Efficacy of Non-Invasive Auricular Acupressure for Treating Constipation in Leukemia Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the available evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of auricular acupressure (AA) therapy for preventing constipation in leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy. METHODS: We searched 5 English databases and 4 Chinese databases, from their inception until August 2017. Quantitative syntheses of RCTs were conducted using RevMan 5.3 software. Study selection, data extraction, and validation were performed independently by 2 reviewers. Cochrane criteria for risk-of-bias were used to assess the methodological quality of the trials. RESULTS: Five RCTs met the inclusion criteria, and most were of low methodological quality. All RCTs compared AA + routine care with routine care alone. Our analysis found that complementary effects of AA can improve the scores of the Bristol Stool Form (BSF), the Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS), and the Patient Assessment of Constipation-Quality of Life (PAC-QOL). However, the same positive results were not found in terms of the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), the EuroQoL 5-domain (EQ-5D), and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, as a potential safety therapy, AA may be recommended in addition to routine care including use of laxatives to prevent constipation in leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy. In the future, more rigorous RCTs must be conducted to overcome the limitations of our existing data and to confirm the effect and safety of AA for managing constipation in leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Regional distribution of longevity population and chemical characteristics of natural water in Xinjiang, China.

Xinjiang Province, China is recognized for the longevity of its inhabitants. To study the temporal and spatial variation of longevity region and chemical characteristics of natural water of longevity region in Xinjiang, three population censuses on county-level and 51 natural water samples from Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang were collected and analyzed. 103 natural water samples were collected from the public papers. Population statistics on county-level showed that the number of centenarians per 100,000 inhabitants (OC) in Southern Xinjiang was 7.4(year 1990), 4.9(year 2000) and 2.1 times (year 2010) more than that of Northern Xinjiang, respectively. And distribution of the longevity index (LI%), centenarity index (CI%) and number of centenarians per 10,000 over 65 year-old subjects (UC) on county-level decreased from south to north. Natural water in Northern Xinjiang was mainly fresh soft water, and it was mainly fresh hard water and brackish hard water in Southern Xinjiang. Water quality of natural water in Northern Xinjiang was superior compare to that of Southern Xinjiang, while number of centenarians 65 year-old & over per 10,000 subjects in Northern Xinjiang were less than that of Southern Xinjiang before 2010. The research indicates that keeping on drinking water with high total hardness (TH) and Mg/Ca ratio might be good for the health.