OBJECTIVETo explore the effective therapeutic method for reducing adductor muscle tension in the children of spasmodic cerebral palsy.

METHODSOne hundred and forty cases of spasmodic cerebral palsy met the inclusive criteria were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 70 cases in each one. In the control group, the conventional physical therapies (Bobath therapy and lower extremities therapy) and scalp acupuncture (seven-intelligent needles, motor area, sensory area, foot-motor-sensory area and balance area) were adopted. In the observation group, on the basis of the treatment as the control group, the three-spasm-needle therapy was applied to Jiejian, Xuehaishang and Houxuehai. The physical therapies were given once every day, acupuncture was given once every two days, the treatment of 20 days made one session. There were 15 to 20 days at the interval among the sessions and 3 sessions were required totally. Separately before and after treatment, the modified Ashworth scale was used to evaluate the adductor muscle tension, and measure the adductor muscle angle, and D and E regions of gross motor function measure (GMFM-88) were adopted for clinical efficacy evaluation.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the scores of the adductor muscle tension were decreased to different extends in the two groups (both P<0.01), the adductor muscle angle was increased as compared with that before treatment (both P<0.01) and the scores of D and F regions in GMFM-88 were all improved (all P<0.01). The efficacy in the observation group was more significant than that in the control group (all P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe three-spasm-needle therapy effectively reduces adductor muscle tension and improves the range of motion in hip joint, independent walking, running and jumping abilities in the children of spasmodic cerebral palsy.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Cerebral Palsy ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscle Strength ; Muscles ; physiopathology ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To observe the effect of Governor Vessel-unblocking and mind-refreshing needling technique on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in cerebral palsy (CP) children with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and investigate the underlying mechanism.
Methods:A total of 18 CP children with PVL received modern rehabilitation training and scalp acupuncture. The before-after study was conducted to compare the fractional anisotropy (FA) of the white matter fiber tracts, gross motor function measure (GMFM) score, Gesell developmental scale and changes in muscle tone.
Results:For the comparison before and after the first course of treatment, there were no statistical differences in DTI findings and FA values (both P>0.05); there were statistical differences in GMFM dimensions A and B (bothP<0.05) and no statistical differences in dimensions C, D and E (allP>0.05); and there were statistical differences in six items of Gesell development test (P<0.01 orP<0.05). For the comparison before and after two courses of treatment, there were statistical differences in DTI findings and FA values in 8 cases between before and after 30 and 60 treatments (bothP<0.05); there were statistical differences in GMFM dimensions A, B and C between before and after 30 and 60 treatments and between 30 and 60 treatments (allP<0.05); there were no statistical differences in GMFM dimensions D and E (allP>0.05); and there were statistical differences in six items of Gesell developmental test between before, after 30 and 60 treatments and between 30 and 60 treatments (P<0.05 or P<0.01).
Conclusion:The Governor Vessel-unblocking and mind-refreshing scalp acupuncture has no significant efficacy on the repair and regeneration of white matter fibers in children with PVL and CP in a short period of time; however, it gradually works along with the prolonged treatment time. In addition, it can improve the motor function and mental development and the efficacy is closely associated with the time of treatment.

Objective: To observe the effect oftuina plus music therapy on range of motion of ankle joints and muscle spasm of lower limbs in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Method:All of 286 cases that conformed to the diagnostic criteria of infantile cerebral palsy were treated with 7 types of tuina manipulations respectively to unblock the Governor Vessel, reinforce the kidney and strengthen the spleen, pinch along the spine, stimulate specific foot-reflex area and different spinal segments, accelerate recovery of muscle strength and increase joint range of motion, 25-30 rain each treatment, once or twice a day, 30 d constitute a course of treatment.After this, the efficacy on femoral medial adduction and dorsiflexion angle and composite spasticity score (CSS) was evaluated. Result: The statistical analysis showed significant differences in dorsiflexion and femoral medial adduction angle and CCS scores (P<0.01) after the treatments. Conclusion: Tuina plus music therapy can lubricate the joints, relax contraction of tendons, alleviate muscle spasm and improve scissors and toe-walking gaits, thereby benefiting the gross motor function of infants in sitting, kneeling, standing and walking.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of Governor Vessel-unblocking and brain-refreshing scalp acupuncture for cerebral palsy (CP) complicated with intellectual disabilities. Methods:A total of 300 CP cases aged between 1 and 5 years were randomly allocated into a treatment group (n=150) and a control group (n=150). Patients in the treatment group were treated with Governor Vessel-unblocking and brain- refreshing scalp acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training, whereas patients in the control group received rehabilitation training alone. The Beijing Gesell developmental (Gesell) scale and gross motor function measure (GMFM) scale were used to assess the motor and intellectual development before and 3 months after the treatment. In addition, the head CT/MRI examination was applied to assess the brain nerve repair before and after the treatment. Results:After the treatment, the total effective rate in the treatment group was 78.0%, versus 42.7% in the control group, showing a statistical significance (P<0.05). As for scores of five subscales in the Gesell scale, there were significant intra-group differences in the treatment group (allP<0.05); and the scores in the treatment group were significantly better than those in the control group (allP<0.05). As for scores of five dimensions in GMFM scale, there were significant intra-group differences in the treatment group (allP<0.05); and the scores in the treatment group were significantly better than those in the control group (allP<0.05). According to the head CT/MRI findings, the total effective rate was 73.3% in the treatment group, versus 62.0% in the control group, showing a statistical significance (P<0.05). Conclusion:When used in combination with rehabilitative training, Governor Vessel-unblocking and brain-refreshing scalp acupuncture can significantly improve the clinical efficacy for cerebral palsy complicated with intellectual disabilities. It can also improve the patients' motor function, intelligence and language ability.

