Current Usage of Terminologies Related to Acupotomy: A Literature Research and Standardization Suggestion

Objective: To investigate the current usage of terminologies related to acupotomy through systematic search and analyze the pros and cons of each for proposing a standard terminology. Methods: Seven medical journal databases were searched including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, KoreaMed, and Korean studies Information Service System using 10 candidate terminologies as searching terms. All studies published from their inception to July 26, 2017 were collected. Articles were included if the title stated one of the 10 candidate terminologies consistent with the definition of acupotomy. Priorly established frequency and consistency of each candidate terminology from medical databases were calculated and evaluated. Moreover, the pros and cons of each were analyzed to propose a standard terminology. Results: A total of 112 studies in English databases, 1,129 studies in Chinese database, and 44 studies in Korean databases were included. The most frequently used terminologies were needle knife (35.71%), acupotomy (48.54%) and acupotomy (90.90%) in English, Chinese and Korean database, respectively. Overall, acupotomy and needle knife were the most frequently used. Others like acupotomology, needle scalpel, miniscalpel acupuncture and miniscalpel needle were used within 10% of the total searched literature. Acupotome, stiletto needle, sword like needle, and Xiaozhendao were rarely used. Acupotomy had the advantages of high frequency and consistency but lacked representativeness. Needle knife also showed a high frequency, but the consistency was poor. Though miniscalpel acupuncture and miniscule needle were used less frequently, they had advantages of inclusiveness and clarity. Conclusions: A debate for standardization of the terminology is necessary. This preliminary research can provide a basic outline for the standardization consensus process, and we believe it is noteworthy to discuss miniscalpel needle and miniscalpel acupuncture along with acupotomy and needle knife on the subject.     

Trends for weight control strategies in Korean adults using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2017

BackgroundObesity is an increasing global health problem and is associated with various diseases including stroke, respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Various weight control strategies such as exercise, calorie-restricted diet, anti-obesity medication, herbal medicine, and functional food are being used. The present study aimed to investigate the trends of weight control strategies in Korean adultsMethodsThis was a cross-sectional study that used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2017. A total of 64,207 participants were analyzed. The body mass index (BMI), subjective judgment of body appearance, practice of weight control, and methods to control weight were analyzed according to year and sex.ResultsThe prevalence rate of obesity in men based on a BMI of 25 or higher was slightly increased from 37.0% in 2007 to 41.1% in 2017. Among the weight control strategies, use of exercise decreased from 83.8% to 80.5% in men, and from 73.4% to 69.5% in women, reduction in the amount of food consumed increased from 47.1% to 60.5% in men and from 65.1% to 70.6% in women, consumption of functional food increased from 3% to 6.2% in men and from 3.2% to 8.7% in women, and rate of skipping meals increased from 6.1% to 12.0% in men and from 11.5% to 14.0% in women.ConclusionThe present study showed that exercise has decreased and dietary control and functional food consumption have increased as weight control strategies in Korean adults during the past decade.     

Efficacy and safety of modified Sini San for treating poststroke depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

ObjectiveThe aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of modified Sini San (MSS) for poststroke depression (PSD).MethodsRandomized controlled trials of MSS for PSD were identified in the Web of science, PsycINFO, World Cat, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, DuXiu, and Embase databases according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.ResultsIn total, 7 trials with 548 patients were included in the review. The meta-analysis showed that MSS had superior effects to fluoxetine hydrochloride in terms of response rate in patients with PSD (relative risk (RR): 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.10, 1.28], Z = 4.31, P < 0.0001). MSS may be more effective at reducing Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD) scores and modified Edinburgh-Scandinavia stroke scale (SSS) scores than fluoxetine hydrochloride after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment.Conclusions: Our meta-analysis demonstrated that MSS appears to have excellent therapeutic effects on PSD and no serious adverse effects. However, due to the small sample sizes and low quality of the literature, studies with higher methodological quality, larger sample sizes, and placebo controls are recommended in future research on MSS in patients with PSD to enhance the strength of the evidence. Therefore, clinicians should be cautious in using this evidence to make clinical decisions.