ABSTRACT
Objective:To observe the effects of different moxibustion time on cartilage morphology,tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α and interleukin(IL)-10 of the knee joint in rats with knee osteoarthritis(KOA),and to explore the best treatment time of moxibustion for KOA.Methods:Healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into a blank group,a model group,a 15-minute-moxibustion group,a 30-minute-moxibustion group,and a 60-minute-moxibustion group,with 10 rats in each group.Except for the blank group,the KOA model was established in all groups by injecting sodium iodoacetate solution into the knee joint cavity of rats.Rats in the 15-minute-moxibustion group,the 30-minute-moxibustion group,and the 60-minute-moxibustion group were all treated with mild moxibustion intervention for 15 min,30 min,and 60 min,respectively at Neixiyan(EX-LE4)and Dubi(ST35)points near the patella,3 times a week for 4 weeks,12 times in total.Rats in the blank group and the model group were fixed for 30 min without moxibustion intervention.Macroscopic observation for the smoothness of knee cartilage surface was performed after the intervention.Hematoxylin-eosin staining,toluidine blue staining,and Mankin score were used to evaluate the pathological changes in the cartilage.The expression levels of TNF-α and IL-10 in the serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results:Compared with the blank group,the articular cartilage surface in the model group was rough,the chondrocyte arrangement was irregular,the Mankin score and the serum TNF-α expression were significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the expression of serum IL-10 was significantly decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,the articular cartilage surface was smoother,the chondrocytes were arranged neatly,the Mankin score and serum TNF-α expression level were significantly lower in the three moxibustion intervention groups(P＜0.05);the serum IL-10 level in the 30-minute-moxibustion group and the 60-minute-moxibustion group was increased significantly(P＜0.05).Compared with the 15-minute-moxibustion group,the articular cartilage surface in the 30-minute-moxibustion group and the 60-minute-moxibustion group was smoother,the chondrocyte arrangement was more regular,the Mankin score and the serum TNF-α level were decreased significantly(P＜0.05),and the serum IL-10 level was increased(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the serum TNF-α or IL-10 level between the 30-minute-moxibustion group and the 60-minute-moxibustion group(P＞0.05).Conclusion:Moxibustion can obviously improve the morphology and structure of KOA articular cartilage,protect articular cartilage,inhibit cartilage inflammation,and delay KOA cartilage degeneration.Moxibustion's effect is closely related to moxibustion time;the therapeutic effect of the 30-minute-moxibustion and the 60-minute-moxibustion is better than that of the 15-minute-moxibustion.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the regulative effects of the acupuncture on glucose and lipid metabolism disorder in the patients of metabolic syndrome.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy-six patients of metabolic syndrome were rando-mized into an acupuncture plus western medicine group (37 cases) and a western medicine group (39 cases). In the western medicine group, the conventional western medication was used for 40 days. In the acupuncture plus western medicine group, the acupuncture was combined on the basis of the treatment as the western medicine group, the acupoints were Danzhong (CV 17), Zhongwan (CV 12), Tianshu (ST 25), etc. Ten treatments were as one session. There were 3 to 5 days of intervals between the sessions and totally 30 treatments were required. The body mass index (BMI), blood lipid, blood glucose, and comprehensive therapeutic effects were compared before and after treatment in the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Before and after treatment, the differences were all significant in BMI, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), plasma glucose of 2 hours post glucose-load (2 hPG), fasting insulin (FINS) and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) (all<0.05) in the acupuncture plus western medicine group, and the results after treatment were superior to those before treatment; the difference was not significant in BMI (>0.05) and those were all significant statistically in TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, FBG, 2 hPG, FINS, HOMA-IR (all<0.05) in the western medicine group, and the results after treatment were superior to those before treatment. After treatment, in comparison of the two groups, the results in the acupuncture plus western medicine group were better than those in the western medicine group. The differences were all signif-icant sta-tistically in BMI, TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, FBG, 2 hPG, FINS, HOMA-IR (all<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>On the basis of the conventional western medicine, the acupuncture relieves apparently the clinical symptoms and rectifies glucose and lipid metabolism disorder in the patients of metabolic syndrome.</p>
