A Novel Technique for Visualizing the Intralymphatic Primo Vascular System by Using Hollow Gold Nanospheres

Bonghan (primo vascular) system, elucidated by Bong Han Kim: Kim’s findings, later verifications, new findings, and prospective: A review

The Bonghan system (BHS) was discovered in the 1950s by Dr. Bong Han Kim in North Korea. His first report, published in 1962, revealed the identity of ‘acupuncture meridian’ as a vascular system. Kim published five reports, containing completely new facts on BHS: its distribution throughout the entire body, even in blood and lymphatic vessels and self-renovating function via a new cell cycle, demonstrating its fundamental nature in life. In about 1966, Kim’s research abruptly ceased but in about 2000, it was revived by Dr. Kwang-Sup Soh in South Korea, who later gave it another name, primo vascular system (PVS). Soh and other PVS scientists also uncovered new BHS/PVS facts: e.g., its roles in stem cell productions and in cancer metastasis. The review provides a glimpse of BHS/PVS science, which is so worthy of furthering. It includes: BHS and acupuncture meridian; BHS subtypes; sanal (산알)-cell cycle for cell-renovation and blood cell productions; sanals and stem cells; and cancer associated-PVS. The bases of BHS/PVS sciences are now laid out in front of us and it is up to us to combine our efforts together to further this important science. The review invites scientists in all fields to active debates to move forward and implement BHS/PVS sciences in healthcare.

Application of Acupuncture Acupoint Visual Teaching System by Neural Regulation

OBJECTIVES

This thesis uses the traditional Chinese medicine theory as its background. This article analyzes in detail the visual teaching system for acupuncture on the human body to solve the problems of insufficient teaching resources and waste of corpses used in teaching. The dissertation is based on the mobile platform development technology of the Android operating system. Based on this, researchers have developed a visual teaching system for human acupuncture points based on digital platforms and mobile devices. This system presents acupuncture knowledge with mobile learning method. It can be displayed systematically on the selected human acupoint anatomy teaching model for 14 common clinical conditions. This article provides an intuitive and dynamic teaching method by presenting a system should realize modern digital teaching and application of traditional acupuncture theory.

Traditional Acupuncture Meets Modern Nanotechnology: Opportunities and Perspectives

Acupuncture is an ancient method in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Usually acupuncture needles are inserted into the body to achieve therapeutic effects. However, there are still some challenges to achieve consensuses. What is the essence or anatomy of acupuncture meridians? How does acupuncture work? How to improve acupuncture clinical therapeutic effect? These questions may be addressed by highlighting recent developments in innovative nanotechnology. The aim of this review is to elucidate the possible applications and future potential of nanotechnology in acupuncture. Nanoparticles are promising for imaging and it may gain a better understanding of the essence of meridian. Nanotechnology enables nanochips/nanosensors providing new solutions in detection reactive molecules in vivo and in real time. The connections and changing of these molecules with needle stimulation will allow insight into the mechanisms of acupuncture. Acupuncture combined with nano-TCM could provide a great potential in some type of characteristic acupuncture therapies improvement. By virtue of nanotechnology, the acupuncture needles could be innovated as multifunction toolbox. Acupuncture needles could be considered as a method for controlled drug delivery. The nanoparticulated photothermal, magnetothermal, photodynamic agents could also be filled on the surface of needle.

Technical Challenges in Current Primo Vascular System Research and Potential Solutions

Since Bonghan Kim's discovery of the Bonghan system (BHS) in the 1960s, numerous reports have suggested that the system is fundamental for maintaining mammalian life. The BHS is a circulatory system independent of the blood or the lymphatic system, forms an extensive network throughout the entire mammalian body, has been reported to be the acupuncture meridian, stores distinct types of stem cells, and appears to have some roles in cancer metastasis. Despite Kim's first report having been published as early as 1962, research progress has been rather slow mainly because the system is very small and translucent, making it optically difficult to distinguish it from the hemoglobin-rich surrounding tissues. Unfortunately, Kim did not describe in detail the methods that he used for identifying and harvesting the system and the components of the system. In 2000, Kwang-Sup Soh reopened the BHS research, and since then, new and important scientific findings on the system have been reported, and many of Kim's results have been verified. In 2010, the BHS was renamed the primo vascular system. Nevertheless, good tools to properly deal with this system are still lacking. In this article, we address some of the technical difficulties involved in studying the primo vascular system and attempt to discuss potential ways to overcome those difficulties.

Ultrastructure of a Mobile Threadlike Tissue Floating in a Lymph Vessel

Observations of the primo vascular system (PVS) floating in lymph ducts were reported by various groups. There have been, however, no studies on the ultrastructure of the entire cross section of a primo vessel (PV) inside a lymph vessel with a transmission electron microscope (TEM). In the current study we took the TEM images of a cross section of the PV inside a lymph vessel. We used the Alcian blue staining method for the finding of the target PV in a lymphatic vessel by injecting the dye into the inguinal lymph nodes. The stained PV was harvested together with the lymph vessel and some parts of the specimens were used for studying with optical microscopes. Some other parts were treated according to a standard protocol for TEM. As the results the TEM study revealed the loosely distributed collagen fibers with plenty of empty spaces and the lumens with the endothelial nuclei. It turned out to be very similar to the ultrastructure of the PVs observed on the surfaces of internal organs. It also showed how compactly the PV is surrounded with lymphocytes. In conclusion, the detailed morphological features like the distribution of fibers in the PV were revealed and shown to be similar to another kind of the PV on the surfaces of internal organs.