Efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture for benign prostatic hyperplasia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. METHODS: Seven databases were searched from the inception of each database to March 31, 2023, including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and China Biology Medicine. The modified Jadad scale was used to assess literature quality, and literature inclusion and exclusion were conducted in strict accordance with the criteria of a score of ≥4. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The pooled effect size of the binary data was measured by odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), and the pooled effect size of the continuous data was presented as weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% CI. If I² was larger than 50%, a random effects model was adopted, and otherwise, a fixed effects model was used. Additionally, publication bias assessment and sensitivity analysis were conducted. RESULTS: A total of 325 records were retrieved, and finally 9 randomized controlled trial studies were included, involving 1045 patients. Meta-analysis revealed that the EA group had better improvement than the control group in terms of clinical effective rate (odds ratio = 3.92, 95% CI = 2.38 to 6.47, I²â€…= 0%, P < .001), International Prostate Symptom Score (WMD = -4.99, 95% CI = -6.15 to -3.84, I²â€…= 76.9%, P < .001), maximum urinary flow rate (WMD = -4.99, 95% CI = -6.15 to -3.84, I²â€…= 87.4%, P < .001), and post-void residual volume (WMD = -17.12, 95% CI = -29.49 to -4.75, I²â€…= 89.1%, P < .01). There was no statistical significance in prostate volume and adverse events between the EA group and the control group (P > .05). CONCLUSION: EA is effective in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with acceptable overall safety.

Acupuncture for post-stroke spasticity: An overview of systematic reviews.

BACKGROUND: Post-stroke spasticity (PSS) is the most common complication of stroke. Acupuncture is widely used in clinical practice for the treatment of PSS, and is therefore considered a common complementary treatment. Several systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of PSS; however, the quality of evidence of these studies has not been adequately assessed. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and summarize the SRs/MAs and inform future research and clinical practice on the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for PSS. DATA SOURCES AND EXTRACION: The following databases were searched from their dates of inception to March 26, 2023: PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, SinoMed, and Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), and grey literature were manually searched. Two reviewers independently completed literature retrieval, screening, and data extraction. REVIEW APPRAISAL: Systematic evaluation tools to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) 2, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020 Checklist), and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system were used to systematically evaluate the methodological, reporting, and evidence quality of the SRs/MAs. RESULTS: Overall, 226 papers were examined, and after careful consideration, 10 SRs/MAs were deemed eligible for inclusion. The AMSTAR 2 assessment revealed that one SR/MA had medium, one study had low, and the remaining eight studies had critically low methodological qualities. Additionally, four SRs/MAs completed more than 60 % of the PRISMA 2020 checklist. The GRADE system indicated that six outcomes were medium, 26 outcomes were low, and 24 outcomes were critically low. CONCLUSION: Based on the evidence, acupuncture may be a promising complementary treatment to improve post-stroke spasticity and quality of life. Further high-quality RCTs are needed in future studies to support the broader application of acupuncture for the treatment of PSS.

The Role of Qi-Stagnation Constitution and Emotion Regulation in the Association Between Childhood Maltreatment and Depression in Chinese College Students.

Background: Childhood maltreatment is known as a significant risk factor for later depression. However, there remains a lack of understanding about the mechanisms through which childhood maltreatment confers risk for depression. This study explores how Qi-stagnation constitution (QSC) and emotion regulation affect the link between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms in Chinese college students. Methods: We recruited 2,108 college students aged 18-25 years between November 2020 and December 2021. Participants were required to complete four self-report questionnaires, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), Qi-Stagnation Constitution (QSC) subscale of the simplified Chinese Medicine Constitution Questionnaire, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Moderated mediation analyses were conducted. Results: There was a positive correlation between childhood maltreatment and QSC, while the QSC partially mediated the effect of childhood maltreatment on depressive scores in college students. In addition, emotion dysregulation moderated the association between QSC and depressive scores. Conclusion: These results enhance understanding of key factors influencing the link between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms among college students by combining the theory of TCM constitution with psychological processes. The development of strategies to prevent biased Qi-stagnation constitution and emotion dysregulation may help to improve college students' mental health and strengthen the resilience of individuals to depression.

Spatially Overlapping Regions Show Abnormal Thalamo-frontal Circuit and Abnormal Precuneus in Disorders of Consciousness.

Understanding the neural mechanisms of disorders of consciousness (DOC) is essential for estimating the conscious level and diagnosing DOC patients. Although previous studies reported brain functional connectivity (FC) and spontaneous neural activity patterns associated with consciousness, the relationship between them remains unclear. In this study, we identified the abnormal brain regions in DOC patients by performing voxel-wise FC strength (FCS) and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) analyses on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 15 DOC patients and 24 healthy controls. Furthermore, we detected spatial intersections between two measures and estimated the correlations between either the FCS or the fALFF and the subscales of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R). We found that the right superior frontal gyrus, left thalamus and right precuneus in which the DOC patients had a lower local FCS and fALFF than healthy controls, are coincident with regions of the mesocircuit model. In the right precuneus, the local FCS/fALFF was significantly positively correlated with the oromotor and motor scores/motor score of the CRS-R. Our findings may indicate that the co-occurrent pattern of spontaneous neural activity and functional connectivity in the thalamo-frontal circuit and the precuneus are associated with motor function in DOC patients.

Regulation of Hypertension for Secondary Prevention of Stroke: The Possible 'Bridging Function' of Acupuncture.

Worldwide, stroke is the leading cause of mortality and disability, with hypertension being an independent risk factor for a secondary stroke. Acupuncture for the treatment of hypertension gains more attention in alternative and complementary medicine, but the results are inconsistent. Few studies regarding the secondary prevention of stroke by managing hypertension with acupuncture have been carried out as there are some problems regarding the antihypertensive drug status in the secondary prevention of stroke. Still, the potential of acupuncture in regulating the blood pressure for secondary stroke prevention deserves our focus. This review is based on papers recorded in the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases, from their inception until March 28, 2017, and retrieved with the following search terms: hypertension and acupuncture, limited in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), stress-induced (or cold-induced) hypertensive or pre-hypertensive models. We find that, in these hypertensive animals, acupuncture could mainly influence factors related to the nervous system, oxidative stress, the endocrine system, cardiovascular function, and hemorheology, which are closely associated with the stroke outcome. This trend may give us a hint that acupuncture might well participate in the secondary prevention of stroke through these pathways when used in the management of hypertension.