A Bibliometric Analysis of Acupuncture Therapy in the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain from 2003 to 2022.

Background: Acupuncture therapy has been widely used in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain (MP) in many countries around the world. However, there are no bibliometric studies on acupuncture therapy for MP. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the current status, frontiers and hot spots in the use of acupuncture therapy for the treatment of MP. Methods: Literature on acupuncture therapy for MP was extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection database from 2003 to 2022. CiteSpace 6.2.R4 (64-bit) software was used to analyze the number and centrality of journals, countries, institutions, authors, references and keywords, and the functions of co-occurrence and clustering were applied to draw a visual knowledge map. Results: Over the past 20 years, the annual journal publications have been on a steady upward trend, with 438 articles published in 143 journals, including Acupuncture in Medicine Journal published the most (28, 6.39%), JAMA-Journal of the American Medical Association was the journal with the highest impact factor (IF = 120.7003), USA dominated with the most publications (140, 31.96%) among 44 countries, and among 196 research organizations Kyung Hee University was the most prolific (19, 4.34%) and Ha, In-Hyuk was the most published author (9, 2.05%). "Acupuncture" is the most popular and highly sought after keywords. "Low back pain" is the keyword with the highest centrality. Conclusion: This article provides the current situation of the use of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of MP in the past 20 years, and statistical analysis reveals that "low back pain", "knit osteoporosis" and "break cancer" are new research diseases related to acupuncture therapy for MP, and "myobasic trigger point" is a new research direction of acupuncture therapy for MP. Therefore, this study helps researchers grasp the research hotspots and provide certain references for in-depth research and future topic selection.

mRNA vaccine against fibroblast activation protein ameliorates murine models of inflammatory arthritis.

Objective: Synovial fibroblasts in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) contribute substantially to the perpetuation of synovitis and invasion to cartilage and bone, and are potential therapeutic targets. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is highly expressed by RA synovial fibroblasts and the expression is relatively specific. We tested whether FAP can serve as a molecular target to modulate synovial fibroblasts for therapy in experimental arthritis. Methods: mRNA encoding consensus FAP (cFAP) was encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNP) and was injected intramuscularly as vaccine prior to induction of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and collagen antibody induced arthritis (CAIA) in mice. Development of CIA and CAIA was assessed clinically and by histology. Results: cFAP mRNA-LNP vaccine provoked immune response to cFAP and mouse FAP (mFAP); prevented onset of CIA in 40% of mice and significantly reduced the severity of arthritis. In CAIA, cFAP mRNA-LNP did not prevent onset of arthritis but significantly reduced the severity of arthritis. Conclusion: cFAP mRNA-LNP vaccine was able to provoke immune response to mFAP and suppress inflammatory arthritis.

[Manifestations and distribution rules of jingjin lesions in neck-type cervical spondylosis].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the manifestations of jingjin (sinews/fascia) lesions and summarize their distribution rules in the patients with neck-type cervical spondylosis so as to provide the evidences for the development of clinical diagnosis and treatment scheme of acupuncture for cervical spondylosis. METHODS: A total of 120 patients with neck-type cervical spondylosis were collected. The meridian diagnostic method was used to examine the upper back of each patient, the manifestation category of jingjin lesions, locations and the affected muscle regions of twelve meridians were recorded. RESULTS: (1) The punctate lesions of jingjin were detected in 15 regions, and the highest frequency of lesion occurred in the region from the inner upper corner of the scapula to Quyuan (SI 13) (113 cases, 94.2% of lesion frequency). The lesion frequency of 10 regions was ≥50.0%. The punctate lesions were mainly distributed in the muscle regions of hand-shaoyang (349 cases) and foot-taiyang (333 cases). (2) The linear lesions of jingjin were detected in 10 regions, and the highest frequency of lesion occurred in the region from the inner upper corner of the scapula to Quyuan (SI 13) (77 cases, 64.2% of lesion frequency). The lesion frequency of 2 regions was ≥50.0%. The linear lesions occurred mainly in the muscle region of foot-taiyang (251 cases). (3) Eight regions were examined to be the planar lesions of jingjin, and the highest frequency of lesion was found in the site of Jianjing (GB 21) (84 cases, 70.0% of lesion frequency). The lesion frequency of 3 regions was ≥50.0%. The muscle region of foot-taiyang (260 cases) was predominated in the planar lesions. (4) The distribution of all of the punctate, linear and planar lesions of jingjin was analyzed statistically. It was found that 25 regions were involved and those with the high lesion frequency were distributed in the area from the inner upper corner of the scapula to Quyuan (SI 13), the sites of Jianjing (GB 21) and Dazhui (GV 14), transverse processes of C3 to C5 and the area from the lateral border of the scapula to the teres minor, separately. The muscle regions of foot-taiyang, hand-shaoyang and hand-yangming were involved in various kinds of jingjin lesions. CONCLUSION: Jingjin lesions in patients with neck-type cervical spondylosis can be divided into three categories, namely, punctate, linear and planar lesions; of which, the punctate lesions are dominated. A majority of jingjin lesions is related to the muscle region of foot-taiyang, and the lesion frequency is higher compared with the lesions to the muscle regions of hand-shaoyang and hand-yangming. Jingjin lesions are commonly distributed in the area from the inner upper corner of the scapula to Quyuan (SI 13).

