Safety Of Acupuncture Research Articles

The effect of acupuncture on postpartum stress urinary incontinence: A protocol for systemic review and meta-analysis.

Background:Postpartum stress urinary incontinence (PSUI) is a widespread complaint in postpartum women, which significantly affects their quality of life. Acupuncture has been widely used as an alternative complementary therapy for the treatment of PSUI. This protocol is carried out to comprehensively explore the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for treating PSUI.Methods:Randomized clinical trials related to acupuncture treatment of PSUI will be searched in Chinese and English literature databases: PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Wanfang Database, and the Technology Periodical Database. Changes in pelvic floor muscle strength compared with baseline will be accepted as the primary outcomes, and secondary outcomes will be the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form score, the urodynamic indexes, the incontinence quality of life questionnaire, and adverse effects of acupuncture. All publications will be screened and extracted by 2 reviewers independently. Quality of the eligible publications will be assessed according to the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and statistical analyses will be conducted by using the Review Manager V.5.3.Results:This study will provide a high-quality comprehensive evaluation for the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture for PSUI.Conclusion:This systematic review will provide comprehensive evidence of acupuncture treatment on specific outcomes for PSUI.Ethics and Dissemination:Because of the study will not collect personal information, ethical approval will not be required. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration:INPLASY 202220045.

Manual acupuncture as prophylaxis for migraine without aura: study protocol for a multi-center, randomized, single-blinded trial

BackgroundMigraine is a highly prevalent neurological disorder. It is the third most prevalent disorder and the seventh highest cause of disability worldwide. Acupuncture may be a viable prophylactic treatment option for frequent or uncontrolled migraine. Clinical studies comparing acupuncture and placebo acupuncture have not reached a consistent conclusion in confirming whether acupuncture is effective in migraine prophylaxis. The effect of acupuncture mainly depends on acupoints and needles operation. We found that the design of the placebo acupuncture in previous studies included shallow needling at sham acupoints, non-penetrating needling at sham acupoints, and needling at inactive acupuncture points to achieve the inert effect of control group, but the non-penetrating needling at true acupoints was ignored. This randomized controlled trial aims to use true acupoints for non-penetrating acupuncture as control to evaluate the efficacy of manual acupuncture for the prophylaxis of migraine without aura (MWoA).Methods/designThis is a single-blinded, randomized, controlled, prospective, multi-center trial with two parallel treatment groups. A total of 198 eligible patients with MWoA will be randomly divided into two groups (1:1 allocation ratio). The intervention group will receive manual acupuncture and the control group will receive placebo acupuncture (non-penetrating). Patients will receive three acupuncture treatment sessions per week for 4 consecutive weeks. All patients will then receive a 12-week follow-up.DiscussionIn this study, we are evaluating the efficacy and safety of manual acupuncture in the prophylaxis of MWoA. The placebo control is using non-penetrating needling verum acupoints. It is essential to determine an appropriate control method to ensure the methodological quality of a randomized controlled trial.Trial registrationThe trial has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (approval no. ChiCTR2000032308) in April 2020.

Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for postoperative ileus following gastrointestinal surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Postoperative ileus (POI) is an important complication of gastrointestinal (GI) surgery. Acupuncture has been increasingly used in treating POI. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for POI following GI surgery. Seven databases (PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan fang Data, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database) and related resources were searched from inception to May 30, 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting the acupuncture for POI in GI were included. The quality of RCTs was assessed by the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool, and the certainty of the evidence was evaluated by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. A meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.4 software. Eighteen RCTs involving 1413 participants were included. The meta-analysis showed that acupuncture could reduce the time to first flatus (TFF) (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.54 to -0.73, P < 0.00001), time to first defecation (TFD) (SMD = -1.31, 95% CI: -1.88 to -0.74, P < 0.00001), time to bowel sounds recovery (TBSR) (SMD = -1.57, 95% CI: -2.14 to -1.01, P < 0.00001), and length of hospital stay (LOS) (mean difference [MD] = -1.68, 95% CI: -2.55 to -0.80, P = 0.0002) compared with usual care. A subgroup analysis found that acupuncture at distal acupoints once daily after surgery had superior effects on reducing TFF and TFD. A sensitivity analysis supported the validity of the finding. Acupuncture also manifested an effect of reducing TFF, TFD and TBSR compared with sham acupuncture but the result was not stable. Relatively few trials have reported whether adverse events have occurred. Acupuncture showed a certain effect in reducing POI following GI surgery with very low-to-moderate quality of evidence. The overall safety of acupuncture should be further validated. More high-quality, large-scale, and multicenter original trials are needed in the future.

Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture in Renal Colic Caused by Urinary Calculi in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background Acute renal colic caused by urinary calculi has a considerable impact on the quality of life. Pain relief is the primary goal in the management of patients with acute renal colic caused by urinary calculi. At present, there is no systematic evaluation of the efficacy and safety of manual acupuncture in the treatment of acute renal colic caused by urinary calculi in adults. Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of manual acupuncture in the treatment of acute renal colic caused by urinary calculi in adults. Methods Databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Medical, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals (VIP), and China Biomedical Literature (SinoMed) were searched for literature and other randomized controlled registration platforms. We searched to identify the relevant randomized controlled trials from the establishment of the database to February 9, 2022. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of manual acupuncture as the therapy for acute renal colic caused by urinary calculi in adults were included, whether or not the blind method is used. The patients were adults diagnosed with urinary calculi and renal colic. The control group was treated with commonly used analgesics and antispasmodics. The experimental group was treated with acupuncture as a monotherapy or as an adjuvant therapy (manual acupuncture combined with analgesics and antispasmodics). Two review authors independently assessed titles and abstracts for relevance and extracted data on study design, participants, interventions, and outcomes from potentially relevant articles. Cochrane risk bias assessment tool was used to evaluate the quality of the included study, and RevMan5.4 software was used for meta-analysis. Our primary outcomes were response rate and time duration before pain remission. Secondary outcomes were the time of complete pain relief, pain variation, need for rescue analgesia, and adverse events. Results Out of 1123 records identified, 15 were found to be of relevance to this study, and 1210 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis of the results shows that, in terms of response rate, compared with the control group, acupuncture as a monotherapy seems to have a slight advantage (RR = 1.10 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.18), I2 = 28%, P=0.004), while acupuncture as an adjuvant therapy has no advantage (RR = 1.06 (95% CI: 0.95, 1.20), I2 = 77%, P=0.30). In terms of duration before pain relief, acupuncture as a monotherapy had an advantage over the control group (MD = −10.28(95% CI: −14.40, −6.17), I2 = 93%, P < 0.00001). Acupuncture as a monotherapy was similar to positive medication in terms of complete pain relief (MD = −7.13 (95% CI: −20.19, 5.94), I2 = 95%, P=0.28). Pain variation: VAS scores at 10 min, acupuncture as a monotherapy (MD = −2.47 (95% CI: −3.40, −1.53), I2 = 84%, P < 0.00001) or as an adjuvant therapy (MD = −3.38 (95% CI: −4.33, −2.43), I2 = 60%, P < 0.00001) was better than the control group. VAS scores at 30 min, compared with the control group, there was no difference between acupuncture as a monotherapy (MD = −0.27 (95% CI: −1.43, 0.88), I2 = 88%, P=0.64) and acupuncture as an adjuvant therapy (MD = −1.17 (95% CI: −3.15, 0.81), I2 = 96%, P=0.25). VAS scores at 60 min, compared with the control group, there was no difference in the acupuncture as a monotherapy (MD = 0.58 (95% CI: −0.28, 1.45), I2 = 77%, P=0.19), while acupuncture as an adjuvant therapy was better (MD = −1.22 (95% CI: −1.93, −0.51), I2 = 72%, P=0.0007). VAS scores at 120 min, there was no difference in acupuncture as a monotherapy compared to the control group (MD = −0.24 (95% CI:−1.22, 0.75), I2 = 0, P=0.64). One study reported on rescue analgesia. Fewer adverse events occurred in the experimental group compared to the control group. Conclusion In the course of manual acupuncture treatment of acute renal colic caused by urinary calculi in adults, available evidence suggests that manual acupuncture is as effective as positive treatment drugs, either as a monotherapy or as an adjunctive therapy, with the advantage of acupuncture being its rapid onset of action. However, the number of existing clinical studies is small, and the quality of evidence is generally low, so it is recommended to use it with caution. In order to further verify the above conclusions, more high-quality clinical RCTs need to be carried out. Trial Registration. The present review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42019134900).

The Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture for Depression-Related Insomnia: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BackgroundThere is a bidirectional relationship between depression and insomnia. Depression-related insomnia is common and remains a challenging medical condition. Although acupuncture might be a potential treatment option and increasing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have emerged, currently available evidence regarding the effect and safety of acupuncture on depression-related insomnia remains inconclusive. Thus, this protocol aims to systematically synthesize the evidence about the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for depression-related insomnia.Methods and AnalysisEligible RCTs will be searched in nine representative databases and pooled in meta-analyses using RevMan 5.3. The methodological quality of included studies will be rated by Cochrane’s risk of bias 2.0 tool. The quality of evidence will be appraised using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analyses, and publication bias will also be conducted.DiscussionThis protocol outlines the planned scope and methodology for an upcoming systematic review meta-analysis, which will critically synthesize the evidence about the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on depression-related insomnia. Findings will shed light on fulfilling evidence gaps and influence evidence-based treatment decisions for clinicians in the treatment of depression-related insomnia.

The efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with language training for motor aphasia after stroke: study protocol for a multicenter randomized sham-controlled trial

BackgroundMotor aphasia after stroke is a common and intractable complication of stroke. Acupuncture and language training may be an alternative and effective approach. However, the efficacy of acupuncture and language training for motor aphasia after stroke has not been confirmed. The main objectives of this trial are to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture and low-intensity, low-dose language training in treating ischemic motor aphasia after stroke from 15 to 90 days.MethodsThis is a multicenter randomized sham-controlled clinical trial. We will allocate 252 subjects aged between 45 and 75 years diagnosed with motor aphasia after stroke with an onset time ranging from 15 to 90 days into two groups randomly in a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the experimental group will be treated with “Xing-Nao Kai-Qiao” acupuncture therapy plus language training, and those in the control group will be treated with sham-acupoint (1 cun next to the acupoints) acupuncture therapy plus language training. All the patients will be given acupuncture and language training for 6 weeks, with a follow-up evaluation 6 weeks after the end of the treatment and 6 months after the onset time. The patients will mainly be evaluated using the Western Aphasia Battery and Chinese Functional Communication Profile, and the incidence of treatment-related adverse events at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th weeks of treatment will be recorded. The baseline characteristics of the patients will be summarized by group, the chi-squared test will be used to compare categorical variables, and repeated measures of analysis of variance or a linear mixed model will be applied to analyze the changes measured at different time points.DiscussionThe present study is designed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of traditional acupuncture therapy and language training in ischemic motor aphasia after stroke and explore the correlation between the treatment time and clinical effect of acupuncture. We hope our results will help doctors understand and utilize acupuncture combined with language training.Trial registrationChiCTR ChiCTR1900026740. Registered on 20 October 2019

