Hemodynamic Changes in the Brachial Artery Induced by Acupuncture Stimulation on the Lower Limbs: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Acupuncture is commonly performed at acupoints. No comparisons of quantitative physiological alterations in the brachial artery (BA) induced by the stimulation of different acupoints in the lower limbs have been performed in humans. Therefore, we investigated changes in blood flow volume (BFV) in the BA as an indicator of the physiological effects induced by stimulation at 3 points. Seventy-five healthy participants aged 33 ± 9 years (mean ± SD) were enrolled and randomly assigned to 3 groups; they received stimulation at 3 different points located on the lower limbs: ST36, LR3, and a non-acupoint. Stimulation was performed bilaterally with manual rotation of the needles. Using ultrasonography, BFV was measured continuously from rest to 180 seconds after stimulation. LR3 stimulation significantly increased BFV compared to that before needle insertion. Meanwhile, stimulation at ST36 and the non-acupoint significantly decreased BFV compared to that before needle insertion. Stimulation at LR3 elicited a significant increase in BFV compared to that at ST36 and the non-acupoint. The results suggest that the stimulation of different points on the lower limbs causes distinct physiological effects on BFV in the BA

Quantitative Evaluation of Pain during Electrocutaneous Stimulation using a Log-Linearized Peripheral Arterial Viscoelastic Model

In clinical practice, subjective pain evaluations, e.g., the visual analogue scale and the numeric rating scale, are generally employed, but these are limited in terms of their ability to detect inaccurate reports, and are unsuitable for use in anesthetized patients or those with dementia. We focused on the peripheral sympathetic nerve activity that responds to pain, and propose a method for evaluating pain sensation, including intensity, sharpness, and dullness, using the arterial stiffness index. In the experiment, electrocardiogram, blood pressure, and photoplethysmograms were obtained, and an arterial viscoelastic model was applied to estimate arterial stiffness. The relationships among the stiffness index, self-reported pain sensation, and electrocutaneous stimuli were examined and modelled. The relationship between the stiffness index and pain sensation could be modelled using a sigmoid function with high determination coefficients, where R2 ≥ 0.88, p < 0.01 for intensity, R2 ≥ 0.89, p < 0.01 for sharpness, and R2 ≥ 0.84, p < 0.01 for dullness when the stimuli could appropriately evoke dull pain.This work was supported by the Center of Innovation Program from Japan Science and Technology Agency.Supplementary information accompanies this paper at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-21223-1

A PERIOD3 variant causes a circadian phenotype and is associated with a seasonal mood trait.

In humans, the connection between sleep and mood has long been recognized, although direct molecular evidence is lacking. We identified two rare variants in the circadian clock gene PERIOD3 (PER3-P415A/H417R) in humans with familial advanced sleep phase accompanied by higher Beck Depression Inventory and seasonality scores. hPER3-P415A/H417R transgenic mice showed an altered circadian period under constant light and exhibited phase shifts of the sleep-wake cycle in a short light period (photoperiod) paradigm. Molecular characterization revealed that the rare variants destabilized PER3 and failed to stabilize PERIOD1/2 proteins, which play critical roles in circadian timing. Although hPER3-P415A/H417R-Tg mice showed a mild depression-like phenotype, Per3 knockout mice demonstrated consistent depression-like behavior, particularly when studied under a short photoperiod, supporting a possible role for PER3 in mood regulation. These findings suggest that PER3 may be a nexus for sleep and mood regulation while fine-tuning these processes to adapt to seasonal changes

Report on Disaster Medical Operations with Acupuncture/Massage Therapy After the Great East Japan Earthquake

The Great East Japan Earthquake inflicted immense damage over a wide area of eastern Japan with the consequent tsunami. Department of Traditional Asian Medicine, Tohoku University, started providing medical assistance to the disaster-stricken regions mainly employing traditional Asian therapies

Estimation of Arterial Viscosity Based on an Oscillometric Method and Its Application in Evaluating the Vascular Endothelial Function

This paper proposes an algorithm for estimating the arterial viscosity using cuff pressures and pulse waves measured by an automatic oscillometric sphygmomanometer. A change in the arterial viscosity during the enclosed-zone flow-mediated dilation test is calculated as an index for evaluating the vascular endothelial function %η. In all, 43 individuals participated in this study. After the index %η was calculated, the accuracy of the index %η in distinguishing healthy subjects and subjects at a high risk of arteriosclerosis was tested via a receiving operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The calculated %η for the healthy participants and those at a high risk of arteriosclerosis was 13.4 ± 55.1% and −32.7 ± 34.0% (mean ± S.D.), respectively. The area under the ROC curve was 0.77. Thus, it was concluded that the proposed method can be used to evaluate the vascular endothelial function.This research was partly supported by the Transportation Technology Development Promotion Competitive Funding Program from Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and the Center of Innovation Program from Japan Science and Technology Agency

Response of Arterial Mechanical Impedance to Different Concentrations of Remifentanil during Abdominal Laparoscopic Colectomy

A specific and reliable method for monitoring analgesia during general anesthesia is urgently required. Previously, we introduced a method that indicates arterial mechanical properties for estimating arterial wall stiffness (K). However, whether the response of K actually indicates changes in remifentanil target concentrations under continuous surgical stress, is unclear. Thus, we aimed to evaluate how K responds to different remifentanil target concentrations. This prospective study enrolled 30 patients who underwent laparoscopic colectomy. The patients received 3 different effect-site concentrations (2, 4, and 6 ng/ml) of remifentanil 3 times during the study period. The K values at 4-ng/ml administration were used as control values (Kcontrol). K values at 6-ng/ml administration (K6ng) and those at 2-ng/ml administration (K2ng) were normalized by dividing them by the control values. The results showed that K responded to the changes in remifentanil concentration, significantly decreasing at 6-ng/ml remifentanil effect-site concentration and increasing at 2-ng/ml concentration. The stress response at low analgesia was higher than that at high analgesia, and, as predicted, normalized K2ng was significantly greater than normalized K6ng. In conclusion, we found that K is a sensitive stress response monitor and dynamically responds to changes in remifentanil concentration in invasive stimulation during laparoscopic colectomy

Lactams. XXVI. Regioselectivity in the mercuric acetate- edetic acid oxidation of the ethyl 1-(2-aryl-2-hydroxyethyl)-3- ethyl-4-piperidineacetate system: Enhancement by a benzyloxy group in the aryl moiety and by the 3,4-cis configuration

A quantitative analytical study to determine the isomer ratios of the 6-piperidones (type 7) and 2-piperidones (type 5) produced by the mercuric acetate-edetic acid (EDTA) oxidation of 1-(2-aryl-2-hydroxyethyl)-3-alkylpiperidines (±)-4c, d, f, h, 4e, g, i, j, and (±)-38 was carried out. It has been found that all the substrates with a benzyloxy group in the aryl moiety, regardless of its location, undergo oxidation at the 6-position preferentially as compared with the debenzyloxy derivatives such as (±)-4a, b. Comparison of the quantitative data from 4e and (±)-4f with those from (±)-4b indicated that the cis acetate chain at the 4-position increases the extent of the 6-oxidation, whereas a trans acetate chain at the same position has little effect. These two factors enhance the practical value of the "cincholoipon-incorporating method" for chiral syntheses of the 1-type Alangium alkaloids, in which the mercuric acetate-EDTA oxidation of 4e, g, i, j to the 6-piperidones (type 3)is one of the key synthetic operations