Acupuncture for patients with mild hypertension: A randomized controlled trial.

Acupuncture may be beneficial for patients with mild hypertension, but the evidence is not convincing. We aimed to examine the effect of acupuncture on blood pressure (BP) reduction in patients with mild hypertension. We conducted a multicenter, single-blind, sham-controlled, randomized trial in eleven hospitals in China.

[A Newly-made Rat Holder for Convenient Acupuncture Needle Insertion].

In the present article, the authors introduce a newly-made rat holder device for easily inserting acupuncture needles into the acupoints at any parts of the body. This device is easy in operation and higher in applicability, being worthy of popularization for researchers engaging in experimental studies.

[Effect of acupuncture along affected meridian on the MME gene expression of migraine patients without aura of gan-yang hyperactivity syndrome].

Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture along affected meridian on the mem- brane metallo-endopeptidase (MME) gene expression of migraine patients without aura (MO) of Gan-yang hyperactivity syndrome (GYHS).

Methods: Totally 20 MO patients of GYHS were randomly assigned to the acupoint group (acupuncture along affected meridian) and the non-acupoint group, 10 cases in each group. Needling was performed once per day for 10 consecutive days.

Acupuncture for patients with mild hypertension: study protocol of an open-label multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: Several studies using acupuncture to treat essential hypertension have been carried out. However, whether acupuncture is efficacious for hypertension is still controversial. Therefore, this trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for patients with mild hypertension.

[Effect of acupuncture on quality of life in post-ischemic stroke patients with dysphagia].

Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture on quality of life (QOL) in post-ischemic stroke patients with dysphagia.

Methods: Sixty-six patients with dysphagia were randomly assigned to 3 groups, the 23 patients in the electro-acupuncture (EA) group treated by EA, 18 in the control group received rehabilitation training combined with acupoint percutaneous electric stimulation, and 25 in the acupoint token puncturing (TP) group received rehabilitation training combined with acupoint TP, once every day for 20 days in total. Changes in QOL scale specified for dysphagia of patients before and after treatment were compared.

[Study on the epidemiology and risk factors on dysphagia after ischemic stroke in Chengdu City, China].

Objective: To study the incidence and the risk factors of dysphagia after ischemic stroke in Chengdu City, China.

Methods: Review was made with unified questionnaire on dysphagia after ischemic stroke in 563 patients from four hospitals, from January to December 2005. Over 20 risk factors related to dysphagia after ischemic stroke were analyzed by logistic regression.

[Evaluation and analysis on the methodology of clinical trials of acupuncture treatment of dysphagia due to ischemic stroke].

From the angle of clinical study methodology, the authors of the present paper sum up the related articles on acupuncture treatment of dysphagia caused by ischemic stroke published in the past decade from 1) randomized control trials, 2) non-controlled observation on a group of cases, and 3) case report. The authors point out some defects as lack of description on the random method, lack of united standards for acupoint recipes, acupuncture-needle manipulations, duration of treatment, united and authorized standards for assessing the therapeutic effect, intent-to-treat analysis, etc in the current clinical studies on acupuncture treatment of apoplectic dysphagia, and thus, the rationality and reliability of conclusions about the therapeutic effects of acupuncture for apoplectic dysphagia in many articles are limited. In order to further confirm the effectiveness of acupuncture for dysphagia resulting from ischemic stroke and to provide enough and reliable clinical evidence, it is necessary to adopt the principles and methods of evidence-based medicine to improve our clinical trials and particularly to look for the best model favoring the development of acu-moxibustion study in the coming days.