This week's Medline Hits on acupuncture

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[No authors listed] | Is acupuncture more effective than conventional therapy

in improving pain and functionality for osteoarthritis of the knee? | Manag

Care Interface. 2006 Dec;19 (12):69. | | ABSTRACT UNAVAILABLA. PMID:

17274484 [PubMed - in process]

 

Ann Heng P. | Research and applications of virtual medicine. | Conf Proc

IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2005;4:4160-3. | Dept of Computer Science &

Engineering and Shun Hing Institute of Advanced Engineering, The Chinese

Univ of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong. Email:

pheng | We share our experience in developing various

virtual medicine applications, including virtual arthroscopy, virtual AP and

virtual anatomy. We have deployed the latest graphics processor to develop

these virtual reality based learning and training systems. Having utilized

various visible human datasets, the visual quality of the applications has

been improved greatly. PMID: 17281150 [PubMed - in process]

 

Capodice JL, Jin Z, Bemis DL, Samadi D, Stone BA, Kaplan S, Katz AE. | A

pilot study on acupuncture for lower urinary tract symptoms related to

chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain. | Chin Med. 2007 Feb 6;2 (1):1 [Epub

ahead of print] | | ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The etiology and treatment

of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) remain

poorly understood. Pain, lower urinary tract voiding symptoms and negative

impact on quality of life (QOL) are the most common complaints. AP, which

has been widely used to treat painful and chronic conditions, may be a

potential treatment to alleviate the constellation of symptoms experienced

by men with CP / CPPS. The purpose of our study was to assess the impact

of standardized full body and auricular AP in men refractory to conventional

therapies and collect pilot data to warrant further randomized trials.

METHODS: Ten men diagnosed with category IIIA or IIIB CP/CPPS >6

months, refractory to at least 1 conventional therapy (antibiotics, anti-

inflammatory agents, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, alpha-1 blockers) and

scoring >4 on the pain subset of the NIH-CPSI were prospectively analyzed

in an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved, single-center clinical trial

(Columbia Univ Medical Center IRB#AAAA-7460). Standardized full body

and auricular AP treatment was given twice weekly for 6 weeks. The

primary endpoints were total score of the NIH-CPSI and assessment of

serious adverse events. The secondary endpoints were individual scores of

the NIH-CPSI and QOL questionnaire scores of the short-form 36 (SF-36).

RESULTS: The median age of the subjects was 36 years (range 29-63).

Decreases in total NIH-CPSI scores (mean +/- SD) after 3 and 6 weeks

from baseline (25.1 +/- 6.6) were 17.6 +/- 5.7 (P < 0.006) and 8.8 +/- 6.2 (P

< 0.006) respectively and remained significant after an additional 6 weeks of

follow-up (P<0.006). Symptom and QOL / NIH-CPSI sub-scores were also

significant (P< 0.002 and P<0.002 respectively). Significance in 6 of 8

categories of the SF-36 including bodily pain (P<0.002) was achieved. One

regression in the SF-36 vitality category was observed after follow-up. There

were no adverse events. CONCLUSION: The preliminary findings, although

limited, suggest the potential therapeutic role of AP in the treatment of CP /

CPPS. Data from this and previous studies warrant randomized trials of AP

for CP/CPPS and particular attention towards AP point selection, treatment

intervention, and durability of AP. PMID: 17284322 [PubMed - as supplied

by publisher]

 

Cheng P, Datian Y. | Cutaneous Electrical Stimulation of Mid-frequency on

Acupiont Affects the Electrogastrogram. | Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol

Soc. 2005;5:4933-5. | Research Center of Biomedical Engineering,

Graduate School at Shenzhen Campus, Tsinghua Univ, Shenzhen, China,

518055. | AP, including the manual AP, electro-AP and cutaneous electrical

stimulation on acupiont, is known to enhance the gastric motility. The aim of

this paper is to study the changes in electrogastrogram (EGG) when the

acupiont Zusanli is stimulated cutaneously by electrical signal of mid-

frequency. The result shows that the regularity of EGG is enhanced after

the stimulation, and the improvement is more obvious in the EGG recorded

near the antrum. PMID: 17281350 [PubMed - in process]

