Acupuncture vs Sham Acupuncture for Chronic Sciatica From Herniated Disk: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Sciatica is commonly caused by herniated lumbar disc and contributes to severe pain and prolonged disability. Although acupuncture is widely used by patients with chronic sciatica, the evidence of its efficacy is scarce.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture in patients with chronic sciatica from herniated disk.

Metabolites from the plant endophytic fungus sp. CPCC 401423 and their cytotoxic activity against MIA PaCa-2 cells.

Twenty-two metabolites were isolated from sp. CPCC 401423 cultured on rice. The structures of all compounds were elucidated mainly by MS and NMR analysis as well as the necessary CD experimental evidence, of which penicillidione A (), penicillidione B (), ()-4-[(4-acetoxy-3-methyl-2-butenyl)oxy]phenylacetic acid (), ()-2-hydroxy-2-{4-[(3-methyl-2-butenyl)oxy]phenyl} (), ()-4-(2,3-dihydroxy-3-methyl-butoxy)phenylacetic acid (), ()-4-[(3-carboxy-2-butenyl)oxy]benzoic acid (), ()-4-[(4-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-butenyl)oxy]benzoic acid (), open-cycled N-demethylmelearoride A (), and penostatin M () were identified as new compounds.

[Warm needling reduces oxidative damage and inflammation of cartilage in knee osteoarthritis rats].

Objective: To observe the effect of warm needling on the expression of oxidative stress related factors and pro-inflammatory factors in cartilage of mono sodium iodoacetate (MIA) induced knee osteoarthritis (KOA) model rats, so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of KOA.

Methods: Sixty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: control, model, acupuncture, moxibustion,warm needling, with 12 rats in each group. Rats of the acupuncture, moxibustion,warm needling groups received manual acupuncture or moxibustion or both stimulation of "Zusanli" (ST36) for 15 minutes, once a day for 21 days beginning from the third day after modeling.

Efficacy of acupuncture for sciatica: study protocol for a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Background: Acupuncture is widely used for pain diseases while evidence of its efficacy for sciatica is insufficient. We aim to explore the feasibility and efficacy of acupuncture with different acupoint selecting strategies for sciatica induced by lumbar disc herniation.

Methods: This is a multicenter, three-arm, patient-assessor-blinded randomized controlled pilot trial.

[Warm acupuncture improves arthritic injury by down-regulating expression of skeleton proteins in rats with knee osteoarthritis].

Objective: To investigate the effect of warm acupuncture on chondrocyte cytoskeleton protein Rho associa-ted protein kinase (ROCK)/ monopherine domain kinase 1 (LIMK1)/Cofilin signaling of synovial tissue of the knee-joint in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rats, so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of KOA.

Methods: One hundred-twenty SD rats (half male and half female) were randomly divided into 5 groups: normal control, model, acupuncture, moxibustion and warm acupuncture, with 24 rats in each group. The KOA model was established by injection of 4% Papain (0.

Fault diagnosis for three-phase PWM rectifier based on deep feedforward network with transient synthetic features.

Three-phase PWM rectifiers are adopted extensively in industry because of their excellent properties and potential advantages. However, while the IGBT has an open-circuit fault, the system does not crash suddenly, the performance will be reduced for instance voltages fluctuation and current harmonics. A fault diagnosis method based on deep feedforward network with transient synthetic features is proposed to reduce the dependence on the fault mathematical models in this paper, which mainly uses the transient phase current to train the deep feedforward network classifier.

Xin-Ji-Er-Kang Alleviates Myocardial Infarction-Induced Cardiovascular Remodeling in Rats by Inhibiting Endothelial Dysfunction.

The present study was designed to elucidate the beneficial effects of XJEK on myocardial infarction (MI) in rats, especially through the amelioration of endothelial dysfunction (ED). 136 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 13 groups: control group for 0wk ( = 8); sham groups for 2, 4, and 6 weeks (wk); MI groups for 2, 4, and 6 wk; MI+XJEK groups for 2, 4, and 6w k; MI+Fosinopril groups for 2, 4, and 6 wk ( = 8~10). In addition, 8 rats were treated for Evans blue staining and Tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining to determine the infarct size.

The protective effects of polysaccharide extract from Xin-Ji-Er-Kang formula on Ang II-induced HUVECs injury, L-NAME-induced hypertension and cardiovascular remodeling in mice.

