Magmatic Processes of Ashi Volcano, Western Kunlun Mountains, China

The Ashikule volcanic cluster （AVC） in western Kunlun Mountains is located in a graben region at the convergence of the Altun and Kangxiwa fault zones,and consists of more than 10 main volcanoes and dozens of volcanelloes.The Ashi volcano lies in the central part of the volcanic cluster.The lithology,chemical composition and texture of Ashi volcanic rocks were studied in detail,and their implication in magmatic processes was discussed.The phenocrysts in Ashi volcanic rocks consist mainly of plagioclase and pyroxene,and the statistical results of phenocryst contents show that the rocks can be subdivided into two groups.In group A,the content of pyroxene phenocrysts is generally higher than that of plagioclase phenocrysts,but an inverse relation occurs in group B.In TAS diagram,the compositions of both groups fall into the trachyandensite field,but they are obviously concentrated into two clusters.The two clusters exist also in the oxide diagrams.The pyroxene phenocrysts comprise augite,bronzite and hypersthene,and their Mg# histogram shows two peaks.Plagioclase phenocrysts with reaction rim are observed in rocks of both groups.The An values of the core are generally 30-40,and those of the rim are 44-48,which are closer to those of euhedral plagioclases.The bronzites are in equilibrium with the melt,and two sets of magma depths,i.e.,18-25 km and 13-18 km,can be estimated by using thermobarometer proposed by Putirka.The hypersthenes are not in equilibrium with the melt,and can be assigned to xenocrysts.The crystal size distribution （CSD） curves of plagioclase appear as kinked lines indicative of magma mixing.The above analyses show that two magma pockets might exist beneath the Ashi volcano.It is likely that they are connected with each other.The one has more evolved and contains more acidic magma,and the other is a trachyandensite magma pocket characterized by layering.The magma from the upper part of the trachyandensite magma pocket might mix with more acidic magma,resulting in a magma that is more acidic than the magma from the lower part.

Seasonal shifts in assembly dynamics of phytoplankton communities in a humans-affected river in NE China

Identifying seasonal shift in phytoplankton community is essential for understanding the significance of eutrophication and finding biological indicators of ecological health of a lotic system.Phytoplankton communities,as well as the seasonal changes in the Ashi River Basin(ASRB)of Heilongjiang Province were investigated from April 2018 to January 2019.A survey in April(spring),July(summer),October(autumn),and January(winter)at 16 sampling sites was conducted.The composition,abundance,and biodiversity indices of phytoplankton were studied and 127 taxa of phytoplankton were identified.Among them,Bacillariophyta dominated the phytoplankton communities in the whole year.There were significant spatio-temporal changes in the structures of the phytoplankton communities during the study period.Trophic state index(TSI)show that the nutritional status of the ASRB was at mesotrophic-middle eutrophic levels.Redundancy analysis(RDA)revealed that total nitrogen(TN),water temperature(WT),oxidation reduction potential(ORP),pH,and dissolved oxygen(DO)were the critical factors in the dynamic phytoplankton community structure.The multivariate regression tree(MRT)analysis showed that Chlamydomonas microsphaerella Pascher et Jahoda,Melosira granulata(Ehrenberg)Ralfs,Merismopedia tenuissima Lemmermann,and Asterionella formosa Hassall were valuable indicators in the determination of water quality in ASRB.Our findings provide a scientific basis for water quality protection and management at basin scale.

Distributed Simulation of Non-Point Source Pollution in Ashi River Basin

In order to get a thorough understanding of non-point source pollution,it is essential to examine its temporal and spatial distribution. A physically-based distributed model,Soil and Water Assessment Tool( SWAT),was used in this research,to quantitatively estimate the NPS load and analyze the temporal and spatial distributions of NPS pollution in Ashi River Basin. The results indicated that SWAT was suitable to simulate stream-flow and water quality in Ashi River Basin. Total Nitrogen which was contributed by NPS( NPS-TN) accounted for 32. 47%-62. 61%,and Total Phosphorus which was contributed by NPS( NPS-TP)accounted for 22. 30%- 57. 85% of the total load respectively. In inter-annual timescale,both NPS-TN and NPS-TP were influenced by stream-flow and fertilizer. However,when compared with fertilizer,NPS pollution was more directly affected by stream-flow. In annual timescale,NPS-TN and NPS-TP mainly occurred in flood season( from May to September). In the aspect of space,spatial differences of NPS-TN and NPS-TP were extremely significant. The spatial variations of NPS pollution were mainly influenced by land use,precipitation,soil and slope.

