Protective effects of butyrate on cerebral ischaemic injury in animal models: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Cerebral ischaemic stroke is a common disease that poses a serious threat to human health. Butyrate is an important metabolite of intestinal microorganisms. Recent studies have shown that butyrate has a significant protective effect in animal models of cerebral ischaemic injury. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of butyrate on cerebral ischaemic stroke by meta-analysis, aiming to provide a scientific basis for the clinical application of butyrate in patients with cerebral ischaemia. Materials and methods: A systematic search was conducted for all relevant studies published before 23 January 2024, in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase. Methodological quality was assessed using Syrcle's risk of bias tool for animal studies. Data were analysed using Rev Man 5.3 software. Results: A total of nine studies were included, and compared with controls, butyrate significantly increased BDNF levels in the brain (SMD = 2.33, 95%CI = [1.20, 3.47], p < 0.005) and P-Akt expression (SMD = 3.53, 95% CI = [0.97, 6.10], p < 0.05). Butyrate also decreased IL-ß levels in the brain (SMD = -2.02, 95% CI = [-3.22, -0.81], p < 0.005), TNF-α levels (SMD = -0.86, 95% CI = [-1.60, -0.12], p < 0.05), and peripheral vascular IL-1ß levels (SMD = -2.10, 95%CI = [-3.59, -0.61], p < 0.05). In addition, butyrate reduced cerebral infarct volume (MD = -11.29, 95%CI = [-17.03, -5.54], p < 0.05), mNSS score (MD = -2.86, 95%CI = [-4.12, -1.60], p < 0.005), foot fault score (MD = -7.59, 95%CI = [-9.83, -5, 35], p < 0.005), and Morris water maze time (SMD = -2.49, 95%CI = [-4.42, -0.55], p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that butyrate has a protective effect on cerebral ischaemic stroke in animal models, and the mechanism is related to reducing inflammation and inhibiting apoptosis. It provides an evidence-based basis for the future clinical development of butyrate in the treatment of ischaemic stroke. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, CRD42023482844.

Efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment to patients with stable COPD: a multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial protocol.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease and the third leading cause of death worldwide. Previous evidence has shown that acupuncture may be an effective complementary alternative therapy for stable COPD. However, large-sample, rigorously designed long-term follow-up studies still need to be completed. Notably, the relationship between the frequency of acupuncture and clinical efficacy in studies on acupuncture for stable COPD still needs further validation. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for stable COPD and further investigate the dose-effect relationship of acupuncture. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial that uses central randomization to randomly allocate 550 participants in a 1:1:1:1:1 ratio to once a week acupuncture group, twice a week acupuncture group, three times a week acupuncture group, sham acupuncture group and waiting-list control group. The sham acupuncture group will receive placebo acupuncture treatments three times per week, and the waiting-list control group will not receive any form of acupuncture intervention. The study consists of a 2-week baseline, 12-week of treatment, and 52-week of follow-up. Patients with COPD between 40 to 80 years old who have received stable Western medication within the previous 3 months and have had at least 1 moderate or severe acute exacerbation within the past 1 year will be included in the study. Basic treatment will remain the same for all participants. The primary outcome is the proportion of responders at week 12. Secondary outcomes include the proportion of responders at week 64, change in the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) Scale, change in the Modified-Medical Research Council (mMRC) Scale, change in the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) Scale, change in the Lung Function Screening Indicators (LFSI), change in the 6-min walk distance (6-MWD), change in Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) Scale, the number of moderate and severe acute exacerbations and adverse event rate during the follow-up period. DISCUSSION: This study will provide robust evidence on whether acupuncture is safe and effective for treating stable COPD. Meanwhile, comparing the differences in efficacy between different acupuncture frequencies will further promote the optimization of acupuncture for stable COPD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200058757), on April 16, 2022.

Neutrophil extracellular traps correlate with severity and prognosis in patients with ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: A correlation between neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and ischemic stroke (IS) has been hypothesized, but the results of relevant studies remain controversial. The purpose was to determine whether NETs have an impact on ischemic stroke. METHODS: The studies on the correlation between NETs and IS were retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane databases by computer from the start of the database to December 2022. The study adhered to PRISMA guidelines. The PICOS model was used to create inclusion criteria. Two researchers screened the literature and extracted the relevant data. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the NOS and the 11 items recommended by the AHRQ, and meta-analysis was completed using Stata 15.1 software. RESULTS: The researchers included 752 patients in 7 studies (4 case-control studies and 3 cross-sectional studies). The meta-analysis found NETs are positively associated with the severity of IS at the time of onset [r(95% CI) = 0.31(0.24, 0.38), P < 0.001]. NETs are positively associated with a worse prognosis of IS [r(95% CI) = 0.34(0.13, 0.53), P = 0.003]. CONCLUSION: The presence of NETs is positively related to the severity and prognosis of IS. Higher levels of NETs indicate a more severe disease and a poorer prognosis. Because the number and quality of included studies are limited, the above results must be supported by further high-quality studies. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ , identifier: CRD42022356619.

