This week's Medline Abstracts: Acupuncture

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Xie HH, Zhang WB, Tian YY, Li H, Gu SZ. [Diuretic effect of injecting

furosemide into low hydraulic resistance point Shuifen along the conception

meridian in pigs with acute edema.][Article in Chinese] Zhong Xi Yi Jie He

Xue Bao. 2007 Jan;5(1):78-82. Department of Acupuncture, Beijing

Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100020, China.E-

mail: prof. Objective: To observe whether injection of

medicine into low hydraulic resistance point along meridian brings about

higher medicinal effect and to explore the efficacy of the theory that

meridians are made up of channels featuring low hydraulic resistance by

observing the diuretic effect of injecting furosemide or saline into the low

hydraulic resistance point Shuifen (CV 9), vein and Zusanli (St 36)

respectively. Methods: Acute edema was induced in pigs by rapid

intravenous injection of 2 000 ml normal saline. The pigs were divided into

four groups: Shuifen (CV 9) injection of half dose furosemide group (SFF

group), intravenous injection of full dose furosemide group (VF group),

Zusanli (St 36) injection of full dose furosemide group (ZSLF group), and

Shuifen (CV 9) injection of half dose normal saline group (SFS group). The

accumulated urine quantity and the urine quantity generated in every 15-

minute period were measured in each group respectively, every 15 minutes

after injection, and the measurement lasted for two hours at one

experiment. Each group involved eight times of experiments with one pig

used for one experiment, which means the whole observation involved 32

times of experiments. Results: The accumulated urine quantities observed

in both SFF group and VF group were higher than those in the ZSLF group

and the SFS group all through the measurement, showing significant

differences during the period from the 15th minute to the 45th minute

(P<0.05). But no significant difference was observed between the SFF

group and the VF group during the whole 2-hour measurement (P>0.05).

Analysis of urine quantity generated in every 15-minute period showed that

diuretic effect climaxed during the 15th minute to the 30th minute in both

SFF group and VF group. By contrast, ZSLF group reached diuresis climax

during the 45th minute to 60th minute and no diuresis climax was observed

in the SFS group all through the measurement. Conclusion: Injection of

medicine into low hydraulic resistance point along meridian generates faster

and more powerful medicinal potency, and this is likely to be applied to

clinical practice. The theory that meridians are channels featuring low

hydraulic resistance is important to the elucidation of meridians. PMID:

17214942 [PubMed - in process]

 

Wu HG, Liu HR, Tan LY, Gong YJ, Shi Y, Zhao TP, Yi Y, Yang Y.

Electroacupuncture and Moxibustion Promote Neutrophil Apoptosis and

Improve Ulcerative Colitis in Rats. Dig Dis Sci. 2007 Jan 9; [Epub ahead of

print]Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian, 650 South

WanPing Street, XuHui district, 200030, Shanghai, P.R. China,

wuhuangan. The purpose of this study was to investigate the

effect of electroacupuncture (EA) and moxibustion on promoting neutrophil

apoptosis. A rat model of ulcerative colitis was established by

immunological methods using human colonic mucosa as antigen. All rats

were randomly assigned to the model control (MC) group, EA group, or

herbs-partition moxibustion (HPM) group. Normal rats were used as the

normal control (NC) group. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)

from all rats and circular neutrophils from NC rats were isolated and

cultured. Circular neutrophils were incubated with cultured supernatants of

PBMCs from the MC, NC, EA, and HPM groups, respectively. Neutrophil

apoptosis and concentration of IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha from induced

cultured supernatants were detected by cell cytometry and ELISA,

respectively. Compared with MC, HPM, and EA rats, mucosal inflammatory

lesions abated remarkably. No hyperemia or edema was seen in the lamina

propia, inflammatory cell infiltration decreased, neutrophil infiltration

disappeared, and epithelial and crypt cells proliferated and repaired the

ulceration of the mucosa. Neutrophil apoptosis was promoted.

Concentrations of IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha were decreased,

respectively. We conclude that EA and HPM therapy can improve ulcerative

colitis rats histologically, which may be due to promoting neutrophil

apoptosis and down-regulating monocyte cytokines. EA and moxibustion

are effective for treating ulcerative colitis. PMID: 17211698 [PubMed - as

supplied by publisher]

 

Liu YY, Li YL, Cai MX. [Effect of electroacupuncture on bispectral index of

electroencephalography in patients undergoing subtotal thyroidectomy]

[Article in Chinese] Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2006

Dec;26(12):1070-3. Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated

Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou. docyong OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the effects of electroacupuncture on bispectral index (BIS) of

electroencephalography in patients undergoing subtotal thyroidectomy.

