Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for polycystic ovary syndrome: An overview of systematic reviews / 中西医结合学报

BACKGROUND@#Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the primary cause of anovulatory infertility, bringing serious harm to women's physical and mental health. Acupuncture may be an effective treatment for PCOS. However, systematic reviews (SRs) on the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for PCOS have reported inconsistent results, and the quality of these studies has not been adequately assessed.@*OBJECTIVE@#To summarize and evaluate the current evidence on the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for PCOS, as well as to assess the quality and risks of bias of the available SRs.@*SEARCH STRATEGY@#Nine electronic databases (Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, and China Biology Medicine disc) were searched from their establishment to July 27, 2022. Based on the principle of combining subject words with text words, the search strategy was constructed around search terms for "acupuncture," "polycystic ovary syndrome," and "systematic review."@*INCLUSION CRITERIA@#SRs of randomized controlled trials that explored the efficacy and (or) safety of acupuncture for treating patients with PCOS were included.@*DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS@#Two authors independently extracted study data according to a predesigned form. Tools for evaluating the methodological quality, risk of bias, reporting quality, and confidence in study outcomes, including A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2), Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews (ROBIS), Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses for Acupuncture (PRISMA-A), and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), were used to score the included SRs.@*RESULTS@#A total of 885 studies were retrieved, and 11 eligible SRs were finally included in this review. The methodological quality of 2 SRs (18.18%) was low, while the other 9 SRs (81.82%) were scored as extremely low. Four SRs (36.36%) were considered to be of low risk of bias. As for reporting quality, the reporting completeness of 9 SRs (81.82%) was more than 70%. Concerning the confidence in study results, 2 study results were considered to have a high quality of evidence (3.13%), 14 (21.88%) a "moderate" quality, 28 (43.75%) a "low" quality, and 20 (31.24%) considered a "very low" quality. Descriptive analyses suggested that combining acupuncture with other medicines can effectively improve the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and ovulation rate, and reduce luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone ratio, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and body mass index (BMI). When compared with medicine alone, acupuncture alone also can improve CPR. Further, when compared with no intervention, acupuncture had a better effect in promoting the recovery of menstrual cycle and reducing BMI. Acupuncture was reported to cause no adverse events or some adverse events without serious harm.@*CONCLUSION@#The efficacy and safety of acupuncture for PCOS remains uncertain due to the limitations and inconsistencies of current evidence. More high-quality studies are needed to support the use of acupuncture in PCOS.

Enhancement of the anticoagulant capacity of polyvinyl chloride tubing for cardiopulmonary bypass circuit using aluminum oxide nanoscale coating applied through atomic layer deposition.

For cardiopulmonary bypass, the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) circuit which can initiate the activation of platelets and the coagulation cascade after blood cell contacting is the possible detrimental effect. Surface coating of the PVC tubing system can be an effective approach to enhance circuit's hemocompatibility. In this study, aluminum oxide (Al2 O3 ) thin films were deposited through thermal atomic layer deposition (T-ALD) or plasma-enhanced ALD (PE-ALD) on PVC samples, and the anticoagulation of the Al2 O3 -coated PVC samples was demonstrated. The results revealed that Al2 O3 deposition through ALD increased surface roughness, whereas T-ALD had a relative hydrophilicity compared with blank PVC and PE-ALD. Whole blood immersion tests showed that blood clots formed on blank PVC and that a large amount of red blood cells was found on PE-ALD substrates, whereas less blood cells were noted in T-ALD samples. Both T-ALD and PE-ALD Al2 O3 films did not cause activation of blood cells, as evidenced in CD3+ /CD4+ /CD8+ , CD61+ /CD62P+ , and CD45+ /CD42b+ populations. Analysis of serum coagulation factors showed that a lower amount of prothrombin was absorbed on T-ALD Al2 O3 samples than that on blank PVC. For albumin and fibrinogen immersion tests, immunostaining and scanning electron microscopy further revealed that a thin albumin layer was absorbed on T-ALD Al2 O3 substrates but not on PVC samples. This study revealed that deposition of Al2 O3 films by T-ALD can improve anticoagulation of the PVC tubing system.

Retrospect and prospect of researches on acupoint property: commemorating the 40th anniversary of / 中国针灸

The researches on acupoint property at modern times have been reviewed. Under the influence of TCM theory and modern technology, acupoint property is classified into generality, individuality and bidirectional regulation. It is affected mainly by acupoint compatibility, intervention measures, body state, etc. The research of acupoint property should be based on the connotation and clinical application of acupoint, adhere to the guidance of TCM theory, strengthen the exploration on the richness of acupoint property, implement the intersection of multi-disciplines to discover the specificity of acupoint, as well as investigate the relevant factors of acupoint property.

