Acupuncture expectancy scale: development and preliminary validation in China

Temporal Summation but Not Expectations of Pain Relief Predict Response to Acupuncture Treatment in Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common chronic pain condition for which acupuncture treatment is increasingly utilized. However, there is no universally accepted measure to predict whether a specific patient will benefit from acupuncture. This is a single-center, single-blind, sham-controlled, randomized, noncrossover, longitudinal trial of 76 subjects with FM, assigned to either electroacupuncture (EA) or a placebo control, mock laser (ML) acupuncture. Outcome measures included clinical pain severity (Brief Pain Inventory [BPI]), degree of nociplastic pain (Fibromyalgia Survey Questionnaire), and pressure pain tolerance (PPtol). Baseline measures of temporal summation of pain and expectations for treatment relief were used as predictors. Individuals in both treatment groups experienced significant reductions in BPI (EA: P < .001, ML: P = .018) and Fibromyalgia Survey Questionnaire (EA: P = .032, ML: P = .002) after treatment; however, neither group showed a significant increase in PPtol. Lower temporal summation at baseline was correlated with greater post-treatment improvement in BPI in the EA group (rho = .389, P = .025) but not in the ML group (rho = -.272, P = .109). Lower-baseline temporal summation was correlated with greater decreases in PPtol following EA (rho = .400, P = .040), whereas the opposite was seen for ML (rho = -.562, P = .001). Treatment expectancy at baseline was not correlated with any outcome after EA or ML treatments. Our results support using a quantitative sensory testing metric, temporal summation of pain, but not expectations, to predict analgesia following acupuncture treatment for pain. PERSPECTIVE: A randomized study of acupuncture in FM found baseline temporal summation, but not expectations of pain relief, to be predictive of treatment response. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered under ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02064296.

How does pretreatment expectancy influence pain outcomes with electroacupuncture and battlefield acupuncture in cancer survivors?: Pretreatment expectancy and pain reduction by acupuncture

Background

Outcome expectancy is an important component of non-specific effect that may play an important role in pain research and clinical care. We sought to evaluate whether pretreatment expectancy predicts pain reduction in cancer survivors receiving electroacupuncture (EA) or battlefield acupuncture (BFA).

Methods

We analyzed data from a randomized clinical trial that compared EA and BFA versus wait list control (WLC) for chronic musculoskeletal pain in cancer survivors. Expectancy was measured by the Acupuncture Expectancy Scale (AES) at baseline. Pain severity was assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) at baseline and week 12. For each treatment arm, multivariable regression models were used to evaluate the association between pretreatment expectancy and week 12 pain severity, controlling for baseline pain severity, age, sex, race, and education.

Results

Among 360 participants enrolled, the mean age was 62.1 years (SD 12.7), with 251 (69.7 %) women and 88 (24.4 %) non-white survivors. Pretreatment expectancy was similar for all groups at baseline (EA: 13.9 ± 3.6; BFA: 13.2 ± 3.7, WLC:12.8 ± 3.3, p = 0.14). Greater pretreatment expectancy was not significantly associated with greater pain reduction in any group, after adjusting for co-variates (EA: Coef. = -0.05, 95 % CI = -0.14 - 0.04, p = 0.28; BFA: Coef. = -0.07, 95 % CI = -0.16 - 0.02, p = 0.15; WLC: Coef. = -0.09, 95 % CI = -0.25 - 0.06, p = 0.23).

Conclusions

Pretreatment expectancy did not predict pain reduction for either EA or BFA in cancer survivors. Our study contributes to the interpretation of analgesic effects of EA or BFA, beyond the notion of a mere 'placebo effect'.

Nocebo expectations rather than placebo expectations affect topical pain relief: A randomized clinical trial

Patients' expectations and beliefs regarding the potential benefits and harms of medical interventions may induce placebo and nocebo effects, and affect the response to pain therapies. In a randomized clinical trial, we examined the effect of placebo and nocebo expectations on pain relief and adverse events (AEs) in association with a topical treatment among 65 cancer survivors experiencing chronic musculoskeletal pain. Participants received either a 1% camphor-based topical pain patch or a placebo treatment for 14 days. We measured pain severity with the worst pain item of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) at baseline and 14 days and treatment expectations at baseline with validated expectation questionnaires. We found that high vs. low nocebo expectations decreased pain severity improvements by 2.5 points (95% confidence interval [CI] -3.8 to -1.2; p<0.001) on a 0-10 numeric rating scale of the BPI and pain response rate by 42.7% (95% CI 0.2-0.6; p<0.001) at day 14, irrespective of placebo expectation status or treatment arms. Patients with high vs. low nocebo expectations in the true arm reported 22.4% more unwanted AEs. High nocebo expectations were associated with increased AEs by 39.5% (odds ratio: 12.0, 95% CI 1.2, 145.5; p=0.029) and decreased pain response in the true arm vs. placebo. Our study demonstrated that nocebo expectations, rather than placebo expectations, elevate the risk of AEs and compromise the effect of topical pain interventions. The findings raise the possibility that nocebo expectations may worsen somatic symptoms through heightening central pain amplification and should be further investigated.

Infrared laser moxibustion for cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a pervasive, persistent, and distressing symptom experienced by cancer patients, for which few treatments are available. We investigated the efficacy and safety of infrared laser moxibustion (ILM) for improving fatigue in breast cancer survivors.

METHODS

A three-arm, randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial (6-week intervention plus 12-week observational follow-up) was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China. The female breast cancer survivors with moderate to severe fatigue were randomized 2:2:1 to ILM (n = 56) sham ILM (n = 56), and Waitlist control (WLC)(n = 28) groups. Patients in the ILM and sham ILM (SILM) groups received real or sham ILM treatment, 2 sessions per week for 6 weeks, for a total of 12 sessions. The primary outcome was change in the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) score from baseline to week 6 with follow-up until week 18 assessed in the intention-to-treat population.

RESULTS

Between June 2018 and July 2021, 273 patients were assessed for eligibility, and 140 patients were finally enrolled and included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Compared with WLC, ILM reduced the average BFI score by 0.9 points (95% CI, 0.3 to 1.6, P = .007) from baseline to week 6, with a difference between the groups of 1.1 points (95% CI, 0.4 to 1.8, P = .002) at week 18. Compared with SILM, ILM treatment resulted in a non-significant reduction in the BFI score (0.4; 95% CI, -0.2 to 0.9, P = .206) from baseline to week 6, while the between-group difference was significant at week 18 (0.7; 95% CI, 0.2 to 1.3, P = .014). No serious adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSION

While ILM was found to be safe and to significantly reduce fatigue compared with WLC, its promising efficacy against the sham control needs to be verified in future adequately powered trials.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04144309. Registered 12 June 2018.

Electroacupuncture use for treatment of taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with breast cancer: protocol for a pilot, randomised, blinded, sham-controlled trial (EA for CIPN)

INTRODUCTION

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common dose-limiting side effect of neurotoxic chemotherapy. Acute symptoms of CIPN during treatment can lead to dose reduction and cessation. Trials using electroacupuncture (EA) to treat established CIPN postchemotherapy have shown some efficacy. The current trial aims to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of using EA to treat CIPN during chemotherapy.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The current study is a single-centre, 1:1 randomised, sham-controlled pilot study set in a tertiary cancer hospital in Sydney, Australia, and will recruit 40 adult patients with early breast cancer undergoing adjuvant or neoadjuvant paclitaxel chemotherapy. Patients who develop CIPN within the first 6 weeks of chemotherapy will receive either true EA or sham-EA once a week for 10 weeks. The coprimary endpoints are recruitment and adherence rate, successful blinding of patients and compliance with the follow-up period. Secondary endpoints are mean change of CIPN symptoms from randomisation to end of treatment, sustained change in CIPN symptoms at 8-week and 24-week follow-up postchemotherapy, proportion of subjects attaining completion of 12 weeks of chemotherapy without dose reduction or cessation, change in acupuncture expectancy response pretreatment, during treatment and posttreatment. The primary assessment tool for the secondary endpoints will be a validated patient-reported outcome measure (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy) captured weekly from randomisation to week 12 of chemotherapy.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study protocol (2021/ETH12123) has been approved by the institutional Human Research Ethics Committee at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney and Chris O'Brien Lifehouse. Informed consent will be obtained prior to starting study-related procedures. The results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific conferences.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ACTRN12622000081718.

Patients' expectancy scale of acupuncture: Development and clinical performance test

PURPOSE

This study aims to develop and validate a concise tool for evaluating acupuncture expectancy that is easy to understand and conforms to acupuncture characteristics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A draft was created using the Delphi consensus method. Reliability, validity, discrimination, and feasibility tests were conducted at the item and scale levels.

