Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture at Huatuo jiaji points plus acupuncture point injection in treating postherpetic neuralgia.Methods Sixty-two patients with postherpetic neuralgia were randomly allocated to a treatment group of 32 cases and a control group of 30 cases. The treatment group received electroacupuncture at Huatuo jiaji points plus acupuncture point injection and the control group, oral administration of carbamazepine tablets, vitamin B1 and vitamin B12. The pre-treatment and post-treatment clinical symptom score and VAS score were recorded in the two groups and the clinical therapeutic effects were compared between the two groups.Results The total efficacy rate was 93.8% in the treatment group and 66.7% in the control group; there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.01). There were statistically significant pre-/post-treatment differences in clinical symptom item scores (pain, pruritus, burning sensation and sleep) in the two groups (P<0.05). There was a statistically significant pre-/post-treatment difference in the VAS score in the two groups (P<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in pre-/post-treatment VAS score difference value between the treatment and control groups (P<0.05).Conclusion Electroacupuncture at Huatuo jiaji points plus acupuncture point injection is an effective way to treat postherpetic neuralgia.

Objective To observe the clinical effect of electroacupuncture combined with massage in the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy.Methods 120 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy who were treated in Wuhan Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital from October 2015 to December 2016 were randomly divided into control group and study group.The control group was treated with electroacupuncture.The control group was treated in the control group on the basis of the treatment of massage, compared the two groups of patients with treatment, before and after treatment changes in symptoms, and the treatment of adverse events during the situation.Results The total effective rate was 96.67% in the study group, which was significantly higher than that in the control group(81.67%, P<0.05).The clinical symptoms and work of the two groups before treatment were statistically significant (P<0.05).The scores of the three groups were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05).The adverse events of the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05)The incidence was slightly lower than the control group, the difference was not statistically significant.Conclusion Electroacupuncture combined with massage can effectively improve the total effective rate of treatment, alleviate the clinical symptoms, reduce the incidence of adverse events and improve the safety, and show good application prospects.

To explore the mechanisms of scalp acupuncture in treating cerebral ischemia in rats.

Objective:To investigate the phagocytosis of Treponema pallidum (Tp) by macrophages and the polarization direction of macrophages after Tp stimulation. Methods:Human THP-1 monocyte-derived M0 macrophages were stimulated with the Tp Nichols strain, and the phagocytosis of Tp by macrophages and changes in the intracellular structure of macrophages were observed by transmission electron microscopy and immunofluorescence staining. After 12-hour stimulation by Tp, Tp was removed, the M0 macrophages continued to be cultured for 24, 48, 72 hours and 6 days. Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence staining were performed to determine the expression of the M1 macrophage marker CD86 and M2 macrophage marker CD163, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was conducted to detect levels of M1-type cytokines interleukin (IL) -12 p70, interferon (IFN) -γ, chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) , IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) -α and IL-1β, as well as the M2-type cytokine transforming growth factor (TGF) -β1 in the culture supernatant of macrophages. Dunnett- t test was used for multiple comparisons. Results:As transmission electron microscopy showed, after the stimulation by Tp, the macrophages extended pseudopodia and engulfed Tp, leading to swelling and obviously irregular hyperplasia of endoplasmic reticulum as well as enlargement of mitochondria. Moreover, after additional culture for 24, 48, 72 hours and 6 days, CD86 was highly expressed, but CD163 was lowly expressed in the Tp-treated macrophages; at 24 hours, the supernatant levels of IL-12 p70, IFN-γ, CXCL10, IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β were significantly higher in the Tp-treated group than in the control group (all P<0.001) , but there was no significant difference in the TGF-β1 supernatant level between the 2 groups ( P>0.05) . Conclusions:After engulfment of Tp, the structures of endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria in THP-1-derived macrophages markedly changed. Tp could induce the polarization of M0 macrophages into M1 macrophages, and phenotypic switch from M1 to M2 macrophage polarization was not observed within 6 days after Tp stimulation.