Publications by authors named "Zhijun Weng"

Article Synopsis
  • Scientists looked at how special cells in the body, called satellite glial cells, affect a painful stomach condition known as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and if a treatment called electroacupuncture (EA) can help.
  • They experimented on rats by using a method to make their stomachs hurt and then saw how different treatments (like EA) affected their pain and body responses.
  • The results showed that EA helped the rats feel less pain and also changed how certain cells work in the stomach, suggesting that this treatment could be useful for people with IBS.
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Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is one of the most devastating diseases affecting the pig industry globally. Due to the emergence of novel strains, no effective vaccines are available for prevention and control. Investigating the pathogenic mechanisms of PEDV may provide insights for creating clinical interventions.

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Although multiple purinergic receptors mediate the analgesic effects of acupuncture, it remains unclear whether there is mutual interaction between purinergic receptors to jointly mediate the electroacupuncture inhibition of peripheral sensitization in visceral pain. Visceral hypersensitivity was induced by intracolonic 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) in rat. The antinociception effect of electroacupuncture on visceral pain was evaluated by morphology, behaviors, neuroelectrophysiology and molecular biology techniques.

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Alphacoronaviruses are the primary coronaviruses responsible for causing severe economic losses in the pig industry with the potential to cause human outbreaks. Currently, extensive studies have reported the essential role of endosomal sorting and transport complexes (ESCRT) in the life cycle of enveloped viruses. However, very little information is available about which ESCRT components are crucial for alphacoronaviruses infection.

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Introduction: African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a highly contagious virus that spreads rapidly and has a mortality rate of up to 100% in domestic pigs, leading to significant economic losses in the pig industry. The major capsid protein p72 of ASFV plays a critical role in viral invasion and immune evasion.

Methods: In this study, we used yeast two-hybrid screening to identify host proteins interacting with p72 in porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) and verified these proteins using confocal microscopy and immunoprecipitation techniques.

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Porcine epidemic diarrhea, characterized by vomiting, dehydration, and diarrhea, is an acute and highly contagious enteric disease caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in neonatal piglets. This disease has caused large economic losses to the porcine industry worldwide. Thus, identifying the host factors involved in PEDV infection is important to develop novel strategies to control PEDV transmission.

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Porcine enteric alphacoronavirus (PEAV) is a new bat HKU2-like porcine coronavirus, and its endemic outbreak has caused severe economic losses to the pig industry. Its broad cellular tropism suggests a potential risk of cross-species transmission. A limited understanding of PEAV entry mechanisms may hinder a rapid response to potential outbreaks.

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African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a complex nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus (NCLDV) that causes a lethal hemorrhagic disease that is currently threatening the global pig industry. ASFV structural protein p30 is a membrane phosphoprotein that suggests it may play a regulatory role, possibly in signal transduction. Despite its significance in internalization into host cells, the interaction between p30 and host proteins is relatively unknown.

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Objective: To explore whether acupuncture combined with moxibustion could inhibit epithelialmesenchymal transition in Crohn's disease by affecting the transforming growth factor β 1 (TGF- β 1)/Smad3/Snail pathway.

Methods: Sixty-three patients with Crohn's disease were randomly divided into an observation group (31 cases) receiving moxibustion at 43 °C combined with acupuncture, and a control group (32 cases) receiving moxibustion at 37 °C combined with sham acupuncture using a random number table. Patients were treated for 12 weeks.

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This study explored the role of P2X7 receptors in spinal cord astrocytes in the electroacupuncture-induced inhibition of visceral hypersensitivity (VH) in rats with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Visceral hypersensitivity of IBS was intracolonically induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). Visceromotor responses to colorectal distension (CRD-20,40,60,80 mmHg) and abdominal withdrawal reflex scoring (AWRs) were recorded after electroacupuncture at bilateral Zusanli (ST36) and Sanyinjiao (SP6) acupoints to evaluate the analgesic effect of electroacupuncture on visceral pain in rats with IBS.

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Background: Moxibustion is increasingly used for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This study investigated the long-term effects of moxibustion for IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D).

Methods: Patients with IBS-D were assigned to receive moxibustion or sham moxibustion (52 each, 3× per week, 6 weeks) and were followed up to 24 weeks.

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We report the first case of a woman with Behcet's disease (BD) with multiple hand ulcers secondary to coninfection by and resulting in necrotizing fasciitis. She had a long history of BD including long courses of prednisone and immunosuppressants. The patient was hospitalized for multiple superficial ulcers, swelling, and infection of the hands.

