Comparing verum and sham acupoint catgut embedding for adults with obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Previous clinical trials have reported that acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) is a useful modality for weight loss. However, no study has specifically investigated the effectiveness and safety of comparing verum and sham ACE in adults with obesity. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of comparing verum and sham ACE in obese adults. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the electronic databases of PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and China Biomedical Literature Service System from inception to April 1, 2022. Randomized clinical trials that focused on evaluating the effectiveness of comparing verum and sham ACE in adults with obesity were included. The primary outcomes included reduction in body weight, body mass index, hip circumference, and waist circumference. The secondary outcomes consisted of a decrease in body fat percentage and the occurrence rate of adverse events. The methodological quality of the included randomized clinical trials was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk-of-bias tool. Statistical analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. RESULTS: Six trials involving 679 adults with obesity were included in this study and entered in the data analysis of systematic review and meta-analysis. Results of the meta-analysis revealed significant reduction in body weight (mean difference [MD] = -1.68, 95% confidence intervals (CI) [-2.34, -1.01], I2 = 51%, P < .001), body mass index (MD = -0.51, 95% CI [-0.81, -0.21], I2 = 74%, P < .001), hip circumference (MD = -1.11, 95% CI [-1.67, -0.55], I2 = 0%, P < .001), waist circumference (MD = -2.42, 95% CI [-3.38, -1.45], I2 = 68%, P < .001), and decrease in body fat percentage (MD = -0.83, 95% CI [-1.30, -0.36], I2 = 16%, P < .001) in comparing verum and sham ACE. However, no significant difference was identified in AEs (odds ratio = 1.53, 95% CI [0.80, 2.95], I2 = 0%, P = .20) between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: ACE is effective in the treatment of obesity in adults with safety profile. Further studies with higher quality and larger sample size are warranted to confirm the current findings.

The impact of acupuncture combined with acupoint catgut embedding on simple obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a widespread chronic metabolic disease that significantly impairs quality of life. Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of both acupuncture and acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) in the management of obesity. However, the superiority of acupuncture combined with ACE over acupuncture alone remains a subject of controversy. This study aims to elucidate this controversy and provide robust clinical evidence. METHODS: A comprehensive search of relevant literature from the initiation to July 2022 was carried out in 8 databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane database, Web of Science, CBM Database, CNKI, Wan-fang Database, and VIP Database). We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the treatment of simple obesity using acupuncture paired with ACE, with acupuncture alone as the control group. The pooled outcomes included body mass index (BMI), body weight (BW), %BF, waist circumference (WC), hip circumferences (HC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), therapeutic effective rate (TER), and adverse events. Two independent reviewers performed screening (using EndNote X9) and quality assessment (using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool) for the included studies. with the software RevMan 5.3 was used to perform pooling of effect sizes. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). RESULTS: A total of 20 trials involving 15 datasets (1616 participants) were included. The findings demonstrated significant improvements in outcome measures when acupuncture was combined with ACE, compared with acupuncture alone (BMI: MD = -1.49 kg/m2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.93 to -1.04, P < .01; BW: MD = -2.38, 95% CI = -3.86 to -0.89, P < .01; %BF: MD = -2.19, 95% CI = -3.23 to -1.15, P < .01; WC: MD = -2.01, 95% CI = -3.66 to -0.35, P < .05; HC: MD = -0.83, 95% CI = -1.64 to -0.02, P < .05; WHR: MD = -0.02, 95% CI = -0.03 to -0.01, P < .01; TER: OR = 2.68, 95% CI = 1.93-3.74, P < .01). Adverse effects were reported in 4 studies. CONCLUSION SUBSECTIONS: The results of this meta-analysis indicate that acupuncture combined with ACE is superior to acupuncture alone in the treatment of obesity, which is supported by the subgroup analysis. The assessment of efficacy may have been influenced by variations in study quality, potentially amplifying the observed effects. RCTs with larger sample sizes and improved methodological quality are needed to enhance the validity of the findings.

