Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of nape cluster acupuncture in treating migraine. Methods:Fifty patients with confirmed diagnosis of migraine were intervened by using nape cluster acupuncture, and were evaluated at the outset and after 2-month treatment by the short-form of McGill pain questionnaire (SP-MPQ) and self-rating depression scale (SDS). Results:After treatment, the number of positive words, sensory pain rating index (S-PRI), affective pain rating index (A-PRI), total pain rating index (T-PRI), visual analogue scale (VAS), and present pain intensity (PPI) were significantly changed (P<0.01); the SDS score was (56.42±8.12) points before treatment versus (41.08±5.73) points after treatment, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). The total effective rate was 86.0%; the therapeutic efficacy of the patients with a shorter disease duration was superior to that of the patients with a longer one (P<0.05); the efficacy of mild-moderate migraine was superior to that of severe one (P<0.01); the total effective rate of patients without depression was higher than that with depression, but without a significant difference in comparing the therapeutic efficacy (P>0.05). Conclusion:Nape cluster acupuncture is effective in treating migraine, significantly improving headache and depression.

Objective:To observe the effect of nape acupuncture on vertebral-artery type cervical spondylosis.Methods:Eighty patients with vertebral-artery type cervical spondylosis were randomly divided into nape acupuncture group and Jiaji acupuncture group,with 40 cases in each group.The patients in the nape acupuncture group were treated with the nape acupuncture plus Jiaji acupuncture,while the patients in the Jiaji group were treated with Jiaji acupuncture only,to observe the functional scale before and after treatment.Results:The total effective rate in the nape acupuncture group was 95.0%,while the total effective rate in the Jiaji acupuncture group was 82.5%.By Ridit analysis,u=5.186,P＜0.01.It indicated that the therapeutic effect in the nape acupuncture group was better than that in the Jiaji acupuncture group.Compared with Jiaji acupuncture group,the difference value of pre- and post-treatment about functional scale of vertebral-artery type cervical spondylosis and the post-treatment score have statistic differences (P＜0.01).It indicated that the therapeutic effect of nape acupuncture group was more obvious in treating vertigo than that in the Jiaji acupuncture group.Conclusion:The treatment of vertebral-artery type cervical spondylosis by Jiaji acupuncture plus the nape acupuncture may enhance the therapeutic effect significantly.

Guasha(scraping) therapy falls into the category of non-medication therapy.It works well for insomnia in clinical practice.

This paper collects and analyzes 40 398 pieces of information from Chinese Modern Acupuncture Information Database (1970- 2002). It covers 93 articles concerning the treatment of chronic gastritis by acupuncture and 5 325 subjects, the total effective rate being 94.4%. The frequent treatment methods are needling, moxibustion, burial therapy, and hydropuncture. The major acupoints are Zusanli (ST 36), Zhongwan (CV 12), Weishu (BL 21),Pishu (BL20), Neiguan (PC 6), Ganshu (BL 18), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), etc. In the presence of severe stomachache, Liangqiu (ST 34) and Gongsun (SP 4) are added; in the presence of abdominal fullness, Tianshu (ST 25) and Qihai (CV 6) are added; in the presence of diarrhea, Tianshu (ST 25) and Shangjuxu (ST 37) are added; in the presence of vomiting, Shangwan (CV 13) and Taichong (LR 3) are added.

This paper makes a statistics on the literature concerning the treatment of asthma by acupuncture respectively from the Retrieval System of Acupoint Indications in Ancient Acupuncture Treatise and the Information Database of Modern Chinese Acupuncture, and compares the treatment methods between ancient and modern times, in an attempt to advance the common treatment principles and methods for asthma by acupuncture.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of brain injury caused by thrombin and the intervention effect of hirudin and nimodipine.Methods Different doses of thrombin or/and hirudin were injected into nucleus caudatus of SD rats,nimodipine was given intraperitoneally.Dry-wet-weighing technique,immunohistochemical method and TUNEL were used to examine brain edema,the changes of cytoskeleton,neuron apoptosis and histological changes.Results(1) High dose of thrombin resulted in severe cerebral edema as early as 4 h after injection and the maximum edema occurred at 24~48 h.The edema gradually decreased and got close to normal within 3~7 d.Cytoskeleton changes were observed at early stage(4h),reversible or irreversible injuries presented at 24~48 h,and neuron necrosis occurred within 3~7 d.Neuron apoptosis started at 4h and peaked at 24~48 h.In contrast,low dose of thrombin and normal saline did not show these effects.(2) The effects of thrombin could be inhibited by hirudin and nimodipine(a calcium-ion antagonist) could relieve or delay cell injury.Conclusions High dose of thrombin may result in severe brain edema,neuron irreversible injury and apoptosis,which all peak at 24~48 h.Early treatments could greatly reduce brain damage and improve prognosis of intracerebral hemorrhage.

