Effects of Electroacupuncture on Facial Nerve Function and HSV-1 DNA Quantity in HSV-1 Induced Facial Nerve Palsy Mice

Acupuncture is a common and effective therapeutic method to treat facial nerve palsy (FNP). However, its underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture on symptoms and content of HSV-1 DNA in FNP mice. Mice were randomized into four groups, an electroacupuncture treatment group, saline group, model animal group, and blank control group. Electroacupuncture was applied at Jiache (ST6) and Hegu (LI4) in electroacupuncture group once daily for 14 days, while electroacupuncture was not applied in model animal group. In electroacupuncture group, mice recovered more rapidly and HSV-1 DNA content also decreased more rapidly, compared with model animal group. We conclude that electroacupuncture is effective to alleviate symptoms and promote the reduction of HSV-1 in FNP

Acupuncture for Lateral Epicondylitis: A Systematic Review

Objective. This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for lateral epicondylitis (LE). Methods. Seven databases and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform Search Portal were searched to identify relevant studies. The data were extracted and assessed by two independent authors, and Review Manager Software (V.5.3) was used for data synthesis with effect estimate presented as standard mean difference (SMD) and mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to assess the level of evidence. Results. Four RCTs with 309 participants were included with poor methodological quality. Participants who received acupuncture and acupuncture plus moxibustion with material insulation were likely to have an improvement in elbow functional status and/or myodynamia. The overall quality rated by GRADE was from very low to low. Two studies reported that the needle pain would be the main reason for the dropout. Conclusion. For the small number of included studies with poor methodological quality, no firm conclusion can be drawn regarding the effect of acupuncture of elbow functional status and myodynamia for LE. This trial is registered with CRD42015016199

Effectiveness Study of Moxibustion on Pain Relief in Primary Dysmenorrhea: Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Dysmenorrhea is a prevalent problem in menstruating women. As a nonpharmacologic and free of relevant side effects intervention, moxibustion is considered as a safe treatment and has long been recommended for dysmenorrhea in China. However, the exact effects of moxibustion in PD have not been fully understood. Therefore we designed this random clinical trial aiming to (1) investigate whether moxibustion is safe and effective for pain relief in primary dysmenorrhea when compared to conventional pain-killers and (2) assess the acceptability and side effects associated with moxibustion. The results of this trial will contribute to a better understanding of the different effects of moxibustion in pain relief in primary dysmenorrhea when compared to conventional pharmacologic pain treatment

Holoclone Forming Cells from Pancreatic Cancer Cells Enrich Tumor Initiating Cells and Represent a Novel Model for Study of Cancer Stem Cells

Pancreatic cancer is one of the direct causes of cancer-related death. High level of chemoresistance is one of the major obstacles of clinical treatment. In recent years, cancer stem cells have been widely identified and indicated as the origin of chemoresistance in multi-types of solid tumors. Increasing evidences suggest that cancer stem cells reside in the cells capable of forming holoclones continuously. However, in pancreatic cancer, holoclone-forming cells have not been characterized yet. Therefore, the goal of our present study was to indentify the holoclone-forming pancreatic cancer stem cells and develop an in vitro continuous colony formation system, which will greatly facilitate the study of pancreatic cancer stem cells.Pancreatic cancer cell line BxPC3 was submitted to monoclonal cultivation to generate colonies. Based on the morphologies, colonies were classified and analyzed for their capacities of secondary colony formation, long-term survival in vitro, tumor formation in vivo, and drug resistance. Flowcytometry and quantitative RT-PCR were performed to detect the expression level of cancer stem cells associated cell surface markers, regulatory genes and microRNAs in distinct types of colonies. Three types of colonies with distinct morphologies were identified and termed as holo-, mero-, and paraclones, in which only holoclones generated descendant colonies of all three types in further passages. Compared to mero- and paraclones, holoclones possessed higher capacities of long-term survival, tumor initiation, and chemoresistance. The preferential expression of cancer stem cells related marker (CXCR4), regulatory genes (BMI1, GLI1, and GLI2) and microRNAs (miR-214, miR-21, miR-221, miR-222 and miR-155) in holoclones were also highlighted.Our results indicate that the pancreatic tumor-initiating cells with high level of chemoresistance were enriched in holoclones derived from BxPC3 cell line. Generation of holoclones can serve as a novel model for studying cancer stem cells, and attribute to developing new anti-cancer drugs

