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To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on intestinal epithelial mucosal barrier function in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome(IBS-D) rats, so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of IBS-D.Forty SD rats (half male and half female) were randomly divided into control, model, EA and medication (Pinaverium Bromide, PB) groups, with 10 rats in each group. The IBS-D model was established by chronic unpredictable mild stress combined with gavage of Senna-leaf solution. EA (2 Hz/15 Hz，0.1-1 mA) was applied to unilateral "Zusanli"(ST36),"Tianshu" (ST25), "Sanyinjiao"(SP6) and "Taichong"(LR3) alternatively for 15 min, once daily for 14 days. Rats of the medication group was treated by gavage of PB (10 mL·kgCompared with the control group, the diarrhea index and plasma DAO activity in the model group were significantly increased (Electroacupuncture can significantly improve abdominal pain and diarrhea in IBS-D model rats, which may be closely associated with its effects in up-regulating the expression of intestinal epithelial tight junction proteins Claudin-1 and Occludin to restore the function of intestinal epithelial mucosal barrier.

To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on expression of synaptic plasticity-related glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit NR 1, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor subunits (Aβ 2, B 1), etc. in the amygdala in chronic neuropathic pain negative affection (CNPPNA) rats, so as to reveal its mechanism underlying pain relief.Male Wistar rats were randomized into normal control, CNPPNA model, EA, and anesthesia+EA (AEA)groups (After modeling, PWL difference (PWLD) values of the model group were significantly increased (Repeated EA stimulation of ST 36-GB 34 has a role in relieving both sensory and affection dimensions of chronic pain in CNPPNA rats, which Feb be respectively related to its effects in up-regulating the expression of GABAAβ 2, GABAB 1, NMDA-NR 1, PSD-95 and Piccolo genes, and in promoting the expression of mGluR 1 and GABAB 2 proteins and Piccolo gene in the amygdala.

To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on expression of pain sensory and affective processing-related µ-opioid receptor (MOR), glutamatergic AMPA receptor subunit GIuA 1, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK 1/2), cAMP response element binding protein(CREB) in the amygdala in chronic constrictive injury (CC) + negative affection(NA) rats, so as to reveal its mechanism underlying pain relief.A total of 32 male Wistar rats were randomized into normal control, model, EA, and anesthesia+ EA (AEA) groups (n = 8 in each group). The neuropathic pain NA model was established by ligation of the left sciatic nerve and repeated electrical stimulation of the paw-bottom in the pain-paired compartment. EA was applied to bilateral "Zusanli" (ST 36) and "Yanglingquan" (GB 34) for 30 min, once daily for 7 days. Thermal pain threshold (paw withdrawl latency, PWL) of the bilateral paws was measured by using a Tail-Flick Unit. The expression levels of MOR and p-CREB in the central amygdala (CeA) and those of MOR, GluA 1, p-ERK 1/2 and p-CREB in the right amygdala area were determined using immunofluorescence and Western blot, respectively.in comparison with the normal group, PWL difference (PWLD) values of the model group were significantly increased (P0.001), and the time spent in the CPA-paired. compartment was considerably decreased (P0.001). After EA, the PWLD levels of both EA and AEA groups were apparently decreased (P0.05), showing a pain relief; and the time spent in the CPA-paired compartment was apparently increased in the EA group (P0.05) , rather than in the AEA group (P0.05). Additionally , compared to the normal group, the expression level of MOR protein in the amygdala was remarkably increased (P0.05) and those of GIuA 1, p-ERK 2 and p-CREB proteins were apparently decreased (P0.05). After EA intervention for 7 days, the expression levels of these four proteins in the EA group, and those of MOR, p-ERK 2 and p-CREB in the AEA group were significantly up-regulated (P0.001, P0.01, P0.05). The expression level of GIuA 1 was significantly higher in the EA group than in the AEA group (P0.05).Repeated EA stimulation of ST 36-GB 34 has a definite effect in relieving both sensation and affection dimensions of pain in NA rats, which may be related to its effect in up-regulating the expression of GIuA 1 in the amygdala, but the effects of MOR, p-ERK 2 and p-CREB need being researched further.

