The future of artificial hibernation medicine:protection of nerves and organs after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury is a serious disease of the central nervous system involving irreversible nerve injury and various organ system injuries.At present,no effective clinical treatment exists.As one of the artificial hibernation techniques,mild hypothermia has preliminarily confirmed its clinical effect on spinal cord injury.However,its technical defects and barriers,along with serious clinical side effects,restrict its clinical application for spinal cord injury.Artificial hibernation is a futureoriented disruptive technology for human life support.It involves endogenous hibernation inducers and hibernation-related central neuromodulation that activate particular neurons,reduce the central constant temperature setting point,disrupt the normal constant body temperature,make the body adapt"to the external cold environment,and reduce the physiological resistance to cold stimulation.Thus,studying the artificial hibernation mechanism may help develop new treatment strategies more suitable for clinical use than the cooling method of mild hypothermia technology.This review introduces artificial hibernation technologies,including mild hypothermia technology,hibernation inducers,and hibernation-related central neuromodulation technology.It summarizes the relevant research on hypothermia and hibernation for organ and nerve protection.These studies show that artificial hibernation technologies have therapeutic significance on nerve injury after spinal co rd injury through inflammatory inhibition,immunosuppression,oxidative defense,and possible central protection.It also promotes the repair and protection of res pirato ry and digestive,cardiovascular,locomoto r,urinary,and endocrine systems.This review provides new insights for the clinical treatment of nerve and multiple organ protection after spinal cord injury thanks to artificial hibernation.At present,artificial hibernation technology is not mature,and research fa ces various challenges.Neve rtheless,the effort is wo rthwhile for the future development of medicine.

An inspiration to the studies on mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion action derived from 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

The editorial board of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine recently convened an academic seminar with a focus on studies regarding the mechanisms mediating acupuncture efficacy and moxibustion action inspired by the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.Specifically,Professor Bailong Xiao introduced the Nobel Prize for research on the mechanically activated Piezo ion channel,evaluating the structure of the Piezo channel and its physiological and pathological functions,and proposed a possible role for the Piezo channel in acupuncture mechanical stimulation.Professor Michael Xi Zhu introduced the discovery of the transient receptor potential(TRP)family,reporting that the therapeutic effects of Chinese medicine and acupuncture may be achieved via the TRP family,and that information regarding associations between the meridian and lymphatic systems may have important research and medical value.In addition,Professor Tianle Xu reviewed the history of ion channel research,particularly the physiological and pharmacological effects of non-classical ion channels(eg,the acid sensing ion channel family)and pointed out that the characterization and neural circuits of acupuncture deqi manipulation are important for elucidating the mechanisms of acupuncture actions.Professor Yongming Li similarly proposed that the 2021 Nobel Prize may open the door to disclosing the histological basis of acupuncture and moxibustion and analyzing the main scientific concerns regarding the clinical translation of acupuncture and moxibustion from basic to translational research.Finally,Professor Yi Guo summarized the study progress of the acupoint microenvironment induced by acupuncture over the course of nearly 30 years and put forward the hypothesis that acupuncture may initiate the physical-chemical coupling network by activating ion channel receptors in acupoints via physical and mechanical stimulation.Therefore,we conclude that a primary achievement of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is in helping interpret how acupuncture and moxibustion adjust homeostasis(ie,by activating mechanical and thermal sensation),which is conducive to validating and promoting the clinical efficacy of acupuncture modalities.

Efficacy and safety of Guipi Decoction combined with conventional Western medicine in the treatment of insomnia with deficiency of heart and spleen:a meta-analysis

Objective:To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Guipi Decoction combined with Western medicine in the treatment of insomnia with deficiency of heart and spleen.Methods:English databases(PubMed,Web of Science,The Cochrane Library,EMBASE)and Chinese databases(CNKI,Wanfang database,China Biomedical Literature Service System,VIP database)were searched by computer.Randomized controlled trials of Guipi Decoction on insomnia with deficiency of heart and spleen were searched from the database construction to November 2021.After the first and second authors independently screened the literature,extracted the data and evaluated the risk of bias in the included studies,meta-analysis was performed using RevMan5.3 software.Results:A total of 9 RCTS were included after screening,including 914 patients.Meta-analysis results showed that:Total effective rate[RR=1.22,95%CI(1.16,1.30),P<0.00001],total PSQI score[MD=-3.05,95%CI(-3.96,-2.14),P=0.008],number of night awakening times[[MD=-1.18,95%CI(-1.42,-0.94),P<0.00001],adverse reaction rate[RR=0.32,95%CI(0.21,0.51),P<0.00001]were better than the control group,and the differences were statistically significant.Conclusion:The current evidence shows that,compared with pure using conventional western medicine,belongs to the spleen decoction combined western medicine therapy,cases both deficiency type of insomnia in the total effective rate,reducing the total PSQI score(improve sleep quality,sleep efficiency,sleep disorder,daytime function,etc.),reducing frequency of nighttime awakening,security,have more advantages.However,due to the limitation of the quality and quantity of articles included in the study,more randomized,double-blind,large-sample clinical studies are needed to confirm the above conclusions.

