Soo-Yeon Park, Ji-Hoon Song, Nguyen Cong Duc, Gihyun Lee
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives: The need for alternative therapies for atopic dermatitis (AD) has emerged due to the side effects of conventional therapies. Biodegradable microneedle acupuncture (BMA) is a novel medical device that overcame the shortcomings of traditional intradermal acupuncture (IDA), such as foreign body feeling and allergic dermatitis. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BMA for patients with Mild to Moderate AD compared with the IDA.
Methods: An assessor-blinded, parallel, non-superiority, randomized controlled pilot trial was conducted. Thirty adult participants were recruited from a single hospital and were equally divided into the experimental or control group. They were treated with BMA or IDA on both sides of LI11, ST36, and PC6 for four hours. Over four weeks, both interventions were performed eight times in total. The primary endpoint was the objective scoring AD (O-SCORAD) index. The secondary endpoints were visual analog scale (VAS) for itch and sleep disturbance, dermatology life quality index (DLQI), skin hydration, and transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
Results: Enrolled thirty participants completed the trial. After the trial, all endpoints remarkably improved compared with the baseline in both groups, except for the TEWL. Between the two interventions, there were no remarkable differences in the fourth week, except for the VAS score for itch and DLQI. No serious adverse events occurred during the study period.
Conclusion: Both BMA and IDA were effective in improving Mild to Moderate AD, and they were safe. BMA can be an alternative to conventional acupuncture for patients with sensitive skin, including metal allergies.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Pharmacopuncture covers a wide range of basic and clinical science research relevant to all aspects of the biotechnology of integrated approaches using both pharmacology and acupuncture therapeutics, including research involving pharmacology, acupuncture studies and pharmacopuncture studies. The subjects are mainly divided into three categories: pharmacology (applied phytomedicine, plant sciences, pharmacology, toxicology, medicinal plants, traditional medicines, herbal medicine, Sasang constitutional medicine, herbal formulae, foods, agricultural technologies, naturopathy, etc.), acupuncture (acupressure, electroacupuncture, laser acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, etc.), and pharmacopuncture (aqua-acupuncture, meridian pharmacopuncture, eight-principles pharmacopuncture, animal-based pharmacopuncture, mountain ginseng pharmacopuncture, bee venom therapy, needle embedding therapy, implant therapy, etc.). Other categories include chuna treatment, veterinary acupuncture and related animal studies, alternative medicines for treating cancer and cancer-related symptoms, etc. Broader topical coverage on the effects of acupuncture, the medical plants used in traditional and alternative medicine, pharmacological action and other related modalities, such as anthroposophy, homeopathy, ayurveda, bioelectromagnetic therapy, chiropractic, neural therapy and meditation, can be considered to be within the journal’s scope if based on acupoints and meridians. Submissions of original articles, review articles, systematic reviews, case reports, brief reports, opinions, commentaries, medical lectures, letters to the editor, photo-essays, technical notes, and book reviews are encouraged. Providing free access to the full text of all current and archived articles on its website (www.journal.ac), also searchable through a Google Scholar search.