Danhong Injection Up-regulates miR-125b in Endothelial Exosomes and Attenuates Apoptosis in Post-Infarction Myocardium / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the involvement of endothelial cells (ECs)-derived exosomes in the anti-apoptotic effect of Danhong Injection (DHI) and the mechanism of DHI-induced exosomal protection against postinfarction myocardial apoptosis.@*METHODS@#A mouse permanent myocardial infarction (MI) model was established, followed by a 14-day daily treatment with DHI, DHI plus GW4869 (an exosomal inhibitor), or saline. Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-induced ECs-derived exosomes were isolated, analyzed by miRNA microarray and validated by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR). The exosomes induced by DHI (DHI-exo), PBS (PBS-exo), or DHI+GW4869 (GW-exo) were isolated and injected into the peri-infarct zone following MI. The protective effects of DHI and DHI-exo on MI hearts were measured by echocardiography, Masson's trichrome staining, and TUNEL apoptosis assay. The Western blotting and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) were used to evaluate the expression levels of miR-125b/p53-mediated pathway components, including miR-125b, p53, Bak, Bax, and caspase-3 activities.@*RESULTS@#DHI significantly improved cardiac function and reduced infarct size in MI mice (P<0.01), which was abolished by the GW4869 intervention. DHI promoted the exosomal secretion in ECs (P<0.01). According to the results of exosomal miRNA microarray assay, 30 differentially expressed miRNAs in the DHI-exo were identified (28 up-regulated miRNAs and 2 down-regulated miRNAs). Among them, DHI significantly elevated miR-125b level in DHI-exo and DHI-treated ECs, a recognized apoptotic inhibitor impeding p53 signaling (P<0.05). Remarkably, treatment with DHI and DHI-exo attenuated apoptosis, elevated miR-125b expression level, inhibited capsase-3 activity, and down-regulated the expression levels of proapoptotic effectors (p53, Bak, and Bax) in post-MI hearts, whereas these effects were blocked by GW4869 (P<0.05 or P<0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#DHI and DHI-induced exosomes inhibited apoptosis, promoted the miR-125b expression level, and regulated the p53 apoptotic pathway in post-infarction myocardium.

Consideration on development of the national standard: Pure Moxa Stick / 中国针灸

The paper gives a consideration on the development of the national standard, Pure Moxa Stick. It is proposed that the principle and requirements for the development of product standard should be adhered to, while focusing on the applicability and safety of pure moxa stick. In terms of quality, the specific requirements should be developed on the ratio of moxa floss, wrapping paper and adhesives. Regarding the specifications, either the market demands or the resource waste prevention should be considered. In safety, the combustion temperature and moxa smoke control are the key issues.

Role of gut microbiota in the treatment of ulcerative colitis with traditional Chinese medicine / 药学学报

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic non-specific inflammatory bowel disease, listed as a modern refractory disease by the World Health Organization, which is difficult to recover, whereas it is easy to be attacked repeatedly. UC pathogenesis is closely related to gut microbiota dysbiosis. The gut microbiota interacts with bile acids (BAs), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), tryptophan, and other metabolism, immune system, intestinal barrier, etc., which regulate each other and affect the occurrence and development of UC. The active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), single herb and its extracts, and formulae can effectively alleviate UC symptoms by regulating the diversity, structure, composition, and metabolites of gut microbiota. In this review, the TCM based on the regulation of gut microbiota in the treatment of UC and its related mechanism for nearly three years was summarized.

Sample size estimation in acupuncture and moxibustion clinical trials / 中国针灸

The appropriate sample size estimation is very important in the design of clinical trials. However, insufficient or inappropriate sample size estimation is still a prominent problem in the currently published acupuncture and moxibustion clinical trials. At present, the superiority test, non-inferiority test and equivalence test have been widely used in acupuncture and moxibustion clinical trials. This article focuses on the application, calculation methods and PASS11 software using of these three hypothesis test types. In view of the problems in the estimation of sample size in acupuncture and moxibustion clinical trials, the particularity of sample size estimation in acupuncture and moxibustion is summarized from the aspects of parameter setting, ratio of intervention group and control group, and multi-group comparison, in order to guide acupuncture clinical researchers to correctly estimate sample size when conducting clinical trials.

