acupuncture

摘要： Acupuncture is a medical treatment that has been widely pra cticed in China for over 3000 years,yet the neural mechanisms of acupuncture are not fully understood.We hypothesized that neurons and astrocytes act independently and synergistically under acupuncture stimulation.To investigate this,we used two-photon in vivo calcium reco rding to observe the effects of acupuncture stimulation at ST36(Zusanli)in mice.Acupuncture stimulation in peripheral acupoints potentiated calcium signals of pyramidal neurons and astrocytes in the somatosensory cortex and resulted in late-onset calcium transients in astrocytes.Chemogenetic inhibition of neurons augmented the astrocytic activity.These findings suggest that acupuncture activates neuronal and astrocytic activity in the somatosensory co rtex and provide evidence for the involvement of both neurons and astrocytes in acupuncture treatment.

摘要： Post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)is a kind of mental disorder caused by severe traumatic events.It has a high incidence,a serious of impacts on the physical and mental health of patients.Especially in the current situation of COVID-19,the researches on PTSD are particularly important,but the choice of drugs available for PTSD is limited and it is often accompanied by adverse reactions.In the field of acupuncture,there are many clinical research evidences suggested that PTSD is a predominant disease of acupuncture.However,its action mechanisms have not been fully elucidated,so the possible mechanisms of acupuncture in treating PTSD were discussed.

摘要： The California Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Research Association,founded on March 25,1974,is the first Chinese medicine organization registered with the state government in California.It was established after more than a year of arduous preparation and had 15 founding members.Over time,it evolved into the biggest organization of Chinese medicine and acupuncture in California.And in 2015,it became the American Association of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture with more than 500 members.

摘要： The editorial board of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine recently convened an academic seminar with a focus on studies regarding the mechanisms mediating acupuncture efficacy and moxibustion action inspired by the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.Specifically,Professor Bailong Xiao introduced the Nobel Prize for research on the mechanically activated Piezo ion channel,evaluating the structure of the Piezo channel and its physiological and pathological functions,and proposed a possible role for the Piezo channel in acupuncture mechanical stimulation.Professor Michael Xi Zhu introduced the discovery of the transient receptor potential(TRP)family,reporting that the therapeutic effects of Chinese medicine and acupuncture may be achieved via the TRP family,and that information regarding associations between the meridian and lymphatic systems may have important research and medical value.In addition,Professor Tianle Xu reviewed the history of ion channel research,particularly the physiological and pharmacological effects of non-classical ion channels(eg,the acid sensing ion channel family)and pointed out that the characterization and neural circuits of acupuncture deqi manipulation are important for elucidating the mechanisms of acupuncture actions.Professor Yongming Li similarly proposed that the 2021 Nobel Prize may open the door to disclosing the histological basis of acupuncture and moxibustion and analyzing the main scientific concerns regarding the clinical translation of acupuncture and moxibustion from basic to translational research.Finally,Professor Yi Guo summarized the study progress of the acupoint microenvironment induced by acupuncture over the course of nearly 30 years and put forward the hypothesis that acupuncture may initiate the physical-chemical coupling network by activating ion channel receptors in acupoints via physical and mechanical stimulation.Therefore,we conclude that a primary achievement of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is in helping interpret how acupuncture and moxibustion adjust homeostasis(ie,by activating mechanical and thermal sensation),which is conducive to validating and promoting the clinical efficacy of acupuncture modalities.

摘要： BACKGROUND Depression affects more than 350 million people worldwide.In China,4.2%(54 million people)of the total population suffers from depression.Psychotherapy has been shown to change cognition,improve personality,and enhance the ability to cope with difficulties and setbacks.While pharmacotherapy can reduce symptoms,it is also associated with adverse reactions and relapse after drug withdrawal.Therefore,there has been an increasing emphasis placed on the use of non-pharmacological therapies for depression.The hypothesis of this study was that acupuncture at ghost points combined with fluoxetine would be more effective than fluoxetine alone for the treatment of depression.AIM To investigate the efficacy of acupuncture at ghost points combined with fluoxetine for the treatment of patients with depression.METHODS This randomized controlled trial included patients with mild to moderate depression(n=160).Patients received either acupuncture at ghost points combined with fluoxetine(n=80)or fluoxetine alone(control group,n=80).Needles were retained in place for 30 min,5 times a week;three treatment cycles were administered.The Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare functional magnet resonance imaging parameters,Hamilton depression rating scale(HAMD)scores,and self-rating depression scale(SDS)scores between the acupuncture group and control group.RESULTS There were no significant differences in HAMD or SDS scores between the acupuncture group and control group,before or after 4 wk of treatment.The acupuncture group exhibited significantly lower HAMD and SDS scores than the control group after 8 wk of treatment(P<0.05).The acupuncture group had significantly lower fractional Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations values for the left anterior wedge leaf,left posterior cingulate gyrus,left middle occipital gyrus,and left inferior occipital gyrus after 8 wk.The acupuncture group also had significantly higher values for the right inferior frontal gyrus,right insula,and right hippocampus(P<0.05).After 8 wk of treatment,the effective rates of the acupuncture and control groups were 51.25%and 36.25%,respectively(P<0.05).CONCLUSION The study results suggest that acupuncture at ghost points combined with fluoxetine is more effective than fluoxetine alone for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate depression.