 

Dhond RP, Kettner N, Napadow V. | Do the neural correlates of

acupuncture and placebo effects differ? | Pain. 2007 Jan 29; [Epub ahead

of print] | MGH/MIT/HMS Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging,

Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Logan College of Chiropractic, Dept of

Radiology, Chesterfield, MO 63017, USA. | ABSTRACT UNAVAILABLA.

PMID: 17267130 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Fang Q, Bedi R, Ahmed B, Cosic I. | Comparison of skin resistance

between biological active points of left and right hands with various contact

pressures. | Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2004;4:2995-8. | Sch. of

Electr. & Comput. Eng., RMIT Univ., Melbourne, Vic., Australia. | The AP

points or biological active points (BAP), also known as low-resistance spots

or good electro-permeable points, have relative lower electric resistance

than the surrounding tissues. There are many factors that can affect the

measurement of the electric resistance of BAPs. We examined the

relationship between the skin electric resistance at the BAPs of the left and

the right hand with various contact pressures from 5 subjects. This

preliminary study presented here shows there exists a bilateral symmetry of

the skin resistance of the corresponding BAPs from the left and the right

hands of all chosen subjects over a range of measuring pressure. PMID:

17270908 [PubMed - in process]

 

Fu C, Oakley B, Li S, Zhao W. | Preliminary results related to the principle

and application of drug galvano-acupuncture. | Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med

Biol Soc. 2005;5:4922-4. | Science of Medicine Research Institute, Kaifung,

Henan, China 475000 (Phone: +86-0378-2911008; e-mail:

fuchenkf). | Drug galvano-AP is a new medical therapy that has

been developed and refined over thirty-one years of research and clinical

practice. It uses a combination of modern technology, traditional AP, herbal

medicine, and massage therapy techniques. The therapy works by inducing

an electric field at the surface of the skin that allows various medications to

penetrate the skin's surface. The interacting combination of medication,

along with electrical and mechanical stimulation, appears to quickly produce

healing effects with no side effects. This method has been broadly used

with what appear to be positive effects on a number of different conditions,

including neuralgia, asthma, and stroke. PMID: 17281347 [PubMed - in

process]

 

Hao W, Zhu X, Zhang H, Tian B. | Study on a mechanical acupuncture

instrument with computer aided controlled. | Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol

Soc. 2005;4:4259-62. | Sch. of Mech. Eng., Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ. | AP

relies on the use of fine needles being inserted into specific points with

varying amounts of manual or external stimulation. The gate control theory

states that AP closes the gate to pain and blocks pain perception in the

brain via stimulation of large nerve fibers. The particular research develops

a mechanical manipulation of AP to simulate physician with the insertion of

AP needles which may produce similar therapy effect. Adopting two stepper

motors, the mechanical AP instrument is designed with synthesized

movements of lifting, thrusting and twirling. The working process can be

controlled by the command strings. The mechanical AP instrument

possesses several manipulations of AP just as physician does, and the

needle can be adjusted quantitatively and reliably. With quite effective

therapy function of animal experiment, the mechanical AP instrument can

replace physician to a certain extent. PMID: 17281175 [PubMed - in

process]

 

Li YQ, Zhu B, Rong PJ, Ben H, Li YH. | Neural mechanism of acupuncture-

modulated gastric motility. | World J Gastroenterol. 2007 Feb 7;13 (5):709-

16. | Institute of Acupuncture-Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese

Medical Sciences, 16 Nanxiaojie of Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China.