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the effects of acupuncture, electroacupuncture (EA) and moxibustion on functional constipation in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into a control group (=8), a model group (=11), a medication group (=8), an acupuncture group (=11), an EA group (=11) and a moxibustion group (=11) by random number table. The rats in the model group, medication group, acupuncture group, EA group and moxibustion group were treated with intragastric administration of loperamide hydrochloride for 6 days continuously to establish the functional constipation models, while equal volume of drinking water was administrated to rats in the control group at the same time. The rats in the acupuncture group, EA group and moxibustion group were respectively treated with acupuncture, EA and moxibustion at "Tianshu" (ST 25) and "Shangjuxu" (ST 37) one hour after intragastric administration; rats in the medication group were treated with intragastric administration of cisapride suspension. All the treatment was given once a day for 6 days. At the last day of intervention, the 24-hour food intake, stool quantity and its water content were measured in each group; the pushing rate of intestine was measured; the structure of colon tissue and acidic mucus in its mucous layer were observed by hematoxylin-eosin dyeing and alcian blue dyeing; the expression of stem cell factor (SCF) and c-kit mRNA was detected by real-time PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, the 24-hour food intake and stool quantity were reduced in the model group (both<0.01), and the water content of stool and pushing rate of intestine were reduced (both<0.01); compared with the model group, the stool quantity and its water content were increased in the medication group, acupuncture group, EA group (<0.05,<0.01), which were not significantly different from those in the moxibustion group (both>0.05). The pushing rate of intestine in each intervention group was increased (all<0.01). The 24-hour food intake and stool quantity in the medication group were not significantly different from those in the acupuncture group, EA group and moxibustion group (all>0.05), and the water content of stool was only reduced in the moxibustion group (<0.01). The pushing rate of intestine in the acupuncture group and moxibustion group was lower than that in the medication group (both<0.01), while that in the EA group was not significantly different from that in the medication group (>0.05). The water content of stool in the moxibustion group was lower than that in the acupuncture group and EA group (both<0.01). The pushing rate of intestine in the acupuncture group and moxibustion group was lower than that in the EA group (both<0.01). The HE staining result indicated the structure of colon tissue was normal, complete and similar in each group; the alcian blue staining indicated the acidic mucosubstance in the model group was lower than that in the control group; compared with the model group, the acidic mucosubstance in the medication group, acupuncture group, EA group and moxibustion group was all increased. Compared with the control group, the expression of SCF and c-kit mRNA was reduced in the model group (both<0.05); compared with the model group, the expression of SCF and c-kit mRNA was increased in the medication group, acupuncture group, EA group and moxibustion group (all<0.05); compared with the moxibustion group, the expression of c-kit mRNA was reduced in the acupuncture group and EA group (both<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Acupuncture, EA and moxibustion all can play a positive regulative role on functional constipation in rats, in which EA has the best efficacy, followed by acupuncture.</p>
ABSTRACT
Professor JIA Chunsheng believes that "Dongyuan's acupuncture therapy" proposed by GAO Wu could not entirely reflect LI Dongyuan's academic thought of acupuncture and moxibustion. Hence, we collected all of the academic works of LI Dongyuan and extracted the texts relevant with acupuncture-moxibustion therapy, titled as Dongyuan's acupuncture-moxibustion therapy. This process contributed to the deeper study on Dongyuan's acupuncture and moxibustion academic thought. By the influence of Dongyuan's acupuncture-moxibustion academic thought, in association with his clinical experience for dozens of years, Professor JIA Chunsheng proposed that acupuncture and moxibustion should pay attention to the regulation and tonification of spleen and kidney. In clinical practice, Zhongwan (CV 12), bilateral Tianshu (ST 25), Qihai (CV 6) and Guanyuan (CV 4) are commonly selected to consolidate the root, cultivate the primary and treat the spleen and kidney simultaneously. The locations of the above selected points are distributed like a star. This "star-like point selection method" points to the importance of the spleen and kidney (the primary qi). For many diseases, especially the disorders of internal injury, the star-like acupuncture therapy is commonly used and the relevant acupoints are supplemented. The good clinical efficacy has been achieved.