Background Obesity is an energy balance problem caused by overeating. Obesity treatment includes diet, exercise, behaviour treatment, pharmacotherapy and surgery; in addition, acupuncture is also an option. Objective To investigate the effect of acupuncture on weight loss and whether a brief acupuncture treatment of 5 weeks can change circulating levels of leptin, ghrelin, insulin and cholecystokinin (CCK) in obese women. Methods 40 women with a body mass index (BMI)>30 kg/m 2 were equally randomised to either an acupuncture group or a sham (nonpenetrating) acupuncture group and received treatment at LI4, HT7, ST36, ST44 and SP6 bilaterally. Both groups had two sessions of 20 min/week for a total of 10 sessions. Serum insulin, leptin, plasma ghrelin and CCK levels were measured by ELISA. Results Acupuncture treatment decreased insulin and leptin levels and induced weight loss, together with a decrease in BMI compared with sham acupuncture. Furthermore, between-group analyses demonstrated increases in plasma ghrelin and CCK levels in subjects who received acupuncture treatment. Conclusion These fi ndings suggest that acupuncture may help to regulate weight owing to its benefi cial effects on hormones such as insulin, leptin, ghrelin and CCK in obese subjects even after a few weeks of treatment. INTRODUCTIONObesity is a common health problem faced mostly in developed countries such as USA, Canada, Australia, and European countries but rates are increasing for developing countries as well. 1 The risk of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, cardiovascular disease and sleep apnoea are greater for overweight (body mass index (BMI)>25 kg/m 2 ) and obese (BMI>30 kg/m 2 ) individuals.2 There are various treatment options in practice such as diet therapy, regulation of physical activities, behaviour treatment, pharmacotherapy, surgical procedures and acupuncture.Acupuncture is one of the treatment options in traditional Chinese medicine for a wide array of conditions and gaining attention in modern medicine. Acupuncture is thought to have been practised for several thousand years in China.3 Nowadays, even modern clinics use it for the treatment of various conditions such as obesity. NIH consensus conference statement (1998) on acupuncture stated that acupuncture shows promising results for several conditions. 4Classic acupuncture points targeted in the treatment of obesity are Neiguan (P6),5 Besides these body points, there are also two points, generally targeted for appetite control, on the ear. In addition, to these generally recognised acupoints, an acupuncturist may use different points depending on his/her own experience. 4 The evidence for the effect of acupuncture on weight loss is mixed: readers can fi nd both supporting 6 7 and refuting [8][9][10] data.Ghrelin is produced by P/D1 cells in the stomach, 11 12 increases with hunger and decreases with satiety.13 Leptin, one of the products of adipose tissue, passes through the blood-brain barrier and reduces appetite.14 Ghrelin and leptin can be called coun...
Centrifugation separates particles within the specimen according to their shape, dimensions, and density and basically can be defined as a separation method. The centrifuge is an essential device in medical laboratories to prepare the serum, plasma, and urine samples for analysis. It is basically an electric device composed of the stationary (motor) and the motile (rotor) part. The centrifugation depends on two main variables: relative centrifugal force (RCF) and centrifugation time. The physical impact separating the specimen into its components in the centrifuge known as RCF is expressed as the multiples of gravitational acceleration (×g). RPM, defined as the number of rotations of the centrifuge per minute, shows the speed of the centrifuge. RCF value can be calculated by using RPM, and the centrifuge radius. Because models and sizes of centrifuges vary considerably, the use of gravity (g) forces instead of RPM is suggested. The centrifuges can be classified according to their usage, speed, technical specifications, and rotor type. An accurate and precise centrifugation process is essential to prevent errors in the preanalytical phase. The purpose of this document is to ensure the standardization of a good, precise protocol for the centrifugation process among the medical laboratories.
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