Objective:To explore the effect of combining transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with acupuncture in the treatment of patients with vascular cognitive impairment (VCI).Methods:A total of 40 VCI patients were randomly assigned to either the control group or the experimental group ( n=20 per group) using a random number table. Both groups received routine treatment and rTMS, while the experimental group was additionally provided with acupuncture for four weeks. The rTMS was at 10Hz at 90% of the motor threshold. Before and after the treatment, both groups′ cognition was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Ability in the activities of daily living (ADL) was quantified using the modified Barthel Index (MBI). Serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results:Significant improvement was observed in both groups′ average MoCA, MMSE, and MBI scores, along with reductions in peripheral serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels. The experimental group exhibited significantly higher MoCA subdomain scores in the visuospatial and executive function, attention, and delayed recall subdomains, as well as a higher total MoCA score compared to the control group. The average MMSE and MBI scores were significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group, and that group′s serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels were significantly lower, on average. Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between the improvements in MoCA and MMSE scores and the reductions in IL-6 and TNF-α levels in both groups.Conclusions:rTMS combined with acupuncture effectively improves cognition and ADL ability among VCI patients. The underlying mechanism may be associated with the reduction of neuroinflammatory factors IL-6 and TNF-α.

Objective:To explore the effect of combining transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with acupuncture in the treatment of patients with vascular cognitive impairment (VCI).Methods:A total of 40 VCI patients were randomly assigned to either the control group or the experimental group ( n=20 per group) using a random number table. Both groups received routine treatment and rTMS, while the experimental group was additionally provided with acupuncture for four weeks. The rTMS was at 10Hz at 90% of the motor threshold. Before and after the treatment, both groups′ cognition was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Ability in the activities of daily living (ADL) was quantified using the modified Barthel Index (MBI). Serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results:Significant improvement was observed in both groups′ average MoCA, MMSE, and MBI scores, along with reductions in peripheral serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels. The experimental group exhibited significantly higher MoCA subdomain scores in the visuospatial and executive function, attention, and delayed recall subdomains, as well as a higher total MoCA score compared to the control group. The average MMSE and MBI scores were significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group, and that group′s serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels were significantly lower, on average. Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between the improvements in MoCA and MMSE scores and the reductions in IL-6 and TNF-α levels in both groups.Conclusions:rTMS combined with acupuncture effectively improves cognition and ADL ability among VCI patients. The underlying mechanism may be associated with the reduction of neuroinflammatory factors IL-6 and TNF-α.

[Objective]To explore the inheritance status and academic characteristics of SHI's acupuncture and moxibustion school in northern Zhejiang,and to further enrich the connotation of Xiushui medical school.[Methods]Using the method of reviewing and researching the traditional medical history literature and modern literature,the origin,inheritance and academic characteristics of SHI's acupuncture and moxibustion were excavated,analyzed and sorted out.[Results]The culture of traditional Chinese medicine in northern Zhejiang is profound,there are many genres of acupuncture and moxibustion,and many famous doctors and scholars.The more influential schools of acupuncture and moxibustion are LING,SHI,YAN,SHENG and JIN,which have been passed down from generation to generation and innovated repeatedly.As one of the typical representatives,SHI's acupuncture has a long history,active inheritance and rich content.In clinical practice,great importance is attached to the spleen and stomach,and the treatment principle is to strengthen the spleen and benefit the stomach,warm and transport Yang Qi of middle-Jiao,and be good at applying warm acupuncture,so that Qi can be warmed and operated easier,and the acupuncture can be helped to regulate Qi.SHI's acupuncture also pays attention to the combination of acupuncture and moxibustion,and the combination of acupuncture and medicine to improve clinical efficacy.SHI's descendants are constantly innovating while inheriting and keeping the right,so as to enrich the disease spectrum,enrich the treatment methods and improve the clinical efficacy.[Conclusion]In the process of continuous inheritance and innovation,SHI's acupuncture has gradually formed a diagnosis and treatment system with acupuncture characteristics in northern Zhejiang,which can provide learning and reference for clinical practice.

