Effects of herb-partitioned moxibustion for ulcerative colitis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an idiopathic, chronic inflammatory disease of the colonic mucosa. Herb-partitioned moxibustion (HPM) treatment has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of UC. However, there is still a lack of high-quality evidence to support the effectiveness and safety of HPM on patients with UC. This study will aim to systematically explore the efficacy of HPM for the treatment of UC. METHODS: We will search the electronic databases of Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials, China national knowledge infrastructure database (CNKI), Wan fang database, Chongqing VIP information, and SinoMed from their inception to June 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of HPM for the treatment of UC will be included. RevMan 5.3 software (The Nordic Cochrane Center, The Cochrane Collaboration, Copenhagen, Denmark) will be applied for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of our systematic review will provide more appropriate evidence-based decisions to assist clinicians during the decision-making process when dealing with UC.

Effects of herb-partitioned moxibustion for primary dysmenorrhea: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a cyclic cramp in pelvic which affects the quality of life. Herb-partitioned moxibustion (HPM), a critical component of moxibustion therapy in traditional Chinese medicine, has been used to treat PD. However, there is still a lack of high-quality evidence to support the effectiveness and safety of HPM on patients with PD. The object of this work is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HPM in the management of PD. METHODS: The Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials, China national knowledge infrastructure database, Wan fang database, Chongqing VIP information, and SinoMed will be searched from their inception to Jun 2020. All randomized controlled trials of HPM for the treatment of PD will be included. We will operate article retrieval, duplication removing, screening, quality evaluation, and data analyses by RevMan 5.3 (The Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, England). RESULTS: This study will provide a high-quality comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of HPM for the treatment of PD. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of our systematic review will give more convincing evidence to assist clinicians during the decision-making process when dealing with PD. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: 10.17605/OSF.IO/UFKNP.

[Herb-partitioned moxibustion on navel for anovulatory infertility:a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy differences between herb-partitioned moxibustion on navel and clomiphene for anovulatory infertility. METHODS: With double-blind double-dummy randomized control method, a total of 40 patients with anovulatory infertility were randomly divided into a moxibustion group and a clomiphene group, 20 cases in each one. Blinding was conducted on both patients and doctors. The patients in the moxibustion group were treated with herb-partitioned moxibustion on navel and oral administration of clomiphene placebo, while the patients in the clomiphene group were treated with placebo-partitioned moxibustion on navel and oral administration of clomiphene. The herb-partitioned moxibustion and placebo-partitioned moxibustion were given at the end of menstruation, 1.5 hours per treatment, once a week, and no treatment was given during menstruation. The oral administration of clomiphene and clomiphene placebo were given from 5 days into menstruation, 50 mg, once a day, for consecutive 5 days. One menstrual cycle was taken as one treatment course, and 3 treatment courses were conducted. After 3 treatment courses, the endometrial thickness (ET), maximum follicular diameter (MFD), ovulation rate (OR) and effective rate (ER) were evaluated between the two groups. RESULTS: (1) Compared before treatment, ET was significantly increased after treatment in the two groups (both P<0.05); after treatment, the ET in the moxibustion group was higher than that in the clomiphene group (P<0.05). (2) After treatment, MFD was significantly increased in the moxibustion group (P<0.05) and insignificantly increased in the clomiphene group (P>0.05); the MFD in the moxibustion group was higher than that in the clomiphene group (P<0.05). (3) The OR was 75.0% (15/20) and 65.0% (13/20) in the two groups respectively, which were not significantly different (P>0.05). (4) The total ER in the moxibustion group was 95.0% (19/20), which was superior to 70.0% (14/20) in the clomiphene group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical efficacy of herb-partitioned moxibustion at navel on anovulatory infertility was superior to that of clomiphene, but their effects on OR was similar.