Saam Acupuncture for Treating Functional Dyspepsia: A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common gastrointestinal disorder that significantly affects sufferers' quality of life and increases the economic burden on society. Saam acupuncture, a form of traditional Korean acupuncture, is frequently used to treat FD in Korean medicine clinical settings. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness and safety of Saam acupuncture for treating FD. Methods We conducted a pilot, pragmatic, assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial. Patients with FD according to the ROME III criteria were randomly allocated to an acupuncture plus usual care group or a usual care group. Saam acupuncture based on individualized FD and systemic symptoms was conducted in the acupuncture group three times per week for 4 weeks. Study feasibility outcomes, including recruitment, completion, and acupuncture adherence rates, were calculated. In addition, preliminary evaluation of participant responses to the intervention was tested using the gastrointestinal symptom (GIS), FD-related quality of life (FD-QoL), visual analog scale (VAS), patient global assessment (PGA), and EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) scores. Results Twenty-four participants who met the eligibility criteria were included. The recruitment and completion rates of the clinical trials were 60% and 79.2%, and the acupuncture adherence rate was 83.3%. Although there was no significant difference between the two groups in the dyspepsia symptoms as measured by GIS, VAS, and PGA at Week 4, significant differences were found between the two groups at the follow-up assessments (Weeks 8 and 12). In particular, the early satiety subscore of GIS was significantly improved in the Saam acupuncture group compared with the usual care group at Week 4. The quality of life measured by FD-QoL and EQ-5D improved only in the Saam acupuncture group, although there were no significant differences between the two groups. No adverse events related to Saam acupuncture were reported. Conclusions Saam acupuncture can be a feasible, preliminarily effective, and safe treatment for FD. Further confirmatory trials with a larger sample size are needed to confirm its effectiveness and safety. The trail is registered with CRIS-KCT0000164, URL: https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do/2098.

The safety of acupuncture for migraine prevention during pregnancy.

Relief from migraine attacks may be obtained through non-pharmacological therapy during pregnancy when most drugs are contraindicated. There is accumulating evidence for the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for migraine in the general population but very little to no data on acupuncture during pregnancy. With this retrospective study, we wanted to determine whether an association exists between acupuncture treatment and preterm delivery and side effects of therapy. The initial study group was 68 women with migraine (29.78% with aura and 70.21% without aura), 47 of which responded to a questionnaire on acupuncture safety within 6weeks of delivery. A so-called Formula Acupuncture was used for all these patients in order to permit comparison. Influence of acupuncture on gestational age at birth was carried out according to number of treatment sessions (more than and fewer than 10) and stratifying the study sample by age group (over and under 30years) and risk pregnancy. Analysis showed no statistically significant difference in gestational duration between the two groups or an association between the number of acupuncture sessions and preterm delivery. Symptoms during treatment were generally transient or mild. The most common symptoms were relaxation, pain at the insertion sites, mild bleeding, and paresthesia. Our preliminary data indicate that acupuncture may be safe during pregnancy in women with migraine.

The effectiveness and safety of acupuncture/electroacupuncture for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a dose-limiting adverse effect of anticancer agents with virtually no effective treatment. Safe and effective therapies are needed urgently. Acupuncture shows therapeutic possibilities in this regard but needs to be further evaluated. A systematic search was conducted in seven databases from their inception to April 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focused on acupuncture/electroacupuncture (EA) for the treatment of CIPN were included. Revman 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis if there was no significant heterogeneity. Otherwise, qualitative analysis was utilized. Nine studies involving 582 patients were included in this review. Most of the studies exhibited unclear risk of bias because some details were not mentioned. As the clinical heterogeneity was significant, qualitative analysis was performed to describe nerve conduction velocity, effective rate for motor neuropathy, pain scores, quality of life and adverse events. Meta-analysis was performed on four studies to analyze the effective rate for sensory neuropathy due to inconspicuous heterogeneity. The results indicated that acupuncture may generate a better effect on sensory neuropathy than vitamin B (risk ratio = 1.60, 95% confidence interval = 1.31-1.95, I2 = 0%, p < 0.00001). The efficacy of EA plus glutathione (GSH) appeared to be better than that of GSH alone in alleviating sensory neurotoxicity and in improving nerve conduction velocity. Acupuncture plus methylcobalamin showed more favorable effects than methylcobalamin alone in relieving neuralgia, restoring nerve conduction velocity and improving quality of life. In terms of pain relief and improved CIPN-specific quality of life, acupuncture plus standard care was better than standard care alone. In terms of pain relief, EA was more effective than usual care. Acupuncture may be effective and safe in the treatment of CIPN according to the analyzed studies. However, more studies with higher methodological quality are warranted in order to be able to draw firmer conclusions. Future rigorous RCTs will be necessary to confirm the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for CIPN.

