Evaluation of effect of acupuncture treatment on carotid arteriosclerosis plaque by three-dimensional ultrasound VPQ technology

Objective:To evaluate the structural changes of atherosclerotic plaque before and after acupuncture treatment by three-dimensional ultrasound of Vascular Plaque Quantification technology.Methods:Forty subjects were recruited and randomly divided into acupuncture group and sham acupuncture group.All patients were treated twice a week for 3 months and were observed the changes of the bilateral carotid plaque volume(PV),gray scale value(GSM)and inner media thickness(IMT).Results:The acupuncture group’s PV decreased after 3 months,while the sham group’s increased slightly.The result were statistically significant(P≤0.05).After treatment,the acupuncture group’s left GSM was higher than before,while the sham group’s was slightly lower than before.The result were statistically significant(P≤0.05).Although the difference of the acupuncture group’s right GSM before and after treatment was not statistically significant,it also had a rising trend.Conclusion:Acupuncture can reduce the volume of carotid atherosclerotic plaque and stabilize the nature of the plaque.

针刺通过增加前额叶皮层突触蛋白的表达对两种抑郁症动物模型的快速抗抑郁作用

Objective:To investigate the effect of acupuncture onset time and synaptic structure in two different models of depression.Methods:A total of 150 healthy male adult SPF C57BL/6J mice were divided into five time-point groups:1 h,3 h,6 h,12 h and 24 h.Each time-point group was further divided into three groups:the model,scopolamine and acupuncture groups with 10 rats each.Rats were given forced swimming stimulation(15 min,once)before the intervention.A total of 200 healthy male adult specific pathogen-free(SPF)Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were divided into 30 normal rats,and 170 modelling ones.A total of 90 rats were successfully modeled,and were randomly divided into three time-point groups:1 h,6 h and 24 h.And each time-point group was further divided into the normal,model,scopolamine,and acupuncture group.Chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)combined with individual feeding was used to establish the depressed rat model.The sucrose preference test(SPT)and open field test(OFT)were used to evaluate the success of the model.There were 10 rats in each group.The acupuncture intervention was performed once for 20 min on"Baihui(GV20)","Yintang(GV29)","Hegu(LI4)",and"Taichong(LR3)"without any other operations for the corresponding animals.Other groups were given corresponding medications.According to different time points,the forced swimming test(FST)was conducted in mice,and the FST and novelty-suppressed feeding test(NSFT)were measured in rats.Monoamine neurotransmitters(NE,DA,DOPAC,5-HT,5-HIAA,HVA)in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were detected with high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).The expression of synapsin I,PSD95,p-mTOR,mTOR,and BDNF in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus was determined by western blot.Results:At the 1 h time point,compared with the model group,the immobility time was significantly decreased in the acupuncture group(P<0.05).At 3 h,6 h,12 h,and 24 h,compared with the model group,the immobility time was significantly reduced in both scopolamine and acupuncture groups(P<0.05).At the 1 h time point,compared with the normal group,the immobility time of FST and the latency to feed were significantly increased in the model group(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the immobility time of FST showed a significant reduction in the acupuncture group(P<0.05).At the 6h and 24 h time points,compared with the normal group,the immobility time of FST and the latency to feed were significantly increased in the model group(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the immobility time of FST was significantly decreased in the scopolamine and acupuncture groups(P<0.05).At the 1 h and 24 h time points,compared with the normal group,the expression levels of 5-HT,5-HIAA,NE,DA,DOPAC,and HVA of the prefrontal cortical and hippocampal tissues were significantly reduced in the model group(P<0.05).At the 1 h and 24 h time points,compared with the model group,the expression levels of synapsin I,PSD95,p-mTOR,and BDNF of the prefrontal cortex were significantly increased in the acupuncture group(P<0.05).At the 1 h and 24 h time points,compared with the normal group,the expression levels of synapsin I,PSD95,p-mTOR,and BDNF of the prefrontal cortex were significantly reduced in the model group(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the expression levels of synapsin I,PSD95,p-mTOR,and BDNF of the prefrontal cortex were significantly increased in the acupuncture group(P<0.05).At the 1 h and 24 h time points,compared with the normal group,the expression levels of synapsin I,PSD95,p-mTOR,and BDNF of the hippocampal tissues were significantly reduced in the model group(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the expression levels of synapsin I,PSD95,p-mTOR,and BDNF of the hippocampus were not significantly different in the acupuncture group(P>0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture may play a rapid antidepressant effect by increasing the expression of synaptic plasticity proteins in the prefrontal cortex.