BACKGROUND: China is seeing a growing demand for rehabilitation treatments for post-stroke upper limb spastic paresis (PSSP-UL). Although acupuncture is known to be effective for PSSP-UL, there is room to enhance its efficacy. OBJECTIVE: This study explored a semi-personalized acupuncture approach for PSSP-UL that used three-dimensional kinematic analysis (3DKA) results to select additional acupoints, and investigated the feasibility, efficacy and safety of this approach. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS: This single-blind, single-center, randomized, controlled trial involved 74 participants who experienced a first-ever ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke with spastic upper limb paresis. The participants were then randomly assigned to the intervention group or the control group in a 1:1 ratio. Both groups received conventional treatments and acupuncture treatment 5 days a week for 4 weeks. The main acupoints in both groups were the same, while participants in the intervention group received additional acupoints selected on the basis of 3DKA results. Follow-up assessments were conducted for 8 weeks after the treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) response rate (≥ 6-point change) at week 4. Secondary outcomes included changes in motor function (FMA-UE), Brunnstrom recovery stage (BRS), manual muscle test (MMT), spasticity (Modified Ashworth Scale, MAS), and activities of daily life (Modified Barthel Index, MBI) at week 4 and week 12. RESULTS: Sixty-four participants completed the trial and underwent analyses. Compared with control group, the intervention group exhibited a significantly higher FMA-UE response rate at week 4 (χ² = 5.479, P = 0.019) and greater improvements in FMA-UE at both week 4 and week 12 (both P < 0.001). The intervention group also showed bigger improvements from baseline in the MMT grades for shoulder adduction and elbow flexion at weeks 4 and 12 as well as thumb adduction at week 4 (P = 0.007, P = 0.049, P = 0.019, P = 0.008, P = 0.029, respectively). The intervention group showed a better change in the MBI at both week 4 and week 12 (P = 0.004 and P = 0.010, respectively). Although the intervention group had a higher BRS for the hand at week 12 (P = 0.041), no intergroup differences were observed at week 4 (all P > 0.05). The two groups showed no differences in MAS grades as well as in BRS for the arm at weeks 4 and 12 (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Semi-personalized acupuncture prescription based on 3DKA results significantly improved motor function, muscle strength, and activities of daily living in patients with PSSP-UL. TRIAL REGISTRATION Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2200056216. Please cite this article as: Huang XY, Liao OP, Jiang SY, Tao JM, Li Y, Lu XY, Li YY, Wang C, Li J, Ma XP. Three-dimensional kinematic analysis can improve the efficacy of acupoint selection for post-stroke patients with upper limb spastic paresis: A randomized controlled trial. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(1): 15-24.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Acupuncture Points ; Upper Extremity/physiopathology* ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Single-Blind Method ; Aged ; Stroke/therapy* ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Stroke Rehabilitation/methods* ; Adult ; Muscle Spasticity/therapy* ; Paresis/physiopathology* ; Treatment Outcome

Acupuncture and moxibustion has certain advantages in the treatment of post-stroke spastic paralysis，but the treatment methods and diagnosis and treatment ideas are complicated. This paper sortes out the representative contemporary acupuncture and moxibustion schools in the treatment of post-stroke spastic paralysis, analyzes their academic origins，summarizes and compares the theory，acupoint selection and technique characteristics of different schools in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease，so as to provide some references for guiding optimal treatment schemes selection in clinic.
Humans ; Moxibustion ; Muscle Spasticity/therapy* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Schools ; Acupuncture Points ; Stroke/therapy*

Objective: To compare the knowledge and behavior toward hearing protection among workers in different workplaces and investigate its influence factors. Methods: 2 manufacturing companies with obvious noise hazard in workplace were selected into the study. Health management level was distinguished through field investigation and verification. Questionnaire focus on basic knowledge of hearing health, acceptance level of noise hazard, comfort of wearing hearing protectors and atmosphere in workplace was designed and was used to investigate the knowledge and behavior toward hearing protection. Results: Hearing protectors that meet the level of protection are distributed throughout the workplaces. Although company A has a lower noise hazards level, the health management system was poorly executed. The proportion of workers persisting in wearing hearing protectors throughout the work shift in company A was lower than B (P<0.01) . Workers in company A intended to underestimate the noise level (P<0.01) and the health effect of hearing loss (P<0.01) . All the workers were worry about suffering from hearing loss (P>0.05) , but those in company B had more positive attitude toward the protection of hearing protector (P<0.01) and relied on the protector (P<0.01) . The awareness of protection, in turn, help workers adapt attitude and get used to wearing hearing protectors consciously in workplace (P<0.01) . Conclusion Health management performance play a key role in help workers form good knowledge and behavior. To protect workplace health, employers need to creative a healthy supportive environment for workers.

