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Acupuncture has a positive effect on cognitive deficits. However, the effects of laser acupuncture (LA) on cognitive function and its mechanisms of action are unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of LA on middle cerebral artery occlusion- (MCAO-) induced cognitive impairment and its mechanisms of action. Transient focal cerebral ischemia was modeled in adult Sprague-Dawley rats by MCAO. After LA or manual-acupuncture (MA) treatment at the GV20 and HT7 for 2 weeks, hippocampal-dependent memory was evaluated using the Morris water maze (MWM) test. The hippocampus was dissected to analyze choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunoreactivity and Creb, Bdnf, Bcl-2, and Bax gene expressions. MWM test demonstrated a significant improvement in hippocampal-dependent memory in the MCAO rats after LA treatment. LA treatment significantly reversed the postischemic decrease in ChAT immunoreactivity in the hippocampal CA1 region. LA treatment significantly normalized gene expression in the hippocampus which had been altered by MCAO, especially upregulating gene expression of Creb, Bdnf, and Bcl-2 and downregulating gene expression of Bax. This study suggests that LA treatment could improve cognitive impairment in MCAO rats to enhance the cholinergic system in the hippocampal CA1 region and to exert a neuroprotective effect by regulating Creb, Bdnf, Bcl-2, and Bax gene expressions.

Acupuncture has been used to treat a variety of diseases and symptoms for more than 2,500 years. While a number of studies have shown that nerves are responsible for initiating the effects of acupuncture, several lines of study have emphasized the role of connective tissue in the initiation of acupuncture signals. To determine whether nerves or connective tissue mediate the action of acupuncture, we constructed a robotic acupuncture needle twister that mimicked the twisting of the needle by an acupuncturist, and we examined the role of nerves and connective tissues in the generation of acupuncture effects in rat cocaine-induced locomotion, stress-induced hypertension, and mustard oil-induced visceral pain models. Robotic or manual twisting of acupuncture needles effectively suppressed cocaine-induced hyperactivity, elevated systemic blood pressure or mustard oil-induced visceral pain in rats. These acupuncture effects were completely abolished by injecting bupivacaine, a local anesthetic, into acupoints. However, disruption of connective tissue by injecting type I collagenase into acupoints did not affect these acupuncture effects. Our findings suggest that nerve tissue, but not connective tissue, is responsible for generating the effects of acupuncture.

Power quality and stability have become the most important issues in power system operations, Micro Grids, and Smart Grids. Sensitive equipment can be seriously damaged when exposed to unstable power swing conditions. An unstable system may cause serious damage to Micro Grid System elements such as generators, transformers, transmission lines, and so forth. Therefore, out-of-step detection is essential for the safe operation of a Micro Grid system. In general, Equal Area Criterion (EAC) is a method for evaluating the stability of Smart Grid systems. However, EAC can be performed only if it is possible to analyze the active power and generator angle. This paper presents an analysis of the trajectory of complex power using a mathematical model. The variation of complex power is analyzed using a mathematical method, and then the relationship between complex power and EAC is presented, and a simulation performed. Later, in part II, a novel out-of-step detection algorithm based on part I will be presented and tested.

One of the established unstable power swing (out-of-step) detection algorithms in micro grid/smart grid power systems uses a trajectory of apparent impedance in the R-X plane. However, this algorithm is not suitable for fast out-of-step conditions and it is hard to detect out-of-step conditions exactly. Another algorithm for out-of-step detection is using phasor measurement units (PMUs). However, PMUs need extra equipment. This paper presents the out-of-step detection algorithm using the trajectory of complex power. The trajectory of complex power and generator mechanical power is used to identify out-of-step conditions. A second order low pass digital filter is used to extract the generator mechanical power from the complex power. Variations of complex power are used to identify equilibrium points between stable and unstable conditions. The proposed out-of-step algorithm is based on the modification of assessment of a transient stability using equal area criterion (EAC). The proposed out-of-step algorithm is verified and tested by using alternative transient program/electromagnetic transient program (ATP/EMTP) MODELS.

Since the analgesic effect of acupuncture stimulation is derived from different mechanisms depending on the type of pain, it is important to know which acupuncture points to stimulate. In this study, to confirm the effect of acupuncture stimulation on acute pain from a neurological point of view, somatosensory evoked potential and sensory threshold changes were evaluated to identify the nerve range that is affected by acupuncture stimulation on LI4 (Hapgok acupuncture point, of the radial nerve) during acute pain. The subjects were 40 healthy men and women aged 19-35 years. The study was designed as a randomly controlled, crossover trial with acupuncture stimulation at LI4 as the intervention. The washout period for acupuncture stimulation was 2 weeks, and the subjects were divided into two groups, i.e., an acupuncture stimulation group and a non-stimulation group, with 10 men and 10 women in each group. somatosensory evoked potential measurement was carried out for 5 minutes by alternately applying 2 HZ-pulse electrical stimulation to the thumb and the little finger of the hand acupunctured with a 64-channel electroencephalogram. The verbal rating scale was used before and after each acupuncture stimulation session. The results of the study confirmed that the somatosensory evoked potential amplitude value of the thumb was significantly decreased and that the intensity of sensory stimulation corresponding to a verbal rating scale score of 6 was significantly increased only in the thumb after acupuncture stimulation. Therefore, the results show that acupuncture treatment for acute pain is more effective when direct acupuncture stimulation is applied to the painful area.

