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Objective:To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture combined with Western medicine in the treatment of skin pruritus in maintenance hemodialysis patients.Methods:Eighty patients were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group,with 40 cases in each group.The control group was given loratadine orally,and the observation group was given acupuncture treatment in addition to the treatment used in the control group.The four-item itch questionnaire(FIIQ)score,indicators for skin barrier function,and serum interleukin(IL)-2 and IL-31 levels were compared.The efficacy was judged after the treatment ended.Results:The total effective rate was higher in the observation group than in the control group(P<0.05).After treatment,the site,frequency,severity of pruritus,sleep impact sub-scores,and FIIQ total score in both groups were reduced compared with those before treatment(P<0.05),and all scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).The stratum corneum hydration(SCH)and transepidermal water loss(TEWL)in the V-shaped area of the chest,the flexor side of the forearm,and the extensor side of the lower leg were not significantly changed in the control group(P>0.05);the SCH and TEWL in the V-shaped area of the chest,the flexor side of the forearm,and the extensor side of the lower leg in the observation group were improved(P<0.05),and all were better than those in the control group(P<0.05).The serum IL-2 and IL-31 levels in the control group did not change significantly(P>0.05);the serum IL-2 and IL-31 levels in the observation group were both significantly decreased(P<0.05)and were lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture combined with loratadine is highly effective in the treatment of pruritus in maintenance hemodialysis patients,and it can relieve pruritus,improve skin barrier function,and reduce serum IL-2 and IL-31 levels.
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Objective: To observe the effects of acupuncture at Yuan-Primordial and Luo-Connecting points by host-guest combination plus Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) on the third lumbar transverse process syndrome. Methods: A total of 88 patients with the third lumbar transverse process syndrome were selected and divided into an observation group and a control group according to the random number table method, with 44 cases in each group. The control group was treated with Tuina, and the observation group was treated with additional acupuncture at Yuan-Primordial and Luo-Connecting points by host-guest combination. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared after treatment. The changes in the scores of physical signs, Roland-Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ), Oswestry disability index (ODI), Quebec back pain disability scale (QBPDS), and pain factors [including serum prostaglandin (PG) E2, neuropeptide Y (NPY), and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3)] were observed. Results: After treatment, the total effective rate in the observation group was 93.2％, higher than 75.0％ in the control group; the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with those before treatment, the scores of physical signs and each low back pain scale, and the levels of serum pain factors in the two groups were decreased (P<0.05), and those in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture at Yuan-Primordial and Luo-Connecting points by host-guest combination plus Tuina is effective in the treatment of the third lumbar transverse process syndrome; it can improve the patient's physical signs, relieve low back pain, and reduce the levels of serum pain factors.
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Objective:To observe the effect of acupuncture in the treatment of accommodative myopia in children.Methods:A total of 76 children with accommodative myopia who met the inclusion criteria were divided into a control group or a test group according to the random number table method,with 38 cases in each group.The control group was given education on eye hygiene,and the test group was treated with acupuncture twice a week for 2 months in addition to the intervention used in the control group.The patient's uncorrected visual acuity(UCVA),refraction,and axial length(AL)were measured before treatment and 1 month and 2 months after treatment.Results:After 1 month of treatment,there was no significant difference in the UCVA between the two groups(P＞0.05);after 2 months of treatment,the UCVA of the test group was better than that of the control group(P＜0.05).After 1 and 2 months of treatment,the refraction of the two groups was significantly different from that before treatment(P＜0.01),but there was no significant difference between the two groups(P＞0.05).After 1 and 2 months of treatment,the AL in the control group was increased compared with that before treatment(P＜0.05),while there was no significant change in the test group(P＞0.05),and there was no significant difference between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture treatment can improve UCVA in children with accommodative myopia.
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Objective:To observe the clinical effect of Tuina(Chinese therapeutic massage)combined with Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang(Middle Jiao-supplementing and Qi-boosting Decoction)in the treatment of rectocele of Qi sinking due to spleen deficiency.Methods:A total of 108 patients with rectocele(grades Ⅰ and Ⅱ)were randomly divided into a Chinese medicine group and a Tuina+Chinese medicine group,with 54 cases in each group.Both groups were treated with Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang,and the Tuina+Chinese medicine group was treated with additional Tuina manipulation.The score of clinical symptoms and grade of rectocele were observed and compared between the two groups.Results:After treatment,39 cases were cured,10 cases were effective,and 5 cases failed in the Tuina+Chinese medicine group,making a total effective rate of 90.7%.In the Chinese medicine group,26 cases were cured,16 cases were effective,and 12 cases failed,making a total effective rate of 77.8%.The efficacy difference between the two groups was statistically significant,checked by the rank-sum test(P＜0.05).After treatment,the grades of rectocele in the two groups were statistically different from those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P＜0.05).After treatment,the score of each item and the total score of traditional Chinese medicine symptoms in the two groups were lower than those before treatment,and the differences within the group were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The score of each item and the total score of the Tuina+Chinese medicine group were lower than those of the Chinese medicine group,and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Tuina plus Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang has better clinical efficacy than Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang alone in the treatment of rectocele of Qi sinking due to spleen deficiency.
