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2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenbin Fu ◽  
Lin Zhao ◽  
Jian-xing Zhang ◽  
Si-ting Ye ◽  
Ling-cui Meng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic arterial disease. Atherosclerosis related diseases, like myocardial infarctions (MI) and strokes have the highest mortality and disability rate. However, limited evidence verified the effects of acupuncture on arterial stiffness for subclinical atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that acupuncture could improve arterial stiffness in subclinical atherosclerosis and resist plaque progression. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of acupuncture on arterial elasticity via ultrafast pulse wave velocity (ufPWV) and explore the effect of acupuncture on lipid level and platelet function for subclinical atherosclerosis patients.MethodsThis was a randomized parallel controlled trial included 44 patients. Patients were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to acupuncture group and sham acupuncture group. Patients completed 24 treatments in total within 12 weeks of intervention. The primary outcome was ultrafast pulse wave velocity (ufPWV) assessed after every 4-weeks treatment; the secondary outcomes were carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), blood lipid levels, fibrinogen (FIB) and blood platelet. Intention-to-treat (ITT) principle was applied and data sets were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software.ResultsAmong the 44 randomly assigned patients, changes of right-side BS value in TA group (0.841) at week 12 were greater than SA group (-0.189), with a mean difference of 1.030 (95% CI, 0.320, 1.739; P=0.006). Similar results were observed in right-side ES, left-side BS, left-side ES at week 12. As to secondary outcomes, compared with SA group(1.08mm), the TA group(0.98mm) showed a significant decline in mean of left-side IMT at week 12. (Z= -2.118; P=0.034). There were no serious adverse events.ConclusionsAmong patients with Carotid intima-media thickening, both-side carotids arterial elasticity is significantly improved after 12-week acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture. The effects of acupuncture are more noticeable at week 12 during end-systole.Trial registrationThe trial was registered at http://www.chictr.org.cn (NO. ChiCTR1900025551, 31/08/2019)


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Der-Yen Lee ◽  
Yu-Rung Jiu ◽  
Ching-Liang Hsieh

AbstractZusanli (ST36) and Neiguan (PC6) are acupoints along two meridians. To demonstrate point specificity, we investigated the effects of ST36 and PC6 in electroacupuncture (EA)-treated rats. The rats were subjected to sham acupuncture at ST36 without electric stimulation, EA at ST36, or EA at PC6. Heart and stomach tissues were collected for metabolite profiling. Each type of stimulation resulted in a different metabolite composition in the rat heart and stomach tissues. In the heart tissues, EA at ST36 affected a wider range of metabolite pathways than did EA at PC6, whereas similar numbers of metabolites in the stomach tissues were affected by EA at ST36 and PC6. The pathways affected by EA at ST36 differed from those affected by EA at PC6, and a group of common metabolites were reversely regulated by these two acupoints. This study demonstrated point specificity effectively modulated metabolism in rat heart and stomach tissues. The results indicate that heart stimulation may be connected to the stomach through the pericardium meridian (as described in traditional Chinese medicine), explaining why acupuncture applied to the stomach meridian can be an alternative treatment for gastric and heart diseases.


Trials ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao Zhang ◽  
Shanqi Guo ◽  
Chaoran Wang ◽  
Xiaodi Liu ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Urinary incontinence is a common complication post radical prostatectomy. Acupuncture is considered an effective treatment for post-prostatectomy incontinence (PPI), but the evidence is still limited. We propose to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in a rigorously conducted trial. Methods Twenty hospitals will recruit 340 participants with urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy in China from April 2021 to April 2022. Participants will be randomly allocated to acupuncture or sham acupuncture with a 1:1 ratio using computerized simple random sampling. The study plan consists of 1-week baseline, 6-week treatment, and 18-week follow-up. Eighteen 30-min sessions of acupuncture or sham acupuncture treatment will be provided between weeks 1 and 6. The primary outcome is the change in the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) score at the week 6 from the baseline. Secondary outcomes include the change in volume of urine leakage at weeks 4 and 6 from a baseline measured using the 1-h pad test; 72-h incontinence episode frequency based on a 72-h voiding diary; change in the Expanded prostate cancer Index Composite scale (EPIC-26); change in the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale; weekly consumption of pads; and the severity of urinary incontinence based on a 72-h bladder diary and self-assessment of the therapeutic effect. The safety of acupuncture will also be assessed. Discussion This trial will help to identify whether acupuncture is effective for PPI, and, if so, whether it exerts a therapeutic rather than a placebo effect. Trial Registration www.Chictr.org.cnChiCTR2100042500. Retrospectively registered on 22 January 2021.


Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Jung Myung Lee ◽  
Seung Min Kathy Lee ◽  
Jungtae Leem ◽  
Jin-Bae Kim ◽  
Jimin Park ◽  
...  

Background and Objectives: In this study, we attempted to determine the effects of acupuncture on cardiac remodeling and atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence rates in patients with AF after electrical cardioversion (EC). Materials and Methods: We randomly assigned 44 patients with persistent AF to an acupuncture group or a sham acupuncture group. An electroacupuncture treatment session was administered once weekly for 12 weeks at four acupuncture points (left PC5, PC6, ST36, and ST37). Results: Among the 44 recruited participants, 16 (treatment group) and 15 (control group) completed the trial. The three-month AF recurrence rate (primary outcome) was not significantly different between the two groups. Following the completion of treatment, patients who had been treated with acupuncture had a significant reduction in left atrial volume index (42.2 ± 13.9 to 36.1 ± 9.7 mL/m2; p = 0.028), whereas no change in atrial size was observed in the sham acupuncture group. No serious adverse events were observed. The AF recurrence rate and cardiac function did not differ significantly between the two groups. At three months, the acupuncture treatment group showed more favorable atrial structural remodeling compared to the sham acupuncture group. Conclusion: In future research on acupuncture in AF management, it is recommended that the inclusion criteria be amended to include only symptomatic AF, that an appropriate control group is designed, and that the acupuncture treatment frequency is increased to several times per week.


