An Association Rule Analysis of Combined Acupoints for the Treatment of Patients with Dry Eye Disease

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Dry eye disease (DED) has a higher incidence in old age and is seen predominantly in females worldwide. Neurosensory abnormalities, ocular surface inflammation and damage, film instability, and hyperosmolarity are major and proven pathologies responsible for a poor quality of life. Tear breakup time and Schirmer’s I test are predominantly used for the evaluation of primary outcomes in patients undergoing conventional treatment. A previous meta-analysis of some relevant studies proved that combination of acupoints could be more effective than single acupoint treatment. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> The present study aimed to undertake association rule mining and examined the potential kernel acupoint combination in DED treatment constructed from the extracted randomized controlled trials (RCTs) based on a previous meta-analysis. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We summarized 32 acupoints as binary data from the 12 eligible RCTs and analyzed them based on the Apriori algorithm. <b><i>Results:</i></b> TE23, BL2, ST2, ST1, EX-HN5, BL1, LI4, ST36, SP6, and KI3 were the 10 most frequently selected acupoints. The major associated rules in combination of acupoints were {TE23, LI4} ≥ {ST1} and {TE23, ST1} ≥ {LI4}, as inferred from 23 association rules. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> For acupuncture treatment of DED, combined TE23, LI4, and ST1 acupoints could be settled as the kernel of acupoint combination.

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“…Further study is required to identify and describe the symptoms of Dry Eye Disease flares, as well as to help doctors diagnose the condition early and treat patients who are experiencing flares in a timely, effective, and controlled manner. [21] Most topical medications try to replace the deficient growth factor or reduce inflammation on the surface of the eye. Most new devices and procedures are aimed at treating meibomian gland dysfunction, and one new device uses the nasolacrimal duct reflex pathway to stimulate tear production.…”

East Asian Herbal Medicine to Reduce Primary Pain and Adverse Events in Cancer Patients : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis With Association Rule Mining to Identify Core Herb Combination

“…Mining of frequent hub itemsets and association rules was performed according to the Apriori algorithm method for discovering meaningful relationships between variables in a large database ( Agrawal et al, 1993 ). Through this, it is possible to identify the elements composing the data and the relationship between the elements, and it is being used in various types of medical research aimed at predicting the characteristics of interventions ( Leem et al, 2018 ; Hsieh et al, 2020 ; Lin et al, 2021 ).…”

East Asian herbal medicine for cancer pain

“…Mining of frequent hub item sets and association rules will be performed according to the Apriori algorithm method for discovering meaningful relationships between variables in a large database [26] . Through this, it is possible to identify the elements composing the data and the relationship between the elements, and it is being used in various types of medical research aimed at predicting the characteristics of interventions [27–29] …”

“…[26] Through this, it is possible to identify the elements composing the data and the relationship between the elements, and it is being used in various types of medical research aimed at predicting the characteristics of interventions. [27][28][29] In the Apriori algorithm, support, confidence, and lift are the main metrics for measuring association. A rule is defined as an expression X⇒Y where X, Y ⊆ I and X∩Y = ∅.…”