To study the effects of acupuncture analgesia on the hippocampus, we observed the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) inhibitor on pain-excited neurons (PENs) and pain-inhibited neurons (PINs) in the hippocampal area CA1 of sham or chronic constrictive injury (CCI) rats. The animals were randomly divided into a control, a CCI, and a U0126 (MEK1/2 inhibitor) group. In all experiments, we briefly (10-second duration) stimulated the sciatic nerve electrically and recorded the firing rates of PENs and PINs. The results showed that in both sham and CCI rats brief sciatic nerve stimulation significantly increased the electrical activity of PENs and markedly decreased the electrical activity of PINs. These effects were significantly greater in CCI rats compared to sham rats. EA treatment reduced the effects of the noxious stimulus on PENs and PINs in both sham and CCI rats. The effects of EA treatment could be inhibited by U0126 in sham-operated rats. The results suggest that EA reduces effects of acute sciatic nerve stimulation on PENs and PINs in the CA1 region of the hippocampus of both sham and CCI rats and that the ERK (extracellular regulated kinase) signaling pathway is involved in the modulation of EA analgesia.

Chronic pain is a common disability influencing quality of life. Results of previous studies showed that acupuncture has a cumulative analgesic effect, but the relationship with spinal cytokines neurotrophic factors released by astrocytes remains unknown. The present study was designed to observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) treatment on spinal cytokines neurotrophic factors in chronic neuropathic pain rats. The chronic neuropathic pain was established by chronic constrictive injury (CCI). EA treatment was applied at Zusanli (ST36) and Yanglingquan (GB34) (both bilateral) once a day, for 30 min. IL-1βmRNA, TNF-αmRNA, and IL-1 mRNA were detected by quantitative real-time PCR, and the proteins of BDNF, NGF, and NT3/4 were detected by Western blot. The expression levels of cytokines such as IL-1βmRNA, TNF-αmRNA, IL-6 mRNA, and neurotrophic factors such as BDNF, NGF, and NT3/4 in the spinal cord were increased significantly after CCI. The astrocytes released more IL-1βand BDNF after CCI. Repeated EA treatment could suppress the elevated expression of IL-1βmRNA, TNFαmRNA, and BDNF, NGF, and NT3/4 but had no effect on IL-6 mRNA. It is suggested that cytokines and neurotrophic factors which may be closely associated with astrocytes participated in the process of EA relieving chronic pain.

The in-class interaction system (clicker) has been used in the physics class recently in China. It dramatically changes the normal lectures in large classes and enhances the class interaction. In this paper the improvements of this system on the traditional physics teaching are summarized. We illustrate how to integrate this system to the physics class to design teaching process. Some suggestions about teaching effectively and assessment of this system are also given.

In the teaching of the physics experiments, the construction and application of teaching research on the virtual experiment system is a newly hot spot, which is needed to be explored in depth at all levels continuously. The core technology of virtual experiment system is the virtual instrument. Based on the specific teaching practices, this article introduces the concrete details about our experiment on Magnetic properties measurement of ferromagnetic material, which is designed and developed with the virtual instrument software LabVIEW. The preliminary research here may play an important role in the ultimate construction of a relatively integral virtual experiment series of physics.

We investigate the lepton pair production with the Drell-Yan process in relativistic heavy ion collisions by computing the double differential cross section d?/dM2dy and d?/dM2dxF at the next-to-leading order in p+Au and Au+Au collisions with = 200 GeV at RHIC. The resulting nuclear modification factors RpAu and RAuAu show strong sensitivity to the cold nuclear matter (CNM) effects and could probe the CNM effects at a very wide region of the longitudinal momentum fraction x. The variation of R with the invariant mass M, the rapidity y and the Feynman variable xF is shown and we find that the nuclear modification factor for the double differential cross section could be smaller than 0.4 in some kinematic regions of high-energy nucleus-nucleus reactions at RHIC.

