Journal of Integrative Medicine-Jim最新文献

{"title":"Acupuncture with near-infrared irradiation using needles loaded with curcumin-polydopamine film attenuates papain-induced knee osteoarthritis in rats.","authors":"Hong-Zhong Xi, Xiao-Xue Tan, Jia-Hao Fu, Hao Chen, Shuai He, Bin Du, Xin Liu, Guang-Quan Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.joim.2026.04.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2026.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Acupuncture is a commonly used alternative therapy for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Modern modifications to acupuncture needles may enhance their efficacy in treating KOA. In this study, a curcumin-polydopamine (Cur-PDA) film was used to modify the acupuncture needle to improve the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of KOA and the anti-inflammatory properties were evaluated in in vivo and in vitro analyses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Low-power electron beam deposition technology was used to produce the Cur-PDA film-loaded needle. The characterization and the cytotoxicity of the needles were tested. Then, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated mouse RAW264.7 cells were treated with acupuncture needles and irradiated with near-infrared (NIR) light to test the anti-inflammatory properties in vitro. In in vivo studies, six-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = 10): control group, KOA model group, and three groups that received acupuncture with standard needles (Acu group), curcumin-coated needles (Cur group), and curcumin-polydopamine film-loaded needles followed by NIR irradiation (Cur-PDA + NIR group), respectively. Acupuncture was administered at the bilateral Dubi and Neixiyan acupoints for 30 min per session, and photothermal treatment was applied concurrently in the Cur-PDA + NIR group. The therapeutic effect of acupuncture was evaluated by assessing changes in the synovial tissue. Pathological alterations were detected using hematoxylin and eosin staining and Masson staining, and the levels of key inflammatory factors, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both curcumin-coated and Cur-PDA-film-loaded needles showed excellent structure and adhesion after coating. The Cur-PDA group demonstrated stronger photothermal performance compared to the Cur group, with more release of curcumin (P < 0.0001). In vitro studies demonstrated that both needles showed no significant cytotoxicity and did not affect the proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and L6 cells, even under NIR light. In addition, the Cur-PDA + NIR group exhibited the most significantly reduced M1 polarization ratio and inhibited the expression of IL-1β and TNF-α in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In the papain-induced KOA rat model, the Cur-PDA + NIR needle also exhibited favorable synovial pathological outcomes with the lowest degree of fibrosis.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Cur-PDA film-loaded acupuncture needle can attenuate papain-induced KOA in rats by responding to NIR irradiation. Please cite this article as: Xi HZ, Tan XX, Fu JH, Chen H, He S, Du B, Liu X, Sun GQ. Acupuncture with near-infrared irradiation using needles loaded with curcumin-polydopamine film attenuates papain-induced knee osteoarthritis in rats. J Integr Med. 2026; Epub ahead of print.</p>","PeriodicalId":48599,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Integrative Medicine-Jim","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147786357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Neuroprotective mechanism of acupuncture against brain injury during delayed thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke.","authors":"Zheng Huang, Xin-Yu Liu, Jun-Feng Gao, Hai-Tao Zhang, Yun Huang, Rong Wu, Yi-Ying Chen, Zhi-Hui Zhang, Xiu-Ping Xu, Xin-Chang Zhang, Guang-Xia Ni","doi":"10.1016/j.joim.2026.03.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2026.03.005","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objective: &lt;/strong&gt;This study aimed to investigate the ferroptosis-related mechanism of brain injury in delayed thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and clarify the neuroprotective role of acupuncture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;This study integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, clinical retrospective analysis and animal experiments. Multi-omics analyses, including high-throughput transcriptome sequencing and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based proteomics, were performed on brain tissues from rats with thromboembolic stroke to identify differentially expressed genes and proteins, overlapping molecules, and ferroptosis-related enriched pathways. The clinical retrospective study included 110 participants (30 healthy volunteers and 80 AIS patients, stratified by thrombolysis time windows of &lt;3 h and 4.5-6 h) to assess neurological outcomes and iron metabolism markers. A rat model of thromboembolic stroke was used for in vivo experiments. Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to delayed intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) at 6 h post-modeling, followed by ferroptosis modulators (liproxstatin-1 and iron dextran) and acupuncture. Ferroptosis-related markers, including solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), acyl-coenzyme A synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4), iron deposition, malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH), were detected. Additionally, functional and structural assessments covering mitochondrial morphology and neurological function were conducted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Multi-omics analysis revealed significant enrichment of ferroptosis-related pathways, including glutamate metabolism and lipid peroxidation, along with abnormal expression of molecules associated with oxidative stress and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption. In this retrospective study, reduced serum iron and transferrin levels, as well as total iron-binding capacity, were observed in AIS patients. Serum iron level was negatively correlated with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (r = -0.709, P &lt; 0.01) and had the highest predictive efficacy for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage among the three iron metabolism indicators, with the area under the curve value of 0.803, indicating that delayed thrombolysis triggers ferroptosis. In vivo experiments demonstrated that acupuncture upregulated the expression of anti-ferroptosis proteins SLC7A11 and GPX4 and downregulated the pro-ferroptosis protein ACSL4. It alleviated ferroptosis-related pathological changes by reducing iron deposition and MDA content and increasing GSH level. Additionally, it improved mitochondrial structural integrity and neurological function and protected the BBB from disruption. Moreover, it exerted a synergistic effect with liproxstatin-1 against ferroptosis and brain injury.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;Delayed thrombolysis for AIS t","PeriodicalId":48599,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Integrative Medicine-Jim","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147693161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of sequential traditional Chinese medicine intervention on pregnancy outcomes of intrauterine insemination: A retrospective cohort study.","authors":"Nan Li, Xiao-Li Yan, Li-Jun Wang, Hui Zhang, Mei Chen, Jun Bai, Na Ji, Yu-Dong Zhang, Yuan Pang, Hai-Jing Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.joim.2026.03.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2026.03.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used in assisted reproduction, but the outcomes have been inconsistent. This study evaluated the impact of sequential TCM treatment on pregnancy outcomes among patients undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective cohort study included female patients who underwent IUI with their husband's sperm at the Reproductive Center of Affiliated Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine between November 2019 and June 2022. Patients were divided into sequential TCM (TCM was administered for at least 14 consecutive days during the treatment cycle) and non-sequential TCM (TCM was administered for fewer than 14 days or not administered) groups according to the duration of TCM administration. The primary outcomes were clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 396 cycles were analyzed, with 160 cycles undergoing sequential TCM treatment. The sequential TCM group exhibited a higher clinical pregnancy rate (26.3% vs 14.0%, P = 0.002) and live birth rate (20.0% vs 10.2%, P = 0.006) compared to the non-sequential TCM group. After adjusting for endometrial pattern and dominant follicle diameter, the odds ratios for pregnancy and live birth in the sequential TCM group were 2.289 (95% CI [1.335, 3.923], P = 0.003) and 2.241 (95% CI [1.226, 4.096], P = 0.009), respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In this retrospective cohort, sequential TCM treatment was associated with higher clinical pregnancy and live birth rates in patients undergoing IUI treatment. Please cite this article as: Li N, Yan XL, Wang LJ, Zhang H, Chen M, Bai J, Ji N, Zhang YD, Pang Y, Wang HJ. Impact of sequential traditional Chinese medicine intervention on pregnancy outcomes of intrauterine insemination: A retrospective cohort study J Integr Med. 2026; Epub ahead of print.</p>","PeriodicalId":48599,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Integrative Medicine-Jim","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147494651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Yinchenhao decoction, a compound Chinese herbal medicine, for patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.","authors":"Fei-Peng Xu, Chen Yang, Shang-Hai Yu, Hong Cai, Meng-Yu Hui, Ling-Ling Fang, Gao-Feng Chen, Shi-Li Jiang, Shen-Lan Qi, Si-Jia Wu, Si-Jie Liu, Jie Yuan, Gang Xu, Wei Liu, Ping Liu, Hua Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.joim.2026.03.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2026.03.