Cun-Zhi Liu

Acupuncture improved cognitive impairment caused by multi-infarct dementia in rats.

Recent studies have demonstrated that acupuncture is feasible to treat vascular dementia (VD). The aim of this study was to present behavioral evidence that acupuncture could improve the learning and memory of multi-infarct dementia rats. The pattern of multi-infarct dementia in rats was made by injecting homogeneous emboli into the internal carotid artery. Of them the rats which showed damage in learning and memory (n = 43) were randomly allocated to 3 groups: impaired group (n = 14), acupuncture group (n = 15) and placebo-acupuncture group (n = 14). Moreover, normal group (n = 15) and sham-operated group (n = 15) were set as control groups. The acupuncture group was given acupuncture, which consisted of Tanzhong (CV17), Zhongwan (CV12), Qihai (CV6), Zusanli (ST36) and Xuehai (SP10). Morris water maze test was employed to assess spatial discriminational ability per group respectively and to analyze the curative effects of acupuncture. Compared to the impaired and placebo-acupuncture groups, no cognition impairment was found in the normal and sham-operated groups, and the statistic analysis showed that there were significant differences between normal and impaired groups in ANOVA. Shortened mean escape latency was detected in the acupuncture group compared with the impaired group during the same trial days. Search strategy changed from random pattern adopted by impaired and placebo-acupuncture rats to tendency or linear pattern popular in normal group. The present results suggested that the acupuncture exerted a protective effect on cognitive impairment caused by cerebral multi-infarction in rats, and acupuncture has a specificity of cure. Acupuncture as a potential clinic method in treating VD should be developed and investigated in the future.

Acupuncture prevents cognitive deficits and oxidative stress in cerebral multi-infarction rats

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of acupuncture on cognitive deficits and oxidative stress in cerebral multi-infarction rats. The results showed that acupunctural treatment attenuated memory impairment induced by cerebral multi-infarction, as evaluated by shortened escape latency and increased swimming time of rats with memory impairment in the target quadrant. The data additionally suggested that acupunctural treatment ameliorated oxidative injuries induced by cerebral multi-infarction by increasing the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the hippocampus. Further investigation by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry revealed that acupunctural treatment significantly increased the expression of CuZnSOD mRNA and protein in the hippocampus of the impaired rats. The findings demonstrate that acupuncture can exert beneficial effects on spatial memory and antioxidant status of cerebral multi-infarction rats.

Effect of acupuncture treatment on spastic states of stroke patients

PURPOSES The control of spasticity is often a significant problem in the management of patients with stroke. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of acupuncture treatment on the spastic states of stroke patients. SETTING An outpatient Acupuncture Department in the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. PARTICIPANTS One hundred and thirty-one patients, mean (SD) age of 59 (12) years, with spastic hemiplegia were included at mean (SD) month of 17 (7) months after stroke. INTERVENTION Participants received two 30-day treatment regimens: combined stimulating surface projection zone of decussation of pyramid and traditional acupuncture treatment, and traditional acupuncture treatment only. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Differences in the modified Ashworth scale (MAS), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Barthel Index (BI), and the electromyographic activity of the affected extremity between arms. RESULTS The average (+/-SD) upper extremity Ashworth score significantly decreased, from 3.08+/-0.77 before treatment to 1.82+/-0.65 after acupuncture intervention (wrist joint, P<0.05), and from 2.72+/-0.59 to 1.32+/-0.71 (elbow joint, P<0.05) for treatment group. There were significant differences noted between the treatment group and control group after administration. Lower extremity treatment responses were similar to upper extremity responses. However, both groups showed similar improvement in FMA (upper extremity) and FMA (lower extremity). However, the improvements of FMA (total), BI, and F/M ratio were better in treatment group than in control group. CONCLUSIONS These results suggested that acupuncturing surface projection zone of decussation of pyramid was effective in reducing spastically increased muscle tone and motor neuron excitability in spastic hemiplegia, and could improve spastic states of stroke patients, thus providing a safe and economical method for treating stroke patients.

Factors contributing to therapeutic effects evaluated in acupuncture clinical trials

Acupuncture treatment has been widely used for many conditions, while results of the increasing numbers of randomized trials and systematic reviews remain controversial. Acupuncture is a complex intervention of both specific and non-specific factors associated with therapeutic benefit. Apart from needle insertion, issues such as needling sensation, psychological factors, acupoint specificity, acupuncture manipulation, and needle duration also have relevant influences on the therapeutic effects of acupuncture. Taking these factors into consideration would have considerable implications for the design and interpretation of clinical trials.

Systematic review of clinical trials of acupuncture-related therapies for primary dysmenorrhea

Background. Acupuncture‐related therapies might be an effective intervention for primary dysmenorrhea. Objective. To evaluate the effects of acupuncture‐related therapies for treating primary dysmenorrhea. Search Strategy. A specified literature search was performed of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI, and CBM databases. Selection criteria. All clinical controlled trials pertaining to acupuncture‐related therapies for primary dysmenorrhea were included, and the quality of the trials was assessed. Data collection and analysis. Two independent reviewers were responsible for data extraction and assessment. The original data of each trial were analyzed with software (Revman 4.2), but a meta‐analysis could not be carried out because of the heterogeneity of the trials. Main Results. Thirty randomized controlled trails (RCTs) and two controlled clinical trials (CCTs) were identified. Most of the trials were of low methodologic quality (six trials were Grade B and 26 trials were Grade C). Data analysis indicated that there were conflicting results regarding whether acupuncture‐related therapies were more effective than control treatments. However, there was a small, methodologic sound trial of acupuncture which suggested that acupuncture was more effective than control groups (placebo acupuncture: WMD=−0.57 and 95% CI=−0.76–0.38; standard control: WMD=−.19 and 95% CI=−0.37–0.01; visitation control: WMD=−1.04 and 95% CI=−1.28–0.80). Conclusions. Because of low methodologic quality and small sample size, there is no convincing evidence for acupuncture in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. There is an urgent need for randomized, blinded, placebo‐controlled trials to assess the effects of acupuncture.

