Efficacy of acupuncture in refractory irritable bowel syndrome patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Previous studies have confirmed that acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) provided an additional benefit over usual care alone. Therefore, we performed a multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture for refractory IBS in patients in the context of conventional treatments. Patients in the acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups received real or sham acupuncture treatment in 3 sessions per week for a total of 12 sessions. The primary outcome was a change in the IBS-Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS) score from baseline to week 4. A total of 521 participants were screened, and 170 patients (85 patients per group) were enrolled and included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Baseline characteristics were comparable across the two groups. From baseline to 4 weeks, the IBS-SSS total score decreased by 140.0 (95% CI: 126.0 to 153.9) in the acupuncture group and 64.4 (95% CI: 50.4 to 78.3) in the sham acupuncture group. The between-group difference was 75.6 (95% CI: 55.8 to 95.4). Acupuncture efficacy was maintained during the 4-week follow-up period. There were no serious adverse events. In conclusion, acupuncture provided benefits when combined with treatment as usual, providing more options for the treatment of refractory IBS.

Effect of Electroacupuncture Stimulation on Brown Adipose Tissue Thermogenesis.

Background: : Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a unique thermogenic tissue in mammals mediated by uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). The energy generated by glucose and triglyceride metabolism is released and transmitted throughout the body as heat. Understanding the factors influencing BAT function is crucial to determine its metabolic significance and effects on overall health. Although studies have shown that electroacupuncture (EA) at specific acupoints (e.g., ST36) can stimulate BAT, its effects at other acupoints are not well understood. Further research is needed to investigate the potential effects of EA at these acupoints and their association with BAT activation. Objectives: : This study aimed to investigate the effects of EA at the GV20 and EX-HN3 acupoints. Specifically, the effects of EA on BAT thermogenesis were analyzed by infrared thermography, western blotting, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Methods: : A total of 12 C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into the EA and control groups. The EA group received EA at GV20 and EX-HN3 for 20 min once daily for 14 days. The control group underwent the same procedure but without EA. The core body temperature was monitored. Infrared thermal images of the back of each mouse in both groups were captured. BAT samples were collected after euthanasia to analyze UCP1 protein and UCP1 mRNA. Results: : The average skin temperature in the scapular region of the EA group was increased by 1.1℃ compared with that of the C group (p < 0.05). Additionally, the average temperature along the governor vessel in the EA group was increased by 1.6℃ (p = 0.045). EA significantly increased the expression of UCP1 protein (p = 0.001) and UCP1 mRNA (p = 0.002) in BAT, suggesting a potential link between EA and BAT thermogenesis. Conclusion: : EA induced BAT thermogenesis, suggesting GV20 and EX-HN3 as potential acupoints for BAT stimulation. The experimental results also highlighted unique meridian characteristics as demonstrated by elevated skin temperature along the governor vessel in mice.

Efficacy of different courses of acupuncture for diarrhea irritable bowel syndrome: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the most common functional gastrointestinal disorder. As one of the most common subtypes of IBS, IBS-D can impair the patients' quality of life (QOL) and decreased work productivity. Acupuncture may be a potential treatment for patients with IBS-D. However, the treatment course of acupuncture was diverse. It is unclear what is the optimal acupuncture treatment courses for acupuncture. The efficacy and safety of different courses of acupuncture for IBS-D have not been systematically evaluated yet. The purpose of this study is to evaluate effectiveness of Acupuncture of different courses in the treatment of IBS-D and provide sufficient evidence for clinical recommendations for IBS-D. We will follow the Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines to design the protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis. This systematic review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023418846). We will include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which the efficacy of Acupuncture is compared with a placebo, sham acupuncture or Pinaverium bromide in the treatment of IBS-D with no language restrictions. The outcomes of interest will be efficiency rate and the Symptoms Severity Score. RCTs will be searched in the electronic database and Clinical Trials Registry Platform from inception to April 2023. Two independent reviewers will independently select studies, extract data from the included studies, and assess the risk of bias using the Cochrane tool. We will choose a random or fixed-effects model based on the heterogeneity index. We will use the relative risk and mean difference to estimate data with 95% CI. A stratified meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of different treatment courses of Acupuncture: 2weeks, 4weeks(or 1 months), 6 weeks, and 8 weeks. If there is significant clinical and methodological heterogeneity, we will look for the reason for heterogeneity and perform a subgroup analysis. According to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), we will evaluate the evidence quality and provide the recommendation's strength.

