Slacklining as therapy to address non-specific low back pain in the presence of multifidus arthrogenic muscle inhibition

Low back pain(LBP)represents the most prevalent,problematic and painful of musculoskeletal conditions that affects both the individual and society with health and economic concerns.LBP is a heterogeneous condition with multiple diagnoses and causes.In the absence of consensus definitions,partly because of terminology inconsistency,it is further referred to as non-specific LBP(NSLBP).In NSLBP patients,the lumbar multifidus(MF),a key stabilizing muscle,has a depleted role due to recognized myocellular lipid infiltration and wasting,with the potential primary cause hypothesized as arthrogenic muscle inhibition(AMI).This link between AMI and NSLBP continues to gain increasing recognition.To date there is no‘gold standard’or consensus treatment to alleviate symptoms and disability due to NSLBP,though the advocated interventions are numerous,with marked variations in costs and levels of supportive evidence.However,there is consensus that NSLBP management be cost-effective,self-administered,educational,exercise-based,and use multi-modal and multi-disciplinary approaches.An adjuvant therapy fulfilling these consensus criteria is‘slacklining’,within an overall rehabilitation program.Slacklining,the neuromechanical action of balance retention on a tightened band,induces strategic indirect-involuntary therapeutic muscle activation exercise incorporating spinal motor control.Though several models have been proposed,understanding slacklining’s neuro-motor mechanism of action remains incomplete.Slacklining has demonstrated clinical effects to overcome AMI in peripheral joints,particularly the knee,and is reported in clinical case-studies as showing promising results in reducing NSLBP related to MF deficiency induced through AMI(MF-AMI).Therefore,this paper aims to:rationalize why and how adjuvant,slacklining therapeutic exercise may positively affect patients with NSLBP,due to MF-AMI induced depletion of spinal stabilization;considers current understandings and interventions for NSLBP,including the contributing role of MF-AMI;and details the reasons why slacklining could be considered as a potential adjuvant intervention for NSLBP through its indirect-involuntary action.This action is hypothesized to occur through an over-ride or inhibition of central down-regulatory induced muscle insufficiency,present due to AMI.This subsequently allows neuroplasticity,normal neuro-motor sequencing and muscle re-activation,which facilitates innate advantageous spinal stabilization.This in-turn addresses and reduces NSLBP,its concurrent symptoms and functional disability.This process is hypothesized to occur through four neuro-physiological processing pathways:finite neural delay;movement-control phenotypes;inhibition of action and the innate primordial imperative;and accentuated corticospinal drive.Further research is recommended to investigate these hypotheses and the effect of slacklining as an adjuvant therapy in cohort and control studies of NSLBP populations.

Anxiety and Depression Disorders in Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain in Lomé(Togo)

Chronic non-specific low back pain has an important psychological impact. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders (ADD) and factors associated to their apparition in patients suffering from chronic non-specific low back pain in rheumatological consultation in Lomé. Patients and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study, conducted from October 1st, 2015 to 31st March 2016. This study focused on all patients suffering from common chronic low back pain without psychiatric history in the Rheumatology Ward at the Sylvanus Olympio’s Teaching Hospital of Lomé and who have given their consent. The psychological evaluation was carried out through Hamilton scale. The processing, the statistical treatment and analysis of our data have been carried out using Epiinfo software, version 7.1.5. The investigation was approved by the local Ethics Committee. Results: 48 (39 women and 09 men) out of 123 patients with chronic lower back pain presented anxiety and depressive disorders (ADD) accounting for a prevalence rate of 39%. Their average age was 50.3 years old. The most frequent ADD was: psychic anxiety (58.6%), depressive mood (51.3%), difficulties to feel asleep (47.9%) and disturbed or agitated sleep (43.1%). Factors associated with the anxiety and depressive disorders in common chronic low back pain were: female gender (p = 0.02), dependent children (p = 0.02), occupation (reseller (p = 0.002), liberal profession (p = 0.009), monthly financial income (p = 0.002), surroundings family (0.009), medical history (p = 0.0002) and pain’s intensity > 7 (p = 0.04). Conclusion: This study shows the high frequency of anxiety and depressive disorders in common chronic low back pain and their influence by socio-economic and demographic factors.