Local injection therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Clinical research has shown that local injections for carpal tunnel syndrome reduce the symptoms of patients and enhance their quality of life considerably. However, there are several therapy options, and the optimal choice of regimen remains uncertain. Therefore, we comprehensively evaluated the variations in clinical efficacy and safety of several medications for treating carpal tunnel syndrome. Methods: Computer searches of Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were used to collect articles of randomized controlled trials on local injections for treating carpal tunnel syndrome from database creation till 10 June 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted information, evaluated the risk of bias in the included studies, and performed network Meta-analysis using Stata 17.0 software. Drug efficacy was assessed using symptom severity/function and pain intensity. Surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) ranking was used to determine the advantage of each therapy. Results: We included 26 randomized controlled trials with 1896 wrists involving 12 interventions, such as local injections of corticosteroids, platelet-rich plasma, 5% dextrose, progesterone, and hyaluronidase. The results of the network meta-analysis showed the following: (i) symptom severity: at the 3-month follow-up, D5W combined with splinting (SUCRA = 95%) ranked first, and hyaluronidase (SUCRA = 89.6%) at 6 months; (ii) functional severity: either at the 3-month follow-up (SUCRA = 89.5%) or 6 months (SUCRA = 83.6%), iii) pain intensity: 5% dextrose in water combined with splinting was the most effective at the 3-month (SUCRA = 85%) and 6-month (SUCRA = 87.6%) follow-up. Conclusion: Considering the combination of symptoms/function and pain intensity, combining 5% dextrose in water with splinting is probably the treatment of choice for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. It is more effective than glucocorticoids and no adverse effects have been observed. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42022370525.

The conscious processing of emotion in depression disorder: a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies.

Background: Depression is generally accompanied by a disturbed conscious processing of emotion, which manifests as a negative bias to facial/voice emotion information and a decreased accuracy in emotion recognition tasks. Several studies have proved that abnormal brain activation was responsible for the deficit function of conscious emotion recognition in depression. However, the altered brain activation related to the conscious processing of emotion in depression was incongruent among studies. Therefore, we conducted an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) analysis to better understand the underlying neurophysiological mechanism of conscious processing of emotion in depression. Method: Electronic databases were searched using the search terms "depression," "emotion recognition," and "neuroimaging" from inceptions to April 10th, 2023. We retrieved trials which explored the neuro-responses of depressive patients to explicit emotion recognition tasks. Two investigators independently performed literature selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment. The spatial consistency of brain activation in conscious facial expressions recognition was calculated using ALE. The robustness of the results was examined by Jackknife sensitivity analysis. Results: We retrieved 11,365 articles in total, 28 of which were included. In the overall analysis, we found increased activity in the middle temporal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, and cuneus, and decreased activity in the superior temporal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, insula, and superior frontal gyrus. In response to positive stimuli, depressive patients showed hyperactivity in the medial frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, and insula (uncorrected p < 0.001). When receiving negative stimuli, a higher activation was found in the precentral gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, precuneus, and superior temporal gyrus (uncorrected p < 0.001). Conclusion: Among depressive patients, a broad spectrum of brain areas was involved in a deficit of conscious emotion processing. The activation of brain regions was different in response to positive or negative stimuli. Due to potential clinical heterogeneity, the findings should be treated with caution. Systematic review registration: https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-11-0057/, identifier: 2022110057.

