Tuina alleviates neuropathic pain through regulate the activation of microglia and the secretion of inflammatory cytokine in spinal cord.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the analgesic effects of Tuina on neuropathic pain (NPP) and the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were assigned by random into three treatment groups: sham, chronic constriction injury (CCI), and Tuina. Each group contained sixteen rats. CCI model was generated by ligating the right sciatic nerve. Behavioral changes of CCI were assessed by the paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL). In addition, biochemical techniques such as immunofluorescence staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting were used to profile levels of microglia activation and inflammatory factors in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH) of rats. Tuina (clockwise pressing and rubbing) was performed at Chengshan (BL57) to observe the analgesic effects on CCI rats and the underlying mechanisms. RESULTS: Rats with CCI experienced significant reduction in the PWT and PWL of the right hind paw relative to CCI group at day 3. Tuina treatment rescued this situation significantly on days 10 and 14. Besides, Iba-1, microglia M1 receptor CD68, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) were higher in the right SDH for CCI group compared to the sham group on day 14. As expected, Tuina partially downregulated the CCI-induced overexpressed Iba-1, CD68, TNF-α, and IL-1ß in the SDH of CCI model. CONCLUSION: Tuina induces a time-dependent cumulative analgesic effect in CCI rats by inhibiting the activation of microglia and the secretion of IL-1ß and TNF-α in SDH.

Effectiveness of Liu-zi-jue exercise on coronavirus disease 2019 in the patients: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Liu-zi-jue exercise on the respiratory symptoms, quality of life, and mental health of patients with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: A single-center randomized controlled trial was conducted with 104 patients with mild COVID-19. The patients were randomly assigned to the Liu-zi-jue plus conventional therapy group and conventional therapy group. The outcome measures included Modified Borg Dyspnea Scale (MBDS) score, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score, Fatigue Scale-14 (FS-14), respiratory symptoms, and vital signs. Data were collected on the first and sixth days of hospitalization and on the discharge day. RESULTS: Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that the whole scales all showed a downward trend in the two groups (all 0.05). The results of single-group effect suggested that the whole scale score in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group at the sixth day of hospitalization. Compared with the control group, only the MBDS, expectoration, and FS-14 scores showed significantly lower scores at the discharge day ( 0.001, 0.011, 0.002). Comparison within the group showed that all the variables were significantly different at the three time points with a decreasing trend ( 0.05), except for the PHQ-9 and expectoration scores ( 0.331, 0.052). All patients' vital signs remained within a stable normal range throughout the hospital stay. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that Liu-zi-jue exercise as a complementary and alternative therapy showed beneficial effects on improving the symptoms (shortness of breath, fatigue, and cough), quality of life, and mental health of patients with mild COVID-19.

Analysis on Kinematic Characteristics of Patients with Lumbar Disc Herniation During Sitting and Standing / 医用生物力学

Objective To study changes in kinematics and joint coordination of the waist and hips during sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit tasks in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Methods The Vicon 3D motion capture system was used to collect the kinematics data from 20 healthy controls and 20 LDH subjects, and differences in movement patterns of the lumbar spine and hip joints during sitting and standing tasks were compared between two groups through statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Results During sit-to-stand task, the lumbar spine flexion and extension range and hip joint abduction angle of LDH subjects were significantly limited, and the hip flexion angle increased. SPM analysis showed that for both groups at initial stage of sit-to-stand (10%-13%), there was a statistically significant difference in flexion angle of the lumbar spine, and lumbar flexion angle of LDH subjects was significantly reduced, while hip flexion angle at 2%-14% phase was significantly increased. During stand-to-sit phase (65%-69%), LDH subjects showed increased hip abduction angle. Conclusions LDH subjects have limited lumbar flexion and hip abduction functions during sitting and standing, and they need to be compensated with increased hip flexion activities to complete functional tasks. In clinical evaluation, changes in motor function of the spine and hips should be focused on.

Research on clinical application of manual therapy to tumor-related adverse reactions / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To analyze the clinical application of manual therapy (MT) to tumor-related adverse reactions via summarizing the research at home and abroad, in order to provide more theoretical evidence for the clinical promotion of MT. Methods: We searched 7 Chinese and English databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Academic Journal Full-text Database (Wanfang), Chongqing VIP Database (CQVIP), PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Ovid and EBSCO. The publication date was between the establishment date of the database and December 31, 2020. We screened the literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and then sorted and analyzed the selected information. Results: A total of 46 papers were analyzed. Most studies focused on the adverse reactions in breast cancer patients. MT interventions demonstrated the best efficacy for fatigue, followed by pain, depression and anxiety. In different MT interventions, Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) was mainly adopted for fatigue, pain, anxiety, depression, and limb dysfunctions. Acupoint pressing was mainly adopted for gastrointestinal and psychological problems such as abdominal bloating, insomnia, depression and anxiety. The application of reflexotherapy was similar to that of Tuina. Conclusion: MT can alleviate various adverse reactions by effectively relieving patients' somatic symptoms and improving their psychological states and overall functions. It can be popularized as a significant non-drug therapy. Currently, however, the clinical application of MT is neither extensive nor has sufficient basic research. Consequently, we should attach importance to this application.

Gait analysis of patients with knee osteoarthritis before and after Chinese massage treatment.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Chinese massage therapy in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) by measuring lower-limb gait parameters. We recruited 20 women with knee OA, who then underwent Chinese massage therapy three times per week for 2 weeks. The patients underwent gait evaluation using a six-camera infrared motion analysis system. They completed Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index questionnaires before and after treatment. We calculated the forward speed, step width, step length, total support time percentage, initial double support time percentage, and single support time percentage. We also measured the angles at the knee, hip, and ankle during the stance phase of walking. The results showed statistically significant mean differences in knee pain relief, alleviation of stiffness, and physical function enhancement after therapy (P < 0.05). The patients gained significantly faster gait speed, greater step width, and increased total support time percentage after the Chinese massage therapy (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the range of motion or initial contact angles of the knee, hip, or ankle during the stance phase of walking. We concluded that Chinese massage is a beneficial complementary treatment and an alternative therapy choice for patients with knee OA for short-term pain relief. Chinese massage may improve walking ability for these patients.