Dilatational Waves Research Articles

Dilatation wave velocities estimated from the plateau in sound insulation of cross-laminated timber (CLT) plates

There are four inherent problems when predicting the airborne sound insulation of cross-laminated timber (CLT) plates. (1) The internal loss factor of wood products is high and therefore difficult to measure using the structural reverberation time technique. (2) Solid wood is a low-density building material compared to reinforced concrete or masonry construction. (3) Timber is orthotropic. (4) Orthotropic behaviour includes low shear moduli. CLT plates, similarly to thick masonry or concrete plates, exhibit thick plate behaviour in the high frequency range (f>1600Hz). The high frequency sound insulation data of nine plates is examined. Transitions to a thick plate seems to occur in all measurements. However, a clearly observable plateau is only visible for six of the nine plates. Simple methods are applied to extract information about the CLT plates from this high frequency (f>1600Hz) measured data. The data extracted from the plate is compared to typical values for equivalent isotropic plates, where the bending stiffness is assumed to be B_iso=√(B_x B_y ). The results are discussed in the context of laboratory measurement of sound insulation.

Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for the prevention of postoperative delirium in elderly surgical patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the preventive effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on postoperative delirium in elderly surgical patients. PubMed, CENTRAL, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang databases were searched for randomized controlled trials regarding the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on preventing postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing any type of surgery. The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative delirium. The secondary outcome was the duration of postoperative delirium. All analyses were conducted using RevMan 5.3 and Stata 13.0 software. Twelve trials with 991 participants were included, and most of them were at high/unclear risk of bias. Meta-analysis showed transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation could reduce the incidence of postoperative delirium (RR = 0.40, 95%CI = 0.29 to 0.55, p < 0.00001) and shorten the duration of postoperative delirium (MD = -0.97 days, 95%CI = -1.72 to -0.22, p = 0.01). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation reduced the incidence of postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing orthopedic surgery and thoracic surgery, but not digestive surgery; transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation with dilatational wave and with continuous wave were both beneficial; and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation was favored when compared to blank and sham control. Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation could reduce the incidence of postoperative delirium and shorten the duration of postoperative delirium in elderly surgical patients. The findings should be interpreted with caution due to weak evidence. High-quality, large sample, and multi-center trials are needed to further confirm the preliminary findings.Systematic review registration: https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-7-0096/, identifier: INPLASY202270096.

Research on Electroacupuncture Parameters for Cancer Pain Based on Data Mining.

Cancer pain, a common complication of this disease, has been widely treated by electroacupuncture in recent years. However, there are numerous treatment parameters that are not conducive to clinical translation applications. This study aims to summarize the stimulation parameters commonly used in electroacupuncture treating cancer pain by data mining and visualization techniques to provide a basis for the future acupuncture technology transformation and selection of optimal stimulation parameters. Nine databases, including Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, OVID, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, China Biology Medicine disk, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and Wanfang Database, were searched for clinical studies on electroacupuncture treatment cancer pain published between January 2012 and September 2022. A database was established using Microsoft Excel 2020 and analyzed with SPSS Modeler 18.1 software and SPSS statistics 26.0 software. Twenty-four articles were included according to the established criteria. The most used electroacupuncture stimulation parameters were a dilatational wave, the current frequency of 2/100 Hz, stimulation duration of 30 minutes per treatment, and frequency of treatment once a day. Fifty-eight acupoints were mentioned, and the total frequency of acupoints involved was 156 times. The most used ones include Zusanli (ST36), Sanyinjiao (SP06), Hegu (LI04), Neiguan (PC06), Quchi (LI11), Taichong (LR03), Ashi point, Jiaji point, and those most generally used acupoints that are closely arranged on the Stomach Channel of Foot Yangming and the Spleen Channel of Foot Taiyin. The association analysis of acupoints revealed that the most supported acupoint pair was Sanyinjiao (SP06) and Zusanli (ST36). Cluster analysis demonstrated 3 groups, 1 for obligatory acupoints, 1 for Ashi point, and the third for Jiaji point. A dilatational wave, the current frequency of 2/100 Hz, 30-minute stimulation, and acupoints of the Stomach Channel of Foot Yangming and the Spleen Channel of Foot Taiyin selection are frequently used in electroacupuncture for treating cancer pain. Due to the limitations of this study, further research and more standardized, multi-center, large-sample clinical trials can be carried out to guide optimizing acupuncture treatment schemes and promote the formation of TCM-characteristic technologies for cancer pain.

