human
***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: INTRODUCTION Recent data about the use of complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) by the general population exist for Australia and the USA , but not for the UK . This study aim ed at providing such data . DESIGN Nationally representative r and om telephone survey . SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS 1204 British adults were interviewed . RESULTS 20 % of the sample used CAM in the previous year .  Herbalism , aromatherapy , homoeopathy , acupuncture/acupressure , massage and reflexology  were the most popular treatment modalities . The main reasons for trying CAM were its perceived effectiveness , a positive inclination towards it , and its relaxing effects . On average , users spent 13.62 + /- 1.61 Pounds on CAM per month , which extrapolates to an annual expenditure of 1.6 billion Pounds for the whole nation . CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that CAM is prevalent in the UK . Therefore , its scientific validation has become an ethical imperative Objective To investigate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in persistent allergic rhinitis ( PAR ) . Design R and omised , single-blind , sham-controlled trial conducted from May 2004 to February 2005 . Participants and intervention80 patients with PAR ( age , 16–70 years ) were r and omly assigned to receive real or sham acupuncture . After a 1-week baseline period , participants were tre ated twice weekly for 8 weeks and followed up for another 12 weeks . Main outcome measures Nasal obstruction , sneezing , rhinorrhoea and nasal itch were each self-assessed daily on a 5-point scale , and scores were aggregated weekly . The sum of the symptom scores ( total nasal symptom score , TNSS ) was also determined . A secondary outcome was use of PAR relief medication . Results After 8 weeks ’ treatment , the weekly mean difference in TNSS from baseline was greater with real ( −17.2 ; 95 % CI , −24.6 to −9.8 ) than with sham acupuncture ( −4.2 ; 95 % CI , −11.0 to 2.7 ) ( P = 0.01 ) . The decrease in individual symptom score was also greater with real acupuncture for rhinorrhoea ( P < 0.01 ) but not the other symptoms . At the end of follow-up , the greater difference in TNSS from baseline in the real acupuncture group was still apparent : real , −21.0 ( 95 % CI , −29.1 to −12.9 ) versus sham , −2.3 ( 95 % CI , −10.2 to 5.6 ) ( P = 0.001 ) . Moreover , the differences from baseline in all four individual symptom scores were greater for the real than for the sham group ( P < 0.05 ) . Real and sham acupuncture were both well tolerated . Conclusion Our findings suggest that acupuncture is effective in the symptomatic treatment of PAR Acupuncture treatment and control group interventions in parallel-group r and omised trials of acupuncture are not always precisely reported . In an attempt to improve st and ards , an international group of experienced acupuncturists and research ers devised a set of recommendations , design ating them STRICTA : ST and ards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture . In a further consensus-building round , the editors of several journals helped redraft the recommendations . These follow the Consoli date d St and ards for Reporting Trials ( CONSORT ) format , acting as an extension of the CONSORT guidelines for the specific requirements of acupuncture studies . Participating journals are publishing the STRICTA recommendations and requesting prospect i ve authors to adhere to them when preparing reports for publication . Other journals are invited to adopt these recommendations . The intended outcome is that interventions in controlled trials of acupuncture  will be more adequately reported , thereby facilitating an improvement in critical appraisal , analysis and replication of trials A study of the protective effect of an acupuncture therapy against a nasal allergen-provoked rhinitis was undertaken on patients suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis . The effects of a specific acupuncture therapy ( " verum " ) were compared with those of a non-specific acupuncture therapy ( " placebo " ) . The allergen-provocation was carried out in the " Vienna Provocation Chamber " ( VCC ) ( Horak , 1987 ) . 24 patients suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis were allocated at r and om either to Group B and given a specific ( " verum " ) acupuncture therapy or to Group A and given a non-specific ( " placebo " ) acupuncture therapy . A nasal allergen-provocation was carried out before onset and after completion of 9 treatments . The objective and subjective results of the allergen-provocation in the VCC were not able to verify a protective effect of the acupuncture therapy . The " Diary of Complaints ( Symptoms ) " which the participants had to keep over the 2 months following the treatment showed a definite reduction of the subjective complaints in the verum group during the second month . The range of scatter was too great for a statistically significant result This article aims to give guidance on the conduct and reporting of case series