OBJECTIVETo compare the difference in the clinical efficacy on perennial allergic rhinitis between three nasal points acupuncture therapy and the oral administration of loratadine so as to provide the better acupuncture program in clinical treatment.

METHODSSixty cases were randomized into an acupuncture group (30 cases) and a medication group (30 cases). In the acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied to three nasal points [Yingxiang (LI 20), Yintang (EX-HN 3), Bitong (Extra)] and acupoints selected by syndrome differentiation. Acupuncture was given once every two days, three times a week, for 4 weeks totally. In the medication group, loratadine was prescribed for oral administration, 10 mg every day, for 4 weeks. The symptom and physical sign scores before and after treatment, as well the short-term and long-term efficacy were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSThe total effective rate was 96.7% (29/30) in the acupuncture group and was 93.3% (28/30) in the medication group after treatment. The efficacy was similar between the two groups (P>0.05). In follow-up, the total effective rate was 86.7% (26/30) in the acupuncture group, which was better than 56.7% (17/30, P<0.05) in the medication group. The scores of symptoms and physical signs after treatment and in follow-up were all reduced apparently as compared with those before treatment in the patients of the two groups (all P<0.05). The scores of symptoms and physical signs were reduced more apparently in the acupuncture group as compared with those in the medication group in follow-up (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe acupuncture at three nasal points and the acupoints selected by syndrome differentiation achieves the similar short-term efficacy on perennial allergic rhinitis as compared with the oral administration of loratadine. The acupuncture therapy presents the obvious advantages on long-term efficacy.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nose ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; therapy ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo compare the relative characteristics of Baihui (GV 20), Shuigou (GV 26) and Shenmen (HT 7) in treatment of vascular dementia.

METHODSFifty cases of vascular dementia (VD) were divided into 5 groups randomly. The patients in the group A were treated by acupuncture at routine acupoints. Besides the routine acupoints of the group A, Baihui (GV 20), Shuigou (GV 26) and Shenmen (HT 7) were added to treat the patients in group B, C, D, respectively, while Baihui, Shuigou and Shenmen were added to the group E. The clinical symptoms and signs were observed.

RESULTSBaihui and Shenmen can improve memory, orientation, reaction, obstinacy and trance of VD patients. Baihui is good at helping the patients to understand, calculate and adapt the society. Shuigou is good at improvement of sleeping, slow reaction, trance and memory of the patients. The combination of Baihui, Shuigou and Shenmen can generally promote intelligence level and society adaptive ability.

CONCLUSIONBaihui, Shuigou and Shenmen have own characteristics in improving clinical signs and intelligence of patients of VD, and the combination of the 3 acupoints has the best effect in treating VD.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Dementia, Vascular ; therapy ; Humans ; Memory ; Sleep

OBJECTIVETo probe into regularity of effects of electroacupuncture on focal cerebral infarction.

METHODSFocal cerebral ischemia model was established by middle cerebral artery heat-occlusion (MACO) method. Electroacupuncture was given at Dazhui (GV 14) and Baihui (GV 20). NSS was used for evaluation of neurological impairment, TTC staining method for detection of the infarct volume, and HE staining method for investigation of the pathomorphologic lesion of the brain.

RESULTSMCAO could induce neurologic impairment, cerebral infarction and cerebral pathological lesion in the rat, all of these changes could be cured spontaneously in varying degrees with prolongation of ischemic time, but electroacupuncture could relieve the lesions to a certain extents.

CONCLUSIONElectroacupuncture can improve neurologic deficit impairment, reduce the volume of cerebral infarction and ischemic pathological lesion, early interfere of acupuncture and moxibustion is of very important clinical significance for treatment of ischemic apoplexy.

Animals ; Brain ; Brain Ischemia ; therapy ; Cerebral Infarction ; Electroacupuncture ; Moxibustion ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) in regulating calcium (Ca2+) content in brain neurocytes of rats with focal cerebral ischemia.