Thinking on the development direction of acupuncture-moxibustion science from the study of genres of acupuncture and moxibustion / 中国针灸

The paper introduces the general situation on academic school of acupuncture and moxibustion in ancient China, the status of the modern genres of acupuncture and moxibustion, as well as the existing problems in the relevant studies. It is pointed out that "academic school" and "genre" should be distinguished each other in terms of modern context. The former should refer to the school of academic theory, while the latter should be the school of clinical treatment technology. It would be best to classify the modern academic school of acupuncture and moxibustion based on the therapeutic techniques with specific characteristics for the outline, focusing on the study of the academic thought of each genre. Modern genres of acupuncture and moxibustion should be more inclusive and open, "encouraging the unique academic views", rather than "restricting access to inheritance". The development of modern genres of acupuncture and moxibustion is an important driving force for the development of acupuncture-moxibustion discipline and it is ought to contribute to the reconstruction of medical theory of acupuncture and moxibustion.

Study advance of depressive animal models and its application in traditional Chinese medicines / 中国中药杂志

Depression is a kind of mental disease with main symptoms of low mood and lack of pleasure, which seriously endangers human health. An appropriate depressive animal model is of great significance for the study of depression and new antidepressant drugs, while the suitable selection and matching of experimental animals, modeling methods and evaluation indexes are critical to eva-luate the scientificity and effectiveness of the depressive animal model. The study advance of depressive animal models in the aspects of experimental animal selection, modeling principle and method, characteristics, evaluation indexes and their application in traditional Chinese medicine are summarized through the systematic review of relevant literatures in PubMed, CNKI and other databases. The depressive animal modeling methods utilized in recent studies include stress, glucocorticoid induction, reserpine induction, lipopolysaccharide induction, surgical modeling, gene knockout, joint application modeling methods. Stress method is better to simulate the depressive symptoms of clinical patients, whereas there are some deficiencies, such as long modeling time and large cost. The depressive animal models induced by glucocorticoid, reserpine and lipopolysaccharide have the advantages of short modeling time and good controllability, but with a poor reliability. The pathogenesis of surgical modeling is highly matched with that of clinical depressive patients, whereas it has the defect of long postoperative recovery period. Gene knockout models can be used to study the precise role of specific genes in depression. However, its applicability may be restricted in studies on depression. The joint application modeling method can improve its reliability and accuracy, and attracts more and more attention. This paper provides a reference for the selection of animal models in future studies of pathological mechanism of depression, and screening and evaluation of antidepressant drugs.

Questionnaire survey and analysis of implementability of clinical practice guidelines for acupuncture-moxibustion / 中国针灸

The current usage and the existing problems in the implementability of clinical practice guidelines for acupuncture-moxibustion were investigated by questionnaire survey, aiming to provide reference for the development or update of clinical practice guidelines for acupuncture-moxibustion in the future. The results showed most of the acupuncture-moxibustion clinicians did not have a deep understanding of the guidelines, but they had a strong will of uniform standards and related guidelines. Although the published clinical practice guidelines for acupuncture-moxibustion achieved some success, they still had not got rid of the shackles of the previous textbook. The main existing problems in the guidelines included insufficient promotion, poor credibility, no evaluation criteria for curative effect, and lack of consideration for patients' will, etc. As the guidelines for acupuncture-moxibustion were based on the latest evidence of current clinical research, it reflected the low quality of current clinical research on acupuncture-moxibustion and lacking of evidence-based concept among acupuncture-moxibustion clinicians. The implementability of clinical practice guidelines is a key step in evidence-based translational medicine, while the research on the implementability of acupuncture-moxibustion guidelines is still blank. More attention should be paid to this field in the future.