[Clinical observation of herb-partition moxibustion at navel for constipation with excess syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect differences between herb-partition moxibustion and starch-partition moxibustion at navel for constipation with excess syndrome. METHODS: Sixty patients were randomly assigned into an herb-partition moxibustion at navel group (herbal group) and a starch-partition moxibustion at navel group (starch group), 30 cases in each one. The acupoint was Shenque (CV 8) in the two groups. The treatment was given once a week and 4 times totally. Scores for constipation degree and quality of life (PAC-QOL) were observed before and after treatment and at follow-up; clinical effects were compared between the two groups as well. RESULTS: After treatment, the scores of constipation degree and QOL were lower than those before treatment in the herbal group (P<0.01,P<0.05), which were better than those of the starch group (P<0.01,P<0.05). Good effects were achieved for heat constipation (84.6%), qi constipation (77.8%) and cold constipation (87.5%) in the herbal group, and the improvements of heat constipation and qi constipation were better than corresponding results in the starch group (both P<0.05). The effective rate of the herbal group was 83.3% (25/30), and it was better than 43.3% (13/30) of the starch group. The two scores at follow-up had no statistical significances compared with those after treatment in the herbal group (both P>0.05), but superior to ones of the starch group (P<0.01,P<0.05); the effective rate of the herbal group was 86.6% (26/30), which was better than 50.0% (15/30) of the starch group (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Herb-partition moxibustion at navel achieves better short-term and long-term effects than starch-partition for constipation with excess syndrome.

Research of Herb-Partitioned Moxibustion for Primary Dysmenorrhea Patients Based on the LC-MS Metabonomics.

Objective. To explore the efficacy and mechanism of primary dysmenorrhea patients were treated with herb-partitioned moxibustion through metabonomics. Methods. 20 patients with primary dysmenorrhea were randomized into two groups, separately treated with herb-partitioned moxibustion at CV8 (shenque) and acupuncture at SP6 (sanyinjiao). After three menstrual cycles' treatment, the intensity of menstrual pain using VAS and the changes of metabolites of plasma using LC-MS were observed. Results. The VAS of two groups decreased with different descending range. Herb-partitioned moxibustion upregulated 20α-dihydroprogesterone, pregnenolone, prostaglandin E2 and γ-aminobutyric acid and downregulated the content of estrone and prostaglandin H2, while acupuncture upregulated pregnenolone and 20α-dihydroprogesterone and downregulated 2-methoxyestradiol-3-methylether, 15-hydroxyeicosatrienoic acid and 6-keto-prostaglandin. Discussion. It was effective in relieving the abdominal pain by these two therapies. Herb-partitioned moxibustion is superior to acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhea, which could be related to regulating the endocrine hormone.

Immediate effect of acupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP6) and Xuanzhong (GB39) on uterine arterial blood flow in primary dysmenorrhea.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare immediate effect of acupuncture at SP6 on uterine arterial blood flow in primary dysmenorrhea with that of GB39. DESIGN: This was a prospective, randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Sixty-six (66) patients with primary dysmenorrhea from the Affiliated Hospital of Shangdong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were recruited. INTERVENTIONS: The SP6 group (n =32) was treated with manual acupuncture at bilateral SP6 for 5 minutes after obtaining needling sensation (de qi) during the period of menstrual pain, whereas the control group (n = 34) was needled at GB39 of both sides for 5 minutes when they suffered menstrual pain. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Differences in pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI), and ratio of systolic peak and diastolic peak (A/B) in uterine arteries were the main outcome measures. RESULTS: Highly significant reductions were observed in the SP6 treatment group 5 minutes after treatment in menstrual pain scores (8.17 ± 1.90 versus 11.20 ± 2.66; p < 0.001), values of PI (1.75 ± 0.48 versus 2.32 ± 0.70; p < 0.001), RI (0.72 ± 0.11 versus 0.78 ± 0.07; p < 0.001), and A/B (4.33 ± 1.37 versus 5.23 ± 1.67; p < 0.001). Compared with the GB39 control group, patients in the SP6 treatment group showed significant reductions in 5 minutes after treatment in the changes of menstrual pain scores (3.03 ± 2.36 versus 0.00 ± 0.29; p < 0.001), values of PI (0.57 ± 0.42 versus -0.10 ± 0.58; p < 0.001), RI (0.06 ± 0.08 versus -0.03 ± 0.15; p < 0.01), and A/B (0.90 ± 0.87 versus 0.23 ± 1.02; p < 0.01). There were no significant changes in menstrual pain scores, values of PI, RI, or A/B before and after treatment in the GB39 control group (p > 0.05). No adverse events from treatment were reported. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that needling at SP6 can immediately improve uterine arterial blood flow of patients with primary dysmenorrhea, while GB39 does not have these effects.