METHODS: Sixty patients were equally randomized into group A given

electroacupuncture combined with cervical plexus block (CPB) and group B

given CPB alone. After needling sensation was reached in bilateral " Hegu "

and " Neiguan " acupoints, 5 min of high frequency electrical stimulation by

electrical stimulation device followed with CPB was applied to group A, while

only CPB was performed in group B. Visual analog scale (VAS) and verbal

stress scale (VSS) were monitored, complication and adverse reaction were

observed and BIS, mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and

arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) were monitored continuously in the

perioperative period. RESULTS: HR increased and BIS decreased in group

A, both were lower significantly than those in group B (P < 0.01); MAP, the

complementary dosage of fentanyl and lidocaine used and scores of VAS

and VSS were also lower in group A than those in group B (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture could enhance the anesthetic effect of

CPB, lower the BIS value during subtotal thyroidectomy. PMID: 17205816

[PubMed - in process]

 

Litscher G. Bioengineering assessment of acupuncture, part 2: monitoring

of microcirculation. Crit Rev Biomed Eng. 2006;34(4):273-94. Research Unit

of Biomedical Engineering in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine,

Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, Graz, Austria.

gerhard.litscher In the second part of the review article,

monitoring of microcirculation during acupuncture is described. Laser

Doppler flowmetry and laser Doppler imaging provide easy-to-use,

noninvasive, real-time measurements of local tissue blood flow. Using these

types of biomedical equipment, it is possible to quantify and objectify

peripheral changes in microcirculation during different methods of

acupuncture stimulation (manual needle acupuncture and laserneedle

acupuncture). PMID: 17206916 [PubMed - in process]

 

Litscher G. Bioengineering assessment of acupuncture, part 3: ultrasound.

Crit Rev Biomed Eng. 2006;34(4):295-326. Research Unit of Biomedical

Engineering in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University

of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, Graz, Austria. gerhard.litscher

Multidirectional transcranial ultrasound monitoring can be used to prove

quantifiable effects of acupuncture stimulation in the brain. This third part of

the review article gives a short introduction in monitoring cerebral blood flow

velocity and summarizes the scientific results in this area of research. New

constructions from the Medical University of Graz that can be used for

evidence-based computer-controlled acupuncture are described. With these

new methods and concepts, reproducible effects of needle and laserneedle

acupuncture stimulation in cerebral blood flow velocity can be objectified for

the first time. PMID: 17206917 [PubMed - in process]

 

Litscher G. Bioengineering assessment of acupuncture, part 4: functional

magnetic resonance imaging. Crit Rev Biomed Eng. 2006;34(4):327-45.

Research Unit of Biomedical Engineering in Anesthesia and Intensive Care

Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz, Graz, Austria.

gerhard.litscher In the fourth part of this review article,

research on the topic of acupuncture and functional magnetic resonance

imaging is described. Needle as well as painless laserneedle stimulation

have led to significant changes in different areas of the brain. With the help

of modern biomedical engineering equipment and neuroscience, some of

acupuncture's secrets have begun to be revealed. The neuro-modulating

effects require further investigation in a larger population sample. PMID:

17206918 [PubMed - in process]

 

Lujan HL, Kramer VA, Dicarlo SE. Electro-acupuncture Decreases the

Susceptibility to Ventricular Tachycardia in Conscious Rats by Reducing

Cardiac Metabolic Demand. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2007 Jan 5;