Prevalence of and factors associated with symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome among resident physicians in standardised training in China: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the incidence of and factors associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among resident physicians in standardised training at eight traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospitals in China. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was administered to resident physicians in their first to third years of standardised training at eight TCM hospitals. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A total of 514 resident physicians in standardised training were included. MEASURES: The questionnaire consisted of two sections, namely: section A collected basic information, and section B included the four-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4), the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Rome IV criteria for IBS. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to assess the associations of age, sex, body mass index, stress, depression, anxiety, sleep quality and IBS. RESULTS: Of the included resident doctors, 77.2% were female, 20.4% were obese or underweight and 8.6% had symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of IBS. There were no statistically significant differences in lifestyle factors (night shift work, overtime work or working efficiency during the COVID-19 pandemic) between patients with IBS and participants without IBS (hereafter, non-IBS participants) (p=0.429, p=0.572 or p=0.464, respectively). Notably, compared with non-IBS participants, patients with IBS had significantly higher mean scores on the PSS-4 and PHQ-4 (p=0.028 and p=0.012, respectively); however, there was not a significant difference in PSQI scores between these two groups (p=0.079). Depression symptoms were significantly associated with IBS (unadjusted OR 0.498, 95% CI 0.265 to 0.935, p=0.030). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that IBS is common among resident physicians in standardised training. Future studies should investigate emotional distress, especially stress and depression, in the development of prevention or treatment of IBS.

Electroacupuncture stimulation improves cognitive ability and regulates metabolic disorders in Alzheimer's disease model mice: new insights from brown adipose tissue thermogenesis.

Background: Metabolic defects play a crucial role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) development. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has been identified as a novel potential therapeutic target for AD due to its unique role in energy metabolism. Electroacupuncture (EA) shows promise in improving cognitive ability and brain glucose metabolism in AD, but its effects on peripheral and central metabolism are unclear. Methods: In this study, SAMP8 mice (AD model) received EA stimulation at specific acupoints. Cognitive abilities were evaluated using the Morris water maze test, while neuronal morphology and tau pathology were assessed through Nissl staining and immunofluorescence staining, respectively. Metabolic variations and BAT thermogenesis were measured using ELISA, HE staining, Western blotting, and infrared thermal imaging. Results: Compared to SAMR1 mice, SAMP8 mice showed impaired cognitive ability, neuronal damage, disrupted thermoregulation, and metabolic disorders with low BAT activity. Both the EA and DD groups improved cognitive ability and decreased tau phosphorylation (p<0.01 or p<0.05). However, only the EA group had a significant effect on metabolic disorders and BAT thermogenesis (p<0.01 or p<0.05), while the DD group did not. Conclusion: These findings indicate that EA not only improves the cognitive ability of SAMP8 mice, but also effectively regulates peripheral and central metabolic disorders, with this effect being significantly related to the activation of BAT thermogenesis.

Influence of lignin on coal gangue pyrolysis and gas emission based on multi-lump parallel reaction model and principal component analysis.

The effects of lignin (LIG) on coal gangue (CG) pyrolysis characteristics, gas emissions, and multi-lump parallel reaction modeling are studied in this paper. The combined thermogravimetry and Fourier infrared spectrometer were used to obtain the weight loss and gas product functional group data of the co-pyrolysis of coal gangue and lignin. Gaussian peaks were used to analyze the reaction degree of different proportions of lignin added to coal gangue at different temperatures. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA) is applied to further analyze pyrolysis reaction process. During the pyrolysis of C1L3 samples, a synergistic interaction was discovered. The optimal mixing ratio of coal gangue and lignin during pyrolysis was obtained. The influence mechanism of lignin on coal gangue pyrolysis is studied in this article, which can provide technical support for the reduction and resource utilization of coal gangue. There are six-lump parallel reactions in pyrolysis after CG and LIG are mixed. The addition of LIG changed the CO2 release law of CG pyrolysis. The strengthening of coal gangue disposal research is of positive significance for improving the environment and increasing the utilization rate of coal.

Research on the co-pyrolysis of coal gangue and coffee industry residue based on machine language: Interaction, kinetics, and thermodynamics.