RESULTS

The scale themes were defined as disease-related, treatment-related, process-related, and outcome-related. After two rounds of Delphi surveys with good experts' reliability (authority coefficients of experts were 0.86 and 0.87 in the two rounds) and agreement (Kendall's concordance coefficient of the participants were 0.33 and 0.15 in the two rounds, P < 0.05), 11 items (the mean score for item importance, full mark ratios, and coefficient of variation of items were ≥3.5, ≥25%, and ≤0.30, respectively) were included in the draft. A total of 145 individuals were recruited to test the draft. Reliability was assessed by Cronbach's α coefficient (0.90), split-half reliability coefficient (0.89), and test-retest reliability (Pearson's coefficient = 0.74, P < 0.05). Content validity was assessed by the content validity index (Item-CVI ≥ 0.78 and Scale-CVI/Ave = 0.92), and a confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess the construct validity. The discrimination of scale items was evaluated by the critical ratio (CR > 3.00) and the homogeneity test (item-total correlations >0.40). Feasibility was assessed through the acceptance rate (recovery rate = 98.60%, response rate = 100%), completion rate (100%), and completion time (4.99 ± 6.80 min).

CONCLUSION

The patients' expectancy scale of acupuncture (PESA) consists of 11 items with four themes, disease-related, treatment-related, process-related, and outcome-related. It has great reliability, validity, discrimination, and feasibility and has the potential to evaluate acupuncture expectancy in clinical trials.

Does expectancy affect insomnia treatment response in cancer survivors receiving acupuncture and cognitive behavioral therapy?

PURPOSE

Insomnia negatively affects quality of life in cancer survivors. Expectations of insomnia treatment efficacy may influence response to intervention. We sought to determine whether pre-treatment outcome expectancy predicts response to two non-pharmacological interventions for insomnia among cancer survivors.

METHODS

We analyzed data from a randomized clinical trial that compared acupuncture versus cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) in cancer survivors. Patient expectancy was measured by the Mao Treatment Expectancy Scale (MTES) at baseline. Insomnia severity was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) at treatment completion (week 8). Multivariate linear regression was used to evaluate the associations between pre-treatment expectancy and ISI score at week, 8 adjusting for co-variates.

RESULTS

Expectancy for acupuncture and CBT-I were similar at baseline (acupuncture: 13.3 ± 4.0; CBT-I: 13.2 ± 2.9, p = 0.17). Greater baseline expectancy scores were associated with a greater and statistically significant insomnia severity reduction at week 8 in the acupuncture group (beta coefficients [Coef.] =  - 0.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] =  - 0.6 to - 0.1, p = 0.016) adjusted for co-variates. Baseline expectancy was not statistically associated with insomnia severity reduction in the CBT-I group (Coef. =  - 0.2, 95% CI =  - 0.7 to 0.2, p = 0.31). High expectancy was significantly associated with greater proportion of treatment responders at week 8 in the acupuncture group (76% vs. 38%, p = 0.001) but not in the CBT-I group (83% vs. 70%, p = 0.21).

CONCLUSIONS

Higher pre-treatment outcome expectancy predicted significantly greater insomnia improvement in patients receiving acupuncture but not in those receiving CBT-I.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

Aligning treatment provision with expected outcomes may lead to personalized non-pharmacological insomnia management for cancer survivors.

Telehealth-Based Music Therapy Versus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety in Cancer Survivors: Rationale and Protocol for a Comparative Effectiveness Trial

BACKGROUND

Cancer survivors represent one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. Unfortunately, nearly 1 in 3 survivors experience anxiety symptoms as a long-term consequence of cancer and its treatment. Characterized by restlessness, muscle tension, and worry, anxiety worsens the quality of life; impairs daily functioning; and is associated with poor sleep, depressed mood, and fatigue. Although pharmacological treatment options are available, polypharmacy has become a growing concern for cancer survivors. Music therapy (MT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are evidence-based, nonpharmacological treatments that have demonstrated effectiveness in treating anxiety symptoms in cancer populations and can be adapted for remote delivery to increase access to mental health treatments. However, the comparative effectiveness of these 2 interventions delivered via telehealth is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

The aims of the Music Therapy Versus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Cancer-related Anxiety (MELODY) study are to determine the comparative effectiveness of telehealth-based MT versus telehealth-based CBT for anxiety and comorbid symptoms in cancer survivors and to identify patient-level factors associated with greater anxiety symptom reduction for MT and CBT.

METHODS

The MELODY study is a 2-arm, parallel-group randomized clinical trial that aims to compare the effectiveness of MT versus CBT for anxiety and comorbid symptoms. The trial will enroll 300 English- or Spanish-speaking survivors of any cancer type or stage who have experienced anxiety symptoms for at least 1 month. Participants will receive 7 weekly sessions of MT or CBT delivered remotely via Zoom (Zoom Video Communications, Inc) over 7 weeks. Validated instruments to assess anxiety (primary outcome), comorbid symptoms (fatigue, depression, insomnia, pain, and cognitive dysfunction), and health-related quality of life will be administered at baseline and at weeks 4, 8 (end of treatment), 16, and 26. Semistructured interviews will be conducted at week 8 with a subsample of 60 participants (30 per treatment arm) to understand individual experiences with the treatment sessions and their impact.

RESULTS

The first study participant was enrolled in February 2022. As of January 2023, 151 participants have been enrolled. The trial is expected to be completed by September 2024.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first and largest randomized clinical trial to compare the short- and long-term effectiveness of remotely delivered MT and CBT for anxiety in cancer survivors. Limitations include the lack of usual care or placebo control groups and the lack of formal diagnostic assessments for psychiatric disorders among trial participants. The study findings will help guide treatment decisions for 2 evidence-based, scalable, and accessible interventions to promote mental well-being during cancer survivorship.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/46281.

Acupuncture for chemotherapy-associated insomnia in breast cancer patients: an assessor-participant blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Insomnia is a highly prevalent symptom occurred during and post-chemotherapy. Acupuncture may have beneficial effects in the management of chemotherapy-associated insomnia. This study was conducted to determine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in improving chemotherapy-associated insomnia in breast cancer patients.

METHODS

This assessor-participant blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trial was conducted from November 2019 to January 2022 (follow-up completed July 2022). Participants were referred by oncologists from two Hong Kong hospitals. Assessments and interventions were conducted at the outpatient clinic of School of Chinese Medicine, the University of Hong Kong. The 138 breast cancer patients with chemotherapy-associated insomnia were randomly assigned to receive either 15 sessions of active acupuncture regimen by combining needling into body acupoints and acupressure on auricular acupoints or sham acupuncture control (69 each) for 18 weeks, followed by 24 weeks of follow-up. The primary outcome was measured using Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Secondary outcomes included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Actiwatch and sleep diary for sleep parameters, depression and anxiety, fatigue and pain, and quality of life.

RESULTS

There were 87.7% (121/138) participants who completed the primary endpoint (week-6). The active acupuncture regimen was not superior to the sham control in reducing ISI score from baseline to 6 weeks (mean difference: - 0.4, 95% CI - 1.8-1.1; P = 0.609), but produced short-term treatment and long-term follow-up better outcomes in improving sleep onset latency, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. Participants of the active acupuncture group had a pronouncedly higher cessation rate of sleeping medications than the sham control (56.5% vs. 14.3%, P = 0.011). All treatment-related adverse events were mild. No participants discontinued treatments due to adverse events.

CONCLUSION

The active acupuncture regimen could be considered as an effective option for the management of chemotherapy-associated insomnia. It also could serve as a tapering approach to reduce and even replace the use of sleeping medications in breast cancer patients. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov : NCT04144309. Registered 30 October 2019.

Modulation effects of different treatments on periaqueductal gray resting state functional connectivity in knee osteoarthritis knee pain patients

BACKGROUND

The analgesic effect of acupuncture is widely recognized, but the mechanical characteristics of acupuncture for pain relief, compared to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) and placebo medication, remain unknown.

AIMS

To compare the modulation effects of acupuncture treatment with NSAIDs and placebo medication on descending pain modulation system (DPMS) in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients.

METHODS

This study recruited 180 KOA patients with knee pain and 41 healthy controls (HCs). Individuals with KOA knee pain were divided randomly into groups of verum acupuncture (VA), sham acupuncture (SA), celecoxib (SC), placebo (PB), and waiting list (WT), with 36 patients in each group. VA and SA groups included ten sessions of puncturing acupoints or puncturing non-acupoints acupuncture treatment for two successive weeks. Celecoxib capsules were continuously given orally to patients in the SC group at a dosage of 200 mg daily for 2 weeks. In the PB group, patients received a placebo capsule once a day for 2 weeks at the same dosage as celecoxib capsules. In the WL group, patients did not receive any treatment. Patients underwent a resting-state BOLD-fMRI scan pre- and post-receiving the therapy, whereas HCs only underwent a baseline scan. Seed (ventrolateral periaqueductal gray, vlPAG, a key node in DPMS) based resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) was applied in the data analysis.

RESULTS

All groups demonstrated improved knee pain scores relative to the initial state. There was no statistical difference between the VA and SA groups in all clinical outcomes, and vlPAG rs-FC alterations. KOA knee pain individuals reported higher vlPAG rs-FC in the bilateral thalamus than HCs. KOA knee pain patients in the acupuncture group (verum + sham, AG) exhibited increased vlPAG rs-FC with the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the right angular, which is associated with knee pain improvement. In contrast with the SC and PB group, the AG exhibited significantly increased vlPAG rs-FC with the right DLPFC and angular. Contrary to the WT group, the AG showed greater vlPAG rs-FC with the right DLPFC and precuneus.

