Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture treatment for tinnitus by point selection under the theory of “kidney and Sanjiao communication”. Method Fifty-three tinnitus patients were randomly allocated to two groups. The treatment group of 26 patients received acupuncture and the control group of 27 patients, medication. The course of treatment was four weeks. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score were recorded in the two groups before and after treatment. The improving effects on tinnitus symptoms were compared between the two groups. Result After two weeks of treatment, there was a statistically significant difference in the THI score (P<0.05) but no significant difference in the VAS score (P>0.05) between the treatment and control groups. After four weeks of treatment, both the VAS and THI scores were lower in the treatment group than in the control groups (P<0.05). After four weeks of treatment, the total efficacy rate was 92.3% in the treatment group and 81.5% in the control group; there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). Conclusion The theory of “kidney and Sanjiao communication” can well guide clinical acupuncture treatment of tinnitus and improve the symptoms of tinnitus and the quality of life in the patients. Its therapeutic effect is superior to that of medication.

Meningomyelocele combined with squamous cell carcinoma is rare in literature. In this article,we report the clinical and treatment of a patient with meningomyelocele and squamous cell carcinoma and discuss its mechanism,clinical feature,therapy and prognosis.The patient was a 11-year-old Chinese boy.At the time of his birth he was noted to have a lumbosacral meningomyelocele,which was disrupted and the cerebral spinal fluid flew out when the child was six.The wound surface abrased and exudated repeatedly.Two months before admission,the meningomyelocele was disrupted again and the condition got worse.Inspection showed a meningomyelocele in the lower lumbar region 10 cm in diameter,consisting of a cauliflower-shaped swelling and a central crater containing black slough.The area smelled foul and was constantly draining serosanguineous fluid.Magnetic resonance imaging showed meningomyelocele associa-ted with spinal dysraphism and tethered cord syndrome.After thorough preparation,operation was undertaken.A perpendicular skin incision,which was carried down to the lumbar aponeurosis,allowed the main bulk of the tumour to be undercut and removed.The quick frozen pathological examination confirmed that it was squamous cell carcinoma.The skin and subcutaneous tissue were fruther resected and the vertebral canal explored until frozen section showed the excision edge was clear.Skin closure was achieved by a bi-pedicle advancement flap,some 10 cm wide and the secondary defect was closed with a thigh skin graft.Histological examination showed that the massive outgrowth was a well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma.The postoperative recovery was uneventful and the wounds healed by primary intention.Although meningomyelocele combined with squamous cell carcinoma is rare in literature,the possibility of can-cerization should be considered when there is a long-term and non-healing ulcer (Marjolin ulcer) with foul smell in a meningomyelocele patient.

To realize the simultaneous fermentation of xylose and glucose, ptsG (one of the glucose-PTS genes) was deleted from the engineered ethanologenic Escherichia coli SZ470 (deltapflB, deltafrdABCD, deltaackA, deltaldhA), resulting in loss of glucose effect in the mutant SZ470P (deltaptsG). When tested in 5% mixture of glucose (2.5%) and xylose (2.5%), SZ470P simultaneously used glucose (13 g/L) and xylose (20 g/L) whereas the parent strain SZ470 sequentially used glucose (25 g/L) then xylose (5 g/L). Upon completion of the fermentation, both strains achieved similar product yield of 89%. SZ470P produced 15.01 g/L of ethanol, which was 14.32% higher than that produced by SZ470 (12.86 g/L). Deleting ptsG gene enabled the mutant strain SZ470P to simultaneously use both glucose and xylose and achieve better ethanol production.
Escherichia coli ; enzymology ; genetics ; Ethanol ; chemistry ; Fermentation ; Glucose ; chemistry ; Phosphoenolpyruvate Sugar Phosphotransferase System ; genetics ; Xylose ; chemistry