Cluster analysis for syndromes of real-world coronary heart disease with angina pectoris / 医学前沿

Syndromes of coronary heart disease with angina pectoris were analyzed to provide guidance for clinical practice and to improve accuracy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) diagnoses and efficacy of TCM treatment. A total of 860 cases with coronary heart disease with angina pectoris were selected from TCM Clinical Research Information Sharing System for TCM clinics and research. Syndromes were automatically extracted with the cluster method and were analyzed to provide objective evidence for clinical studies. Final syndrome classifications were recognized and confirmed by clinical experts. Popular syndromes included Qi and blood deficiency, blood stasis and obstruction collaterals, liver depression and spleen deficiency, and Qi stagnation and blood stasis. Syndromes Qi and blood deficiency and blood stasis and obstruction collaterals accounted for 28.61% of total syndromes, whereas liver depression and spleen deficiency and Qi stagnation and blood stasis accounted for 26.44%. The main syndrome elements comprised Qi deficiency, blood deficiency, blood stasis, and Qi stagnation.

New thoughts in mechanism research of acupuncture for myocardial stunning from κ-opioid receptor signaling pathway / 中国针灸

By reviewing the literature regarding the development mechanism of myocardial stunning, effects of acupuncture on myocardial ischemic injury, and correlation between acupuncture and κ-opioid receptor, it was suggested that acupuncture was highly likely to act on κ-opioid receptor in myocardial cells, and directly treated myocardial malfunction induced by myocardial stunning through κ-opioid receptor and its signaling pathway. In addition, acupuncture could inhabit the signaling pathway of adrenoceptor β1, one of the main functional receptors, to indirectly improve myocardial ischemic injury. From κ-opioid receptor signaling pathway, the action mechanism of acupuncture for prevention and treatment of myocardial stunning was discussed in this paper, hoping to provide new ideas for possible mechanism of acupuncture for myocardial ischemic injury.

Discussion on specificity of acupoint effect based on "acupoint fordiseases" / 中国针灸

The specificity of acupoint effect is an important part of acupuncture theory. It has been one of the foci in acupuncture research domestically and abroad. This paper explores the specific relationship between Zusanli (ST 36) and stomach-intestine function based on the ancient records on "acupoint fordiseases" and the clinical and experimental researches on Zusanli(ST 36) treating digestive diseases. The physiological mechanism of the specificity is explained in terms of the spinal cord segment of Zusanli (ST 36) and gastrointestinal organs as well as the cerebral central effect of puncturing the acupoint. The aim of the paper is to provide more evidences for the specificity of acupoint effect indicated by "acupoint fordiseases".