Analysis of the Relationship between Landuse and Non-point Source Pollution in Ashi River Basin

Landuse is one of the most influential factors of non-point source pollution. Based on the three-year landuse data( 2000,2005 and 2008),Arc GIS and Fragstat were used to analyze the landuse type and the change of landscape pattern. The relationships between landuse and non-point source-total nitrogen( NPS-TN) and nonpoint source-total phosphorus( NPS-TP) were discussed with the methods of spatially statistical analysis,landscape pattern analysis and principal component analysis. The study results conveyed that agricultural land and forestland,which accounted for over 92% of the study area,were the major landuse type of Ashi River Basin.Meanwhile,the NPS pollution had close connections with landuse type and landscape pattern. When it comes to landuse type,the export risks of NPS-TN and NPS-TP were agricultural land > urban land > grassland > forestland. As for landscape pattern,NPS-TN and NPS-TP were positively related to SHDI and SHEI, while negatively connected with LPI,AI and COHESION. Therefore,the study could reach the conclusion that the more fragmented and complicated the landscape patterns were,the more serious the NPS pollution was.

Assessment of Institutional and Legal Framework for Sustainable Land Use Management Practices in Ashi River Watershed,China

Nonpoint source(NPS)pollutants resulting from land degradation(LD)have been a key influential factor on the deterioration of water quality.Consequently,sustainable land use management(SLM)practices have been employed to reduce the impacts of LD globally.However,the adoption of SLM practices is often not effective to protect water resources despite its capability of improving water quality.Empirically,evidence shows that activities of land users directly influence SLM practices and NPS pollution of water resources in watersheds,but invariably this has not been clearly understood.Understanding how SLM practices adoption could prevent NPS pollution of water resources in watershed is a necessity.Therefore,the primary aim of the investigation is to comprehend the status of SLM practices with the legal framework supporting the adoption of such practices in the Ashi River watershed.A survey instrument involving structured questionnaire was implemented to collect data.A randomly based lottery method was applied to sample information from 150 land users in two control units’communities.Descriptive and inferential statistics was used to analyze the data.This research revealed that there is low adoption of SLM practices of the study site.The low adoption is due to weak capacity building and enforcement of regulations in the watershed.Occupation and age of the residents are the strongest predictors of SLM adoption rate.Residents connected with farming are more sensitive to the adoption status of SLM.It is our recommendation that policy makers should ensure capacity building,and enforcement of regulations can specifically compel farmers to adopt SLM technologies.This approach would complement other strategies to solve the NPS pollution issue of Ashi River.

春天的记忆 箱根Ashi湖博物馆

Moriyuki Ochiai最近完成了日本箱根Ashi湖附近的一个植物园改造项目,将其改造为博物馆兼多功能空间。

Modulation effects of pressing manipulation on local inflammatory responses and ERK/NF-κB pathway in trigger point model rats

Objective:To investigate the mechanism of trigger point deactivation induced by pressing manipulation in a rat model and to explore its potential regulation of the inflammatory response through the extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK)/nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)pathway.Methods:Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a blank group,a model group,a pressing manipulation group,an ERK agonist group,and a pressing manipulation+ERK agonist group,with 10 rats in each group.Except for the blank group,rats in other groups were used to establish the trigger point rat model using the blunt blow combined with the eccentric exercise method.The pressing manipulation group underwent pressing manipulation intervention at the trigger points.The ERK agonist group received an injection of recombinant human epidermal growth factor via the tail vein.The pressing manipulation+ERK agonist group received interventions from both the pressing manipulation and ERK agonist groups.The pressure pain threshold(PPT)was measured by a mechanical pain threshold detector before and after the intervention.The histological changes were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin staining after the intervention;the expression levels of ERK,phosphorylated ERK(p-ERK),NF-κB p65(p65),phosphorylated NF-κB p65(p-p65),and phosphorylated NF-κB inhibitor(p-IκB)were detected by Western blotting;the levels of interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-6,and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-αwere detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results:The PPT increased(P<0.05);the inflammatory cells disappeared;the ratios of p-ERK/ERK,p-p65/p65,and p-IκB/β-actin,also the levels of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-αall decreased in the pressing manipulation group after the intervention compared with the model group(P<0.05).The PPT decreased significantly(P<0.05),the inflammatory cell presence increased,and the ratios of p-ERK/ERK and p-p65/p65 were elevated(P<0.05);additionally,the levels of IL-6 and TNF-αwere significantly higher in the pressing manipulation+ERK agonist group compared with the pressing manipulation group(P<0.05).The PPT was significantly lower(P<0.05),the inflammatory cell count was higher,the ratios of p-ERK/ERK and p-IκB/β-actin and the levels of IL-1βand TNF-αwere significantly higher in the ERK agonist group compared with the pressing manipulation+ERK agonist group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Pressing manipulation can effectively alleviate inflammation and pain in trigger point model rats,potentially by inhibiting the ERK/NF-κB signaling pathway.