Rule mining of acupoint and medication selection of acupoint application therapy for functional constipation / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the rules of acupoint and medication selection of acupoint application therapy for functional constipation (FC) by data mining technology.@*METHODS@#The clinical research literature regarding acupoint application therapy for FC from published to February 26, 2020 was searched in CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, SinoMed and PubMed. The prescriptions were extracted, and by using SPSS24.0 and SPSS Modeler14.0 software, the use of high-frequency acupoints and medication was summarized. The association rule analysis, cluster analysis and core prescription analysis of acupoints and medication were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#A total of 122 prescriptions of acupoint application therapy were included, involving 32 acupoints. The core prescription of acupoints was Tianshu (ST 25), Dachangshu (BL 25), Shenque (CV 8) and Guanyuan (CV 4). The high-frequency meridians mainly included conception vessel, @*CONCLUSION@#The use of local acupoint and regulating-

Acupuncture for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Overview of Systematic Reviews / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the quality of the existing studies and summarize evidence of important outcomes of meta-analyses/systematic reviews (MAs/SRs) of CFS.@*METHODS@#Potentially eligible studies were searched in the following electronic databases from inception to 1 September, 2019: Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang Database (WF), Web of Science, Embase, PubMed and Cochrane Library. Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to evaluate the quality of evidence. The methodological quality of the literature was evaluated by A Measure Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews-2 (AMSTAR-2) and the quality of the report was assessed by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA). The intra-class correlation coefficient was used to assess the consistency of the reviewers, with an overall intraclass correlation coefficient score of 0.967.@*RESULTS@#Ten MAs/SRs were included. The overall conclusions were that acupuncture had good safety and efficacy in the treatment of CFS, but some of these results were contradictory. The GRADE indicated that out of the 17 outcomes, high-quality evidence was provided in 0 (0%), moderate in 3 (17.65%), low in 10 (58.82%), and very low in 4 (23.53%). The results of AMSTAR-2 showed that the methodological quality of all included studies was critically low. The PRISMA statement revealed that 8 articles (80%) were in line with 20 of the 27-item checklist, and 2 articles (20%) matched with 10-19 of the 27 items.@*CONCLUSION@#We found that acupuncture on treating CFS has the advantage for efficacy and safety, but the quality of SRs/MAs of acupuncture for CFS need to be improved.

Structural characterization and antioxidant activity of water-soluble lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCCs) isolated from wheat straw.

Lignin-carbohydrate complex (LCC) was proven to possess antioxidant activities. To understand structures and antioxidant activities of LCC, water-soluble LCC-stalk, LCC-sheath and LCC-leaf were isolated from ball-milled wheat straw stalk, sheath and leaf by successive dissolution in LiCl/DMSO solvent, water extraction and purification. LCCs were later structurally characterized by wet chemistry, chromatography and spectroscopy respectively. Their antioxidant activities were evaluated by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and DPPH radical scavenging assays. The results showed that three LCCs were carbohydrate-rich (≈70%) and presented relatively narrow molecular weight distribution (PI < 2.0). The lignin moieties of LCCs were mainly connected with ß-O-4' structures, and phenyl glycoside and γ-ester linkages were main LCC linkages in LCCs. However, guaiacyl units were the predominant lignin units in LCC-stalk and LCC-sheath, while syringyl units were predominant in LCC-leaf. Intermolecular cross-linkages were mainly pCA-bridges in LCC-stalk and FA-bridges in LCC-sheath and LCC-leaf. Besides, LCC-sheath featured higher polysaccharide content exhibited higher molecular weight, fewer LCC linkages and better antioxidant activities (DPPH radical scavenging rate up to 74.91%) than both LCC-stalk (74.55%) and LCC-leaf (64.52%). This work helped to know LCCs in wheat straw well and inspire the application of LCC as potential antioxidants.

Effectiveness of Essence of Chicken in Improving Cognitive Function in Young People Under Work-Related Stress: A Randomized Double-Blind Trial.

Work-related stress (WS) can result in considerable and extensive changes in physiological and psychological performance. WS beyond the optimal levels induces anxiety, confusion, exhaustion, and burnout. Chronic WS affects neurocognitive performance, particularly attention and visuospatial memory. Essence of chicken (EC) has been reported to improve neurocognitive function after mental stress.To investigate the beneficial effects of EC in improving neurocognitive performance under WS, we conducted a randomized, double blind trial. Total 102 young workers in New Taipei City with high WS, evaluated using the Individual Subjective Perception Job Stress Scale scores (>36 for job leaders and 33 for nonleaders) were recruited. Fifty-one participants received 70 mL of EC and 51 received a placebo daily for 2 weeks. Blood tests and neurocognitive assessment were performed before treatment, at the end of treatment, and 2 weeks after treatment.EC improved the performance of participants with high depression scores in the form-color associative memory test, used for assessing short-term memory. Although creatinine and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) levels increased in week 2, but the levels returned to the baseline in week 4. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels decreased in week 4.EC significantly improved short-term memory in participants with high WS and concomitant depressive mood, although it slightly increased GPT and creatinine levels and reduced BUN levels. The long-term treatment effects of EC warrant further investigation.

