OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy on lumbar muscle strain with cold and dampness between the different operation sequences of acupuncture and cupping therapy.
METHODS: Seventy-six patients with lumbar muscle strain with cold and dampness were randomly divided into an acupuncture + cupping group (A + C group, 38 cases) and a cupping + acupuncture group (C + A group, 38 cases, 1 case dropped off). In the A + C group, cupping therapy was delivered 10 min after the end of treatment with acupuncture, while in the C + A group, acupuncture therapy was exerted 10 min after the end of treatment with cupping. Acupuncture was applied to Mingmen (GV 4), Yaoyangguan (GV 3), ashi point and bilateral Shenshu (BL 23), Dachangshu (BL 25), Weizhong (BL 40) and Yanglingquan (GB 34), and the needles were retained for 30 min in each intervention. Flash cupping was operated along the bilateral sides of the lumbar spine for 3 min, and the cups were retained for 10 min at bilateral Shenshu (BL 23), Dachangshu (BL 25) and ashi points. The intervention was delivered once every two days, 3 times weekly, for 3 weeks totally in each group. The scores of visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI), TCM syndrome score and the mean temperature of the lumbar region before and after treatment were compared between the two groups. The safety and the clinical efficacy were assessed for the interventions of the two groups.
RESULTS: Compared with the values before treatment, except for the sleep score of ODI, the VAS scores, ODI scores and TCM syndrome scores were decreased after treatment (P<0.01, P<0.05); while the mean temperature of the lumbar region was increased (P<0.01) in both groups. After treatment, the VAS score and the pain score of ODI in the C + A group were lower than those in the A + C group (P<0.05). The incidence rate of adverse reactions of the C + A group was lower than that of the A + C group (P<0.01). The effective rate in the A+C group was 92.1% (35/38), that in the C+A group was 94.6%(35/37), there was no statistical difference between the two groups (P>0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Different operation sequences between acupuncture and cupping therapy obtain the similar efficacy on lumbar muscle strain with cold and dampness, but cupping therapy delivered prior to acupuncture has certain advantages in relieving pain and improving safety.
目的：比较针刺与拔罐不同顺序操作治疗腰肌劳损（寒湿型）的临床疗效。方法：将76例腰肌劳损（寒湿型）患者随机分为针刺拔罐组（38例）和拔罐针刺组（38例，脱落1例）。针刺拔罐组在针刺治疗结束后10 min行拔罐治疗，拔罐针刺组在拔罐治疗结束后10 min行针刺治疗。针刺穴取命门、腰阳关、阿是穴，双侧肾俞、大肠俞、委中、阳陵泉，留针30 min；拔罐于腰椎两侧行闪罐3 min，于双侧肾俞、大肠俞及阿是穴留罐10 min。两组均隔日1次，每周3次，共治疗3周。比较两组患者治疗前后视觉模拟量表（VAS）评分、Oswestry功能障碍指数（ODI）评分、中医证候积分、腰部平均温度，并评定两组安全性和临床疗效。结果：与治疗前比较，除ODI睡眠评分外，两组治疗后VAS评分、ODI评分、中医证候积分降低（P<0.01，P<0.05），腰部平均温度升高（P<0.01）；治疗后，拔罐针刺组VAS评分、ODI疼痛程度评分低于针刺拔罐组（P<0.05）。拔罐针刺组不良反应发生率低于针刺拔罐组（P<0.01）。针刺拔罐组有效率为92.1%（35/38），拔罐针刺组有效率为94.6%（35/37），两组比较差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。结论：针刺与拔罐不同顺序操作治疗腰肌劳损（寒湿型）疗效相当，但先拔罐后针刺在改善疼痛及安全性方面具有一定优势。.

Infrared thermal imaging technology was used to observe the changes in infrared radiation temperature at acupoints in rats caused by chronic myocardial ischemia injury.
This study aims to compare the difference of body surface infrared radiation temperature information of three groups of acupoints: bilateral Neiguan (PC6), bilateral Yanglingquan (GB33), and bilateral Sham Acupoints (SA) in the pathological state of myocardial ischemia injury, and to explore the relationship between acupoints and viscera state.
SPF adult Wistar male rats (n = 20) were randomly divided into a control (CTL; n = 10) and an isoproterenol group (ISO; n = 10). Chronic myocardial injury was induced in rats by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol hydrochloride for 14 d. On the second day after the establishment of the model, the serum levels of cardiac troponin (cTnI) and creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The morphological changes of the myocardial tissue in the two groups were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and their pathological scores were evaluated, which was then used to determine the myocardial ischemic injury. Two days before and after the establishment of the model, the electrocardiograms (ECG) of the two groups of rats were recorded by the (ECG) data acquisition system, and the infrared thermal imaging platform was used to detect the temperature of the six acupoints.
1. After subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol hydrochloride for 14 days, the ST segment of the ECG decreased in the ISO group compared with that of the CTL group; 2. Myocardial tissue injury was serious in the ISO group compared to the CTL group; 3. Serum cTn-I and CK-MB were significantly increased (P <0 01) in the ISO group, compared to that in the CTL group; 4. The infrared radiation temperature on the body surface of bilateral Neiguan (PC6) acupoints decreased significantly in the ISO group, compared to that of the CTL group.
Infrared thermal imaging technology can be used to detect the changes in the energy state of acupoints. Chronic myocardial ischemic injury can cause a decrease in IR temperature on the body surface of bilateral Neiguan (PC6) acupoints, suggesting that visceral diseases can lead to changes in the energy metabolism of acupoints.

