Electroacupuncture and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Induced Sensations in Bell's Palsy Patients: A Quantitative Current Intensity Analysis

The efficacy of electroacupuncture in among early diabetic patients with lower limb arteriosclerotic wounds

Diabetic foot ulcers are the prevalent complication of diabetes mellitus, frequently culminating in arteriosclerosis of the lower extremities and consequent development of chronic wounds. The effectiveness of electroacupuncture (EA) as therapeutic intervention for promoting wound healing in this particular group of patients has been comprehensively assessed in this study. A randomized controlled trial involving 380 early diabetic patients with arteriosclerotic lesions of the lower limbs was conducted. Standard wound care plus EA was administered to the treatment group, while standard wound care alone was administered to the control group. The principal outcome assessed was the reduction in lesion size following the 8-week treatment period. Pain scores, recuperation time, and quality of life (QoL) evaluations constituted secondary outcomes. In comparison to the control group, the treatment group exhibited a significantly greater reduction in wound size (p < 0.05). The treatment group exhibited significantly reduced pain scores and significantly higher QoL scores (p < 0.05). The duration of recovery did not vary substantially among the groups (p > 0.05). Electroacupuncture thus appeared to be an effective adjunctive treatment for early diabetic patients with lower limb arteriosclerotic lesions, promoting pain relief and quality of life. Additional investigation is necessary to validate these results and delve into the underlying mechanisms of action.

Application of facial neuromuscular electrical stimulation (fNMES) in psychophysiological research: Practical recommendations based on a systematic review of the literature

Facial neuromuscular electrical stimulation (fNMES), which allows for the non-invasive and physiologically sound activation of facial muscles, has great potential for investigating fundamental questions in psychology and neuroscience, such as the role of proprioceptive facial feedback in emotion induction and emotion recognition, and may serve for clinical applications, such as alleviating symptoms of depression. However, despite illustrious origins in the 19th-century work of Duchenne de Boulogne, the practical application of fNMES remains largely unknown to today's researchers in psychology. In addition, published studies vary dramatically in the stimulation parameters used, such as stimulation frequency, amplitude, duration, and electrode size, and in the way they reported them. Because fNMES parameters impact the comfort and safety of volunteers, as well as its physiological (and psychological) effects, it is of paramount importance to establish recommendations of good practice and to ensure studies can be better compared and integrated. Here, we provide an introduction to fNMES, systematically review the existing literature focusing on the stimulation parameters used, and offer recommendations on how to safely and reliably deliver fNMES and on how to report the fNMES parameters to allow better cross-study comparison. In addition, we provide a free webpage, to easily visualise fNMES parameters and verify their safety based on current density. As an example of a potential application, we focus on the use of fNMES for the investigation of the facial feedback hypothesis.

Combination of Manual Acupuncture, Penetrating Needling, and Electroacupuncture to Treat Bell's Palsy

Background

Bell's palsy is an acute idiopathic paralysis of lower motor neurons on only 1 side of the face without any identifiable etiology. The condition affects a patient's physical, social, and psychologic health. It is important for the patient to recover quickly and minimize the risk of long-term sequelae. Therefore, researchers recommend a combination of several therapeutic modalities to shorten the disease's course and improve curative effects.

Case

A 34-year-old woman had with right facial weakness. She was diagnosed with House-Brackmann grade III Bell's palsy and received medical therapy. She was also given manual acupuncture at GB-20, BL-2, ST-36, LI-4, TE-5 bilateral, and GV-20. Penetrating needling was given at GB-14 toward Ex-HN-3, ST-7 toward SI-18, SI-18 toward LI-20, ST-6 toward ST-4, and ST-5 toward ST-4 on the affected area, with a 30-minute needle retention. Electroacupuncture (EA) was delivered at ST-7-SI-18, ST-6-ST-5, GB-14-Ex-HN-5, and ST-4-CV-24, with a dense-disperse wave, at a frequency of 10/50 Hz for 20 minutes. She had treatment sessions twice per week, for a total of12 sessions.

Results

From her 7th to 12th visit, this patient had reached House-Brackmann grade I. No adverse effects occurred.

Conclusions

In this patient, a combination of acupuncture penetrating needling technique and EA played a role to shorten her recovery time and minimize the risk of sequelae of Bell's palsy. The treatment combination used in this case report can be considered in other clinical cases.

Global Trends and Performances of Acupuncture Therapy on Bell's Palsy from 2000 to 2023: A Bibliometric Analysis

Purpose

Recent studies have shown that acupuncture may have great potential in the treatment of Bell's palsy. However, the bibliometric analysis of this field has not been summarized properly. Thus, the purpose of this study is to analyze the hotspot of acupuncture for Bell's Palsy.

Methods

The core collection database of Web of Science was searched for relevant publications from 2000 to 2023, and countries, institutions, authors, keywords, and literature were analyzed and visualized by bibliometric softwareCiteSpace 5.1.R6, Vosviewer, BICOMB, and gCLUTO to explore the scientific achievements, research collaboration networks, research hot spots, and research trends.

Results

229 publications were included in this study. The most cited journal is Journal of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery; the most prolific country is China; the most prolific author is Li Ying, moreover, the collaboration among scholars is poor; Kyung Hee University is the most prolific institution studying acupuncture for Bell's Palsy. Reference burst detection indicates that traditional Chinese Medicine philosophy, the role of acupuncture in the prognosis of facial palsy, mechanism of acupuncture to improve facial nerve function, and the use of electroacupuncture are starting to become new research hotspots.

Conclusion

The field of acupuncture for Bell's Palsy has developed rapidly in recent years, and new research trends are mainly: combination with traditional Chinese medicine, the role of acupuncture in the prognosis of facial palsy, mechanism of acupuncture to improve facial nerve function, and the use of electroacupuncture. However, research in this field is still dominated by case reports and clinical trials, and there is a lack of large-scale, multicenter clinical trials and animal experiments there are still many problems in institutional cooperation and experimental design, which requires relevant researchers to strengthen cooperation and improve experimental design.

Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation for Moderate to Severe Pain in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Cancer-related pain is one of the primary symptoms of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Previous studies have shown that transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) is effective in treating patients with acute or chronic pain. In China, it is indispensable to evaluate the efficacy of TEAS in combination with opioids for the treatment of moderate to severe HCC-related pain.

Methods/Design

This is a single-center clinical, prospective randomized controlled clinical trial protocol. 104 patients will be randomly divided into the observation group and the control group in a ratio of 1:1.In addition to routine cancer pain medication, the two groups of patients will receive TEAS treatment twice a day for one week. Acupoints will include bilateral Hegu(LI4), Neiguan(PC6), Zusanli(ST36), Taichong(LR3), Ganshu(BL18), Geshu(BL17), Qimen(LR14), and Zhangmen(LR13). The treatment time is from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The primary outcome measures are the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and the secondary outcome measures include the Brief Pain Inventory(BPI), dosage and administration duration of opioid drugs, frequency of nausea, vomiting and defecation, Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPS), Quality of life scale (QOL), Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI). The outcome measures will be evaluated at baseline, during treatment and 1 week after treatment.

Discussion

Results of this trial are expected to clarify the value of TEAS stimulation performed on specific points in the management of moderate to severe pain in HCC.

Trial registration

Chinese clinical trial registry, ChiCTR2100044615 (http://www.chictr.org.cn), Registered on 24 March 2021.