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing. Yinchenhao Decoction (YCHD) has been well studied for its uses in treating NAFLD. Moreover, the metabolism of bile acids (BAs) and eicosanoids have influence on NAFLD. YCHD is a classic prescription for damp-heat syndrome, and can regulate bile acid metabolism and alleviate inflammation in NAFLD.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study evaluated the effects of YCHD on NAFLD and explored the effect of YCHD on eicosanoids and bile acids.</p><p><strong>Design, setting, participants and interventions: </strong>This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 130 NAFLD participants. The participants were randomly assigned to YCHD group or placebo group in a 1:1 ratio, receiving YCHD granules or the placebo for 24 weeks.</p><p><strong>Outcome measures: </strong>Primary outcome was absolute change in liver magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) from the baseline to week 24. Secondary outcomes included absolute changes in controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), metabolic parameters, and liver injury and function parameters.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After 24 weeks of treatment, MRI-PDFF (average), CAP, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and body mass index (BMI) decreased significantly in the YCHD group compared to placebo group (all P < 0.05). Moreover, no serious adverse events were observed. Further, YCHD did not significantly regulate eicosanoids (all P > 0.05); however it did regulate taurodeoxycholic acid (TDCA), glycodeoxycholic acid (GDCA), deoxycholic acid (DCA), glycolithocholic acid (GLCA), and the ratio of GDCA to total BAs, compared to the placebo at week 24 (P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>YCHD can reduce the MRI-PDFF, CAP, ALT, AST, ALP and BMI without significant adverse events. YCHD can also regulate the metabolism of TDCA, GDCA and DCA, and the ratio of GDCA to total BAs.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000034868. Please cite this article as: Xu FP, Yang C, Yu SH, Cai H, Hui MY, Fang LL, Chen GF, Jiang SL, Qi SL, Wu SJ, Liu SJ, Yuan J, Xu G, Liu W, Liu P, Zhang H. Yinchenhao Decoction, a compound Chinese herbal medicine, for patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Integr Med. 2026; Epub ahead of print.</p>","PeriodicalId":48599,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Integrative Medicine-Jim","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147576023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acupuncture to ensure high-quality embryos in women undergoing in vitro fertilization: A systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Jing-Yi Wang, Jin-Bang Xu, Xue-Li Chen, Tao Liu, Dan Shi, Wan-Jing Li","doi":"10.1016/j.joim.2026.03.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2026.03.002","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Acupuncture therapy has garnered significant attention for its potential role in enhancing the quantity and quality of oocytes retrieved and the number of embryos formed during in vitro fertilization (IVF) with controlled ovarian stimulation (COS).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objective: &lt;/strong&gt;This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture for improving oocyte and embryo quality in IVF patients undergoing COS.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Search strategy: &lt;/strong&gt;PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP Database and SinoMed were searched, from inception to 30 June 2025.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Inclusion criteria: &lt;/strong&gt;Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing IVF (with or without intracytoplasmic sperm injection) combined with acupuncture (manual acupuncture or electroacupuncture) to IVF alone or IVF with sham/placebo acupuncture in female infertility patients were included, without restrictions on race, age or nationality. Outcome variables included high-quality embryo rate (HQER), high-quality oocyte rate (HQOR), fertilization rate (FR) and the number of retrieved oocytes (ROs).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Data extraction and analysis: &lt;/strong&gt;Data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.4.0. The primary outcome was HQER, and secondary outcomes comprised ROs, HQOR and FR.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Eighteen studies were analyzed. Six studies showed that acupuncture significantly improved HQER (odds ratio [OR] = 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.30, 2.39], P = 0.0003; moderate-certainty evidence) with moderate heterogeneity (I&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 49%). Two RCTs indicated that IVF combined with acupuncture was better than IVF alone for HQOR (OR = 2.39, 95% CI [1.42, 4.02], P = 0.001; low-certainty evidence) with substantial heterogeneity (I&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 69%). Four RCTs showed significant improvement in FR in the acupuncture group (OR = 1.47, 95% CI [1.19, 1.82], P = 0.0003; I&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 0%; moderate-certainty evidence). Subgroup analyses revealed that acupuncture increased oocytes retrieved in the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) ≥ 25 mIU/mL group (mean difference [MD] = 0.55, 95% CI [0.29, 0.82], P &lt; 0.0001; I&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 38%; low-certainty evidence) and within 12-24 sessions (MD = 1.44, 95% CI [0.12, 2.76], P = 0.03; I&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 0%; low-certainty evidence).