ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effects of combining acupuncture and physical therapy with drugs on treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).Methods Sixty infants with DMD were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group (n =30 in each).Both groups were injected with Bozhi glycopeptide and given levocamitine and fructose sodium diphosphate orally.Moreover,the treatment group was additionally given acupuncture and physical therapy.Before and after 90 days of treatment,the time to walk 10 metres and to climb stairs of 2 metres high was measured,as were the serum creatine phosphate kinase (CPK),lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and aspertate aminotransferase (AST) levels of all participants.Results After treatment,the average walking and stair climbing times of both groups were significantly shorter,and those of the treatment group were significantly shorter than those of the control group.Moreover,the average CPK,LDH and AST levels in the treatment group were significantly lower than before treatment and than those of the control group after treatment.There was a significant difference in the overall response rates,with 93％ observed in the treatment group and 73％ in the control group.Conclusion Combining acupuncture and physical therapy with drugs can significantly increase the mobility and improve the serum CPK,LDH and AST levels of children with DMD.
ABSTRACT
AIM: To investigate the effects of Yiqi Huoxue prescription and Bushen Shengsui prescription on the expression of Notch-1 and Jagged1 protein in ischemic penumbra after local cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in intraluminal thread occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO) rats. METHODS: The local cerebral ischemia/reperfusion model was established by intraluminal thread occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. The animals were randomly divided into pseudo surgery group (sham group), model (MCAO) group, Yiqi Huoxue prescription (MCAO+Yiqi Huoxue) and Bushen Shengsui prescription (MCAO+Bushen Shengsui) groups. Using the techniques of immuno-histochemical staining, the expression of Notch-1 and Jagged1 was observed at 1, 2 and 3 weeks in ischemic penumbra of the cortex of frontal and parietal lobe. RESULTS: A value and positive unit of Notch-1 and Jagged1 protein expression in model group were higher than those in sham in ischemic penumbra of the cortex of frontal or parietal lobe after local cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in MCAO rats (P<0.05 or P<0.01). A value and/or positive unit of the expression in Yiqi Huoxue prescription and Bushen Shengsui prescription groups were lower than those in model group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Yiqi Huoxue prescription and Bushen Shengsui prescription affect the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells, depress Notch signal transduction after local cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in MCAO rats by inhibiting the expression of Notch-1and Jagged1 protein.