Lu Wang

Pain could be directly related to autonomous imbalance. To date, only one scientific work examining heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate (HR) as the important parameters of autonomous nervous system (ANS) in the context of clinical routine acupuncture treatments for lumbosacral pain conditions is available in the listed databases. The present study aimed to investigate the short-term effects of HRV and HR, during and after the acupuncture needle stimulation in patients with lower back pain. Eighteen patients (mean age + SD: 60.2 ±12.0 years; 15 males and 3 females) were included in the present study. All the investigations were performed at the Privatclinic Lassnitzhoehe, Austria. The trial was conducted and integrated into routine acupuncture therapeutic interventions. Heart rate, as well as heart rate variability, was measured continuously during needle acupuncture. The main acupuncture points were: Dachangshu (BL25), Zhibian (BL54), Huantiao (GB30), Fengshi (GB31), Yanglingquan (GB34), Xuanzhong (GB39), and Taichong (LV3). The results demonstrated that in comparison to the only existing previous study on the topics of HRV, HR, acupuncture, and lumbosacral pain, similar HR and LF/HF-HRV pattern changes were observed in the present study, while certain slightly different HRVtotal changes were observed as well. There is evidence that acupuncture may affect the balance of the ANS in patients during lumbosacral acupuncture treatment. Further investigations in this regard are in progress.

Background: The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the cerebral effects of laser stimulation and traditional needle acupuncture in patients after stroke. Methods: Seventeen stroke patients (12 female and five male; mean age ± SD: 66.5 ± 12.9 years) were randomly selected in a stroke rehabilitation hospital. Patients’ regional cerebral blood oxygen saturation (rSO2) values were recorded before, during, and after needle acupuncture (scalp, ear and body) as well as before, during, and after corresponding laser stimulation (red laser, four points: 100 mW, 658 nm, 500 µm; yellow laser, one point: 50 mW, 589 nm, 500 µm; infrared laser, three points: 100 mW, 810 nm, 500 µm; green laser, one point: 5 mW, 532 nm, 500 µm) in a cross-over study design. Results: There were no significant changes after needle acupuncture in the phases immediately after needle insertion or during acupuncture stimulation. However, after manual needle acupuncture and after laser stimulation, the majority of the rSO2 values showed increases. The highest value (+3%) was reached after laser stimulation treatment. Heart rate and blood pressure before and after the treatments did not show significant alterations. Conclusions: Changes in local cerebral oxygen saturation could be quantified, although confirmation may only be expected after extensive follow-up studies.

Background: Lifestyle risks for myopia are well known and the disease has become a major global public health issue worldwide. There is a relation between reading, writing, and computer work and the development of myopia. Methods: Within this prospective pilot study in 44 patients aged between 6 and 12 years with myopia we compared possible treatment effects of acupuncture or moxibustion. The diopters of the right and left eye were evaluated before and after the two treatment methods. Results: Myopia was improved in 14 eyes of 13 patients (15.9%) within both complementary methods. Using acupuncture an improvement was observed in seven eyes from six patients out of 22 patients and a similar result (improvement in seven eyes from seven patients out of 22 patients) was noticed in the moxibustion group. The extent of improvement was better in the acupuncture group (p = 0.008 s., comparison before and after treatment); however, group analysis between acupuncture and moxibustion revealed no significant difference. Conclusions: Possible therapeutic aspects with the help of evidence-based complementary methods like acupuncture or moxibustion have not yet been investigated adequately in myopic patients. Our study showed that both acupuncture and moxibustion can improve myopia of young patients. Acupuncture seems to be more effective than moxibustion in treating myopia, however group analysis did not prove this trend. Therefore, further Big data studies are necessary to confirm or refute the preliminary results.

Background: One of the most commonly used auricular acupuncture points selected for different pain treatment regimens is Shenmen. This point on the ear has been recognized as having a wide number of applications, as found by scientific investigation. Methods: Within this crossover study, the ear acupoint Shenmen was stimulated with two different kinds of laser (green, 532 nm and yellow, 589 nm) in 22 healthy volunteers (13 female, 9 male; mean age ± SD = 25.3 ± 4.1 years; range 21–36 years). Both green and yellow lasers were used for 15 min in the same volunteers in two different sessions. Results: The most prominent finding was that systolic blood pressure decreased significantly (p = 0.048) after yellow laser stimulation. Heart rate also decreased significantly (p < 0.001), whereas heart rate variability ratio low frequency (LF)/high frequency (HF) (p < 0.001) increased. The effects were significantly more pronounced in females than in males. In addition, the temperature was measured, and temperature increases were demonstrated at different locations on the ear using imaging methods. Conclusions: This study shows evidence of the effect of auricular laser acupuncture. However, a comparison with other publications was impossible because this is the first study using green and yellow laser stimulation on the ear.