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;Acupuncture is an effective adjunct therapy for improving embryo quality in assisted reproductive technology, which is supported by moderate-certainty evidence. Its efficacy is not uniform but follows two key principles: first, a patient-stratified effect, where increased oocyte yield is exclusive to women with high FSH (≥ 25 mIU/mL); and second, an outcome-dependent dosing, where embryo quality benefits from brief courses (5-8 sessions), while oocyte number requires longer regimens (≥ 12 sessions). This recommended a personalized acupuncture treatment regime for IVF, moving beyond a o","PeriodicalId":48599,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Integrative Medicine-Jim","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147494657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deep learning in traditional Chinese medicine.","authors":"Li-Ping Liu, Chen Yang, Shi-Xin Cen, Tong-Chuan Suo","doi":"10.1016/j.joim.2026.03.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2026.03.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As an alternative medicine approach, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is mainly built on an ancient understanding of the world. In order to translate the promises of TCM into modern therapies, rigorous scientific techniques are applied, which generates big data from experiments, clinical practices and medical literature. Recently, deep learning (DL) has attracted the attention of TCM researchers due to its application in data mining. In this review, we summarized recent examples of DL application in the study of TCM, including medical image processing, medicinal substances investigation, data fusion and natural language processing. We find that DL methods have considerable potential to extract valuable information from TCM data, but high-quality TCM data are still needed for further development of DL techniques. Please cite this article as: Liu LP, Yang C, Cen SX, Suo TC. Deep learning in traditional Chinese medicine. J Integr Med. 2026; Epub ahead of print.</p>","PeriodicalId":48599,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Integrative Medicine-Jim","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147487776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anxiolytic, anti-depressive and cognition-enhancing effects of total saponins from lily bulbs in ovariectomized mice: A potential therapy for menopause-associated emotional disorders.","authors":"Xi-Dan Zhou, Zong-Shi Qin, Dong-Dong Shi, Chun-Yuan Chiang, Zhang-Jin Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.joim.2025.12.012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2025.12.012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Lily bulb, derived from the root of Lilium lancifolium Thunb. (Liliaceae), is a commonly used medicinal material and dietary supplement for climacteric syndrome. This study investigated the effects of total saponins from lily bulbs (TSLB), one of the main biologically active ingredients, on cognitive and mood disorders during menopause, as well as the underlying mechanisms of these effects.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>C57BL/6N mice underwent either ovariectomy (OVX) or sham surgery. After a recovery period of 2 weeks, these mice were exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for the subsequent 2 weeks, followed by multiple behavioral tests. Immediately after OVX, TSLB were administered at doses of 12, 24 and 48 mg/(kg∙d) by oral gavage for 36 d. Western blotting was used to assess the effects of TSLB on neurotransmitter modulators, neurotrophins and estrogen receptors (ERs).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At the dose of 24 mg/(kg∙d), TSLB exhibited anxiolytic activity evidenced by an increase in the duration in the elevated plus maze test (P = 0.003), antidepressant activity demonstrated by a decrease in immobility time in the tail suspension test (P = 0.047), and cognition-improving activity demonstrated by an increase in time spent in the target zone in the Morris water maze test (P = 0.039). These results were attributed to the predominant activation of ERs through direct binding of TSLB, with a higher affinity to ERβ than to ERα, as well as the regulation of neurotransmitters and neurotrophins in the brain.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>TSLB alleviated cognitive deficits and anxiety-like and depression-like behavior in OVX mice exposed to CUMS, suggesting the potential of TSLB as a novel treatment for menopause-related neuropsychological disorders. Please cite this article as: Zhou XD, Qin ZS, Shi DD, Chiang CY, Z.J. Zhang. Anxiolytic, anti-depressive and cognition-enhancing effects of total saponins from lily bulbs in ovariectomized mice: A potential therapy for menopause-associated emotional disorders. J Integr Med. 2026; Epub ahead of print.