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To observe the effect of moxibustion on the protein and mRNA expressions of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRFR1) in hypothalamus of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced experimental colitis rats, and to explore the central mechanisms of moxibustion in improving visceral pain and the pain-related emotions in experimental colitis rats. Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a normal group (NG), a model group (MG), a herb-partitioned moxibustion group (HPMG) and a sham herb-partitioned moxibustion group (SHPMG). Except the NG, rats in the remaining three groups all received TNBS enema to establish experimental colitis models. The HPMG received herb-partitioned moxibustion (HPM) at bilateral Tianshu (ST 25) and Qihai (CV 6) for intervention; for the SHPMG, the herbal cakes and moxa cones were only placed on the acupoints but not ignited; rats in the MG and NG were only fixed in the same way as those in the HPMG but did not receive any treatment. At the end of the intervention, the abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) score, the open field test (OFT) score and the elevated plus maze (EPM) score were observed to measure the changes in visceral pain and pain-related emotions of the rats. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to examine the expressions of CRF and CRFR1 proteins in hypothalamus; the fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the expressions of CRF and CRFR1 mRNAs in hypothalamus. Compared with the NG, the AWR score increased significantly and the OFT and EPM scores dropped significantly in the MG (all P 0.05). HPM can down-regulate the abnormally increased expressions of CRF and CRFR1 proteins and mRNAs in hypothalamus of the TNBS-induced experimental colitis rats, which is plausibly one of its action mechanisms in mitigating visceral pain and the pain-related emotions in the experimental colitis rats.

Aim: To discuss the immunological mechanism in electroacupuncture (EA) treatment of dry eye syndrome (DES) by targeting the changes in conjunctival cytokine expression profile.Method: Eligible DES patients were randomized into an EA group (EAG) or an acupuncture group (AG). The ocular surface disease index (OSDI), amount of tear production, and tear film break-up time (BUT) were observed to evaluate the efficacy. Conjunctival cells were collected from both effective and invalid cases to observe the expressions of cytokines by protein microarray. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were used for functional cluster and signaling pathway analysis of the differentially expressed proteins. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to verify the specific differential proteins.Result: After treatment, OSDI dropped and BUT extended in both groups, and the tear production increased only in the EAG (all P < .01). Compared with the AG, the improvement in tear production was more significant in the EAG (P < .01). There were 17 differentially expressed conjunctival cytokines between the effective and invalid cases in the EAG, and those expressed higher than the limit of detection (LOD) included monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), regulated on activation in normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1). GO analysis showed that the differential cytokines were mainly involved in cellular interaction, signaling pathways and reactions to stimuli. KEGG analysis revealed that the signaling pathways of these cytokines were mainly responsible for interactions between cytokines or between cytokines and their receptors, such as Jak-STAT signaling pathway, chemokine signaling pathway, and tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway.Conclusion: EA can effectively treat DES by improving the symptoms, increasing tear secretion and extending BUT, which is possibly related to its regulation on the conjunctival cytokine expressions.

Objectives. This systematic review aims to critically evaluate the efficacy of manual acupuncture for optic atrophy. Eight English and Chinese databases, including Cochrane Library, EMbase, PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), as well as ongoing trials registered with the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, were searched to identify eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studying manual acupuncture for optic atrophy compared to medication alone. The quality of evidence was assessed using Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager version 5.3. Nine studies were identified and included for meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed significant differences in favor of manual acupuncture or manual acupuncture plus medication compared with medication alone in the following outcome measures: visual acuity (MD = 0.18, 95% CI [0.17, 0.20], P < 0.00001), mean sensitivity of visual field (MD = 2.11, 95% CI [1.90, 2.32], P < 0.00001), the latent period of P-VEP100 (MD = -6.80, 95% CI [-8.94, -4.66], P < 0.00001), the total effectiveness (264 eyes) (OR = 3.22, 95% CI [1.88, 5.51], P P < 0.00001). Despite statistical advantages of manual acupuncture in the literature, due to serious methodological flaws in study design, it cannot be concluded that manual acupuncture is more effective than medicine alone. It is essential that a properly controlled clinical trial is designed and controls are established to exclude placebo effects.