The historical source of “Trigger Points”:classical Ashi points

Our research began with a consideration of the etymological origins of the terms Ashi and the Ashi point. We used both original source texts and textual criticism to trace the original meaning of the phrases, ＂take the tender spot as the point＂ and ＂use the Ashi method.＂ Linguistic theory informed our discussion of three similar terms and our analysis of them. We show that Ashi points are in theory similar to regular acupuncture points in terms of their definition and function. Furthermore, we can use the concept of ＂c/i-pathway （Qi./ie）＂ to expand our understanding of the clinical use of Ashi points. Ultimately, the main purpose of our research was to clarify that the classical Ashi point and modern, western concept of the trigger point are in fact quite similar. The two concepts have been described in different languages primarily due to cultural differences.

Traditional Chinese acupuncture manipulations and “dry needling”

In this paper, the authors studied the manipulation of ＂dry needling＂, reviewed Chinese ancient and modern literature of acupuncture-moxibustion, and found that ＂dry needling＂ is very similar to triple needling, superficial needling, joint valley needling, surround needling, and other traditional Chinese acupuncture- moxibustion manipulations; even if in modern China, before and after the invention of ＂dry needling＂, some unique therapies, such as oblique insertion therapy at Ashi point, sliver needling, Fu＇s subcutaneous needling, and long-round needling, were also invented. It can be seen that ＂dry needling＂ therapy is actually a kind of differentiation of traditional Chinese acupuncture- moxibustion in the international communication. The spread of traditional Chinese acupuncture-moxibustion in the West is the basis for the invention of ＂dry needling＂ therapy, and ＂dry needling＂ therapy develops and enriches traditional Chinese acupuncture-moxibustion.

Clinical application of “Ase point” by professor WEI Lian-hai

＂Ase points＂ refer to a kind of effective acupoints used in acupuncture- moxibustion treatment for various diseases of internal medicine, and the location with obvious color change on patient＇s skin is selected as treatment site. The method of diagnosis and treatment of diseases through examining the response of meridians and collaterals and acupoints on the body surface had been recorded in ancient books, however, it is rare during clinical acupuncture therapy to taking the color change on patient＇s skin as research emphasis, and taking these sensitive points as specific acupoints to conduct acupuncture- moxibustion therapy. The author explored and analyzed ＂Ase points＂ in terms of the nomenclature, acupoint selection method, and etc., and verified the application of ＂Ase points＂, providing a new idea for clinical diagnosis and treatment methods of acupuncture-moxibustion.

Immediate Effects of Hegu Needling on Adhesive Scapulohumeral Periarthritis

Objective： To observe the immediate effects of Hegu needling at Ash points in patients with adhesive scapulohumeral periarthritis （SP）. Methods： A total of 60 SP cases were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 30 in each group. Cases in the treatment group were treated with Hegu needling at Ashi points and normal needling at other local points. Cases in the control group were treated with normal needling at local points alone. The therapeutic efficacy was then evaluated and analyzed using short-form of McGill pain questionnaire （SF-MPO.） and Japanese Orthopaedic Association （JOA） shoulder scoring system. Results： Hegu needling at Ashi points can substantially alleviate pain in patients with adhesive SP, showing a statistically significant difference when compared with the control group （P〈0.01 or P〈0.05）. In addition, cases in the treatment group obtained better effects in abductor muscle strength, endurance, arm raising, internal rotation, external rotation, activities of daily living （ADL） and joint stability than those in the control group （P〈0.01 or P〈0.05）. Conclusion： Hegu needling at Ashi points is effective for adhesive SP

Regular acupuncture at combined with join valley needling at ashi point for scapulohumeral periarthritis: A randomized controlled trial