[Epub ahead of print] Links Physiology, Wayne State University School of

Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, United States. Reperfusion after a brief period

of cardiac ischemia can lead to potentially lethal arrhythmias. Clinical

observations and experimental work with animals suggest that acupuncture

may have therapeutic effects for individuals with coronary heart disease,

certain arrhythmias, and myocardial ischemia. Therefore, we tested the

hypothesis that electro-acupuncture reduces the susceptibility to

ischemia/reperfusion-mediated ventricular tachyarrhythmias. To test this

hypothesis, we measured the susceptibility to ventricular tachyarrhythmias

produced by three minutes of occlusion and reperfusion of the left main

coronary artery in conscious rats under two experimental conditions: 1)

control and 2) with electro-acupuncture. Acupuncture was simulated by

electrically stimulating the median nerves (corresponding to the Jianshi-

Neiguan (P 5-6) acupoints). Results document a significantly lower

incidence of ventricular tachyarrhythmias with electro-acupuncture (2 of 8,

25%) relative to control (14 of 14, 100%) rats. The decreased susceptibility

to tachyarrhythmias with electro-acupuncture was associated with a

reduced cardiac metabolic demand (lower rate-pressure product and ST-

segment elevation) during ischemia. Key words: cardiovascular risks,

acupuncture, arrhythmia. PMID: 17209007 [PubMed - as supplied by

publisher]

 

Suen LK, Wong TK, Chung JW, Yip VY. Auriculotherapy on low back pain in

the elderly. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2007 Feb;13(1):63-9. Epub 2006

Dec 15.The Nethersole School of Nursing, Esther Lee Building, The

Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong. The objective of the

study was to examine the effectiveness of auriculotherapy using magnetic

pellets for the elderly suffering from low back pain (LBP). Sixty participants

who were 60-years old or above and had been suffering from LBP were

recruited. Participants were randomly allocated to receive auriculotherapy

on a 3-week basis using either Semen Vaccariae (control group=30) or

magnetic pellets (experimental group=30). Seven auricular acupoints that

are believed to have an effect on LBP were selected. Treatment effects

were evaluated using the Chinese Pain Intensity Verbal Rating scale (VRS).

The experimental group had indeed experienced a significant improvement

in pain relief when compared with the control group; and the therapeutic

effects were sustained at 2 and 4-week follow-up periods after the therapy.

Findings of this study demonstrated that auriculotherapy using magnetic

pellets significantly reduce the pain intensity level of the elderly suffering

from non-specific LBP. PMID: 17210513 [PubMed - in process]

 

Choo SP, Kong KH, Lim WT, Gao F, Chua K, Leong SS.

Electroacupuncture for refractory acute emesis caused by chemotherapy. J

Altern Complement Med. 2006 Dec;12(10):963-9. Department of Medical

Oncology, National Cancer Centre, Singapore. Purpose: To evaluate the

efficacy of electroacupuncture in preventing anthracycline-based

chemotherapy-related nausea and emesis refractory to combination

5HT(3)-antagonist and dexamethasone. Patients and methods: Cancer

patients with refractory emesis after their first cycle of doxorubicin-based

chemotherapy were accrued into this study. Electroacupuncture was given

during the second cycle of chemotherapy. Each patient was evaluated for

the number of emetic episodes and grade of nausea within the first 24

hours after chemotherapy and electroacupuncture. Results: 47 of a total of

317 patients screened were eligible for this study. Of these, 27 patients

agreed to participate. Twenty-six (26; 96.3%) of them had significant

reduction in both nausea grade and episodes of vomiting after

electroacupuncture. There was complete response with no emetic episodes

in 37%. Subjectively, 25 (92.6%) of the total 27 patients believed that

acupuncture was an acceptable procedure and was helpful in reducing

emesis. Electroacupuncture was well-tolerated with a median pain score of

3 of 10. Conclusion: Electroacupuncture is well-tolerated and effective as an

adjunct in reducing chemotherapy-related nausea and emesis. PMID:

17212568 [PubMed - in process]

 

Myklebust M, Colson J, Kaufman J, Winsauer J, Zhang YQ, Harris RE.

Policy for therapeutic acupuncture in an academic health center: a model

for standard policy development. J Altern Complement Med. 2006

Dec;12(10):1035-9. University of Michigan Integrative Medicine Clinical

Services, Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann

Arbor, MI. Acupuncture as a therapeutic modality offers multiple

applications. Its effectiveness coupled with its general acceptance by

conventional health care professionals makes it one of the first

complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities to be

incorporated in an integrative approach to care. However, few centers that

offer acupuncture have written standard policies to regulate its use. This

lack of standard policies may impede provision of quality care, serve as a

barrier to cross-institutional data collection and clinical application of that

data, and may put health care professionals and institutions at risk when

credentialing or malpractice liability has not been clearly addressed. Here

we present a policy for acupuncture, created by a diverse group of health

care professionals at the University of Michigan Health System. It may

function as a generalizable template for standard policy development by

institutions incorporating acupuncture. PMID: 17212576 [PubMed - in

process]

 

Lang T, Barker R, Steinlechner B, Gustorff B, Puskas T, Gore O, Kober A.