Effect of catgut embedding at acupoints versus non-acupoints in abdominal obesity: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the difference of catgut embedding effect between acupoints and non-acupoints in patients with abdominal obesity (AO). METHODS: In this multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, all subjects were randomly assigned into the acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) group and control group (catgut embedding at non-acupoints). With a 12-week actual intervention period and a 4-week period of follow-up. Waist circumference (WC), body weight, body mass index (BMI), hip circumference (HC) and appetite were applied and assessed at baseline and after 6, 12 and 16 weeks. RESULTS: After the total intervention phase (12 weeks), the WC, body weight, BMI, HC and visual analogue scale scores of appetite, decreased significantly in the two groups as compared to the baseline (0.001). Meanwhile, after the 4-week follow-up, the indicators still decreased significantly in the ACE group (0.001). At 12 and 16 weeks, catgut embedding at acupoints showed significantly advantages to non-acupoints in WC and appetite (0.05). No serious adverse events were observed in ACE group and control group. CONCLUSIONS: Catgut embedding at acupoints and non-acupoints are all effective and safe for AO. ACE can effectively treat AO as expected and deliver lasting results.

[Adverse events/adverse reactions of acupoint catgut embedding therapy for psoriasis vulgaris: a systematic review].

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the occurrence of adverse events/adverse reactions (AEs/ARs) induced by acupoint catgut embedding therapy for psoriasis vulgaris (PV) and its safety. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, case-series, and case reports concerning the treatment of PV with acupoint catgut embedding therapy were searched from Chinese and English databases from their inception to January 7th, 2021. The AEs/ARs related to acupoint catgut embedding therapy for PV were subjected to descriptive statistics, followed by the analysis of possible reasons. RESULTS: Finally, 16 studies were included, involving 1 158 patients. A total of 79 cases were reported to present with mild to moderate AEs/ARs related to acupoint catgut embedding therapy for PV, and there were no serious AEs/ARs or death cases. The most common AEs/ARs were local redness, swelling, heat, and pain (31.65%,25/79), followed by low-grade fever and fatigue (29.11%,23/79), isomorphic reaction (16.46%,13/79), local induration (13.92%,11/79), and fainting (8.86%,7/79). In terms of embedding materials, catgut (93.67%,74/79) and lumbar puncture needles or other puncture needles (49.37%,39/79) were proved the most common AEs/ARs-inducing factors. The proportion of AEs/ARs resulting from treatment interval≤two weeks (67.09%,53/79) and treatment course≤eight weeks (55.70%,44/79) was relatively high. Because the incidence of AEs/ARs fails to be calcula-ted, it is not yet possible to accurately assess the risk and safety of acupoint catgut embedding therapy for PV. CONCLUSION: Available evidence suggests that in the treatment of PV, acupoint catgut embedding therapy may induce a series of mild to moderate AEs/ARs, so its clinical practice deserves attention. We should strictly grasp its indications and contraindications, and prevent the occurrence of related AEs/ARs by standardizing the operation and improving the embedding materials.

Acupoint catgut embedding for chronic low back pain: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) effective and safe for patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) is not yet known. This systematic review will objectively and systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of ACE in CLBP according to the existing evidence. METHODS: The protocol of this systematic review and meta-analyses has been registered in PROSPERO with the registration number CRD42019142256. The following electronic databases from inception to November 29, 2022 will be searched: PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang Data and Chinese Science Journal Database. Randomised controlled clinical(RCTs) using ACE to treat CLBP will be included. Outcomes will include pain intensity, instrument with assessment function and disability, quality-of-life, and costs. Adverse events will be reported for safety assessment. By screening the titles, abstracts, and full texts, two independent reviewers will select studies, extract data, and assess study quality. Data synthesis, sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis and risk of bias assessment will be conducted using RevmanV.5.3 software. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system will be used to assess the quality ofthe evidence. RESULTS: The efficacy and safety of ACE in the treatment of CLBP has not yet been determined. CONCLUSION: This systematic review will objectively and systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of ACE in CLBP according to the existing evidence, which can give high level clinical recommendations to improve patient care and clinical outcomes.

