Latest Issue
2011 Year 17 Vol. 3 Issue
EditorialNotes
- Abstract：Over the last few years a number of large acupuncture trials have been carried out in western countries. carried out in western countries. The following article draws on the experience from these recent large-scale trials on acupuncture to outline the way randomized trials could be used to answer questions on efficacy, effectiveness and efficiency. could be used to answer questions on efficacy, effectiveness and efficiency. It will provide guidance, firstly on the underlying concepts of both efficacy and effectiveness and secondly on designing both types of trials. and secondly on designing both types of trials. In addition, the controversy over specific and non-specific effects of acupuncture, emerging from the results of the above-mentioned trials, will be highlighted. above-mentioned trials, will be highlighted. Suggestions for future clinical research on acupuncture include: greater reflection on the complex approach of Chinese medicine, and transparent and detailed reporting according to CONSORT and STRICTA guidelines. guidelines. The current data on acupuncture point-specific effects do indeed have relevance, however for valid decision-making on acupuncture, further clinical trials on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness are required to provide realistic benefit estimates for future health care. provide realistic benefit estimates for future health care.Keywords：acupuncture;efficacy;effectiveness;randomized controlled trial;randomized pragmatic trial
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Published：2021-08-27 - Abstract：The revision of CONSORT guidelines for reporting blinding in randomised controlled trials is the subject of controversy and criticism. To determine whether the criticism is justified, in this short communication paper we discuss the problems encountered in the methodology of the assessment of blinding, and the reporting of blinding in randomised controlled trials and the standards of reporting on blinding with reference to their usage in clinical trials of acupuncture for chronic pain. To conclude we recommend two simple guidelines: the development of sound clinical protocols that anticipate potential difficulties and reinforce overall internal validity, and secondly. the accurate reporting of the methodologies used to ensure a clear view of blinding procedures.Keywords：blinding assesment;methodology;reporting;acupuncture
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Published：2021-08-27 - Abstract：Traditional Chinese acupuncture has a history of over 2500 years. It is effective in the treatment of many conditions with few side effects. The best known mechanism is via endogenous opiates and their receptors. In addition to opioids, researchers have focused on the role of central monoamimergic systems. Acupuncture therapy is used not only to relieve pain but also to treat various medical conditions in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Some experiments have revealed a relationship between acupuncture and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Besides, electroacupuncture (EA) can modulate the imbalance between innate and acquired immune systems. This review is focusing on the mechanistic studies of acupuncture that my colleagues and I have performed in Taiwan in recent years. We found that EA analgesia was closely related to not only the serotonergic neurons but also the adrenergic neurons in the central nervous system. The electrophysiological recordings suggested the involvement of the cerebral cortex in acupuncture. Local somatothermal stimulation inhibited the motility of sphincter of Oddi and internal anal sphincter through nitrergic neural release of nitric oxide. Mild local heat stress upregulated hepatic gene expression of heat shock protein 70 and protected the liver from subsequent ischemia-reperfusion injury. These studies supplement the knowledge of the mechanism of acupuncture.Keywords：acupuncture;moxibustion;mechanism;Taiwan
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Published：2021-08-27 - Abstract：Cochrane reviews have the reputation for being more transparent and rigorous than other reviews. The aim of this overview was to evaluate and summarize Cochrane reviews of acupuncture for the treatment of any type of pain. We searched the Cochrane Database and evaluated the Cochrane reviews that were concerned specifically with the effectiveness of acupuncture for pain. Data were extracted according to pre-defined inclusion criteria by two independent reviewers. Eight Cochrane reviews were included. They were all of high methodological quality. They related to a wide range of pain syndromes. Four reviews concluded that acupuncture is effective for migraines, neck disorders, tension-type headaches, and peripheral joint osteoarthritis; one review failed to demonstrate type the effectiveness of acupuncture for rheumatoid arthritis; and three reviews were inconclusive for shoulder pain, lateral elbow pain, and low back pain. Several Cochrane reviews of acupuncture for a wide range of pain conditions have recently been published. All of these reviews were of high quality. Their results suggest that acupuncture is effective for some but not all types of pain.Keywords：acupuncture;pain;Cochrane review;evidence
