[Progress of researches on anti-inflammatory mechanism of acupuncture underlying amelioration of chronic respiratory diseases].

In recent years, acupuncture has gained great progress in the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases (CRD), and the clinical effect is remarkable, but its underlying mechanisms are relatively complex, with the anti-inflammatory effect being the primary aspect. Based on the literature both at home and abroad, we found that the anti-inflammatory mechanism of acupuncture mainly involves chemokines, kinase-related pathways, helper T cells, epigenetic modification, autophagy, vagal-mediated cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, etc. The researches on some anti-inflammatory mechanisms are still in the initial stage, the relationship among various pathways, and the key factors affecting the effect of acupuncture, such as acupoint selection, stimulation intensity and needling depth, etc. warrant further exploration in the future.

Gut microbiome in PCOS associates to serum metabolomics: a cross-sectional study.

The association between gut microbiome and chronic metabolic disease including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), is well documented, however, the relationship between the gut microbiota and serum metabolites remains unknown. In this study, untargeted metabolomics together with a 16S rRNA gene sequencing tool was used to detect small molecule serum metabolites and the gut microbiome. We identified 15 differential metabolites between PCOS patients and the healthy control. Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) (18:2, 20:3, 18:1, P-16:0, 17:0, 15:0, 18:3, 20:4), phosphatidylcholine(PC), ganglioside GA2 (d18:1/16:0) and 1-linoleoylglycerophosphocholine were increased in the PCOS group, and the concentrations of phosphoniodidous acid, bilirubin, nicotinate beta-D-ribonucleotide and citric acid were decreased in the PCOS group, suggesting a lipid metabolism and energy metabolism disorder in the PCOS patients. The diversity of gut microbiota in PCOS group was lower than that in healthy controls. Escherichia/Shigella, Alistipes and an unnamed strain 0319_6G20 belonging to Proteobacteria were important distinguishing genera (LDA > 3.5) in PCOS. Prevotella_9 was positively correlated with phosphoniodidous acid, nicotinate beta-D-ribonucleotide and citric acid concentrations, and negatively correlated with the concentration of LPC (20:3) and 1-linoleoylglycerophosphocholine; Roseburia was negatively correlated with LPC concentration (20:4), while the characteristic genus 0319_6G20 of PCOS was positively correlated with LPC concentration (20:3) (COR > 0.45). SF-36 in the PCOS group was significantly lower than that in the healthy control (HC) group, which was associated with the presence of Escherichia-Shigella and Alistipes. Our finding demonstrated the correlation between the gut microbiota and serum metabolites in PCOS, and therefore characteristic gut microbiota and metabolites may play an important role in the insulin resistance and the mood changes of PCOS patients.

[Research progress of neuroendocrine mechanism of acupuncture for dyspnea].

The paper reviewed the relevant studies on dyspnea treated with acupuncture over the past 20 years, as well as the underlying neuroendocrine mechanism from the perspective of central and peripheral vagus nerves, neurotransmitter, respiratory muscle function and anti-depression-anxiety function. It revealed that the central response area was regulated by acupuncture in treatment of dyspnea, which is similar to the area affected in acupuncture analgesia. Additionally, acupuncture generates its therapeutic effects on dyspnea through promoting the release of endogenous opioid peptides and the regulation of autonomic nerve, amygdale and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Chinese Herbal Medicine Versus Placebo for the Treatment Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Protocol of Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by published meta-analyses. However, disease outcomes were inconsistent and heterogeneity was observed attributed to placebo-controlled studies. We present a protocol for a systematic review aiming to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of CHM comparing to placebo in the treatment of stable COPD, to provide robust evidence for the use of CHM in COPD. METHODS: We will comprehensively search the following 9 databases from inception to March 2019: Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WANFANG Database, Chinese Scientific and Technological Periodical Database (VIP) and Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM), and the Cochrane Library database. All clinical randomized controlled trials comparing CHM to placebo for the treatment of stable COPD in English or Chinese will be included. The primary outcome will be quality of life, symptom score and exacerbation frequency, and the secondary outcomes include traditional Chinese medicine syndrome score and effective rate, lung function, 6-minute walk distance, and adverse events. Data extraction and quality assessment will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. Data synthesis and risk of bias will be assessed using the Review Manager software. This protocol will be conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidance. RESULTS: This systematic review and meta-analysis will provide a high-quality comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy and safety based on current literature evidence of CHM intervention for stable COPD. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this study will present the evidence of whether CHM is an effective and safe intervention for stable COPD patients.