CONCLUSIONS

Acupuncture treatment, celecoxib, and placebo medication have different modulation effects on vlPAG DPMS in KOA knee pain patients. Acupuncture could modulate vlPAG rs-FC with brain regions associated with cognitive control, attention, and reappraisal for knee pain relief in KOA patients, compared with celecoxib and placebo medication.

Acupuncture for comorbid depression and insomnia in perimenopause: A feasibility patient-assessor-blinded, randomized, and sham-controlled clinical trial

Background and objective

Whilst acupuncture is widely used for treating psychosomatic diseases, there is little high-quality evidence supporting its application in comorbid perimenopausal depression (PMD) and insomnia (PMI) which are common complaints during climacteric. This feasibility, patient-assessor-blinded, randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial addresses this gap by investigating the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on depressed mood and poor sleep in women with comorbid PMD and PMI.

Methods

Seventy eligible participants were randomly assigned to either real-acupuncture (RA) or sham-acupuncture (SA) groups. Either RA or SA treatment were delivered in 17 sessions over 8 weeks. The primary outcomes for mood and sleep were changes on 17-items Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D₁₇) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, from baseline to 16-week follow-up. Secondary outcome measures involved anxiety symptoms, perimenopausal symptoms, quality of life, participants' experience of and satisfaction with the acupuncture treatment. Blood samples were taken to measure reproductive hormone levels. Intention-To-Treat and Per-Protocol analyses were conducted with linear mixed-effects models. The James' and Bang's blinding indices were used to assess the adequacy of blinding.

Results

Sixty-five participants completed all treatment sessions, and 54 and 41 participants completed the eight- and 16-week follow-ups, respectively. At post-treatment and 8-week follow-up, the RA group showed a significantly greater reduction in PSQI scores than the SA group did; although the reduction of HAM-D₁₇ scores in RA group was significant, the change was not statistically different from that of SA. There were no significant mean differences between baseline and 16-week follow-up in either HAM-D₁₇ or PSQI in either group. There were no significant between-group differences in serum reproductive hormone levels. All treatments were tolerable and no serious adverse events were reported, and the blinding was successful.

Conclusion

Acupuncture is safe and can contribute to clinically relevant improvements in comorbid PMD and PMI, with satisfactory short-and medium-term effects. Whether the anti-depressive benefit of acupuncture is specific or non-specific remains to be determined. No evidence was found for any longer-term benefit of acupuncture compared to sham at 16 weeks. Further research is required to elucidate mechanisms underlying the short to medium term effects of acupuncture.

Impact of Baseline Expectancy on Outcome Prediction of Real and Sham Acupuncture for Persistent Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Pain in Solid Tumor Survivors: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) pain significantly worsens cancer survivors' quality of life. Expectancy may play an important role in acupuncture response. We sought to explore whether expectancy predicts pain outcome in real acupuncture (RA) and sham acupuncture (SA) in cancer survivors.

METHODS

We analyzed data from a randomized clinical trial that evaluated the effect of RA on CIPN symptoms compared to SA and wait list control (WLC) in 75 cancer survivors. This secondary analysis was limited to CIPN pain measured by the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), graded from 0 to 10. Interventions were delivered over 8 weeks. SA was implemented using a combination of non-acupuncture points and a non-insertion procedure. Patient expectancy was measured by the Acupuncture Expectancy Scale (AES) 3 times during the study. We used a linear regression model to evaluate if the NRS score was associated with the baseline AES score at the end of treatment (week 8), adjusting for baseline NRS score.

RESULTS

AES was similar among 3 groups at baseline (RA: 11.8 ± 2.7; SA: 12.1 ± 3.8.; WLC: 14.6 ± 4.2; P = .062). Baseline AES was not found to be significantly associated with the week 8 NRS score among patients in all RA, SA, and WLC groups (all P > .05). However, we found a trend that higher baseline AES predicted lower NRS score at week 8 in the SA group: a one-point higher score on baseline expectancy was associated with a 0.3-point reduction in NRS pain score (P = .059) at week 8.

CONCLUSIONS

The association of baseline expectancy and acupuncture response was similar between RA and SA. However, SA seemed to rely more on expectancy than RA. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm this finding.

Acupuncture versus massage for pain in patients living with advanced cancer: a protocol for the IMPACT randomised clinical trial

INTRODUCTION

Pain, comorbid fatigue and sleep disturbances are common and distressing symptoms for patients with advanced cancer, negatively impacting their quality of life. Clinical guidelines recommend non-pharmacological interventions, including acupuncture and massage, for pain management in adult patients with cancer in adjunct to conventional care. However, high-quality evidence about the comparative effectiveness and long-term durability of these therapies for symptom management is limited.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We describe the design of a two-arm, parallel group, multicentre randomised controlled trial that investigates the use of acupuncture versus massage for musculoskeletal pain among 300 patients with diverse types of advanced cancer. The primary aim is to evaluate the long-term effectiveness (26 weeks from randomisation) of acupuncture vs massage for pain (primary outcome) and comorbid symptoms (fatigue, sleep disturbance and quality of life). The secondary aim is to identify patient-level demographic characteristics (eg, sex, race, age), clinical factors (eg, insomnia, pain severity) and psychological attributes that are associated with a greater reduction in pain for either acupuncture or massage. Patients will receive weekly acupuncture or massage treatments for 10 weeks, followed by monthly booster sessions up to 26 weeks. The primary endpoint will be the change in worst pain intensity score from baseline to 26 weeks. We will collect validated patient-reported outcomes at multiple time points over 26 weeks.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The Institutional Review Board at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York approved this protocol. Results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed scientific journals and conference presentations. Our findings will help patients and healthcare providers make informed decisions about incorporating non-pharmacological treatments to manage pain for patients with advanced cancer.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT04095234.

Acupuncture for menstruation-related migraine prophylaxis: A multicenter randomized controlled trial

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture, an alternative medicine therapy, as a preventive treatment for menstruation-related migraine (MRM).

Patients and methods

This was a prospective, multicenter, double-dummy, participant-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial conducted in China between 1 April 2013, and 30 April 2014. The participants were enrolled from four study centers and randomized to into either the acupuncture group, which received 24 sessions of acupuncture at traditional acupoints plus placebo, or the medication group, which received sham acupuncture plus naproxen. The primary endpoint was change from the baseline average number of migraine days per perimenstrual period over cycles 1−3. The secondary endpoints included changes from the baseline average number of migraine days outside the perimenstrual period, mean number of migraine hours during and outside the perimenstrual period, mean visual analog scale score during and outside the perimenstrual period, ≥50% migraine responder rate, and the proportion of participants who used acute pain medication over cycles 1−3 and 4−6.

Results

A total of 172 women with MRM were enrolled; 170 in the intention-to-treat analyses. Our primary outcome reported a significant between-group difference that favored the acupuncture group (95% CI, 0.17–0.50; P < 0.001), with the average reduction of migraine days per perimenstrual period from the baseline was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.82–1.07) in the acupuncture group and 0.61 (95% CI, 0.50–0.71) in the medication group over cycles 1−3.

Conclusion

This study showed that compared to medication, acupuncture reduces the number of migraine days experienced by patients with MRM. For patients who received the acupuncture treatment over three cycles, the preventive effect of the therapy was sustained for six cycles.

Clinical trial registration

[https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN57133712], identifier [ISRCTN15663606].

Effect of Acupuncture on Blood Pressure and Metabolic Profile Among Patients With Essential Hypertension: Protocol of a Randomized Clinical Trial

Essential hypertension is a polygenic cardiovascular disease that is associated with maladaptive metabolic changes. Acupuncture as a non-pharmacologic intervention is used to lower blood pressure and improve metabolic dysfunction. However, such effects have not been clinically characterized. We will conduct a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the antihypertensive effect of acupuncture among patients with essential hypertension and determine the associated metabolic improvements. This study is a phase II, two-arm, randomized, sham-controlled trial (Trial registration: ChiCTR2100043737), in which biospecimens will be collected for metabolic profiling. A total of 64 patients with a clinical diagnosis of essential hypertension will be randomly assigned to either the acupuncture or the sham acupuncture group in a 1:1 ratio. All participants will receive 10 treatments over 4 weeks, with three sessions per week for the first 2 weeks and two sessions per week for the remaining weeks. The primary outcome is the change of the systolic and diastolic blood pressure measured by the 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring from baseline to 4 weeks. Secondary outcomes include the circadian rhythm of blood pressure, sleep quality measured by the Insomnia Severity Index, cognitive function measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and others. Fasting blood serum and urine samples will be collected at baseline and 4 weeks for targeted and untargeted metabolomics analysis. We will use the mixed-effects model and other related bioinformatics approaches to analyze the clinical and metabolome data. This metabolomic-based trial will provide important clinical data regarding the efficacy of acupuncture for essential hypertension to better inform evidence-based care delivery for hypertension patients. Moreover, the findings will offer important insights into the mechanism of action of acupuncture for hypertension by revealing its effect on metabolism. The results of this study will be used to inform the design of a statistically powered, multicenter, randomized trial. We will publish the study findings in peer-reviewed journals. The ethical approval of this study has been reviewed and approved by the Sichuan Regional Ethics Review Committee on Traditional Chinese Medicine (ID: 2021KL-006). The outcomes of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications.

