Combined acupuncture and general anesthesia on immune and cognitive function in elderly patients following subtotal gastrectomy for gastric cancer

Research progress on the immunomodulatory mechanism of acupuncture in tumor immune microenvironment

With the constantly deeper understanding of individualized precision therapy, immunotherapy is increasingly developed and personalized. The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) mainly consists of infiltrating immune cells, neuroendocrine cells, extracellular matrix, lymphatic vessel network, etc. It is the internal environment basis for the survival and development of tumor cells. As a characteristic treatment of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture has shown potentially beneficial impacts on TIME. The currently available information demonstrated that acupuncture could regulate the state of immunosuppression through a range of pathways. An effective way to understand the mechanisms of action of acupuncture was to analyze the response following treatment of the immune system. This research reviewed the mechanisms of acupuncture regulating tumor immunological status based on innate and adaptive immunity.

Effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture for the treatment of pain after laparoscopic surgery: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture for treating pain after laparoscopic surgery.

METHODS

The following databases were searched (since their establishment until November 16, 2021) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on electro-acupuncture for pain after laparoscopic surgery: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. Data were screened independently and extracted by two reviewers. Two researchers independently extracted and cross-checked data and applied the modified Jadad scale and the Cochrane-recommended assessment method to evaluate the bias risk. The Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan5.3 software.

RESULTS

Twelve RCTs enrolling 788 patients were included. (a) For postoperative 24 h visual analogue scale, five trials were included on electroacupuncture + routine analgesia therapy vs routine analgesia therapy with significance in electroacupuncture conducted after surgery [mean difference (MD) = -0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) (-0.90, -0.37)], as well as in electroacupuncture conducted before and after surgery [MD = -1.01, 95% CI (-1.62, -0.41)] and in surgery. However, two trials were included in electroacupuncture conducted 24 h before surgery with no significant difference [MD = -0.16, 95% CI (-0.44, 0.12)]. (b) The anesthetics intake of electroacupuncture + routine analgesia therapy vs. routine analgesia therapy was significant [MD = -121.71, 95% CI (-164.92, -78.49)]. (c) The adverse effects of electroacupuncture + routine analgesia therapy vs. routine analgesia therapy were significant both in the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting [risk rate (RR) = 0.49, 95% CI (0.39, 0.61)] and postoperative dizziness and headache [RR = 0.14, 95% CI (0.04, 0.47)].

CONCLUSION

The evidence showed that electro-acupuncture combined with routine analgesia therapy effectively treated pain after laparoscopic surgery. However, more rigorously designed RCTs are required due to the low quality of the included studies and the incomplete outcome evaluation system.

The efficacy of acupuncture in postoperative sleep quality: a literature review

PURPOSE

General anesthesia may affect the quality of postoperative sleep, especially after surgery on elderly patients. The decline of postoperative sleep quality may produce harmful effects on the postoperative recovery of patients. In this review, we summarized the efficacy and potential mechanism of acupuncture on postoperative sleep quality.

METHODS

We review the effect of general anesthesia on circadian sleep rhythm. In addition, to provide evidence about the impairment of decreased postoperative sleep quality, we also emphasize the mechanism of acupuncture alleviates factors that affect sleep quality after general anesthesia.

RESULTS

The application of acupuncture technology has been helpful to improve sleep quality and alleviate postoperative complications affecting postoperative sleep quality after general anesthesia.

CONCLUSION

Acupuncture at different acupoints could effectively improve body's neurotransmitter levels and regulate biological clock genes through various mechanisms, and then improve postoperative sleep quality. Large-scale multi-center trials are needed to verify these findings.

Application of Acupuncture to Attenuate Immune Responses and Oxidative Stress in Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction: What Do We Know So Far?

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common sequela following surgery and hospitalization. The prevention and management of POCD are important during clinical practice. POCD more commonly affects elderly patients who have undergone major surgery and can result in major decline in quality of life for both patients and their families. Acupuncture has been suggested as an effective intervention for many neurological disorders. In recent years, there are increasing interest in the use of acupuncture to prevent and treat POCD. In this review, we summarized the clinical and preclinical evidence of acupuncture on POCD using a narrative approach and discussed the potential mechanisms involved. The experimental details and findings of studies were summarized in tables and analyzed. Most of the clinical studies suggested that acupuncture before surgery could reduce the incidence of POCD and reduce the levels of systematic inflammatory markers. However, their reliability is limited by methodological flaws. Animal studies showed that acupuncture reduced cognitive impairment and the associated pathology after various types of surgery. It is possible that acupuncture modulates inflammation, oxidative stress, synaptic changes, and other cellular events to mitigate POCD. In conclusion, acupuncture is a potential intervention for POCD. More clinical studies with good research design are required to confirm its effectiveness. At the same time, findings from animal studies will help reveal the protective mechanisms, in which systematic inflammation is likely to play a major role.