Acupuncture for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the short-term efficacy, long-term efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS).@*METHODS@#Forty-two patients with CP/CPPS were randomly divided into an acupuncture group (21 cases, 1 case dropped off) and a sham acupuncture group (21 cases). The patients in the acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at bilateral Zhongliao (BL 33), Huiyang (BL 35), Shenshu (BL 23) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6); the needling depth of Zhongliao (BL 33) and Huiyang (BL 35) was 60 to 80 mm, while Shenshu (BL 23) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) was directly punctured of 30 mm. The patients in the sham acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at non-acupoints, including points 2 cm next to Shenshu (BL 23), Zhongliao (BL 33) and Huiyang (BL 35), and the midpoint of the connecting line between the spleen meridian and the kidney meridian. All the non-acupoints were treated with directly puncture of 2 to 3 mm. The needles were left for 30 min in both groups, once every other day in the first four weeks, three times a week, and twice a week in the next four weeks, totally 20 treatments. Before treatment, after treatment and in follow-up of 24 weeks after treatment completion, the National Institutes of Health-chronic prostatitis symptom index (NIH-CPSI) score and urinary flow rate were observed in both groups; the clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated.@*RESULTS@#Compared with those before treatment, the pain and discomfort scores, urination symptoms scores, quality of life scores and total scores of NIH-CPSI in both groups were reduced after treatment in the two groups (P<0.01), while each item score and total score of NIH-CPSI in the acupuncture group were reduced in follow-up (P<0.01, P<0.05). After treatment and in follow-up, each item score and total score of NIH-CPSI in the acupuncture group were lower than those in the sham acupuncture group (P<0.05, P<0.01). After treatment, the maximum and average urinary flow rates in the acupuncture group were higher than those before treatment (P<0.05), and the average urinary flow rate in the acupuncture group was higher than that in the sham acupuncture group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 75.0% (15/20) in the acupuncture group, which was higher than 42.9% (9/21) in the sham acupuncture group (P<0.05). No significant adverse reactions were observed in the two groups, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture could effectively alleviate the clinical symptoms, improve quality of life, and has a sustained, safe and reliable therapeutic effect in patients with CP/CPPS.

YANG Jun's clinical experience of acupuncture for oculomotor paralysis / 中国针灸

Professor YANG Jun's clinical experience of acupuncture and moxibustion for oculomotor paralysis is summarized. Professor YANG Jun pays attention to disease differentiation and syndrome differentiation in the treatment of this disease. According to the characteristics of oculomotor paralysis, "early diagnosis and seeking treatment from the source" is advocated. According to the etiology and pathogenesis, professor YANG divides oculomotor paralysis into three types: the syndrome of wind-evil attacking collaterals, the syndrome of spleen-stomach weakness and the syndrome of qi-deficiency and blood-stasis. As such, the acupoints are selected according to syndrome differentiation, and several different acupuncture methods (pricking needling at eyelids, penetrating needling and lifting eyelids and contralateral- balance needling on the healthy side) are adopted to improve the symptoms of oculomotor paralysis. It is also suggested to use the combination of scalp acupuncture and electroacupuncture to achieve the best dose-effect state. Moreover, local stimulation around the eyes is important to achieve the effects of "qi reaching affected area".

Professor 's experience of infantile spastic cerebral palsy treated with the combination of acupuncture and herbal medicine / 中国针灸

Professor believes that infantile cerebral palsy is located in the brain and closely related to the kidney. The clinical treatment should focus on the brain theory and root at the kidney. In pathogenesis, infantile spastic cerebral palsy refers to flaccidity of and spasticity of . The principle of treatment should be balancing and , promoting the circulation of the governor vessel and regulating the spirit/mind. In clinical treatment, the comprehensive therapy of acupuncture and herbal medicine is adopted. In acupuncture, the acupoints on the head and the face are dominant and the body acupoints are selected rigorously and precisely. The herbal formula with and is used and taken orally with warm water. In acupoint application treatment, and are the main herbal medicines for the external application at Shenque (CV 8) and Baihui (GV 20). All of the above therapies are used in combination to co-achieve the effect of regaining consciousness, opening orifices and benefiting the intelligence. The clinical therapeutic effect of this comprehensive therapy is significant.

