Mechanism of Acupuncture in Treating Obesity: Advances and Prospects.

Obesity is a common metabolic syndrome that causes a significant burden on individuals and society. Conventional therapies include lifestyle interventions, bariatric surgery, and pharmacological therapies, which are not effective and have a high risk of adverse events. Acupuncture is an effective alternative for obesity, it modulates the hypothalamus, sympathetic activity and parasympathetic activity, obesity-related hormones (leptin, ghrelin, insulin, and CCK), the brain-gut axis, inflammatory status, adipose tissue browning, muscle blood flow, hypoxia, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) to influence metabolism, eating behavior, motivation, cognition, and the reward system. However, hypothalamic regulation by acupuncture should be further demonstrated in human studies using novel techniques, such as functional MRI (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), electroencephalogram (EEG), and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Moreover, a longer follow-up phase of clinical trials is required to detect the long-term effects of acupuncture. Also, future studies should investigate the optimal acupuncture therapeutic option for obesity. This review aims to consolidate the recent improvements in the mechanism of acupuncture for obesity as well as discuss the future research prospects and potential of acupuncture for obesity.

Acupuncture for menstruation-related migraine prophylaxis: A multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture, an alternative medicine therapy, as a preventive treatment for menstruation-related migraine (MRM). Patients and methods: This was a prospective, multicenter, double-dummy, participant-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial conducted in China between 1 April 2013, and 30 April 2014. The participants were enrolled from four study centers and randomized to into either the acupuncture group, which received 24 sessions of acupuncture at traditional acupoints plus placebo, or the medication group, which received sham acupuncture plus naproxen. The primary endpoint was change from the baseline average number of migraine days per perimenstrual period over cycles 1-3. The secondary endpoints included changes from the baseline average number of migraine days outside the perimenstrual period, mean number of migraine hours during and outside the perimenstrual period, mean visual analog scale score during and outside the perimenstrual period, ≥50% migraine responder rate, and the proportion of participants who used acute pain medication over cycles 1-3 and 4-6. Results: A total of 172 women with MRM were enrolled; 170 in the intention-to-treat analyses. Our primary outcome reported a significant between-group difference that favored the acupuncture group (95% CI, 0.17-0.50; P < 0.001), with the average reduction of migraine days per perimenstrual period from the baseline was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.82-1.07) in the acupuncture group and 0.61 (95% CI, 0.50-0.71) in the medication group over cycles 1-3. Conclusion: This study showed that compared to medication, acupuncture reduces the number of migraine days experienced by patients with MRM. For patients who received the acupuncture treatment over three cycles, the preventive effect of the therapy was sustained for six cycles. Clinical trial registration: [https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN57133712], identifier [ISRCTN15663606].

[Observation on the efficacy of post-stroke dysphagia treated with He's santong acupuncture therapy through surface electromyography: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical therapeutic effect on post-stroke dysphagia treated with He's santong (triple promotion) acupuncture therapy through surface electromyography (sEMG). METHODS: A total of 60 patients with post-stroke dysphagia were divided into a routine treatment group and a He's santong acupuncture therapy group, using blocked randomization, 30 cases in each one. In the routine treatment group, the secondary prevention and swallowing rehabilitation training were adopted. In the He's santong acupuncture therapy group, on the base of the treatment as the routine treatment group, weitong (mild promotion, routine acupuncture at bilateral Fengchi ï¼»GB20ï¼½, Fengfu ï¼»GV16ï¼½, Yifeng ï¼»TE17ï¼½, Lianquan ï¼»CV23ï¼½, Jia-lianquan ï¼»Extraï¼½, Fenglong ï¼»ST40ï¼½ and Tongli ï¼»HT5ï¼½, needle retaining for 30 min, 5 treatments a week), wentong (warm promotion, pricking with fire needle at bilateral GB20 and CV23, twice a week) and qiangtong (strong promotion, blood-letting with three-edge needle at Jinjin ï¼»EX-HN12ï¼½, Yuye ï¼»EX-HN13ï¼½ and Yanhoubi ï¼»Extraï¼½, twice a week) treatment was added. The therapy was given consecutively for 4 weeks in each group. The score of fiberoptic endoscopic examination of swallowing (FEES) and Rosenbek-penetration-aspiration scale (PAS), the score of swallowing grading scale, the score of the modified Mann assessment of swallowing ability (MMASA) and the peak amplitude of sEMG were recorded before and after treatment in patients. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, the score of FEES and PAS after treatment was decreased (P<0.05), the scores of swallowing grading scale and MMASA after treatment were increased in both routine treatment group and He's santong acupuncture therapy group (P<0.05), the peak amplitude of sEMG was increased (P<0.05) in the He's santong acupuncture therapy group and decreased (P<0.05) in the routine treatment group. Compared with the routine treatment group, the score of FEES and PAS was decreased (P<0.05), the scores of swallowing grading scale and peak amplitude of sEMG were increased in the He's santong acupuncture therapy group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: He's santong acupuncture therapy is obviously effective on post-stroke dysphagia, which may be related to its effects in increasing the contraction of swallowing-related muscles and improving the peak amplitude of hyoid muscle group.

