ArticleExperimental and therapeutic medicine2019
Efficacy of electroacupuncture combined with probiotics for depression and chronic diarrhea in patients and effect on serum inflammatory cytokines, NE and BDNF.
Article in Experimental and therapeutic medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Research trends and hotspots of electroacupuncture for depression: a bibliometric and visual analysis (2005-2025).Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Impact of probiotic supplementation on serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor: GRADE-based dose-response meta-analysis.BMC nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of gut microbiome-targeted treatment in patients with depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics on depression: results from a meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- The Use of Prebiotic and Probiotic Interventions for Treating Gastrointestinal and Psychosocial Health Symptoms in Cancer Patients and Survivors: A Systematic Review.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled it
- Advances in the Antidepressant Effects of Electroacupuncture Through Regulation of Microglia-Mediated BDNF Signaling and Hippocampal Neurogenesis.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2026Review
- Investigating the role of TGF-β and BDNF in cancer-related depression: a primary cross-sectional study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Article
- Article
- Effects of a Psychobiotic Supplement on Serum Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels in Depressive Patients: AJournal of neurogastroenterology and motility · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Efficacy of electroacupuncture combined with probiotics for depression and chronic diarrhea in patients, and its effect on the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines, norepinephrine (NE) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were investigated. A total of 104 patients with depression and chronic diarrhea admitted to The First Clinical Faculty, Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from July 2014 to June 2018 were randomly divided into the observation group (n=56) and the control group (n=48). The observation group was treated with electroacupuncture combined with probiotics, and the control group was given conventional drugs for depression and chronic diarrhea. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) score and the abdominal symptom score were evaluated before treatment and at 3 weeks after treatment. Changes in the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-2 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α] as well as the levels of NE and BDNF in the two groups of patients before and after treatment were determined using radioimmunoassay. Compared with those in the control group, the symptoms of depression and diarrhea in the observation group were remarkably alleviated (p<0.05). After treatment, the serum cytokine levels in the two groups of patients were decreased, and the decreased level of serum inflammatory cytokines in the observation group was not obviously different from that in the control group. Besides, the serum BDNF level in the observation group was also reduced (p<0.05). The overall efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group, showing a statistical difference. Electroacupuncture combined with probiotics brings good efficacy to patients with depression and chronic diarrhea, which is worthy of clinical promotion and development.
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Registered trials
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