Hip Pain During Emergency Transport.From the Department of Anesthesia

and Intensive Care ( J Trauma. 2007 Jan;62(1):184-188.TENS Relieves

Acute Posttraumatic T.L., R.B., B.S., B.G., A.K.), University of Vienna,

Vienna, Austria; the Hungarian National Emergency Service (T.P.),

Szombathely, Hungary; and the Department of Internal Medicine (O.G.),

University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania. BACKGROUND:: In Central

Europe, ambulances for patients suffering from pain caused by nonlife-

threatening trauma, such as hip fractures are staffed by medical personnel

(medics) without physicians. Thus, there is an urgent need for

nonpharmacological interventions that can be applied during the transport

by basic life-support (BLS) medical personnel. METHODS:: In all, 101

patients were screened for participation in this randomized placebo-

controlled double-blind study, and randomly assigned to two groups (verum

and sham transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS]). First, medic

A recorded all baseline parameters and measurements, then medic B

performed TENS in absence of medic A. At the end of transportation, medic

A performed data collection. Each patient was asked to grade his/her pain

and anxiety level on visual analog scales (VAS, 0 to 100 mm). RESULTS::

From 101 screened patients fulfilling the entry criteria, 29 declined consent

and 9 had to be excluded from the analysis because of their final diagnosis.

Therefore, the data from 30 patients (group 1, verum TENS) as well as from

33 patients (group 2 [control], sham TENS) were analyzed. No significant

differences in potentially influencing factors were found before treatment.

Pain scores upon arrival at the hospital differed significantly between group

1 and group 2 (p < 0.01). In group 1, pain reduction was observed between

departure from the site of emergency and arrival at the hospital (VAS: 89 +/-

9 to 59 +/- 6 mm), whereas pain scores remained nearly unchanged in

group 2 (VAS: 86 +/- 12 to 79 +/- 11 mm). CONCLUSION:: Our findings

show that TENS is a valuable and fast-acting pain treatment under the

difficult circumstances of " out-of-hospital rescue " . Because of its lack of

side effects, it could also be a valuable tool in the hospital.

PMID: 17215752 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

White A, Foster NE, Cummings M, Barlas P. Acupuncture treatment for

chronic knee pain: a systematic review. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2007 Jan

10; [Epub ahead of print] Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter

and Plymouth, N32 ITTC Building, Tamar Science Park, Plymouth PL6 8BX,

Primary Care Musculoskeletal Research Centre, Keele University, Keele,

Staffordshire ST5 5BG and British Medical Acupuncture Society, BMAS

London Office, Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, 60 Great Ormond

Street, London WC1N 3HR, UK. Objectives. To evaluate the effects of

acupuncture on pain and function in patients with chronic knee pain.

Methods. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled

trials of adequate acupuncture. Computerized databases and reference lists

of articles were searched in June 2006. Studies were selected in which

adults with chronic knee pain or osteoarthritis of the knee were randomized

to receive either acupuncture treatment or a control consisting of sham

(placebo) acupuncture, other sham treatments, no additional intervention

(usual care), or an active intervention. The main outcome measures were

short-term pain and function, and study validity was assessed using a

modification of a previously published instrument. Results. Thirteen RCTs

were included, of which eight used adequate acupuncture and provided

WOMAC outcomes, so were combined in meta-analyses. Six of these had

validity scores of more than 50%. Combining five studies in 1334 patients,

acupuncture was superior to sham acupuncture for both pain (weighted

mean difference in WOMAC pain subscale score = 2.0, 95% CI 0.57-3.40)

and for WOMAC function subscale (4.32, 0.60-8.05). The differences were

still significant at long-term follow-up. Acupuncture was also significantly

superior to no additional intervention. There were insufficient studies to

compare acupuncture with other sham or active interventions. Conclusions.

Acupuncture that meets criteria for adequate treatment is significantly

superior to sham acupuncture and to no additional intervention in improving

pain and function in patients with chronic knee pain. Due to the

heterogeneity in the results, however, further research is required to confirm

these findings and provide more information on long-term effects.

PMID: 17215263 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Best regards,