Development of handshape / 中国针灸

A new type of handshape

Design and implementation of a method for temperature parameter collection inside acupoint / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To realize real-time measurement and recording of temperature parameters inside acupoints during acupuncture treatment.@*METHODS@#The fine wire thermocouple was embedded in hollow needle body as acupoint detection probe. According to the structure of acupoint temperature signal processing circuit, the Agilent 34420A nanovolt/micro-eurometer was used to design the technology method of acupoint temperature data acquisition, and an acupoint temperature collection platform was established. In addition, a verification experiment was conducted to verify the feasibility and stability of the system.@*RESULTS@#The contrast experiment with mercury thermometer measurement showed that the temperature measurement curve of the designed acupoint temperature data collection platform was highly consistent with that of the standard thermometer, which verified the stability and reliability of the designed temperature measurement platform. The experiment of animal in-vivo measurement showed that the acupoint temperature probe had good feasibility for in-vivo acupoint temperature measurement.@*CONCLUSION@#Acupoint temperature probe and acupoint temperature data collection technology can measure the temperature inside acupoints, and ensured the accuracy and veracity of the results. As an experimental method of acupoints temperature parameter collection, it can quantitatively record the temperature changes during the acupuncture treatment.

Development of teaching training and assessment system for warming acupuncture / 中国针灸

A teaching training and assessment system for warming acupuncture is developed. This system is suitable for the technique operation of multi-acupoint warming acupuncture, and could evaluate the training effects of warming acupuncture at each acupoint. The hardware structure of this system is mainly composed of man-machine interface, control unit and training unit. The software program includes reset module, system clock module, needle depth signal control module, vibration control module and communication module. The teaching training and assessment system of warming acupuncture adopted touch-screen human-machine interface, which is simple to operate. The basic training unit, through multi-angle and multi-dimension adjustment of universal base, could realize the simulation training of warming acupuncture at different acupoints and angles of human body. Each training unit is relatively independent, and relevant parameters are set separately; the relevant parameters information is displayed in real time. The parameters of training unit includes needling time, vibration frequency and vibration time. In conclusion, the teaching training and assessment system for warming acupuncture could be used in the teaching and assessment of warming acupuncture. According to the criteria including operation time and effect, the students' technique ability of warming acupuncture could be evaluated objectively, which is helpful to set teaching objectives and technical operation requirements in warming acupuncture teaching.

Quantitative research technology of tuina manipulations / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Tuina is a physical therapy for treatment and prevention of diseases.The predecessors had summed up the systematic tuina manipulations through experiences.In order to study the scientificity and usability of the technology,the researchers established a mathematical model of tuina manipulations,and used video technology to capture the trajectory of the manipulations.Using the mechanical sensor to sense the real manipulations,researchers developed a tuina manipulation instrument and obtained a lot of basic mechanics data about the manipulation technology.Through the summary of the research results of the predecessors,accurate,true and comprehensive mechanical parameters of technology of tuina manipulations were obtained to guide the research and development of instruments of tuina manipulations,and promote the development of the discipline of tuina science.

Effects of different acupuncture and moxibustion methods on ultrastructure of gastrocnemius in rats / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the efficacy differences in early intervention of different acupuncture and moxibustion methods on gastrocnemius fatigue in rats induced by electrical stimulation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty male SD rats were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, a hand acupuncture group, an electroacupuncture group and a moxibustion group, 10 rats in each group. Electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve was given in the control group and gastrocnemius fatigue test was induced by electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve in the model group after anesthesia without other treatment, but just take 6 times interval stimulation in the control group. The hand acupuncture group, the electroacupuncture group and the moxibustion group were treated with the corresponding acupoints stimulation method respectively for 20 min before gastrocnemius fatigue test, and Dazhui (GV 14) and Zusanli (ST 36) were selected. Immediately after gastrocnemius fatigue test, three or four gastrocnemius tissues at the same site on the right side were quickly taken for making specimen for transmission electron microscope (TEM). The changes of skeletal muscle ultrastructure of myofibrils, mitochondria, sarcoplasmic reticulum, glycogen particles were observed under TEM.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) Muscle fibers disorder, partial mitochondrial vacuolization and glycogen particles smaller were shown in the model group. (2) No abnormalities were shown in the hand acupuncture group and the moxibustion group with mitochondrial morphology and number, which better than that in the model group, and glycogen particles increased. (3) Abnormal changes in morphology were shown in the electroacupuncture group with part of the muscle fibers derangement, Z line malalignment and a few mitochondria vacuolization.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Hand acupuncture, electroacupuncture and moxibustion have the different effects on ultrastructure of gastrocoemius in rats. Acupuncture and moxibustion have shown good effects on the prevention and treatment of exercise-induced skeletal muscle cell and organelle damage and delaying exercise-induced fatigue.</p>