A Bibliometric Analysis of Acupuncture Treatment of Tension-Type Headache from 2003 to 2022.

Background: Acupuncture therapy is a unique technology created by the working people in ancient China. It is popular all over the world for its safety, effectiveness and no side effects, especially for the treatment of pain syndrome, it can often have an immediate effect. Tension-type headache is one of them. At present, many literatures have reported that many countries in the world are using acupuncture to treat tension-type headache, but there is no quantitative analysis of the relevant literature on this field. Therefore, This study aims to evaluate the research hotspots and trends of acupuncture treatment of tension-type headache through a macro review of the literature from 2003 to 2022 by using CiteSpace V6.1.R6 (64-bit) Basic. Methods: Relevant literatures on acupuncture treatment of tension-type headache from 2003 to 2022 were extracted from the web of science core collection database. CiteSpace was used to analyze the data of publications, authors, institutions, countries, keywords and cited references, cited authors, cited journals. Draw the cited network map and analyze the research hotspots and trends. Results: A total of 231 publications were retrieved from 2003 to 2022. In the past 20 years, the annual number of publications has shown an overall growth trend, and the most active journals, countries, institutions, authors, cite references and keywords in the field of acupuncture treatment of tension-type headache were identified. Conclusion: This study provides the status and trends of clinical research in the field of acupuncture therapy for tension-type headache in the past 20 years, which will help researchers understand the research hotspots in this field and provide new directions for further research.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Acupuncture Therapy in the Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea from 2001 to 2021.

Background: Acupuncture therapy has already extensively used in many countries around the world to treat primary dysmenorrhea. But there is no bibliometric analysis on this aspect. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the research trends of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea through literature research from 2001 to 2021 by using Citespace 6.1.R1(64-bit) Basic. Methods: Relevant literature is extracted from the Web of Science database. CiteSpace conducts cooperative network analysis on the information of authors, countries and institutions, co-occurrence network analysis on keywords, and co-citation analysis on cited journals, cited authors and cited references. Results: A total of 189 publications were extracted from 2001 to 2021. The total numbers of publication have steadily increased over the past two decades, and we have identified the most active countries, institutions, journals and authors in the field of acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhea. The EVID-BASED COMPL ALT was the most productive journal, and the COCHRANE DB SYST REV with the highest IF. The first in the frequency and centrality is the journal of AM J OBSTET GYNECOL. The most productive country and institution are China and Beijing University Chinese Medicine. YANG J was the most prolific author and CHEN H had the highest citation counts. The centrality of cite references ranked the first conducted by Burnett M. The keyword of "primary dysmenorrhea" ranked first for research developments with the highest frequency. Conclusion: The research results of Metrology in this paper provide the current situation and trend of clinical research on primary dysmenorrhea acupuncture Therapy in recent twenty-one years, which is helpful for researchers to identify the hot spots in this field and explore new directions of future research.

The efficacy and safety of cupping therapy for treating of intractable peripheral facial paralysis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral facial paralysis (PFP) is a common clinical neurological disease and the incidence of intractable peripheral facial paralysis is on the rise. Symptoms include crooked mouth and eyes, tearing and shallow nasolabial folds. The disease seriously affects the physical and mental health of patients. At present, a large number of clinical studies have shown that cupping is effective in treating intractable peripheral facial paralysis (IPFP). Therefore, the purpose of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of cupping in the treatment of refractory peripheral facial paralysis. METHODS: We will conduct a comprehensive and systematic search of relevant documents in the following databases: Medline, PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Embase, Chinese Biomedical Literatures Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wang Fang Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database from inception to February 2021 without any language restriction. The 2 reviewers will be independently completed select research, extract data, evaluate research quality and use the Cochrane risk of bias tool to assess methodological quality. Using revman5.4 software for statistical analysis. The degree of heterogeneity will be Determined through heterogeneity test, to definite whether to adopt a random effects model or a fixed-effects model. RESULTS: The protocol for the meta-analysis will systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of cupping therapy for intractable peripheral facial paralysis patients. CONCLUSION: This study will explore whether or not cupping therapy can be used as one of the non-drug therapies to prevent or treat intractable peripheral facial paralysis.

