Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

28 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

Examination of surface conditions and other physical properties of commonly used stainless steel acupuncture needles.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The present work examined the surface conditions and various other physical properties of sterilised single-use stainless steel acupuncture needles from two of the most popular brands widely used in many countries.

Methods

Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images were taken for 10 randomly chosen needles from each brand. Further SEM images were taken after each of these needles underwent a standard manipulation with an acupuncture needling practice gel. A comparison of forces and torques during the needling process was also carried out.

Results

The SEM images revealed significant surface irregularities and inconsistencies at the needle tips, especially for needles from one of the two brands. Metallic lumps and small, loosely attached pieces of material were observed on the surfaces of some needles. Some of the lumps and pieces of material seen on the needle surfaces disappeared after the acupuncture manipulation. If these needles had been used on patients, the metallic lumps and small pieces of material could have been deposited in human tissues, which could have caused adverse events such as dermatitis. Malformed needle tips might also cause other adverse effects including bleeding, haematoma/bruising, or strong pain during needling. An off-centre needle tip could result in the needle altering its direction during insertion and consequently failing to reach the intended acupuncture point or damaging adjacent tissues.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the need for improved quality control of acupuncture needles, with a view to further enhancing the safety and comfort of acupuncture users.

SUBMITTER: Xie YM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3995252 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Similar Datasets

Nanosecond laser coloration on stainless steel surface.

Project description:In this work, we present laser coloration on 304 stainless steel using nanosecond laser. Surface modifications are tuned by adjusting laser parameters of scanning speed, repetition rate, and pulse width. A comprehensive study of the physical mechanism leading to the appearance is presented. Microscopic patterns are measured and employed as input to simulate light-matter interferences, while chemical states and crystal structures of composites to figure out intrinsic colors. Quantitative analysis clarifies the final colors and RGB values are the combinations of structural colors and intrinsic colors from the oxidized pigments, with the latter dominating. Therefore, the engineering and scientific insights of nanosecond laser coloration highlight large-scale utilization of the present route for colorful and resistant steels.

| S-EPMC5541041 | biostudies-literature

Mouse Lung Response to Stainless Steel and Mild Steel Welding Fume

Project description:A/J mice are genetically predisposed to spontaneous and/or chemically-induced lung tumors while C57BL/6J (B6) mice are resistant. This genetic disparity provides a unique scenario to identify molecular mechanisms associated with the lung response to welding fume at the transcriptome level.

2010-04-30 | GSE20174 | GEO

Morphological and Chemical Analysis of Various Disposable Acupuncture Needles Used in South Korea.

Project description:ObjectivesThe Korean Industrial Standard (KS) for sterile acupuncture needles was established in 2009 based on research on the quality control of acupuncture needles. We aimed to determine the quality of acupuncture needles available in South Korea in 2021 by examining their surface condition and chemical composition using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS).MethodsIn South Korea, there are 23 brands of acupuncture needles, and we examined 10-15 needles from each brand, resulting in a total of 285 needles. The microstructures of the needles were assessed by SEM. Using SEM images, we evaluated the acupuncture needle tips for the following defects/aspects scratches, lumps, detached coating, bent tip, and tip sharpness. EDS was used to determine the chemical composition of the selected acupuncture needles.ResultsOverall, 88.4% of 285 needles were found to have at least one type of abnormality. The most frequently observed abnormalities were scratches and dents on the surface (68.1%), followed by detached coating (63.2%), and lumps (61.8%); blunt tips were observed in about 24% of them. Of 252 needles with at least one defect, 86.9% had two or more types of defects. The ratio of the number of needles with any defect to that of needles without any defect varied among brands, ranging from 50% to 100%. Regarding foreign materials, higher proportions of Si and O were observed on the needles, indicating incomplete or detached silicone coating.ConclusionThe quality of acupuncture needles varied among brands, suggesting that further improvements can be made through various inspection methods.

| S-EPMC9806154 | biostudies-literature

Functional Antimicrobial Surface Coatings Deposited onto Nanostructured 316L Food-Grade Stainless Steel.

Project description:In our study, we demonstrated the performance of antimicrobial coatings on properly functionalized and nanostructured 316L food-grade stainless steel pipelines. For the fabrication of these functional coatings, we employed facile and low-cost electrochemical techniques and surface modification processes. The development of a nanoporous structure on the 316L stainless steel surface was performed by following an electropolishing process in an electrolytic bath, at a constant anodic voltage of 40 V for 10 min, while the temperature was maintained between 0 and 10 °C. Subsequently, we incorporated on this nanostructure additional coatings with antimicrobial and bactericide properties, such as Ag nanoparticles, Ag films, or TiO2 thin layers. These functional coatings were grown on the nanostructured substrate by following electroless process, electrochemical deposition, and atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques. Then, we analyzed the antimicrobial efficiency of these functionalized materials against different biofilms types (Candida parapsilosis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis). The results of the present study demonstrate that the nanostructuring and surface functionalization processes constitute a promising route to fabricate novel functional materials exhibiting highly efficient antimicrobial features. In fact, we have shown that our use of an appropriated association of TiO2 layer and Ag nanoparticle coatings over the nanostructured 316L stainless steel exhibited an excellent antimicrobial behavior for all biofilms examined.

| S-EPMC8074267 | biostudies-literature

Enhanced Therapeutic Treatment of Colorectal Cancer Using Surface-Modified Nanoporous Acupuncture Needles.

