This article introduces Professor LIU Xing's clinical experience in treatment of peripheral facial paralysis at the recovery and sequelae stages with the combination of acupotomy, cupping and herbal medication. Based on the analysis of etiology and pathogenesis of peripheral facial paralysis, Professor LIU believes that "invasion of pathogenic wind to collaterals and obstruction of qi and blood" is crucial. Therefore, the treatment focuses on "dispelling wind and harmonizing blood". The compound therapeutic mode is proposed, with acupotomy, cupping and herbal decoction involved, in which, "three-step sequential method of acupotomy" is predominated. Firstly, in the prone position, five "feng" (wind) points are stimulated in patient, Fengfu (GV16), Fengchi (GB20), Yifeng (TE17), Bingfeng (SI12) and Fengmen (BL12). Secondly, in the lateral position, three-facial points are stimulated (FaceⅠneedle: Yangbai [GB14]-Yuyao [EX-HN4]; Face Ⅱ needle: Sibai [ST2]-Quanliao [SI18]; Face Ⅲ needle: Jiache [ST6]-Dicang [ST4]) to restore the deviated facial muscles. Finally, in the supine, two Dantian points are stimulated on the forehead and chest, respectively (upper Dantian: Yintang [GV24⁺], middle Dantian: Danzhong [CV17]), to regulate qi and blood. As the adjunctive therapies, cupping is used to remove stasis, and herbal decoction is to harmonize the body interior. In view of holistic regulation, the treatment is administered in accordance with the affected meridians, so as to expel wind, remove obstruction in collaterals and regulate qi and blood.
Humans ; Facial Paralysis/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Acupuncture Points ; Cupping Therapy ; Aged ; Young Adult

The paper introduces Professor LIU Xing's clinical experience and characteristics of integrative acupuncture and medication in treatment of primary trigeminal neuralgia (PTN). It is believed that the essential pathogenesis of PTN is pathogenic wind, and qi and blood obstruction results from invasion of pathogenic wind. Hence, dispelling wind is the key principle of treatment. Palpation is done at first in the neck, face and buccal mucosal region to detect the masses in treatment. Acupotomy is operated at the masses distributed at Shangguan (GB3), Xiaguan (ST7) and the white line of buccal mucosa, so as to release masses. Additionally, five-wind points (Fengfu [GV16], bilateral Fengchi [GB20], Yifeng [TE17], Bingfeng [SI12] and Fengmen [BL12]), three-nape points (bilateral Naokong [GB19], Tianzhu [BL10] and Jianjing [GB21]) and three-governor-vessel points (Baihui [GV20], Zhiyang [GV9] and Yintang [GV24⁺]) are selected to dispel wind and stop pain. Besides, herbal decoction (wu feng tang) and blood-letting at ear apex are administered in combination. The integration of acupuncture and medication obtains a holistic effect on PTN by dispelling wind pathogen, and promoting qi and blood circulation.
Humans ; Trigeminal Neuralgia/drug therapy* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture Points ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Adult ; Aged

Diabetic kidney disease （DKD） is one of the most common and harmful microvascular complications of diabetes， and there is currently a lack of effective treatment methods to delay its progression. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of treating DKD and offers unique advantages. As a traditional Chinese medicine， Rehmannia glutinosa has shown potential in the treatment of DKD in clinical and modern pharmacological research. After integrating relevant research on the pharmacological mechanism of R. glutinosa in treating DKD， it has been found that the main active components of R. glutinosa， such as catalpol， rehmannioside D， aucubin， verbascoside， salidroside， echinacoside and R. glutinosa polysaccharides， along with its extracts and compounds （such as Liuwei dihuang pills， Shenqi dihuang decoction， and Shenqi pills）， can exert multiple effects by intervening in various signaling pathways， including advanced glycation end product （AGE）/receptor for AGE， nuclear factor kappa-B （NF- κB）， and transforming growth factor-β1 （TGF-β1）/Smads. These effects include ameliorating metabolic disorders and oxidative stress in DKD， inhibiting the processes of renal inflammation and fibrosis， regulating cell death modalities including apoptosis and ferroptosis， as well as autophagy， and reshaping the gut microbiota. Consequently， it can improve physical and chemical indices and renal tissue pathological damage， thus delaying the progression of DKD.