Objective To observe the effect of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on persistent vegetative state (PVS) in children. Methods 7 children with PVS were treated with Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, and were analyzed retrospectively. Results 3 childer were effectual, 3 improved, 1 ineffective. The PVS improved significantly after the treatment. The ones with course less than 3 months, the neuroimage show atrophy, appeared more effective. Conclusion The integrative therapy is effective on PVS in the children. The prognosis may associate with the course of the disease and the pathology of the brain.

Objective To investigate the regulatory actions of Intestines-unblocking, Turbid-purging Recipe (ITR) on colonic 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and its receptor 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 (5-HT3) in rats with constipation-dominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C), and to explore the therapeutic mechanism of ITR in treating IBS-C. Methods Forty-two male SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, namely normal group, model group, western medicine group, high-, middle- and low-dose Chinese medicine groups, 7 rats in each group. IBS-C rat model was established by intragastric administration of ice water. After establishment of the model, western medicine group was given intragastric administration of Cisapride Tablets (at the dosage of 3.6 mg·kg-1·d-1), Chinese medicine groups were given intragastric administration of various dosages of ITR granules (18.5, 9.25, 4.625 g·kg-1·d-1 respectively) , and the model group was given intragastric administration of normal saline, the treatment lasting 14 d. The rats in various groups were given normal feeding and drinking. After treatment, HE staining method was used to observe pathological changes in the intestinal tissue, immunohistochemistry method was used to observe the expression levels of intestinal 5-HT and 5-HT3 receptor. Results Compared with the normal group, the expression level of rat intestinal 5-HT was increased (P < 0.05) and that of 5-HT3 receptor was decreased (P < 0.05) in the model group and the medication groups. Compared with the model group, 5-HT expression level was decreased significantly (P<0.05) and 5-HT3 receptor expression level was increased (P < 0.05) in the medication groups, and the improvement of the middle-dose Chinese medicine group was more obvious (P < 0.05). Conclusion ITR has therapeutic efficacy for IBS-C rats through lowering 5-HT expression and increasing 5-HT3 receptor expression, which results into the improvement of intestinal sensitivity and abnormal dynamic of the rats.

Objective: To observe the improving effect of muscle regions of meridians needling method on the upper limb function in children with cerebral palsy of spastic hemiplegic type. Methods: A total of 100 children with cerebral palsy of spastic hemiplegia type were divided into a treatment group and a control group according to the visiting sequence, with 50 cases in each group. The control group was treated with conventional rehabilitation plus conventional acupuncture treatment. The treatment group was treated with conventional rehabilitation plus muscle regions of meridians needling method. The electromyography (EMG) signal values of triceps brachii and pronator teres were detected before treatment, and 3 months and 6 months after treatment. The clinical efficacy was evaluated by Peabody developmental motor scale-fine motor (PDMS-FM) and fine motor function measure (FMFM). Results: Three and six months after treatment, the EMG signal values of triceps brachii and pronator teres, grasping scores and visual-motor integrated scores of PDMS-FM and the FMFM scores in both groups increased to varying degrees compared with the same group before treatment, and the intra-group differences were all statistically significant (all P<0.05). Six months after treatment, the results of the above three items in the treatment group were all better than those in the control group, and the differences between the groups were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Muscle regions of meridians needling method added on the basis of conventional rehabilitation can effectively reduce the muscle tone of upper limb and enhance the muscle strength, and improve the upper limb function in children with cerebral palsy of spastic hemiplegia type. The efficacy is superior to that of the conventional rehabilitation plus conventional acupuncture treatment.

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Rural Population ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of needling thirteen ghost acupoints for children with autism spectrum disorder. Methods:A total of 90 cases with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged between 2 and 6 years were randomly allocated into 2 groups by random number table. The control group (n=45) received routine rehabilitative training, and the treatment group (n=45) received acupuncture at thirteen ghost acupoints plus routine rehabilitative training. The Beijing Gesell developmental (Gesell) scale and autism behavior checklist (ABC) were used to assess the intellectual, language and behavior development before and 3 months after the treatment. Results:After the treatment, the total effective rate in the treatment group was 82.2%, versus 55.6% in the control group, showing a statistical significance (P<0.05). As for the scores of social, emotional and language in Gesell scale, there were significant intra-group differences in the treatment group (allP<0.05), and all the five subscales in the Gesell scale in the treatment group were significantly better than those in the control group (allP<0.05). As for the scores of ABC, there were significant intra-group differences in the treatment group (P<0.05), and the scores in the treatment group were significantly better than those in the control group (allP<0.05). Conclusion: Rehabilitation training plus acupuncture at thirteen ghost acupoints can significantly improve the intellectual, language and abnormal behavior in autism spectrum disorder children.

Acupuncture is effective in the treatment of functional dyspepsia, and its mechanism may be related to abnormal gastric motility, central nervous system dysfunction, brain intestinal peptide secretion disorder, plasma molecular metabolite content changes and abnormal gene expression. This article summarized the mechanism of acupuncture treatment for functional dyspepsia in recent years from the aspects of electrophysiology, imaging, molecular biology, metabolism and genomics, and provided basis for clinical treatment of functional dyspepsia.