OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy between staged acupuncture based on "thoroughfare vessel is the sea of blood" theory combined with routine hormone replacement cycle treatment and routine hormone replacement cycle treatment for patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) of thin endometrium. METHODS: A total of 72 RIF patients with thin endometrium were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 36 cases in each group. The patients in the control group were treated with routine hormone replacement cycle treatment. Based on the treatment of the control group, the patients in the observation group were treated with staged acupuncture based on "thoroughfare vessel is the sea of blood" theory. The main acupoints were Neiguan (PC 6) and Gongsun (SP 4), and the supplementary acupoints were selected according to the menstrual cycle and syndrome differentiation; the acupuncture was given once every other day, 3 times a week, for 3 consecutive menstrual cycles. The thickness and shape of endometrium, and Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) score were observed at implantation window before and after treatment; the clinical pregnancy rate, live birth rate and cycle cancellation rate were compared between the two groups; the correlation between endometrial thickness and HAMA score was analyzed. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the endometrial thickness in the two groups and the proportion of type A+B endometrium in the observation group were increased (P<0.05), and the HAMA scores in the two groups were decreased (P<0.05) after treatment. The above indexes in the observation group were superior to those in the control group (P<0.05). The clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the cycle cancellation rate was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between endometrial thickness and HAMA score (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Based on the routine hormone replacement cycle treatment, the addition use of staged acupuncture based on "thoroughfare vessel is the sea of blood" theory could improve the thickness and shape of endometrium, relieve anxiety, increase the clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate, and reduce the cycle cancellation rate in RIF patients with thin endometrium. The curative effect is superior to the routine hormone replacement cycle treatment alone.
Female ; Pregnancy ; Humans ; Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Endometrium ; Hormones

This paper reviews the researches on acupuncture preconditioning before surgery in recent years and explores its application value from three aspects, i.e. relieving preoperative anxiety, preventing from postoperative cognitive dysfunction, and preventing from postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction. As a relatively safe non-drug treatment, acupuncture has the underlying advantages in participating into multidisciplinary coordination in the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS). By building up higher-quality medical evidences and revealing the effect mechanism of acupuncture from multi-dimenisonal aspects, it is expected that acupuncture technology can be coordinated with ERAS to optimize the clinical path in the perioperative period, and boost the development of the perioperative medicine ultimately.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders ; Enhanced Recovery After Surgery ; Perioperative Period

Pathological anxiety is among the most difficult neuropsychiatric diseases to treat pharmacologically, and it represents a major societal problem. Studies have implicated structural changes within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and functional changes in the communication of the PFC with distal brain structures in anxiety disorders. Treatments that affect the activity of the PFC, including cognitive therapies and transcranial magnetic stimulation, reverse anxiety- and fear-associated circuit abnormalities through mechanisms that remain largely unclear. While the subjective experience of a rodent cannot be precisely determined, rodent models hold great promise in dissecting well-conserved circuits. Newly developed genetic and viral tools and optogenetic and chemogenetic techniques have revealed the intricacies of neural circuits underlying anxiety and fear by allowing direct examination of hypotheses drawn from existing psychological concepts. This review focuses on studies that have used these circuit-based approaches to gain a more detailed, more comprehensive, and more integrated view on how the PFC governs anxiety and fear and orchestrates adaptive defensive behaviors to hopefully provide a roadmap for the future development of therapies for pathological anxiety.
Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders/therapy* ; Fear/psychology* ; Humans ; Neural Pathways ; Prefrontal Cortex

