Forty-two cases of greater occipital neuralgia treated by acupuncture plus acupoint-injection.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of acupuncture plus acupoint-injection on greater occipital neuralgia. METHODS: The 84 cases of greater occipital neuralgia were randomly divided into two groups, with 42 cases in the treatment group treated by acupuncture plus acupoint-injection, and 42 cases in the control group treated with oral administration of carbamazepine. RESULTS: The total effective rate was 92.8% in the treatment group and 71.4% in the control group. The difference in the total effective rate was significant (P < 0.05) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture plus acupoint-injection is effective for greater occipital neuralgia, better than the routine western medication.

[Analysis of the function of vascular endothelial cells in coronary heart disease patients of blood-stasis syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the function of vascular endothelial cell (VEC) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) of Xin-blood-stasis syndrome. METHODS: Some vasoactive substances produced by VEC were detected and analyzed in patients with CHD of or without Xin blood stasis syndrome in group A (n=112) and group B (n=108) respectively, also in patients with non-CHD but of Xin-blood-stasis syndrome in group C (n=110), and healthy persons in group D (n=100), including nitric oxide (NO), endothelin (ET), angiotensin H (Ag II), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule -1 (sVCAM-1). RESULTS: The abnormality degree of ET, Ag II , sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 in various groups showed such a tendency as group A> group B> group D (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05), while no significant difference in these criteria between group A and group C was shown (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The vasoactive substances secreted by VEC are closely related to the formation and progression of CHD, and are likely to be important pathological markers of blood-stasis syndrome in CHD.

[Study on relationship between the polymorphism of angiotensin converting enzyme gene and blood stasis syndrome in patients with coronary heart disease].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), and blood stasis syndrome (BSS) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: The ACE gene type in 48 patients of CHD of BSS type, 52 CHD patients of non-BSS type and 54 healthy subjects (control) was determined by PCR assay, also levels of endothelin (ET), angiotensin II (Ag II), and nitric oxide (NO) were determined. RESULTS: Occurrence of DD genotype and allele genotype of ACE gene was higher in patients of BSS than that in patients of non-BSS and control (P < 0.01). ET/NO level was higher in patients of BSS than that in control (P < 0.01). ET and Ag II levels in patients of BSS were significantly higher than those in patients of non-BSS (P < 0.05) and control (P < 0.01). Levels of ET/NO and Ag II in subjects with DD genotype in various groups were higher than those in subjects with Ag II or ID genotype, the highest level occurred in patients of BSS with DD genotype, when compared with the other two groups, the difference in Ag II was significant (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01), when compared with control, the difference in ET/NO was significant (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: DD genotype of ACE gene may be the susceptible gene of CHD in patients of BSS type.