Effects of Three Needling Manipulations of Zusanli (ST 36) on Deqi Sensations and Surface Myoelectricity in Healthy Participants / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effects of different acupuncture manipulations on Deqi sensations and surface myoelectricity, and explore the correlation between Deqi sensations and needling manipulations.@*METHODS@#Forty-five healthy participants accepted twirling, lifting-thrusting, and twirling plus lifting-thrusting manipulanions at right Zusanli (ST 36), respectively. The acupuncturist's and participants' Deqi sensations were collected by MGH Acupuncture Sensation Scale (MASS). The intensity and occurrence rate of soreness, dull pain, pressure, heaviness, fullness, numbness, sharp pain, warmth, coolness, and throbbing feelings of participants, and tightness, smooth, and tangle feelings of acupuncturist were measured. The correlation between the acupuncturist's and participant's Deqi sensations was analyzed. Surface electromyogram (EMG) were recorded before, during and after needling in 30 participants. The integrated EMG (iEMG), mean power frequency (MPF) and media frequency (MF) were analyzed.@*RESULT@#Both fullness and soreness of participants and tightness of acupuncturist were the most frequently occurred ones. A positive correlation between participants' fullness and acupuncturist's tightness was observed during the three aforementioned needling manipulations (P1). Almost all the needling sensations measured in the present study could be induced by the three needling manipulations. However, strength of Deqi sensations was exhibited as lifting-thrusting > twirling plus lifting-thrusting > twirling according to MASS index. The iEMG values were increased and MPF, MF values were decreased during needling compaired to those before needling, especially during lifting-thrusting (P<0.01).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The intensity and occurrence rate of the different Deqi sensations induced by different needling manipulations were basically similar. The fullness and soreness were both the most frequently induced Deqi sensations. The strongest Deqi sensation could be induced by lifting-thrusting manipulation. There is a positive correlation between participants' fullness and acupuncturist's tightness during the three needling manipulations. The myoelectricity around the acupoint is related to Deqi responses. (Registration No. AMCTR-IOR-20000314).

Mild Mechanic Stimulate on Acupoints Regulation of CGRP-Positive Cells and Microglia Morphology in Spinal Cord of Sciatic Nerve Injured Rats.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to observe the effects of mild mechanical stimulation on acupuncture points of spinal motor neurons and active substances of sciatic nerve injury in rats, and to explore the morphological basis for the recovery of motor function in rats with sciatic nerve injury, using mild acupuncture. Acupuncture in the local area of injury may cause further damage to the peripheral nerve injury. We believe that mild mechanical stimulation on the surface, using some specific acupuncture points can also have a positive effect on nerve repair. This method, called Chinese tuina, has existed for more than 2,000 years in China. METHODS: This study establishes a rat model using sciatic nerve crush injury. Rats received Chinese tuina in accordance with the principle of the three methods and three points, once a day, for 20 days. The rats' status of hindlimb recovery was detected by a sciatic functional index. The labeled neuronal cell body was used to evaluate the fiber recovery after the rats' sciatic nerve injury, using a neural tracing technique. Our team studied motor neuronal cell bodies, CGRP-positive cells, and the microglia of damaged sciatic nerves which were stained with fluorescent triple staining, adopting a confocal multi-layer scanning technique, and then the changes in neuronal activity distribution and expression, and changes of time and treatment were described, using the method of morphological description. RESULTS: Sciatic nerve injury decreased the survival rate of motor neurons, affected CGRP-positive cells, and activated microglia in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Compared with the model group, the survival of spinal ventral horn motor neurons was increased through tuina intervention. The swelling of CGRP-positive cells was alleviated, and the degree of microglia activation was less than that of the model group. CONCLUSION: This study used visual morphological findings to assess changes in neurons and active substances with time after injury of the peripheral nerve, and demonstrated that peripheral mild acupuncture intervention improved the capacity of neurofibrillary axoplasmic transport, regulated microglia activation, and significantly promoted the recovery of sciatic nerve injury.

Relationship between acupuncture sensations of and different organizational structures of acupoint area / 中国针灸

Acupuncture sensation, as one of the essential signs of (arrival of ), is closely associated with curative effect. With systematically reviewing the literature regarding relationship between acupuncture sensations of and different organizational structures of acupoint area (skin, connective tissue, muscles, nerves and blood vessels), it is believed that acupuncture sensation of is the product of various organizational structures in acupoint area, which is closely related to the nervous system. The sensations sensed by the hands of acupuncturists, which is called sense of needle stagnation, maybe caused by the contraction of muscles in the acupoint area during the process of needle manipulation. By system review, this paper puts forward a new research idea to explore the role of different manipulations of needling in generating the sense of -generating needle based on different acupoint structure and brain function response system, which could provide some reference for clarifying the scientific mechanism and clinical application of acupuncture sensations of .

The expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide on the neurons associated Zusanli (ST 36) in rats / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the biochemical characteristic of the neurons associated Zusanli (ST 36) in the rat by using Alexa Fluor 594 conjugated cholera toxin subunit B (AF594-CTB) neural tracing and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) fluorescent immunohistochemical techniques.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Four male Sprague Dawley rats were injected with AF594-CTB into the corresponding area of the Zusanli in the human body. After 3 surviving days, the rat's spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) at lumbar segments were dissected following perfusion with 4% paraformaldehyde, cut into sections, and then stained with CGRPfluorescent immunohistochemical method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>AF594-CTB labeled sensory neurons were detected in the L3-L6 DRGs with high concentration in L4 DRG, and the labeled motor neurons located in the dorsolateral and intermediate regions of lamina IX from L3-L5 segments with high concentration at L4. Meanwhile, CGRPpositive neural labeling distributed symmetrically on both sides of DRGs, anterior and dorsal horns of spinal cord. In the AF594-CTB labeled neurons, 37% sensory neurons and 100% motor neurons expressed CGRPpositive.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These findings present the morphological evidence to demonstrate that the sensory and motor neurons associated Zusanli in the rat distributed with segmental and regional patterns, and contained CGRP-expression.</p>