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With the unique structure and manipulation techniques of blood-letting and cutting, hook needle serves as a role in dredging meridians, removing blood stasis, purging heat for resuscitation and relaxing synechial tissues. There are three needling techniques of hook needle: swift pricking, bleeding and pricking. Six manipulations are commonly used as lifting-thrusting, plucking, pulling, pushing-scraping, vibration and massage. The mechanism and manipulations of hook needling are summarized systematically in the present paper. In this way, its manipulations, indications and contraindications are expounded in detail.

This study was purposed to evaluate a method to discriminate the action loci of anticancer agents in G(2) and M phases of cell cycle. The meta-amsacrine (m-AMSA) and vinblastine (VBL), already known as G(2) and M phase arrest agent respectively, were used to induce the arrest of MOLT-4 cells at G(2) and M phases, the change of DNA content was detected by flow cytometry, the morphology of arrested cells was observed by confocal microscopy so as to find the arrest efficacy difference of 2 anticancer agents. As a result, the flow cytometric detection showed that the arrested MOLT-4 cells displayed the raise of peaks in G(2) and M phases, but flow cytometric detection alone can not discriminate the difference between them. The observation with confocal microscopy showed that the MOLT-4 cells arrested by m-AMSA displayed the morphologic features in G(2) phase, while the MOLT-4 cells arrested by VBL displayed the morphologic features in M phase. This observation with confocal microscopy is helpful to discriminate the difference between them. In conclusion, the combination of flow cytometry with confocal microscopy is one of the effective methods to discriminate the kind of G(2) or M phase arresting agent of anticancer drugs.

This paper introduces the old nine-needle including its name, shape, function, manipulation and origination, as well as systematically introduces the new nine-needle as a new product which has been developed under the guidance of modern science and technology based on the old nine-needle since 1949. As a new tool, the new nine-needle provide much more choice for acupuncture treatment and obtained satisfied clinical effect. During the development of research and clinical practice on the new nine-needle, its theory has been consummated successively. Combining various kinds of needles for treatment is not only paying attention to the specificity of one kind of needles, but also emphasizing the whole function of all kinds of needles, which makes the new nine-needle formed the characteristic and distinct theory of its own.

A comparison of recognition to migraine and treatment methods for it was made between traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine in this paper. Emphasis was made on standardized manipulation processes and techniques of sharp hooked needling for treating the disease, based on both the organic conception of the human body, the theory held by TCM, and on the principle of treatment according to pathogenesis obtained through differentiation of symptoms and signs. The necessary preparation before operations, methods for its application and announcements in the standardized manipulations of sharp hooked needling were all explained in detail. Based on its needling, pricking, dissecting and relaxing effects, the mechanisms of sharp hooked needling in treating the disease were investigated. It is concluded that sharp hooked needling is very effective in treating migraine.

This study was purposed to investigate the biological effect of vinblastine (VLS), usually known as inductor of mitotic arrest, on MOLT-4 of ALL cells and to evaluate its significance. The cell arrest in M phase and/or cell apoptosis were induced by treatment of MOLT-4 cells with 0.05 microg/ml VLS for 0 - 12 hours; the DNA histogram was detected by flow cytometry; the morphological changes of cells were observed by confocal microscopy; the cell cycle distribution, cell apoptosis and morphological changes of cells before and after arrest were analyzed by using arrest increasing rate (AIR), arrest efficiency (AE), apoptosis rate (AR) and morphologic parameters respectively. The results indicated that the cell arrest did not accompanied by significant increase of apoptosis rate; the DNA histogram of cell arrest showed dynamic change of cell cycle in time-dependent manner; the arrest efficiency could be quantified. The cell arrest at M phase was accompanied by cell stack in S phase, the cell proliferation rate dropped after cell arrest occurred. The cells arrested at M phase possessed of characteristic morphologic features in cell mitosis. It is concluded that the vinblastine can solely induce arrest of MOLT-4 cells at M phase. This study provides experimental basis for further investigating the relation of cell cycle arrest to apoptosis, mechanism of checkpoint and development of new anticancer drugs.

The characteristics and advantages of acupuncture therapy for apoplexy have been widely approved in China. However, the factors affecting the curative effect are various. More and more researchers think highly of the acupuncture needle-retaining duration. The present article makes a discussion on the significance of needle-retaining duration for improving stroke patients' symptoms and signs; and reviews the recent progresses, the extant problems and the academic significance about the studies of the abovementioned topic by combining the authors' previous work. Generally, a systemic study on this topic is rather deficient up to now, and is definitely necessary for further improving clinical therapeutic effect in the light of the requirements of evidence-based medicine.

Mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion for treatment of hypertension have been studied extensively from poly-aspects, poly-levels and poly-links. The present paper reviews the studies on nervous regulation, humoral regulation and regulation of peripheral vessel resistance and other pathways and their relationships in recent ten years, and indicates further perfecting these studies from the following aspects: studies on the mechanism of section and combination of blood pressure-decreasing points, relationship of time-effect and dose-effect of acupuncture and moxibustion, and studies on mechanisms of functions of nerve-endocrine-immune system.

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of acupuncture at "Neiguan" (PC 6) and "Ximen" (PC 4) of the Pericardium Meridian in treatment of myocardial ischemia., Methods: Rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, sham-operation group, ischemia-reperfusion model group, Neiguan acupuncture group, Ximen acupuncture group and Zhigou acupuncture group. Electroacupuncture (EA) was given at corresponding acupoints for 20 min in the later 3 groups, followed by ligation of the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery and 40 min later, acupuncture was given at the points for another 20 min, reperfusion for 60 min, with ECG monitoring. Then the myocardial tissue sample (below the ligation site) of the left cardiac ventricle was taken for preparation of sarcoplasmic reticulum, and determination of Ca2+-ATPase activity according to quantitative analysis of phosphorum. The relative mRNA levels were determined by Northerm Bolt analysis., Results: In the acupuncture groups, both the activities of Ca2+-ATPase and the gene expressions increased significantly as compared with the model group (all P < 0.01)., Conclusion: The points of the Pericardium Meridian can obviously improve the Ca2+-ATPase activity and the gene expressions, reduce the degree of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury, and strength myocardial functions.