Improvement in glucose tolerance as a result of enhanced insulin sensitivity during electroacupuncture in spontaneously diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats.

We studied whether electroacupuncture (EA) applied on the abdomen improved glucose tolerance in the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat, a genetic model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Male GK rats and nondiabetic Wistar rats were studied under pentobarbital anesthesia. Blood samples were drawn from the ventral tail artery during the fasting stage and after a glucose load (0.

The effect of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: Many claims have been made regarding the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture. However, most controlled clinical studies have been limited to treatment of pain-related disorders and do not provide objective, quantifiable data for analysis. Traditional acupuncture has been applied to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Public status and prevalence of acupuncture in Japan.

Acupuncture originated in China and is widespread throughout Asia. It is expected that a higher utilization of this remedy exists in these countries compared to Western countries. We conducted annual nationwide surveys from 2003 through 2006 on the utilization of acupuncture in Japan.

Do Japanese style acupuncture and moxibustion reduce symptoms of the common cold?

We summarize the results from a series of investigations of Japanese style acupuncture and moxibustion therapies on symptoms of the common cold that have been conducted (FTLE 1999-03, supported by the Foundation for Training and Licensure Examination in Anma- Massage- Acupressure, Acupuncture and Moxibustion). We also discuss the various interventions and concerns that we faced during these investigations. The subjects were students and teachers.

Effects of manual acupuncture with sparrow pecking on muscle blood flow of normal and denervated hindlimb in rats.

Introduction: In clinical practice, it has been thought that acupuncture might serve to wash out pain-generating metabolic end-products by improving blood circulation in muscles. We investigated the effects of manual acupuncture (MA) on muscle blood flow (MBF) of normal and denervated hindlimbs in rats.

Method: Sprague-Dawley rats (n=100) anaesthetised with urethane (1.

Acupuncture Treatment for Low Back Pain and Lower Limb Symptoms-The Relation between Acupuncture or Electroacupuncture Stimulation and Sciatic Nerve Blood Flow.

To investigate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture treatment for lumbar spinal canal stenosis and herniated lumbar disc and to clarify the mechanisms in an animal experiment that evaluated acupuncture on sciatic nerve blood flow. In the clinical trial, patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis or herniated lumbar disc were divided into three treatment groups; (i) Ex-B2 (at the disordered level), (ii) electrical acupuncture (EA) on the pudendal nerve and (iii) EA at the nerve root. Primary outcome measurements were pain and dysesthesia [evaluated with a visual analogue scale (VAS)] and continuous walking distance.

Relationship of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor level with other markers of disease severity in patients with atopic dermatitis.

Elevated serum levels of neurotrophins such as nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been reported in allergic and autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to assess serum levels of BDNF in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and to investigate the relationship of the BDNF level with other markers of disease severity. Serum BDNF concentration was significantly higher in patients with AD (n=62) compared to control subjects (n=20) (P<0.

Relief of low back pain immediately after acupuncture treatment--a randomised, placebo controlled trial.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the immediate effect of single acupuncture stimulation to the most painful point in patients with low back pain.

Method: A randomised, evaluator-blinded, sham controlled clinical trial was conducted in which 31 patients with low back pain were randomly allocated to either an acupuncture group (n = 15) or a sham acupuncture group (n = 16). Both acupuncture and sham acupuncture were performed at the most painful point on the lower back of the subjects.

How do acupuncture and moxibustion act? - Focusing on the progress in Japanese acupuncture research -.

The mechanisms of action of acupuncture and moxibustion as reported by Japanese researchers are reviewed. The endogenous opioid-mediated mechanisms of electroacupuncture (EA) as used in China are well understood, but these are only one component of all mechanisms of acupuncture. These studies emphasize the similarity of the analgesic action of EA to various sensory inputs to the pain inhibition mechanisms.

Acupuncture stimulates the release of serotonin, but not dopamine, in the rat nucleus accumbens.

Acupuncture has been introduced as one of the available therapies widely used in alternative medicine, but it has not achieved widespread acceptance with scientific evidence. Furthermore there are still many unanswered questions about the basic mechanisms of acupuncture. To investigate the neuropharmacological mechanisms of oriental acupuncture, we studied the acupuncture-induced changes of in vivo monoamine release in the rat brain.

Effects of lumbar acupuncture stimulation on blood flow to the sciatic nerve trunk--an exploratory study.

Introduction: Acupuncture may have a role in the treatment of intermittent claudication of the cauda equina due to lumbar spinal canal stenosis. The aim of this study was to explore the possible physiological mechanisms.

Methods: In a laboratory experiment, manual acupuncture was performed at a point adjacent to the sixth lumbar vertebra of 13 animals and its effect on sciatic nerve blood flow was measured using a laser Doppler flowmetry.

Effect of moxibustion on dopaminergic and serotonergic systems of rat nucleus accumbens.

Acupuncture and moxibustion are traditional medical treatments that have come to play important roles in complementary and alternative medicines. Moxibustion also has a long history as a folk remedy in Japan, particularly due to the technical simplicity and selective efficacy on certain types of disease and distress. This study examined the effects of moxibustion focusing on the brain reward system, particularly in the nucleus accumbens.

Electroacupuncture direct to spinal nerves as an alternative to selective spinal nerve block in patients with radicular sciatica--a cohort study.

We applied electroacupuncture to the spinal nerve root by inserting needles under x ray imaging in three cases with radicular sciatica, as a non-pharmacological substitute for lumbar spinal nerve block. In all three cases, symptoms were markedly reduced immediately after electroacupuncture to the spinal nerve root. The sustained effect was noticeably longer than that of spinal nerve blocks previously performed, in two out of the three cases.

Preventive and curative effects of acupuncture on the common cold: a multicentre randomized controlled trial in Japan.

Objective: To determine the preventive and curative effects of manual acupuncture on the symptoms of the common cold.

Method: Students and staff in five Japanese acupuncture schools (n=326) were randomly allocated to acupuncture and no-treatment control groups. A specific needling point (Y point) on the neck was used bilaterally.

Alterations in the function of cerebral dopaminergic and serotonergic systems following electroacupuncture and moxibustion applications: possible correlates with their antistress and psychosomatic actions.

Alterations in cerebral monoamines following application of electroacupuncture were investigated using conscious rats with and without application of restraining stress. The dopamine and serotonin levels were significantly decreased in the nucleus accumbens, caudate putamen, and lateral hypothalamus and increased in the dorsal raphe nucleus by restraining stress. On the other hand, application of electroacupuncture on the lumbar and hindlimb segments eliminated the above changes in dopamine, while the changes in serotonin were attenuated by lumbar and hindlimb electroacupuncture.

The effects of electroacupuncture on peripheral nerve regeneration in rats.

This study was designed to examine the effects of electroacupuncture with direct current (DC) on peripheral nerve regeneration. The left sciatic nerve of 55 7-month-old rats was crushed at the thigh. They were ramdomly allocated to four groups: distal cathode DC group (n = 15), distal anode DC group (n = 14), sham operated group (n = 13), and control group (n = 13).

Increase of rat alcohol drinking behavior depends on the age of drinking onset.

Background: Although alcohol drinking onset in younger people is associated with an increased risk of alcohol-related injuries, other factors, such as habituation and susceptibility to alcohol, in the process of aging have not been adequately examined in animal models. In the present study, we determined whether age of drinking onset affected alcohol drinking behavior and led to alcohol tolerance in experimental animals, and extrapolated some of the findings to human alcohol drinking patterns.

Methods: In the first experiment, 18 rats that were naive to alcohol were tested at the age of 1, 4, and 10 months with 4 hr of access to 10% (v/v) alcohol.