and audits of acupuncture , based on common problems that have arisen in the past . This type of project , and particularly the prospect i ve case series or pre- post-intervention study , may give valuable evidence of the overall effectiveness of acupuncture for example in different situations and in different conditions and provides one step in the research pathway before generating an hypothesis . The project should be design ed with the aim of reducing bias as much as possible . Careful and detailed planning is essential for the project to produce worthwhile results that readers can evaluate and replicate . Ethical issues should be considered and formal approval may be necessary . The patient group should be recruited systematic ally and baseline data obtained . The treatment given should be systematic and decisions to change or end treatment made explicit . The outcome should be measured in ways that are known to be reliable and valid . Musculoskeletal problems can be evaluated with scales for pain and confirmed by measuring one other symptom such as stiffness or one other aspect such as bothersomeness . Global change scores also provide supporting information , and the MYMOP ( Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile ) measure is popular when patients with different conditions are included . The design of question naires for beliefs and attitudes is a specialised area that should not be attempted without expert help . Adverse events should also be recorded . Analysis of the data and the best way of summarising and presenting the results are also discussed T regulatory cells and IL-10 have been implicated in the mechanism of immunotherapy in patients with systemic anaphylaxis following bee stings . We studied the role of IL-10 in the induction of clinical , cellular , and humoral tolerance during immunotherapy for local mucosal allergy in subjects with seasonal pollinosis . Local and systemic IL-10 responses and serum Ab concentrations were measured before/after a double-blind trial of grass pollen ( Phleum pratense , Phl P ) immunotherapy . We observed local increases in IL-10 mRNA-positive cells in the nasal mucosa after 2 years of immunotherapy , but only during the pollen season . IL-10 protein-positive cells were also increased and correlated with IL-10 mRNA+ cells . These changes were not observed in placebo-treated subjects or in healthy controls . Fifteen and 35 % of IL-10 mRNA signals were colocalized to CD3 + T cells and CD68 + macrophages , respectively , whereas only 1–2 % of total CD3 + cells and 4 % of macrophages expressed IL-10 . Following immunotherapy , peripheral T cells cultured in the presence of grass pollen extract also produced IL-10 . Immunotherapy result ed in blunting of seasonal increases in serum allergen Phl p 5-specific IgE , 60- to 80-fold increases in Phl p 5-specific IgG , and 100-fold increases in Phl p 5-specific IgG4 . Post-immunotherapy serum exhibited inhibitory activity , which coeluted with IgG4 , and blocked IgE-facilitated binding of allergen-IgE complexes to B cells . Both the increases in IgG and the IgG “ blocking ” activity correlated with the patients ’ overall assessment of improvement . Thus , grass pollen immunotherapy may induce allergen-specific , IL-10-dependent “ protective ” IgG4 responses Background : Patients with allergic rhinitis ( AR ) increasingly use complementary medicine . The aim of this study was to determine whether traditional Chinese therapy is efficacious in patients suffering from seasonal AR The clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis ( SAR ) was evaluated by employing a two-phase crossover single-blind clinical trial . Thirty subjects were r and omly assigned to two groups with 17 and 13 subjects respectively and treated with real or sham acupuncture ( three times per week ) for four consecutive weeks and then a crossover for treatments for a further four weeks without a washout period . The administration of real acupuncture treatment was guided by a syndrome differentiation according to Chinese Medicine Theory . Subjects were assessed by various criteria before , during and after the treatments . Outcome measures included subjective symptom scores using a five-point scale ( FPS ) , relief medication scores ( RMS ) and adverse effect records .  Twenty-six ( 26 ) subjects completed the study . There was a significant improvement in FPS ( nasal and non-nasal symptoms ) between the two types of acupuncture treatments . No significant differences were shown in RMS between the real acupuncture treatment group and the sham acupuncture treatment group . No side effects were observed for both groups . The results indicate that acupuncture is an effective and safe alternative treatment for the management of SAR OBJECTIVE To compare therapeutic effects of acupuncture and auricular point pressing therapy on  allergic rhinitis .  