Tabular alumina, α-Al2O3powder, TiO2powder and metal aluminum powder in purity of 99%(by mass) were uesd to prepare the Al2O3-TiN composite ceramics by mechanical mixing and thermal reduction of aluminum in situ reaction sintering in the flow of nitrogen gas under atmospheric pressure;the influences of phase composition and microstructure changes at 1200°C-1500°C nitridation reaction in situ,different amount of TiN formations and sintering temperature on the properties of the samples were analyzed by thermal analysis, XRDand SEM. The results show that: TiO2was reduced by Al and then nitrided as TiN in the test temperature, the porosity has been increasesd while the bulk density has been decreased with the increased content of TiN formation because of the process of nucleation growth and the strong exothermic of the reaction.The mechanical properties of the composites are relatively better of TiN generated 10%content,because the structure of the skeleton formed by corundum was filled of part matrix evenly and was integrated closely by the matrix.

Erosion tests on high strengh refractory castables were carried out using SiC grains at impact angles of 30°,45°,60°,and 90° with the velocity of 5m/s.In order to study the variation in stress and system energy with impact angles during solid particle erosion process,a single particle erosion model was designed by means of three-dimensional explicit dynamic software ANSYS/LS-DYNA according to experiment parameters. The Johnson-Holmquist brittle ceramic model was employed to model the failure of target material. The impact angles varied from 15° to 90° in increments of 15°.The simulation results were compared with erosion rate values from experiments. The results show that the variation trends of both the maximum stress of targets and system total energy loss are in a good agreement with experiment data,which increaes with increasing impact angle. The variation of erosion rate as a function of impact angle can be explained by the variation of the maximum stress of target material. The rule “the maximum erosion of typical brittle material occurs at 90°” is confirmed by the view of energy analysis.

Al2O3-Ti(C,N)composite ceramics were prepared by in situ aluminothermic reduction and pressureless sintering. The effects of different Ti(C,N) contents and sintering temperatures on microstructure and mechanical properties (bulk density ,apparent porosity and blending strength)of samples were investigated through experiments.The results show that Al2O3-Ti(C,N) composite ceramics with 10 wt.% Ti(C,N) prepared using titanium dioxide and metal aluminum powder as raw materials and sintered at 1300 °C for 3h under a flowing nitrigen stream have good properties ,with bulk density 2.94g/cm3,apparent porosity 26.4%, and blending strength reaches to 28.04 MPa. According to the microstructure analysis,the fine in situ synthesis Ti(C,N) particles are uniformly dispersed in tabular alundum matrix. Ti(C,N) and tabular alundum phases are closely combined and can inhibit grain growth each other,which is benefical in improving the comprehensive properties of composite ceramics.

To avoid the nonuniform phenomena of heat and mass transfer of metallurgical powdery materials caused by conventional heating method, the temperature rise characteristics of carbon-containing chromite ore fines in the microwave field were investigated using microwave heating in a microwave metallurgical furnace. The experimental results show that the carbon-containing chromite ore fines have better temperature rise characteristics in the microwave field at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. After heated in the microwave field of 10 kW, the temperature of 1 kg carbon-containing chromite ore fines rose up to 1 100 °C in 7 min, at a temperature rise rate of 157. 1 (°C · min−1 · kg−1), whereas the temperature of 1 kg carbon-containing magnetite ore fines rose only up to 1 000 °C in 10 min, at a temperature rise rate of 100 (°C min−1 · kg−1). With increasing carbon-fitting ratios and by adding calcic lime, their heating effects changed regularly.