Structural characterization of hemicelluloses and topochemical changes in Eucalyptus cell wall during alkali ethanol treatment.

Eucalyptus was sequentially extracted with 70% ethanol containing 0.4, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 5.0% NaOH for 2h at 80°C. The chemical composition and structural features of the hemicellulosic fractions obtained were comparatively characterized by the combination of high-performance anion-exchange chromatography, gel permeation chromatography, Fourier transform infrared, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. Furthermore, the main component distribution and their changes in cell wall were investigated by confocal Raman microscopy. Based on the Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses, the hemicelluloses extracted from Eucalyptus mainly have a linear backbone of (1→4)-linked-ß-d-xylopyranosyl residues decorated with branch at O-2 of 4-O-methyl-α-glucuronic acid unit. Raman analysis revealed that the dissolution of hemicelluloses was different in the morphological regions, and the hemicelluloses released mainly originated from the secondary wall. The information obtained from the study conducted by combining chemical characterization with ultrastructure provides important basis for studying the mechanism of the alkali treatment.

Research progress of emodin anti-gallbladder carcinoma / 中国中药杂志

Emodin is an effective active ingredient extracted from Chinese herbal medicine, which has the function of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and scavenging oxygen free radicals, inhibiting platelet aggregation, improving microcirculation, protecting various organs and tissues as well as a wide range of anti-tumor effect. Primary biliary gallbladder is a common malignant tumor resection rate and lack of effective adjuvant treatment. It has been confirmed that emodin has broad spectrum antitumor effect, whereas, whether it has curative effect in the treatment of gallbladder carcinoma there is no reliable clinical trials confirmed that its resistance to gallbladder carcinoma function needs further experimental research. In this review, we report the research progress of emodin anti-gallbladder carcinoma.

Electroacupuncture Attenuates 5'-Guanidinonaltrindole-Evoked Scratching and Spinal c-Fos Expression in the Mouse.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the influence of electroacupuncture (EA) on compulsive scratching in mice and c-Fos expression elicited by subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of a known puritogen, 5'-guanidinonaltrindole (GNTI) to the neck. Application of EA to Hegu (LI4) and Quchi (LI11) acupoints at 2 Hz, but not 100 Hz, attenuated GNTI-evoked scratching. In mice pretreated with the µ opioid receptor antagonist naloxone, EA 2 Hz did not attenuate GNTI-evoked scratching, whereas EA at 2 Hz did attenuate GNTI-evoked scratching in mice pretreated with the κ opioid receptor antagonist nor-binaltorphimine. Moreover, intradermal (i.d.) administration of the selective µ opioid receptor agonist [d-Ala2, N-Me-Phe4, Gly5-ol]-enkephalin acetate (DAMGO) attenuated GNTI-evoked scratching behavior, while s.c. administration of DAMGO was ineffective. GNTI provoked c-Fos expression on the lateral side of the superficial layer of the dorsal horn of the cervical spinal cord. Application of 2 Hz EA to LI4 and LI11 decreased the number of c-Fos positive nuclei induced by GNTI. It may be concluded that application of 2 Hz EA to LI4 and LI11 attenuates scratching behavior induced by GNTI in mice and that the peripheral µ opioid system is involved, at least in part, in the anti-pruritic effects of EA.