Effectiveness and safety of massage in the treatment of obesity: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Obesity has become one of the largest chronic diseases in the world. It is a chronic metabolic disease caused by various factors. In recent years, massage has been used more and more widely in the treatment of obesity diseases. However, the effectiveness and safety of massage in the treatment of adult obesity are still unclear. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of massage in the treatment of adult obesity. METHODS: We will conduct a comprehensive review in Medline, PubMed, Cochrane System Evaluation Database, embbase, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wang Fang Database, Chinese Science Journal Database. There is no language restriction for the literature search from its establishment to February 2021. In addition, we will manually search for references to unpublished studies and originally included articles. Reviewers will identify the research, extract the data, and independently assess the quality. Results of interest include: total effective rate; total nasal symptom score; rhinitis quality-of-life questionnaire; visual analog scale; laboratory test indicators: IgE, IL6, IL10, or TNF-α levels; recurrence rate; adverse events. Randomized clinical trials will be collected, the Cochrane bias risk assessment tool will be used to assess methodological quality, and recommendations, evaluation, development, and evaluation methods will be used to assess the level of evidence. The meta-analysis will be performed using RevMan 5.4.0 software. A heterogeneity test will be conducted between studies, and P <.1 and I2> 50% are the thresholds for testing. According to the degree of heterogeneity, we will use a fixed effects model or a random effects model. RESULTS: The results of this study will provide sufficient evidence to judge whether massage is an effective and safe treatment for adult obesity. CONCLUSIONS: This study will provide evidence to determine whether massage is an effective intervention for Adult obesity. The research results will also be published in a peer-reviewed journal. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY 202120061.

Clinical acupuncture therapy for chronic cholecystitis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: Chronic cholecystitis is a common chronic disease in clinical practice. The incidence of chronic cholecystitis is gradually increasing due to changes in eating habits and even if acute infections aren't treated in time, it can cause serious complications, continue to plague people's daily life and become an economic burden to society. Currently, the curative effect of chronic cholecystitis under the control of western medicine is still lacking and there are adverse reactions. However, based on current clinical controlled trials acupuncture therapy for chronic cholecystitis has gradually become a complementary treatment. Therefore, this systematic review aims to explore the safety and feasibility of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of chronic cholecystitis. METHODS: We will search the following databases: Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Embase, Chinese Biomedical Literatures Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wang Fang Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database from inception to February 2021 without any language restriction. At the same time, relevant literature will be searched manually. The main search terms include: "Acupuncture," "Cholecystitis." Data entry will be completed by 2 researchers separately. After entry, cross-checking will be performed to ensure the authenticity of the information. The main outcome criteria include: including the total effective rate of the patient; the traditional Chinese medicine symptom score of the patient includes: abdominal pain, tenderness in the right upper abdomen, and so on; secondary outcome criteria include: gallbladder contraction function and gallbladder thickness, VAS scores, recurrence rate, adverse reactions; use Cochrane risk bias assessment to evaluate and score the included randomized controlled trial; meta-analysis will be performed using RevMan 5.4.0 software. The heterogeneity test is based on the thresholds of P and I2, In order to use solid or random effects models. RESULTS: This systematic review only evaluates the safety and limitations of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of chronic cholecystitis. We will report the full text in the near future. CONCLUSION: This study will explore the safety and limitations of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of chronic cholecystitis, so that acupuncture therapy will be more widely used clinically. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202120020.

Effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture in treating Parkinson disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analyses.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson disease (PD) is an Extrapyramidal Disease mainly characterized by static tremor, myotonia, bradykinesia and postural gait disorder. As China's population ages, the number of people suffering from PD is increasing. Since there are many side effects of western medicine for Parkinson's patients, and the high price of the drugs make it difficult for many patients to adhere to treat. At present, many clinical studies have shown that electroacupuncture is effective in treating PD. Therefore, this systematic review aims to explore the effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture in the treatment of PD. METHODS: Comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Medline, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Chinese Biomedical Literatures Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, Wang Fang Database from inception to February 2021, the literature selected is not restricted by language. In addition, we will search for unpublished studies and the references that were originally included in the literature manually. There were two reviewers screened the data and cross-checked the information individually, the quality of the literature was assessed by reviewers independently. The outcomes of interest include:the scale of Unifified PD Rating Scales, the Webster scale, the Quality of Life Questionnaire, total effective rate, recurrence rate, adverse events. The laboratory inspection indicators include:the content of lipid peroxidase, Superoxide dismutase activity in plasma and erythrocyte. The relevant randomized controlled trials will be included in this study. And we will evaluate the quality of the selected literature according to the Cochrane Handbook. Meta-analysis will be performed using RevMan 5.4.0 software. The heterogeneity test will be implemented in the included literature, the tests' thresholds will be P < .1 and I2 > 50%. We will use either fixed effects model or random effects model according to the size of heterogeneity. RESULTS: The results of this systematic review will provide a comprehensive evidence for the clinical treatment of PD, and we will report this result soon. CONCLUSION: This paper will explore whether or not electroacupuncture can be used as a non-drug therapy for PD. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required for this paper, our plan will be published in the journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202120031.

Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic severe functional constipation: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture has been widely used clinically to relieve chronic severe constipation. However, the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic severe constipation is uncertain. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic severe constipation. METHODS: Search PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang Database, China Science, and Technology Journal Database, China Biomedical Literature Database, and search related randomized controlled trials. Two reviewers will independently select studies, collect data, and evaluate methodological quality through the Cochrane Deviation Risk Tool. Revman V.5.3 will be used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: This study will evaluate the current status of acupuncture treatment for chronic severe constipation, aiming to illustrate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture treatment. CONCLUSION: This study will provide a basis for judging whether acupotomy is effective in treating chronic severe constipation. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202070002.

Comparative efficacy and safety of injection therapies for knee osteoarthritis: A protocol for systematic review and Bayesian network meta analysis.

INTRODUCTION: There are many injection methods for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, but there is no comprehensive comparison, based on the fixed effect model. METHODS: According to the retrieval strategy, we searched randomized controlled trials (RCTs) randomly from PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database from their inceptions to August 2020, and 2 members of us selected literatures and extracted data independently. Methodological quality was assessed by using the Cochrane bias risk tool, and meta-analysis was performed by using the Stat.14.0. RESULTS: This study will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of different injectable drugs for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis and rank the efficacies of drugs, then to determine the optimal treatment. CONCLUSION: This study will provide evidence for the choice of injection therapy for knee osteoarthritis. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202080099.

Effectiveness and safety of massage for knee osteoarthritis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA), a concerning public health problem, seriously threatens well being of human beings. At present, studies have shown that massage therapy is effective in relieving related symptoms of KOA. However, the evidence of massage for KOA has not been systematically evaluated. Therefore, the study is conducted to systematically assess the reliability of patients with KOA treated by massage. METHODS: We will retrieve the relevant literature of massage for KOA from PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, Wanfang, Chongqing VIP, CNKI, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database from the establishment of the databases to August 1, 2020. Two researchers will independently perform the screening of literature and extract the basic information of the data. In addition, RevMan V.5.3 software will be used for data analysis. RESULTS: The study will comprehensively assess the effect of massage for KOA. CONCLUSION: The study will provide comprehensive evidence for evaluating whether massage therapy is useful in treating patients with KOA. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202080115.

The acupuncture-related therapy for post-stroke urinary incontinence: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: With the rising incidences stroke, the Post-Stroke Urinary Incontinence (PSUI) has become one of the common clinical sequelae. PSUI not only lowers the quality of life of patients, but also impacts tremendously to mental health. As a treasure of Chinese medicine, acupuncture and its related therapies have been widely accepted in clinical treatment of PSUI. Recently, there have been many clinical studies on the treatment of PSUI with acupuncture and related therapies, but the best way to treat PSUI is controversial. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide an optimal ranking regarding acupuncture and its related therapies for PSUI. METHODS: The five domestic and foreign databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database will be systematically searched. The time range of the literature search is from the date of establishment to August 31, 2020. The main evaluation outcome was the number of patients after treatment, and the frequency of urinary incontinence. The secondary evaluation outcome was International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF), Barthel Activities of Daily Living Index (Barthel ADL Index) and the incidence rate of adverse events. The methodological quality of the article will evaluated by Cochrane Collaboration's Tool and the quality of evidence will evaluated through Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) instrument. The Network Meta-Analysis (NMA) will be completed using Stata statistical software. RESULTS: The final results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: This network meta-analysis will compare the efficacy and safety of different acupuncture therapies in the treatment of PSUI and summarize the best treatment options, which will help patients and doctors to choose effective acupuncture methods in time.

