***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: Objectives To compare the effect of acupuncture ( manual and electroacupuncture ) with that of a non-penetrating sham ( ‘ placebo ’ needle ) in patients with osteoarthritic knee pain and disability who are blind to the treatment allocation . Methods Acupuncture naive patients with symptomatic and radiological evidence of osteoarthritis of the knee were r and omly allocated to a course of either acupuncture or non-penetrating sham acupuncture using a sheathed ‘ placebo ’ needle system . Acupuncture points for pain and stiffness were selected according to acupuncture theory for treating Bi syndrome . Both manual and electrical stimulation were used . Response was assessed using the WOMAC index for osteoarthritis of the knee , self reported pain scale , the EuroQol score and plasma β-endorphin . The effectiveness of blinding was assessed . Results There were 34 patients in each group . The primary end point was the change in WOMAC pain score after the course of treatment . Comparison between the two treatment groups found a significantly greater improvement with acupuncture ( mean difference 60 , 95 % CI 5 to 116 , P=0.035 ) than with sham . Within the acupuncture group there was a significant improvement in pain ( baseline 294 , mean change 95 , 95 % CI 60 to 130 , P<0.001 ) which was not seen by those who had sham acupuncture ( baseline 261 , mean change 35 , 95 % CI-10 to 80 , P=0.12 ) . Similar effects within group , but not between groups , were seen with the secondary end points of WOMAC stiffness , WOMAC function , and self reported pain . One month after treatment the between group pain difference had been lost ( mean difference 46 ; 95 % CI −9 to 100 , P=0.10 ) although the acupuncture group was still benefiting compared to baseline ( mean difference 59 ; 95 % CI 16 to 102 , P=0.009 ) . The EuroQol score , a generic measure of health related quality of life , was not altered by the treatments . A minority of patients correctly guessed their treatment group ( 41 % in the acupuncture group and 44 % in the control group ) . Plasma β-endorphin levels were not affected by either treatment . Conclusions Acupuncture gives symptomatic improvement for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee , and is significantly superior to non-penetrating sham acupuncture . The study did not confirm earlier reports of release of plasma β-endorphin during acupuncture OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy to st and ard care for the relief of pain and dysfunction in elderly patients with osteoarthritis ( OA ) of the knee . METHODS Seventy-three patients with symptomatic OA of the knee were r and omly assigned to treatment ( acupuncture ) or st and ard care ( control ) . Analysis was performed on last score carried forward to account for patients who dropped out before completion . Patients self-scored Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index ( WOMAC ) and Lequesne indices at baseline and at 4 , 8 and 12 weeks . Patients in the control group were offered acupuncture treatment after 12 weeks . The data for these patients are pooled with those from the original acupuncture group for within-group analysis . RESULTS Patients r and omized to acupuncture improved on both WOMAC and Lequesne indices compared to those who received st and ard treatment alone . Significant differences on total WOMAC Scale were seen at 4 and 8 weeks . There appears to be a slight decline in effect at 4 weeks after cessation of treatment ( 12 weeks after first treatment ) . No adverse effects of acupuncture were reported . CONCLUSION These data suggest that acupuncture is an effective and safe adjunctive therapy to conventional care for patients with OA of the knee BACKGROUND Acupuncture is widely used by patients with chronic pain although there is little evidence of its effectiveness . We investigated the efficacy of acupuncture compared with minimal acupuncture and with no acupuncture in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee . METHODS Patients with chronic osteoarthritis of the knee ( Kellgren grade < or = 2 ) were r and omly assigned to acupuncture ( n=150 ) , minimal acupuncture ( superficial needling at non-acupuncture points ; n=76 ) , or a waiting list control ( n=74 ) . Specialised physicians , in 28 outpatient centres , administered acupuncture and minimal acupuncture in 12 sessions over 8 weeks . Patients completed st and ard question naires at baseline and after 8 weeks , 26 weeks , and 52 weeks . The primary outcome was the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis ( WOMAC ) index at the end of week 8 ( adjusted for baseline score ) . All main analyses were by intention to treat . RESULTS 294 patients were enrolled from March 6 , 2002 , to January 17 , 2003 ; eight patients were lost to follow-up after r and omisation , but were included in the final analysis . The mean baseline-adjusted WOMAC index at week 8 was 26.9 ( SE 1.4 ) in the acupuncture group , 35.8 ( 1.9 ) in the minimal acupuncture group , and 49.6 ( 2.0 ) in the waiting list group ( treatment difference acupuncture vs minimal acupuncture -8.8 , [ 95 % CI -13.5 to -4.2 ] , p=0.0002 ; acupuncture vs waiting list -22.7 [ -27.5 to -17.9 ] , p<0.0001 ) . After 52 weeks the difference between the acupuncture and minimal acupuncture groups was no longer significant ( p=0.08 ) . INTERPRETATION After 8 weeks of treatment , pain and joint function are improved more with acupuncture than with minimal acupuncture or no acupuncture in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee . However , this benefit decreases over time Introduction This study tested the effectiveness of moxibustion on pain and function in chronic knee osteoarthritis ( KOA ) and evaluated safety . Methods A multi-centre , non-blinded , parallel-group , r and omised controlled trial compared moxibustion with usual care ( UC ) in KOA . 