Attention bias modification for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Depression is a mental health disorder characterized by affective, somatic, and cognitive symptoms. Attention bias modification (ABM) has been widely used to treat depression. However, the results seem inconsistent. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy of ABM for depression and to explore the optimal protocol of ABM. Methods: Seven databases were systematically searched from their inceptions to 5 October 2022 to include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ABM for depression. Two independent reviewers selected the eligible articles, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias using version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (ROB 2.0) for randomized trials. The primary outcome was the evaluation of depressive symptoms using widely accepted and validated scales. The secondary outcomes included rumination and attentional control. Meta-analysis was conducted by using RevMan (version 5.4) and Stata (version 12.0). Subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were performed to identify the source of heterogeneity. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). Results: A total of 19 trials involving 20 datasets (1,262 participants) were included. The overall risk of bias in one study was rated as low risk of bias, three studies were considered as high, and the remaining studies were some concerns. Compared with attention control training (ACT), ABM had a greater effect in the improvement of depression (SMD = -0.48, 95% CI -0.80 to -0.17, I2 = 82%) and rumination (MD = -3.46, 95% CI -6.06 to -0.87, I2 = 0%). No significant differences were observed in the attentional control outcome between ABM and ACT (MD = 3.07, 95% CI -0.52 to 6.65, I 2 = 0%). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that adults exhibited a greater decrease in depression scores than adolescents. ABM using the dot-probe task, training target stimulus presented by face, and training directions by left-right were associated with better antidepressant effects. ABM training delivered in the laboratory tended to yield a better effect than those conducted at home. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the results were robust. The certainty of the evidence for all outcomes was low or very low, and publication bias may exist. Conclusion: Due to high heterogeneity and limited studies, not enough current evidence supported that ABM could be an effective intervention to relieve depressive symptoms. More rigorous RCTs are required to verify the benefits and to explore the optimal protocol of ABM training for depression.Systematic Review Registration: [PROSPERO], identifier [No. CRD42021279163].

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To provide high-quality evidence for extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for low back pain (LBP). METHODS: A computerized search screened trials of ESWT for LBP, and the time range was from the establishment of databases to August 2023, including CNKI, CBMdisc, Wanfang Data, VIP, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane databases. The outcomes were extracted, including patients' pain, physical and psychological conditions, and adverse reactions. Meta-analysis was completed using Revman 5.4 and Stata 15 software, and GRADEpro software quantitated rate the evidence and assigned a recommendation strength. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included 22 studies involving 1749 patients. After treatment, patients in the ESWT group had lower scores in the visual analog scale (VAS) (mean difference [MD] = -1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] (-1.47, -0.80), P < .00001), Oswestry disability index (ODI) [MD = -6.01, 95%CI (-7.97, -4.05), P < .00001], and Beck depression inventory [MD = -3.89, 95%CI (-6.59, -1.20), P = .005]; finger-floor distance [MD = -3.71, 95%CI (-5.26, -2.17), P < .00001] was shorter; Japanese orthopedic association scores [MD = 3.20, 95%CI (1.56, 4.85), P = .0001] were higher; at the 3-month follow-up, the VAS [MD = -1.29, 95%CI (-2.39, -0.19), P = .02] and ODI [MD = -5.95, 95%CI (-10.06, -1.84), P = .005] remained lower; adverse reactions [odds ratio = 0.19, 95%CI (0.07, 0.52), P = .001] were less, and the valid cases [odds ratio = 3.84, 95%CI (2.47, 5.96), P < .00001] were more. Sensitivity analyses revealed that the results were stable; Egger test found no publication bias in VAS (P = .270) and valid cases (P = .747); the trim and fill analysis tested the robustness of ODI scores due to the publication bias (P = .029), and the effect sizes before and after the trim and fill were consistent, which means the result was robust. CONCLUSION: ESWT for LBP has efficacy and safety in improving pain, dysfunction, and psychological conditions compared to other therapies. ESWT has shown advantages in terms of long-term efficacy. Randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and more objective outcomes are required.

Photobiomodulation improves depression symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Depression is a common mental illness that is widely recognized by its lack of pleasure, fatigue, low mood, and, in severe cases, even suicidal tendencies. Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that could treat patients with mood disorders such as depression. Methods: A systematic search of ten databases, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for depression, was conducted from the time of library construction to September 25, 2023. The primary outcome was depression. The secondary outcome was sleep. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan (version 5.4) and Stata (version 14.0). Subgroup analyses were performed to identify sources of heterogeneity. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). Results: Three thousand two hundred and sixty-five studies were retrieved from the database and screened for inclusion in eleven trials. The forest plot results demonstrated that PBM alleviated depression (SMD = -0.55, 95% CI [-0.75, -0.35], I2 = 46%). But it is not statistically significant for patients' sleep outcomes (SMD = -0.82, 95% CI [-2.41, 0.77], I2 = 0%, p > 0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that s-PBM was superior to t-PBM in relieving symptoms of depression. The best improvement for t-PBM was achieved using a wavelength of 823 nm, fluence of 10-100 J/cm2, irradiance of 50-100 mW/cm2, irradiance time of 30 min, treatment frequency < 3/week, and number of treatments >15 times. The best improvement for s-PBM was achieved using a wavelength of 808 nm, fluence ≤1 J/cm2, irradiance of 50-100 mW/cm2, irradiance time ≤ 5 min, treatment frequency ≥ 3/week, number of treatments >15 times. All results had evidence quality that was either moderate or very low, and there was no bias in publication. Conclusion: We conclude that PBM is effective in reducing depression symptoms in patients. However, the current number of studies is small, and further studies are needed to extend the current analysis results. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, CRD42023444677.