Acupuncture treatment of lung-spleen Qi deficiency in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomized, open-label, controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture that reinforces the spleen to strengthen the lung in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: This was a randomized, open-controlled trial in which the acupuncturist and the participants were not blinded, but the outcome evaluators and data analysts were blinded. One-hundred-and-two patients with stable COPD were randomly divided into two groups in a 1∶1 ratio. The acupuncture group received 30-minute sessions of acupuncture therapy at the same acupoints three times weekly for 6 weeks in addition to routine conventional Western Medicine treatment; the control group received routine conventional Western Medicine treatment alone. The primary outcome was the Borg scale score, which was assessed immediately after the 6-minute walk test. The secondary outcomes were the 6-minute walk distance, lung function, and oxygen saturation. Measurements were obtained at baseline and after 6 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: After 6 weeks of treatment, the Borg scale score in the acupuncture group was significantly better than that in the control group (2.02 ± 0.71 versus 5.01 ± 0.34, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the post-treatment improvements in the 6-minute walk distance, lung function, and oxygen saturation were significantly greater in the acupuncture group than in the control group, showing that the acupuncture group had better exercise tolerance. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that acupuncture that aims to reinforce the spleen to strengthen the lung is a safe and effective adjuvant therapy that effectively improves the exercise capacity of patients with stable COPD.

Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine on chemo-radiotherapy induced leukaemia in patients with lung cancer: a Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the curative effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on leukopenia induced by chemo-radiotherapy in patients with lung cancer. METHODS: A comprehensive electronic search in Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Libary database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI) and Wanfang Database was conducted up to July 2017. Random-effects model was used to estimate the standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Eleven studies with a total of 957 patients were included in this meta-analysis. RESULTS: The effectiveness in TCM group was higher than control group [RR = 1.60, 95% CI (1.38, 1.85), P < 0.000 01]. Compare with Western Medicine group, the effectiveness has no significant difference [RR = 0.96, 95% CI (0.82, 1.12), P = 0.57]. The ineffective rate in test group was lower than the control group [RR = 0.30, 95% CI (0.21, 0.42), P < 0.000 01]. CONCLUSION: By meta-regression it was suggested that TCM has curative effect on leukopenia induced by chemo-radiotherapy in patients with lung cancer, but by the influence of number and quality of researches, publication bias, more evidence from high quality studies, and larger cohorts for observational trials are needed.

[Rules for acupoint selection in treatment of perimenopausal syndrome based on data mining technology].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the rules for acupoint selection of acupuncture and moxibustion in domestic clinical treatment of perimenopausal syndrome based on data mining technology in modern times. METHODS: The relevant literature were retrieved from Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang database on this disease treated with clinical acupuncture and moxibustion in China from 1978 to 2013. The database of acupuncture-moxibustion prescription was set up. The relevant regulations of data mining technology were used to analyze the rules for acupoint selection. RESULTS: Totally, 211 papers, 254 acupuncture-moxibustion prescriptions and 130 acupoints were included. The total frequency of acupoints application was 2193 times, with 14 meridians involved. The utilization of the acupoints in the lower limbs and on the back were 33.0% (723/2193) and 23.8% (521/2193) and those of yin and yang meridians were 51.8% (1136/2193) and 44.0% (965/2193), respectively. The utilization of the specific acupoints accounted for 88.7% (1946/2193). CONCLUSION: In clinical treatment of perimenopausal syndrome with acupuncture and moxibustion in modern times, the acupoint selection from involved meridians is the basis, associated with multiple methods of acupoint combination; yin and yang meridians are equally important and the specific acupoints are considered particularly critical in application.

Use acupuncture to relieve perimenopausal syndrome: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Whether acupuncture is effective for relieving perimenopausal syndrome has been controversial recently. In this article, we report the protocol of a randomized controlled trial using acupuncture to treat perimenopausal syndrome, aiming to answer this controversy. DESIGN: A multicenter randomized controlled trial with two parallel arms is underway in China. Two hundred and six women with perimenopausal syndrome will be randomly assigned to a treatment group using acupuncture plus auricular acupressure (AA group) and a control group using Climen (Bayer Healthcare Company Limited, Guangzhou, China), a 28-day sequential hormone replacement therapy, in a 1:1 ratio. Participants in the AA group will receive three acupuncture sessions per week in the first 4 weeks and two sessions per week in the following 8 weeks, for a total of 28 sessions over 12 weeks. Auricular points will be plastered by Semen Vaccariae twice per week for a consecutive 12 weeks, with both ears used alternately. The Climen control group is prescribed a tablet containing estradiol valerate 2 mg/day for the first 11 days, and a tablet containing estradiol valerate 2 mg/day plus cyroterone acetate 1 mg/day for the following 10 days. The total treatment period of the control group is three cycles. The post-treatment follow-up period will last 24 weeks. The primary outcome is the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) assessed at baseline and 4, 12, 16, 24 and 36 weeks after randomization. The secondary outcomes are Menopause-Specific Quality of Life, average hot flash score during 24 hours, serum estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone level. The first two secondary outcomes are measured at the same point as the MRS. Other secondary outcomes are measured at baseline and 12, 24 weeks after randomization. DISCUSSION: The results of this trial, which will be available in 2015, will clarify whether acupuncture is effective to relieve perimenopausal syndrome. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01933204 (registered 9 August 2013).