Napex acupoint thread-embedding combined with metoprolol tartrate tablet for prophylactic treatment of migraine without aura: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To observe the efficacy of napex acupoint thread-embedding combined with metoprolol tartrate tablet for prophylactic treatment of migraine without aura, and to compare its efficacy with simple napex acupoint thread-embedding and simple metoprolol tartrate tablet.

Methods: A total of 105 patients with migraine without aura were randomized into a combination group (35 cases, 5 cases dropped out), a thread-embedding group (35 cases, 4 cases dropped out) and a western medication group (35 cases, 2 cases dropped out). In the thread-embedding group, napex acupoint thread-embedding was applied at bilateral Fengchi (GB 20) and points of 1.

[Clinical observation on horizontal penetration needling combined with rizatriptan monobenzoate tablets for migraine without aura in acute stage].

Objective: To observe the therapeutic effect of horizontal penetration needling combined with rizatriptan monobenzoate tablets, simple horizontal penetration needling and simple rizatriptan monobenzoate tablets for migraine without aura in acute stage.

Methods: A total of 99 patients with migraine without aura in acute stage were randomized into an acupuncture plus medication group, an acupuncture group and a western medication group, 33 cases in each one. In the acupuncture group, horizontal penetration needling was applied once at Hanyan (GB 4) to Xuanli(GB 6), Shenting (GV 24) to Yintang (GV 29), Baihui (GV 20) to Qianding (GV 21), etc.

[Horizontal penetration needling method for headache].

The manipulation and key points of professor -'s horizontal penetration needling method for headache were introduced. This acupuncture method selects local acupoints of head, including occipital acupoint group, temporal acupoint group, frontal acupoint group and vertex acupoint group. The needles are shallowly and horizontally inserted at acupoints, with needle end towards the focus or headache site.

[Acupuncture direction and analgesia].

The acupuncture direction is closely related with the efficacy of acupuncture analgesia. In this article, the relationship between efficacy of acupuncture analgesia and factors, such as whether the needle towards disease location, whether the needle towards meridian direction, whether the needle following spinal cord direction and whether the needle following muscle direction, were analyzed. The previous clinical and literature research indicated that the needle towards disease location was superior to reverse direction, however, the efficacy of analgesia between needle following and reversing meridian, needle towards and at disease location, needles following and reversing spinal cord direction, needles following and reversing muscle direction was controversial.

[Discussion of biological effects of moxibustion at Guanyuan (CV 4) and its influence factors].

Moxibustion at Guanyuan (CV 4) can produce biological effects, mainly including local effects, targeting organ effects, systemic effects. The biological effects of moxibustion at Guanyuan (CV 4) are related to stimulation parameters and health or pathological nature of the objects, and the effects show acupoint specificity. Its research of local effects should be attached importance to and the acupoint specificity needs to be ascertained, as well as the relationships between the biological effects and stimulation parameters, and between the effects and health or pathological nature of the objects.

Acupuncture for behavioral changes of experimental depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Acupuncture is considered to be a promising alternative therapy for depression. Nevertheless, up to now, it remains controversial on the effects exerted by acupuncture on behavioral changes in depression models. Consequently, it's necessary to develop a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of acupuncture for model rats of depression.

[Literature regarding clinical research of acupuncture for depression in the worldwide:comparison and discussion].

The literature regarding clinical research of acupuncture for depression published in Wanfang database, VIP database, CNKI database and PubMed from January of 2004 to March of 2005 was collected, and the quality of randomized controlled trial (RCT) that met the inclusive criteria was evaluated with Jadad. The research designs (research objective, intervention, effect assessment) were compared and analyzed by using the 2010 version of Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) and Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA). As a result, a total of 57 articles were included in the comparative study, 46 of which were RCTs (36 articles were published in China core journals, 6 articles written by China were published in foreign countries, and 4 articles were foreign researches).