Effect of Acupuncture at Zhongwan (CV 12) and Si-Guan Points Combined with Reinforcing-Reducing
Manipulation of Respiration for Treatment of Depression
Xie YC, et al. Department of TCM,
General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300052, China.
xieyicong2006@126.com
OBJECTIVE: To search for an effective therapy for depression. METHODS: One
hundred and twenty cases were randomly divided into two groups. The acupuncture
group (60 cases) was treated with acupuncture at Zhong wan (CV 12) and Si-guan
points [Taichong (LR 3) and Hegu (LI 4)] selected as main acupoints, combined
with Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), etc. , meanwhile, the
reinforcing-reducing manipulation of respiration was adopted. The western
medicine group (60 cases) was treated with oral administration of Fluoxetine
Hydrochloride at the dosage of 20 mg every day. These treatments lasted for 8
weeks in both groups. The depression severities were assessed with Hamilton
Depression Scale (HAMD) before treatment and at the 8th week of the treatment
and adverse reactions were appraised respectively with Treatment Emergent
Symptom Scale (TESS). RESULTS: The total effective rate was 95.0% in the
acupuncture group and 91.7% in the western medicine group with no significant
difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). After treatment, the HAMD score
had very significant changes in the two groups as compared with those before
treatment (both P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference between the
two groups (P > 0.05). After treatment, there was a significant difference
between two groups in TESS score (P < 0.01). There was almost no adverse
reaction in the acupuncture group, while the main clinical manifestations in the
western medicine group were nausea, anorexia, diarrhea, etc. CONCLUSION:
Acupuncture at Zhongwan (CV 12) and Si-guan points combined with
reinforcing-reducing manipulation of respiration can significantly improve
symptoms of depression patients with a similar therapeutic effect to oral
administration of Fluoxetine Hydrochloride and it is a safe method for
depression without adverse reactions.
Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2009 Jul;29(7):521-4.
Source: PubMed
[TOP]
Possible Involvement of Histamine, Dopamine, and Noradrenalin
in the Periaqueductal Gray in Electroacupuncture Pain Relief
Murotani T, et al. Department of Medical
Science and Technology, Division of Health Sciences, Graduate School of
Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
Acupuncture and electroacupuncture are used in pain relief; however, the
mechanism underlying the analgesic effect of acupuncture is unclear. Several
lines of evidence propose that the periaqueductal gray (PAG), which is one of
the regions that contributes to the endogenous pain inhibitory system, is
involved in the analgesic effect of acupuncture, and the region receives several
neural projections such as histamine and noradrenalin and contains the dopamine
cell bodies. The current study examined the effects of electroacupuncture at
Zusanli (ST36) and Shangjuxu (ST37) acupoints, which are used for clinical pain
control, on the release of neurotransmitters in the PAG in rats. Histamine and
dopamine release was increased after pain stimulus, while the changes were
completely abolished by electroacupuncture. Pain stimulus had no effect on
noradrenalin release, but electroacupuncture increased its release. These
findings indicate that acupuncture at Zusanli and Shangjuxu exerts an
antinociceptive effect via the activation of neurons in the PAG and that the
histaminergic, dopaminergic, and noradrenalinergic systems in the PAG are
related to electroacupuncture-induced pain relief.
Brain Res. 2009 Oct 9.
Source: PubMed
[TOP]
A TCM Formulation Consisting of Rhizoma Corydalis
and Rhizoma Curcumae Exerts Synergistic Anti-Tumor Activity
Gao JL, et al. Institute of Chinese
Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau 999078, P.R. China.
Synergy analysis of anticancer agents is an important approach to determining
the ratio and/or dose of drugs for clinical combination therapy. However, this
method is rarely used to evaluate the composition of traditional Chinese
medicine formulation. 'Yanhusuo San' (YHSS), which consists of yanhusuo (Rhizoma
Corydalis) and Ezhu (Rhizoma Curcumae), has been an archaic Chinese medicine
prescription since the Song dynasty (960-1279 AD). We previously demonstrated
that either yanhusuo or ezhu has strong anticancer effect. Herein, we sought to
determine the possible synergic effect between these two Chinese herbs. We
measured the IC50 of each herb extract and both extracts at different ratios of
doses by MTT assay. Isobologram and combination index (CI) analyses were used to
evaluate the synergistic effect of yanhusuo and ezhu in different fixed ratios.
Our results indicated that a combination of two herbal extracts exhibits the
strongest anticancer cell proliferation effect at the ratio of 3:2 (ezhu to
yanhusuo; referred to as E3Y2). Using Boyden Chamber assay, flow cytometry, and
fluorescence microscopy analysis, we found that E3Y2 could markedly reduce the
cell invasion ability and induce cytochrome c release rather than single use,
but E3Y2 could not influence the cell cycle distribution. When the levels of
ERK1/2, p-ERK1/2 and p-Rb were determined by Western blot analysis, we found
that the E3Y2 significantly suppresses the level of p-ERK. Thus, our studies
provide a plausible molecular basis of the synergistic anti-tumor effect of ezhu
and yanhusuo.
Oncol Rep. 2009 Nov;22(5):1077-83.
Source: PubMed [TOP] |