Sham electroacupuncture (EA) control is commonly used to evaluate the specific effects of EA in randomized-controlled trials (RCTs). However, establishing an inert and concealable sham EA control remains methodologically challenging. Here, we aimed to systematically investigate the sham EA methods. Eight electronic databases were searched from their inception to April 2015. Ten out of the 17 sh...

Experimental aortic coarctation in rats is accompanied by non-pressure-related increases in hindlimb total vascular resistance and its neurogenic and structural components. To investigate the role of the sympathoadrenergic system, we partially constricted or sham-constricted the abdominal aorta in rats age 6 weeks that had had adrenal demedullation and guanethidine injections to produce periphe...

In addition to antioxidative effects, estrogens also exert pro-oxidative actions. The effect of chronic administration of a high dose of estradiol valerate on Morris water maze tasks and brain tissues oxidative damage was investigated. The Sham-Est and OVX-Est groups were treated with estradiol valerate (4 mg/kg) for 12 weeks. Escape latency and traveled path in the Sham-Est and OVX-Est groups ...

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) allows non-invasive manipulation of brain activity during active task performance. Because every TMS pulse is accompanied by non-neural effects such as a clicking sound and somato-sensation on the head, control conditions are required to ensure that changes in task behavior are indeed due to the induced neural effects. However, the non-neural effects of T...

Invasive procedures, such as surgery and acupuncture, are likely better than the others in terms of eliciting placebo analgesia. Understanding how invasive procedures can elicit enhanced placebo responses may provide new insights into mechanisms underlying placebo analgesia. In this essay, it is argued that sensory, cognitive and emotional factors are major determinants of the magnitude of plac...

Debate continues about the ethics of sham surgery controls. The most powerful argument for sham surgery controls is that rigorous experiments are needed to demonstrate safety and efficacy of surgical procedures. Without such experiments, there is danger of adopting worthless procedures in clinical practice. Opponents of sham surgery controls argue that sham surgery constitutes unacceptable viol...

One of the first notable sham peer reviews took place in Oregon in the early 1980s. The physician who took it up with the courts was Dr. Patrick, and the Supreme Court ruled in his favor. As a result of the publicity surrounding this case, the Healthcare Quality Improvement Act (HCQIA) was enacted in 1986. One of the concerns that arose from the Patrick case was a fear that no physician would w...

Due to the lack of an appropriate placebo, the general scientific society has questioned studies on the effects of acupuncture. The double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial is said to be the gold standard for showing that a treatment has a specific effect over placebo. But acu‐ puncture treatments undoubtedly involve placebo effects. In order to support the study of acupuncture’s effects...

Objectives: Electrical appliances are source of radiofrequency radiation (RFR). The effects RFR on the organism not fully understood. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is appeared by accumulation misfolded proteins in ER lumen. aim this study was to investigate 900 and 2100 MHz exposure pathway rat thymus. Methods: Rats were divided into six groups: 1 week (w) 10 w Sham rats kept plexiglass tub...

Intubation and mechanical ventilation after burn contribute to pneumonia-related infection. Although postburn presence or absence of endotoxin has been described, inactivation of Toll-like receptor 4 signaling has been shown to improve postburn organ function, suggesting that LPS participates in burn-related susceptibility to infection. We hypothesized that bactericidal/permeability-increasing ...