[Treatment of varicocele infertility men patients of different Chinese medical syndrome types by integrative medicine treatment selection: a primary research].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the optimal treatment selection for treating varicocele (VC) male infertility patients accompanied with oligozoospermia or azoospermia of different Chinese medical syndrome types by comparing the efficacies of integrative medicine. METHODS: One hundred and twenty male infertility patients with VC accompanied with oligozoospermia or azoospermia were assigned to Chinese medical treatment group (A) and the surgical group (B), each consisting of three Chinese medical syndrome types, i.e., damp-heat stagnation syndrome (DHSS), Shen-deficiency blood stasis syndrome (SDBSS), and blood stasis stagnation syndrome (BSSS), 20 in each group. Corresponding Chinese medical treatment was administered to those in Group A, C, and E, while microscopic ligation of internal vena spermatic was administered to those in Group B, D, and F. The routine analysis of semen, biochemical analysis of seminal plasma, and serum sex hormones (prolactin, testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and estradiol) were performed before treatment and by the end of the 24th week after treatment. RESULTS: Totally 18 patients' spouses were pregnant. Of them, 1 in Group A of DHSS (abbreviated as Group A), 3 in Group B of DHSS (abbreviated as Group B), 4 in Group A of SDB-SS (abbreviated as Group C), 5 in Group A of SDBSS (abbreviated as Group D), 1 in Group A of BSSS (abbreviated as Group E), and 4 in Group B of BSSS (abbreviated as Group F). After 24-week treatment, the sperm concentration, class a sperm percentage, class a + b sperm percentage, the motility rate, the seminal plasma of fructose density, and the seminal plasma neutral alpha-glucosidase were more significantly improved in Group B, C, D and F, when compared with the same group before treatment (P <0. 01, P <0. 05). There was no statistical difference in the aforesaid indices between before and after treatment in Group A and Group E (P >0.05). As for the improvement percentage of seminal routine indices, the difference of the seminal plasma of fructose density, and the difference of seminal plasma neutral alpha-glucosidase between before and after treatment in the same Chinese medical syndrome types, better effects were obtained in Group B than in Group A (P <0.01), and better effects were obtained in Group F than in Group E (P <0.01). There was no statistical difference between Group C and D (P >0.05). There was no statistical difference in the 5 items of sex hormones in each group between before and after treatment (P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment could effectively improve the semen quality for male infertility VC patients accompanied with oligozoospermia or azoospermia. Of them, Chinese medical treatment could be recommended to those of SDBSS who would not receive surgical treatment.

Effects of fish oil on inflammatory modulation in surgical intensive care unit patients.

BACKGROUND: The benefit of ω-3 fatty acids in fat emulsion remains controversial. This study evaluated the effect of ω-3 fatty acids on immune and inflammatory modulation in surgical intensive care unit (SICU) patients. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients admitted to the SICU after major surgery were enrolled in this prospective controlled study and randomized to receive parenteral nutrition (PN) with equal volume and calories from glucose, nitrogen, and fat but different lipid components for 7 postoperative days. Group A (n = 12) received a mixture of soybean and medium-chain triglyceride oils; group B (n = 18) received a fat emulsion with part of the lipid replaced by fish oil. Blood tests, including lipid profile, routine biochemistry, inflammatory cytokines, and lymphocyte subpopulations, were evaluated preoperatively and on postoperative days 4 and 7. RESULTS: Both lipid regimens were well tolerated. There was a trend toward reduced serum inflammatory cytokines in group B vs group A with significant differences regarding interleukin (IL)-1, IL-8, and interferon (IFN)-γ on postoperative day 4 (P < .05) and IL-1, IL-8, IFN-γ, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α on postoperative day 7 (P < .05). There was a reduction in postoperative liver dysfunction (A vs B: 50% vs 33.3%) and infection rate (A vs B: 41.7% vs 27.8%) in group B, although this was not statistically significant. There was no mortality in either group. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that supplementation of parenteral ω-3 fatty acids in PN is safe and may improve immune and hyperinflammatory response for SICU patients after major surgery.

Cytotoxic diarylheptanoids from the pericarps of walnuts (Juglans regia).

Two new diarylheptanoids, juglanin A (1) and B (2), together with 15 known compounds, were isolated from the extract of the seed husks of walnuts (Juglans regia L.). The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by various spectroscopic methods including intensive 2D-NMR techniques, HR-ESI-MS, and X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis, and the cytotoxic activities of 1, 2, and 10 against human hepatoma (Hep G2) cells was reported.

[A multi-center clinical trial of Qianlieantong tablets for chronic prostatitis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy and safety of Qianlieantong Tablets in the treatment of chronic prostatitis. METHODS: A multi-center, self-controlled open clinical trial was conducted. A total of 280 subjects with chronic prostatitis were enrolled and treated by Qianlieantong Tablets, 3 times a day, 5 tablets each time. Before and after 2 and 4 weeks after the administration, NIH-CPSI scores and white blood cell counts in the prostate secretion were recorded. RESULTS: Of the 273 subjects evaluated, the rates of excellence, effectiveness and ineffectiveness were 35.2% (n = 96), 47.6% (n = 130) and 17.2% (n = 47), respectively, with a total effectiveness rate of 82.8%. After 4 weeks'medication, the scores of the subjects on NIH-CPSI pain, voiding and quality of life and white blood cell counts in prostate secretion were significantly decreased compared with pre-treatment (P < 0.01). No adverse events or laboratory abnormality related to the medication were observed. CONCLUSION: Qianlieantong Tablets has a significant effect on chronic prostatitis with high safety, particularly indicated in chronic prostatitis with pelvic pain.