Acupuncture mechanism studies employing task-based fMRI: a scoping review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture is a widely used alternative and complementary therapy. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an important technique to explore the underlying mechanism of acupuncture, and the task-based fMRI can reflect the instant effects or sustained effects of acupuncture in the brain. This scoping review aims to summarize the characteristics of acupuncture mechanism studies employing task-based fMRI and conclude a reference for future studies. METHODS/DESIGN: This review will follow the Guidance for Conducting Scoping Reviews. Eligible articles will be collected from 7 databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, and CBM) with the related keywords such as "Acupuncture" and "fMRI"; those articles should be published from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2021; and the language should be restricted in English or Chinese. Each research step will involve at least two reviewers. The PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews) will be used to organize the review. Data will be extracted from the illegible articles, and findings will be presented in tables and narrative form. A descriptive qualitative approach to analysis will be conducted to form the scoping review. DISCUSSION: This review aims to clarify the extent of acupuncture mechanism studies employing task-based fMRI. It is supposed to make a critical evaluation or propose quality requirements for future studies by summarizing the objectives and designs of eligible studies. What is more, directional suggestions will be provided for further studies. SCOPING REVIEW REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework https://osf.io/zjrdc/ .

[Panlong acupuncture combined with Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture for post-stroke fatigue: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of Panlong (dragon-like) acupuncture combined with Xingnao Kaiqiao (regaining consciousness and opening orifice) acupuncture on post-stroke fatigue. METHODS: Sixty patients with post-stroke fatigue were randomly divided into an observation group (30 cases, 1 case dropped off) and a control group (30 cases, 2 cases dropped off). The patients in the control group were treated with Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture at Neiguan (PC 6), Shuigou (GV 26), etc. for 30 min; based on the treatment of the control group, the patients in the observation group were treated with Panlong acupuncture at Jiaji (EX-B 2) of T1 to L5 for 15 min. The two groups were treated once a day, 6 times a week, for a total of 4 weeks. The scores of fatigue assessment instrument (FAI), energy of stroke-specific quality of life (SS-QOL), and modified Barthel index (MBI) in the two groups were compared before and after treatment, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the total score and each item score of FAI in the observation group were reduced after treatment (P<0.05), while the total score and FAI-1 and FAI-4 scores in the control group were reduced after treatment (P<0.05). The total score of FAI and FAI-1, FAI-2 and FAI-4 scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the SS-QOL energy scores and MBI scores of the two groups were increased compared before treatment (P<0.05), and the SS-QOL energy score in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.01). The total effective rate was 72.4% (21/29) in the observation group, which was better than 46.4% (13/28) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The Panlong acupuncture combined with Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture could effectively alleviate the fatigue symptoms and improve quality of life in patients with post-stroke fatigue.