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Objective: To explore the function of cluster needling at scalp points therapy on regulating differential protein’s expression at different time points in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model rats. Methods: Fifty-four rats were divided into three groups randomly and 18 rats in each group. The groups respectively were the model group (group M, n = 18), cluster needling at scalp points group (group C, n = 18), false operation group (group F, n = 18). Each group was then assigned in three subgroups, including 24-h, 7-day, and 14-day subgroups. Six rats in each subgroup. Acupuncture at Baihui (GV20) and 2 points beside Baihui, which was 3–4 mm away from the midline. Longa score was used to evaluated neurological effects. Proteomics methods were used to identify differentially expression proteins with a standard of fold change greater than 1.5 and P

Objective: Cluster needling at scalp acupoints has showed satisfying effects with acute cerebral ischemia in clinic whereas the mechanisms are not yet clear completely. This study investigated the influence of cluster needling at scalp acupoints on neurological function, as well as on neurofilament protein 200 (NF200) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) expression, in rats with acute cerebral ischemia. Methods: Fifty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned in equal numbers to the false operation (group F), model (group M), or cluster needling scalp acupuncture (group C) groups. Each group was divided into three subgroups, of six rats each, by acupuncture treatment time (24 h, 7 days, and 14 days). The rat local cerebral ischemia model was prepared using a modified suture occlusion method. Group C rats were treated by cluster needling scalp acupuncture, while groups F and M did not receive acupuncture treatment. Neurological effects were evaluated using the Longa score. NF200 and STAT3 expression were measured by western blotting. Results: At 24 h, there were no statistical difference between group C and group M in nerve function (P > .05). On days 7 and 14, nerve function scores in group C were significantly lower than that in group M (respectively were P .05). Conclusion: Cluster needling scalp acupuncture were efficient in improving nerve function scores in rats with cerebral ischemia, and promoting the recovery of motor function. These improvements were associated with increases in NF200 and STAT3 expression. Keywords: Cluster needling scalp acupuncture, Acute cerebral ischemia, NF200, STAT3, Suture occlusion method, Rat model

IntroductionIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder that presents with abdominal pain/discomfort and altered bowel patterns. IBS has multiple potential causes for which conventional medicines have had limited success, resulting in a significant number of patients who do not sensitively respond to pharmacotherapy for a period of 12 months and who develop a continuing symptom profile (described as refractory IBS) and seek help through (non)pharmacological treatments. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for refractory IBS on the basis of conventional treatments.Methods and analysisA total of 170 eligible patients who meet the Rome IV criteria for refractory IBS will be randomly allocated to receive acupuncture or sham acupuncture. Each patient will receive 12 sessions of acupuncture over 4 weeks and a 4-week follow-up. The primary outcome will be the IBS Symptom Severity Score. Secondary outcomes will include the proportion of participants experiencing adequate relief of global IBS symptoms, the weekly frequency of defecation, the stool properties assessed by the Bristol Grading Scale, the Work and Social Adjustment Scale, the IBS-Quality of Life score, and the Self-Rating Depression Scale and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale anxiety and depression scores. Outcome measures will be collected at baseline, 2 and 4 weeks of the intervention, and 6 and 8 weeks after the intervention. Categorical variables will be compared with Fisher’s exact test or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test, and continuous variables will be compared using Student’s t-test or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test.Ethics and disseminationThe entire project has been approved by the ethics committees of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (2020BZYLL0507) and Sichuan Province Regional Institution for Conducting Research on Traditional Chinese Medicine (2020KL-025). The outcomes of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications.Trial registration numberNCT04276961.

In this paper, we propose a new method of Gabor feature-based inverse Fisher discriminant analysis for face recognition. In the proposed method, the intrinsic feature is first characterized using Gabor wavelet transform with different scales and directions. Then, image discriminant features are extracted by selecting principal components and inverse Fisher disciminant vectors. Experimental results on ORL and FERET face database demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.