Clinical Research Directory

Effects of Different-Frequency Electroacupuncture on Suprahyoid Muscles in Post-Stroke Dysphagia: Efficacy and Neural Networks

This randomized controlled study in patients with post-stroke dysphagia aims to determine the optimal stimulation frequency of electroacupuncture of the suprahyoid muscles and to elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms. Participants will be assigned to low-frequency (2 Hz), medium-frequency (50 Hz), or high-frequency (100 Hz) electroacupuncture groups. Therapeutic efficacy will be assessed using the Kubota water-drinking test, videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS), and ultrasonography to identify the optimal frequency. In parallel, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) will be used to evaluate changes in fiber connectivity between swallowing-related cortical regions (bilateral precentral gyrus, insula, supramarginal gyrus, and frontal lobe) and the medullary nucleus tractus solitarius, thereby exploring neural network remodeling and providing mechanistic evidence to inform clinical practice.

Men With Prostate Cancer: Optimizing Wellness by Enhanced Relief From Hot Flashes With Acupuncture

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States. Many men with prostate cancer are treated with hormone therapy, also called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). While this treatment is effective, it often causes bothersome side effects such as hot flashes, poor sleep, fatigue, and other physical and emotional symptoms. There is currently no standard treatment to help manage these side effects in men. Acupuncture is a non-drug treatment that has been shown to help reduce hot flashes and related symptoms in women receiving hormone therapy for breast cancer. However, much less is known about whether acupuncture is helpful for men receiving hormone therapy for prostate cancer. This study will test whether an acupuncture program, combined with usual lifestyle education, is feasible and acceptable for men undergoing ADT. The study will also explore whether acupuncture may help reduce hot flashes and improve related symptoms. A total of 24 men with prostate cancer receiving ADT will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group will begin acupuncture right away, and the other group will begin acupuncture after a delay, with regular check-ins during the waiting period. All participants will receive standard lifestyle education. Participants will be followed for about five months and will be asked to complete daily hot flash diaries, questionnaires about their symptoms and quality of life, and wear a Fitbit to track sleep. The results of this pilot study will help determine whether a larger study should be conducted to better understand the role of acupuncture in managing hormone therapy side effects in men with prostate cancer.

Scalp Acupuncture Combined With rTMS for Upper Limb Motor Dysfunction in Stroke: A Brain Network Study

This study aims to compare the improvement effects of the rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) combined with conventional rehabilitation therapy group with the rTMS combined with scalp acupuncture and conventional rehabilitation therapy group. Through statistical analysis of the results obtained from functional near-infrared spectroscopy technology during task states, the investigators elucidate the neuroregulatory mechanism of scalp acupuncture combined with rTMS in improving upper limb motor function in stroke patients under MEP localization, and provide evidence for a more optimal rehabilitation program for post-stroke upper limb motor dysfunction.

ACU_Knee: Role of Acupuncture in Knee Prosthetic Surgery

Post-operative analgesia after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has always been a challenge in the anesthesiological setting, having to combine good pain control and the need for early mobilization, both factors that can affect the quality of rehabilitation treatment, prosthetic functional outcome, the onset of chronic pain, joint stiffness and the consequent quality of life of the patient. Recent loco-regional anesthesia (LRA) techniques have made an essential contribution to peri-operative management in the fast-track perspective of surgery, in terms of optimization of analgesia and rapid functional recovery. Inadequate post-operative analgesia, by affecting the normal rehabilitation pathway, is associated with medium-long term complications, such as chronic pain, joint stiffness and patient dissatisfaction, which often compromise functional autonomy and quality of life of the patient and may require invasive treatments (surgical revision, unlocking under general anesthesia). The local and systemic inflammatory state, evidenced by peri-operative dosage of specific biomarkers, appears to be related to prosthetic outcome.

Acupuncture Versus Compound Diclofenac Sodium for Pain Relief in Non-Traumatic Acute Abdominal

The investigators designed this clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of semi-standardized acupuncture and moxibustion combined with compound diclofenac sodium injection in the emergency department (ED) compared with acupuncture or compound diclofenac sodium injection alone.