Clinical therapeutic effect on bronchial asthma by the observation of skin reaction after acupoint application based on chronic disease management platform of asthma / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the therapeutic effect on bronchial asthma between presence of skin reaction and the absence of skin reaction after acupoint application.@*METHODS@#Sixty-one patients with bronchial asthma were treated with acupoint application during the hottest periods of summer ("dog days"). The acupoints included Dingchuan (EX-B 1), Feishu (BL 13), Xinshu (BL 15), Pishu (BL 20) and Shenshu (BL 23). The treatment was given once every 7 days, with the herbal plaster remained for 6 h each time, and 4 treatments were required totally. According to the local skin reaction after acupoint application, a skin reaction group (30 cases, 2 cases dropped off) and a non-skin reaction group (31 cases) were divided. Separately, before treatment and 1 year after treatment, using chronic disease management platform of asthma, the number of asthma attacks, the score of asthma control test (ACT) and the score of asthma quality of life questionnaire (AQLQ) were recorded online. Besides, the therapeutic effect was observed in the two groups 1 year after treatment.@*RESULTS@#One year after treatment, the number of asthma attacks was reduced as compared with that before treatment in the patients of either group (@*CONCLUSION@#In treatment of acupoint application for bronchial asthma, the clinical therapeutic effect is better in the patients with local skin reaction after acupoint application. The chronic disease management platform of asthma is convenient for online evaluation.

Effect of electroacupuncture on serum melatonin and dopamine in aged insomnia / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the clinical effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on aged insomnia, and explore its possible mechanism.@*METHODS@#A total of 60 patients with aged insomnia were randomly divided into an EA group (30 cases) and a sham EA group (30 cases, 1 case dropped off). The patients in the EA group were treated with acupuncture at Baihui (GV 20), Yintang (GV 29), Shenmen (HT 7), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Xinshu (BL 15) and Shenshu (BL 23), and EA was used at Baihui (GV 20) and Yintang (GV 29), with intermittent wave, 2 Hz in frequency. In the sham EA group, the acupoints and the EA connection acupoints were the same as those in the EA group, 2-3 mm in depth, but no current was connected. The intervention was given 30 min each time, once every other day, 3 times a week for 4 weeks in the both groups. Before and after treatment, the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale were used to assess sleep quality and cognitive function, and serum melatonin (MT) and dopamine (DA) levels were detected.@*RESULTS@#After treatment, the total score and sub-item scores of PSQI in the EA group were lower than those before treatment (@*CONCLUSION@#Electroacupuncture can improve sleep quality and cognitive function in aged insomnia patients, and its mechanism may be related to regulating serum MT and DA levels.

Insomnia treated with three acupuncture combinations guided by theory of / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the clinical therapeutic effect and safety on insomnia among three acupuncture combinations, named @*METHODS@#A total of 90 patients with insomnia were randomized into a Tongdu Tiaowei group (30 cases, 1 case dropped off ), a Tongdu Yangxin group (30 cases, 2 cases dropped off ) and a Tongdu Tiaozang group (30 cases, 1 case dropped off ). Besides electroacupuncture (EA) applied to Baihui (GV 20) and Yintang (GV 29) in all of the three groups, acupuncture was added at Shenmai (BL 62) and Zhaohai (KI 6), Shenmen (HT 7) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) as well as back-@*RESULTS@#After treatment, the score of each of 6 factors, named sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance and daytime dysfunction, as well as the total score of PSQI scale were all reduced as compared with the scores before treatment in the patients of each group (@*CONCLUSION@#All of the three acupuncture combinations, named

Effect of Tongdu Tiaoshen needling in treatment of chronic insomnia by regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis / 针刺研究

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effect of Tongdu Tiaoshen needling in the treatment of chronic insomnia and its mechanism based on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with chronic insomnia were randomly divided into treatment group and control group, with 30 patients in each group. In addition to the health education on sleep, the patients in the treatment group were given Tongdu Tiaoshen needling, i．e., electroacupuncture at Baihui (GV20), Shenting (GV24), Yintang (EX-HN3), bilateral Shenmen (HT7), and bilateral Sanyinjiao (SP6), and those in the control group were given superficial acupuncture at Shousanli (LI10), Futu (ST32), and Feiyang (BL58) at both sides, once every other day and three times a week for 4 consecutive weeks. Before and after treatment, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess the quality and efficiency of sleep, and ELISA was used to measure the serum levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and corticosterone (CORT). RESULTS: After treatment, the treatment group had significant reductions in the total PSQI score and the score of each component of PSQI (P<0.01), and the control group had significant reductions in the total PSQI score (P<0.01) and the scores of all components except sleep duration (P<0.05); compared with the control group, the treatment group had significantly lower total PSQI score and the score of each component (P<0.01). After treatment, the treatment group had significant reductions in the serum levels of CRH, ACTH and CORT (P<0.05，P <0.01), and compared with the control group, the treatment group had significant reductions in the serum levels of CRH, ACTH and CORT (P<0.01，P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Tongdu Tiaoshen needling has a good clinical effect in the treatment of chronic insomnia and can significantly improve the sleep condition of patients with chronic insomnia, possibly by reducing the hormones associated with the HPA axis.