OBJECTIVETo observe and evaluate the clinical effect of acupuncture at "Siguan" combined with the Gallbladder Meridian acupoints on migraine.

METHODSWith randomized controlled trial design, 87 patients were randomly divided into an observation group (42 cases) and a control group (45 cases). The observation group was treated with acupuncture at "Siguan" including Hegu (LI 4) and Taichong (LR 3), combined with the Gallbladder Meridian acupoints including Fengchi (GB 20), Shuaigu (GB 8), Qiuxu (GB 40) and Zulinqi (GB 41), while the control group was treated with acupuncture at the Gallbladder Meridian acupoints, including Fengchi (GB 20), Shuaigu (GB 8), Qiuxu (GB 40), Zulinqi (GB 41), Yanglingquan (GB 34) and Hanyan (GB 4). The treatment was given every other day in two groups, 3 times per week for totally 6 weeks. The migraine intensity, migraine frequency and lasting time of each migraine were observed before and after treatment, and 3-month follow-up was performed after treatment. The clinical efficacy in two groups was evaluated.

RESULTSCompared with those before treatment, the migraine intensity, frequency and lasting time were all reduced significantly after treatment in the two groups (all P<0.01), which were more obvious in the observation group (all P<0.05). At the end of the treatment, the total effective rate was 95.2% (40/42) in the observation group and 80.0% (36/45) in the control group, which had statistical difference (P<0.05). After 3-month follow-up, the total effective rate was 88.1% (37/42) in the observation group and 75.6% (34/45) in the control group, which had no statistical difference (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe "Siguan" combined with the Gallbladder Meridian acupoints could significantly relieve the migraine intensity, frequency and lasting time, and its improvement of symptoms and short-term efficacy are superior to those of the Gallbladder Meridian acupoints alone.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Gallbladder ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Meridians ; Middle Aged ; Migraine Disorders ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the short-term and long-term effects on treatment of neck pain caused by cervical spondylosis with the combination of acupuncture and moxibustion with seed-size moxa cone.

METHODSOne hundred and forty-five patients of neck pain were randomly divided into an acupuncture-moxibustion group (49 cases), an acupuncture group (48 cases) and a moxibustion group (48 cases). Acupoints of Bailao (Extra), Dazhui (GV 14), Jianzhongshu (SI15) and Zhongzhu (TE 3) were adopted for all the 3 groups. Acupuncture was applied at all the acupoints with 20 min needling retention for the acupuncture group. Moxibustion with seed-size moxa cone was used with 5 cones on each point for the moxibustion group. And both acupuncture and moxibustion with seed-size moxa cone were adopted for the acupuncture-moxibustion group. The treatment was applied once every 3 days, and 10 treatments should be finished within 4 weeks. Follow-up should be carried out for 3 months. The short-term and long-term effects were evaluated with the scores of Northwick Park Pain Questionnaire (NPQ) and McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) as the indices of therapeutic effect.

RESULTSThe NPQ score and MPQ score of all the 3 groups after the treating course and the 3-month follow-up were both decreased when compared with those before the treatment (all P<0. 05). The scores of NPQ and MPQ the acupuncture-moxibustion group were lower than that of the other two groups. And the difference had obvious significance (P<0. 05). High efficiency of pain relieving for cervical spondylosis could be found in all the 3 groups, which showed that short-term and long-term effects were good for all the 3 groups. And the highest curative effect could be found in acupuncture-moxibustion group.

CONCLUSIONCombination of acupuncture and moxibustion with seed-size moxa cone has reached a superior effect in short-term and long-term for neck pain caused by cervical spondylosis.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; instrumentation ; Neck Pain ; etiology ; therapy ; Spondylosis ; complications ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Objective To observe the effects of hyperbaric oxygen combined with rehabilitation training on the motor ability of ischemic stroke patients.Methods Eighty ischemic stroke patients were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group,with 40 cases in each group.The control group was treated with Bobath' s approach,while the treatment group was treated with Bobath's methods supplemented by hyperbaric oxygen therapy.The United States National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS),the Fugl-Meyer motor assessment scale (FMA) (lower part) and each patient's maximum walking speed (MWS) were used to evaluate the patients before,and after 8 weeks of treatment.Results After treatment the average NIHSS score,FMA score and MWS were 4.17 ± 1.4％,31.2 ± 3.3 and 54,.3 ± 16.2 m/min,respectively,in the treatment group.The control group' s results were 6.81 ± 1.2％,26.2 ± 2.2 and 45.6 ± 18.3 m/min.The intra-group differences in evaluation results before and after treatment were statistically significant in both groups.An inter-group comparison showed that the treatment group performed significantly better after treatment than the control group in terms of FMA and MWS.After treatment,the treatment group showed significantly better walking performance in terms of cadence,stride length,step length on the affected side,gait cycle and double support duration.Conclusion Hyperbaric oxygen can make rehabilitation training more effective in improving the neurologic deficits,motor function and walking ability of hemiplegic stroke survivors.

