Acupoint catgut-embedding therapy ameliorates DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis in BALB/c mice by regulating Th2 type immune response and reducing infiltration of CD4^(+)and CD8^(+)cells

Background:This study aimed to assess how acupoint catgut-embedding therapy influences Th2-type immune response and the infiltration of CD4^(+)and CD8^(+)cells in DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis in BALB/c mice.It also conducted an initial examination of the underlying molecular mechanisms.Methods:Seventy-two mice were randomly divided into four groups:normal control,DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis model(AD),AD with acupoint catgut-embedding treatment(ADA),and AD with sham-acupoint catgut-embedding treatment.After DNCB challenge to induce AD,the ADA group received acupoint catgut-embedding therapy treatment at Zusanli(ST 36)and Quchi(LI 11)acupoints every other week from day 8.Mice in the AD with sham-acupoint catgut-embedding treatment group underwent the same procedure as the ADA group but without catgut implantation.Severity was assessed using SCORAD on treatment days 1,10,and 20.On day 18,nine mice per group were euthanized,and the remaining on day 28.Histopathological changes were observed using hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemistry staining.TNF-α,IL-4,IL-6,and IL-13 levels were analyzed by ELISA,and GATA3 and STAT6 protein levels by western blot.Results:After 20 days of acupoint catgut-embedding therapy treatment,mice showed reduced dermatitis scores compared to DNCB-induced AD-like mice.Significant decreases occurred in serum IL-4,IL-6,IL-13,and TNF-αlevels.Skin analysis revealed marked reductions in CD4^(+)and CD8^(+)cell infiltration,as well as GATA3 and STAT6 protein levels.Conclusion:Acupoint catgut-embedding therapy may effectively alleviate atopic dermatitis by suppressing Th2 immune responses via the STAT6-GATA3 pathway and reducing CD4^(+)and CD8^(+)T cell infiltration in skin lesions.

Meta-analysis of the acupoint application therapy for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Objective:To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupoint application in the treatment of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Methods:A comprehensive search of domestic and international databases,the search time is limited to nearly ten years,collecting traditional Chinese medicine acupoint application in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in stable phase of randomized controlled trials.Literature screening,information extraction and literature quality evaluation were carried out independently by two researchers,and Meta analysis was carried out by Revman software.Results:A total of 42 RCTs with a total of 4192 patients were included.The results of Meta analysis showed that:Compared with the routine treatment of western medicine,the addition of acupoint application therapy can significantly increase the effective rate[RR=1.23,95%CI(1.19,1.27),P<0.00001]and FEV1/FVC[MD=4.46,95%CI(3.17,5.76),P<0.00001].Significantly improved BODE index[MD=-0.63,95%CI(-0.87,-0.40),P<0.00001],SGRQ score[MD=-6.77,95%CI(-9.81,-3.72),P<0.00001],CAT score[MD=-3.33,95%CI(-3.87,-2.79),P<0.00001]and TCM syndrome integral[MD=-3.51,95%CI(-3.96,-3.06),P<0.00001].The differences is statistically significant and the safety profile is good.Conclusion:On the basis of routine treatment of COPD western medicine,acupoint application therapy can significantly improve the clinical symptoms of patients with less adverse reactions.However,due to the limitations of the research,high-quality research is still needed to provide further evidence.

