To improve the preparation speed and quality of moxa cone, a mould for preparation of moxa cone was designed and applied in moxibustion. It consists three parts: a foundation (a flat-bottomed circular cylinder hollow in center), a moxa cone forming tube (a hollow column encircled by two semi-cylinders with symmetrical shape and size, and was inserted in the internal cavity of the foundation); and a compression rod (a solid cylinder used for compressing moxa placed in moxa cone forming tube). The mould is practical, simple, and convenient and can effectively speed up the preparation of moxa cone, and it is safe in application. Moreover, the obtained moxa cones are regular in shape, uniform in dosage and size, dense in texture, and convenient to pack, store and carry.

Objective:To assess the efficacy of acupuncture plus Methadone in treating heroin withdrawal syndrome.Methods:According to the requirements of evidence-based medicine, the inclusion criteria, exclusion criteria and retrieval strategy were set for original documents. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving acupuncture plus Methadone in treating heroin withdrawal syndrome were retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), Wanfang Academic Journal Full-text Database (Wanfang), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Chongqing VIP Database (CQVIP), PubMed, Cochrane Library and EMBASE. According to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, each included trial was assessed strictly including risk of bias and quality evaluation. Meta-analysis and descriptive-analysis were conducted using the RevMan 5.3 software.Results:A total of 8 trials involving 931 patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that there was no statistical significance [RR=1.05; 95%CI (0.99, 1.11);P=0.11] in comparing total effective rate between the acupuncture plus Methadone and Methadone alone; the cure rate of acupuncture plus Methadone was higher than that of Methadone alone [RR=1.45; 95%CI (1.19, 1.78);P=0.0003]; the relapse rate of the acupuncture plus Methadone was lower [RR=0.691; 95%CI (0.60, 0.80);P<0.00001]. On the basis of these results, the method recommended by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) was taken to evaluate the quality of the evidence. It showed that the level of the evidence was low and it was weakly recommended.Conclusion:According to the included trials, acupuncture plus Methadone in treating heroin withdrawal syndrome is more effective and better than Methadone alone, but it still needs more high-quality, large sample, and polycentric researches to confirm it.

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of electroacupuncture (EA) plus self-made Jiawei Jinhuanggao (Supplemented Golden Yellow Paste) for gouty arthritis.Methods:A total of 80 cases with gouty arthritis were randomly allocated into an observation group (n=40) and a Western medication group (n=40). Cases in the observation group received EA and external application of self-madeJiawei Jinhuanggao(Supplemented Golden Yellow Paste), whereas cases in the Western medication group took Colchicine and Allopurinol tablets orally. After 10 d of treatment, the pain, joint swelling and uric acid in blood were observed. In addition, the follow-up was conducted 6 months after end of the treatment to evaluate the long-term effect.Results:After treatment, there were no between-group statistical differences in pain and uric acid in blood (P>0.05); and there were between-group statistical differences in joint swelling and relapse rate (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 97.5% in the observation group, versus 95.0% in the Western medication group, showing no statistical difference (P>0.05).Conclusion:EA plus Jiawei Jinhuanggao (Supplemented Golden Yellow Paste) has safe and long-term efficacy for gouty arthritis efficacy.

Objective:To investigate the effect of tuina along the pathways of meridians on lower limb swelling after surgical repair of fracture.Methods:A total of 72 cases with lower limb fractures were randomly allocated into an observation group (n=36) and a control group (n=36). On the third day when the draining tube was removed after surgery, patients in both groups started same rehabilitation training. The patients in the observation group received additional tuina therapy along the pathways of meridians, twice a day for 7 d. Then the swelling and deswelling time of patients in both groups were observed.Results:After 7 d of treatment, the swelling degree of patients in both groups were significantly alleviated (P<0.05); and the alleviation was more significant in the observation group than that in the control group (P<0.05). There was between-group statistical difference in clinical effect (P<0.05). The follow-up visit 6 months after treatment showed a significantly shorter deswelling time in the observation group than that in the control group (P<0.05).Conclusion:Tuina along the pathways of meridians plus rehabilitation training can effectively prevent or alleviate (fracture) postoperative lower limb swelling.