The study on the clinical effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine acupoint catgut embedding guided by musculoskeletal ultrasound in the treatment of nerve root sciatica: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Nerve root sciatica (NRS) is a common orthopedic disease, which usually occurs between 20 and 40 years of age, and the incidence rate is increasing year by year and is being younger. The disease has no special effect of treatment, clinically generally taking the symptomatic treatment, such as taking short-term glucocorticoids, sedatives, analgesics, and so on. Long-term use of drugs will adversely affect the patient's gastrointestinal tract, liver, and kidney function. The surgical treatment has a high risk of surgery, high cost, side effects, and other problems, so the choice of treatment method has always been a difficult problem in clinical and scientific research. The study shows that 90% of patients with sciatica can be cured by non-surgical treatment, so conservative therapy is often used in the treatment of sciatica, traditional Chinese medicine treatment methods in the treatment of NRS has been widely used, which has achieved good results, but there is no evidence of evidence-based medicine. Therefore, this study uses systematic evaluation to conduct the scientific evaluation of the clinical effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine acupoint catgut embedding guided by musculoskeletal ultrasound in the treatment of NRS, and provide evidence-based medical evidence support for the treatment of NRS. METHODS: Using the computer to retrieve the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, WANFANG Database, and CBM. Using the subject words and terminology words to retrieve the Chinese-English database and retrieve a randomized controlled study on the clinical effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine acupoint catgut embedding guided by musculoskeletal ultrasound in the treatment of NRS, and the range of search time is January 1990 to January 2021. The searched literature is screened and evaluated by two researchers respectively according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. If there is disagreement, discussing it with the third researcher to determine the final inclusion of the literature. Using the RevMan 5.3 software to conduct the meta-analysis. RESULTS: This study will compare the effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine acupoint catgut embedding guided by musculoskeletal ultrasound in the treatment of NRS. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will be published in internationally influential academic journals to provide evidence-based medical evidence for the clinical effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine acupoint catgut embedding in the treatment of NRS. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study does not involve specific patients, and all research data comes from publicly available professional literature, so an ethics committee is not required to conduct an ethical review and approval of the study. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/Q492E.

Acupoint catgut embedding for the treatment of sciatica: A protocol for a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Sciatica is a common and frequent peripheral neuropathic pain disease, which causes a great burden on peoples life. Recently, acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) has been widely applied for treating sciatica in China, however, there is no enough evidence to prove the efficiency and safety of ACE for sciatica. Our study aims to evaluate the efficiency and safety of ACE for sciatica. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Searches of the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Springer Medline, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan-Fang Data (WANFANG), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), and Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP databases) will be performed from inception to November 2020. The main outcomes are the pain intensity and the whole efficiency assessment. The secondary outcomes will include Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), life quality, physical examination, and adverse events. Two reviewers will separately conduct the study selection, data extraction and study quality assessments. RevMan 5.3 software will be used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: This study will provide an evidence-based review of acupoint catgut embedding therapy for sciatica according to the pain intensity, the whole efficiency assessment, life quality, DOI index and adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review will present the current evidence for acupoint catgut embedding therapy for sciatica. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is unnecessary as this protocol is only for systematic review and does not involve privacy data. The findings of this study will be disseminated electronically through a peer-review publication or presented at a relevant conference. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY2020110087.

A comparison of the effects of Two suture materials on isthmocele formation: A cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Cesarean scar defects (CSD) are a problem that may lead to complications and excessive cost. The optimal way to suture the uterus is a matter of debate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two suture materials on cesarean scar niches. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cohort study that allocated women into two groups: uterotomy closure with vicryl or catgut sutures. Transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) was performed six months after the cesarean section (CS) to assess the scar. RESULTS: Totally, 250 patients enrolled in this study. After six months, 20 (18.2 %) patients in the catgut suture group and 13 (9.3 %) patients in the vicryl group had isthmocele according to their sonography reports. The prevalence of isthmocele was higher in the catgut group (p = 0.03). The residual myometrial thickness was greater in the vicryl group (4.98 cm ± 2.18) compared to the catgut suture group (3.70 cm ± 1.50; p = 0.001). The prevalence of postoperative gynecological sequelae such as postmenstrual spotting and pain were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Vicryl sutures were associated with a lower risk of CSD formation in comparison with catgut sutures.

Effectiveness comparisons of catgut implantation at acupoint for obese type 2 diabetes: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis.