This study was aimed to investigate the risk factors of renal impairment and the predictive factors of renal function recovery so as to provide basis for its prevention and treatment.Medical records of 161 patients with MM firstly diagnosed from January 2007 to April 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. Among them 58 cases accompanied with renal insufficiency (group A, others belong to group B) and 39 of them regain normal renal function after some treatment. The possible related renal impairment risk factors and reversible predictors were analyzed with chi-square test for significance firstly, then factors that have significant difference were entered into multivariate logistic regression analysis.Systolic blood pressure (SBP), hemoglobin, uric acid, blood calcium, phosphorus, serum β2-microglobulin, urine β2-microglobulin levels, M-component type, light chain type, nephrotoxic drug use, infection in group A had significant difference (P0.05) compared with those in group B; the systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, platelet, globulin, blood calcium, and urine β2-microglobulin levels, the chemotherapy applied and the response to chemotherapy in reversed group were significantly different from no-reversed group (P0.05). Multivariate logistic regression showed that light chain type, Hb, uric acid, Ca were the independent risk factors for the development of renal failure in MM, and Ca, chemotherapy and the response to chemotherapy were the predictors of renal function recovery.High blood calcium, severe anemia, λ light chain, high uric acid are the independent risk factors of renal impairment in MM patients. Patients with high blood calcium before treatment easily regain normal renal function after effective chemotherapy. Bortezomib-based chemotherapy has higher response rate and higher reversal rate, and it may be related with its unique mechanism.

To observe the effect of electroacupuncture .(EA) stimulation of "Zusanli" (ST 36)-"Yang- lingquan" (GB 34) on expression of pain sensory and affection processing-related corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor, glutamatergic NMDA receptor and GABA receptor subtype genes in the amygdala in chronic constrictive injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve rats, so as to reveal its mechanism underlying pain relief.Experiments were separately performed in 36 male Wistar rats which were randomized into normal control, CCI model and EA + CCI; normal control, CCI + negative affection (NA) model and CCl+ NA+ EA groups (n =6 in each group). Neuropathic pain model was established by ligature of the left sciatic nerve, and NA model established by ligation of the left sciatic nerve and repeated skin stimulation (acupuncture needle pricking + direct current stimulation) of the paw-bottom, once daily for 3 days. EA (2 Hz/15 Hz, 1 mA) was applied to bilateral ST 36-GB 34 for 30 min, once daily for 7 days. Thermal pain threshold (paw withdrawal latency, PWL) of the bilateral paws was measured by using a Tail-Flick Unit 37360. Expression levels of CRF-1 R, CRF-2 R, NR 2 A,NR 2 B,GABAaR and GABAcR genes in the amygdala were determined using quantitative RT-PCR.In comparison with the normal control groups, PWL difference (PWLD) values of the bilateral paws of CCIl model and CCI+NA model groups were significantly increased (P0. 05). In comparison with the model group, following 7 days' EA stimulation, PWLD were considerably decreased (P0. 05), showing a pain relief. RT-PCR results indicated that compared to the normal control group, the expression levels of CRF-1 R, CRF-2 R, NR 2 A and NR 2 B genes were apparently increased in the CCI model group (P0. 01, P0. 001), and those of CRF-1 R, CRF-2 R, NR 2 A, NR 2 B, GABAaR and GABAcR genes were remarkably down-regulated in the CCI + NA model group (P0. 05, P0. 01, P0. 001). After EA intervention for 7 days, CRF-2 R, NR 2 A and NR 2 B were significantly down-regulated in the CCI + EA group, and CRF-1 R, CRF-2 R, NR 2 B,GABAaR and GABAcR genes were obviously up-regulated in the CCI + NA + EA group (P0. 01, P0. 001).Repeated EA stimulation of ST 36-GB 34 has a definite analgesic effect in neuropathic pain and negative affection rats, which may be respectively related to its effects in down-regulating expression of CRF-2 R, NR 2 A and NR 2 B genes, and up-regulating expression of CRF-1 R, CRF-2 R, NR 2 B,GABAaR and GABAcR genes in the amyg- dala.