</p>","PeriodicalId":48599,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Integrative Medicine-Jim","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147475672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cardiac-specific sympathetic modulation, not splenic innervation, mediates PC6 electroacupuncture-induced cardioprotection via M2 macrophage polarization in mice with acute myocardial infarction.","authors":"Min-Jiao Jiang, Rou Peng, Xiao-Han Lu, Yu-Hang Yan, Dan-Ying Qian, Ling-Yue Zou, Xiao-Er Liu, Li-Yao Chen, Hua Bai, Yi Zhuang, Mei-Ling Yu, Sheng-Feng Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.joim.2026.01.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2026.01.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Electroacupuncture (EA) at Neiguan (PC6) acupoint confers protection against myocardial injury, though its precise neuroimmune mechanisms are not well understood. This study investigates whether EA-mediated attenuation of cardiac inflammation occurs through localized sympathetic and splenic regulation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Acute myocardial infarction was induced in mice by coronary artery ligation. Preoperative EA was administered bilaterally at PC6 (2/15 Hz, 1 mA, 20 min/d for 3 d). Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. Myocardial inflammation was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining, and infarct size was measured by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Macrophage recruitment and polarization (toward M2) were analyzed using flow cytometry. Serum norepinephrine, acetylcholine and pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, whereas myocardial cytokines were evaluated using immunohistochemistry staining. Splenic sympathetic activity was indexed through tyrosine hydroxylase expression via immunofluorescence staining. The neural pathways were dissected through chemical sympathectomy, splenic denervation, and adoptive splenocyte transfer.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>EA at PC6 significantly attenuated myocardial inflammation by suppressing cardiac sympathetic activity, downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6, interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α, and promoting M2 macrophage polarization. These effects correlated with reduced infarct size, diminished immune cell infiltration, and improved cardiac function. Chemical sympathectomy mimicked EA's cardioprotective profile. Splenic denervation exacerbated systemic inflammation but did not impair EA-driven macrophage phenotypic switching. Adoptive splenocyte transfer, regardless of donor EA pretreatment, facilitated cardiac repair, arguing against a splenocyte-mediated mechanism for EA-induced cardioprotection.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>EA at PC6 exerts its cardioprotective effect primarily through modulating local cardiac sympathetic hyperactivity, which rebalances macrophage polarization toward the M2 phenotype and mitigates inflammation-induced injury. While the spleen contributes to systemic immunity, it plays a minimal role in EA-driven myocardial repair. Please cite this article as: Jiang MJ, Peng R, Lu XH, Yan YH, Qian DY, Zou LY, Liu XE, Chen LY, Bai H, Zhuang Y, M.L. Yu, S.F. Lu. Cardiac-specific sympathetic modulation, not splenic innervation, mediates PC6 electroacupuncture-induced cardioprotection via M2 macrophage polarization in mice with acute myocardial infarction. J Integr Med. 2026; Epub ahead of print.</p>","PeriodicalId":48599,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Integrative Medicine-Jim","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147475922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing pregnancy outcomes in recurrent implantation failure: The role of acupuncture in improving endometrial receptivity.","authors":"Hong-Zhu Li, Ying-Jie Wu, Xue-Rong Li, Bing Deng, Yu-Xi Pang, Shi-Yu Lin, Li-Ming Lu, Yue-Mei Li","doi":"10.1016/j.joim.2025.10.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2025.10.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture for improving pregnancy outcomes, endometrial receptivity (ER), and embryo transfer success in patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the medical records of 609 RIF patients undergoing frozen embryo transfer between January 2019 and June 2022. Patients were divided into two groups: those receiving acupuncture combined with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or delayed HRT (d-HRT) and those receiving only HRT/d-HRT. Propensity score matching (PSM) ensured comparability between the groups. Clinical outcomes, including live birth rate (LBR), clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), ongoing pregnancy rate (OPR) and biochemical pregnancy rate (BPR), were analyzed. Endometrial thickness, hormonal levels and uterine blood flow were also assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After PSM, 166 patients were included in each group. The acupuncture group demonstrated significantly higher CPR (36.5%), LBR (28.0%), OPR