Inflammation-related proteomics demonstrate landscape of fracture blister fluid in patients with acute compartment syndrome.

Background: Blisters are tense vesicles or bullae that arise on swollen skin and are found in a wide range of injuries. As a complication of fracture, fracture blisters are considered soft tissue injuries, which often lead to adverse effects such as prolonged preoperative waiting time and increased risk of surgical site infection. However, our previous study found that in patients with acute compartment syndrome, fracture blisters may be a form of compartment pressure release, but the specific mechanism has not been revealed. Here, we mapped out the proteomic landscape of fracture blister fluid for the first time and compared its expression profile to cupping and burn blisters. Methods: First, fluid samples were collected from 15 patients with fracture blisters, 7 patients with cupping blisters, and 9 patients with burn blisters. Then, the expression levels of 92 inflammatory proteins were measured using the Olink Target 96 Inflammation panel. Protein profiles were compared across the three groups using Differential Protein Expression Analysis and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Results: Fracture blisters had significantly higher levels of 50 proteins in comparison to cupping and 26 proteins in comparison to burn blisters. Notably, PCA showed fracture blisters closely resembled the protein expression profile of burn blisters but were distinct from the protein expression profile of cupping blisters. Conclusion: Our study provides the first characterization of fracture blister fluid using proteomics, which provides a valuable reference for further analysis of the difference between blisters caused by fractures and those caused by other pathogenic factors. This compendium of proteomic data provides valuable insights and a rich resource to better understand fracture blisters.

Evidence-based and adverse-effects analyses of cupping therapy in musculoskeletal and sports rehabilitation: A systematic and evidence-based review.

BACKGROUND: Cupping therapy has been used to treat musculoskeletal impairments for about 4000 years. Recently, world athletes have provoked an interest in it, however, the evidence to support its use in managing musculoskeletal and sports conditions remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the evidence level of the effect of cupping therapy in managing common musculoskeletal and sports conditions. METHODS: 2214 studies were identified through a computerized search, of which 22 met the inclusion criteria. The search involved randomized and case series studies published between 1990 and 2019. The search involved five databases (Scopus, MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, Academic Search Complete PLUS (EBSCO), and CrossRef) and contained studies written in the English language. Three analyses were included: the quality assessment using the PEDro scale, physical characteristic analysis, and evidence-based analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that most studies used dry cupping, except five which used wet cupping. Most studies compared cupping therapy to non-intervention, the remaining studies compared cupping to standard medical care, heat, routine physiotherapy, electrical stimulation, active range of motion and stretching, passive stretching, or acetaminophen. Treatment duration ranged from 1 day to 12 weeks. The evidence of cupping on increasing soft tissue flexibility is moderate, decreasing low back pain or cervical pain is low to moderate, and treating other musculoskeletal conditions is very low to low. The incidence of adverse events is very low. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first attempt to analyze the evidence level of cupping therapy in musculoskeletal and sports rehabilitation. However, cupping therapy has low to moderate evidence in musculoskeletal and sports rehabilitation and might be used as a useful intervention because it decreases the pain level and improves blood flow to the affected area with low adverse effects.

Evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of cupping therapy in the treatment of asthma: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is one of the most common chronic airway diseases and is characterized by wheezing, dyspnea, chest tightness, and coughing. These symptoms reduce the patient's quality of life and limit physical activity in daily life. However, there is no systematic review of the efficacy of cupping therapy in the treatment of asthma. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of cupping in the treatment of asthma, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized clinical trials of cupping in the treatment of asthma. METHODS: We will search the following Chinese and English databases: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Periodical Database, Wanfang Database, China Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library. All of the above electronic databases will be searched from inception to August 22, 2021. In addition, we will manually search for conference papers, ongoing experiments, and internal reports to supplement the studies retrieved via electronic search. We will use the Review Manager 5.4 provided by Cochrane Collaboration Network for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The study will prove the effectiveness and safety of cupping in the treatment of asthma. CONCLUSION: We plan to submit this systematic review to a peer-reviewed journal. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202180104.

The effect of moving cupping on psoriasis vulgaris and its influence on PASI score: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: We aim to study the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris with moving cupping. METHODS: We will search PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, Wanfang Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database of randomized controlled trials beginning from their inception to August 2020. The primary outcomes are that PASI score and clinical effective rate will be the main outcome indicators. Additional outcome is The Quality of life index score and safety assessment will be considered a secondary outcome. Two independent authors will based on the Cochrane system evaluation manual 5.1.0 version of RCT bias risk assessment tool to evaluate the risk of bias among the final included studies. And we will use the RevMan 5.3 software to analysis data. RESULTS: This study will provide an assessment of the current state of moving cupping for the psoriasis vulgaris, aiming to show the efficacy and safety of this treatment. CONCLUSION: This study will provide evidence to judge whether moving cupping is an effective therapy for psoriasis vulgaris. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY2020120061.

Cervical Artery Dissection Caused by Electrical Cupping Therapy with High-Negative Pressure - Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Cervical artery dissection is an important cause of stroke in the young. The etiology is still discussed controversial. The most obvious reason for a dissection of extracranial arteries is due to a trauma, eg. after car accidents or other high speed traumas such as high-velocity road traffic accidents. Besides these clear cases, chiropractic neck maneuvers represent potential reasons for vessel injuries. CASE PRESENTATION: We here report a rare case of secondary cervical artery dissection after so-called cupping therapy and a preventive treatment with a direct oral anticoagulant. CONCLUSIONS: Therapists using this technique should be aware of the potentially devastating side effects. The diagnosis of ICA dissection should be considered with any new onset of unknown neck pain or headache, specifically in combination with neurological deficits.

