Therapeutic effect of acupuncture and massage for shoulder-hand syndrome in hemiplegia patients: a clinical two-center randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of acupuncture and massage for shoulder-hand syndrome in hemiplegia patients. METHODS: One hundred and twenty hemiplegia patients with stage I shoulder-hand syndrome were randomly divided into a group treated with standardized electric acupuncture and massage, and a group treated with rehabilitation therapy for 6 weeks. The primary indices evaluated were pain on passive movement of the shoulder using the numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), and the number of patients with shoulder-hand syndrome at Steinbrocker stage II or III after treatment. The secondary indices were Fugl-Meyer evaluation of functional movement of the upper limb and hand using the modified rankin scale (MRS). RESULTS: At post-treatment evaluation and a 12-week follow-up visit, NPRS score, number of patients with stage II or III shoulder-hand syndrome, and MRS score were all improved in the acupuncture-massage group compared with the rehabilitation group (P<0.05). On Fugl-Meyer evaluation, functional movement of the upper limb was also improved in the acupuncture-massage group compared with the rehabilitation group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Standardized acupuncture-massage therapy may have curative effects on shoulder-hand syndrome in hemiplegia patients.

Effect of Tai Chi Chuan in Breast Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Tai Chi Chuan(TCC), as a mind-body exercise, may have a positive impact on physical function and psychological well-being in breast cancer patients. The latest systematic review and meta-analysis of TCC for breast cancer was made 4 years ago and some new clinical trials about it were published. We remade a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of TCC in breast cancer patients. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE (via embase.com), CENTRAL, CNKI, COVIP, Wanfang, Chaoxing, CiNii, J-SSTAGE, DBpia, and ThaiJO with no language restrictions from inception to December 31, 2018 (updated on February 16, 2020), for randomized clinical trials comparing TCC with non-exercised therapy in breast cancer patients. The primary outcome was quality of life in patients with breast cancer and data pooled by a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses were conducted to estimate the effect of different durations of TCC for breast cancer patients. This study was registered in PROSPERO, number CRD 4201810326. Results: Fifteen articles involving a total of 885 breast cancer participants were included in this review. Compared with non-exercised therapy, TCC had a significant effect on quality of life in breast cancer patients (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI 0.15-0.59, p = 0.001), and subgroup analysis found that TCC showed beneficial effect in 12 weeks and 25 weeks (12 weeks: SMD = 0.40, 95% CI 0.19-0.62, p = 0.0003; 25 weeks: SMD = 0.38, 95% CI 0.15-0.62, p = 0.002). Meta-analyses of secondary outcomes showed that 3 weeks TCC increased shoulder function (SMD = 1.08, 95% CI 0.28-1.87, p = 0.008), 12 weeks TCC improved pain (SMD = 0.30, 95% CI 0.08-0.51, p = 0.007), shoulder function (SMD = 1.34, 95% CI 0.43-2.25, p = 0.004), strength of arm (SMD = 0.44, 95% CI 0.20-0.68, p = 0.0004), and anxiety (MD = -4.90, 95% CI -7.83 to -1.98, p = 0.001) in breast cancer patients compared with the control group. Conclusions: TCC appears to be effective on some physical and psychological symptoms and improves the quality of life in patients with breast cancer. Additional randomized controlled trials with a rigorous methodology and low risk of bias are needed to provide more reliable evidence.

[Influence of acupuncture and moxibustion on proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells in olfactory bulb of senescence-accelerated mouse P8].

This study was carried out to defect the effects of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy on the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells in the olfactory bulb of senescence-accelerated mouse P8. Immunofluorescence double staining methods(BrdU/Nestin, BrdU/MAP-2 and BrdU/beta-tubulin III) were used. The results show that both acupuncture and moxibustion could improve proliferation of neural stem cells, but only moxibustion could induce differentiation of neural stem cells into neuron.