zhubing. | AIM: To investigate the AP-modulated gastric

motility and its underlying neural mechanism. METHODS: Intragastric

pressure and/or waves of gastric contraction in rats were recorded by

intrapyloric balloon and changes of gastric motility induced by AP

stimulation were compared with the background activity before any

stimulation. Gastro-vagal or splanchnic-sympathetic nerves were recorded

or cut respectively for investigating the involvement of autonomic nerve

pathways. Spinalization experiment was also performed. RESULTS: AP-

stimulation by exciting A delta and/or C afferent fibers, could only modulate

gastric motility. AP-stimulation on fore- and hind-limbs evoked a moderate

gastric motility followed by increased vagus discharges with unchanged

sympathetic activity, while the same stimulus to the acupoints in abdomen

resulted in reversed effects on gastric motility and autonomic nervous

activities. The inhibitory gastric response was completely abolished by

splanchnic denervation, but the facilitative gastric response to stimulation of

acupoints in limbs was not influenced, which was opposite to the effect

when vagotomy was performed. The similar depressive effects were

produced by the stimulation at the acupoints homo-segmental to the gastric

innervation in the animals with or without spinalization. However, the

facilitation induced by the stimulation at the acupoints hetero-segmental to

the gastric innervation was not observed in the spinalized animals.

CONCLUSION: Facilitative effects of stimulating hetero-segmental

acupoints are involved in the intact preparation of vagal nerves and spinal

cord, while the inhibitory response induced by stimulating homo-segmental

acupoints is involved in the intact preparation of sympathetic nerves. Only

the AP-stimulation with intensity over the threshold of A delta and/or C

afferent fibers can markedly modulate gastrointestinal motility. PMID:

17278193 [PubMed - in process]

 

Lin CC, Chen MC, Yu SN, Ju MS. | Chronic electrical stimulation of four

acupuncture points on rat diabetic neuropathy. | Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med

Biol Soc. 2005;4:4271-4. | Medical Center, National Cheng Kung Univ.,

Tainan. | The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of

chronic electrical stimulation of AP points on rat diabetic neuropathy.

Diabetes mellitus was induced by a single dose of intravenous

streptozotocin. The efficacies of several different protocols of electrical

stimulation were compared. The evaluation measures included nerve

conduction velocity, tactile threshold and blood perfusion on eye and

footpad. Electrical stimulation was administered 30 min/day for 4 weeks. On

the 4th weekend of stimulation, when compared with the control group, the

stimulated groups showed differential benefits on different evaluation

measures. The results indicated that chronic electrical stimulation could

reduce the functional deficits of diabetic neuropathy. PMID: 17281178

[PubMed - in process]

 

Liu C, Chen Z, Jiang G, Wang H. | Interactive Exhibition of Human Meridian

Based on Cult3D. | Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2005;6:6262-4. |

School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji Univ, Shanghai, China. | The

precise orientation of the AP points and meridian is important in AP while it

is difficult to be done via the 2-dimension pictures. So the 3D interactive

exhibition is undoubtedly superior to the traditional 2D way. A Web3D

technology Cult3D and its advantages in contrast to VRML are presented.

The implementation process of interactive human point exhibition by using

Cult3D is discussed in detail. A primary attempt of expressing the

knowledge system of meridian more intuitionisticly is made. PMID:

17281698 [PubMed - in process]

 

Martinasso G, Mozzati M, Pol R, Canuto RA, Muzio G. | Effect of

superpulsed laser irradiation on bone formation in a human osteoblast-like

cell line. | Minerva Stomatol. 2007 Jan-Feb;56 (1-2):27-30. | Dept of

Medicine and Experimental Oncology, Turin Univ, Turin, Italy. | AIM: The

effect superpulsed of low-level laser therapy (SLLLT) on bone regeneration

has been the focus of recent research. This preliminary study investigated

the effect of superpulsed laser irradiation on proliferation and bone

formation in human osteoblast-like cells MG-63. METHODS: Human

osteoblast-like cells MG-63 were exposed every 24 h to superpulsed low-

level laser produced by the device Lumix 2 HFPL Dental (Fisioline s.n.c.,

Verduno, Cuneo, Italy); the experimental protocol comprised 4 days of

treatment. At each experimental time, cell proliferation and some markers of

osteoblast activity were evaluated. RESULTS: Numbers of laser-treated

cells increased starting from day 2 of treatment. The ability of SLLLT

irradiation to stimulate bone production was evaluated by determining the

expression of osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase, proteins involved in

