Effectiveness of Acupuncture in Relieving Chemotherapy-induced Leukopenia in Patients With Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review With A Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and a major cause of death in women worldwide. Chemotherapy is mainly used to treat and control the progression of breast cancer. Leukopenia is the most common side effect of chemotherapy which may decrease immune function and further lead to serious fatal infections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on regulating hematopoietic function in chemotherapy-induced leukopenia among patients with breast cancer. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science, and Chinese articles in the Airiti Library and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were searched to August 2021 for papers to include in a systematic review and meta-analysis. A random-effects model was applied. The effect size was calculated by Hedges' g. Heterogeneity was determined using Cochran's Q test. Moderator analyses were performed to examine potential sources of heterogeneity. A trial sequential analysis (TSA) was conducted to determine whether the current sample size was sufficient. RESULTS: Ten randomized controlled trials involving 650 participants were eligible for inclusion. Analysis by the random-effects model showed a significant effect by acupuncture of ameliorating leukopenia during chemotherapy. Levels of white blood cells (WBCs) were increased (Hedges' g = 0.70, P < .001, I2 = 34%), neutrophil counts (Hedges' g = 0.80, P < .001, I2 = 0%) were significantly enhanced. Moreover, regardless of the manner through which acupuncture was applied, overall values of WBCs increased. CONCLUSIONS: The current meta-analysis supports acupuncture possibly ameliorating chemotherapy-induced leukopenia, as WBC and neutrophil values significantly increased after acupuncture in patients undergoing chemotherapy. Additionally, regardless of the type of acupuncture, values of WBCs increased. These findings are actionable and support both the clinical use of acupuncture to relieve chemotherapy-induced leukopenia and further research regarding the use of acupuncture in patients experiencing immunosuppression when undergoing chemotherapy.Trial Registration: PROSPERO-CRD42020215759.

A cross-sectional evaluation of meditation experience on electroencephalography data by artificial neural network and support vector machine classifiers.

To quantitate the meditation experience is a subjective and complex issue because it is confounded by many factors such as emotional state, method of meditation, and personal physical condition. In this study, we propose a strategy with a cross-sectional analysis to evaluate the meditation experience with 2 artificial intelligence techniques: artificial neural network and support vector machine. Within this analysis system, 3 features of the electroencephalography alpha spectrum and variant normalizing scaling are manipulated as the evaluating variables for the detection of accuracy. Thereafter, by modulating the sliding window (the period of the analyzed data) and shifting interval of the window (the time interval to shift the analyzed data), the effect of immediate analysis for the 2 methods is compared. This analysis system is performed on 3 meditation groups, categorizing their meditation experiences in 10-year intervals from novice to junior and to senior. After an exhausted calculation and cross-validation across all variables, the high accuracy rate >98% is achievable under the criterion of 0.5-minute sliding window and 2 seconds shifting interval for both methods. In a word, the minimum analyzable data length is 0.5 minute and the minimum recognizable temporal resolution is 2 seconds in the decision of meditative classification. Our proposed classifier of the meditation experience promotes a rapid evaluation system to distinguish meditation experience and a beneficial utilization of artificial techniques for the big-data analysis.

Risk factors for HIV-1 seroconversion among Taiwanese men visiting gay saunas who have sex with men.

BACKGROUND: Men having sex with men (MSM) accounts for 33.6% of all reported cases of HIV-1 infection in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of HIV-1 infection among MSM in gay saunas in Taiwan. METHODS: Patrons of 5 gay saunas were recruited for a weekly volunteer counseling and testing program from 2001 to 2005. Questionnaires were collected for a risk factor analysis. HIV-1 subtypes were determined using DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. RESULTS: HIV-1 prevalence rates among MSM in gay saunas in 2001 through 2005 were 3.4%, 5.1%, 8.9%, 8.5%, and 8.3%, respectively. In total, 81 of 1, 093 (7.4%) MSM had HIV-1 infection. Fifty-two HIV-1 strains were genotyped, and all of them were subtype B. HIV-seropositive men were significantly younger than the seronegatives. Only 37.1% used condoms every time during sexual intercourse. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk factors for HIV-1 were being uncircumcised (odds ratio (OR) = 2.19; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08~4.45); having sexual intercourse with at least 2 partners during each sauna visit (≥ 2 vs. ≤ 1, OR = 1.71; 95% CI, 1.02~2.89); and the role played during anal intercourse (versatile vs. an exclusively insertive role, OR = 2.76; 95% CI, 1.42~5.36). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, 7.4% Taiwanese MSM participating in this study had HIV-1 subtype B infection. Uncircumcised, being versatile role during anal intercourse, and having sex with more than one person during each sauna visit were main risk factors for HIV-1 infection.

Antiobesity and hypolipidemic effects of polyphenol-rich longan (Dimocarpus longans Lour.) flower water extract in hypercaloric-dietary rats.

Plenty of polyphenols, i.e. phenolic acids and flavonoids, were found in longan flower water extract (LFWE) through spectrophotometric and HPLC analyses. Antiobesity and hypolipidemic effects of polyphenol-rich longan flower water extract (LFWE) were investigated in this study. Eight male rats per group were assigned randomly to one of the following dietary groups: (1) normal-caloric diet and pure water (NCD + NDW); (2) hypercaloric diet and pure water (HCD + NDW); (3) HCD and 1.25% (w/v) LFWE (HCD + 1.25% LFWE); (4) HCD and 2.5% (w/v) LFWE (HCD + 2.5% LFWE) for 9 weeks. Body weight, size of epididymal fat, serum triglyceride level and atherogenic index, and hepatic lipids were decreased (p < 0.05) in HCD rats by drinking 2.5% LFWE which may result from downregulated (p < 0.05) pancreatic lipase activity, and sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) gene expressions, as well as upregulated (p < 0.05) LDL receptor (LDLR) and peroxisome proliferator-activated-receptor-alpha (PPAR-alpha) gene expressions, and also increased (p < 0.05) fecal triglyceride excretions. Therefore, polyphenol-rich LFWE indeed characterizes antiobesity and hypolipidemic effects in vivo.