Resting-state connectivity in the default mode network and insula during experimental low back pain

Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have shown that the insular cortex has a signif- icant role in pain identification and information integration, while the default mode network is associated with cognitive and memory-related aspects of pain perception. However, changes in the functional connectivity between the defauk mode network and insula during pain remain unclear. This study used 3.0 T functional magnetic resonance imaging scans in 12 healthy sub- jects aged 24.8 ± 3.3 years to compare the differences in the functional activity and connectivity of the insula and default mode network between the baseline and pain condition induced by intramuscular injection of hypertonic saline. Compared with the baseline, the insula was more functionally connected with the medial prefrontal and lateral temporal cortices, whereas there was lower connectivity with the posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus and inferior parietal lobule in the pain condition. In addition, compared with baseline, the anterior cingulate cortex exhibited greater connectivity with the posterior insula, but lower connectivity with the anterior insula, during the pain condition. These data indicate that experimental low back pain led to dysfunction in the connectivity between the insula and default mode network resulting from an impairment of the regions of the brain related to cognition and emotion, suggesting the impor- tance of the interaction between these regions in pain processing.

Observation on the Effect of Acupoint Injection plus Massage Therapy on Primary Dysmenorrhea

Objective： To observe the clinical effects of acupoint injection therapy plus massage on primary dysmenorrhea （PD）. Methods： Ninety patients with PD were randomly divided into a treatment group or a control group, 45 cases in each group. The treatment group was treated by injection of Vitamin K3into Sanyinjiao （SP 6） plus massage on Diji （SP 8）. The control group was treated by oral administration of Ibuprofen sustained-release capsule. Before and after the treatment, visual analogue scale （VAS） was adopted to assess pain degree of the patients. The therapeutic effects were observed after continuous treatment of three cycles of menstruation. Results： After treatment, VAS scores were obviously decreased in both groups and the differences were statistically significant （allP＆lt;0.05）. The difference in VAS score after treatment was more significantin the treatment group than that in the control group （P＆lt;0.01）. The total effective rate was significantl higher in the treatment group than that in the control group （P＆lt;0.05）. Conclusion： Acupoint injection therapy plus massage for PD is effective and better than simple oral administration of Ibuprofen sustained-release capsule.