PS-BPC02-3: EVALUATION OF VASCULAR FUNCTION FOR PREDICTION OF RENAL PROGNOSIS IN JAPANESE PATIENTS WITH LIFESTYLE-RELATED DISEASES.

Background: Since chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with the development of serious cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, coronary artery disease and heart failure, prevention and early diagnosis of CKD are important clinical issues. Many risk factors including diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and cigarette smoking are known to be involved in the development of CKD; however, there is no available biomarker that can predict the progression of CKD at an early stage. Although it has been reported that glomerular endothelial injury causes development of CKD, it remains unclear whether evaluation of vascular endothelial function can predict renal prognosis. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the association between vascular endothelial function and longitudinal eGFR change in patients with lifestyle-related diseases. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 341 Japanese patients (176 males and 165 females; mean age, 63.87 ± 12.02 years) with lifestyle-related diseases in whom baseline vascular function was evaluated by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and in whom 24-month longitudinal eGFR values were recorded after vascular testing at Tokushima University Hospital and Anan Medical Center, Tokushima Japan. The association between values of FMD and eGFR slope and the association between values of baPWV and eGFR slope were statistically analyzed. Statistical significance was set at p &lt; 0.05. Results: Single regression analysis showed that value of FMD was positively associated with eGFR slope in females (p &lt; 0.001) and non-smoking males (p = 0.033) but not in smoking males (p = 0.133). Multiple regression analysis including confounding factors demonstrated that the value of FMD remained a contributor against annual eGFR decline in females (p = 0.002) and non-smoking males (p = 0.046) but not in smoking males (p = 0.266). On the other hand, the value of baPWV had no significant association with eGFR slope regardless of sex and smoking. Conclusions: In patients with lifestyle-related diseases, FMD value can be used for prediction of renal prognosis represented by the eGFR slope in females and non-smoking males. Thus, early comprehensive intervention for improving vascular endothelial function might lead to a better renal prognosis in female and non-smoking male patients with lifestyle-related diseases.

Energy flow analysis of poroelastic media

• Heat-conduction type 1D energy models are developed for isotropic poroelastic media. • A notion of equivalent longitudinal bulk modulus and density of poroelastic media is introduced. • Criteria for the evaluation of energy models are provided in terms of the intrinsic parameters of the materials. • Developed models are validated by comparing with Biot's model at high frequencies. Energy flow analysis (EFA) has been used to formulate heat conduction-type energy models, which are effective in predicting high-frequency vibrational responses of structures. In this paper, energy models for poroelastic media are presented within the EFA framework. A one-dimensional case in which two dilatational waves propagate is considered. The derivation procedures rely on the notion of the equivalent longitudinal bulk modulus and density, which are defined based on the elastic and inertial coefficients of the frame and interstitial fluid and the relative wave motion between them. These parameters have roles similar to those of the equivalent bulk modulus and density of the fluid models for rigid- and limp-frame porous material and are used to represent the energy behavior of each propagating mode in terms of volume-averaged quantities. The resulting energy equations describe the propagation of the energy-related quantities of the two waves, and their capabilities are illustrated in cases in which a poroelastic layer is used to fill the cavity between two panels. The predicted results of energy models show a good approximation of the exact energy distributions of each wave, obtained from Biot's displacement formulation at high frequencies.

