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Backgroud Zinc is an essential catalytic element in human health system but its absorption in intestinal system could be strongly affected by the gastrointestinal digestion. In this study, the food-derived potential zinc carrier, scallop adductor hydrolysates (SAHs), was produced and characterized. Results During the temporary storage in 4°C, the SAH decreased in zinc-chelating capacity in aqueous phase whereas the SAH-Zn complex exhibited high stability. Moreover, the secondary structure of SAH had no significant alteration. Zinc morphologically altered the surface structures of SAH, which was involving in carboxyl group of SAH. Results of in vitro gastrointestinal (GI) digestion suggested that the SAH-Zn maintained good stability in GI system and only proportion of high molecular weight cleaved. In addition, SAH could successfully carry and transport zinc while the fluorescence staining revealed free zinc accumulation inside the tissue. Finally, 3 representative absorbed peptides (around 600 Da) were identified and synthesized. Three synthetic peptides exhibit higher zinc-chelating capacity than SAH and could also successfully transported through the intestine. Conclusion This study provided a theoretical basis for the investigation of digestion and absorption of marine animal-derived peptides as zinc carriers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Physicians in the past dynasties have improved the theory of fire needling from the aspects of fire needling instruments, clinical efficacy, application scope, operation, precautions, etc., which promoted the clinical application of fire needling. Modern fire needling breaks through the traditional clinical taboos such as heat syndrome, face, forbidden acupoints, and no needle retention. By using modern fire needling with various types, characteristics and functions, multiple needles and multiple methods are used to treat various diseases, which can further exert the therapeutic effect of fire needling and promote the popularization and application of fire needle therapy.历代医家从火针针具、功效、适用范围、刺法、操作、注意事项等方面完善了火针理论，促进了火针的临床应用。当代火针突破了热证、面部、禁穴、不留针等传统临床禁忌。通过使用类型繁多、各具特色、功能多样的现代火针，多针、多法合用来治疗多种疾病，可进一步发挥火针疗效，促进火针疗法的推广和应用。.

Background Painful paronychia and pseudopyogenic granuloma (PG) are common adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with the use of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Multiple local management approaches have been tested with unsatisfactory results. We have introduced an occlusion therapy technique through which available topical drugs for longer than 2 years. Methods Based on the cancer registry and case management system of our hospital, from July 2019 to July 2020, we retrospectively enrolled patients with NSCLC who were treated with EGFR-TKIs and received applications of 0.5% timolol ophthalmic solution (TIMOPTOL XE 0.5%®) combined with a neomycin/tyrothricin ointment ( Biomycin®) using the occlusion method to treat paronychia or PG. Results A total of 22 patients were enrolled, with a mean age of 66.5 years, most of whom were women (72.7%). Periungual lesion-related pain was reported by all patients, and periungual bleeding and PG were reported in 14% (3/22) and 64% (14/22) of patients, respectively. After the occlusion therapy application of timolol ophthalmic solution combined with neomycin/tyrothricin ointment twice daily, the overall response rate was 83.3%, including complete response in 18% (4/22) of cases and partial response in 68% (15/22) of cases. Conclusion We presented an occlusion method using available topical beta-blockers and antibiotic ointment for EGFR-TKI-induced paronychia and PG in Taiwan. The result is favorable. Further randomized control trial is urgent to validate our findings

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture, an alternative medicine therapy, as a preventive treatment for menstruation-related migraine (MRM).Patients and methodsThis was a prospective, multicenter, double-dummy, participant-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial conducted in China between 1 April 2013, and 30 April 2014. The participants were enrolled from four study centers and randomized to into either the acupuncture group, which received 24 sessions of acupuncture at traditional acupoints plus placebo, or the medication group, which received sham acupuncture plus naproxen. The primary endpoint was change from the baseline average number of migraine days per perimenstrual period over cycles 1−3. The secondary endpoints included changes from the baseline average number of migraine days outside the perimenstrual period, mean number of migraine hours during and outside the perimenstrual period, mean visual analog scale score during and outside the perimenstrual period, ≥50% migraine responder rate, and the proportion of participants who used acute pain medication over cycles 1−3 and 4−6.ResultsA total of 172 women with MRM were enrolled; 170 in the intention-to-treat analyses. Our primary outcome reported a significant between-group difference that favored the acupuncture group (95% CI, 0.17–0.50; P < 0.001), with the average reduction of migraine days per perimenstrual period from the baseline was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.82–1.07) in the acupuncture group and 0.61 (95% CI, 0.50–0.71) in the medication group over cycles 1−3.ConclusionThis study showed that compared to medication, acupuncture reduces the number of migraine days experienced by patients with MRM. For patients who received the acupuncture treatment over three cycles, the preventive effect of the therapy was sustained for six cycles.Clinical trial registration[https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN57133712], identifier [ISRCTN15663606].