The efficacy and safety of acupuncture and nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

IntroductionTobacco hazard is one of the most serious public health problems, accounting for up to 6 million deaths worldwide p.a. We aim to determine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and/or nicotine replacement therapy on smoking cessation.MethodsWe will recruit 96 participants who are willing to quit smoking by acupuncture and/or nicotine replacement therapy in Chengguan, Xigu and Heping Districts, Lanzhou city, for multicenter randomized, double-blind, double-dummy controlled clinical trial. Following obtained the informed consent forms, all eligible participants will be randomly divided into 4 groups: (1) acupuncture combined with nicotine patch, (2) acupuncture combined with sham nicotine patch, (3) sham acupuncture combined with nicotine patch, and (4) sham acupuncture combined with sham nicotine patch. These participants will be treated with different intervention modalities for 8 weeks and then will be followed-up for 8 weeks. The SPSS 26.0 software will be applied to analyze the clinical effects and adverse reactions of different intervention measures for smoking cessation.DiscussionThis trial is a prospective, pragmatic, randomized, multicenter trial study protocol. The outcomes will illustrate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and/or nicotine patches for smoking cessation. Provide smokers with a superior smoking cessation program.Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100042912. Registered on January 31, 2021.

Suppression effect and safety of acupuncture on colonic spasm during colonoscopy: a randomized controlled trial.

Intestinal spasm and peristalsis during colonoscopy are common but undesirable phenomena, which can easily lead to a missed diagnosis of colorectal polyps and other diseases, and antispasmodic drugs can have adverse side effects. Previous studies find that acupuncture can regulate abnormal gastrointestinal motility. But evidence quality is low and limited at present, and high-quality studies are required. So this study sought to explore the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in inhibiting colonic spasm during endoscopy. In this prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial, 54 patients experiencing intestinal spasms during colonoscopy were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture of the bilateral Hegu (LI 4) and Neiguan (PC 6) points (n=27) or sham acupuncture (n=27). The sham points were located 1 cm above the proximal end of the true points and had no known function. The primary outcome was the latency time to colonic spasm suppression, and the secondary outcomes were the duration of colonic spasm suppression, the proportion of patients with rebound spasms within 5 minutes, and adverse events related to acupuncture-related side effects. A total of 54 patients were eligible, and 27 in each group. There was no significant difference in the background characteristics of the patients in the 2 groups. The latency time to spasm suppression of the treatment group was significantly shorter than that of the sham control group (acupuncture: 32.00 s vs. sham: 82.00 s; P<0.001). However, the duration of colonic spasm suppression was similar (acupuncture: 300 s vs. sham: 268 s; P=0.142). No rebound spasms were observed in the treatment group but rebound spasms were observed in 3 patients in the sham control group (acupuncture: 0% vs. sham: 11.1%; P=0.236). No adverse events were observed in either group. Acupuncture of the bilateral Hegu (LI 4) and Neiguan (PC 6) points can shorten the latency time to spasm suppression, and may be used to suppress colonic spasm during colonoscopy. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000037796.

Acupuncture for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with dry eye: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionThe global incidence of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with dry eye is increasing annually, which imposes additional healthcare costs and financial burden on families and societies. In...

The Effectiveness of Acupuncture in The Treatment of Post COVID-19 Condition: A Retrospective Study

Objective: To demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of post COVID-19 condition (also called long COVID) in 85 cases in eastern Canada. Method: The condition of 85 patients with long COVID was analyzed retrospectively based on their clinical symptoms, diagnosis and classification. 85 cases were divided into 4 categories according to the main symptoms. The number and percentage of clinical symptoms were shortness of breath and general fatigue (35 cases, 41%); body pain (26 cases, 31%); brain fog (17 cases, 20%); and irregular menstrual cycle (7 cases, 8%). 85 patients received acupuncture weekly for 8 to 12 consecutive weeks (from June 2020 to Dec 2021), to tonify lung and kidney qi and strengthen spleen and stomach qi. The acupuncture points used were on the meridians of lung, kidney, spleen, stomach, bladder, the Ren (Conception) and the Du (Governing). Results: Of the 85 patients, 72 cases were clinically cured, and 13 cases were ineffective. The rate of overall effectiveness was 85%. Conclusions: Acupuncture restored the healthy functioning of the lungs, kidney, spleen and brain; significantly decreased the symptoms of post COVID-19 condition; improved the patient's physical condition and quality of life; and enabled patients to go back to work.

