Evaluation of Literature Quality of Randomized Controlled Trials on Wrist-ankle Acupuncture for Low-back Pain / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To evaluate the literature quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on wrist-ankle acupuncture (WAA) for low-back pain in recent ten years; To analyze the existing problems in the clinical research;To provide corresponding improvement suggestions. Methods A computer-based retrieval was performed to search out the reports of RCTs on WAA for low-back pain from CNKI, Wanfang Data, CBM, Chongqing VIP, PubMed, and Cochrane Library was retrieved by computers. The search scope was January 1, 2007 - December 31, 2016. The 25 items in the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement and 6 items of the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) were consulted for assessing the literature quality of RCTs on WAA for low-back pain. Results 18 articles were included. There were many problems about literature of RCTs on WAA for low-back pain, mainly including that the type of test design was not clear, outcome indicators were incomplete, random method reports were not specific, accepted diagnostic criteria and efficacy criteria were not used, reporting interventions were incomplete. Conclusion Recently, literature quality of RCTs on WAA for low-back pain is low. It is suggested that CONSORT Statement and STRICTA should be taken into consideration in the conducting and reporting of RCTs on WAA for low-back pain, and the report quality of clinical research in this field should be improved.

Clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of primary liver cancer with integrative traditional Chinese and Western medicine / 中西医结合学报

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an important part of the treatment of primary liver cancer (PLC) in China; however, the current instructions for the integrative use of traditional Chinese and Western medicine for PLC are mostly based on expert opinion. There is no evidence-based guideline for clinical practice in this field. Therefore, the Shanghai Association of Chinese Integrative Medicine has established a multidisciplinary working group to develop this guideline, which focuses on the most important questions about the use of TCM during PLC treatment. This guideline was developed following the methodological process recommended by the World Health Organization Handbook for Guideline Development. Two rounds of questionnaire survey were performed to identify clinical questions; published evidence was searched; the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was used to evaluate the body of evidence; and recommendations were formulated by combining the quality of evidence, patient preferences and values, and other risk factors. The guideline was written based on the Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare tool. This guideline contains 10 recommendations related to 8 questions, including recommendations for early treatment by TCM after surgery, TCM combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for advanced PLC, TCM drugs for external use, and acupuncture and moxibustion therapy.

Application and research of acupuncture in military / 中国针灸

Acupuncture has remarkable effects of pain relieving and functional restoration on injuries of soft tissue and joint due to military training. As more and more attention has been attached to the impact of psychological states and biorhythm disorder on the fighting ability of military staff, acupuncture has found its place in treating chronic fatigue, combat stress reaction, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder as well as regulating circadian rhythms. The therapeutic effect of acupuncture in military training-related physical damage and psychological trauma has already been proved by numerous clinical practices and researches. It is held that using acupuncture as an alternative could not only save medical resources, but also enhance the fighting ability of the army. However, the current clinical studies is facing the problem of limited sample size. Therefore, randomized controlled trials in large scale and multiple centers should be further carried out toward military staff, so as to provide more speaking evidences to the prevention and treatment of physical and psychological diseases.

Extending the CONSORT Statement to moxibustion / 中西医结合学报

The STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials Of Moxibustion (STRICTOM), in the form of a checklist and descriptions of checklist items, were designed to improve reporting of moxibustion trials, and thereby facilitating their interpretation and replication. The STRICTOM checklist included 7 items and 16 sub-items. These set out reporting guidelines for the moxibustion rationale, details of moxibustion, treatment regimen, other components of treatment, treatment provider background, control and comparator interventions, and precaution measures. In addition, there were descriptions of each item and examples of good reporting. It is intended that the STRICTOM can be used in conjunction with the main CONSORT Statement, extensions for nonpharmacologic treatment and pragmatic trials, and thereby raise the quality of reporting of clinical trials of moxibustion. Further comments will be solicited from the experts of the CONSORT Group, the STRICTA Group, acupuncture and moxibustion societies, and clinical trial authors for optimizing the STRICTOM.