Ten Hotspot MicroRNAs and Their Potential Targets of Chondrocytes Were Revealed in Osteoarthritis Based on Bibliometric Analysis.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common joint disorders and debilitating diseases. Current evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in the pathogenesis of OA and have great potential as new biomarkers and therapeutic targets. We aimed to analyze the trends and research status on miRNAs in OA and further demonstrate the hotspot miRNAs in OA via CiteSpace and VOSviewer. Methods: Publications regarding miRNAs and OA were extracted from the Web of Science (WOS) database on October 30, 2021. We assessed the number of publications, institutions, countries, authors, journals, cited references, and keywords with the help of the software tools CiteSpace and VOSviewer. Results: A total of 1109 articles were included. Research related to miRNAs and OA began to appear in 2008, and the overall trend is increasing. Chinese institutions have a leading advantage in the number of publications but lack high-quality and high-cited research and are laggard in co-cited literature. Ten miRNAs including miR-140, miR-146, miR-34, miR-181, miR-27, miR-9, miR-29, miR-21, miR-26, and miR-155 and chondrocytes were revealed as the most obvious miRNAs and a potential target for OA based on bibliometric analysis. More focus will be placed on a comprehensive study on chondrocytes regulated by miRNAs, which may accelerate possible diagnostic biomarkers and diagnostic biomarkers of OA in the future.

Effect of moxibustion on quality of life after chemotherapy in patients with the malignant tumor: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis.

BACKGROUND: The quality of life of patients with malignant tumor can be affected by the severity and treatment of the disease. After chemotherapy, the main symptoms are gastrointestinal reactions, including nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and so on, and hematologic response including leukopenia, anemia, and bleeding in severe cases. Currently, moxibustion is conducted to improve the living life of patients after chemotherapy. This article will make a comprehensive and objective discussion in terms of the effect of moxibustion on quality of life after chemotherapy in patients with malignant tumors. METHODS: After searching the Chinese database (CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Database, and Chinese Biomedical Database) and English database (PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library Web of Science), Meta-analysis was performed according to the randomized controlled trial of moxibustion after chemotherapy in patients with malignant tumors. The retrieval time was limited from the time of building the repository to October 2020. Two researchers independently conducted data extraction and quality evaluation of literature on the included studies, and RevMan5.3 was used for Meta-analysis on the included literature. RESULTS: After analyzing the included literature, this study suggested that by combining chemotherapy with moxibustion, the adverse reactions such as nausea, vomiting, appetite, and insomnia can be relieved. Meanwhile, the psychological burden of patients can be alleviated to a certain extent. Therefore, moxibustion can improve the overall health level and quality of life of patients with malignant tumors. CONCLUSION: This study will provide evidence-based medical evidence that moxibustion can improve the quality of life after chemotherapy and reduce chemotherapy's adverse reactions in patients with malignant tumors. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Private information from individuals will not be published. This systematic review also does not involve endangering participant rights. Ethical approval was not required. The results may be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated at relevant conferences. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/Q5NYM.

Effectiveness of Kinesio taping on peripheral facial paralysis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral facial paralysis is a rapid unilateral facial paralysis or paralysis of unknown etiology. Nearly 30% of patients leave sequela that have a negative impact on the patient's quality of life, both physically and psychologically. As its safety, convenience and effectiveness, Kinesio taping has been gradually used in the rehabilitation of peripheral facial paralysis. However, whether Kinesio taping is effective for peripheral facial paralysis is still unknown. The purpose of this systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis will summarize the current evidence of Kinesio taping used as an intervention for peripheral facial paralysis. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will search the following electronic databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) to evaluate the effectiveness of Kinesio taping in treating peripheral facial paralysis: China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Date, SinoMed, Technology Periodical Database (VIP), PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library. Each database will be searched from inception to April 2020. Studies that present clear descriptions of Kinesio taping in treating peripheral facial paralysis administration are published in peer-reviewed journals in any languages and are published in full will be taken into consideration. The entire process will include study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment and meta-analyses. Assessment of risk of bias and data synthesis will be conducted using Review Manager 5.3 software. RESULTS: The current evidence on the Kinesio taping for managing peripheral facial paralysis will be illustrated using subjective reports and objective measures of performance. The primary outcome is the effective rate. Secondary outcomes include House-Brackmann scale, Portmann score, facial nerve conduction velocity, Facial Disability Index, Facial Disability Index include Facial Function score and social Function score. CONCLUSION: This protocol will present evidence on the efficacy of Kinesio taping in relieving peripheral facial paralysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Since all the data used in this SR and meta-analysis have been published, ethical approval is not required for this review. The results of this SR will be published in a peer-reviewed journal or presented at conferences. INPLASY ID:: (INPLASY2020100008).

