[Observation on therapeutic effect of aponeurotic system penetration needling on peripheral facial paralysis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe therapeutic effect of aponeurotic system penetration needling on peripheral facial paralysis. METHODS: One hundred and ten cases of peripheral facial paralysis were randomly divided into a Jingjin group (n=68) and a control group (n=42). The therapeutic effects of acute stage, resting stage and sequela stage, and the relation between the facial nerve lesion degree and the therapeutic effect were investigated. RESULTS: The effective rates of the two needling methods were respectively 98.5% and 90.5%, the Jing1in group being better than the control group (P < 0.05); at the acute stage, the therapeutic effect of acupuncture was obvious, and the therapeutic effect at the sequela stage and for the patient of nerve faulty type in the Jingjin group were better than that of the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture and moxibustion has definite therapeutic effect on facial paralysis at the acute stage and in the patient of nerve active type, and aponeurotic system penetration needling can be used for the patient of facial paralysis at the sequela stage or with nerve faulty type.

The male silkworm moth (Antheraea pernyi) is a key ingredient in hu-bao and sheng-bao for specific prolongation of the life-span of the male fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster).

It is well established in Traditional Chinese Medicine that certain natural products, such as male silkworm moths, have different therapeutic effects on men than on women. These natural products have been used as dietary supplements specifically formulated for men or for women. However, this presumed sex-specific effect of certain natural products has not yet been confirmed experimentally with animal models or in human clinical trials. Here, using the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) as a longevity model, we examined the effect of hu-bao (HB) and seng-bao (SB), two marketed health products made from a mixture of natural ingredients. Our results convincingly demonstrate that the effect of HB and SB are indeed specific for the male fly. The life-span of the male was significantly increased when HB or SB was added to the culture medium. In contrast, neither HB nor SB had much effect on the female fly. Upon removal of the male silkworm moth ingredient from HB or SB, the life-span prolongation effect of HB and SB was drastically diminished. Only with the addition of the male silkworm moth did the culture medium show a statistically significant life-span prolongation effect. This result suggests that the male silkworm moth is a key ingredient, in combination with other components, for specific prolongation of the life-span of male flies.