Chemokine CXCL1 in serum mediates the antinociceptive effect of manual acupuncture at ST36.

Background: Inflammatory pain is the most common type of pain encountered clinically. The analgesic effect of acupuncture has been well-documented.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of chemokine CXCL1 in the serum on manual acupuncture (MA)-induced antinociception.

Effect of Thick-Needle Therapy in Patients with Bell's Palsy at Recovery Stage: A Multi-center Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To compare the clinical effects of thick-needle therapy (TNT) and acupuncture therapy (AT) on patients with Bell's palsy (BP) at the recovery stage.

Methods: A total of 146 eligible participants from 3 hospitals in China were randomized into the TNT group (73 cases) and the AT group (73 cases) using a central randomization. Both groups received Western medicine thrice a day for 4 weeks.

Dodelates A-E: Five dimeric eudesmane sesquiterpenoids from Dobinea delavayi.

Dodelates A-E (1-5), five angeloylated eudesmane sesquiterpenoid dimers were isolated from the roots of Dobinea delavayi. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. A possible biosynthetic pathway of these five compounds was proposed.

[Acupoint application of herbal paste relieves symptoms and naso-mucosal inflammatory response by down-regulating serum TGF-β1 in allergic rhinitis rats].

Objective: To observe the effect of acupoint application of herbal paste on symptoms of allergic rhinitis (AR), serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) level, and number of nasal eosinophils (EOS) in rats with AR, so as to explore its underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control, model, medication and acupoint application groups (＝10 rats per group). The AR model was established by intraperitoneal (i.

Acupoint Catgut Embedding Alleviates Insomnia in Different Chinese Medicine Syndrome Types: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To investigate the effects and safety of catgut embedding on alleviating insomnia.

Methods: Totally 510 patients with insomnia were divided into 5 Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome types: Xin (Heart) and Pi (Spleen) deficiency, yin deficiency with excess fire, Xin and gut qi deficiency, Wei (Stomach) disorder, and qi and blood deficiency, respectively. These 5 types of patients were randomly assigned to a catgut embedding group, an acupuncture group or a medication group (30 cases in Xin and Pi deficiency type, Wei disorder type, Xin and gut qi deficiency type, respectively; 40 cases in yin deficiency with excess fire type and qi and blood deficiency type, respectively).

A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial of Electroacupuncture for Perimenopause Women with Mild-Moderate Depression.

Objective: Up to 62% of perimenopausal women have depression symptoms. However, there is no efficacy treatment. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of EA therapy and escitalopram on perimenopause women with mild-moderate depressive symptom.

Study on Site of Action of Sinapine Thiocyanate following Acupoint Herbal Patching.

Objective: To investigate the site of action of sinapine thiocyanate (ST), following acupoint herbal patching (AHP).

Methods: Twenty Wistar rats were randomized into five groups (groups A, B, C, D, and E), and all groups received the same AHP . Skin samples were excised at 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 10 h, and 26 h after AHP administration from group A to group E separately and the concentrations of ST in the skin were determined using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method.

[Effect of Electroacupuncture on Pain Reaction and Content of Proteinase-activated Receptors 2 in Dorsal Root Ganglion in Hyperalgesia Rats].

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on mechanical hyperalgesia threshold (MHTs) and thermal hyperalgesia threshold (THTs) and content of proteinase-activated receptors 2 (PAR 2) in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in rats with inflammatory pain, so as to explore its peripheral mechanism underlying improvement of inflammatory pain.

Methods: The present study contains two parts. 1) In the first part, 27 male SD rats were randomized into sham hyperalgesic priming (sham-HP) group and real hyperalgesic priming (HP) group (＝5 in the sham-HP group and ＝6 in the HP group for the test of MHTs, ＝8 in the two groups for the test of THTs).

[Development of Researches on Cytokine Mechanisms in Analgesia and Anti-inflammation in Acupuncture Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis].

Cytokines are closely related to the occurrence and development of rheumatoid arthritis(RA). Acupuncture exerts anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects via elevating anti-inflammatory cytokine level and reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine level and regulating Th 1/Th 2 balance, which reflects the dual directional regulatory effect of acupuncture. However, problems exist in the current researches, such as inadequate depth, limited breadth and not so up-to-date research focus.

Efficacy and safety of manual acupuncture manipulations with different frequencies on epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) in functional dyspepsia (FD) patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Manual acupuncture (MA) manipulations are one of the key factors influencing acupuncture effects in traditional Chinese medicine theory. Different MA manipulations contain different stimulating parameters, thus generating different acupuncture responses or effects. Evidence has demonstrated that acupuncture is effective for functional dyspepsia (FD).

[Primary dysmenorrhea treated with staging acupoint catgut embedment therapy: a randomized controlled trial].

Objective: To observe the short-term and long-term efficacies on primary dysmenorrhea treated with staging acupoint embedment therapy.

Methods: Seventy cases of primary dysmenorrhea were randomized into an embedment therapy group and a fenbid group, 35 cases in each one. In the embedment therapy group, the embedment therapy was applied twice during the menstrual cycle, one treatment 3 days before menstruation and one treatment during the 12th-14th days of menstruation, respectively.

[Efficacy observation on abdominal acupuncture for adhesion-stage shoulder periarthritis].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of abdominal acupuncture for adhesion-stage shoulder periarthritis.

Methods: One hundred and fifty-seven cases of shoulder periarthritis were randomly divided into an abdominal acupuncture group (79 cases) and a body acupuncture group (78 cases). The abdominal acupuncture was applied at Zhongwan (CV 12), Shangqu (KI 17) and Huaroumen (ST 24) in the abdominal acupuncture group while conventional acupuncture was applied at Jianyu (LI 15), Jianliao (TE 14) and Jianzhen (SI 9) in the body acupuncture group.

[Observation on clinical therapeutic effect of transcutaneous point electric stimulation on periarthritis of shoulder at different stages].

Objective: To observe the therapeutic effect of transcutaneous point electric stimulation on periarthritis of shoulder at different stages and compare with electroacupuncture.

Methods: Three hundred and sixty cases of periarthritis of shoulder at different stages were divided into a treatment group (n=186) treated with transcutaneous point electric stimulation, and a control group (n=174) treated with electroacupuncture. Same acupoints were selected in the two groups.