Coupled dilatational waves at a plane interface between two dissimilar magneto-elastic half-spaces containing voids

Coupled dilatational waves at a plane interface between two dissimilar magneto-elastic half-spaces containing voids

Plane waves in microstretch elastic solid with voids

A linear theory of microstretch elastic solid containing uniform distribution of uniform voids has been formulated. Constitutive relations are developed by constructing suitable strain energy density function from the basic state variables. Then using the principles of mechanics, the field equations are derived for isotropic homogeneous microstretch elastic medium containing voids. The possibility of propagation of plane waves is explored and found that there may exist four sets of coupled dilatational waves and two sets of coupled transverse waves traveling with distinct speeds. The coupled longitudinal waves are found to be attenuating and dispersive, while the coupled transverse waves are dispersive but non-attenuating in nature. The coupled transverse waves are found to be independent of the presence of stretch and voids in the medium. The attenuation of coupled longitudinal waves arises due to the presence of dissipation coefficient of void volume fraction. In case of Voigt model, only the coupled transverse waves arising due to the microrotation disappear below their respective critical frequency, while in case of non-Voigt model, three sets of coupled longitudinal waves and one set of coupled transverse waves corresponding to predominantly due to the microrotation are non-progressive waves below their respective critical frequencies. Some limiting cases have been discussed and explained. Numerical computations have been carried out for Gauthier composite plate material and the results are displayed graphically.

Influence of endothelial function and arterial stiffness on the behavior of cervicocephalic arterial dissections: An observational study.

BackgroundThe mechanical and physiological properties of the arterial wall might affect the behavior of spontaneous cervicocephalic arterial dissections (CCAD). We aimed to determine the effects of endothelial function and arterial stiffness on the clinical characteristics and outcomes of CCAD using brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV).MethodsFrom a single-center database, we identified patients admitted from April 2011 to December 2021 with a diagnosis of CCAD who underwent both FMD and PWV. FMD was classified as normal and decreased according to institutional thresholds. PWV was categorized into tertiles. Comparative and multivariable analyses were performed to determine the effects of FMD and PWV values on major clinical outcomes.ResultsA total of 146 patients (age: 47 ± 11 years; men: 77.4%) were included. The main presentation was ischemic stroke in 76.7% of the patients, while 23.3% presented with headache or other symptoms. Healing of the dissection was observed in 55.8%. In multivariable analysis, Normal FMD levels (vs. decreased; adjusted OR: 4.52, 95% CI [1.95 −10.52]) were associated with spontaneous healing of the dissection. Highest PWV tertile (vs. lowest; adjusted OR: 17.05, 95% CI [3.07–94.82]) was associated with ischemic presentation. There was a higher ischemic stroke recurrence in the 3rd PWV tertile, and more frequent aneurysmal enlargement in the lowest PWV tertile, but their frequency was low, precluding multivariable analysis.ConclusionIn spontaneous CCAD, preserved endothelial function was associated with spontaneous arterial healing. Arterial stiffness is associated with ischemic presentation.

Combined use of Shenmen (HT 7) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) to improve the anxiety and depression in patients with insomnia: a randomized controlled trial