This study was aimed to compare the expressions of specific transcription factors of CD4(+) T cell subset ( T-bet, GATA-3, RORγt and FoxP3 mRNA) in peripheral blood of patients with aplastic anemia(AA), myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS), and acute myeloid leukemia(AML), and investigate their immune status and pathogenesis, so as to provide experimental basis for the choice of clinical treatment. The expression of T-box (T-bet), GATA-3, ROR-γt and Foxp3 mRNA in PBMNC were examined by RT-PCR in 42 cases of MDS, including 22 refractory anemia(MDS-RA) and 20 refractory anemia with excess blasts (MDS-RAEB), in 23 cases of AA, 17 cases of AML patients and 16 healthy volunteers respectively. The results indicated that, compared with normal control group, expressions of T-bet and RORγt mRNA in AA patient group were significantly higher (P0.01), expression levels of GATA3 Foxp3 mRNA were lower (both P0.01). There was no significant difference in expression of T-bet and GATA3 mRNA between MDS group and normal control group, but the expression levels of Foxp3 and RORγt mRNA were higher than those in normal controls (P0.05); T-bet and RORγt in MDS-RA group were higher than those in the normal controls(P0.01), and GATA3 expression significantly reduced (P0.05), however, there was no significant difference in expression of Foxp3 between MDS-RA and the controls. Expression levels of T-bet and RORγt mRNA in patients with MDS-RAEB and AML were lower than those in normal controls (P0.05), but the expression levels of GATA3 and Foxp3 mRNA were significantly higher than those in normal controls (P0.01). It is concluded that the transcription factor expressions are different in PBMNC of patients among these three diseases. Immune-mediated excessive apoptosis may play an important role in pathogenesis, bone marrow failure in patients with AA and MDS-RA, and abnormal clones of immature cells may be one of main reasons for bone marrow failure in AML and late stage of MDS.

Visceral pain is the most common form of pain caused by varied diseases and a major reason for patients to seek medical consultation. Despite much advances, the pathophysiological mechanism is still poorly understood comparing with its somatic counterpart and, as a result, the therapeutic efficacy is usually unsatisfactory. Acupuncture has long been used for the management of numerous disorders in particular pain and visceral pain, characterized by the high therapeutic benefits and low adverse effects. Previous findings suggest that acupuncture depresses pain via activation of a number of neurotransmitters or modulators including opioid peptides, serotonin, norepinephrine, and adenosine centrally and peripherally. It endows us, by advancing the understanding of the role of ion channels and gut microbiota in pain process, with novel perspectives to probe the mechanisms underlying acupuncture analgesia. In this review, after describing the visceral innervation and the relevant afferent pathways, in particular the ion channels in visceral nociception, we propose three principal mechanisms responsible for acupuncture induced benefits on visceral pain. Finally, potential topics are highlighted regarding the future studies in this field.

Background The T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-(Tim)-1 molecule and Tim-3 are mainly expressed on activated T helper (Th) 2 and Th1 cells, respectively, and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of some autoimmune diseases. Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a common autoimmune disorder, and the complex dysregulation of cellular immunity has been observed; however, the relationship between Tims and excessive immune responses in ITP remains unclear. Methods Using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the mRNA expression levels of Tim-1, Tim-3, T-box transcription factor (T-bet) and GATA binding protein 3 (GATA-3) were measured in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 45 newly diagnosed patients with active ITP, 34 ITP patients in remission and 31 healthy volunteers. Results Tim-3 mRNA expression in PBMCs in newly diagnosed patients was significantly decreased. At the same time, Tim-1 mRNA was not significantly declined, which resulted in a decreased ratio of Tim-3 to Tim-1 in ITP patients with active disease. During the remission stages, the levels of these transcription factors were comparable with those observed in healthy controls. Conclusions The reduced levels of Tim-3/Tim-1 in PBMCs during active stages of the disease suggest a possible role in the pathogenesis and course of ITP. Regulating the balance of Tim-1 and Tim-3 in ITP patients could also be a therapeutic approach against ITP.

