Could human amniotic membrane be a source for acupoint thread embedding therapy?

Background: Peripheral neuropathy usually leads to a major cause of motor disability, but the functional restoration after treatment continues to show modest results. Acupoint thread-embedding therapy is a subtype of acupuncture treatment in which biodegradable threads are inserted into skin, subcutaneous tissue or muscles at specific points for long stimulation. Different biodegradable materials have been developed and widely used. Human amniotic membrane is rich in collagen, extracellular matrix proteins and growth factors. The avascular, low immunogenic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-fibrotic and non-tumorigenic properties of amniotic membrane make it valuable in medical applications and its use has no ethical problems. Elasticity, stiffness and other biomechanical properties also make it possible to use the amniotic membrane for various medical purposes. AM is almost always considered as discarded substance, it satisfies most of the criteria of an ideal biological tissue and shows almost zero rejection phenomenon. Conclusions: The human amniotic membrane, the cellular compounds and extracellular matrix have a lot of benefic proprieties that are or could be used in treatment of many human diseases. Its biological and biomechanical properties are promising in the manufacture and use of filaments in acupoint thread embedding therapy.

Effect of Acupoint Embedding on Serum Leptin and Hypothalamus Leptin Receptor Expression in Rats with Simple Obesity

Background. Acupoint embedding treatment on obesity has been applied in clinical practice for many years and has achieved obvious efficacy. However, animal experimental studies on acupoint embedding are relatively few, and its mechanism remains unclear. Methods. We established a simple obese rat model using a high-fat diet for 8 weeks. Acupoint embedding therapy was performed once a week for 4 weeks. After the treatment, serum leptin, triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were detected by radioimmunoassay, HE staining was used for fat morphology analysis, and immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of leptin receptor in hypothalamus. Results. Compared with model group, acupoint embedding treatment can reduce body weight and Lee's index, reduce serum leptin, TG, TC, and LDL level, increase HDL level, change the morphology and number of adipocytes, and increase the expression of leptin receptor in hypothalamus. Conclusion. Acupoint embedding therapy can reduce the level of leptin in blood, increase the number of leptin receptors in hypothalamus, enhance the biological effect of leptin, alleviate the leptin resistance in obese body, change the shape of fat, and regulate the level of blood lipid, so as to achieve the goal of weight loss.

Comparing acupoint catgut embedding and acupuncture therapies in simple obesity: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Review question / Objective: How effective are acupoint catgut embedding therapy sole or with other treatment? Condition being studied: Simple obesity. Information sources: We will search for trials from the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and the Cumulative index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Trials will also be searched from three Korean medical databases (Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System [OASIS], Science-On and KoreaMed), a Chinese database (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI]) and a Japanese database (CiNii). Ongoing trials, trials will be searched on the Clinical Trials. gov (http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov), and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/). We will also check the reference lists of reviews and the retrieved articles for additional studies. All bibliographic information and articles will be managed using EndNote (X8.2; Clarivate Analytics, Philadelphia). If the data of study are missing or insufficient, we will contact the corresponding authors by email.

Chitosan–gelatin enhanced antibacterial and biological properties of PLA and PGA braided threads for juvenile pseudomyopia treatment

Polylactic acid (PLA) and polyglycolide acid (PGA) have been the most widely used biomedical materials in the acupoint catgut-embedding therapy (ACET) fields. However, a lack of antibacterial and biological properties is a definite obstacle that hinders its further application in juvenile pseudomyopia treatment. Here, four different kinds of PLA and PGA threads were fabricated, and were then modified using chitosan–gelatin coating method. Afterwards, PLA and PGA braided threads were fully characterized with respect to structure, mechanical and biological properties. The results showed that the surface roughness of PLA and PGA had been greatly improved; FT-IR analysis proved the existence of chitosan and gelatin molecules, the modified PLA (M-PLA-a = 87.1° ± 1.5°, M-PLA-b = 83.5° ± 1.4°) had smaller contact angle values than that of non-modified PLA (PLA-a = 108.6° ± 2.6°, PLA-b = 116.2° ± 3.1°), and that of the modified PGA (M-PGA-a = 79.3° ± 3.2°, M-PGA-b = 73.8° ± 1.8°) was smaller compared with that of the non-modified PGA (PGA-a = 98.2° ± 1.7°, PGA-b = 83.5° ± 1.4°). Based on the mechanical testing results, the tensile property and flexibility of samples increased slightly, and their swelling behavior also increased correspondingly. All the prepared samples exhibited non-toxicity with cell viability of more than 75%, and samples M-PGA-b presented the largest cell attachment ratios. In sum, this work exhibited great potential in the ACET application for juvenile pseudomyopia treatment.