Technologies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 102
Author(s):  
Oriana Pecchio ◽  
Massimo Martinelli ◽  
Giuseppe Lupi ◽  
Guido Giardini ◽  
Laura Caligiana ◽  
...  

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) is significantly influenced by exposure to hypoxia, both hypobaric and normobaric. Alterations in cerebral blood flow can play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of acute mountain sickness (AMS) and its symptoms, especially headache, dizziness, and nausea. Acupuncture has been proven to be effective in treating some cerebrovascular disorders and PC6 Nei Guan stimulation seems to enhance cerebral blood flow. Therefore, we have hypothesized that PC6 Nei Guan stimulation could affect CBF in acute hypoxia and could be used to contrast AMS symptoms. We evaluated blood flow in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in normoxia, after 15 min in normobaric hypoxia (fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) 14%, corresponding to 3600 m a.s.l.) in basal conditions, and after PC6 Nei Guan stimulation, both by needle and by pressure. No comparisons with other acupuncture points and sham acupuncture were done. PC6 stimulation seemed to counteract the effects of acute normobaric hypoxia on end-diastolic velocity (EDV) in MCA, especially after acupuncture, and significantly reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure. A rebalance of CBF could control some AMS symptoms, but further studies are necessary.


2021 ◽  
pp. 096452842110566
Author(s):  
Chang Liu ◽  
Zhijie Wang ◽  
Ting Guo ◽  
Lixing Zhuang ◽  
Xiao Gao

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy/effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of hot flushes and its impact on serum hormone levels in menopausal women. Methods: A total of 10 databases were searched from their inception to August 2018. Reference lists of reviews and included articles were also hand-searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effect of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture, or acupuncture versus hormone therapy (HT), as treatment for menopausal hot flushes were included. Outcomes included hot flush frequency, hot flush severity and serum hormone levels of estradiol (E2), luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Meta-analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.3 software. Results: Thirteen RCTs including 1784 patients were selected, seven of which were available for meta-analysis. Compared with sham acupuncture, acupuncture significantly decreased hot flush frequency (mean difference (MD) −0.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) [−1.64, −0.05], I2 = 54%) from baseline to the end of study, but did not impact end scores of hot flush frequency (MD 0.19, 95% CI [−0.61, 0.99], I2 = 0%) or severity (MD 0.02, 95% CI [−0.13, 0.17], I2 = 0%). No differences were found between acupuncture and HT in serum levels of E2 (MD 6.56, 95% CI [−3.77, 16.89], I2 = 76%), FSH (MD 1.06, 95% CI [−1.44, 3.56], I2 = 0%) or LH (MD −3.36, 95% CI [−13.37, 6.65], I2 = 89%). Conclusion: Acupuncture may not decrease hot flush frequency, but yet appears to have similar effects on serum hormone levels as HT, that is, increased E2 and decreased FSH and LH. Considering that no firm conclusions could be drawn due to the low quality and limited number of included trials included, further high-quality RCTs need to be conducted.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Liu ◽  
Ying Zhu ◽  
Liyuan Jiang ◽  
Chao Lu ◽  
Lijuan Xiao ◽  
...  

Background: Diastasis rectus abdominis (DRA) is one of the common complications during pregnancy and post-partum, which has psychological and physical effects on post-partum women. Acupuncture, a worldwide alternative therapy, has attracted wide attention in preventing and treating diseases related to pregnancy and childbirth. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture combined with physical training in treating post-partum rectus muscle dissociation.Methods: This is a randomized, controlled trial of DRA in post-partum conducted at Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated with Zhejiang University of Chinese Medicine. The primary purpose is to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture and physical training on DRA in post-partum women. The study will be conducted from March 2022 to March 2023. The acupuncture group received acupuncture and physical training (n = 48), the sham acupuncture group received sham acupuncture and physical training (n = 48), and the physical training group received physical training (n = 48). These experiments perform once/day, five times a week for 2 weeks, followed up for half a year after the end of the course of treatment. Our tests perform a course of treatment, which includes a total of 10 consecutive treatments. Furthermore, the patient will be followed up for half a year after the treatment. Primary and secondary indicators, including inter recti distance (IRD), linea alba (LA) tension, the MOS item short-form health survey (SF-36), short-form McGill pain questionnaire-2 (SF-MPQ-2), body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), leeds dyspepsia questionnaire (LDQ), menstrual distress questionnaire (MDQ), 10 items of edinburgh post-natal depression scale (EPDS-10), the modified body self-image scale (MBIS), international consultation incontinence questionnaire short-form (ICIQ-SF) and hernia-related quality-of-life survey (HerQles), which will be evaluated before and after treatment and half a year after treatment. Adverse events and side effects during each treatment will be collected and recorded.Discussion: There is evidence that acupuncture and physical training can treat DRA in post-partum. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in post-partum with DRA.


2021 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 101960
Author(s):  
Vincent CH Chung ◽  
Robin S.T. Ho ◽  
Charlene HL Wong ◽  
Justin CY Wu ◽  
Samuel YS Wong

2021 ◽  
Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽  
Author(s):  
Mao Li ◽  
Weijun Wang ◽  
Wen Gao ◽  
Dongdong Yang

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