Effect of acupoint therapy combined with spine pinching in patients with menopausal syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE:To assess the efficacy of acupoint therapy combined with spine pinching in patients with menopausal syndrome.METHODS:This is a parallel,randomized,controlled,investigator-blinded trial.A total of 132 participants were randomly assigned to receive either acupoint therapy combined with spine pinching(intervention group)or tibolone therapy alone(control group).The intervention group received acupoint therapy combined with spine pinching three times per week for 4 weeks.The control group received 2.5 mg of tibolone once daily for 4 weeks.The primary outcome was the improved Kupperman score.The WHO quality of life scale was also used.The secondary aim was to identify those who would benefit from acupoint therapy combined with spine pinching based on the levels of follicle stimulating hormone(FSH)and luteinizing hormone(LH).RESULTS:In the intervention group,the improved Kupperman score was significantly decreased after treatment compared with before treatment.However,there were no differences between the intervention and control groups for any outcome.Changes in the physiology score presented negative outcomes in patients with a low FSH level with increasing body mass index(BMI)(P=0.0).In contrast,changes in the physiology score presented positive outcomes in patients with a moderate LH level with increasing BMI(P=0.0).The mean change in the physiology score of patients with a low FSH level and a BMI of≥25.7 kg/m2 was-7.17(range-10.94 to-3.40)after adjustments for age and disease duration.CONCLUSION:Acupoint therapy combined with spine pinching is effective in treating menopausal syndrome,especially in women with a moderate LH level.However,patients with a low FSH level had a negative outcome after acupoint therapy combined with spine pinching.In addition,patients with a BMI of>25.7 kg/m2 had a negative outcome after the intervention,regardless of hormone levels.

A randomized placebo-controlled trial of Chinese medicine acupoint application on gastrointestinal dysfunction after appendectomy

Background:Gastrointestinal dysfunction is one of the common complications of appendectomy,which seriously affects the postoperative recovery and clinical prognosis.Through traditional Chinese medicine acupoint application is suggested for managing postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction,supporting evidence is weak.Here,the prospective randomized placebo-controlled study was designed to provide high-level evidence regarding whether traditional Chinese medicine acupoint application is effective on the gastrointestinal dysfunction after appendectomy.Methods:A total of 60 patients who underwent appendectomy in Dongfang Hospital Beijing University of Chinese Medicine(Beijing,China)from November 2016 to December 2017 were selected as study objects and randomly divided into control group(n=30)and observation group(n=30).Based on routine postoperative care,the acupoints Zusanli(ST36)and Yongquan(KI1)were selected.The control group was given acupoint application of traditional Chinese medicine placebo and the observation group was given acupoint application of clinical empirical Chinese medicine called Wentongliqi prescription.The course of treatment was performed on the 1st,2nd,and 3rd days after appendectomy,once a day and 4 hours each time.The primary outcome includes the time until the recovery time of bowel sounds(h),the first postoperative flatus(h)and first bowel movement time(h)on the 1st,2nd,and 3rd days after appendectomy.The secondary outcome includes clinical symptom score,life ability score and adverse reactions were observed and recorded on the 1st,2nd,and 3rd days after appendectomy.Results:After treatment,the recovery time of intestinal sound in the observation group was earlier than that in the control group(P<0.05).However,there were no significant difference between the two groups in first anal exhaust time and first bowel movement time,clinical symptom scores and life ability scores between the two groups before and after treatment(P>0.05).Conclusion:Acupoint application therapy has limited effect on the recovery of gastrointestinal dysfunction after appendectomy.Further study with large sample size is needed to confirm its therapeutic effects.

Effectiveness of Bufei Yishen Granule(补肺益肾颗粒)Combined with Acupoint Sticking Therapy on Quality of Life in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Objective： To evaluate the efficacy of Bufei Yishen Granule （补肺益肾颗粒, BFYSG） combined with Shufei Tie （舒肺贴） acupoint sticking therapy on quality of life of patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）. Methods： A multi-center, double-blinded, double-dummy and randomized controlled method was adopted in this trial. A total of 244 patients were randomly assigned to a trial group and a control group according to the random number, each with 122 patients; treatment allocation occurred when the participants met the inclusion criteria and signed the informed consent form. In the trial group, patients were treated with BFYSG combined with ＂Shufei Tie＂ acupoint sticking therapy and sustained-release theophylline dummy, and in the control group patients were treated with oral sustained-release theophylline and BFYSG dummy combined with ＂Shufei Tie＂ acupoint sticking therapy dummy. The therapeutic course for two groups was 4 months and the follow-up was 6 months. The frequency and duration of acute exacerbation calculated by adding up each frequency and duration of acute exacerbation in treatment and follow-up time respectively, the quality of life measured by the World Health Organization Quality of Life （WHOQOL）-BREF scale and adult COPD quality of life （COPD-QOL） scale were observed. Results： Among the 244 enrolled patients, 234 were screened for full analysis set （FAS）; 221 were screened for per-protocol analysis set （PPS）. After 4-month treatment and 6-month follow-up there were differences between the trial group and the control group in frequency of acute exacerbation （FAS： P=0.013; PPS： P=0.046）; duration of acute exacerbation （FAS： P=0.005; PPS： P=0.006）; scores of physiological, psychological and environment aspects of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire （FAS： P=0.002, P=0.006, P=0.000; PPS： P=0.00, P=0.001, P=0.000）; scores of daily living ability, social activity, depression symptoms aspects of the COPD-QOL questionnaire （FAS： P=0.000, P=0.000, P=0.006; PPS： P=0.002, P=0.001, P=0.001）. Conclusion： BFYSG combinedwith acupoint sticking therapy could improve the quality of life of patients with stable COPD.

