Scorpion venom polypeptide governs alveolar macrophage M1/M2 polarization to alleviate pulmonary fibrosis.

The onset of connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) is generally insidious and progressive, with pulmonary fibrosis in the middle stage, and eventually respiratory failure and death. This study aimed to explore the role of scorpion venom polypeptide (SVP), the primary active constituent of the entire scorpion, in alveolar macrophages and pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary fibrosis mouse models were established, and then SVP and JAK inhibitor (tofacitinib) was used to treat models.

ST36 Acupuncture Alleviates the Inflammation of Adjuvant-Induced Arthritic Rats by Targeting Monocyte/Macrophage Modulation.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the aggregation of immune cells and secretion of cytokines in the joint synovium, causing hyperblastosis and even bone destruction. Acupuncture has been proven effective in RA treatment. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory action of acupuncture, specifically, in relation to immune cell interactions and key mediators.

Chemokine CXCL1 in serum mediates the antinociceptive effect of manual acupuncture at ST36.

Background: Inflammatory pain is the most common type of pain encountered clinically. The analgesic effect of acupuncture has been well-documented.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of chemokine CXCL1 in the serum on manual acupuncture (MA)-induced antinociception.

Applying Complex Network and Cell-Cell Communication Network Diagram Methods to Explore the Key Cytokines and Immune Cells in Local Acupoint Involved in Acupuncture Treating Inflammatory Pain.

Manual acupuncture (MA) can effectively treat a variety of diseases, but its specific mechanism remains unclear. The "acupoint network" activated by MA participates in MA signal transduction, in which immune-related cells and cytokines play an important role. However, which cells and cytokines in the acupoint have changed after MA? What is the network relationship between them? Which cells and cytokines may play the most important role in MA effect? These problems are unclear.

Acupuncture Alleviates Rheumatoid Arthritis by Immune-Network Modulation.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune inflammatory and debilitating disease that involves the systemic imbalance of the immune network. Previous studies have shown that acupuncture can help treat RA. However, its specific mechanisms are not fully understood.

A New Theory for Acupuncture: Promoting Robust Regulation.

Robustness, an ability of biological networks to uphold their functionalities in the face of perturbations, is a key characteristic of all living systems. Acupuncture is a procedure in which fine needles are inserted into an individual at discrete points and then manipulated, with the intent of preventing and curing diseases. Acupuncture does not directly eliminate pathogenic factors or pathological tissue; rather, acupuncture enhances the ability of the human body to self-medicate itself by activating complex regulatory systems and by maintaining physiological homeostasis to prevent or treat diseases.

[Literature study for acupoint selection rule of rheumatoid arthritis treated with acupuncture].

To explore the clinical acupoint selection rule of rheumatoid arthritis(RA) treated with acupuncture by literature analysis. The related articles were retrieved in 6 Chinese and English databases,including CNKI,VIP,,PubMed,Medline and Cochrane. We established a holistic acupoint database and a disease location acupoint database.

[Development of Researches on Cytokine Mechanisms in Analgesia and Anti-inflammation in Acupuncture Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis].

Cytokines are closely related to the occurrence and development of rheumatoid arthritis(RA). Acupuncture exerts anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects via elevating anti-inflammatory cytokine level and reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine level and regulating Th 1/Th 2 balance, which reflects the dual directional regulatory effect of acupuncture. However, problems exist in the current researches, such as inadequate depth, limited breadth and not so up-to-date research focus.

Efficacy and safety of manual acupuncture manipulations with different frequencies on epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) in functional dyspepsia (FD) patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Manual acupuncture (MA) manipulations are one of the key factors influencing acupuncture effects in traditional Chinese medicine theory. Different MA manipulations contain different stimulating parameters, thus generating different acupuncture responses or effects. Evidence has demonstrated that acupuncture is effective for functional dyspepsia (FD).

Strong Manual Acupuncture Manipulation Could Better Inhibit Spike Frequency of the Dorsal Horn Neurons in Rats with Acute Visceral Nociception.

Afferent impulses from visceral nociception can be regulated by acupuncture at spinal cord level; however, the effects of different manual acupuncture (MA) manipulations on the afferent impulses are still unknown. Here, we analyzed the spike frequency of excitatory gastric-related wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons in spinal dorsal horn (SDH) following acute gastric distension (GD) in rats and compared their responses to MA manipulations with four different frequencies (0.5, 1, 2, and 3 Hz) at Zusanli (ST36).

Differential effects of variable frequencies of manual acupuncture at ST36 in rats with atropine-induced inhibition of gastric motility.

Objective: The 'intensity-response' relationship between acupuncture stimulation and therapeutic effect is currently the focus of much research interest. The same needling manipulation with different frequencies can generate differential levels of stimulus. This study aimed to examine the effects on gastric motility induced by four twirling frequencies based on relatively standardised manual acupuncture (MA) manipulations.

Acupuncture Therapy for the Treatment of Myelosuppression after Chemotherapy: A Literature Review over the Past 10 Years.

The aim of this study is to review current studies on the effect of acupuncture therapy on bone marrow suppression after chemotherapy. The authors of the present paper have searched related literature over the past 10 years at home and abroad, analyzing the features and the effects of acupuncture therapy (including acupuncture, moxibustion, point injection, point application, etc.) for treating myelosuppression after tumor chemotherapy.

[Analysis on literature regarding acupuncture-moxibustion with high impact factor journal of SCI during the recent 5 years].

The status of acupuncture-moxibustion is more and more recognized by mainstream medicine in the world in recent years, and literature regarding acupuncture-moxibustion with high impact factor (IF) published in the worldwide mainstream medicine journals is also gradually growing by years. To understand the situation of related literature, literature regarding acupuncture-moxibustion with IF of more than 10 in Science Citation Index (SCI) during the recent 5 years was retrieved. The number, the types, the diseases involved, the publishing states of the acquired articles and the source, the citation, the IF of the publishing journals were analyzed and summarized.

[Acupoint: the sensor of the information in the organic body].

Based on the structure and function of acupoint and in association of the definition and principle of sensor, the acupoint is the sensitive element, being sensitive to the physical stimulation with acupuncture and moxibustion and sensitively responded to the disorders; the acupoint is the sensing element, transforming the changes of the acupoint information via the complicated internet conduction, integration and regulation, so as to generate the effects on organic body; the acupoint is the conversion element, transforming every irritation into the bioelectric signal or optical signal so that the organic body could recognize it. Therefore, the acupoint is regarded as the sensor of information in the organic body.

[Study on the mechanisms of cupping therapy].

Computerized literature searches are performed for articles of the mechanism of cupping therapy in the past 10 years. The mechanism of action of local negative pressure applied to human body is studied in terms of specific changes in local tissue structure, stretch to the nerve and muscle, increasing blood circulation and causing autohemolysis. This paper aims to explain the mechanism of cupping therapy according to modern science.