Effect of Bloodletting at Shaoshang and Shangyang Acupuncture Points on Outcome and Prognosis of Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia in the Elderly.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore, whether treatment with bloodletting at Shaoshang and Shangyang acupuncture points would affect therapy outcome and prognosis for severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) in the elderly. METHODS: A total of 62 patients, who met the diagnostic criteria for SCAP, were enrolled in the study and randomly divided into two groups, i.e., treatment group (n = 31) and control group (n = 31). All patients received a therapy according to the Chinese Clinical Practice and Expert Consensus of Emergency Severe Pneumonia from 2016. In addition to that, a bloodletting at Shaoshang (LU11) and Shangyang (LI1) acupuncture points was applied for the treatment group. This intervention was repeated for three times (ones daily), bloodletting a volume of 2-3 ml at each time point. Differences in a main index of clinical efficacy, body temperature (T), respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (Hr), white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil percentage (N%), and C-reactive protein level (CRP) as well as different scores (CURB-65 score, SOFA score, and Apache II score) were compared between groups. Moreover, the 28-day mortality was compared between treatment and control group. The statistical methods involved in carrying out the current study include t-test, Wilcoxon test, and chi-square test. RESULTS: The clinical effective rate of the treatment group was 82.9%, which was significantly higher than the 17.1% in the control group (P < 0.05). After finishing the intervention, the treatment group showed significantly lower T (37.28 ± 0.54 vs. 37.82 ± 0.81), RR (20.06 ± 2.67 vs. 23.71 ± 6.85), Hr (81.71 ± 10.38 vs. 93.84 ± 15.39), CUBR-65 score (2.16 ± 0.74 vs. 3.03 ± 0.98), and SOFA score (5.84 ± 3.83 vs. 8.16 ± 4.2) compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The 28-day mortality rate of the treatment group was significantly lower than in the control group (12.9% vs. 45.2%, P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Bloodletting at Shaoshang and Shangyang acupuncture points can support improving the clinical treatment efficacy for SCAP and reduce the 28-day mortality rate in the elderly.

[Experimental study of protective effects of Xuebijing injection on stress-induced organ damage in rabbit].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effects of the integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine Xuebijing injection on stress-induced organ damage in rabbits. METHODS: Forty rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: the control group, the model group, the western medicine group, and the Xuebijing group. The stress-induced organ damage model was replicated by soak the rabbits in water, the animals in the western medicine group and Xuebijing group received injection of lytic cocktail and Xuebijing, respectively. The changes in cortisol (Cor), thromboxane A(2) (TXA(2)), endothelin (ET), nitric oxide synthase (NOS) were determined at different time points in all the groups. The pathologic changes of the gastric mucosa, the adrenal gland and the cardiac muscle cell were observed. RESULTS: The content of Cor increased significantly in model group (P<0.01). The content of Cor decreased in the western medicine group and Xuebijing group, the changes showed no significant difference between two groups (P>0.05). The contents of ET, TXA(2) decreased and NOS increased in Xuebijing group compared with the western medicine group, the differences were significant (all P<0.05). The pathological changes of the gastric mucosa, the adrenal gland and the cardiac myocyte were less marked in Xuebijing group, compared with the western medicine group, the difference was significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Xuebijing has better protective effects on stress-induced organ damage.