.

Pathway redesign for deoxyviolacein biosynthesis in Citrobacter freundii and characterization of this pigment.

Violacein (Vio) is an important purple pigment with many potential bioactivities. Deoxyviolacein, a structural analog of Vio, is always synthesized in low concentrations with Vio in wild-type bacteria. Due to deoxyviolacein's low production and difficulties in isolation and purification, little has been learned regarding its function and potential applications. This study was the first effort in developing a stable and efficient biosynthetic system for producing pure deoxyviolacein. A recombinant plasmid with vioabce genes was constructed by splicing using an overlapping extension-polymerase chain reaction, based on the Vio-synthesizing gene cluster of vioabcde, originating from Duganella sp. B2, and was introduced into Citrobacter freundii. With the viod gene disrupted in the Vio synthetic pathway, Vio production was completely abolished and the recombinant C. freundii synthesized only deoxyviolacein. Interestingly, vioe gene expression was strongly stimulated in the viod-deleted recombinant strain, indicating that viod disruptions could potentially induce polar effects upon the downstream vioe gene within this small operon. Deoxyviolacein production by this strain reached 1.9 g/L in shaker flasks. The product exhibited significant acid/alkali and UV resistance as well as significant inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation at low concentrations of 0.1-1 µM. These physical characteristics and antitumor activities of deoxyviolacein contribute to illuminating its potential applications.

[Analysis of musculoskeletal disorders, work load and working postures among manufacturing workers].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the distribution of the musculoskeletal disorders, work load and working postures in different factories, gender, education levels, age and working years among manufacturing workers. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study of 5134 manufacturing workers in 12 factories, the morbidities for musculoskeletal disorders in one year period were measured with questionnaires. RESULTS: The morbidities for musculoskeletal disorders in body sites: waist, neck, shoulder, wrist, ankle/feet, knee, hip/buttocks and elbows were 59.7%, 47.9%, 38.1%, 33.7%, 26.9%, 25.4%, 15.2%, and 14.9%, respectively in one year period. There were significant differences of morbidities for musculoskeletal symptoms in body sites of workers among different factories (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The morbidities of musculoskeletal symptoms in elbows, waist, wrists and ankle/feet of the workers in refractory material and chemical fiber factories were higher than those in other factories, the morbidities for musculoskeletal symptoms of workers in garments and diamond factories were lower than those in other factories. The morbidities for musculoskeletal symptoms in neck, shoulders and wrists of female workers were significantly higher than those of male workers (P < 0.01). There were significant differences of the morbidities for musculoskeletal symptoms in body sites among workers with different educational levels (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). There were significant differences of the morbidities for musculoskeletal symptoms in neck, shoulders, wrists, hip/buttocks and knee among groups with different age or different working years (P < 0.01), and the morbidities for musculoskeletal symptoms increased with age and working years. The proportions of unhealthy working postures and high working load among workers in refractory material and chemical fiber factories were higher; but those in garments and diamond factories were lower. CONCLUSION: The morbidities for musculoskeletal symptoms in waist, neck, shoulder and wrists of workers in manufacturing workers were higher; the gender, education level, age and working years could influenced the morbidities for musculoskeletal disorders.

[Association between occupational stress and musculoskeletal disorders in lower extremity].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between occupational stress and musculoskeletal disorders in lower extremity. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was used to investigate 5338 workers in 13 factories and companies for prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in lower extremity, working postures and occupational stress were investigated with questionnaires for past year. Perceived occupational stress was evaluated by the Chinese version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) Model Questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate the associations between occupational stress and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in lower extremity. RESULTS: In the main dimensions of job strain and ERI model, physical demands and effort were risk factors of hip disorders, but job control was a protective factor of hip disorders. When job strain and ERI model scales were analyzed simultaneously, only physical demands were risk factor of hip disorders. When job strain and the effort-reward imbalance were computed by creating four independent categories, job strain was a risk factor of hip disorders, ERI was a risk factor of hip and knee disorders. The risk of imbalance between job strain and effort-reward the protective effect of job control increased with the disorder regions. According to continuous variable analysis, job strain by calculated with physical demands was risk factor of hip disorders, continuous ERI variable was risk factor of hip and knee disorders. CONCLUSION: Occupational stress is associated significantly with musculoskeletal disorders in lower extremity. The control of occupational stress and increase of job control should be considered for preventing the musculoskeletal disorders in lower extremity.

