Clinical Efficacy of Tongqiao Huoxuetang Plus Acupuncture on Post-stroke Cognitive Impairment and Its Effect on Neurotransmitters and Neurological Function of Patients / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To explore the clinical efficacy of Tongqiao Huoxuetang plus acupuncture on post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and its effect on neurotransmitters and neurological function of patients. Method::Totally 122 PSCI patients admitted in our hospital from January 2017 to March 2019 were randomly divided into observation group and control group by simple random number table method, with 61 patients in each group. Both groups were given oral donepezil hydrochloride tablets. The control group was given acupuncture treatment, while the observation group was given Tongqiao Huoxuetang plus acupuncture in addition to therapy of control group. All patients were treated continuously for 4 weeks. The clinical efficacy was compared between two groups. Before and after treatment, the general cognitive function of two groups was tested by mini-mental state examination (MMSE), changes of their neurologic impairment and daily living ability were evaluated by National institutes of health stroke scale (NIHSS) and Barthel index (BI) respectively, and euzymelinked immunosorbent assay was adopted to test the levels of neurotransmitters [acetyl choline (ACh), dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NE), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] and neurologic impairment markers [neuronspecific enolase (NSE), visinin-like protein-1 (VILIP-1), myelin basic protein (MBP)]. And the occurrence of adverse reactions was recorded. Result::The overall effective rate of the observation group was 91.8% (56/61), which was much higher than 78.7% (48/61) of control group (P<0.05). After treatment, both groups saw much higher MMSE and BI scores but lower NIHHS scores than before treatment (P<0.05), and above indicators in observation group were improved more significantly than those in control group over the same period after treatment (P<0.05). The levels of serum ACh, DA, NE and 5-HT after treatment were obviously higher than those before treatment (P<0.05), and observation group had significantly higher ACh, DA, NE and 5-HT levels than control group over the same period (P<0.05). After treatment, both groups witnessed a great decrease in NSE, VILIP-1, MBP (P<0.05), while the observation group saw dramatically lower NSE, VILIP-1, MBP levels than control group over the same period after treatment (P<0.05). Neither of two groups saw serious adverse reactions. Conclusion::In treating PSCI, Tongqiao Huoxuetang plus acupuncture can significantly improve neurological function of the patients, which may be due to increase of neurotransmitters. Besides, Tongqiao Huoxuetang plus acupuncture is proved to be generally effective in promoting the recovery of patients' neurological function and enhancing their abilities in daily life, with a good tolerance among patients.

Observation on clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture treatment on functional dyspepsia based on syndrome differentiation / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the clinical efficacy difference in treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD) between syndrome differentiation based acupuncture and ordinary acupuncture.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy FD patients were assigned to a syndrome differentiation based acupuncture group (Group A) and an ordinary acupuncture group (Group B) by Excel Software randomization. Zhongwan (RN12 ), Tianshu (ST25), and Zusanli (ST36) were needled as main points for patients in Group A. Meanwhile, different combined acupoints were needled according to syndrome differentiation. Only the same main points were needled for patients in Group B. All patients were needled once per day, 30 min each time, 6 days as one treatment cycle, 2 treatment cycles in total. Fasting serum levels of gastrin (GAS) and motilin (MTL) were determined before treatment and after 2 treatment cycles. 36-item Short-form Heath Survey (SF-36) and Nepean Dyspepsia Index [NDI, including Nepean Dyspepsia Symptom Index (NDSI) and Nepean Dyspepsia Life Quality Index (NDLQI)] were assessed before treatment, after 2 treatment cycles, and one month after treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with before treatment in the same group, serum levels of GAS and MLT increased in the two groups after 2 treatment cycles (P <0. 05), but changes were more obvious in Group A (P <0. 05). Compared with before treatment in the same group, SF-36 and NDLQI score increased, and NDSI score decreased in the two groups after 2 treatment cycles and 1 month after treatment (all P <0. 05). Compared with Group B, SF-36 and NDLQI score increased in Group A after 2 treatment cycles and 1 month after treatment (P <0. 05, P <0. 01). But NDSI score at 1 month after treatment was lower in Group A than in Group B (P <0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Syndrome differentiation based acupuncture could evidently improve dyspeptic symptoms of FD patients, and significantly improve their quality of life with remarkable curative effect.</p>