Balance Control Comparison between Subjects with and without Non-specific Low Back Pain

Objective:To compare the balance ability between normal people and non-specific low back pain(nsLBP) patients and explore the relationship between balance ability and muscle function in nsLBP patients.Method:Ten nsLBP patients as nsLBP group and 10 age and gender-matched healthy control subjects as control group were investigated.Posturography on balance platform and surface electromyography(sEMG) were performed to assess all the subjects' function of equilibrium and muscle activities of erector spinea(ES),multifidus(MF),abdominal external oblique(EO),hamstring(HS) and maximal gluteus(MG) bilaterally.Result:The nsLBP subjects had greater sway on anterior-posterior direction(Y-speed and Y-extension,P=0.05) on feet-together posture and bigger main axis(P=0.023) on nature standing with eyes closed when compared with controls.The iEMG ratios of right MG in nature standing(eyes closed)/nature standing(eyes open) and feet-together(eyes open)/nature standing(eyes open) in control group were significant higher than that in nsLBP group(P=0.03 and P=0.013).Conclusion:Balance evaluation combined with sEMG measurement on trank and lower limb muscles provided some quantitative information about functional deficits such as postural control and muscle activities in nsLBP patients.This relationship should be emphasized in prevention and rehabilitation of nsLBP.

Guidelines for the standardized diagnosis and treatment of non-specific orbital inflammation(2024)

Non-specific orbital inflammation(NSOI)is a noninfectious orbital inflammation.Although it is often considered the most common diagnosis in orbital biopsies,it is an exclusionary diagnosis that requires ruling out systemic disease or other possible causes.Its characteristics include acute orbital signs and symptoms,including pain,proptosis,periorbital edema,chemosis,diplopia,and visual impairment.The clinical manifestations and histological findings of NSOI are heterogeneous,without specific diagnostic criteria or treatment guidelines,which poses significant challenges for diagnosis and treatment.This guideline provides a detailed description of the definition,classification,diagnosis,and treatment of NSOI.

Questionnaire of clinical questions for Clinical Practice Guideline of Acupuncture-Moxibustion:Non-specific low back pain

The questionnaire aims to collect clinical questions for the Clinical Practice Guideline of AcupunctureMoxibustion:Non-Specific Low Back Pain.This questionnaire is consisted of single-choice questions,multiple-choice questions,ranking questions,and open questions.Readers are recommended to complete the open questions by using patients,intervention,comparator and outcome(PICO)framework,referring to the examples.The survey would take about 30 min to finish,and the answers from participants would greatly contribute to the formation of Clinical Practice Guideline of Acupuncture-Moxibustion:Non-Specific Low Back Pain.

Therapeutic evaluation of lumbar tender point deep massage for chronic non-specific low back pain

OBJECTIVE:To observe the therapeutic effect of lumbar tender point deep tissue massage plus lumbar traction on chronic non-specific low back pain using change in pressure pain threshold,muscle hardness and pain intensity as indices.METHODS:We randomly divided 64 patients into a treatment group(32 cases) and a control group(32 cases).Two drop-outs occurred in each group.Patients in the treatment group received tender point deep tissue massage plus lumbar traction and patients in the control group received lumbar traction,alone.We used a tissue hardness meter/algometer and visual analog scale(VAS) to assess the pressure pain threshold,muscle hardness and pain intensity.RESULTS:Following treatment,we obtained the following results in the treatment and control groups,respectively:the pressure pain threshold difference was 1.5±0.8 and 1.1±0.7;the muscle hardness difference was 4.2±1.6 and 3.5±1.3;and the VAS score difference was 1.9±0.9 and 1.4±0.8.Compared to the control group,the treatment group had higher pressure pain threshold(t=2.09,P<0.05),and lower muscle hardness(t=2.05,P<0.05) and pain intensity(t=2.46,P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Lumbar tender point deep tissue massage combined with lumbar traction produced better improvement in pressure pain threshold,muscle hardness and pain intensity in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain than with lumbar traction alone.