Effectiveness and safety of massage in the treatment of the congenital muscular torticollis: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

BACKGROUND: Massage has been widely used in the treatment of muscular torticollis in children, but there is no objective and systematic evaluation of the efficacy of various literature, and the efficacy of massage in the treatment of congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) is not clear. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of massage in the treatment of muscular torticollis in children. METHODS: Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will be searched from the databases of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database from their inception to May 2020. Two reviewers will independently select studies, collect data, and assess the methodology quality by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The RevMan V.5.3 will be used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: This study will provide an assessment of the current state of Chinese massage therapy for the congenital muscular torticollis, aiming to show the efficacy and safety of massage treatment. CONCLUSION: This study will provide evidence to judge whether massage is an effective intervention for the third lumbar vertebrae transverse process syndrome. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202070086.

Effectiveness and safety of massage in the treatment of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression, complications of cancer, are prevalent but often overlooked mental illnesses. Studies have demonstrated that massage therapy is useful in relieving anxiety and depression of cancer survivors. However, the mechanism is still unclear and no systematic review has provided sufficient evidence for the treatment. Therefore, this protocol is carried out to comprehensively evaluate the reliability of cancer patients with anxiety and depression treated by massage. METHODS: We will systematically search the relevant literature from PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, Wanfang, Chongqing VIP, CNKI and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database from the establishment of the databases to June 1, 2020. In addition, we will only include randomized controlled trials about massage for cancer survivors with anxiety and depression, regardless of language and publication status. Two experienced researchers will separately screen the literature, collect data, analyze data and synthesize data using RevMan V.5.3 software. The quality of the included trials in the study will be assessed by the Cochrane bias risk assessment tool. RESULTS: The protocol for the meta-analysis will systematically evaluate the reliability of massage therapy for cancer patients with anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION: This conclusion will provide an important basis for evaluating whether massage is reliable in treating cancer survivors who feel anxious and depressed. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202060101.

Acupotomy for third lumbar vertebrae transverse process syndrome: A protocol for systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Acupotomy has been widely used clinically to relieve low back pain. However, the efficacy of acupotomy for the third lumbar vertebrae transverse process syndrome is still uncertain. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness and safety of acupotomy therapy for the third lumbar vertebrae transverse process syndrome. METHODS: Relevant randomized controlled trials will be searched from the databases of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database from their inception to May 2020. Two reviewers will independently select studies, collect data, and assess the methodology quality by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The RevMan V.5.3 will be used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: This study will provide an assessment of the current state of acupotomy for the third lumbar vertebrae transverse process syndrome, aiming to show the efficacy and safety of acupotomy treatment. CONCLUSION: This study will provide evidence to judge whether acupotomy is an effective intervention for the third lumbar vertebrae transverse process syndrome. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019134945.

[Thermosensitive Moxibustion Induces A Better Therapeutic Effect in the Treatment of Facial Paralysis Patients].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect difference between the thermosensitive moxibustion (TSM) and conventional mild moxibustion (CMM) at Yifeng (TE 17) plus acupuncture intervention in the treatment of facial paralysis patients. METHODS: The prospective cohort study design was used in the present study. A total of 183 patients were divided into a thermosensitive moxibustion (regional heat penetrating, heat extending, warmer in deep-tissue, etc.) group (n＝132) and a CMM group (n＝51) according to the patients' subjective feeling to moxibustion stimulation of TE 17. After propensity score matching (PSM, a statistical matching technique of observational data) processing by using SPSS 19. 0 software, outcomes of 33 cases in the TSM group and 33 cases in the CMM group were analyzed. In the 1st course (10 days) of treatment, TSM was applied to TE 17 till the thermosensitive feelings disappeared for patients in the TSM group, or CMM employed to TE 17 for 45 min for patients in the CMM group, followed by manual acupuncture stimulation of Cuanzhu (BL 2), Yangbai (GB 14), Sibai (ST 2), Quanliao (SI 18), Jiache (ST 6), etc. on the affected side (shallow needling, uniform reinforcing-reducing needle-manipulation) for 30 min, once daily. In the 2nd course (10 days), only manual acupuncture was performed, the same acupoints were stimulated with the same methods used in the 1st course, and in combination with bilateral Zusanli (ST 36) which was stimulated with reinforcing-needling technique. The interval between the 2 courses was 2 days. The modified Portmann scale (for movements of eyebrow raising, eye closing, cheek bulging, pouting, teeth showing and nostril widening, and symetry during resting state) was used to evaluate the severity of the facial palsy before and after the treatment. RESULTS: After the treatment, the Portmann scores were significantly higher than those of their own pre-treatment in each of the two groups (P < 0.01), being markedly higher in the TSM group than in the CMM group (P < 0.01), suggesting a better therapeutic effect of TSM. CONCLUSION: The thermosensitive moxibustion is considerably superior to the conventional mild moxibustion in improving the symptoms of facial paralysis patients.