METHODSThe changes of Ca2+ content in ischemic neurocytes were observed by using laser confocal scanning microscope.

RESULTSCa2+ content did not change significantly in cerebral cortex when the brain ischemia occurred for 1 hr, but it raised significantly in striatum neurocytes. Both the Ca2+ contents in striatum and cortex area increased significantly 3 hrs after ischemia occurrence and the content in striatum was higher than that in cortex significantly. Brain Ca2+ content could be reduced significantly after the 3 hrs ischemic brain were treated by EA for 30 min.

CONCLUSIONEA could regulate the content of Ca2+ in the ischemic area of brain, inhibit Ca2+ overload, so as to protect neurons from ischemic injury.

Animals ; Biological Transport, Active ; Brain ; metabolism ; pathology ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Electroacupuncture ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Neurons ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVEUsing methods of clinical scale assessment and cerebral functional imaging to compare the relative specificity of needling acupoints Baihui (DU20), Shuigou (DU26) and Shenmen (HT7) in intervening vascular dementia (VD) in different areas in the brain.

METHODSFifty patients with VD were randomized into 5 groups. Needling on conventionally used acupoints of hand and foot three Yang-meridians aiming at hemiplegia was applied to the patients in Group A, and needling on DU20 to Group B, on DU26 to Group C, on HT7 to Group D and on all the three to Group E was applied additionally. Assessments of Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Family Attitude Questionnaire (FAQ) were made. And the positron emission computerized tomography (PET) and single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) examinations were conducted in 5 selected patients from each group before and after treatment.

RESULTSNeedling on conventional acupoints plus DU20 could effect the inner temporal system, thalamencephalon system and prefrontal cortical system to improve memory and executive capacity of VD patients; conventional acupoints plus DU26 could effect more to the prefrontal cortical system to obviously elevate the executive capacity; that plus HT7 would reveal an effect similar to but rather weaker than plus DU20, and effect more to memory; and that plus all the three simultaneously could effect rather roundly multiple aspects of the nervous system related to intellectual activities, to elevate the recognition and enhance the executive capacity.

CONCLUSIONNeedling on various acupoints like DU20, DU26 and HT7 have effects on different brain areas.

Activities of Daily Living ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Aged ; Brain ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; Dementia, Vascular ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Female ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radionuclide Imaging

OBJECTIVETo describe the morphological features of congenital heart defects and their spatial orientations to the neighboring structures in special two-dimensional echocardiographic views.

METHODSConventional two-dimensional echocardiographic sections were obtained in 45 patients with atrial septal defect (ASD) and 15 with ventricular septal defect (VSD) before the en face imaging, a special echocardiographic view, was performed using a transthoracic probe for morphological characterization of the ASD and VSD. En face views of the secundum ASD and perimembranous and outflow tract or doubly committed subarterial VSD were imaged on the interatrial septal section and inflow and outflow interventricular septal section at parasternal or apical position, respectively.

RESULTSThe special echocardiographic section provided en face plane views of the congenital heart defects in 35/43 (81%) of secundum ASD and 10/15 (67%) of VSD patients, and allowed full assessment of their size, shape, circumference and spatial orientations to the neighboring structures, showing also the relationship between two or multiple defects.

CONCLUSIONThe special transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography not only displays the morphological features of ASD and VSD, but also provides additional information for making clinical decisions.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Echocardiography ; methods ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; diagnostic imaging ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; diagnostic imaging ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo determine the anatomical variation and classification of ventricular septal defect (VSD) using echocardiography for percutaneous catheter closure in eligible cases.

METHODThe isolated ventricular septal defect was diagnosed with echocardiography in 240 patients , and 167 patients screened by transthoracic echocardiography were suitable for percutaneous catheter closure, but only 62 with isolated perimembranous VSD voluntarily received the procedure.