This study aimed to search for the optimum antioxidant mixture for improvement of the stability of high-oleic sunflower oil. Seven antioxidants including vitamin E, phytic acid, antioxidant of bamboo leaves, rosemary extract, tea polyphenols, ascorbyl palmitate (AP) as well as tea polyphenol palmitate (TPP) were used. Peroxide value, free radicals and Rancimat induction time results all proved that TPP was the best single antioxidant. Therefore, TPP was selected to mix with other antioxidants to form composite antioxidants. The combination of TPP and AP revealed the best antioxidant efficiency among the composite antioxidants comprised of two and three constituents in the oil. By optimizing the mixture proportions, the best antioxidant activity could be achieved when combining 480 mg/kg TPP with 40 mg/kg AP. The high-oleic sunflower oil sample (containing 480 mg/kg TPP and 40 mg/kg AP) had 1.96-fold longer shelf life (prediction by Rancimat method) compared with the blank sample.

Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who harbor susceptible epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and are treated with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) show longer progression-free survival (PFS) than those treated with chemotherapy. However, developed EGFR-TKI resistance limits PFS improvements. Currently, combination treatment with EGFR-TKIs and anti-angiogenic agents is considered a beneficial regimen for advanced-stage NSCLC harboring susceptible EGFR mutations. However, several trials reported osimertinib plus bevacizumab failed to show superior efficacy over osimertinib alone. However, subgroup analysis showed significantly longer PFS among patients with a history of smoking over those who never smoked. We performed a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the smoking status impact. At the end of the process, a total of 2068 patients from 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in our meta-analysis. Overall, combination EGFR-TKI plus anti-angiogenic agent treatment showed significantly better PFS among patients with a smoking history (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.48–0.73). Erlotinib-based combination therapy showed positive PFS benefits regardless of smoking status (HR = 0.54, 95%CI = 0.41–0.71 for ever smoker, HR = 0.69, 95%CI = 0.54–0.87 for never smoker). Combination therapy prolonged PFS significantly regardless of ethnicity (HR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.44–0.93 for Asian RCTs, HR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.41–0.74 for global and non-Asian RCTs). PROSPERO registration number is CRD42022304198).

Central nervous system injury diseases can cause the loss of many neurons, and it is difficult to regenerate. The field of regenerative medicine believes that supplementing the missing neurons may be an ideal method for nerve injury repair. Recent studies have found that down-regulation of polypyrimidine tract binding protein 1 (PTBP1) expression can make glial cells transdifferentiate into different types of neurons, which is expected to be an alternative therapy to restore neuronal function. This article summarized the research progress on the structure and biological function of the PTBP family, the mutual regulation of PTBP1 and PTBP2, their role in neurogenesis, and the latest research progress in targeting PTBP1 to mediate the transdifferentiation of glial cells into neurons, which may provide some new strategies and new ideas for the future treatment of central nervous system injury and neurodegenerative diseases. This article is categorized under: RNA ProcessingSplicing Regulation/Alternative Splicing.

Background Knee osteoarthritis is a common clinical chronic degenerative disease associated with high morbidity and long-term disability. Previous studies have confirmed the efficacy of acupuncture on knee osteoarthritis. Fire needle acupuncture is a combination of heat and acupuncture, which may be more effective than the commonly used filiform needle acupuncture. This study is designed as a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fire needle acupuncture compared to filiform needle acupuncture in knee osteoarthritis patients. Methods and analysis This is a prospective randomized controlled superiority clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fire needle acupuncture compared to filiform needle acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis. A total of 100 participants will be randomly assigned to two different groups. Participants will receive fire needle acupuncture treatment in the fire needle group, while participants in the filiform needle group will be treated with a filiform needle at the same acupuncture points as the fire needle group. All participants will receive 6 weeks of treatment (2 times per week). The primary outcome is the change of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, and the secondary outcomes include the change of the visual analog scale and 12-item Short Form Health Survey from baseline to endpoint. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval of this study was granted by the Research Ethical Committee of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University (2018SB-066). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Outcomes of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1800019579. Registered on November 18, 2018