Objective:To reveal the action mechanism and efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) plus external application of Wei Ling Xian (Radix Clematidis) extract in treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA), for providing theoretical evidence and novel plan for the treatment of KOA.Methods:Totally 284 inpatients were divided into an EA group and an observation group by the random number table, 142 cases in each group. The EA group was intervened by EA, ultrashort waves, and oral administration of Glucosamine Hydrochloride capsules; while the observation group was by external application of Wei Ling Xian (Radix Clematidis) extract at topical area in addition to the treatment given to the EA group. The intervention lasted 14 d in both groups. X-ray examination of knee joint was ordered before and after treatment, as well as the detection of positive expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) in cartilage of knee joint, hyaluronic acid (HA) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the inflammatory effusion; the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) and visual analogue scale (VAS) were adopted to evaluate the clinical efficacy.Results:In the observation group, the X-ray examination result of knee joint was significantly improved, the positive expressions of MMP-1 and IL-1β content were significantly decreased, the level of HA was increased, WOMAC and VAS scores dropped, and the total effective rate was 91.5%, which were significantly different from those in the EA group (P<0.05).Conclusion:EA plus external application of Wei Ling Xian (Radix Clematidis) extract can produce a more significant efficacy in treating KOA compared to ordinary EA treatment.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of the three-step modified shoulder joint mobilization in treating scapulohumeral periarthritis (SP).Methods:Totally 80 subjects were recruited and divided into a treatment group and a control group by using the random number table, 40 in each group. The treatment group was intervened by the three-step modified shoulder joint mobilization; the control group was by oral administration of Celebrex. After successive 4-week treatment, the improvement of shoulder pain and motor function was observed.Results:The total effective rate was 87.5% in the treatment group versus 80.0% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).Conclusion:The three-step modified shoulder joint mobilization is easy-to-operate and effective in treating SP.

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of ginger-partitioned moxibustion combined with manual repositioning for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Methods:A total of 76 BPPV cases were randomly allocated into an observation group (n=38) and a control group (n=38). Patients in the observation group received ginger-partitioned moxibustion at Tinggong (SI 19) plus manual repositioning, whereas patients in the control group received the same manual repositioning alone. Results: After 48 h of treatment, the total effective rate was 94.7% in the observation group, versus 86.8% in the control group; after 7 d of treatment, the total effective rate was 78.9% in the observation group, versus 73.7% in the control group, both showing between-group statistical differences (P<0.05). The follow-up after 3 months showed that 2 cases (6.7%) got relapse in the observation group, versus 8 cases (28.6%) in the control group, showing a statistical difference (P<0.05). The adverse reaction rate was 2.6% in the observation group, versus 21.1% in the control group, showing a statistical difference (P<0.05).Conclusion: Ginger-partitioned moxibustion at Tinggong (SI 19) plus manual repositioning can obtain better effect for BPPV than manual repositioning alone. In addition, this therapy has stable efficacy and causes less adverse reactions.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of rotating-lifting oblique Ban-pulling tuina manipulation plus acupuncture in treating cervical vertigo (CV).Methods:Seventy-three CV patients were divided into two groups by block randomization, 50 cases in each group. The observation group was intervened by rotating-lifting oblique Ban-pulling tuina manipulation plus acupuncture, while the control group was by the same acupuncture treatment alone. The tuina treatment was given once every other day and the acupuncture treatment was given once every day. The symptom score was observed before and after 20-day treatment, and the therapeutic efficacies were compared between the two groups.Results:During the intervention, 14 subjects in the observation group and 13 subjects in the control group dropped out. Finally, 36 cases in the observation group and 37 cases in the control group were involved into the data analysis. After 20-day treatment, the symptom scores were significantly increased in both groups (P<0.05), and the symptom score in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 91.7% in the observation group versus 83.8% in the control group, and the difference was statistically insignificant (P>0.05). The recovery and markedly effective rate was 69.4% in the observation group versus 32.4% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).Conclusion:Rotating-lifting oblique Ban-pulling tuina manipulation plus acupuncture can significantly improve the clinical symptoms of CV patients, and its clinical efficacy is superior to that of acupuncture alone.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture plus turtle-shell-partitioned moxibustion in treating diarrhea- predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). Methods:Seventy-six patients were randomized into two groups: 39 cases in the observation group were intervened by acupuncture plus turtle-shell-partitioned moxibustion, while 37 cases in the control group by the same acupuncture treatment, once a day, 10 d as a treatment course, for 2 courses in total. The improvements of symptoms were observed at the end of the intervention in both groups. Results:The total effective rate was 89.7% in the observation group versus 67.6% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture plus turtle-shell-partitioned moxibustion can significantly improve the symptoms of IBS-D, and can produce a more significant efficacy than acupuncture alone.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy and action mechanism of abdominal acupuncture plus plum-blossom needle tapping for primary insomnia.Methods:A total of 66 eligible cases were randomly allocated into an observation group (n=33) and a control group (n=33). Cases in the observation group received abdominal acupuncture plus plum-blossom needle tapping, whereas cases in the control group received abdominal acupuncture alone. After 2, 6 weeks of treatment and 4 weeks after end of treatment, the patients in both groups were evaluated using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and measure your medical outcome profile (MYMOP) based on the patients' self-report. Results:After 2 weeks of treatment, the total effective rate was 90.9% in the observation group, versus 63.6% in the control group, showing a statistical difference (P<0.05). After 6 weeks of treatment, there were no between-group statistical differences in total effective rate (P>0.05). After 6 weeks, the sleep quality and efficiency scores in the observation group were better than those in the control group. Four weeks after end of treatment, the scores of sleep quality and MYMOP in the observation group were better than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Abdominal acupuncture plus plum-blossom needle tapping can obtain fast, accurate effect for primary insomnia and improve patients' sleep quality and efficiency.