ABSTRACT
Objective:To observe the clinical effect of mild moxibustion for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and to explore the role of mild moxibustion in relieving pain,reducing stiffness and improving joint dysfunction in patients with KOA.Methods:Eighty patients with KOA were randomly allocated into either a moxibustion group or a medication group by the random number table,with 40 cases in each group.The moxibustion group used mild moxibustion at Neixiyan (EX-LE 5),Dubi (ST 35),Xuehai (SP 10) and Liangqiu (ST 34),30 min each time,3 times a week;the medication group was given celecoxib capsule (celebrex),0.2 g each time,once a day.Both groups were treated for 4 weeks.The visual analog scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC)scores were evaluated before and after treatment.The efficacy of the two groups was compared after treatment.Results:After treatment,the overall efficacy of the moxibustion group was significantly different from that of the medication group (P＜0.05).The VAS and WOMAC scores of the two groups were lower than those before treatment (both P＜0.01).The changes in the VAS and WOMAC scores after treatment in the moxibustion group were significantly different from those in the medication group (both P＜0.05).After treatment,in single item of WOMAC,the changes in pain and joint dysfunction in the moxibustion group were more statistically significant than those in the medication group (both P＜0.05).Conclusion:Mild moxibustion and oral celebrex can reduce the VAS and WOMAC scores of patients with KOA.Mild moxibustion is superior to oral celebrex in relieving pain and improving joint function.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Angiomyolipoma is the most common benign kidney tumor. However, literature describing FDG PET findings on renal angiomyolipoma (AML) is limited. This study reports the FDG PET and PET/CT findings of 21 cases of renal AML. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study reviews FDG PET and PET/CT images of 21 patients diagnosed with renal AML. The diagnosis is based on the classical appearance of an AML on CT scan with active surveillance for 6 months. The study is focused on the observation of clinical and radiographic features. RESULTS: Six men and 15 women were included in our study. The mean age of the patients was 57.14 +/- 9.67 years old. The mean diameter of 21 renal AML on CT scans was 1.76 +/- 1.00 cm (Min: 0.6 cm; Max: 4.4 cm). CT scans illustrated renal masses typical of AMLs, and the corresponding FDG PET scans showed minimal FDG activities in the area of the tumors. None of the 21 AMLs showed a maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) greater than 1.98. No statistically significant correlation was present between SUVmax and tumor size. CONCLUSION: Renal AMLs demonstrate very low to low uptake on FDG PET and PET/CT imaging in this study. When a fat-containing tumor in the kidney is found on a CT scan, it is critical to differentiate an AML from a malignant tumor including an RCC, liposarcoma, and Wilms tumor. This study suggests that FDG PET or PET/CT imaging is useful for differentiating a renal AML from a fat-containing malignant tumor.