calcium nodule formation. These proteins increased markedly after 3 days

of laser treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results show that

repeated SLLLT irradiation stimulates cell proliferation in human osteoblast-

like cells and, importantly, increases the expression of proteins essential for

bone formation. PMID: 17287704 [PubMed - in process]

 

Miura K, Ohara T, Zeredo JL, Okada Y, Toda K, Sumikawa K. | Effects of

traditional " Juci " (contralateral acupuncture) on orofacial nociceptive

behavior in the rat. | J Anesth. 2007;21 (1):31-6. Epub 2007 Jan 30. |

Division of Anesthesiology, Nagasaki Univ Graduate School of Biomedical

Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8588, Japan. | PURPOSE:

" Juci " , one of the traditional AP techniques, means contralateral AP; i.e.,

implanting a needle into an acupoint to treat a given disease or disorder, but

on the side of the body opposite to the diseased side. The aim of this study

was: (1) to assess AP effects on formalin-induced nociceptive behavior in

the orofacial region in the rat, and (2) to evaluate the efficacy of Juci in the

orofacial formalin test. METHODS: Forty-four adult male Wistar rats were

used in the present study. A 1.0% formalin solution (25 microl s.c., diluted in

saline) was injected into the right upper lip. The rats were randomly

assigned to five groups. (1) The control group (n = 9), which received

formalin injection without AP pretreatment; (2) the ipsilateral Ho-ku (see

note below) AP group (n = 10); (3) the contralateral Ho-ku AP group (n =

11); (4) the AP plus naloxone group (n = 9), where intraperitoneal naloxone

(1.0 mg.kg (-1)) was injected immediately before AP pretreatment; and (5)

the sham AP group (n = 5). " Ho-ku " is the term used for the " Large Intestine

4 " acupoint, located between the first and second metacarpal bones.

RESULTS: The injection of formalin produced the characteristic biphasic

behavioral response. AP significantly inhibited the response in the early and

late phases. Naloxone significantly reversed these effects. There were no

statistically significant differences between the ipsilateral and Juci AP

groups. Sham AP did not exert any significant effect on the formalin-

induced behavior. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the degree of

effectiveness of Juci was similar to that of the ipsilateral AP technique.

Therefore, the Juci (contralateral) technique is also useful for the treatment

of orofacial pain. PMID: 17285410 [PubMed - in process]

 

Mukherjee M, McPeak LK, Redford JB, Sun C, Liu W. | The effect of

electro-acupuncture on spasticity of the wrist joint in chronic stroke

survivors. | Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2007 Feb;88 (2):159-66. | Dept of

Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, Univ of Kansas Medical

Center, Kansas City, KS. | OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively assess the

change in spasticity of the impaired wrist joint in chronic stroke patients

after

electro-AP treatment. DESIGN: Crossover design. SETTING: Univ medical

center research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Seven chronic stroke subjects

(age, 63.14+/-7.01y). INTERVENTION: Participants received two 6-week

treatment regimens: combined electro-AP and strengthening twice a week,

and strengthening twice a week only. Muscle strength and spasticity of the

wrist joint were quantified by using the Biodex multijoint System 3 Pro.