Cupping for neurodermatitis: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Neurodermatitis is a common inflammatory and allergic disease, characterized by itching and lichenification plaque. Some studies have reported cupping therapy (CT) for the treatment of neurodermatitis. However, the effectiveness and safety are still uncertain. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CT for the treatment of patients with neurodermatitis. METHODS: We will retrieve the following electronic databases systematically: Pubmed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and Wanfang database from their inception to December 2020. Other literature resources will be manually searched. Published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-randomized controlled trials (q-RCTs) on the topic will be retrieved by 2 investigators independently. We will apply a fixed-effect model or random effect model basis on the heterogeneity test and employ with RevMan 5.3 software for data synthesis. The total clinical effective rate will be selected as the primary outcome, skin disease quality of life index score, recurrence rate, and adverse events as secondary outcomes. RESULTS: This study will comprehensively summarize the high-quality trials to determine the efficacy and safety of CT for the treatment of patients with neurodermatitis. CONCLUSION: Our systematic review will present evidence for the efficacy and safety of CT to neurodermatitis patients. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/6DCM3.

Cupping for psoriasis vulgaris: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis vulgaris (PV) is a chronic, immune-mediated dermatological disease that significantly affects the patient's health and quality of life. At present, cupping has been widely used in the treatment of psoriasis. However, the effectiveness and safety of cupping in patients with PV are still controversial. Therefore, this review aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cupping therapy on PV. METHODS: The following databases will be searched from their inceptions to April 2020 with a language limitation of English and Chinese: Pubmed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Chinese Biomedical Literature Databas, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang database and Chinese Scientific Journal Database. The reference lists of eligible studies and other resources will also be searched. Two researchers will independently perform the selection of studies, data extraction, and data analysis. A fixed or random-effect model will be applied to synthesize data depend on the heterogeneity test. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients achieving at least a 60% improvement in psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score from baseline (PASI 60). Secondary outcomes include the proportion of patients achieving at least a 90% improvement in PASI score from baseline (PASI 90), the mean change of PASI and dermatology life quality index score, the itching index, adverse events, and recurrence rate. RevMan V.5.3 software will be used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: The study will provide a high-quality evidence-based review of cupping for PV. CONCLUSIONS: The study will be conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cupping in the treatment of PV and supposed to provide clear evidence for the clinical application of cupping therapy. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: As the study is a protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis that does not involve individual data, ethical approval will not be required. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/KV4CJ.

Effects of moving cupping therapy for plaque psoriasis: study protocol for a randomized multicenter clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: It is difficult to achieve a balance among safety, efficacy, and cost for the clinical treatment of plaque psoriasis. The current treatment of psoriasis often involves comprehensive therapy such as topical plasters, internal medicine, and phototherapy, which are expensive, and some of the drugs have serious side effects. Moving cupping is a type of cupping that has been used clinically for thousands of years in China. It has the advantage of being inexpensive and easy to perform. Therefore, it is widely used in public hospitals in China for psoriasis treatment. However, a comprehensive evaluation of the current clinical evidence of its efficacy is lacking. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of moving cupping to treat plaque psoriasis. METHODS: A multicenter, two-arm parallel group, single-blind, randomized, controlled trial will be conducted at six hospitals in China between August 1, 2019 and December 31, 2021. A total of 122 adult patients (aged 18-65 years) who meet the inclusion criteria are being recruited. Participants will receive either basic treatment combined with moving cupping therapy or basic treatment combined with moving cupping placebo. The treatment cycle will be 4 weeks, and the efficacy of treatment will be assessed weekly by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index during the treatment period and follow-up visits at weeks 6 and 8. The body surface area, physician's global assessment, Dermatology Life Quality Index, patient-reported quality of life, visual analog scale, Traditional Chinese Medication syndrome scoring scale, combined medication, and adverse events will also be recorded and compared to the relative baseline values. DISCUSSION: The findings of this trial may lead to better decisions regarding the treatment of plaque psoriasis. If the trial outcomes are considered favorable, this ancient Chinese medical therapy may be worthy of widespread use because of its convenience and low cost. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered on May 15,2019 at ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier number NCT03952676.

Dermatoses due to Arabic cultural and traditional practices.

A number of social and cultural practices are prevalent in the Middle-East celebrating various occasions or to treat health conditions. These often result in dermatoses that are unfamiliar and confusing to dermatologists outside this region. This paper reviews skin manifestations emanating from traditional and ritual practices in Arab countries, particularly those from Saudi Arabia.

[A patient with perfectly aligned itching papules of the back after hijama therapy]. / Een patiënte met huidafwijkingen na hijama-therapie.

A 31-year-old woman was seen at our clinic with itching papules of the back after hijama treatments. Hijama treatments consist of superficially cutting the skin followed by cupping and are applied for a diversity of complaints, including pain. Our patient initially presented with sensitive and burning sensations at the cutting sites, but recently, the cutting sites started to itch as well. At physical examination, we saw perfectly aligned papules with a sign of Wickham's striae on her back where the skin had been cut. Further examination revealed comparable, solitary papules on the inside of her wrist, flank and chest. A skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis lichen planus. The patient was prescribed betamethasone cream and we advised against further hijama treatments.