This article reviewed information related to the treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion by acupuncture and moxibustion in recent 10 years, so as to grasp the current situation of this specific topic and provide the reference evidence for the further study. According to the related professional literature of acupuncture and moxibustion, the authors found that acupuncture and moxibustion therapy had definite therapeutic effect on the lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion. But most clinical reports were retrospective and had no uniform therapeutic effect criteria, interfering with the screening of the best therapeutic plan. The authors suggested that the study of action mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion and the clinical prospective survey should be intensified.

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture on peripheral facial paralysis in acute period and changes in facial nerve F-wave.
Methods:A total of 148 eligible cases were randomly allocated into an observation group (n=74) and a control group (n=74) by their visiting sequence. In addition to oral Prednisone and Aciclovir tablets, patients in the observation group received point-towards-point acupuncture therapy, whereas patients in the control group received routine acupuncture therapy. The treatment was done once a day and 6 times made up a course of treatment. The efficacy evaluation was made after 2 courses. The electromyography (EMG) F-wave was monitored before and after treatment.
Results:After 2 courses of treatment, the recovery rate and total effective rate were 47.3% and 94.6% respectively in the observation group, versus 20.3% and 82.4% in the control group, showing statistical differences (P<0.01). Before treatment, the facial nerve F-wave latency on the affected side was prolonged and its frequency of occurrence was decreased in both groups. After treatment, the F-wave latency and frequency of occurrence were significantly improved in both groups (P<0.05) and there were significant between-group differences (P<0.05).
Conclusion:In addition to Western medication, point-towards-point acupuncture therapy can obtain more accurate and better effect than routine acupuncture therapy for acute peripheral facial paralysis.

BACKGROUND: Lumbar spinal nerve root compression causes the damage of neural function and abnormal neural action of lumbar spinal nerve root, which is related not only to mechanical injury of the compressed but also to inflammatory reaction.OBJECTIVE: To establish the animal model of lumbar nerve root compression and investigate the effect of acupuncture on the ultramicrostructure of the injured lumbar nerve and inflammatory medium of rats.DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial.SETTING: Department of Acupuncture & Moxibustion, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University.MATERIALS: The study was conducted in the Experimental Animal Center of Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University from January 2001 to January 2004. Totally 90 healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into model group and model + electroacupuncture group with 45 rats in each.METHODS: Clominorex was injected intraperitoneally for anesthesia.With interspace of spinous process of L5-6 as the center, the special silica gel slice was placed where the right side of L5 nerve root ran out of the dura mater sac, stabilized, sutured layer by layer, and covered with the aseptic gauze. Modeling group: No special disposal was made and the rats were fed regularly after modeling. Modeling + electro-acupuncture group:One day after modeling, a filiform needle of 28 gauge and 3.3 cm (1 inch)was used to puncture Huantiao and Yanglingquan points of the right hindlimb and Jiaji point of the right side of the oppressed nerve root. The oppressed injured lumbar nerve tissue was disposed after 15 days of modeling and 30 daysof modeling + electro-acupuncture, and observed with the optic microscope and electron microscope. The content of inflammatory medium such as prostaglandin E2 and5-hydroxy tryptamine was measured.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: [1] Results of damaged lumbar nerve root tissues under the electron microscope and light microscope; [2] content of inflammatory medium such as prostaglandin E2 and 5-hydroxy tryptamine.RESULTS: All the 90 rats entered the final analysis. [1] Hyperemia around the nervous tissues, edema and nerve root demyelination of electroacupuncture 15 days (model + electro-acupuncture group) were relieved.The structure of Schwann cells was normal. Massive inflammatory cells gathered around the nervous tissues in 30-day model group (model group).There was severe demyelination of nerve root tissues, and the gap between the nervous tissues widened and red blood cells leaked out. Demyelination of electro-acupuncture 30-day group (model + electro-acupuncture group)became mild and the edema in nerves was alleviated. [2] The content of prostaglandin E2 in the locally oppressed rat lumbar nerve tissues of 15-day and 30-day model + electro-acupuncture groups was obviously lower than that in 15-day and 30-day model groups [(61.17±9.77), (76.65±7.39) ng/L;(56.05±7.98), (71.04±6.99) ng/L, P ＜ 0.01], while the content of 5-hydroxy tryptamine in the locally oppressed rat lumbar nerve tissues of 15-day and 30-day model + electro-acupuncture groups was obviously lower than that in 15-day and 30-day model groups [(1 413.4±194.5), (2 587.7±214.7) ng/L;(780.4±133.0), (1 355.0±147.7) ng/L, P ＜ 0.01].CONCLUSION: Electro-acupuncture can alleviate inflammatory reaction around the injured lumbar nerves and improve the ultramicrostructure of lumbar nerve root. It has the effect of decreasing the content of prostaglandin E2 and 5-hydroxy tryptamine in oppressed lumbar nerve root tissues and partially inhibiting inflammatory reaction.