This study was purposed to detect the balance and the activity change of cytotoxic T cell subsets in aplastic anemia (AA) patients, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, and to explore the cellular immune mechanism for abnormal hematopoiesis of the three diseases, so as to provide experimental basis for the choice of clinical treatment. The proportion of the cytotoxic T cells and part of the T-cells subsets in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry in 35 cases of MDS, including 19 refractory anemia (MDS-RA), 16 refractory anemia with excess blasts (MDS-RAEB), 17 AA, 15 AML patients and 10 normal donors respectively. The results showed that compared with the control group, the percentage of Tc1, Tc1/Tc2, CD8(+)HLA-DR(+), CD3(+)CD8(+)CD28(+), CD8(+)CD45RO(+) cells was significantly higher and the percentage of CD8(+)CD45RA(+) was significantly lower in AA and MDS-RA group. There was no difference in the percentage of Tc2 cells between AA/MDS-RA and normal controls; the percentage of CD8(+)CD45RO(+) cells was significantly higher and the percentage of Tc1, CD3(+)CD8(+)CD28(+), CD8(+)HLA-DR(+) was significantly lower in MDS-RAEB group, the percentage of CD8(+)CD45RA(+) was lower but the difference was not significant, and there was no difference in the percentage of Tc, Tc1/Tc2 cells between MDS-RAEB group and the control group. The percentage of Tc2 cells was significantly higher and the percentage of other parameters was significantly lower in AML group than those of normal controls. It is concluded that the cellular immune statuses in AA, the different stages of MDS and AML are different. In AA and the early stage of MDS, the balance of Tc1/Tc2 shifts to Tc1, and the activation of T-cell subsets increases. In the late stage of MDS and AML, the balance of Tc1/Tc2 shifts to Tc2, the activation of T-cell subsets decreases. The former may be closely related to bone marrow failure while the latter may be one of the important mechanisms in which the malignant clones escape from immune effect.

Background Cumulating evidence has shown a close correlation between electroacupuncture stimulation (EAS) frequency-specific analgesic effect and central opioid peptides. However, the actions of hippocampal acetylcholinergic receptors have not been determined. This study aims to observe the effect of different frequencies of EAS on the expression of hippocampal muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptors (mAChRs, nAChRs) in neuropathic pain rats for revealing their relationship. Methods Forty male Wistar rats were randomly and equally divided into sham, CCI model, 2, 2/15 and 100 HzEA groups. The neuropathic pain model was established by ligature of the left sciatic nerve to induce chronic constriction injury (CCI). EAS was applied to bilateral Zusanli (ST36) and Yanglingquan (GB34) for 30 min, once daily for 14 days except weekends. The mechanical pain thresholds (withdrawal latencies, PWLs) of bilateral hindpaws were measured. The expression levels of hippocampal M1 and M2 mAChR, and α4 and β2 nAChR genes and proteins were detected by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot, separately. The involvement of mAChR and nAChR in the analgesic effect of EAS was confirmed by intra-hippocampal microinjection of M1mAChR antagonist (Pirenzepine) and α4β2 nAChR antagonist (dihydro-beta-erythroidine) respectively. Results Following EAS, the CCI-induced increase of difference values of bilateral PWLs on day 6 and 14 was significantly reduced (P 0.05). The analgesic effect of EAS was abolished by intra-hippocampal microinjection of M1mAChR and α4β2 nAChR antagonists respectively. Conclusions EAS of ST36-GB34 produces a cumulative analgesic effect in neuropathic pain rats, which is frequency-dependent and probably mediated by hippocampal M1 mAChR and β2 nAChR proteins.