METHODS One hundred and fifty cases were r and omly divided into an acupuncture group , an auricular point pressing group and a medication control group , 50 cases in each group . The acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture for 6 consecutive days , once each day , with an interval of one day ; and the auricular point pressing group were alternatively treated twice each week ; the medication group were treated with oral administration of western medicine saitezan , once daily , 10 mg once . They were treated for 4 weeks , and the short-term and long-term therapeutic effects , and effects on serum immunological indexes were compared among the three groups . RESULTS The acupuncture group and the auricular point pressing group in the short-term therapeutic effect and improvement of cumulative scores of symptoms and signs , and the long-term total therapeutic effect and the improvement of cumulative scores of symptoms and signs were better than the medication group ( P<0.01 , P<0.05 ) , with no significant differences between the acupuncture group and the auricular point pressing group . Serum IgE , IL-4 contents decreased and IFN-gamma level did not significantly change in the three groups . CONCLUSION Acupuncture and auricular pressing therapy in improvement of symptoms and signs are better than the medication , and the therapeutic effect is carried out by inhibiting the differentiation from Th cells to Th2 cells , adjusting the imbalance of Th1/Th2 cells and decrease the synthesis of IgE to inhibit allergic rhinitis Allergic rhinitis is a common health problem usually treated with drug therapy . Some patients experience side effects of drug therapy while others fear the use of drugs . Acupuncture is an interesting alternative to traditional treatment . The few studies evaluating acupuncture indicate a possible clinical effect on allergic rhinitis .  This study compared active versus sham acupuncture in 40 consecutive patients with a history of allergic rhinitis and a positive skin test . Patients were r and omized and assessed prior to treatment and then reassessed after 12 months . Improvements in symptoms using visual analogue scales , reduction in skin test reactions and levels of specific immunoglobin E ( IgE ) were used to compare the effect of treatment . For one allergen , mugwort , a greater reduction in levels of specific IgE ( p = 0.019 , 0.039 ) and skin test reaction ( p = 0.004 ) was seen in the group receiving active acupuncture compared to the group receiving sham acupuncture . However , this finding might be an artifact . No differences in clinical symptoms were seen between active versus sham acupuncture , thus the conclusion being that the effect of acupuncture on allergic rhinitis should be further evaluated in larger r and omized studies 
    Output:
    
agent
***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: INTRODUCTION Recent data about the use of complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) by the general population exist for Australia and the USA , but not for the UK . This study aim ed at providing such data . DESIGN Nationally representative r and om telephone survey . SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS 1204 British adults were interviewed . RESULTS 20 % of the sample used CAM in the previous year .  Herbalism , aromatherapy , homoeopathy , acupuncture/acupressure , massage and reflexology  were the most popular treatment modalities . The main reasons for trying CAM were its perceived effectiveness , a positive inclination towards it , and its relaxing effects . On average , users spent 13.62 + /- 1.61 Pounds on CAM per month , which extrapolates to an annual expenditure of 1.6 billion Pounds for the whole nation . CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that CAM is prevalent in the UK . Therefore , its scientific validation has become an ethical imperative Objective To investigate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in persistent allergic rhinitis ( PAR ) . Design R and omised , single-blind , sham-controlled trial conducted from May 2004 to February 2005 . Participants and intervention80 patients with PAR ( age , 16–70 years ) were r and omly assigned to receive real or sham acupuncture . After a 1-week baseline period , participants were tre ated twice weekly for 8 weeks and followed up for another 12 weeks . Main outcome measures Nasal obstruction , sneezing , rhinorrhoea and nasal itch were each self-assessed daily on a 5-point scale , and scores were aggregated weekly . The sum of the symptom scores ( total nasal symptom score , TNSS ) was also determined . A secondary outcome was use of PAR relief medication . Results After 8 weeks ’ treatment , the weekly mean difference in TNSS from baseline was greater with real ( −17.2 ; 95 % CI , −24.6 to −9.8 ) than with sham acupuncture ( −4.2 ; 95 % CI , −11.0 to 2.7 ) ( P = 0.01 ) . The decrease in individual symptom score was also greater with real acupuncture for rhinorrhoea ( P < 0.01 ) but not the other symptoms . At the end of follow-up , the greater difference in TNSS from baseline in the real acupuncture group was still apparent : real , −21.0 ( 95 % CI , −29.1 to −12.9 ) versus sham , −2.3 ( 95 % CI , −10.2 to 5.6 ) ( P = 0.001 ) . Moreover , the differences from baseline in all four individual symptom scores were greater for the real than for the sham