Background Phospholipids, the main lipid component in marine shellfish, mainly comprise glycerophosphocholine (GPC) and glycerophosphoethanolamine (GPE). GPC and GPE in marine shellfish, especially scallop, carry n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), although different types of glycerophospholipids (GP) have different health benefits on human health. Moreover, different GP subclasses such as GPC and GPE have different oxidative susceptibilities in complex food systems. The present study compared the oxidative susceptibilities of GPC and GPE in dried scallop during storage by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and kinetic models, and also investigated the effects of natural phenolic antioxidant on their susceptibilities. Results The results showed that GPC and GPE molecular species (carrying EPA or DHA) contents in samples continuously reduced during storage at two different temperatures. The first-order kinetic model better reflected the changes of GPC and GPE molecular species (carrying EPA or DHA) in samples than the zero-order kinetic model during storage. According to the oxidation rate (k) obtained from first-order kinetic models, GPE possessed a greater oxidation rate than GPC during storage. Moreover, the results showed that antioxidants of bamboo leaves (AOB, polar polyphenolic antioxidants) significantly decreased the oxidation rates of GPC and GPE molecular species (carrying EPA or DHA) in samples during storage, and GPC could be more effectively protected by AOB compared to GPE. Conclusion The present study provides a practical method for accurately evaluating the oxidative susceptibility of different phospholipid classes in complex food systems. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Asymmetric electrocatalysis is poised to provide a unique avenue for access to enantioenriched molecules that are difficult to obtain through more conventional approaches, but the development of efficient electrocatalysts capable of highly enantioselective transformations remains elusive. Towards this enviable end, bifunctional electrocatalyst capable of both redox mediation and delivery of high stereocontrol is needed. Here we disclose a novel TEMPO-BOX-ligated copper electrocatalyst that enables oxidative kinetic resolution of racemic 1,4-diols, affording diverse chiral 1,4-diols and γ-lactones with good or excellent chemo-, regio, and enantioselectivity. We also show that this cooperative Cu/TEMPO-BOX catalytic strategy is applicable to the electro-oxidative kinetic resolution of 1,2- and 1,3-amino alcohols. This work demonstrates the potential of bifunctional electrocatalysis for asymmetric synthetic methods and we anticipate that it will spur the development of new hybrid electrocatalysts to realize novel asymmetric electrocatalytic methods.

Through monitoring Rancimat induction time (RIT), peroxide value (POV), and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) algae oil and walnut oil during accelerated storage, the effects of the single and the combinations of seven kinds of antioxidants involving ascorbyl palmitate (AP), phytic acid (PA), vitamin E (VE), antioxidant of bamboo leaves (AOB), rosemary extract, tea polyphenols (TP), and tea polyphenol palmitate (TPP) against lipid oxidation were evaluated. RIT, POV, and TBARS results showed that the DHA algae oil sample containing 600 mg/kg TPP revealed the strongest stability and the walnut oil sample containing 450 mg/kg TPP and 100 mg/kg TP revealed the strongest stability. Then, the shelf lives of two oils were predicted from the extrapolation of the linear regression model between Log RIT and temperature. Our results indicated that the optimal antioxidant could prolong the shelf lives of DHA algae oil and walnut oil by 2.31- and 7.74-fold, respectively.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the term for a type of non-malignant prostate enlargement that is most often diagnosed in men of middle age and older. Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are commonly observed in men afflicted with BPH. Evidence suggests that warm needling therapy could be applied clinically to relieve the LUTS associated with BPH, particularly in China, where experienced practitioners are readily available. In this review, the safety and effects of warm needling therapy are assessed in the context of treatment for LUTS associated with BPH.First, data for relevant randomised controlled trials and the initial periods of randomised cross-over trials will be obtained from four English databases (MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, and Allied and Complementary Medicine Database) and six Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, SinoMed, Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, China Master's Theses Full-text Database and China Doctoral Dissertations Full-text Database). The primary outcomes analysed in this protocol are improvements in urological symptoms as measured by recognized urological symptom scores, while secondary outcomes include improvement of urine flow rate measures, residual urine volume, nocturia, prostate size, and quality-of-life score. In addition, safety outcomes will be analysed by assessing incidences of adverse events. Two reviewers will independently assess and select studies, extract data and assess the risk of bias. Data synthesis and risk bias assessment will be performed with Review Manager software (version 5.3).This systematic review provides a synthesis to assess the therapeutic efficacy of warm needling therapy for LUTS associated with BPH.The present study will provide a clinically relevant evaluation of the current state of evidence regarding the therapeutic efficacy of warm needling therapy for LUTS associated with BPH.Ethical approval is not required for this review, because private information will not be collected from the included participants. The results of the study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO CRD42020198360.