[Effect of electroacupuncture on neurological deficit and activity of TLR2/NF-κB signaling in ce-rebral ischemia /reperfusion injury rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on neurological behavior and activity of Toll-like receptor 2 / nuclear factor kappa B (TLR2/NF-κB) signaling of the ischemic cerebral area in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) rats, so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of CIRI. METHODS: A total of 120 male SD rats were randomly divided into blank control, sham operation, model, EA and EA＋NF-κB inhibitor (Pyrrolidine Dithiocarbamate Hydrochloride, PDTC, EA＋PDTC) groups which were further divided into 3, 7, 14 and 28 d subgroups (n＝6 in each subgroup). The CIRI model was established by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery for 90 min, followed by reperfusion. EA (1－20 Hz, 6 V) was applied to "Shuigou" (GV26), "Neiguan" (PC6), "Sanyinjiao" (SP6) and "Weizhong" (BL40) for 30 min, once a day for 28 days. For rats of the EA＋PDTC group, PDTC solution (120 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected on the 3rd day after successful modeling and before EA intervention. The neurological deficit severity (Zea Longa score) was assessed 3, 7, 14 and 28 days after modeling. The expression levels of TLR2, Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK) and NF-κB mRNAs in the ischemic penumbra region of brain tissue were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. RESULTS: Following modeling, the neurological deficit scores were significantly increased from the 3rd day on after CIRI (P<0.05), the expression levels of TLR2 mRNA on day 3, 7, 14 and 28, and IRAK mRNA on day 3 and 7, as well as NF-κB mRNA on day 3, 7 and 14 were significantly up-regulated in the model group relevant to the blank control group (P<0.05). After EA intervention, the neurological deficit scores were significantly decreased in the EA group on day 3, 7 and 28 and in the EA＋PDTC group on day 3, 7, 14 and 28 in comparison with those of the model group (P<0.05). In addition, the expression levels of TLR2 mRNA and NF-κB mRNA on day 3, 7 and 14 in the EA group, and on day 3, 7, 14 and 28 in the EA＋PDTC group, IRAK mRNA on day 3 in the EA and EA＋PDTC group were significantly down-regulated (P<0.05), but those of IRAK mRNA on day 14 and 28 in the EA group were significantly up-regulated in comparison with those of the model group (P<0.05). The effect of the EA＋PDTC was obviously superior to that of simple EA in down-regulating the expression of TLR2 (on day 28), and IRAK (on day 3, 14, 28), and NF-κB (on day 3, 7 and 14) (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: EA stimulation can improve the symptoms of neurological deficits in CIRI rats, which may be related to its effect in suppressing the expression of TLR2, NF-κB and IRAK mRNAs of the ischemic cerebral tissue, i．e., down-regulating the activity of TLR2/NF-κB signaling.

[Controlled study on treatment of cervical spondylopathy of the nerve root type with acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main].

OBJECTIVE: To probe into clinical value of comprehensive program of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main for treatment of cervical spondylopathy of the nerve root type. METHODS: Five centers, single blind, randomized controlled method were used, 660 cases were divided into a treatment group of 317 cases and a control group of 311 cases. They were treated respectively with comprehensive program of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main, and comprehensive program of physical therapy as main. Establish syndrome detection scale and multiply dimensional effect assessment indexes, and evaluate the therapeutic effects and safety. RESULTS: The cured rate, the cured-markedly effective rate were 42.9%, 64.4% in the treatment group, respectively, better than 16.7%, 36.3% in the control group (P<0.01); after treatment of 2 weeks, clinical symptoms improved in the both groups, but the treatment group was better than the control group in the improvement degrees of neck-shoulder-limb pain, neck rigidity, abnormality of cervical anteflexion, etc. (P<0.01 or P<0.05); the treatment group was shorter than the control group in the time of producing the effect and therapeutic course (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Comprehensive program of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main is safe and effective for treatment of cervical spondylopathy, with a better therapeutic effect compared with the comprehensive program of physical therapy.