In recent years, more and more studies had found that ferroptosis regulated the death of nerve cells in the process of ischemic stroke. The ferroptosis of nerve cells was composed of three pathways: iron metabolism, lipid metabolism and amino acid metabolism. During ischemic stroke, the abnormal intake and excretion of iron in nerve cells with the pathway of iron pathway made the increase of intracellular free iron cause Fenton reaction; the up-regulation of acyl-coenzyme A synthetase long-chain family member 4 and lipoxygenase in lipid pathway promoted the transformation of polyunsaturated fatty acids into lipid peroxides on cell membrane; the abnormality of cystine/glutamate reverse transporter and glutathione peroxidase 4 in amino acid pathway led to the excessive accumulation of lipid peroxides. These pathways were related to each other and eventually led to ferroptosis of nerve cells. Here, the relationship between ischemic stroke and ferroptosis was summarized, in order to provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of ischemic stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of long-time needle retaining at Baihui (GV 20) on post-stroke cognitive disorder of deficiency and blood stasis. METHODS: A total of 70 patients (3 cases dropping) with post-stroke cognitive disorder of deficiency and blood stasis were randomized into an observation group (34 cases) and a control group (33 cases). Neurological routine treatment and western medicine rehabilitation therapy were given in the control group as the basic treatment, on the basis of the treatment as the control group, long-time needle retaining at Baihui (GV 20) was applied in the observation group. The treatment was given once every other day, 3 times a week for a total of 4 weeks. The National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS), mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) and deficiency blood stasis syndrome scale score were observed before and after treatment, and the clinical efficacy was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After 4 weeks of treatment, the NIHSS scores of the two groups were lower than those before treatment (both <0.01), and the MMSE and MoCA scores were higher than those before treatment (<0.05, <0.01), and the scores in the observation group were better than those in the control group (all <0.01). After treatment, the scores of deficiency and blood stasis syndrome were lower than those before treatment (all <0.01). The scores of the shortness of breath, facial color, tongue pulse and dizziness in the observation group were better than those in the control group (all <0.05), there was no significant difference in the degree of spontaneous sweating between the two groups (>0.05). The total effective rate was 94.1% (32/34) in the observation group, which was higher than 75.8% (25/33) in the control group (<0.05). CONCLUSION Long-time needle retaining at Baihui (GV 20) is safe and effective in treating with post-stroke cognitive disorder of deficiency and blood stasis.
Cognition ; Cognition Disorders ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Qi ; Stroke ; complications ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture, tuina plus rehabilitative therapy on lower limb motor dysfunction in infants with spastic cerebral palsy.
Methods:A total of 60 infants with spastic cerebral palsy were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group by random digital table, 30 cases in each group. The treatment group was treated with acupuncture, tuina therapy plus rehabilitative therapy of Western medicine. The control group was simply treated with rehabilitative therapy of Western medicine, as same as that for the treatment group. The assessment was respectively given to the sick infants before the treatment and after the treatment of six months, to evaluate lying and rolling scores in dimension A, to evaluate sitting score in dimension B, to evaluate crawling and kneeling scores in dimension C, and evaluate standing score in dimension D in the gross motor functions and determine the muscle tone of the gastrocnemius muscle by modified Ashworth scale (MAS).
Results:The differences were not statistically significant in comparison of the gross motor functions and the muscle tone of the gastrocnemius muscle between the two groups of sick infants before the treatment (P>0.05); after the treatment of six months, the above items were obviously improved in the two groups (P<0.01), better in the treatment group than in the control group, with the statistical significance in the differences between the groups (P<0.01).
