Wu Jia-Ni, Qin Zong-Shi, Liu Zhi-Shun
Department of Acupuncture, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100053, China.
Chin J Integr Med. 2017 Nov;23(11):809-811. doi: 10.1007/s11655-017-2790-4. Epub 2017 Oct 28.
Two randomized controlled trials of acupuncture concerning polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) were published simultaneously in the 24th issue, 2017 of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). A trial involving PCOS indicated that active acupuncture did not increase live birth compared with sham acupuncture; meanwhile, another trial referring to SUI showed that electroacupuncture resulted in less urine leakage compared with sham electroacupuncture. With an eye to the negative and positive results of acupuncture, three pivotal factors should be contemplated: (1) proper illness for acupuncture, that is, a problem need to be solved in current medical science, and acupuncture may really work for it; (2) proper pre-studied primary outcome, which is better be objective and repeatedly measurable to reveal the therapeutic effect of acupuncture truly and objectively; (3) proper sham control, which can blind the patients to the upmost extent with minimal biological effects. Through the publication of clinical trials of acupuncture in high-impact journals in recent years, researchers should have confidence in their clinical trials by pondering over these three pivotal factors.
两项关于多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）和压力性尿失禁（SUI）的针灸随机对照试验于2017年第24期的《美国医学会杂志》（JAMA）上同时发表。一项涉及PCOS的试验表明，与假针灸相比，真针灸并没有增加活产率；与此同时，另一项关于SUI的试验显示，与假电针相比，电针导致的漏尿更少。着眼于针灸的阴性和阳性结果，应考虑三个关键因素：（1）适合针灸治疗的疾病，即当前医学科学中需要解决的问题，且针灸可能确实对其有效；（2）经过预先研究的合适的主要结局，最好是客观且可重复测量的，以真实、客观地揭示针灸的治疗效果；（3）合适的假对照，它能在最大程度上使患者产生盲法效应，同时生物效应最小。通过近年来在高影响力期刊上发表针灸临床试验，研究人员应通过思考这三个关键因素对他们的临床试验有信心。
