Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of combining acupuncture and medication in treating chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) due to spleen-stomach deficiency.
Methods: Totally 176 patients with CAG were randomized into two groups by the random number table. The 91 subjects in the treatment group were intervened by acupuncture and oral Chinese patent medication; the other 85 subjects were by oral Chinese patent medication alone. The clinical efficacies were compared at the end of intervention.
Results: After a treatment course, the total effective rate was 87.9% in the treatment group versus 75.3% in the control group; according to the gastroscopy and pathological biopsy examinations, the total effective rate was 85.7% in the treatment group versus 74.1% in the control group. There were significant differences in comparing the clinical efficacy, gastroscopy and pathological examinations between the two groups (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Combining acupuncture and medication can produce a better therapeutic efficacy than medication alone in treating CAG due to spleen-stomach deficiency.

Purpose To explore the feasibility of treating toothache with the acupoints in Liver Meridian. Method According to syndrome differentiation, toothache was divided into pathogenic wind-fire type and deficiency-fire type. Twenty patients were treated by needling Tai-chong (LR 3) o! the affected side. Reducing manipulation was performed for toothache due to pathogenic windfire while early-reducing-late-tonifying was performed for toothache due to deficiency-fire type. Results The pain disappearance occurred in 14 cases, improved in 5 cases and no effect in one case. Conclusion Needling Tai-chong( LR 3) was effective for toothache.

Fifty-six cases of nerve root sciatica patients were treated by stuck needle method at Ashi and Jiaji points (Ex-B 2) at the waist region, Huantiao (GB 30), Zhibian (BL 54),Weizhong (BL 40), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Chengshan (BL 57) and Kunlun (BL 60) in the diseased region. 40 cases were treated as control by routine even reinforcing-reducing manipulation with above acupoints. The curative effects were 96.4% and 90.0% respectively.

Peliosis hepatis is a rare benign hepatic vascular disease.There is the lack of specific clinical features and preoperative diagnosis.A patient with intermittent liver area pain was admitted to the Third Central Hospital of Tianjin in April 2014.The patient with space-occupying lessions of the right lobe of liver was preliminarily diagnosed as with hepatocellular tumor or vasogenic tumor by computed tomography and B ultrasound examinations and then received liver resection combined with cholecystectomy.The result of postoperative pathological examination confirmed peliosis hepatis with adenomatous hyperplasia of liver cells.The patient was followed up till October 20,2014 without recurrence.

OBJECTIVETo compare the difference in the efficacy on cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR) between acupuncture at the acupoints on the axillary nerve distribution and the regular selection of acupoints. Methods Eighty patients of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 40 ca.ses in each one. In the observation group, Jianjing (GB 21), Jianzhen (SI 9), Jianliao (TE 14) , Jianyu (LI 15) , Quyuan (SI 13), Tianzong (SI 11) and the trigger points in the scalpular region were selected along the axillary nerve distribution. The Hegu needling was adopted at the trigger points and stimulated with electric apparatus, continuous wave, 1Hz. In the control group, Dazhui (GV 14), Tianzhu (BL 10), Houxi (SI 3), cervical Jiaji (EX-B 2) were selected and stimulated with the regular acupuncture. Electric stimulation was added at cervical Jiaii (EX-B 2), with continuous wave, 1Hz. The needles were retained for 30 min in the two groups, once every two days and 10 treatments made one session. The efficacy was assessed in one session of treatment. The 20-point scale of CSR developed by Japanese scholar, Tanaka Yasuhisa, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) were adopted to score the clinical symptoms and pain degree before and after treatment in the patients and assess the efficacy of the two groups.

RESULTSThe symptom scores and VAS scores after treatment were improved apparently as compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0. 05, P<0. 01), and the results in the observation group were better than those in the control group (both P<0. 05). The total effective rate in the observation group was 85. 0% (34/40), better than 71. 8% (28/39) in the control group (P<0. 05).

CONCLUSIONThe acupuncture at the acupoints on the axillary nerve distribution achieves the definite efficacy on CSR, better I than the regular acupuncture at cervical Jiaji (EX-B 2).

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Axilla ; innervation ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain Measurement ; Radiculopathy ; therapy ; Shoulder Pain ; therapy ; Spondylosis ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To study the adsorption and separation of licorice flavonoid with macroporous resins. Methods Eight types of macroporous resin were selected to compare their performances in absorbing and desorbing licorice flavonoid. The optimal type for licorice flavonoid was decided, meanwhile, its kinetic curve and dynamic absorbing behavior were studied. Results HPD300 resin possessed higher adsorption and desorption capacity. The appropriate adsorption and desorption conditions were as follows:concentration of sample was 2.0 mg/mL, velocity of sample solution was 1.5 BV/h, volume of sample solution was 2 BV (bed volume);velocity of 80%ethanol was taken as eluant 1.5 BV/h, and the volume was 3 BV. Flavonoid content was increased more than 2 times under above conditions. Conclusion HPD300 macroporous resin showed better comprehensive adsorption property. It can be used to purify and separate licorice flavonoid.