RESULTSThe procedure was successful in 58 patients, with a success rate of 93.5% with Amplatzer device. The diameter of VSD ranged from 2.4 to 13.9 (mean 5.3-/+2.0) mm with echocardiography, and the size of Amplatzer device ranged from 4-18 (mean 8.3-/+2.9) mm. Perimembranous ventricular septal defect was complicated by aneurysm formation in 22 patients. Residual trivial or mild shunt was seen in seven (12%) patients at 24 h and one (1.7%) patient at 3 months. Seven (12.1%) patients developed heart block, 3 (5.2%) had intermittence and transient complete heart block, and one had transient second degree atrioventricular block disappearing in 3 to 10 days, and 3 (5.2%) patients had complete right bundle branch block lasting for one month. None of the patients developed significant aortic regurgitation (P>0.05), although 22 showed a superior margin of the defect less than 3 mm from the aortic valve. The mean distance from the aortic valve was 3.7-/+2.7 (1.0 to 10.5) mm. No significant mitral and tricuspid regurgitation occurred in these patients. Four patients had unsuccessful procedures.

CONCLUSIONSPercutaneous closure with Amplatzer device can be carried out successfully in a majority of suitable defects screened using transthoracic echocardiography. Echocardiography can exactly demonstrate the anatomical variation and classification of ventricular septal defect in adults. Attention should be given to the misdiagnosis by echocardiography of a doubly committed defect as a perimembranous outflow defect. Heart block can be an important complication of the procedure.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Balloon Occlusion ; instrumentation ; methods ; Cardiac Catheterization ; methods ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Echocardiography ; methods ; Female ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; classification ; diagnostic imaging ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prosthesis Implantation ; methods ; Septal Occluder Device ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the relative specialty of the acupoints of Baihui (DU20), Shuigou (DU26) and Shenmen (HT7) in treating vascular dementia (VD).

METHODSFifty patients suffering from VD were divided into 5 groups randomly and treated by conventional acupuncture for hemiplegia, or conventional acupuncture plus needling in DU20, DU26, HT7 respectively or simultaneously. Clinical symptoms were observed, and the scales such as Hasegawa's dementia scale-recension (HDS-R), activities of daily living (ADL) and functional activities questionnaire (FAQ) were used for assessment before and after acupuncture treatment. The scores were processed statistically.

RESULTSDU20 and HT7 could improve the abilities of memory, orientation, reaction and reduce adamancy and trance. Besides, DU 20 was helpful in improving the abilities of understanding, calculating and social adapting. While DU26 is helpful in treating retardation, failure in daily activities, trance and poor memory. The combination of the 3 acupoints could improve the intelligence and social adapting ability of VD patients.

CONCLUSIONDU20, DU26 and HT7 had its own effect in treating VD, but the effect of three points used in combination was the best.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Dementia, Vascular ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo find a clinically effective therapy for apoplectic pseudobulbar palsy.

METHODSSeventy-five cases of apoplectic pseudobulbar palsy were randomly divided into 3 groups, acupuncture group, western medicine group and acupuncture plus medicine group. They were treated for one month.

RESULTSThe scores for clinical symptoms and signs, and the clinical scores for water provocative test in the acupuncture plus medicine group and the acupuncture group were superior to that in the western medicine group with significant difference (P < 0.01), and the therapeutic effects of the 3 groups were related with age, course of disease and condition of illness.

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture has some predominances in treatment of apoplectic pseudobulbar palsy.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Pseudobulbar Palsy

"Acupoints-brain relation hypothesis" is put forward according to the combination of cerebral functional imaging techniques, positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and the studies of the essence of acupoints. Analysis based on the living state of human being, the cerebral function and the objective images and data will result in: (1) a model of cerebral functional imaging for the definition of acupoints, any points that coincide the basic factors of the model can be definited as an acupoint; (2) a model of cerebral functional imaging for needling sensation, any cerebral functional changes caused by needling coincide the basic factors of the model can be definited as needling sensation; (3) a study on characteristics and regular patterns of association of the acupoints selected along channels.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Brain ; physiology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Meridians ; Sensation