Effect of Acupuncture plus Rehabilitation Training on Upper Limb Functional Recovery in Stroke Patients / 上海针灸杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of acupuncture plus rehabilitation training on upper limb functional recovery in convalescent stroke patients.Methods One hundred and three convalescent stroke patients with upper limb motor dysfunction were randomized to a treatment group (54 cases) and a control groups (49 cases). Both group received conventional rehabilitation training. In addition, the treatment group received along-meridian syndrome differentiation-based acupuncture and the control group, sham acupuncture. Upper limb Fugl-Meyer Assessment (U-FMA) score, the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) score, the modified Barthel Index (MBI) score and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) score were recorded in the two groups of patients before and at the end of treatment and at the 3-month follow-up.Results In the two groups there were statistically significant differences in the U-FMA score, the WMFT score and the MBI score at the end of treatment and the 3-month follow-up compared with before (P>0.05 orP<0.01). At the end of treatment and the 3-month follow-up there were statistically significant differences in the U-FMA score, the WMFT score and the MBI score between the treatment and control groups (P<0.05 orP<0.01). The scores of SF-36 items except social functioning and bodily pain had statistically significant differences within the two groups at the end of treatment and the 3-month follow-up compared with before and between the two groups at the end of treatment and the 3-month follow-up (P<0.01 orP<0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture plus rehabilitation training can markedly improve upper limb function in stroke patients.

Effects of yixintong on regulating cellular calcium channels / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the protecting mechanism of Yixintong for heart ischemia-reperfusion injury at cellular and subcellular levels, by observing the effects of Yixintong on three kinds of calcium channels.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The effects of Yixintong on Ca2+ influx on leak calcium channel, receptor-operationg calcium channel (ROC) and pulse-dependent calcium channel (PDC) were observed respectively, by using rat aortic smooth muscle cell and radioactive 45Ca technique.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Yixintong has no effects on leak calcium channel, but can inhibit the Ca2+ influx in ROC and PDC significantly.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Yixintong can inhibit the Ca2+ influx in slow channel in a dose-dependent manner.</p>