Randomized controlled trial: Moxibustion and acupuncture for the treatment of Crohn's disease

AIM: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of active Crohn’s disease (CD).

Comparison of ultrasound biomicroscopy and spectraldomain anterior segment optical coherence tomography in evaluation of anterior segment after laser peripheral iridotomy

AIM：To quantitatively assess narrow anterior chamber angle using spectral-domain anterior segment optical coherence tomography（SD-AS-OCT） and ultrasound biomicroscopy（UBM）,and to evaluate the correlations and consistency between SD-AS-OCT and UBM.· METHODS：Fifty-five eyes from 40 patients were examined.Patients were diagnosed with primary angleclosure glaucoma（PACG） remission（11 eyes from 8patients）,primary angle closure（PAC,20 eyes from 20patients） and PAC suspect（24 eyes from 12 patients）.Each eye was examined by SD-AS-OCT and UBM after laser peripheral iridotomy（LPI）.The measurements of SD-AS-OCT were angle open distance（AOD）,anterior chamber angle（ACA）,trabecular iris angle（TIA）,and trabecular iris space area（TISA）.UBM measurements were AOD and TIA.Correlations of AOD500 and TIA500 between UBM and AS-OCT were assessed.All parameters were analysed by SPSS 16.0 and MedCalc.· RESULTS：ACA,TIA and AOD measured by SD-ASOCT reached a maximum at the temporal quadrant and minimum at the nasal quadrant.Group parameters of AOD500 and AOD750 showed a linear positive correlation,and AOD750 had less variability.UBM outcomes of AOD500 and TIA500 were significantly smaller than those of SD-AS-OCT.The results of the two techniques were correlated at the superior,nasal and inferior quadrants.CONCLUSION：Both UBM and SD-AS-OCT are efficient tools for follow-up during the course of PACG.We recommended using parameters at 750 μm anterior to the sclera spur for the screening and follow-up of PACG and PAC.The two methods might be alternatives to each other.

Effects of Methylprednisolone on the Expression and Activity of Calpain Following Ischemia-Reperfusion Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of methylprednisolone on the expression and activity of calpain in spinal cord tissue following spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to sham operations, ischemia-reperfusion and vehicle treated, or ischemia-reperfusion with methylprednisolone administration after injury. The expression of calpain I in the injured segments of the spinal cord as well as the degradation of the 68 kD neurofilament protein (NFP), a calpain-specific substrate, was determined at 3 h, 24 h, 72 h and 7 days after reperfusion using immunohistochemical labeling and western blot analysis, respectively. Three hours after spinal cord reperfusion, calpain I-positive cells and NFP degradation products were evident. The number of positive cells and immunoreactivity increased with time and peaked at 72 h after reperfusion. In addition, the number of calpain I-positive cells and the abundance of NFP degradation products were significantly lower in the methylprednisolone group, compared with vehicle treated animals following ischemia-reperfusion injury. The results of this study suggest that methylprednisolone can inhibit the expression and degradation activity of calpain following ischemia-reperfusion injury, providing further insight into the therapeutic benefits of methylprednisolone treatment for spinal cord injury.

Moxibustion on Governor Vessel for ankylosing spondylitis due to kidney yang deficiency:a clinical controlled study

Objective： To observe the clinical effect of moxibustion on Governor Vessel for ankylosing spondylitis（AS） due to kidney yang deficiency.Methods： A total of 60 patients of AS due to kidney yang deficiency were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group by random digital table, 30 cases in each group. Both of the two groups were treated by oral administration of Sulfasalazine tablets. Additionally, the treatment group was given moxibustion on Governor Vessel, and the control group was given sham moxibustion. The treatment was given once every other day, 4 weeks constituted one course, 2 courses in total. Before treatment, after 1-course and 2-course treatments, the quantified scores of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） syndromes and the symptoms scores recommended by AS International Society [including Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index（BASDAI）, visual analogue scale（VAS）, Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index（BASFI） and Bath ankylosing spondylitis metrology index（BASMI）] were respectively observed and recorded, and the change of safety item was monitored. Results： After 1-course and 2-course treatments, the quantified scores of TCM syndromes were obviously improved than those before treatment in the two groups（P〈0.05）, and the score was improved better in the treatment group than that in the control group（P〈0.05）. In comparison within the group, there were no statistical differences between the scores after 1-course treatment and 2-course treatment in the two groups（P〈0.05）. After 1-course treatment, the items of the symptoms scores were improved than those before treatment in the two groups（P〉0.05）. After 2-course treatment, the therapeutic effect was more remarkable in the treatment group, with a statistical difference between the two groups（P〈0.05）. During treatment, no obvious abnormality in all safety items was noticed in the two groups. Conclusion： Moxibustion on Governor Vessel can effectively relieve the clinical symptoms of AS patients, without obvious adverse reaction.

Cystathionine-γ-lyase ameliorates the histone demethylase JMJD3-mediated autoimmune response in rheumatoid arthritis

Cystathionine-γ-lyase(CSE),an enzyme associated with hydrogen sulfide(H2S)production,is an important endogenous regulator of inflammation.Jumonji domain-containing protein 3(JMJD3)is implicated in the immune response and inflammation.Here,we investigated the potential contribution of JMJD3 to endogenous CSE-mediated inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis(RA).Upregulated CSE and JMJD3 were identified in synovial fibroblasts(SFs)from RA patients as well as in the joints of arthritic mice.Knocking down CSE augmented inflammation in IL-1β-induced SFs by increasing JMJD3 expression.In addition,CSE−/−mice with collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)developed severe joint inflammation and bone erosion.Conversely,overexpressing CSE inhibited JMJD3 expression by the transcription factor Sp-1 and was accompanied by reduced inflammation in IL-1β-treated SFs.Furthermore,JMJD3 silencing or the administration of the JMJD3 inhibitor GSK-J4 significantly decreased the inflammatory response in IL-1β-treated SFs,mainly by controlling the methylation status of H3K27me3 at the promoter of its target genes.GSK-J4 markedly attenuated the severity of arthritis in CIA mice.In conclusion,suppressing JMJD3 expression by the transcription factor Sp-1 is likely responsible for the ability of CSE to negatively modulate the inflammatory response and reduce the progression of RA.