Objective:To observe clinical efficacy differences of regular acupuncture at empirical acupoints combined with join valley needling at ashi point compared with simple join valley needling at ashi point for scapulohumeral periarthritis.Methods:Sixty-four patients of scapulohumeral periarthritis were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group,32 cases in each one.Both groups underwent basic rehabilitation training.Patients in the observation group were treated with acupuncture at empirical acupoints combined with join valley needling at ashi point,while the patients of the control group were treated with simple join valley needling at ashi point.Both groups were all treated once a day,6 times a week.Patients were treated for one course which lasted for 4 weeks.The visual analog scale(VAS)score,the Constant-Murley score and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA)are compared between the two groups before and after the treatment,and the efficacy was evaluated after the treatment.Telephone investigation was applied as the followed-up after one month of the treatment.Results:The total effective rate in the observation group was 87.5%(28/32),and that in the control group was 71.9%(23/32),and there was statistically significant difference between the two groups(P<0.05).The VAS scores,Constant-Murley scores,and HAMA scores in the patients of the observation group were lower than those of the corresponding indicators in the patients of the control group respectively,and there were statistically significant differences(all P<0.05).Conclusions:Compared with simple join valley needling at ashi point,regular acupuncture at empirical acupoints combined with join valley needling at ashi point can relieve the clinical symptoms of patients with scapulohumeral periarthritis,attenuate pains,ease anxiety and improve daily life activities better.

Clinical Observation on Ashi Point Injection of Ozone for Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis ) is the asepticinflammation on the attachment point of tendons ofthe forearm extensor muscles. It is a common-encountered disease with main symptoms of pain,tenderness and weakness in holding objects. Theauthor treated 75 cases of tennis elbow by ozoneacupoint injection. It was reported as follows.

Clinical Study on Treatment of Myofascial Pain Syndrome with Ashi Points

Objective： To investigate the clinical efficacy of Ashi points in the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome. Method： A hundred and fifty cases were randomized into a treatment group and a control group by the order of visit. The cases in the treatment group were treated with ＂Stuck Needle＂ method in Ashi points plus tuina manipulations. The cases in the control group were treated with external local application of Votalin. The cases in both groups were treated once a day and 10 times made up one course. Results： Among 90 cases in the treatment group, 18 got clinical recovery, 34 got marked effect, 34 got certain effect, the marked effective rate was 57.8% and the total effective rate was 94.4%; while among 60 cases in the control group, 1 got clinical recovery, 18 got marked effect, 15 got certain effect, the marked effective rate was 31.7% and the total effective rate was 73.3%. Statistical management showed P〈0.01, indicating a significantly better effect in the treatment group. In addition, ＂Stuck Needle＂ method in Ashi points plus tuina manipulations can effectively improve local pain, tenderness, muscle spasm and motion range of joints, and can obtain significantly better effect for muscle spasm and motion range of joints. Conclusion： This therapy is safe, reliable and effective, and therefore worth spreading for clinical application.

Clinical observation of acupuncture bloodletting at Ashi points on local swelling and pain after snakebite

Objective:To evaluate the clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture bloodletting therapy on local swelling and pain of snakebite in the patients bitten by snakes.Methods:A total of 106 patients with trimeresurus stejnegeri bite were randomly divided into two groups,a conventional treatment group and a conventional treatment combined with bloodletting therapy group,53 cases in each one.In the conventional treatment group,the convention treatment of western medicine was adopted.In the conventional treatment combined with bloodletting therapy group,on the base of the conventional treatment,bloodletting therapy was applied at Ashi points selected at the tender points around the wound.The intervention and observation were performed not less than 7 days in two groups.Before and after treatment,swelling and pain degrees were measured and remission time of both the limb swelling and pain were recorded in the patients.Results:Compared with the values on day 1 of treatment,swelling degree and visual analogue scale(VAS) score of the upper and lower limbs were all lower on day 3 and day 7 of treatment in the patients of the two groups(all P <0.05).Compared with the conventional treatment group,swelling degree and VAS score of the upper and lower limbs were all lower in the values of the conventional treatment combined with bloodletting therapy group on day 3 and day 7 of treatment respectively(all P <0.05).The remission time of either limb swelling or pain in the patients of the conventional treatment combined with bloodletting therapy group was shorter than the conventional treatment group respectively(both P <0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture bloodletting therapy can effectively relieve the local swelling and pain caused by snakebite,promote the recovery of limb function,shorten the treatment course and improve the clinical therapeutic effect.

Therapeutic observation of superficial needling for hemifacial spasm

Objective： To observe the therapeutic efficacy of superficial needling in treating hemifacial spasm. Methods： Eighty patients with facial spasm were randomized into two groups by the random number table, 40 cases in each group. The observation group was intervened by superficial needling at local Ashi points and wrist-ankle acupuncture at the Upper 1, Upper 2 and Upper 3 points; while the control group was by ordinary acupuncture. For both groups, the treatment was given once a day, 7 times as a treatment course, and the therapeutic efficacy was evaluated after 3 courses. Results： The total effective rate and recovery rate were respectively 97.5% and 57.5% in the observation group versus 85.0% and 37.5% in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant （P〈0.05）. Conclusion： Superficial needling can produce a more significant efficacy in treating hemifacial spasm than ordinary acupuncture.