Clinical observation of tendon-regulating manipulation plus core stability training for non-specific low back pain

Objective： To evaluate the clinical efficacy of tendon-regulating manipulation plus kinesiotherapy in treating low back pain. Methods： Sixty patients were randomized into a treatment group and a control group by using the random number table, 30 cases in each group. The treatment group was intervened by tendon-regulating manipulation plus kinesiotherapy, while the control group was by the tendon-regulating manipulation alone. The lumbar lordosis was measured by X-ray （side view）, the pain was evaluated by analgesy meter, the lumbar range of motion was by using goniometer, and the function was judged by Oswestry disability index （ODI） before and after treatment, and the therapeutic efficacy was also observed. Results： After treatment, the pain level was significantly reduced, lumbar lordosis was significantly increased, the lumbar range of motion was markedly improved, and the ODI score significantly dropped （all P^O.05） in both groups; the improvement of each item in the treatment group was more significant than that in the control group （all P〈O.05）. The total effective rate was 90.0% in the treatment group versus 63.3% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant （P〈0.05）. Conclusion＂ In the treatment of low back pain, tendon-regulating manipulation plus kinesiotherapy can mitigate topical pain, improve the motion of low back, enhance the quality of life, and produce a more significant therapeutic efficacy compared to tendon-regulating manipulation alone.

Acupuncture treatment for Subacute Non-specific Low Back Pain A Retrospective Cohort Study in the Role of the Back Exercise in Acupuncture Services for Low Back Pain Sufferers

Objective： To investigate the interrelationship between back exercise and acupuncture curative effect, and unveil the reason that recovery usually delays in a number of low back pain sufferers. Method： The study is designed as a retrospect investigation. Seventy patients who were newly diagnosed with low back pain were sequentially selected and divided into two groups, 44 cases in the observation group treated with acupuncture plus exercise, and 26 cases in the control group only treated with acupuncture. The recurrence rates in the one-year follow.up after the acupuncture service were compared between the two groups. Result and Conclusion： Back exercise is a risk factor associated with frequent back pain recurrence. In contrast, acupuncture is an effective intervention method for the treatment and prevention of non-specific low back pain.

Clinical observation of sinew-regulating bone-setting manipulations plus exercise therapy for chronic non-specific low back pain

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of sinew-regulating bone-setting manipulations plus exercise therapy in treating chronic non-specific low back pain(CNLBP).Methods:A total of 65 CNLBP patients were divided into two groups by the random number table method.Thirty-three cases in the treatment group were intervened by sinew-regulating bone-setting manipulations plus exercise therapy;32 cases in the control group were intervened by medium-frequency electrotherapy plus exercise therapy.Before and after treatment,visual analog scale(VAS),dynamic and static muscle endurance of low back,median frequency(MF)of surface electromyography(sEMG)and Oswestry disability index(ODI)were used to evaluate the low back function.The therapeutic efficacy was estimated after treatment.Results:The two groups each had 2 dropouts during the study.The total effective rate was 90.3%in the treatment group versus 66.7%in the control group,and the between-group difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).After treatment,the VAS score,dynamic and static muscle endurance of low back,MF of sEMG and ODI score all changed significantly in both groups(all P<0.05);all the items in the treatment group were significantly different from those in the control group(all P<0.05).Conclusion:Sinew-regulating bone-setting manipulations plus exercise therapy can effectively release pain in CNLBP patients,increase muscle endurance of the low back and improve the quality of life,and its therapeutic efficacy is more significant than that of medium-frequency electrotherapy plus exercise therapy.

Efficacy of acupuncture in treating chronic non-specific low back pain

Objective To provide an update on the evidence of the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating chronic non-specific low back pain(CNSLBP)based on randomized controlled trials(RCTs)of acupuncture for CNSLBP published between 2006 and 2020.Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted through the University of Malta website,using the HyDi search engine.The‘Advanced Search’option was chosen in order to search for articles that were published in English,and associated with the key words,‘Chronic’,‘Acupuncture’,‘Needle’,‘Needling’,‘Non-specific’and‘Low Back Pain’,which were entered in their‘Subject’field,from the year 2006 till 2020.A comprehensive reading and analysis was done for the search result.Results Through the use of the HyDi search engine,accessible through the University of Malta,eighteen randomized controlled trials that met the criteria of this study were selected.Conclusion Through the analysis and comparison of the studies selected for this literature review,there is evidence providing that acupuncture is significantly more effective than current conservative treatment modalities for patients with CNSLBP in reducing pain and improving function.