Effect of Spinning Process on Properties of Polyglycollide Acid Embedding Materials

Acupoint catgut embedding therapy(ACET),filling the gaps of traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture treatment,has been widely used for the treatment of many diseases with significant effects.The aim of this paper is to obtain polyglycollide acid(PGA)fibers with higher performance at a lower cost,and ensure that PGA can meet the clinical requirements as well.PGA fibers with different diameters were spun as embedding materials.The mechanical performance,thermodynamic and biodegradable properties of PGA fibers were studied under different spinning process parameters,including spinning speed,drawing temperature and stretching ratio.The experimental results showed that the optimum spinning parameters were the spinning speed at 150 m/min,the drawing temperature of 45 ℃,and the stretching ratio of 4.0.The initial modulus of PGA fibers was 3.876 N/tex.The crystallization degree was 68% and the degradation performance was in consistent with treatment cycle of patients.

Analysis of the Effect of Combined DesensitizingAcupoints Therapy in Treating 419 Cases of Allergic Rhinitis Accompanied Asthma

Objective: To explore the effect of combined acupoint desensitizing therapy.Methods: A total of 419 cases of allergic rhinitis accompanied with asthma were treated by combined acupoint desensitizing therapy with positive allergen extract on acupoints of head and upper back region.Results: After 3 courses of treatment, skin test repeated with responding allergen extract showed that the scope of redness and swelling of skin were smaller than those before treatment,P < 0.01. The3H-TdR incorporation lymphocyte transformation rate, acidophil count, IgA, IgG level and E-rosette formation rate of acupoint desensitizing group were different significantly from those of the two control groups (the acupoint 0.85% normal saline injection group and the subcutaneous desensitizing group),P < 0.01 orP < 0.05. Follow-up study for over 3 years showed that the markedly effective rate of the acupoint desensitizing group was 68.73%, the effective rate 29.12% and total effective rate, 97.85%. The effect was higher than that of the two control groups, P<0.01.Conclusion: Combined acupoint desensitizing therapy is valuable and worthy of popularizing in treating patients of allergic rhinitis accompanied asthma.

Advances in Acupuncture and its Associated Therapies for the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Obesity type 2 diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disease in clinical practice,and its prevalence is increasing rapidly with the aging of the population and changes in lifestyle.Acupuncture,as a distinctive therapy,has its unique advantages in the treatment of obesity type 2 diabetes and has an irreplaceable role in a variety of treatment methods.The author organized the literature on acupuncture and its related therapies to prevent and treat obesity type 2 diabetes in recent years and found that acupuncture and its associated therapies to prevent and treat obesity type 2 diabetes mainly include:simple acupuncture,electroacupuncture,acupoint catgut embedding therapy,auricular-plaster therapy and other treatments,all of which can safely and effectively improve clinical symptoms,acupuncture and its related therapies to treat obesity type 2 diabetes has a broad prospect,worthy of further clinical promotion.

