Therapeutic effect of acupuncture combining standard swallowing training for post-stroke dysphagia: A prospective cohort study / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the therapeutic effect of acupuncture combining standard swallowing training for patients with dysphagia after stroke.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 105 consecutively admitted patients with post-stroke dysphagia in the Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine were included: 50 patients from the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation received standard swallowing training and acupuncture treatment (acupuncture group); 55 patients from the Department of Neurology received standard swallowing training only (control group). Participants in both groups received 5-day therapy per week for a 4-week period. The primary outcome measures included the scores of Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS) and the Standardized Swallowing Assessment (SSA); the secondary outcome measure was the Royal Brisbane Hospital Outcome Measure for Swallowing (RBHOMS), all of which were assessed before and after the 4-week treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 98 subjects completed the study (45 in the acupuncture group and 53 in the control group). Significant differences were seen in VFSS, SSA and RBHOMS scores in each group after 4-week treatment as compared with before treatment (P<0.01). Comparison between the groups after 4-week treatment showed that the VFSS P=0.007) and SSA scores (P=0.000) were more significantly improved in the acupuncture group than the control group. However, there was no statistical difference (P=0.710) between the acupuncture and the control groups in RBHOMS scores.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Acupuncture combined with the standard swallowing training was an effective therapy for post-stroke dysphagia, and acupuncture therapy is worth further investigation in the treatment of post-stroke dysphagia.</p>

Clinical research of chloasma treated with the meridian cosmetology and the impacts on estrogen and progestin / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the efficacy difference between meridian cosmetology and western medicine in the treatment of chloasma and explore the impacts of meridian cosmetology on E2 and PRGE.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Three hundreds cases of chloasma were randomized into a meridian cosmetology group and a western medication group according to the visit sequence, 150 cases in each one. In the meridian cosmetology group, the meridian regulation, acupuncture based on pattern/syndrome differentiation [at the body acupoints such as Qihai (CV 6), Xuehai (SP 10), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Ganshu (BL 18), Pishu (BL 20) and Shenshu (BL 23), etc.] and the local surrounding needling therapy on the chloasma skin lesion were adopted. In the western medication group, the oral administration of Vitamin C and E was prescribed for 3 months. The clinical efficacy was observed for the patients in the two groups. Additionally, 30 cases were collected from the meridian cosmetology group randomly for the detection of estrogen (E2) and progestin (PRGE) before and after treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The effective rate in the meridian cosmetology group was 92.6% (126/136), which was superior to 67.0% (75/112) in the western medication group (P < 0.05). For the patients collected from the meridian cosmetology group, as compared with that before treatment, E2 level was decreased (P < 0.01) and PRGE level was increased (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The meridian cosmetology achieves the superior efficacy as compared with the western medication group for the chloasma and it can regulate the levels of E2 and PRGE.</p>