Observation on Therapeutic Effect of Clapping Acupoint for Treatment of Hyperosteoyeny of Lumbar Vertebra

Objective To observe the effect of clapping acupoint on hyperosteogeny of lumbar vertebra.Methods Ninety-eight cases were randomly divided into 65 cases treated by clapping Ashi point in treatment group and 33 cases treated by simple acupuncture in control group.Results Among 65 cases in treatment group, 52 cases were cured and 13 cases were not cured; of 33 cases in control group, 19 cases were cured and 14 cases were not cured, and there had significant difference in cure rate between the two groups, X2=5.51,P<0.05.Conclusion Treatment of hyperosteogeny by clapping acupoint was better than simple acupuncture therapy. Key Words Lumber Vertebrae - Hyperplasia - Acupuncture-moxibustion - Point, Ashi Translator: WU Xue-fei

Can Ashi Points Stimulation Have Specific Effects on Shoulder Pain? A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective： To provide an evidence-based overview regarding the efficacy of Ashi points stimulation for the treatment of shoulder pain. Methods： A comprehensive search [PubMed, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）, Chongqing Weipu Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals （VIP） and Wanfang Database] was conducted to identify randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effectiveness of Ashi points stimulation for shoulder pain compared with conventional treatment. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. RevMan 5.0 was used for data synthesis. Results： Nine trials were included. Seven studies assessed the effectiveness of Ashi points stimulation on response rate compared with conventional acupuncture. Their results suggested significant effect in favour of Ashi points stimulation [odds ratio （OR）： 5.89, 95% confidence interval （CI）： 2.97 to 11.67, P〈0.01, heterogeneity： x 2=3.81, P=0.70, 12=0% ]. One trial compared Ashi points stimulation with drug therapy. The result showed there was a significantly greater recovery rate in group of Ashi points stimulation （OR： 9.58, 95% CI： 2.69 to 34.12）. One trial compared comprehensive treatment on the myofascial trigger points （MTrPs） with no treatment and the result was in favor of MTrPs. Conclusions： Ashi points stimulation might be superior to conventional acupuncture, drug therapy and no treatment for shoulder pain. However, due to the low methodological quality of included studies, a firm conclusion could not be reached until further studies of high quality are available.

Clinical experience of Professor Shao Jing-ming: a master of acupuncture-moxibustion

Professor Shao Jing-ming had practiced Chinese medicine for more than 80 years with rich clinical experience and exquisite acupuncture techniques. From his clinical experience, Professor Shao's clinical features can be summarized as the followings: attaching importance to the theory of meridians and collaterals, combining pattern identification and disease identification, using fewer acupoints for treatment, and using Ashi point and Hegu (LI 4) to treat goiter. He emphasized the priority and sequence in acupoint-selection and manipulation. In treatment of epilepsy, he proposed to treat it according to the situation and paid great attention to the special function of the extraordinary acupoints. During the onset, it should be managed by calming the mind and controlling the symptoms;during the remission period, acupuncture and drugs should be applied simultaneously to regulate qi-blood and yin-yang, so as to reduce the frequency of attacks. He believed that acupuncture manipulation be one of the key factors in achieving the efficacy. In treatment of the motive diseases, such as convulsions and cramps, acupuncture with static and longer needle-retaining time should be adopted to control the limb movement, to strengthen the stimulation and to obtain a long-term efficacy. Professor Shao Jing-ming's medical records range from internal medicine, external medicine, gynecology and pediatrics, listing various refractory diseases effectively treated by him. Professor Shao was a moral and erudite Chinese medicine master, and his clinical experience is worthy of inheritance and development.

Clinical Observation of Chinese Herbal Fumigation plus Mulberry Stick Beating for Heel Pain

Objective： To observe the clinical efficacy of Chinese herbal fumigation plus beating with mulberry stick in treating heel pain. Methods： Sixty patients with heel pain were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 30 in each group. The treatment group was intervened by Chinese herbal fumigation plus beating with mulberry stick, and the control group was by orally taking Diclofenac Sodium Sustained Release Tablets plus external use of She Xiong Zhen Tong Gao （Moschus Analgesic Plaster）. After one treatment course, the visual analogue scale （VAS） was used to observe the change of pain, and the clinical efficacies were also evaluated. Results： After intervention, the improvement of VAS score in the treatment group was more significant than that in the control group （P〈0.01）. The total effective rate of the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group （P〈0.01）. Conclusion： Chinese herbal fumigation plus beating with mulberry stick can produce a higher clinical efficacy than orally taking Diclofenac Sodium Sustained Release Tablets in treating heel pain.