group ( P < 0.05 ) . Real and sham acupuncture were both well tolerated . Conclusion Our findings suggest that acupuncture is effective in the symptomatic treatment of PAR Acupuncture treatment and control group interventions in parallel-group r and omised trials of acupuncture are not always precisely reported . In an attempt to improve st and ards , an international group of experienced acupuncturists and research ers devised a set of recommendations , design ating them STRICTA : ST and ards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture . In a further consensus-building round , the editors of several journals helped redraft the recommendations . These follow the Consoli date d St and ards for Reporting Trials ( CONSORT ) format , acting as an extension of the CONSORT guidelines for the specific requirements of acupuncture studies . Participating journals are publishing the STRICTA recommendations and requesting prospect i ve authors to adhere to them when preparing reports for publication . Other journals are invited to adopt these recommendations . The intended outcome is that interventions in controlled trials of acupuncture  will be more adequately reported , thereby facilitating an improvement in critical appraisal , analysis and replication of trials A study of the protective effect of an acupuncture therapy against a nasal allergen-provoked rhinitis was undertaken on patients suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis . The effects of a specific acupuncture therapy ( " verum " ) were compared with those of a non-specific acupuncture therapy ( " placebo " ) . The allergen-provocation was carried out in the " Vienna Provocation Chamber " ( VCC ) ( Horak , 1987 ) . 24 patients suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis were allocated at r and om either to Group B and given a specific ( " verum " ) acupuncture therapy or to Group A and given a non-specific ( " placebo " ) acupuncture therapy . A nasal allergen-provocation was carried out before onset and after completion of 9 treatments . The objective and subjective results of the allergen-provocation in the VCC were not able to verify a protective effect of the acupuncture therapy . The " Diary of Complaints ( Symptoms ) " which the participants had to keep over the 2 months following the treatment showed a definite reduction of the subjective complaints in the verum group during the second month . The range of scatter was too great for a statistically significant result This article aims to give guidance on the conduct and reporting of case series and audits of acupuncture , based on common problems that have arisen in the past . This type of project , and particularly the prospect i ve case series or pre- post-intervention study , may give valuable evidence of the overall effectiveness of acupuncture for example in different situations and in different conditions and provides one step in the research pathway before generating an hypothesis . The project should be design ed with the aim of reducing bias as much as possible . Careful and detailed planning is essential for the project to produce worthwhile results that readers can evaluate and replicate . Ethical issues should be considered and formal approval may be necessary . The patient group should be recruited systematic ally and baseline data obtained . The treatment given should be systematic and decisions to change or end treatment made explicit . The outcome should be measured in ways that are known to be reliable and valid . Musculoskeletal problems can be evaluated with scales for pain and confirmed by measuring one other symptom such as stiffness or one other aspect such as bothersomeness . Global change scores also provide supporting information , and the MYMOP ( Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile ) measure is popular when patients with different conditions are included . The design of question naires for beliefs and attitudes is a specialised area that should not be attempted without expert help . Adverse events should also be recorded . Analysis of the data and the best way of summarising and presenting the results are also discussed T regulatory cells and IL-10 have been implicated in the mechanism of immunotherapy in patients with systemic anaphylaxis following bee stings . We studied the role of IL-10 in the induction of clinical , cellular , and humoral tolerance during immunotherapy for local mucosal allergy in subjects with seasonal pollinosis . Local and systemic IL-10 responses and serum Ab concentrations were measured before/after a double-blind trial of grass pollen ( Phleum pratense , Phl P ) immunotherapy . We observed local increases in IL-10 mRNA-positive cells in the nasal mucosa after 2 years of immunotherapy , but only during the pollen season . IL-10 protein-positive cells were also increased and correlated with IL-10 mRNA+ cells . These changes were not observed in placebo-treated subjects or in healthy controls . Fifteen and 35 % of IL-10 mRNA signals were colocalized to CD3 + T cells and CD68 + macrophages , respectively , whereas only 1–2 % of total CD3 + cells and 4 % of macrophages