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at Shenmen (HT 7) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) on anxiety and depression in patients with insomnia, and to explore the mechanism of its compatibility effect. METHODS: Ninety patients of insomnia were randomly divided into a combination group, a Shenmen group and a Sanyinjiao group, 30 cases in each group. In addition, 37 cases with anxiety (12 cases in the combination group, 13 cases in the Shenmen group and 12 cases in the Sanyinjiao group) and 42 cases with depression (14 cases in the combination group, 14 cases in the Shenmen group and 14 cases in the Sanyinjiao group) were identified. The patients in the combination group, Shenmen group and Sanyinjiao group were treated with EA (dilatational wave, frequency of 5 Hz/25 Hz) at Shenmen (HT 7)-Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Shenmen (HT 7) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6), respectively, 30 min each treatment, once a day. The consecutive 5 days of treatments were taken as a course of treatment, and 2 courses of treatment were given. The insomnia severity index (ISI), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) scores were evaluated before and after treatment, and the serum contents of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) were measured. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the ISI, SAS and SDS scores in the three groups were all decreased after treatment (P<0.05), and the ISI score in the combination group was lower than that in the Shenmen group (P<0.05). Among the patients with anxiety, compared before treatment, the ISI, SAS scores and serum contents of DA were all decreased after treatment in the three groups (P<0.05), and the serum contents of NE in the combination group and Shenmen group were decreased after treatment (P<0.05); the SAS score and serum contents of NE in the combination group and Shenmen group as well as the ISI score in the combination group were lower than those in the Sanyinjiao group (P<0.05). Among the patients with depression, compared before treatment, the ISI, SDS scores and serum contents of DA were all decreased after treatment in the three groups (P<0.05), and the serum contents of NE in the combination group and Shenmen group were decreased after treatment (P<0.05); the ISI, SDS scores and serum contents of NE in the combination group as well as SDS score in the Shenmen group were lower than those in the Sanyinjiao group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION EA at Shenmen (HT 7) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) has advantages over EA at Sanyinjiao (SP 6) on improving insomnia, anxiety and depression. Shenmen (HT 7) plays a major role in improving anxiety and depression. Shenmen (HT 7) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) may play a compatibility effect of regulating consciousness and sleeping by reducing the level of serum NE.
Acupuncture Points ; Anxiety/therapy* ; Depression/therapy* ; Electroacupuncture ; Humans ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/therapy*

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of five-element acupuncture on the cognitive function repair of migraine patients with depression/anxiety disorder. METHODS: The migraine patients with depression/anxiety disorder (19 cases, 5 cases dropped off) were taken as the observation group, and received five-element acupuncture twice a week for 8 weeks. Healthy subjects (19 cases) were selected by demographic data matching as the control group. The cognitive function was evaluated with the event related potential (ERP) technique, and the latency and amplitude of visual evoked potential P300 were adopted as the observation indexes. The headache days (every 4 weeks), headache intensity [visual analogue scale(VAS) score], and headache impact test-6 (HIT-6) score, Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) score and Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) score were used as the observation indexes for curative effect. RESULTS: Before the treatment, latency of target stimulus at Fz [ (417.5±34.3) ms] in the observation group was extended compared with the healthy subjects of the control group [(388.6±42.1) ms, CONCLUSION There are some cognitive impairments in migraine patients with depression/anxiety disorder. Five-element acupuncture not only relieves headache, anxiety and depression effectively, but also improves the activation level of the frontal lobe. It significantly repairs the impaired cognitive function.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Anxiety Disorders ; Cognition ; Depression/therapy* ; Evoked Potentials, Visual ; Humans ; Migraine Disorders/therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To prove the therapeutic effect of auricular intradermal needling and auricular point sticking on primary dysmenorrhea (PD), and to explore its mechanism. METHODS: A total of 90 patients with PD were randomized into an auricular intradermal needling group, an auricular point sticking group and a placebo group, 30 cases in each one. Neishengzhiqi (TF RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the scores of CMSS, VAS and SAS were decreased at each time point of treatment in the auricular intradermal needling group, 2, 3 courses into treatment and at follow-up in the auricular point sticking group and 3 courses into treatment in the placebo group ( CONCLUSION Auricular intradermal needling and auricular point sticking can both improve the clinical symptom of primary dysmenorrhea, relieve the pain and anxiety, their mechanism may be related to regulating the serum levels of PGF
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture, Ear ; Anxiety Disorders ; Dysmenorrhea/therapy* ; Female ; Humans ; Treatment Outcome

Based on the research literatures of Passiflora incarnata and the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the paper discussed the traditional Chinese medicinal properties of P. incarnate, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the compatibility and application of P. incarnata. The literature databases of CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus were selected, and the literatures relating to P. incarnata were reviewed to screen out the scientific research literatures with a high credibility, rational design and reliable conclusions. Foreign pharmacopoeia was consulted, and the listed products were summarized. The traditional Chinese medicine properties of P. incarnata were studied based on 32 clinical trials, 66 pharmacological researches, 64 chemical constituents researches as well as the theory of traditional Chinese medicine. It was preliminarily concluded that the medicinal properties of P. incarnata are sweet, cool, and enter heart, liver channels. The function is mainly to calm the heart and tranquilizing the mind, and calm the liver wind. It is used for hyperactivity of liver-Yang, stagnation of liver-Qi, restlessness of mind, depression, nervousness, insomnia. This paper summarized the source, characteristics of natures, tastes and channel tropism, usage and dosage, function indications of P. incarnata, and defined its clear traditional Chinese medicine property, which lays a theoretical foundation for the compatibility and clinical application of P. incarnata and Chinese medicine.
Anti-Anxiety Agents ; Anxiety ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Passiflora ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/drug therapy*