To review the general situation of acupuncture in treating vascular headache between 1949-2004 in an attempt to promote acupuncture practice, clinical references concerning acupuncture treatment of vascular headache were analyzed on the basis of Chinese Modern Acupuncture Database. From 1956, these references increased annually and steadily. In clinical practice, needling is cardinally used, and the acupoints are selected adjacent to diseased part and on syndrome differentiation.

This paper statistically analyzes sixty-two articles concerning the treatment of obesity with acupuncture, and finds that the common therapy embraces needling, moxibustion, electroacupuncture, ear acupuncture, auricular application, auricular needle-embedding, acupoint application, acupoint embedding and combined methods of acupuncture. The frequent auricular acupoints are Stomach (MA-IC), Endocrine (MA-IC 3), Er Shenmen (MA-TF 1), Lung (MA-IC 1), Spleen (MA-IC), Hunger Point (MA-T) and Sanjiao (MA-IC 4). The clinical total effective rate was 75.8%.

Immunoenhancement activity of bee pollen and its acetone extract was studied in normal, sarcoma-180 bearing, cyclophosphamide- and antilymphocyte serum-treated mice.Bee pollen and its acetone extract given orally for 30 days could significantly increase the production of serum anti-SRBC hemolysin (HC50) and the number of spleen plaque forming cells (PFC) in primary response to sheep red blood cell (SRBC) in young and adult mice. The acetone extract of bee pollen could significantly prevent the decrease of HC50) the number of PFC and specific rosette forming cells (SRFC), and the quantitative hemolysin of spleen cells (QHS) against SRBC in S-180 bearing, cyclophosphamide- and antilymphocyte serum-treated mice respectively.These results suggested that bee pollen of Brassica campestris L. and its acetone extract have immune-enhancement activity.

AIM:The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the ratio of transcription factors T-bet/GATA-3 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs)and the imbalance of Th1/Th2 cytokines from patients with asthma,and to examine whether and how CpG ODN intervention would restore the imbalanced Th1/Th2 profile in asthma patients.METHODS:Three groups of subjects with asthma(asthma group),chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD group),and normal controls(control group)were included in this study.T-bet,GATA-3 and TLR9 mRNA levels were measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).Th1 cytokine IFN-? and Th2 cytokines IL-4,IL-5 and IL-13 were measured by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay(ELISA)in asthma group.Cultured PBMCs from asthma patients with CpG ODN incubation were collected for measuring T-bet,GATA-3 mRNA and TLR9 mRNA.RESULTS:The ratio of T-bet/GATA-3 in asthma group was significantly lower than that in the COPD group and control group.The serum levels of IL-4,IL-5 and IL-13 had positive correlation with the ratio of T-bet/GATA-3 in asthmatic patients,and the lower serum level of IFN-? had negative correlation with the ratio.The TLR9 mRNA expression in asthma was significantly attenuated than that in COPD group and control group.Consequently,the ratio of T-bet/GATA-3 in CpG group was significantly enhanced than that in control group.CONCLUSION:These results indicate that the ratio of T-bet/GATA-3 in asthma is decreased and could represent the imbalance of Th1/Th2 cells.CpG ODN influences the ratio of T-bet/GATA-3,upregulating the T-bet mRNA expression and downregulating the GATA-3 mRNA expression,which is able to reverse the imbalance of Th1/Th2 cells.CpG-ODN may be a promising therapeutic target for asthma.