expressed IL-10 . Following immunotherapy , peripheral T cells cultured in the presence of grass pollen extract also produced IL-10 . Immunotherapy result ed in blunting of seasonal increases in serum allergen Phl p 5-specific IgE , 60- to 80-fold increases in Phl p 5-specific IgG , and 100-fold increases in Phl p 5-specific IgG4 . Post-immunotherapy serum exhibited inhibitory activity , which coeluted with IgG4 , and blocked IgE-facilitated binding of allergen-IgE complexes to B cells . Both the increases in IgG and the IgG “ blocking ” activity correlated with the patients ’ overall assessment of improvement . Thus , grass pollen immunotherapy may induce allergen-specific , IL-10-dependent “ protective ” IgG4 responses Background : Patients with allergic rhinitis ( AR ) increasingly use complementary medicine . The aim of this study was to determine whether traditional Chinese therapy is efficacious in patients suffering from seasonal AR The clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis ( SAR ) was evaluated by employing a two-phase crossover single-blind clinical trial . Thirty subjects were r and omly assigned to two groups with 17 and 13 subjects respectively and treated with real or sham acupuncture ( three times per week ) for four consecutive weeks and then a crossover for treatments for a further four weeks without a washout period . The administration of real acupuncture treatment was guided by a syndrome differentiation according to Chinese Medicine Theory . Subjects were assessed by various criteria before , during and after the treatments . Outcome measures included subjective symptom scores using a five-point scale ( FPS ) , relief medication scores ( RMS ) and adverse effect records .  Twenty-six ( 26 ) subjects completed the study . There was a significant improvement in FPS ( nasal and non-nasal symptoms ) between the two types of acupuncture treatments . No significant differences were shown in RMS between the real acupuncture treatment group and the sham acupuncture treatment group . No side effects were observed for both groups . The results indicate that acupuncture is an effective and safe alternative treatment for the management of SAR OBJECTIVE To compare therapeutic effects of acupuncture and auricular point pressing therapy on  allergic rhinitis .  METHODS One hundred and fifty cases were r and omly divided into an acupuncture group , an auricular point pressing group and a medication control group , 50 cases in each group . The acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture for 6 consecutive days , once each day , with an interval of one day ; and the auricular point pressing group were alternatively treated twice each week ; the medication group were treated with oral administration of western medicine saitezan , once daily , 10 mg once . They were treated for 4 weeks , and the short-term and long-term therapeutic effects , and effects on serum immunological indexes were compared among the three groups . RESULTS The acupuncture group and the auricular point pressing group in the short-term therapeutic effect and improvement of cumulative scores of symptoms and signs , and the long-term total therapeutic effect and the improvement of cumulative scores of symptoms and signs were better than the medication group ( P<0.01 , P<0.05 ) , with no significant differences between the acupuncture group and the auricular point pressing group . Serum IgE , IL-4 contents decreased and IFN-gamma level did not significantly change in the three groups . CONCLUSION Acupuncture and auricular pressing therapy in improvement of symptoms and signs are better than the medication , and the therapeutic effect is carried out by inhibiting the differentiation from Th cells to Th2 cells , adjusting the imbalance of Th1/Th2 cells and decrease the synthesis of IgE to inhibit allergic rhinitis Allergic rhinitis is a common health problem usually treated with drug therapy . Some patients experience side effects of drug therapy while others fear the use of drugs . Acupuncture is an interesting alternative to traditional treatment . The few studies evaluating acupuncture indicate a possible clinical effect on allergic rhinitis .  This study compared active versus sham acupuncture in 40 consecutive patients with a history of allergic rhinitis and a positive skin test . Patients were r and omized and assessed prior to treatment and then reassessed after 12 months . Improvements in symptoms using visual analogue scales , reduction in skin test reactions and levels of specific immunoglobin E ( IgE ) were used to compare the effect of treatment . For one allergen , mugwort , a greater reduction in levels of specific IgE ( p = 0.019 , 0.039 ) and skin test reaction ( p = 0.004 ) was seen in the group receiving active acupuncture compared to the group receiving sham acupuncture . However , this finding might be an artifact . No differences in clinical symptoms were seen between active versus sham acupuncture , thus the conclusion being that the effect of acupuncture on allergic rhinitis should be further evaluated in larger r and omized studies 
    Output:
    