Ginsenoside Rd alleviates mouse acute renal ischemia/reperfusion injury by modulating macrophage phenotype.

BACKGROUND: Ginsenoside Rd (GSRd), a main component of the root of Panax ginseng, exhibits anti-inflammation functions and decreases infarct size in many injuries and ischemia diseases such as focal cerebral ischemia. M1 Macrophages are regarded as one of the key inflammatory cells having functions for disease progression. METHODS: To investigate the effect of GSRd on renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) and macrophage functional status, and their regulatory role on mouse polarized macrophages in vitro, GSRd (10-100 mg/kg) and vehicle were applied to mice 30 min before renal IRI modeling. Renal functions were reflected by blood serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen level and histopathological examination. M1 polarized macrophages infiltration was identified by flow cytometry analysis and immunofluorescence staining with CD11b(+), iNOS(+)/interleukin-12/tumor necrosis factor-α labeling. For the in vitro study, GSRd (10-100 µg/mL) and vehicle were added in the culture medium of M1 macrophages to assess their regulatory function on polarization phenotype. RESULTS: In vivo data showed a protective role of GSRd at 50 mg/kg on Day 3. Serum level of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen significantly dropped compared with other groups. Reduced renal tissue damage and M1 macrophage infiltration showed on hematoxylin-eosin staining and flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining confirmed this improvement. With GSRd administration, in vitro cultured M1 macrophages secreted less inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-12 and tumor necrosis factor-α. Furthermore, macrophage polarization-related pancake-like morphology gradually changed along with increasing concentration of GSRd in the medium. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that GSRd possess a protective function against renal ischemia/reperfusion injury via downregulating M1 macrophage polarization.

[Report quality of randomized controlled trials of moxibustion for knee osteoarthritis based on CONSORT and STRICTOM].

The report quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of moxibustion for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) in China was evaluated by Consolidated Standards for Reporting of Trials (CONSORT) and Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Moxibustion (STRICTOM). Computer and manual retrieval was used. Four databases of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKD, China Biomedicine (CBM), VIP and WNFANG were searched in combination with manual retrieval for relevant journals to screen the literature that: met the inclusive criteria, and CONSORT and STRICTOM were used to assess the report quality. A total of 52 RCTs were included. It was found that unclear description of random methods, low use of blind methods, no allocation concealment, no sample size calculation, no intention-to-treat analysis,inadequate report of moxibustion details and no mention of practitioners background existed in the majority of the RCTs. Although the quality of RCTs of moxibustion for KOA was generally low, reducing the reliability and homogeneous comparability of the reports ,the quality of heat-sensitive moxibustion RCTs was high. It was believed that in order to improve the reliability and quality of RCTs of moxibustion, CONSORT and STRICTOM should be introduced into the RCT design of moxibustion and be strictly performed.

[Exploration on sensation positioning method of heat-sensitive moxibustion: the inheritance and development of ashi method].

From original concept and literature of acupoint, the concept and clinical significance of ashi method is discussed, which clarifies that the essence of ashi method is to locate the acupoints by patients' sensitivity on force. The clinical application of heat-sensitive moxibustion has illustrated that positioning method of this therapy is based on the appearance of heat-sensitive moxibustion sensation. Although both types are based on patients' feeling, positioning method of heat-sensitive moxibustion stands on a new angle and uses a new method to locate acupoint. Therefore, it is believed that the positioning method of heat-sensitive moxibustion is the inheritance and development of ashi method.