Objective:To assess the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) at Houxi (SI 3) in treating acute lumbar sprain. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving EA at Houxi (SI 3) for acute lumbar sprain were retrieved from PubMed (1966-2014), EMBASE (1980-2014), Cochrane Library (Issue 1, 2014), CQVIP Database (1989-2014), Wanfang Digital Journal (1998-2014), the Chinese Biological Medical Literature Database (CBM, 1978-2014), and China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI, 1979-2014). The collection of data also adopted hand-search of the relevant journals from the Library of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. All of the data were first evaluated and extracted by two reviewers independently with a specially designed form. Then, the available data were analyzed by the Cochrane Collaboration's RevMan 5.2.0 software. Results:A total of 6 trials involving 1 288 patients were eligible. Meta-analysis showed that the total effectiveness rate in the EA group was significantly different when compared with Nimesulide [RR=1.33; 95% CI (1.19 to 1.49)] and Mobic [RR=1.08; 95% CI (1.03 to 1.14)], but similar to that of acupuncture at Yaotongdian (EX-UE 7) [RR=71.09; 95% CI (1.00 to 1.19)] and Diclofenac Sodium [RR=1.08; (95% CI 0.96 to 1.21)]. The recovery rate in the EA group was significantly different when compared with Mobic [RR=1.67; (95% CI 1.45 to 1.92)] and Nimesulid [RR=1.37; (95% CI 1.15 to 1.62)], but similar to that of acupuncture at Yaotongdian [(RR=1.35; 95% CI 0.99 to 1.84)] and Diclofenac Sodium [(RR=1.19; 95% CI 0.88 to 1.61)]. Conclusion:Up to the search date, there are few high quality RCTs to evaluate the clinical efficacy of EA at Houxi (SI 3) for acute lumbar sprain, especially studies in English. Yet EA at Houxi (SI 3) still appeared to be an efficacious method for acute lumbar sprain, despite several inherent defects of the included studies. Further large scale trials are required to define the role of EA at Houxi (SI 3) in the treatment of this disease.

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of‘setting fire on the mountain’ manipulation by Lu Shou-yan for cervical radiculopathy as well as the infrared thermographic changes of the cervical area before and after treatment.
Methods:A total of 120 eligible cases with cervical radiculopathy were randomly allocated into an observation group and a control group, 60 in each group. Cases in the observation group were treated with Lu Shou-yan’s ‘setting fire on the mountain’ manipulation, whereas cases in the control group were treated with even reinforcing-reducing manipulation. After two courses of treatment, the infrared thermographic changes and overall therapeutic efficacies in the two groups were compared.
Results: The recovery rate and total effective rate in the observation group were 68.3%and 98.3%respectively, versus 28.3%and 81.7%in the control group, showing statistical differences in recovery rate and total effective rate (both P<0.01). There was between-group statistical significance in comparing the infrared thermography after treatment (P<0.01).
Conclusion:‘Setting fire on the mountain’ manipulation by Lu Shou-yan is better than even reinforcing-reducing manipulation for cervical radiculopathy.

BACKGROUND: Electro-acupuncture therapy shows good central and peripheral analgesic effects. Several studies have shown that transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of knee osteoarthritis. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism underlying electro-acupuncture treatment of knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: A total of 80 healthy male 3-month-old Sprague Dawley rats were randomly and evenly divided into normal, model, electro-acupuncture and drug groups. Rat models of knee osteoarthris were estbalished by ligating the femoral veins and forcing rats to do activies. At 1 month after knee osteoarthris induction, the electro-acupuncture group rats received electro-acupuncture therapy at two acupoints Neixiyan (EX-LE4) and Dubi (ST 35) with a depth of 0.1 cun (pulse 2 Hz, 20 minutes, once a day). The drug group rats were intraarticularly administerd sodium hyaluronate (0.1 mL/administration, once a week). After 2-week treatment, synovial tissue of the knee joint was harvested to determine the exprssion of TGF-β1, TGF-β1 receptor Ⅰand TGF-β1 receptor Ⅱ. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: TGF-β1 expression in synovial tissue of the knee joint was significantly increased after knee osteoarthris (P < 0.05), but after electro-accupuncture therepy or sodium hyaluronate treatment, TGF-β1 expression was significantly decreased (P < 0.05), moreover, TGF-β1 receptor Ⅰ, Ⅱ expression was signficantly decreased (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that electro-acupuncture for treatment of knee osteoartheis improves the symptoms of osteoarthris by downregulating TGF-β1 expression, and reduction in TGF-β1 receptor Ⅰ, Ⅱ expression promotes the recovery of knee osteoarthris.

Background:Intestinal metaplasia(IM)and dysplasia in Barrett’s esophagus(BE)can be detected by endoscopic biopsy combined with pathological examination. Aims:To evaluate the efficacy of acetic acid stain-guided biopsies in detection of IM and dysplasia in BE under standard endoscopy. Methods:One hundred patients found to have columnar-lined esophagus by endoscopy from January 2012 to November 2014 at Shanghai Jing’an District Central Hospital were enrolled. Under standard endoscopy,acetic acid was sprayed and multi-point biopsies were performed in visible abnormal regions. This was followed by four-quadrant biopsies at every 1 to 2 cm of the remaining BE segments. Detection rates of columnar epithelium,IM and dysplasia were compared between acetic acid stain-guided biopsies and four-quadrant biopsies. Results:A total of 96 patients were diagnosed as BE. Detection rates of columnar epithelium by acetic acid stain-guided biopsies and four-quadrant biopsies were 96. 9%(93 / 96)and 90. 6% (87 / 96),respectively,no significant difference was found between the two methods(McNemar test,P = 0. 146),however,consistency of the two methods was poor(κ = 0. 340). A total of 32 patients were diagnosed as BE with IM. Detection rates of IM by acetic acid stain-guided biopsies and four-quadrant biopsies were 84. 4%(27 / 32)and 40. 6%(13 / 32),respectively,difference in detection rate between the two methods was significant(McNemar test,P = 0. 007),and consistency of the two methods was poor(κ =0. 266). Five cases of low-grade dysplasia were detected by acetic acid stain-guided biopsies only. Conclusions:Acetic acid stain-guided biopsies can detect BE with IM and dysplasia better than four-quadrant biopsies.