Determining 5HT7R's Involvement in Modifying the Antihyperalgesic Effects of Electroacupuncture on Rats With Recurrent Migraine.

Electroacupuncture (EA) is widely used in clinical practice to relieve migraine pain. 5-HT7 receptor (5-HT7R) has been reported to play an excitatory role in neuronal systems and regulate hyperalgesic pain and neurogenic inflammation. 5-HT7R could influence phosphorylation of protein kinase A (PKA)- or extracellular signal-regulated kinase1 / 2 (ERK1 / 2)-mediated signaling pathways, which mediate sensitization of nociceptive neurons via interacting with cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). In this study, we evaluated the role of 5-HT7R in the antihyperalgesic effects of EA and the underlying mechanism through regulation of PKA and ERK1 / 2 in trigeminal ganglion (TG) and trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC). Hyperalgesia was induced in rats with dural injection of inflammatory soup (IS) to cause meningeal neurogenic inflammatory pain. Electroacupuncture was applied for 15 min every other day before IS injection. Von Frey filaments, tail-flick, hot-plate, and cold-plated tests were used to evaluate the mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. Neuronal hyperexcitability in TNC was studied by an electrophysiological technique. The 5-HT7R antagonist (SB269970) or 5-HT7R agonist (AS19) was administered intrathecally before each IS application at 2-day intervals during the 7-day injection protocol. The changes in 5-HT7R and 5-HT7R-associated signaling pathway were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot, immunofluorescence, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analyses. When compared with IS group, mechanical and thermal pain thresholds of the IS + EA group were significantly increased. Furthermore, EA prevented the enhancement of both spontaneous activity and evoked responses of second-order trigeminovascular neurons in TNC. Remarkable decreases in 5-HT7R mRNA expression and protein levels were detected in the IS + EA group. More importantly, 5-HT7R agonist AS19 impaired the antihyperalgesic effects of EA on p-PKA and p-ERK1 / 2. Injecting 5-HT7R antagonist SB-269970 into the intrathecal space of IS rats mimicked the effects of EA antihyperalgesia and inhibited p-PKA and p-ERK1 / 2. Our findings indicate that 5-HT7R mediates the antihyperalgesic effects of EA on IS-induced migraine pain by regulating PKA and ERK1 / 2 in TG and TNC.

[Application of shear wave elastography in acupuncture research].

In recent years, a new technique of elastic quantization imaging, the ultrasound-based shear wave elastography (SWE) is arising, which has advantages of real-time, non-invasion, rapid imaging and strong repeatability, and quantifying the elastic properties of soft tissues including thyroid gland, breast, prostate, muscle tendon, ligament, etc.. It has been gradually applied to clinical and experimental researches of acupuncture and has an extensive application prospect. The present paper briefly introduces the application of SWE in accurately locating the acupoint, Deqi from needled acupoints, acupuncture manipulations, and evaluation of efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of musculofascial diseases.

