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.

[Effects of bosutinib on the malignant behavior of thyroid papillary carcinoma B-CPAP cells and its mechanisms].

To investigate the effects of bosutinib on the malignant behavior of thyroid papillary carcinoma B-CPAP cells and its possible mechanisms. Thyroid papillary carcinoma B-CPAP cells were cultured in vitro with a concentration gradient of(1、2、3、4 and 5 μmol/L)bosutinib intervened for 24 hours, DMSO was used as the control group. Five parallel compound holes were set in each group.

A multifunctional non-viral vector for the delivery of MTH1-targeted CRISPR/Cas9 system for non-small cell lung cancer therapy.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system adapted from bacteria is a programmable nuclease-based genome editing tool. The long-lasting effect of gene silencing or correction is beneficial in cancer treatment. Considering the need to broaden the practical application of this technology, highly efficient non-viral vectors are urgently required.

Coadministration of iRGD peptide with ROS-sensitive nanoparticles co-delivering siFGL1 and siPD-L1 enhanced tumor immunotherapy.

The continuous activation and expansion of tumor-specific T cells by various means are the main goal of cancer immunotherapy. Tumor cells overexpress fibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGL1) and programmmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), which respectively bind to lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) and programmmed death-1(PD-1) on T cells, forming important signaling pathways (FGL1/LAG-3 and PD-1/PD-L1) that negatively regulate immune responses. In order to interfere with the inhibitory function of FGL1 and PD-L1 proteins, we designed a new type of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-sensitive nanoparticles to load FGL1 siRNA (siFGL1) and PD-L1 siRNA (siPD-L1), which was formed from a stimuli-responsive polymer with a poly-l-lysine-thioketal and modified cis-aconitate to facilitate endosomal escape.

Clinical characteristics and risk factors for symptomatic venous thromboembolism in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: A multicenter retrospective study.

Background: High incidence of asymptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been observed in severe COVID-19 patients, but the characteristics of symptomatic VTE in general COVID-19 patients have not been described.

Objectives: To comprehensively explore the prevalence and reliable risk prediction for VTE in COVID-19 patients.

Methods/results: This retrospective study enrolled all COVID-19 patients with a subsequent VTE in 16 centers in China from January 1 to March 31, 2020.

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.

Stimuli-responsive nanoparticles for the codelivery of chemotherapeutic agents doxorubicin and siPD-L1 to enhance the antitumor effect.

Cancer cells have been reported to exhibit high resistance against immune system recognition through various cell intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms. Considerable challenges have been encountered in monotherapy with chemotherapeutics to attain the desired antitumor efficacy. In this study, a nanodelivery system was designed to incorporate doxorubicin (DOX) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) small interfering RNA (siRNA), that is, siPD-L1.

Up-regulation of microRNA-136 induces apoptosis and radiosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells by inhibiting the expression of MUC1.

Objective: This present study is performed to figure out the role of microRNA-136 (miR-136) in radiosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells through the regulation of MUC1.

Methods: Seventy-four ESCC patients were divided into radiotherapy sensitive group and radiotherapy resistance group. Colony formation assay and flow cytometry were used to test the radiosensitivity of radiotherapy resistant strain and parent strain.

Doxorubicin and siRNA-PD-L1 co-delivery with T7 modified ROS-sensitive nanoparticles for tumor chemoimmunotherapy.

Tumor cells avoid immunosurveillance during the tumorigenesis, metastasis and recurrence periods thanks to the overexpressed immunosuppressive molecules on their surface. For instance, the programmed cell death 1 ligand (PD-L1) binds with the T-cells' programmed cell death receptor 1 (PD-1) impairing the anti-tumor activity of the host T cells. In this study, a new reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsive nanoparticle (NP), modified with the HAIYPRH (T7) peptide, was developed for the co-delivery of siRNA-PD-L1 and doxorubicin (Dox).

[Efficacy of Modified Acupuncture Method at Renying (ST 9) for Patients with Cervical Spondylosis of Vertebral Artery Type and Its Impact on Velocity of Cervical Blood Flow].

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of modified acupuncture at Renying point (ST 9) for patients with cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type and its influence on velocity of cervical blood flow.

Methods: Fifty-nine cases of vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis were randomly divided into control group (=30) and treatment group (=29). Both groups were acupunctured at ST 9, with routine acupuncture technique used in the control group and modified technique in the treatment group, respectively.

[Observation on clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture treatment on functional dyspepsia based on syndrome differentiation].

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy difference in treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD) between syndrome differentiation based acupuncture and ordinary acupuncture.

Methods: Seventy FD patients were assigned to a syndrome differentiation based acupuncture group (Group A) and an ordinary acupuncture group (Group B) by Excel Software randomization. Zhongwan (RN12 ), Tianshu (ST25), and Zusanli (ST36) were needled as main points for patients in Group A.

[Effects of syndrome-differentiation acupuncture on life quality in patients with functional dyspepsia].

Objective: To observe effects of syndrome-differentiation acupuncture on life quality in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) in order to evaluate its clinical efficacy.

Methods: One hundred and five cases of FD were randomly divided into a syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group, a regular acupuncture group and a non-acupoint group, 35 cases in each one. Zhongwan (CV 12), Tianshu (ST 25), Zusanli (ST 36) were selected as main acupoints in the syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group.

[Clinical observation on therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture at Quchi (LI 11) for treatment of essential hypertension].

Objective: To observe the therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at Quchi (LI 11) on blood pressure and blood plasma catecholamines in the patient of essential hypertension and to investigate the mechanism.

Methods: Sixty cases of essential hypertension were randomly divided into an EA group (n=30) and a control group (n=30). In the EA group, bilateral Quchi (LI 11) were selected; and in the control group, western medicine Nicardipine was taken.

[Therapeutic effects of scalp-acupuncture in patients with vascular dementia induced by cerebral infarction: a randomized controlled trial].

Objective: To investigate the effects of scalp-acupuncture on intelligence in patients with vascular dementia (VaD).

Methods: A total of 108 VaD patients were randomly divided into two groups: scalp-acupuncture group and Western medicine group. The scores of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Blesse Dementia Scale (BDS), Hasegawa Dementia Scale (HDS), Abilities of Daily Life (ADL) before and after treatment in the two groups were detected.

[Effects of electroacupuncture at "Fenglong" (ST 40) on NO, ET and CGRP levels in the rat with hyperlipidemia].

Objective: To probe the regulative effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Fenglong" (ST 40) on blood lipids in hyperlipidemia (HLP) rats and the mechanism.

Methods: Eighty Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normal group (fed with basal forage), a model group (fed with high fat forage), an EA group (fed with high fat forage + EA treatment), a western medicine group (fed with high fat forage + Pravastatin sodium). Contents of serum total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), endothelin (ET), nitric oxide (NO) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) were determined before and after treatment.

[Effect of electro-acupuncture at Fenglong (GV 16) on nitric oxide and endothelin in rats with hyperlipidemia].

Objective: To investigate the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) at Fenglong (GV 16) on body weight, blood lipids, nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin (ET) in rats with hyperlipidemia (HLP).

Methods: Eighty Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control group (fed normal diet), untreated group (fed a high-fat diet), EA-treated group (fed a high-fat diet plus EA therapy) and pravastatin-treated group (fed a high-fat diet plus pravastatin tablet). There were 20 rats in each group.