[Double-center randomized controlled trial on post-stroke shoulder pain treated by electroacupuncture combined with Tuina].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical therapeutic effect of post-stroke shoulder pain treated by acupuncture combined with Tuina. METHODS: Three hundred cases of post-stroke shoulder pain were randomly divided into an acupuncture and Tuina group and a rehabilitation group by double-center randomized controlled clinical trial method. In acupuncture and Tuina group, normalized electroacupuncture and Tuina therapy were applied, that was electroacupuncture at main points, such as Chize (LU 5), Quze (PC 3), Shaohai (HT 3), Jianyu (LI 15), Jianliao (TE 14) and Jianjing (GB 21),etc., combined with traditional Tuina manipulations; in rehabilitation group, the rehabilitation methods such as the electrostimulation through nervus cutaneus and the squeezing and stabilizing manipulations of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF), etc. were applied. The treatment courses of both groups were 6 weeks. The main therapeutic effect indices were the Assessment Face Scale (AFS) for pain when shoulder was in passive motion and the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment for upper limbs active function; the secondary indices were the moditied Rankin Scale (mRS) and the clinical incidences of shoulder-hand syndrome of hemiplegia and shoulder joint subluxation of hemiplegia. RESULTS: After 6 weeks treatment and 12 weeks follow-up, AFS score, Fugl-Meyer motor assessment of upper limbs active function and mRS evaluation in acupuncture and Tuina group were more obviously improved than those in rehabilitation group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Although the clinical incidences of shoulder-hand syndrome of hemiplegia and shoulder joint subluxation of hemiplegia in acupuncture and Tuina group was equal to those in rehabilitation group [3.55% (5/141) vs 8.45% (12/142), 1.42% (2/141) vs 5.63% (8/142), both P > 0.05], the data indicated that there was a superiority tendency in acupuncture and Tuina group. CONCLUSION: The combined therapy of electroacupuncture and Tuina is a normative manipulation, and the therapeutic effect is satisfying for post-stroke shoulder pain, superior to that of comprehensive rehabilitation treatment.

1H NMR-based metabonomic study on the metabolic changes in the plasma of patients with functional dyspepsia and the effect of acupuncture.

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common gastrointestinal disorder with multiple pathogenic mechanisms seen in clinical practice, and acupuncture may potentially be an alternative therapy for it. In order to investigate the biological effects of FD and the effect of acupuncture on metabolism, (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabonomic techniques have been used to compare the plasma metabolic profiles of six female FD patients with those of six female healthy control subjects. Plasma metabolic profiles of FD patients treated by acupuncture at the Foot-Yangming Meridian were also collected and compared. Data obtained from NMR spectroscopy were subjected to principal components analysis (PCA). The results show that there are relatively higher levels of glucose, acetate, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho), and lower levels of lactate, leucine/isoleucine, N-acetyl glycoprotein (NAc), and low-density lipoprotein/very low-density lipoprotein (LDL/VLDL) in FD patients than in healthy controls. Acupuncture treatment of FD patients significantly changed the levels of leucine/isoleucine, lactate and glucose, and slightly changed lipids level towards those of the healthy controls, demonstrating its therapeutic effects on the relief of FD symptoms. Due to the limited number of subjects, the present work is just a proof-of-principle study and further researches with larger number of subjects are needed. Our work shows the potential of an NMR-based metabonomic approach in the study of biological effects of acupuncture.

[Effect of electroacupuncture on the contents of excitatory amino acids in cerebral tissue at different time courses in rats with cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury].

OBJECTIVE: To observe changes of contents of excitatory amino acids in focal cerebral ischemic tissue after electroacupuncture (EA) treatment at different time courses in cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (CI/R) rats so as to provide experimental evidence for selecting the best duration of EA stimulation in the treatment of apoplexy. METHODS: Forty SD rats were randomized into control, model, EA-10 min, EA-30 min and EA-60 min groups. CI/R model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and reperfusion. EA (2 Hz, 3.5 mA and continuous waves) was applied to "Baihui" (GV 20) and "Shuigou" (GV 26) for 10 min, 30 min and 60 min respectively. Cerebral glutamate (Glu) and aspartic acid (Asp) concentrations were detected by using an amino acid automatic analyzer after homogenate and centrifugalization of the right brain tissue. RESULTS: Compared with control group, Asp and Glu contents of model group and EA-10 min group increased significantly (P < 0.01); while in comparison with model group, Asp level in EA-60 min group, and Glu level in EA-10 min, EA-30 min and EA-60 min groups decreased considerably (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found between control and EA-30 min groups, and between control and EA-60 min groups in Asp and Glu levels (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: EA of GV20 and GV26 for 60 min can markedly reduce Glu and Asp levels in the topical cerebral infarct area in CI/R rats, which may contribute to its effect in relieving cerebral ischemic injury. Suitable duration of EA stimulation is definitely necessary for inducing a better therapeutic effect.