Project description:Acupuncture originated within the auspices of Oriental medicine, and today is used as an alternative method for treating various diseases and symptoms. The physiological mechanisms of acupuncture appear to involve the release of endogenous opiates and neurotransmitters, with the signals mediating through electrical stimulation of the central nervous system (CNS). Earlier we reported a nanoporous stainless steel acupuncture needle with enhanced therapeutic properties, evaluated by electrophysiological and behavioral responses in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Herein, we investigate molecular changes in colorectal cancer (CRC) rats by acupuncture treatment using the nanoporous needles. Treatment at acupoint HT7 is found most effective at reducing average tumor size, β-catenin expression levels, and the number of aberrant crypt foci in the colon endothelium. Surface modification of acupuncture needles further enhances the therapeutic effects of acupuncture treatment in CRC rats.

| S-EPMC5635022 | biostudies-literature

Deposition of Stainless Steel Thin Films: An Electron Beam Physical Vapour Deposition Approach.

Project description:This study demonstrates an electron beam physical vapour deposition approach as an alternative stainless steel thin films fabrication method with controlled layer thickness and uniform particles distribution capability. The films were fabricated at a range of starting electron beam power percentages of 3⁻10%, and thickness of 50⁻150 nm. Surface topography and wettability analysis of the samples were investigated to observe the changes in surface microstructure and the contact angle behaviour of 20 °C to 60 °C deionised waters, of pH 4, pH 7, and pH 9, with the as-prepared surfaces. The results indicated that films fabricated at low controlled deposition rates provided uniform particles distribution and had the closest elemental percentages to stainless steel 316L and that increasing the deposition thickness caused the surface roughness to reduce by 38%. Surface wettability behaviour, in general, showed that the surface hydrophobic nature tends to weaken with the increase in temperature of the three examined fluids.

| S-EPMC6416557 | biostudies-literature

Superwetting Stainless Steel Mesh Used for Both Immiscible Oil/Water and Surfactant-Stabilized Emulsion Separation.

Project description:The design and fabrication of advanced membrane materials for versatile oil/water separation are major challenges. In this work, a superwetting stainless steel mesh (SSM) modified with in situ-grown TiO2 was successfully prepared via one-pot hydrothermal synthesis at 180 °C for 24 h. The modified SSM was characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy, energy spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The resultant SSM membrane was superhydrophilic/superoleophilic in air, superoleophobic underwater, with an oil contact angle (OCA) underwater of over 150°, and superhydrophobic under oil, with a water contact angle (WCA) as high as 158°. Facile separation of immiscible light oil/water and heavy oil/water was carried out using the prewetting method with water and oil, respectively. For both "oil-blocking" and "water-blocking" membranes, the separation efficiency was greater than 98%. Also, these SSMs wrapped in TiO2 nanoparticles broke emulsions well, separating oil-in-water and oil-in-water emulsions with an efficiency greater than 99.0%. The as-prepared superwetting materials provided a satisfactory solution for the complicated or versatile oil/water separation.

| S-EPMC10608510 | biostudies-literature

Electrolytic plasma processing-an innovative treatment for surface modification of 304 stainless steel.

Project description:There is widespread attention to surface profile and modification of 304 stainless steel for research development and application. Here, a successful electrolytic plasma processing (EPP) technique has been developed for both surface pretreatment and coating deposition of 304 stainless steel. Representative images confirm that the number of the pits increases and the ravines gradually disappear on the steel pretreated by EPP with the increase of processing time and applied voltage. Moreover, there is an obvious enhancement in surface roughness of 304 stainless steel after EPP pretreatment. In the case of coating deposition, the further EPP modification conducted on the pretreated sample offers a simple and effective technique for the production of zinc coatings having the features of full coverage and homogeneous distribution. The results show that a zinc coating with a thickness of approximately 0.5 μm can be obtained on the 304 stainless steel by means of EPP for only 60 s.

| S-EPMC5428051 | biostudies-literature

Fatigue data for laser beam powder bed fused 17-4 PH stainless steel specimens in different heat treatment and surface roughness conditions.

Project description:This article presents the data demonstrating the synergistic effect of surface roughness and heat treatment on the fatigue behavior of 17-4 PH stainless steel (SS) fabricated via laser beam powder bed fusion (LB-PBF) [1]. Two sets of specimens, in as-built and machined surface conditions, were heat treated using five different recommended procedures for 17-4 PH SS by ASTM A693. Axial fully-reversed fatigue tests (R = -1) were conducted on heat treated as-built and machined specimens. The stable hysteresis stress-strain data, as well as the maximum and minimum stress and strain values for the cycle in a log10 increment are included for all conducted fatigue experiments. In addition, fractography images are provided for selected set of specimens.

| S-EPMC6646923 | biostudies-literature

Surface-protein interactions on different stainless steel grades: effects of protein adsorption, surface changes and metal release.

Project description:Implantation using stainless steels (SS) is an example where an understanding of protein-induced metal release from SS is important when assessing potential toxicological risks. Here, the protein-induced metal release was investigated for austenitic (AISI 304, 310, and 316L), ferritic (AISI 430), and duplex (AISI 2205) grades in a phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4) solution containing either bovine serum albumin (BSA) or lysozyme (LSZ). The results show that both BSA and LSZ induce a significant enrichment of chromium in the surface oxide of all stainless steel grades. Both proteins induced an enhanced extent of released iron, chromium, nickel and manganese, very significant in the case of BSA (up to 40-fold increase), whereas both proteins reduced the corrosion resistance of SS, with the reverse situation for iron metal (reduced corrosion rates and reduced metal release in the presence of proteins). A full monolayer coverage is necessary to induce the effects observed.

| S-EPMC3620448 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data