Tibetan Herbal Pain-Relieving Plaster for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Among Cancer Survivors: Study Protocol of a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Chronic pain is common and debilitating in cancer survivors. Tibetan herbal pain-relieving plaster is used as an external analgesic to treat musculoskeletal pain in China; however, its safety and efficacy have not been evaluated via clinical trials in cancer survivors. We designed this Phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04916249) to assess the efficacy and safety of the pain-relieving plaster for temporary pain relief among cancer survivors with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Under ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, we will enroll eligible cancer survivors who have a clinical diagnosis of moderate to severe chronic musculoskeletal pain in this study. We use a central randomization system to allocate the eligible participants to either the treatment or the control group in a 1:1 ratio, with stratification by baseline opioid use. We will instruct the participants to apply the herbal patch (Tibetree Pain-Relieving Plaster, Tibet Cheezheng Tibetan Medicine Co. Ltd., Tibet, China) or placebo patch daily at the focal area with worst pain for 14 consecutive days. Study physician, participant, outcome assessor, and biostatistician are blinded to the group allocation. The primary outcome is pain severity measured by the Brief Pain Inventory on Days 2–7. Secondary outcomes include changes in insomnia, anxiety, depression, fatigue, pressure pain threshold, pain medication use, and global impression of change. We will also monitor the adverse events throughout the study period. Statistical analysis will follow the intention-to-treat principle and linear mixed modeling will be used. With rigorous design and implementation, this randomized, placebo-controlled trial will provide the initial evidence on the efficacy and safety of the pain-relieving plaster for pain relief among cancer survivors with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Acupuncture for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials with Meta-Analyses and Trial Sequential Analyses

Background

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) can cause chronic pain and seriously affect the quality of patient lives. The continued emergence of high-quality RCTS requires us to update the quality of evidence. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture for KOA patients and calculate the required information size (RIS) to determine whether further clinical studies are required.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Embase, WOS, CBM, CNKI, VIP, WHO ICTRP, ChiCTR, and Grey literature to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for KOA from inception to December 2021. A meta-analysis was performed according to the Cochrane systematic review method by using Review Manager 5.4 and TSA 0.9.5.10 beta, and GRADE was used to evaluate the quality of the evidence. Trial sequential analysis was used to control random errors and calculate the required information size.

Results

Eleven RCTs with 2484 patients were included in our meta-analysis, meeting the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis indicated that acupuncture had beneficial effect on knee osteoarthritis in reducing pain [n = 2387; SMD = -0.12, 95% CI (-0.20, -0.04); I 2 = 0%] and improved patients function activities [n = 2408; MD = -1.25, 95% CI (-1.97, -0.53); I 2 = 0%], but true acupuncture showed no significant effect in relieve patient's stiffness [n = 1337; MD = -0.07, 95% CI (-0.30, 0.15); I 2 = 0%]. We pooled the studies which found no significant difference in improving the quality life of mental [n = 1462; SMD = 0.02, 95% CI (-0.23, 0.27); I 2 = 78%] and patients physical health (SF-36 or SF-12) [n = 1745; SMD = 1.01, 95% CI (-0.08, 2.11); I 2 = 0%] compared with sham acupuncture. The pain and function TSA graphs indicated that cumulative Z-curves intersected with the traditional level of statistical favoring acupuncture, and more RCTs will required in the future studies.

Conclusion

Acupuncture has beneficial effect on pain relief and improves function activities, and this treatment can be recommended as a beneficial alternative therapy in patients with KOA, particularly for chronic patients and those currently undergoing long-term pain and help them increasing quality of life. But it should be further verified through more RCTs in function. Available studies suggested that acupuncture was superior to sham acupuncture in reduce pain and function as verified by TSA.

Patients' Expectancies to Acupuncture: A Systematic Review

Objective: This systematic review aimed to document and describe how and when to assess patients' expectancies to acupuncture and the relationship between patients' expectancies and clinical effects. Materials and Methods: Three English databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and EMBASE, and four Chinese databases, including the Chinese Biomedicine Literature Database, Chinese Journal Full-text Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Full-text Database, and Wanfang Database, were searched up to February 2020. Studies involving patients' expectancies to acupuncture were included. Based on the detailed situations of patients' expectancies, we made a standardized data extraction table that included the basic information of articles, study design details, and measurement of expectations. Based on the data, a descriptive analysis was performed, covering the characteristics of studies, measuring methods of expectations and the relationship between patients' expectancies and clinical effects. Methodology quality assessment was also performed by the risk of bias and the standards for reporting interventions in controlled trials of acupuncture. Results: There were 61 randomized controlled trials included in our analysis. The number of articles increased gradually over time and grew significantly after 2008. About half of trials focused on pain alleviation. Expectancies were measured before the treatment (N = 43), after the treatment (N = 3), and both before and after the treatment (N = 10), and five studies did not mention it. The measurement of expectancies used self-made questionnaires or scales (N = 27), the Acupuncture Expectations Scale (N = 6), and other scales (N = 11), while 17 studies did not describe what scale they used. The used questionnaires or scales mostly tried to ascertain the strength of confidence that acupuncture would help. Patients' expectancies and clinical effects were relevant in 19 studies, irrelevant in 21 studies, and were not mentioned in 21 studies. Conclusions: Patients' expectations to acupuncture have received increasing attention in recent years, but there is still no recognized measurement time and methods. It is critical to develop questions and answers regarding patients' expectations with better discrimination and reliability to accurately assess expectations and to explore the relationship between patients' expectations and acupuncture outcomes in future trials.

Electroacupuncture Plus Auricular Acupressure on Chemotherapy-Related Insomnia in Patients With Breast Cancer (EACRI): Study Protocol for a Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

Insomnia is a highly prevalent and disturbing symptom in breast cancer patients under or post chemotherapy. If not appropriately treated, it can persist for years after the completion of cancer treatments. Acupuncture has been widely used for alleviating insomnia. The aim of this study is to examine the feasibility, efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chemotherapy-related insomnia among patients with breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a trial protocol for a randomized, sham-controlled, subject- and assessor-blinded clinical trial. A total of 138 eligible participants will be assigned randomly to acupuncture or sham control group at a ratio of 1:1. Participants in acupuncture group will receive electroacupuncture (EA) plus auricular acupressure (AA) treatment, while subjects in sham acupuncture group will receive sham EA plus sham AA. Both acupuncture and sham treatments will be given twice weekly for 6 weeks, followed by maintenance treatments once every 4 weeks for 12 weeks (15 sessions totally). The primary outcome is the change of Insomnia Severity Index score between baseline and the end of 6-week treatment. Secondary outcome measurements include Actiwatch, sleep diary, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Cancer, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form, Brief Fatigue Inventory, Acupuncture Expectancy Scale, credibility, and adverse events. Participants will be followed up to 42 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS

This trial will expand our understanding of the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of acupuncture as a treatment for alleviating chemotherapy-related insomnia in patients with breast cancer. EA plus AA, if proven to be effective, can be implemented into routine settings to play a role in insomnia management for patients with breast cancer.

Perspectives of patients on medical acupuncture in a primary care setting in Lebanon: a cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

There is paucity of data on the knowledge of acupuncture and its use among patients in Lebanon and the Arab countries.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objectives of this study were to determine the knowledge and attitude of patients in a primary care setting in Lebanon toward Western medical acupuncture and to determine factors that may affect their attitudes toward acupuncture use. The secondary objective was to compare the attitudes and knowledge of patients who had tried acupuncture with those who had not.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional descriptive study about the perspectives of patients in a primary care setting in Lebanon on medical acupuncture.

RESULTS

A total of 212 surveys were completed (78.5% response rate). 24% of participants had not tried and were unwilling to try acupuncture (group 1), 63.5% of participants had not tried but indicated they would be willing to try acupuncture (group 2), and 12.5% of participants had previously tried acupuncture (group 3). Most participants in group 1 (55.6%) stated they would be unwilling to try acupuncture even if referred for it by a physician. Participants who had tried acupuncture (12.5%) had done so for pain conditions.

DISCUSSION

Group 3 scored higher on knowledge questions and had a more positive attitude toward the acupuncture procedure. Most patients who had tried it had done so to treat pain complaints.

CONCLUSION

Patients in groups 2 and 3 were more knowledgeable about acupuncture, had tried more complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities, and were more likely to try acupuncture as an add-on or last resort treatment, compared to group 1.

Acupuncture for Sleep Disturbances in Post-Deployment Military Service Members: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This RCT and mixed-methods study examined the difference between two groups receiving the following interventions: (1) brief manual standardized stress acupuncture (MSSA) combined with an abbreviated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ACBT) versus (2) ACBT alone. Three study aims: Aim (1): Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores were analyzed using descriptive summaries, linear regression, and reliable change index (RCI). Aim (2): Journal entries were analyzed using content analysis. Aim (3): Acupuncture Expectancy Scale (AES) scores were analyzed using paired t-test and RCI. Aim (1): Both groups demonstrated similar improvements in the ISI scores (p = .480). Aim (2): The ACBT/MSSA group reported greater benefits in sleep and in other life areas including mental, physical, and social functioning. Aim (3): The AES showed that 21.6% had a clinically meaningful increase in expectations in the effect of acupuncture for stress (p = .965). The study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04031365) at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04031365 on July 24, 2019.

