ObjectiveTo evaluate the corrective effects of a three-stage structured Tai Chi training program on abnormal neck and shoulder posture from a biomechanical perspective. MethodsEighty-two participants with abnormal neck and shoulder posture were randomly assigned to a treatment group and a control group， with 41 participants in each group. The treatment group received three-stage structured Tai Chi training six times per week， while the control group received online health education once per week. Both interventions lasted for 12 weeks. The primary outcome cervical postural deviation angle， and the secondary outcomes including cervical loading and bilateral shoulder horizontal deviation angle， were assessed before intervention， after 6 weeks and 12 weeks of intervention. Safety was also evaluated. ResultsUltimately， 40 participants from each group were included in the analysis. In the treatment group， cervical postural deviation angle and cervical spine loading were significantly reduced after 12 weeks of intervention compared with baseline and after 6 weeks of intervention. The bilateral shoulder horizontal deviation angle decreased significantly after both 6 and 12 weeks of intervention compared with baseline （P＜0.05）. In the control group， cervical spine loading was reduced after 6 and 12 weeks of intervention compared with baseline （P＜ 0.05）. After 12 weeks of intervention， the treatment group showed lower cervical postural deviation angle and bilateral shoulder horizontal deviation angle than the control group， whereas cervical loading was higher in the treatment group after 6 weeks of intervention （P＜0.05）. Significant differences were observed between groups in the changes from baseline to week 12 for cervical postural deviation angle and bilateral shoulder horizontal deviation angle， as well as in the changes from baseline to week 6 for cervical loading and bilateral shoulder horizontal deviation angle （P＜ 0.05）. No significant adverse events occurred in either group during the intervention period. ConclusionThree-stage structured Tai Chi can effectively improve abnormal neck and shoulder posture， demonstrating good safety and feasibility.

Objective:To investigate the short-term efficacy and safety of cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) in patients with heart failure.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study of patients with heart failure who underwent CCM placement at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from February to June 2022. With a follow-up of 3 months, CCM sensation, impedance, percent output, and work time were monitored, and patients were compared with pre-and 3-month postoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) values, and 6-minute walk test distance and New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function classification, and the occurrence of complications was recorded.Results:CCM was successfully implanted in all 9 patients. Seven(7/9) of them were male, aged (56±14) years, 3 patients had ischaemic cardiomyopathy and 6 patients had dilated cardiomyopathy. At 3-month postoperative follow-up, threshold was stable, sense was significantly lower at follow-up than before (right ventricle: (16.3±7.0) mV vs. (8.2±1.1) mV, P<0.05; local sense: (15.7±4.9) mV vs. (6.7±2.5) mV, P<0.05), and impedance was significantly lower at follow-up than before (right ventricle (846±179) Ω vs. (470±65) Ω, P<0.05, local sense: (832±246) Ω vs. (464±63) Ω, P<0.05). The CCM output percentage was (86.9±10.7) %, the output amplitude was (6.7±0.4) V, and the daily operating time was (8.6±1.0) h. LVEF was elevated compared to preoperative ((29.4±5.2) % vs. (38.3±4.3) %, P<0.05), the 6-minute walk test was significantly longer than before ((96.8±66.7)m vs. (289.3±121.7)m, P<0.05). No significant increase in the number of NYHA Class Ⅲ-Ⅳ patients was seen (7/9 vs. 2/9, P>0.05). The patient was not re-hospitalised for worsening heart failure symptoms, had no malignant arrhythmic events and experienced significant relief of symptoms such as chest tightness and shortness of breath. No postoperative complications related to pocket hematoma, pocket infection and rupture, electrode detachment, valve function impairment, pericardial effusion, or cardiac perforation were found. Conclusions:CCM has better short-term safety and efficacy in patients with heart failure.