Objective:To analyze the clinical features of children with infection-related eosinophilic lung diseases (ELD) caused by common respiratory pathogens.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinical features, auxiliary examinations, treatments, and prognoses of 134 children with infection-related ELD caused by common respiratory pathogens at Yuying Children′s Hospital from January 2014 to June 2024 were collected. Participants were divided into the mild and severe groups based on whether the proportion of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) exceeded 0.25. Chi-square test or Fisher exact test was used to analyze the differences between the two groups, and Logistic regression was performed to examine the correlation between BALF eosinophilia and the clinical outcomes.Results:Among the 134 children, 73 were males and 61 were females, with an age of 6.9 (4.6, 8.8) years on admission. A total of 154 pathogen detections were recorded, including 116 cases (75.3%) of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, 8 cases (5.2%) of influenza A virus, 6 cases (3.9%) of Streptococcus pneumoniae, and 6 cases (3.9%) of Chlamydia pneumoniae, among others. The percentage of eosinophils in the BALF of all children was 0.10 (0.07, 0.15). There were 117 cases in the mild group and 17 cases in the severe group. Compared with the mild group, significantly greater proportion of children in the severe group presented dyspnea (10/17 vs. 17.1% (20/117)), wheezing (7/17 vs. 8.5% (10/117)), respiratory failure (8/17 vs. 7.7% (9/117)), single lobe ≥2/3 consolidation (7/17 vs. 12.8% (15/117)), atelectasis (7/17 vs. 12.0% (14/117)), pleural effusion (7/17 vs. 16.2% (19/117)), plastic bronchiolitis (4/17 vs. 4.3% (5/117)), and systemic corticosteroid prescription (14/17 vs. 51.3% (60/117)) (all P<0.05). Univariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that severe eosinophilia in BALF was significantly associated with an elevated risk of respiratory failure ( OR=10.67, 95% CI 3.31-34.38, P<0.001), single lobe ≥2/3 consolidation ( OR=4.76, 95% CI 1.57-14.41, P=0.006), atelectasis ( OR=5.15, 95% CI 1.69-15.72, P=0.004), pleural effusion ( OR=3.61, 95% CI 1.22-10.67, P=0.020), and plastic bronchitis ( OR=6.89, 95% CI 1.64-28.94, P=0.008). Among the 126 children who were followed up, 106 cases (84.1%) were cured, 20 cases (15.9%) improved, and no relapses or deaths occurred. Conclusions:Mycoplasma pneumoniae and influenza A virus are common pathogens in children with infection-related ELD and the percentage of eosinophils in BALF is mildly increased, and the severe cases exhibit more severe clinical features and more significant pulmonary abnormalities, such as lobar consolidation and lung atelectasis. The prognosis is generally favorable.

Objective:To explore the correlation between serum uric acid/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (UHR) and the risk of hypertension in elderly physical examination populations.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 1 028 patients aged≥60 years who underwent physical examinations at the Health Management Center of Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital from September 2023 to February 2024 were included in this study. The general demographic data, past medical history, physical examination and laboratory examination indicators of the physical examiners were collected, and according to whether they had hypertension or not, they were divided into hypertension group (390 cases) and non-hypertension group (638 cases), and all UHR values were arranged from small to large, and the UHR was divided into three groups by tertiles of UHR, and the general data and blood biochemical indexes between the groups were compared. Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the correlation between UHR level and body mass index, total cholesterol, triglyceride and other indexes in the elderly population. Logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between UHR level and hypertension in the elderly population, and the stratification analysis of the physical examination population was carried out according to diabetes, coronary heart disease and dyslipidemia, and the interaction test between groups was carried out.Results:Among the 1 028 geriatric physical examination cases, 580 (56.4%) were males and 448 (43.6%) were females, aged (66.7±5.8) years. UHR levels were higher in the hypertensive group compared to the non-hypertensive group [248.88 (191.19, 322.25) vs 213.52 (165.94, 275.29); Z=-5.445, P<0.05]. With the increase of UHR level, the detection rate of hypertension in the elderly population increased (accounted for 27.8%, 38.2% and 47.8%, respectively; χ2=29.211, P<0.05). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that UHR was positively correlated with body mass index, triglycerides, serum uric acid, serum creatinine and fasting blood glucose ( r=0.318, 0.334, 0.774, 0.474, 0.080; all P<0.05), and negatively correlated with total cholesterol, glomerular filtration rate and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( r=-0.239, -0.303, -0.154; all P<0.05). When the confounding factors were not adjusted (model 1), the risk of hypertension in high UHR group was 2.382 times higher than that in low UHR group and 1.607 times higher than that in medium UHR group; after adjusting for all confounding factors such as age, gender, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, junior high school education or below, smoking, alcohol consumption, glomerular filtration rate, etc., the risk of hypertension in the high-level UHR group was 1.732 times higher than that in the low-level UHR group (95% CI: 1.139-2.635) ( P<0.05). The elderly physical examination population was further stratified according to whether there was diabetes, dyslipidemia and coronary heart disease, and it was found that there was no interaction between UHR and diabetes, dyslipidemia and coronary heart disease on the prevalence of hypertension (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Hypertension detection rate increases with higher UHR levels. UHR is closely related to the incidence of hypertension in the elderly population.

