A Specific Pattern in the Basal Body Temperature Chart during the First Week of Pregnancy May Warn of a Miscarriage Crisis

We studied the efficiency of acupuncture for patients who were unable to give birth though they had experienced conventional infertility treatment for more than 2 years by medical specialists. We then investigated characteristics of difficult pregnancy cases with measurement of body temperature and observation of basal body temperature (BBT) charts. Thirty-three patients had acupuncture every week for more than 2 years and 17 of them delivered. At the same time, their cutaneous body temperature was measured at five locations. Moreover, patients and acupuncturists had a weekly discussion of the patient’s BBT chart. The delivery group showed more balanced and higher cutaneous body temperatures than the miscarriage and no pregnancy groups. The delivery group showed a smooth increase in the BBT chart while the miscarriage group showed a specific pattern in shifting temperatures from low to high zones. Acupuncture might suppress excess sympathetic dominance, which induced hyperthermia as well as interruption of pregnancy. Additionally, weekly discussion and medical advice could help patients. However, further study of males, healthy women, or larger, comparative studies exploring the social and cultural background of other countries were needed to add support to these factors.

The Association between Self-Monitored Reproductive Parameters, Pregnancy Outcomes and Acupuncture Treatment

Many women track their daily basal body temperature (BBT), an important factor in reproductive status, as a part of fertility self-management. This study involved 135 patients who had undergone conventional infertility treatment;they had weekly acupuncture treatment and we assessed BBT, menstrual cycle, menstrual period and menstrual bleeding amount pre- and post-treatment. We also analyzed the rate of insufficient description of reproductive parameters, comparing patients who had delivered a baby with those who had a miscarriage and those who did not become pregnant. Menstrual cycle and period did not show notable changes pre- and post-acupuncture treatment in all groups. Menstrual bleeding amount decreased in the no-pregnancy group. There was a suggestion that acupuncture decreased very long menstrual cycle (e.g. bimonthly) to monthly. The insufficient description rate of menstrual bleeding amount was high in all groups. Weekly discussion about monitoring reproductive parameters could improve patients’ awareness in self-management. To prevent miscarriage patients needed psychological and medical advice for careful self-management in pregnancy and menstrual cycle.

Increased BMR in Overweight and Obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes may Result from an Increased Fat-free Mass

The study aimed to determine the relationships between the basal metabolic rate（BMR） and body composition of overweight and obese Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus（DM）. This cross-sectional clinical study enrolled 193 Chinese adults with type 2 DM who were overweight（24 kg/m2≤BMI〈28 kg/m2, n=99）, or obese（BMI ≥28 kg/m2, n=94）. Ninety-seven adults with normal BMIs, including 50 DM patients and 47 healthy adults, were recruited as a control group. BMR was measured by indirect calorimetry; predicted BMR was calculated according to the Schofield equation; and the relationships between BMR, body composition, and biochemical results were determined by the Pearson correlation. The results showed that obese DM patients had significantly higher BMRs than both overweight patients（P〈0.05） and patients with normal BMI did（P〈0.05）. The measured BMR was significantly lower than the predicted BMR（P〈0.05） in all groups. Obese and overweight DM patients had significantly greater weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, BMI, body surface area, body fat percentage, fat mass, and fat-free mass than patients with normal BMI. Except for waist circumference, these body composition measurements were significantly increased in obese DM patients when compared with those in overweight DM patients（P〈0.05）. Fat-free mass was closely correlated with BMR in both DM patients（r=0.874, P〈0.01） and in healthy controls（r=0.902, P〈0.01）. It was concluded that overweight and obese Chinese adults with type 2 DM had increased BMRs compared with normal-weight controls, which may result from the difference in fat-free mass.