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture (acupuncture for regulating the spirit) on restless leg syndrome and its concomitance symptoms of sleep disorder and anxiety, and to provide theoretical basis for the clinical application of acupuncture. METHODS: A total of 60 patients were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each one. Conventional acupuncture at lower limbs' acupoints such as Zusanli (ST 36), Yanglingquan (GB 34) and Xuanzhong (GB 39) was applied in the control group. On the basis of the control group, acupuncture at Baihui (GV 20), Shenting (GV 24) and Benshen (GB 13) was added in the observation group. In both groups, the treatment was given once a day, 6 times a week, one week as a course and totally 3 courses were required. Scores of international restless leg syndrome rating scale (IRLS), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) were observed before and after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, scores of IRLS, PSQI and HAMA after treatment were decreased in both groups (<0.05), and the improvement in the observation group was superior to the control group (<0.05). CONCLUSION On the basis of conventional acupuncture, acupuncture can effectively relieve the discomforts of the lower limbs in patients with restless leg syndrome, improve the sleep disorder and anxiety, which is better than conventional acupuncture.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Anxiety ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Restless Legs Syndrome ; complications ; therapy ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; etiology ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of acupuncture combined with cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) on generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). METHODS: A total of 200 patients with GAD were randomized into an acupuncture+CES group, an acupuncture group, a CES group and a medication group, 50 cases in each one. In the medication group, patients were treated with tandospirone citrate tablet orally, 10 mg after breakfast, lunch and dinner respectively. In the CES group, CES was adopted by SCS brain electromedical instrument, 60 min each time, once a day. In the acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied to Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Yintang (GV 29), Shenting (GV 24), etc., 30 min each time, once a day. In the acupuncture+CES group, CES was adopted before acupuncture. Treatment of sixty days was required in the 4 groups. Before and after treatment, the scores of Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA), World Health Organization's quality of life questionnaire-brief version (WHOQOL-BREF) and treatment emergent symptom scale (TESS) were observed, the clinical effect was evaluated, and the relapse of anxiety during follow-up of 1 year after treatment was recorded in the 4 groups. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the scores of HAMA after treatment were decreased ( CONCLUSION Acupuncture combined with CES can effectively relieve the symptoms in patients with GAD, improve the quality of life, reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions and the relapse rate, and its clinical effect is obviously superior to the western medication, the simple application of acupuncture or CES.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Anxiety Disorders/therapy* ; Electric Stimulation Therapy ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Treatment Outcome

Intermittent hypoxia (IH) has preventive and therapeutic effects on hypertension, myocardial infarction, cerebral ischemia and depression, but its effect on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has not been known. In this study, we used inescapable electric foot shock combined with context recapture to build PTSD mouse model. The levels of fear and anxiety were valued by the open field, the elevated plus maze (EPM) and the fear conditioning tests; the level of spatial memory was valued by Y maze test; the number of Fos positive neurons in hippocampus, amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex was valued by immunohistochemical staining; and the protein expressions of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in these brain area were valued by Western blot. The results showed that IH and model (foot shock) had an interaction on percentage of entering open arms (OE%) in EPM and freezing time and the number of fecal pellets in fear conditioning test. IH increased OE% in EPM and reduced the freezing time and the number of fecal pellets in fear conditioning test in PTSD model mice. At the same time, IH reduced the number of Fos positive neurons in the hippocampus, amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex of PTSD model mice, and increased the protein expression levels of HIF-1α, VEGF and BDNF in these brain tissues. In conclusion, IH pretreatment can relieve fear and anxiety behavior in post-traumatic stress model mice, suggesting that IH may be an effective means of preventing PTSD.
Animals ; Anxiety ; therapy ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; metabolism ; Fear ; Hypoxia ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; metabolism ; Mice ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; therapy ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism