A practical dynamic nomogram model for predicting bone metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to established a dynamic nomogram for assessing the risk of bone metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer (TC) and assist physicians to make accurate clinical decisions. Methods: The clinical data of patients with TC admitted to the First Affiliated hospital of Nanchang University from January 2006 to November 2016 were included in this study. Demographic and clinicopathological parameters of all patients at primary diagnosis were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to build a predictive model incorporating parameters. The discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the nomogram were evaluated using the C-index, ROC curve, calibration plot, and decision curve analysis. Internal validation was evaluated using the bootstrapping method. Results: A total of 565 patients were enrolled in this study, of whom 25 (4.21%) developed bone metastases. Based on logistic regression analysis, age (OR=1.040, P=0.019), hemoglobin (HB) (OR=0.947, P<0.001) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (OR=1.006, P=0.002) levels were used to construct the nomogram. The model exhibited good discrimination, with a C-index of 0.825 and good calibration. A C-index value of 0.815 was achieved on interval validation analysis. Decision curve analysis showed that the nomogram was clinically useful when intervention was decided at a bone metastases possibility threshold of 1%. Conclusions: This dynamic nomogram, with relatively good accuracy, incorporating age, HB, and ALP, could be conveniently used to facilitate the prediction of bone metastasis risk in patients with TC.

Remarks on the relationship between deqi and effect of acupuncture / 中国针灸

Acupuncturists have always paid high attention to deqi (needling sensation) in clinical. However, relationship between deqi and curative effect has not been elucidated yet. In order to have a further understanding on effect of deqi on clinical effect, through study on literature associated with deqi since the establishment of People's Republic of China in 1949, it is held that various factors can influence therapeutic effect of acupuncture treatment, including whether needling sensation appears or not, the speed of deqi, the intensity of deqi, different types of sensations as well as propagated sensation along meridians (PSM). Joint launched multidisciplinary researches should be carried out to reveal the influence principle of deqi on acupuncture effect, and to lay foundations for the further studies on mechanism of deqi.

Discussion on the influence of factors related organic on Deqi in acupuncture treatment / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To discuss the influence of factors related organic on deqi in acupuncture treatment and provide scientific evidence for further research on the influencing factors of deqi sensation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, VIP-Chinese scientific and technological journal database, Chinese biological medical (CBM) database and PubMed database were retrieved. There were 30 articles about the organic influencing factors of deqi and they were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The organic related factors which includes individual constitution, syndrome classification, physical condition, specificity of acupoint function, tolerance and psychological factors play an important part in deqi in acupancture treatment, which should be brought to the forefront for acupuncture practitioners and researchers.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The organic factors are influencing the deqi sensation in many ways but most of the present studies are resting on the affirmation of the phenomenon. Further studies about organic related influencing factors on deqi should be carried out and scientific, objective indices of deqi sensation should be explored which may improve the clinical and research level of acupuncture.</p>

Progress on research of specificity of acupoint effects during "the 11th five-year" / 中国针灸

With retrieval in CNKI and MEDLINE data base, the articles in Chinese and English that were written by Chinese authors, which were about the specificity of acupoint effects during "the Eleventh Five-Year (2006-2010)", are included. Researchers have studied about the specificity of acupoint effects by cerebral function imaging technique and it turns out that from the perspective of central mechanism, there are differences among aupoint stimulatory effect. The curative effect of acupoints is significantly better than that of nonacupoints, different acupoints have different curative effects, the effect of disease-related acupoints is better than that of unrelated acupoints, those above have intitally proved the existence of specificity of acupoint effects. However, part of the research results need futher summaries, analysis and promotion as well as try to avoid low-level repeat in research design.