Electroacupuncture therapy and corrosion of acupuncture needle / 中国针灸

During the process of electroacupuncture (EA) therapy, whether there being a corrosive effect in ac- upuncture needles was observed. Acupuncture needles were inserted into a rabbit's acupoint to perform a 12-hour electrical stimulation with three types of common EA waveform; additionally two needles were put in 0.9% sodium chloride solution with 12-hour direct current. Afterwards, environmental scanning electron microscope was applied to detect the surface physical characteristics of acupuncture needles. As a result, after a 12-hour continued electri- cal stimulation with three types of common EA waveform in the rabbit, there was no corrosive effect in acupunc- ture needles; but the direct current could cause severe corrosion in acupuncture needles. It is believed that there is no corrosion effect on acupuncture needles in current EA treatment, and some accidents reported in literature may be related to quality of EA device or improper manipulation during the treatment.

Effect of acupuncture on regulating skeletal muscle endurance in rats / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of acupuncture on skeletal muscle endurance in rats as a pre-games assistant training.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control, model and acupuncture group. Acupuncture group was treated at "Dazhui" (GV 14), "Housanli" (ST 36) by twisting mild reinforcing-reducing method for 20 min, no interventions were added on control and model group. Muscle strength was detected in three groups under anaesthetic (after model established in model group, after model established and treated in acupuncture group). Averaged change percentage of mean skeletal muscle endurance (P(m)) and averaged maximum percentage of skeletal muscle endurance (P(max)) were evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) 10P(m) in model group decreased more than acupuncture group statistically (P < 0.05); 20P(m), 30P(m) and 40P(m) in model group decreased significantly compared to those in control group and acupuncture group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). (2) Changes of 10P(max) in acupuncture group was much less than in model group (P < 0.05); changes of 20P(max), 30P(max), 40P(max) and 50P(max) decreased more in model group than in acupuncture group and control group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>As an assistant training method, acupuncture can postpone descending point of muscle strength endurance to delay sport fatigue.</p>

Effects of 650 nm laser and moxibustion pretreatment on enteric nervous system and medullary visceral zone in rats with visceral traction pain / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore effects of 650 nm laser and moxibustion pretreatment on visceral traction pain (VTP) and its mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty male SD rats were randomly devided into a sham operation group (group A), a VTP group (group B), a 650 nm laser pretreatment group (group C), a moxibustion pretreatment group (group D). Rats in group A and group B were not treated except sham operation or VTP model. In group C and D, the VTP models were produced immediate after 650 nm laser irradiation or moxibustion at "Zusanli" (ST 36), respectively. The changes of pain score and systolic pressure were investigated and the activity of AChE, the content of SP and leu-enkephaline (LEK), and the positive index of c-Fos protein and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were detected by biochemistry, radio-immunity method and immunohistochemistry, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with group A, the pain score, systolic pressure, the activity of AChE, the content of SP, and the positive index of c-Fos protein and GFAP of group B increased significantly (all P < 0.05); compared with group B, the pain score, AChE activity, the content of SP and the positive index of c-Fos protein and GFAP of both group C and group D decreased significantly (all P < 0.05); compared with group B, the content of LEK increased and systolic pressure decreased significantly in group C (both P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Both 650 nm laser and moxibustion pretreatment can inhibit VTP and the mechanism may be related to reducing the activity of AChE and the content of SP, and increasing the activity of LEK and decreasing the expression of c-Fos protein and GFAP.</p>

Thinking and status of research on acupoint temperature sensor needle / 中国针灸

ABSTRACT Based on acupoint temperature sensor needle related literatures, the development and the applications of temperature sensor needle and the measuring instrument which is used for measuring the temperature of acupoints are introduced in the present paper. This paper summarizes the basic structure and measuring principle of temperature sensor needle; it also summarizes the hardware and measuring procedures of the measuring instrument. According to the characteristics of the temperature sensor needle, this paper states its broad applications and development trend.