Background Stroke is characterized by high morbidity, high mortality, and high disability. Spasticity, one of the most common complications after stroke, may reduce the potential success of rehabilitation and has a detrimental effect on stroke patients’ daily function and quality of life. Moreover, the long-term management of spasticity is a financial burden to patients and increases societal costs. The current treatments, mainly including physical therapy, oral drugs, drug injection therapy, and surgical interventions, have been used to reduce spasticity. However, every conventional approach has its limitations. Acupuncture at the “Wang’s Jiaji” acupoints, based on the experience of the famous old doctor of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Le Ting Wang in treating post-stroke limb spasm, has been widely practiced in our department. This intervention has effectively avoided the controversy around acupuncture at local acupoints on the limbs, and is easy to apply without side effects. Our previous studies had found that acupuncture at the “Wang’s Jiaji-points” can reduce the occurrence and severity of spasticity occurring after stroke in the early stage (the first 21 days). In this study, we chose patients in the convalescent stage, 1–6 months after stroke, so as to study the efficacy and the specific intervention time of “Wang’s jiaji” in the convalescent stage after stroke. Methods This is a randomized, controlled, and single-blind study. Patients in the convalescent stage within 1–6 months of ischemic stroke will be selected as subjects. A total of 100 subjects will be randomly assigned to two groups. The acupuncture group will be given acupuncture treatment five times a week; the medicine group will be given 10mg baclofen three times a day. These two groups will continue to receive current usual care for the prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases, but drugs that affect muscle tone will not be allowed. The treatment will last for 2 weeks. The primary outcome measurement is the simplified Fugl-Meyer Assessment. The secondary outcome measurements are the Modified Ashworth Scale, Modified Barthel Scale, and the H-reflex, F response, and H/M ratios of electromyography. All outcome measurements are assessed at baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks after first treatment except the electromyography, which is assessed at baseline and 2 weeks after first acupuncture. Discussion This trial aims to evaluate the effects and the specific intervention time of “Wang’s Jiaji” acupoints on spasticity after stroke. Trial registration ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN31511176. Registered on 29 August 2017. Version number of protocol 2016-2-1161 Version date of protocol: 2016-1 Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13063-019-3464-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background To evaluate the myocardial microcirculation perfusion of patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with a different index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) and analyse the value of MCE in predicting myocardial perfusion after PCI. Methods Fifty-six patients with acute STEMI who underwent an emergency PCI were selected from October 2018 to October 2019 in our hospital. According to the IMR values measured during PCI treatment, the patients were divided into three groups. Traditional ultrasound and MCE were performed one week after PCI. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), ventricular wall motion score index (WMSI), A value, β value and A × β value (which refers to the patient’s myocardial blood flow) were measured. The receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn to evaluate the effectiveness of the MCE parameters in the diagnosis of myocardial microcirculation perfusion disorders. Results The results showed that there was no significant difference in the LVEF among the groups. The WMSI in Group 3 was statistically different from that in Groups 1 and 2 (P P P Conclusions The A value, β value and A × β value were negatively correlated with the IMR value. Furthermore, MCE could be used to observe the myocardial perfusion in patients with acute STEMI after PCI and may be one of the indicators used to accurately evaluate myocardial microcirculation.

The most effective composite antioxidants for DHA algae oil were optimized by combining the selected gallic acid (GA) alkyl ester with other commonly used antioxidants. Results of Rancimat induction time, peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, and free radical generation indicated that octyl gallate (OG) was the best one in DHA algae oil among GA alkyl esters with various chain lengths. Therefore, OG was used to combine other antioxidants (antioxidant of bamboo leaves, rosemary extract, tea polyphenols, tea polyphenol palmitate (TPP), ascorbyl palmitate, vitamin E, phytic acid and phospholipid) for further improving the oxidative stability of DHA algae oil. The combination of OG + TPP showed the best antioxidant effect among the composite antioxidants of two and three components. Through optimization of mixture ratio, the combination of 53.20 mg/kg OG + 360 mg/kg TPP demonstrated the best antioxidant capacity, which prolonged the shelf life of DHA algae oil by 4.24 folds.