To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at Shenmen (HT 7) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) on anxiety and depression in patients with insomnia, and to explore the mechanism of its compatibility effect. Ninety patients of insomnia were randomly divided into a combination group, a Shenmen group and a Sanyinjiao group, 30 cases in each group. In addition, 37 cases with anxiety (12 cases in the combination group, 13 cases in the Shenmen group and 12 cases in the Sanyinjiao group) and 42 cases with depression (14 cases in the combination group, 14 cases in the Shenmen group and 14 cases in the Sanyinjiao group) were identified. The patients in the combination group, Shenmen group and Sanyinjiao group were treated with EA (dilatational wave, frequency of 5 Hz/25 Hz) at Shenmen (HT 7)-Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Shenmen (HT 7) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6), respectively, 30 min each treatment, once a day. The consecutive 5 days of treatments were taken as a course of treatment, and 2 courses of treatment were given. The insomnia severity index (ISI), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) scores were evaluated before and after treatment, and the serum contents of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) were measured. Compared before treatment, the ISI, SAS and SDS scores in the three groups were all decreased after treatment (P<0.05), and the ISI score in the combination group was lower than that in the Shenmen group (P<0.05). Among the patients with anxiety, compared before treatment, the ISI, SAS scores and serum contents of DA were all decreased after treatment in the three groups (P<0.05), and the serum contents of NE in the combination group and Shenmen group were decreased after treatment (P<0.05); the SAS score and serum contents of NE in the combination group and Shenmen group as well as the ISI score in the combination group were lower than those in the Sanyinjiao group (P<0.05). Among the patients with depression, compared before treatment, the ISI, SDS scores and serum contents of DA were all decreased after treatment in the three groups (P<0.05), and the serum contents of NE in the combination group and Shenmen group were decreased after treatment (P<0.05); the ISI, SDS scores and serum contents of NE in the combination group as well as SDS score in the Shenmen group were lower than those in the Sanyinjiao group (P<0.05). EA at Shenmen (HT 7) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) has advantages over EA at Sanyinjiao (SP 6) on improving insomnia, anxiety and depression. Shenmen (HT 7) plays a major role in improving anxiety and depression. Shenmen (HT 7) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) may play a compatibility effect of regulating consciousness and sleeping by reducing the level of serum NE.

Use of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation in pulmonary surgery for patients with tuberculosis

ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyze the effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on the immune function in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PT) and the inflammatory response following one-lung ventilation surgery by comparing the levels of inflammatory mediators, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 8 (IL-8); T lymphocyte subsets, including CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+/CD8+ cells; and natural killer cells (NK cells). MethodsWe randomly divided 62 patients who underwent general anesthesia for thoracotomy into two groups: TEAS and sham TEAS. Patients in the TEAS group underwent bilateral acupoint electrical stimulation at the Hou-Xi, Zhi-Gou, Nei-Guan, and He-Gu acupoints from 30 min before anesthesia induction until the end of surgery. TEAS was continuously maintained throughout the procedure with a dilatational wave at 2/100 Hz. Those in the sham TEAS group underwent the same management but without stimulation, and the anesthesia induction and maintenance methods were the same in both groups. Venous blood was drawn to monitor inflammatory mediators and lymphocyte subsets before anesthesia induction and 5 days after the surgery. ResultsThere was no statistical difference in the general conditions between the two groups (P > 0.05). Before anesthesia induction, the levels of inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α), lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+), and NK cells did not statistically differ between the two groups (P > 0.05). Compared to the sham TEAS group, the levels of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and CD8+ were lower in the TEAS group, while those of CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, and NK cells were higher; however, only the change in TNF-α was significant (P < 0.05). ConclusionTEAS at the Hou-Xi, Zhi-Gou, Nei-Guan, and He-Gu acupoints at 2 Hz/100 Hz can reduce the inflammatory response during one-lung ventilation but has no significant effect on the immune function in patients with tuberculosis.

Progress on the Experimental Research of Sciatic Nerve Injury with Acupuncture.