Efficacy of contralateral acupuncture in women with migraine without aura: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

IntroductionMigraine is a common neurological disorder with a higher prevalence occurring in women. Migraine without aura (MwoA) is the most common type of migraine. In recent years, the safety and...

Efficacy of the Integrative Acupuncture and Moxibustion Treatment in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: The Study Protocol for a Multicenter, Single-Blinded, Randomized Trial in China.

IntroductionAntidepressants are the front-line treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD), but remain unsatisfactory in outcome. An increasing number of patients are interested in acupuncture and moxibustion treatment as complementary therapies. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of integrative acupuncture and moxibustion (iAM) treatment in patients with MDD.Methods and AnalysisThis multicenter, single-blind, 2 × 2 factorial randomized trial will enroll 592 patients with MDD of moderate severity from nine hospitals. All patients will be randomized, in a ratio of 2:2:2:1, through a computerized central randomization system, into four groups (the combined, iAM-only, sertraline-only, and placebo groups). Participants will undergo a 12-week intervention with either 50 mg of sertraline or a placebo once a day and active/sham iAM treatment three times per week. The primary outcome is depression severity, assessed using the Hamilton Depression Scale-17. The secondary outcomes include self-rated depression severity, anxiety, and sleep quality. The primary and secondary outcomes will be measured at weeks 0, 4, 8, 12, and the 8th week posttreatment. Safety will be evaluated through liver and kidney function tests conducted before and after treatment and through monitoring of daily adverse events. An intent-to-treat principle will be followed for the outcome analyses.ConclusionThis trial will provide sufficient evidence to ascertain whether iAM is effective and safe for treating MDD and provides a suitable combination strategy for treating MDD.Clinical Trial Registration[www.chictr.org.cn], identifier [ChiCTR2100042841].

Efficacy and safety of acupuncture as a complementary therapy for sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by dysregulation of the host response to infection. Acupuncture is used for treatment of inflammatory diseases; however, its effectiveness and safety as a complementary therapy for sepsis has not been fully explored. Data were retrieved from eight databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared acupuncture plus conventional therapies versus conventional therapies alone were included. Pre-specified primary outcomes were mortality at 28 days and Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores. A total of 17 studies with 1099 participants were included in this study. In terms of the primary outcomes, acupuncture plus routine therapy reduced mortality at 28 days (risk ratio (RR)): 0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.52 to 0.91, p < 0.001) and APACHE II scores (mean difference (MD): -2.84, 95% CI: -4.09 to -1.58, p < 0.001) at day 7 after treatment compared with routine therapy alone. In terms of secondary outcomes, acupuncture plus routine therapy reduced white blood cell counts and levels of procalcitonin (PCT), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and lactic acid and intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), and improved CD3+, CD4+ and monocytes of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR at day 7 after treatment compared with routine therapy alone. However, acupuncture plus routine therapy had no significant effects on levels of IL-10, C-reactive protein (CRP), CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+ ratios compared with routine therapy alone. Quality of evidence was low to very low for all parameters (GRADE). The available evidence showed that combination of acupuncture and routine therapy may have benefit for sepsis compared with use of routine therapy only. Due to the low degree of certainty regarding its effects, further research is required. ICRD42019141491 (PROSPERO).

Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture on Symptomatic Improvement in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

AimWe sought to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in treating the main symptoms of primary Sjögren’s syndrome, specifically dryness, pain, and fatigue.MethodsA total of 120 patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome were randomized in a parallel-group, controlled trial. Participants received acupuncture or sham acupuncture for the first 8 weeks, then were followed for 16 weeks thereafter. The primary outcome was the proportion of participants with a ≥ 30% reduction in ≥ 2 of 3 numeric analog scale scores for dryness, pain, and fatigue. The secondary outcomes included the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Sjögren’s Syndrome Patient-reported Index (ESSPRI); the EULAR Sjögren’s Syndrome Disease Activity Index; the Schirmer test score; unstimulated saliva flow; serum immunoglobulin G, A, and M concentrations; the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 score; salivary gland ultrasound imaging; and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score.ResultsThe proportions of patients meeting the primary endpoint were 28.33% (17/60) in the acupuncture group and 31.66% (19/60) in the sham group, without a statistically significant difference (P = 0.705). The IgG concentration at week 16 and the homogeneity in ultrasonography of the salivary glands at week 8 showed significant differences between the 2 groups (P = 0.0490 and P = 0.0334, respectively). No other differences were observed between the 2 groups. ESSPRI and unstimulated saliva flow were improved in both groups compared to baseline, albeit with a significant difference between them.ConclusionIn patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome, acupuncture did not satisfactorily improve symptoms compared to placebo. However, interesting discoveries and possible underlying reasons were demonstrated and discussed, which may be useful to studies in the future.Clinical Trial Registration[www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT02691377].

Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture and or Moxibustion for Managing Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Acupuncture and moxibustion have been accepted as add-on options for primary dysmenorrhea (PD); however, the clinical evidence is still inadequate. We searched AMED, CENTRAL, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, CBM, CNKI, VIP, Wangfang database, ANZCTR, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the WHO ICTRP, from their inception to February 2021. The pooled analysis of 13 RCTs with 675 participants for VAS showed that acupuncture and moxibustion were more effective in managing PD than the control group with the MD of −1.93 (95% CI [−2.80, −1.06] and −2.67 (95% CI [−4.96, −0.38]). With the CMSS, seven studies with 487 participants showed that these modalities were more effective than the control group with the MD of −7.58 (95% CI [−10.97, −4.19]) and −3.78 (95% CI [−6.90, −0.66]). The findings indicated that acupuncture and moxibustion could relieve pain effectively and has fewer adverse events (AEs) in managing PD.

Acupuncture for chronic sciatica: protocol for a multicenter randomised controlled trial

BackgroundChronic Sciatica is a disabling condition causing considerable medical, social and financial implications. Currently, there is no recognised long-term effective treatment to alleviate sciatica. Acupuncture has been widely used for...

Wrist-Ankle Acupuncture as Additional Therapy for Postoperative Multimodal Analgesia in Orthopedic Surgery: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The present meta-analysis analyzed the efficacy and safety of wrist-ankle acupuncture (WAA) as an additional therapy for postoperative multimodal analgesia after orthopedic surgery. Electronic databases, including Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CNKI, SinoMed, Wanfang, and VIP, were searched to identify randomized controlled trials and cohort studies that reported details of WAA as an additional therapy for postoperative multiple analgesia in orthopedic surgery before October 1, 2021. Analyzed outcomes included time points of the visual analog scale, use of patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA), and postoperative adverse events. Subgroup analysis was performed according to time points and complication type. Eleven randomized controlled trials and one cohort study were included in the meta-analysis. Among a total of 845 patients, there were 422 patients in the WAA groups and 423 patients in the control groups. The WAA groups showed a better analgesic effect (standard mean difference [SMD] = -1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.76 to -0.91; P < 0.00001; I2 = 0.94), lower use of PCIA (SMD = -1.48; 95% CI: -2.26 to -0.69; P = 0.0002; I2 = 0.94), and lower occurrence of postoperative adverse events (risk ratio = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.30 to 0.49; P < 0.00001; I2 = 0) than did the control groups. WAA as an additional therapy for postoperative multimodal analgesia in orthopedic surgery showed advantages over control treatment in terms of pain relief, use of PCIA, and occurrence of postoperative adverse events.