The aim of this study was to investigate whether contralateral moxibustion would generate a similar analgesic effect with ipsilateral moxibustion. Contra- and ipsilateral moxibustion were separately applied to Zusanli (ST36) acupoints of inflammatory pain mice. The analgesic effect was evaluated, respectively, by licking/biting time (LBT) of formalin-induced inflammatory pain and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) of complete Freund’s adjuvant- (CFA-) induced inflammatory pain. For formalin-induced pain, compared with formalin group, the total LBT of ipsi- and contralateral moxibustion reduced in both phase I and phase II, but there was no significant difference between ipsi- and contralateral moxibustion. For CFA-induced inflammatory pain, compared with CFA group, TWL of ipsi- and contra-Moxi groups increased immediately after moxibustion intervention; however there was no obvious difference between ipsi- and contralateral moxibustion at any timepoint. It indicated that contralateral moxibustion had a similar analgesic effect with ipsilateral moxibustion in both formalin- and CFA-induced pain. These results suggest that both ipsi- and contralateral moxibustion could be applied for pain relief.

The aim of this study was to determine whether variation of temperature during moxibustion would generate division of analgesic effect. The moxibustion with different temperatures (37°C, 42°C, 47°C, and 52°C) was applied to ST36 acupoint for 30 minutes in chronic inflammatory or neuropathic pain mice. The analgesic effect was evaluated by thermal hyperalgesia test in chronic inflammatory pain and by mechanical allodynia in neuropathic pain, respectively. The results indicated that interventions of moxibustion with different temperature caused different analgesic effect on either chronic inflammatory induced by injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) or neuropathic pain induced by spared nerve injury (SNI). In chronic inflammatory pain, different moxibustion temperature generated different intensity of analgesic effect: the higher the better. In chronic neuropathic pain, stronger analgesic effect was found in moxibustion with temperature 47°C or 52°C other than 37°C and 42°C. However, there is no significant difference displayed between moxibustion temperatures 47°C and 52°C or 37°C and 42°C. It implies that the temperature should be taken into account for moxibustion treatment to chronic inflammatory or neuropathic pain.

Background: The Compound Danshen Dripping Pills have been widely used in the treatment of DR, but there is a lack of systematic review of reports on this topic. To explore the efficacy of Compound Danshen Dripping Pills combined with western medicine in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy, we conducted a meta-analysis. Methods: Randomized controlled trials published in the Chinese Medical Literature Database (CBM), Embase, PubMed, and Medline databases from January 2010 to August 2021 were searched. After screening the qualified literature, literature quality was evaluated by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Meta-analysis was performed on outcome measures including effective rate, visual field gray value, hemangioma volume, hemorrhagic plaque area, and visual acuity after diabetic retinopathy treatment with Compound Danshen Dripping Pills using Revman 5.3 analysis software to comprehensively evaluate the utility of Compound Danshen Dripping Pills. Results: A total of 167 documents were preliminarily searched, and 8 studies involving 524 patients were included for meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed that the statistical value of the effective rate of diabetic retinopathy treatment in the intervention group and control group was OR =5.00, 95% CI (2.84, 8.83), P<0.0001. The statistical value of visual field gray value comparison was MD =−0.93, 95% CI (−0.98, −0.89), P<0.00001. The statistical value of hemangioma volume was MD =−3.16, 95% CI (−3.48, −2.84), P<0.00001. The statistical value of hemorrhagic plaque area comparison was MD =−0.65, 95% CI (−0.97, −0.32), P<0.0001. The statistical value of visual acuity comparison was MD =0.15, 95% CI (0.10, 0.19), P<0.00001. Discussion: The Compound Danshen Dripping Pills combined with western medicine are effective and safe in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy.

Introduction: Proliferative vitreous retinopathy (PVR) is characterized by proliferation of cells and contraction of membranes on either the retinal surface or in the vitreous cavity, which leads to retinal detachment and visual impairment. PVR is commonly seen in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and diabetic retinopathy, which seriously affects the patient's work and life. Previous studies indicated that Hirudo (Leech) or compound prescription containing Hirudo (Leech) for treatment of PVR would be effective. However, due to the lack of evidence, there are no specific methods or suggestions, so it is necessary to carry out systematic evaluations on Hirudo (Leech) for PVR and provide effective evidence for further research. Methods and analysis: The following 8 databases will be searched: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, VIP Database, and Wanfang Database. All randomized controlled trials in English or Chinese related to Hirudo (Leech) for PVR will be included. Outcomes will include change in Vitreous opacity, Vision changes, production of the anterior macular membrane, and retinal detachment again. The incidence of adverse events will be assessed for safety evaluation. Study inclusion, data extraction and quality assessment will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. Assessment of risk of bias and data synthesis will be performed using Review Manager V.5.3. Results: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we will synthesize the studies to assess the safety and efficacy of Hirudo (Leech) for PVR. Conclusion: The summary of our study will clarify whether Hirudo (Leech) therapy could be an efficient and safe method for PVR, which can further guide the promotion and application of it. Open Science Framework (OSF) registration number: 10.17605/OSF.IO/FP7VG (https://osf.io/fp7vg)

IntroductionPrimary retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a common hereditary retinal disease in ophthalmology that has a considerable impact on quality of life, but there are few effective therapeutic strategies. This trial aims to determine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture (SA) for RP.Methods and analysisThis is a study protocol for a randomised, participant-blind, sham-controlled trial. 64 eligible patients with RP will randomly be divided into acupuncture group and SA group. All groups will receive 48 sessions over 3 months. Participants will complete the trial by visiting the research centre in month 6/9 for a follow-up assessment. The primary outcome is visual field mean sensitivity and visual field mean deviation at month 3/6/9 compared with baseline. Secondary outcomes include the best-corrected visual acuity, central macular thickness, subfoveal choroidal thicknes, traditional Chinese medicine syndrome score and the scale of life quality for diseases with visual impairment at month 3/6/9 compared with baseline. Adverse events and safety indexes will be recorded throughout the study. SPSS V.25.0 statistical software was used for analysis, and measurement data were expressed as mean±SD.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (approval no: ChiECRCT20200460). The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, and trial participants will be informed via email and/or phone calls.Trial registration numberChiCTR2000041090.