Risk of T2DM in RA

Inspired by Chen et al 2021.[1] Tea fields, Alishan Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan. Photo by Alexa Soh on Unsplash. T2DM – type 2 diabetes mellitusRA – rheumatoid arthritisCHD – coronary heart diseaseaHR – adjusted hazard ratioMA – manual acupunctureEA – electroacupunctureTNFα – tumour necrosis factor alpha (a potent inflammatory cytokine)LHID – longitudinal health insurance database … Continue reading Risk of T2DM in RA →

EA and the gut microbiome

Inspired by Wang et al 2021.[1] Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.comWhilst I think EA is great in KOA, the most direct way of influencing the microbial diversity in the gut is through what we chose to put in it. All the data suggests that colourful vegetables are probably the most important component of diet … Continue reading EA and the gut microbiome →

Cortisol and the menopause 2021

Inspired by Cagnacci et al 2021.[1] Professor Angelo Cagnacci presenting at the BMAS Autumn Scientific Meeting in 2019. RCT – randomised controlled trialHRT – homone replacement therapyCVD – cardiovascular diseaseROS – reactive oxygen species (a form of free radicals)NO – nitrous oxidekey to acronyms This is the third and probably the last paper to come … Continue reading Cortisol and the menopause 2021 →

Acupuncture in PD 2021

Inspired by Brandín-de la Cruz et al 2021,[1] Pereira et al 2021,[2] and Park et al 2021.[3] Dopamine – carbon (yellow), oxygen (red), nitrogen (blue) and hydrogen (gold). PD – Parkinson’s diseaseRCT – randomised controlled trialDN – dry needlingTrP – trigger point1Hz DN – insertion of the needle once every secondTUG – timed up and … Continue reading Acupuncture in PD 2021 →

MA vs TENS in PGP

Inspired by Svahn Ekdahl et al 2021.[1] Image by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash. MA – manual acupunctureTENS – transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulationPGP – pelvic girdle painNIHR – National Institute of Health ResearchODI – Oswestry disability indexITT– intention to treatPP – per protocolCI – confidence intervalQoL – quality of lifekey to acronyms There was a flurry of research activity … Continue reading MA vs TENS in PGP →

QoL in gastric cancer patients 2021

Inspired by Zhu et al 2021.[1] Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com QoL – quality of lifeHRQoL – health related quality of lifeEA – electroacupunctureMA – manual acupunctureAEs – adverse eventsITT – intention to treat (analysis)PP – per protocol (analysis)key to acronyms This is a relatively small (n=66) pilot study with 3 parallel arms. It … Continue reading QoL in gastric cancer patients 2021 →

Needle retrieval 2021

Inspired by Ikoma et al 2021.[1] Photo by SUNBEAM PHOTOGRAPHY on Unsplash. I have mentioned embedded needle fragments and the surgical retrieval of such fragments several times previously on this blog. But this is the first account of successful image-guided percutaneous retrieval of needle fragments using myocardial biopsy forceps. myocardial biopsy forceps The report includes … Continue reading Needle retrieval 2021 →

Paraplegia after EA

Inspired by Park et al 2021.[1] Photo by icon0.com on Pexels.com – I chose this image of a small waterfall as a natural metaphor for an SDAVF, which are low flow fistulas down a relatively small pressure gradient. Most other AVMs in the CNS are high flow and cause problems through pressure or bleeding. SAE … Continue reading Paraplegia after EA →

An SR of AEs 2021

Inspired by Bäumler et al 2021.[1] Photo by Dominika Kwiatkowska on Pexels.com SR – systematic reviewAE(s) – adverse event(s)SAE(s) – serious adverse event(s)RoB – risk of biaskey to acronyms I was a bit surprised to see this big AE review full of forest plots in BMJ Open last week. This is the first review of … Continue reading An SR of AEs 2021 →

Distant vs local needling

Inspired by Yu et al 2021.[1] Photo by Dylann Hendricks | 딜란 on Unsplash. PoPS – principles of point selectionOA – osteoarthritisVAS – visual analogue scaleROM – range of movementHNCS – heterotopic noxious conditioning stimulationDNIC – diffuse noxious inhibitory controlkey to acronyms I will immediately admit that I am always biased in this debate in … Continue reading Distant vs local needling →