Dose-effect relationship in treatment of chronic neck pain with the direct moxibustion of small moxa cone / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the effectiveness in treatment of chronic neck pain with the direct moxibustion of small moxa cone and explore the dose-effect relationship in treatment of chronic neck pain with different small moxa cones.@*METHODS@#A total of 120 patients with chronic neck pain were randomized into a 3-moxa-cone group, a 5-moxa-cone group, a 7-moxa-cone group and a sham-moxibustion group, 30 cases in each one. Fengchi (GB 20), Tianzhu (BL 10), Jingbailao (EX-HN 15), Jianzhongshu (SI 15) and Jianjing (GB 21) were selected in each of the groups. The direct moxibustion with 3, 5 and 7 moxa cones as well as the sham-moxibustion therapy were provided successively in each of the above groups. In the sham-moxibustion group, the lower 1/3 section of moxa cone (about 1.5 mm in length) was soaked in oil before used in treatment. In each group, the treatment was given twice a week, for 10 treatments totally. Separately, before treatment, after treatment and in 1-month follow-up, the scores of the Northwick Park neck pain questionnaire (NPQ), the scores of McGill pain questionnaire (MPQ) and the local pressure pain threshold (PPT) were observed in each group. After treatment and in 1-month follow-up, the therapeutic effects were evaluated in each group.@*RESULTS@#After treatment and in 1-month follow-up, NPQ scores and MPQ scores in the 3-moxa-cone group, the 5-moxa-cone group and the 7-moxa-cone group were reduced as compared with those before treatment separately (all 0.05). After treatment and in 1-month follow-up, NPQ scores and MPQ scores in the 3-moxa-cone group, the 5-moxa-cone group and the 7-moxa-cone group were lower as compared with the sham-moxibustion group separately (all 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The direct moxibustion therapy with different small-moxa-cones effectively relieves chronic neck pain. There is a trend of improvement of the therapeutic effects with increase of the numbers of moxa cones.

Effect of neonatal immunization with different dosage allergen on the immunity of mice when grown up / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of neonatal immunization with different dosage allergen on the immunity of mice when grown.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty neonatal BALB/c mice were divided into 4 groups randomly and subcutaneous injected with different dosage of ovalbumin (OVA) on day 1, 8 and 15 after born [NS group(10): injected with saline alone; NS + AL group (10): injected with saline and AL(OH)3; small dosage (SD) group (15): injected with 10 microg OVA and AL(OH)3; large dosage (LD) group (15): injected with 1000 microg OVA and AL(OH)3]. The mice were then challenged using caudal vein injection on 5 weeks old (NS group and NS + AL group were challenged with saline, SD group and LD group were challenged with 100 microg OVA). The blood was collected 1 week later to examine OVA specific IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a. Mononuclear cells were drawn from the spleen and cultured. Concentration of IL-4, IFN-r, IL-10 was examined in the cultural supernatant. Flow cytometry was used to test the expression of CD4+ IL-4+, CD4+ IFN-gamma+, CD4 IL-10 cells.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>It was found that concentration of OVA specific IgE (OVA-sIgE) in SD group (0.33 +/- 0.18) was significantly higher than that of NS (0.07 +/- 0.01) and NS + AL (0.09 +/- 0.04) group (t value was -3.46 and -3.21, all P < 0.01), and LD group (0.17 +/- 0.10) as well (t = 2.58, P < 0.05). The concentration of OVA-sIgE was higher in LD group than that of NS group (t = -2.53, P < 0.05), but similar with that of NS + AL group (t = -2.04, P > 0.05). Both the concentration of OVA-sIgG1 and sIgG2a was higher in SD and LD group than that of NS and NS + AL group (all P < 0.05). The concentration of IL-4, IFN-gamma and IL-10 in the cultural supernatant of spleen mononuclear was all higher in SD group than that of NS and NS + AL group (all P < 0.01). The ratio of IFN-gamma/IL-4 was significantly lower in SD group than that of NS and NS + AL group (t value was 2.14, 3.44, all P < 0.05), while the same ratio was higher in LD group than that of NS and NS + AL group (t value was -2.14, -1.61, all P < 0.05). Ratio of CD4+ IL-4+ cells was significant lower in LD group than that of SD group (P < 0.05), while it was not different with that of NS and NS + AL group (P > 0. 05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Neonatal immunization with low dosage OVA could generate a specific immunity with Th2 direction, while with large dosage OVA could generate a specific immunity with Th1 direction.</p>