Objective To collect and summarize relevant literatures on the experimental researches of sciatic nerve injury (SNI) with acupuncture during the last decade providing a guideline for effectively treating SNI with acupuncture in the future. Methods The Chinese and English databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (WanFang Data), VIP Information Chinese Journal Service Platform (VIP Date), and PubMed were searched from 2009 to 2020 with keywords of “acupuncture and moxibustion OR acupuncture OR electroacupuncture OR scalp acupuncture OR wrist-ankle acupuncture OR acupoint injection OR ear acupuncture” AND “sciatic nerve OR sciatic nerve injury OR sciatic injury OR SNI.” The collected data were mainly evaluated in the items of animal model of SNI, type of interventions, selection of acupuncture points (acupoints), course of treatment and its frequency, and approaches of assessment. Results A total of 89 studies were included in this analysis. Among them, the most commonly used animal models of SNI were produced by the clamp or transverse injury in the rats; the most frequently used intervention was electroacupuncture with dilatational wave of 2/100 Hz; the frequency of acupuncture was mainly performed once per day lasting for more than 2 weeks; the mainly selected acupoints were Huantiao (GB30), Zusanli (ST36), and Yanglingquan (GB34); and the approaches of assessment were contained with behavioral, functional, morphological, histological, cellular, and molecular measurements. Conclusion The results indicated that the experimental researches of SNI with acupuncture has made marked progress in recent years, which may provide important clues for further investigating the underlying mechanisms of acupuncture for the treatment of SNI in the future.

Effect of Electroacupuncture on Hippocampal Functional Activity and Molecular Expression Profile in Rats with Vascular Cognitive Impairment

<sec><title>Objective</title> To explore the effect of Tongdu Tiaoshen electroacupuncture method on the hippocampal function and the gene expression profile of the hippocampal tissue in rats with vascular cognitive impairment. </sec><sec><title>Methods</title> A total of 24 healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group, the model group and the electroacupuncture group, with 8 rats in each group. Bilateral common carotid artery ligation was used to prepare a rat model of vascular cognitive impairment in the model group and the electroacupuncture group, only bilateral common carotid artery was separated without ligation in the sham operation group. The electroacupuncture group was intervented by stimulating at Baihui (GV20) and Shenting (GV24) acupoints, the frequency of electroacupuncture was 1/20 Hz, 30 min each time, once a day, dilatational wave, continous intervention for 28 days, and the other two groups were grabbed under the same conditions without any other intervention. Barnes maze test was used to evaluate the spatial learning and memory ability of rats; Y maze test was used to evaluate the spatial working memory ability of rats; small animal 7.0 T magnetic resonance resting brain functional imaging was used to analyze the changes of regional homogeneity (ReHo) of hippocampal functional activity; Agilent mRNA expression microarray was used to analyze the differential gene expression of the whole hippocampus genome. </sec><sec><title>Results</title> ① Behavioral analysis results: compared with the sham operation group, the Barnes maze escape latency of the model group increased significantly (<italic>P</italic><0.05), the target quadrant duration percentage decreased significantly (<italic>P</italic><0.05), and the Y maze alternation rate decreased significantly (<italic>P</italic><0.05); compared with the model group, the Barnes maze escape latency of the electroacupuncture group decreased significantly (<italic>P</italic><0.05), the target quadrant duration percentage and the Y maze alternation rate increased significantly (<italic>P</italic><0.05). ② ReHo changes results: compared with the sham operation group, the ReHo of functional activitives of the bilateral prefrontal lobes, hippocampus and other brain regions in the model group decreased significantly (<italic>P</italic><0.005); compared with the model group, the ReHo of functional activities of the bilateral hippocampus, prefrontal lobes and piriform cortex in the model group increased significantly (<italic>P</italic><0.005). ③ Genomics results: a total of 705 genes with 2-fold differential expression of hippocampal mRNA between the model group and the sham operation group (<italic>P</italic><0.05), of which 195 genes (such as Sytl1, Trpv6, Klhl14, Npsr1, Myh3, Galnt3, Nr4a1, Bmp3, Egr2, etc.) were down-regulated, of which 510 genes (such as Insl6, Efcab1, Akr1b1, Tagln, Glrb, Akr1c13, Kcne1L, Ubap1, etc.) were up-regulated. A total of 399 genes with 2-fold differential expression of hippocampal mRNA between the electroacupuncture group and the model group (<italic>P</italic><0.05), of which 166 genes (such as Klhl14, Bmp3, Npsr1, Cacna1e, etc.) were up-regulated, of which 233 genes (such as Insl6, Ube2k, Cdkn1c, Camp, Upk1b,etc.) were down-regulated. </sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title> The Tongdu Tiaoshen electroacupuncture at Baihui and Shenting acupoints can improve the cognitive function of rats with vascular cognitive impairment, and its mechanism may be related to enhance the function of hippocampus, prefrontal lobes and other brain regions, regulate the expression of calcium ions and energy metabolism-related molecules by regulating nerve activity activity. </sec>

