The treatment of dry eye patients is based on the management of the main causes of the disease. When the process of disease continues regardless of various conventional treatments, punctal occlusion can be employed. We used collagen implant. 1-0 and 2-0 chromic catgut in 33 eyes of dry eye patients to evalute the efficacy of punctal occlusion using chromic catgut. Symptoms(grade 0 to 3) were improved from the first week and persistently decreased in symptom grade during four weeks' follow-up period. The superficial corneal punctate erosion(grade 0 to 3) was improved after 2 weeks of the procedure in the whole 33 eyes(p<0.05). There was no superiority between collagen implant and chromic catgut. There was no improvement by score of the Schirmer test and the BUT in each group(p<0.05). We concluded that chromic catgut was easily applicable, very effective, inexpensive and showed less complication compared with collagen implant. We suggested that it could be used more widely in punctal occlusion in dry eye patients.
Catgut* ; Collagen ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans

A total of 42 vas anastomoses was performed on experimental animals and successful anastomoses were obtained 19 of the cases and the over-all rate of success was approximately 46 per cent. But 13 dogs in total of 21 dogs were found to be patent in at least one side of vas, or about 65 per cent of total dogs were restored their fecundity. Splinting materials used in this comparative study are chromic catgut, stainless steel wire, dermalon and polyethylen tube, and dermalon has been proved as the most excellent splinting material among thembecause it is no figid but plable and makes no tissue reaction in the vas. Successful anastomosis of vas deferent is affected by many factors. Among these, an inadequate splinting material has been considered as the most important causes of failures. But it should seem that minimal dissection of the tied points of vas as satisfactory approximation of the free ends of vas exert very important effect upon the successful anastomosis as the splinting material does. Consecutive four successful anastomosis of human cases are highly satisfactory results and are very encouraging even in a small series of cases of the present study.
Animals* ; Catgut ; Dogs ; Fertility ; Humans* ; Nylons ; Splints* ; Stainless Steel ; Vasectomy*

OBJECTIVETo observe therapeutic effect of acupuncture combined with catgut embedding therapy on peripheral facial paralysis.

METHODSTreatment group of 158 cases were treated by acupuncture combined with catgut embedding therapy and control group of 54 cases were treated by acupuncture, and their therapeutic effects were compared.

RESULTSThere was no significant difference in the total effective rate (P > 0.05), but the cured rate in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture combined with catgut embedding therapy is a better therapy for facial paralysis.

Eighteen experimentally induced blunt and sharp renal injury in rabbits were treated either with an alloplastic renal capsule made of Vicryl mesh or with through and through chromic catgut sutures or with no suture as controls. A simple apparatus was used to cause uniform renal injury and the device was modification of an AO Kuntscher nail extractor. The Vicryl mesh capsule was made by ourselves with #2 and #4 Vicryl. The postoperative healing course were followed up until 6 weeks and isotope renogram showed good renal function in 15 cases. However, when compared to the controls, the kidney which had been repaired with Vicryl mesh contained considerably less scar and showed neither perirenal fibrosis or atrophy of the parenchyma in the vicinity of the capsule. Our preliminary results seem to confirm that simple and rapid surgical treatment of intermediate degree renal injuries is possible using the alloplastic Vicryl mesh capsule. The method may be also suitable for reconstruction of the parenchyma following nephrotomies, such as for removal of staghorn calculi.
Atrophy ; Calculi ; Catgut ; Cicatrix ; Fibrosis ; Kidney* ; Polyglactin 910* ; Rabbits ; Sutures

OBJECTIVETo explore clinical mechanisms of acupoint catgut embedding for treatment of simple obesity.

METHODSThirty-two cases of simple obesity were treated by acupoint catgut embedding and acupoints were selected based on differentiation of symptoms and signs. After treatment for 1 or 2 therapeutic courses, the clinical therapeutic effect and changes of the body weight, obesity degree, body mass index, circumferences of the chest, lumbus and buttock. and blood lipids and blood glucose were investigated.

RESULTSAfter one course the total effective rate was 84.4% and after 2 courses it was 90.0%. After the treatment, the various indexes all changed significantly, the longer the treatment time, the better the therapeutic effect.

CONCLUSIONAcupoint catgut embedding has a satisfactory therapeutic effect on obesity, with advantages of simple manipulation and saving time.

OBJECTIVETo compare therapeutic effects of catgut implantation at acupoint and routine acupuncture on prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc.

METHODSOne hundred and forty cases were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group, 70 cases in each group. The treatment group were treated with catgut implantation at acupoint, once each week, 3 sessions constituting one course, and the control group with routine acupuncture, once every other day, 10 sessions constituting one course.

RESULTSThe effective rate was 95.6% after treatment of one course and 88.2% 3 months later in the treatment group, which were better than 84.6% and 72.3% in the control group, respectively (Both P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCatgut implantation at acupoint has a better therapeutic effect on prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc, with lower cost.

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effificacy of treatment with catgut implantation at acupoints on simple obesity.