Effects of moxibustion on learning and memory ability and the hippocampal BDNF/TrkB expressions in the rats of vascular dementia / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the effects of (resolving stasis, promoting collateral circulation) moxibustion on learning and memory ability and the expressions of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) in the rats of vascular dementia (VD) in the microenvironment of neurovascular niche.@*METHODS@#Using 2-vessel occlusion (2-VO), the VD rat models were duplicated. The neural stem cells (NSCs) labeled with lentiviral vector-mediated enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) were co-cultured with endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) to structure the NSCs + EPCs implant. The implant was transplanted into the lateral ventricle of VD rats and the VD rat models with neurovascular niche were established. In No.1 experiment, the successful-modeled rats were divided into 3 groups, i.e. a NSCs + EPCs moxibustion group, a NSCs + EPCs blank group and a model group, 12 rats in each one. No any treatment was provided in the model group and the NSCs + EPCs blank group. The moxibustion therapy was adopted in the NSCs + EPCs moxibustion group, in which, the suspending moxibustion technique was applied to "Baihui" (GV 20), "Dazhui" (GV 14) and "Shenting" (GV 24), 20 min at each acupoint. The treatment was given once every day and a 14-day treatment was as one course. Totally, 3 courses of treatment were required. At the end of treatment, Morris water maze experiment was adopted to determine the learning and memory ability of the rats in each group. In the No.2 experiment, the model rats were divided into 3 groups, a NSCs + EPCs moxibustion group, a NSCs + EPCs blank group and a model group, 18 rats in each one. In each group, according to the durations of treatment, 3 subgroups were divided and 6 rats in each one. The intervention method was same as the No.1 experiment. Additionally, after corresponding treatment course, using perfusion, the brains were collected in each subgroup and the slices were frozen. BDNF/TrkB expressions were observed in the immunofluorescence test.@*RESULTS@#After treatment, in the NSCs + EPCs moxibustion group, the escape incubation was reduced, the time of the first running-cross platform was shortened and the frequency of running-cross platform increased as compared with the model group and the NSCs + EPCs blank group (<0.01, <0.05). The protein expressions were increased in tendency among the 3 courses of treatment in the NSCs + EPCs moxibustion group, indicating the significant differences (all <0.05), in which, the increase of the protein expressions in the NSCs + EPCs moxibustion group was better than the NSCs + EPCs blank group (<0.05, <0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#The moxibustion therapy is the effective approach to VD in clinical treatment. This therapy up-regulates the BDNF/TrkB protein expressions in the microenvironment of neurovascular niche, co-modulates NSCs-EPCs coupling mechanism, promotes nerve neogenesis and repairs the injured nerve.

Professor 's experience in the treatment of vascular dementia with acupuncture and moxibustion / 中国针灸

In the aspects of the acupoint prescription, acupuncture techniques and typical cases, the characteristics and experience of professor in the clinical treatment of vascular dementia with acupuncture and moxibustion were introduced. Vascular dementia is treated on the base of etiology, focusing on the brain as the root cause, with the reinforcing and the promoting as the dominant principle of acupuncture. The treatment is emphasized on tonifying the kidney to fill up marrow, strengthening the spleen to nourish the brain and promoting the collateral circulation to improve the intelligence. Concerning to the general situation of the disease, regulating mind stressed in treatment. In clinical practice, Baihui (GV 20) is the chief acupoint to benefit the brain. -source points and the eight influential points are predominated to tonify the functions of organs and fill up vessels. Moxibustion is adopted to resolve the stagnation and promote circulation in meridian as well as regulate and blood circulation. Specially, the moxibustion technique for resolving the stagnation and promoting circulation in meridian achieves the satisfactory therapeutic effects in clinical treatment.

" acupuncture" combined with speech training for post-stroke aphasia / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To verify the clinical efficacy of " acupuncture" combined with speech training for post-stroke aphasia.@*METHODS@#A total of 68 patients with post-stroke aphasia were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 34 cases in each one. The patients in the control group were treated with basic therapy and speech rehabilitation exercises (mainly Schuell's aphasia stimulation therapy). Based on the treatment of the control group, the patients in the observation group were treated with " acupuncture" at Shuigou (GV 26), Neiguan (PC 6), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Lianquan (CV 23), Baihui (GV 20), Fengfu (GV 16), Yamen (GV 15), Hegu (LI 4) and Taichong (LR 3), once a day, six times a week; four-week treatment was taken as one session, and totally 2 sessions were given. The speech function scores, including comprehension, naming, retelling, writing and reading, were observed before and after treatment in both groups, and the efficacy of the two groups was evaluated.@*RESULTS@#The total effective rate was 91.2% (31/34) in the observation group, which was superior to 67.6% (23/34) in the control group (<0.05). Compared before treatment, each index of speech function scores in the two groups were increased significantly after treatment (all <0.05); compared with the control group, each index of speech function scores in the observation group were increased significantly after treatment (all <0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Based on the basic treatment and speech training, " acupuncture" could improve the early rehabilitation effect of post-stroke aphasia.