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Published：2021-08-27 - Abstract：To probe the relevance between depressive symptoms and hippocampal volume and its metabolites detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in depressed patients who were given electro-acupuncture (EA) combined with Fluoxetine before and after treatment. A randomized, controlled trial was conducted. A total of 75 cases of mild or moderate depression were randomly assigned to two groups: the EA group which received EA combined with Fluoxetine; the Fluoxetine group which received Fluoxetine only as the control. The 17-item Hamilton Scale for Depression (HAMD) was used to assess the depression level. The relevance between the changes of the hippocampal volume and its metabolites, including N-acetyl aspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr) and choline containing compounds (Cho)/Cr, and the reduction rate of the HAMD score before and after treatment of the two groups were analyzed. At the end of the treatment, the therapeutic response rates were not statistically different between the two groups (73.53% for the Fluoxetine group and 83.33% for the EA group, respectively). Compared to that of the Fluoxetine group, a significant difference was shown in the EA group in the reduction rate of the HAMD scores (P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between the therapeutic effect and the HAMD scores before treatment in both groups of patients. There was no significant difference in the hippocampal volume before and after treatment. The NAA/Cr ratio of both groups increased after treatment, with the EA group increasing more. There was a negative correlation between the rate of change of the NAA/Cr after treatment and the HAMD scores before treatment in the two groups. In the Fluoxetine group, the Cho/Cr ratio showed no significant difference before and after treatment, which had no relevance with the HAMD scores before treatment either. Meanwhile, in the EA group, the Cho/Cr ratio showed a significant difference before and after treatment, which also had a positive relevance with the HAMD scores before treatment. There was a significant improvement in the hippocampal metabolites in depressed patients who treated by EA combined with Fluoxetine. Those differences showed relevance with the HAMD scores before treatment.Keywords：depression;electro-acupuncture;hippocampus;magnetic resonance imaging;Fluoxetine
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Published：2021-08-27 - Abstract：To establish the diagnosis scale of blood stasis syndrome (BSS) and explore the idea and method of using scale to research the quantitative diagnosis of Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome. Combining the modern epidemiology, consulting the access of quality of life scale, and colligating multi-angle methods to make the scale. The scale had relatively good reliability and validity and could be used to estimate the degree of stasis and analyse the curative effect. It was a reference for CM syndrome diagnosis that combines screening methods of scale entry with quantitative diagnosis to establish the quantitative diagnosis scale.Keywords：Blood Stasis Syndrome;diagnosis scale;epidemiological study
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Published：2021-08-27 - Abstract：To observe the effect of berberine on uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) mRNA and protein expressions in the hepatic tissue of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in rats, and to explore the molecular mechanism. To establish the NAFLD rat model; the rats were fed by high fat forage and were randomly divided into four groups: normal group, model group, berberine high-dose group (324 mg/kg), and berberine low-dose group (162 mg/kg). After treatment for 12 weeks, the expression of UCP2 mRNA in the liver tissue was analyzed by semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-RTPCR). The expression level of UCP2 protein in the liver tissue was examined by immunohistochemistry. Total PCR). cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) contents in blood serum, and TG and TC contents in the liver were detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer. The other is to observe the axungia degree of the liver. The expression of UCP2 mRNA and positive cell numbers in the liver tissue were dramatically increased in the model group (P<0.01). Lipid in the serum and hepatic tissues increased significantly, and the liver was fatty. But in the treatment groups, the expression levels of mRNA and UCP2 proteins were significantly down-regulated (P<0.01). Liver steatosis was improved. Berberine can down-regulate the expression levels of UCP2 mRNA and UCP2 proteins of hepatic tissue in NAFLD rats. It can promote the recovery of hepatocyte steatosis and improve lipid metabolism disorder in NAFLD rats. Berberine shows a potential therapeutic effect on NAFLD.Keywords：non-alcoholic fatty liver disease;Berberine;uncoupling protein-2;Experimental Study
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Published：2021-08-27 - Abstract：To investigate whether moxibustion regulates tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1), and TNFR2 in the intestinal mucosa and to explore whether moxibustion could be used by means of this mechanism, to repair the intestinal epithelium barrier disruption in Crohn’s disease (CD). The CD rat models were established by trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBs), randomly divided into a model control (MC) group, an herb-partition moxibustion (HPM) group, a mild-warm moxibustion (MWM) group, and a salicylazosulfapyridine (SASP) group, and all were compared with a normal control (NC) group. The HPM and MWM groups were treated by moxibustion at Tianshu (ST25) and Qihai (RN6) for 14 days, and the SASP group obtained the SASP solution orally for the same period of time. The intestinal epithelium morphology and TNF-α, TNFR1, and TNFR2 contents were observed by the transmission electron microscopy and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The severity of morphological changes in CD intestinal epithelium was obviously improved, and the levels of TNF-α, TNFR1, and TNFR2 in the intestinal mucosa all significantly decreased in the HPM and MWM groups. However, there were no significant differences between the HPM and MWM groups. The moxibustion therapies (HPM and MWM) could reduce intestinal inflammation and restore intestinal epithelium barrier disruption in CD, which might be due to down-regulating TNF-α, TNFR1, and TNFR2 in intestinal mucosa and improving intestinal epithelium morphology.Keywords：moxibustion;Crohn’s disease;tumor necrosis factor alpha;tumor necrosis factor receptor 1;tumor necrosis factor receptor 2