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Background And Aims: Intestinal fibrosis is one of the severe and common complications of Crohn's disease (CD), but the etiology and pathogenesis remain uncertain. The study intended to examine whether the effect of herb-partitioned moxibustion on rats with CD-associated intestinal fibrosis is associated with the RhoA/ROCK1/MLC pathway.

Methods: All experimental rats were randomly allocated into the normal control group (NC), model control group (MC), and herb-partitioned moxibustion group (HPM).

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Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture-moxibustion on negative emotions and plasma tryptophan (Trip)-kynurenine (Kyn) metabolism in the patients with Crohn's disease (CD) at the mild and moderate active stage.

Methods: A total of 66 CD patients were randomized into an observation group (33 cases, 1 case dropped off) and a control group (33 cases, 2 cases dropped off). In the observation group, acupuncture was applied in combination with moxibustion.

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Background: Electroacupuncture (EA) has been confirmed effectiveness in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and P2X receptors in the peripheral and central neurons participate in the acupuncture-mediated relief of the visceral pain in IBS.

Objective: To reveal the neurobiological mechanism that P2X receptor of colonic primary sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia of the lumbosacral segment is involved in the alleviation of visceral hypersensitivity by EA in an IBS rat model.

Methods: The IBS chronic visceral pain rat model was established according to the method of Al-Chaer et al.

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Objective: To explore whether the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on visceral hypersensitivity (VH) in rats with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is related to the changes of astrocyte activation in the medial thalamus (MT) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).

Method: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the normal control (NC) group, model control (MC) group, electroacupuncture (EA) group, and fluorocitrate (FCA) group. A model of visceral hypersensitivity was established by neonatal colorectal irritation.

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Objective: To observe the effect of herb-partitioned moxibustion at the Tianshu (ST 25) and Qihai (CV 6) acupoints in rats with Crohn's disease, and explore the underlying mechanism from dopamine (DA) and dopamine receptor 1 (D1R) in the colon, spinal dorsal horn and hypothalamus.

Methods: The rats were randomly divided into the normal, model (CD), herb-partitioned moxibustion (Mox) and mesalazine (Mesa) groups. Damage in the colons was scored and observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining.

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Aim: To observe whether there are differences in the effects of electro-acupuncture (EA) and moxibustion (Mox) in rats with visceral hypersensitivity.

Methods: EA at 1 mA and 3 mA and Mox at 43 °C and 46 °C were applied to the Shangjuxu (ST37, bilateral) acupoints in model rats with visceral hypersensitivity. Responses of wide dynamic range neurons in dorsal horns of the spinal cord were observed through the extracellular recordings.

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It is currently accepted that the neural transduction pathways of gastrointestinal (GI) visceral pain include the peripheral and central pathways. Existing research on the neurological mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) in the treatment of GI visceral pain has primarily been concerned with the regulation of relevant transduction pathways. The generation of pain involves a series of processes, including energy transduction of stimulatory signals in the sensory nerve endings (signal transduction), subsequent conduction in primary afferent nerve fibers of dorsal root ganglia, and transmission to spinal dorsal horn neurons, the ascending transmission of sensory signals in the central nervous system, and the processing of sensory signals in the cerebral cortex.

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Aim: To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture on corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the colon, spinal cord, and hypothalamus of rats with chronic visceral hypersensitivity.

Methods: A rat model of chronic visceral hypersensitivity was generated according to the internationally accepted method of colorectal balloon dilatation. In the 7(th) week after the procedure, rats were randomly divided into a model group (MG), electroacupuncture group (EA), and sham electroacupuncture group (S-EA).

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Electroacupuncture at Shangjuxu (ST37) and Tianshu (ST25) was reported to improve visceral hypersensitivity in rats. Colorectal distension was utilized to generate a rat model of chronic visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome. Results showed that abdominal withdrawal reflex scores noticeably increased after model establishment.

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Aim: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of active Crohn's disease (CD).

Methods: Ninety-two patients were equally and randomly divided into the treatment group and received herb-partitioned moxibustion combined with acupuncture, and the control group received wheat bran-partitioned moxibustion combined with superficial acupuncture. The patients received three treatment sessions per week for 12 wk and were followed up for 24 wk.

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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder that causes recurrent abdominal (visceral) pain. Epidemiological data show that the incidence rate of IBS is as high as 25%. Most of the medications may lead to tolerance, addiction and toxic side effects.

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Electroacupuncture at Shangjuxu (ST37) and Tianshu (ST25) can improve visceral hypersensitivity in rats. Colorectal distension was used to establish a rat model of chronic visceral hypersensitivity. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect P2X2 and P2X3 receptor expression in dorsal root ganglia from rats with chronic visceral hypersensitivity.

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