Yoga for cancer survivors with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: Health-related quality of life outcomes

Background

Yoga is a meditative movement therapy focused on mind‐body awareness. The impact of yoga on health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes in patients with chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is unclear.

Methods

We conducted a pilot randomized wait‐list controlled trial of 8 weeks of yoga (n = 21) versus wait‐list control (n = 20) for CIPN in 41 breast and gynecological cancer survivors with persistent moderate to severe CIPN. HRQOL endpoints were Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). The Treatment Expectancy Scale (TES) was administered at baseline. We estimated mean changes and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from baseline to weeks 8 and 12 and compared arms using constrained linear mixed models.

Results

At week 8, HADS anxiety scores decreased −1.61 (−2.75, −0.46) in the yoga arm and −0.32 (−1.38, 0.75) points in the wait‐list control arm (p = 0.099). At week 12, HADS anxiety scores decreased −1.42 (−2.57, −0.28) in yoga compared to an increase of 0.46 (−0.60, 1.53) in wait‐list control (p = 0.017). There were no significant differences in HADS depression, BFI, or ISI scores between yoga and wait‐list control. Baseline TES was significantly higher in yoga than in wait‐list control (14.9 vs. 12.7, p = 0.019). TES was not associated with HADS anxiety reduction and HADS anxiety reduction was not associated with CIPN pain reduction.

Conclusions

Yoga may reduce anxiety in patients with CIPN. Future studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Clinical Trial Registration Number: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03292328.

Electroacupuncture Plus Auricular Acupressure for Chemotherapy-Associated Insomnia in Breast Cancer Patients: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective:

Chemotherapy-associated insomnia is a highly prevalent complaint in breast cancer patients. This study was undertaken to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness of electroacupuncture plus auricular acupressure for chemotherapy-associated insomnia in patients with breast cancer.

Materials and Methods:

In this randomized, wait-list controlled trial, thirty breast cancer patients under or post chemotherapy with insomnia were randomly allocated to the acupuncture or wait-list control group. Participants in acupuncture group received electroacupuncture plus auricular acupressure treatment twice weekly for 6 weeks. Participants in wait-list group received the same regimen of treatment after 6-week of waiting period. Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) served as the primary outcome measurement. Secondary outcomes were sleep parameters recorded with sleep diary and actiwatch, as well as the scores of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Cancer (FACT-B).

Results:

Twenty-eight participants completed study (13 in the acupuncture group vs 15 in the wait-list control group). At week-6 post-intervention, ISI score change from baseline showed significant between-group difference favoring acupuncture group of −2.9 points (95% CI: −5.2 to −0.6, P = .014). The acupuncture group showed greater improvements in the total sleep time recorded by sleep diary (P = .026), scores of PSQI (P = .012), HADS-depression (P = .020), and FACT-B (P < .001) compared with the control group. Improvements were maintained at week-10 and week-14 follow-ups.

Conclusions:

Acupuncture is safe, feasible, and effective for chemotherapy-associated insomnia in breast cancer patients under or post chemotherapy. A larger sample size randomized clinical trial is warranted to confirm the present findings.

Clinical Trial Registration:

NCT03762694.

Does patient's expectation benefit acupuncture treatment?: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Patients' expectation to treatment response is one source of placebo effects. A number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reported that expectation benefits to acupuncture treatment, while some did not. Previous systematic reviews failed to draw a confirmative conclusion due to the methodological heterogeneity. It is necessary to conduct a new systematic review to find out whether expectation can influence acupuncture outcomes.

METHODS

We systematically search English and Chinese databases from their inception to 3rd October, 2020, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP). RCTs that evaluated the relationship between expectation and treatment response following acupuncture for adults will be included. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment will be conducted independently. Risk of bias will be assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. Data synthesis will be performed by Review Manager (RevMan) software if the data is suitable for synthesis.

RESULTS

This systematic review will provide evidence that whether patients' expectation impacts on the therapeutic effects of acupuncture. This protocol will be performed and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items from Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) statement. The findings of this review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review aims to assess whether a higher level of patient's expectation contributes to a better outcome after acupuncture treatment, and in which medical condition this contribution will be more significant.

INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER

INPLASY2020100020 on International Platform of Registered Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols.

Evaluating Traditional Chinese Medicine Interventions on Chronic Low Back Pain Using Goal Attainment Scaling

BACKGROUND

Extensive studies have been conducted to evaluate the pain relief effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions on patients with low back pain, including in China. However, there is a dearth in the literature documenting the diverse goals of TCM interventions, let alone the overall effect of such interventions. In this study, the goal attainment scaling (GAS) method was adopted to evaluate individualised TCM interventions on chronic low back pain.

METHODS

A pre-post intervention study was conducted on patients with chronic low back pain who received individualised TCM interventions in community health services. The study was undertaken in three community health centres in Hangzhou of China. A total of 165 eligible patients were invited, and 150 participated in the study, including 136 who completed both pre- and postintervention surveys. Each participant was asked to identify three to five intended goals from a pool of 26 outcome indicators and their corresponding expectations of these goals prior to the TCM interventions. Their conditions were rated against the selected indicators on a self-report five-point Likert scale before and after the TCM interventions, respectively. Gaps between the actual conditions and the expected goals were summed up for each participant and converted into a standardised GAS score, with a higher score indicating higher achievements, and 50 indicting patient expectations were met. Linear regression models were established to determine the factors associated with the pre-post GAS changes after adjustment for variations in other variables.

RESULTS

On average, an increase of 14.99 (SD = 9.81) in the GAS scores was achieved. This resulted in a mean GAS score of 48.33 (SD = 9.74) after the TCM interventions, falling slightly short (<2) of patient expectations. The multivariate linear regression models revealed that local residents, the retired, and those who perceived lower professional competency of their attending doctors had a smaller increase in the GAS scores after adjustment for variations in other variables.

CONCLUSION

The individualised TCM interventions can help patients with low back pain to achieve their expected goals as measured by the GAS. Further studies are needed to better understand how patients set up their goals and the professional competency requirements to meet patient expectations.

Feasibility and acceptability of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) or acupuncture for insomnia and related distress among cancer caregivers

OBJECTIVE

Insomnia is a common, distressing, and impairing psychological outcome experienced by informal caregivers (ICs) of patients with cancer. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and acupuncture both have known benefits for patients with cancer, but such benefits have yet to be evaluated among ICs. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects of CBT-I and acupuncture among ICs with moderate or greater levels of insomnia.

METHOD

Participants were randomized to eight sessions of CBT-I or ten sessions of acupuncture.

RESULTS

Results highlighted challenges of identifying interested and eligible ICs and the impact of perception of intervention on retention and likely ultimately outcome.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESULTS

Findings suggest preliminary support for non-pharmacological interventions to treat insomnia in ICs and emphasize the importance of matching treatment modality to the preferences and needs of ICs.

Acupuncture and Its Role in the Treatment of Migraine Headaches

Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that is performed by placing needles or pressure in specific locations on a patient's skin to achieve a therapeutic effect. Although used to treat a variety of disorders, one of the most common applications of acupuncture is to treat chronic pain, especially headache and migraine pain. Migraines are difficult to treat, and pharmacotherapies are often the first line of treatment, although these options have many unwanted side effects, such as exacerbation of headache pain in those with chronic migraine. Many complimentary and integrative therapies are available to treat migraine (including nutraceuticals, yoga, tai chi, and biofeedback), among which acupuncture as a treatment is gaining increasing attention. In this review, we provide an overview of the current understanding of both acupuncture and migraine and of current research investigating the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating migraine and chronic migraine.

Manual acupuncture versus sham acupuncture and usual care for the prevention of primary dysmenorrhea (PD): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background

Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a leading cause of dysmenorrhea among adolescent girls. Manual acupuncture may be considered as an effective treatment for PD, but high-quality evidence remains limited. This trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the prevention of PD as compared with sham acupuncture and usual care.

Methods/design

This is a three-arm, randomized, controlled clinical trial in which the patients, assessors, and statisticians will be blinded. A total of 300 acupuncture-naive patients who were diagnosed as PD will be randomly allocated to the verum acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or usual care groups in a 2:2:1 ratio. Patients in the verum acupuncture group will receive manual acupuncture at specific acupuncture points with penetrating needling, while those in the sham acupuncture group will receive non-penetrating needling at non-acupuncture points. They will be given five sessions over a menstrual cycle for 3 menstrual cycles. Patients in the usual care group will receive health education and informed to receive manual acupuncture for free after waiting for 7 menstrual cycles. The primary outcome will be the change from baseline in the Cox Menstrual Symptom Scale Score (CMSS). The secondary outcomes will be the changes in Massachusetts General Hospital Acupuncture Sensation Scale (MASS), visual analog scale (VAS), Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire 2 (SF-MPQ-2), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI- II), Acupuncture Expectancy Scale (AES), 60-item NEO Personality Inventory-Short Form (NEO-FFI), and acute medication intake. The adverse events will be recorded at every visit. The analyses will be performed base on a full analysis set (FAS) and a per-protocol set (PPS).

Discussion

This study may provide high-quality evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of manual acupuncture for PD. In addition, the results of this study will help to identify the efficacy of acupuncture due to the specific effects of acupuncture or placebo effects of acupuncture ritual.

Trial registration

Clinical Trials.gov NCT02783534. Registered on 26 May 2016

Development of the generic, multidimensional Treatment Expectation Questionnaire (TEX-Q) through systematic literature review, expert surveys and qualitative interviews

OBJECTIVE

Patients' expectations-as a central mechanism of placebo and nocebo effects-are an important predictor of health outcomes. However, the lack of a way to assess expectations across different settings restricts progress in understanding the role of expectations and to quantify their importance in medical and psychological treatments. The aim of this study was to develop a theory-based, generic, multidimensional measure assessing patient expectations of medical and psychological treatments.

DESIGN

The Treatment Expectation Questionnaire (TEX-Q) was developed based on the integrative model of expectations and a systematic literature review of treatment expectation scales. After creating a comprehensive item pool, the scale was further refined by use of expert ratings and patient interviews.

SETTING

Patients were recruited in primary care at two hospitals in Hamburg, Germany.

PARTICIPANTS

13 scientific experts participated in the expert survey. 11 patients waiting for psychological or surgical treatments participated in the qualitative interviews.

RESULTS

The 2×2×2 multidimensional structure of the TEX-Q assesses two expectation constructs (probabilistic vs value-based) across two outcome domains with two valences (direct benefits and adverse events, broader positive and negative impact), plus process and behavioural control expectations. We examined 583 items from 38 scales identified in the systematic review and developed 78 initial items. Content validity was then rated by experts according to item fit and comprehensibility. The best 53 items were further evaluated for comprehensibility, acceptability, phrasing preference and understanding by interviewing patients prior to treatment using the 'think aloud' technique. This resulted in a first 35-item version of the TEX-Q.

CONCLUSIONS

The TEX-Q is a generic, multidimensional measure to assess patient expectations of medical and psychological treatments and allows comparison of the impact of multidimensional expectations across different conditions. The final TEX-Q will be available after psychometric validation.

Personalized electro-acupuncture versus auricular-acupuncture comparative effectiveness (PEACE): A protocol of a randomized controlled trial for chronic musculoskeletal pain in cancer survivors

INTRODUCTION

Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability and remains under-treated in nearly half of patients with cancer. The opioid crisis has highlighted an urgent public health need for effective nonpharmacological pain management. Electroacupuncture (EA) and Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) represent nonpharmacological modalities used in clinical practice to manage pain; however, their effectiveness has not been rigorously evaluated in oncology settings.

METHODS

We describe the design of a 3-arm, parallel, single-center, multisite randomized controlled trial that investigates EA and BFA versus usual-care wait-list control (WLC) for chronic musculoskeletal pain among 360 patients with diverse cancer types across various stages. The primary aim is to compare effects of EA and BFA versus WLC on pain, physical function, and co-morbid symptoms. The secondary aim is to examine the interaction between patient outcome expectancy and acupuncture modality (EA vs BFA) on pain reduction. The tertiary aim is to evaluate the association between genetic polymorphisms and responses to acupuncture. Patients will be randomized in a 2:2:1 ratio to EA:BFA:WLC. Acupuncture groups will receive weekly treatments over 10 weeks. WLC will receive usual care over the same evaluation period as the acupuncture groups. The primary endpoint will be the change in average pain intensity score from baseline to week 12. We will collect validated patient-reported outcomes and blood/saliva samples at multiple timepoints over 24 weeks.

DISCUSSION

Our findings will advance nonpharmacological pain management in oncology and inform personalized treatment approaches that integrate individuals' expectations and genetic biomarkers to deliver "precision" acupuncture to cancer patients with chronic pain.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02979574.

Manual acupuncture versus sham acupuncture and usual care for prophylaxis of episodic migraine without aura: multicentre, randomised clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy of manual acupuncture as prophylactic treatment for acupuncture naive patients with episodic migraine without aura.

DESIGN

Multicentre, randomised, controlled clinical trial with blinded participants, outcome assessment, and statistician.

SETTING

Seven hospitals in China, 5 June 2016 to 15 November 2018.

PARTICIPANTS

150 acupuncture naive patients with episodic migraine without aura.

INTERVENTIONS

20 sessions of manual acupuncture at true acupuncture points plus usual care, 20 sessions of non-penetrating sham acupuncture at heterosegmental non-acupuncture points plus usual care, or usual care alone over 8 weeks.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Change in migraine days and migraine attacks per four weeks during weeks 1-20 after randomisation compared with baseline (four weeks before randomisation).

RESULTS

Among 150 randomised patients (mean age 36.5 (SD 11.4) years; 123 (82%) women), 147 were included in the full analysis set. Compared with sham acupuncture, manual acupuncture resulted in a significantly greater reduction in migraine days at weeks 13 to 20 and a significantly greater reduction in migraine attacks at weeks 17 to 20. The reduction in mean number of migraine days was 3.5 (SD 2.5) for manual versus 2.4 (3.4) for sham (adjusted difference -1.4, 95% confidence interval -2.4 to -0.3; P=0.005) at weeks 13 to 16 and 3.9 (3.0) for manual versus 2.2 (3.2) for sham (adjusted difference -2.1, -2.9 to -1.2; P<0.001) at weeks 17 to 20. At weeks 17 to 20, the reduction in mean number of attacks was 2.3 (1.7) for manual versus 1.6 (2.5) for sham (adjusted difference -1.0, -1.5 to -0.5; P<0.001). No severe adverse events were reported. No significant difference was seen in the proportion of patients perceiving needle penetration between manual acupuncture and sham acupuncture (79% v 75%; P=0.891).

CONCLUSIONS

Twenty sessions of manual acupuncture was superior to sham acupuncture and usual care for the prophylaxis of episodic migraine without aura. These results support the use of manual acupuncture in patients who are reluctant to use prophylactic drugs or when prophylactic drugs are ineffective, and it should be considered in future guidelines.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02765581.

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Brief Acupuncture Intervention for Service Members with Perceived Stress

INTRODUCTION

Given the role of perceived stress in disability and suicidality in the military, intervening early before service members become at risk for severe injuries, hospitalizations, and chronic disability could improve health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a standardized stress acupuncture (SSA) approach on perceived stress in U.S. military personnel. This study had the following aims: examine feasibility of recruitment for SSA and implementation of study procedures in preparation for a methodologically rigorous study; examine acceptability of SSA treatment in a sample of military personnel with perceived stress; and examine change in perceived stress and general health before and after SSA.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a single-arm, single-site study protocol which assessed the feasibility of SSA in 16 patients with perceived stress. Upon IRB approval and written informed consent, the participants received 4 weekly sessions of SSA which consisted of 6 acupuncture points.

RESULTS

This study showed that recruitment and implementation of SSA is feasible in service members. Service members found SSA to be acceptable. Statistically significant increases were found on the energy/fatigue, well-being, and social functioning components of the Short Form Health Survey (SF 36) (reliable change: 50%, 56%, and 25% respectively, Cohen's d = 0.72-0.78, all p < 0.05). A statistically significant decrease in perceived stress based was found on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (reliable change 63%, Cohen's d = 1.03, p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that SSA is a feasible and acceptable treatment for perceived stress in military personnel. Preliminary findings suggest that SSA may be useful in improving energy/fatigue, social functioning, and perceived stress of service members.

Effects of infrared laser moxibustion on cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common and distressing symptom associated with cancer treatment that breast cancer survivors (BCS) experience. We previously found that laser moxibustion may be efficacious for CRF. The primary aim of this study is to determine the specific efficacy of 10.6 μm infrared laser moxibustion on CRF. The secondary aim is to evaluate the effect of infrared laser moxibustion on co-existing symptoms that BCS experience.

METHODS

We will conduct a randomized, sham-controlled, three-arm trial of infrared laser moxibustion (ILM) against sham ILM (SILM) and waitlist control (WLC) among BCS with moderate to severe fatigue. The two intervention groups will receive either real or sham infrared laser moxibustion on four acupoints (i.e., ST36 [bilateral], CV4, and CV6) for 20 minutes each session for 6 weeks (twice per week). The primary endpoint is the change in fatigue score from Baseline to Week 6 as measured by the Chinese version of the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI-C). Our secondary aim is to compare the severity of co-morbidities (e.g., depression, insomnia, and pain) among the 3 groups.

DISCUSSION

The results of our trial will establish evidence for the efficacy of infrared laser moxibustion for CRF, a very common and challenging symptom.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03553355.

Acupuncture for cancer pain: protocol for a pilot pragmatic randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Although acupuncture has been recommended for alleviating cancer pain by clinical guidelines, the level of the supporting evidence needs to be improved. A pragmatic randomised controlled trial (pRCT) in a hospital setting would provide real-world assessments of the overall clinical effects of acupuncture. This pilot trial aims to explore the feasibility and provide data for sample size calculations for a pRCT evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy to routine medical care for cancer pain.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Thirty patients with cancer admitted to the oncology department with moderate or severe pain will be recruited. Participants will be randomised at a ratio of 1:1 to the adjunctive acupuncture group or a control group which receives routine pain management without acupuncture. The standardised section of the acupuncture protocol will be developed based on the results of reviews of the literature, recommendations in clinical guidelines and interviews with clinical experts. The acupuncturist will be allowed to tailor the protocol according to the individual situation of each participant. Primary outcomes relevant to the feasibility of conducting a fully powered trial include: numbers and proportions of participants recruited, screened, consented and randomised; numbers and reasons for withdrawals and dropouts; numbers and types of adverse events; feasibility of implementing the trial procedures; evaluation of the comprehensiveness and ease-of-use of the case report form. Secondary outcomes are clinical measurements of the effectiveness of the treatment that are intended for use in the full-scale trial. Analysis of feasibility will be descriptive and pain intensity measures will be analysed using mixed-effects regression.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics approval was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine (approval no: Z2017-184-01) and RMIT University Human Research Ethics Committee (reference no: 21361). Results will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal, and trial participants will be informed via email and/or phone calls.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ChiCTR1800017023.

Assessment of patients' expectations: development and validation of the Expectation for Treatment Scale (ETS)

OBJECTIVE

To develop a short self-report instrument for the assessment of expectations (Expectation for Treatment Scale(ETS)) using acupuncture as a case example.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional assessment with retest after 1 week.

SETTING

A web-based survey with patients suffering from pain.

METHODS

In a three-step approach, we reduced the initially collected number of items from 17 to 9 and to 5, including expectations about coping ability, vitality, physical health and reduction of patient complaints. Items were selected according to internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha); convergent and divergent validities with related constructs (optimism, pessimism, resilience, perceived sensitivity to medicines, depression and others); 1-week retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)); and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

RESULTS

A total of 102 patients suffering from pain were included, and 54 of these patients completed the retest assessment. The final version of the ETS consisted of five items and had an excellent Cronbach's alpha (0.90), with 72.33% variance on one single factor. Depression, pessimism and perceived sensitivity to medicines showed positive correlations with our expectation measure (r=0.23, r=0.20 and r=0.34, respectively); the correlation between the ETS and optimism was low (r=-0.07) and no correlation between the ETS and resilience was found (r=-0.07). Convergent validity was confirmed with a high correlation (r>0.90) between ETS and a treatment-specific measure of expectations. The retest ICC was 0.86, which showed high stability over 1 week. A CFA (n=439) with data from patients with low back pain confirmed the single-factor structure of the instrument.

CONCLUSION

The ETS showed strong psychometric properties and covered a distinct construct. As the next step, the ETS might be implemented in different clinical conditions and settings to investigate psychometrics and its predictive power for treatment outcomes.

Efficacy and safety of polydioxanone thread embedded at specific acupoints for non-specific chronic neck pain: a study protocol for a randomized, subject-assessor-blinded, sham-controlled pilot trial

Background

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of thread-embedding acupuncture (TEA) with polydioxanone thread embedded at various acupoints, compared with sham TEA, for the treatment of non-specific chronic neck pain.

Methods/design

This study will be an 8-week-long, two-armed, parallel, randomized, subject-assessor-blinded, sham-controlled pilot trial. Fifty eligible patients will be randomly allocated into the real TEA group or the sham TEA group. The real TEA group will receive TEA treatment at 14 fixed acupoints in the neck region. The sham TEA group will receive the same treatment as the real TEA group, but with a sham device with the thread removed. Both groups will receive treatment once a week for a total of four sessions. The primary outcome will be the mean change in the visual analog scale (VAS) from baseline to week 6 (2 weeks post intervention). Clinical relevance (ratio of the number of patients with decreases on the VAS of ≥15 mm or with percentiles ≥ 30% and ≥ 50% relative to baseline to the total number of patients), Neck Disability Index, pressure pain threshold, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, EuroQol 5-Dimensions questionnaire, Patient Global Impression of Change, blinding test, and adverse events will be used to assess secondary outcomes.

Discussion

The results of this study will provide valuable data for a large-scale clinical trial to evaluate the clinical effects of polydioxanone TEA in the treatment of patients with non-specific chronic neck pain.

Trial registration

Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS), Republic of Korea, KCT0002452. Registered on 6 September 2017.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13063-018-3058-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Development and Validation of the EXPECT Questionnaire: Assessing Patient Expectations of Outcomes of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments for Chronic Pain

BACKGROUND

Patient expectations may be associated with outcomes of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments for chronic pain. However, a psychometrically sound measure of such expectations is needed.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a questionnaire to assess individuals' expectations regarding outcomes of CAM treatments for chronic low back pain (CLBP), as well as a short form of the questionnaire.

METHODS

An 18-item draft questionnaire was developed through literature review, cognitive interviews with individuals with CLBP, CAM practitioners, and expert consultation. Two samples completed the questionnaire: (1) a community sample (n = 141) completed it via an online survey before or soon after starting a CAM treatment for CLBP, and (2) participants (n = 181) in randomized clinical trials evaluating CAM treatments for CLBP or fibromyalgia completed it prior to or shortly after starting treatment. Factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion validity were examined.

RESULTS

Based on factor analyses, 10 items reflecting expectations (used to create a total score) and three items reflecting hopes (not scored) were selected for the questionnaire. The questionnaire had high internal consistency, moderate test-retest reliability, and moderate correlations with other measures of expectations. A three-item short form also had adequate reliability and validity.

CONCLUSIONS

The Expectations for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments (EXPECT) questionnaire can be used in research to assess individuals' expectations of treatments for chronic pain. It is recommended that the three hope questions are included (but not scored) to help respondents distinguish between hopes and expectations. The short form may be appropriate for clinical settings and when expectation measurement is not a primary focus.

Acupuncture Treatment of Lateral Elbow Pain: A Nonrandomized Pilot Study

In planning for a large-scale multicenter trial to evaluate the effect of acupuncture for the treatment of lateral elbow pain, a pilot study was conducted. This was a prospective, investigator- and patient-blinded, nonrandomized, placebo controlled trial. Subjects were evaluated at baseline, before fourth, seventh, and ninth treatment, and at a two-week posttreatment follow-up. The treatment group received unilateral acupuncture at LI 10 and LI 11 at the affected side with manual needle manipulation; the control group received sham-laser acupuncture at the same acupoints. Measures included (i) disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) questionnaire, (ii) pain-free grip strength (PFGS), and (iii) a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain. Significant differences in DASH score, PFGS, and VAS between treatment and control group were found at the ninth treatment (n = 20 for each group, P < 0.05). Only DASH showed significant differences compared to the control for all the measurement time points after treatment commenced and appears to be a sensitive and appropriate primary outcome measure for the future multisite trial. Results from this pilot study provided relevant information about treatment efficacy, credibility of control treatment, and sensitivity of different outcome measures for the planning of the future trial.

Expectancy in real and sham electroacupuncture: does believing make it so?

BACKGROUND

The large placebo effect observed in prior acupuncture trials presents a substantial challenge for interpretation of the efficacy of acupuncture. We sought to evaluate the relationship between response expectancy, a key component of the placebo effect over time, and treatment outcome in real and sham electroacupuncture (EA).

METHODS

We analyzed data from a randomized controlled trial of EA and sham acupuncture (SA) for joint pain attributable to aromatase inhibitors among women with breast cancer. Responders were identified using the Patient Global Impression of Change instrument at Week 8 (end of intervention). The Acupuncture Expectancy Scale (AES) was used to measure expectancy four times during the trial. Linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate the association between expectancy and treatment response.

RESULTS

In the wait list control group, AES remained unchanged over treatment. In the SA group, Baseline AES was significantly higher in responders than nonresponders (15.5 vs 12.1, P = .005) and AES did not change over time. In the EA group, Baseline AES scores did not differ between responders and nonresponders (14.8 vs 15.3, P = .64); however, AES increased in responders compared with nonresponders over time (P = .004 for responder and time interaction term) with significant difference at the end of trial for responders versus nonresponders (16.2 vs 11.7, P = .004).

CONCLUSIONS

Baseline higher response expectancy predicts treatment response in SA, but not in EA. Divergent mechanisms may exist for how SA and EA influence pain outcomes, and patients with low expectancy may do better with EA than SA.

Acupuncture for Frequent Migraine: A Randomized, Patient/Assessor Blinded, Controlled Trial with One-Year Follow-Up

Objectives. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of manual acupuncture as a prophylaxis for frequent migraine. Methods. Fifty frequent migraineurs were randomly allocated to receive 16 sessions of either real acupuncture (RA = 26) or sham acupuncture (SA = 24) during 20 weeks. The primary outcomes were days with migraine over four weeks, duration, and intensity of migraine and the number of responders with more than 50% reduction of migraine days. The secondary outcomes were the relief medication, quality of migraine, quality of life, and pressure pain thresholds. Results. The two groups were comparable at baseline. At the end of the treatment, when compared with the SA group, the RA group reported significant less migraine days (RA: 5.2 ± 5.0; SA: 10.1 ± 7.1; P = 0.008), less severe migraine (RA: 2.18 ± 1.05; SA: 2.93 ± 0.61; P = 0.004), more responders (RA: 19 versus SA: 7), and increased pressure pain thresholds. No other group difference was found. Group differences were maintained at the end of the three-month follow-up, but not at the one-year follow-up. No severe adverse event was reported. Blinding was successful. Discussion. Manual acupuncture was an effective and safe treatment for short-term relief of frequent migraine in adults. Larger trials are warranted.

