OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Tiaoshu Anshen (regulating the hinge and calming the mind) acupuncture on sleep quality and serum levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) in patients with chronic insomnia. METHODS: A total of 58 patients with chronic insomnia were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a medication group, 29 cases in each group. Tiaoshu Anshen acupuncture was applied at Baihui (GV20) and bilateral Shenmen (HT7), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Benshen (GB13) in the acupuncture group, once a day, 1-day interval was taken after 6 consecutive days of treatment. Estazolam tablet was given orally before bed in the medication group, 1 mg each time. The 4-week treatment was required in both groups. Before and after treatment, the sleep quality was assessed by Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and polysomnography (PSG), the serum levels of 5-HT and DA were detected by ELISA. RESULTS: After treatment, the item scores and total scores of PSQI were decreased compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05); in the acupuncture group, the scores of sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep disorders and total score of PSQI were lower than those in the medication group (P<0.05). After treatment, the total sleep time (TST) was prolonged (P<0.05), the sleep latency (SL) and wake after sleep onset (WASO) were shortened (P<0.05), the sleep efficiency (SE%), percentage of non-rapid eye movement stage 3 (N3%), percentage of rapid eye movement stage (REM%) and serum levels of 5-HT were increased (P<0.05) compared with those before treatment; the percentage of non-rapid eye movement stage 1 (N1%), percentage of non-rapid eye movement stage 2 (N2%) and serum levels of DA were decreased (P<0.05) compared with those before treatment in the two groups. After treatment, in the acupuncture group, TST was longer, while SL and WASO were shorter than those in the medication group (P<0.05), SE%, N3%, REM% and serum level of 5-HT were higher, while N1%, N2% and serum level of DA were lower than those in the medication group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Tiaoshu Anshen acupuncture may improve the sleep quality by regulating the serum neurotransmitter levels i.e. 5-HT and DA in patients with chronic insomnia.
Humans ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/physiopathology* ; Male ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Serotonin/blood* ; Sleep Quality ; Acupuncture Points ; Dopamine/blood* ; Aged ; Neurotransmitter Agents/blood* ; Young Adult

Objective To observe the effect of electroacupuncture of Siguan on contents of hippocampal monoamine neurotransmitter NE, DA and 5-HT in post-stroke depression rats, and throught it to probe the possible mechanism of anti-depressive.Methods 60 rats were divided into five groups randomly, as the normal group, MCAO group, PSD group, Siguan group, and fluoxetine group. Except the normal group, the rats of other groups were used to establish left side of the MCAO models by modified Longa filament method. PSD model was prepared by living alone in combination with mild stimulation by chronic unpredictable after stroke model success 7 days. The Siguan group was received electroacupuncture at Siguan point, and the fluoxetine group was gastrically perfused with fluoxetine, and all rats were received sugar consumption experiment in different period of treatment. After continuous treatment for 21 days, contents of NE, DA and 5-HT in hippocampal tissue were measured with RP-HPLC-fluorescent method. Results At the seventh day, compared with PSD group, the ratio of sugar water consumption(51.09%± 3.68%vs. 38.97%± 4.07%)has a significant increase in the Siguan group(P<0.01), while no significant changes in the fluoxetine group. At the fourteenth day, the ratio of sugar water consumption(68.25%± 4.69%vs. 39.64%± 4.49%)continued to rise in the Siguan group, the fluoxetine group also had significantly increased compared with the PSD group, the two groups were significantly higher than those in the PSD group (P<0.01), but the Siguan group was higher than that of the fluoxetine group(P<0.01).At the twenty-first day, the ratio of sugar water consumption (41.56%± 2.12%vs. 41.56%± 2.12%)increased further in the Siguan group and the fluoxetine group, which was significantly higher than those in the PSD group (P<0.01), but the Siguan group and fluoxetine group had no obvious difference(P>0.05). Compared with the PSD group,the contents of NE(244.93 ± 44.57 ng/g vs. 129.27 ± 11.68 ng/g), DA(86.80 ± 14.64 ng/g vs.44.22 ± 7.60 ng/g), 5-HT(526.31 ± 54.41 ng/g vs.221.56 ± 39.57 ng/g) in the hippocampus tissues were significantly higher than many in the Siguan group and fluoxetine group(P<0.01), but the difference between the two groups was not obvious(P>0.05). Conclusion The symptoms of PSD rats pleasure disappeared can be improved by electroacupuncture atSiguan. Its mechanism may be related with the increased contents of monoamine neurotransmitters in the hippocampus of rats.

Based on ancient literature of acupuncture in Canon of Chinese Medicine (4th edition), the articles regarding acupuncture for urinary incontinence were retrieved and collected to establish a database. By Weka data mining software, the multi-level association rules analysis method was applied to analyze the acupoints selection characteristics and rules of ancient acupuncture for treatment of urinary incontinence. Totally 356 articles of acupuncture for urinary incontinence were collected, involving 41 acupoints with a total frequency of 364. As a result, (1) the acupoints in the yin-meridian of hand and foot were highly valued, as the frequency of acupoints in yin-meridians was 2.6 times than that in yang-meridians, and the frequency of acupoints selected was the most in the liver meridian of foot-jueyin; (2) the acupoints in bladder meridian of foot-taiyang were also highly valued, and among three yang-meridians of foot, the frequency of acupoints in the bladder meridian of foot-taiyang was 54, accounting for 65.85% (54/82); (3) more acupoints selected were located in the lower limbs and abdomen; (4) specific acupoints in above meridians were mostly selected, presenting 73.2% (30/41) to the ratio of number and 79.4% (289/364) to the frequency, respectively; (5) Zhongji (CV 3), the front-mu point of bladder meridian, was seldom selected in the ancient acupuncture literature, which was different from modern literature reports. The results show that urinary incontinence belongs to external genitalia diseases, which should be treated from yin, indicating more yin-meridians be used and special acupoints be focused on. It is essential to focus inheritance and innovation in TCM clinical treatment, and applying data mining technology to ancient literature of acupuncture could provide classic theory basis for TCM clinical treatment.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; history ; China ; Data Mining ; Databases, Bibliographic ; history ; History, 15th Century ; History, 16th Century ; History, 17th Century ; History, 18th Century ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; History, Ancient ; History, Medieval ; Humans ; Medicine in Literature ; Urinary Incontinence ; history ; therapy