Objective To explore the association of the magnitude of systolic blood pressure reduction(SBPr)with post-procedure 24 h symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage(sICH)and 90-day clinical outcomes in patients with successful endovascular thrombectomy(EVT).Methods Consecutively registered patients with EVT caused by anterior circulation large vessel occlusion stroke(LVOS)in the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College(Yijishan Hospital)between July 2015 and April 2023 and patients with successful reperfusion were analyzed.Demographic data,medical history(hypertension,diabetes),the trial of Org 10172 in acute stroke treatment(TOAST)classification,the baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)score and the baseline Alberta stroke early CT(ASPECT)score of patients were collected.And procedure related parameters(including time from onset to puncture,time from onset to reperfusion,occluded site[internal carotid artery,M1 segment of middle cerebral artery,M2 segment of middle cerebral artery],collateral circulation status[determined based on preoperative occluded angiography showing the range of collateral circulation in the occluded vessel area,defined as good collateral circulation with a reflux range of ≥ 50％and poor collateral circulation with a reflux range of＜50％]),immediate postoperative reperfusion status(evaluated using the modified thrombolysis for cerebral infarction[mTICI]grading,successful reperfusion defined as mTICI grading of 2b-3),24 hours sICH,and 90 days clinical outcomes(evaluated using the modified Rankin scale score at 90days after EVT,with a score ≤ 2indicating a good prognosis and a score＞2indicating a poor prognosis).SBPr was defined as(baseline SBP-mean SBP)/baseline SBP x 100％.According to the the magnitude of SBPr,SBPr is divided into 5 categories(＜-10％,-10％-10％,＞10％-20％,＞20％-30％and＞30％).Based on the clinical outcomes at 90 days and the occurrence of sICH at 24 hours after EVT,patients were divided into a good prognosis group and a poor prognosis group,as well as an sICH group and a non-sICH group.The relationship between SBPr and postoperative 90 days clinical prognosis or sICH was analyzed using a binary Logistic regression model.Subgroup analysis was conducted based on a history of hypertension(yes and no),continuous intravenous hypotensive therapy(yes and no),baseline ASPECT scores(3-5 and 6-10),and collateral circulation status(good and bad).Using a restricted cubic plot to depict the relationship between SBPr and sICH and clinical prognosis at 90days.Results(1)In total,731 patients were included.The median age was 71(62,77)years and 424(58.0％)were men.The median baseline NIHSS score was 14(12,18),the median baseline ASPECT was 9(7,10),405(55.4％)patients achieved 90-day modified Rankin scale score 0-2,and 35 patients(4.8％)developed sICH.(2)Multivariate analysis showed that the older age(OR,1.036,95％CI 1.017-1.056),the higher baseline NIHSS score(OR,1.095,95％CI1.049-1.144),the lower baseline ASPECT score(OR,0.704,95％CI 0.636-0.780),diabetes(OR,1.729,95％CI 1.084-2.758),bad collateral circulation(good collateral circulation vs.bad collateral circulation,OR,0.481,95％CI 0.332-0.696)and SBPr＞30％(SBPr-10％-10％as a reference,OR,2.238,95％CI 1.230-4.071),the higher the risk of poor clinical outcomes at 90 days(all P＜0.05).Continuous intravenous hypotensive therapy is a risk factor for postoperative 24 h sICH(OR,2.278,95％CI 1.047-4.953;P=0.038),while SBPr 20％-30％is associated with a lower risk of postoperative 24 h sICH(SBPr-10％-10％as a reference,OR,0.362,95％CI0.131-0.998;P=0.049).(3)The restrictive cube plot shows that there is a U-shaped relationship between SBPr after EVT and poor clinical outcomes at 90 days,while there is a nearly linear relationship with the occurrence of sICH.The more SBP reduction,the lower the incidence of sICH.(4)In the subgroup analyses,in the non-hypertension history and the good collateral circulation group,SBPr＞30％has a higher risk of poor clinical outcomes compared to SBPr-10％-10％(OR and 95％CI were 2.921[1.000-8.528]and 2.363[1.078-5.183],respectively,with P=0.05 or P＜0.05);After EVT,the group receiving continuous intravenous hypotensive therapy and the baseline ASPECT score 6-10 groups showed a significant correlation between SBPr＞30％and poor clinical outcomes at 90 days(SBPr-10％-10％as a reference,OR and 95％CI were 2.646[1.168-5.993]and 2.481[1.360-4.527],respectively,with P＜0.05).The correlation between SBPr and lower incidence of sICH was only found in the subgroup of poor collateral circulation(SBPr-10％-10％as a reference,SBPr＞20％-30％:OR,0.133,95％CI 0.027-0.652;SBPr＞30％:OR,0.104,95％CI 0.013-0.864;all P＜0.05).Conclusions Among patients who achieved successful reperfusion with EVT,SBPr might be related to a worse functional outcome at 90 days and sICH 24 h after operation.However,the relationship may exhibit significant heterogeneity across different subgroups.Baseline ASPECT score,history of hypertension,collateral circulation,and the use of continuous venous hypertension after EVT have been highlighted in individualized blood pressure management after EVT.