Protective effects of Jiashen Prescription () on myocardial infarction in rats / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effects of Jiashen Prescription (, JSP) on myocardial infarction (MI) size and cardiac function at the early stage of MI in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to sham-operation or MI induced by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. The rats with MI were treated with vehicle, JSP 3 and 6 g/(kg·d), or losartan 10 mg/(kg·d) for 1 week.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the vehicle-treated MI rats, 6 g/(kg·d) JSP reduced MI size 3 days after MI (P<0.05), and attenuated the MI-induced increases in left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic dimension and decreases in fractional shortening and ejection fraction 1 week after MI (P<0.05). In addition, 6 g/(kg·d) JSP and losartan were equally effective in reducing MI size and enhancing cardiac functional recovery.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>JSP reduces MI size and improves cardiac function after MI, suggesting that JSP has potential as a therapy for MI.</p>

Investigation of Evolution Rules of Phlegm and Blood Stasis Syndrome in Hyperlipidemia and Ath- erosclerosis by NMR-based Metabolic Profiling and Metabonomic Approaches / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore evolution rules of phlegm and blood stasis syndrome ( PBSS) in hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis (AS) using NMR-based metabolic profiling and metabonomic approaches based on formulas corresponding to syndrome.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 150 SD rats were divided into the normal group, the model group, the Erchen Decoction (ED) group, the Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction (XZD) group, the Lipitor group, 30 in each group. The hyperlipidemia and AS rat model was duplicated by suturing carotid artery, injecting vitamin D3, and feeding with high fat diet. ED and XZD were used as drug probes. Blood samples were withdrawn at week 2, 4, and 8 after modeling. Blood lipids, blood rheology, histopathology and metabolomics were detected and analyzed. Results Results of blood lipids and pathology showed hyperlipidemia and early AS rat models were successfully established. At week 2 after modeling, levels of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) significantly increased, which reached the peak at week 4 and maintained at higher levels at week 8. ED exerted obvious effect in improving TC and LDL-C levels of early models, while XZD could greatly improve levels of TC and LDL-C of late models. Rheological results showed at week 2, there was no significant difference in whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, or hematocrit between the model group and the normal group (P > 0.05). At week 4 partial hemorheological indicators (such as plasma viscosity) were abnormal. Till week 8 whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, and hematocrit were significantly abnormal (P <0. 05, P < 0.01). As time went by, whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, and hematocrit showed gradual increasing tendency in the ED group, while they showed gradual decreasing tendency in the XZD group. Results of metabonomics showed significant difference in spectra of metabolites between the normal group and the model group. As modeling time was prolonged, contents of acetyl glucoprotein and glucose in the model group increased in late stage, which was in. line with results of blood lipids and hemorheology. ED showed more obvious effect in early and mid-term modeling (at week 2 and 4), and increased contents of partial metabolites (such as choline, phosphatidyl choline, glycerophosphocholine), but these changes in the XZD group were consistent with those of the model group. In late modeling (at week 8) XZD showed more obvious effect in improving contents of lactic acid, acetyl glycoprotein, LDL, creatine, choline, and glucose.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>ED and XZD not only showed regulatory effects on lipid disorders, but also could improve dysbolism of Chos. In formulas corresponding to syndrome, damp-phlegm was main pathogenesis of hyperlipidema and AS in early and mid stages. Blood stasis syndrome began to occur along with it progressed. Phlegm can result in blood stasis and intermingles with stasis. Phlegm turbidity runs through the whole process.</p>