Effects of syndrome-differentiation acupuncture on life quality in patients with functional dyspepsia / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe effects of syndrome-differentiation acupuncture on life quality in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) in order to evaluate its clinical efficacy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and five cases of FD were randomly divided into a syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group, a regular acupuncture group and a non-acupoint group, 35 cases in each one. Zhongwan (CV 12), Tianshu (ST 25), Zusanli (ST 36) were selected as main acupoints in the syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group. After syndrome differentiation, Danzhong (CV 17) and Zhangmen (LR 13) were added for those with stagnation of liver qi; Pishu (BL 20) and Weishu (BL 21) were added for those with deficiency of spleen-stomach qi; Qimen (LR 14) and Taichong (LR 3) were added for liver-qi invading stomach and Yinlingquan (SP 9) and Neiting (ST 44) were added for dampness-heat blocking stomach. The selection of acupoints in the regular acupuncture group was the same as main acupoints in the syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group. The points 10 mm lateral to the main acupoints were selected in the non-acupoint group. The treatment was given once a day, six days as a treatment course and totally two courses were required. The symptom total score, health-related quality of life survey (SF-36) and Nepean dyspepsia index (NDI) were evaluated before and after the treatment as well as one month after the treatment (follow-up visit), respectively. The efficacy was also assessed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After the treatment, the total effective rate was 87.5% (28/32) in the syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group, which was superior to 74.2% (23/31) in the regular acupuncture group and 20.7% (6/29) in the non-acupoint group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Compared before the treatment, the SF-36, NDI and symptom total score after the treatment and in the follow-up visit were all obviously improved in the syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group and regular acupuncture group (all P < 0.05), which was the most obvious in the syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group [after the treatment, SF-36: 84.54 +/- 5.93 vs 81.44 +/- 6.22, 63.46 +/- 6.59; NDSI: 18.94 +/- 9.30 vs 21.23 +/- 8.39, 43.93 +/- 11.26; NDLQI: 71.42 +/- 7.23 vs 63.11 +/- 7.06, 54.87 +/- 6.00; symptom total score: 22.06 +/- 15.80 vs 32.52 +/- 16.88, 47.97 +/- 10.92]; the improvement in the regular acupuncture group was more obvious than that in the non-acupoint group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Compared before the treatment, only NDSI score was improved in the non-acupoint group after the treatment (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The syndrome-differentiation acupuncture could obviously improve patient's life quality in the treatment of FD, which is an effective therapy for FD.</p>

Clinical observation on therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture at Quchi (LI 11) for treatment of essential hypertension / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at Quchi (LI 11) on blood pressure and blood plasma catecholamines in the patient of essential hypertension and to investigate the mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty cases of essential hypertension were randomly divided into an EA group (n=30) and a control group (n=30). In the EA group, bilateral Quchi (LI 11) were selected; and in the control group, western medicine Nicardipine was taken. The variation of blood pressure and blood plasma catecholamines were examined before and after the treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) After treatment, there were significant reduction in the levels of systolic blood pressure and diastole blood pressure in both groups (P < 0.01); (2) After treatment, significant reduction in levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline were also found in both groups (P < 0.01), however, no significant differences in the level of dopamine were observed in both groups (P > 0.05); (3) The effective rate of 66.7% in the EA group was similar to that of 70.0% in the control group (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Both EA at Quchi (LI 11) and western medicine are able to beneficially regulate blood pressure of patients with essential hypertension through adjusting blood plasma catecholamines.</p>

Effects of electroacupuncture at "Fenglong" (ST 40) on NO, ET and CGRP levels in the rat with hyperlipidemia / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To probe the regulative effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Fenglong" (ST 40) on blood lipids in hyperlipidemia (HLP) rats and the mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normal group (fed with basal forage), a model group (fed with high fat forage), an EA group (fed with high fat forage + EA treatment), a western medicine group (fed with high fat forage + Pravastatin sodium). Contents of serum total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), endothelin (ET), nitric oxide (NO) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) were determined before and after treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the normal group, the body weight, levels of TC, TG, LDL-C and ET were significantly elevated (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) and the levels of HDL-C, NO and CGRP were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in the model group; compared with the model group, the body weight, levels of TC, TG and LDL-C were significantly decreased (P < 0.01) and the levels of NO and CGRP were significantly increased in the western medicine group and the EA group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05); compared with the EA group, HDL-C level significantly increased in the western medicine group (P < 0.01), and ET level decreased in the EA group and the western medicine group with no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Both EA and Pravastatin sodium have better benign regulative effects on TC, TG, LDL-C, NO and CGRP and can decrease ET level to a certain extent in the rat of hyperlipidemia.</p>