Electro-AP was given through a commercial electro-AP device. MAIN

OUTCOME MEASURES: Velocity sensitivity of averaged speed-dependent

reflex torque (VASRT); segmented averaged speed-dependent reflex

torque (SASRT); Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) scores; and integrated

electromyographic activity of the affected wrist flexors during passive stretch

of the affected wrist joint. RESULTS: VASRT was reduced significantly in

the combined treatment group (P=.02) after the 6-week period, but not in

the strengthening-only group (P=.23); however, no significant immediate

effect of electro-AP was observed (P>.05). MAS scores also showed a

significant reduction (P<.01). SASRT did not differ significantly across

different positions of the joint or across velocity; however, significant

differences were present between the 2 treatment groups (P<.05) for each

position and at all the velocities except at 20 degrees /s. Integrated

electromyographic activity showed a trend for reduction after the combined

treatment. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of electro-AP and muscle

strengthening exercise for 6 weeks significantly reduced spasticity. The

effect of spasticity reduction was consistent across different joint positions

and different velocities of passive stretch. PMID: 17270512 [PubMed - in

process]

 

Napadow V, Dhond RP, Purdon P, Kettner N, Makris N, Kwong KK, Hui KK.

| Correlating acupuncture FMRI in the human brainstem with heart rate

variability. | Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2005;5:4496-9. | Member

IEEE, Massachusetts General Hospital, Dept of Radiology, Boston, MA

02129 USA (phone: 617-724-3402; fax: 617-726-7422; e-mail:

vitaly). | Past neuroimaging studies of AP have

demonstrated variable results for important brainstem nuclei. We have

employed cardiac-gated fMRI with T1-variability correction to study the

processing of AP by the human brain. Furthermore, our imaging

experiments collected simultaneous ECG data in order to correlate heart

rate variability (HRV) with fMRI signal intensity. Subjects experienced one of

three stimulations over a 31.5 minute fMRI run: (1) electro-AP at 2Hz/15Hz

over the acupoint ST-36 (2) electro-AP at a sham non-acupoint, or (3)

sensory control tapping over ST-36. The ECG was analyzed with power

spectral methods for low frequency and high frequency components, which

reflect the balance in the autonomic nervous system. The HRV data was

then correlated with the time-varying fMRI signal intensity. Our data

suggests that fMRI activity in the hypothalamus, the dorsal raphe nucleus,

the periaqueductal gray, and the rostroventral medulla showed significant

correlation with LF/HF ratio calculated from simultaneous HRV data. The

correlation of time-varying fMRI response with physiological parameters

may provide insight into connections between AP modulation of the

autonomic nervous system and neuroprocessing. PMID: 17281236

[PubMed - in process]

 

Qin Y, Cheng Z, Zhuang T, Wang H, Wang Y, Yan Z, Riemer M, Tiede U,

Heinz Hohne K. | Interactive Segmentation of Muscles and 3D

Representation of Meridians Based on Visible Human. | Conf Proc IEEE

Eng Med Biol Soc. 2005;5:5116-9. | Dept of Biomedical Engineering,

Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ, Shanghai, P.R. China. | Based on VOXEL-MAN

software and our previous work on merging acupoint information with the

dataset of the male Visible Human, we have refined the segmentation

method for muscles and visualized the anatomical structure of meridians. In

interactive segmentation, we obtain additional information on connectivity

and texture. We also apply surface fitting to track muscle contours on data

slices where the threshold segmentation method is hard or impossible to

apply. With these processes, the original segmentation method, mainly via

threshold, is improved to deal with more complex situations. We also

constructed meridians, which are supposed to be composed by groups of

acupoints. For that we used the location of these acupoints and

interpolation methods. PMID: 17281398 [PubMed - in process]

 

Rooks DS. | Fibromyalgia treatment update. | Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2007

Mar;19 (2):111-7. | Division of Rheumatology and the Center for the Study

of Nutrition Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard

Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. | PURPOSE OF REVIEW:

Fibromyalgia is a common chronic pain disorder characterized by complex

symptomatology and few consistently effective treatments. The purpose of

this review is to highlight the recent literature from April 2005 through

September 2006 involving treatment options. RECENT FINDINGS: Prior

evidence suggests that medication and self-management approaches to

care can improve symptoms, function and well-being in this patient

population. Recent studies examining the efficacy of two serotonin and

norepinephrine-reuptake inhibitors - duloxetine and milnacipran - and the

anticonvulsant pregabalin are encouraging. Studies evaluating different

forms of exercise continue to support the belief that increased physical

activity is an essential component of any treatment plan for the patient with

fibromyalgia. Three studies added to the understanding of treatment

adherence. Finally, three studies evaluating the efficacy of AP in the

treatment of fibromyalgia showed conflicting results, but added to the

knowledge needed for clinicians to have substantive conversations with

patients. SUMMARY: Recent studies support the recommendation of a

multimodal approach to treatment involving individualized, evidence-based

pharmacotherapy and self-management. Treatment goals should include

the improvement of symptoms, primarily pain and sleep, and the promotion

of positive health behaviors with the aim of improving physical function and

emotional well-being. PMID: 17278924 [PubMed - in process]

 

Sarkova A, Sarek M. | EAV and Gemmotherapy - Medicine for the Next

Millennium? (technique as a means to link eastern and western medicine). |

Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2005;5:4943-6. | Private ambulatory

surgery, Prague, Czech Republic. | The article gives basic information about

technique as a means to link eastern and western medicine based on using

combination of EAV (Electro-AP According to Dr. Voll) and gemmotherapy,

a special form of phytotherapy. Experience with this method continues to

grow steadily and some very interesting results are available. Based on the

results of treatment achieved in our practice so far (17.000 examinations

during 10 years), we are convinced that EAV and gemmotherapy has

become a successful natural treatment method for the 21st century. PMID:

17281353 [PubMed - in process]

 

Shen EY, Lai YJ. | The efficacy of frequency-specific acupuncture

stimulation on extracellular dopamine concentration in striatum-A rat model

study. | Neurosci Lett. 2007 Jan 12; [Epub ahead of print] | Clinic of AP

Therapy, Dept of Pediatrics, Wanfang Medical Center, Taipei Medical Univ,

Taipei, Taiwan; Dept of Pediatrics, China Medical Univ, Taichung, Taiwan. |

The mechanism of AP remains elusive. Our study shows that only specific

stimulation frequencies at specific acupoints will induce dopamine release in

the corpus striatum, as demonstrated by in vivo microdialysis performed on

Sprague-Dawley rats. In the first trial, electro-AP (EA) stimulation at 15Hz

and 15mA was conducted at six different points on the upper limbs of the

experimental rats. These points mimic acupoints along six different

meridians in the human body. Only Point 2 (corresponding to Pericardium 7)

induced a response. In the second trial, EA stimulation at varying

frequencies of 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27 and 30Hz, and 15mA were

conducted through Point 2. Stimulation at 6 and 15Hz induced an

immediate response; 21Hz induced a response only after the ceasing of

stimulation. All other frequencies failed to induce a response. The data point

to the importance of frequency-specific stimulation at specific acupoints for

the release of neurotransmitters in the brain. We speculate that each

meridian entails a stimulus of a specific frequency and intensity, which

induces the release of its associated neurotransmitters or cytokines. This is

a concept with far-reaching clinical implications for AP therapy, including the

treatment of dopamine-related disorders. PMID: 17280787 [PubMed - as

supplied by publisher]

 

Tsunami D, Colbert A, Lu Z, Pearson S, McNames J, Hammerschlag R. |

Physiologic responses to acupuncture point stimulation: a pilot study to

evaluate methods and instrumentation. | Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc.

2004;5:3611-4. | Biomedical Signal Processing Laboratory, Electrical and

Computer Engineering, Portland State Univ, Portland OR, USA. | The

physiological responses to needle stimulation of an AP point and a nearby

control point were compared in six healthy participants. The

electrocardiogram (ECG), respiration, and electrodermal response (EDR)

were measured along with the times of needle insertion, interim needle

stimulation and needle removal. In addition to the aforementioned, any

relevant events such as movement of the subject, unexpected noise, etc

were annotated. PMID: 17271073 [PubMed - in process]

 