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Objective: To observe the efficacy of mild moxibustion combined with arthroscopic meniscal repair in the treatment of meniscal injury and to explore its action mechanism. Methods: Ninety-eight patients with meniscal injury were divided into a surgery group and a moxibustion plus surgery group by the random number table method, with 49 cases in each group. Both groups received arthroscopic meniscal repair, and the moxibustion plus surgery group was treated with add-on mild moxibustion. The Lysholm score, visual analog scale (VAS) score, and mobility of the affected knee were measured before and after treatment, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) levels were measured in the fluid of the affected knee joint. The healing of the meniscus was recorded at a follow-up visit 3 months after the surgery. Results: After treatment, the Lysholm score increased, the VAS score decreased in both groups, and the intra-group differences in both groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). The Lysholm score was higher in the moxibustion plus surgery group than in the surgery group, and the VAS score was lower in the moxibustion plus surgery group than in the surgery group. The differences between groups in both scores were statistically significant (P<0.05). The mobility of the affected knee joint increased in both groups (P<0.05), and it was greater in the moxibustion plus surgery group than in the surgery group (P<0.05). When compared with pretreatment, the levels of TGF-β1 and PDGF in the fluid of the knee joint increased in both groups (P<0.05), and the levels of TGF-β1 and PDGF in the fluid of the affected knee joint were higher in the moxibustion plus surgery group than in the surgery group (P<0.05). The healing of the meniscus in the moxibustion plus surgery group was significantly better than that in the surgery group at the follow-up visit 3 months after the surgery (P<0.05). Conclusion: The effect of mild moxibustion combined with arthroscopic meniscal repair is better than the surgery alone in improving knee function, relieving pain, increasing mobility of the affected knee, and promoting meniscal healing, which may be related to the up-regulation of TGF-β1 and PDGF levels in the fluid of knee joint.
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Objective: To investigate the effects of buccal acupuncture on analgesia, immune indicators, and expression levels of Survivin and Livin proteins in patients with advanced-stage primary liver cancer. Methods: Eighty patients with advanced-stage primary liver cancer were selected and divided into control and treatment groups according to the difference in treatment modalities, with 40 patients in each group. The control group received transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), and the treatment group received buccal acupuncture in addition to TACE. The recent efficacy, analgesic effect, liver function, serum tumor markers, Survivin and Livin protein expression levels in liver cancer tissue, and immune indexes were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Results: The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) of the treatment group were 37.5％ and 77.5％, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of the control group (22.5％ and 52.5％), and the recent efficacy of the treatment group was significantly better than that of the control group (P<0.05). The onset of analgesia in the treatment group was significantly faster than that in the control group (P<0.05), the duration of analgesia was significantly longer than that in the control group (P<0.05), and the numeric rating scale (NRS) score of pain after treatment was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). In the treatment group, the aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and albumin/globulin (A/G) were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), alpha-L-fucosidase (AFU), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the expression levels of Survivin and Livin in liver cancer tissue were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05); CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group, and CD8+ was significantly lower than that in the control group after treatment (P<0.05). Conclusion: Buccal acupuncture can reduce the degree of pain and liver function damage in patients with advanced- stage primary liver cancer and lower the serum tumor marker levels, and its mechanism of action may be related to the down-regulation of Survivin and Livin protein expression levels in the liver cancer tissue and the regulation of the immune function.
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Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) in controlling myopia in children and its effect on retinal blood flow. Methods: Sixty-eight myopic children were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, with 34 cases in each group. The control group was given auricular acupressure treatment alone, and the observation group was treated with EA once a week in addition to the treatment used in the control group. The spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and axial length (AL) were measured at baseline, and after 3 months and 6 months of treatment. Optical coherence tomography angiography was used to measure the vessel density (VD) and perfusion density (PD) in the surface layer of the retina. Results: After 3 months and 6 months of treatment, the changes in SER between the two groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). After 3 months of treatment, the changes in AL between the two groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05); after 6 months of treatment, the change amount of AL in the observation group was smaller than that in the control group (P<0.05); after 3 months and 6 months of treatment, the changes in VD and PD in the surface layer of the retina in the observation group were significantly greater than those in the control group (P<0.01). Conclusion: EA treatment once a week for 6 months can delay the increase of AL and improve the retinal surface blood flow in myopic children.
