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Objectives: To explore the clinical efficacy of acupressure therapy combined with Tuina and active functional exercise in the treatment of neck-type cervical spondylosis., Methods: Sixty patients with cervical spondylosis were randomly divided into a control group and an experimental group, with 30 cases in each group. The control group was treated with Tuina and active functional exercise. Tuina therapy lasted 10-15 min per session, twice a week for 4 weeks. Functional exercises were performed once in the morning and once in the evening, each session lasting about 10 min, for a total of 4 weeks. The experimental group received the same treatment as the control group combined with ringheaded thumb-tack needle therapy which was applied to 5 Ashi points, with needle retention for 3 days followed by 1 day of rest, for a total of 4 weeks. The neck disability index (NDI) and the short-form of McGill pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ) including visual analog scale (VAS), present pain intensity (PPI) and pain rating index (PRI) were used before treatment, after 2 weeks and after 4 weeks of treatment. The modified Macnab efficacy evaluation criteria were used to assess treatment outcomes, and safety was also evaluated., Results: Compared with baseline, both groups showed significant reductions in NDI, VAS, PPI, and PRI scores after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment ( P <0.01). The improvement in the experimental group was significantly greater than that in the control group ( P <0.05). The clinical efficacy rate (excellent and good) was 60.0% (18/30) in the experimental group, compared to 30.0% (9/30) in the control group, with the experimental group showing better clinical outcomes ( P < 0.05). No adverse reactions were reported during the study., Conclusions: Acupressure therapy combined with Tuina and active functional exercise can effectively improve symptoms such as neck dysfunction and pain in patients with cervical spondylosis with neck syndrome. The addition of acupressure therapy significantly enhances the clinical efficacy of Tuina and functional exercise, with confirmed therapeutic benefits and good safety.

Acute lateral ankle ligament injuries represent a prevalent form of joint sports trauma, with their occurrence increasing alongside the expanding sports demographic. Inadequate initial management of these injuries can precipitate chronic pain, joint instability, and related complications, sometimes necessitating surgical intervention. Chinese medicine, renowned for its long history and extensive experience in treating ligament injuries, is frequently integrated with modern medical practices for a comprehensive treatment approach. Addressing the distinct phases of tissue damage and repair in acute ligament injuries-early, middle, and late-expert group summarizes relevant research evidence and develops a three-stage treatment plan for Chinese medicine, and a new three-phase external treatment protocol was proposed by experts. The focus of the proposed protocol is on "cooling blood to stop bleeding, activating blood circulation and removing stasis, and harmonizing and regenerating new tissue, " tailored to the specific characteristics of each stage. To enhance the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of healthcare professionals and standardize the management of acute lateral ankle ligament injuries, an expert consensus was formulated using a combination of clinical research, practical experience, and the Delphi method. The aim of the consensus is to refine the accuracy and efficacy of diagnosis and treatment through evidence-based practices and expert opinions.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effect of a new three-phase Chinese medicine (CM) external treatment for acute lateral ankle ligament injuries., Methods: From July to December 2023, 64 patients with acute lateral ankle ligament injuries were randomly assigned to receive either the new three-phase CM external treatment combined with the POLICE(protect, optimal loading, ice, compression, elevation) treatment (observation group) or the POLICE treatment (control group), with 32 cases in each group. The observation group consisted of 17 males and 15 females, with an average age of(30.59±3.10) years old ranging from 25 to 36 years old, while the control group included 14 males and 18 females, with an average age of(30.03±3.19) years old ranging from 24 to 37 years old. Visual analogue scale (VAS) evaluation and Figure of 8 measurement were used to evaluate the degree of ankle joint pain and swelling of the subjects at the initial enrollment and after 1 week and sixth weeks of treatment. At the same time, the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) and Karlsson Ankle Function Score System were used to evaluate the improvement of ankle joint function in patients at all stages. MRI imaging was employed to observe the degree of biological healing of the anterior talofibular ligament, with the signal to noise ratio(SNR) indicating the level of healing. A lower SNR suggests better ligament healing, as it represents lower water content in the ligament., Results: All patients completed a 6-week follow-up. There was no significant difference in VAS, AOFAS score and Karlsson score between the two groups before treatment ( P >0.05). After 1 week and 6 weeks of treatment, the VAS, AOFAS score and Karlsson score of the two groups were significantly improved ( P <0.05). After 1 week of treatment, the VAS score of the observation group (3.21±0.87) was lower than that of the control group (4.21±1.50), and the difference was statistically significant ( P <0.05). After 1 weeks of treatment, the AOFAS and Karlsson scores [(50.84±4.70) points, (49.97±4.00) points] of the observation group were higher than those [(46.91±5.56) points, (46.66±5.36) points]of the control group ( P <0.05). MRI images showed that after 6 weeks of treatment, the SNR value of the observation group was significantly lower than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant(SNR of the observation group was 75.25±16.59, the contral gruop was 85.81±15.55), ( P <0.05)., Conclusion: Compared with the control group, the new three-phase CM external treatment is significantly effective in reducing pain and swelling, enhancing ligament repair quality, and promoting functional recovery of the ankle joint in patients with acute lateral malleolar ligament injuries.