Application of "Acupuncture Manipulation Information Analyzing System" in acupuncture manipulation education / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the application of analyzing systems and techniques in acupuncture manipulation education that may improve students' acupuncture manipulation skills.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The teacher's acupuncture manipulation (TAM) was recorded in wave, data and video information by the Analyzing System. Students practised, adjusted and corrected their manipulation skills according to the TAM. After finishing the training sessions, the system's grading function evaluated every student's performance.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After training, the stability of the students' acupuncture manipulation skills and their achievement were both significantly improved (P < 0.01, P < 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The Analyzing System benefits for imitating and learning the manipulations of specilists and can improve the education quality.</p>

Preliminary research on the standardization of acupuncture manipulation / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To understand the standardization of acupuncture manipulation methods at present.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Apply "the acupuncture manipulation information analysis system" to analyze the collective acupuncture manipulation methods of teachers and acupuncture and moxibustion physicians, and to find basic rules of acupuncture manipulation methods.</p><p><b>RESULTS AND CONCLUSION</b>In the 6 basic acupuncture reinforcing and reducing manipulations researched in this study, almost all of the 7 parameters analyzed showed significant differences (P<0.01), indicating that the basic acupuncture manipulation of reinforcing and reducing is lack of uniform manipulation standardization, which may be due to acupuncture manipulation having no objective standard as basis; it also was found that there were more differences among various acupuncture manipulations, but the difference between reinforcing and reducing manipulations was reflected in every manipulator's experimental data, and showed the same characteristics as those recorded in traditional acupuncture and moxibustion literatures, suggesting a that teaching and clinical practice of acupuncture manipulation possibly are at the present situation of good qualification and worse quantification.</p>

Acupoint electrogymnastics therapy for treatment of apoplectic hemiplegia: a multicenter randomized control study / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the therapeutic effect of acupoint electrogymnastics therapy on apoplectic hemiplegia, so as to further popularize this therapy in treatment of apoplectic hemiplegia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Using three-central, randomized, controlled, multi-blind methods, 153 cases were divided into an electrogymnastics group (n = 77) and an electroacupuncture group (n = 76). They were treated with acupoint electrogymnastics (AE) and traditional electroacupuncture (TEA), respectively. Shousanli (LI 10) and Waiguan (TE 5) on upper limbs and Yanglingquan (GB 34) and Zusanli (ST 36) on the lower limbs were selected in the two groups. A JD-2008 hemiplegia treatment apparatus was used in the AE group. Fugl-Meyer method was used for assessment of motor function and sense function of the four limbs, balance function and joint activity, etc. before and after treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the motor function and sense function of four limbs, balance function and joint activity in the two groups had significant improvement after treatment (both P < 0. 001) with no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Both acupoint electrogymnastics (AE) and traditional electroacupuncture (TEA) have a similar therapeutic effect on apoplectic hemiplegia, but AE has the advantages of safety, reliability and convenience in operation, so it is suitable for long-term rehabilitation treatment of the patient and for popularization in hospital of basic level.</p>

Problems in traditional acupoint electric characteristic detection and conception of new acupoint detection method / 中国针灸

Through literature review of acupoint electric characteristic (AEC) detection, some problems in the traditional method of AEC detection were found. The major reasons were lack of distinguishing the relationship between the acupoint and "skin on the acupoint" in the electric characteristics, which can not solve those objective and subjective interferential factors in acupoint detection. Therefore, the traditional acupoint detection method is not stable, and its repeatability is no good. The conception to design the probe of acupoint characteristic detection is put forward, which can give a real time and dynamic detection for the electric characteristics of the acupoint's various anatomic layers. Meanwhile, the circumstance of the body tissue is relatively stable, so the detection method can avoid those interferential factors.

