Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of scalp acupuncture plus speech rehabilitation in treating Broca's aphasia after cerebral stroke, for providing novel evidences for the treatment. Methods:Ninety-one eligible patients with Broca's aphasia after cerebral stroke were randomized into an observation group and a control group. Forty-six cases in the observation group were intervened by scalp acupuncture plus speech rehabilitation, while 45 cases in the control group were treated by speech rehabilitation alone. The aphasia battery of Chinese (ABC) and Boston diagnostic aphasia examination (BDAE) were adopted to evaluate the clinical efficacy. Results:After the treatment, the scores of oral expression, reading and writing and global score in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (allP<0.05). There was a significant difference in comparing the BDAE grading between the two groups after the treatment (P<0.05). After intervention, the basically-recovered plus markedly-effective rate was 45.7% in the observation group versus 24.4% in the control group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion:Scalp acupuncture plus speech rehabilitation is effective in treating Broca's aphasia after cerebral stroke, and worth promoting.

Objective:To observe the therapeutical effect of using the paste of Wu Zhu Yu(Fructus Evodia)for acupoint sticking combined with toniflying kidney,to treat the recurrent aphthous ulcer.Methods:Thirty-six cases of reccurent aphthous ulcer due to kidney dificiency were treated with Wu Zhu Yu(Fructus Evodia)paste applying to Yongquan(KI 1),and orally taking Liu Wei Di Huang Pill.Ten treatments made up one course,2-3 d of interval between 2 courses.Then 1-year follow-up was made.Results:Twenty cases were cured,12 cases improved,4 cases failed.Conclusion:The method of using Wu Zhu Yu(Fructus Evodia)paste applying to acupoint Yongquan(KI 1),integrated with the manipulation of strengthening kidney,can effectively shorten the duration of disease,improve the symptoms,and control recurrency,which is good for this disease.

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of treating lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion by needling the points on both sides of the impaired lumbar vertebrae. Methods: One hundred and eighty cases of lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion were randomly divided into three groups, treatment group, control group of acupuncture and control group of western medicine, with 60 cases in each group. The therapeutic effects were compared after 20-day treatments. Result: The effective rate was 96.7% in the treatment group, 80.0% in the acupuncture group, and 81.7% in the Western medicine group. There was a statistically significant difference between the treatment group and two control groups (P<0.05). Conclusion: It is an effective therapy to treat lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion by puncturing the acupuncture points on both sides of the impaired lumbar vertebrae.

Objective: To observe the effects of Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) combined with graded motor imagery (GMI) on the upper-limb motor function and quality of life (QOL) in patients with poststroke hemiplegia.Methods: A total of 216 patients with hemiplegia caused by stroke were randomized into two groups by tossing a coin, with 108 cases in each group. The control group was treated with GMI, and the observation group was given additional Tuina treatment for four weeks in total. Before and after the treatment, the Fugl-Meyer assessment for upper extremity (FMA-UE), supper-limb/hand Brunnstrom staging, box and block test (BBT) for hand, co-contraction ratio (CR) of the upper-limb muscles, visual analog scale (VAS) for shoulder pain, modified Ashworth scale (MAS), modified Barthel index (MBI), and short-form 36-item health survey (SF-36) were adopted for observation of the two groups. Results: After the treatment, the scores of FMA-UE, upper-limb/hand Brunnstrom staging, hand BBT, MBI, and SF-36 increased (P<0.05), and the CR of biceps brachii at flexion, the CR of triceps brachii at extension, and the scores of VAS and MAS decreased in both groups (P<0.05). The scores of FMA-UE, upper-limb/hand Brunnstrom staging, and hand BBT were higher in the observation group than in the control group after the intervention (P<0.05); the CR of biceps brachii at flexion and the CR of triceps brachii at extension were lower in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). After the treatment, the scores of MBI and SF-36 were higher in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05), and the scores of VAS and MAS were lower in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Tuina combined with GMI can produce more significant effects in improving the upper-limb motor function and QOL in patients with hemiplegia after stroke.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of different therapies in treating straightened cervical curvature. Methods:A hundred patients with straightened cervical curvature were randomized into 5 groups to receive corresponding treatment. The clinical efficacies and the changes of cervical curvature in the five groups were compared. Results:Different therapies all produced certain effectiveness in treating cervical spondylosis patients. The total effective rates in the acupuncture group and tuina group were both 100%, and the rates in the traction group, oral medication group and Chinese medicinal application group were all lower than the rates in the acupuncture group and tuina group (P<0.05). It was shown that the more significant the change of cervical curvature, the more significant the clinical efficacy. Conclusion:Correcting the straightened cervical curvature is a way to swiftly release pain brought by cervical spondylosis; the optimization of different therapies ensures the achievement of long-term effectiveness; acupuncture and tuina are both effective in restoring the cervical curvature.

