Acupuncture Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Acupuncture, including details on alternative medicine, uses, benefits, treatment, chinese medicine. | ||||||
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Altered Small-World Efficiency of Brain Functional Networks in Acupuncture at ST36: A Functional MRI Study.Liu B, Chen J, Wang J, Liu X, Duan X, Shang X, Long Y, Chen Z, Li X, Huang Y, He Y Department of Radiology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangdong, China. BACKGROUND: Acupuncture in humans can produce clinical effects via the central nervous system. However, the neural substrates of acupuncture's effects remain largely unknown. RESULTS: We utilized functional MRI to investigate the topological efficiency of brain functional networks in eighteen healthy young adults who were scanned before and after acupuncture at the ST36 acupoints (ACUP) and its sham point (SHAM). Whole-brain functional networks were constructed by thresholding temporal correlations matrices of ninety brain regions, followed by a graph theory-based analysis. We showed that brain functional networks exhibited small-world attributes (high local and global efficiency) regardless of the order of acupuncture and stimulus points, a finding compatible with previous studies of brain functional networks. Furthermore, the brain networks had increased local efficiency after ACUP stimulation but there were no significant differences after SHAM, indicating a specificity of acupuncture point in coordinating local information flow over the whole brain. Moreover, significant (P<0.05, corrected by false discovery rate approach) effects of only acupuncture point were detected on nodal degree of the left hippocampus (higher nodal degree at ACUP as compared to SHAM). Using an uncorrected P<0.05, point-related effects were also observed in the anterior cingulate cortex, frontal and occipital regions while stimulation-related effects in various brain regions of frontal, parietal and occipital cortex regions. In addition, we found that several limbic and subcortical brain regions exhibited point- and stimulation-related alterations in their regional homogeneity (P<0.05, uncorrected). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that acupuncture modulates topological organization of whole-brain functional brain networks and the modulation has point specificity. These findings provide new insights into neuronal mechanism of acupuncture from the perspective of functional integration. Further studies would be interesting to apply network analysis approaches to study the effects of acupuncture treatments on brain disorders. Published 4 July 2012 in PLoS One, 7(6): e39342. Articles on Acupuncture published 4 July 2012: Inconsistencies in NICE guidance for acupuncture: reanalysis and discussion. Acupunct Med. BACKGROUND: Acupuncture received a positive recommendation in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline for low back pain (LBP). However, no such recommendation was forthcoming in the NICE clinical guideline for osteoarthritis (OA). Importantly, the two guidelines adopted different treatment comparators in their economic analyses of acupuncture; in the LBP guideline 'usual care' was used (with no consideration of placebo/sham interventions), whereas ... [Abstract] [Full-text] External validity in randomised controlled trials of acupuncture for osteoarthritis knee pain. Acupunct Med. OBJECTIVES: To assess two aspects of the external validity of acupuncture research for osteoarthritis knee pain and determine the common acupoints and treatment parameters used. METHODS: The external validity of 16 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was investigated using a scale consisting of two aspects: reporting and performance. The reporting aspect included acupuncturist's background, study location, treatment detailed, patient characteristics, positive trial results, adverse effects and ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Use acupuncture to treat functional constipation: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 13(1): 104. ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Whether acupuncture is effective for patients with functional constipation is still unclear. Therefore, we report the protocol of a randomized controlled trial of using acupuncture to treat functional constipation. DESIGN: A randomized controlled, four-arm design, large-scale trial is currently undergoing in China. 700 participants are randomly assigned to 3 acupuncture treatment groups and Mosapride Citrate control group in a 1:1:1:1 ratio. Participants in acupuncture ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Moxibustion attenuates inflammatory response to chronic exhaustive exercise in rats. Int J Sports Med, 33(7): 580-5. Exercise is recognized as an activator to elicit an inflammatory response whilst moxibustion in traditional Chinese medicine has been previously found to modulate immune functioning. However, whether moxibustion can alleviate the inflammatory cytokines response to chronic exhaustive exercise remains unknown. In the present study, rats were randomly assigned to a sedentary control group (Sed), a sedentary moxibustion group (Sed + Moxa), and 2 trained groups- one submitted to a 3-week exhaustive ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Cardioprotective effect of transcutaneous electric acupoint stimulation in the pediatric cardiac patients: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Paediatr Anaesth, 22(8): 805-11. Background: Acupuncture pretreatment exerts neuroprotective and cardioprotective effects in animal models and in adult patients underwent cardiac surgery; however, data in pediatric patient are unavailable. Objective/Aim: To investigate the effects of transcutaneous electric acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on acute myocardial injury from pediatric open-heart surgery. Methods: Children, aged 2-12 years, with congenital heart defects scheduled for surgical repair were enrolled. They were ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Articles on Acupuncture published 3 July 2012: Long-Term Effect of Acupuncture for Treatment of Tinnitus: A Randomized, Patient- and Assessor-Blind, Sham-Acupuncture-Controlled, Pilot Trial. J Altern Complement Med. Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effect of acupuncture for treatment of tinnitus. Study design: This study is a randomized, patient- and assessor-blind, sham-acupuncture-controlled, pilot trial. Subjects: Participants were adults (18-60 years old) with chronic (≥6 months), unilateral tinnitus, and without moderate or severe hearing loss. Interventions: Thirty-three (33) participants were randomized to one of two treatment groups: real acupuncture and ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Does antenatal physical therapy for pregnant women with low back pain or pelvic pain improve functional outcomes? A systematic review. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. Objective. A systematic review was undertaken to update the understanding of the available evidence for antenatal physical therapy interventions for low back or pelvic pain in pregnant women to improve functional outcomes when compared with other treatments or no treatment. Data Sources. Seven electronic databases were systematically searched and supplemented by hand searching through reference lists. Methods of study selection. Two reviewers independently selected trials for inclusion and ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Is acupuncture beneficial in the treatment of Bell's palsy?: Best Evidence Topic (BET). Int J Surg, 10(6): 310-2. A best evidence topic in facial nerve surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: in [patients with Bell's palsy], does [acupuncture] improve [facial nerve function and/or pain]? A total of 43 papers were identified using the reported search protocol, of which three articles represented the best available evidence to answer the clinical question. Two of these articles were review papers and together encompassed 13 primary articles. Publication details, ... [Abstract] [Full-text] © 2004-2012 Acupuncture Research Today. All Rights Reserved. |
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