Objective: To investigate the differentially expressed genes in rat in the process of regression of vascular calcification by using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH)., Methods: 24 SD male rats which aged 6 weeks and specific pathogen free grade were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 8): control group, calcification group and regression group respectively. Vascular calcification model (vitamin D3 plus nicotine, VDN) were made from rats in calcification group and regression group, and rats in control group were intragastric administered with normal saline and lavaged with peanut oil. Rats were bred for 8 weeks in calcification group and control group, while rats in regression group were fed for 16 weeks. All rats were killed to measure concentration of calcium in the arterial tissue and examine the pathological lesion changes. Subtractive hybridization among vascular cDNA sequences from calcification group and regression group were established. The cDNA fragments which expressed higher or lower in regression group than those in calcification group were isolated. Differentially expressed genes with cDNA fragment were inserted into PMD18-T plasmid vector and transformed competent DH-5alpha, cDNA libraries of differentially expressed gene between calcification group and regression group were then constructed. Recombinant vectors were analyzed by colony PCR, positive genes were randomly selected for sequencing and analyzed by BLAST. 4 genes were randomly selected for RT-PCR certification combined with semi-quantitative analysis of DNA bands., Results: VDN model of rats were successfully constructed. Concentration of tissue calcium in calcification group (15.34 mg/g +/- 2.51 mg/g) was significantly increased compared to that in control group (5.20 mg/g +/- 0.75 mg/g, P < 0.001), while in comparison with calcification group (15.34 mg/g +/- 2.51 mg/g), calcium in regression group was relatively lower (12.73 mg/g +/- 1.89 mg/g, P < 0.05). 28 up-regulated genes and 22 down-regulated genes were gained through sequencing and BLAST analysis among positive clones. RT-PCR validation indicated that 4 genes such as prdx3 and Ank2 had increasedly expressed in regression group than those in calcification group, the average fold change was 1.7., Conclusion: Rat vascular calcification tissue had characteristic of active regression. Genes in relation to pyrophosphoric acid synthesis, glutamate signal peptides, anti-oxidant and ant-apoptosis were up-regulated, at the same time many genes related to ossification and oxidation activity were down-regulated in the process of calcification regression. Increased expression of calcification suppressor genes accompanying decreased expression of calcification promoting genes might be the intrinsic mechanisms which initiated the active regression of calcified tissues.

Objective: The objective of this anatomic study was to investigate the intramuscular neurovascular configuration and to evaluate whether the muscle could be split into two functional units in transplantation., Methods: Ten fresh cadavers and ten preserved cadavers were used in the study. A mixture of lead oxide, gelatin and water was injected to the femoral artery of the fresh cadaver. The rectus femoris muscle with its neurovascular pedicles was dissected and radiographed., Results: Three vascular patterns of the rectus femoris muscle were found in the 40 cadaver legs. The muscle received its blood supply through a single vascular pedicle (12.5%), or a dominant pedicle with 1-2 ramified (80%), or two dominant vascular pedicles (7.5%)., Conclusions: The study provided a detailed description on the intramuscular neurovascular territories of the rectus femoris muscle. Based on the neurovascular supply of the muscle, it is possible to subdivide the muscle into two functional units for segmental muscle transfer.