Objective To investgate the expression and the clinical significance of survivin in the primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods S-P immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of survivin in 50 samples of HCC tissue and 20 of normal liver tissue. Results The positive rate of survivin expression in HCC was 66. 0% (33/50) , which was significantly higher than that in normol liver tissues (negative expression) (P<0. 001). The expression of survivin was correlated with intrahepatic dissemination and multiple masses (P = 0. 019, P=0. 030). The high survivin expression was associated with the survival time less than three years(P = 0. 018). Conclusion The survivin may play certain roles in the oncogenesis and progression of HCC. Detection of the survivin can supply certain evidence on prognosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

Moxibustion therapy is one of the external therapeutic methods. In the present article, the pharmacological and physical actions of moxibustion therapy, and the effects of moxibustion therapy on immune system, blood circulation, inflammation, and body metaboly were reviewed.

BACKGROUND: Matrix metal oproteinase inhibitor 1 plays an important role in the inhibition of articular cartilage degeneration and destruction.
OBJECTIVE: To observe the changes of matrix metal oproteinase inhibitor 1 expression level in synovium of knee osteoarthritis rats after treated with penetration needling of long needle.
METHODS: A total of 40 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into normal group, penetration needling group, drug group and model group, with 10 rats in every group. 1.6% papain solution was injected into knee joint cavity of Sprague-Dawley rats. 2 weeks later, knee osteoarthritis models were established. Rats in the normal and model groups did not receive any intervention. In the penetration needling group, rats were treated by penetration needling with 0.3 mm×125.0 mm filiform needle. Rats in the drug group were intraarticularly injected with sodium hyaluronate.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay: at 4 weeks after treatment, matrix metal oproteinase inhibitor 1 expression in synovial membrane was higher in the normal group than in the model group (P < 0.05). Matrix metal oproteinase inhibitor 1 expression in synovial membrane was higher in the penetration needling group and drug group than in the model group (P < 0.05). (2) Results verified that long needle penetration therapy can effectively increase matrix metal oproteinase inhibitor 1 expression in synovial membrane of knee osteoarthritis model rats.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of qi-guiding needling plus electroacupuncture in treating intractable low back pain after lumbar disc herniation surgery and the change of infrared thermal image.Method Totally 172 patients with intractable low back pain after lumbar disc herniation surgery were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 86 cases in each group. The treatment group was intervened by qi-guiding needling plus electroacupuncture, while the control group was by electroacupuncture alone. The infrared thermal image of the affected low back area was observed before and after intervention, and the clinical efficacies were compared between the two groups.Result The change of infrared thermal image of the affected low back area in the treatment group after intervention was significantly different from that in the control group (P<0.01). The total effective rate and the recovery-markedly-effective rate were respectively 87.2% and 66.3% in the treatment group, versus 74.4% and 37.2% in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusion Qi-guiding needling plus electroacupuncture can mitigate the intractable low back pain after lumbar disc herniation surgery.

The projection of the optic nerve to the visual centers of the frog was studied by means of autoradiographic and terminal degenerating method. The results obtained from the two methods were essentially identical in the distribution of the optic term inals in the lateral geniculate body and the pretectum neuropile contralateral to the [~3H]-leucine injected or enucleated eye. There are also some differences:1. In autoradiographic cross sections at certain level of diencephalon, the Bellonci nucleus contralateral to injected eye has a circular outline. It is filled with the optic terminals. Within the Bellonci nucleus and the lateral geniculate body ipsilateral to the injected eye, the distribution of the optic terminals is clear. The Bellonci nucleus contralateral to enucleated eye, revealed by degenerating technique, has a circular outline too, but the optic terminals mainly concentrate on the peripheral of the nucleus. In the central area of the nucleus there are only few degenerating optic terminals. And the Bellonci nucleus and the lateral geniculate body ipsilateral to enucleated eye have only few degenerating optic terminals. The outlines of the two nuclei can hardly be recognized.2. The optic terminals of the superficial layers of the tectum contralateral to injected eye appear to have random distribution revealed by autoradiographic method, while in the sections of the preparation with degenerating method, the optic terminals have a laminar distribution which is very similar to that obtained with modified Cajal's method.3. The appearance of the midbrain tegmental nucleus revealed by autoradiographic method was much clearer than that revealed by degenerating methodIn addition, it has been observed that the number and distribution of degenerating terminals varied with the animal's survival time after the operation.The causes which bring about the differences, the advantages and disadvantages of the two techniques were discussed.

Parts of the left tecta of the frogs were removed in one group. In another group, the left optic nerves of the frogs were cut through the mouth. The first group of animals survived for 12～26days and the second group 11～22 days. Both right and left retinas (with a small piece of optic nerve attached) were sectioned radially at 25?m on a freezing microtome and stained by Ebbesson-Heimer's method which allow degenerating fibers and terminals stained specially. We did not find any evidences showing degeneration. We concluded that centrifugal fibers coming from the centers to the retinas were absent in the frog.

Transpedicular screw and rod internal fixation system is the common implants in spinal surgery. Multi-slice spiral CT and magnetic resonance imaging can generate section image, become routine imaging modality in the assessment of the postoperative spinal patients. Magnetic resonance imaging can evaluate the bone marrow and soft tissue, which is the first choice for examination. However, to the patients with metal implants, the existed metal artifacts can decrease the imaging quality. Therefore, multi-slice spiral CT is an important evaluation method for inserted material, os integumentale and anatomy. This article reviewed the production mechanism of metal-related artifacts, influencing factors and decreasing technique.