Phospholipids, the main lipid component in marine shellfish, mainly comprise glycerophosphocholine (GPC) and glycerophosphoethanolamine (GPE). GPC and GPE in marine shellfish, especially scallop, carry n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), although different types of glycerophospholipids (GP) have different health benefits on human health. Moreover, different GP subclasses such as GPC and GPE have different oxidative susceptibilities in complex food systems. The present study compared the oxidative susceptibilities of GPC and GPE in dried scallop during storage by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and kinetic models, and also investigated the effects of natural phenolic antioxidant on their susceptibilities.The results showed that GPC and GPE molecular species (carrying EPA or DHA) contents in samples continuously reduced during storage at two different temperatures. The first-order kinetic model better reflected the changes of GPC and GPE molecular species (carrying EPA or DHA) in samples than the zero-order kinetic model during storage. According to the oxidation rate (k) obtained from first-order kinetic models, GPE possessed a greater oxidation rate than GPC during storage. Moreover, the results showed that antioxidants of bamboo leaves (AOB, polar polyphenolic antioxidants) significantly decreased the oxidation rates of GPC and GPE molecular species (carrying EPA or DHA) in samples during storage, and GPC could be more effectively protected by AOB compared to GPE.The present study provides a practical method for accurately evaluating the oxidative susceptibility of different phospholipid classes in complex food systems. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of the most common bone and joint diseases. As one of the main non-drug therapies, acupuncture is widely used to treat KOA, although the evidence for its efficacy is inconclusive. The objective of this pilot trial is to clarify the clinical efficacy and safety of fire acupuncture in the treatment of mild to moderate KOA and to provide high-quality data for further research. Methods/design This study is a prospective randomized controlled pilot trial in which 120 patients with mild to moderate KOA will be randomly allocated in equal proportions to a fire acupuncture group or a general acupuncture group. They will receive acupuncture for six sessions over 2 weeks. The primary end point is success rate, which will be calculated based on the change from baseline of the pain and function scores in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index at 4 weeks. Secondary end points include the proportion of patients achieving clinical improvement based on: (1) the OMERACT-OARSI responder criteria, (2) levels of matrix metalloproteinase 3, interleukin 1β, and tumor necrosis factor α in blood, and (3) a subjective efficacy evaluation from patients. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1800019162. Registered on 29 October 2018.

The mechanism of color deterioration in ready-to-eat (RTE) shrimps during storage was revealed for the first time. During storage, the appearance of the RTE shrimps gradually browned and blackened. Meanwhile, colorimeter analysis showed that the lightness decreased, but the redness and yellowness increased after storage. The peroxide and thiobarbituric acid value increased but the astaxanthin and phenol contents decreased after storage, indicating the occurrence of lipid and phenol oxidation. And the browning index, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, pyrroles and pyrazine volatile compounds showed an upward trend after storage, indicating the occurrence of Maillard reaction. Correlation and principal component analysis showed that the composite effects of lipid oxidation, phenol oxidation, Maillard reaction and astaxanthin degradation led to the color deterioration of RTE shrimps, and the order of effect was Maillard reaction > lipid oxidation > phenol oxidation > astaxanthin degradation. Moreover, the lipid oxidation had a certain promoting effect on Maillard reaction and phenol oxidation.

Background Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common non-cancerous disease of the prostate and leads to lower urinary tract symptoms in middle-aged and elderly males. Fire needle therapy could improve the lower urinary tract symptoms associated with mild-moderate BPH in clinical practice. The aim of the present pilot study is to assess the preliminary effects of fire needle therapy on mild-moderate BPH. Methods The present study is a prospective parallel randomized controlled pilot trial. A total of 60 eligible participants will be randomly assigned to a treatment or control group at a 1:1 ratio. The treatment group will receive fire needle therapy and the control group will receive watchful waiting with lifestyle advice and education regarding BPH. Participants will receive intervention for 4 weeks, with a follow-up period of 4 additional weeks. Adverse events will be recorded to assess the safety and tolerability of fire needle therapy for mild-moderate BPH. The primary outcome will be the change in the International Prostate Symptom Score. The secondary outcomes will include the change in the mean number of nightly urinations, the maximum urinary flow rate, the average flow rate, and the prostate volume as measured by a B-mode ultrasound device. All outcome measures will be observed at baseline and at 4 and 8 weeks following the beginning of treatment. Discussion The present study will provide evidence of the preliminary effects of fire needle therapy on mild-moderate BPH and indicate an optimal sample size for future studies.