Helicobacter pylori infection and the progression of atherosclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

In recent years, many studies have tried to prove whether Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) can promote the progression of atherosclerosis (AS), but the reported results are conflicting. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), flow-mediated dilation (FMD), or pulse wave velocity (PWV) are the most commonly used indicators to evaluate the progress of AS. So, we collected and evaluated these three indicators to provide evidence-based medicine for the clinic. We included and evaluated studies on H. pylori infection and CIMT, FMD, or PWV from PubMed, Cochrane trials, and Embase databases before September 1, 2021, and language restrictions: English. Research types include cross-sectional studies, cohort studies, and case-control studies. The MINORS scale was used to evaluate the quality of these studies. For all studies, we choose a random-effects model and calculate the weighted mean difference (WMD) for analysis, and all our analyses use STATA software. Meta-analysis shows that H. pylori infection can significantly increase CIMT (WMD=0.059, 95% CI: 0.039, 0.079, p<0.001). Based on subgroup analysis, we found that the relationship between the two is more significant in the young and middle-aged people younger than 60years old and people without cardiovascular disease. In addition, we also found an association between H. pylori infection and FMD (WMD=-3.873, 95% CI: -5.684, -2.062, p<0.001), but it is a pity that there are few literatures that meet the standards. Finally, We concluded that H. pylori infection can significantly increase PWV (WMD=88.033, 95%CI: 67.297,108.768. I2 =99.63%, p<0.001). In the subgroup analysis, we also found that this correlation is similar to CIMT, and it is more significant in the young and middle-aged population under 60 and those without cardiovascular disease. We also found in the sub-analysis that there was a significant increase in CIMT in CagA-positive individuals in H. pylori-infected patients (WMD=0.16, 95%CI: 0.02, 0.29. p=0.03). Helicobacter pylori infection can promote the process of AS, especially in people under the age of 60 and people without cardiovascular risk factors, and we hope that our meta-analysis can provide ideas for the early prevention of AS.

Non-invasive Systemic Hemodynamic Index in Vascular Risk Stratification Tailored for Hypertensives.

Vascular dysfunction is a key hallmark of hypertension and related cardiovascular outcomes. As a well-known hemodynamic disease, hypertension is characterized by abnormal ventricular-vascular interactions. Complementing non-invasive systemic hemodynamics in hypertensive vascular risk assessment is of promising significance. We aimed to investigate the effects of abnormal hemodynamic states other than elevated blood pressure on vascular damage and establish a united index of systemic hemodynamics for generalized vascular risk evaluation. Non-invasive systemic hemodynamics, assessed by impedance cardiography, was compared among blood pressure stages. Vascular function was evaluated by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Systemic hemodynamics was obtained from a total of 88 enrollees with a mean (±SD) systolic blood pressure 140 (±17) mm Hg, and aged 17 to 91 years. Both stroke systemic vascular resistance index and left stroke work index exhibited a significant alteration among blood pressure stages (p < 0.001; p = 0.01, respectively), whereas heterogeneous hemodynamic and vascular function subsets existed within similar blood pressure. In addition, blood pressure categories failed to recognize between-group differences in endothelial dysfunction (p = 0.88) and arterial stiffness (p = 0.26). An increase in myocardial contractility and a parallel decrease in afterload was associated with the decline of vascular dysfunction. Systemic Hemodynamic Index (SHI), as a surrogate marker, demonstrated a significantly negative correlation with vascular damage index (VDI, r = −0.49, p < 0.001). These findings illustrate that systemic hemodynamics underlying hypertensives provides more vascular information. The SHI/VDI score may be a feasible tool for cardiovascular function assessment.

Electroacupuncture Upregulates HIF-1α and SOX9 Expression in Knee Osteoarthritis.

Electroacupuncture (EA) has been clinically used in knee osteoarthritis broadly and proved to be effective than other therapies with fewer side effects; however, the mechanism of electroacupuncture to work on cartilage remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of EA treatment on cartilage and the relationship between EA and proteins such as HIF-a and SOX9. EA (dilatational wave, 3–15 HZ, 1 mA) has been applied to bilateral Zusanli (ST36), Xuehai (SP10), Taixi (KI3), and Yanglingquan (GB34) of rats. Results showed that the cartilage of the knee osteoarthritis group had obvious damage and fissure formation while the EA group showed that the cartilage destruction was generally milder. In addition, the protein expression levels of HIF-1α, and chondrogenic markers such as Sox9, and ACAN in the electroacupuncture group were higher than those in the ACLT group. Also, the extracellular matrix protein expression levels of MMP13 and ADAMTS5 were decreased in the EA group. These findings indicate that EA could alleviate the severity of knee osteoarthritis, and HIF-a and SOX9 may closely attribute to the treatment.

Energy flow analysis of equivalent fluid models for porous media.

Based on a heat conduction analogy that enables the energy flow analysis (EFA) to describe the smoothed energy variations, the EFA has been applied to a variety of structures to predict vibrational responses at high-frequency regions. In this paper, energy equations in the form of heat conduction laws are derived to represent dilatational waves in rigid- and limp-frame porous media using equivalent fluid models. Homogeneous and inhomogeneous waves are considered. Within the EFA framework, the group velocity and loss factor included in the energy models for structures are replaced with the energy velocity and effective loss factor, respectively. The capabilities of the energy models are illustrated using configurations in which the porous layer backed by a rigid wall is in a normal and oblique incident sound field. The results of the numerical simulations confirm the feasibility of the energy model. From an energy perspective, the adequacy of using rigid- and limp-frame equivalent fluid models is also discussed. It is shown that the use of a rigid-frame equivalent model for predicting the energy distribution is more restrictive than predicting acoustic performance such as sound absorption.

Clinical Efficacy of Electroacupuncture Dilatational Wave Treatment of Acute-Stage Facial Paralysis

Objective: To discuss and analyze the clinical efficacy and prognostic effect of an electroacupuncture dilatational wave in acute-stage facial paralysis. Method: Sixty patients with acute facial paralysis who received treatment in the inpatient department of our hospital from April 2018 to January 2019 were randomly divided into two groups: a treatment group and a control group. Both groups were treated with the same procedures, such as antivirus, nerve nutrition, circulation improvement, anti-inflammatory, infrared radiation on the affected side, electroacupuncture in quiescent period and Chinese herbal decoction. Dilatational wave treatment was also performed in the treatment group in the acute stage, and the clinical efficacy and effect on prognosis were compared between the two groups. Results: The total effective rate of the treatment group was 96.7%, and the total effective rate of the control group was 70%. The difference in the level of efficacy between the two groups was statistically different (P &lt; 0.05). Conclusions: For the acute stage of facial paralysis, patients who underwent conventional treatment using an electroacupuncture dilatational wave showed a significantly improved efficacy rate, as well as other clear advantages. The treatment is, therefore, worthy of further investigation.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Fat Mass, and Cardiometabolic Health with Endothelial Function, Arterial Elasticity, and Stiffness.