Co-pyrolysis technology of urban solid waste and biomass has broad application prospects in alleviating energy crisis and environmental pollution. In this study, thermogravimetric-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR) was used to study the co-pyrolysis characteristics of coal gangue (CG) and coffee industry residue (CIR). CG and CIR were uniformly mixed according to the mass ratios of 1: 0, 7:3, 5:5, 3:7, and 0:1. Then the samples were heated and pyrolyzed in an atmosphere with a nitrogen flow rate of 60 mL/min. As the proportion of CG increased, the comprehensive pyrolysis index (CPI) showed an exponential decrease. FTIR detected that the gas produced by pyrolysis of CG-CIR contained hydroxyl compounds, hydrocarbons, CO2, CO, Phenols, and NH3. CG-CIR co-pyrolysis had obvious interaction. By using Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) methods, the relationship between activation energy (Eα) and kinetic parameters and conversion degree was studied. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine the principal reaction of CG-CIR pyrolysis. ANN 21 was the best model for predicting the pyrolysis of CG-CIR.

The effect of biomass addition on pyrolysis characteristics and gas emission of coal gangue by multi-component reaction model and TG-FTIR-MS.

The pyrolysis experiment of biomass added to coal gangue was studied by thermogravimetric-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-mass spectrometry (TG-FTIR-MS) method. The multi-component reaction model was used to simulate the pyrolysis reaction of coal gangue and biomass. The most suitable model was obtained, and the pyrolysis mechanism was analyzed. According to the two-component reaction model of CG pyrolysis, the decomposition temperature range of components in CG is 340-800 °C and 400-620 °C. The five-component reaction model can well simulate the pyrolysis process of coal gangue and biomass. Meanwhile, the effects of different proportions of biomass in the mixture on the gas products of coal gangue pyrolysis were analyzed. It was found that the addition of biomass to coal gangue could promote the release of gaseous organic matter during pyrolysis. CG75PS25 only has a synergistic effect in the high temperature zone greater than 600 °C. CG25PS75 only has a synergistic effect in a small range of 230-300 °C, and there is an inhibitory effect in other temperature ranges. In general, there is an inhibitory effect between coal gangue and biomass on CO2 formation, which is of positive significance for greenhouse gas emission reduction.

[Review on advantages and evidence of treating and preventing urinary tract infection in traditional Chinese medicine].

Urinary tract infection (UTI) in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) belongs to the category of stranguria. This article describes the unsatisfactory situations in clinical practice such as antibiotics abuse, increasing of drug-resistant bacteria, high recurrence rate, etc. According to evidence-based medicine, literatures as evidence are collected for summarizing and analyzing and the result shows the advantages of TCM of relieving symptoms, reducing the dosage of antibiotics, less side effects, lower recurrence rate, etc. In the field of fundamental research, literatures associated with UTI are also summarized and analysed from several perspectives, such as causes, pathogenesis, syndrome differentiation, pharmacological effects of Chinese herbal medicine, working mechanism of non-drug therapy, etc and the result presents that integrated treatment of TCM in UTI has significant advangtages and its own characteristic.

Occurrence of nonylphenol and nonylphenol monoethoxylate in soil and vegetables from vegetable farms in the Pearl River Delta, South China.

Low molecular-mass nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) and 4-nonylphenol (NP) are biodegradation products of higher molecular mass NPEOs used as surface active agents, and they are endocrine-disrupting contaminants. In this study, surface soil (0-20 cm) samples and different vegetable samples were collected from 27 representative vegetable farms located in Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Huizhou within the Pearl River Delta region, South China, and NP and nonylphenol monoethoxylate (NP(1)EO) were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The results show that NP and NP(1)EO were detected in soil and vegetable samples. The concentrations of NP and NP(1)EO in soil samples ranged from nondetectable (ND) to 7.22 µg kg(-1) dry weight (dw) and from ND to 8.24 µg kg(-1) dw, respectively. The average concentrations of both NP and NP(1)EO in soil samples decreased in the following order: Dongguan > Huizhou > Shenzhen. The levels of NP and NP(1)EO in vegetable samples varied from 1.11 to 4.73 µg kg(-1) dw and from 1.32 to 5.33 µg kg(-1) dw, respectively. The greatest levels of both NP and NP(1)EO were observed in water spinach, and the lowest levels of NP and NP(1)EO were recorded in cowpea. The bioconcentration factors (the ratio of contaminant concentration in plant tissue to soil concentration) of NP and NP(1)EO were <1.0 (mean 0.535 and 0.550, respectively). The occurrences of NP and NP(1)EO in this study are compared with other studies, and their potential sources are discussed.