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Background: It has not been solved what kind of needle sensation might influence outcomes of acupuncture treatment. Effects of personality factors on the therapeutic effect of acupuncture have not been investigated. This study aimed to find the effects of the traits of personality on the objective outcome when different acupuncture techniques were used in treating patients with Bell's palsy. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of a prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial of acupuncture for Bell's palsy. Patients were randomly assigned to the de qi and control groups, respectively. The primary outcome was facial nerve function at month 6. The intensity of each needle sensation was rated by a visual analog scale. Psychosocial factors were assessed by the pretreatment mediator questionnaire; 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) was used for assessing personality factors and digit cancellation test for assessing attention. Results: After 6 months, patients in the de qi group had better facial function (adjusted odds ratio [ OR ]: 4.16, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 2.23–7.78). Path analysis showed that intensity of needle sensation of fullness had direct effect on House-Brackmann (HB) score at month 6. In de qi group, the low HB score on day 1 ( OR : 0.13, 95% CI : 0.03–0.45) and the low Social Boldness score ( OR : 0.63, 95% CI : 0.41–0.97) in 16PF were associated with better facial function. In control group, low HB score on day 1 ( OR : 0.25, 95% CI : 0.13–0.50), low Vigilance score ( OR : 0.66, 95% CI : 0.50–0.88), and high Tension score ( OR : 1.41, 95% CI : 1.12–1.77) in 16PF were related to better facial function. Conclusions: The needle sensation of fullness could predict better facial function and personality traits might influence outcomes of acupuncture treatment. Both of them should be considered seriously in acupuncture treatment and research.

Connexin 43 (Cx43) is one of the major components of human keratinocyte gap junctions. To study whether gap junctional intercellular communication participates in the transfer of acupoint signals and acupuncture analgesia, the expression of Cx43 was studied in Zusanli (ST36) acupoints compared with control non-acupoint regions in rats after acupuncture. In addition, Cx43 heterozygous gene knockout mice were used to further explore the relationship between Cx43 and acupuncture analgesia.The expression of Cx43 was detected by immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, and RT-PCR for the Cx43 protein and mRNA. The influence of the Cx43 gene knockout on acupuncture analgesia was measured by a hot plate and observing the writhing response on Cx43 heterozygous gene knockout mice.Immunohistochemistry showed abundant Cx43 expression in some cells in the skin and subcutaneous tissue of rat ST36 acupoints. The mRNA and protein levels of Cx43 in acupoints were significantly higher than those in the control points in the non-acupuncture group, and even more so after acupuncture. The hot plate and writhing response experiments showed that partial knockout of the Cx43 gene decreased acupuncture analgesia.Cx43 expression and acupuncture analgesia showed a positive correlation.