Progression of the study on the acupoints from 2006 to 2010 overseas / 中国针灸

With retrieval of MEDLINE database (from Jan 2006 to Dec 2010) and supplementary search on other important literatures, 29 overseas articles that were in accord with inclusive criteria were included. The results showed that the overseas scholars issued the international standard on human acupoint locations and proposed the localization system of animal acupoint model; discovered the new acupoint structure, characteristic of acupoint microcirculation, the states of the diseases could be specifically reflected through acupoint temperature, electric resistance, pressure and pain threshold, and the specific brainstem reaction could be induced by electroacupuncture at acupoints; verified initially the effect on nausea and vomiting with the related acupuncture methods at acupoints and explained the mechanisms on the local analgesia of acupuncture at acupoints; suggested that a further study should be expected on the low electric resistance property of acupoints and the effect specificity in the treatment of disease. Additionally, they were proposed that the domestic study should focus on the symptom treatment, correct application of logic reasoning, the secondary literature study and international exchange and cooperation. It is indicated that the overseas study has made the great progression on the acupoint locations, morphological structure, biological and physical properties, pathological reaction, stimulation effect, therapeutic effect and mechanism, and it provides the references for the domestic study in terms of study clues and methods.

Effect of the optimized traditional acupuncture prescription for accouchement on cervical ripening in late-stage pregnant rats / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the mechanism of the optimized traditional acupuncture prescription for accouchement on cervical ripening based on the molecular biology by observing related indices of cervical ripening in late-stage pregnant rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty initial pregnant Wistar rats were randomly divided into an electroacupuncture (EA) group (n = 10) and a model group (n = 10), and other 10 non-pregnancy female rats with same lot were selected as a blank control group. EA group was treated with the optimized traditional acupuncture prescription for accouchement on the 20th day of pregnant, which performed EA at bilateral "Hegu" (LI 4) for 20 min and then at bilateral "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) for 5 min with 2 Hz/50 Hz sparse-dense wave, while the other groups without acupuncture intervention. The contents of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and interleukin 8 (IL-8) in cervix tissue were detected by ELISA method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the blank control group, the contents of MMP-9 and IL-8 in the model group were increased significantly (both P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the contents of MMP-9 and IL-8 in the EA group were increased significantly (P < or = 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Optimized traditional acupuncture prescription for accouchement can increase the contents of MMP-9 and IL-8 in cervix tissue of late-stage pregnant rats so as to promote cervical ripening, and the mechanism of EA in promoting cervical ripening is explained from the perspective of molecular biology.</p>

Discussion of 2011 Tokyo Declaration on Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion / 中国针灸

The contents of 2011 Tokyo Declaration on Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion (Declaration for short) and its effect on development situation, current status, features, opportunities and challenges of Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion are introduced, some proposals brought up in the Declaration are analyzed as well. The Declaration summarizes six characteristics of Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion, including paying great attention to palpation techniques such as pulse and abdominal diagnosis, always selecting response point in the meridian during acupuncture treatment, etc. Also six proposals have been brought up to promote the development of Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion, such as being devoted to spread the latest knowledge of acupuncture and moxibustion to medical professionals and the public in order to get correct understanding and proper evaluation, etc. What's more, the Declaration makes a prospection of improving international academic exchange and promoting the globalization of acupuncture and moxibustion and so on. The Declaration is served as a link between past and future in the history and developing process of Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion, which has a great meaning to the development of Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion. We should have a clear understanding of weakness and strength in the development of acupuncture and moxibustion, seize the opportunity and develop science of acupuncture and moxibustion with our own characteristics, which makes more contribution to development of international acupuncture and moxibustion.

Progress on the research of acupuncture's role in anti-early pregnancy in recent 9 years / 中国针灸

Through CNKI retrieval, 40 articles were selected from Medical Journals published between January 2003 and December 2011, and the study designs, intervention methods and conclusions of the articles were analyzed. It turned out that in the area of clinical research, the main usage of acupuncture was assist treatment of artificial abortion and drug-induced abortion: in artificial abortion, acupuncture can play a role in analgesia, artificial abortion syndrome relieving, and cervix dilating, while in the drug induced abortion, acupuncture can play a role in improving completed abortion rate, accelerating foetal sac release, decreasing side effects and regulating postoperative bleeding. In mechanism research, the effect of acupuncture on uterine tissue was revealed in terms of neuroendocrine. Although the certain role of acupuncture in assisting artificial abortion and drug-induced abortion has been confirmed in numerous clinical trials, its mechanism revealing was limited. The further study should focus on improving research method, acupuncture manipulation standardization and stimulation parameters optimization. What's more, the revealing of acupuncture's role in anti-early pregnancy should be emphasized to improve its effectiveness and scientificalness.