Research progress on mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion in treatment of irritable bowel syndrome / 中国针灸

The current clinical evidence and underlying mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were summarized, so as to better optimize clinical treatment. The relevant articles of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of IBS in recent years were retrieved and summarized. We found that the clinical efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of IBS was relatively reliable. However, the mutual relationships among various mechanisms of action such as abnormal gastrointestinal motility, high visceral sensitivity, intestinal microenvironment disorders, and abnormal intestinal-brain interactions need to be further explored. The authors believe that in-depth explorations of the bidirectional regulation of "gut-brain axis", the law of changes in the abundance and diversity of intestinal flora, and the establishment of a more ideal animal model of TCM syndrome differentiation are useful ideas for subsequent research.

Optimization and implementation of clinical trial of acupuncture: reflection on the successful case of acupuncture for postprandial distress syndrome / 中国针灸

Taking the clinical trial of acupuncture in treatment of postprandial distress syndrome as an example, this paper proposes that the acupuncture clinical trial protocol should be optimized in view of acupuncture prescription, acupuncture frequency and outcomes. Besides, the data quality of acupuncture clinical trial should be improved in consideration of data sharing and electronic data capture so as to provide a reference for the majority of researchers to optimize and implement acupuncture clinical trial.

Improvement in dyspepsia related symptoms treated with acupuncture in 278 patients with postprandial distress syndrome: a secondary analysis of a multi-center randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the clinical effect of acupuncture for the improvements in various dyspeptic symptoms of postprandial distress syndrome.@*METHODS@#The secondary analysis on the data of a multi-center randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted. 278 patients with postprandial distress syndrome were randomized into an acupuncture group (138 cases) and a sham-acupuncture group (140 cases). In the acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied to Baihui (GV 20), Danzhong (CV 17), Zhongwan (CV 12), Qihai (CV 6), Neiguan (PC 6), Zusanli (ST 36), etc. In the sham-acupuncture group, 6 sites, neither located on meridians nor belonged to meridian acupoints, were selected and punctured shallowly. The duration of treatment was 20 min each time, 3 times a week, for 4 weeks totally in the two groups. The follow-up visit lasted for 12 weeks. The scores of dyspeptic symptoms were compared between the two groups before treatment, during treatment (in week 1, 2, 3 and 4) and during follow-up (in week 8, 12 and 16) separately.@*RESULTS@#Besides the scores of early satiety and vomiting in the sham-acupuncture group in week 1, the scores of the other dyspepsia symptoms during treatment and follow-up were all reduced in the two groups as compared with those before treatment (@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture remarkably relieves postprandial fullness, early satiety, upper abdominal bloating and belching in patients with postprandial distress syndrome.

[High-frequency Evolution of Urban Atmospheric Ammonia and Ammonium and Its Gas-to-Particle Conversion Mechanism in Nanjing City].

In this study, hourly mass concentrations of atmospheric gases (mainly NH3) and secondary inorganic aerosols (mainly NH4+, NO3-, and SO42-) in Nanjing City were continuously measured during the fall of 2018 by an online gas and aerosol chemical component monitor. The dataset was used to investigate the variation characteristics of ambient NH3 and NH4+ during polluted and non-polluted periods, and to explore the potential chemical mechanism during gas-to-particle conversion between NH3 and NH4+. The results show that throughout the sampling period, the mean values (±1σ) of the mass concentrations of NH3 and NH4+ were (15.3±6.7) µg·m-3 and (11.3±7.8) µg·m-3, respectively, and that their diurnal profiles were distinct between pollution and non-pollution periods. Analysis of the potential contribution sources indicated that local contributions exceeded long-range transport as the dominant source of measured NH3 and NH4+, suggesting that urban areas can be hotspots of NH3 emissions. Further in-depth analysis revealed that the process of gas-to-particle conversion was the main driving force with respect to controlling diurnal variations in NH3 and NH4+. Specifically, pollution episodes were characterized by low temperature (7.5-12.5℃) and high humidity (50%-90%) meteorological conditions. These conditions tended to accelerate the reaction rate of gas-to-particle conversion and facilitate the formation of aerosol ammonium, leading to pronounced (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3 increases during pollution events. These findings clarify the sources of NH3 in the urban atmosphere and its potential contribution to the formation of particulate matter.

Prevalence, risk factors and recognition rates of depressive disorders among inpatients of tertiary general hospitals in Shanghai, China.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence, risk factors and recognition rates of depressive disorders among inpatients of tertiary general hospitals in Shanghai, China. METHODS: A total of 784 inpatients were randomly selected from three tertiary general hospitals and evaluated with a Chinese version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5.0 by ten trained psychiatrists. A questionnaire, containing socio-demographic and clinical data, and a social support scale were also administered to subjects during the course of the clinical interview. Logistic regression was used to identify factors that were associated with depression. RESULTS: The current prevalence rates (95% confidence intervals) of any depressive disorder and major depressive disorder (MDD) were found to be 13.1% (10.7%-15.5%) and 6.9% (5.1%-8.7%), respectively. The risk factors for depression included poor marital status, living alone or with others, lack of medical insurance, poor or very poor self-rated physical health, hospitalization in the internal medicine department, and a subjective support score ≤23. Only 18.5% of the patients with current MDD were detected. CONCLUSION: Depression, especially MDD, has been a major mental health problem for Chinese tertiary general hospitals. There is an urgent need for the development of efficacious hospital-based consultation-liaison psychiatry programs aimed at improving Chinese physicians' recognition and ability to manage inpatient depression.