Annual advances of acupuncture research in 2021

This paper reviews the main progress of research on acupuncture.The annual acupuncture research review includes reports on clinical and basic research on acupuncture published in 2021.From the perspective of literature types,most of them are clinical studies or systematic review,and high-quality basic studies can also be seen.Acupuncture in the treatment of cancer diseases,cardio-cerebrovascular disease,endocrine disease,digestive system diseases,inflammatory diseases and COVID-19 has certain advantages.Most clinical studies or systematic reviews show that acupuncture has played a positive role in treating many diseases,and it provides a valuable basis for further in-depth study of the clinical value of acupuncture and mechanism.The quality and innovation of acupuncture and moxibustion research are gradually improving.Researchers not only pay attention to standardized acupuncture and moxibustion treatment research,but also continue to explore new diseases,new mechanisms,and new methods.High-quality clinical studies with guiding significance have laid a solid research foundation for the international promotion of acupuncture.In terms of basic research,there are also high-quality animal experiments published in the international top biology journal Nature,which have been highly accepted internationally and increasingly recognized by international experts.Acupuncture is a very promising treatment.

Clinical study on fire needle acupuncture treating irregular menstruation with spleen deficiency syndrome

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of fire needle acupuncture in treating irregular menstruation with spleen deficiency syndrome.Methods:60 patients with spleen deficiency-irregular menstruation were randomly divided into treatment group and control group of 30 each.In the treatment group,fire needle acupuncture was used to insert into Guanyuan,Qihai,Pishu,Sanyinjiao,Zusanli and Taibai points,while the filiform needle was used to needle the corresponding acupoints in the control group.After 8 weeks of treatment,menstrual cycle,menstrual period,menstrual volume,irregular menstrual symptom score and spleen deficiency symptom score were recorded.Results:Both treatments could effectively improve the menstrual cycle,menstrual period and menstrual volume,but there was no statistical significance between the two groups(P>0.05).Both treatments were effective in regulating the symptoms of menstruation,and fire needle acupuncture was better than filiform needle(P<0.05).Both treatments relieved the symptoms of spleen deficiency,and fire needle acupuncture was better than filiform needle(P<0.05).In terms of overall curative effect,the curative effect of fire needle acupuncture therapy was significantly better than filiform needle therapy,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion:Fire needle acupuncture therapy could effectively regulate menstrual volume of patients with irregular menstruation of spleen deficiency syndrome,and relieve the symptoms of traditional Chinese medicine.

Bloodletting Puncture at Hand Twelve Jing-Well Points Relieves Brain Edema after Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats via Inhibiting MAPK Signaling Pathway

Objective:To investigate whether blood-brain barrier(BBB)served a key role in the edema-relief effect of bloodletting puncture at hand twelve Jing-well points(HTWP)in traumatic brain injury(TBI)and the potential molecular signaling pathways.Methods:Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to the shamoperated(sham),TBI,and bloodletting puncture(bloodletting)groups(n=24 per group)using a randomized number table.The TBI model rats were induced by cortical contusion and then bloodletting puncture were performed at HTWP twice a day for 2 days.The neurological function and cerebral edema were evaluated by modified neurological severity score(mNSS),cerebral water content,magnetic resonance imaging and hematoxylin and eosin staining.Cerebral blood flow was measured by laser speckles.The protein levels of aquaporin 4(AQP4),matrix metalloproteinases 9(MMP9)and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway(MAPK)signaling were detected by immunofluorescence staining and Western blot.Results:Compared with TBI group,bloodletting puncture improved neurological function at 24 and 48 h,alleviated cerebral edema at 48 h,and reduced the permeability of BBB induced by TBI(all P<0.05).The AQP4 and MMP9 which would disrupt the integrity of BBB were downregulated by bloodletting puncture(P<0.05 or P<0.01).In addition,the extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK)and p38 signaling pathways were inhibited by bloodletting puncture(P<0.05).Conclusions:Bloodletting puncture at HTWP might play a significant role in protecting BBB through regulating the expressions of MMP9 and AQP4 as well as corresponding regulatory upstream ERK and p38 signaling pathways.Therefore,bloodletting puncture at HTWP may be a promising therapeutic strategy for TBI-induced cerebral edema.