METHODSFollowing the theory of Chinese medicine (CM), pattern identification (PI) and treatment was based on the patient's symptoms and signs. Patients were observed during three courses and one year following treatment through self-comparison before and after six or seven acupoints catgut implantation. Obesity was divided into fifive types based on PI: (1) Stomach (Wei) and Intestine excess-heat, (2) Spleen (Pi) defificiency and phlegmwet stagnancy, (3) Liver (Gan)-qi stagnation, (4) Spleen-Kidney (Shen) yang deficiency, and (5) Liver-Kidney yin defificiency. Changes in the following measurements were recorded in 820 patients: body weight, body girth, skinfold thickness, body mass index (BMI), fat percentage (F%) and waist/hip ratio (WHR) and in the following blood values: leptin (LP), insulin (INS), blood lipids, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and insulin sensitive index (ISI) before and after the treatment. Values were compared with those of healthy controls (normal group).

RESULTSCatgut implantation showed effificacy with all fifive types of obesity. Effificacy was greater in males than in females. There was no signifificant difference between the different types by Kruskal-Wallis H test, but the effect was best and of the highest number in patients with Stomach and Intestine excess-heat. Skin-fold thickness, body weight, waist circumference, F%, BMI, and WHR in all 820 cases decreased after treatment (at 90 days and one year), with signifificant differences before and after treatment (P<0.01). Improved metabolism of blood lipids was also seen. Following treatment, LP, INS, and FBS decreased signifificantly (P<0.01) and ISI increased signifificantly (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONCatgut implantation at acupoints provided effective and persistent results, convenience, safety, painlessness, and prolonged effect with no side effects, resulting in reduced body weight and fat and improvement in body shape.

OBJECTIVETo observe the efficacy of acupuncture combined with acupoint catgut embedding sequential therapy and medication for mild and moderate ulcerative colitis.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty patients were randomized into an acupuncture and acupoint catgut embedding sequential therapy group (a combination group) and a mesalazine group, 60 cases in each one. Fifty-seven cases in the combination group and 55 cases in the mesalazine group were included into analysis. In the combination group, acupuncture was applied at Tianshu (ST 25), Shangjuxu (ST 37), Quchi (LI 11) during the activity period, and acupoint catgut embedding was applied at Pishu (BL 20), Zusanli (ST 36), Guanyuan (CV 4) during the alleviate period. The patients in the mesalazine group were treated with mesalazine orally. The treatment was given for 12 weeks. The scores of TCM symptoms, colonoscopy, mucosa healing rate were compared before and after treatment in the two groups. The effects, adverse reactions and the recurrent rates during 1-year follow-up were observed.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the scores of TCM symptoms decreased in the two groups (both <0.05), and the result in the combination group was better than that in the mesalazine group (<0.05). The total effective rate in the combination group was 87.7% (50/57), which was better than 70.9% (39/55) in the mesalazine group (<0.05). The colonoscopy scores decreased after treatment in the two groups (both <0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups on colonoscopy score and mucosal healing rate [50.9% (29/57) vs 34.5% (19/55), both >0.05]. The recurrent rate in the combination group was 8.5% (4/47)，which was lower than 32.4% (11/34) in the mesalazine group (<0.05). No severe adverse reaction was found during the treatment in the two groups.

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture combined with acupoint catgut embedding sequential therapy can improve mild and moderate ulcerative colitis and reduce the recurrent rate.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of acupoint catgut embedding assisting western medication and simple western medication on blood pressure and vascular endothelial function in patients with essential hypertension (EH), and to explore its mechanism.

METHODSA total of 125 cases were randomly assigned into an observation group (62 cases, 2 dropping) and a control group (63 cases, 3 dropping). Oral administration of lotensin (10 mg, once a day) was applied in the control group. Based on the treatment as the control group, acupoint catgut embedding was applied at Fengchi (GB 20), Ganshu (BL 18), Shenshu (BL 23), Quchi (LI 11), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taichong (LR 3) in the observation group, once every two weeks, and six treatments was taken as one session. All the patients were treated for 3 months. The blood pressure and the vascular endothelial injury markers, including endothelin-1 (ET-1), nitric oxide (NO), high sensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP) were recorded before and after treatment in the two groups. In addition, the ET-1, NO and hsCRP were collected from 60 cases of healthy participants.

RESULTSThe diastolic blood pressure and systolic blood pressure reduced after treatment in the two groups (all <0.05), which were more significant in the observation group (<0.01, <0.05). Before treatment, compared with those of the healthy participants, ET-1 and hsCRP were higher but NO was lower in the observation group and the control group (all <0.05); after treatment, ET-1 and hsCRP were reduced and NO increased in the two groups (all <0.05), which were more significant in the observation group (all <0.05). After treatment, the differences of NO and hsCRP between the observation group and healthy participants were not significant (both >0.05). The marked effective rate was 70.0% (42/60) in the observation group, which was superior to 33.3% (20/60) in the control group (<0.05); the total effective rate was 96.7% (58/60) in the observation group, which was superior to 85.0% (51/60) in the control group (<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe vascular endothelial function is injured in EH patients. Based on lotensin treatment, acupoint catgut embedding could significantly improve blood pressure and vascular endothelial function.

Acupoint medicated catgut embedding therapy is a new type of acupuncture combined with medicine，which has great potential in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. This paper describes the clinical application of acupoint medicated catgut embedding in the treatment of common disease, medicated thread productionmethods and acupoints selection.To analyze the problems of the unclear mechanism, the lack of standardization of medicated thread production, the lag of the embedding tool, and the unclear adverse reaction. It is expected to promote the further development of acupoint medicated catgut embedding therapy by strengthening the mechanism of action, optimizing medicated catgut thread, rational design experiments, standardizing medicated thread production, innovating embedding tools, rational formulation, and optimizing acupoint selection.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Catgut ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Humans