Objective:To investigate the clinical effects of radiofrequency microneedling versus fire needle therapy on facial acne. Methods:Ninety patients with facial acne treated at Wenzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from January 2022 to December 2023 were included in this study. Each patient's facial areas were divided into a radiofrequency microneedling group and a fire needle group, with treatments conducted every 2 weeks for a total of two sessions. The improvement of skin lesions on both sides was assessed using the Global Acne Grading System (GAGS), while the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the severity of pain experienced by patients. The incidence of adverse reactions, recurrence rates, and patient satisfaction were statistically analyzed. Additionally, a reflective confocal microscope was used to observe the imaging characteristics of the lesions before and after treatment.Results:At 2 and 4 weeks post-treatment, GAGS results showed that the improvement rates for skin lesions in the radiofrequency microneedling group were 83.33% (75/90) and 90.00% (81/90), respectively, both of which were significantly higher than those in the fire needle group [70.00% (63/90), 78.89% (71/90), χ2 = 4.47, 4.22, P = 0.034, 0.040]. The incidence of pigmentation in the radiofrequency microneedling group was 4.44% (4/90), which was slightly higher than that in the fire needle group [2.22% (2/90)]. However, there was no significant difference in overall incidence of adverse reactions between the radiofrequency microneedling and fire needle groups [15.56% (14/90) vs. 20.00% (18/90), χ2 = 0.60, P = 0.436]. The recurrence rate was lower in the radiofrequency microneedling group [10.00% (9/90)] compared with the fire needle group [22.22% (20/90), χ2 = 4.97, P = 0.026]. The VAS score for the radiofrequency microneedling group was (4.12 ± 1.33) during the first treatment and (3.30 ± 1.05) during the second treatment, both of which were significantly higher than those in the fire needle group [(3.67 ± 1.12), (2.88 ± 0.86), t = 2.45, 2.93, P = 0.015, 0.004]. Patient satisfaction with treatment outcomes did not significantly differ between the radiofrequency microneedling and fire needle groups [92.22% (83/90) vs. 87.78% (79/90), χ2 = 0.98, P = 0.320]. Results from the reflective confocal microscope indicated that after treatment, the hair follicles in both the radiofrequency microneedling and fire needle groups exhibited a distinct funnel shape and oval appearance, along with a noticeable reduction in funnel diameter compared with pre-treatment observations. Additionally, there was a decrease in the central amorphous material, a reduction in the size of the bright edge zone, and a decline in the infiltration of inflammatory cells, with no significant differences observed between the two groups. Conclusions:For facial inflammatory acne lesions (such as papules and pustules), both radiofrequency microneedling and fire needle treatments have shown good effectiveness. The fire needle treatment leads to less pain, while radiofrequency microneedling has a lower recurrence rate, but it carries a slightly higher risk of hyperpigmentation.