Objective To investigate the influencing factors for acute multiple vessels occlusion(MVO)and its impact on the prognosis of patients with anterior circulation acute large vessel occlusion stroke(ALVOS)who achieved successful recanalization after endovascular treatment(EVT).Methods Patients with anterior circulation ALVOS who received successful EVT at the Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College between July 2015 and April 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Baseline data,including age,sex,onset-to-puncture time(OTP),onset-to-recanalization time(OTR),medical history(including atrial fibrillation,diabetes,hypertension),alcohol and smoking history,admission blood pressure(systolic and diastolic),Alberta stroke program early CT score(ASPECTS),National Institutes of Health stroke scale(NIHSS)score,trial of Org 10172 in acute stroke treatment(TOAST)classification(atherosclerotic type,cardioembolic type,and other etiology types),and 90-day modified Rankin scale(mRS)score were collected.Collateral circulation was assessed based on the degree of contrast agent reflux observed in the occluded arterial supply area during delayed DSA,and patients were classified into poor and good collateral circulation groups.Malignant cerebral edema was defined as a midline shift of ≥5 mm on the follow-up CT scan performed on day 3 post-surgery.The primary endpoint(efficacy indicator)was the 90-day mRS score,with mRS score≤ 2 considered as a good prognosis and mRS score＞2 considered as a poor prognosis.The secondary endpoint(safety indicator)was the 90-day mortality rate.All patients were divided into MVO and non-MVO groups based on whether they had single or multiple intracranial vessel occlusions.Acute MVO was defined as the detection of acute occlusion of other large or medium vessels,in addition to the main vessels(internal carotid artery or M1/M2 segments of the middle crebral artery[MCA]),in CT angiography,MR angiography,or DSA,resulting in ischemia in brain regions distinct from the main occlusion area.Factors that showed statistically significant differences in univariate analysis were further analyzed using multivariate Logistic regression to identify the risk factors for the occurrence of acute MVO and the factors associated with the prognosis of ALVOS patients.Results A total of 846 patients with ALVOS were included,with ages ranging from 26 to 94 years(mean age[69±11]years).The proportion of male patients was 57.2％(484/846).The median admission ASPECTS was 8(7,9)and the median admission NIHSS score was 14(12,18).The incidence of malignant cerebral edema at 3 days post-surgery was 13.4％(112/835),and the 90-day mortality rate was 19.1％(162/846).(1)Among the 846 ALVOS patients,810(95.7％)were in the non-MVO group and 36(4.3％)were in the MVO group.Univariate analysis showed significant differences between the MVO and non-MVO groups in terms of atrial fibrillation,malignant cerebral edema,admission ASPECTS,admission NIHSS scores,TOAST classification,collateral circulation,rate of complete recanalization,and 90-day poor prognosis rate(all P＜0.05).However,there was no statistically significant difference in 90-day mortality between the two groups(P=0.193).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that TOAST classification of cardioembolic type(OR,16.089,95％CI 1.835-141.061,P=0.012)and other etiology types(OR,9.768,95％CI 1.078-88.540,P=0.043)were associated with the occurrence of MVO.(2)Among the 846 ALVOS patients,445 had a good prognosis at 90days,and 401 had a poor prognosis.Univariate analysis showed that,compared to the good prognosis group,the poor prognosis group had a lower proportion of males and smokers,and a higher proportion of patients with older age,higher baseline systolic blood pressure,hypertension,diabetes,and atrial fibrillation(all P＜0.01).Additionally,the poor prognosis group had higher admission NIHSS scores(P＜0.01),lower admission ASPECTS,lower rates of good collateral circulation and complete recanalization,higher rates of malignant cerebral edema and MVO,and statistically significant differences in TOAST classification distribution(all P＜0.01).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that MVO was associated with poor 90-day prognosis in ALVOS patients after EVT(OR,3.368,95％CI 1.149-9.878,P=0.027).Furthermore,older age(OR,1.045,95％CI 1.025-1.066),diabetes(OR,1.719,95％CI 1.080-2.734),higher baseline systolic blood pressure(OR,1.012,95％CI 1.004-1.019),lower admission ASPECTS(OR,0.746,95％CI 0.674-0.826),higher admission NIHSS score(OR,1.115,95％CI 1.070-1.162),without immediate postoperative complete recanalization(OR,0.413,95％CI 0.290-0.592),poor collateral circulation(OR,0.594,95％CI 0.415-0.851),and malignant cerebral edema(OR,6.191,95％CI 3.026-12.670)were all associated with poor 90-day prognosis after EVT in ALVOS patients(all P＜0.05).Conclusions The TOAST classification of cardioembolic type and other etiology types is associated with MVO.MVO is a risk factor for poor outcomes after successful EVT in ALVOS patients.