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of excessive fluoride on calcium overload and apoptosis in cultured rat ameloblasts in vitro.

METHODSLogarithmic-phase ameloblasts (HAT-7) were treated with 0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6, 3.2, and 6.4 mmol · L(-1) sodium fluoride (NaF) solution. Cell activities were detected by using a Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) assay after 48 h of treatment. The effect of fluoride on cell apoptosis was analyzed by using flow cytometry. Excessive fluoride-induced calcium concentration and calreticulin expression changes in ameloblasts were detected by using laser scanning confocal microscopy, Western blot analysis, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTSNaF inhibited ameloblast activity at 1.6, 3.2, and 6.4 mmol · L(-1) (dose-dependent) after 48 h of induction. The Ca2+ fluorescence intensity of HAT-7 cells incubated with 1.6 and 3.2 mmol · L(-1) NaF was higher than that in the control group. The fluoride-induced early-stage apoptosis of ameloblasts after 48 h of induction and the early-stage apoptosis rate was positively correlated with fluoride concentration. Calreticulin mRNA expression in HAT-7 cells was higher than that in the control group after 48 h of incubation with 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6 mmol · L(-1) NaF.

CONCLUSIONExcessive fluoride-induced calcium overload in ameloblasts and further caused endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis.

Ameloblasts ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Calcium ; Calcium Fluoride ; Fluorides ; Phosphates ; Rats ; Sodium Fluoride

Actins ; metabolism ; Adult ; Amputation ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Bone Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Calmodulin-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Leiomyosarcoma ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Radiography ; Tibia ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery

Animals ; China ; epidemiology ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Rickettsia ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Rickettsia Infections ; epidemiology ; transmission ; Ticks ; microbiology

Objective To compare the curative effect of high ligation+exfoliation and subfascial endoscopic perforator surgery(SEPS)for superficial varicose veins in calf+invagination spot-striping surgery in great venous varicosity.Methods Study group(42 patients)accepted SEPS+invagination spot-striping surgery and control group (42 patients)accepted traditional surgeries.Operation duration,bleeding volume in operation,the time of beginning movement away from bed after operation,hospitalization duration,the degree of pain,the scar,the recrudescence af- ter operation and the instance of the ulcer heals of two groups were compared.Results Operation duration,bleeding volume in operation,the time of begin movement away from bed after operation and hospitalization durations of study group were significantly lower than those of control group(P0.05).All of the patients in study group recovered without severe syndromes such as venous thrombosis,skin necrosis,lower limb functional disorder etc.They had no recrudesce after 4～16 months and were satisfied with the curative effect.Con- elusions The clinical curative effect of SEPS+invagination spot-striping surgery in great venous varicosity is superi- or to that of traditional operation and it has the advantages such as minor wound,few scars,light pains,short hospi- talization duration,without recrudescence,the ulcer heals quickly and so on.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of ADC histogram obtained from MR DW imaging for stage ⅠB cervical cancer. Methods Seventy three patients diagnosed by cervical smear screening as cervical cancer without priortreatment were included prospectively in the patient group, and staged according to the international federation of gynecology and obstetrics (FIGO) staging system. Forty three patients with uterine leiomyoma detected by gynecologic examination, ultrasonography or CT and with negative result of cervical smear screening who were scheduled for hysterectomy were included prospectively in the control group. The patients of both groups underwent routine pelvic MR sequences, dynamic contrast enhanced imaging and DWI before hysterectomy. ADC histograms of the entire tumor and cervix volume were generated by post-processing software. Features of ADC histogram for the 2 groups were observed. Histogram parameters such as mean ADC (ADCmean), median ADC (ADCmedian), the 25th percentile of ADC (ADC_25th), the 75th percentile of ADC (ADC_75th), skewness and kurtosis were recorded. Student's t test or Mann-Whitney U test depending on homogeneity of variance was employed for the comparison of
those parameters. ROC analysis was employed for assessing the diagnostic performance of ADC histogram in distinguishing the 2 groups. Results Thirty five patients in the patient group were staged as FIGO IB. Five patients in the control group ended up with pathologic findings of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3. Therefore 38 patients in the control group were investigated. ADC histograms of the patient group were mostly skewed positively, while the curves were largely skewed negatively. ADCmean, ADCmedian, ADC_25th, ADC_75th, skewness and kurtosis for the IB stage patient group were (1.10±0.21)×10-3mm2/s, (1.05±0.21)× 10-3 mm2/s, (0.90 ± 0.19) × 10-3mm2/s, (1.26 ± 0.23) × 10-3mm2/s, 0.83 (median) and 1.25 (median) respectively. ADCmean, ADCmedian, ADC_25th, ADC_75th, skewness and kurtosis for the control group were (1.62 ± 0.25)×10-3mm2/s, (1.64±0.24)×10-3mm2/s, (1.42±0.24)×10-3mm2/s, (1.84±0.27)×10-3mm2/s,-0.11(median) and 0.29 (median) respectively. All parameters showed statistically different (t values were -9.693,- 11.117, -10.255, and -9.988 for ADCmean, ADCmedian, ADC_25th and ADC_75th respectively;Z values were -6.360 and -4.445 for skewness and kurtosis respectively; P< 0.01). ROC analysis indicated that ADCmedian had the highest diagnostic accuracy for differentiating the 2 groups, with the area under the curve being 0.97, a cutoff value of 1.21×10-3mm2/s, and a sensitivity of 95.6%and a specificity of 89.3%. Conclusion ADC histogram of DWI may be valuable for diagnosing stage IB cervical cancer by distinguishing stage IB cervical cancer from normal cervix or cervical benign lesions.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of Salvianolate on myosin heavy chain (MHC) in cardiomyocytes of congestive heart failure (CHF) rats.

