title: Evaluation of the improvement effect of laser acupuncture biostimulation in asthmatic children by exhaled inflammatory biomarker level of nitric oxide.
abstract: Variable therapy of asthma is not sufficient yet to achieve good asthma control. Therapy decision requires serial investigations. Low-level laser acupuncture is a suitable non-invasive modality of complementary medicine. The exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is easy and useful to evaluate the efficacy of drugs or novel therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of low-level laser biostimulation of acupuncture points on asthma improvement in children. Forty-eight asthmatic children were subdivided into case (laser) group, which received 12 direct contact low-power laser acupuncture sessions (three sessions/week) on specific traditional Chinese acupuncture points for bronchial asthma, and control asthmatic group, which received sham laser acupuncture on the same acupoints and number of sessions of the case (laser) group. Low-power Multichannel Aculas-AM laser (grade II) of wave length 780 nm, output power 800 mw, and beam spot size 0.1 cm2with continuous mode was used. Eighteen acupoints were stimulated for 2 min, giving energy of 9.6 J/cm2/acupoint. The total session time was 3 min. Both groups were evaluated pre- and post-laser acupuncture intervention by recording levels of asthma control, pulmonary function, and EBC nitric oxide. In the case (laser) group, 91.7 % of patients experienced an improvement in the level of asthma control versus 25 % in the control group (p < 0.001). This was associated with a significant decrease of the breath condensate FENO concentration (p < 0.001) and significant increase of spirometry parameters (p < 0.001) in the case (laser) group. Application of laser acupuncture treatment given with conventional therapy can effectively improve bronchial asthma more than prescription of medications alone could.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Applications of Laser, National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences (NILES), Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. oladabous@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ola A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Dabbous
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Applications of Laser, National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences (NILES), Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mona M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Soliman
authors.affiliation: Researches and Applications of Complementary Medicine Department, National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Nagwa H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Magda Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Elseify
authors.affiliation: Researches and Applications of Complementary Medicine Department, National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mai S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Elsheikh
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Asmaa A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Alsharkawy
authors.affiliation: Clinical Pathology Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Manal M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Abd Al Aziz
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001944:Breath Tests; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003710:Demography; D045853:Exhalation; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism*; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D013147:Spirometry; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014797:Vital Capacity
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D015415:Biomarkers; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D009569:Nitric Oxide
keywords: Acupuncture; Asthma; Breath; Laser; Low power; Nitric oxide