Objective:To observe and investigate the effect of HIF-2α in the process of neovascularization of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).Methods:Retrospective clinical study. From July 2014 to July 2015, 60 eyes of 57 PDR patients diagnosed in Ophthalmology Department of Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University were included in the study. Twenty-eight eyes of 27 patients received intravitreal injections of 0.5 mg ranibizumab (0.05 ml) at 2-7 days before surgery (ranibizumab group) and other 32 eyes of 30 patients did not (group without ranibizumab). Eighteen eyes of 18 patients with epiretinal membranes were included as controls. Pathological specimens of PDR fibrovascular membrane and premacular membrane were obtained during vitrectomy. The immunohistochemical staining and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) were used to detecting the expression of HIF-2α, Dll4 and VEGF. Kruskal-wallis test was used to compare the expression differences of correlation factors between groups. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the two variables.Results:The immunohistochemical staining revealed that there were positive expression of HIF-2α, Dll4 and VEGF in all PDR membranes, regardless of the injection of the ranibizumab. The levels of HIF-2α, Dll4 and VEGF protein in the group without ranibizumab were higher than those of the ranibizumab group ( t=4.36, 6.01, 4.82; P=0.000, 0.008, 0.016). RT-PCR showed that the differences of the mRNA expression of HIF-2α, Dll4 and VEGF were all statistically significant among the PDR patients and controls ( H=18.81,19.60, 20.50; P=0.000, 0.000, 0.000). The expression of HIF-2α, Dll4 and VEGF in the PDR membranes was higher than that of epiretinal membranes from non-diabetic patients. In the PDR patients,the expression of HIF-2α, Dll4 and VEGF of the group without ranibizumab was higher than that of the ranibizumab group. The spearman correlation analysis showed that the expression of mRNA between HIF-2α and Dll4, HIF-2α and VEGF were both significantly correlated ( r=0.95, 0.87; P<0.05). Conclusions:The expression of HIF-2α in the PDR membranes was higher than that of the controls. It is positively correlated with the expression of the DLL4 and VEGF.