Preventive and therapeutic effectiveness of Sanfu acupoint herbal patching for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at stable stages:a systematic review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the preventive and therapeutic effects of Sanfu acupoint herbal patching(SAHP)in adjuvant treatment in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).METHODS:We had searched eight electronic databases and six major trial registries from their inception to July 2017 for randomized controlled trials(RCTs).We utilized RevMan 5.3 to evaluate the methodological quality and to perform data analyses.RESULTS:A total of 28 RCTs involving 1615 records were included in the descriptive analysis,and 25 RCTs were performed for Meta-analysis.Lung function such as forced vital capacity rate of one second FEV1/predicted%,forced vital capacity(FVC)%found no significant difference.The results of Meta-analysis showed that SAHP plus conventional therapy(CT)in the treatment of stable COPD were better than CT,in second sessions'data of FEV1,in third sessions'data of FEV1/FVC,in three sessions'data of SGRQ,in third session's data of Modified Medical Research Council and 6MWT.The symptoms of SAHP's adverse reactions seem to be mild and the incidence of that seems to be low.Descriptive analysis shows that SAHP with CT seems to improve clinical effective rate and had a certain preventive effect on acute exacerbation of COPD,which the curative effect may be better with the increase of treatment course.CONCLUSION:SAHP with CT appears to be more effective than CT or CT plus placebo only on improving the quality of life,but the effect on lung function is not obvious.Improve clinical effective rate and preventive effect is uncertainty.SAHP with CT may be used in any Grade to safely treat patients with stable COPD.The more exactly clinical effect still needs to be proved by more high-quality,large sampling,multilingual RCTs.

“颈五针”穴位埋线治疗椎动脉型颈椎病疗效及对血流动力学的影响:随机临床试验

Objective:To observe the effect of catgut-embedding therapy at five neck points in the treatment of cervical spondylotic arteriopathy(CSA)and analyze its effects on the hemodynamics of patients with CSA.Methods:Using the computer randomization method,72 patients with CSA were divided into a catgutembedding therapy group(n=36,none dropped out)and a western medication group(n=36,none dropped out).In the catgut-embedding therapy group,the therapy was applied to five neck points,i.e.bilateral Jǐngjiājǐ(颈夹脊)at C5,bilateral Jǐngjiājǐ(颈夹脊)at C6,and Dàzhuī(大椎GV14)once a week.One3-week treatment session was required.In the western medication group,flunarizine hydrochloride 5 mg capsules were administered orally once daily for 3 weeks.Efficacy was assessed before and after 3 weeks treatment using a functional evaluation scale for cervical spondylotic arteriopathy(FS-CSA).Changes in vertebral-basilar arterial hemodynamics,serum nitric oxide(NO)level,and plasma endothelin(ET)level were detected.Results:Efficacy was assessed when the treatment session was completed.The total efficacy rate was significantly higher in the catgut-embedding therapy group(86.1%)than in the western medication group(61.1%;P<0.01).The after treatment FS-CSA score was reduced compared with baseline score in both groups(P<0.05),and the reduction in the catgut-embedding therapy group was superior to that in the Western medication group(P<0.05).Compared with baseline,the flow velocity and pulsatility index of the bilateral vertebral and basilar arteries increased at each period in both groups(P<0.05)except for the left systolic velocity of the vertebral artery after treatment.The increase in the catgut-embedding therapy group was greater than that in the western medication group(P<0.05).After treatment,the serum NO concentration was increased and the plasma ET concentration was reduced compared to baseline in both groups(P<0.05),while the improvements in the catgut-embedding therapy group were superior to those in the western medication group(P<0.05).Conclusion:The clinical efficacy in the catgut-embedding therapy group was superior to that in the western medication group.Catgut-embedding therapy at five neck points may effectively improve psychological and functional conditions,promote vertebral basilar arterial supply,and relieve clinical symptoms in patients with CSA.

鼻中隔偏曲术后嗅觉障碍案

A case of dysosmia after correction of nasal septum deviation was reported.Thread was embedded at bilateral stellate ganglia,sphenopalatine ganglia,Fengmen(风门BL12),Feishü(肺俞BL13),Píshü(脾俞BL20),Zusanli(足三里ST36)and Qihai(气海CV 6)with folded-rotating method.The treatment was given once a week,one side per treatment alternatively,after a total of 6 treatments,the patient’s sense of smell improved significantly and has basically recovered.