Preparation of an Efficient Oil-Spill Adsorbent Based on Wheat Straw

Acetylation of cellulose fiber extracted by methylbenzene/ethanol (2/1), sodium chlorite solution, and sodium hydroxide from raw wheat straw (RWS) was studied to examine its potential as an oil-spill adsorbent. Wheat straw cellulosic sorbent was produced by using acetic anhydride as an acetylating reagent and N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as a catalyst. Effects of the volume ratio of acetic anhydride (from 6.25% to 57.5%), catalyst concentration (from 10 to 60 mM NBS), reaction temperature (from 50 to 120 °C), and reaction time (from 0.5 to 3 h) on oil-sorption properties were evaluated. The best oil absorbencies for diesel fuel, diesel oil slick, corn oil, and corn oil slick treatments were 24.21 ± 0.76, 22.39 ± 0.77, 25.61 ± 2.13, and 24.73 ± 1.19 g/g, respectively. Chemical composition and morphologic structure of RWS before and after acetylation were investigated and compared. Oil-absorption capacity, oil-retention ability, recyclability, and selectivity of RWS, pretreated wheat straw, and acetylated wheat straw were also discussed. The acetylated wheat straw demonstrated good potential for the utilization of agricultural residues as natural sorbents in oil cleanup

Temperature Effects on the Dielectric Properties and Breakdown Performance of h-BN/Epoxy Composites

Epoxy–boron nitride composites are promising insulating materials, and it is highly important to understand their insulating performances at different temperatures with different nano-doping amounts. In this study, we investigated the effects of different mass fractions of epoxy–micron hexagonal boron nitride composites on their thermal conductivity, as well as the effects of temperature and mass fraction on their insulating performances. The results demonstrated that the thermal conductivity of epoxy–micron hexagonal boron nitride composites was superior to that of neat epoxy. The thermal conductivity of epoxy–micron hexagonal boron nitride composites increased with the mass fraction of hexagonal boron nitride, and their dielectric constant and dielectric loss increased with temperature. The dielectric constant of epoxy–micron hexagonal boron nitride composites decreased as the mass fraction of hexagonal boron nitride increased, while their dielectric losses decreased and then increased as the mass fraction of hexagonal boron nitride increased. Due to internal heat accumulation, the alternating current breakdown strength of epoxy–micron hexagonal boron nitride composites increased and then decreased as the mass fraction of hexagonal boron nitride increased. Additionally, as the temperature increased, the composites transitioned from the glassy state to the rubbery or viscous state, and the breakdown strength significantly degraded

Acupuncture for Lateral Epicondylitis: A Systematic Review

Objective. This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for lateral epicondylitis (LE). Methods. Seven databases and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform Search Portal were searched to identify relevant studies. The data were extracted and assessed by two independent authors, and Review Manager Software (V.5.3) was used for data synthesis with effect estimate presented as standard mean difference (SMD) and mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to assess the level of evidence. Results. Four RCTs with 309 participants were included with poor methodological quality. Participants who received acupuncture and acupuncture plus moxibustion with material insulation were likely to have an improvement in elbow functional status and/or myodynamia. The overall quality rated by GRADE was from very low to low. Two studies reported that the needle pain would be the main reason for the dropout. Conclusion. For the small number of included studies with poor methodological quality, no firm conclusion can be drawn regarding the effect of acupuncture of elbow functional status and myodynamia for LE. This trial is registered with CRD42015016199