Designing an acupuncture study to meet evidence-based medical criteria: methodological considerations for logistic design and development of treatment interventions arising from the German randomized controlled acupuncture trial on chronic shoulder pain (GRASP).

The results from studies on potential treatment effects of acupuncture are often limited due to serious difficulties in methodology. Randomized controlled trials on acupuncture should test a widely accepted treatment strategy of verum and sham acupuncture. However, in clinical practice various patterns of acupuncture techniques are employed, and up to now no generally accepted guidelines on how to perform a reliable verum or sham treatment have been established. Another limitation is that in most studies the study populations are too small to obtain reliable data and to detect subtle differences between the unspecific needling of sham acupuncture and specific needling of verum acupuncture with sufficient statistical power. Moreover, only a multicenter trial in an outpatient setting would guarantee a naturalistic environment in which acupuncture is used in clinical practice. In the present report we discuss such methodological aspects in detail and summarize some practical considerations for planning an acupuncture trial that fulfills evidence-based medical criteria. The largest German study on the treatment effects of acupuncture in patients with chronic shoulder pain (recruited patients n = 452), might serve as an example for such a well-designed study. Before we could conduct our study, clear definitions and protocols for the verum and sham acupuncture treatments as well as adequate endpoints had to be developed. For this we used a combination of a comprehensive study of the literature and structured interviews with experienced physicians followed by an expert panel. A total of 41 physicians had to be trained to achieve a homogeneously high quality of acupuncture treatment. The latter represents a prerequisite for reproducibility, constituting a critical component of rigorous efficacy trials in scientific acupuncture research.

Antimicrobial effect of extracts from Chinese chive, cinnamon, and corni fructus.

Extracts were prepared from Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum), cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia), and corni fructus (Cornus officinalis) and used to evaluate their antimicrobial activity on common foodborne microorganisms, alone and in combination. The mixed extract, consisting of three extracts in equal volumes, showed an entire antimicrobial spectrum and had excellent stability to heat, pH, and storage. The mixed extract exhibited better inhibition on growth of Escherichia coli than potassium sorbate at 2-5 mg/mL. The mixed extract inhibited the growth of Pichia membranaefaciens at levels as low as 2 mg/mL. When the mixed extract was used in foods, the expected antimicrobial effect in orange juice, pork, and milk was observed. After gel filtration chromatography, each extract was partially purified into fractions, and one fraction in each extract showed enhanced antimicrobial activity. Overall, the mixed extract was of promising potential for incorporation into various food products for which a natural antimicrobial additive is desired.

[Therapy of common cold with a homeopathic combination preparation in comparison with acetylsalicylic acid. A controlled, randomized double-blind study]. / Therapie des grippalen Infekts mit einem homöopathischen Kombinationspräparat im Vergleich zu Acetylsalicylsäure. Kontrollierte, randomisierte Einfachblindstudie.

A clinical test was carried out on 170 West German army soldiers suffering from common cold. The test was conducted on a monocentric, randomized, non-sequential, and inter-individual basis; the research workers were kept blind on the identity of the medication. The purpose of testing was to compare the effectiveness of a combination homeopathic preparation (Gripp-Heel) with that of acetylsalicylic acid. On the 4th and 10th treatment days, no significant difference was determined with respect to changes in clinical findings, subjectively assessed complaints, or length of time the patients were unable to work. Thus the two preparations possess comparative effectiveness in the treatment of the common cold.