Objective:To explore the application value of sevoflurane inhalation anesthesia in mitral valve replacement.Methods:A total of 94 patients who underwent mitral valve replacement in our hospital (October 2016-October 2018) were randomly divided into the control group ( n=47) and the observation group ( n=47). The control group received target-controlled infusion of propofol, and the observation group inhaled sevoflurane.The postoperative conditions [intensive care unit (ICU) stay time, extubation time of tracheal tube, spontaneous cardiac rebound], hemodynamic indexes [mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR)], serum creatine phosphokinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the two groups were analyzed. The patients were followed up for one month. The incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) was calculated. Results:⑴ Postoperative situation: the time of stay in ICU and extubation of tracheal tube in the observation group was shorter than that in the control group, and the rate of spontaneous cardiac rebound (93.62%) was higher than that in the control group (72.34%) ( P<0.05); ⑵ Hemodynamic index level: there was no statistically significant difference in MAP and HR levels between two groups before operation, before cardiopulmonary bypass, after cardiopulmonary bypass, and after operation ( P>0.05); ⑶ CK-MB and cTnI: the levels of serum CK-MB and cTnI in the two groups were higher at 2, 6, 24, and 48 h after aortic cross-clamp release than before anesthesia induction, but the indicators of the observation group were lower than those in the control group; ⑷ MDA and SOD: the serum SOD level in the two groups at 2, 6, 24, and 48 h after aortic cross-clamp release were lower than before anesthesia induction, and the MDA level in the two groups at 2, 6, 24, and 48 h after aortic cross-clamp release were higher than before anesthesia induction. The level of SOD in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, and the level of MDA was lower than that in the control group ( P<0.05); ⑸ MACE: the incidence of MACE in the observation group (12.77%) was lower than that of the control group (29.79%) ( P<0.05). Conclusions:During mitral valve replacement, sevoflurane inhalation anesthesia can maintain hemodynamic stability. The duration of ICU stay and tracheal tube extubation time is shorter, and the fluctuation of serum CK-MB, cTnI, MDA and SOD is small, and it can reduce the risk of MACE.

Objective To observe the influence of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSC) transplanted into the tail vein of diabetic rats on apoptosis of retinal neurons and the retinal expression level of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).Methods Seventy clean male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the normal control group (group A),diabetes mellitus (DM) only group (group B),DM + balanced salt solution (BSS) group (group C),DM + hUCMSC group (group D),with 10 rats in each group.DM rats were induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin.Apoptosis of retinal cells was assayed by dUTP nick end labeling.Immunohistochemistry and Western blot was performed to detect the retinal expressions of GFAP in rats.Results Compared with group A,large numbers of apoptotic cells could be found in the retinal ganglion cell layer (GCL) and inner nuclear layer (INL) of group B and group C,however the apoptotic cells in group D were significantly reduced than group B and C.The expression of GFAP was mainly located in the retinal GCL and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) in group A,throughout the inner plexiform layer (IPL) in group B and C,only distributed in RNFL and GCL in group D.It was obvious that the expression of GFAP in group B and C was higher than group A.Compared with group B and C,the expression of GFAP in group D was significantly reduced.The difference of GFAP expression among the 4 groups was significant (F=79.635,P＜0.05).Conclusion hUCMSC could inhibit the apoptosis of retinal cells and activation of glial cells in early DM rats.

Objective To explore the effect of regional synergistic treatment system on the treatment time and short-term prognosis of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).Methods A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of STEMI patients who admitted to emergency center of Suzhou Kowloon Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) from January 2013 to January 2017 were conducted. All patients were divided into two groups, group A was the patients who underwent the PPCI before the establishment of the acute chest pain area co-treatment system (from January 2013 to December 2014), and group B was the patients who received the treatment after the establishment of the area co-treatment system (from January 2015 to January 2017). The length of time from onset of symptoms to the balloon dilatation (S2B), the length of time from the first medical contact to the balloon dilatation (FMC2B), the length of time from entering the gate of hospital to the balloon dilatation (D2B), and the incidence of 90-day end point events (including heart failure, all-cause death, and other related adverse events) were collected. The relations of the establishment of the acute chest pain area co-treatment system and the incidence of 90-day end point events were analyzed by multivariable Logistic regression analysis.Results Among the 221 enrolled patients with STEMI, 83 patients were in group A and 138 patients were in group B respectively. Compared with group A, S2B time [minutes: 180 (140, 210) vs. 201 (154, 225)], FMC2B time [minutes: 89 (78, 100) vs. 94 (83, 107)] and D2B time [minutes: 66 (62, 70) vs. 85 (72, 99)] were significantly shortened in group B (allP < 0.05), the incidence of 90-day end point events were significantly decreased (heart failure:20.3％ vs. 32.5％, all-cause death: 1.4％ vs. 7.2％, other related adverse events: 23.2％ vs. 36.1％, allP < 0.05). It was shown by multivariable Logistic regression analysis that the establishment of the acute chest pain area co-treatment system could lower the incidence of 90-day end point events [heart failure: odds ratio (OR) = 1.904, 95％ confidence interval (95％CI) = 0.968-1.004, P = 0.048; all-cause death:OR = 11.724, 95％CI = 0.955-1.048,P = 0.013; other related adverse events:OR = 1.925, 95％CI = 1.049-3.530,P = 0.034].Conclusion The construction of regional synergistic treatment system can shorten the emergency treatment time of STEMI patients and reduce the incidence of 90-day end point events including heart failure and death.