Association of Pre- and Post-Treatment Expectations with Improvements after Acupuncture in Patients with Migraine

Objective

To study whether a higher expectation of acupuncture measured at baseline and after acupuncture is associated with better outcome improvements in patients with migraine.

Methods

We performed a secondary analysis of a previous published trial in which 476 patients with migraine were randomly allocated to three real acupuncture groups and one sham acupuncture control group. All the participants received 20 sessions of acupuncture over a 4-week period. The primary outcome was the number of days with a migraine attack (NDMA) assessed at 5–8 weeks after randomisation. The secondary outcomes were visual analogue scale, headache intensity and quality of life assessed at 4, 8 and 16 weeks after randomisation. Expectations of the acupuncture effect were assessed at baseline and at the end of treatment and categorised into five levels, with 0% the lowest and 100% the highest. Outcome improvement was first compared among the participants with different expectation levels using an analysis of variance model. The association between expectations of treatment and outcome improvement was then calculated using a logistic regression model.

Results

Patients with 100% baseline expectations did not report significantly fewer NDMA than those with 0% baseline expectations after adjusting for the covariates (at 5–8 weeks, 1.7 vs 3.9 days, p=0.987). High baseline expectations had no significant impact on improvement of the primary outcome (100% vs 0%: OR 8.50, 95% CI 0.89 to 191.65, p=0.682). However, patients with 100% post-treatment expectations reported fewer NDMA than those with 0% expectations (primary outcome: 1.3 vs 5.0 days, p<0.001) and were more likely to have a favourable response (100% vs 0%: OR 68.87, 95% CI 6.26 to 1449.73, p=0.002). Similar results were found when analysing the impact of expectation on the secondary outcomes.

Conclusions

A high level of expectation after acupuncture treatment rather than at baseline was associated with better long-term outcome improvements in patients with migraine.

Clinical Trial Number

NCT00599586.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction for overweight/obese women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome: design and methods of a pilot randomized controlled trial

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) may be beneficial for overweight/obese women, including women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), as it has been shown to reduce psychological distress and improve quality of life in other patient populations. Preliminary studies suggest that MBSR may also have salutary effects on blood pressure and blood glucose. This paper describes the design and methods of an ongoing pilot randomized controlled trial evaluating the feasibility and effects of MBSR in PCOS and non-PCOS women who are overweight or obese. Eighty six (86) women with body mass index ≥25 kg/m², including 31 women with PCOS, have been randomized to 8 weeks of MBSR or health education control, and followed for 16 weeks. The primary outcome is mindfulness assessed with the Toronto Mindfulness Scale. Secondary outcomes include measures of blood pressure, blood glucose, quality of life, anxiety and depression. Our overall hypothesis is that MBSR will increase mindfulness and ultimately lead to favorable changes in blood pressure, blood glucose, psychological distress and quality of life in PCOS and non-PCOS women. This would support the integration of MBSR with conventional medical treatments to reduce psychological distress, cardiovascular disease and diabetes in PCOS and non-PCOS women who are overweight or obese.

When pain is not only pain: inserting needles into the body evokes distinct reward-related brain responses in the context of a treatment

The aim of this study was to compare behavioral and functional brain responses to the act of inserting needles into the body in two different contexts, treatment and stimulation, and to determine whether the behavioral and functional brain responses to a subsequent pain stimulus were also context dependent. Twenty-four participants were randomly divided into two groups: an acupuncture treatment (AT) group and an acupuncture stimulation (AS) group. Each participant received three different types of stimuli, consisting of tactile, acupuncture, and pain stimuli, and was given behavioral assessments during fMRI scanning. Although the applied stimuli were physically identical in both groups, the verbal instructions differed: participants in the AS group were primed to consider the acupuncture as a painful stimulus, whereas the participants in the AT group were told that the acupuncture was part of therapeutic treatment. Acupuncture yielded greater brain activation in reward-related brain areas (ventral striatum) of the brain in the AT group when compared to the AS group. Brain activation in response to pain stimuli was significantly attenuated in the bilateral secondary somatosensory cortex and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex after prior acupuncture needle stimulation in the AT group but not in the AS group. Inserting needles into the body in the context of treatment activated reward circuitries in the brain and modulated pain responses in the pain matrix. Our findings suggest that pain induced by therapeutic tools in the context of a treatment is modulated differently in the brain, demonstrating the power of context in medical practice.

Long-Term Chamomile Therapy of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Study Protocol for a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo- Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Anxiety symptoms are among the most common reasons for consumers to use Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapy. Although many botanicals have been proposed as putative remedies for anxiety symptoms, there has been a paucity of controlled trials of these remedies. A preliminary study of the anxiolytic effect of Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) in humans suggests that chamomile may have anxiolytic and antidepressant activity. We now seek to conduct a 5-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-substitution study to examine the short and long-term safety and efficacy of chamomile extract in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

METHODS/DESIGN

180 subjects with moderate to severe GAD will receive initial open-label pharmaceutical-grade chamomile extract 500-1,500 mg daily for 8 weeks. Responders to treatment who remain well for an additional 4 weeks of consolidation therapy, will be randomized to double-blind continuation therapy with either chamomile extract 500-1,500 mg daily or placebo for an additional 26 weeks. The primary outcome will be the time to relapse during study continuation therapy in each treatment condition. Secondary outcomes will include the proportion of subjects in each treatment condition who relapse, as well as the proportion of subjects with treatment-emergent adverse events. Quality of life ratings will also be compared between treatment conditions during short and long-term therapy.

DISCUSSION

Many individuals with mental disorders decline conventional therapy and seek CAM therapies for their symptoms. Thus, the identification of effective CAM therapy is of relevance to reducing the burden of mental illness. This study builds upon our prior findings of significant superiority of chamomile versus placebo in reducing GAD symptoms. We now extend these preliminary findings by conducting a randomized long-term safety and efficacy study of chamomile in GAD.

Acupuncture for chronic, stable angina pectoris and an investigation of the characteristics of acupoint specificity: study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Chronic stable angina pectoris (CSAP) is a common cardiovascular condition that endangers a patient's life quality and longevity. As demonstrated in several clinical trials, acupuncture is attested to be effective for CSAP. Current trials are not adequate enough to provide high-quality evidence for clinical decision making, as a result of inadequate methodology design and small sample size. Notably, stark controversy toward acupoint specificity also exists in the clinical acupuncture trials for CSAP. Therefore, we designed the present study as a randomized controlled trial primarily to investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture in addition to routine care among patients with CSAP. Meanwhile, we examined whether acupoint on the disease-affected meridian (DAM) is superior to either acupoint on the non-affected meridian (NAM) or non-acupoint (NA), to further investigate the meridian-based characteristics of acupoint specificity.

METHODS/DESIGN

This study was a multicenter, assessor and statistician blinded, randomized controlled trial in China. In this study, 404 participants in sum will be randomly assigned to four groups through central randomization in a 1:1:1:1 ratio. The whole study period is 20 weeks including a 4-week baseline period, a 4-week treatment period and a 12-week follow-up. Participants in the DAM group receive acupuncture stimulation at acupoints on the disease-affected meridian, and three different control groups will undergo acupuncture stimulation at the NAM, the non-acupoint and no intervention respectively, in addition to basic treatment. Participants in the acupuncture groups will receive 12 sessions of acupuncture treatment over 4 weeks, while the wait-listed (WL) group would receive free acupuncture treatment after the completion of the study. The outcome measures in this trial include the frequency of angina attack during 4 weeks as the primary outcome and eight other secondary outcomes.

DISCUSSION

This trial will provide new and relatively high-quality evidence in acupuncture treatment for CSAP. Moreover, this trial may further validate the meridian-based characteristics of acupoint specificity by comparing the strength of acupoints on the disease-affected meridian versus that of the non-affected meridian, to further inspire optimization of acupuncture therapy for CSAP.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical Trials.gov NCT01686230.

Validation of the Korean Version of the Acupuncture Expectancy Scale

Objectives

Expectancy has been shown to affect patients’ responses to acupuncture therapy. However, no validated measure of expectancy for acupuncture is available in the Korean language. The Acupuncture Expectancy Scale (AES), a 4-item self-reporting questionnaire, is the validated instrument for measuring expectancies regarding acupuncture therapy. We translated the AES into Korean and examined its test–retest reliability and construct validity.

Methods

The AES was translated using a forward and backward translation procedure. Internal consistency was assessed in 275 participants with item-total correlations. Construct validity was also assessed by performing principal component analysis and correlating scores on the scale with the participants’ intention to receive acupuncture therapy. Test–retest reliability was assessed in 33 participants by calculating Cronbach's α and Spearman rank correlation coefficients.

Results

Internal consistency was high (Cronbach's α=0.910). Principal component analysis showed that expectancy of acupuncture treatment accounted for 79.2% of the variance. The AES was positively correlated with participants’ intention to receive acupuncture treatment (r=0.695, p<0.001). Test–retest reliability in 33 of the 275 participants was adequate, with the Spearman rank correlation coefficient ranging from 0.500 to 0.737 (p<0.001).

Conclusions

The Korean version of the AES is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring patients’ expectancies regarding acupuncture treatment in the Korean population.