BACKGROUND: With the change of people's life style, many more people are suffering from obese type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Acupoint catgut embedding is one of the acupuncture treatment principles in traditional Chinese medicine, which is widely used in the treatment of obese T2DM. However, there is no systematic review of the therapeutic effect of acupoint catgut embedding on obesity T2DM. Therefore, this article aims at the meta-analysis of acupoint catgut embedding in the treatment of obese T2DM, to clarify its curative effect. METHODS: A structured and systemic literature search was conducted in the following databases up to December 1, 2019: PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang Database. We will use the Review Manager 5.3 software provided by Cochrane collaborative network for statistical analysis. Then we assessed the quality and risk of the included studies and observed the outcome measures. RESULTS: This meta-analysis will further determine the beneficial efficacy of acupoint catgut embedding on obesity T2DM. CONCLUSION: The purpose of this meta-analysis is to explore the effect of acupoint catgut embedding intervention on obese T2DM patients, and provide more options for clinicians and patients to treat obese T2DM. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This systemic review will evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupoint catgut embedding in the treatment of obesity T2DM. Since all the data included are published, the systematic review does not need ethical approval. REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020160801.

[Analysis of adverse reactions of acupoint catgut embedding therapy].

OBJECTIVE: To objectively evaluate the safety of acupoint catgut embedding therapy. METHODS: A total of 331 patients who received acupoint catgut embedding therapy were enrolled and summarized through the inpatient medical record system, follow-up record and adverse reaction report card. The statistical analysis was performed from the aspects of patients' gender, age, marital status, history of allergy, history of diabetes and the time, symptoms, duration and prognosis of adverse reactions, etc. RESULTS: Among 331 patients who received acupoint catgut embedding therapy, 70 patients had adverse reactions, which were divided into 9 types, including post-treatment discomfort, local hematoma or subcutaneous hemorrhage, local swelling, local induration, severe pain, thread-body rejection, local pruritus, post-treatment body temperature rising, local redness, swelling, fever and pain. The incidence rate of adverse events was 21.15%, and the incidence of serious adverse events was 0. Among the patients with adverse reactions, 58 patients (82.86%) relieved without treatment, and 12 patients (17.14%) received after symptomatic treatment; all patients had no sequelae. CONCLUSION: The acupoint catgut embedding therapy is relatively safe and the incidence of adverse reactions is low.

Efficacy of verum and sham acupoint catgut embedding for treatment of obesity: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Obesity has become a major public health hazard with epidemic proportions, affecting adults, adolescents, and children of both genders. Previous studies have suggested that acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) might be a potential therapeutic approach for obesity. The purpose of this study is to conduct a rigorous and normative trial to determine the efficacy of ACE for obesity. METHODS/DESIGN: A total of 99 eligible patients diagnosed with obesity will be recruited in this study. They will be randomly allocated to either the verum ACE group, sham ACE group, or waiting list (WL) group, with 33 patients in each group. Each patient in the two ACE-based groups will receive eight sessions of treatment, lasting over 8 weeks. The primary outcome is the reduction of body mass index (BMI) after treatment. Secondary outcomes will include waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist:hip ratio, body fat percentage, blood lipid level, subcutaneous fat area, visceral fat area, and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL). All the outcomes will be evaluated at baseline, at the end of the 8 weeks of treatments, and at 3 months of follow-up. The evaluators and data analyzers will be blinded to group allocation. DISCUSSION: The findings of this randomized, sham-, and WL-controlled trial will help to investigate the influence of ACE on clinical variables as well as visceral fat area of obesity, which will provide high-quality evidence on the efficacy of ACE for obesity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1800020248. Registered on December 21, 2018.