Acupuncture protected cerebral multi-infarction rats from memory impairment by regulating the expression of apoptosis related genes Bcl-2 and Bax in hippocampus

Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common cause of dementia in the world today. In this paper, we observed the effect of acupuncture on memory impairment, apoptosis and expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in hippocampus of cerebral multi-infarction rats. The results indicated that acupuncture significantly improved memory impairment induced by cerebral multi-infarction, as evaluated by shortened escape latency and increased swimming time in the target quadrant. Meanwhile, based on the observation in hippocampal CA1 region through methods of the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase nick end labeling (TUNEL), immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, acupuncture decreased the number of apoptotic cells and expression of the proapoptotic Bax gene, on the contrary, it increased expression of the antiapoptotic gene Bcl-2. The result of the research suggested that acupuncture can exert antiapoptotic effect through counter-regulating Bcl-2 and Bax gene expression.

Characterization of Deqi Sensation and Acupuncture Effect

Acupuncture stimulation elicits deqi, a composite of unique sensations. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), deqi experienced by patients is often described as suan (aching or soreness), ma (numbness or tingling), zhang (fullness, distention, or pressure), and zhong (heaviness) and is felt by the acupuncturists (needle grasping) as tense, tight, and full. It is believed that deqi may be an important variable in the studies of the mechanism and efficacy of acupuncture treatment. In recent years, great efforts have been made to understand deqi, which include a couple of questionnaires to qualify and quantify deqi sensations, neuroimaging studies of deqi and acupuncture, physiological mechanisms of deqi, and the relation between deqi and clinical efficacy. However, many problems need to be resolved, and more researches are required to be made in the future.

A Review of Acupoint Specificity Research in China: Status Quo and Prospects

The theory of acupoint specificity is the basis for elucidating the actions of acupoints as employed in clinical practice. Acupoint specificity has become a focus of attention in international research efforts by scholars in the areas of acupuncture and moxibustion. In 2006, the Chinese Ministry of Science approved and initiated the National Basic Research Program (973 Program), one area of which was entitled Basic Research on Acupoint Specificity Based on Clinical Efficacy. Using such approaches as data mining, evidence-based medicine, clinical epidemiology, neuroimaging, molecular biology, neurophysiology, and metabolomics, fruitful research has been conducted in the form of literature research, clinical assessments, and biological studies. Acupoint specificity has been proved to exist, and it features meridian-propagated, relative, persistent, and conditional effects. Preliminarily investigations have been made into the biological basis for acupoint specificity.

Immediate Analgesia Effect of Single Point Acupuncture in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND Acupuncture is often used for primary dysmenorrhea. OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of a single point of acupuncture in the management of primary dysmenorrhea compared with sham acupuncture and no acupuncture. METHODOLOGY Patients with primary dysmenorrhea were randomly assigned to acupoint group (n=50), unrelated acupoint group (n=50), nonacupoint group (n=46), or no acupuncture group (n=48). Acupuncture and sham acupuncture were administered once-daily for 3 days with electro-acupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP6) that was specifically designed to treat primary dysmenorrhea, or an unrelated acupoint (Xuanzhong, GB39), or nonacupoint location. The primary outcome was pain intensity as measured by a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) at baseline; 5, 10, 30, and 60 minutes following the start of the first intervention. Cox retrospective symptom scale (RSS), verbal rating scale (VRS), pain total time, and proportion of participants using analgesics were also recorded during three menstrual cycles. RESULTS The primary comparison of VAS scores demonstrated that patients receiving acupuncture (-15.56 mm, 95% CI -22.16 to -8.95, P<0.001), unrelated acupoint (-18.14 mm, 95% CI -24.81 to -11.47, P<0.001), and nonacupoint (-10.96 mm, 95% CI -17.62 to -4.30, P=0.001) treatment presented significant improvements compared with no acupuncture group. There were no significant differences among the four groups with respect to secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION Acupuncture was better than no acupuncture for relieving the pain of dysmenorrhea following a single point of acupuncture, but no differences were detected between acupoint acupuncture and unrelated acupoint acupuncture, acupoint acupuncture and nonacupoint acupuncture.

Acupuncture Effect and Central Autonomic Regulation

Acupuncture is a therapeutic technique and part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Acupuncture has clinical efficacy on various autonomic nerve-related disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases, epilepsy, anxiety and nervousness, circadian rhythm disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and subfertility. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that acupuncture can control autonomic nerve system (ANS) functions including blood pressure, pupil size, skin conductance, skin temperature, muscle sympathetic nerve activities, heart rate and/or pulse rate, and heart rate variability. Emerging evidence indicates that acupuncture treatment not only activates distinct brain regions in different kinds of diseases caused by imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic activities, but also modulates adaptive neurotransmitter in related brain regions to alleviate autonomic response. This review focused on the central mechanism of acupuncture in modulating various autonomic responses, which might provide neurobiological foundations for acupuncture effects.