This study aimed to determine whether estimated cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), fat mass (FM), lean mass (LM), and adiponectin bidirectionally associate with arterial function and structure and if CRF mediates the relationship between cardiometabolic health and arterial outcomes in 9- to 11-yr-old children drawn from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children birth cohort, United Kingdom. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), distensibility coefficient (DC), and carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (PWV) were measured by ultrasonography; CRF was measured during the submaximal ergometer test; total FM, trunk FM, and LM were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry; plasma adiponectin was measured by enzyme assay; and cardiometabolic health was computed based on the International Diabetes Federation criteria for diagnosing metabolic syndrome. We tested bidirectionality by including CRF, FM, LM, and adiponectin as exposures and FMD, DC, and PWV as outcomes, alternatively. Among 5566 participants (2816 (51%) girls; median age, 9.75 yr), CRF per body mass0.21 was directly related to DC (β (95% confidence interval) = 0.004 (<0.0001 to 0.008); P = 0.046), whereas CRF per LM0.54 was inversely associated with PWV (-0.034 (-0.063 to -0.003); 0.032) after adjusting for covariates. These associations remained in bidirectional analyses. Total FM, trunk FM, and LM were bidirectionally and positively associated with FMD and DC. Total FM and trunk FM but not LM had bidirectional and inverse associations with PWV. Adiponectin was not related to FMD, DC, or PWV. CRF partially mediated the associations of cardiometabolic health with FMD (1.5% mediation), DC (12.1% mediation), and PWV (3.5% mediation). Associations of poor cardiometabolic health with adverse arterial structure and function in childhood may be mitigated by increasing CRF. Higher CRF was associated with better arterial structure whereas higher total FM and trunk FM were associated with better arterial function and structure. In the reverse analysis, healthy arterial structure and function were independently associated with increased total FM and trunk FM, suggesting an "arterial paradox."

Band structure analysis of Green-Naghdi-based thermoelastic wave propagation in cylindrical phononic crystals with energy dissipation using a meshless collocation method

In this paper, a meshless collocation method based on the generalized finite difference (GFD) method is employed for the band structure analysis of thermoelastic waves propagating in the cylindrical phononic crystal (PC). The Green-Naghdi (GN) theory of the generalized coupled thermoelasticity with energy dissipation and the Bloch's theorem are adopted to compute the dispersion relation of thermoelastic waves. The proposed GFD-based meshless collocation method is used to predict the frequency range of the band-gaps and to analyze the effects of the material parameters and the thickness of each layer (sub-cylinder) in a unit-cell on the band-gap property of thermoelastic waves propagating in the cylindrical PCs. The effects of the variations in the layer thicknesses in each unit-cell on the thermoelastic wave band structures are studied in detail. Also, the influences of the key material parameters on the frequency band structures of the thermoelastic waves are investigated. It will be shown that the dimensionless speed of the thermal wave influences the band-gaps more remarkably than other dimensionless parameters such as the dimensionless speeds of the purely elastic dilatational and shear waves, the damping coefficient and the thermoelastic coupling parameter.

Analysis of Dilatation Waves Propagation in an Irregular Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Under Initially Stresses

This article studies the propagation of dilatation waves in an initially stresses single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) with surface irregularity using Donnell thin shell approach. Taking into account the effects of surface irregularity and initial stresses, propagation of dilatation waves is studied and dispersion curves are plotted for in several figures. The effects of surface irregularity and initial stresses are confirmed by comparing obtained numerical results with those in cases of uniform and initial stress-free SWCNT. Obtained results turn out that, the increase of surface irregularity parameter increases the natural frequency of dilatation waves, while the increase of the initial stress parameter decreases the natural frequency of dilatation wave propagating in the single-walled carbon nanotube. To the author best knowledge, effects of surface irregularity and initial stresses on the dilatation waves propagation in a single-walled carbon nanotube has not yet been done before. The previous studies were devoted to the uniform and initial stresses-free carbon nanotubes. It should be emphasized that the dilatation waves propagating in a pre-stressed irregular single-walled carbon nanotube is novel, workable, and at the beginning of the path. In this manner, understanding the influences of surface irregularity as well as initial stresses on the natural frequency of dilatation waves may serve as useful references for the applications and designs of nano oscillators and nanodevices, in which single-walled carbon nanotubes act as the most prevalent nanocomposite structural element.