Electroacupuncture modulates the activity of the hippocampus-nucleus tractus solitarius-vagus nerve pathway to reduce myocardial ischemic injury

The hippocampus is involved in the regulation of the autonomic nervous system,together with the hypothalamus and brainstem nuclei,such as the paraventricular nucleus and nucleus tractus solitarius.The vagus nerve-nucleus tractus solitarius pathway has an important role in cardiovascular reflex regulation.Myocardial ischemia has been shown to cause changes in the autonomic nervous system,affecting the dynamic equilibrium of the sympathetic and vagal nerves.However,it remains poorly understood how the hippocampus communicates with brainstem nuclei to regulate the autonomic nervous system and alleviate myocardial ischemic tissue damage.A rat model of acute myocardial ischemia（AMI） was made by ligating the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery.Three days before ischemia,the hippocampal CA1 region was damaged.Then,3 days after ischemia,electroacupuncture（EA） at Shenmen（HT7）-Tongli（HT5） was performed（continuous wave,1 m A,2 Hz,duration of 30 minutes）.Cluster analysis of firing patterns showed that one type of neuron was found in rats in the sham and AMI groups.Three types of neurons were observed in the AMI ＋ EA group.Six types of neurons were found in the AMI ＋ EA ＋ Lesion group.Correlation analysis showed that the frequency of vagus nerve discharge in each group was negatively correlated with heart rate（HR）（P 〈 0.05,r =-0.424）,and positively correlated with mean arterial pressure（MAP）（P 〈 0.05,r = 0.40987） and the rate-pressure product（RPP）（P 〈 0.05,r = 0.4252）.The total frequency of the nucleus tractus solitarius discharge in each group was positively correlated with vagus nerve discharge（P 〈 0.01,r = 0.7021）,but not with hemodynamic index（HR： P 〉 0.05,r =-0.03263; MAP： P 〉 0.05,r =-0.08993; RPP： P 〉 0.05,r =-0.03263）.Some neurons（Neuron C） were negatively correlated with vagus nerve discharge,HR,MAP and RPP in the AMI ＋ EA group（vagus nerve discharge： P 〈 0.05,r =-0.87749; HR： P 〈 0.01,r =-0.91902; MAP： P 〈 0.05,r =-0.85691; RPP： P 〈 0.01,r =-0.91902）.Some neurons（Neurons C,D and E） were positively correlated with vagus nerve discharge,HR,MAP and RPP in the AMI ＋ EA ＋ Lesion group（vagus nerve discharge： P 〈 0.01,r = 0.8905,P 〈 0.01,r = 0.9725,P 〈 0.01,r = 0.9054; HR： P 〈 0.01,r = 0.9347,P 〈 0.01,r = 0.9089,P 〈 0.05,r = 0.8247; MAP： P 〈 0.05,r = 0.8474,P 〈 0.01,r = 0.9691,P 〈 0.01,r = 0.9027; RPP： P 〈 0.05,r = 0.8637,P 〈 0.01,r = 0.9407,P 〈 0.01,r = 0.9027）.These findings show that the hippocampus-nucleus tractus solitarius-vagus nerve pathway is involved in the cardioprotective effect of EA at the heart meridian.Some interneurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius may play a particularly important role in the cardiomodulatory process.

Effect of electroacupuncture for Pisa syndrome in Parkinson’s disease:A case report

BACKGROUND Pisa syndrome(PS)refers to marked lateral flexion of the trunk with a Cobb angle greater than 10°,which is typically mobile and can be resolved by lying down.PS is one of the most common postural deformities secondary to Parkinson’s disease(PD)and can aggravate scoliosis in the advanced stages of PD.CASE SUMMARY Here,we present the case of a 53-year-old woman who presented with lateral curvature for 6 mo.Full spine X-ray films in the correct position showed that the thoracolumbar spine was bent to the right without any rotation of the vertebrae.The patient was diagnosed with Pisa syndrome.After receiving a month’s treatment with electroacupuncture,the Cobb angle decreased from 18.14°to 13.41°.CONCLUSION This case demonstrates that electroacupuncture can effectively improve Pisa syndrome secondary to PD with few side effects and a low risk of recurrence.Additionally,early accurate diagnosis and timely intervention are meaningful for the prognosis of PS.

Long-term acupuncture treatment has a multitargeting regulation on multiple brain regions in rats with Alzheimer＇s disease：a positron emission tomography study

The acute effect of acupuncture on Alzheimer＇s disease,i.e.,on brain activation during treatment,has been reported.However,the effect of long-term acupuncture on brain activation in Alzheimer＇s disease is unclear.Therefore,in this study,we performed long-term needling at Zusanli（ST36）or a sham point（1.5 mm lateral to ST36）in a rat Alzheimer＇s disease model,for 30 minutes,once per day,for 30 days.The rats underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scanning.Positron emission tomography images were processed with SPM2.The brain areas activated after needling at ST36 included the left hippocampus,the left orbital cortex,the left infralimbic cortex,the left olfactory cortex,the left cerebellum and the left pons.In the sham-point group,the activated regions were similar to those in the ST36 group.However,the ST36 group showed greater activation in the cerebellum and pons than the sham-point group.These findings suggest that long-term acupuncture treatment has targeted regulatory effects on multiple brain regions in rats with Alzheimer＇s disease.