Wang H, Tanaka Y, Seki H, Jodo E, Kayama Y, Kawauchi A, Miki T, Otsuki

M, Koyama Y. | Acupuncture stimulation to the sacral segment affects state

of vigilance in rats. | Neurosci Res. 2007 Jan 7; [Epub ahead of print] | Dept

of Physiology, Fukushima Medical Univ School of Medicine, 1 Hikari-ga-

oka, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan. | The effects of AP stimulation to the

sacral segment on electroencephalograms (EEGs) and activity of locus

coeruleus (LC) neurons were examined in urethane-anesthetized rats. In 71

of 112 trials, when EEGs displayed small amplitude and high frequency,

stimulation to the sacral segment-induced large amplitude and slow EEGs

with a latency of <450s and duration ranged from 32s to >42min. Stimulus-

induced EEGs comprised significant increases in delta power and

significant decreases in theta and beta powers. After intraperitoneal

administration of bicuculline, stimulation to the sacral segment failed to

induce changes in EEG pattern. Firing rate of noradrenergic LC neurons

decreased significantly from 2.9+/-1.5 to 1.1+/-0.8Hz (n=11, p<0.001).

Decreased neuronal activity exhibited close relationships with increased

EEG amplitude. These results suggest that AP stimulation to the sacral

segment changes the state of animals from light anesthesia to deep

anesthesia, and that this change is mediated by GABAergic systems

suppressing the activity of noradrenergic LC neurons. PMID: 17267062

[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Wenxue H, Jun J, Jialin S, Yonghong X, Jianhong C. | Research on the

measuring and duplication techniques of spectrum of the moxibustion in

traditional chinese medicine. | Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc.

2005;4:4267-70. | Dept. of Biomed. Eng., Yanshan Univ., Qinhuangdao. |

The authors present a series of research works on moxibustion, including:

experiments on the indirect and direct measuring methods, the first enjoys

the advantage of spectrum width, the later is straightforward; studies on the

duplication techniques of the spectrum of moxibustion. The main results

are: the radiation power of moxibustion is distributed over the region very

closed to near-infrared mainly and the wavelength corresponding to the

peak value is about 2800 nm; Using tungsten-halogen lamp with wide

spectral range can duplicate the spectrum of moxibustion by means of light-

filtering and power manipulation. A schematic diagram of electric

moxibustion which has been used in clinic was also presented. PMID:

17281177 [PubMed - in process]

 

Wenxue H, Liqiang W, Jialin S, Xin L, Hui M. | Research on intelligent

electroacupuncture technique based on the symbolized measurement

theory. | Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2005;4:4255-8. | Dept. of

Biomed. Eng., Yanshan Univ., Hebei. | This thesis puts forward an

intelligent electro-AP (EA) technique that imitates TCM AP technique. In

order to solute the difficulty of the fusion between TCM AP technique and

engineering technology instruments, the symbolized measurement theory

proposed by author has been applied in the imitated approach, which make

use of the problem mapping among different domains and scientize the

mapping from the TCM AP technique to electric parameter domain. The

hardware diagram and the software flow chart of the intelligent AP

instrument based on the symbolized measurement theory were given.

PMID: 17281174 [PubMed - in process]

 

Xu C, Wang D, Zhang Y, Bai J. | Continuous-wave Near-infrared

Topography System and Its Clinical Application. | Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med

Biol Soc. 2005;1:196-8. | Dept. of Biomed. Eng., Tsinghua Univ., Beijing. |

We developed a reflectance continuous-wave near-infrared spectroscopy

topography system with multi-source and multi-detector sensor head. A

single wavelength (808 nm) laser diode is used as the original light source.

With different-measurement approach, we can reconstruct images

representing the variety of cerebral blood volume in clinical applications.