摘要： Born in a society where traditional as well as modern medication is used equally on daily basis,it is puzzling yet intriguing to find how,albeit the lack of scientific evidence,the traditional ways are widely adopted in every Chinese family.Various studies are conducted in search for the mechanisms as well as the relative effectiveness of the traditional acupoint therapy as opposed to the Western medicines,yet individually viewing,it is hard to reach a conclusion.Therefore,a meta-analysis is done by collecting and analyzing results from research from multiple reliable databases,trying to determine the strength of acupoint therapy in treating insomnia,a common yet frustrating disease.In this meta-analysis,the methods and results of 13 studies are included,all of which focus on treating primary or secondary(specific causes are analyzed in subgroups)insomnia in humans using randomized control trials.After being selected from four main medical databases,including PubMed,Embase,Psycinfo,and Wanfang,the data were sorted and processed using the Reviewing Manager.Papers that lack credibility or have a low level of relevance were excluded,and the remaining studies showed that all experimental groups using real acupoints yielded a statistically significant improvement in sleep quality in the patients than those in the control group,and finally,a conclusion is drawn that the acupuncture therapy is as,if not more,effective as modern western medicine on treating insomnia.

摘要： Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)is a common chronic liver disease characterized by diffuse hepatic steatosis.With the improvement of people's living standard,the incidence rate of NAFLD has been increasing,which has become one of the global health problems in 21st Century.However,there is no specific drug or standard treatment for NAFLD,which brings challenges to treatment.Acupuncture,moxibustion,massage and other external therapies based on the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine have obvious curative effect in the clinical treatment of NAFLD,but the mechanism has not been systematically explained,which makes the clinical promotion evidence insufficient.This paper aims to summarize the researches on the treatment of NAFLD by external therapies of traditional Chinese medicine in recent years,and analyze its possible mechanism,so as to provide a scientific theoretical basis for future basic experiments and clinical research,and form a set of standardized clinical diagnosis and treatment scheme with the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine.

摘要： BACKGROUND Pain in the liver is a common symptom of liver cancer in late stages,and the pain incidence rate exceeds 50%[1].In serious cancer pain,morphine and other major analgesics have been commonly administrated for clinical treatments,and their effects are accurate,but with a high incidence of side effects,such as nausea,vomiting,constipation,and other conditions.Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy.There have been many randomized controlled trials addressing the safety and usefulness of different methods of acupuncture in alleviating liver cancer pain.However,which of these methods is the most effective method is still unclear.AIM To compare the effectiveness of different acupuncture methods for alleviating pain due to liver cancer.METHODS Eligible studies were retrieved from eight databases(the Cochrane Library,PubMed,EMBASE,Medline,CNKI,CBM,Chongqing VIP,and Wan Fang Database)up to March 31,2021 and screened based on the established inclusion and exclusion criteria.The quality of the include studies was evaluated.Stata software was applied for statistical analyses.Publication bias of the included studies was also determined.Finally,the network meta-analysis was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture methods for relief of pain due to liver cancer.RESULTS A total of eight randomized controlled trials were included in the network metaanalysis.Eight trials(covering 5 treatments and 734 patients)provided data suitable for analysis.Most trials focused on short-term effects and many were classed as being of poor quality with a high risk of bias,commonly associated with lack of blinding(which was sometimes impossible to achieve).End of treatment results showed that four interventions,including wrist-ankle acupuncture,triple puncture and remaining needle acupuncture,Tian Yuan acupuncture,and block acupuncture,produced a statistically significant reduction in pain when compared with the three-step analgesic ladder therapy.The surface under the cumulative ranking sorting results showed that triple puncture and remaining needle acupuncture had a relatively high effective rate.CONCLUSION The network meta-analysis results indicate that the overall effectiveness of triple puncture and remaining needle acupuncture is better than the other therapies.

摘要： Objective:To systematically evaluate the safety and efficacy of acupuncture on patients with postherpetic neuralgia.Methods:Based on the heyword retrieval method,China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI,1978-2020),China Biomedical Literature database(CBM,1979-2020),VIP database(WEIPU,1989-2020),Wanfang database(1989-2020),Cochrane Library,PubMed,and Embase were searched;randomized controlled trials of the use of acupuncture in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia were screened out;the quality of the included literatures was evaluated based on the evaluation criteria in the Cochrane Handbook,and meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3.Results:Twenty-six literatures that met the criteria,involving 2,174 patients,were included;the meta-analysis showed that compared with western medicine,the use of acupuncture can improve the overall effective rate(RR=1.24,95%CI[1.17,1.32],P<0.00001)and reduce the VAS score(MD=-1.43,95%CI[-1.97,-0.89],P<0.00001).Conclusion:The use of acupuncture can further improve the clinical effect of patients with postherpetic neuralgia.

摘要： This paper reviews the main progress of research on acupuncture.The annual acupuncture research review includes reports on clinical and basic research on acupuncture published in 2021.From the perspective of literature types,most of them are clinical studies or systematic review,and high-quality basic studies can also be seen.Acupuncture in the treatment of cancer diseases,cardio-cerebrovascular disease,endocrine disease,digestive system diseases,inflammatory diseases and COVID-19 has certain advantages.Most clinical studies or systematic reviews show that acupuncture has played a positive role in treating many diseases,and it provides a valuable basis for further in-depth study of the clinical value of acupuncture and mechanism.The quality and innovation of acupuncture and moxibustion research are gradually improving.Researchers not only pay attention to standardized acupuncture and moxibustion treatment research,but also continue to explore new diseases,new mechanisms,and new methods.High-quality clinical studies with guiding significance have laid a solid research foundation for the international promotion of acupuncture.In terms of basic research,there are also high-quality animal experiments published in the international top biology journal Nature,which have been highly accepted internationally and increasingly recognized by international experts.Acupuncture is a very promising treatment.