To preliminarily assess the effects of acupuncture on prehypertension and stage I hypertension, and to provide data for further research. A randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded study with an 8-week intervention period and a 4-week follow-up. Participants were patients with systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 120–159mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 80–99mmHg.Thirty participants were allocated to acupuncture group or untreated control group at a 1:1 ratio. The acupuncture group received standard acupuncture twice weekly for 8 weeks, and was followed-up for 4 weeks after treatment; the control group did not receive any type of anti-hypertensive treatment for 12 weeks. Primary outcome measure was SBP and DBP at post-treatment. The secondary outcomes were SBP and DBP at follow-up; Euro Quality of life (EQ-5D), heart rate variability (HRV), body mass index (BMI), and blood lipid profile. DBP (−5.7mmHg; P=0.025), but not SBP (−6.0mmHg; P=0.123), was significantly different between groups at post-treatment. Both DBP (−7.8mmHg; P=0.004) and SBP (−8.6mmHg; P=0.031) were significantly different at follow-up. Among the HRV indices, only high frequency power was significantly different between groups at weeks 4 and 8 (P=0.047 and P=0.030, respectively). There were no differences between groups in EQ-5D, BMI or lipid profile. The results of this study show that acupuncture might lower blood pressure in prehypertension and stage I hypertension, and further RCT need 97 participants in each group. The effect of acupuncture on prehypertension and mild hypertension should be confirmed in larger studies. Trial registration: KCT0000496.

Acupuncture, a traditional medical procedure practised for over 2000 years in Asia, stimulates specific but poorly defined sites called acupoints. To date, no unique anatomical acupoint structures have been found. However, noxious sensory signals from visceral organs produce hypersensitive spots on the skin (neurogenic spots), caused by cutaneous neurogenic inflammation, in the dermatome that overlaps with visceral afferent innervations. Here, we show that an acupoint is one form of neurogenic inflammation on the skin. Various studies have demonstrated that acupoints show mechanical hypersensitivity and have high electrical conductance. Stimulation of acupoints produces needling sensations caused by the activation of small diameter afferent nerve fibres and therapeutic effects on the associated visceral organs, which is likely due to the release of endogenous opioids. The present study provides experimental evidence that neurogenic spots exhibit all the characteristics of the acupoints listed above. In addition, the stimulation of neurogenic spots by electrical, mechanical, or chemical means alleviated pathological conditions in rat colitis and hypertension models via the endogenous opioid system. Our results suggest that acupoints associated with internal organs may be identical to neurogenic inflammatory spots on the skin, which are produced by activation of somatic afferents in abnormal conditions of visceral organs.

Menopause-related depression devastates women’s quality of life after middle age. Previous research has shown that estrogen hormone therapy has serious adverse effects; thus, complementary and integrative therapies have been considered clinically. The present study investigates whether stimulation of an acupoint using a mechanical acupuncture instrument (MAI) can mitigate depression-like behavior caused by estrogen deficiency in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. The animals were divided into Sham OVX, OVX, OVX + Sameumgyo (SP6) and OVX + NonAcu (non-acupuncture point) groups. MAI stimulation significantly increased the total distance traveled in the open-field test and the number of open-arm entries in the elevated plus maze and decreased the duration of immobility in the forced swim test. In addition to this decrease in depression-like behavior, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) release increased in the hippocampus in response to MAI treatment, but estradiol levels did not recover. Furthermore, microinjection of the BDNF receptor antagonist ANA-12 (0.1 pmol/1 μl) into the hippocampus before MAI stimulation significantly suppressed the recovery of NPY levels. Taken together, these findings indicate that MAI stimulation at SP6 facilitates an estradiol-independent BDNF-NPY cascade, which may contribute to its antidepressant effects in OVX rats, an animal model of menopausal disorders.

Background Fainting is one of the major adverse events that can occur as a result of acupuncture treatment. However, the observation of changes in biological parameters is rarely available when fainting occurs. In this case report, we could observe changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) in a participant who fainted while participating in a clinical trial aiming to observe a relationship between acupuncture stimulation at LI4 acupuncture point and EEG in healthy adults. Case presentation The EEG pattern of participant changed twice. The first change was in response to the acupuncture needle insertion, and the second change occurred during fainting. Both changes consisted of a burst in EEG amplitude, but the pattern of details was different. Multiple areas of the cortex were activated, and the increased ratio of the γ wave was not observed during fainting. While acupuncture needle insertion, only the sensory cortex were activated and increased the ratio of the γ wave. Conclusions This single case is presented to improve the understanding of fainting during acupuncture as an adverse event and to explore the mechanism of acupuncture treatment, despite the absence of statistics and repeatability. This information can provide a new viewpoint about the mechanism of acupuncture treatment and the possibility of new techniques based on acupuncture.

Background The P300 is a major index used to evaluate improvements in brain function. Although a few studies have reported evaluating the effectiveness of manual acupuncture or electro-acupuncture by monitoring the P300, research in this field is not yet very active. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of periodic low-frequency electrical stimulation applied to BL62 and KI6 on brain activity by analyzing the P300. Method The study was conducted as a randomized double-blind test of 55 subjects in their 50s, including 26 males and 29 females. Each subject received 12 sessions of stimulation over a one-month period. In each session, low-frequency electrical stimulation at an average of 24 μA and 2 Hz was applied to the acupuncture points BL62 and KI6, and event-related potentials (ERPs) were measured before the first session and after the last session of the electrical stimulation. Results The results of a chi-square test indicated that the double-blind test was conducted correctly. Compared to the Sham group, all the subjects in the Real stimulation group showed a tendency toward a decreasing P300 latency and increasing P300 amplitude after all 12 sessions of stimulation. In the women, the amplitude significantly increased at Fz, Fcz, Cz, Cpz, and Pz. Conclusions With this experiment, the low-frequency electrical stimulation of two acupuncture points (BL62 and K16) was confirmed to have a positive influence on the prevention of natural cerebral aging.