RECENT RESEARCH
Acupuncture and TCM
Li L ., Zhou D , Liu Q . et al .
Network analysis indicating the pharmacological mechanism of Yunpi- Qufeng-Chushi-prescription in prophylactic treatment of rheumatoid arthritis . BMC Complement Med Ther 21 , 142 , 2021 . https :// doi . org / 10.1186 / s12906-021-03311-4
Background : Rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ), is an autoimmune inflammatory disease with increasing global morbidity and high disability . Early treatment is an effective intervention to slow down joint deformation . However , as for early RA and pre-RA patients , it sometimes takes a long time to make a definite diagnosis and few guidelines have made suggestion for these suspected or early phrase individuals . Yunpi-Qufeng-Chushi- Prescription ( YQCP ) is an optimization of the traditional formula , Cangzhu Fangfeng Tang which is effective for arthromyodynia management .
Methods : In this study , LC-MS identify the main component of YQCP . Ingredients of the 11 herbs were collected from Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database ( TCMID ). Targets of these ingredients were collected from two source , TCMID and PharmMapper . Microarray of 20 early untreated RA patients and corresponding health control were download from NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus ( GEO ) database to defined the differential expressed genes . Gene ontology analysis and KEGG enrichment analysis were carried out for the YQCP . Protein-protein interactions ( PPIs ) networks were constructed to identify the hub targets . At last , molecular docking ( MD ) were conducted to further verified the the possibility of YQCP for RA therapy .
Result : The study indicated that by acting on hub targets such as C3 , EGFR , SRC and MMP9 , YQCP may influence the mature of B cells and inhibit B cellrelated IgG production , regulate oxidative stress and modulate activity of several enzymes including peroxidase and metallopeptidase to delay the occurrence and progress of RA and benefit the pre- RA or early RA patients .
Conclusion : YQCP is a potential effective therapy for prophylactic treatment of RA .
Park , J . G ., Lee , H ., Yeom , M . et al .
Effect of acupuncture treatment in patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis : a randomized , participant- and assessor-blind sham-controlled trial . BMC Complement Med Ther 21 , 132 , 2021 . https :// doi . org / 10.1186 / s12906-021-03306-1
Background : Atopic dermatitis ( AD ) is a chronic recurrent inflammatory skin disease that affects 1 – 3 % of adults worldwide . Currently , it is not possible to completely cure AD ; therefore , alternative treatments need to be developed to meet the patients ’ needs . Here , based on our previous pilot study , we conducted the first confirmatory randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of acupuncture in patients with mild to moderate AD .
Methods : A randomized , participantand assessor-blinded , sham-controlled trial was designed with an intervention period twice-weekly for 4 weeks and a 4-week follow-up . We equally allocated 36 participants to the verum acupuncture ( VA ) and sham acupuncture ( SA ) groups . The main outcome measure was the change in SCORing Atopic Dermatitis index ( SCORAD ) score before and after treatment .
Results : A total of 36 participants , aged 19 to 38 years , were enrolled , and 35 were included in the intention-to-treat analyses . The mean change in total SCORAD score differed significantly among the two groups at 4 weeks after randomization ( P < . 0001 ): the mean difference was − 11.83 ( 7.05 ) in the VA group and 0.45 ( 7.77 ) in the SA group . The mean SCORAD score substantially decreased 2-weeks after starting the acupuncture treatment and continued to improve for at least 4 weeks after the end of the treatment in the VA group compared to the SA group ( each P < . 0001 ). No serious adverse events were observed .
Conclusions : Twice-weekly acupuncture treatment was effective in reducing AD symptoms in patients with mild to moderate AD without serious adverse events .
Aromatherapy
Lucena L , dos Santos-Junior JG , Tufik S , Hachul H .
Lavender essential oil on postmenopausal women with insomnia : Double-blind randomized trial . Complementary Therapies in Medicine , 59 102726 , 2021 .
Background : To evaluate the effect of Lavandula angustifolia essential oil inhalation on sleep and menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women with insomnia .
Participants : 35 postmenopausal women with a clinical diagnosis of insomnia were included , 17 in Aroma Group ( AG ) and 18 in Placebo Group ( PG ).
Methods : In this double-blind , randomized controlled trial , PG participants inhaled sunflower oil and AG participants inhaledLavandula angustifolia essential oil , for 29 days . Both groups received sleep hygiene guidelines before the intervention and weekly follow-up during it . Evaluations were performed before and after intervention . All statistical analyses and intention-to-treat test were performed in SPSS 22 . Sleep quality ( Primary outcome ) was measured by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index . Secondary outcomes were polysomnography data , severity of insomnia , anxiety and depression symptoms , and postmenopausal symptoms .
Results : There were no significant differences between groups after intervention in the primary outcome ( P = 0.22 ; effect size = 0.69 ); however , a tendency of improvement in wake after sleep onset ( WASO ) was observed ( P = 0.07 ; effect size = 0.81 ; B = 42.2 ). Both groups presented better sleep quality over time ( AG P < 0.001 ; PG P = 0.011 ). AG participants showed a significant
106 | vol27 | no2 | JATMS