OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of acupuncture with yin-yang regulation method versus local acupuncture in treating chronic low back pain (CLBP) in elderly patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH), and to evaluate the changes in the multifidus muscle before and after treatment using musculoskeletal ultrasound. METHODS: A total of 128 elderly patients with CLBP due to LDH were randomly assigned to an observation group (64 cases, 2 cases dropped out) and a control group (64 cases, 2 cases dropped out). The control group received local acupuncture at bilateral L₃-L₅ Jiaji points (EX-B2), Shenshu (BL23), Dachangshu (BL25), Weizhong (BL40), Yaoyangguan (GV3), and ashi points. The observation group received acupuncture with yin-yang regulation method, which included an abdominal protocol with Baihui (GV20), Zhongwan (CV12), Qihai (CV6), Guanyuan (CV4), bilateral Tianshu (ST25), and Dahe (KI12), etc., and a lumbar protocol with Baihui (GV20), Dazhui (GV14), Jizhong (GV6), Yaoyangguan (GV3), and ashi points, etc., alternated bilaterally. Both groups were treated once every other day, three times per week, for a total of 12 sessions. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Oswestry disability index (ODI) score, and the indexs of musculoskeletal ultrasound multifidus muscle (resting and functional thickness and Young's modulus values) were observed before and after treatment, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated in the two groups. RESULTS: After 1 and 4 weeks of treatment, both groups showed lower VAS scores compared to baseline (P<0.05), the VAS scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.001). ODI scores in both groups were decreased after 1 and 4 weeks of treatment compared to baseline (P<0.05), with a further reduction at 4 weeks of treatment compared to 1 week of treatment (P<0.05); the observation group showed lower ODI score than the control group after 1 week of treatment (P<0.001). After treatment, both groups demonstrated increased resting and functional multifidus muscle thickness bilaterally compared to baseline (P<0.01), with an increased right-side thickness change rate (P<0.01), though no significant difference was observed between groups (P>0.05). Compared to baseline, after treatment, the observation group exhibited decreased Young's modulus values for bilateral resting and functional multifidus muscle (P<0.01), while the control group showed reductions only in bilateral resting and right-side functional Young's modulus values (P<0.01). After treatment, the bilateral functional Young's modulus values in the observation group were lower than that in the control group (P<0.05), and the bilateral resting and functional changes in Young's modulus values were greater in the observation group than those in the control group (P<0.01). The overall effective rate was 93.5% (58/62) in the observation group, which was higher than 79.0% (49/62) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Acupuncture with yin-yang regulation method effectively alleviates pain, improves functional disability, increases multifidus muscle thickness, and reduces Young's modulus values in elderly patients with CLBP due to LDH, which has superior therapeutic effect compared to local acupuncture.
Humans ; Low Back Pain/physiopathology* ; Male ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Female ; Aged ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement/physiopathology* ; Middle Aged ; Yin-Yang ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Acupuncture Points ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To investigate the radiation dose to phantoms of thick dense breasts (compression thickness ＞ 65 mm) and the influence of Molybdenum-Rhodium (Mo-Rh) and Wolfram Rhodium (W-Rh)) target-filter combination on image quality in full field digital mammography (FFDM).Methods An aluminium plate was placed on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) plates to simulate dense breasts.Two of 68 mm in-depth phantoms were used to simulate photography condition of thick dense breasts with 0.1 and 0.2 mm aluminium plates respectively.The two phantoms were exposed automatically,half-automatically and manually.The parameters were recorded for each exposure including the target-filter(T-F),tube voltage (kV),tube current (mAs),average glandular dose (AGD),entrance surface dose (ESD) and the image quality figure inverse (IQFInv).Pearson correlation and regression was used to analyze the influence of AGD on IQFInv.Paired sample t-test was used to analyze the influence of different target-filters on IQFInv and AGD.Results AGD had a positive correlation with IQFInv (r =0.806-0.953,P ＜ 0.05).For the phantom of 0.1 mm aluminium,when the tube current was fixed at 100 mAs or the tube voltage was fixed at 28 kVp,AGD and IQFInv had statistically significant difference for two target-filters(t =3.162-8.028,P ＜0.05).For the phantom with 0.2 mm aluminium,when the tube current was fixed at 100 mAs under different tube voltage,AGD and IQFInv had statistically significant difference for two target-filters(t =4.768-8.028,P ＜ 0.05);when tube voltage was fixed at 28 kVp under different tube current,AGD had statistically significant difference for two target-filters(t =7.730,P ＜ 0.05),while there was no statistical difference in IQFInv(P ＞ 0.05).In addition,when tube current was 100 mAs,IQFInv had statistically significant difference for two phantoms in W-Rh(t =2.345,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions W-Rh target-filter combination can achieve lower radiation dose under the guarantee of the image quality compared with Mo-Rh target-filter combination.At the same tube current,W-Rh target-filter combination can provide a better image quality under a relatively high tube voltage.

Klinefelter syndrome is a congenital disease of chromosomal aberrations with a prevalence of 0.8%-2.0% in men, which mainly represented as absence of sexual characteristics such as postpubescent undeveloped or less developed testicular, feminine breast development. This article reports two Klinefelter syndrome patients with chromosome karyotype of 47, XXY from 2006 to 2016. Each has successively received series of sex reassignment surgery to improve their genital and secondary sexual characteristics based on their own preferences, satisfactory outcome is therefore achieved.

Objective To establish a cosmetic medicine bio-psycho-social model and its theory frame and a new clinical work system. Methods The clinical observation and clustering analysis were used in this study, which based on the modern medicine patterns to carry on the logical proof, theory derivation and systematic design. Results The bio-psycho-social model of cosmetic me dicine with combination of the theory and practice was established, including its concept, theory constitution and clinical work system. Conclusion The bio-psycho-social model of cosmetic medicine can most scientifically and comprehensively explain this discipline rule and clinical work, and it will bring the profound influence on the development of the theory and practice in cosmetic medicine.