The present situation and analysis of acupuncture anesthesia / 中国针灸

Acupuncture anesthesia (AA) appeared in 1950s. It originates with Chinese TCM researchers and is one of important achievements of modern medicine. AA was developed vigorously and applied widely between 1960s-1970s. Due to the objective and subjective reasons, clinical application and research of AA in recent 20 years have developed very little. The paper reviews the formation and development processes of AA, analyzes the advantages and mechanisms of AA and its problems, then provides the feasible advice for the development of AA.

Design of acupoint electric characteristic sensing needle / 中国针灸

The electric characteristics of acupoints have been confirmed by researchers at home and abroad. Because the traditional detection methods are various (mainly are different positions of the reference electrode), and they are influenced by many affective factors, with unstable results and bad repeatability, so the studies of the electric characteristics of acupoints are limited. The acupoint electric characteristic sensing needle is introduced in detail from its design, detection methods and so on, which can detects changes of the acupoint electric characteristics of channels and acupoints in different healthy states real-timely, dynamically and continuously. It not only can avoid those affective factors, and also the detective results are relatively stable and the repeatability is also better.

Electrical acupoint stimulation increases athletes' rapid strength / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To search for a stimulation method for increasing athletes' performance.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and fifty athletes were randomly divided into a trial group and a control group, 75 athletes in each group. Acupoints were stimulated with audio frequency pulse modulated wave and multi-blind method were used to investigate effects of the electric stimulation of acupoints on 30-meter running, standing long jumping and Cybex isokinetic testing index.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The acupoint electric stimulation method could significantly increase athlete's performance (P < 0.05), and the biomechanical indexes, maximal peak moment of force (P < 0.05), force moment accelerating energy (P < 0.05) and average power (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Electrical acupoint stimulation can enhance athlete's rapid strength.</p>

Effects of manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture on mitochondria of skeletal muscle cells in rats of acute swimming exercise / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe effects of acupuncture and electroacupuncture on antioxidant enzyme and Ca2+(-) ATPase activities and Ca2+ content in mitochondria of skeletal muscle cells in rats of acute swimming exercise and explore the mechanism of acupuncture in increasing sport ability.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups. The rats in the acupuncture group and the electroacupuncture group were treated respectively with acupuncture and electroacupuncture before acute swimming exercise. After the swimming exercise, the rats were killed and the skeletal muscle was taken, and then the indexes were determined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After acute swimming exercise, the GSH-Px and Ca(2+)-ATPase activities in the mitochondria of the skeletal muscle decreased significantly (P < 0.05) and Ca2+ content increased (P < 0.01) in the swimming group as compared with the control group; in the acupuncture group, SOD activity increased significantly (P < 0.05), GSH-Px and Ca(2+)-ATPase activities increased as compared with the swimming group (P < 0.05); Ca2+ contents in the swimming group and the electroacupuncture group significantly increased as compared with the control group (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Acupuncture can protect cells from injury of acute sports and maintain the functions of mitochondria so as to delay fatigue, prolong working time of muscles and prevent muscles from damage.</p>

Analgesic effects of electroacupuncture of different pulse waveforms in the rat of adjuvant arthritis / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the best pulse waveform of electroacupuncture for treatment of adjuvant arthritis (AA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups. The electroacupuncture groups of AA were treated with different pulse waveforms of electroacupuncture, respectively. Pain threshold, swelling degrees of joint, and contents of 5-HT, beta-EP and LEK in local tissues of inflammation were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After the treatment, pain thresholds of the electroacupuncture groups with different pulse waveforms were higher than that of the model group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01); the local swelling degrees of inflammation in the electroacupuncture group were higher than that in the normal group (P < 0. 01), but was lower than that in the model group (P < 0.05, P < 0. 01); the contents of 5-HT in local tissues of inflammation in the electroacupuncture groups were lower than that in the model group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01); in comparison with the model group, the electroacupuncture of sound-electric wave increased the contents of beta-EP and LEK (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) and the electroacupuncture of intermittent wave increased the content of beta-EP in local tissues of inflammation (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Sound-electric wave is the best pulse waveform of electroacupuncture for treatment of adjuvant arthritis.</p>