Background Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is a common form of deafness. Acupuncture has been used as a salvage therapy for ISSNHL in China since 200 BCE. However, the efficacy of acupuncture has not been confirmed in strictly controlled trials. We designed a randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and long-term effects of acupuncture in patients with early ISSNHL. Methods/Design In this randomized controlled clinical trial, we will enroll 124 participants with ISSNHL diagnosed 2 to 4 weeks prior to enrollment, who have shown little hearing improvement after routine Western medical treatment (i.e., corticosteroids). 62 of these participants will have flat audiogram and the other 62 will have a high-frequency drop audiogram; they will all take Methycobal while half of the flat type and half of the high-frequency drop type will also receive acupuncture treatments for 4 weeks in a four-group design. The primary outcome measure will be the effective rate of hearing improvement (defined as the proportion of patients with at least 15-dB improvement in the hearing loss frequency band). The secondary outcome will measure the improvements in Pure Tone Average, Word Recognition Score, and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. The assessments of the participants will be made at baseline, after treatment (week 4), and at follow-up (week 28). Discussion This study aims to explore the efficacy and long-term effects of acupuncture in patients with ISSNHL. This study will be a randomized controlled trial with strict methodology and few design deficits. If our study yields positive results, acupuncture could be recommended as a salvage therapy for patients with ISSNHL. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-ICR-15006787. Registered on 12 July 2015. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13063-018-2737-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Distribution characteristics, chemical constituents, and sources of particulate matter were measured using a scanning mobility particle sizer and single particle aerosol mass spectrometer during pollution monitoring that occurred between December 5

To study the chemical composition and pollution sources of the fine particulate matter during the four seasons in Nanning, single particle aerosol mass spectrometry was performed to characterize the fine particulate matter in Nanning during the four seasons. The correlation (

Two hundred eighteen PM

Few study was about the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Nanning. This paper analyzed the time-space distribution character and influences of PM2.5in Nanning. We collected data of 4 monitoring stations in 2013 year in Nanning, Guangxi. Our results showed that concentration of PM2.5in Nanning were Dec. > Jan > Oct. > Nov. > Mar. > Apr. = Sep. > Feb. > May = Aug. > June > July. The obvious hazy day occurred in winter and autumn. The monitoring stations located in the north suffered higher PM2.5pollution compared with the other stations. Concentration of PM2.5was significantly higher in the month when currents came from island than the month when currents from sea. The increased monthly concentration of PM2.5was associated with the northwest and northeast currents from inland. A combination of lower speed of wind, northwestly wind and regional transport made contribution to the evaluated PM2.5concentration.

Background The incidence of cerebral infarction has been growing year by year in China and around the world. According to clinical observation, acupuncture utilizing the “waking up the spirit” needling method is widely used in patients with cerebral infarction, though the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Additionally, a number of studies have begun to focus on the relationship between cerebrovascular reserve (CVR) and cerebral infarction. The present study aims to investigate whether CVR is one of potential mechanisms underpinning this effect of acupuncture on patients with cerebral infarction. Methods This is a single-centre, prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled pilot study. Sixty eligible patients will be randomized into an intervention group (waking up the spirit acupuncture) and a control group (hand and foot 12-meridian acupuncture) in a 1:1 ratio. All treatments will be conducted once a day on weekdays followed by a 2-day rest period on the weekend, over a total treatment course of 2 weeks. The primary outcome measures are cerebrovascular reserve (CVR) capacity and Breath-holding Index (BHI) which will be evaluated at baseline and 2 weeks after the first acupuncture treatment, and the secondary outcome measures are National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Barthel Index scores which will be used to further evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. Discussion Cerebrovascular reserve is an independent risk factor for the occurrence, progression, and recurrence of cerebral infarction that requires attention. This trial aims to investigate whether acupuncture utilizing the waking up the spirit needling method can improve CVR capacity in patients with acute cerebral infarction, thus reducing NIHSS scores and preventing further progression of the disease. Furthermore, data and evidence gained from this study will be utilized in the development of future research projects regarding the effects of acupuncture in patients with acute cerebral infarction. Trial registration ISRCTN, ID: ISRCTN99117074. Registered on 20 April 2016. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2013-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.