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Published：2021-08-27 - Abstract：To observe the proliferation inhibition, apoptosis, and cell proliferation cycle of human lung carcinoma cell line A549 treated with Inotodiol extracts from Inonotus obliquus and explore the possibility of Inotodiol extracts from Inonotus obliquus as a new tumor chemopreventive drug. Human lung cancer cell line A549 was treated with different concentrations of Inotodiol, the effects of Inotodiol on cell apoptosis, the expression of Ki-67, Bcl-2, Bax, and p53 and cell cycle were detected by TUNEL assay, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry assay respectively. Inotodiol extracts had antiproliferation effect on human lung carcinoma cell line A549. The expression of Ki-67 decreased with the increase of Inotodiol concentration and exposure time (P<0.05), in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. The typical characteristics of the apoptosis of A549 cells treated with Inotodiol were observed, and the apoptotic rate of A549 cell at 48 h was the highest by TUNEL assay. Inotodiol arrested A549 cells in the S phase, and apoptotic peak was observed by flow cytometry. Immunocytochemistry indicated that the expression of Bcl-2 protein decreased, while the expression of p53 and Bax proteins increased in A549 cells treated with Inotodiol, compared with the control cells (P<0.05). Inotodiol can inhibit proliferation and induce the apoptosis of A549 cells, and its molecular mechanism may be associated with the up-regulating expression of p53 and bax proteins and down-regulating expression of Bcl-2 protein, which arrested A549 cells in S phase.Keywords：Inonotus obliquus;A549 apoptotic gene;cell cycle;cell proliferation;Ki-67
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Published：2021-08-27 - Abstract：To observe the therapeutic effect of preconditioning acupuncture (PA) on the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. Eighty patients suffered from primary dysmenorrhea were randomly assigned on the ratio of 1:1:2 into three groups, 20 in Group A, 20 in Group B, and 40 in Group C. Group A and B were treated with PA and immediate acupuncture (IA), respectively, while Group C received no acupuncture treatment and be taken as a blank control. The treatment was lasted for three menstrual cycles. The therapeutic effects were observed and compared. Comparing the scores of the symptoms in the different groups, the therapeutic effect in different groups showed that the symptom scores in Group A at the second and third cycle of treatment, as well as at the first and third cycle of follow-up, were significantly lower than the scores in Group B, respectively (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and the duration of symptoms was shorter in Group A than in Group B at the third cycle of treatment and the first and third cycle of follow-up (P<0.05). Symptom scores in Groups A and B in the treatment and follow-up periods were all lowered as compared to those before treatment (P<0.01), and the scores were also lower than those in Group C measured at corresponding times (P<0.01). The therapeutic effect of PA, either the short-term or the long-term effect, was superior to that of IA in treating dysmenorrhea.Keywords：preconditioning acupuncture;Primary Dysmenorrhea;Therapeutic Effect
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Published：2021-08-27 - Abstract：“Living with cancer” and symptom control are the features and advantages of integrative medicine in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. However, with the current concept of response evaluation criteria by the WHO and RECIST, it is difficult to exhibit the above characteristics. Clinical benefit (CB) is designed as an endpoint recently widely understood and accepted in oncology clinical trials. With the review of its definition and development, we suggest CB to be used as an endpoint in advanced NSCLC treatment with integrative medicine. CB should encompass two connotations: one is improved quality of life and symptom control and the other is disease control rate (DCR), including complete response (CR), partial response (PR), and stable disease (SD). We need to design randomized controlled trials (RCT) to investigate the interrelationship of CB rate and survival to provide high-grade evidence proving that advanced lung cancer patients could really benefit from integrative medicine treatment.Keywords：non-small cell lung cancer;Chinese Medicine;endpoints;clinical benefit
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Published：2021-08-27 - Abstract：The therapeutic course of an aciclovir-induced acute renal dysfunctional patients was summarized. This had been relieved through a 15-day treatment with Western medicine but with a two-week protracted low fever that was cured by the authors using Chinese medicinal herbs for supplementing qi to support essence, nourishing yin to depress fire, clearing heat, and detoxicating. For the sake of providing a reference to clinical medication, the materials used for the disease were recorded and analyzed to explore the clinical characteristics of Chinese medicine treatment and prevention of anaphylaxis responses, such as the protracted low fever after acute renal dysfunction induced by overinfused aciclovir.Keywords：Acyclovir;acute renal dysfunction;protracted low fever;Chinese Medicine
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Published：2021-08-27
OriginalPaper
- Abstract：Treating diabetes mellitus (DM) with Chinese medicine (CM) has had a few thousands years of history. Past Chinese medical texts had already recorded numerous medicinal herbs as well as recipes for treating DM and accumulated much clinical experience. In the following article, the prevention of DM using CM in the past 5 years is retrospectively studied, and mainly focuses on the usage of simple Chinese herbal extracts or monomers in terms of cellular as well as molecular biology.Keywords：single-Chinese medicinal herbs;diabetes mellitus;progress
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Published：2021-08-27
ReviewPaper
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