Reconstruction of the violacein biosynthetic pathway from Duganella sp. B2 in different heterologous hosts.

Violacein is a bacteria-originated indolocarbazole pigment with potential applications due to its various bioactivities such as anti-tumor, antiviral, and antifungal activities. However, stable mass production of this pigment is difficult due to its low productivities and the instability of wild-type violacein-producing strains. In order to establish a stable and efficient production system for violacein, the violacein synthesis pathway from a new species of Duganella sp. B2 was reconstructed in different bacterial strains including Escherichia coli, Citrobacter freundii, and Enterobacter aerogenes by using different vectors. The gene cluster that encodes five enzymes involved in the violacein biosynthetic pathway was first isolated from Duganella sp. B2, and three recombinant expression vectors were constructed using the T7 promoter or the alkane-responsive promoter PalkB. Our results showed that violacein could be stably synthesized in E. coli, C. freundii, and E. aerogenes. Interestingly, we found that there were great differences between the different recombinant strains, not only in the protein expression profiles pertaining to violacein biosynthesis but also in the productivity and composition of crude violacein. Among the host strains tested, the crude violacein production by the recombinant C. freundii strain reached 1.68 g L(-1) in shake flask cultures, which was 4-fold higher than the highest production previously reported in flask culture by other groups. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the efficient production of violacein by genetically engineered strains.

[Study on force feedback of acupuncture manipulation at Jianliao (TE 14) based on VOXEL-MAN].

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the mechanical virtual reality when acupuncture on Jianliao (TE 14) so as to get perform perceptual knowledge of acupuncture for beginners through studying 3D reconstruction of surrounding tissues of this acupoint. METHODS: Related tissues were segmented and reconstructed by establishing mathematics model based on the operational platform of VOXEL-MAN (vision reappearance); and mechanical model was constructed and fused with related data of virtual human (touch reappearance); data communication between the force feedback apparatus and the operational platform of virtual human were set up by interchanging vision reappearance module and touch reappearance module. RESULTS: In Linux system, the operator could experience the mechanical changes while needle-tip passing various tissues of Jianliao (TE 14) as well as lifting and thrusting evenly in needling process through the force feedback apparatus. CONCLUSION: Based on the platform of VOXEL-MAN, the sensation of needling at jianliao (TE 14) could be reappeared idealy by strength feedback instrument, so that the beginners could imitate, learn and practice the virtual acupuncture.

Functional polymeric nanofibers from electrospinning.

Electrospinning has been recognized as a feasible process for fabrication of continuous fibers with diameters ranging from several micrometers down to a few nanometers. This article presents an overview of recent progress in functional polymeric nanofibers prepared by electrospinning. Except of functional nanofibers fabricated from electrospinning of functional polymers, nanofibers from a combined technology such as coaxial electrospinning, electrospinning with living radical polymerization, and electrospinning with surface modification, would also be introduced in this review. Furthermore, the functionality and application of nanofibers would also be highlighted.

[Brief analysis on scientifity of the international scalp acupuncture].

By comparing and analyzing the similarity among the international scalp acupuncture, JIAO's scalp acupuncture and ZHU's scalp acupuncture, it is believed that the international scalp acupuncture is a combination of traditional acupuncture and other scalp acupuncture on the basis of channel theory of TCM, and this combination is worthy of discussion. However JIAO's scalp acupuncture lacks scientific evidence. So, the international scalp acupuncture following most contents of JIAO's scalp acupuncture is worthy of discussion.

[Preliminary study on force feedback of acupuncture in virtual reality based on the visible human].

This paper discusses the application of virtual reality technology in the 3-D visible human body and acupuncture research. Based on the 3-D visible human fused with the localization information and hierarchy of acupoints, the paper analyzes the force against the needle and haptic rendering during the needle manipulation according to the physical properties of different tissues. A haptic model is constructed to demonstrate the force behaviors during acupuncture, and the force will be produced and passed to the manipulator by a force feedback device. It enriches the contents of 3-D visible human project, provides a dynamic simulation instrument for acupuncture teaching, and supplies a platform for acupuncture research.