The objective of this study was to evaluate the biomaterial properties of nano-modified surface acupuncture needles and the effect of such needles on human pain perception by using pressure pain threshold (PPT) measurements. It is known that changing a material’s surface nano-topography or nanostructure has strong effects on its physical, chemical, and biological surface properties. However, there is no information in the literature about the stimulation characteristics of acupuncture needles with nano-topography or nanostructured surfaces. Based on the knowledge on nanostructured surfaces, it may be possible to potentiate the effects of acupuncture needle stimulation. The pressure pain sensitivity of the masseter muscle in the orofacial region was studied in 21 healthy volunteers in two randomized, double-blinded sessions: an active session of manual acupuncture manipulation with nano-modified surface needles, and an inactive session of sham acupuncture stimulation to control for possible placebo effects. Three acupuncture points were selected from classical Chinese medicine literature: LI4 (Hegu) on the hand, ST6 (Jiache) on the lower masseter region, and ST7 (Xiaguan) on the upper masseter region. PPT measurements, perceived sensations, and pain from the acupuncture were recorded. The results showed discrete yet significant differences in PPT values between the active and inactive acupuncture treatments and significantly higher pain scores from active acupuncture stimulation than from sham acupuncture. These results indicate subtle but significant effects of acupuncture stimulation with nano-modified surface needles, compared to sham acupuncture in healthy participants.

中文翻译：

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纳米多孔表面结构在疼痛治疗中的潜力：表面性质和疼痛知觉评估

这项研究的目的是通过使用压力疼痛阈值（PPT）测量来评估纳米改性表面针灸针的生物材料特性以及此类针对人的疼痛感的影响。众所周知，改变材料的表面纳米形貌或纳米结构对其物理，化学和生物学表面性质具有强烈影响。然而，在文献中没有关于具有纳米形貌或纳米结构表面的针灸针的刺激特性的信息。基于对纳米结构表面的了解，可能会增强针灸针刺激的效果。在21位健康志愿者中，通过两个随机双盲会议研究了颌面部咬肌的压力疼痛敏感性：使用纳米修饰的表面针进行手动针灸操作的活跃会话，以及不进行假针刺刺激以控制可能的安慰剂效果的无效会话。从传统中医文献中选择了三个穴位：手LI4（合谷），下咬肌区的ST6（Jiache）和上咬肌区的ST7（下关）。记录PPT测量值，感觉到的感觉和针灸引起的疼痛。结果显示，主动和非主动针刺治疗之间的PPT值存在离散但显着的差异，主动针刺刺激的疼痛评分明显高于假针刺。这些结果表明，纳米修饰的表面针刺针刺疗法具有微妙而显着的效果，