Acupoint catgut embedding for the treatment of obesity in adults: A systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is the biggest chronic health problems among adults worldwide and the main predisposing factor in many types of systemic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and so on. In clinical reports on Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupoint catgut embedding has been shown to improve various clinical indicators for diseases including obesity and body mass index (BMI), but the safety of this and method has not been assessed. METHODS: This systematic review searched the following 8 databases between from January 2015 to December 2018: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, EMBASE, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese Scientific Journal Database, the Wan-fang Database, the China Doctoral Dissertations Full-text Database and the China Master's Theses Full-text Database, and will manually searched the list of medical journals as a supplement. RCTs containing acupoint catgut embedding method for the treatment of obesity will be included. By reading the titles, abstracts and full texts, the 2 reviewers will independently complete the studies selection, data extraction, and quality assessment. The bias risk assessment, data synthesis, and subgroup analysis were performed using Revman 5.1 software. RESULTS: The primary outcome measures include weight, improvement rate, secondary outcome measures include BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, fat percentage, and so on. The safety assessment includes the incidence of adverse events. The results will be displayed as the risk ratio of the dichotomous data, the standardized mean difference or weighted mean difference for the continuous data. CONCLUSION: This systematic review will retrieve clinical randomized controlled trials (RCT) on acupoint catgut embedding for obesity in 8 databases, aiming to describe and update existing evidence on the efficacy and safety of acupoint catgut embedding for obesity in adults. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018098793.

Use of 5-0 Fast Absorbing Gut versus 6-0 Fast Absorbing Gut during cutaneous wound closure on the head and neck: A randomized evaluator-blinded split-wound comparative effectiveness trial.

BACKGROUND: Absorbable suture material (Fast Absorbing Gut [FG], Ethicon, Somerville NJ) is often used for patient convenience; however, the optimal diameter of FG sutures is debatable. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the use of 6-0 FG during repair of linear cutaneous surgery wounds on the head and neck improves scar cosmesis compared with the use of 5-0 FG. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, split-scar intervention in patients undergoing repair of linear cutaneous wounds on the head and neck. The scar was assessed 3 months after surgery via the Physician Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS), a validated instrument. RESULTS: The difference in the sum of the POSAS component scores for 6-0 FG (12.03) compared with that for 5-0 FG (13.11) was not statistically significant (P = .26). Observer overall opinion was similar for both interventions, at 2.49 for 6-0 FG vs 2.64 for 5-0 FG (P = .54). The difference in the number of complications in the 5-0 FG group (15) vs the 6-0 FG group (10) was not statistically significant (P = .40). LIMITATIONS: Single-center study with wounds limited to the head and neck in white individuals, with a predominance of men. CONCLUSION: For linear repair of cutaneous wounds, 6-0 FG was not statistically different for cosmetic outcomes, scar width, and complications compared with 5-0 FG.

Comparative study of polyglactin 910 and simple catgut in the formation of intraperitoneal adhesions.

PURPOSE: To compare polyglactin 910 and simple catgut sutures for the incidence of intraperitoneal adhesions. METHODS: Twenty female Wistar rats were placed into two groups. Group 1 received ischemic sutures and Group 2 received polyglactin 910. Five sutures inductive of adhesions in each rat were made. After 14 days, the rats were euthanized with an assessment of the presence of adhesions, the number of sutures involved and classification according to the Granat et al. scale described by Ozel et al17. RESULTS: In total, 19 of the 20 rats presented adhesions, with nine from Group 1 and ten from Group 2. There was a smaller number of affected sutures in Group 1, while in Group 2 the majority of the sutures formed adhesions (p=0.0197). According to the Granat et al. scale, Group 1 predominately developed fine, filamentous adhesions or thickening in a restricted area. Group 2 mainly presented extensive, thick adhesions with the involvement of the viscera (p=0.0055). CONCLUSION: Polyglactin 910 sutures formed more adhesions that were more extensive and thicker than the simple catgut sutures.

Comparative study of polyglactin 910 and simple catgut in the formation of intraperitoneal adhesions

Abstract Purpose: To compare polyglactin 910 and simple catgut sutures for the incidence of intraperitoneal adhesions. Methods: Twenty female Wistar rats were placed into two groups. Group 1 received ischemic sutures and Group 2 received polyglactin 910. Five sutures inductive of adhesions in each rat were made. After 14 days, the rats were euthanized with an assessment of the presence of adhesions, the number of sutures involved and classification according to the Granat et al. scale described by Ozel et al17. Results: In total, 19 of the 20 rats presented adhesions, with nine from Group 1 and ten from Group 2. There was a smaller number of affected sutures in Group 1, while in Group 2 the majority of the sutures formed adhesions (p=0.0197). According to the Granat et al. scale, Group 1 predominately developed fine, filamentous adhesions or thickening in a restricted area. Group 2 mainly presented extensive, thick adhesions with the involvement of the viscera (p=0.0055). Conclusion: Polyglactin 910 sutures formed more adhesions that were more extensive and thicker than the simple catgut sutures.

