Depression is a prominent complex psychiatric disorder, usually complicated through expression of comorbid conditions, with chronic pain being among the most prevalent. This comorbidity is consistently associated with a poor prognosis and has been shown to negatively impact patient outcomes. With a global rise in this condition presenting itself, the importance of discovering long-term, effective, and affordable treatments is crucial. Electroacupuncture has demonstrated renowned success in its use for the treatment of pain and is a widely recognized therapy in clinical practice for the treatment of various psychosomatic disorders, most notably depression. Our study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of Acid-Saline (AS) inducing states of chronic pain and depression comorbidity in the cerebellum, using the ST36 acupoint as the therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, the role of TRPV1 was relatedly explored through the use of TRPV1^−/− mice (KO). The results indicated significant differences in the four behavioral tests used to characterize pain and depression states in mice. The AS and AS + SHAM group showed significant differences when compared to the Control and AS + EA groups in the von Frey and Hargreaves’s tests, as well as the Open-Field and Forced Swimming tests. This evidence was further substantiated in the protein levels observed in immunoblotting, with significant differences between the AS and AS + SHAM groups when compared to the AS + EA and AS + KO groups being identified. In addition, immunofluorescence visibly served to corroborate the quantitative outcomes. Conclusively these findings suggest that AS-induced chronic pain and depression comorbidity elicits changes in the cerebellum lobules VI, VII, VIII, which are ameliorated through the use of EA at ST36 via its action on TRPV1 and related molecular pathways. The action of TRPV1 is not singular in CPDC, which would suggest other potential targets such as acid-sensing ion channel subtype 3 (ASIC3) or voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) that could be explored in future studies.

Oral cancer is frequently associated with smoking, alcohol consumption, and betel quid chewing, which are common harmful behaviors observed in certain cohorts of the Taiwanese population. Some reports have explored the potential therapeutic effect of certain herbal remedies on cancer treatments and the outcomes thereof. However, supportive evidence regarding the specific use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in oral cancer treatment is lacking and deserves further investigation. This study measured the use of TCM therapies for oral cancer in a Taiwanese population-based retrospective longitudinal cohort study. The Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database was utilized to conduct this study. The study population was limited to oral cancer patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2009, which were followed up for at least 5 years. Therapeutic strategies investigated included acupuncture and the Chinese herbs and formula used. Additionally, the frequency of TCM treatment visits, total medical costs, and all-cause mortality were also analyzed. Between 2000 and 2009, a total of 951 patients were diagnosed with various oral cancers. 13.7% of the diagnosed patients utilized TCM treatment measures. The majority of the patients were males. The top 3 common single herbs used were Xuán shēn (Radix Scrophulariae), Shí hú (Herba Dendrobii), and Mài mén dōng (Ophiopogon Japonicus). Then, Gān lù yǐn, Zhī bǎi dì huáng wán, and Sàn zhǒng kuì jiān tāng were the most frequently used herbal formulas. The survival probability was higher in TCM users when compared to non-TCM users in 5- and 12-year all-cause mortality (P < .05). This study explored the use of TCM therapies in oral cancer patients and identified essential information regarding the specifics of conventional herbal medicine used, affiliated medical costs, survival probability, and common symptoms observed in Taiwanese oral cancer patients.