Observation on the therapeutic efficacy of Tuina plus“three-bridge”exercise for non-specific low back pain

Objective To investigate the efficacy of Tuina(Chinese therapeutic massage)plus“three-bridge”exercise for non-specific low back pain(NSLBP).Methods A total of 80 patients with NSLBP were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group according to the random number table method,with 40 cases in each group.The two groups received Tuina treatment,and the observation group received an additional“three-bridge”exercise.The treatment lasted 4 weeks,and a follow-up evaluation was carried out 6 months after treatment.The visual analog scale(VAS),Oswestry disability index(ODI),and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association(JOA)scores for low back pain were used to evaluate patients’conditions before treatment,after 4-week treatment,and at the 6-month follow-up.Results The total effective rate was 92.5%and 85.0%in the observation group,respectively,after 4-week treatment and at the 6-month follow-up,significantly different from the control group(P<0.05).After 4-week treatment and at the 6-month follow-up,the VAS,ODI,and JOA scores of the two groups were improved compared with those before treatment(P<0.05),and all the indicators in the observation group were significantly better than those in the control group(P<0.05).At the 6-month follow-up,the VAS,ODI,and JOA scores in the two groups were improved compared with those before treatment(P<0.05).Conclusion Tuina plus“three-bridge”exercise can effectively alleviate pain,improve function,and have relatively sound long-term effects in treating patients with NSLBP.

Thermal Therapy in Patients Suffering from Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain—A Systematic Review

Thermal therapy is frequently used as an adjunct to treatment in patients suffering from chronic low back pain. It is also an inherent part of patients’ self-administered pain treatment. This review aims to update the evidence for thermal therapy treatments in non-specific chronic low back pain patients and to rate the methodological quality of the corresponding clinical trials. Previous studies have reported contradictory evidence for the effectiveness of thermal therapy. An electronic search on MEDLINE (PubMed), PEDro, CENTRAL and CINHAL databases was conducted between May 2016 and February 2018. Clinical trials comparing local thermal therapy to conservative or no treatment were assessed for eligibility. Pain, physical function and global health were defined as outcome parameters. A total of n = 9 studies met the inclusion criteria. All of them applied an electrophysical agent as the thermal treatment: continuous ultrasound (n = 6), short-wave diathermy (n = 2), microwave diathermy (n = 1). Out of the n = 6 studies on ultrasound treatment, n = 2 reported significant within and between-group results for pain reduction after 4 to 6 weeks of treatment. Both short-wave diathermy studies demonstrated significant between-group results for pain reduction after 3 weeks of treatment. Contradictory results for all other observed outcome parameters were reported regardless of the intervention. Moreover, significant within-group results for the control groups questioned the effectiveness of the intervention treatments. Therefore, the effect of thermal therapy, (electrophysical agents), is not superior to any control treatment except for ultrasound treatment on short-term pain reduction.

Investigation of bubbles escape behavior from low basicity mold flux for high-Mn high-Al steels using 3D X-ray microscope

During the continuous casting process of high-Mn high-Al steels,various types of gases such as Ar need to escape through the top of the mold.In which,the behavior of bubbles traversing the liquid slag serves as a restrictive link,closely associated with viscosity and the thickness of liquid slag.In contrast to two-dimensional surface observation,three-dimensional(3D)analysis method can offer a more intuitive,accurate,and comprehensive information.Therefore,this study employs a 3D X-ray microscope(3D-XRM)to obtained spatial distribution and 3D morphological characteristics of residual bubbles in mold flux under different basicity of liquid slag,different temperatures,and different holding times.The results indicate that as basicity of slag increases from 0.52 to 1.03,temperature increases from 1423 to 1573 K,the viscosity of slag decreases,the floating rate of bubbles increases.In addition,when holding time increases from 10 to 30 s,the bubbles floating distance increases,and the volume fraction and average equivalent sphere diameter of the bubbles solidified in the mold flux gradually decreases.In one word,increasing the basicity,temperature,and holding time leading to an increase in the removal rate of bubbles especially for the large.These findings of bubbles escape behavior provide valuable insights into optimizing low basicity mold flux for high-Mn high-Al steels.