Differential expression of immune-related genes between healthy volunteers and type 2 diabetic patients with spleen-deficiency pattern

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical differentiation of spleen-deficiency pattern(SDP), a group of symptoms and signs defined in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine for its clinical practice.METHODS: Peripheral venous blood(> 3 m L) was collected from each of six type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)-SDP patients and six healthy volunteers. After the isolation of peripheral white blood cells(PWBCs), total RNA was extracted, and quality control was performed on all RNA samples. Microarray experiments were conducted using the Agilent human whole genome gene chip, and genes demonstrating differential expression were screened. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted on these genes using several online databases.RESULTS: We screened a total of 175 differentially expressed genes(DEGs), of which 111(63%) were down-regulated and 64(37%) were up-regulated in T2DM-SDP patients compared with healthy controls. Among the 175 genes, 158 had biological function annotations: 46(29%) were directly related to an individual's immune regulation or response, 25(16%) were associated with substance and energy metabolism of PWBCs which could also indirectly influence immunity, and the remaining87(55%) were involved in a variety of PWBC biological processes that might eventually influence the immune function. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the DEGs were predominantly enriched in seven immune-related pathways. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified gene expression patterns that were distinguishable between the two study groups.CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that T2DM-SDP patients experience significant hypoimmunity and/or immune dysfunctions, and possess a specific gene expression profile. These findings offer new insights into SDP and the clinical pattern differentiation of T2DM-SDP.

Brain neural effects of the ’tonifying kidney and benefiting marrow’ method in the treatment of osteoporosis

In Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM),the'tonifying kidney and benefiting marrow'(TKBM)method is based on the theory that kidney controls bones,while marrow moistens bones.There have been aboundant theoretical studies on kidney controlling bones since Huangdi's Internal Classics.Howev-er,there are too few ones about the marrow moistening the bones.Researchers generally use the tonifying kidney method instead of the TKBM method,which causes lack of a unified standard and theoretical basis in evaluating the TKBM method.Herein,we first proposed the hypothesis that deficiency of marrow sea causes osteoporosis.Next,we prove the scientific validity of this hypothesis from the side of the TCM theory on the relationship among kidney,bone and marrow sea physiologically and pathologically.Based on this,we find that the TCM theory provides theoretical basis for deficiency of marrow sea causing osteoporosis.On the other side,Western Medicine theory holds that(a)physiologically,the brain regulates the bone mass via three pathways:the neuro-osteogenic network,neuro-endocrine-bone network,and neuropeptide-bone network;(b)pathologically,brain impacts bone mass via three major passways including the regulation of the sympathetic nervous system,secreting hormones that directly act on bone cells and regulating the synthesis and secretion of hormones in the intermediary organs,and neuropeptides such as neuropeptide Y(NPY),substance P(SP),and calcitonin gene-related peptide(CGRP).Evidences involving estrogen deficiency,sympatheticotonia,or neuropeptides imbalance prove that brain-bone mass regulation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.Finally,we find that kidney invigoration method can change the concentrations of central neurotransmitters of norepinephrine and glutamate to regulate neuro-osteogenic network,and promote the recovery of ovarian function and have an estrogen-like effect by regulating the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis,which thus influences bone metabolism without clinically significant estro-gen-like side effects,and regulate NPY,CGRP and SP involved in the bone metabolism.These further support our hypothesis by revealing the brain neural mechanism of the TCM kidney invigoration method for preventing and treating osteoporosis.In the future,neuroimaging techniques may be useful in exploring its neural effects and also aid in developing new strategies for treating osteoporosis.

Effect of Taichong(LR 3) acupuncture in spontaneously hypertensive rats

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of Taichong(LR3) acupuncture points(acupoints) on the expression of glucose transporter protein 1(GLUT1) in the hypothalamus of spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHRs) as measured by combined positron emission tomography and computed tomography(PETCT).METHODS: Spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR)were divided into model, Taichong(LR 3) acupuncture, and sham groups. Additionally, Tokyo Wistar rats were used as the control group. Changes in blood pressure were recorded in different groups of rats before and after the corresponding treatment. Hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining was used to study basic morphological changes, and immunohistochemistry was used to determine GLUT1 expression in the hypothalamus. Further,PET-CT was utilized to elucidate the antihypertensive mechanism after acupuncture at the Taichong(LR 3) acupoints.RESULTS: PET-CT indicated activation of the hypothalamus. Measurement of blood pressure showed that acupuncture at the Taichong(LR 3) acupoints lowered blood pressure. HE staining did not show any significant pathological changes, although differences in cell number were observed. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated a GLUT1 downregulation in the SHRs of the Taichong(LR 3) acupuncture group after the treatment.CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at Taichong(LR 3) acupoints lowered blood pressure in SHRs, with possible mechanisms being changes in cell number and GLUT1 expression in the hypothalamus.