Association of MMP14 gene polymorphisms and osteoporosis in Zhuang men from Baise region of Guangxi / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the association between membrane type 1 matrix metalloproteinase gene (MT1-MMP, MMP14) polymorphisms and osteoporosis in Zhuang men from Baise region of Guangxi.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Genotypes of 5 loci (rs1003349, rs3751488, rs2269213, rs2236303 and rs743257) of MMP14 gene in 301 Zhuang men were determined with single base extension methods, and bone mineral density (BMD) at left calcaneus was evaluated with quantitative ultrasound with measured values of broadband ultrasonic attenuation (BUA). The subjects were divided according to BMD into osteoporosis group, osteopenia group and normal bone density group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All selected loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P> 0.05). By multiple linear stepwise regression analysis, polymorphisms of the five loci were not associated with BUA. But a significant higher risk of osteoporosis was found in individuals with MMP14 rs1003349 GT genotype (vs. GG genotype; P<0.05) and rs2236303 CC and CT genotypes (vs. TT genotype; P<0.05). Genetic linkage between rs1003349 and rs2236303 was also discovered (D'= 0.839, r(2) = 0.458, P<0.01). Compared with the normal bone density group, the frequency of a G-T haplotype of rs1003349 and rs2236303 was significantly lower in the osteoporosis group (P<0.05). And the risk of osteoporosis for individuals with G-C and T-C haplotypes was 2.556 (95% CI: 1.029-6.349, P = 0.038) and 5.111 (95% CI: 1.341-19.485, P = 0.011) compared with G-T haplotype.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Polymorphisms of rs1003349 and rs2236303 loci of MMP14 gene are associated with the susceptibility of osteoporosis in Zhuang men in Guangxi. G-C and T-C haplotypes for loci rs1003349 and rs2236303 may increase the disease risk.</p>

Immediate analgesic effect of wrist-ankle acupuncture for acute lumbago: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the immediate analgesic effect of wrist-ankle acupuncture on acute lumbago and the relationship between the analgesic effect and the expectation of patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A randomized, single-blind, sham-controlled trial was designed. Sixty cases of acute lumbago were randomly divided into two groups, 30 cases in each one. In observation group, wrist-ankle acupuncture was adopted to the Lower 5 and Lower 6 bilaterally, no requirement of Deqi (arrival of qi). In control group, sham acupuncture was adopted. The treatment was applied once in either group, with the needles retained for 30 min. The Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and the Modified-Modified Schober (MMS) test were used to assess the motion related pain and the situation of spinal flexion in 3 min before treatment and 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, during treatment and 30 min (needle removed), respectively. The Expectation and Treatment Credibility Scale (ETCS) was applied to analyze the relationship between the expectation of patients and the analgesic effect. The adverse reaction was recorded.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were no statistically significant differences in SF-MPQ, MMS and ETCS before treatment between two groups (all P>0.05). In 5 min after needles insertion, the scores of the items in SF-MPQ in observation group were lower than those in control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). In 10 min after needles insertion, the scores of SF-MPQ in observation group were lower than those in control group and the scores of MMS were higher than those in control group (P<0.05). In 15 min after needles insertion, except the sensory pain rating index, the scores of the rest items in SF-MPQ in observation group were all lower than those in control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). In 30 min (needles removed), the scores of affective pain rating index of SF-MPQ and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) in observation group were lower than those in control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). The expectation before treatment was negatively correlated with VAS scores in 5 min, 10 min, 15 min and 30 min after needle insertion separately in observation group (P<0.05), while the correlation was not found in control group (P>0.05). No adverse reaction was reported.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Wrist-ankle acupuncture can reduce acute lumbago immediately and significantly. The higher the expectation on the analgesic effect of wrist-ankle acupuncture the patients have, the better the analgesic effect will be. This therapy is highly safe in the treatment.</p>

Influence of estradiol benzoate on the testis development of rats / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the influence of estradiol benzoate (E2B) on the testis development of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Newborn male SD rats were injected subcutaneously with E2B (0.2 mg/5 g body weight). At days 14, 21, 28, 42 and 56 after birth, the rats were sacrificed after anaesthesia, and their testes were taken out and weighed. The cranial and caudal SEH and TD were measured respectively, the TD/SEH ratio in each part of the testis and the caudal SEH/cranial SEH ratio were calculated, and different stages of spermatogenesis were analysed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the experimental group, the testis weight was significantly lower than that of the control (P < 0.01), the testes constantly remained in the abdominal cavity, and there was much fluid retention in the rete testis all the time. From day 21 on, the TD/SEH ratio in the cranial testis was much higher than in the control (P < 0.01), and so was the caudal SEH/cranial SEH ratio (P < 0.01). And spermatogenesis was obviously retarded as compared with the control (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Exposure of newborn male SD rats to E2B can cause fluid retention in the testis and cryptorchid, which in turn may retard spermatogenesis.</p>

Influence of estradiol benzoate on fluid reabsorption capacity of rat efferent ductuli / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the influence of estradiol benzoate (E2B) on the fluid reabsorption capacity of rat efferent ductuli.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Newborn male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected subcutaneously with E2B (0.2 mg/5 g body weight), and the histological morphology of efferent ductulus, epithelial ultrastructure, and immunoexpression of AQP-1 were investigated on postnatal day 14, 21, 28, 42 and 56, respectively. Vehicle was given to the controls.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After exposure to E2B, the lumina of the efferent ductuli dilated greatly (P < 0.05), and the epithelium height decreased significantly (P < 0.01), microvilli of nonciliated cells short and sparse, endocytic apparatus implicated in fluid reabsorption scarce, and with no AQP-1 expression.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>High dosage of E2 B neonatally administrated to rats damages the fluid reabsorption capacity of efferent ductuli.</p>