[Effect and postoperative reactions of acupoint catgut embedding for prediabetes].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect and safety of acupoint catgut embedding for prediabetes. METHODS: Eighty-six patients with prediabetes were randomly assigned into an observation group and a control group, 43 cases in each one. Diabetes health education was applied in the two groups. Catgut embedding was used at bilateral Pishu (BL 20), Weiwanxiashu (EX-B 3), Ganshu (BL 18), Shenshu (BL 23), and Zusanli (ST 36) in the observation group, once every 15 days for 6 times. The type and number of postoperative reactions of the last time had been recorded since the second embedding, and the situation of the last postoperative reactions was observed 15 days after treatment. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2 hours postprandial blood glucose (2hPG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), empty stomach insulin (Ins) and TCM syndrome score were tested before and after treatment as well as 6 months after treatment. The clinical efficacy was evaluated. RESULTS: After treatment, the levels of TC, TG, FPG, 2hPG, HbA1c of the observation group were lower than those before treatment and those of the control group (all P<0.05). The Ins changed little after treatment and was not significantly different from that of the control group (both P>0.05). All the above indices had no significant difference at follow-up compared with those before treatment (all P>0.05). After treatment, the TCM syndrome score in the observation group was lower than that before treatment and that in the control group (both P<0.05). The TCM syndrome score at follow-up was better than that before treatment in the observation group (P<0.05). The total effective rate of the observation group was 76.7% (33/43) after treatment, which was superior to 30.2% (13/43) of the control group (P<0.05). The rates at follow-up was 37.2% (16/43) in the observation group and was 25.6% (11/43) in the control group (P>0.05). 18 postoperative reactions occurred 168 times totally after embedding, which could be divided into 5 categories, including 75 times (44.6%) of dietary inhibition, 41 times (24.4%) of abnormal feeling, 23 times (13.7%) of local discomfort, 21 times (12.5%) of general malaise, and 8 times (4.8%) of other symptoms. The postoperative peak responses were after the second and third operations. CONCLUSIONS: 3-month catgut embedding can improve some of the indices of prediabetes, but long-term healthy living habits need to be kept. There exist various postoperative reactions after embedding without blocking the treatment.

[Analysis of safety of minimally invasive embedding].

The technique of minimally invasive embedding simplifies the clinical manipulation of embeddingtherapy and relieves painful patients. The safety of minimally invasive embedding is analyzed in terms of manipula-tion apparatuses, embedding materials, operating techniques and possible adverse reactions, etc. It is expected thatthe evidence of popularizing minimally invasive embedding should be provided.

A clinical study on the influence of suturing material on oral wound healing.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Suture materials play an important role in healing, enabling reconstruction and reassembly of tissue separated by the surgical procedure or trauma, and at the same time facilitating and promoting healing and hemostasis. Suture materials are used daily in oral surgery, and are considered to be substances most commonly implanted in human body. The aim of this clinical study was to examine the speed of wound healing and complications incidence, after the use of three different absorbable synthetic suture materials in oral surgery (catgut, Dexon and Vicryl rapide), and to ascertain which one is the most suitable for oral surgery. METHODS: The study was conducted on 96 patients undergoing root resection or surgical extraction of third molars. Each of the suture materials (catgut, Dexon and Vicryl rapide) was used for 8 root resections and 8 surgical third molar extractions in the maxilla, as well as in the mandible (a total of 32 surgical interventions for each suture material). RESULTS: The faster wound healing was obtained with Vicryl rapide compared to other two suturing material tested. There was no significant difference regarding the presence of local reaction in all the three groups of patients on the 21st postoperative day. CONCLUSION: The results of our clinical study point out that Vycril- rapid contributes more than catgut or Dexon to faster healing of human wounds, with fewer incidences of wound dehiscence and milder local reactions.