Effects of Danshen Injection () on inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis through down-regulation of mutant JAK2 gene and its protein phosphorylation in human erythroid leukemic cells / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of Danshen Injection () on inhibition proliferation, inducing apoptosis and its possible mechanisms on human erythroid leukemic (HEL) cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The commercial Chinese patent medicine of Danshen Injection was extracted and isolated from Chinese herb of Salvia miltiorrhiza bung. The inhibition effects of proliferation were assayed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method in HEL cells treated by Danshen Injection at various concentrations for 48 h. The cellular apoptosis was observed in morphology, analyzed by flow cytometry with annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) staining, and examined by DNA degradation ladder on agarose gel electrophoresis. Meanwhile, the expression levels of mutant Janus kinasez (JAK2) gene and phosphorylation-JAK2 (P-JAK2) protein were detected by allele specific-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The proliferation of HEL cells was effectively inhibited by Danshen Injection in a dose-dependent manner, with suppression rates from 19.46±2.31% to 50.20±5.21%. Typical apoptosis cells was observed in Danshen Injection treated HEL cells, the rates of annexin V positive cells increased obviously in a dose-dependent manner, as well as the DNA degradation ladder of apoptosis revealed on gel electrophoresis. The expression levels of mutant JAK2 gene and P-JAK2 protein reduced gradually with increasing dosage of Danshen injection.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Danshen Injection could not only significantly inhibit the proliferation, but also induce apoptosis in HEL cells; down-regulation of the mutant JAK2 gene and P-JAK2 protein expressions are probably one of its molecular mechanisms.</p>

Role of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 and C-C chemokine receptor 2 in renal injury induced by salt-sensitive hype / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the effects of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) channel ablation and a chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) antagonist on salt-sensitive hypertension-induced renal injury.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Wild-type (WT) and TRPV1-null mutant (TRPV1(-/-)) mice were subjected to uninephrectomy and deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt treatment for 4 weeks with or without a CCR2 antagonist, RS504393 (n=8 for all the 4 groups). Sham WT and TRPV1(-/-) mice (both n=7) underwent uninephrectomy without receiving DOCA and saline. Systolic blood pressure, urinary excretion of albumin, 8-isoprostane and creatinine clearance for 24 hours were assayed during the experimental period and at the end of the 4-week treatment. The morphological analysis was performed in renal histological sections, including glomerulosclerosis, tubulointerstitial injury, and monocyte/macrophage infiltration.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared to the corresponding control mice, DOCA-salt treatment in both WT and TRPV1(-/-) mice led to increased systolic blood pressure (SBP), enhanced urinary excretion of albumin and 8-isoprostane, decreased creatinine clearance, increased glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial injury associated with enhanced monocyte/macrophage infiltration (all P<0.05), all of which were much more severe in TRPV1(-/-) mice compared to WT mice with the exception of blood pressure (all P<0.05). RS5043943 attenuated DOCA-salt-induced changes in renal function and morphology in WT and TRPV1(-/-) mice (all P<0.05). There was no difference in blood pressure among DOCA-salt WT and TRPV1(-/-) mice with or without RS505393 with the exception of sham WT and TRPV1(-/-) mice (all P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>CCR2 antagonist inhibits DOCA-salt-induced renal injury and monocyte/macrophage infiltration in WT and TRPV1(-/-) mice with the greater in the latter strain. Activation of TRPV1 attenuates salt-sensitive hypertension-induced renal injury possibly via inhibition of CCR2-induced monocyte/macrophage infiltration.</p>

Role of chemokine receptor 2 in renal damage induced by deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the role of chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) in the development of salt-sensitive hypertension-induced renal damage.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We investigated the renal damage induced by uninephrectomy and deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt in mice treated with or without a selective CCR2 antagonist RS504393 for 4 weeks. Sham mice underwent uninephrectomy without receiving DOCA and saline. Systolic blood pressure, urinary excretion of albumin and 8-isoprostane, creatinine clearance, glomerulosclerosis, renal tubulointerstitial injury, and renal monocyte/macrophage infiltration were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>DOCA-salt treatment led to increased systolic blood pressure, increased urinary excretion of albumin and 8-isoprostane, decreased creatinine clearance, glomerulosclerosis, renal tubulointerstitial injury, and renal monocyte/macrophage infiltration compared with the sham mice (P<0.05). All of them were prevented by CCR2 inhibition (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Blockade of CCR2 prevents renal damage induced by DOCA-salt treatment, suggesting that CCR2-mediated monocyte/macrophage infiltration may contribute to salt-sensitive hypertension-induced renal injury.</p>

