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OBJECTIVE: To summarize the current available evidence and to outline recommendations for the future research of acupuncture for patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). DESIGN: Seven electronic databases were searched: China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang Database, Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Cochrane Library, PubMed, and EMBASE. All studies on acupuncture for patients after PCI were included. The search period was from the database establishment to June 13th, 2024. SETTING: Using full-text and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) searches, two personnel independently screened and checked articles strictly according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and they reached an agreement through discussion on articles with different opinions. INTERVENTIONS: Post-PCI acupuncture. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Creating descriptive charts to visually express the research features. RESULTS: 38 eligible studies were included. Their main topic was the use of acupuncture in patients after PCI. The primary focus of these studies was the application of acupuncture in patients post-PCI. The majority of the included articles originated from China, with the majority published in the year 2023. The types of studies encompassed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (25, 65.8 %), protocols (6, 15.8 %), review articles (6, 15.8 %), and case report (1, 2.6 %). The acupuncture methods utilized varied, with filiform needle therapy being the most common (14, 36.8 %), followed by auricular plaster therapy (7, 18.4 %), thumbtack needle therapy (7, 18.4 %), and eye acupuncture (1, 2.6 %). The acupoints most frequently used were Shenmen (TF4) in the auricular region and Neiguan (PC6). The needle retention time was predominantly 30 min, as reported in nine studies involving filiform needles. In the control groups of the included studies, secondary prevention measures were most commonly employed, appearing in thirteen studies. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was the most frequently measured outcome, featured in nine studies. Psychological issues were identified as the most prevalent condition following PCI, mentioned in seventeen studies. CONCLUSION: The main focus of this scoping review was on psychological issues, cardiovascular problems, and exercise capacity or quality of life of patients after PCI. The majority of research has concentrated on psychological and cardiovascular issues. However, the outcomes related to varieties of acupuncture therapy methods, acupoints selection, retention time, treatment frequency, and other aspects of acupuncture practice were interconnected and complex within the clinical application of acupuncture. These interconnected elements collectively impacted the treatment of acupuncture in the post-PCI context, making it challenging to reach definitive conclusions. The heterogeneity in acupuncture practices highlighted the need for future research. It is recommended that future studies employ more rigorous designs, standardized methodologies, larger sample sizes, and higher quality to enhance our understanding of acupuncture's role in post-PCI care. This is particularly important for elucidating its potential in addressing psychological and cardiovascular problems, which are critical areas of concern for patients post-PCI. REGISTRATION: This scoping review has been registered in the Open Science Framework Registry (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/3HZFW). We drafted this paper following the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) (https://www.prisma-statement.org/scoping) (Appendix 1).

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Visceral pain is a complex and heterogeneous pain condition that is often associated with pain-related negative emotional states, including anxiety and depression, and can exert serious effects on a patient's physical and mental health. According to modeling stimulation protocols, the current animal models of visceral pain mainly include the mechanical dilatation model, the ischemic model, and the inflammatory model. Acupuncture can exert analgesic effects by integrating and interacting input signals from acupuncture points and the sites of pain in the central nervous system. The brain nuclei involved in regulating visceral pain mainly include the nucleus of the solitary tract, parabrachial nucleus (PBN), locus coeruleus (LC), rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), paraventricular nucleus (PVN), and the amygdala. The neural circuits involved are PBN-amygdala, LC-RVM, amygdala-insula, ACC-amygdala, claustrum-ACC, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis-PVN and the PVN-ventral lateral septum circuit. Signals generated by acupuncture can modulate the central structures and interconnected neural circuits of multiple brain regions, including the medulla oblongata, cerebral cortex, thalamus, and hypothalamus. This analgesic process also involves the participation of various neurotransmitters and/or receptors, such as 5-hydroxytryptamine, glutamate, and enkephalin. In addition, acupuncture can regulate visceral pain by influencing functional connections between different brain regions and regulating glucose metabolism. However, there are still some limitations in the research efforts focusing on the specific brain mechanisms associated with the effects of acupuncture on the alleviation of visceral pain. Further animal experiments and clinical studies are now needed to improve our understanding of this area.

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Neuropathic pain (NP) is known to be associated with abnormal changes in specific brain regions, but the complex neural network behind it is vast and complex and lacks a systematic summary. With the help of various animal models of NP, a literature search on NP brain regions and circuits revealed that the related brain nuclei included the periaqueductal gray (PAG), lateral habenula (LHb), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC); the related brain circuits included the PAG-LHb and mPFC-ACC. Moreover, acupuncture and injurious information can affect different brain regions and influence brain functions via multiple aspects to play an analgesic role and improve synaptic plasticity by regulating the morphology and structure of brain synapses and the expression of synapse-related proteins; maintain the balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurons by regulating the secretion of glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and other neurotransmitters and receptors in the brain tissues; inhibit the overactivation of glial cells and reduce the release of pro-inflammatory mediators such as interleukins to reduce neuroinflammation in brain regions; maintain homeostasis of glucose metabolism and regulate the metabolic connections in the brain; and play a role in analgesia through the mediation of signaling pathways and signal transduction molecules. These factors help to deepen the understanding of NP brain circuits and the brain mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia.

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BACKGROUND: Clinical studies have shown that electroacupuncture (EA) promotes gallbladder motility and alleviates gallstone. However, the mechanism underlying the effects of EA on gallstone is poorly understood. In this study, the mRNA transcriptome analysis was used to study the possible therapeutic targets of EA. METHODS: Hartley SPF guinea pigs were employed for the gallstone models. Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform was used for the RNA sequencing of guinea pig gallbladders in the normal group (Normal), gallstone model group (Model), and EA-treated group (EA). Differently expressed genes (DEGs) were examined separately in Model vs. Normal and EA vs. Model. DEGs reversed by EA were selected by comparing the DEGs of Model vs. Normal and EA vs. Model. Biological functions were enriched by gene ontology (GO) analysis. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was analyzed. RESULTS: After 2 weeks of EA, 257 DEGs in Model vs. Normal and 1704 DEGs in EA vs. Model were identified. 94 DEGs reversed by EA were identified among these DEGs, including 28 reversed upregulated DEGs and 66 reversed downregulated DEGs. By PPI network analysis, 10 hub genes were found by Cytohubba plugin of Cytoscape. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) verified the changes. CONCLUSION: We identified a few GOs and genes that might play key roles in the treatment of gallstone. This study may help understand the therapeutic mechanism of EA for gallstone.

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Intraocular pressure (IOP) is an essential indicator of the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma. IOP has an apparent physiological rhythm, and it often reaches its peak value at night. To avoid missing the peak value at night and sample the entire rhythm cycle, the continuous monitoring of IOP is urgently needed. A wearable contact lens IOP sensor based on a platinum (Pt) strain gauge is fabricated by the micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) process. The structure and parameters of the strain gauge are optimized to improve the sensitivity and temperature stability. Tests on an eyeball model indicate that the IOP sensor has a high sensitivity of 289.5 µV/mmHg and excellent dynamic cycling performance at different speeds of IOP variation. The temperature drift coefficient of the sensor is 33.4 µV/°C. The non-invasive IOP sensor proposed in this report exhibits high sensitivity and satisfactory stability, promising a potential in continuous IOP monitoring.

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As the second leading cause of blindness in the world, glaucoma is mainly caused by persistent high intraocular pressure (IOP) that compresses the optic nerve and causes permanent damage. Noninvasive continuous monitoring of IOP is an essential method for the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma. In this paper, we propose a new strain gauge material based on graphene nanowalls (GNWs) for continuous monitoring of IOP with high sensitivity in a wide range. By simulation, we studied the relationship between the strain of the cornea and contact lens and IOP. The structure and the location of the GNWs in the contact lens are optimized. A method for transferring GNWs on contact lenses with the assistance of a gold film is proposed. The simulated tests on porcine eyes in vitro show that the resistance response of the device to normal IOP fluctuation reaches 1.014 kΩ mmHg-1. Its normal sensitivity of 42 250 ppm mmHg-1 and the response range of 0-75 mmHg are far more than those of most noninvasive methods reported before. This study shows the enormous potential of GNWs for continuous IOP monitoring with high sensitivity and low power consumption.

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OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect difference between Chaihu Longgu Muli decoction combined with acupuncture at back-shu points and simple Chaihu Longgu Muli decoction for chronic fatigue syndrome. METHODS: Sixty patients were randomly assigned into an herbal group and a combination group, 30 cases in each one. Simple Chaihu Longgu Muli decoction was used in the herbal group for continuous one month, one decoction a day. Based on that in the herbal group, 30 min acupuncture was used in the combination group at bilateral Xinshu (BL 15), Feishu (BL 13), Pishu (BL 20), Ganshu (BL 18) and Shenshu (BL 23), with acupoints according to syndrome differentiation. Acupuncture was given for 3 courses, 10 times as a course with 3 days between two courses, once a day. Fatigue status was evaluated before and after treatment by fatigue scale 14 (FS-14) and self-rating anxiety scale (SAS). RESULTS: The FS-14 scores, including body fatigue scores, mental fatigue scores and total scores, and SAS scores after treatment were lower than those before treatment in the two groups (all P<0.01), with better improvements in the combination group (all P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Chaihu Longgu Muli decoction combined with acupuncture at back-shu points can improve chronic fatigue syndrome, which are better than simple Chaihu Longgu Muli decoction.

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