Y. Zhang et al./Journal of Luminescence 119-120(2006)96-99 cupoint is stimulated by a needle, i.e. acupunc tured, the patient will perceive various feelings including distent, tingling and aching. These kinds of feelings are totally called the needle sensation or Deqi"in Chinese. Doctors could accurately locate positions of corresponding acupoints for one particular disease(sometimes to find the acupoints perficial fascia by feelings of"Deqi"of the patient) and then carry out operations, i.e. acupuncture. Innumerable pa tients have got well by acupuncture. For one specific acupoint, the needle sensation begins at the skin and ends in the periosteum or interosseous membrane, and the degree of needle sensation changes in different depths of the needle. According to the needle sensation doctors and researchers have also found the anatomical structures of some acupoint Fibula [1, 2 ] therefore, we can say that the acupoints have three-dimensional structures. Nevertheless the me- chanism of the cure of diseases is still not well Fig. 1. Sketch of the "Waiqiu"acupoint; the location of known. Even the structure and the composition of"Waiqiu"and the superficial fascia tissue that we take as a these acupoints are uncertainty. In recent years, sample are shown by the arrows some researchers using different methods probe the basic compositions and the physiological mechan- ism of acupuncture [3). X-ray fluorescence analyses methods are mainly used to explore trace elements by a dissector in the Second Military Medica characteristic of acupoints. One kind of X-ray University in Shanghai. It has a dimension of fluorescence methods, the proton-induced X-rays80×50×0.5mm3(L×W×T), approximately,in emission(PIXe)has been used, and the concentra- the middle of which is the acupoint"Waiqiu tion of calcium is always found high within the Normally, the effective area of an acupoint has acupoints [4] a diameter of about 3-5 mm. We can only know In this paper, we take "Waiqiu"acupoint in the approximate position of the acupoint from superficial fascia of human crus as an example and the dissector; therefore, we detected the concentra use the photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy to tion of Ca by PiXe in order to determine more characterize the acpoint in order to know the precisely the position and the effective area spectral and, hence, the compositional differences of"Waiqiu"in our specimen. This tissue was between acupoint and outside acupoint region preserved in a sanitary pledget with formalin The sample surface is flat enough for relative luminescence intensity comparisons. During the 2. Experimental PL measurements the specimen was stuck to a controllable sample stage, with which we can easily The"Waiqiu'acupoint locates in human crus, measure the PL from different positions at the and its anatomic structures are from skin, hypo- sample. The PL spectra were carried out at the derm, then superficial fascia and fascia profunda, Jobin Y vons spectrometer U1000. The Coherent through muscles and end in fibula periosteum. We Inc's Innova 70-5 argon ion laser was used rficial fas here the acupoint the excitation source. In our experiments, excita Waiqiu"is located as our sample. It is a relatively tions under 488.0 or 457.9 nm with a fixed power shallow part of the"Waiqiuacupoint, as shown of about 40 mw were used. The beam size of the in Fig. 1. This tissue was dissected from the dead incident light is about 0.3 mm. The origin70acupoint is stimulated by a needle, i.e. acupunc￾tured, the patient will perceive various feelings including distent, tingling and aching. These kinds of feelings are totally called the needle sensation or ‘‘Deqi’’ in Chinese. Doctors could accurately locate positions of corresponding acupoints for one particular disease (sometimes to find the acupoints by feelings of ‘‘Deqi’’ of the patient) and then carry out operations, i.e. acupuncture. Innumerable pa￾tients have got well by acupuncture. For one specific acupoint, the needle sensation begins at the skin and ends in the periosteum or interosseous membrane, and the degree of needle sensation changes in different depths of the needle. According to the needle sensation doctors and researchers have also found the anatomical structures of some acupoints [1,2]; therefore, we can say that the acupoints have three-dimensional structures. Nevertheless, the me￾chanism of the cure of diseases is still not well known. Even the structure and the composition of these acupoints are uncertainty. In recent years, some researchers using different methods probe the basic compositions and the physiological mechan￾ism of acupuncture [3]. X-ray fluorescence analyses methods are mainly used to explore trace elements characteristic of acupoints. One kind of X-ray fluorescence methods, the proton-induced X-rays emission (PIXE) has been used, and the concentra￾tion of calcium is always found high within the acupoints [4]. In this paper, we take ‘‘Waiqiu’’ acupoint in superficial fascia of human crus as an example and use the photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy to characterize the acpoint in order to know the spectral and, hence, the compositional differences between acupoint and outside acupoint regions. 2. Experimental The ‘‘Waiqiu’’ acupoint locates in human crus, and its anatomic structures are from skin, hypo￾derm, then superficial fascia and fascia profunda, through muscles and end in fibula periosteum. We use a superficial fascia tissue where the acupoint ‘‘Waiqiu’’ is located as our sample. It is a relatively shallow part of the ‘‘Waiqiu’’ acupoint, as shown in Fig. 1. This tissue was dissected from the dead by a dissector in the Second Military Medical University in Shanghai. It has a dimension of 80
50
0.5 mm3 (L
W
T), approximately, in the middle of which is the acupoint ‘‘Waiqiu’’. Normally, the effective area of an acupoint has a diameter of about 3–5 mm. We can only know the approximate position of the acupoint from the dissector; therefore, we detected the concentra￾tion of Ca by PIXE in order to determine more precisely the position and the effective area of ‘‘Waiqiu’’ in our specimen. This tissue was preserved in a sanitary pledget with formalin. The sample surface is flat enough for relative luminescence intensity comparisons. During the PL measurements the specimen was stuck to a controllable sample stage, with which we can easily measure the PL from different positions at the sample. The PL spectra were carried out at the Jobin Yvon’s spectrometer U1000. The Coherent Inc.’s InnovaTM 70-5 argon ion laser was used as the excitation source. In our experiments, excita￾tions under 488.0 or 457.9 nm with a fixed power of about 40 mW were used. The beam size of the incident light is about 0.3 mm. The OriginTM 7.0 ARTICLE IN PRESS Fig. 1. Sketch of the ‘‘Waiqiu’’ acupoint; the location of ‘‘Waiqiu’’ and the superficial fascia tissue that we take as a sample are shown by the arrows. Y. Zhang et al. / Journal of Luminescence 119– 120 (2006) 96–99 97