Efficacy of acupuncture in refractory irritable bowel syndrome: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder that presents with abdominal pain/discomfort and altered bowel patterns. IBS has multiple potential causes for which conventional medicines have had limited success, resulting in a significant number of patients who do not sensitively respond to pharmacotherapy for a period of 12 months and who develop a continuing symptom profile (described as refractory IBS) and seek help through (non)pharmacological treatments. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for refractory IBS on the basis of conventional treatments.

Prognostic Value of an Autophagy-Related Five-Gene Signature for Lower-Grade Glioma Patients.

Molecular characteristics can be good indicators of tumor prognosis and have been introduced into the classification of gliomas. The prognosis of patients with newly classified lower-grade gliomas (LGGs, including grade 2 and grade 3 gliomas) is highly heterogeneous, and new molecular markers are urgently needed. Autophagy related genes (ATGs) were obtained from Human Autophagy Database (HADb).

Electroacupuncture Improves Cognitive Function in Senescence-Accelerated P8 (SAMP8) Mice via the NLRP3/Caspase-1 Pathway.

Clinically, electroacupuncture (EA) is the most common therapy for aging-related cognitive impairment (CI). However, the underlying pathomechanism remains unidentified. The aims of this study were to observe the effect of EA on cognitive function and explore the potential mechanism by which EA acts on the NLRP3/caspase-1 signaling pathway.

[Encircling needling is superior to "Bangci"(focal center-side needling) in promoting wound healing in diabetic mice].

Objective: To compare the therapeutic effects of "Bangci"(focal center-side needling) and encircling needling in promoting skin wound healing and local blood perfusion in diabetic mice.

Methods: Thirty-two male C57BL/6N mice were randomized into normal, diabetic model, focal center-side needling and encircling needling groups (=8 in each group). The skin wound model was prepared by cutting a piece of full-thickness skin at the mouse's back by using a puncher.

Cytoprotective effects of the medicinal herb Astragalus membranaceus on lipopolysaccharide‑exposed cells.

Astragalus membranaceus (AM) is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, whose cytoprotective effects remain largely unknown. Here, the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was applied to a human pulmonary type II‑like epithelial lung adenocarcinoma cell line, a human umbilical vein endothelial cell line, and a human bladder carcinoma cell line to construct in vitro models of intracellular oxidative stress. The authors assayed the cellular and mitochondrial cytoprotective effects of varying doses of AM root extract upon these cell lines.