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Objective: To investigate the efficacy and possible mechanism of action of warm needling moxibustion combined with entecavir in the treatment of compensated cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis B (CHB).Methods: Ninety patients were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 45 patients in each group. The control group was given oral entecavir, and the observation group was given additional warm needling moxibustion. The serum alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), albumin (ALB) levels, portal vein internal diameter, splenic vein internal diameter, spleen thickness, and liver hardness were compared before and after treatment. The serum hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), procollagen type Ⅲ (PCⅢ), type Ⅳ collagen (Ⅳ-C), interleukin (IL)-21, and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) levels were also measured. Results: After treatment, the serum ALT and AST levels decreased (P<0.05), and the serum ALB levels increased (P<0.05) in both groups. The serum ALT and AST levels were lower in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05), and the ALB level was higher in the observation group (P<0.05). The portal vein internal diameter, splenic vein internal diameter, spleen thickness, and liver hardness values were reduced in both groups after treatment (P<0.05), and were lower in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). The serum HA, LN, PCⅢ, and Ⅳ-C levels were reduced in both groups (P<0.05), and were lower in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). In the control group, the serum IL-21 level decreased (P<0.05), but the serum PDGF level did not change significantly (P>0.05); in the observation group, the serum IL-21 and PDGF levels decreased significantly (P<0.05) and were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Warm needling moxibustion combined with entecavir treatment can improve liver function, reduce the inner diameters of the portal vein and splenic vein, spleen thickness, and liver hardness, and improve liver fibrosis indicators in patients with CHB cirrhosis, which may be related to the reduction of serum IL-21 and PDGF levels.
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Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture plus Dang Gui Bu Xue Qu Feng Tang for benign essential blepharospasm (BEB). Methods: A prospective randomized controlled trial was performed. A total of 105 participants were randomized 1:1:1 into an acupuncture group, a herbal medicine group and an acupuncture plus herbal medicine group. Participants in the acupuncture group received manual acupuncture treatment, twice a week. Participants in the herbal medicine group received Dang Gui Bu Xue Qu Feng Tang, oral administration, once a day. Participants in the acupuncture plus herbal medicine group received both treatments. The therapeutic effects of the three groups were evaluated after four weeks of treatment. The primary outcome was the Jankovic rating scale (JRS) score, and the secondary outcome was the blepharospasm disability index (BSDI) score. Results: After four weeks of treatment, the JRS total scores significantly decreased in all three groups versus baseline (P<0.05). A greater reduction in the JRS total score was reported in participants in the acupuncture plus herbal medicine group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the acupuncture group and the herbal medicine group (P>0.05). The acupuncture plus herbal medicine group had a greater decrease in the JRS severity score than the herbal medicine group (P<0.05). The reduction in the JRS frequency score was not significantly different among the three groups (P>0.05). The BSDI scores significantly decreased in all three groups versus baseline (P<0.05), but the reduction in the BSDI score was insignificantly different among the three groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: It is effective in the treatment of BEB either to use acupuncture and Dang Gui Bu Xue Qu Feng Tang alone or in combination. The combination therapy shows a more significant effect than either of the treatment alone.
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Objective: To observe the safety of the Song-Relaxing and Zhen-Vibrating abdomen manipulation in treating patients with prediabetes and its effects on blood glucose and lipid metabolism.Methods: One hundred and two patients with prediabetes were divided into a manipulation group and a control group according to the random number table method, with 51 cases in each group. All patients received the general behavioral intervention for prediabetes, with additional Song-Relaxing and Zhen-Vibrating abdomen manipulation in the manipulation group and oral metformin hydrochloride tablets in the control group. Both groups received the intervention for six months. Results: Fourteen patients dropped out during the treatment, and a total of 88 patients completed the trial, including 45 cases in the manipulation group and 43 cases in the control group. After the treatment, the prediabetes control rate was 93.3％ in the manipulation group and 74.4％ in the control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05); no patient in the manipulation group progressed to diabetes, while the rate of conversion to diabetes in the control group was 6.9％, with a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). After the treatment, the body mass index (BMI), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postload plasma glucose (2hPG) level during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), fasting insulin (FINS), homeostasis model assessment-2 of insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG) decreased in both groups versus baseline, with significant differences within the groups; the levels of all indicators were lower in the manipulation group than in the control group (P<0.05), and the differences between the two groups were more prominent at the sixth month (P<0.01). At the sixth month, the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in the manipulation group was increased, while there was no significant change in the control group. In the control group, three patients reported mild gastrointestinal reactions at the initial dosing, which improved after medication adjustment. No other adverse events were observed in either group. Conclusion: Both metformin hydrochloride tablets and the Song-Relaxing and Zhen-Vibrating abdomen manipulation can improve blood glucose and lipid metabolism and reduce insulin resistance and clinical discomfort in patients with prediabetes, but the Song-Relaxing and Zhen-Vibrating abdomen manipulation has higher efficacy and safety.