and BPR compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Endometrial thickness, and estradiol and progesterone levels were also significantly higher, while uterine resistance and pulsatility indices were lower in the acupuncture group (P < 0.05). Predictors of live birth included patient age (< 35 years, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.933, P = 0.002), body mass index (BMI) (< 24 kg/m², HR = 0.974, P = 0.046), anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level (> 2 ng/mL, HR = 1.021, P = 0.043), high-quality embryo transfers (HR = 1.670, P < 0.05), and transferring two embryos (HR = 1.181, P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Acupuncture significantly enhanced ER and improved LBR in RIF patients. Younger patients with lower BMI, higher AMH level, and high-quality or dual embryo transfers benefited most from this complementary therapy. Please cite this article as: Li HZ, Wu YJ, Li XR, Deng B, Pang YX, Lin SY, Lu LM, Li YM. Enhancing pregnancy outcomes in recurrent implantation failure: The role of acupuncture in improving endometrial receptivity. J Integr Med. 2026; Epub ahead of print.</p>","PeriodicalId":48599,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Integrative Medicine-Jim","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147464047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Commonality and specificity of acupuncture tonifying-reducing manipulations based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy.","authors":"Yu-Zhu Qu, Jing-Ya Cao, Li Chen, Zi-Lei Tian, Jing Guo, Yu-Lai Gong, Zhen-Fang Lin, Ben-Xiang He, Tao Yin, Fang Zeng","doi":"10.1016/j.joim.2025.09.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2025.09.006","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Acupuncture tonifying-reducing manipulations (TRMs) are typically classified into tonifying manipulations (TMs) and reducing manipulations (RMs) according to their tonifying and reducing effects, and further subdivided into single and complex TRMs based on the different amount of stimulation applied. Different TRMs can produce different therapeutic effects, so distinguishing different TRMs is important for precise acupuncture treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objective: &lt;/strong&gt;This study investigated the specificity and commonality of brain responses induced by TRMs in terms of both the different effects of acupuncture and the different amount of acupuncture stimulation, deepening the understanding of TRMs and promoting their clinical applications.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Design, setting, participants and interventions: &lt;/strong&gt;A randomized crossover trial was conducted with 35 healthy participants, and each participant received four of the most commonly used TRMs at the left Quchi (LI11) in a randomized order, with an interval of at least one day between consecutive manipulations: single TM (STM), single RM (SRM), complex TM (CTM), and complex RM (CRM). Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to measure cerebral hemodynamic changes during the administration of TRMs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Main outcome measures: &lt;/strong&gt;The cerebral hemodynamic changes, including cortical activation and functional connectivity, were used as the primary outcomes. Other indexes, such as cortical oxygenated hemoglobin concentration and acupuncture needle sensations, were evaluated as secondary outcomes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Due to dropouts and fNIRS data defects among the initial 35 participants, the final analysis included 33 participants who accepted acupuncture at the left LI11 with STM, 31 with SRM, 29 with CTM, and 33 with CRM. Results showed that (1) the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and primary somatosensory cortex (S1) were common sites of response for all TRMs, (2) a trend of stronger activation in the PFC and S1 was observed in TMs compared to RMs, and (3) a stronger response in the PFC and S1 was observed in complex TRMs compared to single TRMs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;These findings indicated that acupuncture with these TRMs could elicit both shared and specific cerebral responses. The common characteristics revealed that extensive overlapping activation regions were observed in the PFC and S1, which were mediated by TRMs stimulation. Differences in the activation intensity of these brain regions indicated that TRMs also exhibited relative specificity. This may have significant implications for TRM application in clinical practice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trial registration: &lt;/strong&gt;Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100051886). Please cite this article as: Qu YZ, Cao JY, Chen L, Tian ZL, Guo J, Gong YL, Lin ZF, He BX, Yin T, Zeng F. Commonality and specificity of acupuncture tonifying-reducing manipulations based on functional","PeriodicalId":48599,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Integrative Medicine-Jim","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147475895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}