Effect of catgut embedding at acupoints versus non-acupoints in abdominal obesity: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the difference of catgut embedding effect between acupoints and non-acupoints in patients with abdominal obesity (AO). METHODS: In this multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, all subjects were randomly assigned into the acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) group and control group (catgut embedding at non-acupoints). With a 12-week actual intervention period and a 4-week period of follow-up. Waist circumference (WC), body weight, body mass index (BMI), hip circumference (HC) and appetite were applied and assessed at baseline and after 6, 12 and 16 weeks. RESULTS: After the total intervention phase (12 weeks), the WC, body weight, BMI, HC and visual analogue scale scores of appetite, decreased significantly in the two groups as compared to the baseline (0.001). Meanwhile, after the 4-week follow-up, the indicators still decreased significantly in the ACE group (0.001). At 12 and 16 weeks, catgut embedding at acupoints showed significantly advantages to non-acupoints in WC and appetite (0.05). No serious adverse events were observed in ACE group and control group. CONCLUSIONS: Catgut embedding at acupoints and non-acupoints are all effective and safe for AO. ACE can effectively treat AO as expected and deliver lasting results.

Bibliometric Analysis of the Clinical Literature of Acupoint Thread-embedding for Simple Obesity / 上海针灸杂志

Objective To analyze the bibliometry of the literature of acupoint thread-embedding in treating simple obesity, and to provide references for clinic.Method By both computer and manual retrieval, the relevant literatures over the past 30 years were collected from the Chinese Journal Full-text Database (CJFD), Vip database, WanFang database. By using the SPSS 17.0 software for statistical analysis, the distribution (province or city), publication year, and journal of the literatures, supporting fund, sample size, research method, material of the thread, use frequency of the involved acupoints, and the meridians of the selected acupoints were summarized.Result The included eligible 175 articles were distributed over many provinces and cities; the publication amount had been increasing year by year; there was a variety of thread materials; the literature with supporting funds only occupied a small percentage, while the research with a small sample size occupied a comparatively large percentage, and the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) also had a small percentage.Conclusion As a common Chinese external therapy in treating simple obesity, acupoint thread-embedding has been paid more and more attention for its practical value and bright future. However, the relevant governmental department hasn’t paid enough attention to this therapy, and the low clinical research quality also makes it difficult to scientifically evaluate its clinical efficacy and safety. Therefore, more attention is required, RCTs of multicenter and large sample size are expected, and clinical research quality also needs improvement, to provide references for clinic.

Status of diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture based on SooPAT and bibliometrics in China / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To perform a bibliometrics analysis on patent literature regarding diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture in China, aiming to provide references for the development of diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Based on SooPAT, a patent database, the patent literature regarding diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture in China was collected. With bibliometrics methods, the annual distribution of type, quantity, classification and content of diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The number of acupuncture diagnosis and treatment devices reached its peak in 2012 and 2013 in China. The A61N in patent and utility model patent were the most, which were mainly related to electrotherapy, magnetic therapy, radioactive therapy and ultrasound therapy, etc. The main content was acupuncture treatment devices and meridian treatment devices. The 24-01 in design patent was the most, involving fixation devices used by doctors, hospitals and laboratories, etc.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Currently the majority of diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture is therapeutic apparatus, while the acupuncture diagnosis devices are needed.</p>

Reviews on RCT Design Characteristic of Primary Hypertension Treatment with Acupuncture Abroad / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

Primary hypertension is one of the common chronic diseases, as well as the key disease for prevention and treatment by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The authors searched and analyzed RCTs studies on primary hyper-tension treatment with acupuncture in the PubMed. It showed that primary hypertension treatment with acupuncture abroad had high quality methodologies. However, the deficiencies of TCM theories in the treatment plan in these studies were the same as RCTs of acupuncture treatment design of other diseases. It may due to the insufficiency of TCM knowledge and culture differences of researchers aboard. Besides, the small sample amount, various interven-tions, no blank control, and the using of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure most of the time, may difficult to objec-tively evaluate the clinical effect of acupuncture. Therefore, our research team will carry out high quality RCT stud-ies under the guidance of TCM theories of meridians and syndrome differentiation to further discuss the specificity of acupoints.