[Using Machine Learning to Investigate Factors Influencing the Efficacy of "Shoulder Tri-needles Therapy" in Treatment of Shoulder-hand Syndrome in 586 Stroke Patients].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the factors influencing the therapeutic effect of "Shoulder Tri-needles therapy" in the treatment of shoulder-hand syndrome of stroke patients by using machine learning approach, so as to provide a feasibility for improving clinical efficacy. METHODS: A total of 586 stroke patients with shoulder-hand syndrome eligible for this study were involved in our machine learning experiments for classification of the influential factors. Their data including the age, gender, pulse condition, complexion, tongue quality, tongue coating, disease stage, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood glucose, blood triglyceride, blood total cholesterol, smoking history, drinking history, and final outcomes were extracted from the medical record system (from Oct. of 2014 to Jan. of 2017 in the First Affiliated Hospital and Shenzhen Futian Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine). The single rule algorithm (1 R) was adopted to learn, followed by optimization with Repeated Incremental Pruning to Produce Error Reduction (RIPPER) algorithm, and C 5.0 decision tree algorithm. RESULTS: The accurate classification rates of 1 R, RIPPER and decision tree model were 87.37%(512/586), 95.90% (562/586), and 97.10% (569/586), respectively. The final outcomes of machine learning of this study showed that the disease stage (acute or recovery stage), complexion difference, tongue coating difference, blood pressure level, consumption of alcohol, BMI, and smoking habit were the most important factors influencing the therapeutic effect of "Shoulder Tri-needles" in the treatment of shoulder-hand syndrome of stroke patients. CONCLUSION: The disease stage, complexion and tongue identification, blood pressure level, alcohol drinking and smoking habits, and BMI are the principal factors affecting the therapeutic effect of "Shoulder Tri-needles therapy" in the treatment of shoulder-hand syndrome of stroke patients.

Long-term acupuncture treatment has a multi-targeting regulation on multiple brain regions in rats with Alzheimer's disease: a positron emission tomography study.

The acute effect of acupuncture on Alzheimer's disease, i.e., on brain activation during treatment, has been reported. However, the effect of long-term acupuncture on brain activation in Alzheimer's disease is unclear. Therefore, in this study, we performed long-term needling at Zusanli (ST36) or a sham point (1.5 mm lateral to ST36) in a rat Alzheimer's disease model, for 30 minutes, once per day, for 30 days. The rats underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scanning. Positron emission tomography images were processed with SPM2. The brain areas activated after needling at ST36 included the left hippocampus, the left orbital cortex, the left infralimbic cortex, the left olfactory cortex, the left cerebellum and the left pons. In the sham-point group, the activated regions were similar to those in the ST36 group. However, the ST36 group showed greater activation in the cerebellum and pons than the sham-point group. These findings suggest that long-term acupuncture treatment has targeted regulatory effects on multiple brain regions in rats with Alzheimer's disease.

[Effect of needling at waiguan (SJ5) on brain glucose metabolism in patients with cerebral infarction].

OBJECTIVE: To observe changes of brain glucose metabolism by needling at Waiguan (SJ5) in cerebral infraction (CI) patients using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron-emission computer tomography (PET/CT), thus exploring its effect and mechanisms. METHODS: A total of 21 patients with CI were recruited in this study. The location of lesion was limited to the left basal ganglia by CT or MRI scan. All patients were randomly assigned to three groups. i.e., the acupoint group (Group A), the non-acupoint group (Group B), the blank control group (Group C), 7 in each group. Patients in Group A were needled at right Waiguan (SJ5). Those in Group B were needled at non-acupoint [10 mm beside Waiguan (SJ5)], whereas those in Group C did not receive any treatment. All patients underwent PET/CT head scan. All data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 13.0 Software and SPM8 Software. RESULTS: Compared with Group C, glucose metabolism increased in bilateral superior temporal gyrus (BA38), right superior frontal gyrus (BA9), left cingulate gyrus (BA24), left culmen and pyramid of cerebellum, and right cerebellar tonsil of cerebellum in Group A. Compared with Group C, glucose metabolism increased in bilateral superior frontal gyrus (BA6, BA9, BA10), bilateral middle frontal gyrus (BA6, BA10), left middle frontal gyrus (BA4), bilateral uncus of limbic lobe (BA36, BA38), left cingulate gyrus (BA24, BA31), left posterior cingulate gyrus (BA30), left precuneus (BA7), left inferior parietal lobule (BA4), and left lingual gyrus of occipital lobe (BA18) in Group B. Compared with Group B, glucose metabolism increased in bilateral superior temporal gyrus (BA22, BA38), right inferior frontal gyrus (BA47), left culmen and cerebellar tonsil of cerebellum in Group A. Activated encephalic regions of needling at Waiguan (SJ5) were mainly dominated in the healthy side, bilateral superior temporal gyrus, and right inferior frontal gyrus. Activated encephalic regions of cerebellum were located at the left cerebellar hemisphere, left culmen of anterior cerebella lobe, and bilateral cerebellar tonsil of posterior cerebella lobe. CONCLUSIONS: Needling at Waiguan (SJ5) of CI patients induced increased glucose metabolism in local cerebral regions. Functional neuroimaging using PET/CT could directly reflect changes of brain glucose metabolism by acupuncture.

[Randomized controlled clinical trails on treatment of knee osteoarthritis with acupuncture combined with blood-letting therapy].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of acupuncture combined with blood-letting therapy for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and to analyze the synergism of the blood-letting therapy. METHODS: Sixty-three cases of KOA patients were randomized into a treatment group (n=31) and a control group (n=32). Patients of treatment group were treated with routine acupuncture at Ashi-points, Dubi (ST 35) and Neixiyan (EX-LE 4), Zusanli (ST 36), Yanglingquan (GB 34), etc. on the affected side, 3 times a week for 4 weeks, in combination with blood-letting (at the superficial veins around popliteal fossa) once a week for 4 weeks. Patients of control group were treated with routine acupuncture only. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index scores (WOMAC) and clinical therapeutic effects served as the objective indexes for evaluating the efficacy of blood-letting therapy. RESULTS: After the treatment, of the 32 and 31 KOA patients in control and treatment groups, 4 (12.50%) and 5 (16. 13) were under control in their symptoms, 14 (43.75%) and 17(54.84%) experienced marked improvement, 10 (31.25%) and 6 (19.35%) had an improvement, and 4 (12.50%) and 3 (9.68%) were failed, with the total effective rates being 87.50% and 90.32% respectively. No significant difference was found between the two groups in the therapeutic effect (P > 0.05). In comparison with pre-treatment, WOMAC scores, pain index, and physiological integral scores in treatment and control groups after the first and the last treatment decreased significantly (P < 0.001), and their joint stiffness index of the last treatment also lowered considerably (P < 0.001). The difference values of the integral scores between post- and pre-treatment in WOMAC, pain index, and physiological function of treatment group were remarkably higher than those of control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture combined with blood-letting therapy can effectively improve KOA patients' physiological function and reduce joint pain especially in the early stage.

[Progress in the research of neuroendocrine-immunological mechanism of acupuncture in regulating blood pressure and protecting target organs in hypertension].

By ways of favorable bi-directionally-regulative effect of acupoint stimulation and close correlation between acupoints and Zangfu-organs, acupuncture therapy can effectively regulate both blood pressure and functional activities of the corresponding viscera. Hence, acupuncture therapy, as a complementary method for hypertension, has its characteristics in protecting target organs. In the present paper, the authors review the progress in acupuncture treatment of hypertension in recent ten years from the studies of clinical treatment and animal experiments; analyze the underlying mechanism of acupuncture in protecting target organs of hypertension from the neuro-endocrine-immune network. Moreover, the authors point out some existing problems and put forward a few suggestions about acupuncture research in this field.