Electroacupuncture exerts an anti-migraine effect via modulation of the 5-HT7 receptor in the conscious rat.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture has been recommended as an alternative therapy for migraine. Emerging evidence suggests that the 5-HT7 receptor (5-HT7R) plays a significant facilitatory role in descending modulation in migraine pathophysiology, and that activation of 5-HT7R in the descending pathway is involved in migraine central sensitisation. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the ability of electroacupuncture (EA) to ameliorate central sensitisation via modulation of 5-HT7R in the descending pain pathways using a rat model of migraine induced by repetitive dural electrical stimulation (DES). DESIGN: 64 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: Normal group; DES group (receiving dural electrical stimulation only); DES+GB20 group (DES model group treated with EA at GB20); and DES+Sham group (DES model group treated with EA at a non-traditional (sham) acupuncture point). The presence of cutaneous allodynia was determined by measuring facial and hind-paw withdrawal latencies to electronic von-Frey. The expression of 5-HT7R in the descending pathways (periaqueductal grey, raphe magnus nucleus, and trigeminal nucleus caudalis) was assessed using immunofluorescence and Western blotting. RESULTS: Facial and hind-paw withdrawal thresholds were significantly increased in the DES+GB20 group compared with the untreated DES group. The expression of 5-HT7R was significantly decreased in the DES+GB20 group compared with the DES group (one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), P<0.05). No significant differences in behaviour or expression were found between the rats in the DES+Sham group and the untreated DES group (one-way ANOVA, P>0.05). CONCLUSION: EA at GB20 may ameliorate central sensitisation in migraine by inhibiting the activation of 5-HT7 receptors in the descending pain pathway in a rat model of migraine.

Acupuncture as prophylaxis for chronic migraine: a protocol for a single-blinded, double-dummy randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 1.4%-2.2% of the global population suffers from chronic migraine. Acupuncture may serve as an alternative management for chronic migraine, where pharmacological prophylaxis is not suitable. However, the effects of acupuncture as migraine prophylaxis have not been confirmed. This study is designed as a single-blinded, double-dummy randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture compared with topiramate in patients with chronic migraine. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A total of 60 participants will be randomly assigned to two different groups. Participants will receive verum acupuncture and placebo medicine in the treatment group, while participants in the control group will be treated with sham acupuncture and real medicine (topiramate). All participants will receive a 12-week treatment and then be followed up for another 12 weeks. The primary outcome is the reduction of monthly headache days, and the secondary outcomes include the reduction of the number of days with acute headache medications, and changes of Migraine Disability Assessment, Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire, Headache Impact Test, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-trait, and Beck Depression Inventory-II scores from baseline to endpoints. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval of this study was granted by the Research Ethical Committee of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University (2017BL-045-01). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Outcomes of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN13563102; Pre-results.

Electroacupuncture at Fengchi (GB20) inhibits calcitonin gene-related peptide expression in the trigeminovascular system of a rat model of migraine.

Most migraine patients suffer from cutaneous allodynia; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of migraine, and it is therefore, a potential therapeutic target for treating the pain. In the present study, a rat model of conscious migraine, induced by repeated electrical stimulation of the superior sagittal sinus, was established and treated with electroacupuncture at Fengchi (GB20) (depth of 2-3 mm, frequency of 2/15 Hz, intensity of 0.5-1.0 mA, 15 minutes/day, for 7 consecutive days). Electroacupuncture at GB20 significantly alleviated the decrease in hind paw and facial withdrawal thresholds and significantly lessened the increase in the levels of CGRP in the trigeminal ganglion, trigeminal nucleus caudalis and ventroposterior medial thalamic nucleus in rats with migraine. No CGRP-positive cells were detected in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis or ventroposterior medial thalamic nucleus by immunofluorescence. Our findings suggest that electroacupuncture treatment ameliorates migraine pain and associated cutaneous allodynia by modulating the trigeminovascular system ascending pathway, at least in part by inhibiting CGRP expression in the trigeminal ganglion.

Electroacupuncture Pretreatment at GB20 Exerts Antinociceptive Effects via Peripheral and Central Serotonin Mechanism in Conscious Migraine Rats.

Background. While electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment in migraine has been found to attenuate pain and frequencies of attacks, the underlying mechanism of its antinociceptive effect remains poorly understood. Emerging evidence suggests that the serotonin system may be involved in migraine pathophysiology. Method. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to Control, Model, EA, and sham acupuncture (SA) groups. HomeCageScan was used to measure the effects on spontaneous nociceptive behaviors. Radioimmunoassay and high-performance liquid chromatography were used to evaluate the expression of 5-hydroxytryptamine (HT) in the plasma and three-key structure of the descending pain modulatory system. Results. Our study showed that EA pretreatment could produce a significant reduction in resting, freezing, and grooming behavior and a significant increase in exploration behavior. Furthermore, we found that the level of 5-HT in plasma was significantly increased, and it was significantly decreased in the descending pain modulatory system in Model group. The aforementioned results were significantly reversed in EA group; that is, the level of 5-HT was increased in the rostroventromedial medulla (RVM) and trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC) region and decreased in the plasma. Conclusion. EA pretreatment exerts antinociceptive effects in a rat model of recurrent migraine, possibly via modulation of the serotonin system.