ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of acupuncture on urinary incontinence and to discuss why these acupoints were selected. Seven databases were searched for any randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the use of acupuncture or acupressure as a treatment for urinary incontinence, and the Cochrane risk of bias tool was utilized to evaluate the risk of bias in each study. Four RCTs met all the inclusion criteria. The results from the selected RCTs failed to demonstrate any statistically significant improvements in urinary incontinence, although acupuncture or acupressure did exhibit favorable effects on overactive bladder symptoms and quality of life, in comparison with other conventional therapies. There have been limited results supporting acupuncture or acupressure as an effective treatment method for urinary incontinence; therefore, further RCTs are required to confirm the effectiveness of acupuncture or acupressure in the treatment of urinary incontinence.
ABSTRACT
Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is an important regulator of the fibrinolytic pathway and extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover. The -675 4G/5G polymorphism in the PAI-1 promoter is associated with altered PAI-1 transcription, suggesting that this polymorphism may be a candidate risk factor for diseases characterized by ECM accumulation, such as immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (MesPGN). We genotyped childhood patients with biopsy-confirmed IgAN (n=111) and MesPGN (n=47), and healthy control subjects (n=230) for the -675 4G/5G PAI-1 polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism methods. The distribution of the 4G/4G (27.9%), 4G/5G (45.1%) and 5G/5G (27.0%) genotypes in IgAN patients was significantly different from the healthy controls (32.2, 54.3 and 13.5%, respectively) (p=0.0092). There was no significant difference in the genotype distributions of the 4G/5G polymorphism between MesPGN patients and the healthy controls. Regarding the impact of the polymorphism on IgAN, the 4G/4G genotype was markedly increased in patients with proteinuria (≥1,000 mg/day) and/or hypertension when compared to patients without proteinuria and hypertension (OR=5.23, 95% CI 1.34-20.38, P=0.0183). These findings indicate that the PAI-1 gene polymorphism may affect the susceptibility of childhood IgAN.
ABSTRACT
Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone screening of asymptomatic individuals to diagnose subclinical hypothyroidism remains controversial. We evaluated the potential role of Sasang constitutional discrimination and ryodoraku testing as an alternative and complementary diagnostic tool for subclinical hypothyroidism. Among 1,105 potential subjects, 1,073 were included in this study. Of these, 134 subjects had subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and 939 were healthy (euthyroid; EU) control subjects. Blood parameters, including serum thyroid hormone levels, were measured. We classified the participants into the four Sasang constitutional types, Taeyang-type individuals, Taeeum-type individuals, Soyang-type individuals and Soeum-type individuals, and measured their ryodoraku scores (RS). The mean levels of free thyroxine (FT4), glucose, red blood cells and hematocrit in the SCH group were significantly lower compared to those in the EU group (p<0.0183, p=0.0006, p=0.0162 and p=0.0224, respectively). The mean FT4 level of the Soeum-type SCH patients was significantly lower compared to the Soeum-type EU patients (p=0.0423). The total RS was significantly higher in the Taeeum-type SCH patients (p=0.0253) and lower in the Soeum-type SCH patients (p=0.0094) compared to controls. Ryodoraku testing and Sasang constitutional discrimination have the potential to serve as alternative and complementary diagnostic tools for subclinical hypothyroidism.