Objective:To investigate the clinical effects of radiofrequency microneedling versus fire needle therapy on facial acne. Methods:Ninety patients with facial acne treated at Wenzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from January 2022 to December 2023 were included in this study. Each patient's facial areas were divided into a radiofrequency microneedling group and a fire needle group, with treatments conducted every 2 weeks for a total of two sessions. The improvement of skin lesions on both sides was assessed using the Global Acne Grading System (GAGS), while the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the severity of pain experienced by patients. The incidence of adverse reactions, recurrence rates, and patient satisfaction were statistically analyzed. Additionally, a reflective confocal microscope was used to observe the imaging characteristics of the lesions before and after treatment.Results:At 2 and 4 weeks post-treatment, GAGS results showed that the improvement rates for skin lesions in the radiofrequency microneedling group were 83.33% (75/90) and 90.00% (81/90), respectively, both of which were significantly higher than those in the fire needle group [70.00% (63/90), 78.89% (71/90), χ2 = 4.47, 4.22, P = 0.034, 0.040]. The incidence of pigmentation in the radiofrequency microneedling group was 4.44% (4/90), which was slightly higher than that in the fire needle group [2.22% (2/90)]. However, there was no significant difference in overall incidence of adverse reactions between the radiofrequency microneedling and fire needle groups [15.56% (14/90) vs. 20.00% (18/90), χ2 = 0.60, P = 0.436]. The recurrence rate was lower in the radiofrequency microneedling group [10.00% (9/90)] compared with the fire needle group [22.22% (20/90), χ2 = 4.97, P = 0.026]. The VAS score for the radiofrequency microneedling group was (4.12 ± 1.33) during the first treatment and (3.30 ± 1.05) during the second treatment, both of which were significantly higher than those in the fire needle group [(3.67 ± 1.12), (2.88 ± 0.86), t = 2.45, 2.93, P = 0.015, 0.004]. Patient satisfaction with treatment outcomes did not significantly differ between the radiofrequency microneedling and fire needle groups [92.22% (83/90) vs. 87.78% (79/90), χ2 = 0.98, P = 0.320]. Results from the reflective confocal microscope indicated that after treatment, the hair follicles in both the radiofrequency microneedling and fire needle groups exhibited a distinct funnel shape and oval appearance, along with a noticeable reduction in funnel diameter compared with pre-treatment observations. Additionally, there was a decrease in the central amorphous material, a reduction in the size of the bright edge zone, and a decline in the infiltration of inflammatory cells, with no significant differences observed between the two groups. Conclusions:For facial inflammatory acne lesions (such as papules and pustules), both radiofrequency microneedling and fire needle treatments have shown good effectiveness. The fire needle treatment leads to less pain, while radiofrequency microneedling has a lower recurrence rate, but it carries a slightly higher risk of hyperpigmentation.

Objective:To explore the correlation between serum uric acid/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (UHR) and the risk of hypertension in elderly physical examination populations.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 1 028 patients aged≥60 years who underwent physical examinations at the Health Management Center of Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital from September 2023 to February 2024 were included in this study. The general demographic data, past medical history, physical examination and laboratory examination indicators of the physical examiners were collected, and according to whether they had hypertension or not, they were divided into hypertension group (390 cases) and non-hypertension group (638 cases), and all UHR values were arranged from small to large, and the UHR was divided into three groups by tertiles of UHR, and the general data and blood biochemical indexes between the groups were compared. Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the correlation between UHR level and body mass index, total cholesterol, triglyceride and other indexes in the elderly population. Logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between UHR level and hypertension in the elderly population, and the stratification analysis of the physical examination population was carried out according to diabetes, coronary heart disease and dyslipidemia, and the interaction test between groups was carried out.Results:Among the 1 028 geriatric physical examination cases, 580 (56.4%) were males and 448 (43.6%) were females, aged (66.7±5.8) years. UHR levels were higher in the hypertensive group compared to the non-hypertensive group [248.88 (191.19, 322.25) vs 213.52 (165.94, 275.29); Z=-5.445, P<0.05]. With the increase of UHR level, the detection rate of hypertension in the elderly population increased (accounted for 27.8%, 38.2% and 47.8%, respectively; χ2=29.211, P<0.05). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that UHR was positively correlated with body mass index, triglycerides, serum uric acid, serum creatinine and fasting blood glucose ( r=0.318, 0.334, 0.774, 0.474, 0.080; all P<0.05), and negatively correlated with total cholesterol, glomerular filtration rate and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( r=-0.239, -0.303, -0.154; all P<0.05). When the confounding factors were not adjusted (model 1), the risk of hypertension in high UHR group was 2.382 times higher than that in low UHR group and 1.607 times higher than that in medium UHR group; after adjusting for all confounding factors such as age, gender, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, junior high school education or below, smoking, alcohol consumption, glomerular filtration rate, etc., the risk of hypertension in the high-level UHR group was 1.732 times higher than that in the low-level UHR group (95% CI: 1.139-2.635) ( P<0.05). The elderly physical examination population was further stratified according to whether there was diabetes, dyslipidemia and coronary heart disease, and it was found that there was no interaction between UHR and diabetes, dyslipidemia and coronary heart disease on the prevalence of hypertension (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Hypertension detection rate increases with higher UHR levels. UHR is closely related to the incidence of hypertension in the elderly population.