Phantom experiments have been taken to verify the performance of the

system. We also took clinical experiments for brain activities research

during AP and have obtained some primarily results. PMID: 17282145

[PubMed - in process]

 

Yu YQ, Ye ZG, Xia Q. | The role of opioid in the mechanism of the

hypotensive effect by simulating acupuncture on rat hindlimb. | Conf Proc

IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2005;5:4929-32. | Dept of Physiology, Zhejiang

Univ School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China (phone: 0086-571-87217146). |

The present study investigated the role of central opioid in the hypotensive

effect of somatic afferent inputs. The femoral arterial pressure and

electrocardiogram (ECG) of rats were recorded when the hypothalamic

paraventricular nucleus (the PVN) was electrically stimulated or chemically

activated (microinjection of L-glutamate) with or without microinjection of

naloxone into the lateral ventricle of brain. Stimulation of the deep peroneal

nerve (the DPN) decreased the pressor response elicited by electrical

stimulation or chemical activation of the PVN. This inhibitory effect was

reduced by microinjection of naloxone into the lateral ventricle of brain.

These data suggest that opioid receptor in brain is involved in the inhibitory

effect of stimulating the DPN on the pressor response induced by activation

of the PVN. PMID: 17281349 [PubMed - in process]

 

Zhang XP, Liu DR, Shi Y. | Study progress in therapeutic effects of

traditional Chinese medicine monomer in severe acute pancreatitis. | J

Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2007 Feb.;8 (2):147-152. | (1)Dept of General

Surgery, Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Hangzhou 310006, China;

(2)Dept of General Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of

Medicine, Zhejiang Univ, Hangzhou 310009, China; (3)Dept of AP and

Massage, Zhejiang College of Traditional , Hangzhou

310053, China; zxp99688. | Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP)

is a common acute abdomen clinical problem characterized by high

mortality, multiple complications, complicated pathogenesis and difficult

treatment. Recent studies found TCM monomers have markedly good

effect for treating SAP. Many TCM monomers can inhibit pancreatin, resist

inflammation, improve microcirculation and immunoloregulation, etc. to

block the pathological progress of SAP in multiple ways, reduce

complications and lower mortality with rapid effects. It is significant for

enhancing SAP treatment to deeply understand the current situation in TCM

monomers for treating SAP and take precious references therein. This

article summarizes the treating effects and mechanisms of TCM monomers

for SAP in recent years. PMID: 17266191 [PubMed - as supplied by

publisher]

 

Zheng L, Zhao J, Zhuang T, Liu H, Bai J, Yan Z, Tiede U, Riemer M, Heinz

Hohne K. | Segmentation of muscles for 3D representation of acupoints. |

Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2004;3:1733-6. | Shanghai Jiao Tong

Univ., China. | Based on the dataset of the male Visible Human and the

VOXEL-MAN software, original work for 3D representation of acupoints and

AP treatment has been reported. To get a realistic model, segmentation is

one of the most important procedures in the whole process. The interactive

segmentation of objects on the basis of ellipsoidal regions in RGB-space

greatly enhances the realism of 3D reconstructions of the Visible Human

datasets. Furthermore, this article describes a double-ellipsoids method in

RGB-space for the specific segmentation of muscles originally from our

mass of work. The whole process can be interactively controlled by an

operator via the tools developed by VOXEL-MAN. Some ideal results have

been achieved in a short time. PMID: 17272040 [PubMed - in process]

 

Zheng Z, Li S, Sha H, Xie YK, Luo ZC. | An Acupuncture-like Quantitative

Mechanical Stimulator. | Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2005;5:4939-

42. | Sch. of Medical Instrumentation, Univ. of Shanghai for Sci. & Technol. |

A stimulator that analogs the needle puncture has been designed to deliver

quantitative mechanical stimulus to a small area of muscle. A friction

coupler is designed to transmit the driving force from motor to a needle

which is used to deliver stimulus. Rotation of the needle may be stopped but

the friction will be maintained between the needle and the tissue when this

friction moment comes to the driving moment of the coupler. Experiments

were done on 6 hindlimb muscles in 2 cats and the results show the value

of the stimulator in probing the mechanisms of AP. PMID: 17281352

[PubMed - in process]