Qigong is a form of traditional Chinese exercise combining breathing, movement, and meditation to improve fitness for the purpose of preventing disease and prolonging life. We review the clinical efficacy and underlying mechanism of the application of Qigong in the healthcare setting. In addition, we discuss topics such as the impacts on respiratory, cardiovascular function, and immune function, as well as studies of the influences on brain function and mental health. In summary, there is strong evidence of the clinical efficacy of Qigong in preventing diseases; however, further high-quality scientific studies are required for verification.

The role of the piriform cortex (PC) in olfactory information processing remains largely unknown. The anterior part of the piriform cortex (APC) has been the focus of cortical-level studies of olfactory coding, and associative processes have attracted considerable attention as an important part in odor discrimination and olfactory information processing. Associational connections of pyramidal cells in the guinea pig APC were studied by direct visualization of axons stained and quantitatively analyzed by intracellular biocytin injection in vivo. The observations illustrated that axon collaterals of the individual cells were widely and spatially distributed within the PC, and sometimes also showed a long associational projection to the olfactory bulb (OB). The data showed that long associational axons were both rostrally and caudally directed throughout the PC, and the intrinsic associational fibers of pyramidal cells in the APC are omnidirectional connections in the PC. Within the PC, associational axons typically followed rather linear trajectories and irregular bouton distributions. Quantitative data of the axon collaterals of two pyramidal cells in the APC showed that the average length of axonal collaterals was 101 mm, out of which 79 mm (78% of total length) were distributed in the PC. The average number of boutons was 8926 and 7101, respectively, with 79% of the total number of boutons being distributed in the PC. The percentage of the total area of the APC and the posterior piriform cortex occupied by the average distribution region of the axon collaterals of two superficial pyramidal (SP) cells was about 18 and 5%, respectively. Our results demonstrate that omnidirectional connection of pyramidal cells in the APC provides a substrate for recurrent processes. These findings indicate that the axon collaterals of SP cells in the PC could make synaptic contacts with all granule cells in the OB. This study provides the morphological evidence for understanding the mechanisms of information processing and associative memory in the APC.

(1) Background: Within this study, we assessed the effects of acupuncture on heart rate variability (HRV) in Chinese post-stroke patients. (2) Methods: In 30 Chinese post-stroke patients (14 f, 16 m; mean age ± SD 64.3 ± 3.8 years; range 40 - 80 years) electrocardiographic signals before, during and after acupuncture at the left Weizhong acupoint (BL40) were recorded in Harbin and analyzed in Graz using teleacupuncture via internet. HRV data were analyzed in the time and frequency domain and a protocol from Austria was sent to the team in China immediately after the treatment and recording session. (3) Results: The standard deviation of normal to normal (SDNN) and total power of HRV (TP) didn't change significantly during and after acupuncture (P>0.05), whereas high frequency (HF) decreased significantly during and after acupuncture (P<0.01), and low frequency (LF) increased significantly after acupuncture (P<0.05). Therefore, there was a marked increase in balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity (LF/HF HRV ratio) during and after treatment. (4) Conclusions: This study shows that HRV could be a useful parameter for quantifying regulatory effects of acupuncture on the autonomic nervous system. Together, our findings showed that acupuncture of the Weizhong point on the left side of the patients after cerebral infarction has no obvious influence on the heart rate and total HRV, but has an inhibitory effect on the vagus and excitatory effect on the sympathetic nerve.

Background: According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, acupuncture effects are based on the integrity function of meridians. Meridians are thought to regulate body function through the normal flow of qi and/or blood. Disturbances in this flow are thought to cause disease, and acupuncture techniques are believed to cure disease by regulating this flow. However, it is still difficult to understand the exact meaning of qi and to evaluate the activation of meridians. Thus, more and more attention has been focused on the relationship of acupuncture and circulation. Methods: In this narrative review, the authors focus on the state of the art in acupoint activation, microcirculation response, and on investigation of mast cells, based on current literature research. Results: Altogether, 52 references are cited and discussed critically. A schematic diagram of the relationship between acupuncture stimulation, changes of microcirculation and mast cells is presented as result. Conclusion: The block diagram presented in this review article shows that mast cells might play an important role in circulation response after acupoint stimulation.

Due to controversially discussed results in scientific literature concerning changes of electrical skin impedance before and during acupuncture a new measurement system has been developed. The prototype measures and analyzes the electrical skin impedance computer-based and simultaneously in 48 channels within a 2.5×3.5 cm matrix. Preliminary measurements in one person were performed using metal needle and violet laser (405 nm) acupuncture at the acupoint Kongzui (LU6). The new system is an improvement on devices previously developed by other researchers for this purpose. Skin impedance in the immediate surroundings of the acupoint was lowered reproducibly following needle stimulation and also violet laser stimulation. A new instrumentation for skin impedance measurements is presented. The following hypotheses suggested by our results will have to be tested in further studies: Needle acupuncture causes significant, specific local changes of electrical skin impedance parameters. Optical stimulation (violet laser) at an acupoint causes direct electrical biosignal changes.