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture in treatment of chronic urticaria and the change in the content of serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), and to discuss the effect of acupuncture on the imbalance of T helper (Th)1/Th2 cell function via observing the changes in the contents of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4). Methods: Ninety patients meeting the inclusion criteria of chronic urticaria were randomized into an acupuncture- medication group, an acupuncture group and a Western medication group by the random number table method. The acupuncture-medication group was intervened by acupuncture, cupping, collateral-pricking bloodletting and oral administration of cetirizine hydrochloride tablets; the acupuncture group was treated with acupuncture, cupping and collateral-pricking bloodletting; the Western medication group only received oral administration of cetirizine hydrochloride tablets. Before treatment and after 6-week treatment, the changes in the symptom scores and the contents of serum IgE, IFN-γ and IL-4 in the three groups were observed. Results: There were no significant differences in the total effective rate among the three groups (all P>0.05), but the cured and markedly effective rate was significantly higher in the acupuncture-medication group than that in the Western medication group (P<0.05). After treatment, the total symptom score decreased in the three groups (P<0.05), and the improvement of total symptom score in the acupuncture-medication group was more significant than that in the Western medication group (P<0.05). The component symptom scores all decreased after treatment in the three groups (all P<0.05); the improvements of the scores of itch intensity, and skin lesion size and number were more significant in the acupuncture-medication group than in the Western medication group (all P<0.05); the improvement of the skin lesion size score was more significant in the acupuncture group than in the Western medication group (P<0.01). The contents of IgE and IL-4 dropped (all P<0.05) and the content of IFN-γ increased (P<0.05) after treatment in the three groups; the post-treatment changes in the serum contents of IgE and IFN-γ were more significant in the acupuncture-medication group than in the Western medication group (both P<0.05). The incidence rate of adverse reactions was significantly lower in the acupuncture-medication group and acupuncture group than in the Western medication group (both P<0.05), and the relapse rate was significantly lower in the acupuncture-medication group than in the Western medication group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Combined acupuncture and medication can enhance the cured and markedly effective rate in treating chronic urticaria. Acupuncture is equivalent to cetirizine hydrochloride tablets comparing the clinical efficacy in treatment of chronic urticaria. Acupuncture plus medication and acupuncture alone both can effectively mitigate the clinical symptoms, with low incidence of adverse reactions. The relapse rate is low when using acupuncture together with medication. Acupuncture plus medication can work better in regulating the contents of IgE and IFN-γ and improving the imbalance of Th1/Th2 cell function.

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 evaluate the clinical effect of auricular sticking therapy in treating vascular headache. Methods: Fifty patients with vascular headache were randomized into two groups, 25 cases in each. The treatment group received auricular sticking therapy with magnetic pearls, and the control group was treated by Flunarizine Hydrochloride, 30 d as a treatment session, and the results were measured after one treatment session. Result: The total effective rate was 92.0% in the treatment group while 60.0% in the control group, and the difference was significant (P<0.01). A marked decrease of blood pressure was detected in the treatment group (P<0.05). The mean velocity in middle cerebral artery and anterior cerebral artery both changed significantly (P<0.01). Conclusion: Auricular sticking therapy can significantly improve the condition of vascular headache, as well as reduce blood pressure and help cerebral blood flow.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effect of acupuncture in managing thalamic pain syndrome. Methods: Eighty patients with thalamic pain syndrome were randomly allocated into two groups, with 40 cases in the treatment group receiving combined scalp and body acupuncture treatment and 40 cases in the control group receiving single body acupuncture treatment. The intervention was given for 28 d in total, and the effects were evaluated after 14-day and 28-day treatments. Results: The inner-group comparison of McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) showed significant differences after the treatment d 14 in both of the two groups (P<0.05), and after the treatment d 28, the differences were even more significant (P<0.01). After 28-day treatment, compared with pre-treatment, the Transcranial Doppler (TCD) test detected significant changes in the two groups (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 72.5% in the treatment group versus 47.5% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The 3-month follow-up study found the relapse rate was 0 in the treatment group and 15.8% in the control group, and the difference was significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture is effective in treating thalamic pain syndrome and combined scalp and body acupuncture can achieve even better results.