Objective o observe the expression of Notch1 and Delta-like ligand 4 (Dll4) on the fibrovascular membranes in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR),and investigate its relationship with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2).Methods Fifty-seven PDR patients (60 eyes) who underwent vitrectomy were enrolled in this study.The PDR patients were divided into non-injection group (30 patients,32 eyes) and injection group (27 patients,28 eyes).The eyes in injection group received intravitreal injection with ranibizumab at 2 to 7 days before surgery.The preretinal fibrovascular membranes were obtained from the PDR patients during vitrectomy.Eighteen epiretinal membranes were obtained from the non-diabetic patients was served as controls.The real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical methods were used to detecting the expression ofNotch1,Dll4 and VEGFR2.In the meantime,the numbers of the nucleus of vascular endothelial cells in the membranes stained with hematoxylin were counted.Results The immunohistochemical staining revealed that there were positive expression ofNotch1,Dll4 and VEGFR2 in all PDR membranes,regardless of the injection of the ranibizumab.The levels ofNotch1,Dll4 and VEGFR2 protein in non-injection group were higher than those of injection group (t=3.45,6.01,4.08;P=0.030,0.008,0.023).In injection group,the number of endothelial cells in the membranes reduced (17.17 ± 2.48) compared with that of the non-injection group (41.50± 5.57).There was significant difference in the number of endothelial cells in the membranes between the two groups (t=9.58,P＜0.05).RT-PCR showed that the differences of the mRNA expression ofNotch1,Dll4 and VEGFR2 were all statistically significant among the PDR group and control group (H=12.50,12.50,12.02;P＜0.05).The expression ofNotch1,Dll4 and VEGFR2 in the PDR membranes was higher than that of epiretinal membranes from non-diabetic patients.In the PDR group,the expression of Notch1,Dll4 and VEGFR2 of non-injection group was higher than that of injection group.Spearman correlation analysis showed that the expression of mRNA between VEGFR2 and Dll4 (r=0.83),VEGFR2 and Notch1 (r=0.81),Notch1 and Dll4 (r=0.87) were all significantly correlated (P＜0.05).Conclusions The expression of Notch1 and Dll4 in the PDR membranes are higher than that of the control group,and it is positively correlated with the expression of the VEGFR2.Notchl and Dll4 play a regulatory rule in the neovascularization in PDR,the acting way may be correlated with VEGFR2.

OBJECTIVETo observe the difference in the analgesic effect on primary dysmenorrheal between acupuncture and sham acupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP 6) during menstrual pain and evaluate the impact of psychological effect on acupuncture analgesia.

METHODSSixty subjects were randomized into an acupuncture group and a sham acupuncture group, 30 cases in each one. The conventional acupuncture and sham acupuncture were applied to Sanyinjiao (SP 6) on bilateral sides when menstrual pain began to attack and needles were retained for 30 min each time. Three menstrual cycles were required. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was adopted to determine the scores before and 0. 5 h, 1 h, 3 h, 6 h and 12 h after acupuncture during menstrual pain in each cycle separately.

RESULTSIn the acupuncture group, VAS score at each time point after acupuncture was reduced as compared with that at the previous one during menstrual pain in each menstrual cycle, indicating the significant difference (all P<0. 05). In the sham acupuncture group, the scores in 6 h and 12 h of acupuncture were reduced as compared with the previous one, indicating the significant difference (all P<0. 05). After acupuncture, VAS score at each time point in the acupuncture group was lower than that in the sham acupuncture group (all P<0. 05).

CONCLUSIONThe conventional acupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP 6) achieves the significant analgesic effect on primary dysmenorrheal. The psychological placebo effect of sham acupuncture has no obvious impact on acupuncture analgesia.

Acupuncture Analgesia ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Dysmenorrhea ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Menstrual Cycle ; Placebo Effect ; Young Adult