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Defected peripheral nerve regeneration is still a challenge in clinical treatment. Conductive polymers show great potential in nerve tissue engineering because of their electrical property based on bioelectricity in vivo. In this study, conductive composite nerve conduit was synthesized with tetra-aniline and poly-dl-lactic acid. Their properties and the differentiation of rat pheochromocytoma 12 (PC12) cells in vitro stimulated with 200 mV for 1 h were investigated. Different amounts of tetra-aniline (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) were used to synthesize the conduits with different conductivities (0, 0.00625, 0.01, and 0.025 s/m, respectively), tensile strengths (2.45, 3.40, 4.45, and 5.50 MPa, respectively), and contact angles (80°, 78.5°, 62.5°, and 61.5°, respectively). The percentage of neurite-bearing cells and the median neurite length increased with an obvious raise of the content of tetra-aniline. In addition, the conduit with subcutaneous implantable experiments in vivo showed less inflammatory response. These promising results illustrated that this poly-dl-lactic acid/tetra-aniline conductive composite conduit had potential for nerve tissue engineering.

Peripheral nerve regeneration following injury is often incomplete, resulting in significant personal and socioeconomic costs. Nerve conduits have been developed to complement or replace autologous nerve grafts. In this study, repairing injured peripheral nerves in rats is investigated by fabricating poly(D, l -lactic acid) (PDLLA)/β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) nerve conduits filled by injectable chitosan (CS)-hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels featuring sustained release of nerve growth factor (NGF). All CS-HA hydrogels have porosities higher than 80%. The mass loss of the CS-HA hydrogels reaches 70% in 8 weeks. In vitro experiments suggest that the CS-HA/NGF hydrogels are suitable for the adhesion, spreading, and differentiation of neuronal cells, which also allow for sustained release of NGF. In vivo studies on the repair of 10-mm sciatic nerve defects in rats are used to assess nerve repair rate through walking track analysis, gastrocnemius weight analysis, and histological analysis. It is shown that the PDLLA/β-TCP nerve conduits laden with CS-HA/NGF hydrogels have a significant positive effect on the axon regeneration and myelination, compared to the PDLLA/β-TCP hollow nerve conduits and the autograft group. These results show that the CS-HA/NGF injectable hydrogel can effectively promote nerve regeneration making it a good candidate in the field of neural tissue engineering.

The application of hollow nerve conduits in the repair of peripheral nerve defects is effected by inferior recovery, and nerve extension is hampered by the scar tissue generated during the repair process. In this study, the filler in hollow nerve conduit, chitosan/oxidized hydroxyethyl cellulose (CS/OHEC) hydrogel loaded asiaticoside liposome and the conductive reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were developed and used to reform the microenvironment for peripheral nerve regeneration. The physiochemical properties of CS/OHEC/rGO/asiaticoside liposome hydrogel were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and compressive modulus, porosity, swelling ratio, degradation and conductivity. In addition, the asiaticoside release profiles in vitro were investigated. The hydrogel had a continuous porous network structure with pore size distribution in the range of 50–250 μm. The majority of the hydrogels had porosities above 70%, and a compressive modulus of 0.45 MPa. The weight loss rate of hydrogel reached 76.14 ± 4.45% within 8 weeks. The conductivity of the hydrogel was 5.27 ± 0.42 × 10−4 S/cm. The hydrogel was non-toxic and suitable for adhesion and proliferation of nerve cells in vitro. In addition, the application of electrical stimulation after the addition of rGO can promote the differentiation and proliferation of nerve cells, accelerating nerve regeneration. The asiaticoside released from the hydrogel had a significant inhibitory effect on the growth and collagen secretion of fibroblasts, eliminating scars for regenerative nerves, which can promote the function recovery of defected peripheral nerve. Together, these positive results indicate that the hydrogel would be a promising candidate for peripheral nerve regeneration.

To observe the effect of acupuncture on hyperplasia of mammary glands. Sixty patients with hyperplasia of mammary glands were randomly divided into 2 groups, the treatment group and the control group, 30 cases in each group. The patients in the treatment group were treated by acupuncture combined with electromagnetic therapy, while the patients in the control group were treated by Tamoxifen. After treatment, the serum estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) levels were detected during luteal phase. The total effective rate of the treatment group was 90.3%, while it was 93.3% in the control group. there was no statistical difference (P>0.05). The E2 levels decreased, and the P levels increased in the two groups. After treatment, the E2 and P levels were significantly different from those before in the two groups (P