Clinical efficacy of different waves of electroacupuncture on knee osteoarthritis and its effect on TGF-β1 in joint fluid / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the therapeutic effects of different waves of electroacupuncture (EA) on knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and to explore the mechanism of different waves of EA on promoting cartilage repair.@*METHODS@#Ninety- seven patients with KOA were randomly divided into a dilatational wave group (32 cases, 2 cases dropped off), a continuous wave group (32 cases, 2 cases dropped off) and a discontinuous wave group (33 cases, 3 cases dropped off). The same acupoints of Xuehai (SP 10), Liangqiu (ST 34), Dubi (ST 35) and Neixiyan (EX-LE 4) were selected in the three groups. The dilatational wave (frequency of 2 Hz/10 Hz) was used in the dilatational wave group, the continuous wave (frequency of 10 Hz) was used in the continuous wave group, and the discontinuous wave (frequency of 10 Hz) was used in the discontinuous wave group. All the needles were retained for 30 min. All the treatment was given 3 times a week (on Monday, Wednesday and Friday) for 4 weeks. Lysholm knees scoring scale (LKSS) was used to evaluate the knee joint function before and after treatment, and the content of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in the joint effusion before and after treatment was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).@*RESULTS@#Compared before treatment, the total score and each score of LKSS were increased after treatment in the three groups (all <0.05). The improvements of total score, pain score, instability score, swelling score of LKSS in the continuous wave group and the dilatational wave group were superior to those in the discontinuous wave group (all <0.05). The content of TGF-β1 in the joint effusion in each group was increased after treatment (<0.05), and the improvement in dilatational wave group was superior to thoes in the continuous wave group and the discontinuous wave group (all <0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The three different waves of EA could all improve the clinical symptoms of KOA, which may promote cartilage repair by increasing TGF-β1 content. The dilatational wave had the best overall effect, which can be used as a clinical optimal treatment.

Effects of time factors on acupoint sticking therapy for preventing and treating bronchial asthma / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the influence of time factors on acupoint sticking therapy for preventing and treating bronchial asthma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy-one cases were randomly divided into a dog days group (n= 30), a Sanjiu days group (n=21) and a daily days group (n=20). They were all treated with ginger moxibustion plus acupoint sticking of Chinese medicine at Dazhui (GV 14) and Feishu (BL 13) etc. This treatment was applied once at the beginning of the first dog days, the middle dog days and the last dog days respectively in the dog days group, and once at the beginning of the first nine days, the middle nine days and the last nine days in coldest days of winter respectively in the Sanjiu days group, and once every other 10 days during 30 days except the dog days or the Sanjiu days in the daily days group. Their therapeutic effects and quality of life and changes of serum level of interleukin 13 (IL-13) were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total effective rate of the dog days group was 83.3% (25/30), the Sanjiu days group and the daily days group were 61.9% (13/21) and 65.0% (15/20) respectively, with no significant differences among three groups (all P>0.05). After treatment, there were no significant differences in quality of life and changes of serum level of IL-13 among three groups, but there were significant differences between before and after treatment (P<0.01, P<0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Acupoint sticking is an effective therapy for bronchial asthma. It can be practiced in the whole year for the result of this study that medicines and acupoints are the leading factors of this therapy and the time factors have no influence on therapeutic effect.</p>

Survey of studies on time factor in acupoint sticking therapy for the bronchial asthma / 中国针灸

Based on the retrieval of literatures in recent fifteen years, the time factors in the acupoint sticking therapy for the bronchial asthma are analyzed and compared in terms of the stage classification of patients, timing selection of acupoint sticking therapy and medication application, and times of application. The acupoint sticking therapy is mostly practiced during remittent stage of bronchial asthma; the timing selection is mostly during the hottest period of summer, the timing selection in certain cases is the coldest period of winter or any day; the duration of medication application is not consistent; therefore, the effectiveness of these cases is different. It may be that the ef fectiveness is proportional to the times and courses of acupoint sticking therapy for the bronchial asthma. In the future, the scientific designs which involve time factor are needed to elucidate the importance of time factor in acupoint sticking therapy for the bronchial asthma.