212 South Korean patients aged 40–70 were recruited from 2011–12 , stratified by mild ( Kellgren/Lawrence scale grade s 0/1 ) and moderate-severe KOA ( grade s 2/3/4 ) , and r and omly allocated to moxibustion  or UC  for four weeks . Moxibustion involved burning mugwort devices over acupuncture and Ashi points in affected knee(s ) . UC was allowed . Korean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Question naire ( K-WOMAC ) , Short Form 36 Health Survey ( SF-36v2 ) , Beck Depression Inventory ( BDI ) , physical performance test , pain numeric rating scale ( NRS ) and adverse events were evaluated at 5 and 13 weeks . K-WOMAC global score at 5 weeks was the primary outcome . Results 102 patients ( 73 mild , 29 moderate-severe ) were allocated to moxibustion , 110 ( 77 mild , 33 moderate-severe ) to UC . K-WOMAC global score ( moxibustion 25.42+/−SD 19.26 , UC 33.60+/−17.91 , p<0.01 , effect size = 0.0477 ) , NRS ( moxibustion 44.77+/−22.73 , UC 56.23+/−17.71 , p<0.01 , effect size = 0.0073 ) and timed-st and test  ( moxibustion 24.79+/−9.76 , UC 25.24+/−8.84 , p = 0.0486 , effect size = 0.0021 ) were improved by moxibustion at 5 weeks . The primary outcome improved for mild but not moderate-severe KOA . At 13 weeks , moxibustion significantly improved the K-WOMAC global score and NRS .  Moxibustion  improved SF-36 physical component summary ( p = 0.0299 ) , bodily pain ( p = 0.0003 ) , physical functioning ( p = 0.0025 ) and social functioning ( p = 0.0418 ) at 5 weeks , with no difference in mental component summary at 5 and 13 weeks . BDI showed no difference ( p = 0.34 ) at 5 weeks . After 1158 moxibustion treatments , 121 adverse events included first ( n = 6 ) and second degree ( n = 113 ) burns , pruritus and fatigue ( n = 2 ) . Conclusions Moxibustion may improve pain , function and quality of life in KOA patients , but adverse events are common . Limitations included no sham control or blinding . Trial Registration Clinical Research Information Service ( CRIS ) OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of st and ardized western acupuncture and physiotherapy on pain and functional ability in patients with severe osteoarthritic knee pain awaiting knee arthroplasty . METHODS Three-arm , assessor-blind , r and omized controlled trial . PARTICIPANTS 181 patients awaiting knee arthroplasty . INTERVENTIONS acupuncture for 6 weeks ; physiotherapy for 6 weeks ; st and ardized advice . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Oxford Knee Score question naire ( OKS ) ( primary ) ; 50 m timed walk , and duration of hospital stay following knee arthroplasty . RESULTS There was no baseline difference between groups . At 7 weeks , there was a 10 % reduction in OKS in the acupuncture group which was a significant difference between the acupuncture and the control group : Mean ( s.d . ) acupuncture 36.8 ( 7.20 ) ; physiotherapy 39.2 ( 8.22 ) ; control 40.3 ( 8.48 ) ( P = 0.0497 ) . These effects were no longer present at 12 weeks . There was a trend ( P = 0.0984 ) towards a shorter in-patient stay of 1 day for the physiotherapy group [ mean 6.50 days ( s.d . 2.0 ) ] compared with the acupuncture group [ mean 7.77 days ( s.d . 3.96 ) ] . CONCLUSIONS We have demonstrated that patients with severe knee osteoarthritis can achieve a short-term reduction in OKS when treated with acupuncture . However , we failed to demonstrate any other clinical ly or statically significant effects between the groups . Both interventions can be delivered effectively in an out-patient group setting at a district general hospital . Further study is needed to evaluate the combined effects of these treatments Context Previous studies of acupuncture for osteoarthritis have had conflicting results . This may have occurred because most studies have included small sample s , a limited number of treatment sessions , or other limitations . Contribution This r and omized , controlled trial compared 24 acupuncture sessions over 26 weeks with sham acupuncture or arthritis education in 570 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee .  Acupuncture led to greater improvements in function but not pain after 8 weeks and in both pain and function after 26 weeks . No adverse effects were associated with acupuncture . Caution s Many participants dropped out of the study , so readers should interpret the findings at 26 weeks with caution . The Editors Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and is a major cause of morbidity , limitation of activity , and health care utilization , especially in elderly patients ( 1 , 2 ) . Pain and functional limitation are the primary clinical manifestations of osteoarthritis of the knee . Current recommendations for managing osteoarthritis , including guidelines published by the American College of Rheumatology ( 3 ) and European League of Associations of Rheumatology ( 4 ) , focus on relieving pain and stiffness and maintaining or improving physical function as important goals of therapy . No curative therapies exist for osteoarthritis ; thus , both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management focus on controlling pain and reducing functional limitation ( 5 ) . Nonpharmacologic therapy , which includes patient education , social support , physical and occupational therapy , aerobic and resistive exercises , and weight loss , is the cornerstone of a multidisciplinary approach to osteoarthritis patient management ( 3 ) . Pharmacologic therapies include nonopioid analgesics ( such as acetaminophen ) , nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs ) ( including cyclooxygenase-2 [ COX-2 ] enzyme selective inhibitors ) , topical analgesics ( capsaicin cream ) , opioid analgesics , and intra-articular steroid and hyaluronate injections . Often , these agents are used in combination for additive analgesic efficacy ( 6 ) . Pharmacologic management of osteoarthritis is often ineffective , and agents such as NSAIDs may cause unwanted and dangerous side effects ( 7 , 8) . Complementary and alternative medicine is another approach 
    Output:
    
Conclusions Acutherapy was an effective approach for KOA relief in the elderly .
The selection of acupoints position could be a crucial factor that influences the treatment efficacy of acutherapy