Acupuncture for Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Case Series Study

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in treating chronic non-specific low back pain.Methods: Ten patients with chronic low back pain were selected to receive 9 acupuncture treatments over a three-week period with point selection based on syndrome differentiation in Chinese medicine. The BROM Instrument for assessment of back range of motion; subjective evaluation with Visual Analog Scale of Pain (VASP) ratings, Oswestry Disability ratings, objective measurements including Algometry, and Flexion and Extension ratings to investigate the range of motion were used for comparing the large, medium and small effect sizes of baseline, treatment and follow-up phases.Results: Clinical significance of pain relief was shown in all parameters assessed. A large effect size was detected in VASP, Oswestry and Algometry. A small effect size was demonstrated in Flexion/Extension. Needling over short period time (3 weeks) could relieve the pain, but the muscular-skeletal function measured by BROM persists. To treat patients exclusively by needling for statistical purposes can not be justified, because by merely relieving pain, permanent improvement in function may not be achieved.Conclusion: Acupuncture offers an effective alternative for the clinical management of chronic low back pain, significant improvement in most of the parameters evaluated, but the functional improvement was not as satisfactory as pain relieving. Further study with larger sample size focuses on long-term efficacy and functional improvement for chronic low back pain is recommended.

Role of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and their natural inhibitors in liver fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis and non-specific inflammatory bowel diseases

BACKGROUND： There is a growing evidence that matrix metalloproteinase （MMP）-2 and MMP-9 （gelatinases） play an important role in the pathogenesis of numerous disorders, especially with inflammatory etiology and extracellular matrix （ECM） remodeling. Despite the fact that gelatinases involve in liver cirrhosis is provided in the literature, their role in the pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis and non-specific inflammatory bowel diseases is still under investigation. DATA SOURCES： We carried out a PubMed search of Englishlanguage articles relevant to the involvement of gelatinases in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis, pancreatitis, and non-specific inflammatory bowel diseases. RESULTS： The decreased activity of gelatinases, especially MMP-2, is related to the development of liver fibrosis, probably due to the decrease of capability for ECM remodeling. Similar situation can be found in chronic pancreatitis; however, reports on this matter are rare. The presence of non-specific inflammatory bowel diseases results in MMP-9 activity elevation. CONCLUSION： The fluctuation of gelatinases activity during liver fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis and non-specific inflammatory bowel diseases is observed, but the exact role of these enzymes demands further studies.

Influences of immersion bathing in Bacillus velezensis DY-6 on growth performance,non-specific immune enzyme activities and gut microbiota of Apostichopus japonicus

In this study, the influences of immersion bathing in different concentrations of Bacillus velezensis DY-6 on the body weight gain rate and non-specific immune enzyme activities of the coelom fluid of sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) were determined in order to obtain the optimum bacterial concentration. The gut microbiota change in A. japonicus was then analyzed through high-throughput sequencing during the immersion bathing in B. velezensis DY-6 at the optimum concentration for 49 d. The results illustrate that the body weight growth rate of all bathing groups was higher than that of the control. The highest growth rate (25.3%) was achieved when the bacterial concentration was 1×10^3 CFU/mL. The activities of non-specific immune enzymes (ACP, AKP, SOD and LZM) of all bathing groups increased, and the activities of the enzymes of groups bathed with the bacterium at 1×10^3 and 1×10^4 CFU/mL reached the highest on day 21 and day 28. Taking the growth rate and economic cost into consideration, the optimum concentration of B. velezensis DY-6 was 1×10^3 CFU/mL. The influences of immersion bathing in B. velezensis DY-6 at 1×10^3 CFU/mL on the gut microbiota of A. japonicus were then evaluated through 16S rDNA sequencing analysis. Results showed that the gut microbiota changed with the addition of B. velezensis DY-6, and the richness and diversity of the gut microbiota peaked twice on day 14 and day 21, respectively. In association with the non-specific immune enzyme activities and if day 28 was selected as the dividing point, the community structure of the gut microbiota could be obviously divided into two types. The correlation analysis revealed that the non-specific immune enzyme activities were correlated significantly to some gut bacteria (in the phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes) after immersion bathing in B. velezensis DY-6. Our findings will provide the theoretical foundation for probiotic application in sea cucumber farming.

Effect of Dietary Alanyl-glutamine Supplementation on Growth Performance, Development of Intestinal Tract, Antioxidant Status and Plasma Non-specific Immunity of Young Mirror Carp(Cyprinus carpio L.)

