Acupuncture on GB34 for immediate analgesia and regulating pain-related anxiety for patients with biliary colic: a protocol of randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Biliary colic (BC) is a frequent hepatobiliary disorder encountered in emergency departments. Acupuncture may be effective as an alternative and complementary medicine for BC. Nonetheless, rigorous trials investigating its efficacy are lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study protocol is to determine whether acupuncture provides immediate relief of pain and associated symptoms in BC patients. Method Eighty-six participants who aged from 18 to 60 years with BC will be recruited in the First People's Hospital of Longquanyi District, Chengdu (West China Longquan Hospital Sichuan University). All participants will be allocated into two treatment groups including acupuncture group and sham acupuncture group using a 1:1 ratio. Each group will only receive a single 30-min needle treatment while waiting for their test results after completing the routine examination for BC. The primary outcome of the study is to assess the change in pain intensity after the 30-min acupuncture treatment. The secondary outcomes of the study include the change in pain intensity at various time points, the degree of gastrointestinal symptoms at different time points, the level of anxiety experienced during pain episodes at different time points, the score of Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale-20 (PASS-20), the score of Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III (FPQ-III), and the score of Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), among others. Discussion The results of this research will provide substantial evidence regarding the efficacy of acupuncture in alleviating symptoms associated with BC. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, ChiCTR2300070661. Registered on 19 April 2023

Experimental design.

<p>Yellow dot refers to the test crop plant; blue dot refers to the interplanted legume plant. For maize and tomato, row space and distance between plants within row were 45 cm and 30 cm respectively; for cabbage and pakchoi, row space and distance between plants within row were 35 cm and 20 cm respectively.</p

Legumes Can Increase Cadmium Contamination in Neighboring Crops

<div><p>Legumes are widely used in many cropping systems because they share their nitrogen fixation products and phosphorus mobilization activities with their neighbors. In the current study, however, we showed that co-cultivation with legumes increased cadmium (Cd) contamination in the adjacent crops. Both field and mesocosm experiments indicated that legumes increased Cd levels in edible parts and shoots of four neighboring crops and five maize varieties tested, regardless of the Cd levels in the soil. This enhanced Cd accumulation in crops was attributed to root interactions that alter the rhizosphere environment. Co-cultivation with legumes reduced soil pH, which somewhat increased the exchangeable forms of Cd. Our results have demonstrated the inevitable increases in Cd levels of crops as a direct result of co-cultivation with legumes even under situations when these levels are below the permissible threshold. With this new revelation, we need to consider carefully the current cropping systems involving legumes and perhaps to re-design the current and future cropping systems in view of avoiding food contamination by Cd.</p> </div

Cd concentrations in the edible parts (A) and shoots (B) of four crops grown in monoculture and mixture with Japanese clover, soybean and cowpea.

<p>The lower and upper horizontal lines indicate the Cd MPC for fruit-type and leafy vegetables, respectively. Values are means (± SE) of four replicate plots. For each crop, values with asterisk (*) are significantly different (LSD at P<0.05).</p

Soil pH (A) and Cd concentrations of exchangeable form (B) in soil grown under monoculture and intercropping.

<p>Mono.: crop monoculture. Mix.1: co-planted with Japanese clover. Mix. 2: co-planted with soybean. Mix.3: co-planted with cowpea. Values are means (±SE) of four replications. Values with different letters are significantly different (LSD at P<0.05).</p

Yield of the edible parts of four crops grown in monoculture and mixture with Japanese clover, soybean and cowpea.

<p>Values are means (± SE) of four replicate plots. For each crop, values with asterisk (*) are significantly different (LSD at P<0.05).</p