Objective:To investigate the impact of dexamethasone on the balance of natural regulatory T cells(nTreg) and typeⅠ regulatory T cell(Tr1) in vitro.Methods:Peripheral blood lymphocytes(PBMCs) recruited from healthy donor,divided into dexam-ethasone stimulus group and negative control group.After 3 days treatment,cells were stained.The expression of CD25,CD127, Lymphocyte-activation 3 (LAG-3) and Forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) and frequency of Treg and Tr1 were analyzed by flow cytometry.Results:Compared to the control group,after stimulation with dexamethasone for 3 days,the percentage of CD4+T cells increased in a dose-dependent manner.The expression of CD25 and Foxp3 in CD4+T cells decreased significantly (P=0.006, P<0.000 1),while CD127 and LAG-3 expression increased significantly in CD4+T cells (P<0.000 1,P=0.011).Dexamethasone treatment significantly enhance the frequency of Tr1(P=0.051),reduce the frequency of Treg (P<0.001),and the ratio of Tr1/Treg also increased(P=0.044).Conclusion:Short-term treatment with dexamethasone in vitro change the balance of natural regulatory and type Ⅰ regulatory T cells.

OBJECTIVEIn mid-July 2005, five patients presented with septic shock to a hospital in Ziyang city in Sichuan, China, to identify the etiology of the unknown reason disease, an epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory study were conducted.

METHODSAn enhanced surveillance program were established in Sichuan, the following activities were introduced: active case finding in Sichuan of (a) laboratory diagnosed Streptococcus suis infection and (b) clinically diagnosed probable cases with exposure history; supplemented by (c) monitoring reports on meningococcal meningitis. Streptococcus suis serotype 2 infection was confirmed by culture and biochemical reactions, followed by sequencing for specific genes for serotype and virulence factors.

RESULTSFrom June 10 to August 21, 2005, 68 laboratory confirmed cases of human Streptococcus suis infections were reported. All were villagers who gave a history of direct exposure to deceased or sick pigs in their backyards where slaughtering was performed. Twenty six (38%) presented with toxic shock syndrome of which 15 (58%) died. Other presentations were septicaemia or meningitis. All isolates were tested positive for genes for tuf, species-specific 16S rRNA, cps2J, mrp, ef and sly. There were 136 clinically diagnosed probable cases with similar exposure history but incomplete laboratory investigations.

CONCLUSIONAn outbreak of human Streptococcus suis serotype 2 infections occurred in villagers after direct exposure to deceased or sick pigs in Sichuan. Prohibition of slaughtering in backyards brought the outbreak to a halt. A virulent strain of the bacteria is speculated to be in circulation, and is responsible for the unusual presentation of toxic shock syndrome with high case fatality.

Animals ; Bacteremia ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; Meningitis, Bacterial ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Shock, Septic ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Streptococcal Infections ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; veterinary ; Streptococcus suis ; isolation & purification ; Swine ; Swine Diseases ; microbiology

OBJECTIVETo study the potential risk factors of human infecting with Streptococcus suis.

METHODS1: M matched case-control study was conducted. 29 human cases of Streptococcus suis infection in the early phase were included in the case group, Patients' family members, neighbors and peoples who had worked together with patients to handle deceased or sick pigs in the last week were recruited as matched controls. There were 147 controls in total. Both cases and controls received questionnaire investigation including the ways to contact sick/dead pigs. Conditional logistic regression was employed to analyze matching data.

RESULTSAccording to the results of multivariate analysis, slaughtering (OR = 11.978, 95% CI: 3.355-42.756), carcasses cutting and processing (OR = 3.008, 95% CI: 1.022-8.849) sick/dead pigs were associated with cases related to human Streptococcus suis infection. The attributable risk proportion were 91.65% and 66.76% respectively. The other types of exposures to sick/ dead pigs, including feeding, selling, burying and eating, were not associated with the human Streptococcus suis infection in our study population.

CONCLUSIONSlaughtering, carcasses cutting and processing sick/dead pigs were important risky behavior for humans to be infected by Streptococcus suis.

Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; statistics & numerical data ; Risk Factors ; Streptococcal Infections ; epidemiology ; etiology ; microbiology ; Streptococcus suis ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo describe the clinical and epidemiological features of dead cases with human Streptococcus suis infections, and to find the target population for preventing death and the related indicators.

METHODSEpidemiological investigation on human Streptococcus suis infections was implemented used unified questionnaires. Analysis on dead cases and survival cases (as contrast) was done.

RESULTSThe population with highest fatality rate was in 40-49 age group. 97.37% of dead cases had toxic shock syndrome. The mean interval from onset to admission was 0.76 days, and the mean course was 2.11 days. The progression among dead cases was faster than that among survival cases. Chief clinical manifestations of dead cases that are more frequent than survival cases are purpura (73.68%), diarrhea (50.0%), dyspnea (21.05%), conjunctival congestion (34.21%), etc. Renal impairment and liver involvement in dead cases were more significant than that in survival cases. No significant difference between mean incubation period, exposure rates of main risk factors in dead cases and in survival cases was found.

CONCLUSIONPreventing toxic shock syndrome might reduce the fatality rate. The target population for preventing death is aged > or = 40. Liver function and renal function testing might be indicators for monitoring the progression of human Streptococcus suis infections.

Adult ; Aged ; China ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Streptococcal Infections ; blood ; microbiology ; mortality ; pathology ; Streptococcus suis ; physiology ; Young Adult