Characteristics and superiorities of acupuncture medicine / 中国针灸

Four characteristics and five major superiorities of traditional Chinese acupuncture was expounded in this article. The four characteristics are (1) theoretical characteristic which focuses on meridians, acupoints, circulation of qi and blood; (2) effect mechanism of disease prevention and treatment based on external stimulation and internal regulation; (3) clinical diagnosis with the combination of differentiation of syndromes according to meridians and collaterals, zang-fu organs, eight principles and diagnosis based on acupoints; (4) technical characteristic of adoption of unique apparatus and special manipulations. The five superiorities are (1) diagnosis: simple, rapid and accurate; (2) technique: easy to study and manipulate; (3) therapeutic effect: quick and obvious effect, extensive indications; (4) safety: non-toxic and less side-effects; (5) cost: comparatively cheap. Thus, it is held that acupuncture should play a more important role in medical service system with unique Chinese characteristics.

Study on the efficacy graded-disease-spectrum of acupuncture and moxibustion by the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation techniques: musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases / 中国针灸

The descriptive cross sectional surveys were carried out among the outstanding clinical physicians in the field of acupuncture and moxibustion by using the survey sampling. The fuzzy comprehensive evaluation techniques was applied to evaluate the opinions of clinical experts in the field of acupuncture and moxibustion in order to classify the spectrum of diseases related to the musculoskeletal and connective tissue. After the statistical analysis on sixty-four diseases with 104 subtypes, the spectrum of diseases were determined as grade I spectrum of diseases with 13 subtypes of diseases, grade II spectrum of diseases with 51 subtypes of diseases, grade III spectrum of diseases with 10 subtypes of diseases, and grade IV spectrum of diseases with 30 subtypes of diseases. The outcomes reveal that acupuncture and moxibustion therapy have been applied widely for musculoskeletal diseases and connective tissue related diseases.

Effects of sanren decoction on plasma lipids and the metabolic profiles of hyperlipidemia rat model / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of Sanren Decoction and its separated recipe on the plasma lipids and metabolic profiles of hyperlipidemia rat model.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The hyperlipidemia rat model was established by feeding with high fat diet. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the normal control group (normal group), model group, the Shangjiao group, the Zhongjiao group, the Xiajiao group, Sanren group and Atorvastatin calcium group (control group), 10 in each. Sanren Decoction, a representative recipe based on the Sanjiao theory, and the various combinations of its components based on its compatibility principle were selected. The changes in plasma lipids and metabolic profiles of the model rats were then observed using biochemical methods and NMR-based metabonomic techniques.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Significant hypercholesterolemia was observed in model rats after three weeks by feeding with high fat diet (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, Sanren Decoction and its separated components reduced plasma cholesterol to various degrees (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Besides, Sanren Decoction had better effect than the Shangjiao group (P < 0.05). The metabolic profiles of the model rats were different from those of the control groups, the Sanren Decoction group and the three separated components groups. The effect of Sanren Decoction on the model group was better than each separated recipe group. The results demonstrated that the effect on improving the blood lipid levels by overall regulation of Sanjiao was better than those by the regulation of Shangjiao, Zhongjiao or Xiajiao respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The Sanjiao theory is useful in guiding the treatment of hyperlipidemia.</p>

Stapled versus unstapled mesh in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair: A systematic review / 第二军医大学学报

Objective: To conduct a systematic review on the clinical effectiveness and relative efficiency of stapled and unstapled mesh in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, CENTREN, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), CBMdisk, and National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database were searched for randomized controlled trials comparing stapled and unstapled mesh in the laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia; manual search was also conducted. The obtained literatures were rated and eligible trails were subjected to meta-analysis using RevMan5.0 software. Results: Eight trials assessing 1,619 participants were finally included. Meta-analysis showed that there were no significant differences between the compared arms in post-operation recurrence rate (RR=1.24, 95%CI 0.36-4.26, P = 0.74), total complication (RR=1.18, 95% CI 0.84-1.65, P = 0.34), time to return to normal activity(MD=0.14, 95% CI -0.16-0.44, P = 0.37). The mesh staple group needed more operative time(MD= 4.52, 95% CI 1.46-7.59, P = 0.004), cost more, and there was no definite conclusion on the post-operative pain in the two groups. Conclusion: There is no noticeable difference in the clinical effectiveness between the stapled and unstapled mesh in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair; the stapled mesh costs more, needs more time; and the post-operative pain still needs to be studied by more well-designed and large sample randomized controlled trials.