Different opinion about "marrow meeting acupoint" of eight confluent acupoints / 中国针灸

Juegu (GB 39) is the "marrow meeting acupoint" of eight confluent acupoints, but this acupoint is seldom used to treat the diseases interrelated marrow either by physicians of past generations or in the modern clinic. The authors have researched that "marrow meeting in Zhengu (GB 11)" is more in accord with the theory and the clinical practicality of eight confluent acupoints than "marrow meeting in Juegu (GB 39)" from the records of ancient literature and the correspondence of eight confluent acupoints and their clinical effect, and presume that Zhengu (GB 11) should be the marrow meeting acupoint of eight confluent acupoints.

A follow-up study on keratopathy in eyes after radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To investigate the ocular complication after radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC).METHODS: The authors performed a previous study on keratopathy in 213 NPC patients who received first stage radiation and had at least 10 months of follow-up. These patients were categorized into three groups depending on NPC clinic stages. Rates and proportions of keratopathy occurring in these groups were compared and analyzed with Chi-square Test and Spearman rank correlation coefficient.RESULTS: Radiation keratopathy developed in 19 patients, about 8.9% (19/213). The latency value was 3 to 30days. The effect of NPC clinic stages and radiation did on the development of keratopathy was not statistically significant (P＞0.05).CONCLUSION: The NPC clinic stages and radiation doses plays few effects on the development of keratopathy. It may play a key role that corneal nerves damage induced ocular surface diseases. It can not be excluded that individuals have different sensitivities to radiation.

Comparison study on the diagnosis of erectile dysfunction with color Doppler ultrasonography and nocturnal electrobioimpedance volumetric assessment / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the diagnostic value of color Doppler ultrasonography(CDUS) and nocturnal electrobioimpedance volumetric assessment (NEVA) in the assessment of erectile dysfunction (ED) and in differentiating the causes of ED.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>CDUS and NEVA were performed in the 45 patients with ED. The patients were classified into 3 groups according to their results of CDUS, and compared all parameters of NEVA between each two groups, and then studied the correlation between CDUS and NEVA in the assessment of ED.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the non-vasculogenic ED group, 17 (94.4%) patients had normal nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT); and in contrast, there were 9(75.0%) and 8(72.7%) patients with abnormal NPT in the arteriogenic and venogenic ED groups, respectively. Except that the blood volume change of penis in the venogenic ED group was significantly lower than that in the non-vasculogenic ED group (P = 0.033), there were no significant difference in the other parameters of NEVA between each two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results of NEVA are well correlated with the functions of artery and venous which were indicated by CDUS. NEVA can indicate the causes of ED to some extent.</p>

Effect of electroacupuncture combined with medication on vascular endothelial cells in the compound hypertension and hyperlipemia rat / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the mechanism of electroacupuncture combined with medication for treatment of compound model of hypertension and hyperlipemia (CMHH).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>CMHH rat model was made by the way of "2K1C" combined with intragastric perfusion of high fat diet, and a normal group and a pseudosurgery group were set up. After modeling for 4 weeks, the successful model rats who had synchronously increase of blood pressure (BP) and blood lipids were randomly divided into a model group, a medication group , an electroacupuncture group and an acupuncture plus medication group. After interference of 4 weeks, changes of BP, total cholesterol (TC) and thiglyceride (TG) and contents of serum vWF, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA ) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAl-1) were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After interference, the levels of BP, TC, TG, vWF, t-PA and PAl-1 significantly changed in all the treatment groups as compared with those in the model group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) with most significantly changed in the electroacupuncture plus medication group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Both electroacupunctore and electroacupuncture combined with medication can down-regulate levels of BP, TC, TG, and decrease plasma vWF and PAl-1 levels, increase t-PA content, so as to effectively prevent and treat CMHH and possibly induced cerebral diseases.</p>