Professor Wu Bing-huang's experiences in acupuncture treatment of facial paralysis / 中国针灸

Professor WU Bing-huang's unique experiences in acupuncture treatment of facial paralysis are introduced. He excellently uses anatomical and pathological knowledge of facial nerves, selecting acupoints according to nervous distribution, selecting needling methods according to the nervous trend, selecting acupuncture stimulation amount according to pathological changes and judging prognosis according to affected position.

Effects of different interference orders of electroacupuncture and exercise therapy on the therapeutic effect of hemiplegia after stroke / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe effects of different interference orders of electroacupuncture and exercise therapy on the therapeutic effect of hemiplegia after stroke.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The patients of hemiplegia due to stroke were randomly divided into a group A and a group B. The group A were treated by exercise therapy after electroacupuncture (EA) and the group B by EA after exercise therapy. Fugl-Meyer evaluation (FME), modified Barthel index (MBI) and amplitude of somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) on the affected side before treatment and after one therapeutic course (2 weeks) were recorded and compared in the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Before and after treatment, FME were 31.760 +/- 4.438 and 76.640 +/- 3.621, and MBI were 26.520 +/- 2.413 and 62.360 +/- 3.700 in the group A; and FME were 32.480 +/- 5.903 and 65.640 +/- 5.212, and the MBI were 28.000 +/- 3.383 and 54.480 +/- 5.205 in the group B, respectively, with very significant differences in FME and MBI in the two groups (all P < 0.01); and the different values before and after treatment in the two indexes in the group A were better than those in the group B (all P < 0.05). There was a very significant difference in the amplitude of SEP before and after treatment in the group A (P < 0.01) and no significant difference in the group B, and there was no significant difference between the two groups in the different value of the amplitude of SEP.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Combination of any orders of electroacupuncture and exercise therapy can improve limb function of the patient with hemiplegia after stroke, but the therapeutic effect of exercise therapy after EA is better.</p>

The role of four natures of medicine in acupoint sticking therapy / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of four natures of medicine on therapeutic effect of acupoint sticking therapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-one cases of primary dysmenorrhea were randomly divided into a capsaicin group (n=20), a menthol group (n=20) and a control group (n=21). They were treated respectively with capsaicin and menthol, which are extracts of Lajiao (Fructus Capsici) and Bohe (Herba Menthae) with same pungent in flavor and different cold (cool) and heat in property, and application of Tongjing Jiu Tieji (plaster for dysmenorrhea) at Shenque (CV 8). Changes of clinical symptoms before and after treatment were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After treatment, the cumulative scores of symptoms and the scores of pain decreased significantly in the 3 groups (P < 0.01), with no significant differences among the 3 groups (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In acupoint sticking therapy, the four natures of medicine have no obvious effect on the therapeutic effect, so the four natures of medicine should not used as main standard of medicine selection.</p>

Effects of different interference orders of acupuncture and exercise therapy on the amplitude of somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) in the patient of hemiplegia after stroke / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe effects of different interference orders of acupuncture and exercise therapy on the therapeutic effect.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The patients of hemiplegia after stroke in the stage of recovery were randomly divided into two groups: raising handclasp of Bobath after electroacupuncture at Quchi (LI 11) and Hegu (LI 4) on the affected side or electroacupuncture at Quchi (LI 11) and Hegu (LI 4) on the affected side after raising handclasp of Bobath. The changes of SEP on the affected side were recorded and compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>SEP on the affected side significantly increased in the patients after treatment of simple electroacupuncture or exercise therapy (P < 0.01), with no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). There was a very significant difference in SEP on the affected side between the group of exercise treatment after electroacupuncture and the group of electroacupuncture after exercise therapy (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Both electroacupuncture and exercise therapy can immediately improve SEP of the patient in the recovery stage, and the groups of the different interference orders of electroacupuncture and exercise have different effects on SEP, and raising handclasp of Bobath after electroacupuncture is better for improvement in cerebral function of the patient.</p>