Objective： To compare the effects of electroacupuncture （EA） and mild-warm moxibustion （Mox） therapies for constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome （C-IBS） patients. Methods： Sixty C-IBS patients were assigned to 2 groups by simple randomized method, i.e. EA group （30 cases） and Mox group （30 cases）. Both EA and Mox treatments were performed on bilateral Tianshu （ST 25） and Shangjuxu （ST 37） for 30 min each time, 6 times per week, for 4 consecutive weeks. The gastrointestinal symptoms and psychological symptoms of the two groups were scored before and after treatment. The effects on the corresponding functional brain areas, namely the anterior cingulate cortex （ACC）, insular cortex （IC） and prefrontal cortex （PFC） were observed by functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI） before and after treatment. Results： Compared with the Mox group, greater improvements in abdominal distension, defecation frequency, difficulty in defecation and stool features were observed in the EA group （all P〈0.01）, both Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores were significantly decreased in the EA group （all P〈0.01）. Finally, decreased activated voxel values were observed in the ACC, right IC and PFC brain regions of EA group with 150 mL colorectal distension stimulation （P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. Conclusions： Both EA and Mox could significantly improve some of the most intrusive symptoms of C-IBS patients, and EA was more effective than Mox. The therapeutic effect of these two therapies might through modulating of the brain-gut axis function. （Registration No. ChiCTR- TRC-11001349）.
Objective：To evaluate and compare electroacupunctures（EA） with different parameters and moxibustion at different temperatures influencing the activation of mast cells（MC） in Tianshu（ST 25） regions of visceral hyperalgesia model rats.Methods：Rats（except for model group） respectively accepted 1 m A or 3 m A EA or moxibustion at 43 or 4 to ℃ ℃stimulate Tianshu（ST 25） points after randomization of the fifty visceral hyperalgesia model rats,and then were compared with that in model and normal groups.Number,degranulation numbers,degranulation rates in Tianshu（ST 25） regions MC of rats in each group were observed using toluidine blue staining.Abdominal withdrawl reflex（AWR） score was used to evaluate the rat visceral hyperalgesia reactions.Results：Compared with the normal group and the model group,MC numbers（P〈0.05,P〈0.01,P〈0.01,P〈0.01）,degranulation numbers and degranulation rates（P〈0.01,P〈0.01,P〈0.05,P〈0.01） of Tianshu（ST 25） MC in regions tissues in 43 and 4 moxibustion groups,and 1 m A and 3 m℃ ℃A EA groups all increased significantly.Compared with the model group,AWR scores were significantly lower in 43 and 4 ℃ moxibustion groups,and 1 m A and 3 m℃A EA groups under the stimulation of 20 mm Hg,40 mm Hg,0 mm Hg or 80 mm Hg colorectal distension（CRD）（P〈0.05 in 1 m A and 3 m A EA groups under the stimulation of 20 mm Hg,P〈0.01 in the other groups）.AWR scores in 43 ℃and 4 ℃moxibustion groups under the stimulation of 20 mm Hg,40 mm Hg,0 mm Hg or 80 mm Hg CRD were not significantly different from those in the normal group（all P〈0.05）;AWR scores in 1 m A EA group under the stimulation of 0 mm Hg or 80 mm Hg were significantly higher than that in the normal group（P〈0.01）;AWR score in 3 m A EA group under the stimulation of 0 mm Hg was significantly higher than that in the normal group（P〈0.01）,and AWR scores in 3 m A EA group under the stimulation of 20 mm Hg or 80 mm Hg were also higher than that in the normal group�
Objective： To compare the effects of electroacupuncture （EA） and moxibustion therapies on patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome （D-IBS）. Methods： A total of 60 D-IBS patients were randomly allocated to the EA group （30 cases） and moxibustion group （30 cases）. Before and after treatment, the gastrointestinal symptoms and psychological symptoms were scored by Visual Analogue Scale, Bristol Stool Form Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale （HAMA）, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale （HAMD）; the expressions of 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）, 5-HT3 receptor （5-HT3R）, and 5-HT4 receptor （5-HT4R） in the sigmoid mucosal tissue were measured by immunohistochemical staining. Additionally, the effects on the functional brain areas of the anterior cingulate cortex （ACC）, insular cortex （IC） and prefrontal cortex （PFC） were observed by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results： Compared with before treatment, both EA and moxibustion groups reported significant improvements in abdominal pain and abdominal bloating after treatment （P〈0.01 or P〈0.05）. The moxibustion group reported greater improvements in defecation emergency, defecation frequency, and stool feature than the EA group （P〈0.01）. Both HAMA and HAMD scores were significantly decreased in the moxibustion group than in the EA group （P〈0.01）. Both groups demonstrated significantly reduced expressions of 5-HT, 5-HT3R and 5-HT4R in the colonic mucosa after treatment （P〈0.01）, with a greater reduction of 5-HT in the moxibustion group （P〈0.05）. Finally, decreased activated voxel values were observed in the left IC, right IC and PFC brain regions of patients in the moxibustion group under stimulation with 150 mL colorectal distension after treatment （P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）, while in the EA group only PFC area demonstrated a reduction （P〈0.05）. Conclusion： Moxibustion can significantly improve the symptoms of D-IBS, suggesting that moxibustion may be a more
