ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the clinical efficacy and partial mechanism of medicinal-cake-separated moxibustion for senile osteoporosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty cases of senile osteoporosis were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group according to the random digits table, 30 cases in each one. The two groups were both treated with basic treatment of western medicine. The acupoints included four groups:① Dazhui (GV 14), Dazhu (BL 11) and Ganshu (BL 18); ② Zhongwan (CV 12), Danzhong (CV 17) and Zusanli (ST 36); ③ Pishu (BL 20), Shenshu (BL 23) and Mingmen (GV 4); ④ Shenque (CV 8) and Guanyuan (CV 4). Each group of acupoints was selected for one treatment. The observation group was treated with medicinal-cake-separated moxibustion, and the medicinal cake was consisted of fructus psoraleae (30 g), prepared rehmannia root (30 g), atractylodes (30 g), codonopsis pilosula (30 g), epimedium herb (20 g), rhizoma curculiginis (20 g), syzygium aromaticum (5 g) and cinnamon (5 g). The control group was treated with wheat-flour-cake moxibustion. Each acupoint was treated with 5 moxa cones in the two groups. The treatment was given once every other day for six months. The symptom score, lumbar and hip bone mineral density (BMD), serum type Ⅰ procollagen amino-terminal propeptide (PINP) and serum β-type Ⅰ collagen carboxy-terminal peptide (β-CTX) were observed before and after treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After treatment, the symptom score and serum β-CTX were significantly lowered (all<0.05), while the lumbar and hip BMD and serum PINP were significantly increased (all<0.05) of the two groups. After treatment, the symptom score and serum β-CTX in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (both<0.05), while the lumbar and hip BMD and serum PINP in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (all<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The medicinal-cake-separated moxibustion has significant efficacy for senile osteoporosis, which is superior to wheat-cake-se-parated moxibustion.</p>
ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the effects of electro-acupuncture ( EA ) on learning, memory and the morphology of hippocampal neural tissues in rats with a model of chronic cerebral ischemia.Methods One hundred and twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Chronic cerebral ischemia models were successfully established in 104 of them, and those rats were randomly divided into an EA group and a model group with 52 rats each. These were further subdivided into 1,2, 4 and 6 week subgroups with 13 rats in each. The EA group was given EA. The changes in spatial learning and memory ability were observed using a Morris water maze. The morphological changes in hippocampal nerve tissue were observed by HE staining.Results The escape latency in the EA group was significantly different from the model group at the 2nd, 4th and 6th week. The nerve cells in the dentate gyrus were more tightly and consistently lined-up and had rich layers, and the structures in the EA group were better than in the model group.Conclusions EA can improve spatial learning and memory and promote the repair of injury after cerebral ischemia.