Analysis on acupoint prescription for acupoint sticking therapy of treating winter diseases in summer for preventing and curing chronic cough and asthma / 中国针灸

Based on ZhangShi YiTong written by ZHANG Lu of Qing dynasty, and the record that external application of Baijiezi (seeds of Brassica Alba) for treating asthma of cold syndrome, retrospective study is conducted to modern literature of treating winter diseases in summer with acupoint sticking therapy for preventing and treating chronic cough and asthma. Learning from thoughts and methods of evidence-based medicine, and according to subject characteristics of TCM and acupuncture, acupoints and point-selecting discipline of prescription for preventing and treating chronic cough and asthma in summer with acupoint sticking are analyzed. The results show that the top ten common acupoints used for acupoint sticking therapy of treating winter diseases in summer are Feishu (BL 13), Dingchuan (EX-B 1), Xinshu (BL 15), Geshu (BL 17), Danzhong (CV 17), Shenshu (BL 23), Gaohuang (BL 43), Dazhui (GV 14), Pishu (BL 20), Tiantu (CV 22), most of which belong to the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang, Conception Vessel and Governor Vessel or extra-meridian points. It refers that the core acupoints of acupoint sticking therapy are Feishu (BL 13), Dingchuan (EX-B 1), Xinshu (BL 15), Geshu (BL 17), Danzhong (CV 17), and adjunct points can be selected by syndrome, disease different stage, disease or symptoms.

Spectrum of ocular and adnexal disease treated with acupuncture / 中国针灸

Data studies are adopted to do systematic analysis on diseases described in theses on effect observation of acupuncture in Chinese Bio-Medical Literature and Retrieval System during 1978 to 2005. Numbers (frequency) of the disease mentioned are counted so as to analyze the acupuncture spectrum of ocular and adnexal diseases. The result indicates that the number of acupuncture spectrum of ocular and adnexal diseases is 31, which includes 22 diseases and 5 symptoms defined with western medicine as well as 4 syndromes of TCM. Thus, it can be concluded that ocular and adnexal disease is the one of the major component of acupuncture spectrums, and it is worth to popularize and apply that acupuncture for illness of this kind in clinic.

Literatures studies about the key factors affecting the effectiveness of acupoint sticking therapy treating winter diseases in summer / 中国针灸

Based on the literatures about the optimized effectiveness of the acupoint sticking therapy for diseases which are attacked in winter but are treated in summer, the main constituent elements of plaster, acupoints, the dose and the application time are reviewed and analyzed. It is suggested that the stepwise procedures are adoped to accumulate clinical evidence, standardize the technique instructions based on the clinical evidences, and perform high quality clinical trials.

Assessment of methodology and report quality of systematic evaluation and meta-analysis of acupuncture-moxibustion in China / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the methodology and report quality of systematic evaluation and Meta-analysis of acupuncture and moxibustion in China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Retrieve CBM, CNKI, WF and VIP database, collect data from the information system established by Epidata 2.1, assess the methodology and report quality by using the QQAQ and QUOROM, calculate the percentage of adequate rate.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Thirty-eight reviews, including twenty six systematic evaluation and twelve Meta-analyses, met the enrolled criteria. Twenty-two kinds of diseases and six diseases systems were included. The methodology quality scores were generally low (3.34 +/- 1.44). The causes of the problems were insufficient literature resource, bias in data collections and inaccurate merging methods. The report quality was relatively low in abstracts, methods, trial flow, introduction and data merging.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The amount of literatures on systematic evaluation and Meta-analysis of acupuncture is gradually increasing from 2002. However, the quality control is not ideal. It is important to improve the methodology and report quality.</p>