METHODSSixty male SD rats were divided into 6 groups according to random digit table, i.e., the normal control group (NCG), the model group, the Captopril group (CAG), the low dose Salvianolate group (LSG), the high dose Salvianolate group (HSG), the Captopril and high dose Salvianolate group (CSG), 10 in each group. CHF rat model was established with peritoneal injection of adriamycin in all rats except those in the NCG. Equal volume of normal saline was peritoneally injected to rats in the NCG, once per week for 6 successive weeks. Corresponding medication was started from the 5th week of injecting adriamycin. Rats in the CAG were administered with Captopril solution at the daily dose of 10 mg/kg by gastrogavage. Rats in the LSG and the HSG were administered with Salvianolate solution at the daily dose of 24.219 mg/kg and 48.438 mg/kg respectively by gastrogavage. Salvianolate was dissolved in 2 mL 5% glucose solution and administered by peritoneal injection. Rats in the CSG were peritoneally injected with high dose Salvianolate solution and administered with Captopril solution by gastrogavage. Two mL normal saline was peritoneally injected to rats in the model group, once per day for 8 successive weeks. Eight weeks later, the cardiac function and myocardial hypertrophy indices were detected by biological signal collecting and processing system. mRNA expression levels of alpha-MHC and beta-MHC in cardiac muscle were detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR. Expressions of protein kinase C (PKC) in cardiac muscle were detected by Western blot.

RESULTSCompared with the normal control group, heart mass index (HMI) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) obviously increased in the model group (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, HMI and LVMI decreased in HSG, CAG, and CSG groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). It was more obviously lowered in the CSG group than in the CAG group (P < 0.05). Compared with the NCG, the mRNA expression level of alpha-MHC in cardiac muscle decreased, the mRNA expression level of p-MHC and the expression of PKC in cardiac muscle increased in the model group (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the mRNA expression level of alpha-MHC in cardiac muscle was increased, and the mRNA expression level of beta-MHC and the expression of PKC in cardiac muscle were decreased in HSG, CAG, and CSG groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was statistical difference between the CSG group and the CAG group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSalvianolate could up-regulate the mRNA expression level of alpha-MHC, and down-regulate the mRNA expression level of beta-MHC in cardiac muscle. Its mechanism might be related to decreasing the expression of PKC.

Animals ; Captopril ; Doxorubicin ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Heart Failure ; metabolism ; Male ; Myocardium ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Myosin Heavy Chains ; metabolism ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo investigate diagnosis and therapeutic effects of knee joint synovial chondromatosis with arthroscopic.

METHODSFrom March 1995 to July 2011, 28 patients with knee joint synovial chondromatosis were treated. Among them, 18 males and 10 females ranging age from 25 to 81 (mean 55.2) years,the course of disease ranged from 0.5 to 15 (mean 5.6) years. Clinical manifestation mainly included pain, swell and functional limitation of knee joint. Knee open surgery (17 cases) and laparoscopic surgery (10 cases) were respectively used. Clinical symptom,image data,pathological manifestation and effects under arthroscopy were observed, Lysholm scoring was used to evaluate effects.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up except one lost, the duration ranging from 6 to 24 months. Lysholm score in knee open surgery was increased from (41.89 +/- 6.81) preoperatively to (67.73 +/- 7.62) postoperatively;while in laparoscopic surgery it was increased from (40.78 +/- 7.54) preoperatively to (77.46 +/- 8.43) postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONArthroscopic surgery, which has no risk of rupture of incision, nonunion, earlier to exercise, is a good method to diagnosis and treat knee joint synovial chondromatosis.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Chondromatosis, Synovial ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; surgery ; Laparoscopy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome