[Objective]We researched the effect on three acupuncture stimulation groups and a non-stimulation group used for arterial compliance.
[Methods]This study was conducted on 70 healthy volunteers divided randomly into four groups. We observed the effects of arterial compliance by measuring the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity score (baPWVs), ankle brachial pressure index (ABI), Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) using form PWV/ABI®. Acupuncture stimulation groups were divided into LI10 (Shousanli, Te no Sanri n = 23) group, ST36 (Zusanli, Ashi no Sanri n = 18) group, and CV12 (Zhongwan, Chukan n = 19) groups.
[Results]We found that baPWVs significantly decreased in both the LI10 (before 1222 ± 203cm/s vs after 986 ± 143cm/s) and ST36 (before 1245 ± 126 cm/s vs after 1014 ± 120 cm/s) groups (p < 0.05), but not significantly in the CV12 group (before 1264 ± 222 cm/s vs 1287 ± 226 cm/s) and non-stimulation groups (before 1228 ± 144 cm/s vs after 1222 ± 150 cm/s). ABI, SBP, DBP and HR were not significant in the all groups.
[Conclusion]These results suggest that upper and lower extremities or the abdomen in acupuncture stimulation may influence the activity of arterial compliance.

[Objective]We examined the effect of varying the stimulation site for electroacupuncture (EA) treatment of pressure ulcers.
[Methods]The subjects were 56 patients with pressure ulcers in their pelvic areas. The subjects were randomly assigned to three groups. The control group was 19 patients (conventional treatment and care in conformity with pressure ulcer care guidelines), local site EA group (local group) was 19 patients (local site EA combined with conventional treatment and care), and remote EA group (remote group) was 18 patients (remote site EA combined with conventional treatment and care). The local group received EA stimulation around the ulcerated area. The remote group received EA stimulation at both BL 40 (Weizhong, Ichu) and BL 57 (Chengshan, Shozan). The electrical source was a bipolar pulse wave at a frequency of 3Hz and a stimulation time of ten minutes 5 times a week.
[Results]Compared to the control group after four weeks of treatment, the local group showed a significantly lower DESIGN-R rate of change. After six weeks, the local group showed a significantly lower level than the remote group. The local group showed a significantly smaller wound size compared to the control group after four weeks of treatment.
After six weeks, the local group showed significantly smaller wound size than the remote group.
[Conclusion]These results suggest that EA to the surrounding area is the most useful method for prompt healing of pressure ulcers.

Effect of thermal stimulation on the flexion reflex as a pain index was examined in healthy human subjects who gave informed consent (n=9, male, mean age 26 ± 8 years old). The evoked electromyogram (EMG) of biceps femoral muscle elicited by transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the sural nerve (5 trains of pulses at 100 Hz delivered at intervals of 13 sec) was successively recorded. The subjective pain sensation elicited by nerve stimulation was simultaneously recorded by the visual analogue scale (VAS) method. Significant correlation coefficients between the amplitudes of evoked EMGs and the stimulus intensity (r=0.791, P< 0.01), and the VAS value (r=0.724, P < 0.01) were observed. Conditioning hot water immersion of the hand (47 °C, 156s) tended to reduce the amplitudes of evoked EMGs, although change was not significant (P=0.678, Kruskal-Wallis test). However, C-statistics, a simple time series analysis method, demonstrated significant trends in several trials. These results suggest that the flexion reflex used in the present study is useful for pain research in human subjects and C-statistics are also useful for analyzing the effect on each individual.

Different intensities of pressure were applied to various tender or non-tender points and the suppressive effects on the flexion reflex were examined in 21 healthy humans (18-26 years), who gave informed consent. The sural nerve was stimulated transcutaneously with trains of 5 pulses at intervals of 13 sec (1.05-1.10x T, T : threshold) and evoked EMGs were recorded from the biceps femoralis muscle. Tender points in the contralateral forearm were detected by careful palpation, and conditioning pressure stimulation was applied at variousintensities by a push-pull gauge for 78 sec. Pressure applied to tender points induced slightly greater suppression of evoked EMGs than that to non-tender points (C statistics : time series analysis), although the difference was not significant (group comparison). Pressure intensities of ten and 50 % of pain tolerance pressure seemed to be adequate for suppression of EMGs in both tender and non-tender points. These results suggest that suppression of flexion reflex by pressure application in humans may be mediated by tactile and pain-related afferent fibers and the importance of adequate stimulus intensity for the induction of analgesic effects.

[Objective]It seems that in Japan’s aging society, investigating the position of acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of arteriosclerotic diseases is important. In this report we evaluated the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on stroke patients by measuring changes in pulse wave velocity (PWV), brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV), ankle brachial pressure index (ABI), blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR).
[Method]The subjects were 210 initial stroke patients. Stroke patients were randomly allocated to three groups, those only taking drug therapy (drug group), those taking drug therapy combined with rehabilitation (rehab group), and those taking drug therapy and rehabilitation combined with EA (EA group). 81 cerebral thrombosis patients (drug group n = 25, rehab group n = 28, EA group n = 28), 68 cerebral embolus patients (drug group n = 24, rehab group n = 20, EA group n = 24) and 61 cerebral hemorrhage patients (drug group n = 20, rehab group n = 21, EA group n = 20) were examined. For the evaluation method blood pressure pulse wave measuring equipment was used to measure PWV, baPWV, ABI, BP, and HR after two months, four months, and six months from the onset of treatment.
[Results]After two months and four months there was no significant difference in blood vessel elasticity of the three cerebral thrombosis groups. Whereas after six months, compared to the drug group, the baPWV in cerebral thrombosis patients significantly decreased for the rehab group (p < 0.05) and EA group (p < 0.01). There were no significant differences in ABI, BP, or HR. Cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral embolism patients showed no significant difference in baPWV, ABI, BP, and HR.
[Conclusion]We examined the effects of adding EA to the treatment of patients who suffered cerebral thrombosis, cerebral embolism, or cerebral hemorrhage. These results show that adding EA to drug treatment and rehabilitation significantly improves blood vessel elasticity and suggests that using EA would reduce the risk of cerebral thrombosis and its reoccurrence.