Acupuncture Treatment Based On Complex Network Technology For The Treatment Of Ulcerative Colitis

Objectives:Using complex networks technology to analysis the regularity of modern selected points of acupuncture treatment of ulcerative colitis and find acupoints which are potential to treat ulcerative colitis. Provide ideas and reference for clinical prescription and selected points.Methods:1 Retrieving Chinese and English clinical research literature about Chinese medicine and acupuncture. Literature were selected finally according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Information extracted from those literature to set up ulcerative colitis prescriptions database.2 Construction of prescription-acupoints bipartite network, then computing the degree of prescription nodes and acupoints nodes, classifing acupoints based on meridians location, specific acupoints types.3 Mapping the prescription-acupoints network to acupoints-acupoints network. Analysising the feature of nodes and edges in acupoints-acupoints network and small world by computing clustering coefficient and average distance. Dividing the network into several communities and finding the k-core network.Results:1 The results of prescription-acupoints network:the number of acupoints were selected is 3 to 10 in most of prescription. Total number of acupoints using is 64. The most commonly used acupoints is Tianshu (ST25)(84),Zusanli (ST36)(72),Shangjuxu (ST37)(57),Guanyuan (RN4)(48),Zhongwan (RN12)(43). Main meridians were selected are Ren Meridian, meridian of Foot-Yangming, meridian of Foot-Taiyang, meridian of Hand-Yangming. Specific point are the largest proportion of acupoints, which most important of is Mu Points. The chest and abdomen acupoints used frequently.2 The results of acupoints-acupoints network:The top ten nodes of degrees were Tianshu (ST25),Zusanli (ST36),Sanyinjiao (SP6), Guanyuan (RN4),Shangjuxu (ST37),Pishu(BL20),Zhongwan (RN12),Gongsun (SP4),Neiting (ST44),Shenshu (BL32). The top ten nodes of vertex betweenness were Zusanli (ST36), Tianshu (ST25),Sanyinjiao (SP6), Shangjuxu (ST37), Guanyuan (RN4),Dachangshu (ST25), Zhongwan (RN12), Pishu (BL20), Neiting (ST44),Daheng (SP15). The top five of acupoints compatibility are Tianshu (ST25)->Zusanli (ST36), Shangjuxu (ST37)->Tianshu (ST25), Shangjuxu (ST37)->Zusanli (ST36), Tianshu (ST25)->Guanyuan (RN4), Tianshu (ST25)->Zhongwan (RN12).The clustering coefficient of network is0.846, the average path length is 1.723. Dividing the network into five communities. The blue one occupies 35.94%,most of acupoints located on back waist and chest and abdominal; The red one occupies 14.06%,most of acupoints belonged to Specific Points;The green one occupies 14.06%, most of acupoints located on meridian of Foot-Yangming and meridian ofHand-Yangming; The purple one occupies 18.75%, most of acupoints belonged to Crossing points; The yellow one occupies 12.50%,,most of acupoints located on four limbs.11-core network include 15 nodes,which are Zusanli (ST36), Tianshu (ST25), Shangjuxu (ST37), Dachangshu (ST25), Shenshu (BL23), Pishu (BL20),Weishu (BL21), (Sanyinjiao (SP6) Gongsun (SP4), Yinlingquan (SP9), (Guanyuan (RN4), Zhongwan (RN12), Qihai (RN6), Hegu (LI4), Zhangmen (LR13).Those acupoints belongs to meridian of Foot-Jueyin, meridian of Foot-Yangming, meridian of Foot-Taiyang, meridian of Foot-Taiying,Ren Meridian, meridian of Hang-Yangming.Conclusions:The acupoints-acupoints network is a small world network, some acupoints are more important than others. For acupoints, Tianshu (ST25), Zusanli (ST36), Shangjuxu (ST37), Gongsun (SP4) Zhongwan (RN12), Pishu (BL20), Dachangshu (ST25), Shenshu (BL23), Weishu (BL21), Sanyinjiao (SP6) Gongsun (SP4), Yinlingquan (SP9), Qihai (RN6),Hegu (LI4) Zhangmen (LR13) are core points. For site, acupoints located on chest and abdomen and form Ren Meridian are important. For meridian, meridian of Foot-Yangming,and meridian of Foot-Taiyang are important.For species Specific Points are important, especially Mu Points. There is a regular of acupoints compatibility that points located before and after,points located up and down the,points located same name meridian.