ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the effects of abdominal penetrating moxibustion combined with acupuncture at the"four chong points"on balance,walking function and trunk control in patients recovering from stroke.Methods Seventy-eight patients recovering from stroke were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group,with 39 patients in each group.The control group was given conventional rehabilitation exercises,while the observation group was given abdominal penetrating moxibustion combined with acupuncture at the"four chong points"on the basis of the control group.Both groups were treated for 2 consecutive months.After 2 months of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated,and the changes in the Berg Scale score and the Timed Up and Go Test(TUGT)were observed before and after treatment.The changes in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)scores were compared before and after treatment between the two groups.The Sheikh Trunk Control Scale scores were also evaluated.Results(1)The total effective rate of the observation group was 94.87%(37/39),and the total effective rate of the control group was 80.00%(31/39),and the efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the Berg scores of the patients in the two groups were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the Berg scores of the observation group were higher than those of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the TUGT time and NIHSS score of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the TUGT time of the observation group was shorter than that of the control group,and the NIHSS score was lower than that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,the Sheikh trunk control scores of the two groups were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the Sheikh trunk control score of the observation group was higher than that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Abdominal penetrating moxibustion method combined with acupuncture at the four chong points for the treatment of stroke recovery can effectively restore the patients'balance and walking function,improve the patients'trunk control ability,and the therapeutic effect is precise.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the risk factors and establish the Cox' s regression model on the recurrence of ischemic stroke. Methods We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients with ischemic stroke admitted to the Neurology Department of the Hebei United University Affiliated Hospital between January 1,2008 and December 31,2009. Cases had been followed since the onset of ischemic stroke. The follow-up program was finished in June 30, 2010. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to describe the recurrence rate. Monovariant and multivariate Cox' s proportional hazard regression model were used to analyze the risk factors associated to the episodes of recurrence.And then, a recurrence model was set up. Results During the period of follow-up program, 79 cases were relapsed,with the recurrence rates as 12.75% in one year and 18.87% in two years. Monovariant and multivariate Cox' s proportional hazard regression model showed that the independent risk factors that were associated with the recurrence appeared to be age (X1)(RR=1.025,95% CI: 1.003-1.048),history of hypertension (X2) (RR= 1.976, 95% CI: 1.014-3.851), history of family strokes (X3) (RR=2.647,95%CI: 1.175-5.961), total cholesterol amount (X4) (RR= 1.485,95%CI: 1.214-1.817), ESRS total scores (X5) (RR= 1.327,95%CI: 1.057-1.666) and progression of the disease (X6) (RR= 1.889,95%CI: 1.123-3.178). Personal prognosis index (PI) of the recurrence model was as follows: PI=0.025X1 + 0.681X2+ 0.973X3 + 0.395X4+ 0.283X5 + 0.636X6. The smaller the personal prognosis index was, the lower the recurrence risk appeared, while the bigger the personal prognosis index was, the higher the recurrence risk appeared. Conclusion Age, history of hypertension, total cholesterol amount, total scores of ESRS, together with the disease progression were the independent risk factors associated with the recurrence episodes of ischemic stroke. Both recurrence model and the personal prognosis index equation were successful constructed.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effect of transplantation of human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (CB-MSCs) on the levels of NGF and BDNF in rats with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and explore its possible mechanism of cerebral protection. Methods Ninety healthy male SD rats were equally randomized into sham-operated group, injury control group and treatment group.TBI models in the injury control group and treatment group were induced by the improved device of Feeney weight-dropping; the rats in the treatment group were injected Brdu-labeled 3×106 CB-MSCs solved in 1ml PBS by rat-tail vein, while the rats in the sham-operated group and the injury control group were injected the equal volume of PBS solution. No immunosuppressive agents were used in all the rats.HE staining, immunohistochemistry, in-situ hybridization were employed, respectively, to detect the morphological changes, Brdu positive cells, expressions of BDNF and NGF on the 3rd, 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th d of injection. Results Only a very small number of nerve cells were BDNF and/or NGF positive in the sham-operated group. Substantial BDNF and/or NGF positive cells in the injury control group were noted in the surrounding brain damaged area following traumatic brain injury, which peaked at their levels on about 14 d of injection (the A value of NGF=8.35±1.07, that of BDNF=9.01±1.74), following by a gradual decline; however, significant difference was still noted as compared with that in the sham-operated group (P＜0.05). BDNF and/or NGF-positive cells significantly increased in the treatment group, especially in the surrounding brain injured areas; their levels peaked on the 14th d of injection,following by a gradual decline on the 21st and 28th d, but they were still higher than those in the injury control group and sham-operated group at each time points (P＜0.05). Conclusion Transplantation of CB-MSCs can increase the secretion of BDNF and NGF in rats with TBI, improve the local micro-damage environment and promote the repair of neurons.