The temperature distribution of normal human skin is symmetrical. Facial paralysis generally changes this thermal symmetry. The aim of this study is to analyze facial thermal asymmetry during the early onset of Bell\'s palsy, and to assess the feasibility of the diagnosis of early-onset Bell\'s palsy using infrared thermography (IRT). Fifteen subjects with Bell\'s palsy and 15 healthy volunteers were considered in this study. The infrared thermal images of the front, left, and right sides of all the subjects were collected and analyzed. Each group of facial thermograms was divided into 16 symmetrical regions of interest (ROIs) with respect to the left and right sides. Three different temperature difference calculation methods were used to express the degree of thermal symmetry between the left- and right-side ROIs, namely, the mean temperature difference (ΔTroi), maximum temperature difference (ΔTmax), and minimum temperature difference (ΔTmin). Among the facial ROIs, there were significant differences in the thermal symmetries of the frontal region, medial canthus region, and infraorbital region between subjects with and without Bell\'s palsy (p < 0.05). Based on the results, ΔTroi was more effective than the other two methods for the diagnosis of early-onset Bell\'s palsy. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of ΔTroi in the infraorbital region was 0.818; and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.867 and 0.800, respectively. Subjects with early-onset Bell\'s palsy exhibited thermal asymmetry on the left and right sides of their faces. The diagnosis of early-onset Bell\'s palsy using IRT is therefore necessary. Nevertheless, more effective thermal symmetry analysis methods will be investigated further in future research.

Thermal imaging was used to study the early stage response to light-induced heating of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. Time-series thermograms provided a spatial and temporal characterization of temperature changes in Arabidopsis wild type and the ost1-2 mutant rosettes exposed to excessive illumination. The initial response to high light, defined by the exponential increase in leaf temperature of ost1-2 gave an increased thermal time constant compared to wild type plants. The inability to regulate stomata in ost1-2 resulted in enhanced stomatal conductance and transpiration rate. Under strong irradiation, a significant decline in the efficiency of photosystem II was observed. This study evaluates infrared thermography kinetics and determines thermal time constants in particular, as an early and rapid method for diagnosing the prime indicators of light stress in plants under excessive light conditions.

The extent of anxiety and psychological stress can impact upon the optimal performance of simulation-based practices. The current study investigates the association between differences in skin temperature and perceived anxiety by under- (n = 21) and post-graduate (n = 19) nursing students undertaking a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. Thermal facial gradients from selected facial regions were correlated with the scores assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the chest compression quality parameters measured using mannequin-integrated accelerometer sensors. A specific temperature profile was obtained depending on thermal facial variations before and after the simulation event. Statistically significant correlations were found between STAI scale scores and the temperature facial recordings in the forehead (r = 0.579; p < 0.000), periorbital (r = 0.394; p < 0.006), maxillary (r = 0.328; p < 0.019) and neck areas (r = 0.284; p < 0.038). Significant associations were also observed by correlating CPR performance parameters with the facial temperature values in the forehead (r = 0.447; p < 0.002), periorbital (r = 0.446; p < 0.002) and maxillary areas (r = 0.422; p < 0.003). These preliminary findings suggest that higher anxiety levels result in poorer clinical performance and can be correlated to temperature variations in certain facial regions.

Recent studies have shown that sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity can be heavily impacted not only by basic threats to survival but also by threats to social bonds. In this study we explored the behavioral and physiological consequences of social exclusion/inclusion in patients with psoriasis, a disease frequently associated with the experience of being ostracized and with deficient emotion regulation skills. We employed a virtual ball-tossing game (Cyberball) to induce the experience of social exclusion/inclusion. We then used a Trust Game to measure the effects of this social modulation on trust. During Cyberball, infrared thermal imaging was used to record participants\' facial temperature and thus obtain an online measure of SNS activation. Behavioral data showed that social exclusion shifted participants\' trust toward unfamiliar players who had not previously excluded them. Physiological data indicated that in control participants, social exclusion triggered higher SNS activation than inclusion. No such effect was found in patients with psoriasis, whose SNS activity was the same during inclusion as it was during exclusion, suggesting that they benefit less from inclusive experiences than control participants. In addition, in patients but not in controls, higher SNS activation during social exclusion was linked to higher monetary investment toward unfamiliar players, a result in keeping with the social reconnection hypothesis, according to which emotions triggered by social rejection can be regulated by investing in new social interactions. We also found that an increase in periorbital temperature is accompanied by a decrease in happiness ratings after social exclusion was experienced during the Cyberball game. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Previous research on emotional processes in psoriasis has mainly employed self-report measures. In this study we used thermal imaging to obtain an online measure of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity during social exclusion and tested how this experience influenced subsequent trust. We found that being included was a less positive experience for patients compared with controls and that SNS activity during exclusion had a stronger influence on subsequent trust in patients than in controls.