Objective:To analyze the clinical features of children with infection-related eosinophilic lung diseases (ELD) caused by common respiratory pathogens.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinical features, auxiliary examinations, treatments, and prognoses of 134 children with infection-related ELD caused by common respiratory pathogens at Yuying Children′s Hospital from January 2014 to June 2024 were collected. Participants were divided into the mild and severe groups based on whether the proportion of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) exceeded 0.25. Chi-square test or Fisher exact test was used to analyze the differences between the two groups, and Logistic regression was performed to examine the correlation between BALF eosinophilia and the clinical outcomes.Results:Among the 134 children, 73 were males and 61 were females, with an age of 6.9 (4.6, 8.8) years on admission. A total of 154 pathogen detections were recorded, including 116 cases (75.3%) of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, 8 cases (5.2%) of influenza A virus, 6 cases (3.9%) of Streptococcus pneumoniae, and 6 cases (3.9%) of Chlamydia pneumoniae, among others. The percentage of eosinophils in the BALF of all children was 0.10 (0.07, 0.15). There were 117 cases in the mild group and 17 cases in the severe group. Compared with the mild group, significantly greater proportion of children in the severe group presented dyspnea (10/17 vs. 17.1% (20/117)), wheezing (7/17 vs. 8.5% (10/117)), respiratory failure (8/17 vs. 7.7% (9/117)), single lobe ≥2/3 consolidation (7/17 vs. 12.8% (15/117)), atelectasis (7/17 vs. 12.0% (14/117)), pleural effusion (7/17 vs. 16.2% (19/117)), plastic bronchiolitis (4/17 vs. 4.3% (5/117)), and systemic corticosteroid prescription (14/17 vs. 51.3% (60/117)) (all P<0.05). Univariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that severe eosinophilia in BALF was significantly associated with an elevated risk of respiratory failure ( OR=10.67, 95% CI 3.31-34.38, P<0.001), single lobe ≥2/3 consolidation ( OR=4.76, 95% CI 1.57-14.41, P=0.006), atelectasis ( OR=5.15, 95% CI 1.69-15.72, P=0.004), pleural effusion ( OR=3.61, 95% CI 1.22-10.67, P=0.020), and plastic bronchitis ( OR=6.89, 95% CI 1.64-28.94, P=0.008). Among the 126 children who were followed up, 106 cases (84.1%) were cured, 20 cases (15.9%) improved, and no relapses or deaths occurred. Conclusions:Mycoplasma pneumoniae and influenza A virus are common pathogens in children with infection-related ELD and the percentage of eosinophils in BALF is mildly increased, and the severe cases exhibit more severe clinical features and more significant pulmonary abnormalities, such as lobar consolidation and lung atelectasis. The prognosis is generally favorable.

The comparison between traditional Chinese medicine Jinzhen oral liquid (JZOL) and Western medicine in treating children with acute bronchitis (AB) showed encouraging outcomes. This trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of the JZOL for improving cough and expectoration in children with AB. 480 children were randomly assigned to take JZOL or ambroxol hydrochloride and clenbuterol hydrochloride oral solution for 7 days. The primary outcome was time-to-cough resolution. The median time-to-cough resolution in both groups was 5.0 days and the antitussive onset median time was only 1 day. This randomized controlled trial showed that JZOL was not inferior to cough suppressant and phlegm resolving western medicine in treating cough and sputum and could comprehensively treat respiratory and systemic discomfort symptoms. Combined with clinical trials, the mechanism of JZOL against AB was uncovered by network target analysis, it was found that the pathways in TRP channels like IL-1β/IL1R/TRPV1/TRPA1, NGF/TrkA/TRPV1/TRPA1, and PGE2/EP/PKA/TRPV1/TRPA1 might play important roles. Animal experiments further confirmed that inflammation and the immune regulatory effect of JZOL in the treatment of AB were of vital importance and TRP channels were the key mechanism of action.