Background: Xin-Ji-Er-Kang (XJEK) is a Chinese herbal formula, which has been reported to exert effective protection against cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension and myocarditis.

Methods: Cultured human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with angiotensin II (Ang II) and different concentrations of aqueous layer extracts (AqE). Subsequently nitric oxide (NO) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression levels were detected.

Effects of Xin-Ji-Er-Kang on Anticardiovascular Remodeling in -NAME Induced Hypertensive Mice and Its Potential Mechanisms.

Background: Xin-Ji-Er-Kang (XJEK) shows protective effects on the myocardial ischemic diseases in our previous reports. We hypothesized that XJEK may exert preventing effects on -NAME induced hypertensive mice by ameliorating oxidative stress (OS) and endothelial dysfunction (ED).

Methods: After treatment with XJEK for four weeks, cardiac function and cardiovascular pathology changes were evaluated.

Effects of Xin-Ji-Er-Kang on heart failure induced by myocardial infarction: Role of inflammation, oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction.

Background: Xin-Ji-Er-Kang (XJEK) is a Chinese herbal formula, which has been reported to exert effective protection on cardiovascular diseases like hypertension and myocarditis.

Purpose: To elucidate the protective effects of XJEK on heart failure (HF) induced by myocardial infarction (MI) through the amelioration of inflammation, oxidative stress (OS) and endothelial dysfunction(ED).

Materials And Methods: Fifty-seven male KM mice were randomized into the following six groups (n = 9-10 for each): control group, model group, MI+XJEK low dose group(XJEKL) group, MI+XJEK middle dose group(XJEKM), MI+XJEK high dose group(XJEKH), and MI+fosinopril group (positive control group).

[Effect of Warm Needle Moxibustion Intervention on Knee-joint Swelling and Expression of Synovial SIRT 1 and NF-κB in Rats with Rheumatoid Arthritis].

Objective: To observe the effect of warm needle moxibustion (WNM) on knee-joint swelling and expression of sirtuin 1 (SIRT 1, a class Ⅲ histone/protein deacetylase) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) in synovial tissue in rats with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Fifty SD rats were randomly divided into five groups:normal control, model, SIRT 1-inhibitor, WNM, and SIRT 1-inhibitor plus WNM (inhibitor+WNM), =10 rats in each group. The RA model was established by subcutaneous injection of bovine type Ⅱ collagen at the sole, once daily for 21 days.

Protective effects of Xinji'erkang on myocardial infarction induced cardiac injury in mice.

Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major risk factor responsible for morbidity and mortality. Xinji'erkang (XJEK) has been clinically used as an effective medication in the treatment of coronary heart disease and myocarditis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cardioprotective effect of Xinji'erkang on MI mice.

Electroacupuncture inhibits chronification of the acute pain of knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Previous studies have shown that electroacupuncture (EA) has a significant effect on acute pain, but it has not solved the clinical problem of the chronification of acute pain. Diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC) function as a reliable indicator to predict the risk of chronic pain events. DNIC function in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients has been demonstrated to gradually decrease during the development of chronic pain.

[Clinical research on warm acupuncture therapy for pain in postmenopausal osteoporosis].

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy on pain in postmenopausal osteoporosis treated with the warm acupuncture therapy and discuss its effect mechanism.

Methods: Ninety cases of postmenopausal osteoporosis were randomized into a warm acupuncture group, an electroacupuncture group and a medication group, 30 cases in each group. In the warm acupuncture group and the electroacupuncture group, Dazhu (BL 11), Shenshu (BL 23) and Xuanzhong (GB 39) were selected bilaterally and stimulated with the warm acupuncture and electroacupuncture therapies respectively, once a day for 30 days totally.

[Effect of acupoint heat-sensitive moxibustion intervention on serum osteopontin and matrix metalloproteinase-3 in patients with acute knee pain].

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of acupoint heat-sensitive moxibustion for acut knee arthralgia and to analyze its effect on serum osteopontin (OPN) and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) contents in patients with knee osteoarthritis so as to study its mechanism underlying improving arthralgia.

Methods: One hundred and forty-four patients with acute knee knee osteoarthritis were randomly allocated to acupoint heat-sensitive moxibustion (moxibustion), electroacupuncture (EA) and medication groups. Patients of the moxibustion group were treated by suspended moxibustion over bilateral Weizhong (BL 40) for 40 min each point, once daily for 15 days.