Exogenous alanyl-glutamine（Aln-Gln） was evaluated for its effects on growth performance, intestinal structure and function, antioxidant status and non-specific immunity of young carp（Cyprinus carpio L.）. Six diets supplemented with 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, or 15.0 g · kg-1 of Aln-Gln were fed to fish for 12 weeks. Supplementation with 7.5, 10.0, or 15.0 g · kg-1 of Aln-Gln significantly increased weight gain rate（WGR）, protein efficiency ratio（PER）, but feed conservation rate（FCR） and survival were not affected（P〉0.05）. The intestinal fold height and number, digestive enzyme, Na＋, K＋-ATPase activities was found to be significantly high（P〈0.05） with increasing dietary Aln-Gln supplementation up to 7.5 g · kg-1, but there were no significant differences for Aln-Gln supplementation from 7.5 to 15.0 g · kg-1. The glutathione peroxidase（GPX） activity, glutathione（GSH）, superoxide dismutase（SOD） activity increased and malondialdehyde（MDA） levels decreased significantly（P〈0.05） in the intestine, hepatopancreas, plasma and muscles. The plasma complement-3（C3） and complement-4（C4） levels were significantly（P〈0.05） improved at 5.0 g · kg-1 level and decreased when over 7.5 g · kg-1. The plasma lysozyme（LSZ） activity increased significantly（P〈0.05） at 7.5, 10.0, or 15.0 g · kg-1 level. In summary, the results showed that Aln-Gln improved growth performance, development and function of the intestine, the activity of the antioxidant defense system and the plasma non-specific immunity of the carps. The optimal Aln-Gln level was 8.24 g · kg-1 diet for WGR based on broken-line regression model analysis.

Carbohydrate malabsorption in patients with non-specific abdominal complaints

Non-specific abdominal complaints are a considerable problem worldwide. Many patients are affected and many differential diagnoses have to be considered. Among these, carbohydrate malabsorption seems to play an important role. However, so far, only incomplete absorption of lactose is broadly accepted, while the malabsorption of fructose and sorbitol is still underestimated, although in many parts of the world it is much more frequent. Despite the success of dietary interventions in many patients, there are still a lot of unanswered questions that make further investigations

Effects of Size Grading on Growth and Non-Specific Immunity Factors of the Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei Boone

The study aims to determine the effects of graded farming on growth performance and non-specific immunity factors of shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei Boone. Three size groups of shrimp, i.e., the small size group [Gs, with an average body length （BL） of （3.04 ± 0.36） cm and body weight （BW） （0.412± 0.35） g], the large group [GL, with a BL of （4.29±0.55） cm and BW of （1.098 ±0.42） g], and the ungraded group [Gm, with a BL of （3.47±0.81） cm and BW of （0.611 ±0.79） g], were reared under the same conditions for 8 wk. Growth performance and non- specific immunity factors were measured. The results showed that BW gain, biomass gain and the specific growth rate of body length （SGRL） were significantly influenced by size grading （one-way ANOVA, P 〈 0.05）. The peroxidase （POD） and antibacterial （Ua） activities of GL were lower than those of G. Superoxide dismutase （SOD） and lysozyme （U1） activities of Gm were lower than those of G. No significant difference （P = 0.121 〉 0.05） was found on phenoloxidase （PO） activity among the three size groups. Synthetically, size grading could enhance growth and rearing efficiency, and did not have a significant influence on the immunity of L. vannamei Boone. Therefore, graded fanning in L. vannamei Boone was feasible in the culture practice.

Effects of the Chinese Medicinal Herb Com plex Additives on Non-specific Immunity of Amursturgeon( Acipenser schrencki Brandt)

This study was to investigate the effects of aqueous decotion from three Chinese medicinal herb additives （ Cyrtomium fortunei, prescription I and prescription II） on non-specific immunity of 1 ＋ age old Amur sturgeon （Acipenser schrencki Brandt） by oral perfusion. Cyrtomiumfortunei, prescription I and prescription II were orally given to 15 fishes for each experimental group once a day, with the concentration of 9,175 and 36 g/S0 kg body weight, respectively. The administration was lasted for 14 days. Meanwhile, distilled water was orally given as the control. After the experiment, some of the experimental fishes were stimulated with high temperature （30 ℃ ） for two hours. Sampling was performed from fishes treated at 22 ℃ and 30 ℃ for measuring the protein content in the serum, phagocytic activity of leucocytes and the activity of the lysozyme in six tissues. The results indicated that Cyrtomiumfortunei and prescription II could help to enhance the content of various proteins and the phagocytic activity of leucocytes. There was no significant change in the effects between these two additives at either the normal temperature or high temperature. Prescription I did not show an obvious effect on the immunity of fishes at the normal temperature, but it did in promo- ting high-efficiency response and improving immunoregulation of fish shocked by some stimuli.