Red Ginseng for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus:A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective： Red ginseng （RG, Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer） is one of the widely used herbs for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus （DM）. However, no systematic review of the effectiveness of RG for type 2 DM is available. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the current evidence for the effectiveness of RG in patients with type 2 DM. Methods＂ Electronic searches of 14 electronic databases were conducted without language restrictions. All randomized clinical trials （RCTs） with RG as a treatment for type 2 DM were considered for inclusion. Their methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane criteria. Results： Four RCTs met our inclusion criteria. Their methodological quality was variable. Three of the RCTs compared the effectiveness of RG with placebo. The meta-analysis of these data failed to favor RG over placebo for fasting plasma glucose （FPG） [n=76, weighted mean difference （WMD）： -0.43 mmol/L; 95% confidence interval （CI）： -1.16 to 0.30, P=0.25] and fasting plasma insulin （FPI） （n=76, WMD： -8.43 pmol/L; 95% Ch -19.54 to 2.68, P=0.14） for 12 weeks of treatment. One RCT compared the effects of RG with no treatment. The results did not suggest favorable effects of RG on FPG, hemoglobin Alo （HbAlc） or 2-h blood glucose after a meal （PP2h）. Conclusions： The evidence for the effectiveness of RG in controlling glucose in type 2 DM is not convincing. Few included studies with various treatment regimens prohibit definitive conclusions. More rigorous studies are needed to clarify the effects of RG on this condition.

Acupuncture for Bell's Palsy:A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objective： To assess the clinical evidence for and against acupuncture as a treatment for Bell＇s palsy. Methods： We conducted a literature search of 15 databases from their inception to December 2010 without language restrictions. We included all randomized clinical trials （RCTs） regardless of their controls. Methodological quality was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. Results： Of the 3 474 articles, only eight RCTs met our inclusion criteria. Four RCTs tested the effects of acupuncture against drug therapy on disease response rate. The meta-analysis of these data showed significant improvements in the acupuncture group [n=463, risk ratio （RR）=1.07, 95% CI： 1.02 to 1.13; P=0.006, I^2=0%]. Six RCTs tested the effects of acupuncture plus drug therapy versus drug therapy alone. The meta-analysis of this set of RCTs also showed the favorable effects of acupuncture on disease response rate （n=512, RR=1.11, 95% CI： 1.05 to 1.17; P=0.001, I^2=13%）. Conclusions： The evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating Bell＇s palsy is limited. The number and quality of trials are too low to form firm conclusions. Further rigorous RCTs are warranted but need to overcome the many limitations of the current evidence.

Characterization of hidden rules linking symptoms and selection of acupoint using an artificial neural network model

Comprehension of the medical diagnoses of doctors and treatment of diseases is important to understand the underlying principle in selecting appropriate acupoints.The pattern recognition process that pertains to symptoms and diseases and informs acupuncture treatment in a clinical setting was explored. A total of 232 clinical records were collected using a Charting Language program. The relationship between symptom information and selected acupoints was trained using an artificial neural network (ANN). A total of 11 hidden nodes with the highest average precision score were selected through a tenfold cross-validation. Our ANN model could predict the selected acupoints based on symptom and disease information with an average precision score of 0.865 (precision, 0.911;recall, 0.811). This model is a useful tool for diagnostic classification or pattern recognition and for the prediction and modeling of acupuncture treatment based on clinical data obtained in a real-world setting. The relationship between symptoms and selected acupoints could be systematically characterized through knowledge discovery processes, such as pattern identification.

Safety of acupotomy in a real-world setting:A prospective pilot and feasibility study

Objective:Acupotomy is a modern acupuncture method that includes modern surgical methods.Since acupotomy is relatively more invasive than filiform acupuncture treatment,it is important to establish the safety profile of this practice.To justify further large-scale prospective observational studies,this preliminary study was performed to assess the feasibility of the approach and investigate the safety profile and factors potentially associated with adverse events(AEs).Methods:This was a prospective pilot study that assessed the feasibility of a large-scale forthcoming safety study on acupotomy treatment in a real-world setting.The feasibility(call response rate,dropout rate,response rate for each variable and recruitment per month)and safety profile(incidence,type,severity and causality of AEs,and factors potentially associated with AEs)were measured.Results:A total of 28 participants joined the study from January to May 2018.A follow-up assessment was achieved in 258(1185 treatment points)out of 261 sessions(1214 treatment points).The response rate via telephone on the day after treatment was 87.3%.There were 8 systemic AEs in all the sessions(8/258;3.11%)and 27 local AEs on the total points treated(27/1185;2.28%).Severe AEs did not occur.Total AE and local AE occurrence were associated with blade width and the number of needle stimulations per treatment point.Conclusion:The findings suggest that it could be feasible to analyze the safety of acupotomy in a realworld setting.Moreover,the primary data on some relevant AEs could be determined.We are planning large-scale prospective studies based on these findings.Trial registration:Clinical Research Information Service(CRIS)KCT0002849(https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do/11487).

Amorphous FeZr metal for multi-functional sensor in electronic skin

The composition of an amorphous metal,which is well known for having no slip plane or slip direction,can be tailored for enhanced strength and a lower Young’s modulus under mechanical stress.Unlike crystalline metals,elastic amorphous metals can,in principle,be used as a flexible electrode in soft,wearable electronics.A metal with a lattice structure absorbs external energy,which causes structural deformations,while an amorphous metal does not absorb energy.Therefore,amorphous metals have excellent mechanical properties that can overcome the limitations of crystalline metals.However,voids inside such metals are easily formed according to Thornton’s model,which results in the formation of mesoporous(10–50 nm)rods due to the spatial separation of metal atoms.We eliminated the porosity in amorphous metals by controlling the kinetic energy of sputtered metal atoms and ions.Optimized Fe_(33)Zr_(67) has an amorphous structure with a strength of 2.88 GPa and a Young’s modulus of 76.6 GPa.With this amorphous metal,we fabricated a stretchable and multi-functional sensor for electronic skin that enables the detection of pressure,temperature and light and also serves as a heater.In this work,we demonstrate the feasibility of the amorphous metal Fe33Zr67 in soft electronics for use in various industrial applications.