Conclusion:Acupuncture, tuina plus rehabilitative therapy of Western medicine are remarkable in the therapeutic effects in the treatment of motor disorders of the lower limbs in the sick infants with spastic cerebral palsy. This therapeutic method is safe, simple and convenient and needs to be clinically popularized and applied.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture plus acupoint application in treating irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D).Method Sixty patients were randomized into two groups, 30 cases in each group. The acupuncture group was intervened by acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6), Zhongwan (CV12), and Zusanli (ST36), etc, plus application withBai Jie Zi(Semen Brassicae) powder at Qihai (CV6), Guanyuan (CV4), and Tianshu (ST25), etc; the medication group was prescribed with oral administration of Trimebutine maleate capsules (0.2 g each dose, 3 times a day). Four-week treatment was taken as a course. The symptoms score and quality of life (QOL) scale were evaluated prior to and after the treatment.Result The clinical symptoms were significantly improved in the acupuncture group, and the total effective rate was89.3%, significantly higher than 63.0% in the medication group (P<0.05). After 4-week treatment, the clinical symptoms scores of the two groups were analyzed by rank-sum test (Z=-19.627,P=0.000<0.05), revealing a significant difference between the two groups and indicating that the improvements of clinical symptoms in the acupuncture group were more significant than those in the medication group. After 4-week treatment, the general QOL scores of the two groups were examined by rank-sum test (Z=-10.039, P=0.000<0.05), revealing a significant difference between the two groups and indicating that the improvement of QOL in the acupuncture group was superior to that in the medication group.Conclusion Acupuncture plus acupoint application can obviously mitigateabdominal pain and discomfort.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture at affected-limb gallbladder meridian points and its effect on the recovery of lower limb function in treating hemiplegia patients with cerebral infarction. Methods Sixty hemiplegia patients with cerebral infarction were randomly allocated to treatment and control groups, 30 cases each. The treatment group received acupuncture at the gallbladder meridian points of the affected-side lower limb as main therapy and the control group, conventional acupuncture. After two courses of treatment, a pre-/post-treatment change in the Lower Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment score was observed in the two groups and post-treatment walking paces, pace lengths and incidences of strephenopodia were compared between the two groups.Results There was a statistically significant pre-/post-treatment difference in the Lower Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment score in the two groups (P<0.01). There was a statistically significant post-treatment difference in the Lower Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment score between the treatment and control groups (P<0.05). There were statistically significant post-treatment differences in walking pace, pace length and the incidence of strephenopodia between the treatment and control groups (P<0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture at affected-limb gallbladder meridian points can improve lower limb function and reduce the incidence of strephenopodia in hemiplegia patients with cerebral infarction.

Objective To investigate the clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture on pulmonary infection after acute cerebral infarction.Methods Seventy patients with pulmonary infection after acute cerebral infarction were randomly allocated to treatment and control groups, 35 cases each. The control group received routine medication and the treatment group, acupuncture in addition. Pre-treatment and post-treatment National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores and clinical pulmonary infection scores (CPIS) were compared between the two groups. The correlation between the NIHSS score and the CPIS score was observed.Results There were statistically significant pre-/post-treatment differences in the NIHSS score and the CPIS score in the two groups (P<0.05,P<0.01). There were statistically significant post-treatment differences in the NIHSS score and the CPIS score between the treatment and control groups (P<0.05). The correlation between the NIHSS score and the CPIS score was low in the treatment group after treatment (r=0.417,P<0.05).Conclusions Acupuncture plus medication is an effective way to treat pulmonary infection after acute cerebral infarction. It can improve the NIHSS score and the CPIS score in the patients.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture plus rehabilitation training in treating post-stroke depression.Method Forty-one patients with post-stroke depression were randomized into a treatment group of 22 cases and a control group of 19 cases. In addition to the basic internal medicine treatment, the treatment group received acupuncture plus rehabilitation training, while the control group was intervened by rehabilitation training alone. The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) were observed and compared before and after treatment.Result The HAMD and NIHSS scores in the two groups were significantly changed respectively after 4-week and 8-week treatment (P<0.05,P<0.01). Respectively after 4-week and 8-week treatment, the HAMD and NIHSS scores in the treatment group were significantly different from that in the control group (P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusion Acupuncture plus rehabilitation training is an effective approach in treating post-stroke depression.